Post by davidhr on Mar 5, 2024 9:26:13 GMT -5
The big event this past week was of course the 35th anniversary show of Restos du Coeur - Enfoires, “On a 35 ans” on TF1. Lara posted on her FB page a link to an Instagram reel of show highlights, at
www.instagram.com/reel/C4Azb11KG0K/?igsh=MTN5OWZkcmpsN2NjYQ%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR16gC5jD1ZyocNkWAwgx461ZysPmA6Htz_QDH4loTzKfXXkwip9qUb0a4w
And the link to the show itself for those who can access it, at
www.tf1.fr/tf1/les-enfoires-restos-du-coeur?xtor=CS4-310&fbclid=IwAR0uYapgwPFZBbur2ZjJfFSMee9vNZ46tL-gsyN_hhC6V2twi0NB3dHF2K8
Again, for those with access, you can see Lara having more prominent parts in these sections:
part 1: 59:30; 1:19:52
part 2: 16:22; 50:00
And as we know she is an active participant on the new theme song “Jusqu’au dernier", whose official version is at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HhbxSL3Swc
A list of the songs on the show can be found in the general article at (https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Les-Enfoires/news-127961.html):
----------------------------
Enfoirés 2024: the list of songs they will sing this evening!
Like every year, the Enfoirés are mobilizing to help the Restos du coeur, in difficulty due to the current context. The troupe's concert, to celebrate the 35th anniversary, will be broadcast this evening on TF1. We reveal the list of songs that will be performed on stage!
Les Enfoirés are celebrating their 35th anniversary. And more than ever, the Restos du coeur association (which represents 35% of food aid in France) needs all possible mobilization, because of the increase in food prices and therefore the number of people in need. “It’s anger we feel. All les enfoires are angry. We are all citizens, we cannot remain silent in the face of this misery. It’s not something that should be part of our daily lives” confides Nolwenn Leroy behind the scenes of the show, scandalized by the lack of political ambition : “All commitments and donations are welcome to change things but we have need help from higher up at some point. (...) In 2024, in our country, mothers still sleep outside with their children. We are still talking about the seventh power in the world! We know that there are solutions but we have difficulty implementing them sustainably. We say to ourselves that it is too slow, that the fight against poverty should be a priority. And it's not today. Clearly.”
Hits from yesterday and today
While the Restos du coeur distributed 170 million meals in 2023, an increase of 30 million over one year, the Enfoirés gave seven concerts from January 17 to 22, 2024 at the Arkéa Arena in Bordeaux for the show “On a 35 ans". For this sad anniversary, nearly fifty artists gathered on stage to entertain and raise public awareness: Jean-Louis Aubert , Dany Boon, Patrick Bruel , Claudio Capéo, Sofia Essaïdi, Lara Fabian, back after 19 years absent, Patrick Fiori, Jérémy Frérot, Kendji Girac, Jenifer, Michèle Laroque, Nolwenn Leroy, Mentissa, Matt Pokora, Shy'm, Anne Sila, Slimane, Soprano, Vianney, Vitaa, Christophe Willem or Zazie. This evening, the concert will be broadcast on TF1 from 9:10 p.m. and viewers will be able to vibrate to the sound of hits from yesterday and today, starting with “Coup de vieux” by Bigflo & Oli, whose lyrics have been adapted for the opportunity! A collegiate performance, before the anthem "Jusqu'au dernier", written by Patrick Bruel and Ycare, which sets the tone while the troupe will also chant "Magic in the air" by Magic System.
Over the course of the show, marked by the absence of Mimi Mathy, the Enfoirés will sing the anthem “Prière païenne” by Céline Dion, while Patrick Bruel, Jean-Louis Aubert, Ycare and Patrick Fiori will revisit “Quand on arrive en ville” from “Starmania”. Then the band will create a supercharged atmosphere on “La Goffa Lolita” from La Petite Culotte, with Philippe Lacheau as conductor! In a disco scene, Mr. Pokora and Christophe Willem will cover Patrick Hernandez's "Born to Be Alive" with fury, before Dalida's A ma manière", Michel Sardou 's "Le France" , Santa's "Popcorn salé" , which was "hazed" by the troupe , the sublime song "La symphonie des éclairs" by Zaho de Sagazan (in a beautiful aerial tableau with Zazie, Jenifer, Claire Keim or Nolwenn Leroy), "Secret" by Louane, "A fleur de toi” by Vitaa or “Et un jour une femme” by Florent Pagny with Slimane at the top. The Enfoirés show will obviously conclude with the cult “Chanson des restos”. As a reminder, each CD or DVD sold is equivalent to 17 meals offered to Restos du coeur.
[they then proceed to list the 29 songs that are sung on the show].
