name	Rusia
settlement type	Settlement
total type
coordinates region	PL
subdivision type	Country
subdivision name	Poland
subdivision type1	Voivodeship
subdivision name1	Pomeranian
subdivision type2	County
subdivision name2	Starogard
subdivision type3	Gmina
subdivision name3	Skarszewy
latns	N
Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
longew	E
pushpin map	Poland
pushpin label position	right
website	}}

Rusia is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Skarszewy, within Starogard County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Skarszewy, north-west of Starogard Gdański, and south-west of the regional capital Gdańsk.

For details of the history of the region, see ''History of Pomerania''.

References

Rusia

pl:Rusia

Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
name	Bill Kaulitz
background	solo_singer
born	September 01, 1989Leipzig, East Germany
nationality	German
genre	Alternative rock, pop rock, pop punk, electronic rock, emo, electronic pop, powerpop
instrument	Vocals, guitar, keyboard, synthesizer, programming, piano, violin
occupation	Singer-songwriter, model, voice actor, designer
years active	1996–present
label	UMG
associated acts	Tokio Hotel, Black Question Mark, Devilish
website	www.tokiohotel.com }}

Bill Kaulitz (born 1 September 1989 in Leipzig, German Democratic Republic) is a German singer, songwriter, voice actor, designer and model. He is best known for his work from 2001 to the present as the lead singer of the band Tokio Hotel.

Biography

Early life (1989–1999)

Bill Kaulitz was born on 1 September 1989 in Leipzig, German Democratic Republic. He has an identical twin brother, Tom, who is older by ten minutes. His parents, Simone and Jörg Kaulitz, separated when Kaulitz and his brother were seven years old. Eventually his mother began dating again, to Gordon Trümper, the guitarist from the German rock band Fatun. After being in a relationship with him for twelve years, Simone married him on 1 August 2009.

Kaulitz showed an early interest in singing, as did Tom in playing guitar. Trümper noticed the twins' musical inclinations, and helped the twins to start their own band. According to Kaulitz in several interviews, he and Tom started writing music at the age of seven years old.

Early musical career (1999–2003)

At the age of ten the brothers began performing live in Magdeburg, near their hometown of Loitsche, under the pseudonym Black Question Mark. They played small shows and while their audiences enjoyed them, they were largely unknown. The band lacked a drummer and bass player and the twins relied on a keyboard to fill in other instrumental sounds.

The year the brothers turned twelve, they met Georg Listing (then 14) and Gustav Schäfer (then 13), in the audience of one of their shows. Listing and Schäfer were friends and after the show, having liked what they heard and saw, made an offer to join. The band was promptly re-named "Devilish" due to an article published at the time that referred to their "devilishly great" sound. The four continued to perform, but aside from being featured on a small-time German news program somewhere between late 2002 and early 2003, Devilish were not going anywhere until Kaulitz auditioned on the reality TV talent show "Star Search."

First releases

This continued until 2005 when Jost arranged a meeting between the band and Universal Music Group's Interscope Records and Tokio Hotel was signed. They began working immediately, releasing their debut LP ''Schrei'' ("Scream") later that year. Their first single off of ''Schrei'' was "Durch den Monsun" ("Through The Monsoon"), which reached #1 in Germany within a month of its release.

First tour and growing success

Tokio Hotel launched their debut tour in Germany, to support the release of ''Schrei'' and its singles. They toured Germany and also recorded a live DVD. On stage, Kaulitz was noted and well-known for his energetic style and harmonizing with the fans (he would frequently let the audience sing verses instead of him).

In 2006, Kaulitz voiced the role of Arthur in the first part of the German version of the film ''Arthur and the Invisibles''.

Tokio Hotel were a household name in Germany at this point, and this compelled the band to return to the studio. After the success of ''Schrei'', Tokio Hotel began working on their second album, ''Zimmer 483'' (''Room 483''), released in February 2007. The album spawned three singles initially: "Übers Ende der Welt" ("Over the End of the World" – released as "Ready, Set, Go!"), "Spring nicht" ("Don't Jump"), and "An deiner Seite (Ich bin da)" ("By Your Side (I am there)" – released as "By Your Side"). A fourth single, "Heilig" ("Holy" – released as "Sacred"), was released in 2008.

To support the release of ''Zimmer 483'', Tokio Hotel began a continental tour of Europe, spawning another live DVD and a large publicity boost.

International breakthrough (2007–2008)

As Tokio Hotel's fanbase increased in the Western part of the world, Kaulitz and the band decided to re-record select songs from both ''Schrei'' and ''Zimmer 483'' for a new English-language LP so that fans around the world could understand the band's songs. The result of these re-recorded songs was Tokio Hotel's debut English album, titled ''Scream''. The album was released in Europe in mid-2007 (albeit with the name ''Room 483'', the literal translation of ''Zimmer 483'', to express it's continuity with that album), however it did not reach release in the West until mid-2008.

