Coeur de pirate, Juno nominee, turns her focus on English audiences

There are many big names nominated for a Juno award this year, butBatrice Martin may be the most famous one you've never heard of.

Martin, known by her stage name Cur de pirate, is a sensation in France and her native Qubecwith sales of more than a million records.

An indiemusic ingenue who sports both a sweet, doll-like face and tattoos snaking up her arms, Martin has been a music sensation since the age of 18.

Now, at 26, she's making inroads into English speaking audiences.She's up for a Juno award for songwriter of the year for her latest album Roses,for which she has penned songs in both French and English.

"It's given me a different window. I can play shows in Saskatoon now. I couldn't do that before," she told The CBC's Wendy Mesley. "I feel very grateful."

Martin traces her success back to her mother, who introduced her to music lessons and ultimately sent her to Montreal's Conservatoire de musique du Qubec at the age of nine. She thought it would curb her daughter's short attention span.

"I think that was her way of telling me, 'You need to learn how to concentrate and channel whatever you have inside of you. Not to lash out and not do anything stupid,'" Martin said.

"I'm glad she introduced me to that. Because later on, when I had something deep and something to talk about, I could actually express it in music. It really helped me."

Catharsis, motherhood influenced work

Catharsis does indeed seem to play a central role in Martin's songwriting. Rosessifts through the debris of a previous relationship.

"I was so wrecked from a previous relationship, I had dedicated a whole album to one person," she said.

Martin's perspective is different now. She's married. She's a mother. Famous for her melancholy lyrics, motherhood has changed her music.

"I want to write songs that will inspire her," Martin said of her three-year-old daughter."I like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now."

You can watch the full interview with Coeur de pirate by watching Friday's The National or by clicking on the link above.