IMA

Born on May 11, 1978, as Marie-Andre Bergeron, French Canadian singer Ima spent her childhood south of Montreal immersed in dance, theater, and vocal training before committing fully to stage performance. Film roles in The Bone Collector and Eye of the Beholder followed, yet acting left her restless, prompting a move into music under the stage name Ima, shorthand for imagination. Five years later she issued her debut recording, the single “In Your Eyes,” which appeared on Tribute to Ayrton Senna, an album honoring the late Brazilian race-car driver. Singing contests in 2000 and 2001 brought her together with François Guy, who urged her to record an album in French. Veteran drummer Dominique Messier, previously associated with Celine Dion and Lara Fabian, supervised the sessions; Ima drew songs from leading Canadian writers for her self-titled 2002 debut. After further regional dates she reunited with Tino Izzo and Alessandro Cerondolo to create Pardonne Moi Si Je T'aime, released in 2005. Although those French-language efforts had succeeded, her 2007 album Smile explored jazz repertoire sung chiefly in English. She has continued extensive regional touring behind the project, which has secured regular airplay across Canada.