Lio

Lio (born Vanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos, 17 June 1962) is a Luso-Belgian singer and actress who was a pop icon in France and Belgium during the 1980s.

This article is about the Portuguese-born pop singer and actress. For other uses, see Lio (disambiguation).

Lio
Background information
Birth nameVanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos[1]
Born (1962-06-17) 17 June 1962
Mangualde, Portugal
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • actress
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1979–present
Labels

Life and career

Vanda[2] Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos was born on 17 June 1962 in Mangualde, Portugal. When her father was called up to fight in the Portuguese Army, the family moved to Mozambique. Her parents divorced and, in 1968, Vanda moved with her mother and new stepfather to Brussels, Belgium, where her sister, actress Helena Noguerra, was born.[3] 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.[4]

Lio in 2009

In 1979, together with songwriter Jay Alanski, she and Duvall began working with Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman from the electro-trio Telex. "Le Banana Split", which sold over 1 million copies,[3] and "Amoureux solitaires", a song originally by punk rock band Stinky Toys. Both songs rose to the top of many pop charts in France, 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.[4] 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".[4] 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.[3] The Lio-Esteban partnership produced another album, Can can, recorded in Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro.[4] She also designed a fashion collection for the European department store chain Prisunic.[3]

She appeared in three films in 1990 and 1991, Chambre à part, Sans un cri, and Après l'amour.[3] Her 1991 album, Des fleurs pour un caméléon, was produced by Étienne Daho, she had already contributed vocals for one of Daho's earliest and biggest hits, "Week-End À Rome".[5] Daho was given carte blanche in the studio because Lio was busy shooting a film; however, when his work was over, he showed no interest in promoting the album with her, limiting the success of the album.[6] 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. She released the single "Je suis comme je suis" and the album Chante Prévert 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 Cœur de rubis in 2004. She also appeared in over 250 performances of the theater play Le Bébé, an adaptation of a book by Marie Darrieussecq staged by Marc Goldberg.[3][4]

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. In 2011, she became a judge on The Voice Belgique.

As of 2012, several of Lio's songs (like her 1982 song "Mona Lisa") have been rediscovered and used as samples in numerous songs by artists in the Nu-disco, House and EDM genres. In 2014, she gave an acoustic rendition of several songs by the Brazilian composer Dorival Caymmi at the Archiduc café in central Brussels.[7]

In March 2018, she released her new album Lio Canta Caymmi on the label Crammed Discs. It consists of half-Portuguese, half-French covers of songs by the Brazilian composer Dorival Caymmi. It was the first time she recorded an entire album in Portuguese, her mother tongue. She had previously released a cover of the Brazilian standard "The Girl from Ipanema" in 1991 but she sang the English lyrics.[8]

Discography
Lio on stage in 2013

Singles
Year Single Chart Album
FRA
1979 "Le Banana Split" 1 Lio
1980 "Amoureux solitaires" 1
"Amicalement votre" 19
"Sage comme une image" - Suite sixtine
1982 "Mona Lisa" -
1983 "Zip a doo wah" - Amour toujours
"La Reine des pommes" -
1985 "Tétéou" (Lio featuring Jacky) 48 -
1986 "Les Brunes comptent pas pour des prunes" 10 Pop model
"Les Filles veulent tout" (Canada only)[9] -
1987 "Fallait pas commencer" 5
"Je casse tout ce que je touche" 22
"Chauffeur suivez cette voiture" -
"La Bamba" (Los Portos featuring Lio)[10] - -
1988 "Seules les filles pleurent" - Can can
1989 "Tu es formidable" -
1990 "The Girl from Ipanema" (Lio featuring Etienne Daho) - Des fleurs pour un Caméléon
1991 "L'Autre joue" -
1995 "Le Banana Split 95" - Peste Of!
1996 "Tristeza" - Wandatta
"A la fête des animaux" (promo only)[11] - -
1998 "Ganja" (Lio featuring Los Van Van) (remix)[12] - -
2000 "Je suis comme je suis" - Chante Prévert
2005 "Les Hommes me vont si bien" (promo only)[13] - Dites au prince charmant
2007 "Les Matins de Paris" (Teki Latex featuring Lio) 14[14] Party de plaisir (Teki Latex album)
2009 "Je ne veux que ton bien" (Phantom featuring Lio) - Phantom featuring Lio
"La Veille de ma naissance" (Phantom featuring Lio)[15] -
2014 "Poupée pop"[16] - -
2018 "É Doce Morrer No Mar" (featuring Jacques Duvall) - Lio Canta Caymmi

Albums
Year Album Chart Sales
France
1980 Lio 9 150,000
1983 Amour toujours - 30,000[17]
1986 Pop model - 100,000
1988 Can can - 30,000
1991 Des fleurs pour un caméléon - 15,000
1996 Wandatta - 10,000
2000 Lio chante Prévert[18] - -
2005 Dites au prince charmant 105 4,000
2009 Phantom featuring Lio (with the band Phantom) - 1,000[17]
2018 Lio Canta Caymmi TBA TBA
  • Phantom featuring Lio was released in the UK under the title Lio et les fantômes.[19]
Lio in 2010

