by SCOTT C

I may be getting ahead of myself, but if I had to pick one voice that has stood out over the many singers and vocalists I’ve come across while living in Montreal, it’s Dessy Di Lauro’s. She’s come a long way, from singing backup for Mitsou and Ginette Reno to belting out tunes alongside Kid Koala in Bullfrog, and even touring with multi-platinum artist Corneille in 2004. Her original blend of soul, Latin and jazz was finally realized on A Study of a Woman’s Soul, an EP she wrote with her partner and keyboardist Ric’key Pageot, and supported with live shows across Canada and the U.S.

As the end of the year approaches, Di Lauro and Pageot get ready for their last performance in Montreal for a while, mainly because they’ve been added to the travelling roster of Cirque du Soleil’s new production, Delirium. With Di Lauro stepping in as one of six lead vocalists and Pageot as musical director, this show will put them on the road for the next year. The Mirror spoke to Di Lauro about what lies ahead.

Mirror: You’ve had a pretty busy 2005, but what do you hope to achieve in the coming year?

Dessy Di Lauro: Well, this Cirque tour is going to take us all across North America, which is one of the markets we want to touch. It’s not a circus thing like some of the other shows, but a concert, with musicians and dancers, that will be playing arenas and big venues everywhere. When we have time off, we’ll be playing dates in the States where we can promote our product, and after we get back, we’ll have enough money to record out a quality album properly.

M: I remember, about a year ago, you guys and I were talking about using the Internet as a tool to promote yourself as an artist. You hadn’t really explored it then—how have things changed for you in terms of that?

DDL: Oh, my God. The Internet is incredible. For us, it’s been a great help. We’re selling the CD everywhere, it’s helped us get in contact with people we never would have reached, really too many people to mention, but it has been amazing. Thank God for that. We can do so much more without leaving home because of that access to the world, and it’s really helped us a lot.

M: Have you had anybody approach you to collaborate, simply after seeing your live show?

DDL: There’s an artist named Francine Raymond who works a lot in Quebec and France, and she contacted us after really enjoying a show. She wanted to get together and do something, but it didn’t really work. Stylistically, we were on different paths, but it was still cool to have someone call you up and say they dig your original material. It’s hard to take on projects outside of the schedule we already have too.

At Quartier Latin on Friday, Dec. 9, 10:30 p.m., $10

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