Sebastian Demrey is a Christian singer and musician from Quebec, trained at the St Laurent College of Music in Montreal. After a career as a musical director and producer for other gospel artists, he released his first solo album in 2006, then created the Heritage project with guitarist Jimmy Lahaie, which revisits the great hymns and carols of the Christian faith.
The son of a church music director, Sebastian Demrey learned piano as a child and got involved very early in his community's worship ministry in Quebec. Trained at the St Laurent College of Music in Montreal, he began his career not as a singer but as a producer and musical director, touring with several French-speaking gospel artists, including Maggie Blanchard and Tabitha Lemaire within the collective Expression de louange.
In 2005, he paused touring to prepare his first solo album. Released in 2006, Searching surprised listeners by being sung in English: the record earned him a Canadian Covenant Award and an international Independent Music Award. It was a few years later, joining his voice with Jimmy Lahaie's guitar, that he found the project that would make him known across the French-speaking world: Heritage, a pop rock reinterpretation of the historic hymns and carols of the faith.
- Origin
- Quebec, Canada, trained at the St Laurent College of Music in Montreal
- Style
- Christian pop rock, reinterpretation of historic hymns and carols
- Active since
- solo career since 2006, Heritage duo with Jimmy Lahaie since the early 2010s
- Good to know
- several Covenant Awards (Canada) and an Independent Music Award (international) for his work
How did Sebastian Demrey get started?
Sebastian Demrey grew up in a family where church music was part of everyday life: his father was a music director, and he himself learned piano as a child before training at the St Laurent College of Music in Montreal. His early professional years were spent away from the spotlight, as a producer and musical director for other French-speaking gospel artists, notably alongside Maggie Blanchard and Tabitha Lemaire within the collective Expression de louange.
In 2005, after years of touring, he chose to stop for a full year to prepare his own album. Searching, released in 2006, marked his solo debut: sung in English, against the grain of his French-speaking roots, it earned him a Covenant Award in Canada and an Independent Music Award internationally, as well as first place at the Artist Ovation Competition in the United States.
What makes Sebastian Demrey unique?
His uniqueness comes from his meeting with guitarist Jimmy Lahaie, with whom he founded the Heritage project: a way of revisiting, with current pop rock arrangements, the hymns and carols that have marked generations of believers, in both French and English. The duo has released several volumes of Heritage Cantiques et Hymnes, a Christmas edition, and a live DVD, for a total of seven albums that have earned them several Covenant Awards.
This reinterpretation of a heritage shared by all generations of churches has opened doors for them in many countries: France, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania, Germany, the Indian Ocean, Canada, the United States, England, the Caribbean, and French Guiana. Sebastian Demrey also continues to compose solo work, notably the album Petite Merveille.
Where should you start with Sebastian Demrey?
To step into his world, start with "Minuit, Chrétiens," the French adaptation of the famous Christmas carol that the duo turned into a lyric video: a good entry point into the Heritage project's repertoire. You can then listen to "En Jésus seul," recorded as a home session, before discovering "Bientôt très bientôt," a classic of North American worship recorded live in Monswiller.
songs
Minuit, Chrétiens
French adaptation of the Christmas carol O Holy Night, released as a lyric video as part of the Heritage project.
En Jésus seul
home session recording of the hymn In Christ Alone, one of the foundational texts of the faith that the duo chose to revisit.
Bientôt très bientôt
live recording in Monswiller of this worship classic, translated and performed with Jimmy Lahaie.
Discography
- 2016Héritage, cantiques de Noël· installment devoted to the Christmas repertoire, in duo with Jimmy Lahaie.
- 2013Héritage, cantiques et hymnes vol. 3
- 2011Héritage, cantiques et hymnes vol. 1 et vol. 2· the first two volumes of the project led with Jimmy Lahaie, released the same year.
- 2011Be the change, live à Montréal
- 2007Maxi francophone
- 2006Searching· first solo album, sung in English, awarded a Covenant Award and an Independent Music Award.
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sebastian Demrey?
Sebastian Demrey is a Christian singer and musician from Quebec, trained at the St Laurent College of Music in Montreal. After a career as a musical director and producer, he released his first solo album in 2006, then created the Heritage project with Jimmy Lahaie, which revisits the great hymns and carols of the Christian faith.
What is Sebastian Demrey's best-known song?
It's the whole repertoire of the Heritage project, led with Jimmy Lahaie, that made Sebastian Demrey known: adaptations of historic carols like "Minuit, Chrétiens" or more recent hymns like "En Jésus seul," reinterpreted with a contemporary pop rock sound.
Who is Jimmy Lahaie?
Jimmy Lahaie is the guitarist with whom Sebastian Demrey founded the Heritage project in the early 2010s. Together, they have released seven albums, including four volumes of Heritage cantiques et hymnes, a Christmas edition, and a live DVD, touring in about ten countries.
Where can you listen to Sebastian Demrey?
His official YouTube channel brings together most of his solo repertoire and the Heritage project with Jimmy Lahaie. His catalog is also available on TopChrétien, on the usual streaming platforms, and on his official website.
Is Sebastian Demrey a Christian?
Yes: the son of a church music director, Sebastian Demrey got involved in his community's worship ministry as a teenager, before becoming a musical director and then a singer for other gospel artists, and finally building his own solo career and his duo with Jimmy Lahaie.
Where is Sebastian Demrey from?
Sebastian Demrey is from Quebec, Canada, where he trained at the St Laurent College of Music in Montreal. He still lives there with his wife and three children, while pursuing an international career with the Heritage project.