Bobby Bazini

When you listen to Bobby Bazini's voice, it's difficult to picture how old he is. You definitely don't guess that he's only 20 years old.

But yes, that voice that is both sexy and rough around the edges (think Rod Stewart) belongs to a cute and slightly gangly kid from the small town of Mont-Laurier in the upper Laurentian mountains of Quebec. Bazini is miles away from that now, both literally and figuratively, as he has shot to stardom in Quebec, France and now English Canada on the strength of his debut album, Better in Time. The record has topped the English charts in Quebec for over seven weeks. 

Bazini comes from a musical family - his father taught him guitar and his grandfather plays harmonica and guitar. Music was always a part of family life, Bazini said. After his family moved to Montreal, Bazini's parents seperated and Bazini decided to return to Mont-Laurier and stay with his grandmother. Following her encouragement, Bazini further developed his musical talent, drawing from influences like Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and Jim Morrison.

Bazini was playing his guitar outside a local music festival when a man approached him with the offer to accompany him on drums. The drummer ended up being a local radio DJ and Bazini was soon put in touch with a label. He was 18.

After his first single, "I Wonder", was released in fall 2009, Bazini rushed to finish the record.

"I had to write fast. It was a little stressful, writing the album," Bazini said. "I used a lot of my influences. Blues, folk, soul. One of the first things I said when I got into the studio was that I wanted to use real instruments."

I had the opportunity to watch Bazini perform in the basement of CBC Vancouver last week and he is absolutely magnetic live. It's rare that an artist is able to perfectly emulate a recorded version but Bazini was right on, not once but twice performing "Better in Time" for the CBC recording. Ever the humble artist, Bazini looked almost a little uncomfortable when the producer asked him to play it a second time.

"I hope I can do it again," he laughed.

Despite his worldy lyrics, in person Bazini expresses gratitude at the travels and experiences his success has given him. His publicist relates a story of Bazini practising presenting Neil Young's Juno with her the night before the awards ceremony (they guessed he would be the winner).

"[Before] I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life," Bazini said. "Like a lot of kids I was looking too far. It was inside."

While touring for the next few months, Bazini is busy writing songs for his sophomore album due out next year.

"The next album is all about the road," he said. "The good times and the bad times."

Be sure to check out videos and tour dates below.

Tour Dates (all cities in Quebec):

Oct 12 - Ville Marie, QB
Oct 13 - La Sarre
Oct 14 - Rouyn
Oct 15 - Val d'Or
Oct 16 - Amos
Oct 18 - Matagami
Oct 19 - Quevillon
Oct 21 - Joilette
Oct 22 - Laval
Oct 29 - Victoriaville
Nov 4 - Valleyfield
Nov 5 - Quebec City
Nov 8 - Terrebonne
Nov 9 - Drummond
Nov 12 - Magog
Nov 19 - St. Hubert