Post by ocelot on Sept 21, 2005 17:42:21 GMT -5
I thought I'd share a couple of old articles that I liked.
Starting her music career at a tender age of 8, Lara Fabian knew that she would become a singer one day. She also emphasized this on her show From Lara with Love, broadcasted by PBS, when she told the audience about her encounter one day when she drove with her dad and vocalized exceptional high notes she heard on the radio, without any problems. This is where she knew she would become a singer one day.
It is not everyday you get such a talented, vibrant person and it is these artists that fans love all over the world. She has a beautiful voice, a beautiful face and a beautiful personality. Everything you need to become famous, and famous Lara became. Yet her name is not a household name like Celine Dion or Enrique Iglesias, but she has all the talents these great performers have. She is frequently compared to Celine Dion but just like Celine, she also performed the soundtracks of movies like Final Fantasy and AI, she even played the voice of Esmeralda of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and sang the theme song of the movie "Que Dieu Aide Les Exclus".
It is clear that Lara focuses on the European market, because she has so little English albums (2 English between a total of 8 albums), but who blames her. She did a great job with her album A Wonderful Life, with each song on the album being a hit on its own. Her best English single would be I Will Love Again, which would also please the younger music fans. Having compiled such a rich album with songs that will suit most fans with a good taste for music, she did not find the response she was hoping for.
Her music has depth and besides the fact that she has wonderful vocal talents, is she an exceptional songwriter. Lara sees herself more as a writer with a beautiful voice; she knows her talents and did not hide them under a bucket. Her charisma surrounds every audience wherever she performs and it is clearly visible by the loud cheers and applause she gets before and after performing her titles Lara gives her music so much life and excitement that you can't ignore it.
Lara has been very successful, without the support of the people who can't appreciate good music. She has won many awards, and has sold millions of copies of her records. If everyone could see her great potential, both as a singer and songwriter, she could have sold maybe three times the number of copies than she actually did. But still Lara did not let that get her down. She showed that she also has the talent of not giving up, and Lara has not given up yet, there is still much more to come and there have been reports that she is working on a new album. Lets hope that one of her future albums will be an English one again, maybe people will show more appreciation for her work when that happens.
The rest of the world should show much more appreciation for artists like Lara Fabian, otherwise we would be left with the junk that's hitting the Top 10 each month.
The author is mainly an accountant who does computer programming on the sideline. He has a wide range of music tastes, ranging from pop, rock, classical, country and techno. His favourite artist is Lara Fabian, because of the fact that she sings such beautiful and peaceful songs that enrich the soul and calms your mood while listening. Please check out the author's homepage at myweb.absamail.co.za/coendb/cppgenius.htm
Article Source: EzineArticles.com/
When you speak four languages, you can choose your words carefully. So, it is worth noting that when singer/songwriter Lara Fabian refers to herself, she uses an unencumbered noun. Not "star." Not, thank goodness, "diva." No, Lara calls herself "a songwriter with a voice."
Over the course of three studio albums and one live collection, that voice has taken France and Quebec by storm. Lara Fabian has emerged as one of the biggest artists of the French-speaking music scene, wowing audiences in numerous countries and selling an astonishing 6 million units in the French territories in a mere two years. Yet despite her pop appeal and incredible talent, the voice that has charmed and captivated millions of listeners has been unheard in much of the world. Until now.
Lara Fabian is Lara's English-language debut. Filled with emotional and evocative songs that speak of love in both its most personal and universal form, Lara Fabian is much like the woman behind it. Honest. Passionate. Direct and unafraid to sing from the heart and speak to the soul. With songs by Lara and production from Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey), Pat Leonard (Madonna), Sam Watters (ex-Color Me Badd) Brian Rawling (Cher's "I Believe") and long-time collaborator Rick Allison. Lara Fabian is an introduction to a voice that needs no translation.
