Post by davidhr on Feb 12, 2013 9:46:55 GMT -5
Lara appeared this past Friday night at Les Victoires 2013 (the French equivalent of the Grammies). In particular, she was part of the homage to Veronique Sanson, singing ‘Vancouver’ with the guest of honor at the piano. The full video of the tribute is at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItcWif2PkOA&feature=youtu.be
Some nice photos are available from the ‘Lara Fabian Is Here’ site:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151430147297417&set=a.10151428834357417.506907.382393522416&type=1&theater
Lara was an obvious choice, after having covered Veronique’s song ‘Amoureuse’ on her TLFM album, and having written of her admiration for her. Lara’s performance was properly rhythmic and seemed to delight Ms. Sanson. [Mauranne followed with a most affecting song/presentation]. As can be seen, Lara’s hair looked like it had red highlights in it – and, from my viewing, that did not appear to be an effect of the lights, though there’s some disagreement about that on-line.
This ‘new look’ of Lara’s is showing up in all sorts of areas. Rozenn Roz on the Mlle. Zhivago FB site, noted that the ‘Marie Argence’ press agency states that they are representing Lara for ‘Le Secret’, presumably both the album and the subsequent tour, as can be seen at marieargence.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/lara-fabian-un-nouveau-projet-pour-2013/ . And perhaps in conjunction with that, it was just announced that Lara will now have a ‘Twitter’ site, at:
twitter.com/LFabianOfficial
Lara has had an ‘arms-length’ relationship with much of social media, but it started to shorten last year with her establishment of her FB site. She has specifically publicly disdained artists putting their every thought on Twitter, but now even that barrier has been breached, although how often will she actually post on it (as opposed to hiring someone, perhaps from ‘Marie Argence’)?
This is all to the good, especially considering that she’s now on her own, without record company backing. To those who have followed Lara over the years, at least after her early days in Quebec, the weakest part of her operation has always been her official communication with fans. For example, the notice that she was going to be present at Les Victories was first given on her FB site the very same day (Friday), so unless fans were planning to watch it anyway, they would have missed her. Lara presumably must have known about it sometime in advance, and earlier notice would have allowed more of her fans to see her. But even that is better than the numerous TV shows and even concerts that are never publicly promoted ahead of time (the upcoming Russian concerts are still not listed on her sites – they still show the performances from last spring and fall). As has often been seen, it is generally the fans who ferret out what is going on (including the announcement of her new press agent). If used properly, the Twitter address could provide quick updates on activities that are time-sensitive.
Ironically, LF Romania has just put all three parts of the (subtitled) interview show ‘Pourquoi pas’ with Lara from 2007 on youtube. In the second segment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_FFw3qvq4), Lara says she doesn’t want a big entourage/machine working for her, she is happiest and content with having just a few family and friends. We’ve seen how well that’s worked out…hopefully, she will actually listen to this new press agent. None of these access tools will make much difference if Lara is not motivated to use them, or keep her ‘people’ informed.
And in the same vein, Lara is now publicly pushing the new album, with a big emblem on her FB site indicating its release date of April 15th. Then there is the article in ptitblog, translation below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From ptitblog: Lara Fabian: Her new album, ‘Le Secret’, April 15th.
After burning the canvas with the launch of a new track called "Deux ils, deux ells”, in support of marriage for all, the singer Lara Fabian confirmed this morning on her official Facebook page that her new album, ‘Le Secret’, will be released in stores on April 15. The first official single should be sent to radio stations within a few days.
We must go back to 2005 to find the last album by Lara Fabian ‘Neuf’ which was followed by a large national tour. ‘Un regard Neuf’, immortalized on a live DVD in 2006, is still available in stores. In 2009, Lara Fabian offered an album of covers entitled ‘Tout le femme en moi”, a tribute to all the women who have marked her career, which did not meet the expected success. Since the singer has been visible in particular by linking overseas concerts outside our borders, especially in Russia where Lara Fabian rocks. In Eastern Europe, the career of the Belgian singer has found an echo and a very loyal audience that has repeatedly enjoyed the work of the singer live.
A concept album in 5 languages called Mademoiselle Zhivago is also born of this Soviet adventure recorded with the Russian composer Igor Krutoy. Sold in a few stores in France, it went on to sell 800,000 copies in Eastern Europe, including 400,000 in Russia, according to Le Parisien. And the singer is very appreciative of this new audience: "Russia has become my second home," she says in an interview. Faced with these countries welcoming, she complained that the French media did not hesitate to make fun of her voice, which she still will not take very well.
