Post by davidhr on Jan 30, 2024 9:00:17 GMT -5
Another very big, productive week for Lara. Again a competition between her various TV appearances, this time with the addition of her new single, Ta peine. Numerical ordering is provided to mark the different activities.
1) Information concerning her new single was provided in the previous (in-between) update; in addition, Lara herself provided a youtube video of it via Play Two, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXlvAACOaX0
and a version with French and English subtitles can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3vU9JPftUY
An article about the new single can be found at (https://mradio.fr/news/musique/51478/lara-fabian-annonce-un-nouveau-single-co-ecrit-avec-slimane):
--------------------------
Lara Fabian announces a new single co-written with Slimane
It's been almost four years since Lara Fabian released anything. If the singer was on tour in 2022, this year she is on the jury for the new season of “The Voice Kids”. But 2024 has other surprises in store for her fans . After the release of her latest album "Lockdown Sessions" in December 2020, she announces the upcoming release of a new single.
On social networks, Lara Fabian shares a sublime photo of herself in black and white. This is the cover of her brand new song: “Ta Peine”. After an appearance alongside Florent Pagny on “Et maintenant,” the Belgian-Canadian singer returns solo with this title co-written with Slimane. “I waited so long to offer you the best,” she admits to her audience. This track will be available this Friday, January 26 and is therefore the first extract from an upcoming album: her sixteenth in almost forty years of career.
Already in 2022, Lara Fabian spoke to the Canadian media 7 Jours about her desires for her next record. “The desire to talk about the importance of remaining united, of not stigmatizing and not judging,” she replied. " We must remember that we stopped talking about love for two years. We stopped all loving gestures in the name of security. I would also like to talk about freedom. I see a lot of exacerbated human suffering, I see a lot of divisions, people who have eradicated the sense of family.” All that remains is to wait and see what Lara Fabian has in store for us.
----------------------------
Not only has it been a long time since her last album, but an even longer time since she promoted a single in France…
Lara was on the program ‘Good Morning’ to discuss the new song, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYO1736AgeM
The show was on Radio Contact, and as Lara explained, she chose that Belgian station because it was her mother’s favorite. They played the new song, co-written by her and Slimane, and Lara explained that when she wanted to start a new album, she thought of him – he seemed to have had many of the same experiences, problems and insecurities that she herself had, and thought they would make a good team together. She invited him out to dinner, and though he was reluctant to get involved due to his many obligations, she convinced him to start one song at a time and see where it goes. She said they’re up to three songs now, and he has even wondered when the album could come out – so she’s hopeful that they will continue. [This answers the question about when an album would appear – not any time soon it would seem, though see the interview just below].
Lara was also on RTl to discuss the new song, and how to handle pain, as can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9qRES_4yPE
She again discussed the need for us to find someone who can actually hear the pain one is going through, can listen, and with the application of love and empathy it can be bourn together. With respect to the album, she said she and Slimane “want to tell this great story of healing, to talk about how to heal from all the things that nag at us, that we have to deal with, which overwhelm us most of our lives and for which we really, really need a connection…Who hasn’t gone through something that seems insuperable at least once. And how do we get out of what seems insuperable? This will really be the topic of our work together.” When asked whether there will be a tour, Lara said yes, in 2025. [So the album will likely be finished by then...].
The interviewer also brought up the picture of Lara with Ycare, who indicated they had become very close, and he wondered whether another composer was now ‘in the mix’. She said not for this album, which would be with Slimane, but it could occur in the future. She said it was her instinct which brought her to choose these people, instinct which is considered to be our primary intelligence – as opposed to thinking too much, which sometimes leads to the wrong choices.
The picture referred to was:
Slimane himself was on the air to discuss the new song on M Radio (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1535489890363840). He said, “Tonight at midnight, Lara Fabian's new single comes out and we had the chance to do it together and a few months ago Lara asked me to dinner. I hope she won't tell this story, but it's an important one, so we had dinner together and talked a lot, [she said] “to work on my next album with you”, and I must admit I was very, very happy, but at the time it scared the hell out of me, because you see, Lara, that's a gift when you're a composer and I'm what I'm going to honor that gift, and it turns out I've met an exceptional artist and fan whom I particularly love and admire”.
There were other promotions, such as on “Bonjour” on TF1.The publicity photo was shown by the Lara Fabian Family FB site, at
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=342831345296139&set=a.119466624299280
And also the Belgian program Nostalgia, at
www.nostalgie.be/radioplayer/nostalgie
(thanks to the Lara Fabian America FB site for the link).
