Post by davidhr on Feb 12, 2019 9:37:22 GMT -5
Lara’s new album “Papillon” appeared last Friday, as expected. Also as expected, it is an electro-pop album, similar to but even more so than was the case with ‘Camouflage’. Once again, here is the tracklist and song timing:
1. "Papillon" 3:58
2. "Je suis à toi" 3:19
3. "Changer le jeu" 3:24
4. "Par amour" 3:40
5. "Je ne t'aime plus" 3:16
6. "Alien" 3:09
7. "Pardonne" 3:16
8. "Superman" 3:38
9. "Sans ton amour" 4:11
10. "L'animal" 4:09
11. "Alcyon" 3:27
Pictures from the CD have been made available on-line, and here’s the sampling:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2036813669705620/2036813576372296/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2036813669705620/2036813623038958/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/pcb.2640181142664071/2640180702664115/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/pcb.2640181142664071/2640180852664100/?type=3&theater
An English translation of the lyrics is provided in the accompanying thread.
Whether one likes this album, and likes it as a ‘Lara Fabian’ album, depends on whether one appreciates Lara’s shift to the electro-pop sound (which was also true, to somewhat of a lesser degree, with ‘Camouflage’). As one might expect, the reviews on Lara’s site from her fans were greatly positive, often with the proviso that it required several listenings to reach that stage. Here for example, are a few of them (translated):
Chris Marchadier
… Mesmerising, confusing, surprising... after several listens I allow myself to take permission to say that this is a great success. Modern sounds, immersive texts. You're definitely where we're not expecting you. Once again surprising. I'm already imagining what this can do on stage.
Special mentions to " Changer le jeu", "Par Amour", "Je ne t'aime plus", "L’animal", “Alien",.... and especially "Alcyon". That our beautiful Maurane must be touched from where she hears it... a text all in finesse, in respect, so beautiful and touching when you dissect the lyrics well... thank you for this beautiful butterfly that will, I am sure, fly to the Success.
Alla Sazhina: Hi Lara! Now, after several hours of listening to the album, I will tell you that you have re-opened your soul over and over again, only as you can do! Thank you so much for creating and giving yourself through new and old songs. Thank you for the "Pardonne" and for " Je ne t'aime plus", "Par amour”…
Marie Céline Minet:I like most songs. I already have a few favorites... the modernity of sounds is superb, I already loved Camouflage. But the soaring vocals that give me shivers I miss a lot.
Here are some of the (translated) reviews in the press.
1) From Charts in France (http://www.chartsinfrance.net/actualite/news-109380.html?fbclid=IwAR1gM7pDmwVtIAlVMU_IjywxULuBOSeqP96BwJKHEps2ASaGeec871PW5hI):
Lara Fabian | "Papillon"
In a cocoon. Two years after "Camouflage", Lara Fabian returns to cajole her French-speaking audience. From her previous international tour, which she detailed in an interview with Pure Charts, the Belgian-Canadian artist has maintained her friendship with producer Moh Denebi (Mans Zelmerlow, Loreen), who signs the 11 songs contained in this "Butterfly" ' full of light. With her playing partner, Lara gives sparingly electro pop reflections intimate songs like "Je suis a toi"or "Changer le jeu" on this album recorded in just 11 days in the basement of her house in Montreal. This unprecedented process brings to the disc a global coherence that makes it both its strength and its weakness: with sometimes simplistic texts ("Papillon"), the whole listens in one go, with a remarkable fluidity, but catching too few sparkles. Fortunately, Lara Fabian's superb voice is the keystone of this ode to delicacy, including arrangements. "Alcyon", which beautifully concludes the album, and the captivating "Je ne t'aime plus" will certainly make vibrate the heart of the most sensitive! YR
SUMMARY: It looks like a hovering glimpse.
Listen To: "Par amour", "Changer le jeu", "Je ne t'aime plus" (the best song on the disc) and "Alcyon"
To Zap : "Alien", from another world
Rating: 2.5/5
2) From ‘La voix du nord’ (http://lavdn.lavoixdunord.fr/534636/article/2019-02-08/avec-papillon-lara-fabian-reprend-son-envol-tout-en-legerete?fbclid=IwAR05DyBoFl3vJpVvU5biRwWi87wEuOh4OTnqGPkXb5Mi3837nS0GuIo5Lr8):
Music : With "Papillon", Lara Fabian takes off again lightly
The Belgian-Canadian artist returns to the front of the stage with a fourteenth album, 100% in French, which she has, this time, entirely co-written and composed.
David Delporte
More than twelve million albums sold, more than twenty years of success in France, Lara Fabian is one of the essentials of the French musical landscape. Her new album is called Papillon in reference to the nickname "Farfalla", butterfly in Italian, that her grandmother had given her when she was small. But also to distill this message that we must take advantage of every moment that passes in life, enjoy the simplest moments of happiness, as if, like a butterfly, we had a life expectancy of twenty-four hours .
Inspired by the young talents of the show "La Voix" (Canadian version of "The Voice"), where she officiates as a coach, Lara Fabian was given a creative boost and wrote and recorded this album in a little more than a week at her home in Montreal, rediscovering the process of designing a record from her early days. Faithful to her habits, Lara Fabian sings the love, passionate, fusional as in the title ‘Je suis a toi’ (My skin will remember all those moments / For ever, I am yours / And my soul will surrender, without the least fight / All, I am yours).
She uses her voice without abusing
If the artist has chosen, this time, to co-write and compose all titles, she is still surrounded by talented accomplices , relying on the pen of Sharon Vaughn and trusting the producer Moh Denebi, discovered with Pink and Britney Spears, the care of bringing his touch of modernity to give a pop sound to the whole.
Lara Fabian imprints on it her voice imprint with lightness, uses her voice without abusing it and the combination of this vocal identity with the current sounds leads to the success of this album of eleven titles, in French.
3) From Sound Arts in Greece (http://www.soundarts.gr/%CE%BD%CE%AD%CE%BF-album-lara-fabian-papillon/?fbclid=IwAR3tQJ3ApDnCCzC207IVLgeTsPWPMidDHJLLtARGTF_AOf2ilGC2flf0l8U) [google translation]:
Two years after " Camouflage, " the French-speaking singer Lara Fabian returned with her new album "Papillon". This is her 14th in-line album since 1991 when she started her recordings. Eleven unique creations with the singer's signature on music and lyrics came this time. At her side are Sharon Vaughn and Moh Denebi. Songs of Eurythmy, as well as melodic ballads, we meet in this new Fabian album, which has come to take off and make the audience even more fervent.
The album's title track, " Papillon ", is in the top spot of the tracklist and we hear that Fabian is once again in harmony with the times and musical upgrades. Melodic synths and bronze sounds blend harmoniously with her tranquil voice and turn to "Je Suis à Toi". Pop sounds govern a whole song that talks about the total dedication of woman to her other half.
Lara Fabian did not hesitate to talk about the overall result of the album, so she said: "It's a pop album, modern, French. It makes sense that it is good to be current to translate this with image, sound, and text, that is, that state of mind that is a little more thoughtful and perhaps celebrates a little more lightness," she said. The butterfly symbol was not chosen at random: "The butterfly has been my totem ever since I was too young. My grandmother called me "farfallina" in Italian, so that's what I've always been following."
'Changing the game', Fabian introduces us to the next and equally rhythmic song of ‘Changer Le Jeu’, which gives the turn to the first album ballad. The reason is for the song "Par Amour". Fabian is accustomed to referring to the love and other feelings she brings. On the other side, however, is "Je Ne T'Aime Plus". A song that talks about the emotional void, despair and tears that come from an erotic disappointment. This important song for the record shows once again the greatness of Fabian's voice and we have to confess that it is no coincidence that she is still active in the music industry.