------------------------------
And though we know it’s not one of them, and was not seen on the show, at intermission of the actual concert Lara and Nolwenn Leroy sang “Tu es mon autre”, available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eWhLnJl0cg
Various articles pointed out Lara’s re-integration with Les Enfoires after two decades, for example from Tele Loisir (https://www.programme-tv.net/news/tv/347345-les-enfoires-2024-pourquoi-lara-fabian-fait-elle-son-retour-apres-19-ans-dabsence/):
----------------------------------------------
Les Enfoirés 2024: why is Lara Fabian making her return after 19 years of absence?
INTERVIEW - Absent for 19 years, Lara Fabian is making her comeback in the Enfoirés 2024 troupe. We were able to meet the singer backstage at the show recorded last January in Bordeaux.
This is one of the personalities that was missing from Les Enfoirés. Lara Fabian joins the band again, for the troupe's 35th show, after 19 years of absence. She responded to the call of Restos du coeur this year and took to the stage of the Arkéa Arena in Bordeaux to the great pleasure of the artists who performed alongside her but also of the public. A moment rich in emotion for the artist. For Télé-Loisirs , she looks back on the atmosphere behind the scenes and reveals why she agreed to participate again in this event so dear to her heart.
Télé-Loisirs : Les Enfoirés celebrates their 35th anniversary. What does the show mean to you?
Lara Fabian: It's a daring, intelligent amalgam, full of little strokes of genius that defy the rules and shift the music but without deporting it. It allows artists to have fun and creates unique moments in the French-speaking music landscape.
The magic of Les Enfoirés also means meeting people from different worlds in addition to being there for a good cause...
Yes, we are not here for ourselves or to sell anything. We are here to mingle in the name of this cause. And above all, spend time with other artists. We are in great demand behind the scenes, we come, we come, we change... But there is always a moment when we sit down in the room dedicated to this purpose, we talk about the moment we have just had. It's full of a ton of emotion and moments where we get to know each other a little better.
This is your big return to the troupe after 19 years of absence, has the atmosphere changed?
Obviously! The atmosphere was different and at the same time I found this spirit in which priority was combined above all other considerations and this new generation with whom I get along very well. I have the feeling of great simplicity in communication, of an ease of exchanging, of connecting, of speaking, of making music together. It was really cool.
Why such a long absence?
I haven't been to Europe, I lived on the other side of the world and very often it fell either during a period when I was on tour or when I was in Canada.
This is an edition where there are few Belgian singers, would you like to be joined by others?
Yes, it would be great to have Angèle, Stromae and Virginie Efira!
Lara Fabian talks about how Les Enfoirés and Johnny Hallyday changed her career: “It was a pivotal moment”
You said that Les Enfoirés changed your career. In what way?
This is the moment when Johnny Hallyday comes to see me in the boxes with a wreath of orange roses and he offers me, after singing Requiem pour un fou at Les Enfoirés, to do it with him at the Stade de France. It was a pivotal moment which originated on the Enfoirés stage and which was then repeated on the Stade stage.
Did this concert trigger other things for you?
It's quite sacred to be the only woman invited by Johnny Hallyday and to hear everywhere that I was him as a woman. I had already sold 2 million albums but this crystallized the fact that my presence was relevant.
Does that make you want to give back to the Enfoirés what they gave you?
For me, what is extraordinary is to continue to participate in an event that is unique in the world because it only exists in France. For the benefit of others, over 500 people mix together to make it work. Above all other considerations, it is really that of being at the service of such a unique and important event.
There's a lot going on behind the scenes. What memories do you have of this edition?
Full! A wonderful discussion with Ycare, a moment full of tenderness with Patrick Bruel and a monstrous laugh with Christophe Willem when he returns disguised as Dalido, I don't think I'll ever get over it! I was very happy to share a moment with Slimane, with Vitaa, with Kenji Girac and with Claudio Capéo who I particularly like.
Have you said no to certain proposals that we may have made to you for paintings or costumes?
Not really. Instead of saying no, I offered another version of things when I thought it was fairer.
You co-wrote and co-composed the title Ta Peine, with Slimane, released recently. How was this tandem born?
By a phone call! I wanted to work with him, I called him and we went to dinner. We understood each other, we recognized each other above all. Without issues, without expectations, without expectations of any kind, we sat down and started to imagine what I wanted to say and we wrote Your Pain . It was very smooth. There was a lot of ease, depth and simplicity in this connection.
----------------------------------
Lara has largely avoided the real answers to the uncomfortable question of why she hadn’t participated in Les Enfoires for all these years, a subject we’ve covered in the past. She did, however, give hints to it, saying "The atmosphere was very different..." and that she "gets along very well with the new generation". Otherwise, her standard explanation of 'being out of the country' suffices.
