French actress singer | Edith Piaf chanteuse

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French Actress Singer — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:46:39 +0000

Piaf Lives! For Your Ears Only

French Actress Singer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:48:34 +0000

Floanne’s interview on RadioAmercia.org by David Alpern and co-host Melissa Exelberth on For Your Ears Only:

Floanne is Edith Piaf (with a twist)

French Actress Singer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:49:22 +0000

The New York-based French chanteuse will premiere her Edith Piaf, Alive and Living in New York on Monday, November 28. In recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of Piaf’s death, Floanne has compiled a repertoire of covers and original jazz songs in homage to the “Little Sparrow,” making this event a must-see for any lover of classic, French music.

In a revival of the French music hall style, Floanne’s performance will include songs meant to transport you back in time, radiating Piaf’s signature sultry sound while putting her own bohemian spin on it. It is surely to be a one-of-a-kind musical event.

TimeOut! New York calls her “the French Madonna,” and her critically acclaimed cabaret has been featured on NPR. Edith Piaf, Alive and Living will show at the aforementioned Metropolitan Room (212-206-0440) on Monday, November 28 at 7:00 PM, and again on Wednesday, November 30 and 9:30 PM. She will return to the Triad Theater (212-362-2590) on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:00 PM and Thursday, December 8 at the same time.

We expect tickets to sell out fast, but if you book yours now at her website, you can input the code “French Culture Guide” and get a $5 discount! Vite, vite!

By Jake Flanagin
French Culture Guides, November 18, 2011
Video still by Olivier Simille

Edith Piaf Alive & Living in New York

floanne — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:51:03 +0000

A new “little sparrow” has landed. The French actress and singer Floanne Ankah presents the New York premiere of “Edith Piaf Alive and Living in New York” at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, beginning Monday November 28 and playing once-monthly shows through March 17, 2012.

The French-born and New York-based Ankah infuses her daringly dramatic evocation of Piaf’s art with a contemporary energy and rhythm. The result is that Ankah, 27, brings to life this musical icon of the mid-last-century in ways that are both authentic and original. With the collaboration of stage director Alice Jankell and musical director Rachel Kaufman, Ankah, supported by a three-piece band, takes us back to a Paris in the 40′s and 50′s churning with existentialism as if it were a place just outside our door.

Trained as an actress and singer under the mentorship of Jean Brassard and Daniel Isengart, Ankah is also training as a coloratura soprano under the watchful eye of April Evans. Ankah, herself a French farm girl whose own nomadic dreams have led her far from home, says she is reviving a tradition of French music hall as she embodies the melodies of Piaf, a child of the streets of Paris. Piaf died at age 47 in October 1963.

Backing Ankah are music director Rachel Kaufman on piano, Ray Parker on bass, Mario Monaco on percussion. Jankell, a New York-based director, worked for several years for Disney Theatrical Productions and was associate artistic director of the Williamstown Theater Festival.

Read full article on Broadway World

It’s OK to be Alone

French Actress Singer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:05:24 +0000

Love Song Lyrics

Words by Floanne, Music by Ivica Simatovic, 2011

It’s OK to fall apart
Loosing all inside your heart
He saw all the memories
You are all there will ever be [all we have]

Your ex-boyfriend is ringing the telephone
It’s nothing good, nothing bad
The wires are hot, my skull feels grounded up
In my dream you were the one who was gone
Wanting to tell him something I can’t recall
So I told him at the end of his shift
Nothing weird, nothing’s on
There’s one thing you should know, which is last night
Your ex-boyfriend was ringing the telephone

It’s OK to be afraid
Jumping into the cascade
She saw all the memories
You are all there will ever be [all we have]

Your ex-wife is ringing the telephone
It’s nothing good, nothing bad
She’s still here, the one giving you butterflies
Hanging out with her, uninvited
She was pumping something out of my brain
I said I don’t know you, get out of my way
Nothing weird, nothing’s on
When you see her tell her I wonder, what is she still doing here?
Your ex-wife was ringing the telephone

It’s OK to feel alone
Living closer to the bone
They saw all the memories
You are all there will ever be [all we have]

It’s OK to be alone (x3)

[bridge]
‘cause when you leave to the unknown
All you may have to carry on
Is the feeling walking on the beach
Of a warm summer you couldn’t let go

The Longest Running Show

French Actress Singer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:59:33 +0000

Love Song Lyrics

English Words and Music by Porter Smith, 2011
French Words translated by Floanne

Tombions-nous / les premiers / des hauteurs / du vent
Quand-som / -mes nous montés / prosternés / devant l’aube
       Were we the first to fall from a windy height?
       When did we climb so high to kneel upon the sunrise?

