6. Celine DionThe Essential Celine Dion

One of the most essential inspirations for my record is the scene in Xavier Dolan’s Mommy where the boy sings a Celine Dion song to his mother. There’s something so intense about it and it really revealed to me that the true value of bubbly pop music consists in its relationship with desperation. So many of these classic songs are explicitly meant to be empowering in the face of dismal reality. Celine is a hero and in the US we don’t really do a good job of honouring her. I’m really moved by her lyrics as well, her whole persona is very much as a saviour in a lot of the songs – she’s singing a lot of songs which are meant as salve. That’s cool; she’s not singing to all the little girls. It’s rare for someone to be singing on the level of the universal. It’s not about God, but it’s religious almost. She sings as if she is actively aware that she’s soothing people. I don’t know if it has something to do with Quebecois? I don’t really know what her material background is, but somehow it feels like it’s connected to struggle in a way that’s really direct.