The televised ADISQ Gala was presented on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, and the host, Louis-José Houde, announced that he was retiring, after his 18th consecutive year at the helm of the event. Daniel Bélanger won two more trophies during the evening, making him the overall “winningest” artist this year, with a total of five Félix Awards. Winning Male Artist of the Year and the prestigious Songwriter of the Year trophy at this 45th edition placed him at the top of the podium. Alongside him were Alexandra Stréliski – who won both Female Artist and Artist of the Year, and Artist of the Year – International Outreach – and Kanen, who won Indigenous Artist of the Year and Revelation of the Year, becoming the first-ever Indigenous artist to win in the latter category.
Select the image to play the SOCAN YouTube interview video with Salebarbes
In the Song of the Year category, decided by a mixed vote from industry representatives and the general public, fans of the supergroup Salebarbes certainly played a role in selecting “Gin à l’eau salée” as the winning song. Visibly delighted by this accolade, the artists spoke with Paroles & Musique for a few minutes in the press room to share their pride.
The Félix for Show of the Year went to the tireless and perennially relevant Michel Rivard, for his show “Le tour du bloc,” celebrating the 50th Anniversary of his career. While receiving his honour, Rivard invited 11 musicians to accompany him onstage.
Ginette Reno, who was part of a surprising opening number that found her singing with the rapper FouKi, among others, unsurprisingly walked away with the Félix for Album of the Year – Popular Success. Undoubtedly one of Québec’s favourite bands, Les Cowboys Fringants, won for Group of the Year. Louis-José Houde dedicated the gala to the band’s singer, Karl Tremblay, currently battling cancer. The rest of the band members, in attendance on Sunday evening, said they were touched by all the affection they’ve received throughout the past year from their fellow members of the Québec music industry, but above all, by their army of fans. “We’ve always said there are 20 Cowboys when you include our musicians and crew. This year, we found out there are eight million Cowboys,” said bassist Jérôme Dupras.
The gala also featured several outstanding performances from SOCAN members Patrick Norman and Martine St-Clair, as well as Revelation of the Year nominees Bibi Club, Calamine, Francis Degrandpré, Kanen, and Jeanick Fournier, as well as Alexandra Stréliski and Daniel Bélanger, Clay and Friends, and Pierre Kwenders, Maten and Black Bear, and Salebarbes. The evening concluded with a nod to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, featuring Loud and Raccoon, who were joined by very special guests Muzion, to deliver their 1999 unifying anthem “La vi ti nèg.”
Eric Parazelli and Marie-Michèle Bouchard of SOCAN’s Communications & Marketing team were on the red carpet and in the press room to gather impressions from the nominees and winners, while CEO Jennifer Brown, Chairman of the Board Marc Ouellet, Chief Membership Officer Jean-Christian Céré, Chief Legal Officer Andrea Kokonis, Executive Director of Québec Affairs Alexandre Alonso and Creative & Partnership Executive Sara Dendane also attended the gala, demonstrating their unwavering support for members of the SOCAN family.
For a complete list of winners, visit the ADISQ website. Stay tuned for our backstage interviews from the Premier Gala and the ADISQ Gala.