Jean-François Morand

-By the time he entered the "Ma Première Place des Arts" competition in the spring of 2005, JF Moran had already been around for 30 years, drawing on a wealth of experiences, impressions and questions. He has also had time to hone his writing skills and find a highly personal angle on his favourite subjects. This public appearance brought him a double victory: as an artist, he was awarded the Grand Prix de la Relève, ACI category, while the title of Song of the Year went to his song "Balcon". As a corollary to this honor, Moran took part in the Le grand huit franco-québécois tour sponsored by "Coup de coeur francophone", which enabled him to be heard at several points in the province of Quebec (in Canada) the following autumn, then in France in the spring. A debut album was released a year later, but did not include "Balcon" or "Bagages", another song that had caught the ear of contest officials and the media. Instead, early fans and industry professionals, whose comparisons ranged from Tom Waits to Ben Harper to... Carla Bruni (for her naturally flowing, slightly sensual writing style), discover a dozen fresh new pieces. Launched on the very day, it is said, that the smoking ban comes into force for all restaurants and bars in the province of Quebec, "Tabac" contains its fair share of folk-pop lyrics, with a penchant for destabilization and audacity: "Désordres", "Blind" and especially "Chaos" confirm the rebellious side of the young thirty-something. Then it was SPACQ's turn to award him the Prix Gilles-Vigneault, presented to an emerging singer-songwriter. This distinction was followed by a grant from the Association Québec-Wallonie-Bruxelles pour la jeunesse as part of the Bourse RIDEAU, and Moran soon had the opportunity to have his songs heard in Europe. But the pen (or pen, or keyboard) continues to itch, and the imminence of a second opus is soon felt. With his musical accomplices, JF returned to the studio at the end of 2009 to co-produce "Mammifères", a more introspective album, in the company of Pierre-Philippe Côté and Thomas Carbou. JF's partner in life, Catherine Major, adds her voice to Moran's on two tracks: "Los Angeles" and "Aspirine". Its release in early 2010 heralds a new tour, which hits the road in mid-February 2010.