Alizee: Can the French Britney Spears Grow Up?

It takes former teen stars a while to find their footing once they grow up. No one knows that better than Alizée, the one-time teenage protege of Euro Pop queen Mylene Farmer.

I’ll admit up front that I am NOT a fan of Alizée’s music. In her early days, she came off as a French Britney Spears, with a layer of icky EuroPop icing. She was too “packaged” and manufactured, which I instinctively interpreted as a cover for a lack of talent. But the “Lolita” stuff was doing it for men of France, apparently, who couldn’t get enough of her lip-synching and prancing around in rompers and pastel mini-dresses.

She’s tried out some new styles and personas since then, and her public revolted. One guess what she’s doing these days…

First Album

Gourmandises (debut album)

When the young singer and trained dancer made her debut at age 16, her whole “virginal temptress” schtick was very reminiscent of early Britney, and her team made sure the debut single and video capitalized on her Lolita appeal.

Written by her music industry mentor Mylene Farmer, “Moi…Lolita” was the song that made her famous. It sold millions of copies in France and beyond:

Thankfully, Mylene Farmer’s control over her music waned, and by her third album, and the Corsica native began to show some promise. In my opinion, her 2007 Electro-Pop album Psychédélices was the first half-listenable recording in Alizee’s repertoire.

The public, however, has not been so enthralled to the singer’s efforts at maturity. The transition from teen Pop tart to mature musician can be a tough one, especially when your fans don’t want you to grow up.

2010’s Une Enfant Du Siecle, a 1980’s sounding concept album centered around “Factory Girl” Edie Sedgwick, was embraced by critics, but panned by the masses. The artist wanted to explore the sounds she grew up listening to in the 80’s, but her fans just seemed to want more bouncy Euro Pop. However, if you liked, say, Madonna’s 1986 hit “Live to Tell,” (one of my faves), then you’d appreciate what Alizee was trying to do here.

That brings us to her fifth album, which was simply titled, 5.

5 (new album)

Alizée’s reinvention entered full-on Lana Del Rey territory, complete with sober concept songs and husky vocals. One would struggle to find a radio single on this sober album. Once again, she draws inspiration from the past. The songs on 5 share a 1960’s patina, as it’s plain to see from the opening frame of the video for “A cause de l’automne.”

I’m really curious to see what you think about Alizee’s new music, and if you’d give it a chance — especially if you were familiar with her former Pop style.

Here’s the leadoff single, “A cause de l’automne”:

Latest Album

Blonde

Fresh off her 2013 Dancing with the Stars win (in France), the songstress was eager to capitalize on her resurgence. The result is her the album Blonde, which has about as much depth as glass of water, to quote David Bowie. She basically decided “to hell with maturity” and has opted for prancing around again. It’s a good time and all, but I am disappointed in her regression. I mean, really. A whole album themed around your dye job? Sigh. This CAN’T be the only way to sell records.

Despite my reservations, this album works as a summer soundtrack. It’s full of bleepy, vocoded, saccharine Pop written and produced by Pascal Obispo and Laurent Konrad, the DJ/Producer of Discobitch fame.

The leadoff title track “Blonde” pretty much conveys the vibe of the whole album. I think this whole outing reeks of desperation and opportunism. But if you like the old Alizee, then you’ll like this new album.

What do you think of the NEW vs. the OLD vs. the NEW NEW Alizee? Did you like her best as a teen, or when she was trying to be serious, or now that she’s fun and bubbly again? Leave a comment below.