Post by davidhr on Dec 31, 2019 8:40:56 GMT -5
Several stories viewed for the spotlight this past week; we review them and then follow with the Review of the Year 2019 for Lara.
Amidst her return to Belgium and her father, Lara found time to wish people “super holidays” and noted she is waiting for them in 2020 for the new season of “The Voice”.
www.facebook.com/larafabiancoeurdelumiere/videos/821672218262794/
Interesting that Lara’s is awaiting people in 2020 for ‘The Voice’ rather than for her 50 World Tour. Either that’s really where her energy is now focused, or she only did the video because it was to promote the program. Regardless, that seems to be where the news is for Lara as 2019 comes to an end. In the following Instagram post,
“TFI, the Voice” writes:
The Voice: the most beautiful voice - Coaches Amel Bent, Lara Fabian , Marc Lavoine and Pascal Obispo give you an appointment with Nikos Aliagas in 2020 on TF1! # TheVoice2020 # TheVoice
And in another post,
www.facebook.com/the.voice.tf1/photos/a.313123762060507/2867875193252005/?type=3&theater
they write: “#TheVoice2020
Want to discover the backstage of the show and have your picture on the coaches chairs?
It's possible, and we explain everything here
bit.ly/TheVoiceExperience
And, finally, we have a date for the first broadcast of The Voice: January 18th,
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.622966977744803/3440099919364814/?type=3&theater
It will be very interesting to see how the show, and Lara, differ from what we saw in La Voix.
The other major event this week was that Lara’s people unveiled the items that will be available to purchase at Lara’s upcoming shows, Pictures of the items (mugs, tea shirt, etc.) can be found at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2616350291751952/2616349815085333/?type=3&theater
and
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2617004748353173/2617004655019849/?type=3&theater
They look quite cute. They will be available during the tour from January 8th at Roubaix onward, at all the remaining dates. Presumably they weren’t ready for the earlier tour dates, where one imagines they would have sold quite well.
Now that Lara is on TF1’s prime-time show, one can expect a number of other programs on that channel will become available for/on her. For example, a video retrospective of 2019 for Lara living in Quebec done by “50' inside, L'actu”, a program on TF1 in France, can be found at
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianBienPlusQuunePassionCorseReunion/videos/539782646877723/
It follows Lara and Gabriel in various markets, walking through streets, and cooking in their house. It of course ends noting Lara will be on “The Voice”. It is obviously somewhat of a novelty that one of their judges is actually living in Quebec while being on the show, and TF1 is apparently making the most of it. This is just a small indication of how TF1 can help to publicize Lara in France the way TVA did in Quebec; with the important distinction that there are 8x as many people in France.
And Lara will be on Arthur’s new show, ‘Diversion’, January 24th on TF1, as can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/a.646180015435666/2617000858353562/?type=3&theater
Lara indicated previously that she is spending the holidays in Belgium with her father along with her own family over from Quebec. Her tour of France and Belgium doesn’t start for another week, so it gives her a quiet time to reflect on the past year and the upcoming year, as well as just enjoy the holidays.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: two from the “Lara Fabian Bien Plus Qu’une Passion: Corse Reunion” FB site,
scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/80740561_1305260876334752_3632131195141095424_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ohc=Qwa9A1qhcrgAQk--lvdu1_B1h73fmgDUQoj9Jmgbhid4bVDDyyJeNBIcw&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=fd7b749df8109ad06dfbb06febbeec48&oe=5E9BFF68
and
scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/80229651_1301904206670419_5883927379578978304_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ohc=O4QxamCQLW8AQm9r5QawMDcMP5fi6MSZmQqg4C-IHLxDJWT6waYNrytWw&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=1f9552bee9501f03db1c54a5cd41e57e&oe=5E72B4DD
And a nice holiday card, from the Lara Fabian Web FB site
www.dromadaire.com/post/view/?p=eyJ0eGlkIjoiU1YtMTU3NzExNDg0Nzc1MTgiLCJyX2VtYWlsIjoibGZ3LmxmYWJpYW53QGxhcmFmYWJpYW53ZWIuY29tIn0%3D&utm_source=sent_conf&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mail_destinataire&fbclid=IwAR0_ClJ8QqO2n2SHLm8jrVb4rhJSBERoXsmjhKo9O6IlUK5LwKgW1ytq3lQ
Likewise, Happy New Year to Lara, and to all of you!
-----------------------------------------------
Year in Review: 2019
This recapitulation of the Year 2019 for Lara will be provided in a subjective order of the most important events. Obviously this is a personal choice, but at least the hope is to cover what characterized this year for her, the last in her forties.
1. 50 World Tour: This occurred in the last quarter of the year, starting with Lara’s show in New York City on Sept. 16. Her venues were primarily in the United States, Russia, Asia and eastern Europe. All in all she performed some 19 concerts in basically a three month time frame, as the November concerts were cancelled due to illness/other commitments. Although it was billed as a 30 year retrospective, the setlist was heavily weighted to the first half of Lara’s career, mirroring her ‘greatest hits’. It was also primarily in French, with a spattering of English, Italian and other languages. In contrast, in most of the venues Lara spoke primarily in English, as befit her view of what the audience would understand in those countries. The concerts were enlivened by Lara telling stories about the evolution of her career. She was in good voice throughout, and appeared relaxed and happy, perhaps helped by the closeness with her backup singers, the Riverin sisters. In fact, the greatest problem she seemed to have was that the far-flung travel took her away from her family. This tour will continue in 2020, moving to France and Belgium, and then Quebec, among other places.
While there were various videos of the show, the best complete concert video comes (as usual) from Alena in Moscow, in three parts
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVn0ZHJuQz4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO_OHIlX_zs&t=1086s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a19SmuL9Nmg
If there is no DVD or professional recording of the 50 World Tour show, these will do!