On the more general question of television in France, there’s this (https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/lara-fabian-ce-qu-elle-pense-de-la-television-aujourd-hui-29-02-2024-2553865_3.php#11):
---------------------------------------
Lara Fabian: what she thinks of television today
The singer of “Je t’aime” remembers being often mistreated on the air. And she is not referring to the Guignols, but to the “sniper” of a certain man in black.
By Laurence Klejman (Cover Media)
Whether she agreed or not, Lara Fabian knew she couldn't escape it: the promotion with each album or single release. If the singer seemed delighted to answer questions from Jade and Éric Dussart on RTL this February 26 to discuss the clip for “Ta Peine”, sorrow, she had it a few decades ago when leaving certain TV sets. Shows that were very popular with the public, and therefore with the press officers who sent their foals there... a bit like going to the slaughterhouse.
The singer of “ “Tu es mon autre”, which she sang with the late Maurane, remembered another duet just as memorable but much more hellish: the Ardisson / Baffie combo. The second was there to “shoot”, the term was claimed, live with the guests that Thierry Ardisson received during their promotional journey. Also Lara Fabian was called a “pussy” and asked to receive the insult as a compliment, with a smile or a touch of humor. In any case, without retaliating...
“I have no choice because I see that in any case, I do not have the weapons at that moment to fight or to respond. Not that I didn't have the repartee, but I see that it's useless because the guy opposite is a sniper. He's getting paid to shoot me. So, even if I, at that moment, pull out all the cards, I have lost in advance because the system is against me”, she analyzes perfectly on the microphone of the show On refait la télé .
Moreover, the singer – whom her audience can't wait to applaud at the AccorArena on December 7, 2025 –, who was raised “the hard way”, knows how to grit her teeth. “It all depends on how we were raised when we were little. It’s like when you ate salty yogurt and had to say that it was good,” explains Lara Fabian, undoubtedly aware that no child today would submit to this sadistic discipline.
Lara Fabian, future director of Star Ac' ?
More seriously, the artist denounces the television of another time, where psychological and verbal “violence” was a guarantee of audacity. “Today it would really be forbidden, at the time there was a kind of law, violence, with complete impunity. You could talk like that to anyone. It didn’t take root anywhere,” she believes.
If Laurent Baffie's stupidity hit the mark, the more or less heavy jokes of Les Guignols de l'info, on Canal+, where the star had hrt puppet, were not much more enjoyable. Here again, having one's double was an outward sign of glory, and it was fashionable to find it funny to be humiliated. A state of mind which has not necessarily improved and some must find themselves in the words of Lara Fabian, who adds, lucidly: “I continue (to go on TV sets) because otherwise, that would mean that I stop making music and being who I am. So, there is a part of me that was obliged to continue being who she was.”
Obviously, despite the apparent armor, the arrows fired were effective. “I was going home in little pieces,” admits today the woman who could well be the next director of the Star Academy
--------------------------------------
And to be more precise about this, there is the following from charts in France (https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-127917.html):
----------------------------------
“Cow”, “boudin”: Lara Fabian talks about the worst interview of her life
By Julien GONCALVES | Editor-in-chief
Back with the song “Ta Peine”, co-written with Slimane, or at Les Enfoirés, Lara Fabian is making the media rounds. On RTL, the singer looks back on the interview that hurt her the most of her career. It was with Thierry Ardisson in 2005 in "Tout le monde en parle". “It was extremely violent,” she remembers…
Lara Fabian is back with the single “Ta Peine” , co-written with Slimane, which announces the arrival of a new album. “We’re on it, it’s in progress. I already have other songs of course, we've written other things, but if you want to say things that make sense, it takes time. I still have a lot to say about transmission, about what we can become, about this light that we can choose to contact rather than the shadow. Humans, we are all hypersensitive, we all have somewhat bumpy paths. All! Sometimes we can open the door to something very dark. What else is possible? That’s what I always tell myself, ” confides the singer in an interview on Purecharts, who is making a comeback on our screens, notably by reconnecting with the Enfoirés troupe for the show 2024, which has just been broadcast on TF1.
“Today, it would be prohibited”
During her promotional marathon, Lara Fabian answered Eric Dussart's questions in the show "On refait la télé" on RTL . The opportunity for the singer to return to an interview which “hurt” her. “Which one should I start with?” quipped the interpreter of "I Will Love Again", who was the victim of an "unprecedented media bashing" in her debut, before quoting an interview with Thierry Ardisson and Laurent Baffie, whom she nicknamed "the crazy of the King". The journalist specifies having rewatched the sequence from “"Tout le monde en parle”, which he considers “rare violence”. And Lara Fabian confirms: “Today, it would be prohibited. At the time, there was a right to violence with impunity. To anyone, it's not just me who experienced this. It was extremely violent, above all it was totally unfair. It didn’t take root from anywhere.”