Scream spawned four singles, including "Scream", "Monsoon" (the translated version of "Durch den Monsun" however the title was not 100% literally translated), "Don't Jump" (the translated version of "Spring Nicht"), and "Ready, Set, Go!" (the translated version of "Übers Ende der Welt", again not a literal translation of the title). ''Scream'' was moderately successful internationally, and to support the release, Tokio Hotel left Europe for the first time in their careers, and flew to the United States.

In February 2008 Tokio Hotel first set foot in North America to play five shows, starting in Canada and ending in New York. Tokio Hotel were the first German act since Nena to gain success internationally, and maintain their status. The U.S. tour was a success, but when they went back to Europe for their 1000 Hotels Tour, disaster struck.

1000 hotels tour and medical complications

The 1000 Hotels Tour began in Brussels, Belgium, on 3 March 2008, and was set to continue through the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Scandinavia, ending on the 9 April. However eleven days after the start of the tour, on 14 March, Kaulitz began to experience voice problems in the middle of a show in Marseilles, France. He let the audience sing more often and the band cut their set down from twenty-one to sixteen songs.

Two days after the incident in France, Tokio Hotel cancelled a show in Lisbon, Portugal moments before it was to commence. The band, with the exception of Kaulitz, came on the stage and apologized for the show being cancelled. They explained that Kaulitz was sick and was being flown back to Germany to see a specialist: he had played forty-three shows without a break and had developed an untreated throat infection. The infection caused a cyst to develop on the singer's vocal chords that had to be removed via larynx surgery on 30 March. Kaulitz was unable to speak for ten days afterwards and had to undergo speech therapy for one month.

By May 2008 Kaulitz had sufficiently recovered and Tokio Hotel rescheduled the 1000 Hotels Tour dates, adding several open air concerts. The tour concluded on 13 July 2008 in Werchter, Belgium and, despite the surgery and time taken off, was deemed a success.

Stalking incident

More trouble came for Kaulitz when in late 2008/early 2009 several female stalkers pursued the band relentlessly, even following his twin brother Tom Kaulitz to his parents' home in Germany and attacked the twins' mother. The issue seemed to end after his twin brother Tom allegedly hit one of the stalkers at a gas station in April 2009 and drove off. However, a recent article in Bild stated that the issue had resurfaced and that Tom Kaulitz may stand trial for assault. In late December 2009, the charges against Tom were lifted and he is pressing charges himself — against the girl he allegedly hit — on grounds of stalking.

Other work

In 2009, he reprised the role of the German voice of Arthur again for the ''Arthur und die Minimoys'' (Arthur And The Invisibles) sequel. In 2010, Kaulitz and Tokio Hotel teamed up with Kerli to record the song ''Strange'' for the film ''Alice In Wonderland'' and accompanying ''Almost Alice'' soundtrack. Kaulitz, alongside his brother, Tom, modeled for a PETA.de photoshoot, protesting the use of animals as a source of entertainment. He also modeled for Dsquared in early 2010, making his debut as a model.

''Humanoid''

Over 2008 and 2009, Tokio Hotel returned to the recording studio to record their second English album and third German album. The result was ''Humanoid'', which was a much more techno-oriented release and a new sound. ''Humanoid'' was released on October 6, 2009, and just short of a month later Tokio Hotel picked up the "Best Group" award at the EMAs in Berlin on November 5. Humanoid has so far spawned two singles, "Automatic"/"Automatisch", released in September 2009, and "World Behind My Wall"/"Lass uns laufen" (meaning "Let Us Run"), to be released in January 2010.

Discography

; Devilish

''Devilish'' (self-released, 2001)

; Tokio Hotel

''Schrei'' (Island Records/Universal Music, 2005)

''Zimmer 483'' (Island/Universal, 2007)

''Humanoid'' (Island/Universal, Stunner Records [INTL] CherryTree Records, Interscope Records [USA], 2009)

Personal life

Bill Kaulitz and his identical twin brother, Tom, used to live in Hamburg but recently moved to Los Angeles in response to an incident involving stalkers and a robbery. They have also stated that it is easier for them to create their new album, as it is closer to their manager David Jost. They are currently living in Los Angeles but also have a second home in Hamburg. Bill is vegetarian and has been involved in campaigning for PETA.

Public image

German site www.dw-world.com says that his look, young age and edgy hairstyle has helped him obtain icon status among many teenage girls. Kaulitz designs many of his own stage costumes, and despite poor drawing skills, the designs are constructed by his tailor. The singer apparently collects suspenders, and is also "totally crazy about jackets". Kaulitz reports he has hundreds of jackets in his closet – though he has said that none of his jackets are real leather as he is opposed to using animal pelts/feathers for clothing. He cites his fashion and style influences as David Bowie—particularly in the 1986 film ''Labyrinth''—Nena, Vampires, Paris secondhand shops, striking jewelry and Dior Homme. He also cites Steven Tyler, Karl Lagerfeld and Hedi Slimane.