2. La Voix: This occupied the first third of her year (and the last quarter of 2018). Her second year on the show found Lara more relaxed and still highly personable, and she became a great fan favorite. Furthermore, she was rewarded when her candidate, Genevieve Jodoin, was the winner. Pictures of them, and the winning announcement, can be seen for example at
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.622966977744803/2765905953450884/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/JdeQuebec/photos/a.169034169818919/2261049020617413/?type=3&theater
One would have to say this was overall a great enjoyment for Lara – acting as a teacher, being able to express her opinions, and basking in the limelight of the love these judges can get from the TV audience. Unfortunately, as far as the year goes it ended on a somewhat sour note when Lara announced that due to the 50 World Tour she would not be back for the next season of La Voix. And that also means she will not be on that show again, as 2020 will be its last year (being replaced by the STAR ACADÉMIE in 2021).
4. The passing of Lara’s mother. On Friday, March 29th at 7:00AM, Luisa Serio Crokaert passed away. Here’s Lara’s description of finding out and of her last time seeing her mother:
How did you get the news of her death?
LF: When I woke up, for the first time in a very long time, I did not look at my phone and went down to the piano. I played a melody that I did not know, something that came to me spontaneously. My chum came down to join me, and, in his eyes, I saw that my mother had left. I can not explain why, but I knew it. She did things in the rules of art. That day, my father took a train to visit a sick friend. So my mother was left alone.
Were you waiting for her to leave?
LF: No, I had visited my mother nine days earlier. I saw a video shot the day before her death. She was humorous. It is said that in the sickness, it is stronger of us who remains. At my mother's house, her humor, her smile, her light were still there. The last time I saw her, she was really absent. Her soul was far away. It was sad to see her like that, in her wheelchair. I do not wish anyone to live like that. When you know the dimension of my mother to see her thus broke my heart. I did not want her to suffer anymore. At our last meeting, I remember telling her, "Mom, if it's too much, fly away." We talked. I kissed her. I lived this last moment with her.
Undoubtedly, Lara will remember 2019 as the year her mother departed. In numerous interviews she has said she has not gotten over it, e.g.,
Q: This feeling must be stronger than ever when you see your parents go. You recently lost your mother, and even though we can prepare for it, the feeling is always terrible.
LF: It’s a wound that doesn’t heal easily. Our mothers prepare us for everything except living without them. This pain is linked to my childhood, the little girl in me has a very hard time dealing with this sadness. However, the adult in me understands that she was sick and suffered a lot – a woman who once was so beautiful, so brilliant. I am glad that she was able to find relief, but the little girl in me still hurts a great deal.
5. Lara joining “The Voice – la plus belle voix”. The announcement was made in early September that Lara would be joining the French version of the program she had just left in Quebec, and she was occupied with recording the first part of the show during the fall. Here’s her discussion of how it came to pass, with Gala magazine:
Gala: When were you asked about joining The Voice?
LF: It was summer, when I was on vacation in Italy. I had just announced that I could no longer participate in La Voix, the Canadian version of The Voice, because I was leaving on my World Tour. Mathieu Grelier, the producer of The Voice, called me to wish me congratulations because this year it was my candidate who had carried it to the finish. I found that very nice, I thanked him, and then when I was going to hang up, he proposed that I join the French jury.
Gala: What was your reaction?
LF: I was very astonished. I told him first of all that I wouldn’t have the time, then we looked at the planning together. He quite accommodated me, so that I could keep my engagements. Without preventing me as well from the time I reserve for my family. It was out of the question that I move from Quebec where I have my life, my house, my husband Gabriel, and my 12 year old daughter Lou who is in school.
6. Life in Quebec. And that nicely leads into another major feature of 2019, Lara’s enjoyment of living in Quebec. She celebrated having a nice domestic life in a country where she is held in high regard, and her daughter Lou can be settled in school, and in which her husband Gabriel seems to enjoy himself. Lara noted this every time she could, in interviews and in pictures she posted for her fans, e.g.,
Also see the interview from “7 Jours” in the News Update of 9-10 discussing how Lara has been improving her house in Quebec, as well as her interview concerning how she spends her time in Montreal in “sosoir.lesoir.be” from the News Update of 3-26.
It will be interesting to see how long this lasts…Lara has said there is no question of moving Lou from her school, so she nominally will be living in Quebec for at least a few years to come. But increasingly her professional activities are dragging her back to Europe, be it the concert tour in the first half of 2020, her appearance on The Voice for TF1, or her recently-announced singing school to be opened with Pierre-Yves Duchesne in Belgium. Also, with the closing of La Voix in Quebec, it’s not clear what professional activity she will have left there. It made sense to live in Montreal when her personal and professional lives aligned; it will be harder for her to justify it, or even to manage the time for it, if they don’t. We return to this topic at the end of this review.
