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If I would like to make the best compliment to the singer, it would be: he has his own style.
You hear him singing, and you do not even to know the song - it's Daniel Lavoie.

Bruno Pelletier

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Biography

There are a lot of Daniel’s biographies, written by different people in different time periods.
They mainly contain facts of his life in a strict chronologic order, indicating exact dates and some comments, added by authors. If you need such reference biography, go here:

Wikipedia - Daniel Lavoie (EN)

But this is just a paraphrase from other words, nobody can tell about Daniel’s life like himself and hostages to his fortune – his family and friends. If you want to know everything at first hand...then that’s not just biography, that’s the history of his life:

So, Daniel Lavoie, called Gerald at birth, was born March 17 1949 in Dunrea, Manitoba province, a small agrarian village, having 175 inhabitants. He is the senior child in his family of six children.
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Daniel: I lived in a small village, where I got to know everything, was surrounded by friends, we spent time together in the village in rainy and fine weather.

Little Gerald was brought up by his mother musician and his father, who used to be well known in the village, as the main shop owner.

Daniel: I remember, that my father has been going for work six or seven days a week. We were not seeing him for a long time, but, provided that all of us were living in this very shop, we used to see him regularly. He used to be a harsh okay man. Мy mother is a very dynamic woman, rather positive and in love with life. She adores music, maybe I play and write music now just because of her. She tried to introduce me to music from operas and classic music.

At fourteen Gerald continued his studies in Saint-Boniface college, where he was improving his French and acquiring musical knowledge.

Gérald Paquin, Daniel’s friend: My first memories of Lavoie is how we used to produce plays and evenings with participation of several schools. Anyway, he was a high guy, who was entering on the scene, very young, sing a song called «Les cornichons», I think, he was very, very good at singing it.
Daniel: When I arrived to Jesuit college of Saint Boniface, I realized that there were «we» and «others». Because in my home village there were Englishmen and Frenchmen, but, finally, we were all alike, I was not feeling the difference. Having arrived to Winnipeg I understood that I was a francophone, for example, there was discrimination. I realized that we had to fight in order to have minimum of rights, that had no right to learn French at school. When I was studying in my village school, I was not really understanding it. We were authorized for 45 minutes of French per day, while we were a francophone community. And while in college or after, knowing French Manitoba community, as it was a microcosm, 50-75 thousand French, francophones, living in the Anglophone ocean, as Manitoba is located in the center of America, I have to say, that United States are 20 kilometers to the South with 300 millions of Anglophones living there. So I understood that we had to fight in order to preserve our French, this needed evidence every day, choice everyday, to remain a francophone or not, as it is very-very easy to become an anglophone. It is very easy, it is enough to cross the Red River, that’s rather easier. And then discrimination – we would be a part of a large community, everything would be for us, without endless struggle. That’s amazing, but citizens of French Manitoba love struggle. They prove something to themselves, making decisions day by day. And that is still this way for me.
Rather often I felt humiliation, but I did not know this word, I did not know this feeling. I felt ashamed while being myself, and I did not know why. I was not good enough to understand why. I believe that it always has forced us to assert ourselves, I believe that this is always a strength, as a human being has been created in such a way: it fights and struggles with difficulties, it refuses to die, and then, this is in fact a creating force, I do not regret anything at all. I think that it was my luck to be at that place.
From time to time, my father and I we used to go to the city in order to visit our uncle. My uncle was a physician and I used to think, that it would be my life occupation, I wanted to be a physician, as I wanted all this: I wanted to live in the city, in a big house with my uncle, but, finally, I run into the medical reality much later, when I was studying in University and working in the hospital, we were looking for a job in summer, so I found myself in the hospital. Sometimes I regret it, as I realize that I would like to work in medicine, anyway, I was attracted by real medicine, not just my uncle’s dream, but music was stronger than medicine. But I tell myself about shortages of dealing with medicine. I am told that my songs bring good, that they calm down, that they cure, so I tell myself: well, somehow I am a physician, a shaman..

