Émilie Landry inspires boldness and authenticity with her latest single Shanel, a song that is also a tribute to her goddaughter. The music video is as touching and powerful as the song’s lyrics.
Hailing from Campbellton, New Brunswick, the singer-songwriter explains that this song is very meaningful: “It’s the first song I wrote for my album Arroser les fleurs and it was a Christmas present for my goddaughter Shanel. I take my role as a godmother very seriously and it’s important to be a good role model for her. I wrote this song to encourage her to gain self-confidence and to teach her not to be afraid to be different. That’s what makes us unique!”
The song also inspired the artwork and the themes of her latest album Arroser les fleurs. Shanel is, in a way, the alpha and omega of the album. The artist quickly realized that making her mental health a priority could have a strong impact on the children around her.
Touching images to go along with the song’s lyrics and melody
The music video for Shanel was produced by Sarah L’Italien. The Gaspesian studied at l’École de cinéma et de télévision de Québec and has been a filmmaker since 2009. She has directed several award-winning short films, television commercials, and corporate and historical videos. In recent years, she has specialized in music videos, directing those of artists Mylène Vallée, Patrice Michaud, Jessy Benjamin, Véronique Bilodeau and many others.
The refined and realistic shots highlight both the characters’ emotions and Gaspé Peninsula’s beautiful forest landscapes where the video was filmed last fall. With earthy colors and warm light, Sarah L’Italien used a short depth of fields and slow-motion effects to accentuate the action scenes, bringing lots of emotions to the images and adding a touch of romance to the scenario.
The video follows Shanel’s story, a young girl who struggles with self-acceptance and decides to go to her secret cabin hidden in the heart of the forest. She leaves a letter to her parents who worry and go looking for her. They don’t know that Shanel has a surprise in store for them that will reveal a side of her personality they haven’t seen yet… The story in the video is a reference to Émilie Landry’s childhood. From an early age, Émilie found that the best way to express herself was on stage. “I hope that this video will resonate with young people as well as to their parents, and that it will allow them to accompany their children in a process of personal growth, even if it means that sometimes, you have to go off the beaten path,” says Landry.
The video features Shanel (played by Alice Desrosiers) and her parents (played by Mireille Lemay and François Desrosiers). The fact that they are an actual family gives the video a deeper meaning and Émilie plays the role of the narrator as she sings the lyrics. Acadian Claudie Landry, a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada in set and costume design, gave styling advice for the shoot. A short “behind the scenes” clip directed by Muzique Atlantik is set to be released a few days after the music video.
The video is available on Émilie Landry’s YouTube channel and on her Facebook page. The song is available on all music streaming platforms. This project is funded by Musicaction and Fonds RadioStar.
The album Arroser les fleurs
Shanel is one of the tracks from the album Arroser les fleurs, which was released in May 2020 by Le Grenier musique. Produced by Éric Dion (Dans l’Shed) and recorded at Studio Tracadièche in Carleton-sur-Mer, Émilie Landry’s first full-length solo album has been very well received and the radio singles have made it into various country charts across Canada. The song Dans ma peau was number one on the ARCANB country charts for the entire year of 2020! The album also earned two nominations at the 2021 East Coast Music Awards for Francophone Album of the Year and Contemporary Folk Album of the Year, and the song Bouillir d’la misère won Best lockdown video at the Canadian Independent Music Video Awards.
Émilie Landry
Since 2009, Émilie Landry has performed at various events such as Accros de la chanson, the Gala de la chanson de Caraquet, the Festival international de la chanson de Granby, and Ma Première place des arts. Prior to Arroser les fleurs, Émilie Landry released a collective album Tomber Dedans and an EP Être social (2017). She has attracted the attention of many industry professionals since emerging on the country music scene. Émilie Landry was one of the artists selected from all over the world to participate in the 12-week Global Music Match program. She also received various nominations at the NB Music Awards for Recording of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year, as well as at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards in the category Francophone Songwriter of the Year. She was the only Acadian nominated out of 105 artists.
Upcoming Shows in Quebec, Prince Edward Island and France!
Émilie Landry will be performing at the Phoque Off in Quebec City on February 22; performing in the Rencontres qui chantent workshop and show series in Petite-Vallée later in February; showcasing and performing at the Ah les Déferlantes Festival in France on March 18 and 19; showcasing at the Canadian Folk Music Awards on March 31 in Charlottetown; showcasing at the East Coast Music Awards and at the Folk Alliance International later in the spring; and showcasing at the Festival International de la chanson de Granby in August, among others. In addition, she is working on a new album that could be released in the fall.
The music video for Shanel is available here: https://youtu.be/7r3NZAFrlq4
Listen to the song here: https://hypeddit.com/emilielandry/shanel
