Claudia Bouvette (born July 5, 1995) is a singer, songwriter and actress born in Bromont, Quebec and based in Montreal. Bouvette released her first EPCool It in 2019, followed by her first studio album The Paradise Club in 2022.
Life and career
1995–2010: Early life
Claudia Bouvette was born on July 5, 1995 in Bromont. She cultivated a musical and theatrical background from a young age. As a child, she learned violin and flute.[1] At thirteen, Bouvette starred as the main character in the musical Annie.[2] In secondary school, Bouvette was a part of her school's wind orchestra.[3] In secondary 3, she was hired to sing at Mont Sutton, accompanied by her brother at the guitar.[4]
2011–2013: Mixmania 2
In 2011, Claudia Bouvette made her television debut at 15 by participating in VRAK.TV reality show Mixmania 2,[fr] a competition of song and dance featuring 12 teenagers. Bouvette was named leader of the girl group The Glamies, who ultimately won the competition.[5] Bouvette was also elected by the public to sing in a duet with Jérémy Plante in Tant que l'on s'aime.[5] Between April 2011 and January 2012, the group Mixmania 2 toured around Quebec, performing songs from their album.[5]
Although coming home from Mixmania 2 was a difficult experience for Bouvette, affecting the rest of her high school experience,[3] she has stated that her participation in the competition was a pivotal moment in the development of her artistic career.[1]
In the years following Mixmania 2, Claudia Bouvette appeared in various advertisements on television.[5] She also started songwriting around the age of 16.[1]
2014–2018: TV career
Claudia Bouvette has stated in multiple interviews that her acting career was non-intentional and that acting "found her".[3] Making her television debut as a student in 30 vies, Bouvette spent 5 years multiplying roles in youth and drama TV.[1] Notably, Bouvette played the recurring role of Raph in VRAK.TV's Jérémie[fr] from 2015 to 2019.
In 2017, Bouvette was introduced to the label Cult Nation and producer Connor Seidel. In a challenge to write 30 demos, Bouvette and Seidel spent a year and a half writing together, travelling as far as the Los AngelesSOCAN house.[3]
2019–2021: Cool It
In June 2019, Bouvette's first EP Cool It was released; its 8 tracks were a result of the 30 demos made in collaboration with Seidel.[3] In November 2019, Bouvette was featured on Alex Nevsky's single "Chemin Sauvage", bringing her to perform as the opening act during his winter 2020 tour.[6]
In October 2021, Bouvette joined the label Bonsound [7] and released her first Bonsound single "BBZ".[8]
2022–present: The Paradise Club
In early 2022, Claudia Bouvette participated in season 2 of Big Brother Célébrités, hosted by Marie-Mai. After spending 11 weeks on the show, Bouvette was named Public's Favourite.[1]
In May 2022, Bouvette released her first album The Paradise Club, after three years of work with producer Connor Seidel.[9] In the following summer, Bouvette performed at multiple festivals across Québec, including FEQ and Santa Teresa.[10] Throughout 2022, in addition to The Paradise Club tour, Claudia Bouvette performed as the opening act for artists like Mika and Tyler Shaw.[9]
In October 2022, Bouvette was featured on the cover of Elle Québec.[11] In early 2023, Bouvette appeared on ICI Télé's Zénith as the captain of the Gen Z team.[12] Throughout 2023, Bouvette has released singles "Highly Unrecommended", "First Date" with Sophia Bel and "Cowgirl Radio".
Cool It EP and The Paradise Club have both been produced and co-directed by Connor Seidel, who has also worked with Charlotte Cardin, Les Soeurs Boulay, and Matt Holubowski.[16][13] Bouvette and Seidel arranged and played all the instruments on both projects, with the help of drummer Max Bellavance.[13] In an interview with La Presse, Bouvette revealed that her music work entails imagining a universe, from music and sound to storytelling and visuals.[16]
Claudia Bouvette's first album The Paradise Club draws heavily on inspirations from the 2000s, namely Akon, Fergie and Gwen Stefani.[1] In the genre of alternativedream pop,[16] the album explores themes of empowerment,[1] femininity and nostalgia.[17]Wonderland magazine called her single Douchebag a "total display of female emancipation".[18] Collaborators on the album include Les Louanges (1000 bornes, Touchée-Coulée, Miss Blumenfeld) and Kodakludo (I Don't Wanna Say Goodbye).[15]
