Annie Villeneuve (born May 5, 1983) is a

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

pop singer-songwriter. She participated at the first season of

Star Académie ''Star Académie'' is a Canadian reality television series that started in 2003, aimed primarily at the Quebec television audience, featuring an array of young women and men under the age of 30 competing for the title of the next solo singing sensa ...

in 2003. She also sang the French and the bilingual official song of the

2010 Vancouver Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

, I Believe/J'imagine.

Biography

Annie Villeneuve was born on May 5, 1983, in

Jonquière Jonquière (; ; 2021 population: 60,250) is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saguenay River, near the borough of Chicoutimi. History Jonquière ...

, Quebec, Canada. She has a twin sister, Suzie Villeneuve, who also had a singing career until 2010. Villeneuve grew up around music and participated in her church choir. Later, she joined the choir La chorale des jeunes Saguenéens. In 2000, Villeneuve joined the musical group Québecissime from the Saguenay region. She has covered many popular songs by Canadian singers such as

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

. In 2003, Villeneuve participated in the first season of

, a reality television show similar to

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

Canadian Idol ''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show ''Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore ...

. She was one of three female finalists. Villeneuve did not win; however, the experience brought her exposure and popularity among the Quebec public. She released her first album "Quand je ferme les yeux" in 2005. This album has sold more than 120,000 albums (a high number in Quebec) and was certified Platinum. Her songs " Un ange qui passe" and " Tomber à l'eau" remained number one on the BDS Billboard for many weeks. That same year, Villeneuve was nominated for three

Adisq ADISQ (french: Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video; eng, Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries, link=yes) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the indepen ...

awards. She starred in the television show ''Annie Villeneuve Acoustic''. In the summer of 2007, Villeneuve co-hosted the artistic news TV show ''Flash''. Villeneuve has worked with several famous artists such as

Serge Lama Serge Lama (born Serge Claude Bernard Chauvier on 11 February 1943 in Bordeaux) is a French singer and songwriter. His most famous song is '' Je suis malade'', written with Alice Dona. It has been written for Dalida and later performed by a nu ...

and Garou. In 2005, Villeneuve was asked by

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

to be a back-up singer at her show on Les Plaines d'Abraham for the ceremonies of the

400th anniversary of Quebec City Quebec City's 400th anniversary, celebrated in 2008, commemorated the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. Quebec City is the oldest francophone city in North America. Along with Acadia, the city represents the birthplace of F ...

. In 2009, Villeneuve released her second album, ''Annie Villeneuve''. Her song "Ce soir" topped the BDS Billboard charts and her singles " Mon Héros" and " Rien de mieux à faire" were also successful. This same year, Villeneuve met

Guillaume Latendresse Guillaume Latendresse (born May 24, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and played i ...

, a French Canadian hockey player who played for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

and who now plays for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. They have been together since. In the winter of 2010, Villeneuve worked with

Stephan Moccio Stephan Moccio is a Canadian composer, producer, pianist, arranger, conductor and recording artist. He co-wrote and co-produced the two end credit songs for ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' and its soundtrack: "Earned It" (The Weeknd) and " I Know You ...

to record both a French and a bilingual version of the

theme song. On the day of the closing ceremonies, she performed the bilingual version of " I Believe/J'Imagine" with

Nikki Yanofsky Nicole Rachel "Nikki" Yanofsky (born February 8, 1994) is a Canadian jazz-pop singer from Montreal, Quebec. She sang the CTV Olympic broadcast theme song, " I Believe", which was also the theme song of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. She also p ...

, accompanied by

on piano. She is now considering performing and promoting herself in France. In the autumn of 2012, Annie released her third album, ''Telle qu'elle''. She says that she is really proud of these songs, since she wrote and composed almost every one. Her songs discuss many serious and personal subjects. Le sais-tu? was one of the most popular songs in Quebec radios at the time.

Talents

Villeneuve plays the piano, and during her shows she accompanies the song " Quand je ferme les yeux". As a speaker and presenter she took part in the reality show ''

'' in 2003. Later, in 2006, she co-hosted the television variety show '' Demandes spéciales'' with Marc-André Fortin and Audrey Gagnon. She and Patrick Marsolais also co-hosted the news program ''Flash''.

Social involvement

Annie supports a number of social causes. She is the spokesperson of the Leucan foundation, a Quebec organization that supports children with cancer or leukemia. She has also been a spokesperson for the annual radio campaign, Le club des petits déjeuners du Québec. Annie participates in numerous charity telethons like Opération Enfant Soleil, a foundation that supports the development of pediatric care in Quebec.