As of Sunday, the iTunes position of the new song was:
Tunes:
#2 Belgium
#2 France
#15 Switzerland
#83 Canada
2) While the focus of the interview was certainly on the new album, and how one handles someone else’s pain to try to dispel it, the conversation on Radio Contact also covered Lara’s activities on the Star Academy ‘Daily’ the day before. Lara came to act as a tutor to the three candidates, and displayed such empathy, compassion and expertise that everyone was talking about it. A portion of that ‘Masterclass’ can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C13PHeXwAs
Lara discussed her rehearsals with Helena as shown in the Instagram reel posted by the Lara Fabian Family FB site at
www.facebook.com/reel/212857931905314
and also with DH/Les Sports+ at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WfxYa1hiRQ
The portion with Pierre got many mentions on social media and in the press. A common denominator one can see in Lara’s instructions to both Pierre and Helena is the need to let one’s feelings surface, and to get one’s ‘head’ out of the way. The Star Acadmie and TF1 emphasized this in an Instagram post that Lara linked to on her Instagram site,
Here’s an article from Gala on the subject (https://www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/pierre-star-academy-fond-en-larmes-dans-les-bras-de-lara-fabian-je-me-sens-mieux_537014):
----------------------------
Pierre (Star Academy) bursts into tears in the arms of Lara Fabian: “I feel better”
A few days before his semi-final, this Thursday, January 25, during a rehearsal with the singer Lara Fabian, Pierre could not hold back his emotions and released everything in the arms of the artist, who also was particularly touched by his gesture.
Through her words, Lara Fabian seems to have succeeded in freeing Pierre from a weight. While the semi-final is only a matter of days for the academician this Thursday, January 25 and the pressure is increasing, the famous Belgian-Canadian singer advised the apprentice singer a surprising exercise to help him relax: that of singing one of the songs he is preparing for the prime, lying down: "I perceive [your pressure] in your voice, I perceive [it] in your intention. So, I "I just want to tell you, can you try it like that, lying down? You just tell me, here it is, the first half of the text" asked the interpreter of Je t’aime to the young man.
Without batting an eyelid, Pierre then complied, starting to sing David Hallyday's Tu n'ais pas pas le temps lying down. An interpretation which truly liberated the semi-finalist, having been unable to hold back his tears at the end of his performance: “Are you okay Pierre?” Lara Fabian then asked him, “It’s so weird” admitted the young man, unable to stop crying, before she took him in her arms. Without really understanding what had just happened to him, the one who recently worried his fans following his weight loss admitted that this exercise did him good: “I feel better” he then told Lara Fabian, before detailing his feelings in the confessional: "I'm quite modest, I'm not too emotional and everything. And I have the impression that she was able to read so much in me that even I, I couldn't see in the end. I think it's a moment that I will never forget, that's for sure. I'm just going to say thank you because I think it will help me" - he says. A relief for the academician, but also a beautiful moment of sharing between two artists.
---------------------------------------
And from femina.fr (https://www.femina.fr/article/star-academy-cette-sequence-touchante-avec-lara-fabian-au-chateau-est-consideree-comme-le-moment-fort-de-la-saison):
------------------------------------------------
“Star Academy”: this touching sequence with Lara Fabian, at the castle, is considered the highlight of the season
Yesterday, the three candidates still in the running in season 11 of “Star Academy” received a surprise visit from Lara Fabian. A visit marked by emotion, which led to a few tears. Enough to offer a very touching sequence, one of the strongest of the season according to Internet users.
After receiving (among others) Kendji Girac, David Hallyday, Michèle Laroque and Slimane, the students of Star Academy 2023 had the chance to meet Lara Fabian at the Château de Dammarie-les-Lys yesterday, Wednesday January 24. The Belgian-Canadian singer – who will sing a duet with Héléna during the semi-final broadcast on Saturday as a bonus – shared a moment with each remaining candidate and offered them valuable advice for their future performances.
But it was a sequence with Pierre that particularly moved Internet users. Faced with the young 21-year-old Norman, Lara Fabian did not hesitate to shake him up and confront him with his emotions. Inviting him to sing while lying down, she said: “I don't care if you sing in tune. You will stop thinking. What you have to do, what's at stake. Because you're putting pressure on yourself, my friend (…) You're not even aware that you're putting pressure on yourself. You don't even realize. You think everything is cool but actually your body is going 'no no no'. So I perceive it in your voice, in your intention.”