In August 2008, Kaulitz was chosen as the most attractive singer on stage by the readers of the Spanish magazine ''¡Hola!''. He was also immortalized in wax at the Madame Tussauds museum in Berlin on September 30, 2008. Kaulitz was 19 when the likeness was made, making him the youngest person to be duplicated by the Madame Tussauds museum in Berlin. In December 2008, Bill Kaulitz was named "Man of the Year #6" by MTV News.

In September 2009, Kaulitz was chosen by fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld to take part in a photo shoot for the 30th birthday of Vogue in Germany. Karl Lagerfeld described him as "The Other Idea of a German" and wrote that the 20-year-old singer with the unusual styling became a superstar; and a fashion icon.

While in October 2009, Kaulitz was number 11 on German magazine GQ's Best Dressed list. They cite his flamboyant style as one of the reasons he was chosen, as well as his liking to change and try new things. Designer Michael Michalsky supported his decision by saying: "Bill Kaulitz is unique and uncompromising, Pop-Art brought to life. He likes to change – that is fashion." For the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show, Kaulitz opened and closed the show with the song Screamin'.

References

Category:1989 births Category:Androgyny Category:Child singers Category:East German people Category:English-language singers Category:German expatriates in the United States Category:German-language singers Category:German male singers Category:German rock musicians Category:German rock singers Category:German vegetarians Category:Identical twins Category:Living people Category:Musical duos Category:People from Leipzig Category:Sibling duos

ar:بيل كوليتز (مغني) bg:Бил Каулиц ca:Bill Kaulitz cs:Bill Kaulitz da:Bill Kaulitz de:Bill Kaulitz et:Bill Kaulitz eu:Bill Kaulitz fa:بیل کاولیتز fr:Bill Kaulitz it:Bill Kaulitz la:Gulielmus Kaulitz hu:Bill Kaulitz mk:Бил Каулиц nl:Bill Kaulitz ja:ビル・カウリッツ no:Bill Kaulitz pl:Bill Kaulitz pt:Bill Kaulitz ro:Bill Kaulitz ru:Каулиц, Билл sk:Bill Kaulitz sr:Бил Каулиц tr:Bill Kaulitz uk:Білл Кауліц vi:Bill Kaulitz

Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
name	Katy Perry
background	solo_singer
birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
alias	Katy Hudson
birth date	October 25, 1984
birth place	Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
genre	Pop, rock, gospel
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
years active	2001–present
label	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol
website	}}

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents. Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, the later of which was never released. Perry is the first female artist to get five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.

Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.

2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.

''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".

On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.

On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made ​​headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.

Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.

Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."

Public image

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.

She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone'''s global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.

Personal life

Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.

Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.

In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

Discography

''Katy Hudson'' (2001)

''One of the Boys'' (2008)

''Teenage Dream'' (2010)

Tours

Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Hello Katy Tour (2009)

California Dreams Tour (2011)

Filmography

Television

!Year	!Title	!Role	Notes
	''''	Herself	Episode 8914
	Herself
	''American Idol''	Guest judge
	Guest judge
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
''The Simpsons''	Herself	1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011	''How I Met Your Mother''	Honey	1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011	''America's Got Talent''	Guest Judge	July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)

Films

!Year	!Title	!Role	class="unsortable"	Notes
	''Get Him to the Greek''	Herself	Deleted sceneUncredited
''Out in the Desert''	Herself	Post-production
	2011		Smurfette	Voice

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges

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Coordinates	54°5′20″N18°25′10″N
Name	Lara Fabian
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lara Crokaert
Birth date	January 09, 1970
Origin	Etterbeek, Belgium
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, musician, actress
Genre	Pop, French pop, pop rock, adult contemporary, acoustic, dance
Instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	1986–present
Label	Polydor Sony Music Universal Music Group
Website	}}

Lara Fabian (born Lara Crokaert, January 9, 1970) is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English. She has also sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian (e.g., "Любовь похожая на сон", or "Love Resembeling A Dream"), once in Hebrew on Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations and in German in 1988 for a version of "Croire" (ger.: "glauben" eng.: "believe"), although she speaks neither language fluently. She also speaks a little Dutch (Flemish). She has sold over 18 million records worldwide so far. She is a lyric soprano with a vocal range that spans four octaves from E-flat 3 to G#6. She can belt up to A5.

Early life

Born to a Belgian father and a Sicilian mother in Etterbeek, Belgium, she spent her first five years in her mother's hometown of Catania in Sicily before moving back to Brussels, Belgium. She began singing, dancing and taking piano lessons at a very young age and began formal music lessons at age eight. She began writing and performing her own songs during her ten years of formal study. Fabian's songs were greatly influenced by both her classical vocal and music theory training and by contemporary artists such as Barbra Streisand and Queen.

Music career

1986-1993: Early music career

During the 1980s, Lara Fabian entered a number of European competitions and won several prizes. A consequence of winning one of these contests in 1986 was the release of her first single, "L'Aziza est en pleurs" / "Il y avait". Both were written by the Belgian composer Marc Lerchs as homage to the deceased French singer Daniel Balavoine.

