| Roch Voisine | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joseph Armand Roch Voisine |
| Born | 26 March 1963 |
| Origin | Saint-Basile, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer, actor, television host |
| Instruments | vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Website | rochvoisine.com |
Joseph Armand Roch Voisine, OC better known as Roch Voisine, (born 26 March 1963 in Edmundston, New Brunswick) is a Canadian Acadian singer-songwriter, actor, and radio and television host who lives in Montreal, Quebec and Paris, France. He writes and performs material in both English and French. He won the Juno Award for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1994. In 1997 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
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Roch Voisine was born in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada but grew up in Saint-Basile, New Brunswick. His parents are Réal Voisine, former mayor of Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec and a former English teacher, and Zélande Robichaud, a former nurse. He is the oldest of three children: his brother, Marc, was born in 1965, and his sister, Janice, was born in 1966. Roch lived with his paternal grandparents, Maurille and Dorina Racine Voisine, from age four, when his parents divorced, until he was eight, when he went to live with his father. Roch considers these grandparents very influential on him, even as an adult. Roch moved to Notre-Dame-du-Lac when he was 12.
He aspired to be a professional ice hockey player until he was severely injured playing baseball in 1981.
He attended the University of Ottawa and graduated in 1985 with a degree in physical therapy.
Voisine married Myriam Saint-Jean on 21 December 2002. Voisine and Saint-Jean have two sons, Killian (born June 25, 2004) and Alix-Élouan (born January 9, 2006). On October 15, 2007, Voisine's website announced his and Myriam's separation.
In the summer of 1986, he had his music debut when he sang on Canada Day (July 1) in front of 50,000 people at the la Ronde amusement park in Montreal.
Voisine's musical breakthrough came with his 1989 album Hélène which sold three million copies and became a major hit not only in Quebec but also in France, Belgium and Switzerland. In 1990, Hélène was awarded the Best Album prize at the Victoires de la Musique.
After a highly successful European Tour in 1991, he was awarded France's Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His second European tour culminated on 17 April 1992 at Champ-de-Mars in Paris where he sang in front of 75,000 people. The show was broadcast live on TF1 and reached 14 million viwers. The following years, his statue was inaugurated at Musée Grévin in Paris.
In 1993, Voisine had his biggest English-language hit to date with the single and album both entitled I'll Always Be There, on which he worked with David Foster. The single reached number four on the Canadian music charts while the album reached number seven.
Over the years, he has continued alternating between recording both French and English-language albums. His French language work and concert tours have continued to enjoy success in Europe (especially France) and Quebec, while his English-language recordings are a frequent mainstay of Canadian adult contemporary radio. He also enjoys huge success internationally.
In 2006, he took part alongside other musicians[1] in L’Or de nos vies in a formation named Fight Aids singing a song composed by Kyo. Revenues went to Fight Aids Monaco.
Université de Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada gave him an honorary doctorate in music in May 2007.
Voisine's first television appearance was hosting Top Jeunesse (1988), a TQS variety show for teenagers.
His dramatic roles include:
| Year | Album | CAN | CRIA certifciation | SNEP certification [2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sweet Songs | — | — | — |
| 1987 | Roch Voisine | — | — | — |
| 1989 | Hélène | — | 3× Platinum | Diamond |
| 1990 | Double | — | 2× Platinum | 2× Platinum |
| Roch Voisine | 49 | 3× Platinum | — | |
| 1992 | Europe Tour | — | Gold | Platinum |
| 1993 | I'll Always Be There | 7 | 4× Platinum | 2× Gold |
| 1994 | Coup de tête | — | Platinum | 2× Gold |
| 1996 | Kissing Rain | 13 | Platinum | — |
| 1999 | Chaque feu...A | — | Gold | Gold |
| 2000 | L'album de NoëlA | — | — | Gold |
| Christmas Is Calling | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Roch VoisineA | 96 | — | Gold |
| 2002 | Higher | 41 | — | — |
| 2003 | Je te serai fidèle | 39 | — | 2× Gold |
| 2005 | Sauf si l'amour... | — | — | Gold |
| 2006 | Roch Voisine Live | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Best ofA | 68 | — | — |
| 2008 | Americana | 1 | Platinum | Gold |
| 2009 | Americana II | 3 | Gold | Gold |
| 2010 | Americana III | 15 | — | — |
| Confidences | — | — | — |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | CAN | CAN Country | |||
| 1989 | "Hélène" | 9 | 57 | — | Hélène |
| 1990 | "A Fishing Day" | — | 53 | 19 | Roch Voisine |
| 1991 | "On the Outside" | 5 | 52 | 32 | |
| "Waiting" | 23 | 74 | — | ||
| 1993 | "Oochigeas (Indian Song)" | 4 | 54 | — | I'll Always Be There |
| "I'll Always Be There" | 3 | 4 | — | ||
| 1994 | "There's No Easy Way" | 2 | 43 | — | |
| "Lost Without You" | — | 13 | — | ||
| "Shout Out Loud" | 1 | 15 | — | ||
| "Am I Wrong" | 10 | 45 | — | ||
| "She Picked on Me" | 3 | 21 | — | ||
| 1995 | "For Adam's Sake" | 10 | 50 | — | |
| "Heaven or Hell" | 20 | 88 | — | ||
| 1996 | "Kissing Rain" | 3 | 13 | — | Kissing Rain |
| 1997 | "Deliver Me" | 1 | 28 | 45 | |
| "Shed a Light" | 8 | 32 | — | ||
| "With These Eyes" | 10 | 72 | — | ||
| 1998 | "Love Never Dies" | 24 | — | — | |
| "St. Anne of the Wild Blue Eyes" | 55 | — | — | ||
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