The next track of the tracklist, titled "Alien", moves on the same theme. Rhythm may be different as we are talking about an electronic up-tempo song, but Fabian sings about everything that has been remembered and remains a memory. Of course it refers to love. Not for yet another, as its next creation is based on society and fear. Speaking of the daily struggles of people and parents to defend and raise their children, leaving behind their own problems, "Pardonne" is here to awaken consciousness.
Lara Fabian through her album is also called to defend the male sex. For this reason she sings "Superman", referring to a man who struggles to live, while at the same time without courage and power he tries to keep his dreams alive. Its mid-tempo rhythm creates an electrifying atmosphere and a simultaneous melancholy for the future.
Fabian's afflicted soul does not let her stay for a long time away from her main subject, and for this "Sans Ton Amour" she then comes with ethnic air and gives her turn to "L'animal", a song that speaks for the instincts of people struggling for the survival of all kinds. Fabian, in the end, selects another ballad to close the Papillon musical journey. "Alcyon" is based on the piano sound and the result leads to a sense of loneliness and the need for someone to find his own people, perhaps the 'home', while hiding behind anger and sadness.
A sweet aftertaste leaves us listening to "Papillon" and a test will convince you too…
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And then a most insightful review alinked to at (https://www.facebook.com/larafabianphq/photos/a.353954938084519/1657635247716475/?type=3&theater) (translated below):
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The Metamorphosis of Lara Fabian
With “Papillon”, her new album, the singer opens herself up to electro-pop and unveils a new facet of her music
Her troubles related to the auditory shock she suffered in 2013 are now far away. Since ‘Ma vie dans la tienne’ released in 2015 Lara Fabian has found a sustained rhythm of cruising to enrich her discography. Hardly a year and a half after Camouflage –in English, platinum record – The Belgian-Canadian has returned with an album in French this time.
Papillon is her 14th studio album. The singer co-wrote and co-composed the 11 songs at her home, in Montreal, where she resides since she is a coach in La Voix, the Quebecoise version of The Voice. It was all done in barely less than two weeks, she confided to La DH last October. On the occasion of this meeting, she had equally unveiled the reasons of the choice of title of the album. “It is my totem since I was quite small”, she had confided. “My grandmother called me farfalle (Papillon in Italian) since it was an animal that always followed me.”
The most important is however elsewhere. This new works signifies the metamorphosis of Lara Fabian. Not that the caterpillar would have become a butterfly, it would be an insult to her past success, but with this record, her music reaches a new universe. The singer of “Je t’aime” "initiates an artistic turn that is far from being unpleasant. She trades - in part - the lyricism she had used for us for pop and contemporary atmospheres. This is attested to in “Papillon”, the first single extract of the album, but also does pieces like “Je suis a toi”, and especially “Superman”, “L’animal”, “Alien” and “Changer le jeu”.
This artistic shift, which is reminiscent of Mylene Farmer's success with the release of ‘Desobeissance’ last year, is the result of her collaboration with the Swede Moh Denebi. Known for his work alongside Mans Zelmerlow, Pink or Britney Spears - excuse a little - he was already part of Camouflage, but he seems this time to have put his hands deep in the grease to bring more of the new sounds to the music of Lara Fabian.
That the fans of the first hour be reassured, the Belgo-Canadian has not forgotten them and has not neglected more classical orchestrations. It is the case on “Je ne t’aime plus” which is assuredly one of the most beautiful moments of the disc. “Alcyon” and “Par amour” are equally extracts of the same vein.
What does not change, however, is the voice of Lara Fabian which she moreover succeeds to marry well with her new universe. Ditto for the purpose of her songs. Her favorite theme remains love with a big A.
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And here is my review, in the form of ‘bullet’ points:
• This album is enjoyable to listen to, with catchy melodies and repeating phrases augmented by a driving beat.
• Like in ‘Camouflage, many of the melodies in this album are subtle, so one has to listen to them often before they emerge. Not many of these songs can be ‘hummed’, but somewhat contradictorily, they tend to stick in the mind. The beat obviously helps.
• The song structure is quite similar in many of these titles; while this provides a unifying feature to the album, it can also gives a sense of repetition/sameness that can become tiring (e.g., on l’Animal).
• The lyrics are the most obvious feature here, and they ‘carry’ the emotions of the album. Lara’s lyrics have never been this direct – in the past they have often been somewhat oblique. The difference can probably be attributed to the work of Sharon Vaughn, as we saw some of this on Camouflage as well.
• The music, instrumentation and singing are all highly professional. Lara’s voice is magnificent, even if it has not been asked to do nearly as much as it is capable of. Her pronunciation/phrasing of the words is as clear and poetic as ever – this has always been a strength of hers, for which she does not get enough credit, and it is especially proficient on this album.
• What is not ‘professional’ (IMHO) is the tendency of this team to not know how to end songs. As with Camouflage, many of the titles here terminate very abruptly; it’s as if the song is defined by the lyrics, and once they’re finished, the music has no “raison d’etre”. Even though this is “electro-pop”, it is still supposed to be a musical medium.
• My favorite songs are: Papillon; Je suis a toi; Je ne t’aime plus; Alien; and Sans ton amour. They combined strong lyrics with tuneful or catchy melodies. In the case of the first two, Lara’s team obviously agrees, as they are the two singles released so far. For a third single I’d suggest any of the next three on my list
.
• Alcyon was apparently written for Maurane, in a somewhat prescient manner, before her death. [BTW, one of the definitions of Halcyon is "a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm". This then provides the imagery for the song.]
• Overall I’d give the album a “B+”; although for the lyrics themselves I’d give it an “A”. [Note that this assessment can of course change over time with more listenings, both for the individual songs and the album as a whole. It’s impossible to tell how well an album will ‘wear’ with time].
• [In comparison, I gave ‘Camouflage’ an A-, after about the same number of listenings. One thing that placed it higher is that it had more variation].
To summarize: this album is very good, and I agree with the comments made in the review just above mine. I still believe, however, that in exploring this new territory she leaves behind the land in which she is most successful, and most able to do what perhaps few others can – bring an audience to transcendence with her emotional ballads.
It will be interesting to see how this album does commercially. Lara seems to have prepared herself for somewhat reduced sales, as discussed in the previous News updates. She blames that on the ‘industry’ but even though sales are down overall, other artists still seem to sell more records than she does. To me, the problem is at least partly associated with the question of “immediate accessibility” of the music. Lara has sung two songs recently that have gotten a good commercial response (in addition to ‘Papillon’): “Remember Me” from the soundtrack of the movie ‘Cello’; and “Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin”, the duet with Jean-Pierre Ferland. Both have instantly accessible melodies and allow Lara to sing with full vocal prowess, which she does. She maximized her strengths to highly tuneful compositions and people immediately responded.
In contrast, given that here one has to listen repeatedly for the melodic virtues to make themselves known, how many people who are not Lara fans will do that? It didn’t happen for Camouflage even for Lara’s fans – we heard a number of reports of people who went to a Camouflage concert not liking the album, then having heard the songs live, went home and listened much more, and ended up really liking them. Maybe’ Papillon’ being in French will make a difference…
As to how it’s doing so far, the Lara Fabian & Emmanuel Moire: Le Duo site noted that on the day of its release, it was #3 in the iTunes store (presumably in France). Here are the listings as of yesterday, and then today:
Album: Papillon
iTunes: 2/11 2/12
#13 France #18
#17 Canada #24
#18 India
#23 Belgium #19
#23 Russia #41
#93 Switzerland
Apple Music:
#48 Luxembourg #48
#51 Belgium #51
#99 France #99
#117 Egypt
#150 Belarus #150
#172 Canada #172
#190 Vietnam #185
If she has any chance of entraining listeners onto this current path, the promotion will be highly important (notably deficient in the case of Camouflage). And as expected Lara is already involved in promoting this album. For example, (translated) from (http://www.envedette.ca/stars/musique/lara-fabian-devoile-son-nouvel-album-en-francais-aujourd-hui-1.8719771):
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LARA FABIAN UNVEILS HER NEW ALBUM IN FRENCH TODAY
Lara Fabian officially unveils today her new album in French Papillon .
