Marie Denise Pelletier
Marie Denise Pelletier (born 3 April 1960) is a francophone Canadian singer. She served as President of Artisti, a copyright collective for music artists operated by Quebec's l'Union des artistes (UDA). Biography. While studying literature and cinema at the CÉGEP de Rosemont, Pelletier developed her song technique under veteran Quebec singer Lucille Dumont. In 1982, she won honours at the Granby Festival of song and also first place in a CKMF-FM contest for song talent. In 1985, she recorded a 45 RPM vinyl single entitled "Échec et Mat" (Checkmate) before beginning studies at Berklee College  of Music in Boston. Upon returning to Quebec, she was offered the role of Stella Spotlight in the second Quebec production of the rock opera "Starmania". In 1986 Pelletier composed and recorded her first album "Premier Contact" which received a nomination as "Discovery of the Year" at the Félix Awards. In 1987, she recorded an album based on "Starmania" then proceeded to record her second album, "À l'état pur" ("Pure State"), that October, with the singles "Pour une histoire d'un soir" and "Tous les cris, les S.O.S.", composed by Balavoine. This was followed by 150 performances and some music videos , establishing Pelletier's career as a Quebec artist. Her album "Entre la tête et le cœur" ("Between the Head and the Heart") was awarded the best popular album of the year at the Gala de l'ADISQ in 1994. Her 2011 album "Marie Denise Pelletier" reached 19 on the Top Canadian Albums chart. In March 2019, she was one of 11 singers from Quebec, alongside Ginette Reno, Diane Dufresne, Céline Dion, Isabelle Boulay, Luce Dufault, Louise Forestier, Laurence Jalbert, Catherine Major, Ariane Moffatt and Marie-Élaine Thibert, who participated in a supergroup recording of Renée Claude's 1971 single "Tu trouveras  la paix" after Claude's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease was announced.