Les Colocs

Les Colocs is a Québécois music group, founded in Montreal in 1990. A significant band of the 1990s, it is recognised for its broad exploration of different musical genres, the dynamism of its members on stage, and particularly for its charismatic leader and singer, André « Dédé » Fortin.

The group was formed by André Fortin in 1990, meeting its future members through various means. They performed extensively in bars and clubs across Quebec, then secured a contract and recorded their first album, Les Colocs, which achieved phenomenal success in the province. Apart from André Fortin and Mike Sawatzky, the band's members often changed over the years, initially with the death of harmonica player Patrick Esposito di Napoli. After another album, Atrocetomique, released on the evening of the 1995 referendum, the group somewhat changed its style and released an album more oriented towards world music: Dehors novembre in 1998. The lyrics were much darker than before, reflecting the state of mind of their author, André Fortin, who committed suicide on 8 May 2000, bringing an end to the group's career. The remaining members released a final album, Suite 2116, then separated until 2009, for a reunion show and the completion of an embryonic song by Fortin.

Les Colocs greatly influenced Québécois groups and artists of the 2000s and have become a touchstone in the history of Québécois music.