Disappointed so far

[Neiteio]

Hi everyone.

I know you're all going to disagree with this -- and I wouldn't expect much objectivity from a fansite -- but Alizée isn't nearly as confident onstage as she used to be, and I think that's the reason why every performance of late has been either with another artist, or swarms of showgirls.

Whereas in the MCE days the band and dancers were set to the far back of the stage (with the possible exception of JPVA), nowadays Alizée practically hides among the throngs of dancers. Seriously, watch her last dozen or so performances. She used to bask in the limelight, but now she just gets lost in the shuffle. It's as though the awkward experience of her first live MJ performance made her afraid to appear by herself onstage (and by "herself" I mean clearly separate from everyone else).

Now, I've never admired Alizée for her intelligence. It's perfectly natural to feel drawn to someone because they're physically attractive and emote a certain "warmth" (what many mistake for "goodness of spirit"), but I'm a little more discerning than that with women, and in interviews and such Alizée has never proven to be very daring or original in her comments, much less having a political opinion or anything to define her character.

That being said, I've always felt empathy for her because you can tell (as one French paper noted) that she's always a little nervous about screwing up, probably more so these days without Farmer telling her what to do. And so the usual symptoms arise: less eye contact with the camera onstage and in clips (she barely looks at the camera in the Fifty-Sixty clip), overwrought body language (all the shrugging and whatnot in the MJ clip), canned comments (although that was always a problem) and as we see here, distraction tactics such as a billion dancers.

Something else that's been bothering me is how her new image lacks thematic continuity, which makes for weak creative that people soon forget. We need something like the Lolita jacket or JEAM sailor outfit; we need delicacies and fishbowls; we need iconic images to help her break through the clutter. I know, I know, "random" is in and she's being "herself" by looking like a kaleidoscope of thrift store pickings every time she appears. I appreciate that and the whole metro-glam schtick, but I worry she's digging her career an early grave by forfeiting the theatrics that made her an Internet phenomenon in the first place. There was real longevity in the old outfits and dances and themes. For Psychédélices, the music will stand the test of time, but the image won't.

For the record, I absolutely love the new album. You may remember my glowing review that I wrote for the college paper (circulation, 18,000+). But as someone who's also interested in the presentation aspect, I think Alizée's comeback has been nothing but a string of disappointments so far (again, that's presentation). The bright side, of course, is that the Psychédélices campaign has only begun, and there's still time for strong creative concepts to take root and define her third studio album. Here's hoping for more confidence and stronger themes in the months to come.

Well, just had to get that all off my chest. Now let us commence with the hyperbole-laden replies saying Alizée can do no wrong. I'll shut up and go write a novel.

- N

P.S. Don't take that last bit the wrong way. I love you guys.

[lethalsilicong5]

awww you love us ( i love zero suit samus)
anyway i like the direction of 3 versions of fifty sixty and hopefully with a little more time she will get more comfortable doing things on her own. (i haven't seen too many of her new on stage performances so i'll go check that out now)

[espire]

Agreed. (plus more than ten characters)

[Fish]

*Puts pitchfork down*

I can see where you're coming from, and to a certain extent I agree with you, though to a lesser degree. I definitely have seen improvement in later performances, and think that Love Is All and Hung Up would have been exponentially better without the backups, though that was beyond her control. But with each new performance/video/what have you, I've noticed an increase in presence and confidence, and I think that trend will continue.

Edit: The Fifty Sixty leak got generally good reviews from chartsinfrance, as well. I think this video bodes well for her future.

I believe it was Deepwaters who said her fanbase is much deeper than it is wide, so while I don't think her career would be forced to end if she kept on the current pace, she won't be atrracting new fans. Again, though, this video may change things, and we may see a smashing 3rd single a few months down the road.

[term1]

Well I for one won't do any of the "YOUR WRONG!" or "HOW DARE YOU!" type of responses. After reading your post, I personally only see someone who is more worried about Alizee' and her career than someone trying to bash her. I too am worried about the current status of her career and the choices she is making. I don't personally know if she just isn't to worried about her image, or was so burned out on the years in the "Lolita Image" that she now is just doing whatever comes to mind without any "image" to speak of. I agree that ALL entertainers need something to make them stand out of a crowd and hopefully Lili will find it for herself. Just thought I would say that because true Alizee' fans are not only in it to say how great she is (she really is though lol) but also to have concern for her if we see her career in danger or not going as well as we hope, and are not afraid to band together and speak our mind about it.

