Born on October 1, 1943, in Abrams Village, Prince Edward Island, Canada, Angèle Arsenault OC OPEI was a singer and television host. Born to Acadian parents, she grew up in a family that loved music. Performing Acadian songs passed down from generation to generation, each member of her family learned to play an instrument. Angèle Arsenault learned to play guitar and piano, winning a televised talent contest at the age of 14. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Université de Moncton in 1965 followed by her Master of Arts from Université Laval three years later. She had moved to Quebec, Canada to attend Université Laval and performed music in clubs and on radio and television. After relocating to Montreal and then Toronto, she began hosting True North for TVOntario in 1973 as well as the educational show Avec Angèle. In 1974, Avec Angelè won a Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. She had begun to write her own songs – in English and in French - in 1973 and released her debut album, Première, in 1975. The album included the hits "J'aime mieux reste dans ma cuisine" and "Le Monde de par chez nous.” Her second album Angelè Arsenault (1976) was followed by Libre (1977), which included the now-classics "Moi j'mange," “De temps en temps moi j'ai les bleus,” and "Je Veux Toute Toute Toute La Vivre Ma Vie." The album won the prestigious Felix Award for Best Selling album in 1979. Her fourth album, Y'a une Étoile Pour Vous, was released in 1979. After three albums in the 1980s – Chanter dans le soleil (1980), Paniquez pas pour rien (1982), and the holiday album Angelè XXX (1983) – she stepped away from recording and spent the next decade hosting radio and television. She returned to music with the albums Bonjour Madame Bolduc (1993) and Transparent (1994). In 1999, she released the children’s music album Amour, which was followed by the compilations Des étoiles pour vous (2010) De souvenirs et d’amitié (2013), and the concert album Vivre! (2014). Angèle Arsenault received the title of Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and of the Order of Prince Edward Island in 2005. She died on February 25, 2014, after a battle with cancer. She was 70.
