Three years after the release of her first album, which went gold and platinum, she released her second album, Carpe Diem, which launched the career of this singer-songwriter in French-speaking countries, especially in Quebec. Within three weeks, the album went gold. She then took her music on tour, performing to over 150,000 admirers, while her album went three times platinum. She was especially appreciated by the Canadian public and music industry. In 1995, she was awarded two Félix awards by Quebec's association of recording artists (ADISQ), namely Best Female Vocalist of the year (by popular vote), and Best Live Performance of the year.
Then, things began to pick up!
In 1996, Walt Disney Studios immortalized Lara's voice. In addition to incarnating Esmeralda, the heroine of the animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame, she sang the theme song ("Que Dieu aide les exclus") on the film's soundtrack.
In October, her third album "Pure" went platinum in less than two weeks. Thanks to this album, she won the 1997 Félix for Album of the Year. The same year, "Pure" was launched in France where over two million albums were sold within two years. Thanks to this resounding success, which eloquently expressed the affection of her loving and faithful fans, Lara was awarded the prize for New Artist of the Year at the prestigious French gala Les Victoires de la Musique. This was in February 1998, a few months before the concert tour in several French cities that led to the recording of an album (Lara Fabian Live) in March 1999 which went platinum a few months later. Lara Fabian was praised by music lovers and critics alike...
In addition to receiving the Félix for Quebec Artist Having the Most Impact Outside Quebec, she was voted Personality of the Year by the magazine Paris Match, which featured her on its front cover. While her fame grew, she was honored at the World Music Awards for Best Selling Artist for "Pure". Between appearances in Europe, Lara often returned to New York City and San Francisco to record her first album in English. She wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, working with Rick Allison and producers Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey), Pat Leonard (Madonna), Sam Watters (ex-Color Me Badd) and Brian Rawling (Cher's "I Believe").
Produced by Sony Records, the self-titled album was launched in May 2000 on America's most popular morning television show, NBC's Today Show. Invitations poured in, and Lara Fabian appeared on The Tonight Show, The View, Access Hollywood, Craig Kilborn, Entertainment Tonight...
The album's first excerpt, I will Love Again, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Music charts and settled in for 58 weeks! Thanks to this resounding success, she received the Félix for Quebec Artist Having the Most Impact in a Language other than French. The songs on the album thrilled audiences worldwide.
In February 2001, Love By Grace became the theme song of the lead couple in the Brazilian soap opera Laços de Familia, broadcast by TV Globo for millions of viewers in Brazil and Portugal. For several weeks, the song was number 1 on most Brazilian and Portuguese radio stations. Love by Grace generated an incredible frenzy around the artist… You just don't top the billboards of Portuguese speaking countries everyday!
After From Lara with Love, her first American TV special broadcast by PBS, the singer-songwriter participated in the very popular WTKU New York radio special, Miracle on 34th Street, where many popular artists appeared, including Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin and Toni Braxton.
Shortly after, when her self-titled English-language album was released in Asia, Lara scored a number one hit on the Taiwanese top ten, a great moment for the artist. Many were particularly impressed with the song Light of my Life (found only on the Asian edition of the album), which she interpreted with Lee-Hom, Asia's top male Chinese-speaking vocalist. This song was included in the movie feature China Strike Force, starring newcomer Lee-Horn along with Aaron Kwok, a box-office idol throughout Asia.
Eagerly awaited in several cities throughout the world, Lara has brilliantly dealt with her growing popularity by frequently appearing abroad. The artist has performed in several European and American capitals, and has enjoyed every minute of her travels. Solid gold in Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Norway, Lara Fabian went platinum in Belgium, Brazil and France and triple platinum in Portugal. She enjoyed the longest number 1 run on Billboard's Heatseeker Chart in 2000.
Last May, Lara was awarded yet another prize at the World Music Awards in Monaco, where she sang Adagio. She also returned to New York and Los Angeles to lend her voice to the original soundtracks of two long-awaited international super productions in July 2001: She interpreted the song The Dreams Within, featured in the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, as well as For Always, the vocal version of the title song of A.I., Steven Spielberg's latest feature.
In addition to a new French-language album in September 2001, Lara Fabian launched the first single on her new album in May, "J'y crois encore", which can be heard on radio stations in Quebec and Europe.
From France to Brazil, in Italy, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Japan and the United States, Lara Fabian has established her reputation as a determined singer-songwriter. Barely 10 years after the release of her first album, Lara has conquered the hearts of millions of fans throughout the world, whose fervor is equaled only by their affection for this talented and authentic artist. Eight million records sold worldwide to this day testify to her achievement.