Because Thierry Ardisson and Laurent Baffie particularly highlighted Lara Fabian's weight fluctuation during this interview dating from 2005. "Yes, I was a pudding, a cow" remembers the singer with bitterness, who did not cause any scandal on set despite the situation: “It all depends on how we were raised when we were little. (...) I am one of those children who was brought up a little the hard way, even if my parents were very loving... ". So the future coach of “The Voice Kids” took it upon herself. “I have no choice at that moment ” analyzes Lara Fabian, very lucid about the trap that is set for her: “I see clearly that in any case I do not have the weapons to fight or to respond. Not that I didn't have the repartee, but I see that it's useless. The guy in front is a SNIPER , he gets paid to shoot me. So even if I pull out every card I can think of, I'm still losing."
Also targeted by the satirical show “Les Guignols”, Lara Fabian never wanted to stop everything. “It would have meant that I stopped making music and being who I am. It's not possible " confesses the artist, who nevertheless went through these ordeals with pain: " Faced with this violence, there were moments, I won't hide it from you, when I was really bad, where I was going home in little pieces.”
-------------------------------------------
On a personal note, I remember watching those shows, and wandering why Lara was putting up with it…did she really not mind the insults (which sort of seemed to be the case, she laughed along with all the others)? Yet there was a feeling that it was hurting her, but she didn’t show it – she didn’t want to appear vulnerable, which was admirable, and as she now says, she knew she couldn’t win, but in a way this perpetuated it (also, often the victim ends up thinking they deserve what they’re getting). A moral for all of us…
For those interested, Thierry Ardisson is still around as a TV producer but is no longer a TV host, and even his productions haven’t gone well recently. Laurent Baffie, the ‘sidekick’/sniper, is a comedian, theatre director, etc. who has even gotten involved in politics in a humorist/sardonic way. It’s unlikely Lara will ever have to deal with either of them directly again, though they are both still around to hear her comments about them. Her greatest victory, in a sense, has been to have ‘outlived them’ in the eyes of the French public.
[One last point, given the video of Lara’s duet with Nolwenn Leroy: Laurent Baffie had issues with Nolwenn Leroy too, as discussed in the ‘Controversy’ section of Wikipedia (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Baffie). ]
In other news, the Lara Fabian Family FB site put on a video of Lara’s interview with Cosmopolitan.fr, ‘Lara Fabian unveils her telephone’, at
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087078295806
Here’s the transcription:
-----------------------------------------------
I'm here for the Cosmo Notif interview [about her telephone]
The background?
I don't think she'll mind.
My wallpaper is my doll (her daughter).
Isn't my doll beautiful?
She’s the most beautiful in the world.
The application you'll never delete?
I would never delete WhatsApp.
Because of the way you can communicate with genes that recognize me.
Last picture taken?
It was a Sunday evening, no make-up, no hair, and it was with Lorenzo and Alessio.
I don't know if they'll recognize each other,
if they'll ever see each other, but they were so cute,
too adorable and their parents were wonderful.
The last message?
It's a message to my lover.
Am I as red as my shoes?
Yes!
Something was going on in the garden and he wasn't happy.
So I wrote back, "Ha ha ha ha!"
And, yes, it’s better
because we needed to lighten the mood.
Battery?
So I live with a battery in my hand.
In other words, as soon as I see it here, it's gone,
even a millimeter,
I run to plug it in.
Besides, I always carry a charger in my bag.
or a USB cable.
The last purchase made with your telephone?
Oh no, I can't say it, I'm ashamed.
You're going to tell me:
"But what do you mean, you don't go to bookshops Lara?"
It's a book called 'Au coeur des 5 langages de l'amour' that I bought on Amazon.
Your favorite artist?
In my favorite artists today
I have Slimane.
I love Vitaa.
And I love Santa.
Last music listened to?
It's a track by Hatik and Slimane
called "Y'a rein".
That's the last one I listened to.
And just before that, Barry White.
The last single released?
The last single I released was a song called
called Ta peine that I co-wrote,
co-wrote with Slimane.
Ta peine is the story of someone
who offers a helping hand to someone in need.
It's magical to work with Slimane.
It's simple, it's fluid, it's dense, it's intense.
It's a great gift to work with Slimane.
-----------------------------------------
Interesting picture(s)/video(s) of the week:
From the Lara Fabian America FB site, Lara with Vitaa
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=777798777719147&set=a.639771701521856
From the Lara Fabian the Netherlands FB site, those ‘red shoes’ discussed in her Cosmopolitan interview (along with other pictures from the interview), at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=944347044365353&set=pcb.944347207698670
We’ll see what’s next for Lara; this does seem like a convenient decompression point for her with respect to the French media. The single and her various TV shows have already been promoted and seen; and the upcoming concerts next month have nothing to do with France. Would be a good time to work on the album, or the school, or, dare one say it, go back to Quebec .