Fans can now listen to the 11 new musical selections signed by the singer, including the “Je suis a toi” and “Papillon” successes, which already stand out everywhere in the Quebec charts. The disc, entirely designed at the diva’s house, was directed by Moh Denebi, one of the most promising music producers of the new Swedish pop sound that dominates the American and European charts.
Happy and proud, the coach of La Voix confided in an official statement: "It is with a lot of lightness and simplicity that Papillon allowed me to deploy the gestures I have been doing for years: writing, composing and dancing. This new album really brings me back to the joy of music and the power of the present moment. Every moment has given me is a gift, I humbly send it so that it now belongs to you."
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Lara had an interview in ‘Les Terriens du samedi’ [Tele Star]; the Lara Fabian –PHQ site provided the scans (https://www.facebook.com/larafabianphq/photos/pcb.1657182437761756/1657182357761764/?type=3&theater). Here is the translation:
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My Happy Family Helps Me Age with Grace
At 49 years old, Lara Fabian releases Papillon, a new album in French. The singer seems happier and more at ease than ever.
It’s been four years since you’ve released an album in French. Then, you have written the lyrics and composed the melodies. Where have you found all this inspiration?
LF: Perhaps in the new events of my life. My return to Quebec to be coach in La Voix is much of it. This reconnection with the welcoming has made me very well. And this transmission to some young talents has carried me enormously.
Why this title, Papillon?
LF: This album is an ode to contemplation, to life. I make an analogy with the small hours that this majestic insect has. If one had, like it, only 24 hours before us, how would we live our life? We would really taste it. This is the message of this album.
With love also, which is spoken of on almost all these titles!
LF: [She smiles]. I am an incurable of love. It is in my DNA as a woman and a singer.
Papillon, in Italian “farfalle”, wasn’t it also your nickname, as a child?
LF: Yes, my grandmother had given me a butterfly as a totem. I was a child who could worry easily, who posed many questions. She had offered it to me to tell me the importance of being here and now, of living in the present moment.
It is moreover your philosophy of life. What was the trigger?
LF: I’m lucky. I was surrounded by love and sweetness. Beyond the joy of living my art for thirty years, I live in an environment serene and healthy. It helps to have a relaxed face and a physique that does not need to be in compensation. When I open my door after a day of work, my daughter Lou and my husband Gabriel [Di Giorgio, magician] offer me a profound well-being. My family happiness helps me to age gracefully.
We understand that hasn’t always been the case!
LF: [She breaks out in laughter]. That is a euphemism! I laugh heartily. It’s that one can be blind and stupid when one is younger and one pursues something utopian! I have long been in search of unreal forms of life. I have tended to magnify things, whereas nothing is worth more than simplicity.
Your mother suffers from dementia of Lewy bodies (a mixture of Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons] like Catherine Laborde. You dedicated a song to her (L’Oubli) in your previous album. How is she today?
LF: My mother is very sick. We are in a relatively sad phase of the sickness. We try to keep up with Dad, we do the best we can. You know, we are never ready to lose a parent. Then, that's what happens. It's very difficult. It forces us to enjoy life when it is there. This disease is a great lesson for me…
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This last part was also carried in pure-people (http://www.purepeople.com/article/lara-fabian-prete-a-perdre-sa-mere-malade-c-est-tres-difficile_a323930/1?fbclid=IwAR215QAO6Rb4NfXih7cLwwHgMgIKY1Nd0gVL11Y3v4xHoHE_WQtkWZgSW_k).
Lara recorded the program ''Ça finit bien la semaine'' on Friday; here are some pictures from the event, posted by the Lara Fabian Greece FB site:
www.facebook.com/larafabiangreece/photos/a.1249628401828917/1249628505162240/?type=3&theater
Her discussion of her mother’s illness was also the subject of a (translated) article from showbiz.net:
(http://showbizz.net/2019/02/09/lara-fabian-evoque-douloureusement-la-grave-maladie-de-sa-mere/?fbclid=IwAR1qsMmGLppbw4Tt0hL5oOtnPUGI26NUNud3igFlbyv5JFNtFuEcKI8y4bI)
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LARA FABIAN PAINFULLY EVOKES THE SERIOUS ILLNESS OF HER MOTHER
The singer was passing on the set of ‘''Ça finit bien la semaine” this Friday.
The singer Lara Fabian has launched this Friday a new album called Papillon. It also has a particularly splendid cover.
In order to promote it, the singer-songwriter made a stop on the set of José Gaudet and Julie Bélanger.
The facilitators discussed with her the illness that is currently overwhelming her mother, who still lives in Europe with her father. "My mother has Lewy body dementia, which is a very serious neurodegenerative disease. If today I speak of it with great simplicity, it is because I realized that I am not the only girl, sister, mother, wife, to live that. And that often we need to talk about it without the taboo that is this disease that is a mixture - I will vulgarize very hard - between Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with hallucinations. "
"You have to know that Luisa was an arrow," she says admiringly. "She spoke several languages, she had studied literature, she loved life. She was refined, very sophisticated. The most beautiful thing that could happen to me is to become half of my mother's woman because she was an exceptional woman.
When Julie Bélanger asks her guest if she manages to be serene with the aging of her parents and the illness of her mother when thousands of kilometers separate them, the singer responds: "No, because it would not be human to say yes”, after a moment of silence.
"The truth is that the child in you never recovers from losing your mother until you really lose her," she says. "There are times when I founder."
Remember that we will be able to see Lara Fabian this Sunday on TVA as she will again coach at La Voix . Last year, she broke down in tears during the first episode of the season.
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In other promotional news, on February 14th, Lara will be on the Anne roumanoff show on Europe-1 (http://www.emissions-tv-lni.fr/anne-roumanoff-europe-1.htm?fbclid=IwAR2o6dlZONxufrZ_HdhwnXfQEr9e1q0cgKSFNFiNgjKnAOgrxE7cXNtZ5ZM). And she will be recording the program “On refait la tele” for RTL in France on February 15, and it will be broadcast on March 2nd and 3rd (https://www.facebook.com/events/2344201962259016/).
The promotion for ‘Papillon’ even reached Toronto, courtesy of Musicor. From their Instagram site:
with the caption, “@larafabianofficial is on the #billboard of the #yongedundassquare of Toronto. She becomes the first francophone artist to be put forward by @spotifycanada on anglophone territory 🎉 #larafabian #papillon"
This shows the power of Musicor in Canada. Unfortunate that she wasn’t fully on board with them prior to the release of ‘Camouflage’, for they could have helped the English language album in Toronto.
