Post by davidhr on Sept 3, 2013 11:38:00 GMT -5
The sixth episode of ‘The Best’, with Lara as a judge took place this past Friday. As of the time of this update, it has not become available for viewing outside the country; if and when it does, a comment to that effect will be added to this thread. The show was reported to be pretty much like the previous versions, with Lara still in ‘fine shape’, and the criticism of her on Twitter having calmed down. The audience dropped a bit to 3.84 million viewers (19.5% of the audience), and was beaten in its time period by the American show NCIS: Special Investigations (20.3%).
Lara was interviewed in the publication ‘Tele 7 Jours’ this past week concerning her participation on the show. Here’s a translation (thanks to larafabianweb.com for the scans):
----------------------------------------------------
Lara Fabian: “The Best” has taught me a lot
ENTERTAINMENT. The hour of the finale has sounded! The hour of assessment also for the singer of ‘Je t’aime’, juror of the first season of the show. The singer revisits this new experience.
How do you approach this finale?
With a great joy. There is a row of exceptional artists. I have learned a lot from their contact, I have had the feeling of leaving, in part, my world to enter into that of the very great artistic creativity, of all the arts parallel to mine, but which are tied to it.
You were less familiar than the other jurors with these types of arts. A handicap?
I knew the subject nevertheless since these are the spectacles that I go to see. I have gotten a plane ticket to go sit myself down in Las Vegas, London or New York, to spend a week discovering shows like ‘O’ or ‘Le Reve’ of Cirque du Soleil…I have seen ‘The Best” from my artistic window and I have probably been more carried away by my emotions.
To which numbers have you been the most sensitive?
Those which mix danger and emotion. That overwhelmed me. Like the duo of the contortionists Vilia, the Norwegians of Quick Crew who executed their dance with a precision beyond all that one could humanly imagine…
We have seen you cry also…
It is my nature. For the numbers involving children especially. I could not prevent myself from thinking of my daughter, Lou. She dances, you know. Not at this level, because she is still small (6 years old). I could not prevent myself from seeing a child as if she were mine. Lou has moreover come many times to the tapings. She gave me her favorites!
And you, as a child, did you explore other domains than singing?
I went to the circus one time per week with my parents. And I did some dance, theatre, tap dancing, dramatic theatre…
Why haven’t you pursued?
Because we live, in Europe, in an artistic world where being versatile is not accepted. However it is magical. At this point that which I love is the art of musical comedy. But at the given moment, it is necessary to concentrate on something…
'The Best' has given you the desire to incorporate other disciplines into your concerts?
Of course. But it is difficult to sing my genre of songs and, physically shift competently. That’s why I’ve been totally impressed by Mercedes, this singing contortionist.
What is the difference between being a juror on television and a singer on television?
There is less stress in the first case. When one is on the inside of her art and one lacks assurance, like me, the challenge always seems great. I have the impression of always being less good than I would like. There, I was on the outside while a benevolent observer. It’s good to have less attention on oneself.
Are you in accord with the expression “the best is yet to come”?
Yes, yes, totally. First as a human I have an immense happiness in living (she got married last June 29 to Gabriel di Giorgio, an Italian magician). When one finds that in oneself, when one has a family…One considers that one has ‘the best’. After, one can envisage such things. I am a happy woman, I want before all to preserve this serenity.
The tours of Lara. Lara Fabian is on tour leaving September 11 and promises “an immersive voyage”. “Some things are going to happen on stage”, she says, preserving the surprise. She is also working on a new album, in French, which will leave in the countries of the East, then in Europe. It will be realized “in collaboration with the Russian composer with whom I work, and will be ‘defended’ on stage in Europe during another tour. I will pass by the Kremlin, for example.”
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It’s nice to know that Lara is thinking far ahead – Lara has said that the new album will be released at the end of 2014, so the tour will probably be in 2015. As for it being a French album, there’s some reason to doubt that. For one thing, it would limit its distribution - not that she distributed the first album with Krutoi widely, but she seems to have concluded, from her on-stage patter, that English is more widely understood in Russia than French. Also, at the ‘New Wave’ festival, where she has in the past previewed the coming Krutoi albums, she sang two songs – one in English (Angels Pass Away) and one in French (Yin and Yang). More likely the album will be of mixed languages, like the first.
In the more immediate future is Lara’s upcoming tour. She apparently is currently rehearsing for it. Elise Vidal, on the MZ FB site, reported that “two musicians who participated in the recording of the album are already in Brussels for rehearsals for the tour. It's two from Quebec: Pascale Croft violin and Mélissa Lavergne percussion! info on Facebook (p.croft) and twitter (m.lavergne). Manu Pitois, arranger, and producer of the album will be the musical director for the tour”.
