Marilou enters the English world of music with her new album “60 Thoughts a Minute”
Combine the bubbly melodies of Sara Bareilles with the sweetness of Taylor Swift and you have Quebec pop sensation, Marilou.
Marilou Bourdon, the French-Canadian pop singer from Longueuil, Qué., simply known as Marilou, was first noticed by the public after performing on "La fureur de Céline Dion" singing Celine Dion's first track, "Ce Nétait Qu'un Rêve," at the age of 12.
See more: Listen to Justin Bieber's new track "Die In Your Arms"
She was then offered a chance to sing alongside Canadian baritone Gino Quilico on the song "Je Serai Là Pour Toi" and subsequently became the first artist to sign a joint record deal with Sony Music Canada and Sony Music France all before her sweet 16.
Since then, she has released two French albums, "La Fille Qui Chante" and "Marilou," and now the 21-year-old is ready to take on the English speaking world with her first English album, "60 Thoughts a Minute."
"At 18, I wanted to stop everything," Marilou shared with the National Post. "I fell in love with creating and playing music, and writing my own stuff. My stories, my opinions, what I observe around me."
However, writing music in a foreign language turned out to be more of a challenge than the francophone singer could have anticipated.
See more: Toronto band release Facebook Connect's first interactive music video
According to the Post, Marilou spent a summer in Los Angeles taking "intensive" English courses and although she found that she could "easily" pick up a new language, using it to compose lyrics in the beginning was difficult.
"There were a lot of challenges every day," Marilou said. "I remember the first writing session, where we wrote 'Shot Down by a Smile,' and I was so nervous. I wanted to throw up. I had to express myself in another language and meet with people in another language. You're not totally yourself."
Being herself is important to Marilou, who was once managed by Dion's husband and manager, an expert in career longevity, René Angélil, and her new album presents a more mature version of her music that she says is a "statement."
"The statement is that I don't need to be artificial," she said. "I'm not who they asked me to be when I was young. It's more than just trying to write a hit."
Check out her new song "Wake Me Up On Friday" featured in the clip at the top of the page and learn more about Marilou and her upcoming appearances by heading here.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @GraceS35
More Up Beat stories
10-year-old deaf girl hears herself for the first time
Young woman raises awareness about organ donation through dance
Guy proposes to girlfriend using friends lip dubbing to Bruno Mars
