French spoken-word artist Fabien Marsaud, known professionally as Grand Corps Malade, released his anniversary album Voir la mer on September 18 following a year-long sabbatical in Montreal with his family.
The 20-year career retrospective was written largely in Canada after the artist decided to step away from the Parisian entertainment scene following three intense years of music releases, concert tours, and cinematic work.
Speaking to journalist Audrey Crespo-Mara on the French television news program Sept à Huit, Marsaud explained that he felt an urgent need to slow down and cut back on his workload. He noted that the preceding period had been exceptionally dense, particularly with his work on the biographical film Monsieur Aznavour and successive album tours.
A family sabbatical in Quebec
In 2025, Marsaud relocated to Montreal alongside his wife and their two teenage children, aged 11 and 14. Born in Le Blanc-Mesnil in the Seine-Saint-Denis department northeast of Paris, the artist said he had lived in the Paris region his entire life, making the move across the Atlantic a major personal adventure.
Marsaud acknowledged that moving an entire family abroad required significant organization and represented a privilege that not everyone could afford. He added that while moving teenagers away from their friends could have been difficult, the family discussed the plan at the right time, leaving everyone excited about the upcoming year.
During their time in Quebec, the family adapted to Canada's distinct climate, experiencing warm summers, autumn foliage, cold snowy winters, and the arrival of spring after four months of freezing weather. Marsaud described discovering nature like a child, contrasting his suburban Parisian background with experiences such as traveling across Quebec in a camper van during the summer and taking a dog-sledding expedition in the Canadian Far North.
Songwriting for Céline Dion
Despite taking a break from his usual routine, Marsaud remained creative during his stay in Canada. In addition to completing Voir la mer, he wrote and composed songs for Canadian singer Céline Dion.
Marsaud said he relished the craft of songwriting because it allowed him to step away from his own persona. However, he described writing for Dion as a delicate challenge, noting the major adjustment required to write from a female perspective and acknowledging her standing as a global pop star.
Reflections on French political climate
Reflecting on his time abroad, Marsaud praised Montreal as a welcoming and open community with far lower social tension than France. He voiced concern over the contemporary political atmosphere in his home country, remarking that French society had become increasingly polarized, with people being isolated and placed into rigid categories.
Having grown up in Saint-Denis, Marsaud recalled that holding racist views was considered shameful during the 1990s. He lamented that openly racist rhetoric had become uninhibited across social media, public streets, and television commentary in France, adding that he feared the potential arrival of the far right in power. He described this normalization of extreme political discourse as one of the most troubling developments of recent years.
