Post by davidhr on Oct 20, 2015 8:53:44 GMT -5
The two lead stories this past week relate to the release of Lara’s video for her second single (whose link was provided in the previous thread), and her three concerts in Turkey. What they have in common is that both got overwhelmingly positive fan reaction, and that Lara greatly appreciated the fans’ response. We’ll start with the concerts in Turkey, which had its own political overlay.
Increased to three nights due to the large ticket demand, Lara provided a slightly modified ‘best of’ setlist, including ‘Quand je ne chante pas’ from the upcoming album. The musicians were the same as usual, despite lacking their customary ‘picture frame’ settings, and the music was performed as usual. Lara’s singing was o.k., although it was reported that she was somewhat sick.
In addition, one had the political situation. Lara made this comment (http://www.cnnturk.com/kultur-sanat/muzik/lara-fabian-hayranlariyla-bulustu?utm_content=buffer10b84&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer), "Dear Istanbul. I wish I could say the same for Ankara. Humanity was wounded. We really thought a lot about being here today or not, but then I decided that I need to be with you. Because we have to be together at this time. Maybe music will bring peace and tolerance”. And prior to the concert Lara met with fans, saying that it was a delight to her to be there, and that,"through music, to understand the heart of my tongue, I will do the best of my best tonight. Thank you very much for being here”. And afterwards, from Lara’s team, “"Due to the attack in Ankara, that changed this country and of national mourning, the conduct of the Istanbul concert was adapted by respect...”.
What Lara was referring to was that on October 10, twin blasts went off as people gathered for a march organized by leftist groups demanding an end to the violence between the Turkish government and Kurdish separatist PKK militants. The explosions killed at least 102 people, and wounded more than 400. Turkey declared three days of mourning, October 11-13; and Lara’s three concerts were October 15-17. Hence the concern as to whether they would be appropriate.
The responses of the people seemed to indicate that she had brought a respite to the people’s sadness. Here were a few of the comments posted on her website:
Bulent Balyemez: Dear Lara thank you for concert please come back again in İstanbul...
To which Lara replied, I will!
Gomidas Madfouni: It was tonight really an amazing concert ; I enjoyed it so much . Thank you Lara Fabian.
Bülent Yılmaz Jetaimeee: This night is wonderful with you!! Thank you very much, waiting to see you again.
Alina Kolodyazhnyy: Ooo thats a beauty!!! That duet with Fidan melted my heart... you're amazing Lara, truly an angel
Sinan Ispanlar: That was amazing to be with you and see you live for the first time Lara Fabian, you are the most sympathetic singer I’ve ever seen.
Other comments were of a similar nature…
Lara herself enjoyed them. After the first night she posted the following link (from Lara Fabian Turkey):
www.facebook.com/Larafabianturkiye/photos/a.682431461833636.1073741829.682422835167832/910036912406422/?type=3&theater
with the caption, “Teşekkürler [Thank you], Istanbul, for an amazing evening . I look forward to see you again tonight and this Saturday.
At the end she took the following ‘selfie’, with Instanbul at night in the background:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.622966977744803.1073741829.201065806601591/1000033606704803/?type=3&theater
and the caption, “Good night Istanbul...thank you for those three magical nights…”
We have some videos from the show, not really of the highest quality, but appreciated nonetheless. Undoubtedly the most interesting related to Lara’s “duet partner”, referred to in one of the comments above. You may remember that last November 23, 2014, in Baku, Azerbaijan, an eight year old girl, ‘Fidan’ asked Lara if she could come up on stage and join her for a duet of ‘Je suis malade’. She did and it was very memorable; a video of it can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FckQePrlXM. Well, here she was again, and this time she had asked to join Lara in a duet of ‘Je t’aime’. Which can be seen at:
Je t’aime: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380740%2F33a7df938ab6188376
Also at (and elsewhere):
www.facebook.com/irina.popova.9461/videos/885615221516707/
As you can see, once again she did an amazing job on a difficult song! [It should definitely be made available on youtube, although perhaps its aspect ratio is not appropriate]. This was apparently the ‘surprise’ duet Lara had mentioned prior to the show, not some other Turkish singer as had been speculated. As she had said in the article in ‘habertruk.com’, it was a surprise that one would least expect!
Other videos included (primarily from the Lara Fabian Connecting People site):
‘Pas sans toi’: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380724%2Faa01728b2753cd75d4
which Lara dedicated to the fans, explaining that when she originally wrote it she thought she couldn’t live without a certain type of love, but after learning to value herself more, she now realizes the type of love she needs is from her fans.
Immortelle: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380900%2Fded2672c3045b01dab
In the introduction to this last video, fans started to yell ‘Happy Birthday’ to her, under the false impression that it was that day (it’s really January 9). Lara brought up the concept from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ that every day that is not one’s birthday, is a happy ‘unbirthday’, so this really was a ‘Happy Unbirthday’ for her. She then appeared uncertain as to how to follow that up, and decided upon this song, very appropriately!
