Bobby Bazini is taking his time and enjoying the ride.
Now nearly 37, he was only 20 when his career took off at high speed. That was the year he released his debut album Better In Time. It went platinum and instantly made a name for the Quebecois soul-folk artist.
Since then he’s released five more albums, been nominated for two JUNOs, and started his own label.
It’s been a whirlwind, he says. Now, 17 years later, he’s a well-established artist. He can take his time.
“Back then it was definitely crazy,” he says. “When I try to look back at that time, it just feels like a blur. Everything happened so quickly and I was so young. I was really thrown into that world and not prepared.”
It’s different today, he says. “I’m really enjoying everything right now,” he says. “It feels relaxed.”
Bazini accomplished a life-long dream recently, with the release of Seul au cinéma, his first French-language record.
As a Francophone born and raised in Quebec, he had always wanted to write and record music in French but couldn’t quite figure out how to do it.
Growing up on a steady diet of American country, he was raised on Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. “That’s the music that influenced me from the start,” he says. “I think that’s why I began writing in English.”
Now, he’s embracing both sides of his identity.
Another dream is coming to life, as he prepares to bring gently stripped-down versions of both his English and French songs to stages across Canada.
He’s nearly always toured with a full band and loved it. “But I always wanted to do something acoustic,” he says.
So for this tour, he and his longtime partner in life and music, Odessa Pagé, are hitting the road soon for a tour of intimate concerts as a duo (with the occasional musical friend hitting the stage.)
“It will be a chance to sit down and have more proximity with people, connect with them and take my time more. I’m looking forward to having the freedom to respond to the vibe in the room, change things as we go.”
It’s another move in a career where Bazini is coming into his own, more than ever.
“I’m really glad I am where I am now,” he says. “It feels like I can take my time a lot more with everything, follow my own rhythm.
He is bringing his “troubadour-style” show to Canmore, Calgary, Camrose, and Sherwood Park in May. Tickets and details can be found here.
Rouler en août from Seul au cinéma:
