Post by davidhr on Jul 18, 2017 8:37:25 GMT -5
The release of Lara's new album cover and tour poster dominated the news this past week. By now, most of you have now probably seen the cover that she presented last Saturday on her FB site,
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/1650317111676446/
To say it is different from her previous album covers, as shown at
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/1646807915360699/
is obviously an understatement! It presents Lara, as one of the fans suggested, as a sexy ‘bad-ass’ , willing to break the rules – and from all reports, the new album is quite a departure from the ‘rules’ Lara established for herself on previous albums. Well, if one is going to try something new, one might as well make it really new – as long as one don’t exceed ones reach. And despite Lara's disdain for the cover of her first English album, this has some elements in common with that one (shown above), which also tried to break the mold and present her in a new light.
In the same vein, on Monday Lara’s team released the official tour poster, available at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/1653045158070308
along with the following statement: .. “and here is the official poster for the "Camouflage World Tour". We have more than 30 concert dates across the world, starting in February 2018. Other dates and countries will be added.”
FEBRUARY
02.02 Miami (Ft Lauderdale) - Fillmore Theatre
05.02 Washington D.C. - Warner Theater
07.02 New York City – Beacon Theatre
09.02 Chicago - Copernicus Center
11.02 Los Angeles – Pasadena Civic Auditorium
22.02 Minsk – Palace of Republic
24.02 Moscow - Crocus
27.02 St Petersburg – Oktyabrsky Concert Hall
MARCH
02.03 Kiev - Ukraina Palace
03.03 Kiev -Ukraina Palace
15.03 Munich – Zenith Kulturhalle
17.03 Dusseldorf – Mitsubishi Electric Halle
19.03 Frankfurt - Jahrhunderthalle
21.03 Berlin - Tempodrom
23.03 Hannover – Hannover Congress Centrum Kuppelsaal
27.03 Sofia - NDK Sofia
29.03 Cluj Napoca – Sala Polivalenta
31.03 Bucharest – Sala Palatului
APRIL
08.04 Budapest – Papp Laszlo Arena
09.04 Zurich - Samsung Hall (TBC)
11.04 Vienna – Wiener Stadthalle Halle F
13.04 Ljubljana (Slovenia) – Hala Tivoli
15.04 Milano – Club Fabrique
17.04 Napoli – Teatro Papapartenope
MAY
16.05 Antwerp - Stadschouwburg
17.05 Amsterdam – Afas Live (Heineken)
21.05 Barcelona - Cupola
JUNE
09.06 Brussels – Forest National
14.06 Prague - Congress Center
16.06 Paris - Zenith
Note that according to the Events listing on Lara’s website, only 9 of these venues are currently selling tickets. The only date added recently whose box office is open for tickets is in Prague, June 14th.
Judging by the comments on Lara’s site, the positive reaction from fans to the album cover and poster has exceeded anything we’ve seen in at least the last decade. (Also see a few quoted comments below…). However, in their exuberance, some fans have been misreading the dates: to be clear, the album will not be available on August 4th, only the pre-order (on iTunes and Amazon); and that will be true everywhere. The single will be available on August 4th, on iTunes and Amazon. It will give most of her fans their first glimpse of this album’s musical approach.
Lara also issued an official press release (https://www.facebook.com/notes/lara-fabian/new-album-by-lara-fabian-to-be-released-this-fall-camouflage/1650853288289495/) – in English, appropriately enough – copied below:
---------------------------------------------------
New album by LARA FABIAN to be released this fall - “CAMOUFLAGE”
LARA FABIAN·SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2017
PRESS RELEASE – Los Angeles / Brussels – July 15th
New album by LARA FABIAN to be released this fall
Belgian-Canadian artist Lara Fabian’s highly-anticipated new international album titled “CAMOUFLAGE” will be released this fall.
A first extract, titled “Growing Wings”, will be released on August 4th, together with the start of album pre-orders. (iTunes , Amazon..)
After more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, and her latest platinum-certified French album (“Ma vie dans la tienne”) released in November 2015 (Warner Music), Lara is returning to the international scene with a 13th studio album, CAMOUFLAGE, consisting of 12 songs, all in English, written and composed by Lara together with Moh Denebi (Sweden) and Sharon Vaughn (USA) .
The album has been developed and produced in Stockholm, Los Angeles and Brussels. The songs have been produced by award winning music producer Moh Denebi, who is one of the most prominent representatives of the new pop-sound originating from Sweden dominating the US-American and European charts.
Sharon Vaughn (USA) is an award winning American songwriter, who has previously worked with pop and country artists such as Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Agnes, or Boyzone. Sharon is this year being inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Foundation’s “Hall of Fame” for her contributions to American Music.
