That’s it, this tour will be the last for Sylvie Vartan: “ I can't continue at this crazy pace, even if I feel the same enthusiasm. I'm starting to get tired. » Thus, the three concerts scheduled at the Palais des Congrès, from January 24 to 26, will have the feel of a farewell to the stage. Indeed, she continues, “ the scene is still something very physical. I could always make albums, something private for people I like. But it's very tiring, it requires renewal, because I've never done two shows that were similar. »
It is true that at 80, this great lady has somewhat earned the right to slow down; especially since she does not rule out continuing to sing in the studio.
In French song, Sylvie Vartan occupies a unique place. When she becomes a yéyé icon, like Sheila, France Gall or Françoise Hardy, there is always a certain gravity in her, even when singing The most beautiful to go dancing…
A family chased away by the communists…
Perhaps because his parents, Georges Vartan and Ilona Meyer, of Armenian and Hungarian origin respectively, but settled in Bulgaria, were forced to flee communist tyranny to take refuge in France. The year is 1952 and she is only eight years old. If she will retain an eternal nostalgia for her native land, as evidenced by one of her greatest successes, The Maritzanamed after the main Bulgarian river, Sylvie Vartan had a persistent love for her adopted homeland: France. In short, behind his angelic face, melancholy appears in his eyes, Slavic certainly, but also that of exile.
Which probably explains why, in 1974, she was one of the rare artists, with Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg, Alice Sapritch and a certain Johnny Hallyday, to publicly support Valéry Giscard d'Estaing against François Mitterrand. A political commitment which, nowadays, would almost be equivalent to joining the support committee of a Marine Le Pen. But it is true that Sylvie Vartan never let herself be fooled, whether by the promises of a socialist paradise or those of her first manager, Johnny Stark. And even the beguiling smiles of the four Beatles, who shared the bill at the Parisian Olympia in January-February 1964, could not change anything, his heart already belonging to the young Jean-Philippe Smet, better known under the name of Johnny. A free woman, therefore.
Johnny and Sylvie, the royal couple
With him, from April 1965 to November 1980, she formed a sort of royal couple of the aristocracy of French show biz. And, even divorced, it will always be “ Johnny and Sylvie », the reference for fans. Who will tolerate Nathalie Baye, for having given a certain intellectual luster to the idol of young people, but will always shun Laeticia, his last wife, considered more of a favorite than a queen. Indeed, it is certainly not her who would have allowed herself to call Johnny “ mamour » in public…
And then, Sylvie Vartan, more than sixty years of career, millions of records sold, thousands of concerts given all over the world. And, above all, her own way of looking at her job. She is thus the first of our singers to dare to take on American-style shows, with precise choreography. For this, she worked hard on Broadway, not hesitating to start from scratch by taking dance lessons with Jojo Smith, Barbra Streisand's teacher. Before increasing the number of tours, with an obligatory stopover in Paris at the Palais des Congrès where she could hold the bill for weeks on end, she gained experience by performing in Las Vegas under the patronage of the immense Gene Kelly.
Eddy Mitchell's praise
Today, as the curtain is about to fall, the following generations continue to proclaim their admiration for her: Julien Doré, Étienne Daho, Clara Luciani, Christophe Willem, Liane Foly, Élodie Frégé and others Carla Bruni. But the one who perhaps talks about it best is his old friend Eddy Mitchell, quoted by France Sundayin a special issue dedicated to the one who enchanted so many French people: “ Sylvie was a sweetheart, a candy. First of all, she was a very pretty girl, which didn't spoil anything, and who immediately showed that she possessed incredible strength and intelligence to be able to weather this hurricane in which she found herself stuck, following her love affair with Johnny. She knew full well that singing required effort for her, that it was not easy. So she engaged in a sort of personal battle. And as she was already a conqueror and a worker, she managed to lead her professional life and achieve artistic fulfillment. »
Beautiful tribute; well deserved, what's more.
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