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
Que j'Etais Belle
Lara Fabian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De ce double tiroir.
Cachés par moi, quelques secrets,
Belles et moins belles histoires
J'étais celle au feu rebelle,
Que j'étais belle quand j'aimais
Où suis-je passée?
Illusion ou déraison,
Je me revois, blessée parfois,
Pire, oui bien pire que ça,
Trahie, traquée par ce faux moi,
Hypnotisée sans foi.
Entre celle qui s'ensorcelle
Et celle qui traîne ses pauvres ailes,
J'ai choisi le froid,
Illusion ou déraison,
Plus de braise pour moi.
Pourtant là dans ce tiroir
Brillent tous les soirs d'antan,
Où l'ère de l'air insufflait
Les vœux plus ardents,
Où j'étais sur du vent,
Non du mauvais temps.
In Lara Fabian's song "Que j'Etais Belle," the lyrics speak to the singer's past self, who was full of life and love, and the current speaker, who seems to be in a colder and more detached place. The "double tiroir" or double drawer represents the singer's mind and the different parts of herself that she tries to hide. She reminisces about her past, where she was a "feu rebelle," or rebellious fire, full of passion when she loved. However, now she seems to be disconnected and unsure of whether her past self was real or just an illusion.
The second verse speaks to the pain and betrayal the singer has experienced, feeling chased by a false version of herself, hypnotized without faith. The two sides of herself are mentioned again, the one who bewitches and the one who drags her wings, and she has chosen the latter, the cold and distant version of herself. The singer seems to be wondering where the passion and life from her past have gone, and whether they can be rekindled. The final lines mention the memories that are still cherished in the drawer, despite the changes in the singer's life. The singer was once sure of herself and her direction, driven by the winds of change, but now faces uncertain times.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing for what once was and a questioning of what the future holds.
Line by Line Meaning
A petit pas je sors mes joies,
Slowly, I bring out my joys,
De ce double tiroir.
From this double drawer.
Cachés par moi, quelques secrets,
Hidden by me, a few secrets,
Belles et moins belles histoires
Beautiful and less beautiful stories
J'étais celle au feu rebelle,
I was the rebellious fire
Que j'étais belle quand j'aimais
How beautiful I was when I loved
Où suis-je passée?
Where did I go?
Illusion ou déraison,
Illusion or madness,
Faites vos jeux, j'ai fait.
Make your bets, I'm done.
Je me revois, blessée parfois,
I see myself again, wounded at times,
Pire, oui bien pire que ça,
Worse, yes much worse than that,
Trahie, traquée par ce faux moi,
Betrayed, hunted by this fake me,
Hypnotisée sans foi.
Hypnotized without faith.
Entre celle qui s'ensorcelle
Between the one who bewitches herself
Et celle qui traîne ses pauvres ailes,
And the one who drags her poor wings,
J'ai choisi le froid,
I chose the cold,
Illusion ou déraison,
Illusion or madness,
Plus de braise pour moi.
No more embers for me.
Pourtant là dans ce tiroir
Yet there, in this drawer
Brillent tous les soirs d'antan,
All the evenings of old shine,
Où l'ère de l'air insufflait
Where the age of air breathed in
Les vœux plus ardents,
The most fervent of wishes,
Où j'étais sur du vent,
Where I was on the wind,
Non du mauvais temps.
Not in bad weather.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Angie Guerreiro Reinaudo 😜
les chansons de Lara nous hypnotise presque ☮️🐦💙
Lemmy 1916
🙏🙏✊
Angie Guerreiro Reinaudo 😜
j'aime bien cette chanson ca me rappelle une certaine nuit qui me fait me rappeler à quel point je suis encore admirative de Lara 👌💪
Th67 BT
Féerique,un rien Celtique ?Lara m'emporte,de ça voix💕
Lilly C
really beautiful
Oscar Mendez
There is no equal voice <3!
Paola Lilla
E' mio Brano preferito dell'Album!
Lara Fabian sei l'Artista Vocalist Compositrice piu' grande al mondo
🌍🌎🌏!
Eric Burdick
Perfection
Lara Fabian Tribute Channel
Bellissimo brano 💖 purtroppo poco conosciuto
Paola Lilla
Veramente bel Brano ! Si', effettivamente troppo poco conosciuto.