CAMOUFLAGE is named after an eponymous song from the album. The album unites the signature vocals of Lara, with an electro-pop production, combined with classic orchestration, creating a sound that is both, modern and timeless.
The first single is titled “GROWING WINGS” (to be released on August 4th). This will be followed by several other singles and remix versions
LARA FABIAN’s first English album was released in the USA in 1999 (Sony Music). the eponymous album, written and produced by renowned producers, such as Glen Ballard and Walter Afanasieff, included several titles reaching high positions in the charts. The title “I will love again”, which became a # 1 Billboard Hot Dance Chart hit. Other titles, such as “Adagio”, “Love by Grace”, and “Broken Vow” became hits in various countries, and have been covered since by many artists (Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban) . Lara’s initial international success was followed by the release of a second English album, “A wonderful life” in 2004, including titles such as “Review my kisses”, written by Desmond Child, “I guess I loved you” and “No big deal”. The dance –pop song “I am who I am”, remixed by Hex Hector became an underground club hit.
Lara released subsequently an acoustic album consisting of covers of songs by artists who have influenced her music since her early years (2009).
CAMOUFLAGE will be available for pre-ordering on August 4th (iTunes and Amazon) . The album will be released this fall by Lara’s label “9 Productions”, and distributed worldwide by Sony Music, Warner Music and Membran/The Orchard.
Lara will be kicking off the “Camouflage World Tour” in February 2018 in the USA. The tour will bring on stage Lara’s music from “Camouflage”, together with her international hits for 40 dates across the world, ending in Paris (Zenith) in June 2018.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This press release has a number of interesting aspects.
(1) As noted above and on Lara’s site, pre-order for the album will begin on August 4th; the album itself is expected this fall.
(2) The single, ‘Growing Wings’, will also be released on that date.
(3) This is characterized as an ‘electro-pop’ production. According to Wikipedia, “Electro-pop is a variant of synth-pop that places more emphasis on a harder, electronic sound. The genre has seen a revival of popularity and influence since the 2000s.” And, “Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop) also called techno-pop is a subgenre of new wave music that features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument.”
We all know that Lara has the vocal prowess to sing just about anything in the pop music field; and we also understand that for radio play and perhaps sales purposes it would appear to be beneficial to be ‘au courant’ in the sound she is presenting. Without having heard the album, it is fair to ask whether such an approach really maximizes Lara’s talent; after all, her biggest and most popular hits (outside of ‘I Will Love Again’) have all been powerful, emotional ballads. If given enough exposure, this music might very well draw in a new, younger audience; we’ll see how long-term fans respond to Lara’s new sound direction. Joni Mitchell used synthesizer guru Thomas Dolby as a producer on her album ‘Dog Eat Dog’, and the result was one of her most polarizing records.
(4) In the reference to ‘Every Woman in Me’, they didn’t think it deserved to have its title included. Then again, the album was never promoted.
(5) Lara’s own label, “9 Productions”, is listed as the album’s record company, while the distribution is handled by various companies (including Sony). Note that ‘Membran’ is an independent music company centered in Germany, emphasizing Lara’s interest in the German market. This was also indicated by her having planned five concert dates next March in that country. However, it also distributes music (including physical distribution) globally.
(6) The press release says there will be 40 dates for the ‘world tour’; one doesn’t know how ‘final’ that assessment is, but as indicated above, so far there are 30 venues presented. That leaves room for 10 more; candidates would appear to include Canada; South America (which Lara’s team says “We are working on it…Fingers crossed…); Asia (Vietnam, China, Singapore, Japan); and elsewhere in Europe (e.g., Copenhagen – Lara’s Team wrote, “We are waiting for Danish concert organizers to propose a date in Copenhagen. Concerts are organized by local companies in each country, not by Lara herself. Lara would love to come to Denmark “).
(7) It also says that the tour will end in Paris in June. Given that it starts in February, that would mean it’s a five month tour. Not very long to make an impression with this first large-scale English album release in more than a decade. For comparison, the ‘Ma vie dans la tienne’ tour lasted 9 months (March to December, 2016). This may be indicative of how much interest Lara’s people feel the English-language tour will really have, and/or the degree of interest already shown by promoters. Again, we don’t know how fixed that ‘end date’ is…
There have been several cover stories in the press. From ‘Charts in France’ (http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-104663.html) (translated):
--------------------------------------------------
"Growing Wings": Lara Fabian announces new single
Lara Fabian starts her return. In anticipation of her new album in English, dubbed "Camouflage" and expected this autumn, the Belgian singer is preparing to unveil her first excerpt "Growing Wings". Release scheduled for August 4!
