Karim Ouellet (December 8, 1984 – November 15, 2021) was a Senegalese-born Canadian pop singer-songwriter. He released three albums between 2011 and 2016; his second album Fox won a Juno Award in 2014.
Early life
Ouellet was born in Dakar, Senegal, on December 8, 1984.[1] He was adopted by Canadian diplomats at the age of one.[2] He lived in France, Rwanda and Tunisia,[3] before his family returned to live in Quebec City when he was 15.[2] Ouellet learned to play the piano, percussion, and guitar as a child, and recounted composing his first song when he was seven. He took up the electric guitar as a teenager, and began playing with local bands. He met Claude Bégin in around 2005; Bégin co-wrote the lyrics and music for Ouellet's first three albums.[1]
His third album, Trente, was released in March 2016.[14] He followed up later the same year with Aikido, a downloadable free mini-album.[1]
Ouellet's music follows a folk-pop style with some reggae and African music influences. He was also a frequent collaborator with several hip hop groups, including CEA and Movèzerbe.[15]
Personal life
Ouellet's sister, Sarahmée, is also a musician.[16] He served as the French-language spokesman for Black History Month in Canada in 2018.[1]
One month after what would have been his 37th birthday, Ouellet was found dead on the evening of January 17, 2022, at L'Unisson studio in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood.[11][17][18] While foul play was ruled out by local police, his death prompted an investigation by the municipal coroner’s office.[11][17] He was reportedly working on his fourth album at the time.[11] The coroner's report indicated that Ouellet had died two full months before his body was found, on November 15, 2021, and ruled that his cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis.[19]
In 2023, Sarahmée and the Grand Théâtre de Québec announced a new award for emerging musicians from the Quebec City region in Ouellet's memory. The prize will award $7,500, and a full-length show at the Grand Théâtre, to the winner.[20]
