Estelle Grignon

How long have you been involved with CHOQ and how did you first hear about the station?

I’ve been a musical director since June 2021, but my involvement at the station dates back to early 2016, when I started my show Ma tasse de thé (literally “My Cup of Tea”) about British music. I ended up doing over 100 episodes before taking a job as a Summer reporter for the station in 2019, and came back once the MD job opened.

What advice can you offer other MDs regarding the ways you get your DJs to play the new music the station receives from labels and promoters?

We make it easily available to them: our charts are easy to find on our website, and we provide a detailed Google Sheets document that makes it easy to track the many albums we have. This being said, the best tool is probably our constantly updated playlist, where they can easily scroll through to find what they want. We are also on our way to creating a music committee to involve our DJs more in the music that makes it. We do require most shows to play a minimum of 51% of albums from our charts unless the show in question is about a specific type of music.

Tell us about the duties of your job and what part of it you love the most.

On top of listening to music and entering albums into the system, I see shows and travel to music festivals, which is my favourite part. I am a very, very outgoing person, so going out and meeting people, meeting the labels and sitting down with the artists is what makes me the happiest.

What is your favorite album released in the last year? Is there a 2022 release on the horizon you are still eagerly awaiting?

I’ve been listening non-stop to the latest Party Dozen, The Real Work. It’s a sort of noise-punk-post-saxophone record that is absolutely exhilarating. On the francophone side of town, I’m excited for the new dream pop offering from Thaïs, coming out on October 7th. Though the album was preceded by two EPs, meaning that most of it have already been released.

Do you have a favorite artist or album you never get tired of listening to?

Charli XCX and Sleater-Kinney are my main faves and have been for years. Laurence-Anne is another artist, from Montreal, who I can never get tired of.

Which artist/band has put on the best live show you’ve ever seen? Have you attended a live show recently now that tours are happening? If so, how was it?

I’ve been really lucky in that I have managed to see a lot of shows since the beginning of 2021, even if covid mandates were extremely restrictive in Quebec. This included pretty much only local artists, though. From that time, Backxwash comes to mind first. She’s such a sweetheart in person, but on stage, when she screams about meeting the devil in a moshpit or whatnot, it’s hard to believe. I also saw Yves Tumor this Spring, and it was absolutely outstanding.

Who is an artist or band totally outside the realm of the music you play on CHOQ that people might be surprised to know you love?

I don’t believe in guilty pleasures: I don’t feel guilty about listening to anything. I guess the people who knew my from high school would be surprised to see me walk around in a Dua Lipa t-shirt, and the people seeing my with the Dua Lipa t-shirt might be surprised to know I never quite got out of my punk and emo phase.

If you had the power to instantly change one thing going on in the world at the moment, what would it be?

I’d make playing Christmas music in public illegal. Have some mercy on the poor overwhelmed retail workers forced to hear twelve lazy versions of Winter Wonderland every day.

What event or person in your life would you say has shaped you the most as a person?

Laura Jane Grace, singer of Against Me!, coming out as trans in 2012. It was the ground zero for my questioning and understanding of my gender: I myself started my transition over four years ago. I also did see her live a few weeks ago and it felt like a victory lap for my gender euphoria.

If you could choose, what time period in the past would you most want to travel back to visit and why?

As a trans woman, none. Let me see the future instead.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in town (dine-in or take out) that you recommend people try?

It can sometimes be a little hit or miss, but a great greasy slice of pizza from Pizza Piroz after a night out is hard to beat.

What in your life brings you the most joy?

To this day, it’s still Animal Crossing New Horizons.

Lightning Round:

Dog or Cat?  Frogs.
Morning Person or Night Owl?  Night Owl, mornings make me physically sick.
City or Country?  City, probably because I don’t own a car.
Beach or Mountains?  Beach.
Watch TV or Read A Book?  Watch YouTube videos that talk about TV.
Sunny or Rainy?  Sunny.
Restaurant or Home Cooking?  Restaurant: I left my parents’ nest twelve years ago and still can’t cook to save my life.
Pants or Shorts?  Skirts.
Warm or Cold drinks?  Cold drinks.

Do you have any current favorite TV shows you’re enjoying/binging? How about a movie (new or old) that you’ve watched recently that you would recommend?

I’m still obsessed with The Rehearsal, the new HBO show by Nathan Fielder. I watched all six episodes in one sitting and can’t stop thinking about it. Honestly, if you haven’t watched it, I recommend you only slightly read about his previous show, Nathan For You, and then dive in completely blind.

Finally, with holidays upon us (Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, New Years) what is your favorite part about this time of year?

As weird as it may sound, I have a deep, deep love with year-end lists in music. To me, November and December are year-end lists season more than anything else. I read every single one I can find and work on my own through all of my free time, every year, adding in the discoveries I make from other lists. I’m also very excited to start working on CHOQ’s annual countdown in the coming months!