Post by davidhr on Feb 27, 2024 7:27:34 GMT -5
Lara released a number of promos for the upcoming release of the video for ‘Ta peine’ but they all are now extraneous, given that the video itself is available, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFYwtIL95wk
Certainly a beautiful video recorded on Sicily, the colors were wonderful, Lara looked great and the big surprise was her husband Gabriel’s appearance – appropriate for one to share one’s pain with. The music, as we know, is both catchy and rhythmic, and the message is meaningful. It differs from her greatest hits in that it does not display her great vocal prowess nor her strong emotional peaks; so we will have to see how it ultimately wears with the general public, and with her own fans. Another complicating factor is what the current state of popular music is. But there’s little doubt that it’s a class production.
Lara accompanied the video with a comment to her fans, “Thank you for being there, always and forever. The best is yet to come 🤍”. She also reminded people that the new single is available on all platforms : bfan.link/ta-peine, and that one can also find the video on her youtube channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gUvXeeznSixecbi16b8yg.
Not that this necessarily has anything to do with the video, but since Lara took the occasion to present it, her various social media sites are:
Facebook : bit.ly/3UOkQ8I
Instagram : bit.ly/3T5gHvN
Tiktok : bit.ly/48sCKkD
Twitter : bit.ly/3wr1PPo
Spotify : bit.ly/4bNi5KL
Deezer : bit.ly/3I7mASQ
Apple Music : bit.ly/3uypFZb
Amazon Music : bit.ly/49ffqrD
Youtube Music : bit.ly/3PfPOTJ
Speaking of Gabriel, Lara was the invitee of Isabelle Morizet on Europe 1, on the program ‘Il n’y a pas qu’une dans la vie’ with the subject “Why does Lara Fabian have a laboratory in her home? available on Lara’s Instagram site at
She explained how her husband, a professional magician, manufactured equipment for other magicians to use, and “it in fact allows me to see another facet of appearances and the surprise of seeing that creates an appearance that can create amazement, joy and reconnect us with our child”. The same ‘magic’ can be used backstage on tours to highlight a concert, in particular on the tour that she’s thinking of.
Lara appeared and went over what she considers her top 10 songs on Facebook, ‘Melty’ and Le Meilleur de la Télé at
www.facebook.com/meltyfr/videos/287889877435011
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB7KICId02A
Her list is:
1) Ta peine: She has the desire at this moment to put this at the top because it is, for her, the symbol of this comeback. She has the impression that she has finally written a song which is a mixture of who she has always been and who she truly has a desire to be.
2) La difference: It is a song which literally changed the course of her career because it was able to capture, seek out and tame a crowd of people who had many questions about this subject. And above all, it’s been reassuring, helping, healing a host of other people who needed someone to talk about it.
3) Je t’aime: This song that would make her, opened incredible doors for her both in France and internationally.
4) Requiem pour un fou: There was a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ - this song such with Johnny at the stade. Then it is an unforgettable moment and something much greater than herself. It is a product of that moment and changed her life forever.
5) Tu es mon autre: If there had been a top 10 of duos, she would have put this at number 1 because she loved Maurane long before she was famous, and Maurane loved her and knew her long before she was famous, so it was a real gift to mix someone you love so much and admire so much into a song that she particularly liked.
6) Immortelle: She wrote it at a time when the wave was very rough and she needed to express that feeling of small death you get when you're going through a difficult period.
7) J’y crois encore: She came back from the United States a little damaged by a lot of things that happened to her and had a lot of space in her heart that was very complicated. J’y crois encore was her hymn that she sang to herself saying that she shouldn’t give up, she shouldn’t let go.
8) I Will Love Again: 8 is infinity and it’s perfect.
9) Pas sans toi: It is the song that the public loves profoundly. She put it at nine because for her nine is the number that brings her good luck and it’s the number that symbolizes many of the great stages in her life. It’s never abandoned her because you have continued to choose it.
10) L’ homme qui n’avait pas de maison: It’s a song which with perhaps she’s cohabited less, she’s been less in connection, she’s probably sung less.
Numbering aside, most of these songs are ones other would have chosen. Putting Ta peine first is probably a momentary (and professional) thing – sometimes one’s recent work is looked upon more fondly – one can see how Lara feels about that next year at this time. Number 10 is the oddball – one can ask if Lara likes it so much how comes she never sings it? This is the second time in recent weeks when discussing her favorite songs that Lara has not included ‘Je suis malade’ (and it is not simply because she didn’t write it, because both numbers 4 and 8 were not written by her). Considering other songs that she didn’t write but has become identified with, one would also think Caruso would rank highly…
Lara was on the show “On refait la tele” on RTL, which can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IRonQk4_xk
Lara discussed her return to Les Enfoires, saying again how much she enjoyed it. The question of her rivalry with Celine Dion came up (see below). She was forthcoming on the subject of her participation in the next season of the Star Academie in France. Lara indicated she was interested in participating as someone who could help the candidates, like a field professor mentor, and in a sense felt an obligation to do so given her knowledge and ability to transmit it. She is not looking for a particular title, but would provide assistance on a regular basis, assuming she has the time. She has been contacted about joining the show by ‘’influential” people. However, she did not think she would like to be in a management position (like the director), as she was not aware of all the elements that would entail in France. This is pretty much what she’s said elsewhere, although her desire to be involved seemed clearer than ever.