David
www.instagram.com/reel/C4Azb11KG0K/?igsh=MTN5OWZkcmpsN2NjYQ%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR16gC5jD1ZyocNkWAwgx461ZysPmA6Htz_QDH4loTzKfXXkwip9qUb0a4w
And the link to the show itself for those who can access it, at
www.tf1.fr/tf1/les-enfoires-restos-du-coeur?xtor=CS4-310&fbclid=IwAR0uYapgwPFZBbur2ZjJfFSMee9vNZ46tL-gsyN_hhC6V2twi0NB3dHF2K8
Again, for those with access, you can see Lara having more prominent parts in these sections:
part 1: 59:30; 1:19:52
part 2: 16:22; 50:00
And as we know she is an active participant on the new theme song “Jusqu’au dernier", whose official version is at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HhbxSL3Swc
A list of the songs on the show can be found in the general article at (https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Les-Enfoires/news-127961.html):
----------------------------
Enfoirés 2024: the list of songs they will sing this evening!
Like every year, the Enfoirés are mobilizing to help the Restos du coeur, in difficulty due to the current context. The troupe's concert, to celebrate the 35th anniversary, will be broadcast this evening on TF1. We reveal the list of songs that will be performed on stage!
Les Enfoirés are celebrating their 35th anniversary. And more than ever, the Restos du coeur association (which represents 35% of food aid in France) needs all possible mobilization, because of the increase in food prices and therefore the number of people in need. “It’s anger we feel. All les enfoires are angry. We are all citizens, we cannot remain silent in the face of this misery. It’s not something that should be part of our daily lives” confides Nolwenn Leroy behind the scenes of the show, scandalized by the lack of political ambition : “All commitments and donations are welcome to change things but we have need help from higher up at some point. (...) In 2024, in our country, mothers still sleep outside with their children. We are still talking about the seventh power in the world! We know that there are solutions but we have difficulty implementing them sustainably. We say to ourselves that it is too slow, that the fight against poverty should be a priority. And it's not today. Clearly.”
Hits from yesterday and today
While the Restos du coeur distributed 170 million meals in 2023, an increase of 30 million over one year, the Enfoirés gave seven concerts from January 17 to 22, 2024 at the Arkéa Arena in Bordeaux for the show “On a 35 ans". For this sad anniversary, nearly fifty artists gathered on stage to entertain and raise public awareness: Jean-Louis Aubert , Dany Boon, Patrick Bruel , Claudio Capéo, Sofia Essaïdi, Lara Fabian, back after 19 years absent, Patrick Fiori, Jérémy Frérot, Kendji Girac, Jenifer, Michèle Laroque, Nolwenn Leroy, Mentissa, Matt Pokora, Shy'm, Anne Sila, Slimane, Soprano, Vianney, Vitaa, Christophe Willem or Zazie. This evening, the concert will be broadcast on TF1 from 9:10 p.m. and viewers will be able to vibrate to the sound of hits from yesterday and today, starting with “Coup de vieux” by Bigflo & Oli, whose lyrics have been adapted for the opportunity! A collegiate performance, before the anthem "Jusqu'au dernier", written by Patrick Bruel and Ycare, which sets the tone while the troupe will also chant "Magic in the air" by Magic System.
Over the course of the show, marked by the absence of Mimi Mathy, the Enfoirés will sing the anthem “Prière païenne” by Céline Dion, while Patrick Bruel, Jean-Louis Aubert, Ycare and Patrick Fiori will revisit “Quand on arrive en ville” from “Starmania”. Then the band will create a supercharged atmosphere on “La Goffa Lolita” from La Petite Culotte, with Philippe Lacheau as conductor! In a disco scene, Mr. Pokora and Christophe Willem will cover Patrick Hernandez's "Born to Be Alive" with fury, before Dalida's A ma manière", Michel Sardou 's "Le France" , Santa's "Popcorn salé" , which was "hazed" by the troupe , the sublime song "La symphonie des éclairs" by Zaho de Sagazan (in a beautiful aerial tableau with Zazie, Jenifer, Claire Keim or Nolwenn Leroy), "Secret" by Louane, "A fleur de toi” by Vitaa or “Et un jour une femme” by Florent Pagny with Slimane at the top. The Enfoirés show will obviously conclude with the cult “Chanson des restos”. As a reminder, each CD or DVD sold is equivalent to 17 meals offered to Restos du coeur.
[they then proceed to list the 29 songs that are sung on the show].
