Post by davidhr on May 23, 2017 8:11:06 GMT -5
The destructive, constructive, and 'in progress’ were on display last week in Lara’s world and the wider world, highlighting the worst and best of mankind, unfortunately. The bombing yesterday in Manchester, England at the Ariana Grande concert has particular ramifications for all performers, Lara included. Lara posted the following on her Twitter site (https://twitter.com/search?q=Lara%20Fabian%20Official&src=typd):
“My prayers are with all the families affected in Manchester and with @arianagrande”
No one is safe from such acts, of course, but Lara, who gives concerts all over the world, and whose events have occasionally followed or been followed by terrorist bombings (coincidentally) might feel especially vulnerable. But what choice does one have – to give in and ‘stay home’? Obviously, for her being in Belgium, that is no guarantee either. Lara has often said that music is the great unifier, making this latest occurrence seem tragically ironic. Our prayers too go out to the victims and to all others who are shaken by yet another example of man’s inhumanity to man.
On the more constructive side, though still far from settled, consider Lara’s other statement, related to man’s ability to grow and accept differences in others. Lara put on her FB site the following:
“As the "Pride Season" kicked off, with a beautiful gathering of the LGBT community of Brussels last Saturday, let us not forget that the fight for EQUALITY and RESPECT is , everywhere in the world, unfortunately far from over. www.gaypridecalendar.com”
She accompanied this with two pictures – one of a rainbow flag,
external-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCqo1lVbJ2rhBCv&w=300&h=300&url=fbstaging%3A%2F%2Fgraph.facebook.com%2Fstaging_resources%2FMDExNTc4ODgwNjcyMTUzNDI0OjQyNDc5ODM2NQ%3D%3D&cfs=1&_nc_hash=AQAu0TTLBcr_pht0
and the other, the ‘imaginary couples’ photo of herself with Eva Longoria, that can be seen at
www.etonline.com/photo/2016/01/24209772/eva_longoria_1280.jpg
as well as the link to the official video of “Deux ils, deux elles”,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvNNXs0q7h4
Seeing all the places listed in the gay pride calendar where marches are being held, one can’t fail to be impressed by the great numbers of people who are standing up for equality and respect - and who still feel that they have to.
And then there was the purely constructive side, in every sense of the word. It was noted last week that Lara was involved with several charity auctions for the benefit of the ‘Papillon Fondation’, which builds domiciles for orphans in Belgium. The auction of a dinner with Lara was already evident on the auction site (https://www.troostwijkauctions.com/uk/search/?s=Lara%20Fabian); Lara’s people recently indicate that there are still places available. The other auction, of Lara’s concert outfits, was not previously obvious but it is now, at:
www.troostwijkauctions.com/uk/garde-robe-lara-fabian/01-24678/
It is to be decided on June 10th, with bidding starting on Wednesday, May 25th. There are 73 such outfits available! This is a major donation on Lara’s part, and she is to be greatly acclaimed for a gift of this size. The various apparel are shown in a schematic, but it looks like most fans will recognize them, and in some cases the associated concert or tour is indicated. Lara will have plenty of room in her closet after this is over!
The ‘Lara Fabian – PHQ’ FB site had a photo of an article concerning Lara’s contribution to this organization (https://www.facebook.com/larafabianphq/photos/a.353954938084519.1073741828.353946178085395/1141114616035210/?type=3&theater). Here is the translation:
---------------------------------------------------------
The Cocoon takes shape. Opening Scheduled in 2018
Started in December last year, the Cocoon grows well ... From the top of the second floor, one can now look down over the edge. "The happiness of some makes ... the happiness of others" sums up Denis Fontaine, he who, through the Fondation Papillon, raised the troops so that this beginning lodging dedicated to the children of failing parents sees the light of day.
In Montigny-l-Tilleul, Rossignols Street, in a setting made available by ITSPCC, the building takes shape. "We're on schedule, and if we keep up the pace, the construction will be completed by early next year ..." rejoices Denis Fontaine. The Cocoon will then be ready to welcome around forty girls and boys ages 6 to 18.
To get there, the Papillon Foundation has succeeded in convincing, mobilizing and probably the most difficult, raising funds to materialize this project. For this team that, for 5 years, working hard enthusiastically, the "happy end" is almost palpable.
