Post by davidhr on Apr 30, 2013 9:42:01 GMT -5
The highlight this past week was the news that Lara’s new album ‘Le Secret’ entered the French charts at the #1 position:
www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-85509.html
www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-85571.html
www.chartsinfrance.net/actualite/news-85578.html
www.chartsinfrance.net/charts/
It was also number 1 in Belgium:
www.ultratop.be/en/weekchart.asp?cat=a&lang=fr
and started in the 16th position in Switzerland, the highest ranking she has achieved there since ‘Nue’:
swisscharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a
But it was the result in France that caused Lara to share a toast with her compatriots on the album. It was her third time in her career her work had reached that position, and the first time since 1999 when it happened twice: with her Live album, and with her self-titled English album. Of these, only the Live album opened at number 1, and it stayed there for four consecutive weeks.
The total sales, of close to 19,000 were only 2,000 more than for ‘Toutes les femmes en moi” which is universally judged a failure in the minds of the French press; we shall see if there's a difference in how this album does in the coming weeks. Anyway, everything is relative, and to outsell ‘Les Enfoires’, among others, ranks as a notable achievement. It comes as vindication in Lara’s mind of her belief in herself, of sticking to her guns by making a 2 CD introspective album that no record company wanted to release, of paying for it herself, and of utilizing the lessons she’s learned over the past years, including displaying her full vocal power. It may also vindicate her choice of ‘Deux ils, deux elles’ as the first single, right in the middle of the political debate about gay marriage, and even her ‘semi-nude’ photo session for Gala magazine. All of this presumably contributed; as John F. Kennedy said, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”
Lara posted a picture of herself holding a poster celebrating the number one listing, on her website, at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530752800299555&set=a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591&type=1&theater
and a picture of a dish from the party at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530582433649925&set=a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591&type=1&theater
In conjunction with this event, Lara gave several press interviews, whose translation is provided below. Both articles help underline Lara’s beliefs, besides filling in some details about ‘Le Secret’.
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www.newsring.fr/actualite/1004307-lara-fabian-dans-le-debat-sur-le-mariage-gay-on-se-sert-injustement-de-dieu
Le secret "number one in sales in France in a week ... what's it like?
LF: (Laughs) Well! It's magic, it's a challenge that was launched solo since I'm not supported by any record company, except distribution by Warner. This is a team work, and I confess that last night we found ourselves celebrating it very simply, very simply, but we were all happy. We spoke with much emotion, because it was a real tour de force, 24 hours/day for months to put the project in place. Social networks, which allow us to go directly to the heart of the public, have also contributed significantly to the reaction we see today, which is 90% positive.
You who are a little bit of a citizen of the world, which is the country where you feel the best right now?
LF: The country where there are people I love ... and I try to lug around with me! As my source is multiple, I've never been attached to things in the material sense of the term. But it is true that the place where I feel good for the moment it is in Belgium, in Brussels, because I have my life and my little house.
You built your album around the "secret." Which ones affect you closest among the themes?
LF: Almost all. This is an album both very autobiographical and very universal, because it talks about what impacts all of us. It does not tell my story even if I necessarily anchor most of my scripts inside my experiences.
The title song, "The Secret" doesn’t pertain to me in the proper sense of the term but you know one in three women is affected by incest. Whether a family member or someone who considers himself to be like a family member. In this sense, we speak of widespread incest. This is an issue that affects me because it affects people who are very close to me and whom I love deeply. For the rest of the album, I'm talking about hard impacts, such as the battle with an eating disorder or search finally to love onself instead of massacring oneself - because we are often our best enemies; all that concerns me, but I think it speaks to many beings on this earth.
Tell me a little about your journey between writing "La Difference" and "Deux ils, deux elles" ...
LF: I find it incredible that we are still having to debate about homosexuality. I want to say that being gay is not an acquisition in time, this is an orientation that defines the basis of a human being. "Deux ils, deux elles" is a song that has existed for five years, it has not at all been written for the circumstances. Flavien Companion and I had it in a drawer for a long time ... And when we finished the album, I called to discuss this title. The text existed in some form and in front of the violence that spread under my eyes, I completely reworked the meaning of a metaphor between nature and the nature of people. I thought the discourse would serve not by being vindictive about but by tending to put forth sweetness, balm on what happens.
Why do I continue to write about this subject? Because it's still a problem, a taboo ... And I continue to be a vigilantee in the absolute. All that is unfair troubles my soul, makes me set myself on fire. I think it was pointless as I fully agree that as far as the violence is concerned, we are all victims. Nobody in the two camps moreover, expected such a flood, to such extremism. Whether one is for or against - and of course I am for - I hope no one can rejoice to see people beaten ...
Has one forgotten the pink triangles? [The sign of the Nazis to mark homosexuals, Ed] If you remember these suffering craters of humanity, I do not even understand that we can still today touch a cell of the skin of anyone, in the name of a belief that puts in question our foundations.
These people are afraid, they feel they are threatened, when we are not telling them they are wrong. We simply say that everyone should have access to the right of following the love for all. Their argument is based on beliefs and ancestral fears, translated from mother to son, father to son ... from the loyal parish priest? This is very serious: we use God to cover a completely unjustified manner. I feel that if we had a conversation with the Father up there, he would not really agree with what is happening ...