One of the centerpiece songs from Lara Fabian is the elegant "Adagio." A marriage of a classic 18th century Italian melody (written by Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni) and contemporary lyrics (penned by Lara with Rick Allison and Dave Pickell), "Adagio" was produced by Allison, co-produced by Pickell, and is, as Lara sees it, a perfect way to link her heritage and her long-standing affinity for classical music. "'Adagio' is a connection between the past and today," Lara explains. "All of us believed that a melody so timeless deserved a lyric and that that lyric could be sung with the kind of passion that I have. And if you mix that kind of passion with Italian and classical music -- which is so pure -- and lyrics that speak of eternal love, well then you could have something very original." Which, with its flourishes of rock/pop and its shadings of the old, is just what "Adagio" is, a perfect musical introduction to Lara's soul.
Another song which speaks to Lara's dedication and craft is "Broken Vow," a string-drenched ballad that she simply describes as a song that means the world to her. "I've listened to Streisand and Ennio Morricone all my life. Classic people that live and create in a contemporary world. So when I wrote 'Broken Vow' with Walter Afanasieff, something came out of me that, once again, spoke to my origins," says Lara. "Music to me is so personal and I make these old world connections to music and that's so much a part of my heritage and Walter brings his own connections and together we created 'Broken Vow.' The song is the story of a woman who decides to forgive a man's betrayal, written from a perspective that some might find unusual. Going to that place, with Walter's help, forged an even deeper bond between us, creatively. It's my favorite song because it speaks to real emotions and choices."
With the challenge of recording an English language album also came the excitement of trying new sounds and sensations. One of which is the uptempo, R&B-laced track "Till I Get Over You," which was written and produced by Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello. "That was a really fun song to record," Lara says. "It really brought a very energized American vibe to the album, as did 'I Am Who I Am,' which was produced by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken and written by Lara Fabian, Rick Allison, Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken. Working with new producers and with new songwriting partners really helped me expand my musical horizons, which was one of my ultimate goals on this album: To once again mix my more traditional European techniques with a more pop, immediate sound. To push myself and to embrace a truly international sound."
Lara Fabian comes by her international Èlan and appeal quite naturally, in fact genetically. Her father is from Brussels and her mother is from Sicily; Lara was born in Belgium and raised there and in Italy. She grew up speaking Italian and, in quick succession, picked up French and then English; and while she is admittedly not fluent in the language, Lara has also recorded in Spanish. "I'm more of a Latin kind of person," Lara offers, in explanation of why she has such an affinity for Romance languages. "The flow of the language is much closer to my personality."
When Lara was a child she realized that she wanted to sing and perform. "I took singing, dancing, piano, anything that had to do with music," she recalls. At the age of 8, Lara began formal lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and continued her studies for ten years. Lara started performing -- often accompanied by her father on guitar -- when she was 14 and it was around that time that she began to write songs. Along with a strong foundation in classical voice and theory, Lara, like most young people, had her ear tuned to the radio. "I always loved Barbara Streisand," Lara smiles. "And Queen. I adore Freddie Mercury. He had that enigmatic classical-meets-rock thing, and I learned how to combine the two from watching and listening to him. I mean, I am a pop singer but my pop is drawn from so much, be it classical or country, I don't really have a specific style of music that I felt I had to do. I guess that's why my records are so versatile."
It was that need to be as creative and unrestricted as she felt she could be that motivated Lara's move to Montreal when she was just out of high school. "Europe is a very beautiful continent but it's very conservative. When you're 17, 18 and you're just starting to write your own songs and explore your potential, you want to be able to do that the way you feel you should. And in Europe, I kept meeting people who wanted to tell me what I should do, their own version of the truth. I wouldn't compromise, so I left and went somewhere I felt I could be myself."
Empowered by her decision and energized by her new surroundings, Lara set to work, establishing her own independent label and publishing company under the umbrella of Productions Clandestines. Working alongside Lara was an old friend from Brussels, producer/songwriter Rick Allison, who also made the move to Montreal and who remains a collaborator to this day and is, as Lara says "a crucial part of my artistselopment."
That Lara would have the courage to not only leave her homeland but set up her own business while barely out of her teens, speaks to her sheer determination and belief in herself. "I always had a sense of what you need to achieve something. It's not about sitting with your butt on the sofa and going 'I wanna be a star.' No way. You've got to know how to bake the bread before eating it and there's just so much you need to know and I knew I had to learn it all. No matter what anyone told me."
