In recent years, F1 stars such as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have dipped their toes into the music industry. However, one former world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, went a step further, releasing a soft rock album after calling time on his F1 career.
Villeneuve enjoyed a glittering racing career, winning the CART (now IndyCar) championship in 1995 before transitioning to F1 in 1996 with instant success. The Canadian star finished second in his debut season with Williams and followed that up by winning the Drivers’ Championship crown in 1997.
Unfortunately for Villeneuve, his F1 career never reached those heights again. In the nine seasons that followed his 1997 triumph, he failed to finish higher than fifth in the drivers’ standings and didn’t score a single point in 1999, kicking off the campaign with a remarkable 11 successive retirements.
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After calling time on his F1 career, Villeneuve made an unusual foray into music production. In 2007, the 53-year-old released an acoustic rock album with songs in both French and English titled ‘Private Paradise’.
Unfortunately for Villeneuve, the 13-song project did not debut to any critical acclaim. It sold just over 800 copies in North America and debuted 49th on the Quebec pop charts. Nearly two decades later, listening to the album is an almost impossible task.
While ‘Private Paradise’ was released on Spotify, it has since been removed. The tracks are listed under Villeneuve’s name, but there is no mechanism to play them. Finding a digital download copy is equally as tricky, meaning the physical copies of the album are all that remain.
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Villeneuve disputed some of the criticism levelled against his debut project. Responding to claims about a lack of vocal range, he told The Globe and Mail: "It's true I don't have the best voice out there. I'm not a masculine Celine Dion. But it's not a make-you-puke-because-it's-so-out-of-tune voice."
The former Williams man believed that the pressures of his motorsport career would help him perform his new tracks. "When I started, I already had a name in racing, even though I'd never driven,” he explained.
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“Instead of spending two years racing in the back where nobody knew me, in my first race, people expected me to win. I had to learn very, very fast. The negativity was very strong. I think it will be a help. I'm used to that kind of pressure."
Nowadays, Villeneuve has moved past his musical exploits. The former world champion is a pundit for Sky Sports F1 and even landed himself in a verbal spat with Daniel Ricciardo last season after criticising the former Racing Bulls star at the Canadian Grand Prix.