There is an exotic haunting beauty in the s… Read Full Bio ↴Marie-Christine Depestre
There is an exotic haunting beauty in the sultry voice of Marie-Christine. It’s a sound that conjures the sophistication and magic of both her heritage and upbringing. Born and raised in Montreal to Haitian parents, Marie-Christine swears that the seeds of her love for music were planted well before her birth.
“I know that my father used to sing to me while I was still in the womb,” she says happily.
Her father, Edourd, had an intense love of classical music, so much so that he taught himself to play piano. He was determined to pass his passion on to his daughter and made sure that Marie-Christine was able to take advantage of schooling in Montreal where she spent fourteen years from the age of 5 in classical piano training.
“Studying classical piano allowed me to explore and escape in a field where I felt at home, where I could be myself,” says Marie-Christine. “It helped me to feel confident in who I was.”
While it was generally classical music that filled the house, Marie-Christine secretly harboured a love for pop music, sneaking listens to the likes of Whitney Houston,. En Vogue and Michael Jackson.
“I just loved the sound of the voices, especially the harmonies of En Vogue.” she says. “I would spend as much time as I could with the radio pressed to my ear.”
Though painfully shy, Marie-Christine made her public debut at the tender age of 12 years old. She was taking singing lessons by that point and along with her sister, Marie-Alice, she would entertain at the hospital where their mother worked. MC found solace in her music and confidence in performing. She would often appear in high school productions though she was sure that the audience didn’t even know she was a fellow student.
“I didn’t have many friends,” she says without lament. “I just escaped in my music. No one could ever take that away from me.”
After high school Marie-Christine joined Gregory Charles’ Laval Gospel Choir. Before long it was clear that her voice processed the ineffable qualities of a soloist and she was moved from the background ensemble to the front lines. Almost immediately she was flooded with offers and by age 20 she had landed her first musical, Generation Motown, which had a successful five year run in Montreal.
In 2007, Marie-Christine was doing double duty, touring with the popular Alternative artist DJ Champion as well as performing with the house band on the popular Quebec revue Soul City. The show’s musical director, Michael Litresits had long collaborated with Canadian Rock Star Corey Hart who, in 2000, had traded in his own recording career as a performer to raise the four children he has with his wife and long time partner, singer Julie Masse. Hart has focused on songwriting and producing in recent years contributing hits for fellow Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion.
In late 2002 Corey was offered his own label, Siena Records with distribution through Warner Music Canada. The partnership was the brainchild of legendary Sire record executive Seymour Stein. Their priority was to find a world class female vocalist to launch as the label’s first signing.
“I had a hard time finding the right artist for Siena. Michael Litresits had mentioned casually one day in an e-mail that he knew of a terrific young Haitian Canadian singer,” Corey recalls. “Within a few minutes I had received an MP3 of her singing Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman. That was all I needed to take things to the next level.”
A meeting was arranged and Marie-Christine flew Miami bound to meet Corey Hart. “I’m, very shy and I definitely knew he was a big star, so I was pretty nervous,” she says recalling that first meeting. “He wanted to hear me sing in person so he quickly taught me a song called ‘Silence’ which he had originally written for Celine Dion. I learned it fast and sang it for him a cappella right in his kitchen!”
“Marie-Christine had my four children gathered around spying at some point curious to discover what the big voice was emanating from near the oven,” chuckles Corey. “If you can sound great in a family kitchen ‘so goes the world.’”
With that nerve-racking audition out of the way, an agreement was reached and recording began on De Pestre’s debut album, Walk In Beauty.
“On the morning that we were recording vocals for ‘Walk In Beauty,’ MC strode in to Compass Point Studios repeating the phrase ‘Nam Myho Renge Kyo,’” Corey recalls. “She explained to us that it was a famous Tibetan saying she had first heard in a film about the life of Tina Turner. It is referred to as the Law of Life. Coincidentally I wrote the song to embody many of the essential principles of Buddhist thinking. ‘Nam Myho Renge Kyo’ was the perfect lyrical mantra spontaneously spoken by MC in the intro of our song.”
Acting as Executive Producer on the overall project, Corey also produced several tracks on the album and wrote six songs including “In Your Sweater,” “Take Me There,” “Walk In Beauty” and the gorgeous “Port Au Prince.”
“The Haitians are a very resilient, spirited and passionate people,” says Corey. “Often the subject matter of songs or films about Haiti depict the extreme suffering that has befallen the small impoverished nation. I chose to focus on a more positive lyric for this song, a tale of two sensual lovers. We were fortunate to have Luck Mervil feature on the track singing in his native Creole.”
