Montreal Fiddle-Singer and Songwriter Aleksi Campagne Set to Stun On Debut Bilingual Single “Won’t Be Scared” From Upcoming Album, For The Giving
Aleksi Campagne, Montreal’s bilingual indie-folk fiddle-singer, is ready to captivate and comfort listeners with his debut single “Won’t Be Scared,” available in English and French, with the full-length album, For The Giving released on July 13, 2023.
The lead single “Won’t Be Scared” from his highly anticipated debut album, For The Giving, was selected as a finalist at Kerrville Folk Festival’s prestigious songwriting competition, where Aleksi was the only Canadian to compete. The song explores the courage required when leaving home and venturing to new places for the first time, echoing Campagne’s personal journey as an artist. Campagne began performing alongside his mother, Canadian folk icon Connie Kaldor, at the age of five, and at nineteen moved to Paris to study under jazz violin legend Didier Lockwood. By twenty-five, Campagne’s musical odyssey has led him to grace the stages of Canada’s renowned folk festivals, including the Mariposa Folk Festival, the Regina Folk Festival, Canmore Folk Festival, and the Northern Lights Festival, among others.
Given the emphasis on the violin in his music, it may surprise audiences that, “I sometimes wished that I had studied a harmonic instrument, like the guitar or piano, instead of the violin when I was younger because it would have made singing and playing–my two passions–much easier,” says Campagne regarding the difficult skill of fiddle-singing, “But having grown up at folk festivals, I got to see legends like April Verch or André Brunet sing while accompanying themselves on the fiddle, so I knew it was possible. It’s really thanks to their example that I now also fiddle-sing–but in my own indie-folk way.”
“Won’t Be Scared” is structured to be as comforting to the listener as possible, evident in its heartfelt lyrics, rich acoustic guitar, and the powerful unison of voices at the song’s peak. The choir of voices singing together at the halfway mark is made up of members of Aleksi’s musical family, reinforcing the importance of togetherness and community during difficult times. As a nod to his bilingual roots, Campagne is proud to release the single in both English and French.
For The Giving was made possible through grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and FACTOR, enabling Campagne to record the album in his childhood home during the COVID pandemic. Despite the challenges posed by the health restrictions, Campagne collaborated with his band remotely, creating intricate arrangements and incorporating elements such as vocal harmonies, strings, and a whistle solo. The final recording process took place with the producer and the band living together in Aleksi’s childhood home for a month, ensuring a safe and cohesive production.
For The Giving will be available on July 13, 2023. For information about his upcoming summer tour dates and future releases, stay connected by visiting aleksicampagne.com.
Watch the video for “Won’t Be Scared” below and learn more about Aleksi Campagne via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Aleksi Campagne and I am an indie-folk fiddle singer from Montreal. I actually grew up immersed in folk music. My first recording is on my late aunt Carmen Campagne’s legendary francophone children’s albums and since both my parents are also musicians, I then spent my summers on the road, often sharing the backseat of the car with two guitar cases and my brother, Gabriel (who has a killer band himself called Les Barricades). As a kid, my mother, Canadian folk icon Connie Kaldor, would invite me up to sing or play violin with her onstage and to help sell her merch at the intermission. Playing alongside my family remains one of the joys of my life.
Being brought up at folk festivals also inspired my playing style: fiddle-singing. When I was younger, I sometimes wished that I had studied a harmonic instrument, like the guitar or piano, which would have made singing and playing–my two passions–much easier. As many know, the violin is mainly a melodic instrument, meaning it is typically the lead, much like a voice, making it an unlikely instrument to accompany oneself with. And yet, it is thanks to the incredible fiddle-singers that I had the privilege of seeing thanks to the folk community–legendary fiddle-singers like April Verch, André Brunet (of the band Le Vent du Nord), and Bruce Molsky–that I decided to try it. I now primarily write my songs and lyrics for fiddle first!
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “Won’t Be Scared?”
Won’t Be Scared was actually written differently than the other songs on the album. It started when my guitarist wrote the melody on the guitar around a campfire at a folk festival we were playing at. The music itself felt so warm next to the fire that I had to write lyrics to it. The lyrics were written to support those facing difficult times and circumstances beyond their control. Overall, these lyrics encourage resilience and remind us that we can overcome our fears and doubts with time and support.
My aim was to build the song to be as comforting as possible–both in the lyrics and the arranging–even extending to the very deep range of the lead voice, the rich acoustic guitar and the strong apex of the song with many voices singing in unison. The choir of voices singing together at the halfway mark–made up of members of my family to further reinforce the importance of community and friendship during difficult times.
More than just my single, I actually recorded my entire album, For the Giving, in my childhood home during the COVID pandemic, which affected the creative process immensely. Due to health restrictions, instead of working through arrangements with my band members in person, I first made demos of each song at home to send to my musicians. Many of the layering that made it into the finished album was made then, like the vocal harmonies or the strings parts. Where other artists might have used keys or synths to fill out the sound, the foundational arrangements were made with the sounds that I knew best–voices and my fiddle.
What’s it like being a musician in Montreal?
Montreal is an incredibly creative city! I definitely count myself lucky to have grown up there, not only for its rich cultural heritage but also for its vibrant arts scene. After I had studied Jazz with Didier Lockwood in Paris, I returned to Montreal to complete my bachelor’s at McGill. There, I was able to learn from diverse musical influences. I even joined a rock band while I was a student where I played a lot of distortion violin (the band in question was The History of Gunpowder and they still exist but they are now based out of Vancouver. Highly recommend it!)
I blend these artistic traditions in this album–from the improvisation, I do in the song “When I Close my Eyes,” which is indebted to my jazz training, to the rock distortion violin solo, which is indebted to my time in The History of Gunpowder. Montreal has really shaped me as an artist.
What Canadian artists are you loving right now?
Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Andy Shauf. I am obsessed with his latest album ‘Norm’. Listening to it puts me in a trance. I would also highly recommend Celeigh Cardinal’s music. I had the chance to hear an unreleased song live at the Folk Alliance International conference last February, and I legitimately can’t wait to hear it again when it comes out on her new album. And, I couldn’t not mention Begonia who is one of the best vocalists I have ever seen live. I still can’t stop listening to her song “hot dog stand”. Her songwriting hits me hard. I actually think that sometimes her songwriting doesn’t get as much credit because her vocals are just that good.
You’ve been making music for a while now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
The best advice I think I could offer a young songwriter would be to try to build community with other creative people— whether that’s online or in the city they live in. There’s something magical that happens when artists get together that is truly inspiring. One of the best decisions I made while working on this album was partnering with my producer, Will Owen Bennett. I first met Will when we were both students at McGill University and I could not have anticipated how formative that friendship would be. It was really a joy to work with someone who I had a close personal friendship with, but who I also knew wanted it as bad as I did—him as a producer and I as a musician. Will’s influence can be heard throughout my album. His musicianship, engineering expertise, and encyclopedic memory of music across genres proved invaluable to the kind of album I was attempting to create. I will forever be grateful for that partnership.
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