Invited to connect with himself, Pierre then sang part of Tu ne m'às pas là le temps, a hit that he will perform on the next prime with David Hallyday. Then against all expectations, after getting up, the Academician could not contain his tears in the rehearsal room. A touching first moment that didn't stop there. Lara Fabian then took him in her arms, for a hug full of modesty but moving. To the point that Héléna, too, started to cry.
Shared on the official social networks of the Star Academy, the sequence of Pierre who “breaks his shell” did not fail to make Internet users react. “The strongest moment of the season”, “big moment of the season”, “a very powerful live moment that no one will forget”… we can read in particular on X (ex-Twitter). It remains to be seen whether this moment with Lara Fabian will allow Pierre to deliver performances full of emotion during his semi-final against Héléna. A highly anticipated bonus between two key candidates of the season, the result of which is more undecided than ever, Karima Charni having announced “very close” votes.
----------------------------------------
On the Star Academie semi-final show itself, Lara sang a duet with Helena of “J’y croire encore’, available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpxNW7FdAaA
Ultimately, Helena did not proceed to the finals (and Pierre did!), though their performance of the song was quite good (especially Lara’s
). Lara then came on stage alone and sang the new song, to great applause.
This live performance can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-iZwtB2k18
and with French and English subtitles at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HCFrCMjWHA
The audio of the live performance is available, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qv0PPEcdw
Lara’s link to it on her FB site came with the statement, “Just thank you”. The desire to perform it in front of this audience may be the reason the single was released when it was.
In response to the great reception she received, Lara was asked about greater participation in the French Star Academie (https://www.programme-tv.net/news/tv/345674-star-academy-lara-fabian-va-t-elle-remplacer-michael-goldman-a-la-direction-elle-repond/):
----------------------
Star Academy: will Lara Fabian replace Michael Goldman as director? She answers
Lara Fabian came to support the three Star Academy finalists this week. Her valuable advice gives ideas to viewers, who would see her as a director. Could she replace Michael Goldman?
All her appearances on Star Academy are breaking the web. Lara Fabian 's kindness towards the students lets viewers imagine that the Belgian singer would make an excellent director, even if it means replacing Michael Goldman, who has been in charge since last season. While she came to coach the last three candidates – Héléna , Julien and Pierre – this week at the Château de Dammarie-les-Lys, the singer once again marked Internet users with her valuable advice. Interviewed by the Belgian media DH on January 26, she responded very clearly to these calls to become director: “It makes me laugh. No, I don't know how to do that kind of thing. Distributing good and bad points, if that's the posture, it's not mine. My posture is to accompany.”
Lara Fabian is lucid about the fears and pressure that assail academics
It should be noted, however, that Lara Fabian does not completely close the door to greater participation in the Star Academy. “I could go there every week, perhaps to help them, give a real lesson, with the song that puts them in danger, with the element that torments them,” she says, casually. Despite her lack of desire to lead, the elements she gives to students in coaching and the more general advice she can give them leave an impression. Especially since Lara Fabian seems to understand very well the pressure that falls on the last three candidates of the Star Academy. “There is nothing more cruel than growing up in front of cameras twenty-four hours a day. There is nothing more violent than having the fear of making a mistake and not knowing how it will be perceived on the other side, than being cut off from our families, from what our benchmarks are, our friends, overnight. Even if it is for the benefit of an artistic career,” she believes.
Lara Fabian has already been the director of a reality show
“For me, helping them was simply listening to them. It was being with them and seeing what they were saying to me without really telling me,” thinks Lara Fabian. The singer was not making her first benevolent appearance in a reality show. In Quebec and France, she has already been a coach for The Voice, and will soon be in the new season of The Voice Kids. Above all, and this could continue the rumors about her upcoming participation in the Star Academy, she was director of the academy in 2021 and 2022 in the Quebec version of the program.
--------------------------------
Besides not wanting to be presumptuous, and alienate the current director of the show, Lara's refusal seemed focused on having to 'judge' the good and bad points of the candidates as director. Yet she did handle the responsibilities in Quebec, making the position her own, with an involvement that was probably not scripted ahead of time. Whether she would want to devote the necessary time and energy for what may, in France, be a more bureaucratic position is another question.