I Guess I Loved You: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380722%2Fc2ff703f6851ef9dc5
A portion of ‘Quand je ne chante pas’: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171381278%2Fa5af12e2e6edf06701
Segments of ‘I Will Love Again’ and ‘Pas sans toi’ and the duet with Fidan:
www.facebook.com/safae.elhalouti/videos/10207899085903360/
A very brief segment of ‘Alfonsina y el mar’: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video-121236_171387656%2Fc7f633ac632cd885d5
A ‘best moments’: www.facebook.com/larafabianromania/videos/987612974595033/
And a professional video, summing it up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L19BK5TMg5Q
The setlist also appeared to include ‘Angel’, ‘Caruso’, ‘Il est lune’, ‘Je suis malade’, ‘La Difference’, ‘J’y crois encore’ and ‘Adagio’. So it was quite like a ‘best of’ production; hard to know whether that would have been the case if the political situation had been somewhat different, which perhaps would have given her more time to prepare some new choices. Nevertheless, Lara definitely made the right decision to go, and it would appear to validate her belief that music can be a balm to salve people’s wounds…Important enough that CNN Turkey twitted: #LaraFabian: We have to be together at a time like this. Perhaps music brings peace. ("https://twitter.com/cnnturk/status/654916353799946240?s=04).
Various quality photos are available, the first set from the Zorlu Performing Arts Center itself:
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247274658852/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247294658850/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247374658842/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247764658803/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247801325466/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247407992172/?type=3&theater
From Lara Fabian est ton autre:
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pcb.912054405514891/912054362181562/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pcb.911763498877315/911763472210651/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/a.646180015435666.1073741861.166959643357708/911726748880990/?type=3&theater (with Fidan)
and with Fidan from the ‘Lara Fabian Is Here’ site:
www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/a.398533517416.164839.382393522416/10153683105907417/?type=3&theater
And some photos from Lara Fabian Brazil:
www.larafabianbrasil.com.br/2015/10/show-em-istambul-turquia-16102015.html
From Lara Fabian Romania:
A picture of the entrance way to the theatre:
www.facebook.com/larafabianromania/photos/ms.c.eJw1x7kRACAMA7CNuDif7f0X4yhQJ2vJnuilpDh~_X6YCsPFvVE9BF~_wCCck~-.bps.a.986774468012217.1073741854.127093573980315/986774504678880/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianromania/photos/a.150846921604980.22470.127093573980315/986919614664369/?type=3&theater
There is also a photo from Elvan Tığlıoğlu with Lara:
iconosquare.com/p/1098412272918944412_1373169309
with the caption, “Life is full of surprises. I was honored to meet and work with Lara Fabian. Designing her stage outfits (the night of October 16 and 17 in Istanbul) was one of the best experiences I have had. She is not only a great singer, she is down to earth, fun and a wonderful person. Hopefully to have many more collaborations in the future…”
Finally, with the photographer Mehmel Turgut, from ‘Lara Fabian - La douce voix d'un ange’ and the ‘Lara Fabian Is Here’ sites.
www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/a.10153675915212417.1073741878.382393522416/10153677752082417/?type=3&theater
Lara had several local media appearances associated with her concerts. One that was advertised by Lara’s team was her 15 minute guest spot on the TV show "Night and Day / Gece Gündüz", done live from the Zorlu Performing Arts Center in Istanbul on NTV (Turkey). They indicated one could watch the interview live on the web. However…even though the interview was apparently conducted in English, it was overdubbed in Turkish - not sure whether Lara’s team was aware that was going to happen. For those who are still interested, it can be seen at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyM_g4E_68k); and there is a nice photo of Lara with the attractive interviewer (https://www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/a.10153675915212417.1073741878.382393522416/10153676108872417/?type=3&theater). There will also apparently be an article in the Turkish publication “46”.
The other big story, of course, was the release of the video of Lara’s second single. You may remember that fans were somewhat split over the first one; those who admired it thought it was highly creative and very professionally performed. Others felt it hadn’t done justice to the intensity of the song – but then, the music and the lyrics did not really appear well-matched, the music being more upbeat than the words would have suggested.
There was no such discrepancy here – the words are a loving homage to her best friend Natalie, and the video (again at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmt9peaZgCI) is one showing dreaming remembrance. As the words also suggest that ‘soul mates’ can play different roles in different lives, Lara has this ‘love’ portrayed, in brief glimpses, by interacting with people of different genders and even ages.
Once again the fan response was highly positive – for those caring to ‘vote’ on youtube (thumbs up vs. thumbs down), it is (currently) 98% positive (although the same was true for the video for ‘Quand je ne chante pas’). More telling are the comments on Lara’s site, so positive that Lara responded by writing, “Thank you to all, and to all for those words which touch me. Thank you. I kiss you.”
