Pop goes Noël - Amay Laoni

Like many Québec artists during the early covid days, pop singer and songwriter Amay Laoni did a lot of live recordings from her home studio, showcasing her great voice. But unlike many Québec artists, Laoni wrote songs for established local bands such as 2Frères, Jérôme Couture and Marc Dupré as well as started her own record label, Oblik, before actually performing herself.

Laoni has a six-song Christmas album from 2021 called 'Hymne' ('Hymn') with many delightfully different songs in French and in English because that’s how they roll in Montréal.

My pick is 'C’est fort, c’est Noël' (roughly 'It's truly Christmas'), the most upbeat offering. However, be sure to check out all the songs on this album, ranging from a dancefloor banger to a more intimate piano and voice affair.

Are you getting a Whitney Houston/Lionie Ritchie vibe? OMG, me too!