FouKi was the first headliner of Francos 2023. The rapper arrived on the Bell Stage at 9 p.m. in front of a tightly packed crowd. Léo Fougères, his real name, has kept the recipe that smiles on him. A good presence on stage, a perfectly mastered autotune and a summer atmosphere made his performance a success. FouKi, accompanied by several dancers, musicians, guests and choristers, offered an electrifying free performance to an audience of all ages.
To satisfy the general public, FouKi performed his greatest hits from all his albums. Thus, the Plateau Est artist played songs from his album Zayon released in 2023, but also from his oldest projects Plato Hess and ZayZay, not to mention Luxury Snacks. “I also like to do old songs sometimes,” he told the audience just before starting Makeup, one of his classics. FouKi took advantage of his show to invite several of his colleagues. Thus, Imposs, Alicia Moffet, Jay Scott, P’tit Belliveau and Vendou walked the boards of the Bell stage.
After almost an hour and a half and twenty-two songs, FouKi continued with a trio of his most popular songs. After singing Ciel with Alicia Moffet and Copilote with Jay Scott, the Montrealer ended up singing Gayé, Quebec’s cannabis anthem which is still his flagship song six years after its release. That’s when the audience exploded, as FouKi was busy leaving his guts on the stage. A very “Zay” end to the show.
Andy S performed the 8 p.m. show on the Desjardins stage. Almost unknown in Quebec, the French-speaking rapper from the Ivory Coast has shown why she is a reference in her native country. Thanks to decisive flows, catchy dance steps and committed texts, the 26-year-old woman managed to animate a curious audience. She mainly performed pieces from her latest album, Exousia. Don’t be surprised to see her again in Montreal one day.
A light rain stopped just in time for Fredz’s performance. The 21-year-old rapper and singer performed on the most important Bell Stage at 7 p.m. The crowd, modest at first, began to grow longer and longer. The Quebecer, who has millions of plays on digital platforms, sang his greatest hits, all from his latest album, Astronaute. It was on the song 3 chords that the crowd showed up the most, singing at the top of their voices.
“Are there people who know me in the audience?” asked Fredz with a chuckle a few minutes after the start of his performance on the Bell Stage. It is that the young man, even if he comes from Longueuil, is very well known in France and much less in Quebec. Certainly, a large part of the public knew him. And those who didn’t know him will remember it, because Fredz gave it his all on stage.
Gros Mené walked the boards of the Loto-Québec stage at 8 p.m. The trio of Fred Fortin, Olivier Langevin and Pierre Fortin released their third album in 24 years in 2022. The legendary group performed this opus, named Pax et Bonum, in front of an older audience than those of the other shows. The assistance, almost full, remained attentive to the technical prowess of the rock band.
Julie Aubé kicked off the festivities on the Loto-Québec stage at 6 p.m., under gray skies. The Acadian rocker and her three musicians gave a contagious performance. Member of the group Les Hay Babies, the singer and poetess, who has been rolling around for more than 10 years, offered the public songs from her album Contentement, released in 2022. Despite a light rain that came to the Place des Arts around 6:30 p.m., the authentic presence of Julie Aubé breathed a bit of Acadian air into Montreal. The Francos de Montréal are held from June 9 to 17.
