Lorie
Encyclopedia
Laure Pester, professionally known as Lorie, is a French
singer. Her fame can be attributed to producer
, songwriter
and composer
Johnny Williams (grandson of 'musette' accordion
star André Verchuren) and her father–manager Dominique Pester (a former studio manager at French radio station RTL
). She is sometimes also referred to as the French version of Britney Spears
.
Lorie is a multi-platinum singer who has sold over eight million albums and singles worldwide as of December 2007. Her first studio album Près de toi was certified triple platinum in France and she followed it with five other certified albums. It was expected that Lorie would start working on a new album, the follow-up to her 2007 record 2Lor en moi?
Lorie is also a comedian. She lent her voice for many French versions of international movies such as Stuart Little 2
. She stars in the TF1 TV film De feu et de glace, and guest-starred as a Paris
ian model on the highly successful American soap opera
The Young and the Restless
.
She has also launched a clothing line, “Lorie”, only found in the Z stores in France. Her contract with Z was over in early 2009.
. Williams uploaded the song onto a French website “peoplesound” and the song received 15 000+ downloads in a matter of two months. Thereafter Epic Group Project
of Sony Music France signed Lorie who was only eighteen at the time. “Près de moi” was officially released in 2001, accompanied by a highly-popular music video. It was certified Platinum
in France
for over 500,000 copies sold. Its parent album “Près de toi”, released on October 30, 2001, became a triple Platinum recording in France with 1,000,000+ copies sold. The next singles “Je serai (ta meilleure amie)” and “Toute seule” were also certified Gold.
The album became as successful as “Près de toi” selling over a million copies in Europe
. In April 2002, Lorie sung “Oser ses rêves” for the French soundtrack
of the Disney animation film Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
and lend her voice for the French version of the movie Stuart Little 2
; she is the bird Margalo.
After touring for the promotion of her album, Lorie released a book called “Ma tournée” which sold over 200,000 copies, becoming one of the most successful books ever written by a singer in France. Later, her debut album “Près de toi” would come back to the lights after its release in Japan
with new tracks (English versions of her songs “Près de moi” and “Toute Seule”) including “Dans mes rêves” which was used in the Évian
in which Lorie was starring. She also confirms her relationship with Filipino-American pop-star Billy Crawford
.
In late 2003, Lorie’s first live album and music DVD come out, both entitled “Lorie Live Tour” which received a great response.
April 2005, Lorie’s first compilation album
“Best Of” was released, including all her singles plus “Toi et moi”, “Les ventres ronds” (which was performed in the Week-End Tour) and the original version of “Quand tu danses”. The album was well-received but some critics noted that Lorie was way too young to release a “best-of”, noting that Lorie was the youngest artist in French history to release a greatest hits
album.
October 2005, Lorie released “Rester la même” (which means ‘Stay the same’), an album mixing various music influences including Zouk, RnB, pop
and pop-dance. Lorie wanted to change her image from squeaky-clean to boogie singer. The title track, featuring rap act Second Degré, was first released to see the reaction which was generally positive, but the song did not perform as well as expected. The following singles "SOS" (reggaeton version), "Parti pour zouker" and "Fashion victim'" (official but promotional single for her Live Tour 2006). This album also received a Platinum certification in France, because it sold over 470,000 copies.
That same year, Lorie voiced the character Violette in the French version of the Academy Award-winning animated film “The Incredibles
”.
, was a worldwide minor club hit. On October 3, 2008, Lorie started her “Le Tour 2Lor” which ended in December 2008 in order to promote the album. The last single from the album, “Un garçon”, officially released in December 2008, talks about homosexuality; the song and the video were harshly received from the French audience and in consequence, it "flopped", as it received very little coverage. However, the album was certified Gold for selling at least 185,200 copies as of November 2008.
“2lor en moi?” was also released on August 18, 2008 in Canada under Garou’s record label, Wolfgang Entertainment. Lorie promoted the album in the bar “Time Supper Club” in Montreal
the same day. Lorie also recorded “Heaven’s Table”, a critically acclaimed duet with Garou for his latest album
. In June 2008, Lorie wanted to try something new: acting. She starred as a lonely and lost ice-skater in the TF1
TV movie “De feu et de glace”. TF1, satisfied with Lorie’s performance, asked her to guest-star as a Parisian model
in the highly-successful soap opera
The Young and the Restless
in October. According to Yo-Club, as of March 2009, Lorie has officially sold about 8,000,000 records worldwide.