Tell her they did. Lara faced obstacle after obstacle, from dyed-in-the-wool sexism, to the often rigid European belief that women were "just" singers, not songwriters, or that the notion that since Lara wrote for herself her material was too personal. "Obviously, you don't write for yourself. Even if you write about yourself, that sentiment is meant to touch other people!"
Each negative comment only made Lara more determined to learn more about the industry. "I knew that no one was going to give me anything, so Rick and I just brought all of the components together to make it work. I knew that what ever I achieved it would be on my own terms."
In 1991, Lara's hard work began to pay off. Her first album, produced by Allison and co-written by Lara and Allison, was released in Canada. The album featured Lara singing in French and sold some 100,000 copies over the course of three years. By now Lara was touring extensively throughout the province of Quebec, proving decisively with each show and each record sold that female singers could be more than personalities at the mercy of a male producer and songwriter, they could be creative forces as well.
In 1994, Lara's sophomore album, Carpe Diem, hit the streets. With Lara also singing one song in English, the CD has, up until now, sold over 800,000 copies in the French territories.
In 1997, Pure was released and would go on to sell an astounding 2 million copies in France alone. Among its singles was "La DiffÈrence," which called for an end to homophobia and championed tolerance. The song solidified Lara's status as a significant songwriter and became an anthem throughout Europe. Lara kept up her intensive touring schedule, not only performing in Quebec, but throughout France where her powerful vocals and dynamic stage presence brought her a bigger audience. In 1998, after years of successful touring of France and Quebec, Lara released Lara Fabian Live, a double album of concert performances which debuted at #1 on the French album chart.
As Lara's sales exploded, word filtered back to the heads of some of the biggest record labels in the world, among them Sony Music, who soon signed her. Bowled over by Lara's music and captivated by her live show, Sony knew that Lara Fabian simply could be neither denied nor ignored. Nor did she wish to be, either. "I wanted to truly reach an international audience and sing not only in French, Italian and Spanish but English as well."
Lara traveled to New York City and Los Angeles, where she entered the studio and began the process of recording her English-language debut. She wrote or co-wrote 90 percent of the songs and was totally hands-on when it came to selecting the other tracks to be included. "The whole experience has been incredible," Lara says. "I have found myself sharing a intense soul connection with each one of these producers and collaborating like this has helped push me even more creatively. I'm hoping that the emotion and the excitement will be felt by my new audience. This album has been everything I dreamed it would be, and then some."
But then again why wouldn't it? Whether singing in French, or now on her new album, English (as well as Spanish and Italian), Lara is ready to prove, to the world, that passion and craft knows no linguistic or geographical boundaries. That a great song, sung by a great singer, is a passport recognized anywhere. On her long-awaited English-language debut, Lara Fabian brings that passion and that voice to us. With purpose. With intensity. With love.
www.hiponline.com/artist/music/f/fabian_lara/index.html
Lara Fabian: A Star Is Born
International Artist Ready For U.S. Breakthrough
by Marie Woodhall
Born in Belgium 28 years ago, multi-lingual Lara Fabian, who sings in English, Spanish, Italian and French, seems to have exploded onto the American music scene with her first hit single, "I Will Love Again." But this is no overnight success story. For almost 10 years, Fabian has been working
extremely hard to win over audiences in such countries as Canada and France.
In 1991, she released her self-titled debut album on Canadian shores, which sold over 100,000 copies. Her 1994 follow-up CD, Carpe Diem, sold over 800,000 copies and her third release, Pure, went on to sell several million units in France alone. With such impressive stats outside the U.S., it was only a matter of time before we caught on.
Columbia Records is so confident that people will absolutely love the music of singer/songwriter extraordinaire Lara Fabian that they are offering consumers a money-back guarantee with her CD, a first in the record company's 100-year history! If you're not satisfied with her product, you can return it to Columbia for a full refund. Of course, the label is more than willing to give consumers this option because they anticipate that few, if any, people will take advantage of the offer. They know for a fact that once you listen to this CD, you will get hooked by the incredible vocal talent of this international "star." We spoke to Fabian about her trip up the ladder of success.