An article about the video appeared at (http://www.ozap.com/actu/clip-lara-fabian-joue-l-ambiguite-amoureuse-dans-ma-vie-dans-la-tienne/480166); here is the translation:
--------------------------------------------------------
Clip: Lara Fabian plays the ambiguous lover in "Quand je ne chante pas"
The singer evokes a past love story and speaks at the same time of a man and a woman.
The new album of Lara Fabian approaches. On November 6, the Belgian-Italian singer will unveil "Ma Vie dans la tienne", her twelfth studio album. A disc already announced by first single "Quand je ne chante pas", acclaimed by adult radio this summer, and which now has a successor. To best ensure the promotion of the album, Lara Fabian has decided to operate on the main beach, "Ma Vie dans la tienne", that she co-wrote with Elodie Hesme and co-composed with David Gategno .
Multiplying the "If I had known ...", the singer goes back over the mistakes she has made and the choices she would make differently in the context of a love relationship. And the object of her affection, if one believes the clip posted online this weekend, may as well be a man as a woman. The singer also addresses her "queen" in the chorus of the title.
To put it in images, Lara Fabian has opted for simplicity. In a bright house, the singer of "Deux ils, deux elles" recalls the past and finds herself at times confronted with those she has loved. Which gives additional visibility to the title a few weeks before the release of the album. Its predecessor, "Le secret," had created a surprise by moving up straight to number one in sales in 2013, without the support of a record company.
--------------------------------------------------
It still remains to be seen whether the public is open to the honesty and intimacy that Lara pursues in her songs. In a recent book ‘The Song Machine’ by John Seabrook, he notes that today’s hit songs “are now industrial-strength products, made for malls, stadiums, airports”. While his focus is on the States, it is true to some extent throughout the world, as one can see from the listing of top songs worldwide, dominated by such products. The modest sales of ‘Le Secret’, an album of sensitivity, depth and complexity, have led Lara, it appears, to be more straightforward, if equally sensitive. Whether that is enough of a change, time will tell; without being (too) elitist, it could be that Lara’s fans who so like her new song have a sensitivity that is largely missing from today’s buying public [at least when it comes to music
]. The new single opened at #102 in France, dropped to #175 the next week, and is now gone. ‘Quand je ne chante pas’ spent one week on the charts, in 44th place. In Belgium, QJNCP spent one week at #22, while MVDLT has opened at #44.
A third, related story of some import is the appearance of the ‘Lara Fabian app’ for IOS and Android devices that allows Lara’s album cover to ‘come to life’. The Lara Fabian Web site had this (translated) item:
-----------------------------------
The Application Lara Fabian-CD allows you to discover thanks to augmented reality, 5 animations designed specifically for this album. Created by Phil Macquet in complicity with Lara Fabian, this technology allows you to discover a new face of the artist and her album. 5 animations are there to discover by your own research.
itunes.apple.com/fr/app/id1045068548
------------------------------------
Here’s how it works:
1) Download the ‘Lara Fabian CD’ app from the above link to a smartphone or tablet device– even though it is an itunes.fr link, it seems to work at some other locations around the world (e.g., the U.S.).
2) When asked if the app can access your camera, say yes – it needs to use that function.
3) When you first open it, it shows the standard picture of Lara’s album, and then when tapped, several options appear. If you hit ‘news’ at this point in time it goes to ‘news.larafabian.com’ and currently provides a list of the 8 concerts set so far in 2016 for the album.
4) If you tap what looks like an eyeball with a moon that has had a bite taken out of it, a blank white circle on a black background appears, with the phrase ‘NOT FOUND’ in the upper left hand corner.
5) Find a picture of the album cover on your computer screen and lift your phone/tablet device up to the screen; it will then be looking through the back camera of your device at that album cover. The blank circle then becomes a ‘crosshairs’ which you can use to focus on one of the five colors of the album.
6) Depending on what you focus on you will see one of five visual effects and hear one of five melodies. The MZ FB site provided pictures of the five visuals, available at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208116010327657&set=pcb.1073540769356701&type=3&theater
and then also: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206880519482946&set=pcb.1073871115990333&type=3&theater
There are also several youtube videos showing it,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or__KQd_WME
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0Br_UWOqGI
And the Lara Fabian – PHQ site somehow has obtained an extract of one of the videos available, showing the painter Phil
Macquet: www.facebook.com/353946178085395/videos/761588260654516/?fref=nf
These emphasize that some of the visuals are not all static, and the movement is part of the allure. There is a butterfly flying, for example. On the MZ site they speculated that perhaps the effects can be changed with time (it is an app that can be updated, presumably), or maybe the effect is different if one is looking at the actual album – perhaps that’s where the video came from. Similarly the ‘news’ can certainly be updated since it links to a URL. None of this will matter, of course, if the album isn’t any good, but it certainly adds an innovative air to the product.
