Jérémy Gabriel (born December 10, 1996), also known as Le Petit Jeremy''is a
French Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
singer.
Biography
Gabriel was born in
Charlesbourg, Quebec City. At birth he was deaf, and had head, facial, ear and skull deformities. At age 6 months he was diagnosed with
Treacher Collins syndrome
Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a genetic disorder characterized by deformities of the ears, eyes, cheekbones, and chin. The degree to which a person is affected, however, may vary from mild to severe. Complications may include breathing pr ...
. At age 5 years he was referred to
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children, commonly known as Shriners Children's, is a network of non-profit children's hospitals and other pediatric medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord inj ...
where he met with Dr. Lucie Lessard. At age 6 (2003) he received a
bone anchored hearing aid and discovered his passion for singing. In 2006 he sang for the
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
. In 2011, he sang the Canadian National Anthem, "
O Canada
"O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...
", for a
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
NHL game.
After performing before pope Benedict XVI in 2006, he was received by
Cardinal Ouellet and awarded the decoration of the
Pontifical Swiss Guard. He performed several songs at CanadaFest between the years of 2007, 2011 and 2012
CanadaFest.
During 2012–2013, Gabriel became one of the co-patients ambassadors of the
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children, commonly known as Shriners Children's, is a network of non-profit children's hospitals and other pediatric medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord inj ...
. He performed for several congresses and Shrine events across North America. He sang in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
,
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
,
Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 103,988) is a Census divisions of Ontario#Single-tier municipalities, single-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is mostly rural, and its population centres are Chatham, Wallac ...
,
Regina,
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Lewiston,
Charlotte,
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...
,
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
.
Gabriel's parents filed a complaint with the Quebec human rights commission against
Mike Ward for jokes Ward performed in regards to Gabriel's handicap and singing, in his shows from 2010 to 2013. The commission brought the case in front of Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal seeking $80,000 in damages from Ward. The tribunal ordered Ward to pay him $35,000 and his mother $7000 in July 2016. Ward's attorney,
Julius Grey, appealed the decision. The decision was upheld by
appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appel ...
judges on November 28, 2019. Ward appealed the decision to the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...
, which on October 29, 2021, ruled that Ward had not discriminated against Gabriel, and overturned the tribunal's decision.
On February 1, 2022, Gabriel and his mother sued Mike Ward for libel, asking for over $300,000 in damages.
On September 30, 2016, Gabriel released his first single, 'I Don't Care', on JLMMUSIC. That release is distributed by DEP and Believe Digital, and supported by Universal Music Canada. An extended play is scheduled for 2017.
References
External links
Newspaper (Journal de Montreal)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, Jeremy
1996 births
Living people
Musicians from Quebec City
21st-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian singers