Retired singer is being billed as opposition party’s ‘star’ candidate
For decades now, Quebec’s television viewers and music-buying public have purchased her records and watched her on reality TV.
However, voters in Laval’s Vimont district will decide in November whether Jacynthe Millette-Bilodeau – better known professionally simply as Jacynthe – also scores a Top 10 with them when they go to the polls during the city’s municipal elections.
The Action Laval party announced last week that Jacynthe Millette-Bilodeau would be the party’s “star” candidate in the Nov. 7 vote.
Galati connection
Incumbent Action Laval city councillor for St-Vincent-de-Paul Paolo Galati, who built a career as a showbiz agent prior to entering politics, is credited for having used his connections to recruit her as a city council candidate for the party.
The 41-year-old native of Quebec City has recorded five albums since 1996, when she launched her career while still in her teens. She had two Top 10 hits with Seize the Day and Look Who’s Crying Now, a series of No. 1 hits on Quebec radio stations, and a significant base of fans in Japan.
Works as an ESL teacher
In 2004, she was part of the cast of the French-language reality TV series La Vie Rurale, which was produced by Quebec vocalist and businesswoman Anne-Marie Losique. In more recent years, she’s been a teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) at École du Bois-Joli in Duvernay/Laval.
‘During my career as an entertainer, I always tried to establish a close connection with people,’ says 41-year-old entertainer and aspiring politician
“During my career as an entertainer, I always tried to establish a close connection with people and to give back by participating in telethons while working with a number of foundations,” she said during a press conference. “Now, as a teacher and as a mom, I continue to be involved as a parent and a volunteer.”