There were several news items concerning the upcoming tour. For one, Decibel Productions has now listed Lara’s upcoming tour dates, with the option to buy tickets for all 9 concerts (so far), 6 in March 2016, and three in June: decibelsprod.com/dates/artiste/lara-fabian/
In case it wasn’t apparent earlier, what appears to be the current concert photo/poster is being shown on Lara’s website, visible at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/998811756826988/?type=3&theater
As for the movie to be shown concurrent to the album’s release, “Un soir autour du monde”, first, there is a new video promo for it, available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4tPTx17aaY&feature=youtu.be
Also it was announced on the ‘Lara Fabian. Connecting people’ site that it will be also shown in Russia, on November 20th
cinemaemotion.ru/catalog/314
One wonders if it will eventually play elsewhere, and whether it will be made available commercially sooner rather than later.
And speaking of Russia: the same site had the following statement, concerning the ‘New Wave Festival’ which was held in the first two weeks of October. It read,
“Many wonder why Lara Fabian did not come to the "New Wave" festival? In an interview with Igor Krutoy, he gave the answer to such a fascinating question. Having said that women make the event more attractive, Igor said that only one woman at this time did not come to New Wave - Lara Fabian. The reason for her absence was that it was expected - a busy time for her in connection with the recording of the album and its promo in France.” Undoubtedly this is at least partially the case, although it can be noted that (1) she took three days off to go to Turkey in the middle of the same promotion; (2) it was moved from Jurmala, Latvia because of Russia’s involvement with Ukraine; and (3) It was originally scheduled to be in the summer, when there was no obvious schedule conflict, and she wasn’t listed for it then, either.
Conversely, something that people didn’t expect to happen apparently will: “Stars à domicile” which aired between 2001 and 2004 has been resurrected by TF1 (http://www.stephanelarue.com/Stars-a-domicile-de-retour-debut-2016-sur-TF1-a-vous-de-jouer-_a16020.html). If fans want Lara to appear, and she is one of the candidates named, one should send a letter (yes, an actual letter) to:
STARS HOME 2016
(Artist name)
TF1
1 wharf Point du Jour
92100 Boulogne Billancourt
There will be three shows aired in 2016. This is the program in which a meeting at home between a fan and his/her favorite star is arranged. Lara was featured in one of the shows in Quebec with a very grateful fan; that video can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvUE5-sVVM.
Today, on the program ‘Le Grand 8’ on D8, Helene Segara was asked whether she likes Lara. Her reply was that it wasn’t a question of whether she likes Lara, but if Lara likes her (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153644755051308&set=p.10153644755051308&type=3&theater). They’ve had an uneasy relationship for some years. The only real reason for mentioning this is that the press appears to have picked it up. On the bright side, it’s often said that in show business, there’s no such thing as bad publicity [Bill Cosby aside].
Interesting photo(s) of the week – with emphasis on the plural – come from the two big stories. First, from Lara Fabian Is Here site, there is Lara hugging Fidan in Turkey:
www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/pcb.10153680744427417/10153680743597417/?type=3&theater
And a special ‘interesting pictures’ by Operation Fan Club Lara Fabian, who posted screen captures of Lara’s new video, all of which can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.848335735273624.1073741899.673991206041412&type=3
More promotional events to be aired this week, among them interviews on RTL (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206880691167238&set=gm.1073887112655400&type=3&theater) and BFMTV (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153644768331308&set=gm.1073895579321220&type=3&theater). In addition, Guillaume Sabatier on the LFIAG site, posted a listing of the various efforts in that regard already underway for future appearances, garnered from an internal memo at Warner, and it is extensive. Considering just the numerous TV spots from Nov. 6 through Dec. 20;
**The video of ‘Ma vie dans la tienne’ in the playlist on TF1, M6, RFM TV, W9 starting October 15.
**On TF1 : '50min inside' currently in November; JT [Journal Télévisé - TV News] November 5th or 6th; 'Prime Miss France' on Dec. 19th.
**On France 2: 'Alcaline' Nov. 11th; 'Comment ça va bien?' (S Bern) Nov. 19th; 'Vivement dimanche' (still to be confirmed) currently November; 'C'est au programme' (S Davant) live November 12th; 'Téléthon Prime' December 5th; JT 13h interview+live (5 last minutes) week of November 9th;
**On France 3: Subject in JT 12-13
**On France 5: 'C'est à vous diner' + live week of November 9th;
**On Canal +: 'Salut les terriens' end of November
**On D8: 'Le grand 8', November 9th [where undoubtedly she’ll be asked about Helene Segara!]; 'Touche pas à mon poste', November 9th
**On BFM TV: Subject in JT the week of the release
**On M6: Subject in JT19/45 November 9th
**I télé: Subject in JT
Plus many radio appearances as well…Warner, and Lara are sparing no effort; a lot is riding on it. Can she reemerge as a top selling artist? We’ll soon find out. Two and a half weeks left before Lara’s latest push into the French market is born.
