Les Louanges Explained

Les Louanges
Birth Name:	Vincent Roberge
Origin:	Lévis, Québec, Canada
Genre:	R&B, Jazz, Pop, Electropop, Indie pop
Occupation:	Singer-Songwriter
Years Active:	2016-present
Label:	Bonsound
Website:	https://www.leslouanges.com/

Les Louanges is a Canadian indie pop act from Québec, created and performed by Vincent Roberge.^[1] He currently has 2 released albums with his label Bonsound.^[2] ^[3]

Career

Originally from Lévis, Vincent Roberge moved to Montréal in 2015.^[4] Les Louanges is a nickname he got in high school and decided to use as his stage name.

Les Louanges is Roberge's solo act, on which he works mostly alone. Roberge also works in close proximity with his friend and colleague Félix Petit, his saxophonist,^[5] who co-directed his 2 albums, and helps him with inspiration and arrangements.^[6]

Roberge was discovered in 2015, as a finalist at the Festival international de la chanson de Granby.^[7]

In 2016, Roberge released his first EP Le Mercure on Bandcamp, and then a year later, he released it officially with the song Encéphaline added, for which he received the Prix de la chanson SOCAN.^[8]

He participated in the Francouvertes competition in 2017, finishing as a top three finalist behind winner Lydia Képinski.^[9] This opportunity lead him to meet both his manager and get signed with his label, Bonsound.

In 2018, he released his first studio album, La nuit est une panthère.^[10] This album counts 11 songs and 3 interludes. It is a mix of R'n'B, jazz, hip-hop, and more. La nuit est une panthère, was a shortlisted nominee for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize,^[11] and won the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.^[12] In addition to the Polaris Prize nomination, Roberge received a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination in the French division for his song "Tercel".^[13] Les Louanges won 3 Félix at his first Gala de l'ADISQ in 2019 for this album.^[14]

Vincent Roberge won the Prix Félix-Leclerc at the 2019 edition of Les Francos de Montréal,^[15] and the Prix Espoir FEQ at the Festival d'été de Québec.^[16] The single "Attends-moi pas" was shortlisted for the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize.^[17]

He composed music for Anne Émond's 2019 film Young Juliette (Jeune Juliette).^[18] The project is a solo work, for which he signed in his birth name.^[19]

In 2022, Les Louanges released his second album, Crash.^[20] This album is composed of 13 songs, and 2 interludes.^[21] It is more intimate than his first album, and it tells the stories of his young adult life. Everything is written in the artist's own perspective, as he thinks it is the only way to make it authentic, and truly real.Topics such as breakups, addiction, and sexual assault are covered on this album.This album also presents a collaboration; Les Louanges sings with Corneille the title song Crash. This album won the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023.^[22]

Performances

Fall of 2018: opening acts for both Philippe Brach and Ariane Moffatt.
June 2019: sold-out show at the Club Soda for the Francos de Montréal.
June 2022: performed at the Francos de Montréal on the Silo Brasseurs de Montréal stage.^[23]
June 2023: performed on the Bell stage of the Francos de Montréal, in what he considered "the biggest show of his life".^[24]

Awards and nominations

2019: Shortlisted nominee for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize for his debut album, La nuit est une panthère.
2019: Won the Prix Félix-Leclerc at Les Francos de Montréal.
2019: Won the Prix Espoir FEQ at the Festival d'été de Québec.
2019: Won 3 Félix at the Gala de l'ADISQ for his debut album, La nuit est une panthère.
2020: Won the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.
2023: Won the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023 for his second album, Crash.