Post by davidhr on Jun 16, 2020 7:28:51 GMT -5
Lara’s participation on The Voice – la plus belle voix came to an end this past week, at least for this year's edition. That was once again the lead story, although there was some activity concerning the re-release of her last album, Papillon.
The Voice held their final show this past week; here is a review, focusing strictly on the contestants (there were other performances by the guest stars to fill out the program). Note that the live was again "confined", as in the semi-final. The public was not present in the room, but in videoconference, thanks to a huge video wall ... Just like Lara, still stuck in Quebec.
All the contestants got together to sing “Feel Good” from Nina Simone, and the coaches even joined in at one point. Out of the finalists, Abi had the least impressive voice. All were good performers. [All the videos are available on youtube, hence those are the links that are provided]. It's available here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRRm6KgOZpA
The show began with the contestants performing a song of their choice:
1) Antoine Delie sang "We are the Champions" of Queen
An impassioned performance that highlighted what a wonderful voice he has; nevertheless, it’s not certain that was a perfect song for him, because the chorus does not seem to go well with a tenor voice that demands deep power (rather than his vibrato).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE4bWVxxmUc
2) Gustine sang "Amoureuse" of Véronique Sanson
A truly wonderful presentation, again utilizing her harp but this time giving much more expression of her beautiful voice. A unique interpretation of this song – one of the best.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUn6JSIPFc
3) Tom Rochet sang "Stay with me" de Sam Smith
A very professional rendition of this popular song. However, the spark that he has shown previously was not in as much evidence, perhaps again because his movement was quite restricted. His voice was just fine, however. [Later it was revealed that he was quite nervous; he is after all young, just 20 years old].
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KP_m6OPbHM
4) Abi sang "If I ain't got you" from Alicia Keys
A well-done effort – reminiscent of a professional ‘crooner’.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw2DkNe5jEI
Then came the duos
5) Antoine Delie and Vianney sang "Je m’en vais"
A rhythmic song, and while Antoine did well, when the two men sang together his tenor voice sounded like it was playing the role of accompanying Vianney, rather than taking the lead.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv9GUdbATSc
6) Gustine and Clara Luciani, sang "La Grenade"
Another nice rhythmic song, and both performers performed, so it was pleasant. Clara has a deeper voice, and is taller, than Gustine, whose particular movements still come across as mannered.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUn6JSIPFc
7) Abi and Kendji Girac sang "Les yeux de la mama"
A very entertaining song, primarily because Kendji is such a great singer. Strategically, they let him sing most of the solo parts, and Abi came off well through ‘reflected glory’ when they both sang together. Note that Kendji Girac is a past winner of The Voice – la plus belle voix (season 3). On the show he announced that he will be joining “The Voice – kids” as a coach.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqYrUZxxvM0
8) Tom Rochet, Vitaa and Slimane sang "Je te le donne"
Now performing with two other human beings, Tom Rochet came to life, and they produced a memorable version of this song. Slimane is a past winner of The Voice – la plus belle voix (5th season) and Vitaa is a wonderful singer.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=phVpqVPnHOk
Finally, the contestants performed a song they did during the blind auditions:
9) Antoine Delie sang "La pluie" d’Orelsan and Stromae
He again did an amazing job on this quite difficult song, displaying his wonderful voice and sense of timing, sitting at the piano.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTl5B4MgUis
10) Gustine sang "Les yeux revolver" of Marc Lavoine
She did well with a beautiful piece, but she took a lot of time with her harp, and (to me) she could have used more time for her singing (which was wonderful).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERyHkVKB7EM
11) Tom Rochet sang "Let it be" from the Beatles
A song you can’t go wrong with, he sang it well; but more than the other candidates he seemed inhibited by the square elevated platform the contestants had to stand on – he wasn’t able to move the way he normally does, and that might have affected his presentation somewhat.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMLdPc00WRc
12) Abi sang "Lovely" of Billie Eilish.
Another wonderfully smooth performance, at the piano – reminiscent of Antoine’s.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKfO9aD03wU
My assessment at the end of was that Antoine was the best singer; Abi was smooth and the best strategist (or maybe it was Pascal); Gustine did quite well, but she is an acquired taste; and Tom has all the qualities to win but he seemed somewhat limited by not having room to move, or an audience to interact with.
The winner was announced in this video
www.tf1.fr/tf1/the-voice/videos/the-voice-2020-qui-est-le-gagnant-de-la-saison-finale-77872313.html
The final tallies were: Abi 53.4%; Gustine 22.5%; Tom 13.1%; and Antoine 11%.