An article on Lara’s comments visa vi Celine Dion appeared in ‘The Closer’ (https://www.closermag.fr/people/lara-fabian-rivale-de-celine-dion-la-chanteuse-belge-fait-des-revelations-sur-leur-relation-3409713#item=1):
-----------------------------------
Lara Fabian rival of Celine Dion? The Belgian singer makes revelations about their relationship
This Saturday, February 24, Lara Fabian was a guest on the RTL show On refait la télé. The opportunity for her to answer a few questions about her supposed rival, the great Céline Dion.
Lara Fabian was received by Éric Dussart and Jade in On refait la télé on RTL this Saturday, February 24. In particular, she was able to discuss her current affairs with the release of a new single at the end of January, return to the trauma she suffered after an interview with Thierry Ardisson, but also more juicy subjects for listeners. The singer and her hosts actually came to talk about Céline Dion. If the two singers have one thing in common, it is their powerful voice , which leaves a lasting impression!
However, it is in no way comparable because the two have completely different careers, the same goes for their songs etc. However, and very quickly in the world of show biz, they were quickly compared and above all, put into competition. As if the two couldn't make a place for themselves, each on their own, and shine just as much. It is indeed the harsh law of the environment, which has made them rivals, despite themselves.
The discussion started from an observation by Eric Dussart about them: “The media have always tried to put you in competition,” he declared. To which Lara Fabian responded, without any problem: “It existed, but not between us” . She in fact returned to the fact that at that time, two singers who had some similarities could not, according to the media and the world of show biz, both shine equally. They were necessarily put into competition, even though this did not exist between them.
And, according to Lara Fabian, who could join the next season of Star Academy, this was also due to the fact that they "rarely found themselves together on the same set". They have in fact almost never shared the same stage, with the exception of the Quebec/New York charity concert, organized in 2001. However, the two singers managed to meet in private: "We succeeded, one day, to cross paths while drawing a curtain, but really in secret", said Lara Fabian, describing Céline Dion as a "completely simple, completely serene girl".
----------------------------------------
Several things of relevance here: we do know that Lara believed Celine's people (at least) worked to minimize her success at Columbia/Sony, something she has written about previously. Whether this involved Celine herself one doesn't know...Also, as noted in this article, on the program Lara once again noted the harshness with which she was treated by critics - see also the long press interview below.
And Lara was on "Hebdo de la musique" on W9, as can be seen (thanks to the Lara Fabian est ton autre FB site) at
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/videos/722681813345126
She indicated as favorite artists, Sting, Queen, Abba, Michael Jackson. In terms of modern French performers, she mentioned Claudio Capeo, Mentissa. She discussed her history, while describing Je t’aime as a song about a love affair that ended with a ‘letter’. She described social media as places where one can exist with a little more transparency.
Among Lara’s various press interviews, here’s an excellent long one from 20minutes (https://www.20minutes.fr/arts-stars/culture/musique/4077791-20240226-slimane-met-pression-faire-album-veut-raconter-histoire-confie-lara-fabian?fbclid=IwAR0jNGsHqNhfhKm8X9X4D4LDPofUrZjvNT28Qj6L2fNuVPCIlzw-_NfMARI):
---------------------------
“With Slimane, we don’t put ourselves under pressure to make an album, we want to tell a story,” confides Lara Fabian
INTERVIEW• This Monday, the clip for “Ta peine” will be put online. This song is the first extract from the new album that Lara Fabian is preparing with Slimane. The artist gave a long interview to “20 Minutes”
The Essential
Ta peine, Lara Fabian's new song was released at the end of January. The clip is revealed this Monday, February 26.
This piece is the first extract from the album that the artist is preparing with Slimane, of which she says: “I had a feeling we had a common journey, common wounds…”
Lara Fabian always has her school project in mind. “I am really capable of transmitting to someone this place from which singing can be a flight, a freedom. It will be the second part of my life, that’s for sure,” she tells 20 Minutes.
“Ta peine is the result of looking at our ability to be empathetic, to help others. It is a virtue that comes with time. When we ourselves wade through our own pain, we are helpless. One day, we realize that in connecting with others, there is a way to help them if they want, but also a way to heal ourselves.” It is a calm Lara Fabian that we meet in a Parisian hotel on a mild February day. The singer is in full promotion of the song, released at the end of January, which she co-signed with Slimane and whose clip will be revealed this Monday. This first piece announces a new album, which she will defend on tour to celebrate her thirty-five years of career. The opportunity, for 20 Minutes, to discuss with her current affairs but also her musical career.
What was the starting point of “Ta peine”?
