Beast was a Canadian electronic music duo based in Montreal, Quebec, active from 2006 to 2010. The group consisted of vocalist and lyricist Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi and composer, percussionist, and producer Jean-Philippe "Jean-Phi" Goncalves.
Background and Formation
Both Bonifassi and Goncalves were originally from France and had been active in the Montreal music scene for approximately two decades before collaborating. Bonifassi had previously worked with musicians such as François D'Amours, Champion, and Deweare. Goncalves, a percussionist and record producer, had produced albums for Quebec artists including Pierre Lapointe, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Ariane Moffatt, and Daniel Bélanger, as well as American recording artist Lauryn Hill. He also played percussion for the singer Dumas and for Montreal bands Afrodizz and Plaster.
The duo first worked together in 2006 on a project for the video game company Ubisoft. Their sound was described as "an experimental hip hop project filled with psychedelic trip hop-style electronica, aggressive guitars and loud drum beats," or, as Bonifassi described it, "trip rock."
Career
Beast's first performance took place on March 1, 2008, at the after-party for the Montreal International Music Initiative (MIMI) Awards. They performed at the 2008 NXNE festival in Toronto, where the Canadian news magazine Chart gave them "highest marks." In late 2008, the duo toured with the British Columbia dance-punk band You Say Party! We Say Die!
Their self-titled debut album, Beast, was released internationally on iTunes on November 4, 2008, with a physical release in Canada on November 18, 2008, on the label Pheromone Recordings. The first single, "Mr. Hurricane," was offered as a free Single of the Week on iTunes in six markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. Bonifassi's vocal style on the album leaned toward rap and spoken-word. Canadian singer-songwriter Simon Wilcox assisted Bonifassi, whose native language is French, with the English lyrics.
In 2010, the music video for "Mr. Hurricane" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Video, but lost to The Black Eyed Peas.
The song "Satan" was used in the closing credits of an episode of the HBO series Hung (2010), and "Mr. Hurricane" was used in the closing credits of the The Good Wife episode "In Sickness" (2011). "Satan" was also used in two episodes of The Good Wife in 2013.
Dissolution
At the end of 2010, Bonifassi and Goncalves announced an indefinite hiatus from the Beast project. Goncalves stated that the split was not due to a quarrel but resulted from lagging album sales, frustration with the record industry, the effects of touring, and family commitments. Goncalves returned to the band Plaster. In 2011, Bonifassi performed at the Festival Montréal en lumière and at the Les FrancoFolies de Montréal music festival.
Discography
- Beast (2008) — self-titled debut album. Peaked at number 25 on the Canadian Albums Chart. Certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in January 2011.
Singles
- "Mr. Hurricane" (2008)
- "Out of Control" (2008)
Members
- Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi — vocals, lyrics
- Jean-Philippe "Jean-Phi" Goncalves — composition, production, instruments
