Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Sam Rancourt
About Samuel :
A multidisciplinary artist from Québec (Canada), Samuel Rancourt created Tika Tika Tak in partnership with musician Rude Beach — a vibrant music video and song project that served as a virtual vernissage to showcase Samuel’s paintings and celebrate the joy of art.
As a painter, Samuel studied portraits at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, where he developed a deeply human approach to visual art, one that focuses on faces, emotion, and the expressive power of color. His work has been exhibited at numerous events, including L’Art de donner, L’Art sur l’île and Mille et une couleurs sur le Fjord, where he received the Peer Recognition Award.
Painting Portfolio: www.samuelrancourt.com/en
As an actor represented by the Ginette Achim Agency, Samuel has played lead roles in independent films such as Flore and Dreamer. He also starred in Le Chanteur, which earned the ”Sélection” Prize from the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) at the Gala Kino, and appeared in Juvenile Success, which received honors at the Toronto Global Film Festival.
Actor Demo: IMDB profile
Agency: Ginette Achim Agency – Samuel Rancourt
On television, Samuel has hosted programs such as Ici les Archives (Radio-Canada), Le savais-tu? (TOU.TV) and the documentary L’œuvre de Gabrielle Roy (ARTV). As a columnist, he has contributed to cultural and historical segments including La nostalgie d’abord (ICI RDI) and The FrancoBeat (CBC).
1) What is your earliest memory connected to music?
I remember coming back from my karate classes as a kid, listening to Queen in my father’s car, and singing along to Radio Ga Ga and Bohemian Rhapsody before going to enjoy chocolate croissants with him and my grandmother. That band will forever be tied to my dad… It’s the soundtrack of our bond.
2) How did your passion for creating music begin?
I’ve always loved listening to music and felt deeply inspired by songwriters and composers. Music has accompanied every stage of my life : childhood, teenage years, and every key moment since. I associate every trip, every milestone, every heartbreak and first love with a song.
I never thought I’d one day create my own. But I’ve always been open to exploring new art forms, and when my musician friend Travis MacLean (Rude Beach) suggested we write a song together, I immediately said yes. What a beautiful way to express oneself and tell stories. It’s a different, but equally thrilling, form of creation alongside painting and acting.
3) What’s the story behind your current music project?
Instead of doing a traditional art opening, I decided to create an audiovisual and performative experience where painting, music, and dance come together in a music video titled Tika Tika Tak. This festive, theatrical, and trilingual (English–French–Spanish) piece celebrates art in all its forms – featuring collaborations with artists such as dancers from Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Lyrically, the song talks about the emotional chaos of modern love, with lines like “I want your love but you ignore” and “Ghosted match, I’m message too”. Beneath its upbeat rhythm lies a vulnerable honesty about contemporary dating, and it aims to transform heartbreak into movement and joy.
4) How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
A festive, theatrical pop song with reggaeton influences and a vibrant mix of English, French and a few Spanish words.
5) What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I’ve learned that simplicity is powerful. Sometimes, one honest lyric or melody, born from a real emotion, connects more deeply than any complex production.
6) What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Honestly, I’m a bit old school! I love a notebook and a good pencil. I often take long walks in nature, humming melodies and writing down lines as they come. Inspiration flows best when I disconnect from screens.
7) Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I recently discovered Fille à porter by Québec indie artists Ariane Roy and Lou-Adriane Cassidy. I love how their music feels both fragile and confident. They have poetic lyrics carried by a dreamy yet powerful sound. Their voices and writing reflect a new generation of Québec francophone artists who mix vulnerability with modern pop textures.
8) How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
My journey as an actor, painter and TV host has shaped my approach to creation. Acting taught me how to embody emotions, painting taught me how to express them through color and texture and music now lets me translate them into rhythm and sound. Each discipline feeds the other and they all come from the same desire to tell human stories.
9) What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
With Tika Tika Tak, I hope listeners feel like smiling, dancing, and celebrating art, especially in a time when the world often feels divided. For me, art has the power to bring people together, to remind us that we share more similarities than differences. Even though the lyrics touch on the challenges of modern dating, the heart of the song is still about love, connection, and joy. We all need moments to laugh, to dance, and to let go.
10) What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Music has taught me that patience and creativity can’t be rushed. A song often finds you when you’re ready to listen. It’s a reminder to stay curious, vulnerable, and open.
11) If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I’d love to collaborate with Ariane Moffatt. I admire her sense of rhythm, her versatility, and her ability to blend electronic textures with emotional storytelling. She has a unique sound, both grounded and ethereal, and a musical honesty that I deeply respect.
12) Where can our listeners follow and support your music?
YouTube – Tika Tika Tak music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExkdB42YrUA
Spotify:
Samuel Rancourt – Spotify Artist Page
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/samuelrancourt_
Painting Portfolio: www.samuelrancourt.com/en
Actor Demo: IMDB profile
13) Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I’m currently thinking about my next song. It’s still taking shape. I love that stage of creation, when ideas are floating and I don’t yet know which one will take root. It’s a space of freedom and possibility.
14) What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I love creating in all its forms. Whether through music, painting or acting, my goal is to move people : to make them smile, dance, feel or reflect. If my art can spark an emotion or a memory, then it’s all worth it.
