New Music From Étienne Fletcher is Making Waves in Two Languages

“I just don’t wanna wish these days away/
There’s only so much time left/
Only so much time.” – Étienne Fletcher’s “Waiting on You”

Étienne Fletcher decided to keep it local with his newest project, Entre-deux. That use of time seems to have paid off.

Using a Creative Saskatchewan Sound Recording Grant to produce his full-length album with Chris Dimas from Regina’s Grind Central Studios, the former Indigo Joseph band member worked with his longtime collaborators Sean McCannell and Gaelan Malloy. Both Malloy and McCannell are from Saskatchewan and Regina-based producer Chris Dimas was also involved. In a change from his previous work, Fletcher co-produced the record and had help from a number of other artists, including Québec’s Neil Robinson and Élisabeth Giroux.

The album is largely written in French, the title translates to between two, and has drawn coverage from the likes of Radio-Canada and La Tribune. The tracks are focused on themes like transitioning through life’s stages, the environment, and contemplating relationships with Canada’s Indigenous people. Entre-Deux came to fruition after his 2017 double EP’s, Side A/Face A, which came with an award from industry regulator SOCAN amidst a host of other critical successes. In other words, Fletcher is helping keep Saskatchewan’s francophone music on the map across Canada.

While COVID-19 meant lengthy delays for this newest venture’s promotion, September, 2021 brought with it a sold-out release show at The Artesian. From there, Fletcher took his show on tour, 26 dates in all, with performances spanning Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Québec–including a Montreal-based album release on November 10th. Fletcher’s time promoting the album was partially funded by Creative Saskatchewan through our tour support grant. A number of those shows were to sold-out crowds.

Fletcher’s efforts meant that the industry was paying attention. He was nominated for a Sask Music award in the rock/pop artist of the year category and won 2022 Francophone Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Away from the awards podium, Fletcher also inked an exciting new contract. He says that this progress in his career will afford him fresh opportunities as more people learn about his music.

“Our success story for this project is that we signed an Editor/Distribution deal with Quartier Général and Sony Canada. We are very excited about this deal. This is major in that it will help us reach a much wider audience. It is another step in the direction of creating a sustainable music career.”

In February, Fletcher will be heading out to Quebec City to be part of the RIDEAUinc showcase and will be announcing 2023 show dates soon. You can find Entre-deux (along with his two EP’s) on all major streaming platforms as well as on Bandcamp.

If you’re looking to follow in Étienne’s footsteps and receive funding for your full-length recording project then check out our grant guidelines. The project needs to include at least six songs, run at least 30 minutes, and be created with the intention of commercial release in order to meet the minimum requirements. Recent recipients include Ellen Froese and Marissa Burwell. If you’re recording a shorter work, we also have streams dedicated to single sound recordings (1-3 songs) and EPs (4 to 6 songs and shorter than 30 minutes).

Written by John Loeppky.