Admittedly, there are still 100,000 euros to go on a global budget of 2.2 million euros excluding VAT. But everyone's motivation is unwavering. As a sponsor of the Papillon Foundation, singer Lara Fabian agreed at the beginning of the adventure to put her notoriety at the service of the children that life has not pampered.
On several occasions she has already given voice to this generous cause. This time, she invites her fans to her table for an exclusive dinner organized on Saturday June 10th at the Hotel de la Poste (Tour & Taxis room). In the past few days, some 200 seats have been auctioned on www.troostwijkauctions.com. The most generous will gain the right to take the table of the singer ...
You are not free that day? Lara Fabian reserves another point of attention: she puts on public sale part of her wardrobe. There are 80 gala outfits that will go to the highest bidder. Here too, the auctions have been open for a few days on the same site of Troostwijkauctions ... And it is hoped that the amateurs will not look at the expense.
The story continues
"They were probably few in number who believed in it at the beginning of this rather crazy project. And yet, today we are almost there," rejoices Denis Fontaine. "As Henry Jackson said so well, facing the rock, power still prevails, not by force but by perseverance."
The first pavilion is not yet finished, that already Foundation Papillon envisages the continuation. It would take the form of a second building, which would bring together siblings on the same site.
Therefore keep watching, as they say in the best soap operas.
---------------------------------------------------------
The contrast among these three topics shows the state of mankind today…where we fail, where we’re trying, and where we succeed. Let us not be defined by the result, but by the effort…
And, in the spirit of music actually being a great unifier, let’s return to that. Lara added three more venues to the event section of her FB site – Paris, in June 2018, and two in Romania in late March. One expects such announcements to be continually trickling in for, perhaps, the remainder of this year, depending upon how deep in 2018 concerts are planned. Note that tickets are apparently not yet available for ordering for the show in Paris, or in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at least not on that site; the concerts are many months away.
It may well be that this is Lara’s sole appearance in Paris for the new album, and possibly even France; if so, she’s chosen one of the largest venues, the Zenith seating some 6000 people. Lara hasn’t been back there is over 7 years. If indeed the album will not be presented anywhere else in France, one wonders whether an additional night could not be added if the demand is great (although this is pure speculation). Sala Polivalentă (Polyvalent Hall) in Cluj-Napoca can also seat some 6,000 for concerts. And the Sala Palatului (Palace Hall) in Bucharest can seat 4,000, so Lara is certainly ‘swinging big’ in these (perhaps) once-only concert settings for an English language album.
The Lara Fabian web site had a link to an article about Lara’s new album and tour at
(http://www.poleculture.net/news/lara-fabian-repart-a-la-conquete-internationale-avec-camouflage-15595.html); here’s the translation:
------------------------------------------------
Lara Fabian returns to the international conquest with "Camouflage"
JULIEN PIRAUD
16/05/2017 At 12:06
Recorded between Sweden and Los Angeles, the new album of the Belgian singer Lara Fabian will be in the language of Shakespeare. "Camouflage", it will allow the singer to start on a great world tour, which will pass by the Zenith of Paris on June 16, 2018. Before even discovering the content, fans of the first hour remain skeptical about the name of the project .. .
What a funny name for a new album! The singer revives talk about her and has indeed confirmed her great comeback for the fall 2017 season, with a new album in English. It will be the fourth English album of the artist, after the album éponyme released in 2009 [sic 1999] carried by "Adagio" or "I will love again", the album ‘A Wonderful Life’ passed unnoticed in 2004 and the very confidential ‘Every Woman in Me’ released in 2009 and reserved for her fans. Not to mention the multi-lingual album ‘Mademoiselle Zhivago’ released in 2010 exclusively in the countries of the East. Since her debut, Lara Fabian has never hidden her ambition to conquer a large audience so as to share her music around the world. Often criticized for this ambition displayed, the singer has since managed to make a place in the extra-national landscape. Many countries will welcome moreover her "Camouflage World Tour", already composed of about thirty dates across the globe.