Lara Fabian is ready to once again take her international career in hand. With her 20 million recordings sold since her debut in 1991, the Belgian singer will bring out this autumn her 13th album. Like Céline Dion, the artist leads a double career in French and English-speaking countries. Her new project, entitled "Camouflage", is her fifth opus in the language of Shakespeare. It will be chronological following "Lara Fabian" (1999), "A Wonderful Life" (2004), "Every Woman In Me" (2009) and "Mademoiselle Zhivago" (2010-2012), which included titles interpreted in five languages including Russian. The 12 songs, all in English, were written and composed by Lara Fabian in collaboration with Moh Denebi (Loreen) and Sharon Vaughn (Agnes, Dolly Parton). "I love my new songs and I hope you will love them too," said the interpreter of "Je t'aime", impatient to present them to her faithful audience.
A World Tour in 2018
Recorded between Stockholm, Los Angeles and Brussels, "Camouflage" is described as a "timeless and modern" album with electro-pop productions, combined with "classical orchestrations". An entire program! Good news, a first excerpt will be unveiled during the summer. Lara Fabian's new single is called "Growing Wings" and will be available on August 4th for the opening of the album's pre-orders. For the time being, the precise date of its release is not known. On the other hand, we already know the dates of the next world tour of Lara Fabian! The Camouflage World Tour kicks off on February 2, 2018 in Miami, before landing in New York, Los Angeles, Kiev, Munich, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona and Prague. A date is also scheduled in Paris: appointment June 16, 2018 at the Zenith!
Read more at www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-104663.html#6GoD1Rkr2GSzgPA2.99
-------------------------------------------------------
In some respects, this is a more complete ‘press release’, answering some of the objections we gave above.
The Journal of Montreal (http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/07/15/une-photo-de-lara-fabian-fait-jaser) had the following (translated) comments [thanks to the LaraFabianweb site for the link]:
-----------------------------------------------
A Photo of Lara Fabian Gets People Talking
Lara Fabien unveiled Saturday on the social networks the cover of her next album in English, ‘Camouflage’. The Belgian singer appears more sexy than ever: short hair, piercing eyes and plunging neckline.
For now, fans seem to enjoy…[e.g.]:
Julie Giabiconi: A cover very different from older ones. It marks well the musical genre of the album which is Pop. Very surprising at first sight because we do not have the habit of this style of cover. I think this is a very good choice. Personally I love it a lot! And suddenly I am even more impatient to discover the songs that are found inside Camouflage. Good day Lara and the Team…
Laetitia Mazuque: Your cover is superb. You are ravishing, flamboyant, sensual. I am so impatient to be able to download the first extract of this marvelous work…
The first cut from Camouflage, ‘Growing Wings’, will be available August 4th. The album will appear in the autumn.
The diva will then leave on a tour across Europe. For the moment, no date in North America has been added. [i.e., no tickets are yet being sold].
---------------------------------------------------
Also from Montreal (http://www.rythmefm.com/montreal/actualites-musicales/nouvelles/retour-sulfureux-pour-lara-fabian-846125.html) [thanks to Sil Vério on LIFAG Select for the link], here’s the translation:
--------------------------------------------------
Sultry Return for Lara Fabian – Rhythm FM 105.7
Lara Fabian makes her return full of sensuality
If the photo on the cover of the new album of Lara Fabian is the least significant of the artistic direction assumed by the singer, the fans will take off on a sulfurous ride with the artist.
Lara Fabian exhibits all her sex appeal on the cover of her next English album, hair a mess and neckline highlighted, a studio effort called Camouflage.
The release of Camouflage is scheduled for this fall, but a first extract is to be launched at the beginning of next month.
A few hours ago (July 17), Lara Fabian also unveiled dates for her Camouflage World Tour, which will take her from Miami to Paris in 2017.
The dates and details of this tour are available on the artist's Facebook page, which seems to prepare a return as serious as seductive.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Similar sentiments were also posted on the ‘Vie de stars’ website (http://viedestars.com/la-chanteuse-lara-fabian-annonce-une-excellente-nouvelle--4066) [again thanks to Sil Verio].
Then there was an article emphasizing the single (http://www.aficia.info/actualite-musique/growing-wings-lara-fabian-de-retour-4-aout-nouveau-single-enregistre-anglais/117023); here’s the translation:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
“Growing Wings”: Lara Fabian returns August 4th with a new single recorded in English
Jonathan Hamard
Lara Fabian announces the release on August 4 of the single "Growing Wings", the first excerpt of an English album to be released in the fall. More info with aficia!
