I've avoided writing anything about him since then, partly because (silly as it seems) even now I still can't really listen to his music like I used to (though I love it no less) but also partly because I felt like there was some taking advantage of it and some retroactive reevaluations of what people thought of him that made some reactions not ring true.
That said, this video for "Restons Amis," the latest single taken from his posthumous album (and I've had concerns about continuing to release singles), is actually surprisingly touching (with thanks to AcerBen for the heads-up).
I won't say...you know--I've never liked the expression--so instead, let's just remember.
There was just something about...he and his songs had an effect on me that few...well, let's just say he is missed. And that I treasure his first album like I do very few others in the world.
As a side note, apparently "Imparfaits," Victoria Petrosillo's new single, was originally going to be done by him; it's been reworked for her.
Grégory Lemarchal (here pictured with Lucie Silvas), one of my all-time favorite singers, a boy with amazing potential that, despite his producing some of my favorite songs ever, had not even begun to be fulfilled, has just passed away.
I knew he'd just recently had to cancel a concert on the advice of his doctors and he's always had health problems--cystic fibrosis, he's had to go into the hospital multiple times--but I'm in complete shock. This is horrible, incredibly sad news, and my best wishes of course go out to his family and friends.
I have something really huge coming up today in non-blog life and so I can't expand on this at the moment, but I promise some sort of post about him later today.
Sigh...where to even begin?
It boggles the mind that someone that full of life can just suddenly be gone...literally only two days ago he was apologizing to his fans for having to cancel a special fan appreciation concert, saying that his doctors had told him he had to take three months of rest. He'd had to take similar breaks in the past, and been rushed in for surgeries, but who could have known...
I treasure his debut album, Je deviens moi (his only studio album; he's got a live album out, too); I know I say this every time I write about him, but I cannot recommend it enough (you can buy it here). Yes, there are some covers on it, but it contains three of my favorite songs ever. Ever. On one album. A debut album. Most people will probably know him for songs like "Ecris l'histoire" and his duet with Lucie Silvas, "Même si (What You're Made Of)," both of which are lovely and show talent. However, the songs I will always associate him with go far beyond the simple loveliness of those, instead being giant sweeping epic songs in the very best pop sense. The trilogy that anyone who listens to music must have in their collection is as follows:
"Je suis en vie"
The best Eurovision song that was never even a contender. I always hoped that Gregory would enter Eurovision in the next few years, maybe even next year--with his stunning voice, predilection towards knock-you-off-your-feet songs, and good looks, he would have been a perfect candidate.
"Le feu sur les planches"
Utterly amazing--one of the brightest songs I know. Uplifting, still with that sense of epicness and sweeping, and yet intimately reassuring. Also a case of a perfectly matched video and song.
His masterpiece. More than six minutes long, and I wouldn't lose a single second of it. Quite possibly--in all seriousness--my favorite song ever. The first four minutes are filled with anticipation--you just know that build, that climax, is coming, and the song teases you, starting to build but then dropping back to its simple piano ballad state. That cycle repeats, leaving you never bored but so desperate for that peak you know is coming that when that sped-up piano kicks in, you're worried that the forthcoming explosion of electric guitars is going to be overshadowed by all that pent-up anticipation...and yet, somehow, it never is; the gloriousness of the song never fades, those soaring highs are just as effective at sweeping you away...and when it's over, you're left exhausted, spent, unable and unwilling to do anything other than bask in the afterglow in silence--nothing else could possibly follow it up.
This is undoubtedly a huge personal loss to those who know him; with only a few weeks until his twenty-fourth birthday, he was clearly far too young. It's also an enormous loss for music as a whole; anyone who could give stunning performances like these...
...when he was only twenty-one--he won Star Academy with more than 80% of the vote, which is incredible for any reality TV show--clearly had a bright future ahead of him in the music industry.
To one of the few popstars who could bring out the swoony fangirl side of me, certainly with his looks but more importantly with his soaring, beautiful voice: you will be missed. To his family, friends, and anyone who knew him: my deepest condolences and I wish you the best in this difficult, difficult time.
In memorial, there will be no further posts here today or tomorrow.
L'endroit où, d'un clin d'oeil, j'espère Fuir de l'ordinaire Fuir de l'ordinaire
Cet endroit où l'on pourrait se faire Une vie moins ordinaire
Croire ce qu'on veut L'existence en plein dans les yeux Imaginer des rêves sans sommeil Ils s'ront beaux pareil
Pour me plaire, j' saurai me faire Moins ordinaire Moins ordinaire
Pour nous plaire, on pourra se faire Une vie moins ordinaire
-from "Une vie moins ordinaire," the final track on Je deviens moi
I don't expect this is a post that will interest anyone except me, but I just love this performance, so I have to share. Consider this day four of Grégory Lemarchal Appreciation (parts one, two, and three). If this is the first time you've heard of him, I suggest reading those posts first and grabbing the three songs by him that everyone absolutely must own: "Je suis en vie," "Le feu sur les planches," and "Je t'ecris."