David
Increased to three nights due to the large ticket demand, Lara provided a slightly modified ‘best of’ setlist, including ‘Quand je ne chante pas’ from the upcoming album. The musicians were the same as usual, despite lacking their customary ‘picture frame’ settings, and the music was performed as usual. Lara’s singing was o.k., although it was reported that she was somewhat sick.
In addition, one had the political situation. Lara made this comment (http://www.cnnturk.com/kultur-sanat/muzik/lara-fabian-hayranlariyla-bulustu?utm_content=buffer10b84&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer), "Dear Istanbul. I wish I could say the same for Ankara. Humanity was wounded. We really thought a lot about being here today or not, but then I decided that I need to be with you. Because we have to be together at this time. Maybe music will bring peace and tolerance”. And prior to the concert Lara met with fans, saying that it was a delight to her to be there, and that,"through music, to understand the heart of my tongue, I will do the best of my best tonight. Thank you very much for being here”. And afterwards, from Lara’s team, “"Due to the attack in Ankara, that changed this country and of national mourning, the conduct of the Istanbul concert was adapted by respect...”.
What Lara was referring to was that on October 10, twin blasts went off as people gathered for a march organized by leftist groups demanding an end to the violence between the Turkish government and Kurdish separatist PKK militants. The explosions killed at least 102 people, and wounded more than 400. Turkey declared three days of mourning, October 11-13; and Lara’s three concerts were October 15-17. Hence the concern as to whether they would be appropriate.
The responses of the people seemed to indicate that she had brought a respite to the people’s sadness. Here were a few of the comments posted on her website:
Bulent Balyemez: Dear Lara thank you for concert please come back again in İstanbul...
To which Lara replied, I will!
Gomidas Madfouni: It was tonight really an amazing concert ; I enjoyed it so much . Thank you Lara Fabian.
Bülent Yılmaz Jetaimeee: This night is wonderful with you!! Thank you very much, waiting to see you again.
Alina Kolodyazhnyy: Ooo thats a beauty!!! That duet with Fidan melted my heart... you're amazing Lara, truly an angel
Sinan Ispanlar: That was amazing to be with you and see you live for the first time Lara Fabian, you are the most sympathetic singer I’ve ever seen.
Other comments were of a similar nature…
Lara herself enjoyed them. After the first night she posted the following link (from Lara Fabian Turkey):
www.facebook.com/Larafabianturkiye/photos/a.682431461833636.1073741829.682422835167832/910036912406422/?type=3&theater
with the caption, “Teşekkürler [Thank you], Istanbul, for an amazing evening . I look forward to see you again tonight and this Saturday.
At the end she took the following ‘selfie’, with Instanbul at night in the background:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.622966977744803.1073741829.201065806601591/1000033606704803/?type=3&theater
and the caption, “Good night Istanbul...thank you for those three magical nights…”
We have some videos from the show, not really of the highest quality, but appreciated nonetheless. Undoubtedly the most interesting related to Lara’s “duet partner”, referred to in one of the comments above. You may remember that last November 23, 2014, in Baku, Azerbaijan, an eight year old girl, ‘Fidan’ asked Lara if she could come up on stage and join her for a duet of ‘Je suis malade’. She did and it was very memorable; a video of it can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FckQePrlXM. Well, here she was again, and this time she had asked to join Lara in a duet of ‘Je t’aime’. Which can be seen at:
Je t’aime: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380740%2F33a7df938ab6188376
Also at (and elsewhere):
www.facebook.com/irina.popova.9461/videos/885615221516707/
As you can see, once again she did an amazing job on a difficult song! [It should definitely be made available on youtube, although perhaps its aspect ratio is not appropriate]. This was apparently the ‘surprise’ duet Lara had mentioned prior to the show, not some other Turkish singer as had been speculated. As she had said in the article in ‘habertruk.com’, it was a surprise that one would least expect!
Other videos included (primarily from the Lara Fabian Connecting People site):
‘Pas sans toi’: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380724%2Faa01728b2753cd75d4
which Lara dedicated to the fans, explaining that when she originally wrote it she thought she couldn’t live without a certain type of love, but after learning to value herself more, she now realizes the type of love she needs is from her fans.
Immortelle: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380900%2Fded2672c3045b01dab
In the introduction to this last video, fans started to yell ‘Happy Birthday’ to her, under the false impression that it was that day (it’s really January 9). Lara brought up the concept from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ that every day that is not one’s birthday, is a happy ‘unbirthday’, so this really was a ‘Happy Unbirthday’ for her. She then appeared uncertain as to how to follow that up, and decided upon this song, very appropriately!