.
Musically, she remains a straight pop
act, occasionally moving towards pop-rock like many other French female starlets (e.g. Jenifer Bartoli
) - the single Week End is an example of this. Her act is characterized by energetic dance routines, with simple music videos which showcase her talents.
She was engaged to French-Canadian singer Garou
but he decided to break up before the wedding in 2010.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
singer. Her fame can be attributed to producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Johnny Williams (grandson of 'musette' accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
star André Verchuren) and her father–manager Dominique Pester (a former studio manager at French radio station RTL
RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
). She is sometimes also referred to as the French version of Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
.
Lorie is a multi-platinum singer who has sold over eight million albums and singles worldwide as of December 2007. Her first studio album Près de toi was certified triple platinum in France and she followed it with five other certified albums. It was expected that Lorie would start working on a new album, the follow-up to her 2007 record 2Lor en moi?
Lorie is also a comedian. She lent her voice for many French versions of international movies such as Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes...
. She stars in the TF1 TV film De feu et de glace, and guest-starred as a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian model on the highly successful American soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
.
She has also launched a clothing line, “Lorie”, only found in the Z stores in France. Her contract with Z was over in early 2009.
2000-2001: First successes
When Lorie heard that producer Axel Brangeon was looking for a young girl that knew how to sing and dance, she immediately auditioned and won the contract. Lorie recorded “Près de moi”, written by Johnny Williams and Louis Element, which was rejected by every single record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Williams uploaded the song onto a French website “peoplesound” and the song received 15 000+ downloads in a matter of two months. Thereafter Epic Group Project
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
of Sony Music France signed Lorie who was only eighteen at the time. “Près de moi” was officially released in 2001, accompanied by a highly-popular music video. It was certified Platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for over 500,000 copies sold. Its parent album “Près de toi”, released on October 30, 2001, became a triple Platinum recording in France with 1,000,000+ copies sold. The next singles “Je serai (ta meilleure amie)” and “Toute seule” were also certified Gold.
2002-2003: More successes
Tendrement, Lorie’s second album, saw the light in 2002 with three commercially successful singles: J'ai besoin d'amour, À 20 ans and Sur un air Latino.The album became as successful as “Près de toi” selling over a million copies in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In April 2002, Lorie sung “Oser ses rêves” for the French soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the Disney animation film Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is the first direct-to-video sequel to the 1950 Disney film Cinderella. It was made in 2001 and released on February 26, 2002. It was followed by Cinderella III: A Twist in Time in 2007...
and lend her voice for the French version of the movie Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes...
; she is the bird Margalo.
After touring for the promotion of her album, Lorie released a book called “Ma tournée” which sold over 200,000 copies, becoming one of the most successful books ever written by a singer in France. Later, her debut album “Près de toi” would come back to the lights after its release in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with new tracks (English versions of her songs “Près de moi” and “Toute Seule”) including “Dans mes rêves” which was used in the Évian
Evian
Evian is a French brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.Today, Evian is owned by Danone Group, a French multinational company...
in which Lorie was starring. She also confirms her relationship with Filipino-American pop-star Billy Crawford
Billy Crawford
Billy Joe Crawford is a Filipino-American recording artist, singer-songwriter and philanthropist.Crawford is a Bilingual Filipino Singer. His second language is English and he is conversational in French. Crawford not only lived in New York City, USA, but also in Paris for five years and for one...
.
In late 2003, Lorie’s first live album and music DVD come out, both entitled “Lorie Live Tour” which received a great response.
2004-2006: Attitudes and Image change
Come early 2004, “Attitudes” was already out and the singles “Week-end”, “La positive attitude” and “Ensorcelée” were big hits. The album became Platinum in France because it sold over 600,000 copies. Lorie toured again to promote the album. The song “C’est plus fort que moi”, written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, was later released in order to support the “Week-End Tour”. In June, Lorie launched her very own clothing line, simply entitled “Lorie”, exclusively sold in the Z stores in France. Her contract with Z was cancelled in early 2009.April 2005, Lorie’s first compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
“Best Of” was released, including all her singles plus “Toi et moi”, “Les ventres ronds” (which was performed in the Week-End Tour) and the original version of “Quand tu danses”. The album was well-received but some critics noted that Lorie was way too young to release a “best-of”, noting that Lorie was the youngest artist in French history to release a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album.