Abi was the safest choice - he has the "highest floor" - though he probably had the least capable Voice – again showing it’s the whole performer the audience responds to, not the vocal capability, despite the name of the show. Going forward one could imagine Abi could have a nice career as a nightclub singer. Antoine and Gustine have the "highest ceiliing" - they might really produce some really new and exciting work; and Tom would be great anywhere he can interact with people. Note that Antoine Delie, who is Belgian, could not get any votes from Belgians, as the voting was not open to them.
After Abi won, Pascal Obispo ignored the ‘barrier’ gestures that the show had put in place against Covid-19 and took the candidate in his arms to congratulate him. Netizens were all shocked by this live scene from TF1. Besides, Nikos Aliagas was also surprised and he explained to all the French people to be careful. "Well done for respecting barrier gestures ... live on TF1 ..." said a user. You can see the embrace at:
pbs.twimg.com/media/EabFEr2XgAI74EN?format=jpg&name=medium
Here’s a summary of the show from (https://www.linternaute.com/television/the-voice-abi-gagnant-2020-les-internautes-heureux-p3123314/):
----------------------------------
THE VOICE 2020 - This Saturday, June 13, TF1 broadcast the final of The Voice 2020. Antoine Délie, Tom Rochet, Gustine and Abi were the four big finalists of this season and they had to submit to the votes of the public. After deliberation, Abi wins the show.
In recent weeks, viewers have been able to follow the new season of The Voice on TF1 . Pascal Obispo, Marc Lavoine, Lara Fabian and Amel Bent had to find the best talent and build their teams. During the grand finale, only Antoine Délie from Marc Lavoine, Tom Rochet from Amel Bent, Gustine from Lara Fabian's team and Abi from Pascal Obispo's team remained. Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19, the show experienced some turbulence. The four finalists could not sing in front of an audience and live from the Palais des sports. However, they still had to submit to the votes of the public and after deliberation it is Abi the big winner of The Voice 2020.
The candidates did everything to convey many emotions through their songs. They started singing alone and Abi was unanimous with an Alicia Keys song. Pascal Obispo had a hard time hiding his emotions and internet users also liked it a lot. For her part, Gustine was criticized about being qualified for this final. However, Internet users really liked her performance with Clara Luciani and they made a very beautiful duo. For his part, Tom Rochet of the Amel Bent team shared the stage with Slimane and Vitaa. The trio did a great job but Tom was very stressed and forgot some words. Besides, Internet users have noticed it and they did not hesitate to say it on social networks. Tom Rochet sang the very last time Let It Be by the Beatles and he had a lot of emotions. He seemed less stressed and Amel Bent highlighted his huge progress throughout the show. Antoine Delie had a very successful career in The Voice and he sang La Pluie by OrelSan and Stromae for the very last time. Marc Lavoine was very touched and he also managed to impress the viewers. At the end of the show, Nikos Aliagas reunited with the four finalists to announce the winner. It was ultimately Abi who won The Voice 2020 and won the trophy with 53.4% of the votes against 22.5% of the votes for Gustine, 13.1% for Tom Rochet and 11% of the votes for Antoine Delie. Finally, the host announced that The Voice will return to TF1 in 2021 with a whole new season.
-------------------------------------
In what was certainly an appropriate choice, and one of the real highlights of the season, Lara along with Pascal Obispo, Amel Bent and Marc Lavoine sang “Imagine” from John Lennon to close this season of The Voice, available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyVUc7luuw
Lara looked beautiful and sang beautifully. She obviously wasn’t present on stage being confined to Canada. However, her presence in the form of a hologram, in addition to being on screen, made internet users laugh a lot. "Lara as a ghost!" said a fan on Twitter. "Lara Fabian and her hologram is not possible!" said another internet user.
Various reports quoted Gustine’s kind words about Lara. During the blind auditions, Gustine had impressed the coaches with "Les yeux revolvers". She sang this song again for the final and Lara found that she has progressed a lot. "You are magnificent" Lara told her. "I didn't know Lara that much. I discovered her throughout this season. I had to go to Lara and now I understand why. It was obvious," explained Gustine. The candidate admits to having found her "voice" thanks to her coach. Here’s a picture of Gustine after her last performance,
pbs.twimg.com/media/Eaa6-PtWsAERS6I?format=jpg&name=small
Despite Gustine’s praise, Lara actually had somewhat mixed feelings about the final. On the program “Une heure avec…” with Bernard Montiel on RFM, broadcast some hours before The Voice aired, Lara said she had a ‘crush’ on Antoine Delie, although “inevitably me, my favorite is my Gustine, she’s mine. She is necessarily my choice a priori. But if we talk about the other three, it's Antoine”. One can hear that part of their conversation at:
stephanelarue.com/the-voice-lara-fabian-devoile-son-talent-favori-audio/
An article about it appeared in femme actuelle (among other places) (https://www.femmeactuelle.fr/actu/news-actu/the-voice-9-lara-fabian-a-eu-un-coup-de-coeur-pour-le-candidat-dun-autre-coach-2096719); here’s the translation:
-----------------------------------
"The Voice 9": Lara Fabian had a crush on the candidate of another coach
In the light of the grand finale of The Voice 9, Lara Fabian was the guest of Bernard Montiel on RFM in an edition of Une heure avec ... which will be broadcast on Saturday June 13, 2020. On this occasion, the singer let go to some secrets on "her darling" of the season, who is not part of her team!