7. Special performances. As usual, Lara had a number of special duets and other performances throughout the year. Below are some of the highlights:
Lara singing “Voir un ami pleurer” to an appreciative listener:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixlxj420YqU
With Eric Lapointe:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFkEbDM06g0
With Bogdan Mihai:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=or5GW1vzc1o
With one of the many, many fans who have participated in Lara’s “duet” of Pas sans toi on the ‘Smule’ app (this has been a huge success, with the winner(s) joining Lara on stage at some concert):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhG3GSX_hEA
Lara with Dimash Kudaibergenov and Aida Garifullina at Igor Krutoi’s birthday celebration in Moscow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lor05eu9iMQ&t
With Igor Krutoi, at the same event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXQEeb_CfxM&fbclid=
Lara singing with a hologram of Dmitri Hvorostovsky
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzSEKS9WvX8
Lara singing in Hebrew with Giora Linenberg once again on the piano
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHTofKFW0e4
‘Par amour’ with 300 choeurs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVcT710hido
and on the same show, Lara’s tribute to Michel Sardou
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlBymvUiHBo
Lara singing on La Voix
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2023223314428134
Lara’s “team” singing her song
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=346749125958089
Lara and Genevieve
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HazrIlIw5b0
Lara and her team singing “Je te le donne”
vk.com/lf_cp?z=video-121236_456240885%2Fc84f7a5cf31495a28f%2Fpl_wall_-121236
Lara on Sucre Sale:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L6LOVFU1yM
The special on Lara called ““Je t’aime etc.” on France 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP7CCoqLapc
And then there was the last, previously unseen segment from the Mademoiselle Zhivago movie, called “Mother”, to the wonderful song ‘Mama Moya’. Alan Badoev posted it on his Instagram site, at
www.instagram.com/tv/B0oQpKblSm3/?utm_source=ig_embed
As one can see when going to that link, it’s no longer available (after 50,000 views). At the time we wondered whether he had cleared it with Lara, who did not want that segment included. Apparently not…
8. Special Interviews. Lara always does great interviews because she takes each question seriously and does not provide stock answers. Below are some of the interviews of note, and the date of the News Update in which the translation is provided:
**98.5 FM: Future plans (1/29)
**Journal of France: personal philosophy (2/26)
**Paris Match: personal life (3/12)
**TribuMove Mag: On Papillon (4/2)
**7 Jours: Mother, family (7/9)
**La Presse: Her first album and her father (7/16)
**Lara’s chat on Instagram (7/23)
**Gala: Appearing on “The Voice” (9/17)
**7 Jours: Touring (11/5)
9. Charities. As usual Lara spent some time this year donating her services to charities/organizations of interest, either through singing, acting as chairperson or spokesperson, etc. These included:
**Telethon Opération Enfant Soleil, which raises funds to support the development of quality pediatrics
**Leski Foundation.com, wants to assist the victims of mental illness by providing them with an animal support on an ad hoc basis. Gabriel has trained their dog ‘Kayla’ to be a support animal in this program. [And Lara having a dog is another highlight for 2019].
**Eva Longoria’s Global Gift initiative at the Cannes Film Festival, committed to helping women and children.
** Le soleil emmène au soleil’ to support Quebecois who suffered from the spring floods in the province.
** Autistic, Soon to be Come of Age”, Charles Lafortune’s foundation concerning children with autism, including his son, who are growing up.
**And of course her continued association with AICOM, the school for musical comedy in France, which will soon be expanded in her separate but related school.
10. Odds and Ends
**In the ‘odds’ category, Lara’s adventures in Craiova definitely qualify. Lara’s show was scheduled for November 17th. As publicized at the time: “The announcement was made yesterday by the manager of the institution, Antoniu Zamfir, during a press conference, in which he gave assurances that "Lara Fabian will definitely be in Craiova", currently being signed to "a firm, extremely serious contract with the artist's impresario”. The specification was required in the face of comments and dissatisfaction expressed by those who have not until now been returned the money for tickets purchased at the two concerts of Lara Fabian canceled, December 11, 2016 and October 3, 2017. "The Romanian Opera in Craiova had no connection with those missed concerts!”, stressed Antoniu Zamfir. Over 4,000 tickets for the show-event on November 17, 2019 were put up for sale: depending on the six categories of seats, they have prices between 39 and 159 leu until September 30, 2018 and between 49 and 179 leu after 1 October."
So…what happened? Lara got sick and couldn’t come. Not only that, but they were informed at the last moment. As can be seen at the news conference announcing the cancellation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMNHZ-n8M7o), the director Zamfir is not a happy camper; he notes this isn’t the first time that she “didn’t fulfill her contract in their country” (and now they are responsible for any refunds). Of course Lara did eventually make it back in December, but not to give a full concert – she sang just a few songs as part of a larger event.
**In another in the ‘odds’ category, Lara’s interviews on and around January 29th quoted her as saying that Papillon might well be her last album. She suggested that other forms of making music available might lie in her future, such as releasing individual singles, which then could eventually be amalgamated into an album. Or simply having a few digital releases from time to time. Of course this ignited a firestorm – since she had earlier mentioned she intended to cut back from touring, people wondered whether she was, in effect, announcing her (semi)retirement. Undoubtedly surprised by the reaction, Lara quickly backtracked, but her remarks later in the year suggested that she does mean to slow down. For example, while in an interview with ‘popcrush.com’, she had this to say:
Q: Are there any sounds or concepts you’d like to explore in future albums?
LF: Actually, yes! I have something specific in mind for the next record that unfortunately I can’t share right now ‘cause it would blow the surprise, but I’m on it.
She then followed that up, in the jpost.com interview of 12/3, with this:
Q: Producing 14 studio albums is quite a feat. As you near 50 are you looking to slow down?
LF: I’ll be turning 50 on stage, so this is a big celebration. I have a next project that I’d really like to take on after the world tour. After that, I would love to find a way to be more stable.
To be sure, Lara has often said that she will never stop making music; but recording albums (that don’t really sell very well) and going on long tours might be some things that are starting to have less appeal for her. Especially if she does keep up her activities in The Voice (which require her to be available in France), still wants to live in Quebec, and is successful in opening singing schools, her energy may well be devoted to these other activities.