In 2013, it is indeed in France and with a new album of original songs that Lara Fabian makes her grand return. The singer is increasingly present on TV, indicating that the return is near and that Le Secret will soon no longer be one! The singer is moving this project toward a more mature sound and very different from anything she has done in the past. The first titles sent to the media suggest a progressive rock album very aptly headlined by our colleagues in the newspaper Le Parisien. The singer is testing new things and her voice is very highlighted. Her detractors will see it as a return to the power singer, fans from the beginning a return to what they like from the artist, in any case the album will not leave one indifferent.
Make an April 15 appointment in stores to discover Le Secret. An album followed by a world tour starting in September 2013 in Belgium, before passing through Switzerland, France and even the United States, where the singer is expected on the prestigious grounds of Carnegie Hall in New York next December 27th.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Fans have pointed out numerous mistakes in this article – for one thing, TLFM was also followed by a national tour. Of more interest, the article says that the first single will be sent to radio stations in a few days; that does not mean that it will be ‘Deux ils, deux elles’, although of course it is a possibility. As noted in the previous updates, ‘Le Secret’, or perhaps even ‘Mirage’, might be chosen. The article also goes on to note that the first few songs available indicate a progressive rock album with power singing; unless they have heard cuts we haven’t, they may simply be repeating the characterization in ‘Le Parisien’, as none of those mentioned above fall into those categories. If the single is another cut entirely, it may well be up tempo, perhaps in the vein of ‘I Will Love Again’ or ‘The Last Goodbye’, although neither were Lara’s preferred choices.
We can expect more promos in the next few weeks, and Lara has several French TV appearances in the beginning of March. In particular, some photos of the whole show are available from Larafabianweb of ‘Hier Encore’, to be broadcast on France 2 March 2nd (it was recorded on January 10th). They can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601084976574771&set=a.601080599908542.99146341.154409434575663&type=1&theater
After that, before Lara ‘reveals her Secret’ (as the promos have taken to saying), Lara will continue with her Russian ‘Best of’ tour – odd scheduling, to say the least, but perhaps an indication of how seriously she takes that audience. Maybe she was told the demand was overwhelming, and couldn’t refuse. The 7 concerts planned between March 6th and 14th are often in sports palaces or ice rinks, locations that some Russian fans have indicated do not have the best sound, and are really not set up for acoustic concerts like Lara will be giving. We’ll see if she ends up being surprised by these venues.
David
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItcWif2PkOA&feature=youtu.be
Some nice photos are available from the ‘Lara Fabian Is Here’ site:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151430147297417&set=a.10151428834357417.506907.382393522416&type=1&theater
Lara was an obvious choice, after having covered Veronique’s song ‘Amoureuse’ on her TLFM album, and having written of her admiration for her. Lara’s performance was properly rhythmic and seemed to delight Ms. Sanson. [Mauranne followed with a most affecting song/presentation]. As can be seen, Lara’s hair looked like it had red highlights in it – and, from my viewing, that did not appear to be an effect of the lights, though there’s some disagreement about that on-line.
This ‘new look’ of Lara’s is showing up in all sorts of areas. Rozenn Roz on the Mlle. Zhivago FB site, noted that the ‘Marie Argence’ press agency states that they are representing Lara for ‘Le Secret’, presumably both the album and the subsequent tour, as can be seen at marieargence.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/lara-fabian-un-nouveau-projet-pour-2013/ . And perhaps in conjunction with that, it was just announced that Lara will now have a ‘Twitter’ site, at:
twitter.com/LFabianOfficial
Lara has had an ‘arms-length’ relationship with much of social media, but it started to shorten last year with her establishment of her FB site. She has specifically publicly disdained artists putting their every thought on Twitter, but now even that barrier has been breached, although how often will she actually post on it (as opposed to hiring someone, perhaps from ‘Marie Argence’)?
This is all to the good, especially considering that she’s now on her own, without record company backing. To those who have followed Lara over the years, at least after her early days in Quebec, the weakest part of her operation has always been her official communication with fans. For example, the notice that she was going to be present at Les Victories was first given on her FB site the very same day (Friday), so unless fans were planning to watch it anyway, they would have missed her. Lara presumably must have known about it sometime in advance, and earlier notice would have allowed more of her fans to see her. But even that is better than the numerous TV shows and even concerts that are never publicly promoted ahead of time (the upcoming Russian concerts are still not listed on her sites – they still show the performances from last spring and fall). As has often been seen, it is generally the fans who ferret out what is going on (including the announcement of her new press agent). If used properly, the Twitter address could provide quick updates on activities that are time-sensitive.