It's almost time for the final battle between the talents of the famous TF1 reality show . Saturday June 13, 2020, Tom Rochet, Abi, Antoine Delie and Gustine will compete to win the coveted title of "the most beautiful voice". Gustine, the only female figure in this final, had literally captivated Marc Lavoine with her performance on the harp. Carried by emotion, the singer had even improvised a duet with the young woman. Only, it was not enough to seduce this 32 year old artist. Lara Fabian's words had gone straight to her heart and she had decided to join her team. And given the path she has travelled, one might think that she was right!
"I was deeply upset by Antoine"
If Lara Fabian was particularly touched by the "honesty" and the "absolute integrity" of Gustine, she however confided to the microphone of RFM to have had a real crush on another candidate. Invited on the program Une heure avec ... which will be broadcast on Saturday June 13, 2020 , the interpreter of Je t'aime told Bernard Montiel to have been amazed by the talent of Antoine Delie, the candidate of Marc Lavoine! "I never hid it, I had something and I was deeply upset by Antoine. How I fought to have him! He has something fairly deconstructed but very aligned. He could be a little in every way, but in reality there is a common thread, "she added. But do not worry, even from Canada where she is confined, Lara Fabian will support with all her might her candidate in this last test.
For one performance, Lara did not have to choose between them – they got together to perform a segment from Lara’s song “Par amour”, which Lara put on her Facebook and Instagram sites:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/1925552161079651/
and
Lara accompanied this with the comment, “Thank you to Gustine and Antoine Delie for their talented interpretation of my latest single "Par Amour" ... what a beauty, poetic and pure to your respective images ... THANK YOU 🙏💋💕♥ ️
And here is a cute picture that Lara posted on her sites of the two of them together, along with some of the other contestants…
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/rpp.201065806601591/4010394285668705/?type=3&theater
It is certainly conceivable that Lara will continue to work with them in the future. There is precedent for that…remember in 2018 on La Voix, Lara was highly taken with Felix Lemelin, who she said she felt “was like her son”. They’re apparently collaborating on an album of his; as Lara explained, that was why Moh Denebi was at her house when they decided to work together on “Nos coeurs a la fenetre”.
As noted, The Voice will be back for 2021 (assuming anything is still around by then!); whether Lara will join them we will have to wait and see. As reported last week, when Lara was on Europe 1 radio on June 8, in response to that question she replied “I have no idea.”
Now concerning the re-release of Papillon: Lara put on her Facebook and Instagram sites little discussions of each of the new songs.
First for C’est heure, which Lara notes is “one of the three new titles from the reissue of 'Papillon (s)'…
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/608250013146356/
On it she says “"C'est l’heure" is not necessarily a song that promotes or opposes social networks. Not at all. "C'est l’heure" is a song about the fact that one does not prevent the other. That is to say that one can be completely connected [on-line] but be completely connected to the Earth. We may need this isolation which offers a connection through social networks. And at the same time needing this real concrete proximity, which we can have in life with real friends whom we meet. So for me "It's time" is maybe just a way of thinking about recreating the balance between the attachment that we have to social networks, the need to have social networks and the urgency I believe that we as a humanity have to return to the essential. And it is an observation much more than a judgment. One way to propose a vision, to stretch this text as one would make a simple opposition.”
Then there was “Undefeated Love”
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/258595782131113/
with her explanation: “Undefeated Love” is a song in English. I wanted that in this reedition so that there are also all the colors which represent me. I could even have put one in Italian. Besides, if we had had the time to write it, we would have done it. Because I have always sung in all these languages. When I am on tour with the 50 World tour I sing in all these languages around the world. Because they are at the same time my definition and my specificity. Therefore it was important that it exists among the others.” [One might think there is a bit of a disconnect discussing why there is a song in English, yet having the explanation be totally in French…].