What inspires you exactly in this legalized gay marriage in France? How have you experienced it in Belgium, for ten years?
LF: I am delighted. Now, it is necessary to wait thirty days and examine the Constitutional Council ...
In Belgium, it never created the conflict it caused in France. Of course there are people for and others against, but not in such violence, not as if their lives depended on it.
In your opinion, is being against gay marriage, is it being homophobic?
LF: No! I know some gay, really very gay, who are against gay marriage. They have civil unions and they did not need the extra protection. They are not homophobic at all so far, being gay themselves. I think it is, again, an amalgam, a shortcut. I say that I am not trying to defend anyone here but just not to ‘dry up’ accuracy in my remarks.
A word to Frigide Barjot?
LF: (Silence) "More than Words" (Laughs)
Do you think we should open the PMA [centers of medical assistance for procreation] to lesbians couples?
LF: I can not really get into this kind of debate. Obviously, I say yes. But if I carry this torch there, this is not one of tolerance. For me, one of tolerance is that we may be entitled to all that invokes love, so a child. But I understand that some people say: "It is not natural to have two dads or two moms" ... In my opinion, that which is not natural, is that which is unloving. This is only my opinion, it does not legislate and it is not law.
The GPA [assists procreation]?
LF: Idem. I have the same arguments. The main thing is the free will.
Without falling in love, have you ever felt the desire for a woman?
I have rather fallen in love with a being, it does not happen at the level of desire, but of the soul. It is precisely because I have not gone beyond and there was no desire that I have not taken the plunge. But I know that I could, really. If a being in question had been a woman rather than a man, I would have cracked the same way ...
Sexually, I have a heterosexual orientation because I find that a man is beautiful and this is where desire is born, but if I had found the same prerogatives in a woman, I could truly fall for her ...
In the aftermath of this legislation in France, a word to your public gay?
(Smiles) It is absolutely necessary to not abandon the nature of being. We must close ranks to the maximum without falling into the escalation of violence. Do not dress in these same colors, ever. Do not enter into either revenge or in provocation and stick to the single reason why we claim that: YES, love for all and the rights deriving therefrom.
Interview by Laura Trumpet
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And from www.justmusic.fr/actualites/interview-rencontre-avec-lara-fabian-45011:
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More fulfilling and happier than ever, the talented Lara Fabian reveals her secrets through her new album. It is with great pride that we meet to learn a little more. Here are the secrets of a talented artist but above all a human and warm woman.
JustMusic.fr: You're back with a new album, "The Secret." Why are you no longer at Universal?
Lara Fabian: Because I got fired (claps of laughter)! Pascal Negro made me return my contract in a very disgraceful way ... without even informing me himself.
When it's fifteen years that one belongs to a family, it is not simple, it's like mom decided that I should go live with Dad. That's how I lived (smile) because when one finds oneself facing onself , one is not helpless in the absolute, because an artist has her own strength. But when we are used to being constantly surrounded by a team that, from one day to the next, we are left alone, it is not very fair, especially when you are told that it is only for financial reasons, and you sold twenty million records. I found it strange ... And finally I sat down and faced myself with great simplicity, wondering what I was going to do and how I was going to be able to bounce back. I did a little research which I have done, surrounded myself with a team that is mine today and which is amazing! I still had to find a distributor because artists do not have a truck, do not make their records themselves and still need a sure relay. So I found refuge with Thierry Chassagne at Warner who became my distributor while accepting that I am my own master on board, surrounded by a fantastic team that has stars in her eyes when she speaks of a project. A project that she has also enjoyed helping me defend every day. The result of all this work is that the album is number one in sales.
JustMusic.fr: Exactly that's what I was going to ask you. You are number one with this new album, what is your reaction?
Lara Fabian: It is a great joy to know that we did not run the wrong way. Now it is necessary that it lasts a long time, it is necessary that the album continues to find its echo, it is every day that it happens, and it is nevertheless a beautiful resurrection beyond the fact that many thought it was going to be difficult. I see people welcome me back again with a lot of pleasure and it's really great!
JustMusic.fr: Why have you called it "The Secret"?
Lara Fabian: The secret to happiness is what I found. This is Ensō, a Japanese calligraphy with the sign of the circle with the point in the center, is the ability we have to return to home. It is a symbol that tells the story of the return to yourself and to find happiness and simplicity in itself. It seems like this is very simple, but it is part of a genuine process that I carry out in time. The album "The Secret" is the story of this process, the story of a being - you, me or anyone - who is impacted in life by betrayal, loss of a dear one, big trouble, a falling out of love ... what do we do with this suffering when it appears? Is it that one transforms it while suffering or not? Are we trying to find elements that allow us to release it and be the face of resilience ... it is the letting go of what hurts us to transform it into positive energy and then happiness is found . It is "The Secret", "The Secret" is the story of this journey.
JustMusic.fr: Will you tell me about the collaborations found on the album?