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There is a reason for me not to become a physician, that’s because I have selected the easiest way, as it seems to me. That means, I thought to select an easy way! The music was always easy to me, and when I was a teenager, I was easily contacting groups, playing rock music and whatever. I easily learned to play musical instruments, so I used to play saxophone, trumpet, guitar, percussion instruments, I used to be a one-man band, I used to play everything and singing...and all this was granted with ease to me, as there was nothing exceptional for me, I just took the instrument and in ten minutes I knew how to play it a little, I used to learn very quickly. I understood, that, maybe, there were people about me, helping me to become a musician. At the time I used to have a teacher, who every morning was asking for poems from his pupils. They should be delivered in written form every morning, these poems, which had been written durint the night, or in the morning. He was correcting it during the day, at his off hours, and in the evening he gave us our notebooks back, in order we write poems again. And one day I receive a comment with my little poem, that I could to set it to music. The setting to music seemed very strange to me, I told myself: «what is it – set to music», then I met my teacher and asked him about music, and he says me: «that’s a song». I said: «well, OK, is this a song?». He says: «yes, yes, this is a song». So he gave me an idea, a foolish one, I have never thought that I was able to write a song! That’s just madness! I hurried on, I found the first piano, I knew that one was behind us, in the hall, so I went and spent three hours over this work, composing music. This was my first song,
The autumn wind is blowing, so cold
So monotonous, that sometimes it makes me crying
Something like that. That was the song about autumn, about falling leafs, about love, suffocating me.
Daniel: (in the extract from TV interview in 1974): There was a «Jeunesse oblige» competition, right, and then I was playing the piano in «100 Nons». There was a lack of authors-composers.
I won as I used to be a sole competitor. This encourage me a lot. So, this was not a very bad beginning. Then I found myself in the semi-final, not in the final at «Jeunesse oblige», in Ottawa.

Gerald meets offstage Mr. Franck Dervieux, the pianist Jean-Pierre Ferland. This will be a decisive factor.

Daniel: He said: «Come here, I have to tell you something». I was afraid and awkward when seeing him. He said: «You have to continue». I said: «How?». He said: «You must continue, you have no choice». I think that in some extent this is one of reasons, for which I stayed in music. This has cooled my medical ambitions. I have considered music much more interesting.
When at the end of my studies the occasion recurred for me to go to a tour with one group, I had no doubts to say «I go». I wrote my last exam and left for Quebec next morning.

Gérard Jean, Daniel’s friend: We have done everything during two days or about, as it had to be done. We had no money to pay for the hotel, we slept on instruments and amplifiers. All people were not able to take a seat at once, we were packed like sardines. The more so as we left not for Montreal, but to Saint-Jean lake, for Dolbeau. It was our first GIG. Everything was just starting.

Daniel: When I arrived to Quebec in 1970-71, this was the time of Quebec boiling, Quebec used to be the most first rate place in the world. We started the tour, which has lasted for about a year and a half, we have visited all d- and e-list Quebec clubs, playing rock and roll seven days a week since 21:00 till 3:00. And we understood that it was a real space for the play, but a hard one.

Thérèse Lavoie, Daniel’s mother: We were telling him: «Look here, get a job, do something, and after you will do music». He used to say: «All or nothing, mum». So it was his choice, his food, as he used to say, «be it cheese or pasta, eat it!» 

Daniel:
Anyway, at the moment I was considering it as adventure, as a change of scene, at the moment I was not thinking of do it professionally, to build a career, but I really was considering it as the opportunity to see Quebec, to get a little satisfaction, to do music every day. Only after we understood what it was, as it really used to be hard, my friends returned to Manitoba, but I opened Quebec for myself for this year and understood that I was feeling good there, that in fact I was not feeling like returning to Manitoba. From time to time I was working in piano-bars, as it used to be quickly and easily earned money, I did everything, that was necessary, I was moving here and there, in bars of Becomo island, in their Quebec district, that used to be paid very well. I used to work for three weeks, then I returned to Montreal and held a bohemian life there, wandering, looking at the world, my main task at the time was to write songs.
It was at the time, when I decided to change my name, as I did not like Jerry, I did not want to be known as Jerry. I was thinking that it was not matching me. So, I did not want to build an international career, as I, of course, was going to, with such name as Jerry. I selected by name, looking through a telephone directory, and I felt for Daniel, I said: «Daniel... I will take it, Daniel», so I became Daniel.

