Born in 1939 in Montreal, Renée Claude was one of Quebec’s most beloved singers through the '60s and ‘70s, gaining an importance few artists achieve. With her beautifully controlled vocals, smooth folk-pop style and emotive yet intelligent approach to the work of Stéphane Vanne, Luc Plamondon and other writers reshaping the French-Canadian chanson traditions, Claude epitomised a cultural identity that had just begun to flourish. Hits such as “Lé Debut d’un Temps Nouveau” and “Ce Soir je Fais L’amour Avec Toi”—an unusually frank statement of desire for early-‘70s Canada—reflected how much was changing for women, too.