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Karim Ouellet

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Karim Ouellet
Ouellet in 2013
Background information
Born(1984-12-08)December 8, 1984
Dakar, Senegal
OriginCanada
DiedNovember 15, 2021(2021-11-15) (aged 36)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
GenresFolk, pop, hip hop
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2011–2021
Websitehttp://karimouellet.ca/

Karim Ouellet (December 8, 1984 – November 15, 2021) was a Senegalese-born Canadian pop singer-songwriter. He released three albums between 2011 and 2016; his second album Fox won a Juno Award in 2014.

Early life

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Ouellet was born in Dakar, Senegal, on December 8, 1984.[1] He was adopted by Canadian diplomats at the age of one.[2] He lived in France, Rwanda and Tunisia,[3] before his family returned to live in Quebec City when he was 15.[2] Ouellet learned to play the piano, percussion, and guitar as a child, and recounted composing his first song when he was seven. He took up the electric guitar as a teenager, and began playing with local bands. He met Claude Bégin in around 2005; Bégin co-wrote the lyrics and music for Ouellet's first three albums.[1]

Career

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Ouellet released his debut album, Plume, in 2011,[4] and was the second-place finisher in that year's Francouvertes competition.[1][5] He toured extensively, including appearances at the Francofolies de La Rochelle,[1][6] Osheaga,[7][8] and SXSW festivals.[9]

He followed up with Fox in November 2012. He received three nominations at the Félix Awards in 2013, including Best Male Singer, Best Single for "L'Amour" and Pop Album of the Year.[10] He was also designated as best new artist by Radio-Canada that year.[11] Fox won the Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2014.[12][13]

His third album, Trente, was released in March 2016.[14] He followed up later the same year with Aikido, a downloadable free mini-album.[1]

Ouellet's music follows a folk-pop style with some reggae and African music influences. He was also a frequent collaborator with several hip hop groups, including CEA and Movèzerbe.[15]

Personal life

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Ouellet's sister, Sarahmée, is also a musician.[16] He served as the French-language spokesman for Black History Month in Canada in 2018.[1]

One month after what would have been his 37th birthday, Ouellet was found dead on the evening of January 17, 2022, at L'Unisson studio in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood.[11][17][18] While foul play was ruled out by local police, his death prompted an investigation by the municipal coroner’s office.[11][17] He was reportedly working on his fourth album at the time.[11] The coroner's report indicated that Ouellet had died two full months before his body was found, on November 15, 2021, and ruled that his cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis.[19]

In 2023, Sarahmée and the Grand Théâtre de Québec announced a new award for emerging musicians from the Quebec City region in Ouellet's memory. The prize will award $7,500, and a full-length show at the Grand Théâtre, to the winner.[20]

Discography

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  • Leçons d'amour étrange EP (2009)
  • Plume (2011)[21]
  • Fox (2012)[21]
  • Trente (2016)[21]
  • Aikido EP (2016)[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Simard, Yves (October 12, 2018). "Karim Ouellet". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Karim Ouellet démystifié". La Rotonde, January 21, 2013.
  3. ^ "Karim Ouellet to Radio Radio: how francophone artists from outside Quebec contribute to the province's scene" Archived March 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. CBC Music, February 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "La Plume sensible de Karim Ouellet". Le Devoir, February 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "15e édition des Francouvertes, 2011". Les Francouvertes. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Karim Ouellet gagnant du prix Félix-Leclerc 2013" (in French). Radio-Canada. June 13, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  7. ^ Ledoux, Julie (July 15, 2015). "Osheaga 2015: L'horaire quotidien se dévoile et Karim Ouellet obtient carte blanche". Voir (in French). Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  8. ^ Rousseau, Marie-Lise (August 1, 2015). "Karim Ouellet à Osheaga 2015". Journal Métro (in French). Montreal. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "Karim Ouellet". SXSW. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Les gagnants du 35e Gala de l'ADISQ". Huffington Post, October 27, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d MacLellan, Ainslie (January 18, 2022). "Quebec musician Karim Ouellet, Juno award winner, dies at 37". CBC News. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "Juno Awards 2014: The full list of winners". National Post. March 30, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  13. ^ "Zone Musique | Arcade Fire et Karim Ouellet récompensés d'un prix Juno". Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). March 29, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  14. ^ "L'album « Trente » de Karim Ouellet : l'enfance du doute". Huffington Post, March 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "Karim Ouellet, pop Plume" Archived March 31, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. RFI Musique, June 19, 2012.
  16. ^ "Premier album pour Sarahmée". Le Journal de Québec, May 7, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Dunlevy, T'Cha (January 18, 2022). "Quebec singer-songwriter Karim Ouellet, 37, found dead". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  18. ^ Paré, Étienne; Tanguay, Sébastien (January 18, 2022). "Le chanteur Karim Ouellet n'est plus". Le Devoir (in French). Montreal. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "Quebec singer-songwriter Karim Ouellet died from complications of diabetes". Global News, June 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "Karim Ouellet's legacy will live on with a new prize for emerging Quebec musicians". CBC Music, September 11, 2023.
  21. ^ a b c d "Karim Ouellet – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
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