It turns out that Lara’s people were waiting for the album to appear before officially acknowledging the new tour dates. Included were the ones we had already recognized, but in addition, there is a large-scale tour of France planned. First the countries so far involved, and their links:
FRANCE: bit.ly/LaraFabianTournée
BELGIUM:https://decibelsprod.co/larafabian
SWITZERLAND : www.livemusic.ch/concert/lara-fabian/
RUSSIA/MoscoW: tinyurl.com/moscowlara2019
RUSSIA/St.Petersburg: tinyurl.com/laraSTPTSBG2019
RUSSIA/Ekaterinburg: ekb.ponominalu.ru/event/fabian-lara
ROMANIA: tinyurl.com/bucharestlara2019
BULGARIA: tinyurl.com/sofialara2019
Then the more complete city listings, at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359/2569341546440660/?type=3&theater
There are some 16 Francohphone concerts planned for France, Belgium and Switzerland. This should satisfy many of Lara’s French-speaking European fans. Remember, it’s not specifically in support of ‘Papillon’, though one imagines that album will be represented, but a celebration of Lara’s 50th birthday, and thus likely including songs from her whole career. [Most of her concerts do that anyway, but the proportion of old vs. new is likely to be considerably higher than usual]. In a way, this is likely to please the fans more, as the older songs normally get the greater response.
Outside of the Russian and eastern European dates in the fall of 2019, the new dates are in January, February and towards the end of March 2020. It would seem they were planned considering the possibility that Lara would be again on La Voix during that time, or at least not foreclosing that possibility.
Note, a fan wrote in and asked Lara when she would be coming to New York – and she responded “Soon!” Though that’s unlikely to be before the fall, at the earliest, it does imply there may well be at least a partial U.S. tour.
Finally we turn to the other big news of the week: the opening show of the 7th season of La Voix. As a lead-in to the show, there was this article in the Journal of Montreal (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/02/09/quatre-coachs-quatre-points-de-vue?fbclid=IwAR0tt_dbL3KJvkKgp2dUBP2CPe_6gAlHlo1rpTu2DRWmrNngW2Qmn8kUOq4), translated below:
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Four coaches, four points of view
The day arrived for Lara Fabian, Éric Lapointe, Alex Nevsky and Marc Dupré, back to La Voix after taking a year off. The seventh season begins this Sunday, with blind auditions.
Eric Lapointe
"We do not take ourselves seriously"
For this seventh season, Éric Lapointe is in known territory. He is now broken at different stages of the show, but he is mostly surrounded by people he appreciates.
"Compared to last year, I change an old boyfriend for another old boyfriend. In the four coaches, it takes someone like Marc, who has a lot of repartee, who is funny and who is able to escape the silence, so that the atmosphere on the set is always fun. This season, people will realize that we do not take ourselves seriously, even if we take our role seriously. "
For the rocker, the biggest challenge for the coaches is at the dueling stage.
"We have to match artists who are sometimes in completely different worlds, by choosing a song that will make them shine, without benefiting one or the other. Usually, I go there by instinct, and it works pretty well. "
Lapointe confides that working with young artists reactivates his passion.
"To rub ourselves with hungry artists, it makes us realize that we are lucky and privileged to do this job. It revives my love for this job. "
Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian had a real crush on Marc Dupré, who is back in the coaching chair. "I had the impression to know this boy since always", says the singer. "We have a lot of things in common, including our warm and caring approach to candidates. With Eric, it's also a story of great affection. There is something very special that binds us, difficult to explain with words. We do not need a lot of words to be connected to him and me. This link comes from our intensity. We are molded in the same vibrating clay. We are two very instinctive animals. As for Alex, he's particularly funny and sharp this season."
The artist finds much satisfaction in her role of transmission to young candidates.
"Being a coach is a huge gift. You receive as much as you give when you give advice, you give a key reading that allows the other to move forward in leaps and bounds. It's great to see their faces light up. It brings as much as a room of 10,000 people standing."
Lara Fabian recognizes that her experience at La Voix last season helped her create her new album, Papillon, which has just been released.
"It brought me into a higher comfort zone, as if I had allowed myself more freedom, a greater letting go, knowing that I had done useful work. I asked myself a lot less questions, and I know it comes from the work done with the candidates of La Voix . "
Alex Nevsky
An intimate friend of Marc Dupré, Alex Nevsky was reassured to see the singer return to the show, especially since he feels more confident at the dawn of this new season.
"Last year, I was with three well-known unknowns. But this year, I find my friend. The atmosphere on the set is very happy. Everything has been optimized for filming to go faster. We spend more time between us, we are less tired at the end of the day. It changed the energy a lot."
His only shadow on the board? The new blocking button. "It's a source of conflict, because you can create a lot of anger and sadness in the coach that you block. When you have a big crush and that, finally, you have no chance that it comes in your team, it is very frustrating. "
Alex Nevsky is not really surprised by the abundance of talent at blind auditions.
"For many of them, seeing artists like Charlotte Cardin and Matt Holubowski, it made them understand that they do not have to be vocal singers to be successful. The mentalities have evolved. "
One of his Nevsky challenges for this season is to have a bigger opening. "I want to thwart myself by going beyond my personal taste to go further. I will try to have a team a little wider, although I still have specific tastes. I really like the song-composer-performer style. That's what interests me the most, even if every artist who comes to blind auditions surprises me with his courage, because I would not do it. "
Marc Dupré
An expected return
After an absence of only one season, Marc Dupré quickly found his habits.
"I was especially bored of the shivers it gives me, because through each of the candidates, I see myself in my debut. When you have a career and you roll your hump, you no longer have the feelings of the beginning."
His return is accompanied by a new state of mind. "I decided not to compromise on what I like and what makes me happy. I do not listen to people, I make my decisions alone. I have to give the best of myself to the people I work with, and for that, I have to be totally convinced myself."
In the past, Marc Dupré has often been involved in the careers of his foals.
"I live a lot in the present moment, and I do not want to impose anything on anyone. I am someone who likes being surrounded by candidates and doing the most things with them. But I do not make false promises. I give everything during the show and if there is a future in common, it will be a bonus. "
If he invests so much for his candidates, Marc Dupré also wants to be as fair as possible with each one of them. "From the dueling stage, we have to put all the candidates on the same footing. Our job is to put them in trust and give them the same chance. As a human being, we can become more friendly to some people. I am totally natural and natural in my response, but always make sure that everyone feels confident. "
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On the first show, Lara garnered the most ‘candidates to her team: Mory Hatem, Tony Crow; and Samantha Neves. [Mark Dupre has 2, and the other two judges have one each]. A picture of Lara with her team so far can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/a.646180015435666/2040282982692022/?type=3&theater
It takes 12 to fill out a team, and of course speed and quantity are no assurance of quality.
Lara performed in the “Song of the Coaches”, available at:
www.facebook.com/lavoixtva/videos/386040305461158/
She looked and sounded wonderful, and is clearly a real star of this show.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, videos of the blind audition candidates are blocked outside of Canada. This may change during the week, and with that possibility in mind, here is a link where at least some of them would become available.
tva.canoe.ca/emissions/lavoix/ldt/accueil-saison-7?fbclid=IwAR1yn9Gtxf063G2GnRbjBH3AFkbuw0AlWnqGefosy3kviJuK1QlbaIYDqHM
Also, the Lara Fabian est ton autre site indicated that videos would be shared on youtube. The La Voix youtube channel (at least for last year) is at:
www.youtube.com/user/LaVoixTVA
There is a short video showing Lara’s heartwarming interaction with one of the candidates, Mory Hatem, available at:
www.facebook.com/lavoixtva/videos/244087623136250/
A few wonderful pictures associated with the show are available from the Lara Fabian Greece site, at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiangreece/photos/a.1250156325109458/1250156415109449/?type=3&theater
and these will also constitute the interesting photo(s) of the week.
Lara is spending the next period of time in Europe for the album promotion, and so that may well provide interviews, and recordings of radio and TV shows, some of which we’ve seen already set up. She’ll also get her first taste of how the Francophone world reacts to her electro-pop album. They may be respectful that she’s dared to break out of her mold, but will that sell albums? We’ll find out – the very best of luck to her! David
[Again, English translations of the lyrics for Papillon are provided in the accompanying thread].