Lara Fabian: Janey Clewer worked on much of the album because she is the main songwriter. This is a woman that I’ve loved for 22-23 years and whom I’ve known for a very long time. Her husband, Bruce Gaitsch, is a guitarist and he makes all the guitars on the album. He is equally a great musician and they worked together in pairs. Moreover, in Montreal, is my friend Emmanuel Pitois who is the arranger and the architect of all this work. This is the man who assembled all the works of Kurt Howell, Giora Linenberg and Flavien Companion. He was able to find a box in which was deposited all this work. The idea for the interludes is mine for, from the beginning, I wanted everything to follow. I wanted us to tell this story as we watch a movie. I want that "The Secret" be 110 minutes of uninterrupted music. People will sequence if they want, but at the core, I did not want to offer a work of sequences in songs.
JustMusic.fr: You brought your new titles to two showcases at the Théâtre de Paris. How did that happen?
Lara Fabian: The operation that was behind that was magnificent. It was attached to an online platform like Vente Privée, which for the first time, put out a crossbreeding between music and the world of online sales. These are people who are so open to the world and to the fact that crossbreeding is the future. They understood that and they are mixing with an artist like me to offer a gift to the public. So the mixture was very successful, it was A much fun to their customers as to mine and it even brought a new audience. The atmosphere was a reflection of this success Monday, April 15.
JustMusic.fr: The first single "Deux ils deux elles" corresponds completely to the news of the moment. We know that since you started you defend this great cause. There was already the title "La difference" and your audience is composed of many homosexuals. How do you explain this link there is between you?
Lara Fabian: This is probably my quest for justice. I am a very unhappy person when I see things happen in bad faith or injustice, when the words are unhealthy and they are driven by hatred. It’s been a long time in my life that I have been surrounded by people who need softness and tolerance in their lives. Around me the gay world is truly present so we are very very close. I wrote "La difference" in 1997 for two of my best friends at the time and unfortunately it is still required to raise high and strong the flag of tolerance. We are still dealing with this incomprehensible hatred and incomprehensible amalgam that conflates homosexuality / perversion, homosexuality / abnormality, homosexuality / mental torture ... It's moronic! These terms are not at all based on judgments. "Deux ils, deux elles" exists for five years, it is a song which comes just at the right moment but it was not written specifically for what is happening today. This is the continuation of my battle and my solidarity.
JustMusic.fr: Can you tell me about the clip?
Lara Fabian: We created an email address with the makers of the video so that fans can send in their participation with a portrait photo, a photo of a couple, with a short description. They were subsequently selected and they knew they had to kiss whatever their orientation. We created a kiss like a flower that grows from the ground, we flipped the image and suddenly you really feel that beings are touching in a very natural way, a little weightless.
JustMusic.fr: There's a song on the album that stood out to us which is entitled "Amourexique", can you tell us about it in a few words?
Lara Fabian: This is the story of an eating disorder with which I struggled for years and years and years. It tells the story of a girl who finally found a space in which she can finally love herself. This is hinted at, it is poetic because when I say "I'm having dinner with tulips and pale water" is really a pretty fair description even if it is metaphorical. This is what one lives every day when it reaches eating disorder.
JustMusic.fr: Of course we could not miss the Gala magazine for which you have posed nude. What do you think of these different reactions both positive and negative?
Lara Fabian: Everyone has an opinion and I would say that most people have an opinion (smile). Those who love so much thre better, and those who do not like too bad. It's a bit like the rest, one can not achieve unanimity. But in general, I think the reviews are rather very positive, in any case my fans have responded very well.
JustMusic.fr: You will soon be back on the road, can you unveil for us some exclusives on this new show?
Lara Fabian: It's hard because I'm truly in the design phase (smile). I grasp/fear only now about the staging of the "Secret", it is difficult to tell you.
JustMusic.fr: We have chosen among all your singles five titles that have marked your career for you to talk to us about.
JustMusic.fr: "Croire":
Lara Fabian: This is the first major televisual moment and the first great fright of the artist.
JustMusic.fr: "Tout":
Lara Fabian: The song that created the first link, the first moment of love affair that I have with the French public.
JustMusic.fr: "I will love again"
Lara Fabian: A song that was incredibly strong in my career, that made me travel around the world and made me iconic in the opinion of the gay world.
JustMusic.fr: "La lettre"
Lara Fabian: A confession and probably one of the most confidential songs of my career, but that was very important to me at the time of the release of "9".
JustMusic.fr: "Toutes les femmes en moi":
Lara Fabian: A hymn to us, for all that we have of itycomplex, of beauty, and because, somewhere, we have a great responsibility in bringing humanity to the world.
JustMusic.fr: Being a mother has changed your life, what kind of mother are you?
Lara Fabian: (smiles) I'm a Sicilian mother and that is from mother to daughter. I brood a lot and protect her very much. At the same time, she is a child in whom I have a lot of confidence and I'm a mom full of little touches every day. I am very friendly with her, I am also very tactile and she is my greatest joy at all times.
JustMusic.fr: If later she wants to get into the song or at least in an artistic field what would you say to her?
Lara Fabian: I'll help with all the means that I have, all the experience I have, but let her make her own choices. I will help her when she will ask for help, that's what I'll do.
JustMusic.fr: You're happy now, but what could you do that you would be even more?
Lara Fabian: It would be to continue every day to arrive to enjoy life for what it is. To find always the space in which I appreciate things for what they are. There it is, this is what makes me happy ... Every hour I told myself that life was good with a little ray of sunshine. They are some small, very simple, very trivial things but which, placed end to end, make life beautiful. Continue to find the space in which I can rejoice in being right there, to enjoy every moment.