And once upon a time Yvan Dufresne came to have a steak inSteak-House and heard me singing. He asked me, if I was writing songs, and I said: «Yes, I do.» Two days later Yvan has appeared before me and asked me to play my songs, among which there was J’ai quitté mon île..
The first disk, which I have recorded with a certain success, but nothing special, there is a song from it, which has stayed till the present time, it is called «J'ai quitté mon île», this is the song, included in the «unconscious collective», may I, everybody knows it, but, anyway, it never was a success on the radio, and was not what it could be. It is amazing, but over the years I found out, that Quebec chorus are singing this song, that everybody knows it.

Gilles Valiquette, аrtist and producer: That was Daniel’s disk we launched, not Gilles Valiquette’s one. And Daniel, he was not writing right what is called... He used to write beautiful songs. I remember his checky shirt, his moustache and I also remember girls, who were always looking at him amorously.
When we have recorded the first disk, Daniel used to have a friend , who was showing up often, his name was Réjean Rancourt. The good part of there relations was that Daniel always had somebody, the right hand, whom he always could trust.

Réjean Rancourt, former Daniel’s manager: I had to supplement everything, what he did not want to do. He knew how to write songs, and I was making versions to make it go. He is a talented artist, and then you want him to success, to everything go together.

Marc Pérusse, musician: When «Nirvana Bleu» was issued, it became very popular. I think, that it was the EP, what set on stake.

Daniel: «Nirvana Bleu» was not such a success. People remember it well, this EP, as it was a beautiful EP, matching the time well, at, which, maybe... much different from what people used to write at the time.

So, the third Daniel’s EP should show up in order one song pushes him on the tops of hit parades, «La danse du Smatte».

Daniel: This is the song about a deceived guy, who is sick and tired about all this, about that nothing never goes on, and, of course, that was me. I have written this song in Lafontaine park, at the day of deep existential crisis. I remember having pen and paper, I sat down and wrote La danse du Smatte, leaning at a tree in Lafontaine park. And it became a beacon for this EP. I think it was just the time of my turn, because everything used to be so difficult before. You always had to look for musicians, to look for everybody, as you were not able to pay them, this was not easy. At the time I’ve already been twelve years in the profession, and I still was not able to earn my life. I was living at the lower threshold of poverty, I should say. I got enough of it, and, of course, when «Tension, Attention», was launched I thought, that I have made my mind more or less, that if it does not go over, I will deal with something else.

Réjean Rancourt: Yes, right, we played, we played with everything, what was left. We found producers all over the world, we really set on stake everything we had, debts have already accumulated, so many debts that it had to be done. Everything was involved and used, I want to say – families, just everybody.

1983, Daniel Lavoie sets on stake and plays. He has obtained a loan from the bank, buttoned up for fifteen months, to write in André Perry’s studio and recorded «Tension, Attention». Daniel DeShaime was pushing him to the deadline.

Daniel DeShaime, the author: We met in a small studio in Eastern Montreal. He did not want to take piano from home, so we decided to rent another one. But we have already started working. Тhen I saw that he has got quite new ideas, when he has not got his own piano, when he plays the synthesizer, the old piano, standing in the corner, or guitar. He used to find really genius things. Unfortunately, I never told him before, but I lied, there nowhere was a piano for rent, that we will not be able to find it.

Marie-Christine Blais, journalist: A little American, using methods and inventiveness in orchestration, some rhythms, this was a disk, which, at my opinion, allowed the Quebec song to get a second wind. And then, all of a sudden, we found out that Daniel Lavoie is a Quebecer (laughs). When he left Canadian borders, it seems he became a Quebecer.

Another surprise, Daniel Lavoie changes his apperance.

Réjean Rancourt: Among four or five Quebec artists he was always the last, actually, nobody knew who he was. He was confused with Sylvain Lelièvre, with Michel Rivard, with Paul Piché, with everybody in the world, that’s it.

