Diane Dufresne

Born in Montreal during September 1944, Diane Dufresne trained in voice and art while living in Paris, then returned to her native city to launch a music career that would span nearly five decades. Her first Montreal appearance came in 1969 inside Clemence Desrochers’ production Les Girls, an engagement that quickly produced partnerships with composer Francois Cousineau and lyricist Luc Plamondon, the latter remaining central to her output for most of her working life. She issued her first album in 1972 and followed it with another the next year. The single “J’ai Rencontre l’Homme de Ma Vie” proved immediately popular, yet an opening slot for Julien Clerc in Paris the year after met with muted response. Undeterred by the uneven notices, she maintained a steady schedule of mid-1970s releases that placed her near the forefront of Quebec’s pop vocal landscape. Earlier setbacks in the French capital were eclipsed by a triumphant 1978 homecoming whose performances yielded two live albums. Throughout the same decade she also took on roles in stage musicals and television specials. During the 1980s she redirected her energies toward large-scale productions and brought the longstanding association with Plamondon to a close. The following decade saw her reappear on stage both as a solo artist and as a songwriter, touring Canada and France with headline dates as well as occasional festival sets. She sustained activity well into the new century, accumulating numerous awards in the process.