Bobby Bazini

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Since his very first career interview fifteen years ago, following the release of I Wonder, Bobby Bazini has often been asked the same question: why doesn't he sing in French? Journalists ask it during interviews, and fans bring it up after shows or when they approach him on the street. The desire was there, of course, but for years, he postponed the project — unsure of how to approach it, doubting himself, wondering whether he was capable and whether his audience would follow him on that path...

In 2022, he began working on French-language songs with longtime collaborator Connor Seidel (1969 Collective, Charlotte Cardin, Les Sœurs Boulay). They spent an entire summer on it, but something wasn’t clicking. One day, in the middle of a studio session, they walked away — without finishing a single song. The disappointment was real, but Bobby realized he simply wasn’t ready. He shelved the project once again and focused on releasing his album Pearl.

He then toured Western Canada, Europe, and across Quebec. During that time, he also began a personal journey: going back to school to finish high school, which he had left behind due to his music career. He reconnected with his former French teacher and spoke to her about his dream of making a French-language album. He showed her the lyrics he had written in French, and in return, she encouraged him to read more in that language to expand his vocabulary.

Because yes — he needed to find his voice in French. Having grown up immersed in English-language music, writing and singing in that language came naturally. French required a different creative process, a different way of making words resonate. At first, he focused heavily on the technical aspects; but over time, as he kept trying, fluency emerged. And with it, space for emotion — which unfolded in its own way, in his native tongue.

One day, while printing his student ID card, he saw his full birth name: Bobby Bazinet. The moment hit him hard. For fifteen years, everyone had called him Bazini — to the point where he had almost forgotten his real last name. It felt like a liberation. It was right then that the desire to make a French-language album truly took shape.

The concept for Seul au cinéma came later, during the Pearl tour. While playing a show in Saint-Eustache, Bobby found himself performing in a venue that was part of a movie theatre complex. That afternoon, after soundcheck, the venue manager offered him free rein to roam the cinemas. He made himself a bucket of popcorn and wandered from screening room to screening room, coming and going freely — sometimes staying for just a few minutes, sometimes longer. There were no signs outside the doors, so he never knew what he was walking into: a horror film, a romantic comedy, a popular Quebec feature.

The experience stayed with him. It felt like drifting through fragments of stories, like hopping from one dream to another, never seeing how any of them ended. When he told Connor about it, the concept clicked instantly: Seul au cinéma — Alone at the Movies. Nine rooms. Nine songs. Nine films telling a story of identity, Bobby’s story, through solitude.

With the theme in place, they had to define the album’s sonic universe. At first, Bobby and Connor thought of expanding on Pearl’s orchestral textures, and brought in Antoine Gratton and the Quatuor ESCA to record string arrangements. But as the sessions progressed, they felt they were straying from their desired sound.

In recent years, Bobby had been discovering French-language music, largely thanks to the parents of his partner Odessa. He grew particularly fond of Jim et Bertrand (he cites La tête en gigue as a favourite) and Rêver mieux by Daniel Bélanger. As it turned out, Connor also loved both of these albums — and they became central inspirations for Seul au cinéma. The balance of acoustic instrumentation and sampling in Rêver mieux, and the rich chord progressions of Jim et Bertrand, underpinned by melodies you sing at the top of your lungs at concerts or in the car — that’s the artistic path they chose to follow.

Eventually, Bobby and Connor stripped the sound down to its essence: just two guitars and a computer. They wanted to evoke the early 2000s, when acoustic guitar took center stage, while layering in modern touches through synths and sampling. Strings recorded by Antoine Gratton were re-sampled to create a more contemporary sound. They also incorporated ambient sounds captured in cinemas to further immerse listeners in the filmic atmosphere.

Several musicians contributed to the project: Robbie Kuster on drums, Conner Molander on keyboards, Alex Francoeur on flute and saxophone, and Odessa Pagé, Bobby’s partner, on backing vocals.

In many ways, the musical world of Seul au cinéma is a natural evolution of Pearl (which drew on influences like Bill Withers and Jorge Ben). It is Bobby’s dual identity — musical, linguistic, and personal — that gives rise to this singular sound.

Seul au cinéma will be released on September 19, and Bobby has never felt this eager for an album launch. To him, it feels like attending the premiere of his own movie — like watching himself play his own role, navigating the duality of Bazinet and Bazini. He wonders whether the public will follow him on this new journey.

Having long defined himself through his idols, Bobby Bazini now steps forward — stripped down, without artifice — in his own language.