Born on 25 July 1966, Lynda Lemay grew up with her two sisters, Diane and France, in Portneuf (a small town near the St Laurent river a few kilometres from Quebec). Her father worked as a draughtsman/illustrator while her mother stayed at home and looked after the house and children. Lynda was a rather shy, timid child who dreamt of becoming an archaeologist in later life. But Lynda's love of poetry and literature won out in the end and she soon went on to start writing her own poems. She penned her first song - "Papa es-tu là ?" - at the tender age of 9.

Lynda's passion for writing continued into her teens and, besides writing song lyrics, she also taught herself to play guitar. The budding young singer-songwriter went on to win the top award in the "Québec en chansons" song contest at the age of 18. However, after finishing school, Lynda temporarily abandoned her music career, devoting herself to studying for a literature degree instead. Around this period she also spent most of her free time writing a novel. But music finally came back into her life and with the support and encouragement of her family, Lynda began to dream of launching a professional singing career.

Living in Quebec, where she had moved to study, Lynda supported herself through a series of odd jobs and soon began working in local "bars à chansons" where she discovered the work of Quebecois songwriters and French chanson classics. Before long, the budding young singer even ended up landing a few gigs on the bar circuit herself, where she performed accompanying herself on guitar.

Lynda's vocal talent and finely-crafted lyrics made her an extremely popular fixture on the "bar à chanson" scene. Her fame spread rapidly through word-of-mouth and she soon became as much of a hit in professional circles as she was with local audiences. Lynda's career took off in earnest, however, when she triumphed at the Granby Song Contest in 1989, carrying off the award for "Best Singer-Songwriter" thanks to her song "La veilleuse". Following her success at Granby, Lynda went on to meet a number of music industry professionals and in 1991 ended up going into the studio to record her debut album "Nos Rêves". This album led to Lynda refining her style with a series of new songwriters and composers such as Martin Leclerc.

By 1994 Lynda was already back in the studio recording her second album, "Y". This new album, which featured musical arrangements by Marc Pérusse, confirmed Lynda's talent as a first-class songwriter capable of penning lyrics about everything from traumatic subjects like rape ("On m'a fait la haine") to frivolous, light-weight subjects like pencils! ("Drôle de mine"). Lynda's debut album had impressed the critics, but this time round she found herself with a huge commercial hit on her hands. In fact, sales of Lynda's second album rocketed and, after rapidly topping the 200,000 mark, "Y" went on to earn Lynda her first gold disc.

Lynda embarked on a major promotional tour of the album in October 1994, kicking things off with a first concert in Montreal. Lynda made an instant impact on French audiences when she performed at the "Francofolies" music festival in La Rochelle in July '95. She scored a big hit with the judges too, carrying off the "Prix du Sentier des halles" (an award presented by the small Parisian venue of the same name which went on to host Lynda's first concert in Paris in May '96). Later that year Cogeco, a cable distribution company based in Quebec, gave Lynda a grant of $25,000 to help her develop her career.

1995 also proved to be a landmark year in Lynda's personal life, for in July of that year she married the famous Franco-Canadian comedian Patrick Huard. The couple, already individual celebrities in their own right, quickly became one of the most prominent showbiz couples in Quebec.

Following the European release of "Y", Lynda set off on her first major tour of France, Belgium and Switzerland in the spring of '96. The European release of "Y" coincided with the release of a brand new album, "la Visite", which featured a selection of live tracks as well as Lynda's trademark song, "Mon père, c'est le plus fort". (Recorded in the course of the singer's 1995 tour, these songs had already been released on a 4-track EP in October 1995).

Lynda Lemay soon became a popular fixture on the French music scene. After performing as a support act to Serge Lama, the young Quebecoise went on to triumph in the "Tremplin" (new talents) section of the "Chorus des Hauts-de-Seine" festival, carrying off the "Prix spécial du Conseil général" and the "Prix du public". In July '96 Lynda was invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where she took part in that year's special tribute to French chanson star Charles Trenet.

