Funny, frank, and full of expressions unique to Quebeckers, Émile Bilodeau’s songs have forged a tight bond between the young singer/songwriter and his fast-growing audience. Born in 1996 in Longueuil, Bilodeau was winning music competitions and earning industry attention while still a teenager. His breakthrough came with 2016’s Rites de passage, a debut album that demonstrated his energetic and sometimes audacious take on what it means to come of age in French Canada. His appeal was boosted by the melodic and boisterous blend of folk, rock, blues, and hip-hop on songs like “J’en ai plein mon cass” (“I've got a lot on my plate”), a phrase familiar to any listener who’s ever felt fed up by a bad day. Yet even though Bilodeau’s sound and outlook are fresh enough to put him at the forefront of a new generation of Québécois performers, his commitment to celebrating his language and culture through song connects him to such inspirations as Robert Charlebois and Richard Desjardins.