The key word for that performance would be "intensity," I think. I know if anything it may have made you wonder who the girl is--her name is Hoda and she, too, was on Star Academy (that's what this video is from; it's a cover). As far as I know, she's only released one single so far.
A lot of the credit for this performance goes to the lighting and arrangement of the music; I adore the moment when the electric guitars really kick in and the tempo picks up (and the use of those strong electric guitars without it ever seeming like a rock song foreshadows some of what we would eventually see on Grégory's album) as they circle each other. It's true that Grégory's probably supposed to actually complete that one note, but overall, I think it's a brilliant performance by the two of them. As usual, I can't speak for vocal qualities or subtleties, as I'm a horrible judge of that, but I really like it. Especially that ending pose.
You can buy his debut album, Je deviens moi, here (physical).
By the way, I'm still backing Grégory to compete in Eurovision someday (and I still say even ripping off "Je suis en vie"--maybe amping it up even a little more, and condensing it to three minutes--could work); maybe not quite yet, but in some years (not too many, though).
He's just such an adorable little popstar--take the following video. I don't speak any French whatsoever, but it's still...what? Cute? Endearing? Funny? Some combination, I think.
(And don't think this is the end of Grégory Lemarchal Appreciation! I've been toying with buying his live album for a while now, even if for no other reason that to get the few covers he did that I don't have any version of, and I may just do it.)
All right, I will attempt to remain calm, but woah--he's finally released one of the best songs (along with "Je suis en vie," which was a single, and "Je t'ecris," which probably wouldn't translate well to the single world) off his excellent, top-quality, I-can't-overtalk-it album. The song? "Le feu sur les planches." I posted it earlier this year, and it's sooo good. Contrary to what my grammar in this post might make you think, Grégory doesn't do boy band pop--he just makes amazing, inspiring, epic, world-class pop. And even more amazingly, he's got a brilliant video to go with the song. The title of the song has something to do with fire, so how does the video start? With Grégory singing in an ice-covered room! ...which gradually begins to melt as he sings, until it all breaks apart at one of the song's many glorious parts. Please watch the video--you won't be disappointed, as it is so good and definitely does this amazing song (one of my favorite singles of the year) justice. I love the coloring and the lighting--gorgeously icy.
Honestly, let McFly have their groupies--if I ever disappear, it will be because I've gone off to stalk Grégory.
(And, well, I normally avoid saying things like this on the blog, but Grégory looks rather smoldering in the video clip...although, trust me, that's not why I love him--those three songs I keep mentioning are just so amazing that they've won me over to him.)
Grégory Lemarchal would also win the award for "artist I most want to see at Eurovision"--please, someone, write a ripoff of "Je suis en vie" (or capture the magic of "Je t'ecris" in under 3 minutes) immediately! He's so adorable, but he sings these positively epic songs. Grégory, compete in Eurovision! Release another (studio) album! (but please stay healthy) Marry me?
You can buy Gregory Lemarchal's debut album, Je deviens moi, here (physical), and I completely recommend it--not every song will knock you off your feet, but everything is at least good or very good, and about half the songs are completely amazing; the album contains three of my favorite songs ever. I have a feeling I'm not impressing any French readers, as I don't know that he's thought of particularly highly, but he has so much potential, and it's led to some really great songs so far.
To read my previous posts on Gregory, who really is quite the adorable little popstar, go here and here.
(P.S. I have the worst time trying to keep up with him, since I speak no French, so if anyone has any news on him, it would be much appreciated! I do know about the Olympia '06 CD/DVD, though. For that matter, is this single from that CD--is it a live version? Is this video new? I just saw it for the first time, but that doesn't mean anything...here's what I think I know: "Le feu sur les planches" was originally going to be the second single--a music video was filmed and everything--but was replaced at the last minute with "Je suis en vie." I'm guessing that's why this video is labeled as being from 2005, even though I don't think "Le feu sur les planches" was a single that year. The reason I think it's a single now--released in the past few months--is it's in some radio charts at the moment, and he did perform it on Star Academy recently. Does anyone actually know? I'm pretty sure it was just released, so it would tie in with the Olympia CD and DVD, but I keep finding little comments that are confusing me.)
Edit: this question and answer session, if real, might have cleared things up a bit: "Le feu sur les planches" isn't technically a single, but is being used to promote the Olympia DVD and CD. Does anyone know if that means they're actually playing the video on TV now, or if this video was first released back when it was the potential second single? Or both?
It's only been about a month since I last wrote about French singer Grégory Lemarchal (you can see my original post here--the songs still work, and, if you missed them, "Je suis en vie" and "Le feu sur les planches" are definite must-listens), winner of the French version of Star Academy, but I have to write about him again. I know I originally said I wasn't sure if the following song would transfer well to the world of music blogs, and I'm still not sure it will (it's long--more than six minutes--and I have a feeling that, since there are so many great music blogs, if a song doesn't grip you instantly, it's often ignored), but I just have to post it.