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Meanwhile, Lara continued to participate in media events, although it looks like the ‘blitz’ has passed its peak. She was on the Belgian version of the Voice and sang a duet of Immortelle with one of the participants, as well as performed ‘Deux ils, deux elles’. Unfortunately, both have been removed from ‘youtube’, undoubtedly by the TV station. This is the danger in linking all such videos on the fan sites to the youtube entry. Facebook has also attempted to remove the photos of ‘Lou’ that were widely dispersed last week, saying there was no agreement between the choreographer Joelle Morane and Lara Fabian’s staff to post them. Those are still around, however (e.g., www.facebook.com/LFIAG, larafabian.borda.ru/?1-1-0-00000066-000-80-0-1367252565).
Lara gave an interview with Le Figaro, which can be seen with English subtitles at:
www.facebook.com/pages/LaraFabianWeb/246805652001644
As shown in the video, when confronted with the question of the ‘Gala’ photographs, Lara noted that 80% of the comments about it had been positive, and that the issue had set a sales record for the magazine. She also took the opporutnity to take a swipe at ‘Le Petit Journal’ and Yann Barthes, who as we know have made a living ridiculing her (and others). She repeated that she had asked to come on the show and confront them directly, but they told her she could sit in the audience! She is obviously relishing the fact that they are afraid to face her directly, repeating that if they allowed her on, and found out that they liked her, they couldn’t subsequently deride her with the same passion!
[Subtitles that have been purposely added, as in this video, are usually quite good – and speaking of that, don’t miss the subtitled version of ‘The Ou Café’ that Lara Fabian Romania has recently put on youtube, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZY_9R59TrY. You may know that for many interviews on youtube, one can see subtitles by clicking on the ‘cc’ indicator beneath them, if it is present. For interviews in French, subtitles in French will automatically appear, but if one wants them in other languages, one can click on the ‘beta’ other languages choice, and go down to see a wide array of possibilities. These subtitles generally leave a lot to be desired – even the automatic French version – especially for someone like Lara who talks rapidly. But one can get an idea of what’s going on…BTW, if the videos are downloaded, the subtitles will generally not appear.]
In ‘Le Figaro’ interview, when asked whether the CD would be released in other countries, Lara replied she didn’t know, it was too soon to tell. Nevertheless, additional sites in other countries have been added to ‘Le Secret’ tour, including St. Petersburg and Moscow in late October/early November. It seems strange that Lara would be promoting the CD in countries in which it is not directly available, at least the physical version. Nicolas Boucaud on the Mlle. Zhivago FB site noted that it is now available on iTunes in countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Portugal, Brazil and Peru [but not the U.S. or Canada]. One wonders how it is decided which countries these will be – as of this moment, Lara has no concerts planned in any of those. In contrast, she is (still) coming to the U.S. and Canada (both Montreal and Toronto; at least in Quebec, the physical CD will be released in the Fall].
A major drawback in obtaining the songs by downloading from iTunes, true also for downloads from amazon.fr, is that one does not get the booklet with the lyrics. If one peruses the revues of ‘Le Secret’ on these sites, the most common complaint is the inability to understand the words, something that is not an issue for those who have the physical CD with the printed lyrics. It is surprising that this issue has not been mentioned more often, or addressed.
In other news, an article in the Belgian press (from Charerloi) claims that Lara has a new boyfriend, a ‘magician’ from Siciliy by the name of Gabriel Di Giorgio. Some pictures (though not of the two of them together), including those of other past boyfriends, are available at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=556542434368758&set=a.552103958145939.1073741830.127093573980315&type=1&theater
It was announced that ‘Chabada’, the show on France 5 on which Lara has appeared numerous times over the years, is being cancelled. In response, a petition was started to save it, which has been signed by 96 singers. Many artists, including Lara, joined the host Daniela Lumbroso at a restaurant in Paris to celebrate its accomplishments and record the last show. Photos are available on the web, including Lara with Serge Lama at:
www.purepeople.com/article/amel-bent-et-joyce-jonathan-inseparables-pour-les-adieux-a-chabada_a119761/69
and with Stanislas at:
www.purepeople.com/article/amel-bent-et-joyce-jonathan-inseparables-pour-les-adieux-a-chabada_a119761/15#15
In addition, Lara Fabian Brazil (among other sites) has further pictures, as does Lara’s Instagram site. Lara’s FB site has recently been posting a number of pictures of her in all sorts of interview or publicity settings.
Le Parisien gave Lara a ‘blind test’ to see if she would be familiar with various rock albums of the past (http://www.leparisien.fr/espace-premium/culture-loisirs/lara-fabian-enfant-du-16-04-2013-2730029.php. ) She got 4 of the 5 artists (Queen, The Police, Springsteen, Kate Bush) mising only on an album by “Muse”.
For anyone who has been following the Voice on French TV, Lara has announced that her favorite performer is ‘Benjamin’, not surprisingly on the ‘team’ of Florent Pagny.
Upcoming appearances include le Croissant Show this morning on SUD radio, a Live special on MFM radio in Lyon May 6th, "On repeint la musique" on France Bleu to be replayed this weekend, and on the longer term it was just announced, on the show ‘La parenthèse inattendue’, May 22nd. But we can expect news/publicity to pop up at any time as long as Lara is in promo mode, and her interviews suggest she understands she must ‘keep it going’ if the album is to maintain its chart position.