I Guess I Loved You: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171380722%2Fc2ff703f6851ef9dc5
A portion of ‘Quand je ne chante pas’: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video784468_171381278%2Fa5af12e2e6edf06701
Segments of ‘I Will Love Again’ and ‘Pas sans toi’ and the duet with Fidan:
www.facebook.com/safae.elhalouti/videos/10207899085903360/
A very brief segment of ‘Alfonsina y el mar’: vk.com/lf_cp?z=video-121236_171387656%2Fc7f633ac632cd885d5
A ‘best moments’: www.facebook.com/larafabianromania/videos/987612974595033/
And a professional video, summing it up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L19BK5TMg5Q
The setlist also appeared to include ‘Angel’, ‘Caruso’, ‘Il est lune’, ‘Je suis malade’, ‘La Difference’, ‘J’y crois encore’ and ‘Adagio’. So it was quite like a ‘best of’ production; hard to know whether that would have been the case if the political situation had been somewhat different, which perhaps would have given her more time to prepare some new choices. Nevertheless, Lara definitely made the right decision to go, and it would appear to validate her belief that music can be a balm to salve people’s wounds…Important enough that CNN Turkey twitted: #LaraFabian: We have to be together at a time like this. Perhaps music brings peace. ("https://twitter.com/cnnturk/status/654916353799946240?s=04).
Various quality photos are available, the first set from the Zorlu Performing Arts Center itself:
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247274658852/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247294658850/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247374658842/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247764658803/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247801325466/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/ZorluPerformansSanatlariMerkezi/photos/a.455247241325522.1073741939.141486832701566/455247407992172/?type=3&theater
From Lara Fabian est ton autre:
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pcb.912054405514891/912054362181562/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/pcb.911763498877315/911763472210651/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/166959643357708/photos/a.646180015435666.1073741861.166959643357708/911726748880990/?type=3&theater (with Fidan)
and with Fidan from the ‘Lara Fabian Is Here’ site:
www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/a.398533517416.164839.382393522416/10153683105907417/?type=3&theater
And some photos from Lara Fabian Brazil:
www.larafabianbrasil.com.br/2015/10/show-em-istambul-turquia-16102015.html
From Lara Fabian Romania:
A picture of the entrance way to the theatre:
www.facebook.com/larafabianromania/photos/ms.c.eJw1x7kRACAMA7CNuDif7f0X4yhQJ2vJnuilpDh~_X6YCsPFvVE9BF~_wCCck~-.bps.a.986774468012217.1073741854.127093573980315/986774504678880/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianromania/photos/a.150846921604980.22470.127093573980315/986919614664369/?type=3&theater
There is also a photo from Elvan Tığlıoğlu with Lara:
iconosquare.com/p/1098412272918944412_1373169309
with the caption, “Life is full of surprises. I was honored to meet and work with Lara Fabian. Designing her stage outfits (the night of October 16 and 17 in Istanbul) was one of the best experiences I have had. She is not only a great singer, she is down to earth, fun and a wonderful person. Hopefully to have many more collaborations in the future…”
Finally, with the photographer Mehmel Turgut, from ‘Lara Fabian - La douce voix d'un ange’ and the ‘Lara Fabian Is Here’ sites.
www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/a.10153675915212417.1073741878.382393522416/10153677752082417/?type=3&theater
Lara had several local media appearances associated with her concerts. One that was advertised by Lara’s team was her 15 minute guest spot on the TV show "Night and Day / Gece Gündüz", done live from the Zorlu Performing Arts Center in Istanbul on NTV (Turkey). They indicated one could watch the interview live on the web. However…even though the interview was apparently conducted in English, it was overdubbed in Turkish - not sure whether Lara’s team was aware that was going to happen. For those who are still interested, it can be seen at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyM_g4E_68k); and there is a nice photo of Lara with the attractive interviewer (https://www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/a.10153675915212417.1073741878.382393522416/10153676108872417/?type=3&theater). There will also apparently be an article in the Turkish publication “46”.
The other big story, of course, was the release of the video of Lara’s second single. You may remember that fans were somewhat split over the first one; those who admired it thought it was highly creative and very professionally performed. Others felt it hadn’t done justice to the intensity of the song – but then, the music and the lyrics did not really appear well-matched, the music being more upbeat than the words would have suggested.
There was no such discrepancy here – the words are a loving homage to her best friend Natalie, and the video (again at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmt9peaZgCI) is one showing dreaming remembrance. As the words also suggest that ‘soul mates’ can play different roles in different lives, Lara has this ‘love’ portrayed, in brief glimpses, by interacting with people of different genders and even ages.
Once again the fan response was highly positive – for those caring to ‘vote’ on youtube (thumbs up vs. thumbs down), it is (currently) 98% positive (although the same was true for the video for ‘Quand je ne chante pas’). More telling are the comments on Lara’s site, so positive that Lara responded by writing, “Thank you to all, and to all for those words which touch me. Thank you. I kiss you.”