------------------------------
And though we know it’s not one of them, and was not seen on the show, at intermission of the actual concert Lara and Nolwenn Leroy sang “Tu es mon autre”, available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eWhLnJl0cg
Various articles pointed out Lara’s re-integration with Les Enfoires after two decades, for example from Tele Loisir (https://www.programme-tv.net/news/tv/347345-les-enfoires-2024-pourquoi-lara-fabian-fait-elle-son-retour-apres-19-ans-dabsence/):
----------------------------------------------
Les Enfoirés 2024: why is Lara Fabian making her return after 19 years of absence?
INTERVIEW - Absent for 19 years, Lara Fabian is making her comeback in the Enfoirés 2024 troupe. We were able to meet the singer backstage at the show recorded last January in Bordeaux.
This is one of the personalities that was missing from Les Enfoirés. Lara Fabian joins the band again, for the troupe's 35th show, after 19 years of absence. She responded to the call of Restos du coeur this year and took to the stage of the Arkéa Arena in Bordeaux to the great pleasure of the artists who performed alongside her but also of the public. A moment rich in emotion for the artist. For Télé-Loisirs , she looks back on the atmosphere behind the scenes and reveals why she agreed to participate again in this event so dear to her heart.
Télé-Loisirs : Les Enfoirés celebrates their 35th anniversary. What does the show mean to you?
Lara Fabian: It's a daring, intelligent amalgam, full of little strokes of genius that defy the rules and shift the music but without deporting it. It allows artists to have fun and creates unique moments in the French-speaking music landscape.
The magic of Les Enfoirés also means meeting people from different worlds in addition to being there for a good cause...
Yes, we are not here for ourselves or to sell anything. We are here to mingle in the name of this cause. And above all, spend time with other artists. We are in great demand behind the scenes, we come, we come, we change... But there is always a moment when we sit down in the room dedicated to this purpose, we talk about the moment we have just had. It's full of a ton of emotion and moments where we get to know each other a little better.
This is your big return to the troupe after 19 years of absence, has the atmosphere changed?
Obviously! The atmosphere was different and at the same time I found this spirit in which priority was combined above all other considerations and this new generation with whom I get along very well. I have the feeling of great simplicity in communication, of an ease of exchanging, of connecting, of speaking, of making music together. It was really cool.
Why such a long absence?
I haven't been to Europe, I lived on the other side of the world and very often it fell either during a period when I was on tour or when I was in Canada.
This is an edition where there are few Belgian singers, would you like to be joined by others?
Yes, it would be great to have Angèle, Stromae and Virginie Efira!
Lara Fabian talks about how Les Enfoirés and Johnny Hallyday changed her career: “It was a pivotal moment”
You said that Les Enfoirés changed your career. In what way?
This is the moment when Johnny Hallyday comes to see me in the boxes with a wreath of orange roses and he offers me, after singing Requiem pour un fou at Les Enfoirés, to do it with him at the Stade de France. It was a pivotal moment which originated on the Enfoirés stage and which was then repeated on the Stade stage.
Did this concert trigger other things for you?
It's quite sacred to be the only woman invited by Johnny Hallyday and to hear everywhere that I was him as a woman. I had already sold 2 million albums but this crystallized the fact that my presence was relevant.
Does that make you want to give back to the Enfoirés what they gave you?
For me, what is extraordinary is to continue to participate in an event that is unique in the world because it only exists in France. For the benefit of others, over 500 people mix together to make it work. Above all other considerations, it is really that of being at the service of such a unique and important event.
There's a lot going on behind the scenes. What memories do you have of this edition?
Full! A wonderful discussion with Ycare, a moment full of tenderness with Patrick Bruel and a monstrous laugh with Christophe Willem when he returns disguised as Dalido, I don't think I'll ever get over it! I was very happy to share a moment with Slimane, with Vitaa, with Kenji Girac and with Claudio Capéo who I particularly like.
Have you said no to certain proposals that we may have made to you for paintings or costumes?
Not really. Instead of saying no, I offered another version of things when I thought it was fairer.
You co-wrote and co-composed the title Ta Peine, with Slimane, released recently. How was this tandem born?
By a phone call! I wanted to work with him, I called him and we went to dinner. We understood each other, we recognized each other above all. Without issues, without expectations, without expectations of any kind, we sat down and started to imagine what I wanted to say and we wrote Your Pain . It was very smooth. There was a lot of ease, depth and simplicity in this connection.
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Lara has largely avoided the real answers to the uncomfortable question of why she hadn’t participated in Les Enfoires for all these years, a subject we’ve covered in the past. She did, however, give hints to it, saying "The atmosphere was very different..." and that she "gets along very well with the new generation". Otherwise, her standard explanation of 'being out of the country' suffices.