Though classically trained as a pianist, Marie-Christine had never written a song before and Hart felt that it was very important to her evolution and growth as an artist “to explore this undeveloped dimension of her talents.” To help MC develop her creative side, Corey paired her with the extraordinary guitarist Sylvain Quesnel. The two had worked together on Corey’s own albums in the past and he felt that the depth and sensitivity of Sylvain’s artistry would inspire great results as producer and writing partner for MC.
The collaboration was everything he had hoped for and led to the creation of several key tracks including “Get Out,” Let Yourself Go” as well as Marie-Christine’s self-penned “A Little Grey On A Sunny Side.”
One of the album’s most intriguing songs is the smoldering cover of Prince’s “Wanna Be Your Lover.” Corey, Sylvain and Marie-Christine had been racking their brains looking for the perfect cover that MC could call her own when the idea of doing this obscure Prince song was broached.
“Sure I am a huge Prince fan, who isn’t” asks Marie-Christine, rhetorically. “But I would never have thought to cover one of his songs. That was completely Corey’s genius.”
“One day I was driving in my car when the song came on,” remembers Hart. “At first I was listening to it with a nostalgic smile and then I had an epiphany ‘This is the cover song we had all been looking for.’ After listening closely to the lyrics, I believed layered within was a poignant, melancholy melodic song just begging to be re-born.”
Even with that clear vision in sight, it still took several creative drafts until they were able to record what Corey heard in his head. Marie-Christine was somewhat hesitant at first to take on this song choice because of the very disco pop 70’s production on the original version.
The first demo rendition was more rock-oriented and didn’t sound right. Corey asked Sylvain to take another run at the song but with a completely different aesthetic palette this time round. They discussed slowing down the tempo significantly and creating a moodier, introspective production with strings and piano a la Coldplay. With this new production and arrangement wrapped around Marie-Christine’s stylized vocal delivery “Wanna Be Your Lover” became a standout track on the CD and one all her own.
In addition to proving herself as a songwriter, Marie-Christine was able to bring her years as a vocalist in a variety of bands to the table and offer innovative harmonies and layering ideas for her vocals on “Walk In Beauty.”
“I had the pleasure of working with Terence Trent D’Arby back in 1992,” says Corey. “Marie-Christine reminds me of Terence in this fashion of creating original harmonics and ideas for background vocal parts.”
With the release of the album Walk In Beauty a new exciting artistic voice and talent has emerged on to the world stage.
“It already feels like a dream to have recorded this first album and to have this wonderful opportunity,” says Marie-Christine, reflecting making her world-wide debut. “I think this album has a positive vibe and goes through many emotions that I believe people can relate to. Mainly I want to share my voice and my music with the world and hope to touch them with it.”
Get Out
Marie-Christine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're out of my head, but I'm out of my mind
Cuz I see you even when I close my eyes
And I've started a new life, I'll never see you again
But I know that if I did I'd cry
Cuz you've been running circles round my head
I'd rather it be anyone else instead
And all the shitty things you ever said
I won't think about you for days, but then I fall asleep
I think that I'm going crazy
In my dreams we fall in love, then we date for months and months
I think that I'm going crazy
Cuz then you fuck me up all over again
I just wish that we'd never been friends
Cuz you don't deserve to be in my thoughts
But you traumatized me, and I just think of when we fought
I was so young when it all went down
But you still talk shit on me and spread these lies around
Your friends all hated me and then so did mine
You turned my best friend against me and called me names when I cried
Why
You're an abuser
And a fucking loser
You kept asking for head
He said no
Now you're not his friend anymore
I can't believe I still dream about you
Now I know all the fucked up things you do
I've got problems
And they're all you
So I can't solve them
So fuck you
No really fuck you
You fuck up people so badly
That they can't see you clearly
I have to hate you for all those who can't
So I wrote this song to give me room to rant
So fuck you
I hate you so much
But you'll never know
You'll never know
The lyrics to Marie-Christine's song Get Out express the internal struggle of the singer between wanting to forget someone and being haunted by their presence in her mind. The first verse acknowledges the idea of someone having a strong presence in our thoughts, as we have all experienced at some point in our lives. The use of "I wonder if I've lived in your mind like you've lived in mine" perfectly captures the idea that we are not always aware of how significant we are to others or the extent to which they have been occupying our thoughts.