An article about the video appeared at (http://www.ozap.com/actu/clip-lara-fabian-joue-l-ambiguite-amoureuse-dans-ma-vie-dans-la-tienne/480166); here is the translation:
--------------------------------------------------------
Clip: Lara Fabian plays the ambiguous lover in "Quand je ne chante pas"
The singer evokes a past love story and speaks at the same time of a man and a woman.
The new album of Lara Fabian approaches. On November 6, the Belgian-Italian singer will unveil "Ma Vie dans la tienne", her twelfth studio album. A disc already announced by first single "Quand je ne chante pas", acclaimed by adult radio this summer, and which now has a successor. To best ensure the promotion of the album, Lara Fabian has decided to operate on the main beach, "Ma Vie dans la tienne", that she co-wrote with Elodie Hesme and co-composed with David Gategno .
Multiplying the "If I had known ...", the singer goes back over the mistakes she has made and the choices she would make differently in the context of a love relationship. And the object of her affection, if one believes the clip posted online this weekend, may as well be a man as a woman. The singer also addresses her "queen" in the chorus of the title.
To put it in images, Lara Fabian has opted for simplicity. In a bright house, the singer of "Deux ils, deux elles" recalls the past and finds herself at times confronted with those she has loved. Which gives additional visibility to the title a few weeks before the release of the album. Its predecessor, "Le secret," had created a surprise by moving up straight to number one in sales in 2013, without the support of a record company.
--------------------------------------------------
It still remains to be seen whether the public is open to the honesty and intimacy that Lara pursues in her songs. In a recent book ‘The Song Machine’ by John Seabrook, he notes that today’s hit songs “are now industrial-strength products, made for malls, stadiums, airports”. While his focus is on the States, it is true to some extent throughout the world, as one can see from the listing of top songs worldwide, dominated by such products. The modest sales of ‘Le Secret’, an album of sensitivity, depth and complexity, have led Lara, it appears, to be more straightforward, if equally sensitive. Whether that is enough of a change, time will tell; without being (too) elitist, it could be that Lara’s fans who so like her new song have a sensitivity that is largely missing from today’s buying public [at least when it comes to music
]. The new single opened at #102 in France, dropped to #175 the next week, and is now gone. ‘Quand je ne chante pas’ spent one week on the charts, in 44th place. In Belgium, QJNCP spent one week at #22, while MVDLT has opened at #44. A third, related story of some import is the appearance of the ‘Lara Fabian app’ for IOS and Android devices that allows Lara’s album cover to ‘come to life’. The Lara Fabian Web site had this (translated) item:
-----------------------------------
The Application Lara Fabian-CD allows you to discover thanks to augmented reality, 5 animations designed specifically for this album. Created by Phil Macquet in complicity with Lara Fabian, this technology allows you to discover a new face of the artist and her album. 5 animations are there to discover by your own research.
itunes.apple.com/fr/app/id1045068548
------------------------------------
Here’s how it works:
1) Download the ‘Lara Fabian CD’ app from the above link to a smartphone or tablet device– even though it is an itunes.fr link, it seems to work at some other locations around the world (e.g., the U.S.).
2) When asked if the app can access your camera, say yes – it needs to use that function.
3) When you first open it, it shows the standard picture of Lara’s album, and then when tapped, several options appear. If you hit ‘news’ at this point in time it goes to ‘news.larafabian.com’ and currently provides a list of the 8 concerts set so far in 2016 for the album.
4) If you tap what looks like an eyeball with a moon that has had a bite taken out of it, a blank white circle on a black background appears, with the phrase ‘NOT FOUND’ in the upper left hand corner.
5) Find a picture of the album cover on your computer screen and lift your phone/tablet device up to the screen; it will then be looking through the back camera of your device at that album cover. The blank circle then becomes a ‘crosshairs’ which you can use to focus on one of the five colors of the album.
6) Depending on what you focus on you will see one of five visual effects and hear one of five melodies. The MZ FB site provided pictures of the five visuals, available at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208116010327657&set=pcb.1073540769356701&type=3&theater
and then also: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206880519482946&set=pcb.1073871115990333&type=3&theater
There are also several youtube videos showing it,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or__KQd_WME
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0Br_UWOqGI
And the Lara Fabian – PHQ site somehow has obtained an extract of one of the videos available, showing the painter Phil
Macquet: www.facebook.com/353946178085395/videos/761588260654516/?fref=nf
These emphasize that some of the visuals are not all static, and the movement is part of the allure. There is a butterfly flying, for example. On the MZ site they speculated that perhaps the effects can be changed with time (it is an app that can be updated, presumably), or maybe the effect is different if one is looking at the actual album – perhaps that’s where the video came from. Similarly the ‘news’ can certainly be updated since it links to a URL. None of this will matter, of course, if the album isn’t any good, but it certainly adds an innovative air to the product.