It started from an immense desire I had to know Slimane. I had a feeling we had a common journey, shared injuries... I looked for his number, I called him. We had dinner one evening, we shared many things with a simplicity that corresponded to what I imagined. At the end of the evening, he asked me: “But what do you actually want?”” I told him I wanted us to write an album together. I saw the little “deer in the headlights” moment. So I suggested that we start with one song, then two, then three, and draw the thread of our story.
This song announces the tone of the album to come?
I don't know. We are on the fourth song, a lot of things are being born from him to me, and also with the brothers Meir and Yaacov Salah, who are very important in this equation. We don't put ourselves under pressure to make an album, we want to tell a story.
You represented Luxembourg at Eurovision in 1988. Did you discuss the competition with Slimane who will represent France this year?
No way! Slimane is not someone who talks a lot. He is in the moment. I think he approaches this opportunity as a great gift. I find it magical to have this boy who today represents an entire generation, a culture, France at Eurovision. Symbolically, it’s super strong.
What memories do you have of your participation?
It was my first big TV show, in front of hundreds of millions of viewers. I have very mixed memories of it and few from a professional point of view. Humanly, it was very strong. I also felt like I was so inexperienced that I managed to approach it very innocently.
At what point did you say to yourself: “This is it, my career is beginning”?
I would say in 1991, in Quebec. My first album, self-titled, was released on August 13 of that year. There, I only worked on making songs. I dedicated myself every day to creating a record, a space from which to communicate with the public. We sold half a million copies of Carpe Diem [released in 1994] in Quebec, which for the time and where I was, with such a small population density, was a huge success. That’s where I won my first Felix, the Victoires de la musique canadienne.
So you say to yourself “My dream is coming true”?
No, because I row substantially. I have been rowing for nine years, since 1988. Between Eurovision and the moment when something huge happened for me from an international French-speaking point of view, it took time.
This therefore coincides with the success of the album “Pure”, released in France in 1996…
That's when I told myself that the expression of what I was doing in French crossed oceans. I realized that a song could precede us and go very, very far. The single Tout sold 6 million copies… The album sold 3.5 million copies. It is enormous!
How do we experience such success?
Between disbelief, joy and gratitude. The door opened after I worked there for a very long time. I am a conservatory child. I read and write music, I have often been hidden in my corner. I changed in the back kitchens of piano bars, I was paid the equivalent of 25 euros to sing for a whole evening. I experienced all that, I measured what it meant to grow through this profession.
When success comes, we breathe, we tell ourselves that it was worth the effort, to build ourselves through difficult moments, in the face of the disbelief of others. “She sings too well, she’ll never succeed”, “We don’t need a 20-year-old Mireille Matthieu…”, “Anyway, she’s fat”, “When you’re ugly, you don’t do this job”… I’ve seen everything, heard everything. The public doesn't care about all these precepts, they go by what they feel and they end up pointing the finger at you and choosing you.
When did that moment come when the public “chose” you?
With my first TV at Jacques Martin. I sang Tout live in Sous vos applaudissements. There was a before and an after.
What do you think won over the public?
I think it's a mix. All of a sudden, the public put a face, a physique, an energy on Tout that was on the radio. I had a somewhat candid personality. I arrived nourished by Quebec, being Belgian by origin, Italian by my mother... There was a kind of good nature that made me seem like a young girl with my heart in the right place. I think people loved me at the time for this intensity, this integrity.
You have also been targeted by very virulent criticism and mockery…
At first, no. But, as Patrick Bruel says : we wait until you are at the top of the tree to shake the trunk so that you fall flat. I experienced that.
“Les Guignols de l’info”, in particular, did not spare you. What impact did this have on you?
It depends when because it lasted a long time. I love to laugh, I love self-deprecation so, at first, it might seem funny and then it became a relentlessness full of cruelty and injustice. There was a time when I found it difficult to continue standing. It was my voice that was being mocked. The voice is the soul. You can not like my songs, I have no problem with that. You may not like how I dress. Ok. People may not like how I express myself. Why not ? But touching the voice in this way... It's difficult to feel legitimate and not to be contaminated by this violence. I was very touched by all of this.
In 1999, you released an album in English. Did you want to give your career a more international scope at that time?
Since I was making headlines for sales – I had reached number two on the international Billboard chart behind Bryan Adams with Everything I Do, so American record companies were wondering who Lara Fabian was. Sony, Warner, RCA, Universal called me to audition at their offices. It was ultimately Tommy Mottola [of Sony] who made me sign the contract. We made a self-titled album which included I Will Love Again which lasted 55 weeks at the top of the Billboard Dance chart. Adagio has toured the world. It sold almost 4 million copies at the time, it was an incredible gateway to the international world for my career. My life was a journey for five or six years.
Is “I Will Love Again” a song that you like?
Yes, it's a dance song, it's the up-tempo where you don't expect me. I love it because its musicality is extremely broad. You have to be able to sing it. It says something I deeply believe. Working with Mark Taylor was really cool, I loved what he did for Cher [Believe, Strong Enough …]. I felt very privileged to sing that song. I thought it brought a little point of distinction to the center of the album. And, on stage, it creates a great solar moment.
