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How does one become a singer-songwriter capable of churning out hit after hit on FM radio? Let’s take a look at Gabriel Fredette, who has given us radio hits like Triste automne, À deux, À quoi ça sert, Serre-moi dans tes bras, and Je te choisirai, to name just a few. At 24, this former firefighter is undoubtedly one of the stars of Quebec and Francophone popular music, a true specialist in the art of expressing love through song. On the day of the release of his very first album, April 8, we met with him at Éditions Bloc-Notes so he could tell us about himself, just as he does in rhyme on the album Qui je suis, released on the Maison Rose label.
PAN M 360: I heard you started out as a firefighter. Are you still one?
Gabriel Fredette : No, I stopped doing that last August. Because at that time, I was focusing on music.
PAN M 360: Where are you from?
Gabriel Fredette :I’m from Saint-Hyacinthe.
PAN M 360: Were you a firefighter in Saint-Hyacinthe?
Gabriel Fredette : I was a firefighter in Trois-Rivières for a year and a half.
PAN M 360: Back in the day, Saint-Hyacinthe was the Liverpool of Quebec. So many bands from the 1960s flocked to Saint-Hyacinthe!
Gabriel Fredette : My grandfather had a band when he was young, but he never really talked to me about that time.
PAN M 360: So you went to work in Trois-Rivières. Did you start making music there?
Gabriel Fredette : I’ve always played music. I started playing the violin with my grandfather, who introduced me to music, and then my family paid for me to take violin lessons for about three years.
PAN M 360: And after that, you learned to play instruments—we can imagine what happened next.
Gabriel Fredette :That’s right. I play the piano and the guitar. Singing came later. It really took off in 2023, when I competed on La Voix—the recordings aired in 2024. That was my first real professional experience in music… A wonderful experience that taught me a lot.
PAN M 360: You were taught how to make good FM pop. Is that what you’re doing?
Gabriel Fredette : Yes. It’s French-language pop, but it’s also folk. I have some songs that are more folk-oriented and others that are pretty pop. There’s always a guitar—an acoustic guitar.
PAN M 360: Kind of like Ed Sheeran.
Gabriel Fredette : Yes, and Noah Kahan, Lewis Capaldi, and Chance Peña, too.
PAN M 360: I imagine you listened to singers like them when you were a teenager.
Gabriel Fredette : Yes, though I listened to a lot of Céline Dion—my dad is a huge fan. When I was a teenager, I mostly listened to songs in English. And I’d say my love for Quebec music came later. It’s become a cause for me. Quebec teens don’t listen to French-language music; I find that boring, and that’s why I wanted to dive into it 100%, but also by focusing on social media like TikTok and Instagram. It’s easily accessible for young people like me—I’m 24. There are a lot of young people between the ages of 10 and 20 who listen to music. I think it’s fun to bring these young people back to French-language music.
PAN M 360: Who are your influences in French-language music? Who do you admire?
Gabriel Fredette : I’d say Louis-Jean Cormier—one of the artists I listen to, especially for his lyrics. I also listen to Fredz, who is of French origin but lives in Quebec. I’ve also listened to quite a bit of KEB rap, like Koriass, Loud, or Rymz, who’s also from Saint-Hyacinthe. KEB rap lyrics have influenced me too, since I listened to a lot of it, just like people my age. I didn’t listen to much English-language rap, though.
PAN M 360: In any case, you have an innate sense of melody, catchiness, and the dramatic progression of a song!
Gabriel Fredette : Thank you. I want to capture the emotion.
PAN M 360: Your writing focuses on interpersonal relationships, especially romantic ones; there’s a lot of romance and innocence in it.
Gabriel Fredette : That’s not bad. These are personal relationships I’ve actually experienced. Intimate stories, yes.
PAN M 360: You decided to dive right in. You’re definitely not afraid of emotions!
Gabriel Fredette : Absolutely. I’m an open book; I’m capable of being vulnerable.
PAN M 360: That’s clear! You really open up. I don’t know how autobiographical it is, though.
Gabriel Fredette : All these stories are true, I’m telling you. They’re my stories or those of my friends, some of whom also write songs—like my friend Justin Roy. Also, I don’t always write my songs from start to finish; I sometimes collaborate with other artists. We rent cabins together sometimes, and we start writing songs.
PAN M 360: A classmate from your other group, the Middle Class.
Gabriel Fredette : There are four of us in Classe Moyenne (Phil Rxcket, Justin Roy, and Zach Chico)—everyone sings and plays multiple instruments. I get to bring out my violin! On stage, we’re joined by a DJ/producer, and there are lots of visuals. It’s a very different energy from my solo work. Each of us has original songs. The goal was to showcase each artist through this project. It’s pop, folk, and also country. We have all that in common, and we often write together. We also write for other artists.
PAN M 360: How has your work as a lyricist evolved?
Gabriel Fredette : I always try to broaden my horizons. I read other songwriters’ work, and sometimes poetry that I buy at the local bookstore. It’s become a hobby. But what matters most is having new experiences and turning them into songs.
PAN M 360: To be so comfortable expressing your emotions, you must have had really great parents who let you flourish in that way!
Gabriel Fredette : Absolutely. My mother is older than my father; she had already had a family before, and then she started a second family with my father. I get along well with everyone; I grew up in an environment where everyone really loves one another.
PAN M 360: Where are you based today?
Gabriel Fredette : I live with my musician friends in Saint-Mathieu-de-Laprairie, not far from Saint-Constant.
PAN M 360: Do you plan to continue “specializing” in pop-folk love songs?
Gabriel Fredette : Absolutely. I love the team I work with. I love the artistic direction I’m taking, and I also love the work my label, Maison Rose, is doing under Benjamin Nadeau’s leadership, as well as my editor Diane Pinet at Bloc-Notes, not to mention Martin Véronneau at Local 9 for radio tracking.
PAN M 360: Your stage performances seem to be focused more on the band Classe Moyenne, at least for now. At Club Soda this week!
Gabriel Fredette : Yes, we’ll be touring extensively over the next few months. The balance will shift after that. In 2027, my solo tour will take up more of my time, but I’m already performing songs from this new album, and I already have about twenty dates lined up for 2027.
PAN M 360: And who’s your audience? More girls than guys, right?
Gabriel Fredette :Yes. There are definitely a lot more girls.
PAN M 360: I’d say there are about four girls for every guy who comes to see you and is dating one of those four girls.
Gabriel Fredette : That’s right… But the audience is pretty diverse—it ranges from 16 to 40 years old.
PAN M 360: So you’re going to keep going in the same direction, I guess?
Gabriel Fredette : Well, yeah, that’s my niche. I’m in this field and I love what I do. I’m on X.
PAN M 360: This is your first album, but you’ve released several songs before.
Gabriel Fredette : Yes, since appearing on La Voix in 2024, I’ve been releasing singles. I also released a 6-song EP in November 2024 (Forêt Noire) and another 4-song EP last March (Je te choisirai).
PAN M 360: On stage?
Gabriel Fredette : Max Lalanne and Kaven Girouard are with me, and there are also pre-recorded segments to round out my two main acts. It’s more intimate than Classe Moyenne, which is all about the party. On May 9, I’ll be opening for a French artist, Yuston 13, at MTELUS.
PAN M 360: Thank you, and good luck with everything from here on out, young man!
