“I knew 2022 was going to be my year. I felt it,” says Claudia Bouvette. And five months were enough to prove him right.

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A remarkable career at Big Brother Celebrities, a first part of the singer Mika, a documentary in preparation, concerts planned all summer and, finally, a first album, The Paradise Club, deposited in the bins yesterday. You really have to be disconnected from Quebec cultural news for the name of Claudia Bouvette to ring no bell.

However, it was only after much procrastination that she finally agreed to take part in the Big Brother Celebrities television adventure, which kicked off the ball by propelling her into hundreds of thousands of Quebec homes earlier this year.

“When I was called to participate in the show, I immediately said to myself that I could not do this. The mere idea of ​​lending myself to this game terrified me!” she remembers.

“Then I talked about it with my team, I weighed the pros and cons. Finally, I accepted because I wanted to show my personality, show who I am in the most natural way possible. With the album that was coming, it would allow me to rediscover myself, to go and join people who didn't know me at all. Because basically, all I want is for my music to reach as many people as possible. And for that, you have to know me,” adds Claudia Bouvette.

Without label

The love at first sight between this new audience and the singer was dazzling. Because if it was Stéphanie Harvey who won the final of Big Brother Celebrities, Claudia Bouvette left with, in her hands, the public prize awarded by the viewers.

A strong symbol, in the eyes of Claudia Bouvette.

“It was the only time the public had a say in the whole adventure. It's invaluable. It's even bigger for me than if I had won Big Brother Celebrities, "she says.

If she launched the first album of her career yesterday, the road has been winding to lead Claudia Bouvette to this ultimate goal. First revealed by Mixmania, the singer branched off into acting a few years ago with roles in Jérémie, Charlotte a du fun and Cerebrum. The music has never left her, however, as evidenced by the two EPs that have marked her career.

She admits it herself: she always wanted to be a singer. Music remains his main passion. But today, she no longer feels the need to choose a label, letting herself be carried away by the chances of life and donning the hats that suit her, according to her moods.

“I am someone who goes with the flow. Right now, I'm putting all my energy into the music because it's very addictive, because I want to do things right with the release of this album. But if I am offered a role or an audition that speaks to me, I will listen. Why would I have to choose between the two? she explains.

Indeed, she is determined to "do things right" with The Paradise Club. And that means here having taken the time to refine his art – and some of his songs – for three years before unveiling this long-awaited first pop opus with alternative accents.

hit bottom

The result, available in both English and French, is the fruit of this period when Claudia Bouvette has made great strides. It is a young woman of 26 years much more mature than at the time who spoke with Le Journal, earlier this month.

“These three years were not easy. I went through great pain, I found myself at the bottom of the barrel. But I rediscovered myself through my music. I found my light and my essence (two things I had lost) with this album. I'm not denying my EPs, far from it. But I'm not necessarily the one I was before," she says.

The album The Paradise Club is currently on the market. Claudia Bouvette will be performing at Studio TD in Montreal on June 2.