David Giguère started writing his first song sketches at around 13 and he produced an obscure rap album with the help of his drama teacher. Increasingly passionate about acting, he enrolled in a theater diploma at Collège Lionel-Groulx and, in 2008, had a life-changing encounter with a piano. “That was quite an epiphany! The theater classes we quite intense. Just as I was being told what to do and how as an actor, I discovered that magnificent instrument and immediately felt like I needed to write songs devoid of any real structure. I created the rules as I went. I was craving freedom,” remembers the 24 year-old man.
As David was finishing his acting diploma in 2010, his desire to get on stage and play his compositions was becoming increasingly pressing. Accompanied by a few of his musician friends, he made a mark for himself in small venues all over Montréal thanks to his exceptional stage presence. What the budding artist is mainly looking for, once the industry-types start paying attention to him, is attentive ears. While attending Olivier Choinière’s Chante avec moi concert, he met Philippe Brault (Pierre Lapointe). “He told me the best manager in the business was Stéphanie Moffatt. I met with her in a café and we immediately clicked. After that, I kept on working on my album. Then we looked at the various options we could consider. Many labels expressed their interest, but Audiogram had this family vibe that I didn’t feel anywhere else. They granted artists an incredible amount of freedom, and that meant a lot to me. They had ideas and everything I needed to take my project even further and help me reach the goals I set for myself,” explains the young music lover who cites Serge Gainsbourg, Gilbert Bécaud and Jimmy Hunt as some of his favourites.
With the help of Pierre-Philippe Côté (aka Pilou) on production duty, one can say that Giguère was in good company. He rapidly recruited a prestigious ally in Ariane Moffatt, Stéphanie’s sister and a well-established artist in her own right, who came on board as artistic director. “What I love the most about being a musician is all the people I get to meet, and Ariane taught me so much. She was incredibly generous and present at every step of the project, every single day during a month. She came on board when a sizable portion of the preproduction was already complete. What she contributed to my project was an incredible amount of experience. I had questions and concerns and she answered every single one of them. It was great to have an independent opinion that came from the pop realm. There were three of us making decisions throughout the whole process,” he explains.
The results was Hisser haut, his first album launched in January 2012. Halfway between pop and electro, the album seduced the audience with its strong melodies and surprisingly mature lyrics. Entirely composed and written by Giguère, Hisser haut was no walk in the park for him. “I was involved in all the aspects of this project. Whether it’s the album cover – for which I went to a cabin with a graphic designer for a whole week –, the mastering, or the arrangements (with Pilou). It was an incredible amount of work, but it was crucial to me that all of it was as representative as possible of who I am. You know, the themes on Hisser haut are ones that have been with me for quite a while; childhood, naiveté, meeting your soulmate. There were many themes I wanted to address. To tell the truth, this album I my life up to when I was 22,” confides the young man.
After building a small home studio for himself, Giguère will be quite busy in the coming months. He will spend 10 days in Brazil in March where he’ll perform a guitar and electro sounds concert accompanied by his backing vocalist, followed by a few days back at home working on his compositions. Then, in April, he will head out to Korea where he will participate on the song Caligula (remix) by Marc Beaupré. Then it’s on to Vietnam and Laos. “Those travels will no doubt give me material for my next album. Even though right now I don’t have any finished songs, I’d love to record it this summer and release it as soon as possible. I’ve gained a good understanding of how the music biz works in the past year, and I’ve definitely learned from my mistakes. Now, I want things to go my way. I’m in a constant quest for honesty. I don’t want to pretend I’m having fun. I want to really have fun.