3) The final show of The Dream Team aired this past week; first Lara’s team performed “Je suis malade” against the ‘rap team’ of Black M. It can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUfFN7HE8M
Lara’s team won with another excellent performance from all involved. Then in the finale, with three teams each presenting one person to sing a solo, Lara chose Manon, a girl with a very nice sophisticated voice to sing an Amel Bent song. However, the winner was Matt Pokora’s team, with a boy singing a more upbeat song. It’s not clear if it was the girl’s choice to sing the song she did, but Lara should know by now that sensitivity does not win in competitions like this.
4) And then there were more videos of Lara’s appearances at Les Enfoires; first singing a duet of ‘Tu es mon ature’ with Nolwenn Leroy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJk_m1xrf9A
And then a video of ‘Louane Secret’ with Lara and other singers,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br0vlHbRbYE
Finally, a video featuring all the women involved,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ErO_FKg3k
Thanks to Pauline S for these videos from the audience; clips of other acts can be seen at
www.youtube.com/@paulines2812
After all these events, Lara was on the show 8/9; the link to it (thanks to the Lara Fabian Family FB site) can be found at
www.facebook.com/reel/2105557266455947
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo5BHTvEUu4
Here are the highlights:
**Lara was very very very excited and happy to release the new single; she said to herself, “wow, what happiness all these years later still feeling this enthusiasm.”
**The excitement also came from releasing something originating from such a sincere, transparent place of vulnerability
**She realized, through these ‘transmissions’ (the two ‘Voice’ shows, the Star Academie) that she is in the phase of her life that she needs connection, that she’s not alone, she needs to listen with empathy. She noted that it makes us more than we are, rather than just running around with our agenda, it helps you to settle down.
**With respect to the new song, it’s important to offer an outstretched hand to someone, to allow them to share something, some pain, with you.
**She repeated the story of how she called Slimane, went to dinner with him, asked him to help her write a new album, he was reluctant as he had never written an album for someone before. She also repeated that she told him she had been observing him for years with a lot of love and admiration, that they had plenty of things to say to one another as they had had many of the same experiences – in particular, both pain and empathy for people. As we heard before, she suggested that they would start one song at a time.
**She noted that he has worked with the Salah brothers since he was 16, and she found she could work with them “with simplicity and zero complacency”, that she could be vulnerable being in a team that works with you.
**The song was first introduced to a person who has participated in Lara’s own healing, teaching her to be resilient, to let go of fear and pain. [Very likely this is Issa Padovani].
**She repeated that she and Slimane are working on an album, but there’s no time pressure.
There was an interesting exchange on the Lara Fabian est ton autre FB site. A fan wrote in noticing that in her live presentations Lara looks exquisite, hair, make-up etc. and her whole operation seems to be first rate. In response, the site stated: “if I'm not mistaken, so those who manage the careers of Slimane, Vitaa, Ycare,...And Musicor takes care of the production of the record and the upcoming shows.”
Regardless of who is actually working with Lara, it certainly does seem like a first class operation (something Lara had lacked for a long time in France).
Interesting photo(s)/video(s) of the week:
Lara’s Instagram link to the coverage of TF1’s Instagram reel for the Dream Team,
Some beautiful pictures of Lara at the Star Academy from the Lara Fabian Family FB site, at
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=342302362015704&set=pcb.342302412015699
and from The Lara Fabian The Netherlands FB site, first at her Masterclass:
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=918862340247157&set=pcb.918862470247144
Then with Helena,
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=918904773576247&set=pcb.918904873576237
Pictures of Lara singing Ta peine at the Star Academy can be found at:
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=918886363578088&set=pcb.918886543578070
Lara at the Dream Team, second night, from the Lara Fabian America FB site, at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=809207441218983&set=pcb.809208254552235
Then Lara with VITAA at Les Enfoires from the Lara Fabian Family FB site,
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=342186998693907&set=a.119466624299280
And in something completely different, from the ‘Lara Fabian Vault’, an unreleased song from Le Secret, Ma Prière, performed during live rehearsals:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQojulLecUw
Lara appears to be riding as high as she’s been in the eyes of the French public since her initial introduction to them in the late 1990s, due to the quality of her singing and instructing, her obvious empathy and friendliness to young singers of all ages, and, in conjunction with the new popular single, her ability to (finally) start discussing her philosophy of life in a way that makes sense to the public (i.e., relieving pain). 2024 could not have gotten off to a better start (the best WAS yet to come )!
