What happened...

[Roman]

Originally Posted by DJ_Greg

I agree. I'm one of those fans that didn't buy the third album - the songs I heard just didn't do anything for me. I'm sure part of that has more to do with ME than it does with the album, so I'm hesitant to say much more than that. Still, it felt a little...uninspired, I guess. Maybe that's due to too many songwriters/producers, and thus a lack of unified creative vision (as another poster already commented).

My advice would be to look for music in places other than the (mainstream?) radio.

I still don't personally feel that unified vision has anything to do with it. I like her album, but most people apparently just didn't give it enough of a chance or didn't care for it. Not all composers can be great. It's as simple as that. If I was not a fan and had only listened a couple times to her singles and maybe once to one or two other songs, I'd probably kinda like FS, but not bother with the rest. Stuff that I have bought in the past (and I don't really buy much music) often was stuff that I bought only after hearing it on the radio many times and came to like the whole album once I did get around to buying it and listening to it several times.

Of course big stars get more play just because they are popular and so people get more opportunity to decide they like a song. We wish that would have been the case with Alizée. Though of course her name did carry some weight for a while. So, stardom quickly builds and quickly falls. One can not screw around and take things easy in this business I guess. I think we've seen how it is. Both artistic and business talent in abundance are required to hit it big and stay there. Whatever happened to Anna Nalick? She had one song on the radio which I really liked from the first time I heard it. She did concerts and was a good entertainer in concert (saw her once with Rob Thomas). But I didn't much care for the rest of her songs on the unfortunatly named "Wreck of the Day" and I have no idea what's happened to her since. There's just too much distraction and stuff going on in the world to pay attention to every thing like that which comes along. That's part of what frustrated people so much the whole time with Alizée's promotion. Every time we saw an opportunity not get fully taken advantage of, we knew what it loss it was to miss and cringed at the inevitable "hit" it was causing to her chances. But maybe she'll just continue releasing stuff every now and then regardless. That won't make things like in the old days for her, but who knows. I don't know how this business works. If she has a hit song come around, maybe people will take notice and promote it regardless of past history.

Yeah, I don't really listen to music on the radio much anymore. I listen to talk programs and some music I already know about, like Alizée of course.

[MonteCristo]

So do we have any exciting little rumors or gossip going around lately?

[Rocket]

Originally Posted by MonteCristo

So do we have any exciting little rumors or gossip going around lately?

No, but I did have an amusiing story on http://alizeeamerica.com/forums/show...278#post123278

[Quantum]

So I'm going to say what I've said on these pages before. It isn't purely 'the music' that holds Alizeé's career back. Her entire performance is misaligned. Were it not for past momentum, I doubt Psychédélices would have sold even those couple hundred thousand copies. The talent is there still, but she is headed the wrong direction. And she need not take a 'sexy' approach to get her career back on track - quite the opposite. Absent re-thinking direction, a fourth album won't materially change matters.

[OGRE]

Originally Posted by Quantum

And she need not take a 'sexy' approach to get her career back on track

I don't think Alizée is capable of not being sexy.

[Deepwaters]

Originally Posted by OGRE

I don't think Alizée is capable of not being sexy.

Quite right, and in fact that's a criticism I would offer in regard to some of her recent performances. She seems to be trying not to be sexy -- I don't mean not trying to be sexy, I mean actually trying not to be -- essaier d'être pas sexy, pas juste pas essaier d'être sexy --which is a little like water trying not to be wet. Can't be done, and to try comes off a little strange, a touch awkward.

I have the impression of one deliberately turning her back on the artificial sexiness she exhibited in the Mylène days. Either that, or she doesn't feel it's as appropriate for a quasi-married mother. Or something else. I'm just guessing. But whatever the reason, I think it's time for her to just be herself -- in every way. Including that way. It's not necessary to enhance it artificially, but it shouldn't be suppressed, either.

[Roman]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

Quite right, and in fact that's a criticism I would offer in regard to some of her recent performances. She seems to be trying not to be sexy -- I don't mean not trying to be sexy, I mean actually trying not to be -- essaier d'être pas sexy, pas juste pas essaier d'être sexy --which is a little like water trying not to be wet. Can't be done, and to try comes off a little strange, a touch awkward.

I have the impression of one deliberately turning her back on the artificial sexiness she exhibited in the Mylène days. Either that, or she doesn't feel it's as appropriate for a quasi-married mother. Or something else. I'm just guessing. But whatever the reason, I think it's time for her to just be herself -- in every way. Including that way. It's not necessary to enhance it artificially, but it shouldn't be suppressed, either.

Well, yeah. The whole thing about being too old for it or something like that is bs. Well, she said things like, she's going to wear what she likes and for our sakes, , we hope it will be something...nice, to look at. She certainly used to have fun with that I think and she still does have fun with dressing up and stuff. She is certainly just not trying to be like Mylène - we've seen her most recent video of Appelle Mon Numéro right? So, yes, I think the days of trying to NOT be like Mylène, if that ever actually happened, are far gone and she will/is just doing whatever she likes. We are now at a time where whatever older fans (ones who've been around a while) there are are not looking at her as something derivative of Mylène. That is to say, her connection with that is well severed and now she is just Alizée; and that is whatever Alizée is going to decide to make it. Whatever the cost I will say that Alizée has succeeded in being her own person (as far as we understand).

So yeah, Alizée is a beautiful woman, so if she wears clothing that is flattering to her figure and she acts a little sassy perhaps, or even just appears to be having fun, she will come off as sexy. And as she herself said, so much the better. She can of course try to be sexy even beyond all that and succeed fabulously. I mean, of course those photos from last spring - holy ! She was looking quite hot in several or all of those. And in my sig, she is quite adorable which is why I have that sig.