Daniel: Тhen we consulted people at Cossette, it seems that anyway it was Cossette, who was teaching me, who has considered my case and provided the analysis, according to which I had to act such, such and such, in order everything goes right. Anyway, this took a rather long time, when I was wearing a small barb and moustache. In the morning I shaved and said: «Well, that’s not as bad, as I was thinking».
«Ils s'aiment» from the EP called «Tension, attention» in Quebec. In France it was called «Ils s'aiment». This disk was a last chance for me, as I was not able to earn my life, everything I earned returned to the business I felt no more satisfied. And I remember the day, I was writing songs, at noon I stopped, I switched on the TV and I was listening for the day news, they were showing a reportage from Beirut, as it was 1983. This day in the reportage I saw two teenagers, who were standing hand in hand on ruins, and that amazed me, and I wrote «Ils s'aiment»  for fifteen minutes.

This song opened him doors to France.

Daniel: I do not know much, all this has taken all of a sudden, that was madness by no means. I remember, when I took part in the TV broadcast in France with «Ils s’aiment» and the next day I got to know that 27 000 disks have been sold or something like that, and it continued all the week long, with the same pace. I was extremely expressed, as during the day there was sold more than for my whole previous life.

Réjean Rancourt: When I am trying to remember the time, the environment used to be a little panic for Daniel, you see. He is glad, but gets jitters a little, as everything is another way. Everybody wants him to travel in the first class, what he usually refuses. Once he was met with limousine in the airport, whereas there were cases, when we traveled by autostop.

Daniel: I remember everything, what used to happen at the time. I was so busy with a lot of things to do. This was the time of a big hurry. I was visiting a lot of tours. I was endlessly flying from Paris to Montreal and back. This used to be rather tiresome. Тhen I got to understand that it was not the thing I liked in this profession.
So, at the time I took a little break, yes, it seems to be just like this, even not very bad, it became hard to work with me and it was hard for me to work with others. It is very hard not allow the success to change you. Just yesterday you were nobody, and all of a sudden you become very significant. Very «significant» in quotes.

Just at that time he came together with his manager and friend, Réjean Rancourt, in order to found the musical edition of «Trafic».


Маrie-Christine Blais: Daniel Lavoie decides to reinvest his profit in order to promote the prosperity of the new musical family, really different authors composers, very and very original. Such as Luc de la Rochellière, Marie-Philippe, who sings phonemes, there also other people, some of them are doing things, not trivial at all.

Daniel: It looked for me a very good idea at the time. I used to be rather naïve and did not know anything about plenty of things, which can interfere, and what, maybe, I could tell more about what was going on, at least.

Daniel goes to London to look for «Duran - Duran» producer.

Daniel: I selected Colin Thurston. I have heard many good things about him. I felt it, as I used to be rather instinctive and intuitive at that level, I was feeling that I was able to work well with that man.
I wanted to work with everybody. We had a lot of pleasure, working over «Tension, Attention». We really used to work very well together. There is a certain pressure, i.e. nowadays everybody is being investing here, then everybody come to be involved in this business, then everybody wants to make an amazing EP, then everybody, of course add their grain of salt, and. Finally, all of sudden again we become obliged, it was necessary to... well, OK, I was a little pushed at the time, as I was not reacting strong enough.
It is easy to say what I would have done this and that... well, I did the disk «Vue sur la mer», which is not so bad, but which is not the EP, as I would like to do.

Anyway, this EP comprises «Je voudrais voir New-York», the song, called up by the interview with Lech Walesa, head of Solidarity.

Daniel: I was astonished, that this man, actively taking part in very important business in his country, dreams about being a millionaire in New York, so was born this song, «Je voudrais voir New-York».
A timid man, feeling awkward on the stage, should identify himself with a sex symbol image.

Daniel: I really was not realizing it. I look at my photos at the time, because now I am getting old and, you know, I am telling myself: «Hum, you really used to be handsome at the time», but I was not understanding that at all at the time, I considered myself as a rather ordinary person, like everybody, looking in the mirror and seeing themselves there... I was asking myself, what could I really see there.

Маrc Pérusse: No, Daniel is rather the one to fall on stage, what has happened once in Rai, as I remember, where he dropped Felix statuette at this award ceremony, can you imagine. There is ba-ding, ba-dang and my Daniel there... Then he leaves, gets out from the screen, you understand, goes down by the ladder, goes to look for Felix, picks it up, and here he is, then I do not remember already, he started with something like «it is difficult to break it down», anyway, it was not a big success.