It's clear! The comeback of Lara Fabian is scheduled for August 4, the day when the single "Growing Wings" will be unveiled, first excerpt of a new English album called Camouflage and expected this fall. This release is no surprise, the singer of "Je t’aime” teasing for several months this return on social networks. It will also be her first English album since A Wonderful Life (2004), except for the international version of her cover album Every Women In Me (2009) and Mademoiselle Zhivago (2010) mainly for the Russian public.
Between modernity and classicism
About this project that will follow Ma vie dans la tienne (2015), a record that includes the songs "Quand je ne chante pas", "Ton desir" and "L’oubli", we know that it was written and produced between Stockholm, Brussels and Los Angeles, with Moh Denebi and Sharon Vaughn.
In a statement issued by her label 9 Productions, this 13th album is presented as being sung entirely in English, including 12 tracks "with an electro-pop production, combined with a classical orchestration, creating a sound both modern and timeless". Lara Fabian will of course defend it on stage as part of a world tour of about forty dates which will begin on the other side of the Atlantic in February 2018. A unique concert is planned in France, at the Zenith of Paris, June 16, 2018.
Lara Fabian - Camouflage
Quite early, Lara wanted to assert itself on the international scene by publishing, in 1999, her first English album on which we find, among others, the single "Adagio". She has also collaborated with artists from different backgrounds such as Laura Pausini ("Io Canto"), Josh Groban (soundtrack song of the film "AI Artificial Intelligence"), Michael Bolton ("The Prayer") and more recently with the Turkish Mustafa Ceceli ("Make Me Yours Tonight"), the Belgian Natalia ("Razorblade") and the US rock band Les Friction, on the ballad "You Always Knew" which was just released.
--------------------------------------------------
And from Luxembourg (in English, representative of the English language press coverage that now seems to be starting) (http://esctoday.com/148857/luxembourg-lara-fabian-gets-camouflaged-ahead-world-tour/):
---------------------------------------------------------
Luxembourg: Lara Fabian Gets Camouflaged Ahead of her World Tour
Lara Fabian fans will be in for a treat next year as the internationally acclaimed multi talented artist will be travelling around the world on her forthcoming 2018 world tour.
Get ready as Lara Fabian is coming to your city very soon! The 2018 Camouflage World Tour will be kicking off on 2 February 2018 in Miami, Florida, USA and will end on 8 June in Paris. A grand line up of concerts are scheduled to be held throughout the world with a total of 40 dates.
Lara will be releasing her forthcoming new album Camouflage this autumn.
After more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, and her latest platinum-certified French album Ma vie dans la tienne released in November 2015 (Warner Music), Lara is returning to the international scene with a 13th studio album, Camouflage, consisting of 12 songs, all in English, written and composed by Lara together with Moh Denebi (Sweden) and Sharon Vaughn (USA) .
The Swedish connection
The album has been developed and produced in Stockholm, Los Angeles and Brussels. The songs have been produced by award winning music producer Moh Denebi, who is one of the most prominent representatives of the new pop-sound originating from Sweden dominating the US-American and European charts.
Sharon Vaughn (USA) is an award winning American songwriter, who has previously worked with pop and country artists such as Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Agnes, or Boyzone. Sharon is this year being inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Foundation’s Hall of Fame for her contributions to American Music.
Camouflage is named after an eponymous song from the album. The album unites the signature vocals of Lara, with an electro-pop production, combined with classic orchestration, creating a sound that is both, modern and timeless.
The first single is titled Growing Wings is scheduled to be released on 4 August. This will be followed by several other singles and remix versions Camouflage will be available for pre-ordering on 4 August (iTunes and Amazon) . The album will be released this fall by Lara’s label 9 Productions, and distributed worldwide by Sony Music, Warner Music and Membran/The Orchard.
Exactly 30 years ago Lara Fabian represented Luxembourg at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, the very same year Celine Dion walked away with the coveted trophy. Lara achieved an honorable 4th place in Dublin. Today she is an internationally acclaimed artist with great fame, name and recognition worldwide.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
We may expect more such stories in the coming week(s), most likely echoing the points made in Lara’s press release.
The album cover and tour poster dominated the news cycle for Lara, but there was one other item of interest. Lara put a picture on her Instagram site, at:
with the (translated) caption, “I wish a happy July 14 to all the French ... Special thought for the victims of the attacks in Nice as well as their families ....”
As many of you probably know, July 14th is ‘Bastille Day’, commemorating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution; in addition it is the date of the ‘Fete de la Federation’ which celebrated the unity of the French people in 1790. And of course now the terrorist attack in Nice, which killed some 86 people and wounded 458 others.
Interesting photos of the week: nothing can really compete with the amazing album cover and tour poster. Already we’re seeing it noticed by more ‘edgy’ publications/stations that probably ignored Lara’s previous efforts. If the goal of these products is to excite the fan base and draw attention from others, count it as a complete success!