In 1988, the RTL TV channel in Luxembourg invited Fabian to represent the country at the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest, held that year in Dublin, Ireland. The song presented to Fabian was a composition made by Jacques Cardona and Alain Garciac entitled "Croire" (Trust) and reached a respectable fourth place that night. The winning song that year was titled "Ne partez pas sans moi" and launched the career of its performer, Fabian's fellow francophone artist, Céline Dion, who sang on behalf of Switzerland. Fabian's "Croire" became a hit single that year in Europe selling nearly 500,000 copies.

In 1990, Fabian travelled to Canada to promote her third single ''Je Sais'' and fell in love with the province of Quebec. In 1991, with two suitcases and $1,000 in her pocket, Fabian and her friend and musical collaborator, Rick Allison, moved to Montreal, Canada to embark on a career in North America. They began their own music label and publishing company, Productions Clandestines. Rick first met Fabian in a jazz bar in Brussels some years previously and was impressed by Fabian's vocals on George Gershwin's "Summertime". The pair worked steadily on writing and recording songs.

In August 1991, Fabian's self-titled French-language debut album, ''Lara Fabian'', was released in Canada and sold over 100,000 copies. This debut album went on to be certified ''Gold'' in 1993 and then certified platinum the following year. The success of the album's upbeat Dance-pop singles such as "Le jour où tu partira", "Les murs", and "Qui pense à l'amour" gave Fabian the radio exposure she needed. She received several nominations at the 1993 ''ADISQ awards'' and a poll published around that time revealed that she was considered Quebec's most promising singer.

1994-1996: Breakthrough album: "Carpe diem"

Fabian's constant touring in Quebec helped her 1994 album ''Carpe diem'' to become her breakthrough album. The album went ''Gold'' less than three weeks after its release, and spawned three hit singles: "Tu t'en vas", "Si tu m'aimes", and "Leïla". The following year, the album went ''Triple Platinum'' and Fabian's SRO tour attracted more than 150,000 fans. The success of ''Carpe diem'' was recognized at the 1995 ADISQ gala. Fabian received two Félix awards: Best Show Of The Year and Best Female Singer Of The Year (a category that is voted upon by the public).

In January 1995, Serge Lama requested that Fabian join him on the stage of the Paris venue Palais des Congrès to perform "Je suis malade", which she had recorded on ''Carpe diem''. Impressed by the audience's response to their duet, Lama immediately asked Fabian to sing the song once more on her own, this delighted the audience.

In 1996, Walt Disney Studios immortalized Fabian's voice when they asked her to voice the character of Esmeralda in the French version of the animated feature ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. Disney also included Fabian's French version of the song "Que Dieu aide les exclus" (God Help The Outcasts) on the film's English soundtrack album beside Bette Midler's version. This was a unique move for the company.

1997-1999: Mainstream international success: "Pure" and first "Live"

After the success of ''Carpe diem'', Fabian signed a contract with the French Polydor label for several albums and ''Pure'' was released in June 1997. ''Pure'' sold over two million copies in France alone and the album went platinum in less than two weeks. The album spawned several hit singles: "Tout", "Je t'aime", "Humana" and the anti-homophobia anthem "La Différence". "Tout", "Je t'aime" and "Humana" each sold more than one million copies. Fabian was again bestowed with awards, being awarded a Félix for Popular Album Of The Year at the 1997 ADISQ gala and was also nominated for two Juno Awards in the Best Female Singer and Best Selling French Album categories.

In January 1998, Fabian sang a duet with Johnny Hallyday at a benefit concert given for the Restos du Coeur in France. The pair would later perform this duet again at the Stade de France in front of 240,000 fans as part of Hallyday's concert tour. Fabian's own tour during this time had two sold-out shows at L'Olympia (France). A month later, on that very same stage, Fabian was given the Discovery Of The Year award during the Victoires de la Musique Gala. Also in 1998, Polydor released Fabian's Canadian hit album ''Carpe diem'' in Europe and her international popularity was secured, as exemplified by the decision of the famous Grévin Wax Museum to unveil Fabian's wax effigy, as a Quebec City museum had already done. This made her the first female Canadian singer ever to be honoured by the Paris institution.

Fabian spent most of fall 1998 in France, where she embarked on an extensive tour of 24 cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseilles, Geneva and Monaco. During this sold-out concert tour, Fabian performed for audiences of more than 150,000. In November 1998, Fabian received the Félix Award for ''Artist With The Most Recognition Outside Quebec'' at the ''ADISQ Gala''. In December, Fabian was chosen Revelation Of The Year by the magazine Paris Match, which put her on its cover to mark this occasion.

In March 1999, Fabian released her first live album, simply named ''Live'', which debuted at #1 on the French charts. This helped solidify the international buzz around her and she received an international recording contract from Sony Music.

