Chloé Sainte-Marie

Chloé Sainte-Marie, the Quebec-born Canadian singer and actress, secured Félix Awards for each of her post-millennial releases Je Marche à Toi in 2002 and Parle-Moi in 2005. Originally named Marie-Aline Joyal, she entered the world on May 29, 1962, in Saint-Eugène-de-Granthan, Quebec. After gaining initial recognition as an actress throughout the 1980s, she shifted focus in the 1990s to a career as a contemporary folksinger. Her first full-length album, L'Emploi de Mon Temps, arrived in 1993, though the six-year gap preceding her follow-up Je Pleure, Tu Pleures in 1999 ultimately demonstrated her commitment to music. The third album, Je Marche à Toi, brought the former actress turned singer further recognition along with a Félix Award and additional honors. Parle-Moi, the next release, matched that achievement by earning her a second Félix Award. Her fifth album, Nitshisseniten E Tshissenitamin, marked a clear break from earlier work when it appeared in 2009. Despite being performed entirely in Innu-aimun, the tongue of the indigenous Innu people from eastern Quebec and Labrador, the project still entered the Canadian albums chart. Its title means Je Sais Que Tu Sais in French, and Innu singer Philippe McKenzie supplied the songs.