In 2001, your album “Nue” was a new French-speaking success. “Tu es on autre”, the duet with Maurane is remembered. Was it obvious to sing it with her?
I knew her long before I was anyone fame-wise. We were two Belgian friends. I wrote this song with her in my head. It wasn't a sure thing because she didn't necessarily want to do a duet at the time. And then she heard the song. I will remember it all my life. With her little Belgian accent, she said to me: [she takes a little Belgian accent] “Oh yeah, so it’s not the same” (laughs). I had always loved her and I found myself face to face with someone who I consider to be one of the most beautiful voices in the world.
What the French little know is that you also met with great success in Eastern countries, with “Mademoiselle Zhivago”, published in 2010…
French is a language that is loved in the East. I heard Je t’aime sung with a little accent every evening that I performed in Kiev (Ukraine), Cluj (Romania), Sofia (Bulgaria) or Moscow (Russia)... Everywhere in these countries, Je t’aime, J'y crois encore and La Différence also, which is a very important song [on homosexuality], were titles that they sang with me.
In 2015 you participated in the Sanremo Italian Song Festival and were eliminated on the first night. What memory do you have of it?
I have mixed memories of what the press made of it afterwards. It was said that I had been “turned away from Eurovision” even though I had no intention of participating [the winning Sanremo artist is offered to represent Italy at Eurovision]. I participated in the Festival a bit like one enjoys entering a competition again. I worked with some of the greatest Italian artists from Toto Cutugno to Umberto Tozzi, Beppe Vessicchio… I had a great experience. I simply didn't understand what four journalists decided to do with it afterwards.
The Italian public remains to be conquered?
For the Italians, I am the singer of the Adagio, that's it. I don't necessarily have any expectations. I am grateful for what my journey is. If Ta peine or other songs were translated, it would be perfect, it would be magnificent. I am considering singing the Adagio as a duet because I have a project of great duets with some magnificent Italians…
With pop or lyrical artists?
Both.
Do you have any names to announce?
No, not right away (laughs).
Some were at the Sanremo Festival this year?
Yes ! (she bursts out laughing)
Recently, you were director of the “Star Académie” and coach in “La Voix” in Quebec, but also in “The Voice” in France…
I discovered how much I belonged when I did it. I entered into it a bit like a child, telling myself that I had a responsibility to try to transmit something to these young people… I suddenly discovered a real passion and legitimacy. This will be the second part of my life, that's for sure.
You had a school project. Where is it?
On paper, this school exists. Now I have to make it exist geographically. There will be a root school where, two or three times a year, people can come and do internships for around two weeks. We will also travel to certain universities. Everything will be under the umbrella of what we call art prevention medicine because the most difficult thing for an artist to understand is to understand that there are things to do before going bad, to do during success, to do afterwards. If no one explains it to you, if no one tells you how to protect yourself, how to read a contract, you can't guess it. So you enter with your candor, your gratitude, your enthusiasm for what is happening and, behind it, you are confronted with obstacles of such dimensions that, not being prepared to face them, you fall ill, or you do harm. What should have been the taste of success then becomes torture.
Will there be singing lessons too?
My school won't just teach technique because no one cares about that. I always say that the most wonderful thing about technique is being able to master it enough to forget about it.
You recently announced that you will be in concert at the Accor Arena (Bercy) on December 7, 2025. What does this mean for you?
It will be the first time in my career that I will do Bercy. I wait for it like a child. I'm already wondering what I'm going to do, which set designer I'm going to call. The tour that follows will focus on the album and my thirty-five year career. I'm going to have to make a drastic choice among all my songs. But I would like my concert at Bercy to have something special.
-------------------------------
At the end Lara addresses the issue of her “Je t’ame” tour and touring the album with Slimane – apparently they will be combined.
Interesting photo(s) and video(s) of the week: A nice reel of clips of Lara was put together by the Lara Fabian L’etoile des anges FB site, at
www.facebook.com/reel/1560789908044946
With most of the sites using Lara’s own feeds, or those from French TV or social media, fan sites have not had to dip recently into their treasure trove of Lara pictures. So this time we’ll note ‘collections’ that have been accumulated by some fan sites over time. In particular, the Lara Fabian America FB site has a collection of some 20 pictures called “Lara with others”, which can be found starting at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=828598089279918&set=pcb.828599045946489
In somewhat the same mode, the Lara Fabian The Netherlands has an album of pictures of Lara with Rick Allison (appropriate since on so many of the interviews Lara discusses her past history in Quebec – without necessarily mentioning him!). It’s available at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=939358751530849&set=pcb.939361984863859
Lara will be on Les Enfoires 35th anniversary show “On a 35 ans” this coming Friday (March 1). We’ll also see how the video of ‘Ta peine’ fares in the public eye. Will this mark the end of Lara’s ‘great return’? Being in the eye of the public, as we know, waxes and wanes, but Lara even at ‘low tide’ has always been active, and now that it appears Europe is her current home (whatever that means), opportunities will undoubtedly pop up.