David
1) Information concerning her new single was provided in the previous (in-between) update; in addition, Lara herself provided a youtube video of it via Play Two, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXlvAACOaX0
and a version with French and English subtitles can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3vU9JPftUY
An article about the new single can be found at (https://mradio.fr/news/musique/51478/lara-fabian-annonce-un-nouveau-single-co-ecrit-avec-slimane):
--------------------------
Lara Fabian announces a new single co-written with Slimane
It's been almost four years since Lara Fabian released anything. If the singer was on tour in 2022, this year she is on the jury for the new season of “The Voice Kids”. But 2024 has other surprises in store for her fans . After the release of her latest album "Lockdown Sessions" in December 2020, she announces the upcoming release of a new single.
On social networks, Lara Fabian shares a sublime photo of herself in black and white. This is the cover of her brand new song: “Ta Peine”. After an appearance alongside Florent Pagny on “Et maintenant,” the Belgian-Canadian singer returns solo with this title co-written with Slimane. “I waited so long to offer you the best,” she admits to her audience. This track will be available this Friday, January 26 and is therefore the first extract from an upcoming album: her sixteenth in almost forty years of career.
Already in 2022, Lara Fabian spoke to the Canadian media 7 Jours about her desires for her next record. “The desire to talk about the importance of remaining united, of not stigmatizing and not judging,” she replied. " We must remember that we stopped talking about love for two years. We stopped all loving gestures in the name of security. I would also like to talk about freedom. I see a lot of exacerbated human suffering, I see a lot of divisions, people who have eradicated the sense of family.” All that remains is to wait and see what Lara Fabian has in store for us.
----------------------------
Not only has it been a long time since her last album, but an even longer time since she promoted a single in France…
Lara was on the program ‘Good Morning’ to discuss the new song, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYO1736AgeM
The show was on Radio Contact, and as Lara explained, she chose that Belgian station because it was her mother’s favorite. They played the new song, co-written by her and Slimane, and Lara explained that when she wanted to start a new album, she thought of him – he seemed to have had many of the same experiences, problems and insecurities that she herself had, and thought they would make a good team together. She invited him out to dinner, and though he was reluctant to get involved due to his many obligations, she convinced him to start one song at a time and see where it goes. She said they’re up to three songs now, and he has even wondered when the album could come out – so she’s hopeful that they will continue. [This answers the question about when an album would appear – not any time soon it would seem, though see the interview just below].
Lara was also on RTl to discuss the new song, and how to handle pain, as can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9qRES_4yPE
She again discussed the need for us to find someone who can actually hear the pain one is going through, can listen, and with the application of love and empathy it can be bourn together. With respect to the album, she said she and Slimane “want to tell this great story of healing, to talk about how to heal from all the things that nag at us, that we have to deal with, which overwhelm us most of our lives and for which we really, really need a connection…Who hasn’t gone through something that seems insuperable at least once. And how do we get out of what seems insuperable? This will really be the topic of our work together.” When asked whether there will be a tour, Lara said yes, in 2025. [So the album will likely be finished by then...].
The interviewer also brought up the picture of Lara with Ycare, who indicated they had become very close, and he wondered whether another composer was now ‘in the mix’. She said not for this album, which would be with Slimane, but it could occur in the future. She said it was her instinct which brought her to choose these people, instinct which is considered to be our primary intelligence – as opposed to thinking too much, which sometimes leads to the wrong choices.
The picture referred to was:
http://instagram.com/p/C2P5OuhsJes
Slimane himself was on the air to discuss the new song on M Radio (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1535489890363840). He said, “Tonight at midnight, Lara Fabian's new single comes out and we had the chance to do it together and a few months ago Lara asked me to dinner. I hope she won't tell this story, but it's an important one, so we had dinner together and talked a lot, [she said] “to work on my next album with you”, and I must admit I was very, very happy, but at the time it scared the hell out of me, because you see, Lara, that's a gift when you're a composer and I'm what I'm going to honor that gift, and it turns out I've met an exceptional artist and fan whom I particularly love and admire”.
There were other promotions, such as on “Bonjour” on TF1.The publicity photo was shown by the Lara Fabian Family FB site, at
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=342831345296139&set=a.119466624299280
And also the Belgian program Nostalgia, at
www.nostalgie.be/radioplayer/nostalgie
(thanks to the Lara Fabian America FB site for the link).
