MADEMOISELLE CHANTE LE BLUES IN BAKU

Patricia Kaas is a great French singer, a woman who sings… She sings in French. For many women in Europe she is icon of style, of French beauty and refinement. Kaas is a real French woman, in spite of her Franco-German origin. Her father was French, her mother German, but her heart and soul were more French than German. When she was a child, she was not spoilt, since it was a large family and frequently they did not even have enough money for food. But Patricia's fighting spirit served her well in her youth. She managed to make it onto the stage without any sponsors and contacts and became one of the most popular singers in France. Kaas never considered herself a beauty. Moreover, in interviews she would often reiterate that, although she was far from being perfect, she would always try to look striking. The singer is convinced that her youthful appearance is a consequence of her positive attitude to life and her everyday battle against life's ups and downs.

A solo concert of the world renowned French singer took place at the Heydar Aliyev Palace as part of the "Kaas sings Piaf" Caucasus tour. The concert played to full houses. The show consisted of 24 songs by Patricia Kaas and Edith Piaf.

The day before the concert the singer met local representatives of the media and gave a short interview.

Her guest tour is devoted to the 50th anniversary of the death of the great French singer Edith Piaf. Within the framework of this tour, Kaas presented an up-to-date show featuring the old songs of Edith Piaf. "I simply could not fail to sing her songs, because she, like me, was a French woman, so it is my duty to do that. Edith Piaf experienced many tragic happenings during her life, so I wanted to convey that in my performance," Patricia said at the concert.

- Welcome to Baku.  What do you think of the city?

- I was in Baku seven years ago. The city has changed a lot since then. I have fallen in love with your city and the residents of Baku. If I could, I would stay here longer. 

- What does music mean to you?

- Music is a vital part of my life; for me life without the stage is unthinkable. I shall never stop singing. My voice is a gift from God. I'm terribly grateful to God that he bestowed this on me so that I can bring people happiness. I do have other interests besides music. I very much like to spend time with my family and friends. I love interior design and decorating. You wouldn't believe it, but I decorated and furnished my flat myself. Everything in my home is to my own taste.

- You have written an autobiography "The Shadow of my Voice" [French - "L'Ombre de ma Voix"]. Are you planning to write anything else?

- Writing a book takes up a lot of time. In this book which I wrote together with a French journalist, I recount the story of my life and my success, which took me several years. I don't think I'm likely to do that again in the future.

- In 2002 you had a crack at being an actress in Claude Lelouch's film "And now… Ladies and Gentlemen". Are you making any films at the moment?

- Recently, the film "The Murdered" came out on the television in France and Belgium. I played the mother of a girl who was murdered. It was a very difficult part and I invested a lot of myself in it. 

- Have you ever been afraid to go out onto the stage?

- No, I've been on the stage since I was young and have never been afraid to go out there. I'm only afraid when I know that my relatives and friends are in the audience. I can't put that feeling into words. I get really very nervous at that moment. I am afraid that I will do something wrong. But otherwise I've never been afraid of the stage. If people have come to my concert, it means that they like my songs. I enjoy performing for my audiences and making a gift to them of my creativeness. 

-You always look fantastic…

- I have never had a serious problem with my weight, but I do watch what I eat all the same, I don't eat much. I do exercises every day, as well as modern dance and stage choreography. One more secret is having plenty of sleep; even when I'm on tour I try to get enough sleep. The main weapon in the battle for beauty is a healthy life style. I don't smoke and hardly ever drink alcohol and I do plenty of exercise. The drink I prefer most is natural mineral water. Nothing is better for making a woman look younger than the absence of stressful situations; you mustn't take everything to heart. Famous people always need to look good, because the photographers put incredible pressure on us. Therefore, I always go out well dressed, having done my make-up beforehand, even if I sometimes don't want to. It's my job, isn't it! We women are obliged to look beautiful, since we are first and foremost the strong sex, and, if men submit to our charms, that means that we have won this war (She laughs).

- It is no secret that men are often afraid of strong women. Your star sign is Sagittarius, and purposefulness and extraordinary strength of will are the main characteristics of women of that sign.

- It's true. Women with the star sign Sagittarius are women with a strong character and will. I think that it is important for a woman to be strong although much in her fate depends on what her family background is, what difficulties have fallen to her lot and whether she has to "battle" with life. There are always people who find life much harder than you do. It's all relative, as they say. A woman can at some moments allow herself to be weak, defenceless and fragile. The main thing is to regard life with optimism and stride boldly forward.

- Millions of men admire you. Do you believe in friendship between men and women or is that a "before and after" relationship all the same?

- Yes, my best friends are actually men. I find it easier with them. I believe in real, loyal friendship between men and women, but I want to assure you that men are still men and always have certain desires in their relationship with a woman.

- A great wise man said that "He is happy who has enough". For many women happiness is "having a nice person at their side". What does Patricia Kaas need to be happy?

- Everyone measures happiness by their own yardstick. For some it is material wealth, for others happiness is meeting the one and only man who is irreplaceable in their eyes. I agree that a man provides a shoulder to lean on, a buttress and a support in life. But there are many women who are unhappy when they have a man at their side. Their dream has not come true: the prince is not in actual fact a prince. But it depends precisely on men whether the chalice will be full of happiness or not. For me happiness is complete spiritual harmony, comfort and calm within myself.

- What dreams do you have? What surprises still await you in life?

- There are many surprises in life, and I love them. Life would be monotonous without them. All my dreams have come true. I would perhaps like to have more time to spend with my near ones and dear ones.