And finally “En chemin”:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/269365014129348/
“En chemin” is a song that speaks of the incredible paradox that one lives as an artist and as a human being otherwise. Me, I have a great deal of trouble disassociating the two things since there is not truly a split to make between the person that we are and the artist that we are in any case, in my case it is very difficult to dissociate the two. And therefore, “En chemin” is a little story of this inseparable way of living , where there is enormous joy, an enormous gratitude of being standing on this stage and in all these evenings vibrating and feeling the love of the public and this connection, and at the same time an infinite solitude of being constantly from one hotel to another, from one voyage to another. To live in a suitcase, never having a landmark other than the stage, that can sometimes be destabilizing. And then these are some moments in the life of an artist, it is not persistent. And I would even say, if one can measure at which point it is special to have the chance of continuing, to do this profession beyond thirty years, and to still have this return on the part of the public, all the dichotomy of which I speak about in the song, is in fact before all an immense luck for which I truly thank each day.“
In association with the album’s release, one promo Lara did was to discuss the three key moments in her career, for Basique Musique:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=isJi06yd94E&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR28eHfWCnecswNoQfBeICxvFv9-dHKt8DLext9qFoCarKpTcMwsxccCoAY
The first was her hearing ‘Mammy Blue” by Roger Whitaker, released in 1971 when she was 1 year old – that started her on her way
. [When she has told this story previously, she mentioned her parents told her she sang ‘Mammy Boo’]. The second was the release in 1996 of “Je t’aime”, her greatest hit. The third was her duet with Johnny Hallyday on ‘Requiem pour un fou’ in 1998.
In other promotion news, Lara was on ‘Le Croissant Show’, on. Sud Radio which can be heard at the link below, talking about the new album and the new songs. [Thanks to the Lara Fabian Coeur de Lumiere FB site for the link].
www.facebook.com/SudRadio/videos/255348752198191/
[‘Undefeated Love’ got an entirely different discussion on this French radio show than what she provided on her website, here talking about the energy associated with love, rather than the need to have an English language song on the album]. They also joked about the ‘golden tickets’ that are to be found in some of the albums. And about Lara’s appearance on The Voice, her now suspended World Tour, and living in Quebec far from part of her family in Belgium. Finally, they mentioned George Floyd and what is happening in America and elsewhere; as we know Lara is passionately against injustice of any kind.
Lara was also promoting the album live on ‘Telepro’ from Belgium [again thanks to the Lara Fabian Coeur de Lumiere FB site for the link], which can be heard at:
www.facebook.com/magazinetelepro/videos/297107937993311/
And, as noted previously, Lara was on RFM with Bernard Montiel, on Saturday – the poster for that can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiancoeurdelumiere/photos/a.271448360159464/610471819590448/?type=3&theater
Eventually it should show up on the web, as her previous appearances with him have done so.
As to how the album is doing: In Belgium, it jumped from 46 to 6 in one week. In Quebec it has moved up to #7 for French language albums. [Charts in France has not updated their chart in several weeks, the last one being before the re-release of the album].
In other news, Lara was one of the ‘personalities’ denouncing cruelty to animals, in Cine Tele Revue in Belgium. One can read the story at
www.cinetelerevue.be/actus/jerevepourfiona-les-personnalites-denoncent-le-maltraitance-animale?fbclid=IwAR3c1kt1ri7h-PXO6nVu6BOBkVxfrBhEgJZZoPU1SS0_cZ4XlTx73-Kfw5Q
Interesting photo(s) of the week: from the Lara Fabian Coeur de Lumiere FB site, of Lara and Cheyenne
www.facebook.com/larafabiancoeurdelumiere/
with Cheyenne’s comment, “A really significant photo for me, because it allows me to keep in memory a nice memory with my coach.
So honored to have been able to share The Voice adventure with such a beautiful person, thank you Lara Fabian♥ ️”
Since Lara thought Cheyenne was “The Voice”, perhaps she will find a way to work with her as well…
And from the Lara Fabian Mexico FB site, a picture of what may well be the “collector’s edition” of Papillon (s), including the vinyl album with the three additional songs, a dedicated (i.e., signed) poster, and the gold ticket to obtain an exclusive gift
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianfromMexico/photos/a.747329741987755/2956932327694141/?type=3&theater
The Voice is now over for Lara, who at least didn’t have to travel far for the last two shows. In a week she will be making an appearance for the National Day of Quebec under the theme "All Quebec in harmony" - with, hopefully, the appropriate social distancing. Other than that, presumably Lara has various projects she’s working on, but none of them off-hand seem to involve public appearances. We’ll see – Lara generally finds a way to keep in the news. Stay safe everybody.