Her best-selling European DVD and CD, En Toute Intimité, released in October 2003, was an intimate, acoustic piano-based collection showcasing Ms. Fabian performing songs in English, Italian and French.
After En Toute Intimité Lara Fabian released her 2nd English language album called "A wonderful life". Lara Fabian's latest release is an album in the French language with the title "Toutes Les Femmes en Moi", released in May 2009.
2010: "Tour Les Femmes Font Leur Show", Mademoiselle Zhivago
Throughout the first half of 2010, Fabian embarked on a European tour of concerts, throughout France, Switzerland, and Belgium, incorporating the main repertoire of her last album "Toutes Les Femmes En Moi" along with some classic and fan favorites. She also performed again in Eastern Europe, with a more acoustic set (piano-voice), and included English recordings from the album Every Woman in Me. In September 2010, she finally released her 2009 album "Toutes Les Femmes En Moi" in Québec. She also recorded the album "Nuit Magique" with Canadian singer Coral Egan.
Later in 2010, Fabian released a concept album in Russia and Ukraine called Mademoiselle Zhivago which has sold over 800.000 copies in Russia. It features 11 songs in different languages by Russian composer Igor Krutoy. It features stories about a woman who experiences several lives over the years and centuries. Eleven music videos, one each song, were combined to create a full-length film, produced and directed by Ukrainian film producer Alan Badoev. The album itself, containing a CD and a DVD, was first released in Ukraine in October 2010 and in Russia in November.
2020–present: Lockdown Sessions
On December 16, 2020, Lara Fabian discreetly unveiled a collection of 12 experimental musical tracks, the fruit of her introspection and her isolation during confinement. Lockdown Sessions came out in a limited edition without a label, and offers a unique journey of the singer accompanied again by Moh Denebi.
Fabian is a full lyric soprano with a vocal range that spans three octaves from C3 to G5 in live performances.
She is multilingual, she speaks Italian, French, Spanish, Sicilian, English and some Flemish.[citation needed] She has also sung in Azerbaijani, German, Greek, Hebrew, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish
Africa / Rio
Lara Fabian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards
Salvation
I stopped an old man along the way,
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancinet melodies
You
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Libre et rebelle
Tu es de celles
Qui dansent et bats
Au rythme de la samba
Ipanéma n'est pas que la fille que l'on croit
Dans cette ville
Le cœur dans l'eau
Une forêt
Est le refuge des bateaux
Toutes les nuits
Rouge est la lumière de sa peau
C'est plus la peine
Je ne suis plus la même
Rio
Ton Pain de Sucre est un oiseau
Jésus lui-même en a quitté sa croix
Il veille en toi les bras ouverts
Et tes enfants
De tous les sangs
Marchent sur les toits
Il n'y a pas que Guanahara
Le ballon au pied
Aucun rêve ne peut s'effondrer
L'hiver est mort
L'été, c'est janvier
Rio
Ton Pain de Sucre est un oiseau
Jésus lui-même en a quitté sa croix
Il veille en toi les bras ouverts
Rio
Carioca, c'est ça ton drapeau
Chaque couleur définissant ta foi
Vert Tijuca
Bleu nuit bossa
Jaune Copacabana
Blanche et Certi
L'eau est la terre
Où tu prends vie
Rio
Ton Pain de Sucre est un oiseau
Jésus lui-même en a quitté sa croix
Il veille en toi les bras ouverts
Fala do amor
(Merci à steven's pour cettes paroles)
The first few lines of the song "Africa/Rio" by Lara Fabian immediately draws the listener in with the sound of echoing drums. However, while the singer is attentive to these sounds, the subject of the song, a female character, can only hear whispers of a conversation. The lyrics then transition to the singer anxiously awaiting the arrival of this woman on a 12:30 flight while being guided by the moonlit wings reflecting the stars towards his salvation. Along the way, he encounters an old man whom he hoped would provide him with some ancient wisdom. The elderly character instead encourages him to hurry onward to what awaits him.
The second part of the song is dedicated to highlighting the city of Rio de Janeiro, specifically the iconic "Pão de Açúcar" or "Sugar Loaf Mountain." The lyrics speak of the city as being a place of freedom, rebellion, and celebration, where people of all different races and backgrounds come together to dance and move in rhythm with the "samba" beat. The song portrays Rio as a place where nothing is impossible, and even the colors of the city's flag represent different aspects of its spirit, ranging from green for the Tijuca forest to blue for the Bossa Nova style of music.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the drums
The sound of percussive instruments is audible to me.
