Karim Ouellet was actively working on the creation of a new album when he abruptly cut ties with his new record company in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced Quebec to go on hiatus.
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“He no longer gave any news to anyone, he had cut ties. We had nothing left, no more models. We called him and we never got back, to the point where we had taken him off our radar and we didn’t talk regarding him anymore, ”said a representative of Universal Music Canada in Montreal, Jonathan Bergeron.
However, until the pandemic, the 37-year-old singer-songwriter, found dead in a Quebec studio on Monday evening, “was making music with us and we were in the process of creating an album”, continues Mr Bergeron.
Under contract since 2018 with Maison Barclay, a subsidiary of Universal, Karim Ouellet had even come to prepare the visual design for what would have been his fourth album, his first since his breakup with the Coyote Records label.
Insufficient resources
“On March 11 or 12, 2020, recalls Jonathan Bergeron, I went to a photo shoot with him in Montreal for the album cover. Then the pandemic arrived and he disappeared.”
This information coincides with that of his friends and collaborators who have confided to the media, since the announcement of his death, that Karim Ouellet had isolated himself from his entourage and that he lived “recluse”.
Without commenting directly on the case of Karim Ouellet, whom he does not know, the president of the Guild of musicians and musicians of Quebec argued that access to mental health resources has been more difficult for artists since the beginning. of the pandemic.
“It’s not just the artists who are having problems right now. This is the case in several areas. There are people who have lost their jobs. That’s a lot of people who need psychological help and there is a lack of resources,” says Luc Fortin.
Tribute to Quebec
Moreover, the memory of Karim Ouellet, whose departure caused a wave of shock and upset his loved ones as much as the artistic community, will be saluted by the City of Quebec.
“It is certain that the City will wish to honor the memory of a great artist like Karim Ouellet”, assured Thomas Gaudreault, the press attaché for Mayor Bruno Marchand.
All options to honor him are on the table, he added.
“Several services are concerned at the moment and are looking at how this might be possible. It is important for us not to rush things so that it is well done and at the height of his talent.