David
The Voice held their final show this past week; here is a review, focusing strictly on the contestants (there were other performances by the guest stars to fill out the program). Note that the live was again "confined", as in the semi-final. The public was not present in the room, but in videoconference, thanks to a huge video wall ... Just like Lara, still stuck in Quebec.
All the contestants got together to sing “Feel Good” from Nina Simone, and the coaches even joined in at one point. Out of the finalists, Abi had the least impressive voice. All were good performers. [All the videos are available on youtube, hence those are the links that are provided]. It's available here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRRm6KgOZpA
The show began with the contestants performing a song of their choice:
1) Antoine Delie sang "We are the Champions" of Queen
An impassioned performance that highlighted what a wonderful voice he has; nevertheless, it’s not certain that was a perfect song for him, because the chorus does not seem to go well with a tenor voice that demands deep power (rather than his vibrato).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE4bWVxxmUc
2) Gustine sang "Amoureuse" of Véronique Sanson
A truly wonderful presentation, again utilizing her harp but this time giving much more expression of her beautiful voice. A unique interpretation of this song – one of the best.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUn6JSIPFc
3) Tom Rochet sang "Stay with me" de Sam Smith
A very professional rendition of this popular song. However, the spark that he has shown previously was not in as much evidence, perhaps again because his movement was quite restricted. His voice was just fine, however. [Later it was revealed that he was quite nervous; he is after all young, just 20 years old].
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KP_m6OPbHM
4) Abi sang "If I ain't got you" from Alicia Keys
A well-done effort – reminiscent of a professional ‘crooner’.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw2DkNe5jEI
Then came the duos
5) Antoine Delie and Vianney sang "Je m’en vais"
A rhythmic song, and while Antoine did well, when the two men sang together his tenor voice sounded like it was playing the role of accompanying Vianney, rather than taking the lead.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv9GUdbATSc
6) Gustine and Clara Luciani, sang "La Grenade"
Another nice rhythmic song, and both performers performed, so it was pleasant. Clara has a deeper voice, and is taller, than Gustine, whose particular movements still come across as mannered.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUn6JSIPFc
7) Abi and Kendji Girac sang "Les yeux de la mama"
A very entertaining song, primarily because Kendji is such a great singer. Strategically, they let him sing most of the solo parts, and Abi came off well through ‘reflected glory’ when they both sang together. Note that Kendji Girac is a past winner of The Voice – la plus belle voix (season 3). On the show he announced that he will be joining “The Voice – kids” as a coach.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqYrUZxxvM0
8) Tom Rochet, Vitaa and Slimane sang "Je te le donne"
Now performing with two other human beings, Tom Rochet came to life, and they produced a memorable version of this song. Slimane is a past winner of The Voice – la plus belle voix (5th season) and Vitaa is a wonderful singer.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=phVpqVPnHOk
Finally, the contestants performed a song they did during the blind auditions:
9) Antoine Delie sang "La pluie" d’Orelsan and Stromae
He again did an amazing job on this quite difficult song, displaying his wonderful voice and sense of timing, sitting at the piano.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTl5B4MgUis
10) Gustine sang "Les yeux revolver" of Marc Lavoine
She did well with a beautiful piece, but she took a lot of time with her harp, and (to me) she could have used more time for her singing (which was wonderful).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERyHkVKB7EM
11) Tom Rochet sang "Let it be" from the Beatles
A song you can’t go wrong with, he sang it well; but more than the other candidates he seemed inhibited by the square elevated platform the contestants had to stand on – he wasn’t able to move the way he normally does, and that might have affected his presentation somewhat.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMLdPc00WRc
12) Abi sang "Lovely" of Billie Eilish.
Another wonderfully smooth performance, at the piano – reminiscent of Antoine’s.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKfO9aD03wU
My assessment at the end of was that Antoine was the best singer; Abi was smooth and the best strategist (or maybe it was Pascal); Gustine did quite well, but she is an acquired taste; and Tom has all the qualities to win but he seemed somewhat limited by not having room to move, or an audience to interact with.
The winner was announced in this video
www.tf1.fr/tf1/the-voice/videos/the-voice-2020-qui-est-le-gagnant-de-la-saison-finale-77872313.html
The final tallies were: Abi 53.4%; Gustine 22.5%; Tom 13.1%; and Antoine 11%.
Abi was the safest choice - he has the "highest floor" - though he probably had the least capable Voice – again showing it’s the whole performer the audience responds to, not the vocal capability, despite the name of the show. Going forward one could imagine Abi could have a nice career as a nightclub singer. Antoine and Gustine have the "highest ceiliing" - they might really produce some really new and exciting work; and Tom would be great anywhere he can interact with people. Note that Antoine Delie, who is Belgian, could not get any votes from Belgians, as the voting was not open to them.