Citizen of the world, Lara Fabian is influenced first by her Belgian and Sicilian roots. She sings in all languages and her repertory already counts many songs in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian ... this time it is the international market that she aims at with an album of which we do not know much . Although the name of the album was recently revealed, accompanied by promotional visuals leaving somewhat to be desired, the singer appears very discreet about the content of her new project. A handful of carefully selected fans had the first opportunity to discover the album at the beginning of May in Los Angeles, and others will soon discover it in Belgium. The first leaks speak of an album in the continuity of its precedents, without real risk taking, for a non-radio album. The singer confirms her wish to sing first and foremost in as many countries as possible, and to concentrate above all on the stage. The album will therefore be a pretext to find her fans and offer them new songs, without real ambition of numbers or sales targets. It remains to be seen if this project will live up to expectations, the precedents having all been of quality, unlike the singer's French-language albums, sometimes missed and roughly mistreated by most media. With ‘Camouflage’, Lara gets back out there, we hope that she can conquer more territory, and continue her beautiful love affair with her audience. Next meeting with the French public set for June 16, 2018 with a sole date at the Zenith of Paris. Opening of the ticket office in a few days.
In parallel, the artist took advantage of her visit to Los Angeles to record in the studio the unreleased song "Remember me", written and composed by Randy Kerber and Glen Ballard, which will be the original song of the short film "Cello" soon unveiled. A news loaded therefore for an artist constantly led to participate in different projects throughout the world!
----------------------------------------------------
Julien Piraud is one of the most knowledgeable people concerning Lara’s work; he has followed her career for many years, and once had a fan site that was a wonderful source of information, so anything he writes should be taken seriously. Of course, that doesn’t mean he isn’t opinionated, and both the knowledge and his opinions are on display in this article. Of most interest is his comment that Lara’s people do not look for large sales from this album, that it is conservative in nature, and is basically an excuse for her to give concerts at various places around the world, which an English language album permits one to do. That’s an exaggeration of course, but it’s been documented that recording artists now make money primarily off tours as opposed to record sales (e.g., seatsmart.com/blog/concert-tickets-vs-album-sales/), so this is not a totally outlandish statement. As to whether Lara’s people expect the album to be successful in its own right, there have been a few comments people have heard from them indicating that they are downplaying expectations, that the intention for the album is not to produce ‘hits’, though I would imagine they hope for good sales regardless. Early indications are that we should therefore expect something closer to her second English album than the first. Nevertheless, ‘A Wonderful Life’ was a very good album without ‘hits’, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about the new work’s quality or potential popularity; every album Lara has put out has been a worthwhile affair, and one would expect that this one will be, too.
The other impression one gets from the article, that does match what we see happening, is that Lara is not making a concerted attempt to have this album be a hit in the U.S. or England, i.e., in English speaking countries; instead the focus will be on the international/world audience. There is no extensive tour in the U.S. analogous to the tours she puts on in France and Belgium for French language albums. Lara’s people can say that’s because promoters do not come to them with enough proposed venues, and that may well be true, but it’s a ‘Catch 22’ – unless she puts herself out there, no one will know to invite her. When Lara first started in Quebec, as she is fond of saying, she went around herself and booked performances – promoters didn’t come to her then either. Granted, her costs were much less than they are now, but, it would appear, less now is her desire to make a success of herself in English speaking countries. Obviously it is her choice to make, a choice for ‘breadth’ in the world, rather than ‘depth’ in the world’s biggest music market. There may also be some skepticism on their part that large-scale success in the States is even possible for her, so why not concentrate their efforts where they will be most likely rewarded?
And, one has to say, this is not a new occurrence. Even with her first English language album, we saw the same syndrome. From the Wikipedia article on that album, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lara_Fabian_(2000_album)):
------------------------------------------------------------
“Eagerly awaited in several cities throughout the world, Lara dealt with her growing popularity by frequently appearing abroad. Fans and critics questioned her promotional tactics, however, as she neglected the US market in favor of a European tour, where she had already solidified her popularity. In 2001, promotion of "Lara Fabian" slowed significantly and a third single was not released. Lara has been absent from the US music landscape since that time.”
-------------------------------------------------------------
As to Julian Piraud’s remark that “Camouflage” was a ‘funny name’ for an album: it was also the name of albums by Rufus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camouflage_(Rufus_album)) and by Rod Stewart (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camouflage_(Rod_Stewart_album)) (and probably others). It is interesting that he feels the English albums have all been quality productions; again, hopefully, this one will be too.
In other news, as of last Tuesday at least, Lara was still in Los Angeles; she posted the following picture on her official Twitter page, at
with the comment, “I love spring in L.A.”.