On the more general question of television in France, there’s this (https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/lara-fabian-ce-qu-elle-pense-de-la-television-aujourd-hui-29-02-2024-2553865_3.php#11):
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Lara Fabian: what she thinks of television today
The singer of “Je t’aime” remembers being often mistreated on the air. And she is not referring to the Guignols, but to the “sniper” of a certain man in black.
By Laurence Klejman (Cover Media)
Whether she agreed or not, Lara Fabian knew she couldn't escape it: the promotion with each album or single release. If the singer seemed delighted to answer questions from Jade and Éric Dussart on RTL this February 26 to discuss the clip for “Ta Peine”, sorrow, she had it a few decades ago when leaving certain TV sets. Shows that were very popular with the public, and therefore with the press officers who sent their foals there... a bit like going to the slaughterhouse.
The singer of “ “Tu es mon autre”, which she sang with the late Maurane, remembered another duet just as memorable but much more hellish: the Ardisson / Baffie combo. The second was there to “shoot”, the term was claimed, live with the guests that Thierry Ardisson received during their promotional journey. Also Lara Fabian was called a “pussy” and asked to receive the insult as a compliment, with a smile or a touch of humor. In any case, without retaliating...
“I have no choice because I see that in any case, I do not have the weapons at that moment to fight or to respond. Not that I didn't have the repartee, but I see that it's useless because the guy opposite is a sniper. He's getting paid to shoot me. So, even if I, at that moment, pull out all the cards, I have lost in advance because the system is against me”, she analyzes perfectly on the microphone of the show On refait la télé .
Moreover, the singer – whom her audience can't wait to applaud at the AccorArena on December 7, 2025 –, who was raised “the hard way”, knows how to grit her teeth. “It all depends on how we were raised when we were little. It’s like when you ate salty yogurt and had to say that it was good,” explains Lara Fabian, undoubtedly aware that no child today would submit to this sadistic discipline.
Lara Fabian, future director of Star Ac' ?
More seriously, the artist denounces the television of another time, where psychological and verbal “violence” was a guarantee of audacity. “Today it would really be forbidden, at the time there was a kind of law, violence, with complete impunity. You could talk like that to anyone. It didn’t take root anywhere,” she believes.
If Laurent Baffie's stupidity hit the mark, the more or less heavy jokes of Les Guignols de l'info, on Canal+, where the star had hrt puppet, were not much more enjoyable. Here again, having one's double was an outward sign of glory, and it was fashionable to find it funny to be humiliated. A state of mind which has not necessarily improved and some must find themselves in the words of Lara Fabian, who adds, lucidly: “I continue (to go on TV sets) because otherwise, that would mean that I stop making music and being who I am. So, there is a part of me that was obliged to continue being who she was.”
Obviously, despite the apparent armor, the arrows fired were effective. “I was going home in little pieces,” admits today the woman who could well be the next director of the Star Academy
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And to be more precise about this, there is the following from charts in France (https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Lara-Fabian/news-127917.html):
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“Cow”, “boudin”: Lara Fabian talks about the worst interview of her life
By Julien GONCALVES | Editor-in-chief
Back with the song “Ta Peine”, co-written with Slimane, or at Les Enfoirés, Lara Fabian is making the media rounds. On RTL, the singer looks back on the interview that hurt her the most of her career. It was with Thierry Ardisson in 2005 in "Tout le monde en parle". “It was extremely violent,” she remembers…
Lara Fabian is back with the single “Ta Peine” , co-written with Slimane, which announces the arrival of a new album. “We’re on it, it’s in progress. I already have other songs of course, we've written other things, but if you want to say things that make sense, it takes time. I still have a lot to say about transmission, about what we can become, about this light that we can choose to contact rather than the shadow. Humans, we are all hypersensitive, we all have somewhat bumpy paths. All! Sometimes we can open the door to something very dark. What else is possible? That’s what I always tell myself, ” confides the singer in an interview on Purecharts, who is making a comeback on our screens, notably by reconnecting with the Enfoirés troupe for the show 2024, which has just been broadcast on TF1.
“Today, it would be prohibited”
During her promotional marathon, Lara Fabian answered Eric Dussart's questions in the show "On refait la télé" on RTL . The opportunity for the singer to return to an interview which “hurt” her. “Which one should I start with?” quipped the interpreter of "I Will Love Again", who was the victim of an "unprecedented media bashing" in her debut, before quoting an interview with Thierry Ardisson and Laurent Baffie, whom she nicknamed "the crazy of the King". The journalist specifies having rewatched the sequence from “"Tout le monde en parle”, which he considers “rare violence”. And Lara Fabian confirms: “Today, it would be prohibited. At the time, there was a right to violence with impunity. To anyone, it's not just me who experienced this. It was extremely violent, above all it was totally unfair. It didn’t take root from anywhere.”