**While these two items are not closely related, they’re not unrelated either. Lara’s health was an issue twice this year. First, as she said in her 7/9 interview: “I started the year 2019 falling very very sick. I did not talk about it because I preferred to focus on healing. I went through a strong flu that required three weeks of rest, bedridden. I had to stop all my activities. I was hospitalized. And I was not the only one to be treated in the hospital: I was part of a group of very sick people. As my album was released in January, I had to cancel the promo. I was to sing at Les Victoires, in France, and render homage to Maurane. I wanted to, but it was impossible ... I also greet with great respect and admiration Dr. Lyne Desnoyers who followed me and helped me to get through. She advised me to avoid eventual sequels. I had to rest. When my body breaks, I always try to find meaning, to understand why I can not function anymore. But there is no response ... I think, however, that health passes before everything else.”
Now everybody gets the flu now and then. But her illness in November seemed to be more particular to her. About that she wrote on her social media pages: “Hi everyone, well, as you know I was ill last weekend and had to postpone a couple of shows. It was a difficult situation where I overbalanced, I couldn’t stand up, simply, it was really weird, it was not any kind of illness that is a secret or anything, I just couldn’t stand up. It was Miniere Disease which leaves you totally stranded and you just can’t stay up on your feet. So thankfully, though, we could get the right medicine and within a couple of days, three days, I could stand up again and was able to start the show at The Voice.” One wonders whether Miniere Disease, which affects one’s balance, is at all related to the ear problems Lara had five years ago.
When asked about how she felt about turning 50, Lara constantly repeated that “it’s just a number”. But it is a number that indicates advancing age, and as we all know, as one ages one does not have the same immunity and stamina one had when one was younger. Taking life easier may be a doctor’s prescription that Lara may find more and more appealing.
**In the ends category, one thing that has come to an end is Lara’s insistence that Lou be kept hidden from the public. Lara herself ‘exposed’ Lou in a photograph on her FB and Instagram sites, under the guise of Lou, now 12, having done Lara’s make-up.
The general consensus among fans is that Lara feels Lou is now old enough to make up her own mind about having her picture shown, and Lou has agreed.
**In another ‘ends’ category member, Lara has come to the end of “not being associated with jewelry”. Known for years as someone who avoided making her appearance on stage a high priority, she has now become the ‘face’ of Gloria Bass Design, e.g.,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianBienPlusQuunePassionCorseReunion/photos/a.501228263404688/1154478414746333/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianetEmmanuelMoireLEduo/photos/a.199122136821054/2700708396662403/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/a.646180015435666/2428715557182094/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/a.247913198557556/3307614245920754/?type=3&theater
Lara looks quite beautiful in these pictures, and we’ve now seen her wearing jewelry at a few formal media affairs, but it still seems mis-aligned with her personality.
**And the last item in the ‘ends’ category, Lara changed her management team during the year, without much fanfare. Instead of Matt Ersin, who was her manager and Odacity her management company for the past few years, the job now falls to Thierry Martino. So far one cannot say it is an improvement. Under Matt Ersin, Lara’s Facebook site was kept up to date, her URL in Canada (larafabian.ca) was refurbished, and included a ‘Newsletter” one could sign up for, and Lara had reclaimed her general URL (larafabian.com). He was responsive to questions, and an active presence interacting with fan sites. None of this is true (so far) under her new management, where only the Instagram site seems to be actively employed. Her Facebook site is used only occasionally, with even some important news and promotions not being posted, and its Events section listing her concert schedule is out-of-date, missing many concerts. As we just saw, the little items for sale at Lara’s World Tour were not available for the first half of it, in countries where they would likely have been gobbled up. Perhaps the situation will improve as time goes on…
So much for 2019. At the end of the Year in Review 2018 it was speculated that La Voix would get in the way of the promotion for Papillon, like it did for Camouflage, and that it would end up hurting sales. There’s no way of knowing what the commercial response for these "electro-pop" albums would have been like without La Voix, but both albums represented the worst general release sales of Lara’s career. We also speculated that might then lead her to “a more reduced touring schedule, and less emphasis on record sales, while more on ‘transmitting her knowledge’ (while still continuing her music)”. That is certainly still a possibility, perhaps one we’re now closer to. But it won’t happen in 2020 when the 50 World Tour will continue (with Lara celebrating her 50th birthday on stage in Brussels), and Lara says she has another project to complete.
Lara has been adamant that her family will remain in Quebec while Lou is in school, and she has a number of years still to go. Yet the new singing school in Belgium has already been announced, and Lara is a judge on The Voice in France. If she is well-received, conceivably she could be on that show for the next season as well, whereas she won’t be on La Voix in Quebec given that the show there will be cancelled. This tension between her professional life, before a population of 78 million (France + Belgium), and her personal life in Quebec (8.4 million) will be difficult for her to navigate. Think of all the promotions and events TVA lined up for her in Quebec when she was one of the faces of La Voix on their channel. We're already starting to see TF1 do the same for her in France, and this could continue – if she were there. The prediction here is that Lara will move back to Europe, if not next year then the year after. But as with anything associated with Lara, predictions are a very risky business. Let’s just hope that she is healthy in 2020, and that she enjoys herself. And the same goes for all of us as well.
David
Amidst her return to Belgium and her father, Lara found time to wish people “super holidays” and noted she is waiting for them in 2020 for the new season of “The Voice”.
www.facebook.com/larafabiancoeurdelumiere/videos/821672218262794/
Interesting that Lara’s is awaiting people in 2020 for ‘The Voice’ rather than for her 50 World Tour. Either that’s really where her energy is now focused, or she only did the video because it was to promote the program. Regardless, that seems to be where the news is for Lara as 2019 comes to an end. In the following Instagram post,
http://instagram.com/p/B52fA2kKZCE
“TFI, the Voice” writes:
The Voice: the most beautiful voice - Coaches Amel Bent, Lara Fabian , Marc Lavoine and Pascal Obispo give you an appointment with Nikos Aliagas in 2020 on TF1! # TheVoice2020 # TheVoice
And in another post,
www.facebook.com/the.voice.tf1/photos/a.313123762060507/2867875193252005/?type=3&theater
they write: “#TheVoice2020
Want to discover the backstage of the show and have your picture on the coaches chairs?
