Alizee's Career - what went wrong?

[wildfire]

I think whats not mentioned is how the music industry changed from 2003 to now. The internet, and especially youtube really did a number in sales of music. The monopoly of selling people little plastic disks as the only means of selling music was gone. It was beyond the original napster because you didn't have to learn how to download or have it on your own computer. You could stream it like you did cute cat videos! ITs taken this long for the music industry to adjust. Near me here in Los Angeles are shattered shipwrecks of the music industry; empty office buildings, gutted local businesses from restaurants to laundry-mats, Record stores gone.

If you look at the music industries today, its divided: the large mega starts with a lot of money behind them, and then artist who have their own labels and internet presence. That chasm in between was transformed. You need the kind of muscle like ML and LB to push your music out there, make the deals with the radio stations, the promotions.

Plus lets face it: we wanted the Sexy-zée... the dancing, twirling, the hip thrusting. It was part of her appeal that she could go up there and be so alluring and then sit with the host and be a real kid. She was so tasteful, she had an almost 60's kind fo sexiness to her, as opposed to the raunch you see usually in female pop starts. I mean she wore a potato sack for En Concert... but she owned it! .

If you look at her performance of her third and fourth album, she was very stiff, almost uncomfortable. The fluidity that she had in her first two albums, especially the second, was gone. There seemed a lot going on in her life that affected her footing. Personally I thought she had a bit of an arrested look at life and love because of her unique teenage years. She grew up fast and perhaps tried to have the people in her life adhere to her steadfast dedication and beliefs. That often happens in your twenties. And she's stubborn, she admits that. Plus her and Jer were two very young and very successful at that time. Thats a lot of pressure.

I think she had a drastic change in her life this past year. I recall when she tweeted that letter she dug up in her old place from MF from her youth. It was an unusually intimate thing to share. I think she was assessing her life from the shipwrecked marriage behind her. Then the daily tweets started and the tattoos.. see the pattern?

I think this will be an album she's much more comfortable with. she's had some pain in her life and that just adds to an artist. The candy coated Psyk album was kind of her last grasp of that utopian fantasy that she held on to for so long. I hope the new Alizee doesn't spiral the way many artist do when they go through such a tectonic change. I always thought that her superstitions and beliefs held her in check, but that may have been challenged in her life if she felt that she did the right things, and still had something bad happen to her. When your beliefs are challenged like that, even proven wrong, its like a pipe bursting. I've seen it from people who were former Mormons or other religions that seem to leap to a whole extreme once "freed" from their beliefs. Thats what I see in that explosion of activity from her.

...anyway...

Point is that many artist from many industries are rolling on their own because they want to control the content and the message. They may not sell as much but now there is no middle man. Plus they have their sanity, retain full use of their image, and have perhaps different streams of income. Its never been that you've had so many toolsets at your disposal to promote yourself. You can find your own customer base or audience if you work hard and have something that people want...

Oh jezuz.... i better quit before I get head... I mean ahead of myself!

[SpanishFan]

Originally Posted by Corsaire

The Inked photo shoot is pretty insignificant when taken on its own, but more generally speaking, I would say there is a clearer picture emerging more and more; Alizée seems to be immature and superficial. I always thought there was a strong deeper person behind the physical beauty, but maybe this was misreading her career moves. Maybe Alizée is indeed simply interested in tattoos, pets, shopping, food, candies, childish entertainment... Maybe most of her fans like these sorts of topics, but I myself find them mortally boring. I had great hopes after a more mature Alizée showed up for UEDS, but now, I would say Alizée is either really shallow and uninteresting, or she is really hiding well the more mature and deep side of her.

Sadly I have to agree... After months and months discussing about her tattoos, her clothes, pets, hairstyles, food, shopping, holidays, dancerman, Pokora, etc... I think doing gigs and fighting for the possibility of going on tour, fill venues, and perform her music in front of people is not a priority, like it is for 99% of artists and musicians... It looks like she is just happy with what she does in Les Enfoires.

I don't mind at all to talk about all those things, but all that should go along with a "normal" musical career.

If you look any other artist forum, there are tour dates, news about music releases, online shop, people covering the artist songs themselves... MUSIC.
I don't even know if she has an agent. It is sad for me to know the name of her pets or the name of her favorite shoe designer, I would rather like to know about how many songs there will be on the album and where she would like to perform it when is out.

[Un-rêve]

I'm sure there's many angles to the situation but lets just try to find the good in it. I mean Alizée is still here with us and in my book that's what matters most. We've already been spoilt rotten.

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[User22]

Last edited by Un-rêve; Yesterday at 10:19 PM.. Reason: our girl is on fire.

You don't know how hard I just laughed

[mzracing76]

I believe the real Alizee we saw live in concert was actually her very first one she did on that Talent Show way back at age 15. That was the real Alizee, One who wanted to sing only to make people happy, not make it a career move. Yes, she enjoyed her time making those first 2 albums, but she didnt like the image it presented, and yes, her parents probally played a role in her decisions. For one, it is your parents who groom you, shape you, and mold you into the person you become. Alizee doesnt seem to be the type that wants to be famous to the extent that the Media Popparazzi followers her.