In May 1999, Fabian was honoured at the ''World Music Awards'' in Monaco, where she was given the award for ''Best Selling Record for the Year 1998'' for her album ''Pure''. In July 1999, with over 6 million records sold across Europe, Polydor released Fabian’s self-titled debut album from 1991. This European version of the album contained slight modifications, such as a new album cover and the addition of the hit single "Croire".

1999-2001: Extension of success to the US and Latin America: "Lara Fabian"

In the summer of 1999, Fabian recorded her first English-language album, ''Lara Fabian'', in New York and San Francisco for the Sony label. The songs were written and produced with the help of her partner Rick Allison as well as Dave Pickell, Walter Afanasieff, Glen Ballard and Patrick Leonard.

The Dance-pop song, "I Will Love Again", her first English single, reached #1 on the U.S.A. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. It also peaked #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 Adult Contemporary) as well as appearing on several other international charts. A follow-up ballad, "Love By Grace", became a moderate Adult Contemporary chart hit peaking at #24. In February 2001, the title Love By Grace became the theme song of the lead couple in the Brazilian soap opera Laços de Família, 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.

The third single, the Dance-pop song, "I Am Who I Am" remixed by Hex Hector became an underground club hit, but did not chart. Meanwhile in Europe, the single "Adagio" charted at #5 on the French singles chart and #3 on the Belgian singles chart.

The album itself debuted at #1 on the Billboard ''Heatseekers'' new album chart, reached #1 on the French album chart and #2 on the Belgian album chart. For the Asian version of the album, Fabian collaborated with American-Taiwanese pop star Leehom Wang on the song "Light of my life".

During this period, Fabian recorded songs for several Hollywood motion picture soundtracks such as "The Dream Within" for the ''Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'' soundtrack and, "For Always" for the ''AI:Artificial Intelligence'' soundtrack. The "AI: Artificial Intelligence" Soundtrack has two versions of the song "For Always". One version is of Fabian solo, the other version is a duet with singer Josh Groban. Fabian has also ventured into acting, appearing in the film ''De-Lovely'', performing Cole Porter's ''So In Love'' with Mario Frangoulis. This song appears on the movie soundtrack. Also, Fabian's "Givin' Up On You" appears on the soundtrack "Songs From Dawson's Creek, Vol. 2".

2001-2003: "O Canada 2001" and return to French roots: "Nue", "Live 2002" and "En toute intimité"

''Nue'' (Naked) was Fabian's fourth French album and was released in the Fall of 2001 in both Québec and France, making her return to her French singing roots. Her experiences surrounding her first English album were intense and, although critically praised, personally exhausting. "Nue" is the documentation by Fabian and her partner and producer, Rick Allison, of her emotional ride in the preceding few years. It is an album that gave listeners a much more vulnerable and fragile perception of Fabian although presented with an exceptional vocal strength. Her first single released in the summer of 2001 was the anthem "J'y crois encore" which was a top 20 French hit and was followed by the release of the album later that month. The album reached #1 in Belgium and #2 in France but had little impact in Québec. Other singles followed, such as Fabian's personal favourite, "Immortelle", a strong song that remains constantly present in Fabian's live concerts. "Aimer Déjà" was also released as a single and in 2002 "Tu es mon autre" (a duet with fellow Belgian friend and singer Maurane), was nominated for song of the year and reached the top 5 in France. This has become another trademark song in Fabian's career and she has performed it many times with many other artists, including Rick Allison during her 2001/2002 tour. In addition, this album was also released in Portugal and reached the top 10 on the album charts during the Fall of 2001 as a consequence of the tremendous success of Fabian's previous English album.

Also in 2001, she collaborated with David Foster and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to record the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", for an English version, a French version, and a bilingual (French/English) version, for a promotion of the Government of Canada.

Also in 2002, Fabian contributed to the ''World Soccer Championship'' CD release with the song "World At Your Feet" written and produced by Gary Barlow.

Towards the end of 2002, Fabian released her second live album, ''Live 2002'', from her latest tour together with a DVD showcasing concerts recorded in December 2001 in Belgium at the Forest National and at Le Zénith in Paris.

By early 2003, Fabian was once again touring. This time the concert was presented in a more intimate and acoustic atmosphere at the Casino de Paris every Monday night. An acoustic set that became her transition towards a new Lara Fabian that the public was on verge of knowing and worshiping. During this tour, Maurane and Daniel Lavoie both appeared as guests, duetting with Fabian on "Tu es mon autre" and "Je suis mon coeur" respectively. These acoustic concerts were released as a live CD and DVD at the end of 2003, under the title ''En toute intimité''.