InsideCx: Why did you choose 'I Will Love Again' as the first single? I thought it would be a perfect song to open up the gates of radio and give people an idea what I'm about, then pull out something so different that people will trust in the fact that I could be a chameleon. It will give the idea of the many different colors in me
InsideCx: I understand you grew up listening to a variety of music. I loved Queen, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, and people like Barbara Streisand. The thing
with me is that classical music was also an inspiration. I took piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels for 10 years. Being classically trained gave me the real foundation for music. It's so important in my life. Why was I influenced by all these styles of music? Because it gave me a sense of freedom. It made me feel like I could put my hand in a colored bag and pull out a different colored candy and have fun with it.
InsideCx: When you were 19, you left home and moved to Montreal to start your own independent label, Productions Clandestines. What was your motivation for doing that? I started the indie label because when you need to survive, you will do anything. I had gotten so many no's, and I was banging my head on every wall trying to find a way to make it work. So I said, I'll do it myself. I started my own company, hired people, and did it with no money. The
people who worked for me were very loyal. I said, If this works out, we'll be okay. These people have been with me for the last 10 years.
InsideCx: In your early years, who would you say was responsible for helping you realize your potential? Rick Allison was a very important factor. He truly is an amazing talent. He's a great musician, a great person, a great producer, and a great composer. I met him in a club in Brussels where I was performing and he was performing as well. He's that one person you meet at a very strategic point in your life when you seem a little lost and you seem not to know exactly how you want to pull that one thing out of yourself. He sat down with me and said, 'I think you are going to be a beautiful butterfly. Right now, you don't see it.' We both started writing music. He heard things the way I heard things.
InsideCx: On this CD, you got to work with some amazing talent, including Walter Afansieff, who has worked with Mariah Carey, and Pat Leonard, who has worked with Madonna. What was that like? It's amazing to see how paradoxical it is, because these people are extremely talented and very famous. The glory of their music shines throughout the house, but they have a sensitive side and a humility. You go into Walter Afanasieff's world, sit down in the studio and realize that he turns to you after writing the most gorgeous thing and says, 'Is that all right?'. I'm like, What??? The same is true for Pat Leonard. He's more sophisticated. He sees music as an intelligence. He analyzes it a little bit more. They're equally as great and graceful. I learned a lot from all of them. It also made me realize how much more was available to me. These are things I will cherish forever.
www.insidecx.com/interviews/archive/larafabian.html
Starting her music career at a tender age of 8, Lara Fabian knew that she would become a singer one day. She also emphasized this on her show From Lara with Love, broadcasted by PBS, when she told the audience about her encounter one day when she drove with her dad and vocalized exceptional high notes she heard on the radio, without any problems. This is where she knew she would become a singer one day.
It is not everyday you get such a talented, vibrant person and it is these artists that fans love all over the world. She has a beautiful voice, a beautiful face and a beautiful personality. Everything you need to become famous, and famous Lara became. Yet her name is not a household name like Celine Dion or Enrique Iglesias, but she has all the talents these great performers have. She is frequently compared to Celine Dion but just like Celine, she also performed the soundtracks of movies like Final Fantasy and AI, she even played the voice of Esmeralda of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and sang the theme song of the movie "Que Dieu Aide Les Exclus".
It is clear that Lara focuses on the European market, because she has so little English albums (2 English between a total of 8 albums), but who blames her. She did a great job with her album A Wonderful Life, with each song on the album being a hit on its own. Her best English single would be I Will Love Again, which would also please the younger music fans. Having compiled such a rich album with songs that will suit most fans with a good taste for music, she did not find the response she was hoping for.
Her music has depth and besides the fact that she has wonderful vocal talents, is she an exceptional songwriter. Lara sees herself more as a writer with a beautiful voice; she knows her talents and did not hide them under a bucket. Her charisma surrounds every audience wherever she performs and it is clearly visible by the loud cheers and applause she gets before and after performing her titles Lara gives her music so much life and excitement that you can't ignore it.
Lara has been very successful, without the support of the people who can't appreciate good music. She has won many awards, and has sold millions of copies of her records. If everyone could see her great potential, both as a singer and songwriter, she could have sold maybe three times the number of copies than she actually did. But still Lara did not let that get her down. She showed that she also has the talent of not giving up, and Lara has not given up yet, there is still much more to come and there have been reports that she is working on a new album. Lets hope that one of her future albums will be an English one again, maybe people will show more appreciation for her work when that happens.
