A strong presence on Quebec’s music scene for nearly 15 years, Francophone singer-songwriter Catherine Durand is known for her understated folk style and her arrangements that echo the dry winds scouring the dusty roads of America, the icy blasts of our unforgiving winters, and the intoxicating, promise-laden breezes of wide open spaces.

Early on, her guitar case overflowing with songs, Catherine signed a recording contract with multinational Warner Music Canada and threw herself into the process of recording her first album. Flou (1998) and Catherine Durand (2001) were released on the Warner label; several songs from the albums, including “La Lune est au ciel” and “Peu importe,” hit the top of the charts, confirming Catherine’s amazing musical talent and her status as someone to watch among the new generation of singer-songwriters.

With her third album, Diaporama (2005), she truly found her voice as an artisan of songs for intimate spaces. Her fellow musicians were eager to put the Catherine Durand stamp on their own work: she sang with Kevin Parent, wrote for Isabelle Boulay, Stéphanie Lapointe, Renée Martel and Annie Blanchard, and worked with Marie Annick Lépine on the latter’s debut solo album. As a member of the touring show Toutes les filles, Catherine made more than 80 live appearances—80 leaps of faith, 80 opportunities to join creative forces with her fellow artists. She also performed on the recording Toutes les filles, released in 2010, immortalizing this unique and pivotal event in Quebec’s musical history.

With Cœurs migratoires (2008), she ventured further into her reflective, intimate sound. The culmination of ten years of passion and dedication to her craft, the album won a Canadian Folk Music Award and two Félix nominations at the ADISQ Gala, garnered rave reviews, and delighted her loyal fans. It also attracted the attention of iconic folk singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel, who invited her to open for him on his Quebec tour.

For her fifth album, the compelling Les murs blancs du Nord, released in fall 2012, Catherine teamed up with an all-star group of musicians, including Jocelyn Tellier, Robbie Kuster (Patrick Watson) and François Lafontaine (Karkwa). Young singer-songwriter Salomé Leclerc co-wrote three of the melodies, and Dave Richard wrote the lyrics for “Souvenirs.” The album was nominated for the 2013 Félix award (ADISQ Gala) for Folk Album of the Year.

A young yet seasoned veteran in Quebec’s songwriting community, Catherine Durand is widely acknowledged as a pioneer who has helped pave the way for the wave of young, original folk singer-songwriters who have flooded onto the province’s music scene in recent years. To put it simply: she’s an inspiration.