2004: Second English language release: "A Wonderful Life"

In 2004, Fabian released her second English album, ''A Wonderful Life''. The project was commercially unsuccessful but critically praised. The album did not come close to the success of her previous English debut effort but created a path for a sound and musical change that would trademark Fabian's future musical style. The more organic sound is due to the work of French guitarist Jean-Félix Lalanne, and also working with producers such as Desmond Child, Anders Bagge and the British team True North (composed of Take That singer Gary Barlow and Elliot John Kennedy). The centrepiece of this record, as Fabian stated on a promotional interview for this album, is "Review My Kisses". This song was written by Desmond Child and planned to be recorded initially by Fabian herself. It was recorded by LeAnn Rimes in 2002 for her album "Twisted Angel".

The first single release (though only for radio) was "The Last Goodbye" in the US and most other countries (except France). The video premiered on Portuguese talk show "Herman Sic" one day before the album was released. In the meantime, Fabian decided to release a different song in France, considering that "The Last Goodbye" was too "American" for an audience that was more used to her own songwriting. She released (with a video as well) the song "No Big Deal". Neither of the songs achieved massive or moderate, partly attributable to Fabian's personal decision to withdraw from the project and also due to conflicts with Sony Music. The album was not promoted and its release was cancelled in the United States.

At least one song from the album, "I Guess I Loved You", saw some moderate success when included on a Brazilian soap opera. Brazil is still one of the countries with a strong passion for Fabian's music, and therefore this song was chosen for the soundtrack of "Senhora do Destino" (Lady Of Destiny) almost gaining the same popularity that "Love By Grace" did when similarly chosen in 2001. The song also gained some popularity in Portugal for the same reasons, though it was never officially released or promoted.

For the rest of 2004 Fabian was in almost complete seclusion from the music scene, having left her second English record aside. Newspapers began speculating about a serious disease that had affected her. The drama became so exaggerated that Fabian herself was forced to appear on a short interview in Québec later that year explaining some of the reasons she withdrew from the public eye and also why she had returned to her native Belgium, leaving Québec (where she had lived in Westmount for nearly 15 years).

2005-2006: A new musical direction: "9" and "Un Regard 9"

In March 2005, Fabian re-appeared on the music scene in France (and also in Canada) with her fifth French album, ''9''. This title symbolically resembles ''"a change"'' and ''"a rebirth[...]the end of a period of time in one's life and simultaneously the beginning of another"''. It marked a completely different direction in Fabian's musical and personal life. The album is performed differently, with smoothness, serenity and with a lot of joy, far from the in-depth and dramatic vibes of earlier recordings.

''9'' yielded the hit single "La Lettre", a song co-written by Fabian and composed by her new partner, Jean-Félix Lalanne. He is responsible, along with Fabian herself for the composition and production of the album's 11 tracks. Other singles from ''9'' were "Ne lui parlez plus d'elle", "Un Ave Maria", "Il ne manquait que toi" (a song written by Fabian and inspired by Lalanne) and the gospel-infused "L'homme qui n'avait pas de maison".

The success of ''9'' was cemented by a huge tour titled "Un regard 9". This tour reached France, Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon, Russia, Quebec, Turkey, Luxembourg, Mauritius, French overseas territories in the Caribbean and Oceania and totalled more than 60 concerts. Fabian also performed in Portugal for the first time, showcasing songs from her two English records and a few French songs such as "La Lettre".

In October 2006, Fabian released a CD and DVD of this tour, both titled ''Un regard 9 Live''. Both the CD and DVD were recorded during Fabian's concerts on 29 March 2006 at Le Zénith in Paris. The CD presents 15 live performances plus a brand new song, "Aime", which was recorded in a studio in Montreal. This song has been recorded in both English and French, though the latter version is the only one officially released so far. "Aime" was initially performed live during a few concerts in Belgium as gift for her native Belgium fans but the enthusiastic response and feedback prompted Fabian to record the song and include it on a forthcoming release. On TV shows, where Fabian promoted the song as a single, one can see the audience putting their hands in the air in the shape of a heart, a sign Fabian made during her tour and that has now became a symbol for the song and its meaning.

2006-2007: An Italian collaboration and live concerts in Europe

According to messages left by Lara Fabian on her official site in 2006, her next studio album was to be her first Italian-language project. Few details have been released except that she has been working with Neapolitan singer and songwriter Gigi D'Alessio, who appeared once at one of her shows, and whose performance is included as a bonus on Fabian's recent live DVD, ''Un regard 9 Live''. The two artists recorded a song called "Un Cuore Malato" (Ill heart), which they performed live during the fourth night of the 2007 Sanremo festival on Rai Uno, the main Italian public channel. There is also a French/Italian version of this duet "Un Coeur Blessé" and this was released to French radio in Summer 2007.

In June 2007, Fabian worked in Rome and Los Angeles to record sessions for her Italian album. In the meantime, the single "Un Cuore Malato" (with Gigi D'Alessio) reached the top of the Italian charts and #16 in France. As part of her time in Los Angeles, Fabian worked with Dave Stewart (musician and record producer known for his work with Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (former Alanis Morissette producer and writing partner) on a "multilingual" album which is reputed to include songs in English, Spanish, French, Italian and a few other languages (resembling albums by singers such as Josh Groban, Mario Frangoulis and Russell Watson with whom Fabian has recorded before). This album is expected to be released in late 2008. Fabian revealed some time ago that she wrote a song with Dave Stewart called "Between Hatred And Love" and a few tracks with Glen Ballard for to this project. Ballard had previously composed a track for Fabian titled "Ivy" and this was released as a b-side for the single "Adagio" in 1999.