After having been «at the bench» for 15 years, Daniel Lavoie becomes finally an insider. He finds himself nearby the most famous ones.

Daniel: For me the membership with Amnesty International became not only a privilege, but obligations as well.

Réjean Rancourt: Daniel is equal to Sting at the international market. Twice I saw him at the stage, one close to another, one nearby the other one, one behind another one and so on...Daniel has got as much talent as this guy does. He sings as well as that one.

Маrie-Chritsine Blais: The final song, when they were singing Bob Marley, all together, nearby same microphones, which they were sharing, there was also Bruce Springsteen there! This was as we were admitted, we too, to the North American continent, in a rather friendly way. We were all worth the same.

After this curve with great people from music Daniel renovates his roots.

Daniel: Yes, I will put on paper some emotions of my life in French Manitoba, and then, one day I will make a song from it. I sat with paper and though, how to express it in a few words, that became the draft of «Jours de plaine», the song, which is very touchy for Quebec and Canadian public, especially in my country, in Manitoba, where people feel matching it a lot. Maybe this song is the most difficult for performance in my repertoire, because it is telling me in a very-very personal way about my life, my close relatives, my family, my roots.
We have collected a large amount of money with «Jours de Plaine» pictures. We have sold it one after the other in Manitoba, in order to collect funds for Saint-Boniface College.

In 1992 Daniel Lavoie tries to join the Anglophone market. The EP was noticed by the producer of one of most popular American serials - «General Hospital».

Daniel: I said: Wow, Hollywood, ABC, all over the world broadcast, we will have amazing terms, a piano, the best piano in the world, the best microphone in the world, the sound system, the finest in the world. That was terrible. We have got «Mason and Risch», a simple old piano, sounding la cacane, with I don’t know what a microphone. How much wanted I to come back home, to my place, over there... So I have survived a little crisis of my «star», and they decided that I would do a lip-synch.
I execute the contract with Tower Records, they want to release a disk, by no means, and we prepare a new business, a new song, we release the song, played in «General Hospital», the new song, «Woman to man», was it called. Another unbelievable feedback from hearers. But that was the time, when my business relations became rather complicated, I wanted to shot myself down.
The end of Trafic, of course, for some time I was already seeing, that everything is unravelling. We have escalated the disks brand, there were people I loved and, naturally, we were always hoping, that it would turn out splendid. But it did not.

Marie Philippe, аrtist: We had a clear feeling that something was going wrong. You see, it used to be... Daniel changed, so did Réjean. But he used not to be a guy, very anxious about his business. And then he used to be a very generous man, i.e. he encouraged and supported his artists. All artists there were, anyway, on Daniel’s side. As an artist, he was always here, always with us.

Financial difficulties forced Trafic to sell Daniel’s rights and records to the French branch of American company EMI.

Daniel: When I realized that I had my disks no more, that I have not got any copyright, that, finally, I have nothing, I said to myself: «My God, I really was naïve, I was a complete dumb. I left gammon myself in this business». So I had to leave everything and to start again. What used to be the best decision of my life.

«Ici» EP is recorded in different situations. At 46 years Daniel Lavoie has to again start from zero.

Маrc Pérusse: When we made «Ici», it was a hard period in Daniel’s life, very difficult one, I should say. Then Daniel is the kind of guy, who leaves, who is able to leave all problems home. When he goes writing music, this is his passion. So he leaves all problems home. But when he was coming in the morning, miserable, it used to be very sad.

Маrie-Christine Blais: And then I meet him for an interview, at that time, and my article was headed «Daniel Lavoie, poor and happy». He triumphed. He lost everything, but his music, his wife, his children, his friends were with him, that’s it...

Daniel Lavoie was declared bankrupt and lost all copyrights for his song. The future looks sinister. But his life uses to come to a new turn, when he sings at the French Manitoba festival in Ottawa. Luc Plamondon was there.

Daniel: I song «Le Blues du Businessman», the new version, in the way he has never heard before. And I am sure, he was fascinated.