Lynda brought the house down at Montreux with her performance of three Trenet classics. Charles Aznavour happened to be in the audience that night and, impressed by Lynda's graceful stage presence and her superb voice, rushed backstage after the show to congratulate her on her performance. Later that year, in December '96, Aznavour ended up signing Lynda to "Les Editions Raoul Breton" (a music publishing company he co-owns with Gérard Davoust). Taking the young Quebecoise under his wing, Aznavour has adopted the role of musical 'godfather', promoting Lynda's work wherever he goes.

Meanwhile, Lynda's career has continued to go from strength to strength back home in Quebec. In December '96 Lynda finally brought her 200-date "Y" tour to an end, bringing the house down at Le Capitole in Quebec. In the spring of '97, pregnant with her daughter Jessie, Lynda headed back to France to begin work on her third album, "Lynda Lemay". Work began in a studio in Suresnes, in the Paris suburbs, in April '97 under the watchful eye of young French producer Yvan Cassar. Reversing the release dates of her previous albums, "Lynda Lemay" was released first in France (January '98), then Quebec (February '98). Meanwhile, Lynda's second album, "Y", continued to sell like hotcakes, gaining double platinum status. "Lynda Lemay" also proved to be a big commercial hit.

Following the release of her third album, Lynda hit the road again, embarking upon an extensive tour of Quebec and Europe in March '98. After bringing the house down once again at Le Capitole in Quebec, Lynda went on to appear at "A l'heure du Québec", a music festival organised in the Swiss town of Pully in June. At the end of the year, much to the delight of her French fans, Lynda returned to France to perform a six-week stint in Paris at the "Théâtre l'Européen".

Nominated for several leading awards - such as the "Félix" (in Quebec) and the "Junos" (in Canada) - Lynda finally won recognition at the "Félix" later that year, carrying off the award for Best Female Vocalist of 1998.

Given that Lynda has spent so much of her life on tour, hopping from venue to venue across Europe and Quebec, it was inevitable that her first live album - released in Quebec in January '99 and in France in April '99 - should prove to be a major hit. In fact, it went gold soon after its release.

Lynda entertained her French fans at the "Printemps de Bourges" festival in April '99 then returned to the live circuit in Quebec in September. She kicked off a sell-out 52-date European tour at the end of the year, stopping off in Paris to perform at Le Bataclan (on December 6th), then returned to the French capital in April 2000 where she headlined at the legendary Olympia (April 3rd, 4th and 10th).

Lynda also gave a memorable performance at the "Victoires de la Musique" awards, held in Paris on March 11th 2000. Despite the fact that her career spanned almost ten years by this point, Lynda found herself nominated in the "Best Newcomers" category. Lynda's performance of "Les Souliers verts" - one of her best-known songs about a woman who discovers her husband is having an affair - certainly stood out amidst the rap and reggae artists participating in the same category that year!

Recently separated from her husband, Lynda made a few rare concert appearances in Quebec over the summer and then set to work on her new album. The album, entitled "Du coq à l'âme", was released simultaneously in France and Quebec and received enthusiastic reviews from music critics. However, it failed to make a huge commercial impact. Shortly after the release of the new album, Lynda Lemay embarked upon an extensive tour of Quebec, kicking things off with a concert in Trois-Rivières on November 2nd.

Three days later she went on to win a prestigious "Félix" award for being the Québécois artist who had achieved the most on the music scene abroad. Lynda's tour of Quebec continued up until December 16th, then at the beginning of 2001 she flew off to France and embarked upon a five-month tour playing concerts up and down the country. She kicked off the tour on January 22nd in Toulouse, just as sales of her new album hovered towards the 250,000 mark in France.

After receiving a gold disc for album sales, Lynda Lemay performed a series of sell-out concerts at the Olympia in Paris (6 - 11 March 2001). The singer received a rapturous reception from her fans who appeared to appreciate the intimate nature of her new show. In fact, the singer performed her new songs in a set decorated to look like a teenage bedroom (complete with cuddly toys, pin-up posters of popstars and a Johnny Hallyday T-shirt!)