Par pour / le faible Coeur / ou le hôte / bienheureux
Entiendions / les premiers / et chantions / les derniers
       Not for the faint of heart or the happy host
       We were the first to hear and last to keep from singing

On ne / peut mourir / dans les bras / de l’autre
Sauver / l’amour / c’est le / sacrifice
       No one may say they died in each other’s arms
       To save a love sometimes it’s a sacrifice

But all the while it was
The longest running show and they were laughing
We kept it running as long as we could
But saving a love is not for the faint of heart

And all the while it was
The longest running show and we were laughing
We kept it running as long as we could
But saving a love is not that kind of party

I let my soul down
I let my love go
I let my soul down
And now my love has flown

Mon âme est noircie
J’ai décu mon Coeur
Mon âme est noircie
Mon amour c’est enfui

Douce France

French Actress Singer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:29:13 +0000

Music Video

Music video filmed and directed by Charlotte Annequin.

Love Song Lyrics

Words and Music by Charles Trenet, 1942

Il revient à ma mémoire
Des souvenirs familiers
Je revois ma blouse noire
Lorsque j’étais écolier
Sur le chemin de l’école
Je chantais à pleine voix
Des romances sans paroles
Vieilles chansons d’autrefois

{Refrain:}
Douce France
Cher pays de mon enfance
Bercée de tendre insouciance
Je t’ai gardée dans mon cœur!
Mon village au clocher aux maisons sages
Où les enfants de mon âge
Ont partagé mon bonheur

Oui je t’aime
Et je te donne ce poème
Oui je t’aime
Dans la joie ou la douleur
Douce France
Cher pays de mon enfance
Bercée de tendre insouciance
Je t’ai gardée dans mon cœur

J’ai connu des paysages
Et des soleils merveilleux
Au cours de lointains voyages
Tout là-bas sous d’autres cieux
Mais combien je leur préfère
Mon ciel bleu mon horizon
Ma grande route et ma rivière
Ma prairie et ma maison.

{Refrain}
Je t’ai gardée dans mon cœur

Michelle

French Actress Singer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:27:57 +0000

This song was recorded recorded with David Barrat for “The Beatles Complete on Yukulele”.

Beatles Complete on Yukulele Article

Original version recorded November 3rd 1965
Ukulele version recorded January 21 2010

Written By Paul McCartney
Credited to Lennon/McCartney

Floanne Ankah – Vocals
Gary Schreiner – Accordion
David Barratt – Ukulele and Everything else

Produced by David Barratt at The Abattoir of Good Taste, Brooklyn
Photo Ludovic Nicolas

SUR LA CHANSON

The Beatles were from Liverpool but they were never of Liverpool.

In a biological sense they were Irish, much more than, U2 for example. 15 of their 16 grandparents hailed from Ireland and Celtic self pity drips from almost every Lennon lyric. Many of their melodies are direct descendants of Irish tunes.

As a business or cultural entity it could be argued that they were a German band. They came to Hamburg as boys with little musical experience and as men ready to invade the world with a totalitarian vision that would appeal to the masses and frighten the establishment.

What The Beatles were not was English, and certainly not Scouse. As soon as they could they ran like a drug-crazed Ben Johnson away from Liverpool never to return.

At this point we would like to apologize to our British readers. We know that you know what Scouse means but our international cousins…. well y’know…

The origin of the name “Scouse” comes from the name of a very a basic stew of meat, potato and vegetables not unlike a goulash or Irish stew. The people who ate Scouse were nearly all sailors. Eventually all sailors within Liverpool were referred to as Scousers. As time passed everyone from the region of Liverpool is known as a Scouser.

So what defines a Scouser?

1. Place of birth – Liverpool or within shouting distance of The River Mersey. Yep all four Beatles were born in this area

2. Accent – Scouse is a fast, highly accented manner of speech, with a range of rising and falling tones unlike any other English accent. Irish influences include the pronunciation of and the 2nd Person plural (you) as ‘youse/yous’

The scouse accent sounds like this

http://thebeatlescompleteonukulele.bandcamp.com/album/miscellaneous-audio

The Beatles do not.

3. Football – Ask any Scouser “Red or Blue?” and they will immediately answer Liverpool or Everton. Identification with these two teams is a vital part of Scouse life. The only time any of The Beatles were spotted at a football match was Paul at the 1966 FA Cup Final between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday and whenever he is asked if he is Red (Liverpool) or Blue (Everton) he always answers in a typically diplomatic fashion “Well… both really”.

