Bobby Bazini: Seul au Cinéma

Since his very first career interview 15 years ago, following the release of I Wonder, Bobby Bazini has often been asked the same question: why doesn't he sing in French? Journalists ask it during interviews, and fans bring it up after shows or when they approach him on the street. The desire was there, of course, but for years, he postponed the project — unsure of how to approach it, doubting himself, wondering whether he was capable and whether his audience would follow him on that path…

He needed to find his voice in French. Having grown up immersed in English-language music, writing and singing in that language came naturally. French required a different creative process, a different way of making words resonate. At first, he focused heavily on the technical aspects, but over time, as he kept trying, fluency emerged. And with it, space for emotion — which unfolded in its own way, in his native tongue.

The concept for Seul au cinéma came later, during the Pearl tour. While playing a show in Saint-Eustache, Bobby found himself performing in a venue that was part of a movie theatre complex. That afternoon, after soundcheck, the venue manager offered him free rein to roam the cinemas. He made himself a bucket of popcorn and wandered from screening room to screening room, coming and going freely — sometimes staying for just a few minutes, sometimes longer. There were no signs outside the doors, so he never knew what he was walking into: a horror film, a romantic comedy, a popular Quebec feature.

The experience stayed with him. It felt like drifting through fragments of stories, like hopping from one dream to another, never seeing how any of them ended. The concept clicked instantly: Seul au cinéma — Alone at the Movies. Nine rooms. Nine songs. Nine films telling a story of identity, Bobby’s story, through solitude.

Bobby stripped the sound down to its essence: just two guitars and a computer. He wanted to evoke the early 2000s, when acoustic guitar took centre stage, while layering in modern touches through synths and sampling. Strings recorded by Antoine Gratton were resampled to create a more contemporary sound. They also incorporated ambient sounds captured in cinemas to further immerse listeners in the filmic atmosphere.

In many ways, the musical world of Seul au cinéma is a natural evolution of Pearl, which drew on influences like Bill Withers and Jorge Ben. It is Bobby’s dual identity — musical, linguistic, and personal — that gives rise to this singular sound.

Seul au cinéma will be released on September 19, and Bobby has never felt this eager for an album launch. To him, it feels like attending the premiere of his own movie — like watching himself play his own role, navigating the duality of Bazinet and Bazini. He wonders whether the public will follow him on this new journey.

Having long defined himself through his idols, Bobby Bazini now steps forward — stripped down, without artifice — in his own language