Born in Drummondville, Québec, Canada in 1983, Karine Vanasse is the daughter of council worker Conrad Vanasse and Renée Gamache, now her manager. From as young as 9 years old, Karina Vanasse expressed her desire to become a singer or an actress one day. That desire became an ambition when she appeared in Quebec's teen show "Club des 100 watts" after winning a "lip sync competition". It was then, with the help of her mother Gamache and TV show host France Beaudoin, that she begun to audition and take part in TV commercials as well as playing minor and supporting roles in French-Canadian TV movies.