The ‘Larafabianweb’ FB site has been attempting to get an address for those who want to write a personal letter to Lara. They had provided an address for her at Warner France, but Lara’s team responded that there is no system in place to transfer mail between the record label and the artist. It was recommended that people use Lara’s FB site – but the larafabianweb site responded that there is no address listed there for people to send something to Lara either; perhaps they just meant put your comments on her FB site. We’ll see if this goes any further, and if they do get such an address for personal letters, we’ll mention it here. Some artists don’t want personal mail, others do, so no way of telling what will happen.
The LFIAG-Select site had a link to a long article in the Huffington Post, interestingly enough, on George Perris, in which he mentions Lara (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/591b88efe4b0da7850311bdf). Here’s the relevant part:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
HP: There are divine moments of serendipity, where a catalyst opens the door that leads to the path we’re meant to be on, which obviously you found, the one where we live out the fullest expression of our true selves, when we are most true to ourselves. What was that moment for you and how did it happen?
GP: I’m a firm believer in that. And there’s not one moment. I can tell you in my life there have been quite a few moments of people I met, things that happened, that either happened in order to protect me from something, or people came into my life to take me to another level or to teach me something. There have been many many moments like that. There have been moments of artists that I met that you probably don’t know here very well, like Mario Frangoulis is another Greek artist. Mario is a very dear friend of mine, or Lara Fabian, French speaking, a massive star in Europe, she’s also a very good friend of mine. When I met (my manager), it was one of those moments where it was a very defining moment, we found each other. So I can’t say there that there was one moment that changed the course of my life. Every few months something happens, and I go somewhere else. (laughs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
A video posted on youtube this past week from Lara’s ‘9 Productions’ portrayed some scenes concerning how the song ‘Ton desir’ came into being. It can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJnB1M86Ig
and shows Lara’s participation after being presented with this unique, open, sexy song.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: Lara changed the one for her website, with a beautiful picture that looks like it could be a painting, at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.201066899934815.46181.201065806601591/1578150118893146/?type=3&theater
and another older photo, from the Lara Fabian Mexico site,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianfromMexico/photos/a.556367684417296.1073741826.556364357750962/1335201786533878/?type=3
In the coming week we’ll see what else Lara’s people have ‘up their sleeves’ in terms of new dates, in particular one for the pre-release listening session to take place in Brussels, and possibly newly confirmed concert sites and ticket availability. Also the auctions will be proceeding, with the ‘dinner’ one ending. Positive activities; as the saying goes, “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”.
David
“My prayers are with all the families affected in Manchester and with @arianagrande”
No one is safe from such acts, of course, but Lara, who gives concerts all over the world, and whose events have occasionally followed or been followed by terrorist bombings (coincidentally) might feel especially vulnerable. But what choice does one have – to give in and ‘stay home’? Obviously, for her being in Belgium, that is no guarantee either. Lara has often said that music is the great unifier, making this latest occurrence seem tragically ironic. Our prayers too go out to the victims and to all others who are shaken by yet another example of man’s inhumanity to man.
On the more constructive side, though still far from settled, consider Lara’s other statement, related to man’s ability to grow and accept differences in others. Lara put on her FB site the following:
“As the "Pride Season" kicked off, with a beautiful gathering of the LGBT community of Brussels last Saturday, let us not forget that the fight for EQUALITY and RESPECT is , everywhere in the world, unfortunately far from over. www.gaypridecalendar.com”
She accompanied this with two pictures – one of a rainbow flag,
external-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCqo1lVbJ2rhBCv&w=300&h=300&url=fbstaging%3A%2F%2Fgraph.facebook.com%2Fstaging_resources%2FMDExNTc4ODgwNjcyMTUzNDI0OjQyNDc5ODM2NQ%3D%3D&cfs=1&_nc_hash=AQAu0TTLBcr_pht0
and the other, the ‘imaginary couples’ photo of herself with Eva Longoria, that can be seen at
www.etonline.com/photo/2016/01/24209772/eva_longoria_1280.jpg
as well as the link to the official video of “Deux ils, deux elles”,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvNNXs0q7h4
Seeing all the places listed in the gay pride calendar where marches are being held, one can’t fail to be impressed by the great numbers of people who are standing up for equality and respect - and who still feel that they have to.