David
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/1650317111676446/
To say it is different from her previous album covers, as shown at
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/1646807915360699/
is obviously an understatement! It presents Lara, as one of the fans suggested, as a sexy ‘bad-ass’ , willing to break the rules – and from all reports, the new album is quite a departure from the ‘rules’ Lara established for herself on previous albums. Well, if one is going to try something new, one might as well make it really new – as long as one don’t exceed ones reach. And despite Lara's disdain for the cover of her first English album, this has some elements in common with that one (shown above), which also tried to break the mold and present her in a new light.
In the same vein, on Monday Lara’s team released the official tour poster, available at:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.215378125170359.50343.201065806601591/1653045158070308
along with the following statement: .. “and here is the official poster for the "Camouflage World Tour". We have more than 30 concert dates across the world, starting in February 2018. Other dates and countries will be added.”
FEBRUARY
02.02 Miami (Ft Lauderdale) - Fillmore Theatre
05.02 Washington D.C. - Warner Theater
07.02 New York City – Beacon Theatre
09.02 Chicago - Copernicus Center
11.02 Los Angeles – Pasadena Civic Auditorium
22.02 Minsk – Palace of Republic
24.02 Moscow - Crocus
27.02 St Petersburg – Oktyabrsky Concert Hall
MARCH
02.03 Kiev - Ukraina Palace
03.03 Kiev -Ukraina Palace
15.03 Munich – Zenith Kulturhalle
17.03 Dusseldorf – Mitsubishi Electric Halle
19.03 Frankfurt - Jahrhunderthalle
21.03 Berlin - Tempodrom
23.03 Hannover – Hannover Congress Centrum Kuppelsaal
27.03 Sofia - NDK Sofia
29.03 Cluj Napoca – Sala Polivalenta
31.03 Bucharest – Sala Palatului
APRIL
08.04 Budapest – Papp Laszlo Arena
09.04 Zurich - Samsung Hall (TBC)
11.04 Vienna – Wiener Stadthalle Halle F
13.04 Ljubljana (Slovenia) – Hala Tivoli
15.04 Milano – Club Fabrique
17.04 Napoli – Teatro Papapartenope
MAY
16.05 Antwerp - Stadschouwburg
17.05 Amsterdam – Afas Live (Heineken)
21.05 Barcelona - Cupola
JUNE
09.06 Brussels – Forest National
14.06 Prague - Congress Center
16.06 Paris - Zenith
Note that according to the Events listing on Lara’s website, only 9 of these venues are currently selling tickets. The only date added recently whose box office is open for tickets is in Prague, June 14th.
Judging by the comments on Lara’s site, the positive reaction from fans to the album cover and poster has exceeded anything we’ve seen in at least the last decade. (Also see a few quoted comments below…). However, in their exuberance, some fans have been misreading the dates: to be clear, the album will not be available on August 4th, only the pre-order (on iTunes and Amazon); and that will be true everywhere. The single will be available on August 4th, on iTunes and Amazon. It will give most of her fans their first glimpse of this album’s musical approach.
Lara also issued an official press release (https://www.facebook.com/notes/lara-fabian/new-album-by-lara-fabian-to-be-released-this-fall-camouflage/1650853288289495/) – in English, appropriately enough – copied below:
---------------------------------------------------
New album by LARA FABIAN to be released this fall - “CAMOUFLAGE”
LARA FABIAN·SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2017
PRESS RELEASE – Los Angeles / Brussels – July 15th
New album by LARA FABIAN to be released this fall
Belgian-Canadian artist Lara Fabian’s highly-anticipated new international album titled “CAMOUFLAGE” will be released this fall.
A first extract, titled “Growing Wings”, will be released on August 4th, together with the start of album pre-orders. (iTunes , Amazon..)
After more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, and her latest platinum-certified French album (“Ma vie dans la tienne”) released in November 2015 (Warner Music), Lara is returning to the international scene with a 13th studio album, CAMOUFLAGE, consisting of 12 songs, all in English, written and composed by Lara together with Moh Denebi (Sweden) and Sharon Vaughn (USA) .
The album has been developed and produced in Stockholm, Los Angeles and Brussels. The songs have been produced by award winning music producer Moh Denebi, who is one of the most prominent representatives of the new pop-sound originating from Sweden dominating the US-American and European charts.
Sharon Vaughn (USA) is an award winning American songwriter, who has previously worked with pop and country artists such as Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Agnes, or Boyzone. Sharon is this year being inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Foundation’s “Hall of Fame” for her contributions to American Music.