1. "Papillon" 3:58
2. "Je suis à toi" 3:19
3. "Changer le jeu" 3:24
4. "Par amour" 3:40
5. "Je ne t'aime plus" 3:16
6. "Alien" 3:09
7. "Pardonne" 3:16
8. "Superman" 3:38
9. "Sans ton amour" 4:11
10. "L'animal" 4:09
11. "Alcyon" 3:27
Pictures from the CD have been made available on-line, and here’s the sampling:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2036813669705620/2036813576372296/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2036813669705620/2036813623038958/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/pcb.2640181142664071/2640180702664115/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/pcb.2640181142664071/2640180852664100/?type=3&theater
An English translation of the lyrics is provided in the accompanying thread.
Whether one likes this album, and likes it as a ‘Lara Fabian’ album, depends on whether one appreciates Lara’s shift to the electro-pop sound (which was also true, to somewhat of a lesser degree, with ‘Camouflage’). As one might expect, the reviews on Lara’s site from her fans were greatly positive, often with the proviso that it required several listenings to reach that stage. Here for example, are a few of them (translated):
Chris Marchadier
… Mesmerising, confusing, surprising... after several listens I allow myself to take permission to say that this is a great success. Modern sounds, immersive texts. You're definitely where we're not expecting you. Once again surprising. I'm already imagining what this can do on stage.
Special mentions to " Changer le jeu", "Par Amour", "Je ne t'aime plus", "L’animal", “Alien",.... and especially "Alcyon". That our beautiful Maurane must be touched from where she hears it... a text all in finesse, in respect, so beautiful and touching when you dissect the lyrics well... thank you for this beautiful butterfly that will, I am sure, fly to the Success.
Alla Sazhina: Hi Lara! Now, after several hours of listening to the album, I will tell you that you have re-opened your soul over and over again, only as you can do! Thank you so much for creating and giving yourself through new and old songs. Thank you for the "Pardonne" and for " Je ne t'aime plus", "Par amour”…
Marie Céline Minet:I like most songs. I already have a few favorites... the modernity of sounds is superb, I already loved Camouflage. But the soaring vocals that give me shivers I miss a lot.
Here are some of the (translated) reviews in the press.
1) From Charts in France (http://www.chartsinfrance.net/actualite/news-109380.html?fbclid=IwAR1gM7pDmwVtIAlVMU_IjywxULuBOSeqP96BwJKHEps2ASaGeec871PW5hI):
Lara Fabian | "Papillon"
In a cocoon. Two years after "Camouflage", Lara Fabian returns to cajole her French-speaking audience. From her previous international tour, which she detailed in an interview with Pure Charts, the Belgian-Canadian artist has maintained her friendship with producer Moh Denebi (Mans Zelmerlow, Loreen), who signs the 11 songs contained in this "Butterfly" ' full of light. With her playing partner, Lara gives sparingly electro pop reflections intimate songs like "Je suis a toi"or "Changer le jeu" on this album recorded in just 11 days in the basement of her house in Montreal. This unprecedented process brings to the disc a global coherence that makes it both its strength and its weakness: with sometimes simplistic texts ("Papillon"), the whole listens in one go, with a remarkable fluidity, but catching too few sparkles. Fortunately, Lara Fabian's superb voice is the keystone of this ode to delicacy, including arrangements. "Alcyon", which beautifully concludes the album, and the captivating "Je ne t'aime plus" will certainly make vibrate the heart of the most sensitive! YR
SUMMARY: It looks like a hovering glimpse.
Listen To: "Par amour", "Changer le jeu", "Je ne t'aime plus" (the best song on the disc) and "Alcyon"
To Zap : "Alien", from another world
Rating: 2.5/5
2) From ‘La voix du nord’ (http://lavdn.lavoixdunord.fr/534636/article/2019-02-08/avec-papillon-lara-fabian-reprend-son-envol-tout-en-legerete?fbclid=IwAR05DyBoFl3vJpVvU5biRwWi87wEuOh4OTnqGPkXb5Mi3837nS0GuIo5Lr8):
Music : With "Papillon", Lara Fabian takes off again lightly
The Belgian-Canadian artist returns to the front of the stage with a fourteenth album, 100% in French, which she has, this time, entirely co-written and composed.
David Delporte
More than twelve million albums sold, more than twenty years of success in France, Lara Fabian is one of the essentials of the French musical landscape. Her new album is called Papillon in reference to the nickname "Farfalla", butterfly in Italian, that her grandmother had given her when she was small. But also to distill this message that we must take advantage of every moment that passes in life, enjoy the simplest moments of happiness, as if, like a butterfly, we had a life expectancy of twenty-four hours .
Inspired by the young talents of the show "La Voix" (Canadian version of "The Voice"), where she officiates as a coach, Lara Fabian was given a creative boost and wrote and recorded this album in a little more than a week at her home in Montreal, rediscovering the process of designing a record from her early days. Faithful to her habits, Lara Fabian sings the love, passionate, fusional as in the title ‘Je suis a toi’ (My skin will remember all those moments / For ever, I am yours / And my soul will surrender, without the least fight / All, I am yours).
She uses her voice without abusing
If the artist has chosen, this time, to co-write and compose all titles, she is still surrounded by talented accomplices , relying on the pen of Sharon Vaughn and trusting the producer Moh Denebi, discovered with Pink and Britney Spears, the care of bringing his touch of modernity to give a pop sound to the whole.
Lara Fabian imprints on it her voice imprint with lightness, uses her voice without abusing it and the combination of this vocal identity with the current sounds leads to the success of this album of eleven titles, in French.
3) From Sound Arts in Greece (http://www.soundarts.gr/%CE%BD%CE%AD%CE%BF-album-lara-fabian-papillon/?fbclid=IwAR3tQJ3ApDnCCzC207IVLgeTsPWPMidDHJLLtARGTF_AOf2ilGC2flf0l8U) [google translation]:
Two years after " Camouflage, " the French-speaking singer Lara Fabian returned with her new album "Papillon". This is her 14th in-line album since 1991 when she started her recordings. Eleven unique creations with the singer's signature on music and lyrics came this time. At her side are Sharon Vaughn and Moh Denebi. Songs of Eurythmy, as well as melodic ballads, we meet in this new Fabian album, which has come to take off and make the audience even more fervent.
The album's title track, " Papillon ", is in the top spot of the tracklist and we hear that Fabian is once again in harmony with the times and musical upgrades. Melodic synths and bronze sounds blend harmoniously with her tranquil voice and turn to "Je Suis à Toi". Pop sounds govern a whole song that talks about the total dedication of woman to her other half.
Lara Fabian did not hesitate to talk about the overall result of the album, so she said: "It's a pop album, modern, French. It makes sense that it is good to be current to translate this with image, sound, and text, that is, that state of mind that is a little more thoughtful and perhaps celebrates a little more lightness," she said. The butterfly symbol was not chosen at random: "The butterfly has been my totem ever since I was too young. My grandmother called me "farfallina" in Italian, so that's what I've always been following."
'Changing the game', Fabian introduces us to the next and equally rhythmic song of ‘Changer Le Jeu’, which gives the turn to the first album ballad. The reason is for the song "Par Amour". Fabian is accustomed to referring to the love and other feelings she brings. On the other side, however, is "Je Ne T'Aime Plus". A song that talks about the emotional void, despair and tears that come from an erotic disappointment. This important song for the record shows once again the greatness of Fabian's voice and we have to confess that it is no coincidence that she is still active in the music industry.
