Éric Lapointe

Éric Lapointe shot to prominence among Francophone performers after releasing the breakthrough single "Terre Promise" in 1994. He entered the world on September 28, 1969, in Pointes-Aux-Trembles, Quebec, picked up his first guitar at nine, and began composing original material the following year. Local club stages became his regular outlet once he turned 15, and his performances eventually drew the notice of Yves-François Blanchet, then president of the Quebec record industry association ADISQ, who took on the role of manager. While continuing to play clubs and college venues, Lapointe supported himself through a series of short-term positions that included swimming pool technician, garbage collector, and credit card salesman. An industry showcase held at Montreal’s Club Soda secured him a recording contract with the Disques Gamma label, leading to the 1994 release of his debut album Obsession, produced by Aldo Nova. Although programmers initially rejected the record because Lapointe’s rich, gravelly vocals and two-fisted rock sensibilities seemed at odds with the prevailing folk-dominated Francophone pop sound, the music video for "Terre Promise" quickly became a viewer favorite and propelled him to widespread recognition. The album later received platinum certification, and Lapointe collected two Félix Awards, one for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and another for Best Rock Album. After supporting the Rolling Stones on a pair of Paris concerts, he delivered his 1996 sophomore effort Invitez les Vautours, which repeated the commercial success, earned another Félix for Best Rock Album, and introduced the hit singles "Loadé Comme un Gun," "Le Screw," and "Les Boys." The 1999 album À l’Ombre de l’Ange surpassed both predecessors commercially, captured five Félix Awards, and featured the number-one single "Mon Ange." Lapointe issued his first live recording, the two-disc set Adrénaline, in 2002. Headlines followed over the next two years after a drug arrest in 2002 and a domestic violence charge in 2004. The artwork for the subsequent release Coupable depicts the singer with his hands pressed against a stone wall in an arrest pose. He moved into acting in 2005, portraying criminal Johnny "Le Chat" Charland in the TVA series Le Negociateur. The next year he supplied the hit single "Tatoo" for the soundtrack of the film Bon Cop Bad Cop.