David
www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-85509.html
www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-85571.html
www.chartsinfrance.net/actualite/news-85578.html
www.chartsinfrance.net/charts/
It was also number 1 in Belgium:
www.ultratop.be/en/weekchart.asp?cat=a&lang=fr
and started in the 16th position in Switzerland, the highest ranking she has achieved there since ‘Nue’:
swisscharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a
But it was the result in France that caused Lara to share a toast with her compatriots on the album. It was her third time in her career her work had reached that position, and the first time since 1999 when it happened twice: with her Live album, and with her self-titled English album. Of these, only the Live album opened at number 1, and it stayed there for four consecutive weeks.
The total sales, of close to 19,000 were only 2,000 more than for ‘Toutes les femmes en moi” which is universally judged a failure in the minds of the French press; we shall see if there's a difference in how this album does in the coming weeks. Anyway, everything is relative, and to outsell ‘Les Enfoires’, among others, ranks as a notable achievement. It comes as vindication in Lara’s mind of her belief in herself, of sticking to her guns by making a 2 CD introspective album that no record company wanted to release, of paying for it herself, and of utilizing the lessons she’s learned over the past years, including displaying her full vocal power. It may also vindicate her choice of ‘Deux ils, deux elles’ as the first single, right in the middle of the political debate about gay marriage, and even her ‘semi-nude’ photo session for Gala magazine. All of this presumably contributed; as John F. Kennedy said, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”
Lara posted a picture of herself holding a poster celebrating the number one listing, on her website, at:www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530752800299555&set=a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591&type=1&theater
and a picture of a dish from the party at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530582433649925&set=a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591&type=1&theater
In conjunction with this event, Lara gave several press interviews, whose translation is provided below. Both articles help underline Lara’s beliefs, besides filling in some details about ‘Le Secret’.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.newsring.fr/actualite/1004307-lara-fabian-dans-le-debat-sur-le-mariage-gay-on-se-sert-injustement-de-dieu
Le secret "number one in sales in France in a week ... what's it like?
LF: (Laughs) Well! It's magic, it's a challenge that was launched solo since I'm not supported by any record company, except distribution by Warner. This is a team work, and I confess that last night we found ourselves celebrating it very simply, very simply, but we were all happy. We spoke with much emotion, because it was a real tour de force, 24 hours/day for months to put the project in place. Social networks, which allow us to go directly to the heart of the public, have also contributed significantly to the reaction we see today, which is 90% positive.
You who are a little bit of a citizen of the world, which is the country where you feel the best right now?
LF: The country where there are people I love ... and I try to lug around with me! As my source is multiple, I've never been attached to things in the material sense of the term. But it is true that the place where I feel good for the moment it is in Belgium, in Brussels, because I have my life and my little house.
You built your album around the "secret." Which ones affect you closest among the themes?
LF: Almost all. This is an album both very autobiographical and very universal, because it talks about what impacts all of us. It does not tell my story even if I necessarily anchor most of my scripts inside my experiences.
The title song, "The Secret" doesn’t pertain to me in the proper sense of the term but you know one in three women is affected by incest. Whether a family member or someone who considers himself to be like a family member. In this sense, we speak of widespread incest. This is an issue that affects me because it affects people who are very close to me and whom I love deeply. For the rest of the album, I'm talking about hard impacts, such as the battle with an eating disorder or search finally to love onself instead of massacring oneself - because we are often our best enemies; all that concerns me, but I think it speaks to many beings on this earth.
Tell me a little about your journey between writing "La Difference" and "Deux ils, deux elles" ...
LF: I find it incredible that we are still having to debate about homosexuality. I want to say that being gay is not an acquisition in time, this is an orientation that defines the basis of a human being. "Deux ils, deux elles" is a song that has existed for five years, it has not at all been written for the circumstances. Flavien Companion and I had it in a drawer for a long time ... And when we finished the album, I called to discuss this title. The text existed in some form and in front of the violence that spread under my eyes, I completely reworked the meaning of a metaphor between nature and the nature of people. I thought the discourse would serve not by being vindictive about but by tending to put forth sweetness, balm on what happens.
Why do I continue to write about this subject? Because it's still a problem, a taboo ... And I continue to be a vigilantee in the absolute. All that is unfair troubles my soul, makes me set myself on fire. I think it was pointless as I fully agree that as far as the violence is concerned, we are all victims. Nobody in the two camps moreover, expected such a flood, to such extremism. Whether one is for or against - and of course I am for - I hope no one can rejoice to see people beaten ...
Has one forgotten the pink triangles? [The sign of the Nazis to mark homosexuals, Ed] If you remember these suffering craters of humanity, I do not even understand that we can still today touch a cell of the skin of anyone, in the name of a belief that puts in question our foundations.
These people are afraid, they feel they are threatened, when we are not telling them they are wrong. We simply say that everyone should have access to the right of following the love for all. Their argument is based on beliefs and ancestral fears, translated from mother to son, father to son ... from the loyal parish priest? This is very serious: we use God to cover a completely unjustified manner. I feel that if we had a conversation with the Father up there, he would not really agree with what is happening ...
What inspires you exactly in this legalized gay marriage in France? How have you experienced it in Belgium, for ten years?
