Aleksi Campagne

Aleksi Campagne is a Canadian fiddler, singer and songwriter—a practice often called fiddle-singing. He won the Canadian Folk Music Award for French Songwriter of the Year at the 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2024 for his album For the Giving / Sans rien donner.[1]

Career

Early Career

As a child, Aleksi is credited on three of his aunt Carmen Campagne’s children’s albums, including La Vache En Alaska (1995), Enchantée (1997) and Sur la Ferme de Grand-Père (2012).[2] In 2017, Aleksi performed with the French children’s performance group Tam Ti Delam across Canada alongside artists Geneviève Toupin and Annick Brémault.[3] He released a self-titled ep in 2018.[4] He also performs with his mother as both a supporting musician in her band and an opening act.[5] In 2021, he was featured on the album La Famille Campagne – Noël En Famille.[6]

Solo Career

Aleksi released his first full-length album For the Giving / Sans rien donner in 2023.[7] The album is a 20-song double album, featuring ten songs in both English and French versions.[8] Although fluently bilingual, he collaborated with his aunt Michelle Campagne to translate the lyrics into French due to the complications inherent in translating song lyrics, which must sometimes be translated thematically rather than literally due to the need to conform to the original song's melody and rhythm.[9] Le Devoir gave the album a favourable review, comparing its blend of folk, jazz and indie pop influences to both Patrick Watson and Half Moon Run.[8]

The same month that he launched his album, Aleksi was selected as a Mariposa Folk Festival Emerging Artist and performed at the festival.[10] In December 2022, his single "Another Day" was picked by Paul Corby as a Top Single of 2022.[11] In January 2023, Aleksi and his brother Gabriel were invited to perform for a Canadian citizenship ceremony.[12] In March 2023, radio host Tom Coxworth picked Aleksi as one of the Top 5 Favourite acts at the Folk Alliance International Conference.[13] In May 2023, he became the only Canadian finalist in that year's Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters.[14] On October 12, 2023, an episode about Aleksi’s music aired on the program Path to Creation directed by Igal Hecht.

In 2024, Aleksi won the Canadian Folk Music Award for French Songwriter of the Year at the 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards.[15]

In 2025, Aleksi co-produced Arrogant Worms' 2025 album 'Canadian Famous' with Will Owen Bennet.[16] In June 2025, Aleksi was named a finalist for the Prix relève Télé-Québec at the 23e edition of the Prix des Arts de la Montérégie.[17]

On January 22, 2026, Aleksi Campagne became the grand prize winner of the 32nd edition of Ma première Place des Arts, a competition organized by the Société pour l’avancement de la chanson d’expression française (SACEF). At the contest, Aleksi Campagne received the Prix Distinction from the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture ($5,000), the Prix Étoiles Stingray ($3,000) an invitation to perform at Les Francos de Montréal in the summer of 2026, and his song 'Rome" won the Prix Chanson de l’année Hydro-Québec ($3,000).[18] At the semi-finals, he had previously been awarded the le Prix Station Clip et le Prix Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée.[19]

Advocacy

According to Billboard Canada, Aleksi was invited to perform for the environmental pressure group Music Declares Emergency for a concert on March 17, 2024, to Honour Neil Young and Joni Mitchell for their “commitments to environmental advocacy and awareness.”[20]

On April 7, 2024, in his acceptance speech at the Canadian Folk Music Awards Aleksi dedicated his CFMA win for his bilingual album to “all those who speak more than one language.”[21] His promotion of multilingualism in Canadian music builds on the activism of his family. His father, Paul Campagne, was a member of the bilingual band Hart Rouge with his sisters Michelle, Annette and Suzanne.[22][23] His grandparents, Émile Campagne and Marguerite Campagne each received Ordre des francophones d'Amérique for their promotion of the French language in 1999.[24]

Aleksi was the invited performer at the Canadian Union of Public Employees's National Convention in 2019.[25] He has also performed at Canadian Citizenship Ceremonies.[26]

Awards & Recognition

  • 2026 Winner of the 32nd edition of Ma première Place des Arts.
  • 2025 Finalist for the Prix relève Télé-Québec at the 23e edition of the Prix des Arts de la Montérégie.
  • 2024 French Songwriter of the Year at the 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards.
  • 2024 New Discovery of the Year by Penguin Eggs and Roots Music Canada.[27]
  • 2023 Finalist in Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters.
  • 2023 Top 5 Favourite acts at the Folk Alliance International Conference by Tom Coxworth
  • 2022 Top Single by Paul Corby Roots Music Canada

