Photo Credit Éva-Maude TC

Montreal-born and raised singer-songwriter Geneviève Racette was destined to find herself on stage and in recording studios from day one. Her mom taught her piano at home and her dad was passionate about all things music; her sister was a pianist and vocalist and her brother a guitarist and trumpet player. 

Racette developed a healthy love for music at home and then decided to hone those skills as an adult, and the personal and critical results have been resounding. On March 18th, 2022, Racette is due to release her third full-length album, Satellite. Adding to an ever-developing and highly-praised bilingual catalog, Satellite is a 9-song collection, delivering honest stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love. 

Filled with intimate vocals, lush instruments, and expressive harmonies, Racette’s new album evokes moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness, and ultimately, falling in love again. Racette has shared two singles from the album thus far; the reverb-drenched, earnest longing of “Maybe” and “Les adieux,” which translates to “Farewells” in English. Fans can hear both singles now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Satellite ahead of its March 18th release right here. 

A full list of dates is below and more information can be found at genevieveracette.com/en/tour.

Catch Geneviève Racette On Tour:

January 8 – Kansas City – The Wenske House

January 28 – Sherbrooke – La Petite Boîte Noire *

February 13 – Montreal – MTELUS ^

February 25 – Kansas City – Folk Alliance International Official Showcase 

March 5 – Saint-Adolphe d’Howard – La Chèvre *

March 10 – Alma – La Boîte à Bleuets * 

March 11 – Jonquière – Côté-Cour *

March 12 – Val-Morin – Théâtre du Marais *

March 25 – La Pocatière – La Baleine Endiablée

March 27 – Gatineau – Le Minotaure *

March 31 – Lavaltrie – Église Saint-Antoine *

* with Pelch 

^ with City and Colour

What’s your story as an artist? 

I grew up in the suburbs of Montreal in a family of five. My whole family is made up of musicians so I was submerged in music ever since I was a baby. I don’t really remember when I started to sing but I can’t recall a time when I didn’t. My mom is a classically trained pianist and she taught me the basics as a child. I used to practice sitting down on the floor with my little Casio keyboard. I loved it. 

My parents bought me my first guitar for my 12th birthday. I was so happy. It was a black Epiphone with a white pickguard just like Avril Lavigne’s guitar. I was obsessed with her. She was cool, young, played guitar and didn’t care what anyone thought. I wanted to be her. I still do!

After high school I studied music in Cegep (Québec’s equivalent of college) for 3 years. I learned from some of the best Montreal musicians. Music school is where I met most of the people I work with musically today. I grew a lot as a person and as a musician during my studies. 

I released my first EP in 2014 truly not knowing what the heck I was doing. I recorded these songs with my producer/best friend François-Pierre Lue. He recorded, mixed and mastered everything from his apartment-studio. To my surprise, the songs did pretty well and got some airplay! Through that I got the attention from a record label here in Montreal. Being young and not knowing exactly what I wanted, I signed with them. I released my first full length record Les aurores boréales on their label in 2016. After going through that experience, I decided it was best for me to pursue my career as an indie artist. 

The songs off No Water, No Flowers are the first English songs I ever wrote. Coming from Montreal, I grew up in a bilingual family and singing in English was simply normal for me. Québec is the only unilingual province in bilingual Canada. There are francophone communities in every province but it’s definitely more predominant in Québec. That being said, the government wants to protect the French language and make it their cultural priority. It is normal and I support it. However, when I announced to my previous management and booking team that I wanted to release a majority English record, the support wasn’t there. Many people I worked with discouraged me from doing it. They said it was too hard of a path to take. I’ve been told that if you’re a Quebecois, you should sing in French. That didn’t make sense to me. I speak as much English as French in my house. That mentality didn’t stick with me so I decided to let everyone go and do everything on my own for a while. It was definitely scary but in the end, it was the right decision. Little by little I rebuilt my team with the people I work with today and I have never been happier. I followed my gut and it paid off. No Water, No Flowers is my most successful record so far. I won a Canadian Folk Music Award, performed all across Canada and showcased my music in numerous events. I’m so proud. Today I simply write and sing in whatever language I feel like. I took that pressure off my shoulders. 

What inspired Satellite? 

Satellite is a record about the cycle of love. It evokes moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness and ultimately falling in love again. An eternal period of beginnings and endings. Forever orbiting around love. 

While I wrote the record I was in the middle of what is called in astrology my “Saturn Return.” This is supposedly when the planet Saturn returns to the same ecliptic longitude that it occupied at the moment of your birth. They say it takes about 28-30 years. It’s a period of intense growth, discomfort and maturity. It’s there to teach you responsibility for yourself. It makes you question everything and forces you to make important life decisions. I don’t know if you believe in that stuff but it was SPOT ON for me. I was about to completely change my life and it was super scary but very inspiring that’s for sure. 

Do you get inspired by other art forms? 

What really inspires me most is meeting people, going places, experiencing new emotions. I am very much inspired by live music. There’s something about it. I’m a big cryer at concerts! 

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing the album? 

I don’t know if this is funny but when I wrote “Hostage” I wasn’t sure I wanted to put it in the record. I loved it but I thought it sounded a little too country compared to the other songs. In summer 2020, I played a couple private concerts for my close friends and family and it was unanimous: everyone’s favorite song was “Hostage!” Turns out we’re releasing it as the focus track of the record. 

What’s your favourite place/environment to write? 

My favourite place to write is also one of my favourite places in general: The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada. I have been there twice and the mountains surrounding this beautiful area provide magic creative energy! I know it sounds crazy but those who have been there know. I really hope I get to go back someday. 

What’s a record that shaped your creativity? 

The first record I listened to on loop for weeks was Continuum by John Mayer. I was fifteen when it came out and it really inspired me. 

A more recent one would be Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves. It is so inspiring to see a beautiful strong woman create such incredible songs. I’m big on visuals and Kacey’s branding is AMAZING. It truly reflects her music and that really inspires me. 

Who is an artist or band you look up to today? 

Definitely Taylor Swift. She’s like every songwriter’s superhero! The fact that she is re-recording her whole catalogue is so satisfying. I admire her. Folklore is one of my favourite records from the past couple years. I want to be like Taylor when I grow up. 

What excites you the most about what you do? 

I truly love working as an indie artist. I have a great management team and many people (mostly women!) who work with me but at the end of the day I am an independent artist and I pay for all productions under my name. I don’t have a record label backing me. I’m the boss and I’m super proud of it. I have creative control and I get to work with the people I love everyday. It’s incredible. I’m very grateful.

What is your view on genres and music styles since you mix a lot of them in your music? 

I’ve always found inspiration in different styles of music. I think it’s important to break out of your musical patterns and listen to new things. When I was in high school my friends used to make fun of me because I would make mixed CD’s and they would have the weirdest mix. I would mix James Taylor with The Used and throw in some Shakira or something. It was definitely eclectic! 

Today I use some elements from Americana, Folk, and Pop in my musical arrangements. It’s what comes naturally. I secretly dream of releasing something completely different one day. Maybe a super emo hardcore record! Who knows! Haha.

What does music and art mean to you? 

Music and art means EVERYTHING to me. My whole life revolves around it. It is the reason I get out of bed in the morning. All my friends are artists in their own way and it’s a beautiful thing to share that passion with them. Singing is essential to me. It’s simply who I am. 

In one word, how would you describe your music? 

Sincere.