Discography

Albums

Filmography

*2003: La tournée Star Académie (DVD) (trans: Star Académie on tour) *2007: Annie Villeneuve Acoustique (DVD) (trans: Annie Villeneuve Acoustic)

Songs

2003 *Et c'est pas fini (with the 13 other stars of

) (translation: It's Not Over) *Je vais changer le monde (with

Jean-François Bastien Jean-François is a French given name. Notable people bearing the given name include: * Jean-François Carenco (born 1952), French politician * Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832), French Egyptologist * Jean-François Clervoy (born 1958), Fre ...

) (trans: I'm Going to Change the World) *Quand tout ça sera fini (trans: Once It's All Over) 2004 *Le sucre et le sel (with Suzie Villeneuve and Garou on his album) (trans: The Sugar and the Salt) 2005 *Un ange qui passe (trans: An Angel Who Passes By) *Quand je ferme les yeux (trans: When I Close my Eyes) *Tomber à l'eau (trans: Falling in the Water) *Un homme (trans: A Man) *S'il fallait (with Suzie Villeneuve) (trans: If It Were Needed) *La moitié de moi (trans: The Other Half of Me) *Je penserai à toi (trans: I'll Think of You) *Toi et moi (trans: You and Me) *En silence (trans: In Silence) *Juste un instant (trans: Just a Moment) 2006 *Une année en un jour (with Marc-André Fortin on his album) (trans: A Whole Year in a Day) 2007 * All I Want For Christmas Is You (with Dany Bédar) (single) 2009 *Ce soir (trans: Tonight) *Ton plus grand secret (trans: Your Deepest Secret) *Rêve encore (trans: Dream Again) *Rien de mieux à faire (trans: Nothing Better to Do) *C'est une autre histoire (trans: That's Another Story) *Les mains vides (trans: Empty Hands) *Comment te dire (trans: How Do I Tell You) *Le désamour (trans: Out of Love) *Plus rien (trans: Nothing More) *Elle veut parler (trans: She Wants to Talk) *Que feras-tu de nous (trans: What Will You Make of Us) *Mon héros (trans: My Hero) 2009 *Entre l'ombre et la lumière (with

Boom Desjardins Daniel "Boom" Desjardins (born 1971) is a French Canadian singer from Val-d'Or, Quebec. He was an original member of the rock band La Chicane for eleven years, from 1993 until 2004, when he left to begin a solo career. Desjardins was nominated fo ...

on his album) (trans: Between the Darkness and the Light) 2010 *J'imagine (French version) (trans: I Believe by

) *J'imagine/I believe (Bilingual version) 2010 *Joyeux noël (The Christmas Song) *Marie-Noël (Mary-Christmas) *Le sentier de neige (The Snow Path) *Sainte nuit (Silent Night) *Ave Maria *Amazing Grace *Minuit, chrétiens (O, Holy Night) *Quand les hommes vivront d'amour (When Mankind Will Live with Love) *Le Père Noël a pris un coup (Santa Claus Had a Few rinks *23 décembre (December 23) *Noël chez nous (Christmas at Home) *Happy Xmas 2012 *Le sais-tu (Do You Know It) *Plus jamais (Never Again) *Celui de ma vie (The One of my Life) *Chanson pour mon grand-père (Song for my Grandfather) *Bien plus grande (Way Much Bigger) *Tu dors (You're Sleeping) *Je t'emporte avec moi (I Bring You With Me) *Rien n'a changé (Nothing Has Changed) *Les années passent (Years Go By) *Ta letter (Your Letter) *Aime-moi pour un jour (Love me for a Day) *La vérité (The Truth) 2017 *C'est ça la vie (This Is Life) *Femme Canon (Hot Woman) *Emmène-moi (Bring me) *Le chemin (The Way) *L'insomnie (Insomnia) *Plus fort que nous (Stronger Than Us) *Une fois de plus (One More Time) *Lève les yeux (Open Your Eyes) *Le présent (The Present) *I Want To Know What Love Is *Un rêve à la fois (One Dream At A Time)

References

* http://www.annievilleneuve.com/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20090701013342/http://www.zik.ca/zik/recherche.jsp?searchInput=Annie+Villeneuve {{DEFAULTSORT:Villeneuve, Annie 1983 births Living people Musicians from Saguenay, Quebec French Quebecers Canadian women songwriters Singers from Quebec French-language singers of Canada Canadian twins Canadian women pop singers 21st-century Canadian women singers