New Alizée: Gains vs. Losses

[Deepwaters]

I've been thinking about this ever since Matrix cried "OMG it's over!" and disappeared.

We now have some idea of what Alizée is going to be like on returning to the music scene. We have two songs, and we have some pictures. She's all grown up. Still gorgeous, still sings like an angel, but Lolita is history. No more teenage sexpot. She's tough, she's strong, and she's singing with a faster beat and a sharper edge.

There are going to be some of her old fans who, like Matrix, can't handle the change. There will be others of her old fans who have grown older along with her, and will welcome the change. There will be new fans who never were all that thrilled with Lolita but will like the new Alizée.

How many do you think will fall by the wayside, compared to those who will fall in love for the first time, or appreciate the more mature sound? How many old Alizée fans were Mylène fans first and foremost, and will be disappointed because she's no longer Mylène's mini-me?

I know very well what my own reactions are. I would have been sorely disappointed if she'd remained the same. I like her much better now! I find I seldom even listen to the old M&L songs or watch the old videos, but I play Mademoiselle Juliette and Fifty-Sixty several times a day each. Even knowing these are rough versions and the final releases will be better!

Given that everyone reading this is here, there's no point in asking whether you will still be interested; obviously you will. What I'm calling for is a little speculation. Will the net change in fan base be a gain or loss? Will the fact that she will now be attracting an older audience rather than teenagers change the feel of the performances, and if so how?

What do you think?

[clique]

I was never a big fan of the lolita image. I liked her music, but the image, not so much. Therefore I'm more than happy with the direction she's taking. I'm all for a more mature sound and lyrics.

[Drake498]

Don't we have 3 songs?

Anyhow, I will miss the mini-me of Mylene, however as a true fan, as are most of us here, we not only accept the change but embrace it as well, I admit i was worried for a short time, but upon listening to her music, I can't help but still love it more and more. We may miss the Lolita Alizée, but I keep finding moreso that even though that chapter is over, turning over a new page in her life is absolutly as satisfying as when originally discovering her. Yes Lili has changed but we love and embrace it rather then turn our backs on such a talented angel

[Killian]

Well, in reality, this would be a diffucult for the non-French among us, because, no matter what, this will always be where her strongest fan base resides. As I don't know what the people of France are into I must say I don't know.

But, if I were to go by my own taste and what I know. I would have to say that the new sound would appeal to more people. In general it would be extremes that appeal to people today. No longer is it the generic pop sound of Britney, but the more, sorry, to have to use this word as I know it is taken horribly out of context, the "emo" sound, or the pop rock that is taking over. Alizée strong, bold sound will, in my opinion, attract many new fans, who wouldn't have thrown her a second glance, but now will adore her.

I will say that I don't see her attracting many hardcore fans. If they didn't fall in love with her personality and beauty before, I doubt they will now.

[aditya8617]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

I've been thinking about this ever since Matrix cried "OMG it's over!" and disappeared.

There are going to be some of her old fans who, like Matrix, can't handle the change. There will be others of her old fans who have grown older along with her, and will welcome the change. There will be new fans who never were all that thrilled with Lolita but will like the new Alizée.

I have seen Matrix going crazy on youtube , poor guy.

I never thought that people won't be able to bear the change in Alizee. I guess since I fall in the category of fans who grew older with her I was very eager for the change. But in case of fans in Matrix category I think they will mourn the lolita for a while and then adapt to the new Alizee. And new fans are always welcome.

[Cooney]

It's all about what the French go for, and I'll trust that they know that a lot better than I do!

I'm guessing she's in for a gain. Her sound is good enough that, if they manage her image well, she can gain fans in droves. She should be able to still draw you younger crowd like she had before, but this time it should also be able to grab some adults in the same way.

Having the old fan base around, yes, there are those who don't grasp the reality of change, but I don't see that group as being especially significant. If their tastes and ideas haven't matured along with Alizée, they'll be replaced by those who have. I think this is why waking the sleeping former fan-base is so important. People who haven't been desperately following her for the entire 3+ year interim aren't going to be as locked on the old image as much as people who can't see her as anything more than her last appearance. They should be expecting something new, and be open to the changes.

It may sound harsh, but as far as the "losses," I don't think they're a real loss. People who were in love with an image and not an artist. We'll do fine.

[The Cap]

Her new stuff isn't radically different from what she's already done. I think the new work will appeal to most of her original audience, and the slightly edgy new sound will appeal to those who may have thought her old sound too "sweet" for their tastes.

The new work is, IMHO, more evolutionary than revolutionary ... which is how art should be.

[lefty12357]

I think a big part is winning over new fans. Two things that I think will be huge are how well she relates to audiences (mainly French) in her new videos and live performances, and the marketing and airplay she receives.

I am such an Alizée fan and I have so much faith in her that I don’t expect to be disappointed and I think she is up to the task. She has also surrounded herself with competent people in the business. I love the new music so far and I think it will appeal to others as well. And of course she is beautiful and has that quality about her that is hard to resist. But obviously I’m extremely biased and I can’t predict if others will feel this way.

I think this is a “make or break” album for her and she needs respectable sales numbers. I doubt if we hard core fans can buy enough CD’s to reach the break even point, so she’s going to need those new fans and hopefully bring some old ones back. A lot is riding on Alizée’s shoulders, but the record company and radio/TV also have the ability to affect the outcome.

An in all, I think she’s actually in a better spot now with potentially a much broader appeal than she was when she put out MCE, (even though I love MCE).

[Ben]

Originally Posted by The Cap

The new work is, IMHO, more evolutionary than revolutionary ...

I agree. For better or worse, all the new stuff I've seen/heard so far is actually much less radically different than I was expecting.

[Deepwaters]

Those who are saying the new isn't radically different from the old are, I feel, looking at it from a technical musical perspective. Purely in terms of musical genre, you are right. But I'm a storyteller myself, and for me, if it's telling a radically different story, then it's radically different, no matter how much similarity there may be in terms of musical genre. And this is a radically different story.

Which is what I meant, really. The person being presented is a new Alizée, or perhaps the old one has now come out of disguise.