Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders Anne-Julie St-Laurent and Myriam Sophie Deslauriers Celebrate 7 Years of Music in Carleton-sur-Mer

Anne-Julie St-Laurent (left) and Myriam Deslauriers (right) - Co-Founders of Festival BleuBleu, photo by Elise Jetté

Despite their mutual connection to the quaint town of Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders Anne-Julie St-Laurent and Myriam Sophie Deslauriers didn’t cross paths until the music industry brought them together in Montreal. Leading up to their festival’s seventh edition, on from June 20th-23rd, 2025, we sat down with the minds behind Festival BleuBleu to chat about how the oceanside backdrop of their fondest childhood memories became the site of of some of the province’s most eclectic music curation. The duo also shares their approach to programming live music in a remote community, what to expect from this year's lineup and how they discover their favourite music.

Listen to our audio interview, originally aired on n10.as radio on June 8th, 2025, below. 

Also Cool Mag · Interview: In Conversation with Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders Anne-Julie and Myriam Sophie

Festival BleuBleu runs from June 20th-23rd in Carleton-sur-Mer, where Also Cool will be co-presenting a Soirée Électro featuring Ouri, Honeydrip and Isla Den. 

About the Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders

Anne-Julie St-Laurent

Anne-Julie is the Co-Executive and Artistic Director of Festival BleuBleu in Carleton-sur-Mer since 2019, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Festival Triste in Montreal since 2022. She holds a bachelor's degree in Cultural and Media Production Strategies from UQAM and has been evolving in the music, event, and audiovisual industries since 2012. Her experience includes internships at Dare To Care and the music video production company DTO Films, followed by roles such as Artistic Assistant at the Edmonton Chante festival, Project Manager at Chivi Chivi, Media Partnerships Manager at the Santa Teresa Festival, Music Programmer at the multidisciplinary festival SOIR, and Partnerships Coordinator for M for Montreal and Mundial Montreal at Avalanche Prod. Curious and driven by collaboration, Anne-Julie thrives on new projects and meaningful encounters.

Myriam Sophie Deslauriers

Sharing her seasons between Montreal and Carleton-sur-Mer, her hometown, Myriam Sophie has been working in the music industry for nearly ten years. Initially working as a tour manager (Safia Nolin, Les Soeurs Boulay, Matt Holubowski), she cofounded, in 2019, the Festival de musique BleuBleu de Carleton-sur-Mer, of which she is still the artistic and general co-director. A graduate from the Cégep de St-Hyacinthe Theatre School, she uses her experience and knowledge of the performing arts to develop her practice as a musical stage director (Les Soeurs Boulay, Jean-Michel Blais, Les Louanges, Beyries). Through a sensitive listening and careful attention to the stage space and light, she seeks to expand the artist's universe, to make it resonate in highlighting the essential. 

Festival BleuBleu

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Also Cool's Festival BleuBleu 2025 Top Picks

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Also Cool is headed to the East Coast! Returning for its 7th edition to Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, Festival BleuBleu is an annual weekend music festival and summer staple in Gaspésie, Quebec and the greater Maritime region. Held from June 20th-23rd, the festival acts as a hub and meeting place for music lovers, whether local or festival-goers, aiming to "introduce or rediscover the town's cultural and historical sites [and] foster exchanges" by programming music from the region and beyond in less conventional venues.  

This year’s lineup features a multitude of enticing genres and styles, with artists from across the province of Quebec (and elsewhere!) performing everything from Acadien country-pop to digital dance music.

Closing the Saturday night is Also Cool's beachside program, with performances by Ouri (DJ set), Honeydrip and Isla Den.

Explore Festival BleuBleu’s programming through Also Cool’s must-see acts from this year’s roster and listen to our accompanying festival playlist below!

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Gus Englehorn by Kealan Shilling

Alaska-raised, Hawaii-bound Gus Englehorn welcomed 2025 with the release of The Hornbook, a fantastical outsider-rock opus co-produced by Mark Lawson of The Unicorns, and mixed by Butthole Surfers founder Paul Leary. Much like his career trajectory (having spent most of his life training to be a professional snowboarder), Englehorn’s sound is endearingly strange. At times fuzzy and brooding, and others veering into freak-folk territory, Englehorn’s musical dexterity is delightfully unpredictable and entertaining. His uncompromised stage presence is always a hit, and we’re looking forward to hearing his latest setlist in the flesh! 