Because Thierry Ardisson and Laurent Baffie particularly highlighted Lara Fabian's weight fluctuation during this interview dating from 2005. "Yes, I was a pudding, a cow" remembers the singer with bitterness, who did not cause any scandal on set despite the situation: “It all depends on how we were raised when we were little. (...) I am one of those children who was brought up a little the hard way, even if my parents were very loving... ". So the future coach of “The Voice Kids” took it upon herself. “I have no choice at that moment ” analyzes Lara Fabian, very lucid about the trap that is set for her: “I see clearly that in any case I do not have the weapons to fight or to respond. Not that I didn't have the repartee, but I see that it's useless. The guy in front is a SNIPER , he gets paid to shoot me. So even if I pull out every card I can think of, I'm still losing."
Also targeted by the satirical show “Les Guignols”, Lara Fabian never wanted to stop everything. “It would have meant that I stopped making music and being who I am. It's not possible " confesses the artist, who nevertheless went through these ordeals with pain: " Faced with this violence, there were moments, I won't hide it from you, when I was really bad, where I was going home in little pieces.”
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On a personal note, I remember watching those shows, and wandering why Lara was putting up with it…did she really not mind the insults (which sort of seemed to be the case, she laughed along with all the others)? Yet there was a feeling that it was hurting her, but she didn’t show it – she didn’t want to appear vulnerable, which was admirable, and as she now says, she knew she couldn’t win, but in a way this perpetuated it (also, often the victim ends up thinking they deserve what they’re getting). A moral for all of us…
For those interested, Thierry Ardisson is still around as a TV producer but is no longer a TV host, and even his productions haven’t gone well recently. Laurent Baffie, the ‘sidekick’/sniper, is a comedian, theatre director, etc. who has even gotten involved in politics in a humorist/sardonic way. It’s unlikely Lara will ever have to deal with either of them directly again, though they are both still around to hear her comments about them. Her greatest victory, in a sense, has been to have ‘outlived them’ in the eyes of the French public.
[One last point, given the video of Lara’s duet with Nolwenn Leroy: Laurent Baffie had issues with Nolwenn Leroy too, as discussed in the ‘Controversy’ section of Wikipedia (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Baffie). ]
In other news, the Lara Fabian Family FB site put on a video of Lara’s interview with Cosmopolitan.fr, ‘Lara Fabian unveils her telephone’, at
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087078295806
Here’s the transcription:
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I'm here for the Cosmo Notif interview [about her telephone]
The background?
I don't think she'll mind.
My wallpaper is my doll (her daughter).
Isn't my doll beautiful?
She’s the most beautiful in the world.
The application you'll never delete?
I would never delete WhatsApp.
Because of the way you can communicate with genes that recognize me.
Last picture taken?
It was a Sunday evening, no make-up, no hair, and it was with Lorenzo and Alessio.
I don't know if they'll recognize each other,
if they'll ever see each other, but they were so cute,
too adorable and their parents were wonderful.
The last message?
It's a message to my lover.
Am I as red as my shoes?
Yes!
Something was going on in the garden and he wasn't happy.
So I wrote back, "Ha ha ha ha!"
And, yes, it’s better
because we needed to lighten the mood.
Battery?
So I live with a battery in my hand.
In other words, as soon as I see it here, it's gone,
even a millimeter,
I run to plug it in.
Besides, I always carry a charger in my bag.
or a USB cable.
The last purchase made with your telephone?
Oh no, I can't say it, I'm ashamed.
You're going to tell me:
"But what do you mean, you don't go to bookshops Lara?"
It's a book called 'Au coeur des 5 langages de l'amour' that I bought on Amazon.
Your favorite artist?
In my favorite artists today
I have Slimane.
I love Vitaa.
And I love Santa.
Last music listened to?
It's a track by Hatik and Slimane
called "Y'a rein".
That's the last one I listened to.
And just before that, Barry White.
The last single released?
The last single I released was a song called
called Ta peine that I co-wrote,
co-wrote with Slimane.
Ta peine is the story of someone
who offers a helping hand to someone in need.
It's magical to work with Slimane.
It's simple, it's fluid, it's dense, it's intense.
It's a great gift to work with Slimane.
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Interesting picture(s)/video(s) of the week:
From the Lara Fabian America FB site, Lara with Vitaa
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=777798777719147&set=a.639771701521856
From the Lara Fabian the Netherlands FB site, those ‘red shoes’ discussed in her Cosmopolitan interview (along with other pictures from the interview), at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=944347044365353&set=pcb.944347207698670
We’ll see what’s next for Lara; this does seem like a convenient decompression point for her with respect to the French media. The single and her various TV shows have already been promoted and seen; and the upcoming concerts next month have nothing to do with France. Would be a good time to work on the album, or the school, or, dare one say it, go back to Quebec .
David