A little ditty about Keith and Renee

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/04/2010 (5649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Renee Lamoureux met Keith MacPherson at a church that she was singing at, she thought that he was there to pick her up.
 After her song, Macpherson proceeded to pick up a guitar and started to play it.

“I thought, ‘Who does this guy think he is? What a show off,’” laughs Lamoureux, 33, who grew up in Ile des Chenes.
Macpherson, 31, was invited by Lamoureux’s cousin and thought their voices would sound great together. The cousin was right.
And 13 years later, the duo known as Keith and Renee, are about to release their fourth album entitled Detours at the West End Cultural Centre on May 8.
Macpherson says they went from that initial meeting in the church to practicing in his parent’s kitchen. Both knew early on that they had something unique.

“That’s something that’s been really consistent throughout our career is that no one else can harmonize and sing with me like Renee,” says Macpherson, who lives in River Heights.

The road for the duo has taken them to some unexpected stops along the way, including at stint for Macpherson on Canadian Idol in 2006.

Originally it was Lamoureux that was trying out, but she says she got cut within a few minutes of her initial performance while Macpherson kept advancing to the next level.

“At first I went into the experience with a very light-hearted attitude, like it was summer camp, but as the show progressed I began to see how powerful music is in communication,” Macpherson says.

He eventually got cut after reaching the Top 10, but that experienced carried over when the duo spent the past two summers performing in Africa on behalf of Free the Children.

Free the Children is a humanitarian organization that empowers children in North America to improve the lives of children overseas.
Lamoureux says they traveled to Kenya to play music and help build schools and saw firsthand the joy that music can bring to people.

Macpherson says that experience has heavily influenced not only their songwriting, but their lives as well.

“After doing that trip, it really became clear to us that everybody has a responsibility to make a positive change in the world,” Macpherson said.

Upon returning, they have toured more than 160 schools across Canada spreading the message of Free the Children, and will be heading out again this fall.

And while Macpherson didn’t show up at the church looking for a date, the pair did eventually become romantically involved, although that’s no longer the case.

“So many times people want to put a definition on what things are, and in this situation it’s really hard to do that,” Macpherson said.
“In a lot of ways Renee is my best friend and soul mate, but in other ways it doesn’t totally work romantically. So I’ve come to the conclusion that you love the things you love for what they are, not for what you want them to be.”

The Detours CD release party will take place May 8 at the West End Cultural Centre at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance at the WECC, or $20 and available at Ticketmaster and the door.

For more information visit www.keithandrenee.com.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com