As of Sunday, the iTunes position of the new song was:
Tunes:
#2 Belgium
#2 France
#15 Switzerland
#83 Canada
2) While the focus of the interview was certainly on the new album, and how one handles someone else’s pain to try to dispel it, the conversation on Radio Contact also covered Lara’s activities on the Star Academy ‘Daily’ the day before. Lara came to act as a tutor to the three candidates, and displayed such empathy, compassion and expertise that everyone was talking about it. A portion of that ‘Masterclass’ can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C13PHeXwAs
Lara discussed her rehearsals with Helena as shown in the Instagram reel posted by the Lara Fabian Family FB site at
www.facebook.com/reel/212857931905314
and also with DH/Les Sports+ at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WfxYa1hiRQ
The portion with Pierre got many mentions on social media and in the press. A common denominator one can see in Lara’s instructions to both Pierre and Helena is the need to let one’s feelings surface, and to get one’s ‘head’ out of the way. The Star Acadmie and TF1 emphasized this in an Instagram post that Lara linked to on her Instagram site,
http://instagram.com/p/C2hX3pnIo8T
Here’s an article from Gala on the subject (https://www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/pierre-star-academy-fond-en-larmes-dans-les-bras-de-lara-fabian-je-me-sens-mieux_537014):
----------------------------
Pierre (Star Academy) bursts into tears in the arms of Lara Fabian: “I feel better”
A few days before his semi-final, this Thursday, January 25, during a rehearsal with the singer Lara Fabian, Pierre could not hold back his emotions and released everything in the arms of the artist, who also was particularly touched by his gesture.
Through her words, Lara Fabian seems to have succeeded in freeing Pierre from a weight. While the semi-final is only a matter of days for the academician this Thursday, January 25 and the pressure is increasing, the famous Belgian-Canadian singer advised the apprentice singer a surprising exercise to help him relax: that of singing one of the songs he is preparing for the prime, lying down: "I perceive [your pressure] in your voice, I perceive [it] in your intention. So, I "I just want to tell you, can you try it like that, lying down? You just tell me, here it is, the first half of the text" asked the interpreter of Je t’aime to the young man.
Without batting an eyelid, Pierre then complied, starting to sing David Hallyday's Tu n'ais pas pas le temps lying down. An interpretation which truly liberated the semi-finalist, having been unable to hold back his tears at the end of his performance: “Are you okay Pierre?” Lara Fabian then asked him, “It’s so weird” admitted the young man, unable to stop crying, before she took him in her arms. Without really understanding what had just happened to him, the one who recently worried his fans following his weight loss admitted that this exercise did him good: “I feel better” he then told Lara Fabian, before detailing his feelings in the confessional: "I'm quite modest, I'm not too emotional and everything. And I have the impression that she was able to read so much in me that even I, I couldn't see in the end. I think it's a moment that I will never forget, that's for sure. I'm just going to say thank you because I think it will help me" - he says. A relief for the academician, but also a beautiful moment of sharing between two artists.
---------------------------------------
And from femina.fr (https://www.femina.fr/article/star-academy-cette-sequence-touchante-avec-lara-fabian-au-chateau-est-consideree-comme-le-moment-fort-de-la-saison):
------------------------------------------------
“Star Academy”: this touching sequence with Lara Fabian, at the castle, is considered the highlight of the season
Yesterday, the three candidates still in the running in season 11 of “Star Academy” received a surprise visit from Lara Fabian. A visit marked by emotion, which led to a few tears. Enough to offer a very touching sequence, one of the strongest of the season according to Internet users.
After receiving (among others) Kendji Girac, David Hallyday, Michèle Laroque and Slimane, the students of Star Academy 2023 had the chance to meet Lara Fabian at the Château de Dammarie-les-Lys yesterday, Wednesday January 24. The Belgian-Canadian singer – who will sing a duet with Héléna during the semi-final broadcast on Saturday as a bonus – shared a moment with each remaining candidate and offered them valuable advice for their future performances.
But it was a sequence with Pierre that particularly moved Internet users. Faced with the young 21-year-old Norman, Lara Fabian did not hesitate to shake him up and confront him with his emotions. Inviting him to sing while lying down, she said: “I don't care if you sing in tune. You will stop thinking. What you have to do, what's at stake. Because you're putting pressure on yourself, my friend (…) You're not even aware that you're putting pressure on yourself. You don't even realize. You think everything is cool but actually your body is going 'no no no'. So I perceive it in your voice, in your intention.”