The rest of the world should show much more appreciation for artists like Lara Fabian, otherwise we would be left with the junk that's hitting the Top 10 each month.
The author is mainly an accountant who does computer programming on the sideline. He has a wide range of music tastes, ranging from pop, rock, classical, country and techno. His favourite artist is Lara Fabian, because of the fact that she sings such beautiful and peaceful songs that enrich the soul and calms your mood while listening. Please check out the author's homepage at myweb.absamail.co.za/coendb/cppgenius.htm
Article Source: EzineArticles.com/
When you speak four languages, you can choose your words carefully. So, it is worth noting that when singer/songwriter Lara Fabian refers to herself, she uses an unencumbered noun. Not "star." Not, thank goodness, "diva." No, Lara calls herself "a songwriter with a voice."
Over the course of three studio albums and one live collection, that voice has taken France and Quebec by storm. Lara Fabian has emerged as one of the biggest artists of the French-speaking music scene, wowing audiences in numerous countries and selling an astonishing 6 million units in the French territories in a mere two years. Yet despite her pop appeal and incredible talent, the voice that has charmed and captivated millions of listeners has been unheard in much of the world. Until now.
Lara Fabian is Lara's English-language debut. Filled with emotional and evocative songs that speak of love in both its most personal and universal form, Lara Fabian is much like the woman behind it. Honest. Passionate. Direct and unafraid to sing from the heart and speak to the soul. With songs by Lara and production from Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey), Pat Leonard (Madonna), Sam Watters (ex-Color Me Badd) Brian Rawling (Cher's "I Believe") and long-time collaborator Rick Allison. Lara Fabian is an introduction to a voice that needs no translation.
One of the centerpiece songs from Lara Fabian is the elegant "Adagio." A marriage of a classic 18th century Italian melody (written by Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni) and contemporary lyrics (penned by Lara with Rick Allison and Dave Pickell), "Adagio" was produced by Allison, co-produced by Pickell, and is, as Lara sees it, a perfect way to link her heritage and her long-standing affinity for classical music. "'Adagio' is a connection between the past and today," Lara explains. "All of us believed that a melody so timeless deserved a lyric and that that lyric could be sung with the kind of passion that I have. And if you mix that kind of passion with Italian and classical music -- which is so pure -- and lyrics that speak of eternal love, well then you could have something very original." Which, with its flourishes of rock/pop and its shadings of the old, is just what "Adagio" is, a perfect musical introduction to Lara's soul.
Another song which speaks to Lara's dedication and craft is "Broken Vow," a string-drenched ballad that she simply describes as a song that means the world to her. "I've listened to Streisand and Ennio Morricone all my life. Classic people that live and create in a contemporary world. So when I wrote 'Broken Vow' with Walter Afanasieff, something came out of me that, once again, spoke to my origins," says Lara. "Music to me is so personal and I make these old world connections to music and that's so much a part of my heritage and Walter brings his own connections and together we created 'Broken Vow.' The song is the story of a woman who decides to forgive a man's betrayal, written from a perspective that some might find unusual. Going to that place, with Walter's help, forged an even deeper bond between us, creatively. It's my favorite song because it speaks to real emotions and choices."
With the challenge of recording an English language album also came the excitement of trying new sounds and sensations. One of which is the uptempo, R&B-laced track "Till I Get Over You," which was written and produced by Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello. "That was a really fun song to record," Lara says. "It really brought a very energized American vibe to the album, as did 'I Am Who I Am,' which was produced by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken and written by Lara Fabian, Rick Allison, Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken. Working with new producers and with new songwriting partners really helped me expand my musical horizons, which was one of my ultimate goals on this album: To once again mix my more traditional European techniques with a more pop, immediate sound. To push myself and to embrace a truly international sound."
Lara Fabian comes by her international Èlan and appeal quite naturally, in fact genetically. Her father is from Brussels and her mother is from Sicily; Lara was born in Belgium and raised there and in Italy. She grew up speaking Italian and, in quick succession, picked up French and then English; and while she is admittedly not fluent in the language, Lara has also recorded in Spanish. "I'm more of a Latin kind of person," Lara offers, in explanation of why she has such an affinity for Romance languages. "The flow of the language is much closer to my personality."