After Abi won, Pascal Obispo ignored the ‘barrier’ gestures that the show had put in place against Covid-19 and took the candidate in his arms to congratulate him. Netizens were all shocked by this live scene from TF1. Besides, Nikos Aliagas was also surprised and he explained to all the French people to be careful. "Well done for respecting barrier gestures ... live on TF1 ..." said a user. You can see the embrace at:
pbs.twimg.com/media/EabFEr2XgAI74EN?format=jpg&name=medium
Here’s a summary of the show from (https://www.linternaute.com/television/the-voice-abi-gagnant-2020-les-internautes-heureux-p3123314/):
----------------------------------
THE VOICE 2020 - This Saturday, June 13, TF1 broadcast the final of The Voice 2020. Antoine Délie, Tom Rochet, Gustine and Abi were the four big finalists of this season and they had to submit to the votes of the public. After deliberation, Abi wins the show.
In recent weeks, viewers have been able to follow the new season of The Voice on TF1 . Pascal Obispo, Marc Lavoine, Lara Fabian and Amel Bent had to find the best talent and build their teams. During the grand finale, only Antoine Délie from Marc Lavoine, Tom Rochet from Amel Bent, Gustine from Lara Fabian's team and Abi from Pascal Obispo's team remained. Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19, the show experienced some turbulence. The four finalists could not sing in front of an audience and live from the Palais des sports. However, they still had to submit to the votes of the public and after deliberation it is Abi the big winner of The Voice 2020.
The candidates did everything to convey many emotions through their songs. They started singing alone and Abi was unanimous with an Alicia Keys song. Pascal Obispo had a hard time hiding his emotions and internet users also liked it a lot. For her part, Gustine was criticized about being qualified for this final. However, Internet users really liked her performance with Clara Luciani and they made a very beautiful duo. For his part, Tom Rochet of the Amel Bent team shared the stage with Slimane and Vitaa. The trio did a great job but Tom was very stressed and forgot some words. Besides, Internet users have noticed it and they did not hesitate to say it on social networks. Tom Rochet sang the very last time Let It Be by the Beatles and he had a lot of emotions. He seemed less stressed and Amel Bent highlighted his huge progress throughout the show. Antoine Delie had a very successful career in The Voice and he sang La Pluie by OrelSan and Stromae for the very last time. Marc Lavoine was very touched and he also managed to impress the viewers. At the end of the show, Nikos Aliagas reunited with the four finalists to announce the winner. It was ultimately Abi who won The Voice 2020 and won the trophy with 53.4% of the votes against 22.5% of the votes for Gustine, 13.1% for Tom Rochet and 11% of the votes for Antoine Delie. Finally, the host announced that The Voice will return to TF1 in 2021 with a whole new season.
-------------------------------------
In what was certainly an appropriate choice, and one of the real highlights of the season, Lara along with Pascal Obispo, Amel Bent and Marc Lavoine sang “Imagine” from John Lennon to close this season of The Voice, available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyVUc7luuw
Lara looked beautiful and sang beautifully. She obviously wasn’t present on stage being confined to Canada. However, her presence in the form of a hologram, in addition to being on screen, made internet users laugh a lot. "Lara as a ghost!" said a fan on Twitter. "Lara Fabian and her hologram is not possible!" said another internet user.
Various reports quoted Gustine’s kind words about Lara. During the blind auditions, Gustine had impressed the coaches with "Les yeux revolvers". She sang this song again for the final and Lara found that she has progressed a lot. "You are magnificent" Lara told her. "I didn't know Lara that much. I discovered her throughout this season. I had to go to Lara and now I understand why. It was obvious," explained Gustine. The candidate admits to having found her "voice" thanks to her coach. Here’s a picture of Gustine after her last performance,
pbs.twimg.com/media/Eaa6-PtWsAERS6I?format=jpg&name=small
Despite Gustine’s praise, Lara actually had somewhat mixed feelings about the final. On the program “Une heure avec…” with Bernard Montiel on RFM, broadcast some hours before The Voice aired, Lara said she had a ‘crush’ on Antoine Delie, although “inevitably me, my favorite is my Gustine, she’s mine. She is necessarily my choice a priori. But if we talk about the other three, it's Antoine”. One can hear that part of their conversation at:
stephanelarue.com/the-voice-lara-fabian-devoile-son-talent-favori-audio/
An article about it appeared in femme actuelle (among other places) (https://www.femmeactuelle.fr/actu/news-actu/the-voice-9-lara-fabian-a-eu-un-coup-de-coeur-pour-le-candidat-dun-autre-coach-2096719); here’s the translation:
-----------------------------------
"The Voice 9": Lara Fabian had a crush on the candidate of another coach
In the light of the grand finale of The Voice 9, Lara Fabian was the guest of Bernard Montiel on RFM in an edition of Une heure avec ... which will be broadcast on Saturday June 13, 2020. On this occasion, the singer let go to some secrets on "her darling" of the season, who is not part of her team!