[Ben]

Originally Posted by Neiteio

but I worry she's digging her career an early grave by forfeiting the theatrics

Sadly I agree, though I don't think it's an issue of hiding behind other artists or dancers. As I mentioned, the last two performances' dancers were part of the show, and everybody used them. Also, she's appeared solo on Bonnie & Clyde, NRJ Studio, W9 VIP, Hit Machine, and M6 Live. That should be plenty, yet they felt lacking too. So I think it's for the other reasons you mentioned: lack of image, presence, and perhaps confidence. Not sure I agree about the Fifty Sixty clip, though. It could be a turning point!

[RadioactiveMan]

Originally Posted by Fish

*Puts pitchfork down*

*Picks up pitchfork*

[megamixfactory]

I think you made a great posts and we have fair answers so far.
I watched the music business for over 20 years by now and the phenomenon of "Images" that were created by producers or the artists themselves - only for one reason: To sell records, to be successfull.

I saw Madonna on TV when no one knows here in the beginning 80s. She also had a kind of lolita image and it was only the first of a row of images she had. But we have to face that over all these years she was the same woman - she only grew up and got older.
That's the same Alizée has to do. We can discuss whether it's good that she' married and got a daughter so early in her live or not. I personally don't think it's good for her but it's her decisison. An it all contributes to her image!
She grows up - her image has to do the same. And like growing up isn't really easy - as many of you will know from own experience - it is also not easy to find an image most people are content with, especially her old fans which would preferably keep her old image of the nice yong girl which everyone loves...

I am one of these old fans too by the way, but I knew that the day would come when she threw off her image in order to change it, to grow up. She has to do this! She may make many faults on her way and sometimes she may obey the wrong peolpe but it's the way she has to go.

I haven't got any problems with her image so far but I really don't like Psychédélices. I had feared that I'm not confident with it and it came to truth but it's the way Alizée chose for her music (I hope she does herself!) and so it's okay.
Because we all like her so much we should wish her that she does what's best for her (and her family) - not for her career.

I always thought the best way to built a successfull image is to be just yourself - maybe Alizée is trying to be this right now?!

Have a nice weekend all!

[heyamigo]

well said, neiteio; such honesty is always appreciated. i am also worried that her performances are not upto par and i have voiced my concerns about that several times here but i guess it's not an easy topic for diehard fans to discuss. well at least i don't feel alone, thinking there is something wrong with me for not loving everything lili has been doing as of late.

for example: http://moi-alizee.us/forums/showthre...8231#post98231 regarding her "hung up" performance.

i also agree about the 50-60 clip, but this has been an ongoing thing as of late, her avoiding direct eye contact with the camera and constantly looking to the sides or downwards. it seems like lack of confidence and not feeling comfortable with the camera on her.

i've said it before, but i think she can benefit from getting hooked up with someone who can help her stage performances like a choreographer and maybe a vocal coach for live singing. i want to see the confidence back. if you watch the old performances, she just stared down at the audience like she was some badass and won over everyone with her smile even before the performance began. you just felt like she owned the stage and she was just going to kick ass performing. and she should work on selling her own music and creating some buzz; she needs to market herself better. after all those years under mylene, you'd think she learned a thing or two about that.

to be honest, these days it's easy to feel lost and confused being a lili fan. we all go ga-ga over the latest photos of lili looking cute and pretty, but that's like the only thing to really get exicited about. most of her performances are a letdown to me and everytime i get ready to watch a new performance i just bear down and hope she doesn't bomb it or make mistakes. i wish we can get more excited about the "singing" and "performing" part of her career, because i am not going to force myself to like her performances just because she looks pretty in it. seriously, she already gets so much more leeway than any other artist!

it sometimes feels like she doesn't really care about success at this point in her career. she's said in interviews that she's always willing to stop being a singer to go have another child and i feel like if things don't work out for her, she might just give up all this and disappear from the scene for good. i don't really know what we as fans can do though...

Having to admit she isn't doing too well is probably the hardest thing for a fan to do, no matter how die hard or casual you are .