Amanda Lear is a well-known French singer and songwriter. In her country, she also became very famous as an artist and TV presenter. The period of her active activity in music was in the mid-1970s - early 1980s - at the time of the popularity of disco. After that, the singer began to try herself in new roles, managed to prove herself perfectly in painting and on television.
The early years of Amanda Lear
The exact age of the performer is unknown. Amanda decided to hide her age from her husband. Therefore, she provides journalists with conflicting information regarding her family and her date of birth.
All that is known today is that the singer was born between 1940 and 1950. Most sources state that she was born in 1939. Although there is information about 1941, 1946, and even about 1950.
According to the latest data, the girl's father was an officer. The mother had Russian-Asian roots (although this information is also carefully hidden by the singer). The singer grew up in Switzerland. Here she learned many languages, including English, German, Italian, etc.
Along with the rumors about the dates of birth, there were also gossip about the gender of the singer. A number of testimonies indicated that Amanda Lear was born in Singapore in 1939 under the name Alain Maurice and with a note that the gender was male.
According to one version, the sex change operation took place in 1963 and was paid for by the famous artist Salvador Dali, with whom Amanda was on friendly terms. By the way, according to the same version, it was he who came up with her creative pseudonym. Amanda constantly denied this fact, but journalists still continue to present evidence regarding the gender of the singer.
The girl has repeatedly stated that this rumor was spread by numerous musicians, starting David Bowie and ending with Amanda, as a PR and drawing attention to the individual. In the 1970s, she posed nude for Playboy, and the rumors disappeared for a while.
Musical career Amanda Lear
The path to music was very long. This was preceded by a career as an artist, acquaintance with the legendary Salvador Dali. Being 40 years older, he found in her a kindred spirit. Since then, their relationship has been very close. She accompanied him on various trips and was a frequent visitor to his and his wife's home.
In the 1960s, her main activity was participation in fashion shows. The girl posed for famous photographers, participated in fashion shows. Career was more than successful. However, in the early 1970s, she became familiar with the scene. In 1973, she performed on stage with David Bowie's hit Sorrow.
At the same time, they became a couple (this despite the fact that Bowie was married). And Amanda was disappointed in the world of fashion. In her opinion, he was too conservative, so the girl decided to try herself in music.
Since 1974, David began to pay for vocal lessons and dance training, so that Amanda was preparing to start a musical career. The first single was the song Trouble - a cover version of the song Elvis Presley. It is noteworthy that Lear created a pop song from rock and roll, but it did not become popular. The single turned out to be a "failure", despite the fact that it was published twice - in Britain and in France.
Debut album by Amanda Lear
Oddly enough, it was this song that allowed the singer to conclude a long-term contract with the Ariola label. The singer herself in an interview repeatedly stated that the amount of the contract was significant. In 1977, the debut disc I Am a Photograph was released. The main find of the album was the song Blood and Honey, which became popular in Europe.
Tomorrow - the second single from the album was also well received by the public. Six more songs became in demand at parties and discos in Germany, Britain and France. The debut album had an unusual style of the singer. She sang part of the text, and part simply spoke like a normal text. In combination with rhythmic music, this gave the original energy. This formula made Amanda's music popular.
Sweet Revenge - the singer's second disc continued the ideas of the first album. This record turned out to be interesting not only in sound, but also in content. The album turned out to be sustained within the same concept. Throughout the songs, it talks about a girl who sold her soul to the devil in order to get money and fame.
In the end, she takes revenge on the devil and finds her love, which replaces her fame and fortune. The main track Follow Me became the most popular song of the collection. The disc was received very warmly by the public. The album is international. Like the first one, it sold well in the UK, France, Germany and other European countries.
Musical diversity and the release of new records
Never Trust a Pretty Face is the singer's third disc, which was remembered by the listener for its unusual genre diversity. There is literally everything here - from disco and pop music to dance remixes of songs of the war years.
The singer conquered Scandinavia with the album Diamonds for Breakfast (1979). In this collection, the disco style gives way to electronic rock, which was just becoming popular. After a successful 1980 world tour, a musical career began to weigh on Lear. Due to her character, the singer could not create the kind of music that she did not want to do.
Meanwhile, the music market was changing, and so were the expectations of the public. The singer was bound by a label contract that also forced her to follow trends in order to keep sales high. The sixth album Tam-Tam (1983) marked the virtual end of her career as a musician.
After that, a number of albums were released (today there are about 27 releases, including various collections). At various times, Amanda combined the career of a singer, artist, TV presenter and public figure. Thanks to this, she still manages to maintain a sufficient level of popularity. Her music is popular with a certain audience, but not with the general public.
