Diane Tell
I don’t like birthdays. Christmas, even less… and I was born on Christmas Eve! Right between the turkey and the presents. I could’ve ended up in the manger with baby Jesus! Just like Zac in the movie C.R.A.Z.Y. by our dear, much-missed Jean-Marc Vallée. Then, someone pitched the idea: “Diane, how about an anniversary tour?” I didn’t say yes right away. Well… turning 50, I do like that. It deserves celebrating! And besides, after that we’re safe — there won’t be any “100 i'aime”! I took the bait like a perfect walleye from Lac Blouin… and I signed. Several concerts are already scheduled in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. It’s fantastic.
In 1977, I released my first album — the one where I’m on the cover holding Raggedy Ann, thumb in my mouth, legs wide open! Ah! I was quite the rascal at 19. Still am, a little. Polissonne is also the title of my next album. Promising, right? I was already touring in 1976. I sang everywhere, just me and my guitar: in bars, restaurants, at the Maples Inn in Pointe-Claire, at L’Évêché in the Hôtel Nelson in Old Montreal. I even sang at the Forum, opening for Chris de Burgh back then.
For this concert series, I won’t be alone. An extraordinary five-star Québécois band, led by the one and only Julien Fillion, will hit the road with me. What luck. The repertoire — drawn from fifteen albums — chosen for our delight and yours, will be elevated by the talent of these young musicians. So… shall we make it a date? Just think about it: 50 years of music, songs, the stage, non-stop. But it’s really your loyalty that deserves to be celebrated.
Come on. This is my tour. The “50 i'aime” anniversary of our meeting. Remember?
Diane Tell is a Canadian musician born in Quebec City.
As a very young musician, Tell entered the Val d’Or conservatory at the age of six before later enrolling to study at the Montréal conservatory as well as at CEGEP Saint-Laurent. She wrote her first song at the age of twelve.
As one of Québec’s pioneering female singer-songwriters, she proposed her personal repertoire over the course of her first four albums and has won six Félix prizes before the age of 25 in the following categories: breakout artist, best artist, best album, best song and, twice, songwriter of the year. Several of her songs have become SOCAN Classics and Si j’étais un homme was inducted in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.
She earned a MIDEM Award for her album Chimères and a Victoire Award for her album Faire à nouveau connaissance. In 1990, she was chosen by Plamondon, Berger and Savary to play a leading role in the musical La légende de Jimmy. Following that, she played the lead and composed the score for another musical, Marilyn Montreuil, written and stage directed by Jérôme Savary and the Théâtre National du Chaillot, in Paris. Over 300 performances of both shows were presented in France and Europe.
Over the past 25 years, Tell has toured relentlessly, written, composed and recorded in Canada, France, the U.K. and Switzerland.
In 2018, she produced her 15th studio album of original material in Montréal. As an independent artist, she owns the phonographic rights of her entire catalogue, manages her own publishing company and produces and finances her albums herself.
Also a photographer since her teens, she became a videographer, feeding her YouTube channel with numerous videos (+26.8 thousand subscribers and +27 million views), as well as directing, shooting and editing her own films.
In her blog, Diane Cause Musique, she engages up-and-coming artists by explaining the inner workings of the music industry.
Increasingly involved in the world of production, publishing and distribution, she writes about the inner workings of the music industry and served 5 years on the Board of Directors of SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) from 2018 to 2023.
Her latest album Haïku, produced by Fred Fortin, came out in 2019.
- Inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) (2024)
- Named Chevalière dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Minister of Culture of the French Republic (2023)
- The song If I Were a Man is inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2017)
- The Star of the Valais of Honor (2017)
- SPACQ - Robert Charlebois Award - International Exposure (2015)
- SOCAN Classics - Gilberto, If I Were a Man, Miami, To Know, To Get to Know Again
- Victoire de la musique for the Francophone Album of the Year with Faire à nouveau connaissance (1986)
- Award for Performer of the Year at the Midem Awards (1982)
- Participation at the Juno Awards (1981)
- Felix de Interpreter of the Year (1981)
- Felix of the Best Songwriter (1981)
- Felix of the Best Album for En Flèche (1981)
- Felix for the Best Song for If I Were a Man (1981)
- Felix of the Best Hope (1980)
- Felix of the Best Songwriter (1980)
Quand on écoute « Une », best of acoustique de Diane Tell, on comprend que chaque plage possède toutes ces qualités. Avec une guitare et sa voix de velours, toujours aussi bouleversante, Diane Tell prouve que chacune de ses chansons n’est pas seulement une bonne chanson mais une pépite musicale qui vous donne encore et encore des frissons. Sans parure, la poésie, la guitare et la voix de Diane suffisent à toucher.
Fnac MagDiane Tell n’a pas peur de sortir de ses propres sentiers. Son association avec Fred Fortin — qui vient de lancer de son côté l’excellent Microdose —, qui a réalisé ce nouveau disque en plus d’écrire quelques chansons, en témoigne. Une douzaine de pièces figurent donc sur ce Haïku enregistré à Montréal, Zurich et Saint-Rémy de Provence, et sur lequel la chanteuse au long cours est entourée d’une bande de musiciens de feu (Fortin, François Lafontaine, Samuel Joly, Joe Grass et Olivier Langevin).
Josée Lapointe, La PresseDiane Tell et Andrea Lindsay au Théâtre Maisonneuve de la PdA (FrancoFolies de Montréal). Dans la salle des premiers temps heureux, elle est revenue, chantant Boris Vian et quelques belles de la Diane d’avant. Jazzy cool, comme on l’aimait, comme on l’aime encore autant. La reprise de Gilberto était exquise, le duo avec Andrea Lindsay absolument gracieux. La tendresse de vraies retrouvailles.
Sylvain Cormier, Le DevoirUn météore a explosé la surface tranquille de la lune: son dernier disque “Docteur Boris et Mister Vian”. Le travail enduit de baume les oreilles, puis le reste de la carcasse. C’est tout simplement extra.
Bruno Pfeiffer, Libération