October 2005, Lorie released “Rester la même” (which means ‘Stay the same’), an album mixing various music influences including Zouk, RnB, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and pop-dance. Lorie wanted to change her image from squeaky-clean to boogie singer. The title track, featuring rap act Second Degré, was first released to see the reaction which was generally positive, but the song did not perform as well as expected. The following singles "SOS" (reggaeton version), "Parti pour zouker" and "Fashion victim'" (official but promotional single for her Live Tour 2006). This album also received a Platinum certification in France, because it sold over 470,000 copies.
That same year, Lorie voiced the character Violette in the French version of the Academy Award-winning animated film “The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
”.
2007-2008: The metamorphosis
On November 26, 2007, Lorie’s fifth studio album "2lor en moi?" was released; it was the singer's most mature album and it is clear that the album’s sound is influenced by Tecktonik, the then-new dance. The first single off of the album “Je vais vite” showcases Lorie’s musical and personal evolution. Its follow-up “Play”, featuring back vocals by her fiancé GarouGarou (singer)
Garou , from the French expression "loup-garou", which means "werewolf" and is a transformation of "Garand", his last name; is a Canadian singer from Sherbrooke, Quebec. He is known for his work in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris and the #1 hits "Belle", "Seul", "Sous le vent", and "La Rivière de...
, was a worldwide minor club hit. On October 3, 2008, Lorie started her “Le Tour 2Lor” which ended in December 2008 in order to promote the album. The last single from the album, “Un garçon”, officially released in December 2008, talks about homosexuality; the song and the video were harshly received from the French audience and in consequence, it "flopped", as it received very little coverage. However, the album was certified Gold for selling at least 185,200 copies as of November 2008.
“2lor en moi?” was also released on August 18, 2008 in Canada under Garou’s record label, Wolfgang Entertainment. Lorie promoted the album in the bar “Time Supper Club” in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
the same day. Lorie also recorded “Heaven’s Table”, a critically acclaimed duet with Garou for his latest album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. In June 2008, Lorie wanted to try something new: acting. She starred as a lonely and lost ice-skater in the TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
TV movie “De feu et de glace”. TF1, satisfied with Lorie’s performance, asked her to guest-star as a Parisian model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
in the highly-successful soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
in October. According to Yo-Club, as of March 2009, Lorie has officially sold about 8,000,000 records worldwide.
2011: Return to music
Lorie's new album comes out November 21, 2011 with the first single "Dita" that was made available to purchase in France via iTunes and Amazon.com on August 26, 2011.Tours
- 2002-2003: Live Tour
- 2004: Week End Tour 2004
- 2006: Live Tour 2006
- 2008: Le Tour 2LOR
Featured on…
- 2002 : "Tous dans le même bateau" with Les Enfoirés
- 2003 : "La Foire aux Enfoirés" with Les Enfoirés
- 2003 : Pluri Elles, a Serge Lama album, on the song Les poètes
- 2004 : Le cœur des femmes with Combat Combo
- 2004 : "Les Enfoirés dans l'espace" with Les Enfoirés
- 2005 : "Le Train des Enfoirés" with Les Enfoirés
- 2005 : Et puis la terre, with A.S.I.E
- 2006 : "Le Village des Enfoirés" with Les Enfoirés
- 2007 : "La Caravane des Enfoirés" with Les Enfoirés
- 2007 : Lonely, with 2A.M
- 2008 : "Les Secrets des Enfoirés" with Les Enfoirés
- 2009 : "Les Enfoirés font leur cinéma" with Les Enfoirés
- 2010 : "Les Enfoirés... la Crise de Nerfs" with Les Enfoirés
- 2011 : "Dans l'oeil des Enfoirés" with Les Enfoirés
Filmography
- 2002 : Stuart Little 2Stuart Little 2Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes...
voicing Margalo - 2005 : The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
voicing Violette - 2008 : Tinker BellTinker Bell (film)Tinker Bell is a 2008 computer animated film based on the Disney Fairies franchise produced by DisneyToon Studios. It revolves around Tinker Bell, a fairy character created by J. M. Barrie in his play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, and featured in the 1953 Disney animated film, Peter...