LF: I am delighted. Now, it is necessary to wait thirty days and examine the Constitutional Council ...
In Belgium, it never created the conflict it caused in France. Of course there are people for and others against, but not in such violence, not as if their lives depended on it.
In your opinion, is being against gay marriage, is it being homophobic?
LF: No! I know some gay, really very gay, who are against gay marriage. They have civil unions and they did not need the extra protection. They are not homophobic at all so far, being gay themselves. I think it is, again, an amalgam, a shortcut. I say that I am not trying to defend anyone here but just not to ‘dry up’ accuracy in my remarks.
A word to Frigide Barjot?
LF: (Silence) "More than Words" (Laughs)
Do you think we should open the PMA [centers of medical assistance for procreation] to lesbians couples?
LF: I can not really get into this kind of debate. Obviously, I say yes. But if I carry this torch there, this is not one of tolerance. For me, one of tolerance is that we may be entitled to all that invokes love, so a child. But I understand that some people say: "It is not natural to have two dads or two moms" ... In my opinion, that which is not natural, is that which is unloving. This is only my opinion, it does not legislate and it is not law.
The GPA [assists procreation]?
LF: Idem. I have the same arguments. The main thing is the free will.
Without falling in love, have you ever felt the desire for a woman?
I have rather fallen in love with a being, it does not happen at the level of desire, but of the soul. It is precisely because I have not gone beyond and there was no desire that I have not taken the plunge. But I know that I could, really. If a being in question had been a woman rather than a man, I would have cracked the same way ...
Sexually, I have a heterosexual orientation because I find that a man is beautiful and this is where desire is born, but if I had found the same prerogatives in a woman, I could truly fall for her ...
In the aftermath of this legislation in France, a word to your public gay?
(Smiles) It is absolutely necessary to not abandon the nature of being. We must close ranks to the maximum without falling into the escalation of violence. Do not dress in these same colors, ever. Do not enter into either revenge or in provocation and stick to the single reason why we claim that: YES, love for all and the rights deriving therefrom.
Interview by Laura Trumpet
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And from www.justmusic.fr/actualites/interview-rencontre-avec-lara-fabian-45011:
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More fulfilling and happier than ever, the talented Lara Fabian reveals her secrets through her new album. It is with great pride that we meet to learn a little more. Here are the secrets of a talented artist but above all a human and warm woman.
JustMusic.fr: You're back with a new album, "The Secret." Why are you no longer at Universal?
Lara Fabian: Because I got fired (claps of laughter)! Pascal Negro made me return my contract in a very disgraceful way ... without even informing me himself.
When it's fifteen years that one belongs to a family, it is not simple, it's like mom decided that I should go live with Dad. That's how I lived (smile) because when one finds oneself facing onself , one is not helpless in the absolute, because an artist has her own strength. But when we are used to being constantly surrounded by a team that, from one day to the next, we are left alone, it is not very fair, especially when you are told that it is only for financial reasons, and you sold twenty million records. I found it strange ... And finally I sat down and faced myself with great simplicity, wondering what I was going to do and how I was going to be able to bounce back. I did a little research which I have done, surrounded myself with a team that is mine today and which is amazing! I still had to find a distributor because artists do not have a truck, do not make their records themselves and still need a sure relay. So I found refuge with Thierry Chassagne at Warner who became my distributor while accepting that I am my own master on board, surrounded by a fantastic team that has stars in her eyes when she speaks of a project. A project that she has also enjoyed helping me defend every day. The result of all this work is that the album is number one in sales.
JustMusic.fr: Exactly that's what I was going to ask you. You are number one with this new album, what is your reaction?
Lara Fabian: It is a great joy to know that we did not run the wrong way. Now it is necessary that it lasts a long time, it is necessary that the album continues to find its echo, it is every day that it happens, and it is nevertheless a beautiful resurrection beyond the fact that many thought it was going to be difficult. I see people welcome me back again with a lot of pleasure and it's really great!
JustMusic.fr: Why have you called it "The Secret"?
Lara Fabian: The secret to happiness is what I found. This is Ensō, a Japanese calligraphy with the sign of the circle with the point in the center, is the ability we have to return to home. It is a symbol that tells the story of the return to yourself and to find happiness and simplicity in itself. It seems like this is very simple, but it is part of a genuine process that I carry out in time. The album "The Secret" is the story of this process, the story of a being - you, me or anyone - who is impacted in life by betrayal, loss of a dear one, big trouble, a falling out of love ... what do we do with this suffering when it appears? Is it that one transforms it while suffering or not? Are we trying to find elements that allow us to release it and be the face of resilience ... it is the letting go of what hurts us to transform it into positive energy and then happiness is found . It is "The Secret", "The Secret" is the story of this journey.
JustMusic.fr: Will you tell me about the collaborations found on the album?
Lara Fabian: Janey Clewer worked on much of the album because she is the main songwriter. This is a woman that I’ve loved for 22-23 years and whom I’ve known for a very long time. Her husband, Bruce Gaitsch, is a guitarist and he makes all the guitars on the album. He is equally a great musician and they worked together in pairs. Moreover, in Montreal, is my friend Emmanuel Pitois who is the arranger and the architect of all this work. This is the man who assembled all the works of Kurt Howell, Giora Linenberg and Flavien Companion. He was able to find a box in which was deposited all this work. The idea for the interludes is mine for, from the beginning, I wanted everything to follow. I wanted us to tell this story as we watch a movie. I want that "The Secret" be 110 minutes of uninterrupted music. People will sequence if they want, but at the core, I did not want to offer a work of sequences in songs.