The next track of the tracklist, titled "Alien", moves on the same theme. Rhythm may be different as we are talking about an electronic up-tempo song, but Fabian sings about everything that has been remembered and remains a memory. Of course it refers to love. Not for yet another, as its next creation is based on society and fear. Speaking of the daily struggles of people and parents to defend and raise their children, leaving behind their own problems, "Pardonne" is here to awaken consciousness.
Lara Fabian through her album is also called to defend the male sex. For this reason she sings "Superman", referring to a man who struggles to live, while at the same time without courage and power he tries to keep his dreams alive. Its mid-tempo rhythm creates an electrifying atmosphere and a simultaneous melancholy for the future.
Fabian's afflicted soul does not let her stay for a long time away from her main subject, and for this "Sans Ton Amour" she then comes with ethnic air and gives her turn to "L'animal", a song that speaks for the instincts of people struggling for the survival of all kinds. Fabian, in the end, selects another ballad to close the Papillon musical journey. "Alcyon" is based on the piano sound and the result leads to a sense of loneliness and the need for someone to find his own people, perhaps the 'home', while hiding behind anger and sadness.
A sweet aftertaste leaves us listening to "Papillon" and a test will convince you too…
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And then a most insightful review alinked to at (https://www.facebook.com/larafabianphq/photos/a.353954938084519/1657635247716475/?type=3&theater) (translated below):
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The Metamorphosis of Lara Fabian
With “Papillon”, her new album, the singer opens herself up to electro-pop and unveils a new facet of her music
Her troubles related to the auditory shock she suffered in 2013 are now far away. Since ‘Ma vie dans la tienne’ released in 2015 Lara Fabian has found a sustained rhythm of cruising to enrich her discography. Hardly a year and a half after Camouflage –in English, platinum record – The Belgian-Canadian has returned with an album in French this time.
Papillon is her 14th studio album. The singer co-wrote and co-composed the 11 songs at her home, in Montreal, where she resides since she is a coach in La Voix, the Quebecoise version of The Voice. It was all done in barely less than two weeks, she confided to La DH last October. On the occasion of this meeting, she had equally unveiled the reasons of the choice of title of the album. “It is my totem since I was quite small”, she had confided. “My grandmother called me farfalle (Papillon in Italian) since it was an animal that always followed me.”
The most important is however elsewhere. This new works signifies the metamorphosis of Lara Fabian. Not that the caterpillar would have become a butterfly, it would be an insult to her past success, but with this record, her music reaches a new universe. The singer of “Je t’aime” "initiates an artistic turn that is far from being unpleasant. She trades - in part - the lyricism she had used for us for pop and contemporary atmospheres. This is attested to in “Papillon”, the first single extract of the album, but also does pieces like “Je suis a toi”, and especially “Superman”, “L’animal”, “Alien” and “Changer le jeu”.
This artistic shift, which is reminiscent of Mylene Farmer's success with the release of ‘Desobeissance’ last year, is the result of her collaboration with the Swede Moh Denebi. Known for his work alongside Mans Zelmerlow, Pink or Britney Spears - excuse a little - he was already part of Camouflage, but he seems this time to have put his hands deep in the grease to bring more of the new sounds to the music of Lara Fabian.
That the fans of the first hour be reassured, the Belgo-Canadian has not forgotten them and has not neglected more classical orchestrations. It is the case on “Je ne t’aime plus” which is assuredly one of the most beautiful moments of the disc. “Alcyon” and “Par amour” are equally extracts of the same vein.
What does not change, however, is the voice of Lara Fabian which she moreover succeeds to marry well with her new universe. Ditto for the purpose of her songs. Her favorite theme remains love with a big A.
-----------------------------------------------------------
And here is my review, in the form of ‘bullet’ points:
• This album is enjoyable to listen to, with catchy melodies and repeating phrases augmented by a driving beat.
• Like in ‘Camouflage, many of the melodies in this album are subtle, so one has to listen to them often before they emerge. Not many of these songs can be ‘hummed’, but somewhat contradictorily, they tend to stick in the mind. The beat obviously helps.
• The song structure is quite similar in many of these titles; while this provides a unifying feature to the album, it can also gives a sense of repetition/sameness that can become tiring (e.g., on l’Animal).
• The lyrics are the most obvious feature here, and they ‘carry’ the emotions of the album. Lara’s lyrics have never been this direct – in the past they have often been somewhat oblique. The difference can probably be attributed to the work of Sharon Vaughn, as we saw some of this on Camouflage as well.
• The music, instrumentation and singing are all highly professional. Lara’s voice is magnificent, even if it has not been asked to do nearly as much as it is capable of. Her pronunciation/phrasing of the words is as clear and poetic as ever – this has always been a strength of hers, for which she does not get enough credit, and it is especially proficient on this album.
• What is not ‘professional’ (IMHO) is the tendency of this team to not know how to end songs. As with Camouflage, many of the titles here terminate very abruptly; it’s as if the song is defined by the lyrics, and once they’re finished, the music has no “raison d’etre”. Even though this is “electro-pop”, it is still supposed to be a musical medium.
• My favorite songs are: Papillon; Je suis a toi; Je ne t’aime plus; Alien; and Sans ton amour. They combined strong lyrics with tuneful or catchy melodies. In the case of the first two, Lara’s team obviously agrees, as they are the two singles released so far. For a third single I’d suggest any of the next three on my list
.• Alcyon was apparently written for Maurane, in a somewhat prescient manner, before her death. [BTW, one of the definitions of Halcyon is "a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm". This then provides the imagery for the song.]
• Overall I’d give the album a “B+”; although for the lyrics themselves I’d give it an “A”. [Note that this assessment can of course change over time with more listenings, both for the individual songs and the album as a whole. It’s impossible to tell how well an album will ‘wear’ with time].
• [In comparison, I gave ‘Camouflage’ an A-, after about the same number of listenings. One thing that placed it higher is that it had more variation].
To summarize: this album is very good, and I agree with the comments made in the review just above mine. I still believe, however, that in exploring this new territory she leaves behind the land in which she is most successful, and most able to do what perhaps few others can – bring an audience to transcendence with her emotional ballads.
It will be interesting to see how this album does commercially. Lara seems to have prepared herself for somewhat reduced sales, as discussed in the previous News updates. She blames that on the ‘industry’ but even though sales are down overall, other artists still seem to sell more records than she does. To me, the problem is at least partly associated with the question of “immediate accessibility” of the music. Lara has sung two songs recently that have gotten a good commercial response (in addition to ‘Papillon’): “Remember Me” from the soundtrack of the movie ‘Cello’; and “Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin”, the duet with Jean-Pierre Ferland. Both have instantly accessible melodies and allow Lara to sing with full vocal prowess, which she does. She maximized her strengths to highly tuneful compositions and people immediately responded.
In contrast, given that here one has to listen repeatedly for the melodic virtues to make themselves known, how many people who are not Lara fans will do that? It didn’t happen for Camouflage even for Lara’s fans – we heard a number of reports of people who went to a Camouflage concert not liking the album, then having heard the songs live, went home and listened much more, and ended up really liking them. Maybe’ Papillon’ being in French will make a difference…
As to how it’s doing so far, the Lara Fabian & Emmanuel Moire: Le Duo site noted that on the day of its release, it was #3 in the iTunes store (presumably in France). Here are the listings as of yesterday, and then today:
Album: Papillon
iTunes: 2/11 2/12
#13 France #18
#17 Canada #24
#18 India
#23 Belgium #19
#23 Russia #41
#93 Switzerland
Apple Music:
#48 Luxembourg #48
#51 Belgium #51
#99 France #99
#117 Egypt
#150 Belarus #150
#172 Canada #172
#190 Vietnam #185
If she has any chance of entraining listeners onto this current path, the promotion will be highly important (notably deficient in the case of Camouflage). And as expected Lara is already involved in promoting this album. For example, (translated) from (http://www.envedette.ca/stars/musique/lara-fabian-devoile-son-nouvel-album-en-francais-aujourd-hui-1.8719771):
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LARA FABIAN UNVEILS HER NEW ALBUM IN FRENCH TODAY
Lara Fabian officially unveils today her new album in French Papillon .