David
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFYwtIL95wk
Certainly a beautiful video recorded on Sicily, the colors were wonderful, Lara looked great and the big surprise was her husband Gabriel’s appearance – appropriate for one to share one’s pain with. The music, as we know, is both catchy and rhythmic, and the message is meaningful. It differs from her greatest hits in that it does not display her great vocal prowess nor her strong emotional peaks; so we will have to see how it ultimately wears with the general public, and with her own fans. Another complicating factor is what the current state of popular music is. But there’s little doubt that it’s a class production.
Lara accompanied the video with a comment to her fans, “Thank you for being there, always and forever. The best is yet to come 🤍”. She also reminded people that the new single is available on all platforms : bfan.link/ta-peine, and that one can also find the video on her youtube channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gUvXeeznSixecbi16b8yg.
Not that this necessarily has anything to do with the video, but since Lara took the occasion to present it, her various social media sites are:
Facebook : bit.ly/3UOkQ8I
Instagram : bit.ly/3T5gHvN
Tiktok : bit.ly/48sCKkD
Twitter : bit.ly/3wr1PPo
Spotify : bit.ly/4bNi5KL
Deezer : bit.ly/3I7mASQ
Apple Music : bit.ly/3uypFZb
Amazon Music : bit.ly/49ffqrD
Youtube Music : bit.ly/3PfPOTJ
Speaking of Gabriel, Lara was the invitee of Isabelle Morizet on Europe 1, on the program ‘Il n’y a pas qu’une dans la vie’ with the subject “Why does Lara Fabian have a laboratory in her home? available on Lara’s Instagram site at
http://instagram.com/p/C3nNcO2Nbjx
She explained how her husband, a professional magician, manufactured equipment for other magicians to use, and “it in fact allows me to see another facet of appearances and the surprise of seeing that creates an appearance that can create amazement, joy and reconnect us with our child”. The same ‘magic’ can be used backstage on tours to highlight a concert, in particular on the tour that she’s thinking of.
Lara appeared and went over what she considers her top 10 songs on Facebook, ‘Melty’ and Le Meilleur de la Télé at
www.facebook.com/meltyfr/videos/287889877435011
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB7KICId02A
Her list is:
1) Ta peine: She has the desire at this moment to put this at the top because it is, for her, the symbol of this comeback. She has the impression that she has finally written a song which is a mixture of who she has always been and who she truly has a desire to be.
2) La difference: It is a song which literally changed the course of her career because it was able to capture, seek out and tame a crowd of people who had many questions about this subject. And above all, it’s been reassuring, helping, healing a host of other people who needed someone to talk about it.
3) Je t’aime: This song that would make her, opened incredible doors for her both in France and internationally.
4) Requiem pour un fou: There was a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ - this song such with Johnny at the stade. Then it is an unforgettable moment and something much greater than herself. It is a product of that moment and changed her life forever.
5) Tu es mon autre: If there had been a top 10 of duos, she would have put this at number 1 because she loved Maurane long before she was famous, and Maurane loved her and knew her long before she was famous, so it was a real gift to mix someone you love so much and admire so much into a song that she particularly liked.
6) Immortelle: She wrote it at a time when the wave was very rough and she needed to express that feeling of small death you get when you're going through a difficult period.
7) J’y crois encore: She came back from the United States a little damaged by a lot of things that happened to her and had a lot of space in her heart that was very complicated. J’y crois encore was her hymn that she sang to herself saying that she shouldn’t give up, she shouldn’t let go.
8) I Will Love Again: 8 is infinity and it’s perfect.
9) Pas sans toi: It is the song that the public loves profoundly. She put it at nine because for her nine is the number that brings her good luck and it’s the number that symbolizes many of the great stages in her life. It’s never abandoned her because you have continued to choose it.
10) L’ homme qui n’avait pas de maison: It’s a song which with perhaps she’s cohabited less, she’s been less in connection, she’s probably sung less.
Numbering aside, most of these songs are ones other would have chosen. Putting Ta peine first is probably a momentary (and professional) thing – sometimes one’s recent work is looked upon more fondly – one can see how Lara feels about that next year at this time. Number 10 is the oddball – one can ask if Lara likes it so much how comes she never sings it? This is the second time in recent weeks when discussing her favorite songs that Lara has not included ‘Je suis malade’ (and it is not simply because she didn’t write it, because both numbers 4 and 8 were not written by her). Considering other songs that she didn’t write but has become identified with, one would also think Caruso would rank highly…
Lara was on the show “On refait la tele” on RTL, which can be seen at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IRonQk4_xk
Lara discussed her return to Les Enfoires, saying again how much she enjoyed it. The question of her rivalry with Celine Dion came up (see below). She was forthcoming on the subject of her participation in the next season of the Star Academie in France. Lara indicated she was interested in participating as someone who could help the candidates, like a field professor mentor, and in a sense felt an obligation to do so given her knowledge and ability to transmit it. She is not looking for a particular title, but would provide assistance on a regular basis, assuming she has the time. She has been contacted about joining the show by ‘’influential” people. However, she did not think she would like to be in a management position (like the director), as she was not aware of all the elements that would entail in France. This is pretty much what she’s said elsewhere, although her desire to be involved seemed clearer than ever.