It's almost time for the final battle between the talents of the famous TF1 reality show . Saturday June 13, 2020, Tom Rochet, Abi, Antoine Delie and Gustine will compete to win the coveted title of "the most beautiful voice". Gustine, the only female figure in this final, had literally captivated Marc Lavoine with her performance on the harp. Carried by emotion, the singer had even improvised a duet with the young woman. Only, it was not enough to seduce this 32 year old artist. Lara Fabian's words had gone straight to her heart and she had decided to join her team. And given the path she has travelled, one might think that she was right!
"I was deeply upset by Antoine"
If Lara Fabian was particularly touched by the "honesty" and the "absolute integrity" of Gustine, she however confided to the microphone of RFM to have had a real crush on another candidate. Invited on the program Une heure avec ... which will be broadcast on Saturday June 13, 2020 , the interpreter of Je t'aime told Bernard Montiel to have been amazed by the talent of Antoine Delie, the candidate of Marc Lavoine! "I never hid it, I had something and I was deeply upset by Antoine. How I fought to have him! He has something fairly deconstructed but very aligned. He could be a little in every way, but in reality there is a common thread, "she added. But do not worry, even from Canada where she is confined, Lara Fabian will support with all her might her candidate in this last test.
For one performance, Lara did not have to choose between them – they got together to perform a segment from Lara’s song “Par amour”, which Lara put on her Facebook and Instagram sites:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/1925552161079651/
and
http://instagram.com/p/CBcr0BjC7Jg
Lara accompanied this with the comment, “Thank you to Gustine and Antoine Delie for their talented interpretation of my latest single "Par Amour" ... what a beauty, poetic and pure to your respective images ... THANK YOU 🙏💋💕♥ ️
And here is a cute picture that Lara posted on her sites of the two of them together, along with some of the other contestants…
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/photos/rpp.201065806601591/4010394285668705/?type=3&theater
It is certainly conceivable that Lara will continue to work with them in the future. There is precedent for that…remember in 2018 on La Voix, Lara was highly taken with Felix Lemelin, who she said she felt “was like her son”. They’re apparently collaborating on an album of his; as Lara explained, that was why Moh Denebi was at her house when they decided to work together on “Nos coeurs a la fenetre”.
As noted, The Voice will be back for 2021 (assuming anything is still around by then!); whether Lara will join them we will have to wait and see. As reported last week, when Lara was on Europe 1 radio on June 8, in response to that question she replied “I have no idea.”
Now concerning the re-release of Papillon: Lara put on her Facebook and Instagram sites little discussions of each of the new songs.
First for C’est heure, which Lara notes is “one of the three new titles from the reissue of 'Papillon (s)'…
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/608250013146356/
http://instagram.com/p/CBQjw8Siadr
On it she says “"C'est l’heure" is not necessarily a song that promotes or opposes social networks. Not at all. "C'est l’heure" is a song about the fact that one does not prevent the other. That is to say that one can be completely connected [on-line] but be completely connected to the Earth. We may need this isolation which offers a connection through social networks. And at the same time needing this real concrete proximity, which we can have in life with real friends whom we meet. So for me "It's time" is maybe just a way of thinking about recreating the balance between the attachment that we have to social networks, the need to have social networks and the urgency I believe that we as a humanity have to return to the essential. And it is an observation much more than a judgment. One way to propose a vision, to stretch this text as one would make a simple opposition.”
Then there was “Undefeated Love”
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/258595782131113/
http://instagram.com/p/CBTQjMYimN9
with her explanation: “Undefeated Love” is a song in English. I wanted that in this reedition so that there are also all the colors which represent me. I could even have put one in Italian. Besides, if we had had the time to write it, we would have done it. Because I have always sung in all these languages. When I am on tour with the 50 World tour I sing in all these languages around the world. Because they are at the same time my definition and my specificity. Therefore it was important that it exists among the others.” [One might think there is a bit of a disconnect discussing why there is a song in English, yet having the explanation be totally in French…].