It's possible, and we explain everything here
bit.ly/TheVoiceExperience
And, finally, we have a date for the first broadcast of The Voice: January 18th,
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.622966977744803/3440099919364814/?type=3&theater
It will be very interesting to see how the show, and Lara, differ from what we saw in La Voix.
The other major event this week was that Lara’s people unveiled the items that will be available to purchase at Lara’s upcoming shows, Pictures of the items (mugs, tea shirt, etc.) can be found at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2616350291751952/2616349815085333/?type=3&theater
and
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/pcb.2617004748353173/2617004655019849/?type=3&theater
They look quite cute. They will be available during the tour from January 8th at Roubaix onward, at all the remaining dates. Presumably they weren’t ready for the earlier tour dates, where one imagines they would have sold quite well.
Now that Lara is on TF1’s prime-time show, one can expect a number of other programs on that channel will become available for/on her. For example, a video retrospective of 2019 for Lara living in Quebec done by “50' inside, L'actu”, a program on TF1 in France, can be found at
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianBienPlusQuunePassionCorseReunion/videos/539782646877723/
It follows Lara and Gabriel in various markets, walking through streets, and cooking in their house. It of course ends noting Lara will be on “The Voice”. It is obviously somewhat of a novelty that one of their judges is actually living in Quebec while being on the show, and TF1 is apparently making the most of it. This is just a small indication of how TF1 can help to publicize Lara in France the way TVA did in Quebec; with the important distinction that there are 8x as many people in France.
And Lara will be on Arthur’s new show, ‘Diversion’, January 24th on TF1, as can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/a.646180015435666/2617000858353562/?type=3&theater
Lara indicated previously that she is spending the holidays in Belgium with her father along with her own family over from Quebec. Her tour of France and Belgium doesn’t start for another week, so it gives her a quiet time to reflect on the past year and the upcoming year, as well as just enjoy the holidays.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: two from the “Lara Fabian Bien Plus Qu’une Passion: Corse Reunion” FB site,
scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/80740561_1305260876334752_3632131195141095424_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ohc=Qwa9A1qhcrgAQk--lvdu1_B1h73fmgDUQoj9Jmgbhid4bVDDyyJeNBIcw&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=fd7b749df8109ad06dfbb06febbeec48&oe=5E9BFF68
and
scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/80229651_1301904206670419_5883927379578978304_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ohc=O4QxamCQLW8AQm9r5QawMDcMP5fi6MSZmQqg4C-IHLxDJWT6waYNrytWw&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=1f9552bee9501f03db1c54a5cd41e57e&oe=5E72B4DD
And a nice holiday card, from the Lara Fabian Web FB site
www.dromadaire.com/post/view/?p=eyJ0eGlkIjoiU1YtMTU3NzExNDg0Nzc1MTgiLCJyX2VtYWlsIjoibGZ3LmxmYWJpYW53QGxhcmFmYWJpYW53ZWIuY29tIn0%3D&utm_source=sent_conf&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mail_destinataire&fbclid=IwAR0_ClJ8QqO2n2SHLm8jrVb4rhJSBERoXsmjhKo9O6IlUK5LwKgW1ytq3lQ
Likewise, Happy New Year to Lara, and to all of you!
David
-----------------------------------------------
Year in Review: 2019
This recapitulation of the Year 2019 for Lara will be provided in a subjective order of the most important events. Obviously this is a personal choice, but at least the hope is to cover what characterized this year for her, the last in her forties.
1. 50 World Tour: This occurred in the last quarter of the year, starting with Lara’s show in New York City on Sept. 16. Her venues were primarily in the United States, Russia, Asia and eastern Europe. All in all she performed some 19 concerts in basically a three month time frame, as the November concerts were cancelled due to illness/other commitments. Although it was billed as a 30 year retrospective, the setlist was heavily weighted to the first half of Lara’s career, mirroring her ‘greatest hits’. It was also primarily in French, with a spattering of English, Italian and other languages. In contrast, in most of the venues Lara spoke primarily in English, as befit her view of what the audience would understand in those countries. The concerts were enlivened by Lara telling stories about the evolution of her career. She was in good voice throughout, and appeared relaxed and happy, perhaps helped by the closeness with her backup singers, the Riverin sisters. In fact, the greatest problem she seemed to have was that the far-flung travel took her away from her family. This tour will continue in 2020, moving to France and Belgium, and then Quebec, among other places.
While there were various videos of the show, the best complete concert video comes (as usual) from Alena in Moscow, in three parts
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVn0ZHJuQz4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO_OHIlX_zs&t=1086s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a19SmuL9Nmg
If there is no DVD or professional recording of the 50 World Tour show, these will do!
2. La Voix: This occupied the first third of her year (and the last quarter of 2018). Her second year on the show found Lara more relaxed and still highly personable, and she became a great fan favorite. Furthermore, she was rewarded when her candidate, Genevieve Jodoin, was the winner. Pictures of them, and the winning announcement, can be seen for example at
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/a.622966977744803/2765905953450884/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/JdeQuebec/photos/a.169034169818919/2261049020617413/?type=3&theater
http://instagram.com/p/BySYX9PH9N1
One would have to say this was overall a great enjoyment for Lara – acting as a teacher, being able to express her opinions, and basking in the limelight of the love these judges can get from the TV audience. Unfortunately, as far as the year goes it ended on a somewhat sour note when Lara announced that due to the 50 World Tour she would not be back for the next season of La Voix. And that also means she will not be on that show again, as 2020 will be its last year (being replaced by the STAR ACADÉMIE in 2021).