An article on Lara’s comments visa vi Celine Dion appeared in ‘The Closer’ (https://www.closermag.fr/people/lara-fabian-rivale-de-celine-dion-la-chanteuse-belge-fait-des-revelations-sur-leur-relation-3409713#item=1):
-----------------------------------
Lara Fabian rival of Celine Dion? The Belgian singer makes revelations about their relationship
This Saturday, February 24, Lara Fabian was a guest on the RTL show On refait la télé. The opportunity for her to answer a few questions about her supposed rival, the great Céline Dion.
Lara Fabian was received by Éric Dussart and Jade in On refait la télé on RTL this Saturday, February 24. In particular, she was able to discuss her current affairs with the release of a new single at the end of January, return to the trauma she suffered after an interview with Thierry Ardisson, but also more juicy subjects for listeners. The singer and her hosts actually came to talk about Céline Dion. If the two singers have one thing in common, it is their powerful voice , which leaves a lasting impression!
However, it is in no way comparable because the two have completely different careers, the same goes for their songs etc. However, and very quickly in the world of show biz, they were quickly compared and above all, put into competition. As if the two couldn't make a place for themselves, each on their own, and shine just as much. It is indeed the harsh law of the environment, which has made them rivals, despite themselves.
The discussion started from an observation by Eric Dussart about them: “The media have always tried to put you in competition,” he declared. To which Lara Fabian responded, without any problem: “It existed, but not between us” . She in fact returned to the fact that at that time, two singers who had some similarities could not, according to the media and the world of show biz, both shine equally. They were necessarily put into competition, even though this did not exist between them.
And, according to Lara Fabian, who could join the next season of Star Academy, this was also due to the fact that they "rarely found themselves together on the same set". They have in fact almost never shared the same stage, with the exception of the Quebec/New York charity concert, organized in 2001. However, the two singers managed to meet in private: "We succeeded, one day, to cross paths while drawing a curtain, but really in secret", said Lara Fabian, describing Céline Dion as a "completely simple, completely serene girl".
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Several things of relevance here: we do know that Lara believed Celine's people (at least) worked to minimize her success at Columbia/Sony, something she has written about previously. Whether this involved Celine herself one doesn't know...Also, as noted in this article, on the program Lara once again noted the harshness with which she was treated by critics - see also the long press interview below.
And Lara was on "Hebdo de la musique" on W9, as can be seen (thanks to the Lara Fabian est ton autre FB site) at
www.facebook.com/larafabiantonautre/videos/722681813345126
She indicated as favorite artists, Sting, Queen, Abba, Michael Jackson. In terms of modern French performers, she mentioned Claudio Capeo, Mentissa. She discussed her history, while describing Je t’aime as a song about a love affair that ended with a ‘letter’. She described social media as places where one can exist with a little more transparency.
Among Lara’s various press interviews, here’s an excellent long one from 20minutes (https://www.20minutes.fr/arts-stars/culture/musique/4077791-20240226-slimane-met-pression-faire-album-veut-raconter-histoire-confie-lara-fabian?fbclid=IwAR0jNGsHqNhfhKm8X9X4D4LDPofUrZjvNT28Qj6L2fNuVPCIlzw-_NfMARI):
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“With Slimane, we don’t put ourselves under pressure to make an album, we want to tell a story,” confides Lara Fabian
INTERVIEW• This Monday, the clip for “Ta peine” will be put online. This song is the first extract from the new album that Lara Fabian is preparing with Slimane. The artist gave a long interview to “20 Minutes”
The Essential
Ta peine, Lara Fabian's new song was released at the end of January. The clip is revealed this Monday, February 26.
This piece is the first extract from the album that the artist is preparing with Slimane, of which she says: “I had a feeling we had a common journey, common wounds…”
Lara Fabian always has her school project in mind. “I am really capable of transmitting to someone this place from which singing can be a flight, a freedom. It will be the second part of my life, that’s for sure,” she tells 20 Minutes.
“Ta peine is the result of looking at our ability to be empathetic, to help others. It is a virtue that comes with time. When we ourselves wade through our own pain, we are helpless. One day, we realize that in connecting with others, there is a way to help them if they want, but also a way to heal ourselves.” It is a calm Lara Fabian that we meet in a Parisian hotel on a mild February day. The singer is in full promotion of the song, released at the end of January, which she co-signed with Slimane and whose clip will be revealed this Monday. This first piece announces a new album, which she will defend on tour to celebrate her thirty-five years of career. The opportunity, for 20 Minutes, to discuss with her current affairs but also her musical career.
What was the starting point of “Ta peine”?
