Content deleted Content added
GreenC bot (talk | contribs) Rescued 1 archive link; reformat 1 link. Wayback Medic 2.5 |
GreenC bot (talk | contribs) Reformat 3 citations per WP:URLREQ#Canoe.ca. Wayback Medic 2.5 |
||
(22 intermediate revisions by 13 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|French-Canadian singer (born 1971)}}
{{Use
{{Infobox musical artist
|
|
|
| caption = Bonifassi performing in 2009
| birth_name = Béatrice Bonifassi
| alias =
| birth_date = {{circa}} {{birth year and age|1971}}
| birth_place = [[Nice]], France
| origin = [[Montreal
| genre = {{hlist|[[Jazz]]
| occupation = Singer-songwriter
| instrument = Vocals
| years_active =
| label =
| current_member_of =
|
}}
'''Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi''' (born {{circa}} 1971) is a Canadian vocalist based in [[Montreal]]. She has a deep, [[contralto]] singing voice, sometimes referred to as "masculine",<ref name=CHYZ>[http://www.chyz.qc.ca/fr/artsetspectacles.php?id=001171 Bernier, Sophie. ”Beast”, ''CHYZ FM'', Mar 7, 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115122038/http://www.chyz.qc.ca/fr/artsetspectacles.php?id=001171 |date=15 November
==Personal life==
Bonifassi was born in [[Nice, France]], to a [[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]]
In 1997, Bonifassi met her now ex-husband,<ref name=CHART/> [[French-speaking Quebecer|Québécois]] composer [[Benoît Charest]], while singing [[Jimi Hendrix]] [[Cover version|covers]] at a Montreal jazz club.<ref name=BEN/><ref name=GIROUX/> Later that year she moved from France to Montreal to join Charest, and has lived in the Canadian city ever since.<ref name=GIROUX/>
==Work with DJ Champion==
In the late 1990s, Benoît Charest and Montreal DJ and musician [[Maxime Morin]] became co-owners of Ben & Max Studios – a company specializing in [[jingles]] and soundtracks. In 2001 Morin sold his share in the company back to Charest in order to continue his own musical career under the pseudonym [[DJ Champion]], however he remained in contact with Bonifassi and Charest: Morin performed bass and percussion on the song "[[Belleville Rendez-vous]]", from the 2003 animated film, ''[[The Triplets of Belleville]] (Les Triplettes de Belleville)'' and he also performed this song live with Bonifassi and Charest at the [[76th Academy Awards]] ceremony—Morin played percussion on a bicycle during the performance.<ref name=DEVLIN>Devlin, Mike, "Laptop loaded, DJ hits the road", ''Times Colonist'',
In 2004, Bonifassi collaborated with Morin once again (performing as "DJ Champion") on his 2004 debut album, ''[[Chill'em All]]''. The album included the hit single "No Heaven" which is a soulful and bluesy song set against heavy dance beats and noisy guitar riffs. Inspired by ''Negro Songs of Protest'', Bonifassi sings a plaintive tune reminiscent of the [[work songs]] sung by the [[chain-gang]]s of the [[American South]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref name=RUPERT2>[http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/012705/cover_music.html Bottenburg, Rupert. “Personal Best >> Montreal’s Champion goes for gold”, ''Montreal Mirror'', Jan 27 – Feb 2.2005 Vol. 20 No. 31] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203170928/http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/012705/cover_music.html |date=3 December
"I heard Betty singing those blues songs, and she was the girl for that job," said Morin.<ref name=RUPERT2/>
With the success of ''Chill'em All'', Bonifassi toured for over two years with "Champion & His G-Strings".<ref name=VOIRBETTY>[http://www.voir.ca/publishing/article.aspx?zone=1§ion=8&article=56463 Robillard Laveaux, Christian. “Bonifassi… Do”, ''Voir'', Feb 7, 2008] (French text) Retrieved
==''Les Triplettes de Belleville''==
Line 46 ⟶ 48:
{{Main|Beast (Canadian band)}}
Bonifassi joined forces with percussionist, record producer, and fellow French [[Expatriate|expat]]
Beast's sound has been compared
"Simon really understood my dark side and the sadness of the moment," says Bonifassi. "I really wanted to sing something lyrically rich and powerful."<ref name=BETES/>
Line 54 ⟶ 56:
Goncalves has also stated that the name Beast suits their project very well: "Betty is a real beast," he jokes, "a {{lang|fr|bête-de-scène}}."<ref name=BETES/>
Beast's debut album was made available on [[iTunes]] as of
At the end of 2010, Bonifassi and Goncalves announced that they would be taking an indefinite break from the Beast project.<ref name=CANOE>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130101030653/http://fr.canoe.ca/divertissement/musique/nouvelles/2010/11/24/16292301-jdm.html Coudé-Lord, Michelle. "Beast prend une pause de plusieurs mois", ''Canoe.ca'', Nov 24, 2010]}} (French text) Retrieved
Goncalves stated in an interview that the split was not due to any
==Solo work==
During an interview with Danielle Leblanc of [[Radio-Canada]] in 2004, she discussed an album she was working on with the composer Francois D'Amour. She described the album as being very "multi-ethnic, with lots of electronic machines" and that she was hoping to find a major record label for its release. On
After Bonifassi and Goncalves announced that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus from the Beast project in late 2010,<ref name=CANOE/><ref name=VOIR/> Bonifassi began to focus on solo projects including a performance at the ''Festival Montréal en lumière'' on
Bonifassi performed at the 2011 [[Les FrancoFolies de Montréal|''FrancoFolies'' festival]] held in Montreal, first as part of a performance dedicated to [[Serge Gainsbourg]] on
In 2014, Bonifassi released a self-titled CD in which she interpreted traditional songs of slaves and prisoners, plus two original cuts, "Working It Down" and "How Does It Feel." In 2016, she followed up with a similar CD entitled ''Lomax'', after ethnomusicologist [[Alan Lomax]], who had archived the traditional songs in question (see ''[[Slave Songs of the United States]]''.)
In 2018, in collaboration with [[Robert Lepage]], she created ''[[SLĀV]]'', a show based on those songs, which launched at the [[Montreal Jazz Festival]]. The show caused public protest on the basis of accusations of cultural appropriation<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/article-montreal-jazz-festival-cancels-apologizes-for-robert-lepage-and-betty/ ''The Globe and Mail'': Montreal jazz festival cancels, apologizes for Robert Lepage slave-song show]</ref> and was subsequently canceled by the Festival on Bonifassi's decision and out of concern for public safety.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nouvelles.equipespectra.ca/blogue/?p=22076&lang=en|title=Statement by the Festival on the cancellation of performances of SLĀV.|website=nouvelles.equipespectra.ca|language=en-US|access-date=
==References==
Line 79 ⟶ 81:
[[Category:1970s births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:
[[Category:French
[[Category:French singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:Canadian people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Yugoslav descent]]
[[Category:French-language singers of Canada]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian singers]]▼
[[Category:21st-century French singers]]
[[Category:21st-century French women singers]]
▲[[Category:21st-century Canadian women singers]]
|