Lio
Encyclopedia
Lio is a singer and actress who was a pop icon
in France
and Belgium
during the 1980s.
, the family moved to Mozambique
. Her parents divorced and, in 1968, Wanda moved with her mother and new stepfather to Brussels
, Belgium
, where her sister, actress Helena Noguerra
, was born. In her teens she was determined to become a singer, and she was encouraged by singer-songwriter Jacques Duvall (né Eric Verwilghem), a family friend. She took her stage name, Lio, from a character in the Barbarella comic books by Jean-Claude Forest
.
In 1979, together with songwriter Jay Alanski, she and Duvall began working with Marc Moulin
and Dan Lacksman from the electro-trio Telex
. They produced the first two of her multi-million selling singles
, "Le banana split", which sold over 2 million copies, and "Amoureux solitaires", a song originally by punk rock
band Stinky Toys
. Both songs rose to the top of many pop
charts in Europe
, and Moulin and Lacksman also produced her self-titled first album. In 1982 the American
music duo Ron
and Russell Mael
, of Sparks
, worked with her on the album Suite Sixtine, on which some of her previous songs were translated into English. Suite Sixtine was compiled and art directed by Ralph Alfonso for Attic Records Canada, where it was originally released. Her second album, Amour toujours, was produced by Alain Chamfort and released in 1983. The same year, she first appeared on the screen in Chantal Akerman
's film Golden Eighties, a lighthearted, humorous French pop musical
about the people who work together in a Parisian shopping center. Lio plays a carefree hairdresser in the movie.
In 1985 she met record company executive and producer Michel Esteban
, of ZE Records
. She continued to have hit singles in Europe, including "Les brunes comptent pas pour des prunes", and travelled to Los Angeles
with Esteban to record her next album Pop model. Several of the tracks were co-produced by John Cale
, formerly of the Velvet Underground, and the album produced the hits "Fallait pas commencer", "Je casse tout ce que je touche", and "Chauffeur". In 1988, after she had given birth to a daughter with Esteban, she resumed her acting career, starring in Claude Lelouch's film Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté. The Lio-Esteban partnership produced another album, Can Can, recorded in Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro
. She also designed a fashion collection for the European department store chain Prisunic.
She appeared in three films in 1990 and 1991, Chambre à part, Sans un cri, and Après l'amour. Her 1991 album, Des fleurs pour un caméléon, was produced by Étienne Daho
. Her next album, Wandatta, presenting a more mature approach in contrast with her previous image, and with a sleeve
designed by Guy Peellaert
, was released in 1995. However, it was relatively unsuccessful, and she withdrew for a time to live near Angoulême
with her partner and children. In 1998, she recorded with Esteban in Cuba
, and in 1999 she appeared in 50 performances of the French adaptation of Seven brides for seven brothers
, a musical staged at the Folies Bergère. She had two kids that year, Lea and Garance. She released the album Je suis comme je suis, containing interpretations of the poems of Jacques Prévert
, in 2000. After performing the songs on tour throughout France, Europe and North Africa
, she released the live album Coeur de rubis in 2004. She also appeared in over 250 performances of the theatre play Le bébé, an adaptation of a book by Marie Darrieussecq
.
Since 2008, Lio has been a judge on the French
"pop idol" show
Nouvelle Star
. In 2009 she returned to music with the rock band Phantom.
Pop icon
A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from...
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...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
during the 1980s.
Biography
Wanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos was born in Portugal. When her father was called up to fight in the Portuguese ArmyPortuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
, the family moved to Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. Her parents divorced and, in 1968, Wanda moved with her mother and new stepfather to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where her sister, actress Helena Noguerra
Helena Noguerra
Helena Noguerra is a Belgian actress, singer and television presenter of Portuguese descent. She is the sister of singer Lio....
, was born. In her teens she was determined to become a singer, and she was encouraged by singer-songwriter Jacques Duvall (né Eric Verwilghem), a family friend. She took her stage name, Lio, from a character in the Barbarella comic books by Jean-Claude Forest
Jean-Claude Forest
Jean-Claude Forest was a writer and illustrator of comics and the creator of character Barbarella.-Biography:...
.
In 1979, together with songwriter Jay Alanski, she and Duvall began working with Marc Moulin
Marc Moulin
Marc Moulin was a Belgian musician and journalist . He was a member of the avant-rock band Aksak Maboul in 1977 and formed the pop group Telex in 1978...
and Dan Lacksman from the electro-trio Telex
Telex (band)
The Belgian synth-pop group Telex was formed in 1978 by Marc Moulin, Dan Lacksman, and Michel Moers, with the intention of "Making something really European, different from rock, without guitar — and the idea was electronic music." Mixing the aesthetics of disco, punk and experimental electronic...