Fans can now listen to the 11 new musical selections signed by the singer, including the “Je suis a toi” and “Papillon” successes, which already stand out everywhere in the Quebec charts. The disc, entirely designed at the diva’s house, was directed by Moh Denebi, one of the most promising music producers of the new Swedish pop sound that dominates the American and European charts.
Happy and proud, the coach of La Voix confided in an official statement: "It is with a lot of lightness and simplicity that Papillon allowed me to deploy the gestures I have been doing for years: writing, composing and dancing. This new album really brings me back to the joy of music and the power of the present moment. Every moment has given me is a gift, I humbly send it so that it now belongs to you."
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Lara had an interview in ‘Les Terriens du samedi’ [Tele Star]; the Lara Fabian –PHQ site provided the scans (https://www.facebook.com/larafabianphq/photos/pcb.1657182437761756/1657182357761764/?type=3&theater). Here is the translation:
--------------------------------------------
My Happy Family Helps Me Age with Grace
At 49 years old, Lara Fabian releases Papillon, a new album in French. The singer seems happier and more at ease than ever.
It’s been four years since you’ve released an album in French. Then, you have written the lyrics and composed the melodies. Where have you found all this inspiration?
LF: Perhaps in the new events of my life. My return to Quebec to be coach in La Voix is much of it. This reconnection with the welcoming has made me very well. And this transmission to some young talents has carried me enormously.
Why this title, Papillon?
LF: This album is an ode to contemplation, to life. I make an analogy with the small hours that this majestic insect has. If one had, like it, only 24 hours before us, how would we live our life? We would really taste it. This is the message of this album.
With love also, which is spoken of on almost all these titles!
LF: [She smiles]. I am an incurable of love. It is in my DNA as a woman and a singer.
Papillon, in Italian “farfalle”, wasn’t it also your nickname, as a child?
LF: Yes, my grandmother had given me a butterfly as a totem. I was a child who could worry easily, who posed many questions. She had offered it to me to tell me the importance of being here and now, of living in the present moment.
It is moreover your philosophy of life. What was the trigger?
LF: I’m lucky. I was surrounded by love and sweetness. Beyond the joy of living my art for thirty years, I live in an environment serene and healthy. It helps to have a relaxed face and a physique that does not need to be in compensation. When I open my door after a day of work, my daughter Lou and my husband Gabriel [Di Giorgio, magician] offer me a profound well-being. My family happiness helps me to age gracefully.
We understand that hasn’t always been the case!
LF: [She breaks out in laughter]. That is a euphemism! I laugh heartily. It’s that one can be blind and stupid when one is younger and one pursues something utopian! I have long been in search of unreal forms of life. I have tended to magnify things, whereas nothing is worth more than simplicity.
Your mother suffers from dementia of Lewy bodies (a mixture of Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons] like Catherine Laborde. You dedicated a song to her (L’Oubli) in your previous album. How is she today?
LF: My mother is very sick. We are in a relatively sad phase of the sickness. We try to keep up with Dad, we do the best we can. You know, we are never ready to lose a parent. Then, that's what happens. It's very difficult. It forces us to enjoy life when it is there. This disease is a great lesson for me…
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This last part was also carried in pure-people (http://www.purepeople.com/article/lara-fabian-prete-a-perdre-sa-mere-malade-c-est-tres-difficile_a323930/1?fbclid=IwAR215QAO6Rb4NfXih7cLwwHgMgIKY1Nd0gVL11Y3v4xHoHE_WQtkWZgSW_k).
Lara recorded the program ''Ça finit bien la semaine'' on Friday; here are some pictures from the event, posted by the Lara Fabian Greece FB site:
www.facebook.com/larafabiangreece/photos/a.1249628401828917/1249628505162240/?type=3&theater
Her discussion of her mother’s illness was also the subject of a (translated) article from showbiz.net:
(http://showbizz.net/2019/02/09/lara-fabian-evoque-douloureusement-la-grave-maladie-de-sa-mere/?fbclid=IwAR1qsMmGLppbw4Tt0hL5oOtnPUGI26NUNud3igFlbyv5JFNtFuEcKI8y4bI)
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LARA FABIAN PAINFULLY EVOKES THE SERIOUS ILLNESS OF HER MOTHER
The singer was passing on the set of ‘''Ça finit bien la semaine” this Friday.
The singer Lara Fabian has launched this Friday a new album called Papillon. It also has a particularly splendid cover.
In order to promote it, the singer-songwriter made a stop on the set of José Gaudet and Julie Bélanger.
The facilitators discussed with her the illness that is currently overwhelming her mother, who still lives in Europe with her father. "My mother has Lewy body dementia, which is a very serious neurodegenerative disease. If today I speak of it with great simplicity, it is because I realized that I am not the only girl, sister, mother, wife, to live that. And that often we need to talk about it without the taboo that is this disease that is a mixture - I will vulgarize very hard - between Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with hallucinations. "
"You have to know that Luisa was an arrow," she says admiringly. "She spoke several languages, she had studied literature, she loved life. She was refined, very sophisticated. The most beautiful thing that could happen to me is to become half of my mother's woman because she was an exceptional woman.
When Julie Bélanger asks her guest if she manages to be serene with the aging of her parents and the illness of her mother when thousands of kilometers separate them, the singer responds: "No, because it would not be human to say yes”, after a moment of silence.
"The truth is that the child in you never recovers from losing your mother until you really lose her," she says. "There are times when I founder."
Remember that we will be able to see Lara Fabian this Sunday on TVA as she will again coach at La Voix . Last year, she broke down in tears during the first episode of the season.
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In other promotional news, on February 14th, Lara will be on the Anne roumanoff show on Europe-1 (http://www.emissions-tv-lni.fr/anne-roumanoff-europe-1.htm?fbclid=IwAR2o6dlZONxufrZ_HdhwnXfQEr9e1q0cgKSFNFiNgjKnAOgrxE7cXNtZ5ZM). And she will be recording the program “On refait la tele” for RTL in France on February 15, and it will be broadcast on March 2nd and 3rd (https://www.facebook.com/events/2344201962259016/).
The promotion for ‘Papillon’ even reached Toronto, courtesy of Musicor. From their Instagram site:
http://instagram.com/p/BtpFCInAK5t
with the caption, “@larafabianofficial is on the #billboard of the #yongedundassquare of Toronto. She becomes the first francophone artist to be put forward by @spotifycanada on anglophone territory 🎉 #larafabian #papillon"
This shows the power of Musicor in Canada. Unfortunate that she wasn’t fully on board with them prior to the release of ‘Camouflage’, for they could have helped the English language album in Toronto.