There were several news items concerning the upcoming tour. For one, Decibel Productions has now listed Lara’s upcoming tour dates, with the option to buy tickets for all 9 concerts (so far), 6 in March 2016, and three in June: decibelsprod.com/dates/artiste/lara-fabian/
In case it wasn’t apparent earlier, what appears to be the current concert photo/poster is being shown on Lara’s website, visible at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/998811756826988/?type=3&theater
As for the movie to be shown concurrent to the album’s release, “Un soir autour du monde”, first, there is a new video promo for it, available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4tPTx17aaY&feature=youtu.be
Also it was announced on the ‘Lara Fabian. Connecting people’ site that it will be also shown in Russia, on November 20th
cinemaemotion.ru/catalog/314
One wonders if it will eventually play elsewhere, and whether it will be made available commercially sooner rather than later.
And speaking of Russia: the same site had the following statement, concerning the ‘New Wave Festival’ which was held in the first two weeks of October. It read,
“Many wonder why Lara Fabian did not come to the "New Wave" festival? In an interview with Igor Krutoy, he gave the answer to such a fascinating question. Having said that women make the event more attractive, Igor said that only one woman at this time did not come to New Wave - Lara Fabian. The reason for her absence was that it was expected - a busy time for her in connection with the recording of the album and its promo in France.” Undoubtedly this is at least partially the case, although it can be noted that (1) she took three days off to go to Turkey in the middle of the same promotion; (2) it was moved from Jurmala, Latvia because of Russia’s involvement with Ukraine; and (3) It was originally scheduled to be in the summer, when there was no obvious schedule conflict, and she wasn’t listed for it then, either.
Conversely, something that people didn’t expect to happen apparently will: “Stars à domicile” which aired between 2001 and 2004 has been resurrected by TF1 (http://www.stephanelarue.com/Stars-a-domicile-de-retour-debut-2016-sur-TF1-a-vous-de-jouer-_a16020.html). If fans want Lara to appear, and she is one of the candidates named, one should send a letter (yes, an actual letter) to:
STARS HOME 2016
(Artist name)
TF1
1 wharf Point du Jour
92100 Boulogne Billancourt
There will be three shows aired in 2016. This is the program in which a meeting at home between a fan and his/her favorite star is arranged. Lara was featured in one of the shows in Quebec with a very grateful fan; that video can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvUE5-sVVM.
Today, on the program ‘Le Grand 8’ on D8, Helene Segara was asked whether she likes Lara. Her reply was that it wasn’t a question of whether she likes Lara, but if Lara likes her (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153644755051308&set=p.10153644755051308&type=3&theater). They’ve had an uneasy relationship for some years. The only real reason for mentioning this is that the press appears to have picked it up. On the bright side, it’s often said that in show business, there’s no such thing as bad publicity [Bill Cosby aside].
Interesting photo(s) of the week – with emphasis on the plural – come from the two big stories. First, from Lara Fabian Is Here site, there is Lara hugging Fidan in Turkey:
www.facebook.com/382393522416/photos/pcb.10153680744427417/10153680743597417/?type=3&theater
And a special ‘interesting pictures’ by Operation Fan Club Lara Fabian, who posted screen captures of Lara’s new video, all of which can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.848335735273624.1073741899.673991206041412&type=3
More promotional events to be aired this week, among them interviews on RTL (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206880691167238&set=gm.1073887112655400&type=3&theater) and BFMTV (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153644768331308&set=gm.1073895579321220&type=3&theater). In addition, Guillaume Sabatier on the LFIAG site, posted a listing of the various efforts in that regard already underway for future appearances, garnered from an internal memo at Warner, and it is extensive. Considering just the numerous TV spots from Nov. 6 through Dec. 20;
**The video of ‘Ma vie dans la tienne’ in the playlist on TF1, M6, RFM TV, W9 starting October 15.
**On TF1 : '50min inside' currently in November; JT [Journal Télévisé - TV News] November 5th or 6th; 'Prime Miss France' on Dec. 19th.
**On France 2: 'Alcaline' Nov. 11th; 'Comment ça va bien?' (S Bern) Nov. 19th; 'Vivement dimanche' (still to be confirmed) currently November; 'C'est au programme' (S Davant) live November 12th; 'Téléthon Prime' December 5th; JT 13h interview+live (5 last minutes) week of November 9th;
**On France 3: Subject in JT 12-13
**On France 5: 'C'est à vous diner' + live week of November 9th;
**On Canal +: 'Salut les terriens' end of November
**On D8: 'Le grand 8', November 9th [where undoubtedly she’ll be asked about Helene Segara!]; 'Touche pas à mon poste', November 9th
**On BFM TV: Subject in JT the week of the release
**On M6: Subject in JT19/45 November 9th
**I télé: Subject in JT
Plus many radio appearances as well…Warner, and Lara are sparing no effort; a lot is riding on it. Can she reemerge as a top selling artist? We’ll soon find out. Two and a half weeks left before Lara’s latest push into the French market is born.
David