. They produced the first two of her multi-million selling singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Le banana split", which sold over 2 million copies, and "Amoureux solitaires", a song originally by punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Stinky Toys
Stinky toys
Stinky Toys were a punk band from Rennes, France which started in 1976 and featured Elli Medeiros , Denis Quilliard, alias Jacno, , Bruno Carone , Albin Dériat , and Hervé Zénouda ....
. Both songs rose to the top of many 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...
charts 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...
, and Moulin and Lacksman also produced her self-titled first album. In 1982 the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music duo Ron
Ron Mael
Ronald David Mael , is an American musician and songwriter. He and his younger brother Russell, make up the pop duo Sparks.Ron Mael was born in Culver City, California. Ron plays keyboard and writes most of the songs for Sparks...
and Russell Mael
Russell Mael
Russell Mael is an American singer and songwriter who, with his older brother Ron, is in the band Sparks....
, of Sparks
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
, worked with her on the album Suite Sixtine, on which some of her previous songs were translated into English. Suite Sixtine was compiled and art directed by Ralph Alfonso for Attic Records Canada, where it was originally released. Her second album, Amour toujours, was produced by Alain Chamfort and released in 1983. The same year, she first appeared on the screen in Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman
Chantal Anne Akerman is a Belgian film director, artist, and professor of film at the European Graduate School. Akerman's best-known film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , exemplifies a dedication to the ellipses of conventional narrative cinema.-Early life:Akerman was born to...
's film Golden Eighties, a lighthearted, humorous French pop musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
about the people who work together in a Parisian shopping center. Lio plays a carefree hairdresser in the movie.
In 1985 she met record company executive and producer Michel Esteban
Michel Esteban
Michel Antoine Gaston Esteban is a French record producer, record company executive, cultural center director and former magazine editor, who founded the influential Paris shop Harry Cover in 1973, was influential in the early development of punk rock, and, together with Michael Zilkha,...
, of ZE Records
ZE Records
ZE Records was originally a New York-based record label, started in 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban. It has been re-established by Esteban since 2003.-History:Michael Zilkha ZE Records (always written with two capital letters) was originally a New York-based record label, started in...
. She continued to have hit singles in Europe, including "Les brunes comptent pas pour des prunes", and travelled to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with Esteban to record her next album Pop model. Several of the tracks were co-produced by John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, formerly of the Velvet Underground, and the album produced the hits "Fallait pas commencer", "Je casse tout ce que je touche", and "Chauffeur". In 1988, after she had given birth to a daughter with Esteban, she resumed her acting career, starring in Claude Lelouch's film Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté. The Lio-Esteban partnership produced another album, Can Can, recorded in Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. She also designed a fashion collection for the European department store chain Prisunic.
She appeared in three films in 1990 and 1991, Chambre à part, Sans un cri, and Après l'amour. Her 1991 album, Des fleurs pour un caméléon, was produced by Étienne Daho
Étienne Daho
Étienne Daho is a French singer, songwriter and record producer who has released a number of synth-driven and rock-surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981.- Career :...
. Her next album, Wandatta, presenting a more mature approach in contrast with her previous image, and with a sleeve
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
designed by Guy Peellaert
Guy Peellaert
Guy Peellaert was a Belgian artist, painter, illustrator, comic artist and photographer, most famous for the book Rock Dreams, and his album covers for rock artists like David Bowie and The Rolling Stones ...
, was released in 1995. However, it was relatively unsuccessful, and she withdrew for a time to live near Angoulême
Angoulême
-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...
with her partner and children. In 1998, she recorded with Esteban in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and in 1999 she appeared in 50 performances of the French adaptation of Seven brides for seven brothers
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (musical)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a musical with a book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay, music by Gene de Paul, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn...
, a musical staged at the Folies Bergère. She had two kids that year, Lea and Garance. She released the album Je suis comme je suis, containing interpretations of the poems of Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis considered one of the greatest films of all time.-Life and...
, in 2000. After performing the songs on tour throughout France, Europe and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, she released the live album Coeur de rubis in 2004. She also appeared in over 250 performances of the theatre play Le bébé, an adaptation of a book by Marie Darrieussecq
Marie Darrieussecq
Marie Darrieussecq is a French Basque writer.-Biography:Marie Darrieussecq was born on January 3, 1969...
.
Since 2008, Lio has been a judge on the French
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...
"pop idol" show
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
Nouvelle Star
Nouvelle Star
Nouvelle Star is a French television series based on the popular Pop Idol programme produced by FremantleMedia and broadcast by M6 in France....
. In 2009 she returned to music with the rock band Phantom.