Also in 2007, Fabian was in Québec to perform a two night concert at the Olympia de Montreal (re-opening this theatre after its long renovation) presenting her Quebec fans with some of the atmosphere of her 2005-2006 European Un regard 9 tour. In addition, Fabian performed private acoustic sessions in countries such as Portugal, Turkey and Russia. On 14 October 2007, Fabian was a surprise guest at the only concert Gigi D'Alessio gave in France at the famous Olympia in Paris, just a few days before the birth of her daughter. Fabian surprised everyone by appearing and performing their successful duet "Un Cuore Malato". The concert was broadcasted through an Italian TV channel.

2009: Return to the music scene: "Toutes les femmes en moi"

Lara Fabian returned to the music scene a few months after her daughter's birth in 2007 and has been doing some concerts in Ukraine, Russia and Greece. In Greece she was a guest in a concert by Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis, with whom Fabian had previously duetted on the song "So In Love" featured in the movie "De-Lovely" in 2004. Fabian has also made a few TV appearances (such as 60th Anniversary of Israel where Fabian performed a Hebrew song and duetted with Israeli singer Noa).

On an interview for Russian radio station "Silver Rain", prior to a concert in Moscow, Fabian expressed how much she loved and admired the late singer Grégory Lemarchal and claimed he was her favourite Star Academy participant from all seven editions done so far. She was also asked about what she thought of the talent shows that have brought so many people to the world of music. Fabian responded with ''"Who are we to judge? [...] These young people don't know how this machinery works, but we can't kill their dreams, can we?"''. In addition to the interview, she performed Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" specially for LeMarchal during her Moscow concert.

During 2008, Fabian was in Belgium preparing to record a brand new French album with famous pianist Mark Herskowitz, who had also composed and arranged the hidden instrumental track featured on the 2001 album "Nue". The album will be partly recorded in Montreal, Canada. No further details have been revealed regarding her anticipated Italian album. It is highly suspected, however, that the new French album may be the so-called "multilingual" project previously mentioned, considering the fact that songs in Spanish, Italian, and English are said to be included on it.

Fabian confirmed the release of this much anticipated new album, ''Toutes les femmes en moi'', on her official website on 20 October 2008. Fabian stated on her website that ''Toutes les femmes en moi'' is "daring" and that "Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Klezmer, Tango, Neo Classic, White Soul [and Gospel] come close without disturbing each other...". According to Fabian's official website the album will be released on May 26, 2009. The first single release from this album is Soleil, Soleil, a cover of the Nana Mouskouri song, which was sent to French radios on March 11, 2009. Fabian will be promoting the album during the next few months before starting a new tour later this year. The album is a "self-portrait" where Fabian reveals her strong admiration for some of the most impressive female singers in France and Québec that have inspired her as both a woman and as an artists and, as she states "have constructed [her]". The album came as a result of two situations, where at one point Fabian had had a deep reflective conversation with her best friend Natalie about how can anyone truly explain that people are what they have become (a question to which Fabian replies has being a result of all the women that are part of her both at a personal level and musically; and after that she had a discussion with Polydor France boss Pascal Negre who told her that she should be comfortable about herself as a singer not letting herself be influenced by those old criticisms and views that followed her over the years concerning her singing and personality. According to him, she should just be herself and sing exactly the way that represent who she is and who she has always been regardless those who tried to knock her down. Fabian thanks each and every one the selected singers hommaged on this album with real life letters she actually wrote to them in different periods of her life thanking them for their inspiration and perseverance that helped her in her own professional and personal life. She pays tribute to artists such has Maurane, Véronique Sanson, Dalida, Nana Mouskouri, Catharine Lara, France Gall and Céline Dion among others.

It was recently revealed by the singer during her current promotional tour in France that there is an English recorded album equivalent to TLFM called "Every Woman In Me" that showcases in an acoustic environment with piano and vocals her own interpretation of some of the most amazing classic songs from some of the most recognized women in the recording Anglo-Saxonic industry around the world with names such as Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter, Kate Bush, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and even Fabian's forever idol Barbra Streisand. The album will only be released online and during her upcoming francophone tour "Tous Le Femmes En Moi Font Son Show" that will start later in September this year. Fabian has, however showcased a few numbers from this release in her 5 day recent concert tour in Russia, a country where she has become a huge star over the last four years with both her English and French repertoire.

The second single of the album confirmed is the song "Toutes les Femmes en moi", Fabian's only original recording included and also the album's title track.

