Planète BRBR: Stef Paquette Sets Off to Find the Next New Francophone Rising Star!

Planète BRBR: The must-see music event of the season - a national singing competition reserved for Francophone and Francophile artists living outside Quebec.

TORONTO, Aug. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - This fall, Groupe Média TFO's Francophone music show, BRBR, will be touring 10 Canadian cities in its first ever contest featuring Francophone singer-songwriters who live in Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec. From Halifax to Vancouver, Planète BRBR will offer its mic to the next big undiscovered emerging talents of Franco-Canadian music.

Following the huge success of the BRBR Le Conquérant tour, during which our hosts went out and sought Francophone artists from all over the country, a new team led by Franco-Ontarian singer and radio host Stef Paquette, will hit the road to discover the next generation of stars. For the first time in the form of a singing competition, the show is holding auditions from September 20^th to December 8, 2016 where contestants will be asked to perform before a jury panel of local artists and music industry representatives, including: Arthur Comeau, Menoncle Jason, Cedric Vieno, Paul Cournoyer, Aude Ray, and many more!

10 Cities, 10 Selected Contestants
Following the auditions, one contestant per visited city will be selected to participate in the elimination rounds in Toronto from January 15 to January 25, 2017. During these rounds, an established artist will mentor each contestant, who will benefit from their mentor's rich experience and valuable advices. Mentors will include Mehdi Cayenne and The Cardboard Crowns. A musical and human adventure that is sure to change the contestants' lives! Living together for the duration of the contest, the contestants will experience this unique adventure together while interacting daily with web users during live Q&As.

A Grand Prize to Launch the Winner into Space!
Several contestants will be eliminated at the end of every challenge. Two finalists will compete before a renowned jury during a grand finale broadcast live on TFO and live on BRBR's Facebook page. The winner will have the honour of being the first person to plant their flag on Planète BRBR, and will be awarded a fantastic prize to launch their career: the recording of an EP, the production of a music video, a $ 5,000 grant and the opportunity to perform during a prestigious Canadian music festival.

The team needs you to find THE new star of the ROC (Rest Of Canada) and help propel them to Planète BRBR! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat with @BRBRTFO and the hashtag #PlaneteBRBR.

Audition Dates by City
Halifax - September 20^th, 21^st
Moncton - September 26^th, 27^th
Fredericton - September 29^th, 30^th
Ottawa - October 5^th, 6^th
Toronto - October 12^th, 13^th
Winnipeg - November 7^th, 8^th
Saskatoon - November 13^th, 14^th
Edmonton - November 17^th, 18^th
Vancouver - November 24^rd, 25^th
Sudbury - December 7^th, 8^th

Air Dates 
Saturdays, from January 13^th to March 17^th, 2017, 8 P.M. on TFO. The grand finale will be broadcast live from Toronto.

About Stef Paquette, host of Planète BRBR
Stef Paquette has been taking time to his inner voice, write new songs and simply live life. The renowned Franco-Ontarian singer-songwriter is also well known as a radio host across Northeastern Ontario with Le Loup FM and an actor in the popular TV series Hard Rock Medical and Les Bleus de Ramville.

The Sudbury-born signer is still thrusting forward in his musical career as well. A natural showman with a wacky sense of humour, Stef Paquette loves being on stage and his audiences love seeing him there. Alone with his guitar and harmonica or along with his band, he has been crisscrossing Canada for years, playing countless festivals, concerts, major events and school workshops. In fall 2015, with RADARTS and Coup de Cœur Francophone, Stef Paquette was on a big tour that brought him to 43 dates in 50 days going through 9 provinces and 1 territory from New Brunswick to Yukon. First franco-ontarian artist to do the nation-wide tour, he shared the scene with Fred Pellerin for sold out concerts. In 2015, Stef Paquette garnered the Trille Or (French Ontario's music industry awards) for Best Male Performer as well as nominations for the Best Singer-Songwriter and the Radio-Canada Public's Choice awards. His charismatic stage presence and his ability to rally fans are widely recognized and he is excited to join the Planète BRBR adventure to go on the road and meet Canadian artists from coast to coast.

About BRBR
BRBR, pronounced BARBAR, is a multiplatform franchise based in Toronto and produced by Groupe Média TFO. It focuses on broadcasting new, primarily Canadian, musical talents, with a particular interest for Francophone and Francophile artists. At the heart of BRBR, a passionate team is fueled by a shared ambition: to find new sounds and share these discoveries with an audience in search of new music. The result: a unique universe of diverse content that includes BRBR-produced musical performances, entertaining interviews and a blog featuring album and concert reviews and interviews. 

Through partnerships with established media companies and the organization of innovative events, such as live web broadcasts, BRBR intends to provide a platform that allows artists to constantly reach out to new fans and to help music-lovers sate their hunger for new discoveries. BRBR considers music a reflection of Canadian culture and after 4 years spent discovering emerging talents across the country, BRBR now has the legitimacy to become a judge with Planète BRBR.

SOURCE Ontario French Language Educational Communications Authority (TFO)

Image with caption: "Stef Paquette, host of the new BRBR season, Planète BRBR (CNW Group/Ontario French Language Educational Communications Authority (TFO))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160817_C4021_PHOTO_EN_755106.jpg

Image with caption: "Planète BRBR (CNW Group/Ontario French Language Educational Communications Authority (TFO))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160817_C4021_PHOTO_EN_755104.jpg

and interview requests: Mélanie Grenier - Communications Coordinator, Office: 416 968-8321 / Cell: 416 527-2212, Email: [email protected]