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Régine Chassagne

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Régine Chassagne
Chassagne performing with Arcade Fire in 2024
Chassagne performing with Arcade Fire in 2024
Background information
Birth nameRégine Alexandra Chassagne
Born (1976-08-19) 19 August 1976 (age 48)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
Years active2000–present
Spouse
  • ​
    (m. 2003)​

Régine Alexandra Chassagne (French pronunciation: [ʁeʒin ʃasaɲ]; born 19 August 1976)[1] is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist, and is a member of the band Arcade Fire. She is married to co-founder Win Butler.

Early life and career

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Régine Alexandra Chassagne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and grew up in St-Lambert, a suburb south of Montreal.[2][3] Her parents, who were Haitians of mixed French and African descent, moved from Haiti during the dictatorship of François Duvalier, which is alluded to in the Arcade Fire song "Haïti", in which she sings, Mes cousins jamais nés hantent les nuits de Duvalier ("My unborn cousins haunt Duvalier's nights").[4] The line is in reference to the relatives who were killed during the Jérémie Vespers massacre.

Chassagne attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf before earning a B.A. in communication studies at Concordia University[5] in 1998,[6] and went on to study jazz voice briefly at McGill University.[7] She was singing jazz at an art opening at Concordia in 2000, when Win Butler met her and persuaded her to join his band. They married in 2003. Ten years later, their son was born on 21 April 2013.[8][9]

Chassagne has also been involved with a medieval-themed band called Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore[10] and with Jimmy Rouleau in the jazz duo Azúcar.[11] She also wrote the music for the two-minute David Uloth short film "The Shine", and she contributed to the UNICEF benefit project as part of the North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative, performing the song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" along with Win Butler.

She plays many instruments on stage, including accordion, drums, xylophone, hurdy-gurdy, keyboards, organ and guitar. In Arcade Fire, Chassagne performs lead vocals on some songs, including "Haiti", "In the Backseat", "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations", "Empty Room", "Abraham's Daughter", "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)", "Creature Comfort", "Electric Blue", and "Unconditional II (Race and Religion)".

In March 2015, Chassagne, along with Win Butler, attended the launch of music streaming service Tidal, and revealed themselves, along with other notable artists, as shareholders in the company.[12]

Personal life

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Chassagne has been married to fellow Arcade Fire member Win Butler since 2003. They had a son in April 2013.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Hoard, Christian (10 March 2005). "The Fire This Time". Rolling Stone. No. 969. pp. 59–60. Posted in an abridged form at "The Fire This Time". rollingstone.com. 24 February 2005. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  2. ^ Carpenter, Lorraine. (16 September 2004). "Hot property Archived 15 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine." Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  3. ^ "Arcade Fire talk about their music." (6 March 2007). Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 16 March 2007.
  4. ^ Hanley Bemis, Alec. (1 December 2004). " Weddings & Funerals Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine." LA Weekly. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  5. ^ "Régine Chassagne". www.concordia.ca. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  6. ^ McDonagh, Patrick. (Fall 2006). "Musical Joy Archived 9 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine." Concordia University Magazine. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  7. ^ "The Arcade Fire is red hot Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine." (Winter 2004). McGill News. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  8. ^ Michaels, Sean (29 April 2013). "Arcade Fire's Win Butler and Régine Chassagne become parents". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  9. ^ "gave birth" "Arcade Fire's Win Butler, Regine Chassagne Welcome Baby Boy". Rolling Stone. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore." (n.d.). Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Le Canada Francais". 14 February 2002.
  12. ^ "Six awkward moments at Jay Z's Tidal relaunch". BBC. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Arcade Fire's Win Butler, Regine Chassagne Welcome Baby Boy". Rolling Stone. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
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