Invited to connect with himself, Pierre then sang part of Tu ne m'às pas là le temps, a hit that he will perform on the next prime with David Hallyday. Then against all expectations, after getting up, the Academician could not contain his tears in the rehearsal room. A touching first moment that didn't stop there. Lara Fabian then took him in her arms, for a hug full of modesty but moving. To the point that Héléna, too, started to cry.
Shared on the official social networks of the Star Academy, the sequence of Pierre who “breaks his shell” did not fail to make Internet users react. “The strongest moment of the season”, “big moment of the season”, “a very powerful live moment that no one will forget”… we can read in particular on X (ex-Twitter). It remains to be seen whether this moment with Lara Fabian will allow Pierre to deliver performances full of emotion during his semi-final against Héléna. A highly anticipated bonus between two key candidates of the season, the result of which is more undecided than ever, Karima Charni having announced “very close” votes.
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On the Star Academie semi-final show itself, Lara sang a duet with Helena of “J’y croire encore’, available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpxNW7FdAaA
Ultimately, Helena did not proceed to the finals (and Pierre did!), though their performance of the song was quite good (especially Lara’s
). Lara then came on stage alone and sang the new song, to great applause. This live performance can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-iZwtB2k18
and with French and English subtitles at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HCFrCMjWHA
The audio of the live performance is available, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qv0PPEcdw
Lara’s link to it on her FB site came with the statement, “Just thank you”. The desire to perform it in front of this audience may be the reason the single was released when it was.
In response to the great reception she received, Lara was asked about greater participation in the French Star Academie (https://www.programme-tv.net/news/tv/345674-star-academy-lara-fabian-va-t-elle-remplacer-michael-goldman-a-la-direction-elle-repond/):
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Star Academy: will Lara Fabian replace Michael Goldman as director? She answers
Lara Fabian came to support the three Star Academy finalists this week. Her valuable advice gives ideas to viewers, who would see her as a director. Could she replace Michael Goldman?
All her appearances on Star Academy are breaking the web. Lara Fabian 's kindness towards the students lets viewers imagine that the Belgian singer would make an excellent director, even if it means replacing Michael Goldman, who has been in charge since last season. While she came to coach the last three candidates – Héléna , Julien and Pierre – this week at the Château de Dammarie-les-Lys, the singer once again marked Internet users with her valuable advice. Interviewed by the Belgian media DH on January 26, she responded very clearly to these calls to become director: “It makes me laugh. No, I don't know how to do that kind of thing. Distributing good and bad points, if that's the posture, it's not mine. My posture is to accompany.”
Lara Fabian is lucid about the fears and pressure that assail academics
It should be noted, however, that Lara Fabian does not completely close the door to greater participation in the Star Academy. “I could go there every week, perhaps to help them, give a real lesson, with the song that puts them in danger, with the element that torments them,” she says, casually. Despite her lack of desire to lead, the elements she gives to students in coaching and the more general advice she can give them leave an impression. Especially since Lara Fabian seems to understand very well the pressure that falls on the last three candidates of the Star Academy. “There is nothing more cruel than growing up in front of cameras twenty-four hours a day. There is nothing more violent than having the fear of making a mistake and not knowing how it will be perceived on the other side, than being cut off from our families, from what our benchmarks are, our friends, overnight. Even if it is for the benefit of an artistic career,” she believes.
Lara Fabian has already been the director of a reality show
“For me, helping them was simply listening to them. It was being with them and seeing what they were saying to me without really telling me,” thinks Lara Fabian. The singer was not making her first benevolent appearance in a reality show. In Quebec and France, she has already been a coach for The Voice, and will soon be in the new season of The Voice Kids. Above all, and this could continue the rumors about her upcoming participation in the Star Academy, she was director of the academy in 2021 and 2022 in the Quebec version of the program.
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Besides not wanting to be presumptuous, and alienate the current director of the show, Lara's refusal seemed focused on having to 'judge' the good and bad points of the candidates as director. Yet she did handle the responsibilities in Quebec, making the position her own, with an involvement that was probably not scripted ahead of time. Whether she would want to devote the necessary time and energy for what may, in France, be a more bureaucratic position is another question.
