Sébastien De Francesco Finds Love in a Final Goodbye on Tender Alt-Folk Single “Leaving Now”

Following “Fleury Street” and “Love on the Way Down,” Québec-based singer-songwriter Sébastien De Francesco shares “Leaving Now,” an intimate and bittersweet folk-rock single that imagines the final moments between two close friends from the perspective of the person preparing to leave. Moving between companionship, reassurance and acceptance, the song finds tenderness within loss while holding onto the belief that love and connection continue after someone is gone.

Inspired by the final afternoon Sébastien spent with a close friend who was dying of cancer, “Leaving Now” gradually became an imagined conversation between the two. Some lines are voiced from his friend’s perspective, asking for companionship as his memory and strength begin to fade, while others capture Sébastien’s instinct to comfort and protect him.

“The shifting point of view makes the song feel like an intimate conversation between two friends rather than simply a song about grief,” Sébastien shares.

The song’s title arrives only at its conclusion. Sébastien spent nearly an entire day working on the ending, knowing the conversation needed to reach its final goodbye without becoming overly dramatic. Eventually, the words “But I’m leaving now” emerged, as though his friend were gently acknowledging that it was time to go.

“‘Leaving Now’ expresses the immediacy of that goodbye, but the song also suggests that love and connection remain after someone leaves,” Sébastien explains.

Working once again alongside producer and multi-instrumentalist Lauren Bélec, Sébastien shaped the arrangement to mirror that emotional journey. The track begins restrained and conversational before gradually introducing additional layers and dynamics, allowing the music to expand alongside the weight of the exchange without overpowering its intimacy.

During the guitar solo preceding the song’s grand finale, Lili-Ann De Francesco contributes angelic background vocals that give the passage an almost otherworldly quality, as though the song is briefly moving beyond the physical world. From there, the “Can’t you see / Love is the key to it all” section opens into something wider and more uplifting before the arrangement falls away around the repeated words “Leaving now.”

That rise and release gives the song its emotional arc, moving from a private conversation into a larger expression of enduring love before returning to the simplicity of goodbye. Throughout, the vocal remains deliberately vulnerable and conversational, with Sébastien and Lauren favouring emotional honesty over an overly polished performance.

I just want the world to hold your hand

When your toughest soldiers have given land

Throughout his career spanning over three decades, Sébastien De Francesco’s music has accumulated more than one million streams, earned nominations from organizations including ADISQ and the Culture Country Gala, and led to collaborations across both the music and audiovisual worlds. He’s played over 4,500 performances across Québec, Canada, and internationally, building a reputation for heartfelt songwriting, memorable live shows, and an authentic connection with audiences.

Beyond his work as a recording artist, Sébastien remains committed to sharing the transformative power of music with others. Since 2023, he has taught music at Portage’s adolescent program in Prévost, Québec, helping young people discover their creativity through songwriting, recording, performance, and artistic expression.

“Leaving Now” is the third single from his upcoming nine-song album, The Main Attraction, set for release in March 2027. Inspired entirely by the final afternoon Sébastien spent with his close friend, the project explores friendship, mortality, humour, resilience, gratitude, memory, and legacy through different moments and emotional perspectives.

Within that larger story, “Leaving Now” represents the moment of goodbye. It brings the album’s recurring ideas of mortality and connection into one of its most emotionally direct moments, acknowledging that while someone may leave physically, the love shared between two people does not disappear with them.

The Main Attraction’s release show will take place on March 30, 2027 at Le Ministère in Montreal, with additional performances planned for Toronto and Sébastien’s local community. Fans can look forward to celebrating the release alongside special performances and a memorable night of music. Further details will be announced soon.