Michael Breen is the former stage name of Michel Pépin (born 1960 in Nicolet, Quebec) a Canadian pop and rock singer and session musician.[1] Although he released only one album as a solo artist, he had a hit single with "Rain" in 1987 and received a Juno Award nomination for Most Promising Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1989.[2]
Pépin first moved to Montreal at age 17 to pursue work in the music industry.[1] He released one album with the band Concert in 1982.[3] Although a francophone, he was more interested in pursuing stardom in the much larger English-language market than in limiting himself to the French language music scene in Quebec, and worked with Bill Sweetman and Geoff Hughes to write and record English language songs.[3] Their first collaboration, "Face to Face", was a finalist in the 1985 National Talent Search sponsored by Music Express and MuchMusic.[3]
He signed to Alert Records, and under the stage name Michael Breen he released a self-titled album on the label in 1987.[3] Two singles, "Rain" and "How Will I Know", were released from the album.[4] "Rain", which was written by Sass Jordan,[5] was a Top 40 hit in RPM, peaking at No. 33 the week of November 21, 1987,[6] but the album was only a modest seller, peaking at No. 91 in the week of November 7.[7]
His video for "Rain" garnered a Prix Félix nomination for Best Video in 1988,[8] and he was nominated for Most Promising Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards in 1989.[2]
Pépin never released another album as a solo artist, although he continued in the music business as a session guitarist for artists such as Luba,[9] Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Sarah McLachlan, Martha Wainwright, Emmylou Harris and Jean Leloup.[10]