Concordia student Billie du Page wins a Félix at the recent ADISQ Gala

Every year, the Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ) presents awards in multiple musical categories. Concordian Billie Du Page was nominated for 2025 Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and ultimately took home a Félix award for ‘Révélation de l’année’ – Quebec’s equivalent of a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

In between performances and recording sessions, she is working toward a BA in Communication Studies.

“It keeps me grounded, in contact with my friends and just experiencing a 21-year-old’s life,” du Page says.

“This is what I write about, this is where I get my inspiration.”

More than a new artist

Awards for Best New Artist can obscure the many years of work that proceed that important acknowledgement — not that du Page is complaining.

“I even opened the award show with Fredz and Jay Scøtt,” she shares. “It was such an honour. The whole Quebec music industry was there; I was very nervous. It was stressful, but also exciting — once I knew the results.”

Her parents bought a piano when she was four years old, but the youngster did not initially take to her lessons. Things changed for du Page when her mother found someone interested in teaching her the songs she heard on the radio. Soon after, she began writing her own lyrics.

“It was classical piano. I hated it so much I would never practice. But this teacher made me fall in love with the piano. I started using my voice, enjoying it, and wondering if I could maybe sing and play at the same time,” she says.

“My first song was, ‘I Can Change the World.’ It was cute — pretty deep for a twelve-year-old — but I won’t be releasing it.”

A degree that supports her international ambitions                  

Born and raised in Montreal, du Page is a fully bilingual, proud Quebecoise with both Canadian and French citizenship.

“My mom is from Paris, and I still have family there, so I go back and forth. But my home is Montreal, and I was raised in the Quebec culture.”

Most of Du Page’s earliest compositions were in English, but her parents encouraged her to write in her mother tongue as well.

“French is such a beautiful language. And so many of my idols are French or Belgian singers — artists who are achieving international success all while recording and performing in French alone. I really admire this.”

Du Page has her sights set on an international career and knows her language skills can only help to extend her reach. She says she feels at home in Concordia’s increasingly bilingual Department of Communication Studies.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after CEGEP,” says du Page. “I was already in the studio regularly, and performing, so I was questioning whether or not I should go to university.”

She and her parents agreed that it would be important to pursue a BA, that it would keep her connected to her peers.

“I write about heartbreak and love, I’m inspired by the people around me — what they say, their experiences. That’s where I find inspiration. And when I saw that the Communications Program offered a specialization in sound, I knew that was for me,” she says.

At home on stage

Given her scholarly focus on communication, it’s fitting that Du Page’s first big hit, “Fake Friends,” is a critique of social media. Even the video is meant to appear as though recorded on a phone.

She wrote the song at age sixteen, during the pandemic lockdown. Although she recorded it as soon as restrictions were lifted, the song was not released for several years. The long wait made the first radio play all the more thrilling.

“It was surreal. I was with my mom in the car, and it played on Montreal’s The Beat 92.5. People were actually hearing it,” she says.

Her manager advised her to have an established repertoire ready to go, just in case the single took off. And he was right.

“It just went crazy. I started playing shows, first in Belgium and in France, I just played a 22-date festival tour and have now started headlining. There's nothing like playing a show where people have bought tickets to see YOU,” she shares.

“It’s a magical feeling; there's nothing like it.”

Du Page says she feels most at home and authentic on stage, and tries to carry this into her social media presence. Her website jokingly inviting visitors to ‘be her real friend’.

“It’s important, because the people that follow me want to know me better. So, I'm not interested in posting fake content. I try to talk to the camera, post on ‘bad hair days’ and stuff. Because that's what people want to know, and what they relate to.”

As she gears up for an upcoming show at Montreal venue Le Ministère, du Page is bolstered by the overwhelming support for her most recent single, “Tell Me,” and says she is excited for what the future holds.

“I would love to continue collaborating with artists I admire,” she says. “I’m headlining a tour right now, in small concert rooms — but maybe one day I could play a stadium?!

“I have big hopes and dreams.”

Billie du Page performs on November 28, 2025, at Le Ministère, 4521 Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Discover Concordia’s Communication Studies program.