Lara Fabian reaches out to English speakers with new album

For the past eight years, Lara Fabian has had success in Europe. She hopes to charm even more audiences with her new self-titled English-language CD

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Lara Fabian, the classically trained vocalist with Sicilian and Belgian roots who has charmed Europe with her French recordings, is expanding her scope with her first English-language album.

"Lara Fabian," which boasts the single "I Will love Again," mixes more traditional European sounds with pop to generate international appeal.

Fabian, who has been recording in Europe for eight years, says she likes to experiment with many styles.

VIDEO Singer Lara Fabian talks with CNN's Worldbeat about her U.S. tour Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO 'I Will Love Again' 400KWAV sound 'Adagio' 544KWAV sound 'Givin' Up On You' 384KWAV sound

"I don't want to have any category stamped on my face," she told CNN WorldBeat at a recent show in New York. "I really want to have this freedom -- music is freedom."

Music is also a way for Fabian to express her passions.

"I am an open book through the songwriting," Fabian admitted. "It's such a beautiful exit to all these emotions that we don't know how to speak. ... I have this vehicle that is such a precious thing to me."

Fabian's sentiments have been expressed best in French, though she is multilingual. Her previous albums have sold 7 million copies, mostly in French-speaking lands.

"I started songwriting at around age 12, and that was it. I never really stopped. Nothing else ever really crossed my mind. It's truly the expression of who I am."
— Lara Fabian

She says her music crosses cultural boundaries.

"I believe in the fact that an audience has one heart," Fabian said. "I can just tell you one thing: If I sing the 'Adagio,' and I pull it out with all the honesty I have -- whether they're Japanese, Italian, American or Belgian or French -- they will react in the same way."

The track "Adagio" is a dramatic statement, pairing her own lyrics with the eternal music of Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni.

"My mother loved Albinoni" Fabian recalled. "Albinoni is one of the most amazing composers of the 18th century, and that song actually is one of the songs she played the most.

"('Adagio') ... characterizes who I am, and what I've been studying for so many years," Fabian said.

Fabian began formal lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels at 8 and continued her studies for 10 years. She never doubted her calling, she says.

"I started songwriting at around age 12, and that was it," Fabian said. "I never really stopped. Nothing else ever really crossed my mind. It's truly the expression of who I am."

Lara Fabian (Official site)

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.