Luc Plamondon, the text writer: I was looking for a singer over forty years old for the role of Frollo. I saw this figure, I saw Frollo.

Daniel: I had nothing to lose. Moreover, I had a failed tour over Quebec at the moment. I felt cruelly betrayed by these... how should I say... cultural elements of Quebec. I did not feel supported. Perhaps, I wanted to curse my burthen.

Bruno Pelltier, artist: Daniel brought in Frollo... he was playing him from deep inside. Daniel is one of people, who used to be more – not laid back – but very concentrated on what they are doing. For me that’s something... quality, which I do appreciate a lot. And then, his professionalism was also showing up, more, his maturity as of an artist.
Daniel: I am one of these people, who were tortured enough, so I can understand Frollo very well. Well, maybe, not so cruelly like him... Anyway, I know a few people in my life, whom I would like to be hanged.

Luc Plamondon: Generally, when you gather elder artists in a musical, it causes the most pain. Even if they have got a lot of professionalism, being nearby young energetic artists, like Garou, Patrick Fiori, Bruno Pelltier. I knew he was asking himself: «Will I be able to match them?» This is an enormous challenge. People applauded him the same way as to younger ones and sometimes more. I think, this calmed him a lot.We got an impression, that everything comes from inside of him, when he sings. It was gorgeous. We could never have a better Frollo than Daniel Lavoie. This is impossible.

Маrie-Christine Blais:There are rumors, even a little backbite, that all young performers in «Notre Dame de Paris», in the adventure of «Notre Dame de Paris», with the success they ran into, their family couples have completely fell apart.. Of course, with their monies... They became rich all of a sudden, the knew the success, people recognized them in the street, and it seems, there were no a love story they could resist. Except such stories about Daniel Lavoie...

The success of Daniel Lavoie makes a certain impression on EMI, he got back his right for his songs.

Daniel: The success of «Notre-Dame de Paris» was some kind of holiday for me, this was, I always used to say, a funny cruise for me, a vary heavy period has just ended in my life, all was being rebuilt and everything went smoothly.
Success in Paris and London. Тhree millions of sold disks in France, seven in all the world. Financial problems are in the past now.

Daniel Lavoie gets a taste for Paris life. He accepts to play the Pilot in Richard Cocciante’s musical «The Little Prince».

Daniel: I had to become a theater artist, what required a real huge work from me. I approached it both as a singer and as an actor, from both points of view. This taught me new profession, I really love it.
We were just doing our business, and it turned to be very touchy, very exciting, very beautiful. But we were never papping up, never exaggerating anything, really. This is not a book to be treated in a familiar way. I did not know it in my childhood, as «The Little Prince» was not brought to Dunrea, to Manitoba. I have got a little penchant to see myself again in a small boy from Manitoba, who is seeing something, what he would never dare even to dream about.
When «Notre-Dame» was over I came back home, back to things I wanted to do, I said: «well». Perfect! Moreover, it allowed me somehow to repay my debts and I found myself in a not very unpleasant situation, finally I have got... how would I say... time to work, what I was actually doing, I spent a year composing songs, quietly doing only this at home.
I used to tell everybody, that if I want to make a disk, I will do it, but I will do it as I want it, I would not release a commercial disk, I will make a disk, which would become for me a disk of emotions, a disk of calm. If you want it, I will to it for you. Everybody said: «well, OK». Fine.

«Comedies Humaines» this is somehow my version of what I consider a French song. This is my very personal perception of who, as I suppose, we are, of what is life, what is existence, this is a serious disk, which at the same time, is full with tenderness and humor. Emotions do not speak about anything as only about black or white, they are always more than all this. Maybe there is my strength – the clear sober look among emotions, in all things I know how to find.

After the adventure with с «The Little Prince», Daniel continues, this time in the TV series about the life of Felix Leclerc, where he plays the role of Felix himself. This project, which was shot in France and Quebec in summer and in autumn 2003, this project was shown at «Radio-Canada» and «France 3» channels in 2004. (Daniel was engaged in such films as «le Fabuleux voyage de l’ange» (1991) and «The Book of Eve» (2002) before he played the great Felix Leclerc)

Daniel: I met Gaétane, Felix’s spouse; and Gaétane told me, that when she and Felix showed me on TV for the first time — I was 22-23 years old and I just came from Manitoba; she asked her husband: «Tell me, had you got any girlfriends in Manitoba?»