When Lara was a child she realized that she wanted to sing and perform. "I took singing, dancing, piano, anything that had to do with music," she recalls. At the age of 8, Lara began formal lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and continued her studies for ten years. Lara started performing -- often accompanied by her father on guitar -- when she was 14 and it was around that time that she began to write songs. Along with a strong foundation in classical voice and theory, Lara, like most young people, had her ear tuned to the radio. "I always loved Barbara Streisand," Lara smiles. "And Queen. I adore Freddie Mercury. He had that enigmatic classical-meets-rock thing, and I learned how to combine the two from watching and listening to him. I mean, I am a pop singer but my pop is drawn from so much, be it classical or country, I don't really have a specific style of music that I felt I had to do. I guess that's why my records are so versatile."
It was that need to be as creative and unrestricted as she felt she could be that motivated Lara's move to Montreal when she was just out of high school. "Europe is a very beautiful continent but it's very conservative. When you're 17, 18 and you're just starting to write your own songs and explore your potential, you want to be able to do that the way you feel you should. And in Europe, I kept meeting people who wanted to tell me what I should do, their own version of the truth. I wouldn't compromise, so I left and went somewhere I felt I could be myself."
Empowered by her decision and energized by her new surroundings, Lara set to work, establishing her own independent label and publishing company under the umbrella of Productions Clandestines. Working alongside Lara was an old friend from Brussels, producer/songwriter Rick Allison, who also made the move to Montreal and who remains a collaborator to this day and is, as Lara says "a crucial part of my artistselopment."
That Lara would have the courage to not only leave her homeland but set up her own business while barely out of her teens, speaks to her sheer determination and belief in herself. "I always had a sense of what you need to achieve something. It's not about sitting with your butt on the sofa and going 'I wanna be a star.' No way. You've got to know how to bake the bread before eating it and there's just so much you need to know and I knew I had to learn it all. No matter what anyone told me."
Tell her they did. Lara faced obstacle after obstacle, from dyed-in-the-wool sexism, to the often rigid European belief that women were "just" singers, not songwriters, or that the notion that since Lara wrote for herself her material was too personal. "Obviously, you don't write for yourself. Even if you write about yourself, that sentiment is meant to touch other people!"
Each negative comment only made Lara more determined to learn more about the industry. "I knew that no one was going to give me anything, so Rick and I just brought all of the components together to make it work. I knew that what ever I achieved it would be on my own terms."
In 1991, Lara's hard work began to pay off. Her first album, produced by Allison and co-written by Lara and Allison, was released in Canada. The album featured Lara singing in French and sold some 100,000 copies over the course of three years. By now Lara was touring extensively throughout the province of Quebec, proving decisively with each show and each record sold that female singers could be more than personalities at the mercy of a male producer and songwriter, they could be creative forces as well.
In 1994, Lara's sophomore album, Carpe Diem, hit the streets. With Lara also singing one song in English, the CD has, up until now, sold over 800,000 copies in the French territories.
In 1997, Pure was released and would go on to sell an astounding 2 million copies in France alone. Among its singles was "La DiffÈrence," which called for an end to homophobia and championed tolerance. The song solidified Lara's status as a significant songwriter and became an anthem throughout Europe. Lara kept up her intensive touring schedule, not only performing in Quebec, but throughout France where her powerful vocals and dynamic stage presence brought her a bigger audience. In 1998, after years of successful touring of France and Quebec, Lara released Lara Fabian Live, a double album of concert performances which debuted at #1 on the French album chart.
As Lara's sales exploded, word filtered back to the heads of some of the biggest record labels in the world, among them Sony Music, who soon signed her. Bowled over by Lara's music and captivated by her live show, Sony knew that Lara Fabian simply could be neither denied nor ignored. Nor did she wish to be, either. "I wanted to truly reach an international audience and sing not only in French, Italian and Spanish but English as well."
Lara traveled to New York City and Los Angeles, where she entered the studio and began the process of recording her English-language debut. She wrote or co-wrote 90 percent of the songs and was totally hands-on when it came to selecting the other tracks to be included. "The whole experience has been incredible," Lara says. "I have found myself sharing a intense soul connection with each one of these producers and collaborating like this has helped push me even more creatively. I'm hoping that the emotion and the excitement will be felt by my new audience. This album has been everything I dreamed it would be, and then some."