Two video promos for it were released, one for Belgium and one for France, visible at:
bit.ly/15jzjWg
and
bit.ly/1ckNAbb
The Belgian one continues the emphasis on ‘Deux ils, deux elles’, while the French one shows her singing other songs as well, from the Paris concert. Lara continues to add tour dates, the latest being in Latvia for November 28th. 2013. That may indicate that she will be branching out to other countries in subsequent announcements (presumably including Canada in early 2014).
Included in the French promo is a small segment of ‘Danse’, the second single. As to how that’s doing, fans reporting in say that what they continue to hear on the radio is ‘Deux ils, deux elles’. We’ll have to wait and see if anybody gets around to playing this second song – one station in particular said they had still not received it, although it is available for listening on Lara’s FB site (which as she has pointed out has now reached more than 150,000 likes), via youtube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h77E9vv3Ih4#t=17
(this is the ‘second’ version, since it now contains the prelude…)
The FB site also presented a visual picture associated with the single, which can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=582269051814596&set=a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591&type=1&theater
Some fans were not overly enamored of that picture, but suggested it could be used for dental advertisements
.
The picture is necessary because at this point there is no video; rumor has it that one will be created the beginning of this month. On the MZ FB site, the question was raised as to whether Lou would be in the clip. Her comments above do raise that possibility…
‘Pitiblog’ has an article about the song, at www.ptitblog.net/1/lara-fabian-son-nouveau-single-danse-arrive-en-radio_art9820.html. The (translated) commentary in the article goes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
While her new album ‘Le Secret’ was released on April 15, led by the title "Deux ils, deux elles', it was not until the end of August that we get an official confirmation on the second official single leaving from the project. The choice of the singer therefore carries the title "Danse", a style different from the purely Fabianesque titles and has the advantage of providing something different in the current musical landscape.
Not sure how much this title will allow the singer to correct the classification [sales]of her last album, we must admit that 'Le Secret', although meticulous and eclectic, is a particular album concept that one must take time to dissect to really get into it. We are very far from the commercial titles of her debut; from now on the singer works like a real craftsman and offers more sophisticated songs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although this was also their initial opinion of the album, these comments obviously refer as well to the current sales of the album. It has fallen back to 213th position in France and to 36th in Belgium. Again one would have to say it has been very stable for the last seven weeks, during the time ‘The Best’ has been on the air. What that means concerning whether her visibility has been of any benefit to her album is unclear – it was in free-fall on the charts prior to that.
On the schedule this upcoming week is the next episode of ‘The Best’ on Friday, and on Sunday, Lara’s return to live concerts with the last edition (ironically) of her “Best of” concerts, at the "Fête de la Nature et de la Flandre" in Coudekerque-Branche, France. Next week’s update will be the last before the live concerts for ‘Le Secret’ begin, on Sept. 12th.
David
Lara was interviewed in the publication ‘Tele 7 Jours’ this past week concerning her participation on the show. Here’s a translation (thanks to larafabianweb.com for the scans):
----------------------------------------------------
Lara Fabian: “The Best” has taught me a lot
ENTERTAINMENT. The hour of the finale has sounded! The hour of assessment also for the singer of ‘Je t’aime’, juror of the first season of the show. The singer revisits this new experience.
How do you approach this finale?
With a great joy. There is a row of exceptional artists. I have learned a lot from their contact, I have had the feeling of leaving, in part, my world to enter into that of the very great artistic creativity, of all the arts parallel to mine, but which are tied to it.
You were less familiar than the other jurors with these types of arts. A handicap?
I knew the subject nevertheless since these are the spectacles that I go to see. I have gotten a plane ticket to go sit myself down in Las Vegas, London or New York, to spend a week discovering shows like ‘O’ or ‘Le Reve’ of Cirque du Soleil…I have seen ‘The Best” from my artistic window and I have probably been more carried away by my emotions.
To which numbers have you been the most sensitive?
Those which mix danger and emotion. That overwhelmed me. Like the duo of the contortionists Vilia, the Norwegians of Quick Crew who executed their dance with a precision beyond all that one could humanly imagine…
We have seen you cry also…
It is my nature. For the numbers involving children especially. I could not prevent myself from thinking of my daughter, Lou. She dances, you know. Not at this level, because she is still small (6 years old). I could not prevent myself from seeing a child as if she were mine. Lou has moreover come many times to the tapings. She gave me her favorites!
And you, as a child, did you explore other domains than singing?
I went to the circus one time per week with my parents. And I did some dance, theatre, tap dancing, dramatic theatre…
Why haven’t you pursued?
Because we live, in Europe, in an artistic world where being versatile is not accepted. However it is magical. At this point that which I love is the art of musical comedy. But at the given moment, it is necessary to concentrate on something…
'The Best' has given you the desire to incorporate other disciplines into your concerts?
Of course. But it is difficult to sing my genre of songs and, physically shift competently. That’s why I’ve been totally impressed by Mercedes, this singing contortionist.