JustMusic.fr: You brought your new titles to two showcases at the Théâtre de Paris. How did that happen?
Lara Fabian: The operation that was behind that was magnificent. It was attached to an online platform like Vente Privée, which for the first time, put out a crossbreeding between music and the world of online sales. These are people who are so open to the world and to the fact that crossbreeding is the future. They understood that and they are mixing with an artist like me to offer a gift to the public. So the mixture was very successful, it was A much fun to their customers as to mine and it even brought a new audience. The atmosphere was a reflection of this success Monday, April 15.
JustMusic.fr: The first single "Deux ils deux elles" corresponds completely to the news of the moment. We know that since you started you defend this great cause. There was already the title "La difference" and your audience is composed of many homosexuals. How do you explain this link there is between you?
Lara Fabian: This is probably my quest for justice. I am a very unhappy person when I see things happen in bad faith or injustice, when the words are unhealthy and they are driven by hatred. It’s been a long time in my life that I have been surrounded by people who need softness and tolerance in their lives. Around me the gay world is truly present so we are very very close. I wrote "La difference" in 1997 for two of my best friends at the time and unfortunately it is still required to raise high and strong the flag of tolerance. We are still dealing with this incomprehensible hatred and incomprehensible amalgam that conflates homosexuality / perversion, homosexuality / abnormality, homosexuality / mental torture ... It's moronic! These terms are not at all based on judgments. "Deux ils, deux elles" exists for five years, it is a song which comes just at the right moment but it was not written specifically for what is happening today. This is the continuation of my battle and my solidarity.
JustMusic.fr: Can you tell me about the clip?
Lara Fabian: We created an email address with the makers of the video so that fans can send in their participation with a portrait photo, a photo of a couple, with a short description. They were subsequently selected and they knew they had to kiss whatever their orientation. We created a kiss like a flower that grows from the ground, we flipped the image and suddenly you really feel that beings are touching in a very natural way, a little weightless.
JustMusic.fr: There's a song on the album that stood out to us which is entitled "Amourexique", can you tell us about it in a few words?
Lara Fabian: This is the story of an eating disorder with which I struggled for years and years and years. It tells the story of a girl who finally found a space in which she can finally love herself. This is hinted at, it is poetic because when I say "I'm having dinner with tulips and pale water" is really a pretty fair description even if it is metaphorical. This is what one lives every day when it reaches eating disorder.
JustMusic.fr: Of course we could not miss the Gala magazine for which you have posed nude. What do you think of these different reactions both positive and negative?
Lara Fabian: Everyone has an opinion and I would say that most people have an opinion (smile). Those who love so much thre better, and those who do not like too bad. It's a bit like the rest, one can not achieve unanimity. But in general, I think the reviews are rather very positive, in any case my fans have responded very well.
JustMusic.fr: You will soon be back on the road, can you unveil for us some exclusives on this new show?
Lara Fabian: It's hard because I'm truly in the design phase (smile). I grasp/fear only now about the staging of the "Secret", it is difficult to tell you.
JustMusic.fr: We have chosen among all your singles five titles that have marked your career for you to talk to us about.
JustMusic.fr: "Croire":
Lara Fabian: This is the first major televisual moment and the first great fright of the artist.
JustMusic.fr: "Tout":
Lara Fabian: The song that created the first link, the first moment of love affair that I have with the French public.
JustMusic.fr: "I will love again"
Lara Fabian: A song that was incredibly strong in my career, that made me travel around the world and made me iconic in the opinion of the gay world.
JustMusic.fr: "La lettre"
Lara Fabian: A confession and probably one of the most confidential songs of my career, but that was very important to me at the time of the release of "9".
JustMusic.fr: "Toutes les femmes en moi":
Lara Fabian: A hymn to us, for all that we have of itycomplex, of beauty, and because, somewhere, we have a great responsibility in bringing humanity to the world.
JustMusic.fr: Being a mother has changed your life, what kind of mother are you?
Lara Fabian: (smiles) I'm a Sicilian mother and that is from mother to daughter. I brood a lot and protect her very much. At the same time, she is a child in whom I have a lot of confidence and I'm a mom full of little touches every day. I am very friendly with her, I am also very tactile and she is my greatest joy at all times.
JustMusic.fr: If later she wants to get into the song or at least in an artistic field what would you say to her?
Lara Fabian: I'll help with all the means that I have, all the experience I have, but let her make her own choices. I will help her when she will ask for help, that's what I'll do.
JustMusic.fr: You're happy now, but what could you do that you would be even more?
Lara Fabian: It would be to continue every day to arrive to enjoy life for what it is. To find always the space in which I appreciate things for what they are. There it is, this is what makes me happy ... Every hour I told myself that life was good with a little ray of sunshine. They are some small, very simple, very trivial things but which, placed end to end, make life beautiful. Continue to find the space in which I can rejoice in being right there, to enjoy every moment.
