Luce Dufault

Luce Dufault reigned for over a decade as one of the most popular Francophone acts in her native Canada. Born August 19, 1966, in Orléans, Ontario, she performed in local shopping malls while in her mid-teens, later joining the blues-inspired group Stable Mates. In 1992 she was cast in the stage musical La Légende de Jimmy, followed a year later by the release of her debut single, "Quand les Hommes Vivront d'Amour." Also in 1993, Dufault was cast as Marie-Jeanne in a revival of the David Bowie rock opera homage Starmania. She released her self-titled debut LP in the spring of 1996, winning a Félix Award in the process. Des Millards de Choses appeared in 1998, further expanding her growing fan base. The 2000 live acoustic set Soir de Première was Dufault's first Québecois chart-topper, but she spent much of the year to follow raising her family before finally resurfacing in late 2001 with Au-Delà des Mots. Dufault alternated between professional and personal pursuits throughout the remainder of the decade, finally ending a long hiatus with 2004's Bleu. Its follow-up, Demi-Jour, was another three years in the making, but her fan base remained intact, vaulting the record into the Canadian Top 20. ~ Jason Ankeny