It started from an immense desire I had to know Slimane. I had a feeling we had a common journey, shared injuries... I looked for his number, I called him. We had dinner one evening, we shared many things with a simplicity that corresponded to what I imagined. At the end of the evening, he asked me: “But what do you actually want?”” I told him I wanted us to write an album together. I saw the little “deer in the headlights” moment. So I suggested that we start with one song, then two, then three, and draw the thread of our story.
This song announces the tone of the album to come?
I don't know. We are on the fourth song, a lot of things are being born from him to me, and also with the brothers Meir and Yaacov Salah, who are very important in this equation. We don't put ourselves under pressure to make an album, we want to tell a story.
You represented Luxembourg at Eurovision in 1988. Did you discuss the competition with Slimane who will represent France this year?
No way! Slimane is not someone who talks a lot. He is in the moment. I think he approaches this opportunity as a great gift. I find it magical to have this boy who today represents an entire generation, a culture, France at Eurovision. Symbolically, it’s super strong.
What memories do you have of your participation?
It was my first big TV show, in front of hundreds of millions of viewers. I have very mixed memories of it and few from a professional point of view. Humanly, it was very strong. I also felt like I was so inexperienced that I managed to approach it very innocently.
At what point did you say to yourself: “This is it, my career is beginning”?
I would say in 1991, in Quebec. My first album, self-titled, was released on August 13 of that year. There, I only worked on making songs. I dedicated myself every day to creating a record, a space from which to communicate with the public. We sold half a million copies of Carpe Diem [released in 1994] in Quebec, which for the time and where I was, with such a small population density, was a huge success. That’s where I won my first Felix, the Victoires de la musique canadienne.
So you say to yourself “My dream is coming true”?
No, because I row substantially. I have been rowing for nine years, since 1988. Between Eurovision and the moment when something huge happened for me from an international French-speaking point of view, it took time.
This therefore coincides with the success of the album “Pure”, released in France in 1996…
That's when I told myself that the expression of what I was doing in French crossed oceans. I realized that a song could precede us and go very, very far. The single Tout sold 6 million copies… The album sold 3.5 million copies. It is enormous!
How do we experience such success?
Between disbelief, joy and gratitude. The door opened after I worked there for a very long time. I am a conservatory child. I read and write music, I have often been hidden in my corner. I changed in the back kitchens of piano bars, I was paid the equivalent of 25 euros to sing for a whole evening. I experienced all that, I measured what it meant to grow through this profession.
When success comes, we breathe, we tell ourselves that it was worth the effort, to build ourselves through difficult moments, in the face of the disbelief of others. “She sings too well, she’ll never succeed”, “We don’t need a 20-year-old Mireille Matthieu…”, “Anyway, she’s fat”, “When you’re ugly, you don’t do this job”… I’ve seen everything, heard everything. The public doesn't care about all these precepts, they go by what they feel and they end up pointing the finger at you and choosing you.
When did that moment come when the public “chose” you?
With my first TV at Jacques Martin. I sang Tout live in Sous vos applaudissements. There was a before and an after.
What do you think won over the public?
I think it's a mix. All of a sudden, the public put a face, a physique, an energy on Tout that was on the radio. I had a somewhat candid personality. I arrived nourished by Quebec, being Belgian by origin, Italian by my mother... There was a kind of good nature that made me seem like a young girl with my heart in the right place. I think people loved me at the time for this intensity, this integrity.
You have also been targeted by very virulent criticism and mockery…
At first, no. But, as Patrick Bruel says : we wait until you are at the top of the tree to shake the trunk so that you fall flat. I experienced that.
“Les Guignols de l’info”, in particular, did not spare you. What impact did this have on you?
It depends when because it lasted a long time. I love to laugh, I love self-deprecation so, at first, it might seem funny and then it became a relentlessness full of cruelty and injustice. There was a time when I found it difficult to continue standing. It was my voice that was being mocked. The voice is the soul. You can not like my songs, I have no problem with that. You may not like how I dress. Ok. People may not like how I express myself. Why not ? But touching the voice in this way... It's difficult to feel legitimate and not to be contaminated by this violence. I was very touched by all of this.
In 1999, you released an album in English. Did you want to give your career a more international scope at that time?
Since I was making headlines for sales – I had reached number two on the international Billboard chart behind Bryan Adams with Everything I Do, so American record companies were wondering who Lara Fabian was. Sony, Warner, RCA, Universal called me to audition at their offices. It was ultimately Tommy Mottola [of Sony] who made me sign the contract. We made a self-titled album which included I Will Love Again which lasted 55 weeks at the top of the Billboard Dance chart. Adagio has toured the world. It sold almost 4 million copies at the time, it was an incredible gateway to the international world for my career. My life was a journey for five or six years.
Is “I Will Love Again” a song that you like?
Yes, it's a dance song, it's the up-tempo where you don't expect me. I love it because its musicality is extremely broad. You have to be able to sing it. It says something I deeply believe. Working with Mark Taylor was really cool, I loved what he did for Cher [Believe, Strong Enough …]. I felt very privileged to sing that song. I thought it brought a little point of distinction to the center of the album. And, on stage, it creates a great solar moment.