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Meanwhile, Lara continued to participate in media events, although it looks like the ‘blitz’ has passed its peak. She was on the Belgian version of the Voice and sang a duet of Immortelle with one of the participants, as well as performed ‘Deux ils, deux elles’. Unfortunately, both have been removed from ‘youtube’, undoubtedly by the TV station. This is the danger in linking all such videos on the fan sites to the youtube entry. Facebook has also attempted to remove the photos of ‘Lou’ that were widely dispersed last week, saying there was no agreement between the choreographer Joelle Morane and Lara Fabian’s staff to post them. Those are still around, however (e.g., www.facebook.com/LFIAG, larafabian.borda.ru/?1-1-0-00000066-000-80-0-1367252565).
Lara gave an interview with Le Figaro, which can be seen with English subtitles at:
www.facebook.com/pages/LaraFabianWeb/246805652001644
As shown in the video, when confronted with the question of the ‘Gala’ photographs, Lara noted that 80% of the comments about it had been positive, and that the issue had set a sales record for the magazine. She also took the opporutnity to take a swipe at ‘Le Petit Journal’ and Yann Barthes, who as we know have made a living ridiculing her (and others). She repeated that she had asked to come on the show and confront them directly, but they told her she could sit in the audience! She is obviously relishing the fact that they are afraid to face her directly, repeating that if they allowed her on, and found out that they liked her, they couldn’t subsequently deride her with the same passion!
[Subtitles that have been purposely added, as in this video, are usually quite good – and speaking of that, don’t miss the subtitled version of ‘The Ou Café’ that Lara Fabian Romania has recently put on youtube, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZY_9R59TrY. You may know that for many interviews on youtube, one can see subtitles by clicking on the ‘cc’ indicator beneath them, if it is present. For interviews in French, subtitles in French will automatically appear, but if one wants them in other languages, one can click on the ‘beta’ other languages choice, and go down to see a wide array of possibilities. These subtitles generally leave a lot to be desired – even the automatic French version – especially for someone like Lara who talks rapidly. But one can get an idea of what’s going on…BTW, if the videos are downloaded, the subtitles will generally not appear.]
In ‘Le Figaro’ interview, when asked whether the CD would be released in other countries, Lara replied she didn’t know, it was too soon to tell. Nevertheless, additional sites in other countries have been added to ‘Le Secret’ tour, including St. Petersburg and Moscow in late October/early November. It seems strange that Lara would be promoting the CD in countries in which it is not directly available, at least the physical version. Nicolas Boucaud on the Mlle. Zhivago FB site noted that it is now available on iTunes in countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Portugal, Brazil and Peru [but not the U.S. or Canada]. One wonders how it is decided which countries these will be – as of this moment, Lara has no concerts planned in any of those. In contrast, she is (still) coming to the U.S. and Canada (both Montreal and Toronto; at least in Quebec, the physical CD will be released in the Fall].
A major drawback in obtaining the songs by downloading from iTunes, true also for downloads from amazon.fr, is that one does not get the booklet with the lyrics. If one peruses the revues of ‘Le Secret’ on these sites, the most common complaint is the inability to understand the words, something that is not an issue for those who have the physical CD with the printed lyrics. It is surprising that this issue has not been mentioned more often, or addressed.
In other news, an article in the Belgian press (from Charerloi) claims that Lara has a new boyfriend, a ‘magician’ from Siciliy by the name of Gabriel Di Giorgio. Some pictures (though not of the two of them together), including those of other past boyfriends, are available at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=556542434368758&set=a.552103958145939.1073741830.127093573980315&type=1&theater
It was announced that ‘Chabada’, the show on France 5 on which Lara has appeared numerous times over the years, is being cancelled. In response, a petition was started to save it, which has been signed by 96 singers. Many artists, including Lara, joined the host Daniela Lumbroso at a restaurant in Paris to celebrate its accomplishments and record the last show. Photos are available on the web, including Lara with Serge Lama at:
www.purepeople.com/article/amel-bent-et-joyce-jonathan-inseparables-pour-les-adieux-a-chabada_a119761/69
and with Stanislas at:
www.purepeople.com/article/amel-bent-et-joyce-jonathan-inseparables-pour-les-adieux-a-chabada_a119761/15#15
In addition, Lara Fabian Brazil (among other sites) has further pictures, as does Lara’s Instagram site. Lara’s FB site has recently been posting a number of pictures of her in all sorts of interview or publicity settings.
Le Parisien gave Lara a ‘blind test’ to see if she would be familiar with various rock albums of the past (http://www.leparisien.fr/espace-premium/culture-loisirs/lara-fabian-enfant-du-16-04-2013-2730029.php. ) She got 4 of the 5 artists (Queen, The Police, Springsteen, Kate Bush) mising only on an album by “Muse”.
For anyone who has been following the Voice on French TV, Lara has announced that her favorite performer is ‘Benjamin’, not surprisingly on the ‘team’ of Florent Pagny.
Upcoming appearances include le Croissant Show this morning on SUD radio, a Live special on MFM radio in Lyon May 6th, "On repeint la musique" on France Bleu to be replayed this weekend, and on the longer term it was just announced, on the show ‘La parenthèse inattendue’, May 22nd. But we can expect news/publicity to pop up at any time as long as Lara is in promo mode, and her interviews suggest she understands she must ‘keep it going’ if the album is to maintain its chart position.
David
