Background
Régine Alexandra Chassagne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and grew up in Street-Lambert, a suburb south of Montreal.
Régine Alexandra Chassagne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and grew up in Street-Lambert, a suburb south of Montreal.
McGill University.
Her parents, who were of Haitian origin, emigrated from Haiti during the dictatorship of François Duvalier, which is alluded to in the Arcade Fire song "Haiti", in which she sings, Mes cousins jamais nés hantent les nuits de Duvalier ("My unborn cousins haunt Duvalier"s nights"). The line is in reference to the relatives who were killed during the Jérémie Vespers massacre. Chassagne attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf before earning a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies at Concordia University in 1998, and went on to study jazz voice briefly at McGill University.
She was singing jazz at an art opening at Concordia in 2000 when Win Butler met her and persuaded her to join his band.
Chassagne has also been involved with a medieval band called Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore, and a jazz band, Azúcar. She also wrote the music for the two-minute David Uloth sketch "The Shine", and contributed to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund benefit project as part of the North American Hallowe"en Prevention Initiative, performing the song "Do They Know lieutenant"s Hallowe"en?" along with Win Butler.
She plays many instruments on stage, including accordion, drums, xylophone, hurdy-gurdy, keyboards and organization In Arcade Fire, Chassagne performs lead vocals on some songs, including "Haiti", "In the Backseat", "Empty Room", and "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)".
In March 2015, Chassagne, along with husband and Arcade Fire band mate Win Butler, attended the launch of music streaming service Tidal, and revealed themselves, along with other notable artists, as shareholders in the company.