Louise Forestier - Compagne des arts et des lettres du Québec

If freedom is the language of art, then Louise Forestier heartily embraces the depths of her craft. The notes she sings, the lines she speaks, the words she writes: everything that flows through the body and mind of this artist resonates with the term “to abandon oneself.” And what makes Louise Forestier unique lies in this freedom to be and to create, without compromise.

Louise Forestier had guts from the outset of her career, and she surrounded herself with collaborators who were equally unstoppable. With L’Osstidcho, Charlebois, Deschamps, Mouffe, and Forestier brought about the big bang in popular song in Québec, restoring the honour of the language as spoken. In the great and timeless Lindberg, as with all the musical hits that followed, from La prison de Londres to Pourquoi chanter, one can still detect in Louise Forestier’s voice the emancipatory energy that filled her.

Her undeniable talent for musical performance, in an eclectic repertoire that combines psychedelic rock, folklore, and jazz, turned out to be just as natural in the theatre. In Demain matin, Montréal m’attend, Starmania, and Nelligan, the icon of the cultural scene set the stage on fire. In IXE-13, Les Ordres, and Ti-Cul Tougas, she lit up the screen. With strength of heart and rock and roll in her soul, Louise Forestier approaches every project with a discipline equal only to the fun she gets out of them. Her peers will tell you that her laughter should be declared a national monument. In over 50 years as a singer, author, composer, and actress, with some 20 albums and as many roles and songs, we can imagine that Louise Forestier has a great deal of fun. Clearly, she still and will always bring us warm delight.

About the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec

The Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec is a distinction bestowed by CALQ honouring those individuals who have played a prominent role in Québec's artistic development.

The CALQ would like to thanks its partners, the Caisse de la Culture and the newspaper Le Devoir.

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