CAMOUFLAGE is named after an eponymous song from the album. The album unites the signature vocals of Lara, with an electro-pop production, combined with classic orchestration, creating a sound that is both, modern and timeless.
The first single is titled “GROWING WINGS” (to be released on August 4th). This will be followed by several other singles and remix versions
LARA FABIAN’s first English album was released in the USA in 1999 (Sony Music). the eponymous album, written and produced by renowned producers, such as Glen Ballard and Walter Afanasieff, included several titles reaching high positions in the charts. The title “I will love again”, which became a # 1 Billboard Hot Dance Chart hit. Other titles, such as “Adagio”, “Love by Grace”, and “Broken Vow” became hits in various countries, and have been covered since by many artists (Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban) . Lara’s initial international success was followed by the release of a second English album, “A wonderful life” in 2004, including titles such as “Review my kisses”, written by Desmond Child, “I guess I loved you” and “No big deal”. The dance –pop song “I am who I am”, remixed by Hex Hector became an underground club hit.
Lara released subsequently an acoustic album consisting of covers of songs by artists who have influenced her music since her early years (2009).
CAMOUFLAGE will be available for pre-ordering on August 4th (iTunes and Amazon) . The album will be released this fall by Lara’s label “9 Productions”, and distributed worldwide by Sony Music, Warner Music and Membran/The Orchard.
Lara will be kicking off the “Camouflage World Tour” in February 2018 in the USA. The tour will bring on stage Lara’s music from “Camouflage”, together with her international hits for 40 dates across the world, ending in Paris (Zenith) in June 2018.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This press release has a number of interesting aspects.
(1) As noted above and on Lara’s site, pre-order for the album will begin on August 4th; the album itself is expected this fall.
(2) The single, ‘Growing Wings’, will also be released on that date.
(3) This is characterized as an ‘electro-pop’ production. According to Wikipedia, “Electro-pop is a variant of synth-pop that places more emphasis on a harder, electronic sound. The genre has seen a revival of popularity and influence since the 2000s.” And, “Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop) also called techno-pop is a subgenre of new wave music that features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument.”
We all know that Lara has the vocal prowess to sing just about anything in the pop music field; and we also understand that for radio play and perhaps sales purposes it would appear to be beneficial to be ‘au courant’ in the sound she is presenting. Without having heard the album, it is fair to ask whether such an approach really maximizes Lara’s talent; after all, her biggest and most popular hits (outside of ‘I Will Love Again’) have all been powerful, emotional ballads. If given enough exposure, this music might very well draw in a new, younger audience; we’ll see how long-term fans respond to Lara’s new sound direction. Joni Mitchell used synthesizer guru Thomas Dolby as a producer on her album ‘Dog Eat Dog’, and the result was one of her most polarizing records.
(4) In the reference to ‘Every Woman in Me’, they didn’t think it deserved to have its title included. Then again, the album was never promoted.
(5) Lara’s own label, “9 Productions”, is listed as the album’s record company, while the distribution is handled by various companies (including Sony). Note that ‘Membran’ is an independent music company centered in Germany, emphasizing Lara’s interest in the German market. This was also indicated by her having planned five concert dates next March in that country. However, it also distributes music (including physical distribution) globally.
(6) The press release says there will be 40 dates for the ‘world tour’; one doesn’t know how ‘final’ that assessment is, but as indicated above, so far there are 30 venues presented. That leaves room for 10 more; candidates would appear to include Canada; South America (which Lara’s team says “We are working on it…Fingers crossed…); Asia (Vietnam, China, Singapore, Japan); and elsewhere in Europe (e.g., Copenhagen – Lara’s Team wrote, “We are waiting for Danish concert organizers to propose a date in Copenhagen. Concerts are organized by local companies in each country, not by Lara herself. Lara would love to come to Denmark “).
(7) It also says that the tour will end in Paris in June. Given that it starts in February, that would mean it’s a five month tour. Not very long to make an impression with this first large-scale English album release in more than a decade. For comparison, the ‘Ma vie dans la tienne’ tour lasted 9 months (March to December, 2016). This may be indicative of how much interest Lara’s people feel the English-language tour will really have, and/or the degree of interest already shown by promoters. Again, we don’t know how fixed that ‘end date’ is…
There have been several cover stories in the press. From ‘Charts in France’ (http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-104663.html) (translated):
--------------------------------------------------
"Growing Wings": Lara Fabian announces new single
Lara Fabian starts her return. In anticipation of her new album in English, dubbed "Camouflage" and expected this autumn, the Belgian singer is preparing to unveil her first excerpt "Growing Wings". Release scheduled for August 4!