Remember, this is a woman who has a college degree in Information Tech, and one who has a very high moral belief in a family structure.

If you all are "true" Alizee fans, then you all will remember that in some of her very first early interviews she has stated publically that likes very quiet atmosphere, spending time with family, and loves top sing to make people happy, not necessarly making "hit" albums much less songs.

Alizee is a very easy, down to earth, quiet person. She relishes her quiet time, and family time more than spending all that free time with the Media.

the Bottom Line - Alizee has alot in common with Connie Talbot (England). They love making music, but on a totally different platform. One that makes them happy by securing a part time music career, making albums of their choice, and performing small concerts here and there. Both of them cherish their family time, and other life goals. Connie is only 12 years old, but already, Do I see the same qualities of her Life, Music, and Choices that we all once saw in Alizee at almost the same time of her life. Alizee and Connie's careers will almost certainly mirror each other. Why? Because they love to write, single for the one common goal - To make you happy. And when that happens, it dont matter to them how many Great Songs/Albums they create. The only goal is to make you happy. Less you forget, each singer has fans in the POP, ROCK, and OTHER sectors of music. Alizee has fans that like her Electrica Style, as Connie has fans who like her Gospel Style. <FACT> and that leads to a totally diverse fanbase, and one that not all of us will agree on.

None of you will never understand the real Alizee if all you want are the HIT SINGLES, PLATINUM LABELS, or you live in that Fantasy Myth that she is a god of the Entertainment World.

Her Life Goal seems to be her Daughter Annily -

ThankYou,
MZ

[lefty12357]

Originally Posted by mzracing76

Remember, this is a woman who has a college degree in Information Tech, and one who has a very high moral belief in a family structure.

Just a small correction, Alizée doesn't have a college degree. Furthermore, I believe she never completed high school. I think she said in an interview once that if she hadn't gone into the music industry, she would have liked to teach dance or work with computers. Not that any of this matters, I just thought I should set the record straight.

[SpanishFan]

Originally Posted by mzracing76

If you all are "true" Alizee fans, then you all will remember that in some of her very first early interviews she has stated publically that likes very quiet atmosphere, spending time with family, and loves top sing to make people happy, not necessarly making "hit" albums much less songs.

Ok, I totally agree with you, but my question remains. Why does not she perform live anymore?
All this talk about not wanting big fame, flashes and celebrity may be true, but at the end of the day she does not perform at all. She is a singer, she should be dying to be in front of a good audience any day of the year...
I don't even know who Connie Talbot is but I would bet my left hand that she is asked to sing a capella a litlle bit in some of her interviews and I am sure she does that with no problem.

DJ sets? I can not take that very serious. Why does not she perform instead a mini acoustic set in a discoteque or some small local? One could think she would be confortable singing five or six songs in that intimate ambient.

I don't get why she spins some cd's and take photographs with customers but she does not sing anymore. That's my only problem. For me is not really important if she gets covered on tattoos, if she has talent or not, or if she looks better or worse on certain photoshoot.

She is not singing anymore, she is not performing live anymore, and that is what really bothers me. I don't want to change her personality, the way she thinks or the way she feels, all I am doing is complaining about an apparent lack of ambition and how I feel about that.
I am not a control freak nor I would start burning her cds, it is not like that, but is becoming really difficult to follow a singer that does not sing...

It will be great if her album is succesful and we like it, but for me is all about her performing songs, hopefully there will be good news after the album release.

[Karin]

Originally Posted by SpanishFan

Why does not she perform live anymore?

if you mean live... like performances in many shows as in MF era... I think its problem of time... world changed, and people and TV dont need to make such show now like was normal later... todays world is most about internet, and most things are happening there now, and not in TV like before

[SpanishFan]

Originally Posted by Karin

if you mean live... like performances in many shows as in MF era... I think its problem of time... world changed, and people and TV dont need to make such show now like was normal later... todays world is most about internet, and most things are happening there now, and not in TV like before

Yes... a lot of music shows do not exist anymore on tv. Anyway, artists sing online as special treat for their fans, you always can do a mini gig instead of putting songs and pressing buttons... even youtube offers live performances very often.
If you really want to perform, there is always a way to do it. And she still has fans and a big company behind to go out there and sing. I really can not understand any excuses about this lack of singing. It is only Les Enfoires at this point.

Anyway as I said, hopefully the new album would bring to the fans some action.

[Davedel]

Alizee made the classic business mistake - selling what she wanted to sell and not what the customer wanted to buy. Seen it happen many times.. for example, when Ginger Spice left the Spice Girls they collapsed. Where is Ginger now? A second rate singer who would have been much better off if she wouldn't have left. You never hear about Ginger or any of the rest of them anymore here in the United States, except for Mrs. Beckham. Mylene was having Alizee sell what the public wanted to buy, but Alizee thought she knew better. As usual with these sorts of matters.. she didn't.