And then there was the purely constructive side, in every sense of the word. It was noted last week that Lara was involved with several charity auctions for the benefit of the ‘Papillon Fondation’, which builds domiciles for orphans in Belgium. The auction of a dinner with Lara was already evident on the auction site (https://www.troostwijkauctions.com/uk/search/?s=Lara%20Fabian); Lara’s people recently indicate that there are still places available. The other auction, of Lara’s concert outfits, was not previously obvious but it is now, at:
www.troostwijkauctions.com/uk/garde-robe-lara-fabian/01-24678/
It is to be decided on June 10th, with bidding starting on Wednesday, May 25th. There are 73 such outfits available! This is a major donation on Lara’s part, and she is to be greatly acclaimed for a gift of this size. The various apparel are shown in a schematic, but it looks like most fans will recognize them, and in some cases the associated concert or tour is indicated. Lara will have plenty of room in her closet after this is over!
The ‘Lara Fabian – PHQ’ FB site had a photo of an article concerning Lara’s contribution to this organization (https://www.facebook.com/larafabianphq/photos/a.353954938084519.1073741828.353946178085395/1141114616035210/?type=3&theater). Here is the translation:
---------------------------------------------------------
The Cocoon takes shape. Opening Scheduled in 2018
Started in December last year, the Cocoon grows well ... From the top of the second floor, one can now look down over the edge. "The happiness of some makes ... the happiness of others" sums up Denis Fontaine, he who, through the Fondation Papillon, raised the troops so that this beginning lodging dedicated to the children of failing parents sees the light of day.
In Montigny-l-Tilleul, Rossignols Street, in a setting made available by ITSPCC, the building takes shape. "We're on schedule, and if we keep up the pace, the construction will be completed by early next year ..." rejoices Denis Fontaine. The Cocoon will then be ready to welcome around forty girls and boys ages 6 to 18.
To get there, the Papillon Foundation has succeeded in convincing, mobilizing and probably the most difficult, raising funds to materialize this project. For this team that, for 5 years, working hard enthusiastically, the "happy end" is almost palpable.
Admittedly, there are still 100,000 euros to go on a global budget of 2.2 million euros excluding VAT. But everyone's motivation is unwavering. As a sponsor of the Papillon Foundation, singer Lara Fabian agreed at the beginning of the adventure to put her notoriety at the service of the children that life has not pampered.
On several occasions she has already given voice to this generous cause. This time, she invites her fans to her table for an exclusive dinner organized on Saturday June 10th at the Hotel de la Poste (Tour & Taxis room). In the past few days, some 200 seats have been auctioned on www.troostwijkauctions.com. The most generous will gain the right to take the table of the singer ...
You are not free that day? Lara Fabian reserves another point of attention: she puts on public sale part of her wardrobe. There are 80 gala outfits that will go to the highest bidder. Here too, the auctions have been open for a few days on the same site of Troostwijkauctions ... And it is hoped that the amateurs will not look at the expense.
The story continues
"They were probably few in number who believed in it at the beginning of this rather crazy project. And yet, today we are almost there," rejoices Denis Fontaine. "As Henry Jackson said so well, facing the rock, power still prevails, not by force but by perseverance."
The first pavilion is not yet finished, that already Foundation Papillon envisages the continuation. It would take the form of a second building, which would bring together siblings on the same site.
Therefore keep watching, as they say in the best soap operas.
---------------------------------------------------------
The contrast among these three topics shows the state of mankind today…where we fail, where we’re trying, and where we succeed. Let us not be defined by the result, but by the effort…
And, in the spirit of music actually being a great unifier, let’s return to that. Lara added three more venues to the event section of her FB site – Paris, in June 2018, and two in Romania in late March. One expects such announcements to be continually trickling in for, perhaps, the remainder of this year, depending upon how deep in 2018 concerts are planned. Note that tickets are apparently not yet available for ordering for the show in Paris, or in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at least not on that site; the concerts are many months away.
It may well be that this is Lara’s sole appearance in Paris for the new album, and possibly even France; if so, she’s chosen one of the largest venues, the Zenith seating some 6000 people. Lara hasn’t been back there is over 7 years. If indeed the album will not be presented anywhere else in France, one wonders whether an additional night could not be added if the demand is great (although this is pure speculation). Sala Polivalentă (Polyvalent Hall) in Cluj-Napoca can also seat some 6,000 for concerts. And the Sala Palatului (Palace Hall) in Bucharest can seat 4,000, so Lara is certainly ‘swinging big’ in these (perhaps) once-only concert settings for an English language album.