Live albums

  • 2003: Cœur de rubis

Compilations

  • 1982: Suite sixtine (a mixture of b-sides, English versions of previous songs and unreleased tracks; originally exclusive to Canada)
  • 1995: Peste Of!
  • 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)
  • 2008: Je garde quelques images... pour mes vies postérieures (double CD containing a mixture of hits and Lio's personal favorites)

Theatre

Filmography
Year Title Role Director Notes
1985 Elsa, Elsa Elsa Didier Haudepin
1986 Golden Eighties Mado Chantal Akerman
1988 Itinerary of a Spoiled Child Yvette Claude Lelouch
1989 Chambre à part Marie Jacky Cukier
1991 Sale comme un ange Barbara Catherine Breillat
Sans un cri Anne Jeanne Labrune
Jalousie Camille Kathleen Fonmarty
Rock-a-Doodle Goldie Don Bluth French voice
1992 Love After Love Marianne Diane Kurys
1993 La Madre muerta Maite Juanma Bajo Ulloa
1994 Personne ne m'aime Marie Marion Vernoux
Ne m'appelez pas ma petite Jennifer Jean Becker TV Movie
1995 Dieu, l'amant de ma mère et le fils du charcutier Gabrielle Aline Issermann
La Niña de tus sueños Françoise Jesús R. Delgado
1997 Peccato Manuel Gómez
Palmyra Tatiana De Perlinghi Short
Opération Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny's fiancée Michel Hassan TV Movie
1998 Micro climat Brigitte Marc Simenon TV Movie
2002 Carnage Betty Delphine Gleize
2003 Un grain de beauté The fourth comedian Odile Abergel Short
Je tourne avec Almodovar The Fairy of Cards Jean-Philippe Amar Short
2004 Mariages ! Micky Valérie Guignabodet
Colette, une femme libre Marguerite Moreno Nadine Trintignant TV Mini-Series
2005 Les Invisibles Carole Stevens Thierry Jousse
C'est la vie, camarade ! Charlène Bernard Uzan TV Movie
2006 Le Juge est une femme Louise Delcourt Eric Summer TV Series (1 Episode)
Intime conviction The Accused TV Series (1 Episode)
2007 The Last Mistress The singer Catherine Breillat (2)
Pas douce Eugenia Jeanne Waltz
Notable donc coupable Cynthia Dominique Baron & Francis Girod TV Movie
Lost Signs Michèle Costa Didier Albert TV Mini-Series
2008 Le Prince de ce monde Florence Manuel Gómez (2)
Rien dans les poches Nicole Manikowski Marion Vernoux (2) TV Movie
2009 La Robe du soir Hélène Solenska Myriam Aziza
2010 Love Like Poison Jeanne Falguères Katell Quillévéré
2011 À dix minutes de nulle part Marie Arnauld Mercadier TV Movie
Le Temps du silence The singer Franck Apprederis TV Movie
Rani Madam Rose Arnaud Sélignac TV Series (3 Episodes)
2012 Stars 80 Herself Frédéric Forestier & Thomas Langmann
2013 Henri Rita Yolande Moreau
Tiger Lily, quatre femmes dans la vie Muriel Benoît Cohen TV Mini-Series
Nos chers voisins Céline Emmanuel Rigaut TV Series (1 Episode)
2015 Belgian Disaster Marie-Claire Patrick Glotz
Le Sang de la vigne Angèle Marcarol Régis Musset TV Series (1 Episode)
2017 Stars 80, la suite Herself Frédéric Forestier & Thomas Langmann (2)
Les Onironautes The mother Mathias Zivanovic Short

Bibliography
  • Lio; Verlant, Gilles (2005). Pop model. J'ai lu. ISBN 2-290-34721-3.

References
  1. "69 minutes sans chichis: Lio", interview in French by Leslie Meuraillon, published in march 2015 on the belgian website Moustique.be (Belgian).
  2. [The official autobiography of the belgian artist co-written with the journalist Gilles Verlant Pop model, Éditions J'ai Lu, page 290. Note: the letter W was not used by the Portuguese administration at the time of the birth of the artist.
  3. Lio at RFI Musique Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "europopmusic – lio". europopmusic.eu.
  5. "Etienne Daho – La Notte, La Notte..." discogs.
  6. Lio & Gilles Verlant: Pop model, Editions Flammarion, 2004.
  7. "Lio//L'archiduc//Bruxelles". Lara Herbinia (in French). Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  8. "Lio – Lio Canta Caymmi". discogs.
  9. "Lio – Les Filles Veulent Tout (De Toi)". discogs.
  10. "Los Portos Featuring L.N.A*, Cacho*, Lio – La Bamba (Version Française)". discogs.
  11. "Lio – À La Fête Des Animaux". discogs.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Lio – Les Hommes Me Vont Si Bien". discogs.
  14. "Les Matins De Paris by Teki Latex and Lio – Music Charts". acharts.us.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ""Poupée pop" : Lio règle ses comptes sur son nouveau single. Ecoutez !". chartsinfrance.net.
  17. "Lio Est De Retour: Nouvel Album Lio canta Caymmi [1979–...]". Pure Charts.
  18. "Lio – Je Suis Comme Ça". discogs.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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