Ironically, LF Romania has just put all three parts of the (subtitled) interview show ‘Pourquoi pas’ with Lara from 2007 on youtube. In the second segment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_FFw3qvq4), Lara says she doesn’t want a big entourage/machine working for her, she is happiest and content with having just a few family and friends. We’ve seen how well that’s worked out…hopefully, she will actually listen to this new press agent. None of these access tools will make much difference if Lara is not motivated to use them, or keep her ‘people’ informed.
And in the same vein, Lara is now publicly pushing the new album, with a big emblem on her FB site indicating its release date of April 15th. Then there is the article in ptitblog, translation below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From ptitblog: Lara Fabian: Her new album, ‘Le Secret’, April 15th.
After burning the canvas with the launch of a new track called "Deux ils, deux ells”, in support of marriage for all, the singer Lara Fabian confirmed this morning on her official Facebook page that her new album, ‘Le Secret’, will be released in stores on April 15. The first official single should be sent to radio stations within a few days.
We must go back to 2005 to find the last album by Lara Fabian ‘Neuf’ which was followed by a large national tour. ‘Un regard Neuf’, immortalized on a live DVD in 2006, is still available in stores. In 2009, Lara Fabian offered an album of covers entitled ‘Tout le femme en moi”, a tribute to all the women who have marked her career, which did not meet the expected success. Since the singer has been visible in particular by linking overseas concerts outside our borders, especially in Russia where Lara Fabian rocks. In Eastern Europe, the career of the Belgian singer has found an echo and a very loyal audience that has repeatedly enjoyed the work of the singer live.
A concept album in 5 languages called Mademoiselle Zhivago is also born of this Soviet adventure recorded with the Russian composer Igor Krutoy. Sold in a few stores in France, it went on to sell 800,000 copies in Eastern Europe, including 400,000 in Russia, according to Le Parisien. And the singer is very appreciative of this new audience: "Russia has become my second home," she says in an interview. Faced with these countries welcoming, she complained that the French media did not hesitate to make fun of her voice, which she still will not take very well.
In 2013, it is indeed in France and with a new album of original songs that Lara Fabian makes her grand return. The singer is increasingly present on TV, indicating that the return is near and that Le Secret will soon no longer be one! The singer is moving this project toward a more mature sound and very different from anything she has done in the past. The first titles sent to the media suggest a progressive rock album very aptly headlined by our colleagues in the newspaper Le Parisien. The singer is testing new things and her voice is very highlighted. Her detractors will see it as a return to the power singer, fans from the beginning a return to what they like from the artist, in any case the album will not leave one indifferent.
Make an April 15 appointment in stores to discover Le Secret. An album followed by a world tour starting in September 2013 in Belgium, before passing through Switzerland, France and even the United States, where the singer is expected on the prestigious grounds of Carnegie Hall in New York next December 27th.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Fans have pointed out numerous mistakes in this article – for one thing, TLFM was also followed by a national tour. Of more interest, the article says that the first single will be sent to radio stations in a few days; that does not mean that it will be ‘Deux ils, deux elles’, although of course it is a possibility. As noted in the previous updates, ‘Le Secret’, or perhaps even ‘Mirage’, might be chosen. The article also goes on to note that the first few songs available indicate a progressive rock album with power singing; unless they have heard cuts we haven’t, they may simply be repeating the characterization in ‘Le Parisien’, as none of those mentioned above fall into those categories. If the single is another cut entirely, it may well be up tempo, perhaps in the vein of ‘I Will Love Again’ or ‘The Last Goodbye’, although neither were Lara’s preferred choices.
We can expect more promos in the next few weeks, and Lara has several French TV appearances in the beginning of March. In particular, some photos of the whole show are available from Larafabianweb of ‘Hier Encore’, to be broadcast on France 2 March 2nd (it was recorded on January 10th). They can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601084976574771&set=a.601080599908542.99146341.154409434575663&type=1&theater
After that, before Lara ‘reveals her Secret’ (as the promos have taken to saying), Lara will continue with her Russian ‘Best of’ tour – odd scheduling, to say the least, but perhaps an indication of how seriously she takes that audience. Maybe she was told the demand was overwhelming, and couldn’t refuse. The 7 concerts planned between March 6th and 14th are often in sports palaces or ice rinks, locations that some Russian fans have indicated do not have the best sound, and are really not set up for acoustic concerts like Lara will be giving. We’ll see if she ends up being surprised by these venues.
David