2010: "Tour Les Femmes Font Leur Show", a new musical adventure "Mademoiselle Zhivago" and her first "Best of" album

Throughout the first half of 2010, Fabian embarked on a European tour of concerts specially throughout France, Switzerland and Belgium incorporating the main repertoire of her last album "Tout Les Femmes En Moi" alongside some classic and fan favourites. She also had the change of once again performing in Eastern Europe with a more acoustic environment of piano-voice she was used to do in those territories but this time around also including some of the English recording from the English album Every Woman In Me. This marked what for a long time was referred to be the multi-lingual musical project with Russian composer Igor Krutoy entitled "Mademoisse Zhivago". It features 11 different songs which tell us a particular story but are all linked by one same character, a woman who crosses different lives over the years and centuries having a special personal bond to Fabian's origins and family. The whole project not only was musical but also cinematographic as all 11 songs were filmed into different videos that as a whole created one big film produced and directed by Ukrainian film producer Alan Badoev. The album containing a CD and a DVD was first released in Ukraine on 25 October but will also have its release in Russia on 19 November. It's planned to be also released in France later in 2011. The whole set of songs composed by Fabian with Igor Krutoy is in English, French, Italian, Spanish and also in Russian. Fabian first introduced one of these songs in 2009 during the New Wave Festival in Latvia performing "Demain N'Existe Pas" and the following she would return to that same stage performing new songs from the already finalized project. Fabian has been promoting this project in both country specially on television but also giving a series of concerts too presenting the new songs to the eastern European public. Fabian has with this been established as a huge superstar in the eastern part of Europe. Fabian was a guest performer on 30 October show of the Ukrainian X Factor singing "Mademoiselle Hyde" and "Demain N'Existe Pas" taken from the album and also her longtime classic "Adagio".

As her career follows new directions, she hasn't lost connection to her French and Canadian public and fans. In September 2010 she finally released her 2009 album "Tout Les Femmes En Moi" in Québec having enjoyed a heavy week of promotion there returning shortly to the country she claims made her who she is. There is a new version on the album for "Nuit Magique" which was recorded as a duet with Canadian singer Coral Egan.

Parallel to this whole range of musical events and adventures, Fabian will finally release her first "Best of" album in France on 15 November alongside the DVD filmed in March of one of the concerts during the "Tout Les Femmes Font Leur Show". The album will contain two new recordings: the first single "On S'aimerai Tout Bas" composed by Stanislas and Maxime Le Forestier and a virtual duet with Ray Charles called "Ensemble".

Fabian will also be featured on an upcoming release by American singer Michael Bolton on which both sang the classic The Prayer originally recorded by Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion in 1998. The track was produced by the hitmaker producer David Foster who had also composed the song. For the producer's latest show "Hitman and Friends" in Canada on October 15, Fabian was invited to perform "Caruso" and also the recently recorded duet with Michael Bolton with standing ovation from the crowd.

Discography

Writing for other artists

Fabian has written for other artists such as French female singers Chimène Badi, Nolwenn Leroy and Myriam Abel. She also composed for Daniel Lévi and is said to be currently working with a former contestant from "Nouvelle Star 3", Roland. She has often praised the voice and talent of successful female singer Amel Bent, who was also a contestant on that show.

Acting career

In 2004 the singer appeared in her musical role in the film ''De-Lovely''. In a recent press release, Fabian confirmed that she will be acting in a French play with two other famous French actors. Her role will be that of a man, whose character she has not yet revealed. She expressed excitement on this new adventure on which she is embarking, about which she states, "Acting is related to being a singer, as interpreting a song makes a singer become a small actor on a song".

Personal life

Much to the delight of the French and Canadian media, Lara Fabian and French singer Patrick Fiori began a relationship at the start of 1998. The photos of the happy couple have been splashed across the cover of French tabloids ever since!

On November 20, 2007 Belgian singer Maurane, Fabian's very close friend (both shared vocals on the single "Tu Es Mon Autre" in 2002), revealed during her concert at the Cirque Royal that "...little Lou was born this morning!" referring to Fabian's first child, a girl named Lou, who was born at the Edith Cavell Hospital in Uccle, Belgium.

http://www.rfimusic.com/artist/chanson/patrick-fiori/biography

See also

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

===List of awards received by Lara Fabian===

References

External links

Official Web Site (available in French, English and Italian)

Biography of Lara Fabian, from Radio France Internationale

Lara Fabian News (in English, Portuguese and French)

Last.fm - Lara Fabian

Last.fm - Lara Fabian

All Lara Fabian's career

English translations of Lara Fabian's songs

Category:1970 births Category:Belgian emigrants to Canada Category:Belgian pop singers Category:Belgian female singers Category:Belgian people of Italian descent Category:Belgian people of Sicilian descent Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian people of Flemish descent Category:Canadian people of Sicilian descent Category:English-language singers Category:French-language singers Category:Italian-language singers Category:Living people Category:Luxembourgian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1988 Category:People from Brussels Category:Musicians from Montreal Category:Spanish-language singers Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Singers with a four octave vocal range

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