Go back

Diane Tell

Year of Induction: 2024

Origin: Quebec

Born Diane Fortin in Québec City on December 24, 1959, Diane Tell is an emblematic figure of the Francophonie who is recognized for her exceptional talent as a singer-songwriter and for her unique voice. Her rich and diverse career spans several decades and is marked by hits that have transcended borders and generations. There is no denying her contribution to French and Canadian songbooks.

Third child of a Québécois father and a French-American mother, Diane Tell took her first steps in the realm of music at the age of 6 when she began studying the violin at the Val-d’Or Conservatory. She developed a passion for composing and writing in her teens and at 13, she sang on her school’s stage accompanied by a group of musicians. As she recalls, she inherited from a very diverse musical baggage: her violin teacher was Portuguese, her dad sang Strangers In the Night while accompanying himself on the piano, but he would also weep when he listened to Brel and religiously listen to anything Félix Leclerc released. Her family welcomed Pauline Julien for dinner and while her mom introduced Diane to classical music and opera, she also discovered Angloe-American rock thanks to her older brothers.

After moving to Montréal, Diane Tell hung out with jazz musicians in their favourite haunts and she sang in the city’s West End bars. She continued her studies in classical guitar at the Montréal Conservatory and in jazz guitar at Cégep Saint-Laurent, an institution renowned for its excellence in musical education. It’s there that she truly fell in love with jazz. In 1977, aged just 18, she released her first self-titled album that included eleven of her first compositions.

Three years later, Diane Tell’s career exploded with the release of her platinum album En flèche which included her seminal hit, Si j’étais un homme. Written and composed by herself, it showcases her talent for combining catchy melodies and thoughtful lyrics. The lyrics explore the themes of love and identity with finesse and intelligence. Inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, Si j’étais un homme has established itself as a classic of the Francophone repertoire that earned her commercial and critical success around the globe.

Over the years, Diane Tell has continued to expand her repertoire with albums such as Chimères (1982), Faire à nouveau connaissance (1986), and Désir Plaisir Soupir (1996). For her, each project is an opportunity to reaffirm her talent as a melodist and her gift for writing, and she approaches any and every subject with the same sensitivity and insight.

Titles like Gilberto (1979), Souvent, longtemps, énormément (1982) and Miami (1980) demonstrate her ability to renew herself artistically and reach out to new audiences. On her self-produced and most personal album, 2005’s Popeline, the melodist outdid herself, while the songwriter and performer matured. Her 2019 album, Haïku, is a surprisingly up-to-date collection of original tunes produced by Québec rocker Fred Fortin.

During her prolific career, she has released a dozen albums of original songs, an album of previously unpublished adaptations of great jazz standards by Boris Vian, a musical, Marilyn Montreuil, written with Jérôme Savary, in which she played the leading role over 180 performances. She has also taken part in numerous collaborations, including the musical Je m’voyais déjà, a libretto by Laurent Ruquier based on the songs of Charles Aznavour, and La légende de Jimmy by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon (1990). 

In addition to her musical career, Diane Tell also hosted a series of 45 programs on France Inter about exceptional women as well as sharing her experience and passion for music with young musicians and the general public on her blog. Her presence on social media and her commitment to social causes demonstrate her desire to stay in touch with the times and use her voice for the common good. Diane Tell understood very early on the importance of being free and independent and that is why she has self-produced and self-published her music since 1983’s Chimères. Proactive in the face of the profound changes affecting the music industry, she launched her own record label in 2010. To complete the picture, having always been drawn to photography, she became a videographer and regularly feeds her YouTube channel, which boasts over 26 000 subscribers and 26 million views. 

Diane Tell’s career has been recognized with several awards and distinctions for her significant contribution to music: she won a Victoire de la musique in France for her album Faire à nouveau connaissance, six Félix Awards before she turned 25, in addition to being nominated fifteen more times. She was also named Chevalier des arts et lettres de France in 2023.

Over the decades, Diane Tell has remained relevant and appreciated by audiences thanks to her inexhaustible creativity, her gift for touching hearts and awakening consciences, and her ability to evolve while preserving the essence of her art.

Read full Bio

Three Very Different Legends Who Covered Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”

Blog

February 12, 2026

Rau_Ze’s Rise: Inside the Duo Redefining Quebec’s R&B and Trip-Hop Scene

Blog

Our Partners