But then again why wouldn't it? Whether singing in French, or now on her new album, English (as well as Spanish and Italian), Lara is ready to prove, to the world, that passion and craft knows no linguistic or geographical boundaries. That a great song, sung by a great singer, is a passport recognized anywhere. On her long-awaited English-language debut, Lara Fabian brings that passion and that voice to us. With purpose. With intensity. With love.
www.hiponline.com/artist/music/f/fabian_lara/index.html
Lara Fabian: A Star Is Born
International Artist Ready For U.S. Breakthrough
by Marie Woodhall
Born in Belgium 28 years ago, multi-lingual Lara Fabian, who sings in English, Spanish, Italian and French, seems to have exploded onto the American music scene with her first hit single, "I Will Love Again." But this is no overnight success story. For almost 10 years, Fabian has been working
extremely hard to win over audiences in such countries as Canada and France.
In 1991, she released her self-titled debut album on Canadian shores, which sold over 100,000 copies. Her 1994 follow-up CD, Carpe Diem, sold over 800,000 copies and her third release, Pure, went on to sell several million units in France alone. With such impressive stats outside the U.S., it was only a matter of time before we caught on.
Columbia Records is so confident that people will absolutely love the music of singer/songwriter extraordinaire Lara Fabian that they are offering consumers a money-back guarantee with her CD, a first in the record company's 100-year history! If you're not satisfied with her product, you can return it to Columbia for a full refund. Of course, the label is more than willing to give consumers this option because they anticipate that few, if any, people will take advantage of the offer. They know for a fact that once you listen to this CD, you will get hooked by the incredible vocal talent of this international "star." We spoke to Fabian about her trip up the ladder of success.
InsideCx: Why did you choose 'I Will Love Again' as the first single? I thought it would be a perfect song to open up the gates of radio and give people an idea what I'm about, then pull out something so different that people will trust in the fact that I could be a chameleon. It will give the idea of the many different colors in me
InsideCx: I understand you grew up listening to a variety of music. I loved Queen, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, and people like Barbara Streisand. The thing
with me is that classical music was also an inspiration. I took piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels for 10 years. Being classically trained gave me the real foundation for music. It's so important in my life. Why was I influenced by all these styles of music? Because it gave me a sense of freedom. It made me feel like I could put my hand in a colored bag and pull out a different colored candy and have fun with it.
InsideCx: When you were 19, you left home and moved to Montreal to start your own independent label, Productions Clandestines. What was your motivation for doing that? I started the indie label because when you need to survive, you will do anything. I had gotten so many no's, and I was banging my head on every wall trying to find a way to make it work. So I said, I'll do it myself. I started my own company, hired people, and did it with no money. The
people who worked for me were very loyal. I said, If this works out, we'll be okay. These people have been with me for the last 10 years.
InsideCx: In your early years, who would you say was responsible for helping you realize your potential? Rick Allison was a very important factor. He truly is an amazing talent. He's a great musician, a great person, a great producer, and a great composer. I met him in a club in Brussels where I was performing and he was performing as well. He's that one person you meet at a very strategic point in your life when you seem a little lost and you seem not to know exactly how you want to pull that one thing out of yourself. He sat down with me and said, 'I think you are going to be a beautiful butterfly. Right now, you don't see it.' We both started writing music. He heard things the way I heard things.
InsideCx: On this CD, you got to work with some amazing talent, including Walter Afansieff, who has worked with Mariah Carey, and Pat Leonard, who has worked with Madonna. What was that like? It's amazing to see how paradoxical it is, because these people are extremely talented and very famous. The glory of their music shines throughout the house, but they have a sensitive side and a humility. You go into Walter Afanasieff's world, sit down in the studio and realize that he turns to you after writing the most gorgeous thing and says, 'Is that all right?'. I'm like, What??? The same is true for Pat Leonard. He's more sophisticated. He sees music as an intelligence. He analyzes it a little bit more. They're equally as great and graceful. I learned a lot from all of them. It also made me realize how much more was available to me. These are things I will cherish forever.
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