3. Release of new album ‘Papillon’. The fact that this is #3 on the list is a statement in itself. Her 14th studio album, all in French, continued the trend started with Camouflage last year of combining Lara’s vocal prowess with a more electro-pop sound. The album was highly professional, the lyrics were extremely clear and probing, and Lara’s singing was top notch, doing what was asked of it. It raised the same question that Camouflage did – is this the best use of Lara’s vocal talents? Her fans in Quebec supported it (e.g.,
http://instagram.com/p/BuE0NYOn4JM), and it was nominated for an ADISQ award as album of the year, along with Lara for pop singer of the year, although neither won. In France and Belgium it spent about 18 weeks on the charts, and sold, total, around 20,000 copies. This put it in the same category as Camouflage, as Lara’s worst selling general release album. Her not being present to promote it full-time obviously hurt sales there, as it did for Camouflage. One might think that the upcoming World Tour in 2020 featuring some 16 concerts in France and Belgium might reinvigorate sales, and it might, but the 50 World Tour features only one or two songs from the album – another relevant statement, this one from Lara.
4. The passing of Lara’s mother. On Friday, March 29th at 7:00AM, Luisa Serio Crokaert passed away. Here’s Lara’s description of finding out and of her last time seeing her mother:
How did you get the news of her death?
LF: When I woke up, for the first time in a very long time, I did not look at my phone and went down to the piano. I played a melody that I did not know, something that came to me spontaneously. My chum came down to join me, and, in his eyes, I saw that my mother had left. I can not explain why, but I knew it. She did things in the rules of art. That day, my father took a train to visit a sick friend. So my mother was left alone.
Were you waiting for her to leave?
LF: No, I had visited my mother nine days earlier. I saw a video shot the day before her death. She was humorous. It is said that in the sickness, it is stronger of us who remains. At my mother's house, her humor, her smile, her light were still there. The last time I saw her, she was really absent. Her soul was far away. It was sad to see her like that, in her wheelchair. I do not wish anyone to live like that. When you know the dimension of my mother to see her thus broke my heart. I did not want her to suffer anymore. At our last meeting, I remember telling her, "Mom, if it's too much, fly away." We talked. I kissed her. I lived this last moment with her.
Undoubtedly, Lara will remember 2019 as the year her mother departed. In numerous interviews she has said she has not gotten over it, e.g.,
Q: This feeling must be stronger than ever when you see your parents go. You recently lost your mother, and even though we can prepare for it, the feeling is always terrible.
LF: It’s a wound that doesn’t heal easily. Our mothers prepare us for everything except living without them. This pain is linked to my childhood, the little girl in me has a very hard time dealing with this sadness. However, the adult in me understands that she was sick and suffered a lot – a woman who once was so beautiful, so brilliant. I am glad that she was able to find relief, but the little girl in me still hurts a great deal.
5. Lara joining “The Voice – la plus belle voix”. The announcement was made in early September that Lara would be joining the French version of the program she had just left in Quebec, and she was occupied with recording the first part of the show during the fall. Here’s her discussion of how it came to pass, with Gala magazine:
Gala: When were you asked about joining The Voice?
LF: It was summer, when I was on vacation in Italy. I had just announced that I could no longer participate in La Voix, the Canadian version of The Voice, because I was leaving on my World Tour. Mathieu Grelier, the producer of The Voice, called me to wish me congratulations because this year it was my candidate who had carried it to the finish. I found that very nice, I thanked him, and then when I was going to hang up, he proposed that I join the French jury.
Gala: What was your reaction?
LF: I was very astonished. I told him first of all that I wouldn’t have the time, then we looked at the planning together. He quite accommodated me, so that I could keep my engagements. Without preventing me as well from the time I reserve for my family. It was out of the question that I move from Quebec where I have my life, my house, my husband Gabriel, and my 12 year old daughter Lou who is in school.
6. Life in Quebec. And that nicely leads into another major feature of 2019, Lara’s enjoyment of living in Quebec. She celebrated having a nice domestic life in a country where she is held in high regard, and her daughter Lou can be settled in school, and in which her husband Gabriel seems to enjoy himself. Lara noted this every time she could, in interviews and in pictures she posted for her fans, e.g.,
http://instagram.com/p/B6cwHNSin7_
http://instagram.com/p/B5xqk09CvIT
http://instagram.com/p/BzFyJFGCNlv
http://instagram.com/p/BwUnomhnFsw
Also see the interview from “7 Jours” in the News Update of 9-10 discussing how Lara has been improving her house in Quebec, as well as her interview concerning how she spends her time in Montreal in “sosoir.lesoir.be” from the News Update of 3-26.
It will be interesting to see how long this lasts…Lara has said there is no question of moving Lou from her school, so she nominally will be living in Quebec for at least a few years to come. But increasingly her professional activities are dragging her back to Europe, be it the concert tour in the first half of 2020, her appearance on The Voice for TF1, or her recently-announced singing school to be opened with Pierre-Yves Duchesne in Belgium. Also, with the closing of La Voix in Quebec, it’s not clear what professional activity she will have left there. It made sense to live in Montreal when her personal and professional lives aligned; it will be harder for her to justify it, or even to manage the time for it, if they don’t. We return to this topic at the end of this review.