voicing Clochette - 2008 : De Feu et de Glace as Alexia
- 2008 : The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
as Juliette - 2010 : Un Mari de Trop as Stephanie
Soundtrack
- 2002 : Oser ses Rêves in the French soundtrack of Cinderella II: Dreams Come TrueCinderella II: Dreams Come TrueCinderella II: Dreams Come True is the first direct-to-video sequel to the 1950 Disney film Cinderella. It was made in 2001 and released on February 26, 2002. It was followed by Cinderella III: A Twist in Time in 2007...
Awards
- 2003 : Rolf-Marbot Price for her song “J'ai besoin d'amour”.
- 2003 : World Music Award for “Best French Female Pop/Rock Artist”.
- 2003 : Inauguration of the Lorie statue in the Musée GrévinMusée GrévinThe Musée Grévin is a waxwork museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the IXe arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. It is open daily; an admission fee is charged....
, the French wax museum.
Characteristics
Her image portrays her as a good and show (?)- her relationship with Filipino-American pop-star Billy CrawfordBilly Crawford
Billy Joe Crawford is a Filipino-American recording artist, singer-songwriter and philanthropist.Crawford is a Bilingual Filipino Singer. His second language is English and he is conversational in French. Crawford not only lived in New York City, USA, but also in Paris for five years and for one...
.
Musically, she remains a straight pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
act, occasionally moving towards pop-rock like many other French female starlets (e.g. Jenifer Bartoli
Jenifer Bartoli
Jenifer Yaël Dadouche-Bartoli , better known as simply Jenifer, is a pop singer who has, since 2002, had a number of hit singles in the French, Belgium and Swiss charts...
) - the single Week End is an example of this. Her act is characterized by energetic dance routines, with simple music videos which showcase her talents.
She was engaged to French-Canadian singer Garou
Garou (singer)
Garou , from the French expression "loup-garou", which means "werewolf" and is a transformation of "Garand", his last name; is a Canadian singer from Sherbrooke, Quebec. He is known for his work in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris and the #1 hits "Belle", "Seul", "Sous le vent", and "La Rivière de...
but he decided to break up before the wedding in 2010.
Discography
- 2001 : Près de ToiPrès de ToiPrès de Toi is French pop singer Lorie's triple-platinum debut album. It was released on September 30, 2001. On April 29, 2002, a special limited edition of the album was released with new packaging and extra tracks...
- 2002 : TendrementTendrementTendrement is the second album for French pop singer Lorie. It originally came out on 16 September 2002 in a regular jewel case version and a limited edition cardboard box containing the CD in a digipak and eight postcards featuring the famous blond singer...
- 2004 : AttitudesAttitudes (Lorie album)Attitudes is Lorie's third studio album, and her fourth album overall. It has a self-admitted rockier sound than the singer's first two records and was released on January 19, 2004 in two versions: a regular, jewel case release and a limited edition digipak also containing a DVD and six stickers...
- 2005 : Best Of
- 2005 : Rester la mêmeRester la mêmeRester la même is French pop singer Lorie's fourth studio album, and her seventh album overall. It was released on October 28, 2005 and contains the hit single "Parti pour zouker"...
- 2007 : 2lor en moi ?2lor en moi ?- Collector's EditionThe collector's edition contains a DVD with 12 episodes consisting on the preparation and the making of the album:* L'auto-portrait* Le challenge* Le coaching vocal* Le studio* Le coaching sportif* L'image* La séance photo...
- 2011 : Regarde Moi
DVDs
- Je serai (ta meilleure amie)
- Près de Vous
- Tendrement Vôtre
- Live TourLive TourLive Tour was the name given to French pop singer Lorie's first concert tour. On the 25th of August, 2003, a live recording of the show was released in two versions: a regular, jewel case release containing the CD and a DVD, and a limited edition cardboard box also including an exclusive all-access...
- Week End TourWeek End TourWeek End Tour was the name given to French pop singer Lorie's second concert tour, inspired by her hit single "Week End". On 4 October 2004, a live recording of the show was released in two versions, as with the famous singer's previous live effort, Live Tour: a regular jewel case release...
- Best Of
- Live Tour 2006