Je t'ecris--I may have a tendency to talk songs up too much. For this one, though, I'm going to avoid superlatives--there really are no words for it. I'll just say this: you absolutely must listen to it. All of it. Even if it means letting it play in the background while you do something else. Please?
It starts off as a simple piano-led ballad--very minimal, just Gregory and the piano. Much of the beginning is sort of hushed, but, as the song progresses, there are a couple of moments where his voice starts to rise and gather a bit more power, but then it descends back down. By about halfway in, those high points are mixed about half-and-half with the toned-down parts. However, it's when the song hits four minutes that magic happens: the pace picks up. There's a little bit of overlapping vocals, and the electric guitars come in, with the piano continuing but faster. I really can't do this song justice in words, but that build--it simply has to be heard.
To buy Gregory Lemarchal's debut album, Je deviens moi, go here (physical). It's an amazing album--definitely worth buying.
Next up: probably another song in a language besides English.
The number of times I've postponed writing about Gregory Lemarchal (actually Grégory Lemarchal, but please forgive the lack of accent in this post), you might think I'm not really a fan of his music--that couldn't be further from the truth; his self-titled debut album is, quite simply, amazing. Gregory overwhelmingly won the fourth season of Star Academy in France (with something like 80% of the vote). He's had a number of health problems both before and after his win--he has cystic fibrosis and, just this past summer, had to be hospitalized for an emergency operation (he's fine now, and is back making public appearances and singing). He's released just one album so far, but on October 23, a CD and DVD of one of his live performances will come out. If any of today's songs pique your interest, I definitely recommend getting the album; there's not a single track on it that's a let down, and you absolutely must hear the gorgeous "Je t'ecris," which is completely amazing (the build up near the end is beyond fabulous) but might not transfer well to the world of the music blog. The songs are just so much better in context, too.
Je suis en vie--there are many ways to do a ballad. You can make it understated, like Will Young's "Who Am I." You can make it bouncy, like Shayne Ward's "No Promises." Or, like Gregory Lemarchal, you can knock it out of the park in an epic, soaring tour-de-force, complete with pianos, electric guitars, and amazing vocals that could go over the top but never do. The drama in this song is incredible; "Je suis en vie" sweeps me off my feet every time I hear it.
Pardonne-moi--a more traditional (though not totally so) ballad--more understated and more plaintive, fitting for a song with a title like this.
Le feu sur les planches--I love how lifting this track is. Gregory's regular ballads (if this could be counted as a ballad) are gorgeous, but this slightly faster one is a welcome change (really, now that I think about it, it really isn't a ballad) and is just so pretty! "Bright" might be the right word for it.
Meme si (What You've Done) (with Lucie Silvas)--I'm including this because it (along with "Je suis en vie," "Ecris l'histoire," and "A corps perdu," I think) was a single and, because it's partially in English, it might be a little more accessible. It's a really sweet little duet, simple but effective. That sweet simplicity means it might not stand up to critics quite as well as other songs on the album, but it probably also makes it more radio-friendly. Lucie Silvas also recorded a version of this song with a Spanish singer. Lucie's voice is really pretty here, but Gregory holds his own, and the joining of their two voices near the song's end works fairly well.
To buy Gregory Lemarchal's debut album, Je Deviens Moi, go here (physical).
The mini-update on Anthony Callea (just be glad I managed to refrain from making the whole post about him): the single (which he has confirmed is a ballad) is called "Live For Love" and will be released November 4, but it will hit radios October 16 or earlier (which means, in a week and a half, we'll be able to hear it! I'm very excited--I'm sure that was very difficult to tell, right?--even if I'm very worried about liking it. I'll predict I won't madly love it, but that it'll be pretty good and the album overall will, hopefully, be really great). The album, called A New Chapter, is not a double album (mildly disappointing because I would have loved as many songs from him as possible, but hopefully it will sell better this way) will come out November 24 and will have "some great big ballads on it and some grittier pop/rock tracks." I'm all for pop/rock (especially because, in the world of Anthony, songs like "Rain" and "Hurts So Bad" seem to be categorized as pop/rock--it doesn't really mean rocky), but I must admit I am a little worried by the word "grittier." Grit is not inherently bad, but I just hope it's not grit that's just grafted on because it's popular with the public...we'll see how it ends up working out. Still, despite my worries, I am really, really, really excited about this album--it really could be phenomenal.
Oh, and, sadly, the spikes are not coming back, meaning we're stuck with Anthony's current hairstyle and I'll probably actually have to start using pictures of him that show that instead of his formerly excellent popstar hair--sad... ;)
Next up: just one song, by an American singer you all already know, I think.
Your problems don't exist when music feels like this.
Songs are posted only for promotional purposes (I love them and want others to know about them, too)--if you like them, please "go out and buy the record"! If you are an artist, represent one, or are a songwriter/producer and would like your songs removed, I'll gladly do so (just let me know).