The second verse reveals the frustration that arises from not being able to shake off thoughts of the person or the memories that come along with them. The phrase "running circles round my head" highlights how this internal struggle can feel like it's never-ending. The chorus emphasizes the desperation to move on and forget about the person. The singer acknowledges that she needs to forget about him, but it is easier said than done. The bridge indicates that this person has caused emotional damage, even to the point of traumatization. The final verse carries a message of defiance and a complete rejection of the person, hoping to gain the freedom to move on without the burden of that connection.
Overall, the song is a relatable depiction of someone coming to terms with the idea that the person they once cared about has become little more than a memory that they wish they could forget. The chorus demands a sense of closure, conveying the idea that the singer knows that the person has held too much power over her for too long. It's sung in a melancholic tone, yet the lyrics and bridge showcase the strength needed to move on from a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I wonder if I've lived in your mind like you've lived in mine
I am curious if I have had a similar impact on you that you have had on me.
You're out of my head, but I'm out of my mind
I have stopped thinking about you, but I am still emotionally impacted by our past.
Cuz I see you even when I close my eyes
I cannot escape the memory of you, even when I am not consciously thinking of you.
And I've started a new life, I'll never see you again
I have moved on from our past and have no intention of seeing you again in the future.
But I know that if I did I'd cry
Despite my efforts to move on, I acknowledge that seeing you would still elicit a strong emotional reaction from me.
Cuz you've been running circles round my head
Your memory and our past relationship have been constantly occupying my thoughts and impacting my emotional state.
I'd rather it be anyone else instead
I would prefer to think about anyone or anything else besides you and our past.
I wish I could forget we ever met
I wish that our paths had never crossed and that I could forget our entire relationship.
And all the shitty things you ever said
Your hurtful words and actions have left a lasting impact on me.
I won't think about you for days, but then I fall asleep
Despite my efforts to not think about you, you still find a way to invade my thoughts, especially when I am alone and vulnerable.
I think that I'm going crazy
Your continued presence in my thoughts and emotions is causing me to feel unstable and overwhelmed.
In my dreams we fall in love, then we date for months and months
Even in my subconscious, I cannot escape your presence and influence on my life.
Cuz then you fuck me up all over again
Your continued presence in my thoughts and emotions causes me to relive the trauma and pain of our past relationship.
I just wish that we'd never been friends
I regret ever having a relationship with you and wish that we had never met.
Cuz you don't deserve to be in my thoughts
You do not deserve the impact that you have had on my thoughts and emotions.
But you traumatized me, and I just think of when we fought
Your hurtful actions and words have left a lasting impact on me, and the memories of our conflicts continue to cause me pain.
You're an abuser
You have a history of causing harm and trauma to those around you.
And a fucking loser
Your actions and behavior are unacceptable and demonstrate a lack of character and integrity.
You kept asking for head
Your inappropriate request for sexual behavior demonstrates a lack of respect for boundaries and consent.
He said no
Your request was denied, which should have prompted you to stop pursuing that behavior.
Now you're not his friend anymore
Your actions caused the end of a friendship and demonstrate the impact that your behavior has on those around you.
I can't believe I still dream about you
Despite my efforts to move on, your presence still invades my subconscious and causes me distress.
Now I know all the fucked up things you do
I have become aware of the full extent of your harmful behavior and the lasting impact it has on those around you.
I've got problems
The emotional trauma caused by our past relationship has left me with lasting issues and emotional pain.
And they're all you
The source of my emotional problems is directly related to your past actions and behavior.
So I can't solve them
As long as your influence continues to impact my thoughts and emotions, I will struggle to overcome the emotional pain caused by our past relationship.
So fuck you
Your actions and the pain they have caused me have left me with a deep sense of anger and resentment towards you.
No really fuck you
I feel strongly enough about the emotional pain you caused me to emphasize how much I truly hate you.
You fuck up people so badly
Your harmful behavior and lack of regard for others' emotions and boundaries have caused significant damage to those around you.
That they can't see you clearly
The emotional pain you have caused has left a lasting impact on those you have hurt, making it difficult for anyone to see a positive side of you.
I have to hate you for all those who can't
While others may struggle to see your harmful behavior, I feel a sense of responsibility to hate you for the damage you caused to me and those around me.
So I wrote this song to give me room to rant
Writing this song has given me a creative outlet to express my emotions and the pain caused by our past relationship.
So fuck you
After everything you have done, I feel a deep sense of anger and resentment towards you.
I hate you so much
The emotional pain caused by our past relationship has left me with a deep sense of hatred towards you.
But you'll never know
Despite my feelings and the pain you have caused, I have no intention of letting you know how much you have impacted me.
You'll never know
The emotional pain caused by our past relationship will continue to impact me, but I have no intention of sharing that with you.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Rose Goetsch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind