2023-04-26 09:00:00
Red carpet, TV appearance, concerts, new song, album release…Three years following pleading guilty to assaulting a woman and slipping away from the big circuits, Éric Lapointe is slowly but surely returning to the spotlight in 2023 A fragile operation and not without possible pitfalls.
The rocker will launch a new piece next month, confirms his press relations agency, Roy & Turner Communications. This is the first single from an album due in September, his first of original material since being granted a conditional discharge with probation in October 2020.
Earlier in the winter, on Facebook, the 53-year-old singer had posted a short video in which he was seen in the studio, recording a song that described his inner demons: ” You don’t want it / I have a beast to feed / She follows me day and night / She wants to hear me roar. »
This launch will mark the final stage of a gradual return for the singer-songwriter who never completely ceased his activities during this period, giving a few scattered concerts, but always far from major centers.
His plan to return to the media space went into second gear last December, when he revived his (formerly) traditional Holiday Party in Montreal and Quebec. Then, in February, the rocker walked the animated movie red carpet Katak, the brave beluga at the StarCité cinema in Montreal. A rare public appearance during which he lent himself to the game of photos with his two sons, Édouard and Christophe-Arthur, putting forward an image of a good father.
For Bernard Motulsky, professor in the department of social and public communication at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), this outing allowed the singer – as well as his team – to “take the temperature of the water”.
For any communication operation, it’s always better to test things, and see what the reactions are.
Bernard Motulsky, professor in the department of social and public communication at UQAM
Things continued to evolve at the beginning of April, when the man nicknamed “Ti-Leather” found himself as a worker in quepopa TVA documentary series on the Quebec musical universe of the 1990s, broadcast at prime time.
Finally, last week, he appeared on the cover of the magazine Star echoes.
Neither Éric Lapointe nor Instinct Musique, his record company, wished to comment on his upcoming return. The artist should consider interview requests next month, when he will begin a promotional tour, we are informed.
Demonstrate humility
Like any other artist who has attempted a comeback following having made reprehensible gestures, Éric Lapointe will have to overcome certain obstacles if he wants to win his bet.
According to communications and brand image strategist Jean Gosselin, the showbusiness veteran will have to surround himself well, be patient and show humility. “He has to accept being confronted with what he has done, in interviews, for example. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Éric Lapointe in Montreal municipal court in October 2020, following receiving a conditional discharge for assaulting a woman
As for the factors that will influence the reception he will receive, they remain the same as for anyone else in this position, explains Mylène Forget, president of the consulting firm Massy Forget Langlois public relations. These criteria include the seriousness of the behavior complained of, the notoriety of the persons involved, the number of victims, the length of the period during which the news made the headlines and the attitude of the individual concerned.
The passage of time is not enough to fix things, unless there is an apology. Real apologies. Extremely and deeply sincere. And if there were issues like substance or alcohol abuse driving the behavior, the person must have taken a step back. She must have walked and [fait] concrete actions.
Mylène Forget, president of the consulting firm Massy Forget Langlois public relations
The difference between the public image of the artist and the act he committed can also “aggravate the case or not”, adds the expert in crisis management, who says, without revealing names, having accompanied personalities “splattered” by various scandals in recent years.
“If he’s a bad boy, the shock is less than if he had exemplary behavior before the incident. »
Always popular
Will Éric Lapointe make a successful comeback? It is still too early to decide. Certainly, the decision rests with the People’s Court.
“It’s always the public who decides”, emphasizes Bernard Motulsky.
“It’s a good old principle of consumption, and it’s also true in culture: the public votes with their wallet,” adds Jean Gosselin.
Without being overloaded, the professional agenda of the singer of Marie Stone et Tender buttock includes half a dozen concerts over the next few months. Three festivals have even retained his services.
According to Jean-François Thorn, president and CEO of UPROD, the event management firm behind Les grands crus musicals de Chicoutimi, which will host Lapointe in July, his popularity rating remains very high. After a conclusive participation in the Festicam of Saint-Honoré last September (4500 people attended the show), the promoter did not hesitate to hire him once more. “The reason why festivals produce Éric is because he sells tickets. And during his show, you sell beers. It’s all regarding profitability. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Éric Lapointe at Parc Jean-Drapeau, in June 2019
Jean-François Thorn claims to have “been called all kinds of names” when he unveiled the Grands crus musicals program. Some festival-goers also demanded to be reimbursed. But in the end, the “positive” largely supplants the “breath-comrade”.
“If Éric Lapointe’s story hadn’t been settled or he hadn’t yet gone to court, we would never have dared. But we live in a society of law. In Canada, we advocate rehabilitation. So when it’s settled, it’s settled. »
Same story with Yves Côté, vice-president of Price en Fête, where Éric Lapointe should attract 2,000 people next summer. “We separate the man from the artist, and we know that the artist still gets a lot. When he gives a show, it’s always full. »
Don’t forget the victim
Although a judge has rendered a verdict and Éric Lapointe has admitted his wrongdoing, the return of the rocker poses difficulties, believes Melpa Kamateros, executive director of Bouclier d’Athéna, a community organization that offers services to women victims of violence.
According to M.me Kamateros, the victim must remain at the center of concerns. “We let people come back and resume their place without mentioning the violence, without recognition, without responsibility. When we do that, we minimize violence once morest women. We are sending the wrong message. »
The events that led to Éric Lapointe’s finding of guilt occurred on September 30, 2019, the day following a party to mark the 50e singer’s birthday. According to the joint statement of facts presented to the court, the singer, still intoxicated from the day before, put his hand once morest the neck of a woman and leaned her once morest the pantry. The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, then called 911.
According to Sandrine Ricci, doctoral researcher in sociology and feminist studies and lecturer at the University of Quebec in Montreal, the return to the public space of the rocker can be difficult to live with and rekindle wounds, not only in his victim. , but in other female victims of male violence.
One thing is certain: in specialized studies, the victim of a violent act seeks by all sorts of means to forget the state of fear and helplessness in which he found himself during the attack. This work on oneself, to avoid thinking regarding the situation, can last for years.
Sandrine Ricci, doctoral researcher in sociology and feminist studies, lecturer at the University of Quebec in Montreal
Same story on the side of Melpa Kamateros: the psychological following-effects can last a long time. “At the Shield of Athena, you can see women for 10 years. And it’s not just female victims that need to be examined. We must also look at the impact on children [quand il y en a], who may have been witnesses. Violence once morest women is not just a women’s issue; it’s everyone’s business. »
Sandrine Ricci regrets that Éric Lapointe obtained a conditional discharge. Thus, his criminal record will be expunged next fall. “Here, we see once more an individual who, following having pleaded guilty to having subjected a woman to violence, continues his life as if nothing had happened”, she underlines.
However, Sandrine Ricci cherishes the hope that with his new songs, Éric Lapointe will demonstrate a “form of accountability”, and that he will question the “hypervirile bad boy masculinity which he has made his trademark”. “Or, like many aggressors, he will take advantage of his platform to victimize himself, returning to his journey as an alcoholic rather than a violent man,” she concludes.
SOME RESOURCES FOR VIOLENT PEOPLE AND THEIR RELATIVES
Support group for impulsive people with violent behavior (Quebec): 418 529-3446
Action on violence and family intervention (Montreal): 450 692-7313
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#delicate #return #Éric #Lapointe
