Damien Robitaille Was Once Mobbed By 50 Argentinean Women

Damien Robitaille was used to playing for Quebec audiences when he recently headed to Argentina to perform at a teachers' conference.

The crowd of about 4,000 people didn't know who he was at first, since he's a French-Canadian artist and hadn't performed in Argentina before. But people were soon dancing in the aisles and got really into his set.

 But he got one heck of a surprise at the end of the show.

"I got mobbed. There was like 50 or 60 women who just like came up on the stage, and they wanted autographs!" he says, laughing. "For the first time I was like, 'Man, I need a bodyguard!' Usually at the shows in Quebec they were very respectful, and just asked for me to sign a few things and you have a table.

"But they just came up and they were like, 'Gimme a kiss! Kiss here! Here's my mother! Sign this!' almost like crying. I felt like a celebrity. It was great. Even my musicians were like, 'What?'

They're very expressive. People gave me rings, like, 'Here's a ring! Wear it close to your heart!'"

While Robitaille's fans probably won't jump up on stage this weekend and mob him when he plays the Emerging Music Festival in Rouyn-Noranda, Que., his will definitely be one of the most attended sets during the entire festival.

The singer/songwriter, who was born in Ontario and now calls Montreal home, has developed a following in Quebec and has released two albums — 2006's L'Homme Qui Me Ressemble and last year's Homme Autonome.

"When you're doing the French thing, you're usually confined to France, Quebec, a bit of Canada," Robitaille says. "Whenever I can get out of the normal cycle and the usual places, that's what I strive for, just to change the routine a bit.

"I've had people in Mexico, Uruguay and Brazil ask for me to play just because of those shows."

But Robitaille says just because he's singing in French doesn't mean people who don't speak the language won't appreciate his music.

"I've noticed that my music surpasses the language," he says. "People enjoy the music, not just the language. Often, we limit ourselves as French artists to thinking we can just play for French publics."

You can see Damien Robitaille here:

Sept. 4-5 Rouyn-Noranda, QC @ Chez Bob (Emerging Music Festival)
Sept. 24 Sept-Iles, QC @ Salle De Spectacle Jean-Marc Dion
Sept. 25 Baie-Comeau, QC @ Theatre De Baie-Comeau
Oct. 1 Verdun, QC @ Centre Communautaire Elgar
Oct. 7 St-Hyacinthe, QC @ Centre Des Arts Juliette-Lassonde
Oct. 14 Salaberry-De-Valleyfield, QC @ Cabaret D'Albert
Oct. 21 Rimouski, QC @ Salle Desjardins
Nov. 11 Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Du Petit Champlain
Nov. 12 St-Irenee, QC @ Salle Joseph Rouleau
Nov. 25 St-Jerome, QC @ Salle Antony-Lessard
Nov. 26 St-Genevieve, QC @ Salle Paline-Julien