Lara Fabian is ready to once again take her international career in hand. With her 20 million recordings sold since her debut in 1991, the Belgian singer will bring out this autumn her 13th album. Like Céline Dion, the artist leads a double career in French and English-speaking countries. Her new project, entitled "Camouflage", is her fifth opus in the language of Shakespeare. It will be chronological following "Lara Fabian" (1999), "A Wonderful Life" (2004), "Every Woman In Me" (2009) and "Mademoiselle Zhivago" (2010-2012), which included titles interpreted in five languages including Russian. The 12 songs, all in English, were written and composed by Lara Fabian in collaboration with Moh Denebi (Loreen) and Sharon Vaughn (Agnes, Dolly Parton). "I love my new songs and I hope you will love them too," said the interpreter of "Je t'aime", impatient to present them to her faithful audience.
A World Tour in 2018
Recorded between Stockholm, Los Angeles and Brussels, "Camouflage" is described as a "timeless and modern" album with electro-pop productions, combined with "classical orchestrations". An entire program! Good news, a first excerpt will be unveiled during the summer. Lara Fabian's new single is called "Growing Wings" and will be available on August 4th for the opening of the album's pre-orders. For the time being, the precise date of its release is not known. On the other hand, we already know the dates of the next world tour of Lara Fabian! The Camouflage World Tour kicks off on February 2, 2018 in Miami, before landing in New York, Los Angeles, Kiev, Munich, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona and Prague. A date is also scheduled in Paris: appointment June 16, 2018 at the Zenith!
Read more at www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-104663.html#6GoD1Rkr2GSzgPA2.99
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In some respects, this is a more complete ‘press release’, answering some of the objections we gave above.
The Journal of Montreal (http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/07/15/une-photo-de-lara-fabian-fait-jaser) had the following (translated) comments [thanks to the LaraFabianweb site for the link]:
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A Photo of Lara Fabian Gets People Talking
Lara Fabien unveiled Saturday on the social networks the cover of her next album in English, ‘Camouflage’. The Belgian singer appears more sexy than ever: short hair, piercing eyes and plunging neckline.
For now, fans seem to enjoy…[e.g.]:
Julie Giabiconi: A cover very different from older ones. It marks well the musical genre of the album which is Pop. Very surprising at first sight because we do not have the habit of this style of cover. I think this is a very good choice. Personally I love it a lot! And suddenly I am even more impatient to discover the songs that are found inside Camouflage. Good day Lara and the Team…
Laetitia Mazuque: Your cover is superb. You are ravishing, flamboyant, sensual. I am so impatient to be able to download the first extract of this marvelous work…
The first cut from Camouflage, ‘Growing Wings’, will be available August 4th. The album will appear in the autumn.
The diva will then leave on a tour across Europe. For the moment, no date in North America has been added. [i.e., no tickets are yet being sold].
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Also from Montreal (http://www.rythmefm.com/montreal/actualites-musicales/nouvelles/retour-sulfureux-pour-lara-fabian-846125.html) [thanks to Sil Vério on LIFAG Select for the link], here’s the translation:
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Sultry Return for Lara Fabian – Rhythm FM 105.7
Lara Fabian makes her return full of sensuality
If the photo on the cover of the new album of Lara Fabian is the least significant of the artistic direction assumed by the singer, the fans will take off on a sulfurous ride with the artist.
Lara Fabian exhibits all her sex appeal on the cover of her next English album, hair a mess and neckline highlighted, a studio effort called Camouflage.
The release of Camouflage is scheduled for this fall, but a first extract is to be launched at the beginning of next month.
A few hours ago (July 17), Lara Fabian also unveiled dates for her Camouflage World Tour, which will take her from Miami to Paris in 2017.
The dates and details of this tour are available on the artist's Facebook page, which seems to prepare a return as serious as seductive.
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Similar sentiments were also posted on the ‘Vie de stars’ website (http://viedestars.com/la-chanteuse-lara-fabian-annonce-une-excellente-nouvelle--4066) [again thanks to Sil Verio].
Then there was an article emphasizing the single (http://www.aficia.info/actualite-musique/growing-wings-lara-fabian-de-retour-4-aout-nouveau-single-enregistre-anglais/117023); here’s the translation:
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“Growing Wings”: Lara Fabian returns August 4th with a new single recorded in English
Jonathan Hamard
Lara Fabian announces the release on August 4 of the single "Growing Wings", the first excerpt of an English album to be released in the fall. More info with aficia!
It's clear! The comeback of Lara Fabian is scheduled for August 4, the day when the single "Growing Wings" will be unveiled, first excerpt of a new English album called Camouflage and expected this fall. This release is no surprise, the singer of "Je t’aime” teasing for several months this return on social networks. It will also be her first English album since A Wonderful Life (2004), except for the international version of her cover album Every Women In Me (2009) and Mademoiselle Zhivago (2010) mainly for the Russian public.