What is the difference between being a juror on television and a singer on television?
There is less stress in the first case. When one is on the inside of her art and one lacks assurance, like me, the challenge always seems great. I have the impression of always being less good than I would like. There, I was on the outside while a benevolent observer. It’s good to have less attention on oneself.
Are you in accord with the expression “the best is yet to come”?
Yes, yes, totally. First as a human I have an immense happiness in living (she got married last June 29 to Gabriel di Giorgio, an Italian magician). When one finds that in oneself, when one has a family…One considers that one has ‘the best’. After, one can envisage such things. I am a happy woman, I want before all to preserve this serenity.
The tours of Lara. Lara Fabian is on tour leaving September 11 and promises “an immersive voyage”. “Some things are going to happen on stage”, she says, preserving the surprise. She is also working on a new album, in French, which will leave in the countries of the East, then in Europe. It will be realized “in collaboration with the Russian composer with whom I work, and will be ‘defended’ on stage in Europe during another tour. I will pass by the Kremlin, for example.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s nice to know that Lara is thinking far ahead – Lara has said that the new album will be released at the end of 2014, so the tour will probably be in 2015. As for it being a French album, there’s some reason to doubt that. For one thing, it would limit its distribution - not that she distributed the first album with Krutoi widely, but she seems to have concluded, from her on-stage patter, that English is more widely understood in Russia than French. Also, at the ‘New Wave’ festival, where she has in the past previewed the coming Krutoi albums, she sang two songs – one in English (Angels Pass Away) and one in French (Yin and Yang). More likely the album will be of mixed languages, like the first.
In the more immediate future is Lara’s upcoming tour. She apparently is currently rehearsing for it. Elise Vidal, on the MZ FB site, reported that “two musicians who participated in the recording of the album are already in Brussels for rehearsals for the tour. It's two from Quebec: Pascale Croft violin and Mélissa Lavergne percussion! info on Facebook (p.croft) and twitter (m.lavergne). Manu Pitois, arranger, and producer of the album will be the musical director for the tour”.
Two video promos for it were released, one for Belgium and one for France, visible at:
bit.ly/15jzjWg
and
bit.ly/1ckNAbb
The Belgian one continues the emphasis on ‘Deux ils, deux elles’, while the French one shows her singing other songs as well, from the Paris concert. Lara continues to add tour dates, the latest being in Latvia for November 28th. 2013. That may indicate that she will be branching out to other countries in subsequent announcements (presumably including Canada in early 2014).
Included in the French promo is a small segment of ‘Danse’, the second single. As to how that’s doing, fans reporting in say that what they continue to hear on the radio is ‘Deux ils, deux elles’. We’ll have to wait and see if anybody gets around to playing this second song – one station in particular said they had still not received it, although it is available for listening on Lara’s FB site (which as she has pointed out has now reached more than 150,000 likes), via youtube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h77E9vv3Ih4#t=17
(this is the ‘second’ version, since it now contains the prelude…)
The FB site also presented a visual picture associated with the single, which can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=582269051814596&set=a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591&type=1&theater
Some fans were not overly enamored of that picture, but suggested it could be used for dental advertisements
.The picture is necessary because at this point there is no video; rumor has it that one will be created the beginning of this month. On the MZ FB site, the question was raised as to whether Lou would be in the clip. Her comments above do raise that possibility…
‘Pitiblog’ has an article about the song, at www.ptitblog.net/1/lara-fabian-son-nouveau-single-danse-arrive-en-radio_art9820.html. The (translated) commentary in the article goes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
While her new album ‘Le Secret’ was released on April 15, led by the title "Deux ils, deux elles', it was not until the end of August that we get an official confirmation on the second official single leaving from the project. The choice of the singer therefore carries the title "Danse", a style different from the purely Fabianesque titles and has the advantage of providing something different in the current musical landscape.
Not sure how much this title will allow the singer to correct the classification [sales]of her last album, we must admit that 'Le Secret', although meticulous and eclectic, is a particular album concept that one must take time to dissect to really get into it. We are very far from the commercial titles of her debut; from now on the singer works like a real craftsman and offers more sophisticated songs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although this was also their initial opinion of the album, these comments obviously refer as well to the current sales of the album. It has fallen back to 213th position in France and to 36th in Belgium. Again one would have to say it has been very stable for the last seven weeks, during the time ‘The Best’ has been on the air. What that means concerning whether her visibility has been of any benefit to her album is unclear – it was in free-fall on the charts prior to that.
On the schedule this upcoming week is the next episode of ‘The Best’ on Friday, and on Sunday, Lara’s return to live concerts with the last edition (ironically) of her “Best of” concerts, at the "Fête de la Nature et de la Flandre" in Coudekerque-Branche, France. Next week’s update will be the last before the live concerts for ‘Le Secret’ begin, on Sept. 12th.
David