Lynda returned to the Olympia in November 2001 where she brought the house down with six extra concerts. Despite the fact that her songs receive scarcely any radio airplay or TV coverage in France, the Quebecois singer has managed to build up an impressive French fanclub over the years. Indeed, some 400,000 fans turned out to see her on tour in 2001!

Following this success Lynda returned to the forefront of the French music scene in April 2002 with a live album, which arrived in French record stores a month before its official release in Quebec. Entitled "Les Lettres rouges" - a reference to the neon red letters which light up the Olympia's facade - the album featured 19 tracks including 17 new songs recorded live at the Olympia on her tour in 2001. Lynda hit the road shortly after the release of the album in France, playing concerts up and down the country throughout April.

In February 2003, Lynda Lemay triumphed at the “Victoires de la Musique” awards in France, carrying off the trophy for “Best Female Artist of the Year.” This victory confirmed her ongoing success with the French public.

In October 2003, Lynda flew out to La Réunion to perform four concerts where, for the very first time, she presented the songs from her new album, "Les secrets des oiseaux" (released at the beginning of November). While the talented singer-songwriter continued to draw inspiration from everyday life, she put her own humorous, sensitive spin on things. This approach was much in evidence on the single "Ne t'en vas pas" which did not receive an enormous amount of airplay on French radio. This did not stop Lynda’s new album from shooting to the top of the charts shortly after its release, however.

In January 2004, Lynda hit the road again, embarking on another extensive tour of France. The tour included a successful mini-run at the Olympia in Paris (18 - 23 May). Meanwhile, despite her busy schedule, Lynda found time to begin work on a new project, a folk opera entitled "Un éternel hiver." The singer not only wrote all the lyrics and the music for "Un éternel hiver", she also staged and directed the ‘folk opera’ herself. More of a vocal show than a theatrical performance, the ‘opera’ featured five performers (and included a small role played by Lynda herself). The show premièred on 21 January 2005 and then went on tour across France.

The indefatigable Lynda made a comeback on the recording front soon afterwards, releasing a new solo album, "Un paradis quelque part", at the beginning of February 2005. The album, on which the singer explored much darker subject matter than in her previous work, featured sixteen tracks alternating between gentle ballads and feistier rock numbers. In her songwriting Lynda tackled a series of difficult themes ranging from euthanasia ("Paul-Emile a des fleurs") to the death of a child by drowning ("Les canards"). Lynda lightened the tone of her opus from time to time, however, throwing in a few comic interludes with songs about her personal phobias. ("Monsieur Marchand" gives a hilarious account of her lifelong aversion of dentists and "Mal de l'air" deals with her fear of flying). Another musical highlight on "Un paradis quelque part" was a duet with fellow French-Canadian singer Kevin Parent ("Les Torchons"). Needless to say, "Un paradis quelque part" soon followed in the chart-topping footsteps of Lynda’s previous albums.

Lynda's folk opera "Un éternel hiver" was eventually released in CD form in February 2006. The singer took the show on the road in France between March and May of that year. Lynda began writing material for a new album shortly afterwards, taking time out during the summer to give birth to a daughter, Ruby (whose father is the American director Michael Weisinger).

In November 2006, after many months of intensive labour, Lynda also 'gave birth' to her new album, "Ma signature". Many saw the album as a sign that the singer was returning to her roots, drawing on all the ingredients that had won her success to date - namely, simple folk guitar, superbly crafted lyrics and highwire vocal acrobatics. The songs on the new album, all set to sober, pared-down arrangements, revolved around themes such as the family, friendship and solitude.

At the end of 2006, Lynda hit the road again, kicking things off with a series of concerts in Quebec, where she was accompanied on stage by her loyal guitarist Yves Savard. The singer brought her new show to France in February 2007 and went on to play a series of concerts at the Olympia, in Paris (2 - 5 March), all sold out long in advance.

March 2007