And finally “En chemin”:
www.facebook.com/larafabianofficial/videos/269365014129348/
http://instagram.com/p/CBVyQVqC2eJ
“En chemin” is a song that speaks of the incredible paradox that one lives as an artist and as a human being otherwise. Me, I have a great deal of trouble disassociating the two things since there is not truly a split to make between the person that we are and the artist that we are in any case, in my case it is very difficult to dissociate the two. And therefore, “En chemin” is a little story of this inseparable way of living , where there is enormous joy, an enormous gratitude of being standing on this stage and in all these evenings vibrating and feeling the love of the public and this connection, and at the same time an infinite solitude of being constantly from one hotel to another, from one voyage to another. To live in a suitcase, never having a landmark other than the stage, that can sometimes be destabilizing. And then these are some moments in the life of an artist, it is not persistent. And I would even say, if one can measure at which point it is special to have the chance of continuing, to do this profession beyond thirty years, and to still have this return on the part of the public, all the dichotomy of which I speak about in the song, is in fact before all an immense luck for which I truly thank each day.“
In association with the album’s release, one promo Lara did was to discuss the three key moments in her career, for Basique Musique:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=isJi06yd94E&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR28eHfWCnecswNoQfBeICxvFv9-dHKt8DLext9qFoCarKpTcMwsxccCoAY
The first was her hearing ‘Mammy Blue” by Roger Whitaker, released in 1971 when she was 1 year old – that started her on her way
. [When she has told this story previously, she mentioned her parents told her she sang ‘Mammy Boo’]. The second was the release in 1996 of “Je t’aime”, her greatest hit. The third was her duet with Johnny Hallyday on ‘Requiem pour un fou’ in 1998. In other promotion news, Lara was on ‘Le Croissant Show’, on. Sud Radio which can be heard at the link below, talking about the new album and the new songs. [Thanks to the Lara Fabian Coeur de Lumiere FB site for the link].
www.facebook.com/SudRadio/videos/255348752198191/
[‘Undefeated Love’ got an entirely different discussion on this French radio show than what she provided on her website, here talking about the energy associated with love, rather than the need to have an English language song on the album
]. They also joked about the ‘golden tickets’ that are to be found in some of the albums. And about Lara’s appearance on The Voice, her now suspended World Tour, and living in Quebec far from part of her family in Belgium. Finally, they mentioned George Floyd and what is happening in America and elsewhere; as we know Lara is passionately against injustice of any kind.Lara was also promoting the album live on ‘Telepro’ from Belgium [again thanks to the Lara Fabian Coeur de Lumiere FB site for the link], which can be heard at:
www.facebook.com/magazinetelepro/videos/297107937993311/
And, as noted previously, Lara was on RFM with Bernard Montiel, on Saturday – the poster for that can be seen at:
www.facebook.com/larafabiancoeurdelumiere/photos/a.271448360159464/610471819590448/?type=3&theater
Eventually it should show up on the web, as her previous appearances with him have done so.
As to how the album is doing: In Belgium, it jumped from 46 to 6 in one week. In Quebec it has moved up to #7 for French language albums. [Charts in France has not updated their chart in several weeks, the last one being before the re-release of the album].
In other news, Lara was one of the ‘personalities’ denouncing cruelty to animals, in Cine Tele Revue in Belgium. One can read the story at
www.cinetelerevue.be/actus/jerevepourfiona-les-personnalites-denoncent-le-maltraitance-animale?fbclid=IwAR3c1kt1ri7h-PXO6nVu6BOBkVxfrBhEgJZZoPU1SS0_cZ4XlTx73-Kfw5Q
Interesting photo(s) of the week: from the Lara Fabian Coeur de Lumiere FB site, of Lara and Cheyenne
www.facebook.com/larafabiancoeurdelumiere/
with Cheyenne’s comment, “A really significant photo for me, because it allows me to keep in memory a nice memory with my coach.
So honored to have been able to share The Voice adventure with such a beautiful person, thank you Lara Fabian♥ ️”
Since Lara thought Cheyenne was “The Voice”, perhaps she will find a way to work with her as well…
And from the Lara Fabian Mexico FB site, a picture of what may well be the “collector’s edition” of Papillon (s), including the vinyl album with the three additional songs, a dedicated (i.e., signed) poster, and the gold ticket to obtain an exclusive gift
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianfromMexico/photos/a.747329741987755/2956932327694141/?type=3&theater
The Voice is now over for Lara, who at least didn’t have to travel far for the last two shows. In a week she will be making an appearance for the National Day of Quebec under the theme "All Quebec in harmony" - with, hopefully, the appropriate social distancing. Other than that, presumably Lara has various projects she’s working on, but none of them off-hand seem to involve public appearances. We’ll see – Lara generally finds a way to keep in the news. Stay safe everybody.
David
