Rarely has there been such an eclectic final round at the annual Francouvertes competition. Besdie Lou-Adriane Cassidy’s delicate rock sensibility (2nd place), and the dislocated experimental punk of CRABE (3rd place), it was the contagious energy of rap combo LaF that stood out and won the final round of the 2018 Francouvertes contest, which took place at Montréal’s Club Soda on May 7, 2018. And thanks to the combined votes of the professional jury, the general public, and various event partners, LaF also won several additional prizes. Lou-Adriane Cassidy and CRABE also didn’t leave empty-handed, having each won a few rewards.
All three 2018 Francouvertes finalists (L to R: Lou-Adriane Cassidy, LaF and CRABE) gave everything they had during the finals. (Photo: Eric Parazelli)
The night opened with the last of the “J’aime mes ex” performances, a SOCAN presentation, featuring event spokespersons Klô Pelgag and Tire le coyote, who performed a few songs as a duo prior to the finalists’ performances.
SOCAN member Lou-Adriane Cassidy and her collaborators Stéphanie Boulay and Philémon Cimon won the Paroles & Musique Award – including a $1,000 cash prize and a stay at the Paris SOCAN House offered by SOCAN – in recognition of the excellent writing of the songs performed by Cassidy during the semifinals.
For a complete list of the 2018 finalists’ awards, visit the Francouvertes website. You can listen to the entire finals show on May 9, at 7:00 p.m., during the Influence Franco show on SiriusXM 174.
SOCAN congratulates LaF for the major victory in their budding career!