Acting

In 2017, he played a wedding violinist in one episode of the Quebecois TV show Les Pays d'en Haut.[28]

Education

Aleksi studied classical and jazz violin at McGill University.[29] He was also a student of the late jazz violin legend Didier Lockwood (himself a student of Stéphane Grappelli) at the Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood in Paris for two years.[30]

Personal life

Aleksi Campagne is the son of folk musicians Connie Kaldor and Paul Campagne.[5]

References

  1. ^ Slingerland, Calum (April 10, 2024). "Here are the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards Winners". Exclaim!.
  2. ^ "Aleksi Campagne". Discogs. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Tam Ti Delam en tournée dans la province". Pour faire un monde. Canadian Broadcast Corporation. November 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Brendan Kelly, "Aleksi Campagne isn't 'just a folksinger with a guitar'". Montreal Gazette, April 4, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Small, Alan (November 9, 2023). "Folk music veteran Connie Kaldor keeps it in the family". Winnipeg Free Press.
  6. ^ "La Famille Campagne* – Noël En Famille". Discogs. December 7, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Vanderhorst, Jan (July 16, 2022). "Aleksi Campagne – son of Paul Campagne and Connie Kaldor – makes his bilingual debut". Roots Music Canada. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Sylvain Cormier, "«For The Giving/Sans rien donner», Aleksi Campagne". Le Devoir, August 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Lucas, John. "Bilingual Montreal tunesmith Aleksi Campagne carries on a family tradition". Create a Stir. Stir Vancouver. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  10. ^ "Mariposa presenting 'unique outdoor festival' in October". Orillia Matters. August 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Corby, Paul (January 5, 2023). "A few of Corby's favourite songs from 2022". Roots Music Canada.
  12. ^ "Previous Guests". Institute for Canadian Citizenship.
  13. ^ "Tom Coxworth's 5 favourite acts of Folk Alliance". Roots Music Canada. February 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "New Folk Finalist History Complete from 1976 through 2024". Kerrville Folk Festival. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Slingerland, Calum (April 10, 2024). "Here are the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards Winners". Exclaim!.
  16. ^ "Canadian Famous". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  17. ^ "23e édition: Soirée des prix en art et culture de la Montérégie". Culture Montérégie.
  18. ^ Parazelli, Eric. "Aleksi Campagne remporte Ma première Place des Arts 2026". SOCAN Magazine. SOCAN. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  19. ^ Mongrain, Marc-André. "Aleksi Campagne remporte la finale de l'édition 2026 de Ma Première Place des Arts". Sors-tu.ca. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  20. ^ Decter, Rosie Long (February 6, 2024). "Music Declares Emergency Canada to Honour Neil Young and Joni Mitchell". Billboard Canada.
  21. ^ "CFMA 2024 - Awards Concert Night 2 / PMFC 2024 - Soirée concert de remise des prix 2". Youtube. St Johns. April 7, 2024. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Barr, Greg (January 17, 1989). "Francophone pop band tries to find its bilingual niche". Ottawa Citizen.
  23. ^ Metella, Helen (April 20, 1989). "Bilingualism haunts Hart Rouge; Deejays refuse airplay". Edmonton Journal.
  24. ^ "Michel Dubé reçoit l'Ordre des francophones d'Amérique". Radio Canada. CBC. September 20, 2017. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  25. ^ Carlson, Linda. "CUPE National Convention when it was held in Montreal in 2019: Daily Blog". CUPE391. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  26. ^ "Aleksi Campagne". Institute for Canadian Citizenship. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  27. ^ "The Penguin Eggs/Roots Music Canada Critics' New Discovery of the Year is: Aleksi Campagne". Roots Music Canada. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  28. ^ "Aleksi Campagne". IMDB. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Jenna Melanson, "Aleksi Campagne announces bilingual album, For the Giving / Sans Rien Donner". Canadian Beats, July 9, 2022.
  30. ^ Kelly, Brendan. "Aleksi Campagne isn't 'just a folksinger with a guitar'". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
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