gelineau described her childhood as unconventional following her parents divorce at a young age which saw her absorb herself with 60s and 70s music, and decide in high school that she wanted to work in the music industry. in 1976 she joined carleton university's newly established campus radio station ckcu-fm in ottawa, ontario, where she served as a radio host and guided the station's development while also dj'ing in local clubs. in 1989 gelineau was recruited by the cbc's flagship program for alternative music, brave new waves, facilitating a move to montreal where she also worked as the station manager at mcgill university's ckut-fm in the early 90s.