Aleksi Campagne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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]