Echoing tonight
It is a repeating sound that will reverberate throughout the night.
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
However, the woman only hears murmurs and quiet talks that are not overly important.
She's coming in 12:30 flight
She is returning on the flight that arrives at 12:30.
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards Salvation
The nighttime sky reflects the light of stars, which help direct me towards freedom from difficulties.
I stopped an old man along the way,
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, Hurry boy, it's waiting there for You
As I was travelling, I stopped an elderly man in the hopes of finding a lost poem or piece of music from a bygone era. Instead, he gestured that the treasure I am seeking can be found close by and I must hurry to acquire it.
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Despite the significant challenges that may arise, I will not be separated from you easily. The heavy weather down in Africa is a sacred phenomenon, and the time we have together after these storms will be used to fill our lives with experiences we have never encountered before.
Libre et rebelle
Free and rebellious.
Tu es de celles
You are one of those women.
Qui dansent et bats
Who dance and strike.
Au rythme de la samba
To the rhythm of samba music.
Ipanéma n'est pas que la fille que l'on croit
Ipanéma is not just a girl, as it may seem.
Dans cette ville
Le cœur dans l'eau
Une forêt
Est le refuge des bateaux
Toutes les nuits
Rouge est la lumière de sa peau
In this city, where water is flowing, there is a forest that is the harbour for the boats. Every night, her skin is illuminated by a red glow.
C'est plus la peine
Je ne suis plus la même
It is no longer worth it, I am no longer the same person.
Rio
Ton Pain de Sucre est un oiseau
Jésus lui-même en a quitté sa croix
Il veille en toi les bras ouverts
Rio, your Sugar Loaf is a bird, one that Jesus himself left his cross for. He is watching you with open arms.
Et tes enfants
De tous les sangs
Marchent sur les toits
Il n'y a pas que Guanahara
Le ballon au pied
Aucun rêve ne peut s'effondrer
Your children, from all walks of life, walk on the rooftops. There is more to Rio than Guanahara, and any dream can come true, even if they carry the weight of a ball.
L'hiver est mort
L'été, c'est janvier
Winter is dead, January is summer.
Rio
Carioca, c'est ça ton drapeau
Chaque couleur définissant ta foi
Rio, your flag is Carioca, with each colour defining your faith.
Vert Tijuca
Bleu nuit bossa
Jaune Copacabana
Blanche et Certi
L'eau est la terre
Où tu prends vie
Green Tijuca, deep blue bossa, yellow Copacabana, white and certi. Water is the land that nurtures you.
Rio
Ton Pain de Sucre est un oiseau
Jésus lui-même en a quitté sa croix
Il veille en toi les bras ouverts
Rio, your Sugar Loaf is a bird, one that Jesus himself left his cross for. He is watching you with open arms.
Fala do amor
Speak of love.
Contributed by London Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emília Carolina
Obrigada, Lara, por fazer uma das mais lindas homengens, que já vi, ao Brasil, feita por estrangeiros. Essa apresentação deveria ter sido feita na abertura ou encerramento dos jogos olímpicos de 2016, como uma apresentação de língua francesa, devido ao COI, além das brasileiras, claro! Sou sua fã há muitos anos. Parabéns pela pessoa e excelente profissional que vc sempre foi.
Juliet Sousa
Emília Carolina Alguém deveria ter feito essa proposta a ela. Seria explendido!
Raquel Canedo
Emília Carolina concordo com vc ela realmente canta muito, além de ser super carismática que linda homenagem Lara Fabian muito obrigada por gostar do Brasil!
satasjon
Es Lara!!!! Obvio puede hacerlo, eso es una artista en toda la extensión de la palabra.
Joice Osório
Thank you for the video! I'm a brazilian fan, and I adore the song Rio. Lara is the best!
Eliska_Kva
Wonderful! Festive songs amazingly suits to Lara...I like to see her in this aspect of music.
BRUNO DIAZ YANEZ
ESTA MUJER TIENE UN TIMBRE DE VOZ IMPRESIONANTE DIOS MIO CANTA HERMOSO
Vladimir Hernandez
Realmente eres increíble. Dios te bendiga
axsari
I love Laraaaa!!! She is the better singer!!! A great concert...
Oscar Yañez
increible!! perfecta