Bernard Adamus wins 2011 Félix Leclerc Songwriting Award

SOCAN member Bernard Adamus won the 2011 Félix Leclerc Songwriting Award on June 16 during the FrancoFolies de Montréal music festival. The young Quebec singer-songwriter added this award’s two $2,500 cash prizes to an impressive list of distinctions including, in 2009 alone, six awards at the Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée, the top prize of the Montreal International FestiBlues Festival, and the SOCAN Prix ÉCHO de la chanson for “La question à 100 piasses” (“The Hundred-Dollar Question”). In 2010, Adamus won the ADISQ award for Revelation of the Year, four awards at the Gala alternatif de musique indépendante du Québec (GAMIQ), and the top honours of the Francouvertes competition. A familiar face of the FrancoFolies de Montréal, Adamus performed his unique blend of folk, rap, rock and blues in front of a massive outdoor audience on June 17.

Created in 1996 by the Félix Leclerc Foundation, the Prix Félix-Leclerc de la chanson supports the development of young Québécois and French singer-songwriters whose careers are in full swing. Each year, one winner is selected on each side of the Atlantic. The name of this year’s French winner will be unveiled at the Francofolies de La Rochelle music festival on July 13.