Cassiopée

Cassiopée, born Véronique Lapierre on October 16, 1977, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, is a French-language Canadian singer and entertainer. She began dancing at age four and started classical voice, music, and pop-rock singing training at age 14, while also studying acting. She began her professional career with the traditional French cabaret company Les Folie's de Paris, performing in over 500 shows across Quebec City, Lille, and Cannes, before relocating to Montreal in 2000 as the star of La Troupe Paris Paris. In 2002, she won Best On-Stage Presence, Best Interpreter, and the Étoile Galaxie prize at Le Festival International de la Chanson de Granby. She also won the Félix du Spectacle award in 2004 for her performance in the musical Don Juan, contributing the song “Coeur de Pierre” to the musical's album (2005). She subsequently released her self-titled debut solo studio album, Cassiopée (2006). In October 2009, she appeared on the album Moonlit Numina as the lead singer of the symphonic metal band Anemonia, and she was shortlisted to replace Tarja Turunen in the band Nightwish. In 2011, she joined Cirque du Soleil, portraying the lead female character Lia in the show Zarkana, where she performed all five female vocal roles. She has performed on stage more than 3,000 times.