The Lara Fabian web site had a link to an article about Lara’s new album and tour at
(http://www.poleculture.net/news/lara-fabian-repart-a-la-conquete-internationale-avec-camouflage-15595.html); here’s the translation:
------------------------------------------------
Lara Fabian returns to the international conquest with "Camouflage"
JULIEN PIRAUD
16/05/2017 At 12:06
Recorded between Sweden and Los Angeles, the new album of the Belgian singer Lara Fabian will be in the language of Shakespeare. "Camouflage", it will allow the singer to start on a great world tour, which will pass by the Zenith of Paris on June 16, 2018. Before even discovering the content, fans of the first hour remain skeptical about the name of the project .. .
What a funny name for a new album! The singer revives talk about her and has indeed confirmed her great comeback for the fall 2017 season, with a new album in English. It will be the fourth English album of the artist, after the album éponyme released in 2009 [sic 1999] carried by "Adagio" or "I will love again", the album ‘A Wonderful Life’ passed unnoticed in 2004 and the very confidential ‘Every Woman in Me’ released in 2009 and reserved for her fans. Not to mention the multi-lingual album ‘Mademoiselle Zhivago’ released in 2010 exclusively in the countries of the East. Since her debut, Lara Fabian has never hidden her ambition to conquer a large audience so as to share her music around the world. Often criticized for this ambition displayed, the singer has since managed to make a place in the extra-national landscape. Many countries will welcome moreover her "Camouflage World Tour", already composed of about thirty dates across the globe.
Citizen of the world, Lara Fabian is influenced first by her Belgian and Sicilian roots. She sings in all languages and her repertory already counts many songs in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian ... this time it is the international market that she aims at with an album of which we do not know much . Although the name of the album was recently revealed, accompanied by promotional visuals leaving somewhat to be desired, the singer appears very discreet about the content of her new project. A handful of carefully selected fans had the first opportunity to discover the album at the beginning of May in Los Angeles, and others will soon discover it in Belgium. The first leaks speak of an album in the continuity of its precedents, without real risk taking, for a non-radio album. The singer confirms her wish to sing first and foremost in as many countries as possible, and to concentrate above all on the stage. The album will therefore be a pretext to find her fans and offer them new songs, without real ambition of numbers or sales targets. It remains to be seen if this project will live up to expectations, the precedents having all been of quality, unlike the singer's French-language albums, sometimes missed and roughly mistreated by most media. With ‘Camouflage’, Lara gets back out there, we hope that she can conquer more territory, and continue her beautiful love affair with her audience. Next meeting with the French public set for June 16, 2018 with a sole date at the Zenith of Paris. Opening of the ticket office in a few days.
In parallel, the artist took advantage of her visit to Los Angeles to record in the studio the unreleased song "Remember me", written and composed by Randy Kerber and Glen Ballard, which will be the original song of the short film "Cello" soon unveiled. A news loaded therefore for an artist constantly led to participate in different projects throughout the world!
----------------------------------------------------
Julien Piraud is one of the most knowledgeable people concerning Lara’s work; he has followed her career for many years, and once had a fan site that was a wonderful source of information, so anything he writes should be taken seriously. Of course, that doesn’t mean he isn’t opinionated
, and both the knowledge and his opinions are on display in this article. Of most interest is his comment that Lara’s people do not look for large sales from this album, that it is conservative in nature, and is basically an excuse for her to give concerts at various places around the world, which an English language album permits one to do. That’s an exaggeration of course, but it’s been documented that recording artists now make money primarily off tours as opposed to record sales (e.g., seatsmart.com/blog/concert-tickets-vs-album-sales/), so this is not a totally outlandish statement. As to whether Lara’s people expect the album to be successful in its own right, there have been a few comments people have heard from them indicating that they are downplaying expectations, that the intention for the album is not to produce ‘hits’, though I would imagine they hope for good sales regardless. Early indications are that we should therefore expect something closer to her second English album than the first. Nevertheless, ‘A Wonderful Life’ was a very good album without ‘hits’, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about the new work’s quality or potential popularity; every album Lara has put out has been a worthwhile affair, and one would expect that this one will be, too. The other impression one gets from the article, that does match what we see happening, is that Lara is not making a concerted attempt to have this album be a hit in the U.S. or England, i.e., in English speaking countries; instead the focus will be on the international/world audience. There is no extensive tour in the U.S. analogous to the tours she puts on in France and Belgium for French language albums. Lara’s people can say that’s because promoters do not come to them with enough proposed venues, and that may well be true, but it’s a ‘Catch 22’ – unless she puts herself out there, no one will know to invite her. When Lara first started in Quebec, as she is fond of saying, she went around herself and booked performances – promoters didn’t come to her then either. Granted, her costs were much less than they are now, but, it would appear, less now is her desire to make a success of herself in English speaking countries. Obviously it is her choice to make, a choice for ‘breadth’ in the world, rather than ‘depth’ in the world’s biggest music market. There may also be some skepticism on their part that large-scale success in the States is even possible for her, so why not concentrate their efforts where they will be most likely rewarded?
