Dominique Fricot, a Vancouver-based musician known for his mellow and heartfelt tracks, played a show at Victoria’s Lucky Bar on Jan. 29. Fricot launched his debut album, If Baby Could Walk, in June 2012, and since then, the album has met with great success, including two sizeable contest paydays within a two-month span.
In September 2012, Shore 104.3 FM awarded Fricot $10 000 in its Best of B.C. contest for his first single, “Haunted by Love.” Fricot then claimed third place in The Peak Performance Project, an intensive music competition hosted by The Peak 102.7 FM, in November, which earned him $50 000. The Peak chose 20 finalists from more than 300 applicants, and the public then voted for their favourites.
“I think the biggest triumph in my career so far is the success I did have in the Peak Performance Project. It was a lot of hard work. There was just such a long, drawn-out onslaught of things to do. There were so many points where I could have just given up, but I continually managed to turn myself around and keep working hard,” says Fricot. The competition included an intensive, weeklong boot camp, which involved live performances, songwriting and training in the business aspects of music.
Fricot credits his parents with being the biggest influence on his music and instilling a solid work ethic in him. “The thing about my mother and my father is that they put a lot of heart into what they did and a lot of care and passion. I think that’s the most important part about what I try to put into my music,” says Fricot. This is particularly evident in his breakup song “Haunted by Love,” in which his rich voice and honest lyrics capture the pain of heartbreak.
Living on the West Coast of B.C. has also had a hand in shaping Fricot’s sound. “Well, it rains a lot,” says Fricot with a laugh. “I think the combination of a bit of the sombre weather coupled with the inspiration from the amazing artists of B.C. probably just led me to sculpt my sound in a certain way.”
In addition to singing, Fricot plays guitar. He writes his own music and lyrics, and the songwriting process is important to him. “I’ll find a riff or a starting point, and from there I grab for words that come out naturally through the stream of consciousness method. And then I just work and build off that,” he says.
Fricot has valuable advice for those who aspire to have a career in music. “Have as much fun with it as you can while maintaining that it really is a job. Growing up, I saw uncles and family members so overworked, and they are constantly on the phone and constantly working. And the more I do this, I realize that it is a very constant job. It is not something nine to five where I can go to work and then come back and leave it there,” says Fricot. “But I think the most important part is to follow your heart and have fun with it.”
For more info about Fricot’s upcoming shows and his album, check out dominiquefricot.com.