Between modernity and classicism
About this project that will follow Ma vie dans la tienne (2015), a record that includes the songs "Quand je ne chante pas", "Ton desir" and "L’oubli", we know that it was written and produced between Stockholm, Brussels and Los Angeles, with Moh Denebi and Sharon Vaughn.
In a statement issued by her label 9 Productions, this 13th album is presented as being sung entirely in English, including 12 tracks "with an electro-pop production, combined with a classical orchestration, creating a sound both modern and timeless". Lara Fabian will of course defend it on stage as part of a world tour of about forty dates which will begin on the other side of the Atlantic in February 2018. A unique concert is planned in France, at the Zenith of Paris, June 16, 2018.
Lara Fabian - Camouflage
Quite early, Lara wanted to assert itself on the international scene by publishing, in 1999, her first English album on which we find, among others, the single "Adagio". She has also collaborated with artists from different backgrounds such as Laura Pausini ("Io Canto"), Josh Groban (soundtrack song of the film "AI Artificial Intelligence"), Michael Bolton ("The Prayer") and more recently with the Turkish Mustafa Ceceli ("Make Me Yours Tonight"), the Belgian Natalia ("Razorblade") and the US rock band Les Friction, on the ballad "You Always Knew" which was just released.
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And from Luxembourg (in English, representative of the English language press coverage that now seems to be starting) (http://esctoday.com/148857/luxembourg-lara-fabian-gets-camouflaged-ahead-world-tour/):
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Luxembourg: Lara Fabian Gets Camouflaged Ahead of her World Tour
Lara Fabian fans will be in for a treat next year as the internationally acclaimed multi talented artist will be travelling around the world on her forthcoming 2018 world tour.
Get ready as Lara Fabian is coming to your city very soon! The 2018 Camouflage World Tour will be kicking off on 2 February 2018 in Miami, Florida, USA and will end on 8 June in Paris. A grand line up of concerts are scheduled to be held throughout the world with a total of 40 dates.
Lara will be releasing her forthcoming new album Camouflage this autumn.
After more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, and her latest platinum-certified French album Ma vie dans la tienne released in November 2015 (Warner Music), Lara is returning to the international scene with a 13th studio album, Camouflage, consisting of 12 songs, all in English, written and composed by Lara together with Moh Denebi (Sweden) and Sharon Vaughn (USA) .
The Swedish connection
The album has been developed and produced in Stockholm, Los Angeles and Brussels. The songs have been produced by award winning music producer Moh Denebi, who is one of the most prominent representatives of the new pop-sound originating from Sweden dominating the US-American and European charts.
Sharon Vaughn (USA) is an award winning American songwriter, who has previously worked with pop and country artists such as Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Agnes, or Boyzone. Sharon is this year being inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Foundation’s Hall of Fame for her contributions to American Music.
Camouflage is named after an eponymous song from the album. The album unites the signature vocals of Lara, with an electro-pop production, combined with classic orchestration, creating a sound that is both, modern and timeless.
The first single is titled Growing Wings is scheduled to be released on 4 August. This will be followed by several other singles and remix versions Camouflage will be available for pre-ordering on 4 August (iTunes and Amazon) . The album will be released this fall by Lara’s label 9 Productions, and distributed worldwide by Sony Music, Warner Music and Membran/The Orchard.
Exactly 30 years ago Lara Fabian represented Luxembourg at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, the very same year Celine Dion walked away with the coveted trophy. Lara achieved an honorable 4th place in Dublin. Today she is an internationally acclaimed artist with great fame, name and recognition worldwide.
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We may expect more such stories in the coming week(s), most likely echoing the points made in Lara’s press release.
The album cover and tour poster dominated the news cycle for Lara, but there was one other item of interest. Lara put a picture on her Instagram site, at:
http://instagram.com/p/BWhtKdHB351
with the (translated) caption, “I wish a happy July 14 to all the French ... Special thought for the victims of the attacks in Nice as well as their families ....”
As many of you probably know, July 14th is ‘Bastille Day’, commemorating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution; in addition it is the date of the ‘Fete de la Federation’ which celebrated the unity of the French people in 1790. And of course now the terrorist attack in Nice, which killed some 86 people and wounded 458 others.
Interesting photos of the week: nothing can really compete with the amazing album cover and tour poster. Already we’re seeing it noticed by more ‘edgy’ publications/stations that probably ignored Lara’s previous efforts. If the goal of these products is to excite the fan base and draw attention from others, count it as a complete success!
David