Singles
- 1980: "Le banana split"
- 1980: "Amoureux solitaires"
- 1980: "Sage comme une image"
- 1981: "Amicalement votre"
- 1982: "Mona Lisa"
- 1983: "Zip a doo wah"
- 1983: "La reine des pommes"
- 1986: "Les brunes comptent pas pour des prunes"
- 1986: "Fallait pas commencer"
- 1986: "Je casse tout ce que je touche"
- 1986: "Chauffeur"
- 1988: "Seules les filles pleurent"
- 1988: "Tu es formidable"
- 1991: "Girl from Ipanema"
- 1991: "L'autre joue"
- 1996: "Tristeza"
- 2000: "Je suis comme je suis"
Albums
- 1980: Lio
- 1982: Suite sixtine
- 1983: Amour toujours
- 1986: Pop model
- 1988: Can can
- 1991: Des fleurs pour un caméléon
- 1996: Wandatta
- 2000: Chante Prévert
- 2003: Cœur de rubis
- 2005: Les Pop Songs (Best Of 1)
- 2005: Les Ballades (Best Of 2)
- 2005: Pop Box - 25 Years In Pop (7 remastered CDs with bonus tracks and 1 DVD of clips)
- 2006: Dites Au Prince Charmant
Filmography
- Elsa Elsa (1985, directed by Didier HaudepinDidier HaudepinDidier Haudepin is a French actor, film producer, director and screenwriter. He has appeared in 44 films and television shows since 1960. His film Those Were the Days was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Seven Days.....
) - Golden Eighties (1986, directed by Chantal AkermanChantal AkermanChantal Anne Akerman is a Belgian film director, artist, and professor of film at the European Graduate School. Akerman's best-known film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , exemplifies a dedication to the ellipses of conventional narrative cinema.-Early life:Akerman was born to...
) - Itinéraire d'un enfant gâtéItinéraire d'un enfant gâtéItinéraire d'un enfant gaté is a French film directed by Claude Lelouch in 1988.-Synopsis:A foundling, raised in the circus, Sam Lion becomes a businessman after a trapeze accident. However, when he reaches fifty and becomes tired of his responsibilities and of his son Jean-Philippe, he decides to...
(1988, directed by Claude Lelouch) - Chambre à part (1989, directed by Jacky Cukier)
- Sale comme un ange (1991, directed by Catherine BreillatCatherine BreillatCatherine Breillat is a French filmmaker, novelist and Professor of Auteur Cinema at the European Graduate School.-Life and career:Breillat was born in Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, but grew up in Niort...
) - Jalousie (1991, directed by Kathleen Fonmarty)
- Rock-A-DoodleRock-A-DoodleRock-a-Doodle is a 1992 American animated re-telling of Edmond Rostand's comedy, Chantecler. This film was directed by Don Bluth, produced by Goldcrest Films for The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and originally released in the United States on April 3, 1992.-Plot:Chanticleer is a proud rooster whose...
(1991, voice of Goldie, French version) - Love After Love (1992, directed by Diane KurysDiane KurysDiane Kurys is a French filmmaker and actress. Several of her films as director are autobiographical. Born in Lyon, Rhône, France, her parents divorced when she was a child. She began as an actress with Jean-Louis Barrault's company. She gained film stardom, but didn't like the roles she was...
) - Sans un cri (1992, directed by Jeanne LabruneJeanne LabruneJeanne Labrune is a French screenwriter and film director. She has directed 13 films since 1978. Her film Blood and Sand was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
) - Personne ne m'aime (1994, directed by Marion Vernoux)
- Dieu, l'amant de ma mère et le fils du charcutier (1995)
- Carnages (2002, directed by Delphine GleizeDelphine GleizeDelphine Gleize is a French film director and screenwriter. She has directed ten films since 1998. Her film Carnages was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Sale battars...
) - C'est la vie, camarade ! (directed by Bernard Uzan)
- Colette, une femme libre (2004, directed by Nadine TrintignantNadine TrintignantNadine Trintignant is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter.-Career:She was a film director, producer, and screenwriter with extensive film credits from the 1960s to the present...
, Television) - Mariages ! (2004, directed by Valérie Guignabodet)
- Les Invisibles (2005, directed by Thierry Jousse)
- The Last MistressThe Last Mistress-Bibliography:Anne-Elisabeth Blateau, "Une vieille maîtresse sans Breillat" , in Carré d'Art : Barbey d'Aurevilly, Byron, Dali, Hallier, by Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Anagramme éd., Paris, 2008, pp. 143-149.-External links:...
(2007, directed by Catherine BreillatCatherine BreillatCatherine Breillat is a French filmmaker, novelist and Professor of Auteur Cinema at the European Graduate School.-Life and career:Breillat was born in Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, but grew up in Niort...
) - Lost SignsLost SignsLost Signs is a French television miniseries. The plot revolves around alien abductions. In France, the miniseries was first launched on June 20, 2007. The miniseries stars Toinette Laquière, who previously acted in another miniseries which was also written by Malina Detcheva and Franck Ollivier...
(2007, directed by Didier Albert) - Le Prince de ce monde (2008)
- La robe du soir (2009, directed by Myriam Aziza)
- A Dix Minutes De Nulle Part (2010)