7. Special performances. As usual, Lara had a number of special duets and other performances throughout the year. Below are some of the highlights:
Lara singing “Voir un ami pleurer” to an appreciative listener:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixlxj420YqU
With Eric Lapointe:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFkEbDM06g0
With Bogdan Mihai:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=or5GW1vzc1o
With one of the many, many fans who have participated in Lara’s “duet” of Pas sans toi on the ‘Smule’ app (this has been a huge success, with the winner(s) joining Lara on stage at some concert):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhG3GSX_hEA
Lara with Dimash Kudaibergenov and Aida Garifullina at Igor Krutoi’s birthday celebration in Moscow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lor05eu9iMQ&t
With Igor Krutoi, at the same event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXQEeb_CfxM&fbclid=
Lara singing with a hologram of Dmitri Hvorostovsky
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzSEKS9WvX8
Lara singing in Hebrew with Giora Linenberg once again on the piano
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHTofKFW0e4
‘Par amour’ with 300 choeurs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVcT710hido
and on the same show, Lara’s tribute to Michel Sardou
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlBymvUiHBo
Lara singing on La Voix
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2023223314428134
Lara’s “team” singing her song
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=346749125958089
Lara and Genevieve
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HazrIlIw5b0
Lara and her team singing “Je te le donne”
vk.com/lf_cp?z=video-121236_456240885%2Fc84f7a5cf31495a28f%2Fpl_wall_-121236
Lara on Sucre Sale:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L6LOVFU1yM
The special on Lara called ““Je t’aime etc.” on France 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP7CCoqLapc
And then there was the last, previously unseen segment from the Mademoiselle Zhivago movie, called “Mother”, to the wonderful song ‘Mama Moya’. Alan Badoev posted it on his Instagram site, at
www.instagram.com/tv/B0oQpKblSm3/?utm_source=ig_embed
As one can see when going to that link, it’s no longer available (after 50,000 views). At the time we wondered whether he had cleared it with Lara, who did not want that segment included. Apparently not…
8. Special Interviews. Lara always does great interviews because she takes each question seriously and does not provide stock answers. Below are some of the interviews of note, and the date of the News Update in which the translation is provided:
**98.5 FM: Future plans (1/29)
**Journal of France: personal philosophy (2/26)
**Paris Match: personal life (3/12)
**TribuMove Mag: On Papillon (4/2)
**7 Jours: Mother, family (7/9)
**La Presse: Her first album and her father (7/16)
**Lara’s chat on Instagram (7/23)
**Gala: Appearing on “The Voice” (9/17)
**7 Jours: Touring (11/5)
9. Charities. As usual Lara spent some time this year donating her services to charities/organizations of interest, either through singing, acting as chairperson or spokesperson, etc. These included:
**Telethon Opération Enfant Soleil, which raises funds to support the development of quality pediatrics
**Leski Foundation.com, wants to assist the victims of mental illness by providing them with an animal support on an ad hoc basis. Gabriel has trained their dog ‘Kayla’ to be a support animal in this program. [And Lara having a dog is another highlight for 2019].
**Eva Longoria’s Global Gift initiative at the Cannes Film Festival, committed to helping women and children.
** Le soleil emmène au soleil’ to support Quebecois who suffered from the spring floods in the province.
** Autistic, Soon to be Come of Age”, Charles Lafortune’s foundation concerning children with autism, including his son, who are growing up.
**And of course her continued association with AICOM, the school for musical comedy in France, which will soon be expanded in her separate but related school.
10. Odds and Ends
**In the ‘odds’ category, Lara’s adventures in Craiova definitely qualify. Lara’s show was scheduled for November 17th. As publicized at the time: “The announcement was made yesterday by the manager of the institution, Antoniu Zamfir, during a press conference, in which he gave assurances that "Lara Fabian will definitely be in Craiova", currently being signed to "a firm, extremely serious contract with the artist's impresario”. The specification was required in the face of comments and dissatisfaction expressed by those who have not until now been returned the money for tickets purchased at the two concerts of Lara Fabian canceled, December 11, 2016 and October 3, 2017. "The Romanian Opera in Craiova had no connection with those missed concerts!”, stressed Antoniu Zamfir. Over 4,000 tickets for the show-event on November 17, 2019 were put up for sale: depending on the six categories of seats, they have prices between 39 and 159 leu until September 30, 2018 and between 49 and 179 leu after 1 October."
So…what happened? Lara got sick and couldn’t come. Not only that, but they were informed at the last moment. As can be seen at the news conference announcing the cancellation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMNHZ-n8M7o), the director Zamfir is not a happy camper; he notes this isn’t the first time that she “didn’t fulfill her contract in their country” (and now they are responsible for any refunds). Of course Lara did eventually make it back in December, but not to give a full concert – she sang just a few songs as part of a larger event.
**In another in the ‘odds’ category, Lara’s interviews on and around January 29th quoted her as saying that Papillon might well be her last album. She suggested that other forms of making music available might lie in her future, such as releasing individual singles, which then could eventually be amalgamated into an album. Or simply having a few digital releases from time to time. Of course this ignited a firestorm – since she had earlier mentioned she intended to cut back from touring, people wondered whether she was, in effect, announcing her (semi)retirement. Undoubtedly surprised by the reaction, Lara quickly backtracked, but her remarks later in the year suggested that she does mean to slow down. For example, while in an interview with ‘popcrush.com’, she had this to say:
Q: Are there any sounds or concepts you’d like to explore in future albums?
LF: Actually, yes! I have something specific in mind for the next record that unfortunately I can’t share right now ‘cause it would blow the surprise, but I’m on it.
She then followed that up, in the jpost.com interview of 12/3, with this:
Q: Producing 14 studio albums is quite a feat. As you near 50 are you looking to slow down?
LF: I’ll be turning 50 on stage, so this is a big celebration. I have a next project that I’d really like to take on after the world tour. After that, I would love to find a way to be more stable.
