Lara Fabian

Belgian-born pop singer/songwriter Lara Fabian began singing, dancing, and taking piano lessons at a very young age and formal music lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels at age eight. During her ten years of study there, Fabian started writing and performing her own songs, which were inspired as much by her classical vocal and music theory training as they were by Barbra Streisand and Queen. After finishing her studies, Fabian moved to Montreal and began her own label and publishing company, Productions Clandestines. Collaborator/producer Rick Allison, an old friend from Brussels, joined her in Montreal and the pair worked steadily on writing and recording songs. In 1991, Fabian’s French-language debut, Lara Fabian, was released in Canada and sold over 100,000 copies in three years. Her consistent touring in Quebec helped bolster her 1994 album Carpe Diem to similar success, paving the way for 1997′s Pure, which sold over two million copies in France and featured the anti-homophobia anthem “La Difference.” The live album Fabian released a year later solidified the international buzz around her and she was signed by Sony Music, which released her self-titled English-language album in 2000. It was a huge success across the globe, reaching number one in the U.S. Heatseekers chart and it rocketed to the top of the French charts. A year later she returned to the French language for her fifth album, Nue, which documented her tumultuous time during the overwhelming success of her previous album. In 2004, Fabian released her second English record, A Wonderful Life. The album featured a collection of acoustic pop songs and included “Review My Kisses” — a track Fabian originally turned down for the album. However, after being impressed by LeAnn Rimes’ version, she recorded the song herself. Just a year later, Fabian released 9, her fifth French studio album, which for the first time was not produced by longterm collaborator Rick Allison. Instead, Jean-Félix Lalanne took the helm and brought about a distinct change in Fabian’s pop sound. The highly anticipated collaboration with pianist Matt Herskowitz, Toutes Les Femmes en Moi, arrived in 2009 and collected songs from an array of artists such as Celine Dion and Edith Piaf. 2010 saw the release of the compilation Best of Laura Fabian, which included the hit single “I Will Love Again” and her duet with Johnny Hallyday “Requiem Pour un Fou.” Three years later, Fabian returned with her 11th studio album, Le Secret, featuring the marriage equality anthem “Deux Ils, Deux Elles.” It debuted at number one on the French charts. She then worked with producer/songwriters David Gategno and Elodie Hesme on 2015′s Ma Vie Dans la Tienne. In 2017, Fabian delivered her 13th studio album and fifth English-language release, Camouflage. Featured on the album were collaborations with veteran songwriter Sharon Vaughn and producer/songwriter Moh Denebi, including the lead single “Growing Wings.” ~ Heather Phares & Scott Kerr