French-Canadian singer/songwriter Lynda Lemay became a star in her native Quebec in the early '90s, and she also had a large following in Europe, where her playful, poignant writing style was appreciated for its compassionate, literate, and often humorous approach to both the large and small requirements of contemporary life. With a novelist's eye for detail and an endearing ability to make light of her own phobias, Lemay wrote melodic songs (almost always sung in French) that fast became national treasures in Canada, and her popularity in France stemmed from her clear understanding of the French chanson tradition. ~ Steve Leggett