Francophone musician in North Bay celebrates as his song reaches No. 1 across Canada

A long-time francophone musician in North Bay is celebrating as his latest hit single, ‘Simple de Même,’ holds the No. 1 spot on radio stations across the country.

Dayv Poulin never imagined his song would be such a hit on the airwaves from coast to coast to coast.

“I’ve been doing music professionally for over 30 years and I’ve released many songs over the years,” he said.

“This is the first time that there’s so much radio success and there’s just so much surprise that came with it … It’s another step and another level.”

Released in November as part of an upcoming summer album, Simple de Même roughly translates to ‘Simple As That.’

Poulin described it as “the little song that could” with a simple message of choosing love. He said the secret to the song’s success is its cheerful, uplifting melody.

“Friends who were skiing on Mont-Tremblant told me they heard the song on the radio,” he chuckled.

“After the pandemic, after everything, people are still struggling and it’s a reminder to choose love and stay positive and that really rings through.”

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Currently holding the No. 1 spot across Canada in the past few weeks on almost a dozen radio stations and networks, several charts rank Simple de Même as the No. 1 hit for multiple weeks in a row.

“For francophone artists, it’s doubly hard when you don’t actually live in Quebec,” said music industry publicist Eric Alper.

“They have their own star system their and their own industry.”

The song can be listened on YouTube or downloaded through Spotify or Apple Music. It’s been on the radio airwaves for 19 weeks straight.

“Radio, most of the time is saying no to independent artists all day and night,” said Alper.

“The very fact they’re giving the spotlight to Dayv should tell all artists you can make a difference and can crack through.”

Poulin said the song’s success is a reward for all of his work in the music industry. He has toured Canada as a part of Konflit Dramatik as a teenager and is the frontman of ToeJam Tequila, a cover band in Sudbury that has been playing together for more than 20 years.

He also had a successful career as a French recording artist under the names ‘Dayv Poulin and Le Paysagiste.’ Plus he’s a member of ’Bilinguish Boys,’ three popular Franco-Ontarian singers and entertainers.

Poulin is also one half of the northern Ontario acoustic folk duo CAbiners.

“It’s a reward and opens up new doors, as well, and I’m receiving messages from people all over Canada who are hearing the song,” he said.