Country girl

me to sing and play guitar. My family always supported my talent as a singer and musician. I was certain that I could do this outside of my bedroom, on a stage in front of a crowd” she stressed.

It remained a dream until high school music class, where she opted to play the guitar in order to improve herself further. While the teacher was busy with other students, Trepanier who could already play guitar enough to accompany herself, would sing some songs.

“When my teacher realised that I could sing, she said it was great that I would be able to sing four songs at the end of the school year’s show. I did and my family was right there to support me again” the singer said.

She was a teenager and her taste had changed from country to soft rock. With a guitarist, she did gigs from time to time, but she was also studying to become an auxiliary nurse, so she wasn’t available often.

After obtaining her diploma, she worked in healthcare for 35 years. In fact, she has just retired at the end of 2021. She is now free to consider music her main occupation and that makes her happy.

Through the years, she took many singing classes and even classical singing lessons with famous opera singer

Dorothe Vallée. According to Trepanier, it taught her how to breathe as well as different techniques to improve her voice.

She also had the occasion to record two jingles, one for Chrysler and one for a computer company whose name has slipped her mind. She considers that those to have been a great experience.

The talented singer has a bubbly personality, she loves people and they are drawn to her. She exudes a zest for life and this is somehow contagious. She’s a bit of a perfectionist, just enough to always want to improve. She likes having fun but she can also get into a very serious conversation about changing the world and still be very comfortable. Singing allows her to share her feelings which she does it very well.

To really understand her ability to convey her emotions, you have to hear her sing “Louise,” a Bonnie Raitt number. I guess this is what they call pouring your heart out.

In her early twenties, Trepanier joined her cousin Genevieve to form the band Armagnac, which was supposed to be an all-girls band. But it turned out different.

“We had to create our repertoire, learn the songs, find the gigs and practice. We ended-up with guys in the band. We were performing classic rock, which was far away from the country music from my childhood but that’s what it was’ she explained.

“We played the bar circuit, special events, corporative events, some festivals. We were really busy. After a while, we changed our lead guitar and the band’s name changed as well. From that time on, it was The Whizz Band. We kept a similar repertoire and for quite a while, we worked everywhere and were on the road a lot” she recalled.

The last band she played with was with her better half Yves Tremblay and two other musicians who both had the same name, Stephane Laroche, no relation. They played for happy hour in micro brasseries and bistros.

It is never easy to work full time, raise a family and be part of a band. And if you are a healthcare worker, there’s a good chance that you will work every second weekend, so all of this made it impossible for Trepanier to keep singing in a band. A gig once in a while was a better avenue for the singer who loved and missed people.

Music was always on her mind and the passion for music in her heart. Although not in the business full time, she kept honing her skills. She decided to attend a Jazz Camp two years in a row.

“I was not a jazz singer but I was persuaded that it would help me. And it did. I got out of there with a lot more confidence, a much better control of my voice. I was also more familiar with partitions and phrasing. I went back to my classic rock music with a lot more nuance, more texture in my voice” Trepanier stressed.

At one point, she was invited by Dany Boudreau to record a duet with him, but it didn’t amount to anything. Now that she’s free like a bird, she’s working on a very special project. She’s working on the possibility to sing on a cruise ship next winter. In the meantime, she keeps on doing gigs.

She likes the freedom of retirement and the kids gone. She’s free to do what she feels like doing. Like a star, she was meant to shine and she does.

Among other things, she has done several duet gigs with Richard Gelo Lepine. Slowly getting back to her roots as she has been adding some country music to her classic rock repertoire.

“I think that for a while, I forgot how much I liked country music. I have been learning new country songs and incorporating them to my actual show. I am anxious to perform this coming Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with Gelo at The AIMG Bar in Val des Sources” she concluded.