I think she needs to find her way to having: good music, good performances, a good attitude, fun, and a bit of excitement herself... all of which will translate into her audience having more fun. But, also remember that an entertainer is there to entertain the audience. She, like all entertainers, must find a way to have that fun and excitement while doing her utmost to entertain the audience. There is an aura she has often exuded that communicates that. She needs to keep that up while honing performances and figuring out how to communicate each song in an appealing way that corresponds to the song and herself. I think she herself would say all of that too. I think she knows. I think she is still working on figuring that out. The last real performances I saw, in Mexico, were quite different from anything she had done up to that point. She figured something out between the time her album was released and those concerts. I assume if she comes back to the world, she will continue to figure that stuff out. Of course, she must change and grow and make her performances relate to how she feels as a person, what she wants to communicate, which changes. I can't think that she feels the same now as she did in mid 2005 when she started to work on Psychédélices. And, I think she has given enough hints that she will continue to change.

[Rev]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

Quite right, and in fact that's a criticism I would offer in regard to some of her recent performances. She seems to be trying not to be sexy -- I don't mean not trying to be sexy, I mean actually trying not to be -- essaier d'être pas sexy, pas juste pas essaier d'être sexy --which is a little like water trying not to be wet. Can't be done, and to try comes off a little strange, a touch awkward.

I have the impression of one deliberately turning her back on the artificial sexiness she exhibited in the Mylène days. Either that, or she doesn't feel it's as appropriate for a quasi-married mother. Or something else. I'm just guessing. But whatever the reason, I think it's time for her to just be herself -- in every way. Including that way. It's not necessary to enhance it artificially, but it shouldn't be suppressed, either.

Originally Posted by Roman

... Whatever the cost I will say that Alizée has succeeded in being her own person (as far as we understand).

So yeah, Alizée is a beautiful woman, so if she wears clothing that is flattering to her figure and she acts a little sassy perhaps, or even just appears to be having fun, she will come off as sexy. And as she herself said, so much the better. She can of course try to be sexy even beyond all that and succeed fabulously. I mean, of course those photos from last spring - holy ! She was looking quite hot in several or all of those. And in my sig, she is quite adorable which is why I have that sig.

I think she needs to find her way to having: good music, good performances, a good attitude, fun, and a bit of excitement herself... all of which will translate into her audience having more fun. But, also remember that an entertainer is there to entertain the audience. She, like all entertainers, must find a way to have that fun and excitement while doing her utmost to entertain the audience. There is an aura she has often exuded that communicates that. She needs to keep that up while honing performances and figuring out how to communicate each song in an appealing way that corresponds to the song and herself. I think she herself would say all of that too. I think she knows. I think she is still working on figuring that out. The last real performances I saw, in Mexico, were quite different from anything she had done up to that point. She figured something out between the time her album was released and those concerts. I assume if she comes back to the world, she will continue to figure that stuff out. Of course, she must change and grow and make her performances relate to how she feels as a person, what she wants to communicate, which changes. I can't think that she feels the same now as she did in mid 2005 when she started to work on Psychédélices. And, I think she has given enough hints that she will continue to change.

I agree that she did seem to try really hard to communicate that she is not following in Mylene's footsteps. A also agree that she has succeeded. Anybody who is busy saying "I am not that" is not fully saying who they are. Time to put all that behind her and truly become herself.

She is French. Although I do not believe that being unsexy is expected of a mom who is also a performer (does anybody know otherwise?), I do get the sense that she may be trying to travel in the higher social circles. If so, I'm wondering if she has toned it down a bit due to this. If so, I think it's a pity, she may be limiting herself unnecessarily.

Of course, on the other hand, she may simply like the way she presents herself now. What we see now may simply be who she really is (also, she is in her mid 20's, and may still be slightly uncomfortable now that her peer group is adults rather than teens - especially if she considers her "peers" to be the upper social group I mentioned above). She may have been taught how to turn on the sexyness, but feels more authentic not doing it (at least not to the same extent as before). Perhaps it is simply the "nerd" in her coming through (after all, Alizée is smarter than most, and I get a sense that she has a very good analytical mind. Also, her mother is a model of a smart businesswoman, and Alizée would likely have instilled that model). If so, my comment to her is to remember that she is a performer (at least when in public). Be authentic, but don't let the audience forget that she can be a sexy woman when she chooses to. In other words, really turn it on for a portion of her performances.

Alizée - consider the above as advice from one technically oriented person to another (not that she will ever see it).

[lefty12357]

When Alizée first came back, she presented herself both as a grown woman and a young girl. She even mentioned it in an interview that she felt she was still partly a young girl. You could see it in her choice of some of her clothes and some of her promo photos.

One of Alizée's fans (and a peer) said on her myspace that she was disappointed that Alizée hadn't grown up enough for her taste and that she was moving on. I think this presentation of herself was confusing and disappointing to some, and contributed to the fact that she seemed like she was trying to be less sexy. Her peers had grown up, were in college or starting adult careers and were starting a new chapter in their lives. And their favorite singer comes back with this ambiguous image, part of which was still clinging to childhood. It was an image that was not interesting to adults. In some ways I think Alizée appeared more mature in her MCE promo photos and clothes.

I noticed that Alizée must have gotten the message, because a lot of the more childlike imagery disappeared shortly thereafter. Her photo shoots and clothing became more mature in appearance. I think this also allowed her natural sexiness to come out more. I think that this misidentifying of the target audience’s taste was an error early on in the promotion of Psychédélices. Maybe Alizée really is often just a big kid at heart, but it’s not an image that markets well to adults in the pop music business.

[Youpidou1]

I think Alizée needs to make more appearances on TV shows and needs to do some more shows. Maybe a tour, another DVD like En Concert. I miss that Alizée.