Arrangement and co-composition for a Quebec singer-songwriter
I contributed arrangement and composition work to two tracks on Sophie Quirion’s eponymous album, released in 2022: “Besoin de toi” and “Une nuit dans notre vie”. Sophie and I met through Rouge Tonic, where she performed as a backing vocalist. Our creative connection eventually led to collaboration on her solo work.
“Besoin de toi”
Sophie composed this song on piano, and I created the full arrangement in pre-production. My approach was heavily inspired by the lush production and arrangements of old school Céline Dion songs—particularly “Pour que tu m’aimes encore.” I wanted to capture that same emotional grandeur while building something that felt contemporary and true to Sophie’s voice.
The challenge was taking her piano-based composition and imagining it as a full production—choosing instrumentation, crafting dynamics, and building an arrangement that would support her vocal performance without overwhelming the song’s emotional core. My demo arrangement served as the blueprint for the final recorded version, which was subsequently re-recorded and mixed by another producer.
“Une nuit dans notre vie”
Paul Zakarivan (my Rouge Tonic bandmate) and I composed this song specifically for Sophie. Paul wrote the lyrics and created the melody and chord structure, while I developed the complete arrangement, sound design, and co-wrote the harmonic progression. We had more creative freedom here to build something from the ground up, focusing on textures and sonic landscapes that would complement Sophie’s voice.
As with “Besoin de toi,” my demo was used as a close reference for the final production, which was rebuilt and mixed by others.
On Collaboration
These tracks represent a particular kind of creative work: pre-production arrangement and composition that serves as the foundation for others to build upon. While my name appears in the album credits, the final productions are the result of multiple hands. I’m proud to have contributed to Sophie’s artistic journey, particularly given our history together in Rouge Tonic.
Fun fact: We also composed another song for Sophie called “Notre Étoile”—the very first piece we created for her—though it ultimately didn’t make the album.