In 2001, your album “Nue” was a new French-speaking success. “Tu es on autre”, the duet with Maurane is remembered. Was it obvious to sing it with her?
I knew her long before I was anyone fame-wise. We were two Belgian friends. I wrote this song with her in my head. It wasn't a sure thing because she didn't necessarily want to do a duet at the time. And then she heard the song. I will remember it all my life. With her little Belgian accent, she said to me: [she takes a little Belgian accent] “Oh yeah, so it’s not the same” (laughs). I had always loved her and I found myself face to face with someone who I consider to be one of the most beautiful voices in the world.
What the French little know is that you also met with great success in Eastern countries, with “Mademoiselle Zhivago”, published in 2010…
French is a language that is loved in the East. I heard Je t’aime sung with a little accent every evening that I performed in Kiev (Ukraine), Cluj (Romania), Sofia (Bulgaria) or Moscow (Russia)... Everywhere in these countries, Je t’aime, J'y crois encore and La Différence also, which is a very important song [on homosexuality], were titles that they sang with me.
In 2015 you participated in the Sanremo Italian Song Festival and were eliminated on the first night. What memory do you have of it?
I have mixed memories of what the press made of it afterwards. It was said that I had been “turned away from Eurovision” even though I had no intention of participating [the winning Sanremo artist is offered to represent Italy at Eurovision]. I participated in the Festival a bit like one enjoys entering a competition again. I worked with some of the greatest Italian artists from Toto Cutugno to Umberto Tozzi, Beppe Vessicchio… I had a great experience. I simply didn't understand what four journalists decided to do with it afterwards.
The Italian public remains to be conquered?
For the Italians, I am the singer of the Adagio, that's it. I don't necessarily have any expectations. I am grateful for what my journey is. If Ta peine or other songs were translated, it would be perfect, it would be magnificent. I am considering singing the Adagio as a duet because I have a project of great duets with some magnificent Italians…
With pop or lyrical artists?
Both.
Do you have any names to announce?
No, not right away (laughs).
Some were at the Sanremo Festival this year?
Yes ! (she bursts out laughing)
Recently, you were director of the “Star Académie” and coach in “La Voix” in Quebec, but also in “The Voice” in France…
I discovered how much I belonged when I did it. I entered into it a bit like a child, telling myself that I had a responsibility to try to transmit something to these young people… I suddenly discovered a real passion and legitimacy. This will be the second part of my life, that's for sure.
You had a school project. Where is it?
On paper, this school exists. Now I have to make it exist geographically. There will be a root school where, two or three times a year, people can come and do internships for around two weeks. We will also travel to certain universities. Everything will be under the umbrella of what we call art prevention medicine because the most difficult thing for an artist to understand is to understand that there are things to do before going bad, to do during success, to do afterwards. If no one explains it to you, if no one tells you how to protect yourself, how to read a contract, you can't guess it. So you enter with your candor, your gratitude, your enthusiasm for what is happening and, behind it, you are confronted with obstacles of such dimensions that, not being prepared to face them, you fall ill, or you do harm. What should have been the taste of success then becomes torture.
Will there be singing lessons too?
My school won't just teach technique because no one cares about that. I always say that the most wonderful thing about technique is being able to master it enough to forget about it.
You recently announced that you will be in concert at the Accor Arena (Bercy) on December 7, 2025. What does this mean for you?
It will be the first time in my career that I will do Bercy. I wait for it like a child. I'm already wondering what I'm going to do, which set designer I'm going to call. The tour that follows will focus on the album and my thirty-five year career. I'm going to have to make a drastic choice among all my songs. But I would like my concert at Bercy to have something special.
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At the end Lara addresses the issue of her “Je t’ame” tour and touring the album with Slimane – apparently they will be combined.
Interesting photo(s) and video(s) of the week: A nice reel of clips of Lara was put together by the Lara Fabian L’etoile des anges FB site, at
www.facebook.com/reel/1560789908044946
With most of the sites using Lara’s own feeds, or those from French TV or social media, fan sites have not had to dip recently into their treasure trove of Lara pictures. So this time we’ll note ‘collections’ that have been accumulated by some fan sites over time. In particular, the Lara Fabian America FB site has a collection of some 20 pictures called “Lara with others”, which can be found starting at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=828598089279918&set=pcb.828599045946489
In somewhat the same mode, the Lara Fabian The Netherlands has an album of pictures of Lara with Rick Allison (appropriate since on so many of the interviews Lara discusses her past history in Quebec – without necessarily mentioning him!). It’s available at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=939358751530849&set=pcb.939361984863859
Lara will be on Les Enfoires 35th anniversary show “On a 35 ans” this coming Friday (March 1). We’ll also see how the video of ‘Ta peine’ fares in the public eye. Will this mark the end of Lara’s ‘great return’? Being in the eye of the public, as we know, waxes and wanes, but Lara even at ‘low tide’ has always been active, and now that it appears Europe is her current home (whatever that means), opportunities will undoubtedly pop up.
David
