Singer-songwriter Lysandre is the 30th recipient of the Félix-Leclerc Song Award, presented by SOCAN. Lysandre received the top honours on June 12, at MTELUS. She was presented with the award by Lou-Adriane Cassidy, winner of the 2024 edition, for whom she was opening as part of Cassidy’s show at the 37th Francos de Montréal.
Created in 1996 by the Félix-Leclerc Foundation, in collaboration with the Francos de Montréal, the Félix-Leclerc Song Award aims to stimulate creativity among young songwriters and encourage the dissemination of Francophone music.
One half of the award is presented in Québec and the other in France. In Québec, the honour comes with a $10,000 cash prize from SOCAN, an invitation to the Francofolies de La Rochelle in 2027, and an artistic residency at the Cité internationale de la langue française at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, in France.
Québec recipients over the past three decades include Mara Tremblay (1999), Pierre Lapointe (2004), Vincent Vallières (2005), Catherine Major (2008), Marie-Pierre Arthur (2012), Klô Pelgag (2017), Hubert Lenoir (2018), Les Louanges (2019), Ariane Roy (2023), and Rau_Ze (2025).
The winner of the French half of the award will be announced in July during the Francofolies de La Rochelle.
Classically trained in piano, Lysandre Ménard gradually established herself as one of Québec’s most sought-after accompanists, performing on stage with artists including Klô Pelgag, Helena Deland, Shaina Hayes, and Étienne Dufresne, while also contributing to albums by Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Ariane Roy, and Choses Sauvages.
Lysandre is a multidisciplinary artist who also expresses herself as an actor and a screen composer. As a singer-songwriter, the versatile performer released her debut EP as a songwriter in 2020, a project titled Maison-Dieu. Her first album, Sans oublier, followed in 2022, and her second, Portrait de l’invisible, was released earlier in 2026.
The selection criteria for the 30th Félix-Leclerc Song Award were as follows:
- Originality and quality of the lyrics and music
- Relevance of the creative approach
- Potential to develop a career nationally and internationally
- Contribution to the renewal of Francophone music
This year’s jury was composed of Philippe Papineau (Le Devoir and CIBL), Claude Côté (Paroles & Musique), Estelle Grignon (CHOQ FM), Marissa Groguhé (La Presse), Émilie Rioux (CBC/Radio-Canada and CKIA), as well as Félix Paul and Rose Perron of the duo Rau_Ze, the 2025 recipients.