To be sure, Lara has often said that she will never stop making music; but recording albums (that don’t really sell very well) and going on long tours might be some things that are starting to have less appeal for her. Especially if she does keep up her activities in The Voice (which require her to be available in France), still wants to live in Quebec, and is successful in opening singing schools, her energy may well be devoted to these other activities.
**While these two items are not closely related, they’re not unrelated either. Lara’s health was an issue twice this year. First, as she said in her 7/9 interview: “I started the year 2019 falling very very sick. I did not talk about it because I preferred to focus on healing. I went through a strong flu that required three weeks of rest, bedridden. I had to stop all my activities. I was hospitalized. And I was not the only one to be treated in the hospital: I was part of a group of very sick people. As my album was released in January, I had to cancel the promo. I was to sing at Les Victoires, in France, and render homage to Maurane. I wanted to, but it was impossible ... I also greet with great respect and admiration Dr. Lyne Desnoyers who followed me and helped me to get through. She advised me to avoid eventual sequels. I had to rest. When my body breaks, I always try to find meaning, to understand why I can not function anymore. But there is no response ... I think, however, that health passes before everything else.”
Now everybody gets the flu now and then. But her illness in November seemed to be more particular to her. About that she wrote on her social media pages: “Hi everyone, well, as you know I was ill last weekend and had to postpone a couple of shows. It was a difficult situation where I overbalanced, I couldn’t stand up, simply, it was really weird, it was not any kind of illness that is a secret or anything, I just couldn’t stand up. It was Miniere Disease which leaves you totally stranded and you just can’t stay up on your feet. So thankfully, though, we could get the right medicine and within a couple of days, three days, I could stand up again and was able to start the show at The Voice.” One wonders whether Miniere Disease, which affects one’s balance, is at all related to the ear problems Lara had five years ago.
When asked about how she felt about turning 50, Lara constantly repeated that “it’s just a number”. But it is a number that indicates advancing age, and as we all know, as one ages one does not have the same immunity and stamina one had when one was younger. Taking life easier may be a doctor’s prescription that Lara may find more and more appealing.
**In the ends category, one thing that has come to an end is Lara’s insistence that Lou be kept hidden from the public. Lara herself ‘exposed’ Lou in a photograph on her FB and Instagram sites, under the guise of Lou, now 12, having done Lara’s make-up.
The general consensus among fans is that Lara feels Lou is now old enough to make up her own mind about having her picture shown, and Lou has agreed.
**In another ‘ends’ category member, Lara has come to the end of “not being associated with jewelry”. Known for years as someone who avoided making her appearance on stage a high priority, she has now become the ‘face’ of Gloria Bass Design, e.g.,
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianBienPlusQuunePassionCorseReunion/photos/a.501228263404688/1154478414746333/?type=3&theater
http://instagram.com/p/BzhsPUVCsLV
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianetEmmanuelMoireLEduo/photos/a.199122136821054/2700708396662403/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/photos/a.646180015435666/2428715557182094/?type=3&theater
www.facebook.com/larafabianweb/photos/a.247913198557556/3307614245920754/?type=3&theater
Lara looks quite beautiful in these pictures, and we’ve now seen her wearing jewelry at a few formal media affairs, but it still seems mis-aligned with her personality.
**And the last item in the ‘ends’ category, Lara changed her management team during the year, without much fanfare. Instead of Matt Ersin, who was her manager and Odacity her management company for the past few years, the job now falls to Thierry Martino. So far one cannot say it is an improvement. Under Matt Ersin, Lara’s Facebook site was kept up to date, her URL in Canada (larafabian.ca) was refurbished, and included a ‘Newsletter” one could sign up for, and Lara had reclaimed her general URL (larafabian.com). He was responsive to questions, and an active presence interacting with fan sites. None of this is true (so far) under her new management, where only the Instagram site seems to be actively employed. Her Facebook site is used only occasionally, with even some important news and promotions not being posted, and its Events section listing her concert schedule is out-of-date, missing many concerts. As we just saw, the little items for sale at Lara’s World Tour were not available for the first half of it, in countries where they would likely have been gobbled up. Perhaps the situation will improve as time goes on…
So much for 2019. At the end of the Year in Review 2018 it was speculated that La Voix would get in the way of the promotion for Papillon, like it did for Camouflage, and that it would end up hurting sales. There’s no way of knowing what the commercial response for these "electro-pop" albums would have been like without La Voix, but both albums represented the worst general release sales of Lara’s career. We also speculated that might then lead her to “a more reduced touring schedule, and less emphasis on record sales, while more on ‘transmitting her knowledge’ (while still continuing her music)”. That is certainly still a possibility, perhaps one we’re now closer to. But it won’t happen in 2020 when the 50 World Tour will continue (with Lara celebrating her 50th birthday on stage in Brussels), and Lara says she has another project to complete.
Lara has been adamant that her family will remain in Quebec while Lou is in school, and she has a number of years still to go. Yet the new singing school in Belgium has already been announced, and Lara is a judge on The Voice in France. If she is well-received, conceivably she could be on that show for the next season as well, whereas she won’t be on La Voix in Quebec given that the show there will be cancelled. This tension between her professional life, before a population of 78 million (France + Belgium), and her personal life in Quebec (8.4 million) will be difficult for her to navigate. Think of all the promotions and events TVA lined up for her in Quebec when she was one of the faces of La Voix on their channel. We're already starting to see TF1 do the same for her in France, and this could continue – if she were there. The prediction here is that Lara will move back to Europe, if not next year then the year after. But as with anything associated with Lara, predictions are a very risky business. Let’s just hope that she is healthy in 2020, and that she enjoys herself. And the same goes for all of us as well.
David
