Jonathan Piuze-Roy is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. Son of hockey great Patrick Roy, he initially pursued hockey in junior leagues, but abandoned that path in favour of music while still a teenager. Having previously released three albums, his major-label debut, Mr. Optimist Blues, was released in 2017, and includes several songs written by 1980s pop star Corey Hart.
Early life
Roy's father is famed Montreal Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy. He moved with his family from Montreal to Colorado when he was six years old, due to his father being traded. Roy was influenced by his mother's frequent piano playing for the family as he was growing up. He wrote poetry from the age of 13 or 14, and began putting his poems to music around age 16. At age 17, Roy played hockey for the Quebec Remparts, with his father coaching the team at the time. Although he enjoyed goaltending, he dreamed of a music career, and was listening to the Backstreet Boys, John Mayer, and Ray LaMontagne. At 18, when his father told him that his future would not be in hockey and that he needed to plan an education, Roy told his father that he wanted to be a musician and songwriter. In 2009 Roy was charged with assault following an incident during a hockey brawl where he skated the length of the ice and attacked the opposing goaltender, punching him several times.
Music career
Roy's album What I've Become came out in 2009. His second album, Found My Way, came out in 2010. He released his French-language debut album, La route, in 2011. The title track, a duet with Natasha St-Pier, received the most attention. Roy had a critically acclaimed role in the 2012 revival of the musical Don Juan. In 2012, his father helped him set up a meeting with 1980s pop singer Corey Hart, who runs Siena Records, an affiliate of Warner Music. Hart offered to sign him to his label after Roy performed a Teddy Thompson song for him at Hart's home in Nassau, Bahamas. Roy and Hart had a hit holiday release in 2016 when they duetted on the Chris Rea song "Driving Home for Christmas". In 2017, Roy released the albumMr. Optimist Blues on Siena Records, Corey Hart's music label. Hart executive-produced the album, and wrote three of the album's songs. The Montreal Gazette's music critic characterizes the style as "easygoing 21st-century pop with a little light reggae thrown in for good measure. Think Ed Sheeran meets Paolo Nutini and then slap on Bob Marley’s greatest hits." Roy is based in Toronto.