And, one has to say, this is not a new occurrence. Even with her first English language album, we saw the same syndrome. From the Wikipedia article on that album, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lara_Fabian_(2000_album)):
------------------------------------------------------------
“Eagerly awaited in several cities throughout the world, Lara dealt with her growing popularity by frequently appearing abroad. Fans and critics questioned her promotional tactics, however, as she neglected the US market in favor of a European tour, where she had already solidified her popularity. In 2001, promotion of "Lara Fabian" slowed significantly and a third single was not released. Lara has been absent from the US music landscape since that time.”
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As to Julian Piraud’s remark that “Camouflage” was a ‘funny name’ for an album: it was also the name of albums by Rufus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camouflage_(Rufus_album)) and by Rod Stewart (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camouflage_(Rod_Stewart_album)) (and probably others). It is interesting that he feels the English albums have all been quality productions; again, hopefully, this one will be too.
In other news, as of last Tuesday at least, Lara was still in Los Angeles; she posted the following picture on her official Twitter page, at
with the comment, “I love spring in L.A.”.
The ‘Larafabianweb’ FB site has been attempting to get an address for those who want to write a personal letter to Lara. They had provided an address for her at Warner France, but Lara’s team responded that there is no system in place to transfer mail between the record label and the artist. It was recommended that people use Lara’s FB site – but the larafabianweb site responded that there is no address listed there for people to send something to Lara either; perhaps they just meant put your comments on her FB site. We’ll see if this goes any further, and if they do get such an address for personal letters, we’ll mention it here. Some artists don’t want personal mail, others do, so no way of telling what will happen.
The LFIAG-Select site had a link to a long article in the Huffington Post, interestingly enough, on George Perris, in which he mentions Lara (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/591b88efe4b0da7850311bdf). Here’s the relevant part:
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HP: There are divine moments of serendipity, where a catalyst opens the door that leads to the path we’re meant to be on, which obviously you found, the one where we live out the fullest expression of our true selves, when we are most true to ourselves. What was that moment for you and how did it happen?
GP: I’m a firm believer in that. And there’s not one moment. I can tell you in my life there have been quite a few moments of people I met, things that happened, that either happened in order to protect me from something, or people came into my life to take me to another level or to teach me something. There have been many many moments like that. There have been moments of artists that I met that you probably don’t know here very well, like Mario Frangoulis is another Greek artist. Mario is a very dear friend of mine, or Lara Fabian, French speaking, a massive star in Europe, she’s also a very good friend of mine. When I met (my manager), it was one of those moments where it was a very defining moment, we found each other. So I can’t say there that there was one moment that changed the course of my life. Every few months something happens, and I go somewhere else. (laughs)
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A video posted on youtube this past week from Lara’s ‘9 Productions’ portrayed some scenes concerning how the song ‘Ton desir’ came into being. It can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJnB1M86Ig
and shows Lara’s participation after being presented with this unique, open, sexy song.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: Lara changed the one for her website, with a beautiful picture that looks like it could be a painting, at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.201066899934815.46181.201065806601591/1578150118893146/?type=3&theater
and another older photo, from the Lara Fabian Mexico site,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianfromMexico/photos/a.556367684417296.1073741826.556364357750962/1335201786533878/?type=3
In the coming week we’ll see what else Lara’s people have ‘up their sleeves’ in terms of new dates, in particular one for the pre-release listening session to take place in Brussels, and possibly newly confirmed concert sites and ticket availability. Also the auctions will be proceeding, with the ‘dinner’ one ending. Positive activities; as the saying goes, “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”.
David
