Born to a French-Canadian diplomat and his Italian-Canadian wife, Lise Villeneuve was exposed to many cultural and musical influences throughout her early years. Although she was born in Ottawa, Canada, her formative years were spent in Dakar, Senegal, in the care of a local nursemaid. By the time she was four, the family had moved back to the Ottawa area to settle down.

Lise grew up in Aylmer, a francophone suburb, while developing a fluency in both English and French, and a love for music and academics.

The family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, when Lise was in her teens. Although she comes from a very musical family, she didn’t seriously consider pursuing music as a career until graduating from The University of Alberta in 1997 with a degree in Psychology. Before that point, she had enjoyed several successes, taking first prize in 1995 and 1997 at the Gala Albertain de la Chanson, and twice winning Je M’auteurise, a Radio-Canada lyric-writing contest. She toured Alberta widely with her folk trio Euphonie, and in 1997 was selected as the opening act for Daniel Bélanger’s Alberta tour.

In the fall of 1999, determined to strike out on her own and pursue a musical career, Lise moved to Montreal, where she was quickly embraced by the city’s thriving jazz community.

After performing both as a solo artist and lead singer for the Jazz Razzmatazz band, Lise’s next experience would take her to the Mediterranean, where she lived and worked on a French cruise ship as a singer-pianist. 2001 and 2002 were busy years for Lise. Before performing on the television show Un Air de Famille in August of 2001, Lise was selected to sing at the World Athletic Championships in Edmonton. She was a semi-finalist in the Ma Premiere Place des Arts contest in Montreal, as well as a finalist in both the St. Ambroise musical festival and the prestigious Festival International de la Chanson de Granby.

In February 2003, Lise won a Sherbrooke, Quebec competition which catapulted her into the international spotlight and took her to France to face off against the finest francophone talent in the world. In March of 2003, Lise won the esteemed Tremplin Charles Trenet trophy at that organization’s world gala in Paris. Using that success in combination with a passion for diversity and independence, Lise founded her own company, Liseville Musique Inc

In March 2004, Lise headed to Asia and the Middle East to share her musical message on a three-week, 9-country international tour. Audiences from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai had the opportunity to enjoy her personal, colourful and revealing lyrics and rich, absorbing melodies. In April 2006, Lise performed at the National Arts Center in Ottawa and launched the internet-based network for independent artists, Democrazik.com.

Finally, in the winter of 2007, after years of perseverance and hard work, Lise made her biggest dream come true. She recorded her first official album. Inspired, passionate and encouraged by this important leap forward, Lise decided to write a book to motivate others to also follow their dreams. The book-CD is called “13 Songs To Hear Your Heart”. Lise now presents a motivational show that harmoniously combines music and public speaking. The main message is her most valued lesson: follow your heart, do what you love and you will succeed.