The artists who made the year

Patrick Emmanuel Abellard, Catherine Ethier and Simon Boulerice.

If it’s time for the turkey with cranberries, it’s also time for the end-of-year reviews. As tradition dictates, Métro elected the artists who, in the opinion of its journalists, marked 2022 by their talent, their presence as well as by the recognition they received from the public and the public. cultural industry.

Because their music, their acting or their words knew how to reach us, move us and make us smile, this year we chose the columnist and author Catherine Ethier, the jack-of-all-trades author Simon Boulerice, the author-composer -performer Ariane Roy, actor Patrick Emmanuel Abellard, screenwriter and actress Florence Longpré and singer-songwriter Hubert Lenoir.

Hubert Lenoir

Hubert Lenoir. Photo: Noémie D. Leclerc

Singer-songwriter Hubert Lenoir is the artist of the year, according to Métro. Because his second album, the experimental and extraordinary Pictura de ipse: Direct Music, has won him a panoply of awards. Because he moved his furiously exciting show all summer long to the stages of Quebec's flagship festivals. And, above all, because he asserts himself without concession.   

To read the rest of our interview with Hubert Lenoir, artist of the year according to Métro , it’s this way.

Florence Longpré  

Florence Longpré in the series Audrey is back. Photo: Pixcom

The work of Florence Longpré was particularly applauded this year. Raspberry Time, which she co-wrote with Suzie Bouchard and which benefited from a production by Philippe Falardeau, closed the section of the Berlinale Series, at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, and competed at the international festival Series Mania, in France, end of March. The series was subsequently released in Quebec, where it received rave reviews. 

Audrey is back, released last year and co-written with Guillaume Lambert, won the Dior Grand Prix in April 2022 as well as the Special Performance Prize (awarded to its entire cast) at the prestigious Canneseries international festival. Aux Gémeaux, the series available on Club illico, in which Florence Longpré plays the main role, received three awards: best comedy, best direction (comedy) and best text (comedy). 

Patrick Emmanuel Abellard  

Patrick Emmanuel Abellard in King Dave. Photo: Danny Taillon/Théâtre Duceppe

As much on the stage as on television screens, he is a real rising star who has everything to please: charisma, talent and frankly friendly appearance. 

< p>Patrick Emmanuel Abellard carried on his shoulders the new version of a play that has become a classic of Quebec theatre, King Dave. In 2023, he will also present the English version of the play, which he himself translated, the actor being bilingual and working in both languages.  

We were also able to see him on stage in Ladies Night and The Wizard of Oz, not to mention the many television roles in which he shone. Let's think of the hit series Chouchou, Before the crash and Completely high school.  

This great momentum will continue next year, since he landed a role in two expected series, namely The candidate and X-13 . He also finished shooting We Are Zombies, the new film by the RKSS trio, the filmmakers behind the cult Quebec film Turbo Kid. We should therefore be able to continue to appreciate his work in the coming months. 

Ariane Roy  

Ariane Roy. Photo: Gaëlle Leroyer

Huge year for the talented musician from Quebec who launched her bewitching – and long-awaited – first album, mdium pleasure, in February.  

The singer-songwriter then went on to spread happiness to the four corners of the province by embarking on a delightful tour and participating in various festivals, including Le Festif and les Francos, to introduce the public to her superb alternative pop universe.  

Want more? His voice was heard on the projects of various fellow musicians during the year, including Super Plage, Marco Ema and Étienne Dufresne. She also appeared on Ariane Moffatt's Aquanaute 2022 album, where she covered the magnificent hit Point de mire with her friend Thierry Larose.  < /p>

This dream year was marked with recognition. Ariane Roy was awarded the Collegiate Song of the Year Award for C'est pas de la chance before finally winning the Revelation award for the year at the last ADISQ Gala. 

Simon Boulerice  

Simon Boulerice. Photo: Josie Desmarais/Metro

As an author, he signed one of the best series of the year, the dazzling Chouchou on Noovo. Shocking, dramatic, beautiful and nuanced, it fascinated just about everyone by tackling a taboo head-on, without normalizing it.  

But it was far from the only Simon Boulerice's series this year, since he also released the second season of his show Six Degrees, for which he won the Gémeaux for Best Children's Text. In addition, there are two webseries on ICI Tou.tv's Extra, namely Martine at the beach, an adaptation of her eponymous play, and Géolocaliser l'amour , in which sexuality between men is shown frankly.  

In addition to his work as a screenwriter, he has signed a new children's book, Lunch with Daddy, published by Éditions de la Bagnole, and continued to write columns for Sucré salé as well as That year. &nbsp ;

Simon Boulerice multiplies the projects, yes, but above all, he succeeds by injecting into them his now legendary sensitivity. We hope he will pass it on to younger generations! 

Catherine Ethier  

Catherine Ethier. Photo: Josie Desmarais/Métro

Since the release of her first book, Une femme extraordinaire, published in April by Stanké, the pen of Catherine Ethier is more recognized than ever, even if we already knew her through her columns written in various media over the years. By tackling difficult and complex subjects such as depression, she has been able to reach her readers with her novel partly inspired by her own life.  

It is for his talent for putting into words the trying feelings that we love so much to hear him bounce on the news on Fridays at Tout un matin or that we attach ourselves to his pretty words to make our Sundays softer and less scary on Fuel on the fire, two shows on ICI Première where his columns have become essential this year.  

To crown all, Catherine Ethier received her first Gemini nomination in 2022 for her animation of a capsule on benevolence on social networks in the youth web series L'ABC.