Diplomacy is not a Scouse trait.

4. Loyalty to the City. As soon as they could all four left the city never to live anywhere near the area again. Ringo in Los Angeles, John in New York, George in Henley and Paul walking distance from Abbey Road and summers in Long Island. But never Liverpool or any of the countryside around it. Paul and Ringo have done concerts for the city but when interviewed by Jonathan Ross Ringo was asked if there was anything he missed about his birthplace Starr replied:

“Er, no… I was a child in Liverpool. I grew up in Liverpool. My family members are in Liverpool. But you know…”

On some level The Beatles knew they had to kill the father that sired them to fulfill their destiny. One of the ways that The Beatles escaped Liverpool was via fantasy. The writing of Michelle was an example of this.

The outline to what would become the Michelle was written by on Paul McCartney’s $15 Zenith guitar in 1959 at the age of seventeen. It was originally written as a joke song. Paul would sit in a corner at parties with a black beret making up nonsense lyrics with a fake french accent. It got some cute laughs and the song was promptly forgotten by everyone except John.

Fast forward six years. The pressure to create new material was great. John mentioned that the “joke song” had a pretty good tune and could be reworked into a track for the Rubber Soul album.

Paul did not speak French so he visited French teacher Jan Vaughan, the wife of former Quarryman Ivan Vaughan. He had the title, Michelle and the rhyme “Ma Belle” he asked her what it meant. She told him Ma Belle meant “My Beautiful” to which he replied “Those are words that go together well”. She then translated what he said back to him “Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble” and the song was all but written.

John had been listening to a lot of Nina Simone at the time and the proof of this comes in the bridge. Check out her version of “Put A Spell On You”. At about 1min 59sec a melody and lyric not unlike the John contribution to Michelle appears.

So out of a Childish joke, a rudimentary French lesson, a $15 guitar and a second hand Nina Simone riff they managed to create massive worldwide hit and their only “Song Of The Year” Grammy.

In that same year Record Of The Year was won by one of the other giants of 20th Century popular culture, Frank Sinatra for “Strangers In The Night”. On the surface these two songs have little in common but in fact one is about two lovers who cannot communicate because they cannot speak the same language while the other is about two lovers who cannot see one another because it is so dark.

A passing of the flame indeed. Sinatra hated The Beatles. His favorite Lennon and McCartney song was “Something” (sic). Dispite being a musical genius he simply didn’t get it. 65/6 saw a changing of the guard culturally and musically from the big band, solo singer with outside writer model to self contained musical entities that is to say, bands.

So to have two excellent songs about miscommunication being so popular at that very moment was perfect.

McCartney, being the forever, eager to please puppy dog that he is performed the song to Mrs Obama a couple of weeks ago. This time the guitar cost more that $15.

Our version is sang by Floanne, the most Gallic woman in Manhattan. We have reversed the lyric so the English is in French and the French is in English. We have also reversed the roles telling the story from the female perspective. Her “Michelle” is a sweet boy who she has feelings for but she just can’t make herself understood. She is frustrated because their love lives outside of language.

But of course love always lives outside of language.

Toi et Moi

French Actress Singer — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:15:27 +0000

Mike Higbee Official Music Website

Making-of Video

Love Song Lyrics

Toi et Moi
Words and music by Mike Higbee 2011
Performed by Mike Higbee and Floanne

Wherever you are
Wherever you go
Wherever I am
I’ll do all I can

Et ou que tu soi
Et ou que ce soi
J’irais apres toi
Sans peur des degats

J’ai comme une idee
J’ai comme une envie
C’est tout un desir
Tu a sucite

And all of my life
And no matter what
I’ll always be there
I’ll wait in your chair

Je f’rais tout ce que j’peux
Pour qu’tu sois heureuse/x
On fera des enfants
Des p’tits garnements

On ira au lit
J’te f’rais des calins
On fera l’amour
Du soir au matin

It’s taking too long
I know I was wrong
But I need you now
And you feel so far

I don’t want to fight
I just want to love
I’m in love with you
And I promise you

So long as I live
So long as I breathe
I’ll take care of you
My poor malheureuse

Poême

French Actress Singer — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:08:25 +0000

This original song was written and performed by Floanne, for the fashion video below directed by David Dougan.

Music Video filmed in Paris

Featuring Coco Rocha and Lars Burmeister