It turns out that Lara’s people were waiting for the album to appear before officially acknowledging the new tour dates. Included were the ones we had already recognized, but in addition, there is a large-scale tour of France planned. First the countries so far involved, and their links:
FRANCE: bit.ly/LaraFabianTournée
BELGIUM:https://decibelsprod.co/larafabian
SWITZERLAND : www.livemusic.ch/concert/lara-fabian/
RUSSIA/MoscoW: tinyurl.com/moscowlara2019
RUSSIA/St.Petersburg: tinyurl.com/laraSTPTSBG2019
RUSSIA/Ekaterinburg: ekb.ponominalu.ru/event/fabian-lara
ROMANIA: tinyurl.com/bucharestlara2019
BULGARIA: tinyurl.com/sofialara2019
Then the more complete city listings, at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359/2569341546440660/?type=3&theater
There are some 16 Francohphone concerts planned for France, Belgium and Switzerland. This should satisfy many of Lara’s French-speaking European fans. Remember, it’s not specifically in support of ‘Papillon’, though one imagines that album will be represented, but a celebration of Lara’s 50th birthday, and thus likely including songs from her whole career. [Most of her concerts do that anyway, but the proportion of old vs. new is likely to be considerably higher than usual]. In a way, this is likely to please the fans more, as the older songs normally get the greater response.
Outside of the Russian and eastern European dates in the fall of 2019, the new dates are in January, February and towards the end of March 2020. It would seem they were planned considering the possibility that Lara would be again on La Voix during that time, or at least not foreclosing that possibility.
Note, a fan wrote in and asked Lara when she would be coming to New York – and she responded “Soon!” Though that’s unlikely to be before the fall, at the earliest, it does imply there may well be at least a partial U.S. tour.
Finally we turn to the other big news of the week: the opening show of the 7th season of La Voix. As a lead-in to the show, there was this article in the Journal of Montreal (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/02/09/quatre-coachs-quatre-points-de-vue?fbclid=IwAR0tt_dbL3KJvkKgp2dUBP2CPe_6gAlHlo1rpTu2DRWmrNngW2Qmn8kUOq4), translated below:
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Four coaches, four points of view
The day arrived for Lara Fabian, Éric Lapointe, Alex Nevsky and Marc Dupré, back to La Voix after taking a year off. The seventh season begins this Sunday, with blind auditions.
Eric Lapointe
"We do not take ourselves seriously"
For this seventh season, Éric Lapointe is in known territory. He is now broken at different stages of the show, but he is mostly surrounded by people he appreciates.
"Compared to last year, I change an old boyfriend for another old boyfriend. In the four coaches, it takes someone like Marc, who has a lot of repartee, who is funny and who is able to escape the silence, so that the atmosphere on the set is always fun. This season, people will realize that we do not take ourselves seriously, even if we take our role seriously. "
For the rocker, the biggest challenge for the coaches is at the dueling stage.
"We have to match artists who are sometimes in completely different worlds, by choosing a song that will make them shine, without benefiting one or the other. Usually, I go there by instinct, and it works pretty well. "
Lapointe confides that working with young artists reactivates his passion.
"To rub ourselves with hungry artists, it makes us realize that we are lucky and privileged to do this job. It revives my love for this job. "
Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian had a real crush on Marc Dupré, who is back in the coaching chair. "I had the impression to know this boy since always", says the singer. "We have a lot of things in common, including our warm and caring approach to candidates. With Eric, it's also a story of great affection. There is something very special that binds us, difficult to explain with words. We do not need a lot of words to be connected to him and me. This link comes from our intensity. We are molded in the same vibrating clay. We are two very instinctive animals. As for Alex, he's particularly funny and sharp this season."
The artist finds much satisfaction in her role of transmission to young candidates.
"Being a coach is a huge gift. You receive as much as you give when you give advice, you give a key reading that allows the other to move forward in leaps and bounds. It's great to see their faces light up. It brings as much as a room of 10,000 people standing."
Lara Fabian recognizes that her experience at La Voix last season helped her create her new album, Papillon, which has just been released.
"It brought me into a higher comfort zone, as if I had allowed myself more freedom, a greater letting go, knowing that I had done useful work. I asked myself a lot less questions, and I know it comes from the work done with the candidates of La Voix . "
Alex Nevsky
An intimate friend of Marc Dupré, Alex Nevsky was reassured to see the singer return to the show, especially since he feels more confident at the dawn of this new season.
"Last year, I was with three well-known unknowns. But this year, I find my friend. The atmosphere on the set is very happy. Everything has been optimized for filming to go faster. We spend more time between us, we are less tired at the end of the day. It changed the energy a lot."
His only shadow on the board? The new blocking button. "It's a source of conflict, because you can create a lot of anger and sadness in the coach that you block. When you have a big crush and that, finally, you have no chance that it comes in your team, it is very frustrating. "
Alex Nevsky is not really surprised by the abundance of talent at blind auditions.
"For many of them, seeing artists like Charlotte Cardin and Matt Holubowski, it made them understand that they do not have to be vocal singers to be successful. The mentalities have evolved. "
One of his Nevsky challenges for this season is to have a bigger opening. "I want to thwart myself by going beyond my personal taste to go further. I will try to have a team a little wider, although I still have specific tastes. I really like the song-composer-performer style. That's what interests me the most, even if every artist who comes to blind auditions surprises me with his courage, because I would not do it. "
Marc Dupré
An expected return
After an absence of only one season, Marc Dupré quickly found his habits.
"I was especially bored of the shivers it gives me, because through each of the candidates, I see myself in my debut. When you have a career and you roll your hump, you no longer have the feelings of the beginning."
His return is accompanied by a new state of mind. "I decided not to compromise on what I like and what makes me happy. I do not listen to people, I make my decisions alone. I have to give the best of myself to the people I work with, and for that, I have to be totally convinced myself."
In the past, Marc Dupré has often been involved in the careers of his foals.
"I live a lot in the present moment, and I do not want to impose anything on anyone. I am someone who likes being surrounded by candidates and doing the most things with them. But I do not make false promises. I give everything during the show and if there is a future in common, it will be a bonus. "
If he invests so much for his candidates, Marc Dupré also wants to be as fair as possible with each one of them. "From the dueling stage, we have to put all the candidates on the same footing. Our job is to put them in trust and give them the same chance. As a human being, we can become more friendly to some people. I am totally natural and natural in my response, but always make sure that everyone feels confident. "
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On the first show, Lara garnered the most ‘candidates to her team: Mory Hatem, Tony Crow; and Samantha Neves. [Mark Dupre has 2, and the other two judges have one each]. A picture of Lara with her team so far can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/a.646180015435666/2040282982692022/?type=3&theater
It takes 12 to fill out a team, and of course speed and quantity are no assurance of quality.
Lara performed in the “Song of the Coaches”, available at:
www.facebook.com/lavoixtva/videos/386040305461158/
She looked and sounded wonderful, and is clearly a real star of this show.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, videos of the blind audition candidates are blocked outside of Canada. This may change during the week, and with that possibility in mind, here is a link where at least some of them would become available.
tva.canoe.ca/emissions/lavoix/ldt/accueil-saison-7?fbclid=IwAR1yn9Gtxf063G2GnRbjBH3AFkbuw0AlWnqGefosy3kviJuK1QlbaIYDqHM
Also, the Lara Fabian est ton autre site indicated that videos would be shared on youtube. The La Voix youtube channel (at least for last year) is at:
www.youtube.com/user/LaVoixTVA
There is a short video showing Lara’s heartwarming interaction with one of the candidates, Mory Hatem, available at:
www.facebook.com/lavoixtva/videos/244087623136250/
A few wonderful pictures associated with the show are available from the Lara Fabian Greece site, at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiangreece/photos/a.1250156325109458/1250156415109449/?type=3&theater
and these will also constitute the interesting photo(s) of the week.
Lara is spending the next period of time in Europe for the album promotion, and so that may well provide interviews, and recordings of radio and TV shows, some of which we’ve seen already set up. She’ll also get her first taste of how the Francophone world reacts to her electro-pop album. They may be respectful that she’s dared to break out of her mold, but will that sell albums? We’ll find out – the very best of luck to her! David
[Again, English translations of the lyrics for Papillon are provided in the accompanying thread].
