Kevin Parent

Kevin Parent
Parent in 2013
Parent in 2013
Background information
Born (1972-12-12) 12 December 1972 (age 52)
Greenfield Park, Quebec, Canada
Years active1993–present
LabelsAudiogram
Websitekevinparent.com

Kevin Parent (born 12 December 1972) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Quebec.[1] He is fluent in both English and French.

Early life

Although his first language is English,[2] he was born in Greenfield Park, Quebec (now a borough of the city of Longueuil), and was raised and educated in the French-speaking area of Bay of Chaleur (Gaspé Peninsula) in the municipality of Nouvelle during his childhood and attended high school at the École Antoine-Bernard in Carleton-sur-Mer.

Career

In 1993, Parent participated in a songwriting competition, and was consequently signed to Tacca Musique shortly thereafter. His first album, "Pigeon d'argile" sold over 360,000 copies,[3] making it one of the greatest Québécois album sales successes of the decade.

Hit singles "Nomade sedentaire", "Seigneur" and "Boomerang", made Parent become well known in Quebec music in the 1990s, winning a number of Felix Awards in the province and touring on both sides of the Atlantic. Two years later, Kevin released "Grand Parleur, Petit Faiseur", which also sold more than 350,000 copies and earned him the Felix Award for Rock Album of the Year in 1998. His follow-up albums, Les Vents ont changé (2001) and Retrouvailles (2003), which featured collaborations with Claire Pelletier, Catherine Durand, among others, both achieved multi-platinum status and earned him Juno Award nominations (including a win for the best selling Francophone album of 2002) and Felix Awards.[citation needed]

Parent has also worked as an actor, with acting roles including in Jean-Marc Vallée's 2011 film Café de Flore and Sonia Boileau's 2019 film Rustic Oracle.[citation needed] In 2015 he appeared in and narrated the documentary film L'Or du golfe.[4]

He now lives in the town of Miguasha.[5] Miguasha is also the title of one album he published in 2009.[citation needed]

Discography

Parent (right) with Tony Levin
  • 1995: Pigeon d'argile
  • 1998: Grand parleur, petit faiseur
  • 2001: Les vents ont changé
  • 2003: Retrouvailles
  • 2007: Fangless Wolf Facing Winter – English album
  • 2009: Miguasha
  • 2014: Face à l'ouest
  • 2016: Kanji – English album

Compilation

  • 2006: Kevin Parent Compilation

References

  1. ^ Elaine Keillor (18 March 2008). Music in Canada: Capturing Landscape and Diversity. McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7735-3391-2.
  2. ^ Charlebois, Gaetan L. (3 June 2007). "Comedy awards gala yields gales of groans instead of guffaws". The Gazette (Montreal). Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  3. ^ Bettsy Powell (1999). "There's no place like home". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 58. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ^ Suzanne Dansereau, "Quebec artists versus the oilpatch; Manifesto calls for ban on development". National Post, April 18, 2015.
  5. ^ "À Pinel à cause de son béguin pour Kevin Parent". Le Journal de Québec (in French). 10 October 2007. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013.