Gus Englehorn plays Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at Horizon Park Beach.

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Honeydrip by Felix Bonnevie

Not only is Montreal’s Honeydrip an incredible dub-focused DJ and producer – she is also an innovator in the world of sound design; building her own systems over the past couple of years. Her most recent album Psychotropical, featuring collaborations with Ouri, Shanique Marie and King Shadrock, expands on her hypnotic sound that has captured dancefloors worldwide.

Read our interview with Honeydrip on her debut EP Anti-Ego here.

Honeydrip plays Saturday, June 21st, 2025 at Horizons Park Beach.

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Isla Den by Taylor Tomlin

Kindred spirits in the realm of rave-tinged hyperpop and exploratory multimedia, friends Ellie Manning and Mira Reale are Montreal electronic duo Isla Den. As classmates turned collaborators, Isla Den have constructed a musical illusion whereby “Manning's lyrics explore themes of infinity, distance, and dreams, veiled by auto-tune and carried by lyrical flights over sensual futuristic structures, fusing underground electronica, trance, and technicolor dream pop.” Having performed across North America and Europe, we’re eager to have our first run-in with the pair at BleuBleu.

Isla Den plays Saturday, June 21st, 2025 at Horizons Park Beach.

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Magi Merlin by Vladim Vilain

An Also Cool forever-favourite, Montreal alt-R&B darling Magi Merlin has exploded onto the international scene. A multi-faceted artist, Merlin recently made her acting debut in the movie Mile End Kicks from writer-director Chandler Levack (I Like Movies), alongside lead actress Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria). On top of that, she recently shared her long-awaited debut LP, A Weird Little Dog, which slows her sound down and bares her soul. 

Read our first-ever interview with Magi, that came out five years ago (!!!), here.

Magi Merlin plays Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at the Beautiful Shipwreck Beach Manor Scene.

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Ouri by Feng

A longtime staple in Montreal’s music scene, Ouri exudes ethereal mastery as a multi-instrumentalist and DJ. Her ability to weave orchestral sound with electronic music is unparalleled, in both her last album Frame of a Fauna, and with her collaborative project with Helena Deland, Hildegard. No matter the sonic medium, Ouri delivers a gorgeous and captivating performance. 

Dive deeper into Ouri’s world by reading our interview with the artist about Frame of a Fauna here, and with Hildegard about their debut album here.

Ouri plays Saturday, June 21st, 2025 at Horizons Park Beach.

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P’tit Belliveau by Sacha Cohen

East Coast treasure P’tit Belliveau is sure to deliver a rowdy performance. Known for his earworms “Income Tax” and “J'aimerais d’avoir un John Deere”, Belliveau reps his Baie-Saint-Marie, Nova Scotia, roots for sold-out audiences. Hot on the heels of releasing his third self-titled album, we’re excited to embrace his evolving sound — fusing nu-metal and pop-punk with his signature Acadien country-pop sensibility. Let’s go (en français)!  

P’tit Belliveau plays Friday, June 20th, 2025 at the SiriusXM Stage.

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Secondsight by Vladim Vilain

Montreal’s Secondsight will lead an outdoor yoga session combining mindful movements, breathing and meditation set to their music. Titled Mirrors in the Sky: Opening to Infinity, the 60-minute class seeks to explore “the profound connection between our inner selves and the cosmos around us.” Secondsight is the solo musical and spiritual pilgrimage project of multi-disciplinary artist, astrologist and meditation teacher Haji Maa. We’re looking forward to coming up for air by the Atlantic ocean amid the festival hustle and bustle!  

Secondsight’s workshop is Monday morning on June 23rd, 2025 at the Tracadigash Point Lighthouse.

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Xela Edna by Cherry Blue

Montreal avant-pop vocalist Xela Edna sparks curiosity with her bold, uninhibited approach to dance music. Scheduled to release her debut full-length album this year, Edna’s songwriting combines tenets of electro, techno and experimental French pop. Alongside her creative partner and longtime friend Eicus Echo, Edna’s music explores “emancipatory themes related to being a young woman in the 21st century.” 

Xela Edna plays Friday, June 20th, 2025 at the Beautiful Shipwreck Beach Manor Scene.

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Festival BleuBleu

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