In 2005 Daniel launches the EP «Moi Mon Felix».

GSI Musique: We had to select a name for the EP. There were a lot of records, with uneasy choice ahead. Daniel was carefully selecting every memo, which offered the name of «Moi mon Felix».

Most likely, the name of the EP reveals the relationship between Daniel and this man. «Moi, mon Félix»  is one of Daniel Lavoie's achievements.

Again Daniel becomes the author-composer, devoting all his time for it. A little over two years passes before he finds 13 charmlike, «Doctor Tenderness» balms, curing the sorrow.

 Daniel: «Docteur Tendresse» is my life philosophy.
That means compassion, respect of others, this is addressed to same people as me, looking for the sense of life and not always finding it, this is just a tender soft look on everything. These are not morals, neither claim or request, just a soft tender message.

The public was still under the tenderness, when GSI Musiquе studio offers a fascinating coffret, combining thirty songs and all video clips, released at summer 2008.
Almost at the same moment the artist and his songs play the star part in the international week of song, consolidating a few hundreds of choristers around the author composer. So, The Chorus and Lavoie become the topic of this year meetings.
EP «Lavoie et le grand choeur»
summarizes his 40 years career.

Daniel: Maybe that’s all because my songs were not unnoticed at all. Great authors composers made a not of them and told me about it. This encouraged me to continue, because, in fact, it used to be very hard in the beginning. I used to be an unknown celebrity in Quebec: I did not know anybody and have not got any family, neither friends. It used to be a long and difficult escalation.
I have passed through such periods, when I had all reasons to climb down. Everything went very bad! I even have lost my sound recording studio. This was a good reason enough to drop everything...
But I just turned over this page, because I adore my profession.

In 2010 Daniel extends the geography of his shows – on May 10 his first concert in Moscow was a success, and already in December he, as a member of grandiose show
«Notre Dame de Paris Le Concert», comes to Kiev, where the opening of the show took place (8 and 9 December), then to Moscow (11 December) and Saint Petersbourg (12 December). At the same time Daniel, together with Garou and Patrick Fiori, were invited for the shooting of the famous «Belle» aria to the First Russian Channel, the New Year Light broadcast, which will be demonstrated in all the world network «The First Channel Digital Family».

In 2011 Lavoie released «J'écoute la radio», an album of newly arranged hits plus a new song (J'écoute la radio). A new concert show took Lavoie on a tour that lasted for almost 2 years (until Spring 2013) all over Quebec, as well as in France, Russia and Ukraine.

On March 25, 2014 the French production company Le Chant du Monde (a Harmonia mundi label) released a new disc, Daniel Lavoie: «La Licorne captiv» – Un projet musical de Laurent Guardo. This musical project exploring classical myths and legends features Daniel Lavoie as a vocalist performing songs written for him by a modern Canadian composer-songwriter Laurent Guardo. He is accompanied by an ensemble of early music and ethnic instruments. Guardo and Lavoie also collaborated as producers of this album. In October 2014 in Paris Lavoie and Guardo for the first time presented the songs from that album on stage. The North-American premiere of the show took place in Quebec in May 2015.

On July 1, 2014 Daniel Lavoie participated in the official Canada Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa evening show as one of its featured performers, representing his native Manitoba.

Daniel Lavoie's new album titled «Mes longs voyages» was released in September 2016. Produced with Guy St-Onge, this album comprises both original songs as well as covers of songs by Léo Ferré, Alain Bashung, Allain Leprest and Félix Leclerc. A Canadian concert tour Mes longs voyages followed in February–March 2017, and in the spring of 2018. One of the concerts took place at the 2017 Montréal en lumière festival, which named Lavoie President of Honor.

Since November 2016 Daniel Lavoie has been part of the cast of the revival of the musical Notre Dame de Paris reprising his role of Frollo in the Palais des Congrès in Paris, with the tour of France and other countries scheduled throughout 2017-2018.