3) The final show of The Dream Team aired this past week; first Lara’s team performed “Je suis malade” against the ‘rap team’ of Black M. It can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUfFN7HE8M
Lara’s team won with another excellent performance from all involved. Then in the finale, with three teams each presenting one person to sing a solo, Lara chose Manon, a girl with a very nice sophisticated voice to sing an Amel Bent song. However, the winner was Matt Pokora’s team, with a boy singing a more upbeat song. It’s not clear if it was the girl’s choice to sing the song she did, but Lara should know by now that sensitivity does not win in competitions like this.
4) And then there were more videos of Lara’s appearances at Les Enfoires; first singing a duet of ‘Tu es mon ature’ with Nolwenn Leroy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJk_m1xrf9A
And then a video of ‘Louane Secret’ with Lara and other singers,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br0vlHbRbYE
Finally, a video featuring all the women involved,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ErO_FKg3k
Thanks to Pauline S for these videos from the audience; clips of other acts can be seen at
www.youtube.com/@paulines2812
After all these events, Lara was on the show 8/9; the link to it (thanks to the Lara Fabian Family FB site) can be found at
www.facebook.com/reel/2105557266455947
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo5BHTvEUu4
Here are the highlights:
**Lara was very very very excited and happy to release the new single; she said to herself, “wow, what happiness all these years later still feeling this enthusiasm.”
**The excitement also came from releasing something originating from such a sincere, transparent place of vulnerability
**She realized, through these ‘transmissions’ (the two ‘Voice’ shows, the Star Academie) that she is in the phase of her life that she needs connection, that she’s not alone, she needs to listen with empathy. She noted that it makes us more than we are, rather than just running around with our agenda, it helps you to settle down.
**With respect to the new song, it’s important to offer an outstretched hand to someone, to allow them to share something, some pain, with you.
**She repeated the story of how she called Slimane, went to dinner with him, asked him to help her write a new album, he was reluctant as he had never written an album for someone before. She also repeated that she told him she had been observing him for years with a lot of love and admiration, that they had plenty of things to say to one another as they had had many of the same experiences – in particular, both pain and empathy for people. As we heard before, she suggested that they would start one song at a time.
**She noted that he has worked with the Salah brothers since he was 16, and she found she could work with them “with simplicity and zero complacency”, that she could be vulnerable being in a team that works with you.
**The song was first introduced to a person who has participated in Lara’s own healing, teaching her to be resilient, to let go of fear and pain. [Very likely this is Issa Padovani].
**She repeated that she and Slimane are working on an album, but there’s no time pressure.
There was an interesting exchange on the Lara Fabian est ton autre FB site. A fan wrote in noticing that in her live presentations Lara looks exquisite, hair, make-up etc. and her whole operation seems to be first rate. In response, the site stated: “if I'm not mistaken, so those who manage the careers of Slimane, Vitaa, Ycare,...And Musicor takes care of the production of the record and the upcoming shows.”
Regardless of who is actually working with Lara, it certainly does seem like a first class operation (something Lara had lacked for a long time in France).
Interesting photo(s)/video(s) of the week:
Lara’s Instagram link to the coverage of TF1’s Instagram reel for the Dream Team,
http://instagram.com/p/C2g_O-EK-tD
Some beautiful pictures of Lara at the Star Academy from the Lara Fabian Family FB site, at
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=342302362015704&set=pcb.342302412015699
and from The Lara Fabian The Netherlands FB site, first at her Masterclass:
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=918862340247157&set=pcb.918862470247144
Then with Helena,
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=918904773576247&set=pcb.918904873576237
Pictures of Lara singing Ta peine at the Star Academy can be found at:
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=918886363578088&set=pcb.918886543578070
Lara at the Dream Team, second night, from the Lara Fabian America FB site, at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=809207441218983&set=pcb.809208254552235
Then Lara with VITAA at Les Enfoires from the Lara Fabian Family FB site,
www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=342186998693907&set=a.119466624299280
And in something completely different, from the ‘Lara Fabian Vault’, an unreleased song from Le Secret, Ma Prière, performed during live rehearsals:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQojulLecUw
Lara appears to be riding as high as she’s been in the eyes of the French public since her initial introduction to them in the late 1990s, due to the quality of her singing and instructing, her obvious empathy and friendliness to young singers of all ages, and, in conjunction with the new popular single, her ability to (finally) start discussing her philosophy of life in a way that makes sense to the public (i.e., relieving pain). 2024 could not have gotten off to a better start (the best WAS yet to come
)!David
