I lived through it hard, but she lived through it even harder.
Garou recently sat down for a candid chat with Pénélope McQuade on the sidelines of his new album A Better Tomorrow, his first collection of original songs in 12 years. The artist took the opportunity to speak with honesty, sharing confidences about both his professional and personal life.
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His daughter, Emelie, once brought him a song she had written in English. Garou ultimately translated it, and that’s how Lonely Waters came to be—a stunning piece that found its place on the album. He and the host listened to it together in the studio, a moment that naturally opened the door to a touching exchange about their father‑daughter relationship.
Penelope Delicately Probes Their Relationship
“The only master of my life, at times, means that we might live somewhat egocentrically with respect to our daughter,” Penelope notes after listening to the song, referencing one of the lyrics.
“I wouldn’t go into egocentricity, because ego is a very complex term, you know. Some people see it as a big head, but that isn’t its true meaning at all. No, there’s something a little control freak, but mostly protective, so it’s really about how I protect myself. I’m someone whose first virtue from my parents, I think, was honesty. So I’m a straightforward, honest person. So when I fall into too much bullshit, in good French, oupelaye, I protect myself. So in that sense, I want to be in control to make sure everything around me is true and authentic, because authenticity is my number one leitmotiv,” he replies, while the host tries to nudge the conversation elsewhere.
Garou Reflects on a Regret Tied to His Relationship with His Daughter
“Where I wanted to take it is that, yes, to be in control of your affairs, to act with integrity, to do what you feel, and not to do the things you don’t feel. But that, at times, can mean that when you have a love called music, and touring, and you have a child at the same time, I know that’s been one of your regrets… not being there all the time,” she clarifies more directly.
“Yes, indeed (… ),” agrees the singer.
“That’s actually one of the main reasons I slowed down, me who was going full blast there, foot on the accelerator, life moving fast, and all that… It was my daughter who was born. And I told myself: My God, do I have time to take her on tour, or not?,” he says, noting that his daughter is now 24 years old, in response to a question about the topic.
“She arrived at the exact moment everything exploded. Was there reconciliation to be done, conversations not always easy to have from a daughter to her father?” asks Penelope, clearly sensing the answer.
“Yes, and I lived it hard, but she lived it even more. It’s hard to know as a parent what problems are forming in childhood; those come up later, when your child dares to confront you and tell you certain things. There were times when I thought, My God, calm down, it wasn’t that bad, you know. But yes, that absence, and that life‑driven paranoia, because when I was with my daughter, it felt like… I hid her, because I didn’t want to expose her… you know, these are emotions a child experiences; she must have thought I was ashamed of her, so paranoid and trying to hide her, you know. So many things like that that happen in the chaos of a crazy life, having a child at the same time… it isn’t easy. So, yes, yes, it’s a regret, and it’s probably one of the reasons I wanted to pull back throughout my career. I’ve always had great opportunities, and I’d think, No, you know what? I want to keep life, you know, relatively simple, after all,” he shares.
A Change in Trajectory Influenced by His Father’s Choices?
“The idea that she doesn’t want to sing, be on stage, or take the spotlight. Do you think that has anything to do with you doing it, and that she doesn’t want to follow in those footsteps,” presses the host.
“I think it’s more that she’s quite a lot like me — that is, I think if you put her on stage, she’d be absolutely magical, but she doesn’t want to do that. And I didn’t want to do it either. A lot of the twists that led me to the stage happened by accident, and I don’t regret those turns, but I think we have an incredibly similar personality. You see it with my daughter; we’re cut from the same mold in every sense. Physically we resemble each other, but the mind, the emotions, and all that, we’re exceedingly alike. I respect that completely, and I’m glad she doesn’t want to do it, but that she loves coming home and heading straight for the piano, where she starts composing something,” explains the singer.
A sincere and moving discussion that reminds us that a parent’s choices often leave real traces in their children’s lives… and that the weight of fame can amplify those consequences even more.
We wish the duo great happiness and Garou continued success with his new project, and we warmly congratulate him for his entire body of work, not forgetting the song they worked on together.
This content was created with the help of AI.
