''On n'enferme pas les oiseaux'' () is the debut studio album by French singer-songwriter Barbara Pravi. It was released on 27 August 2021 by Capitol Music France. Following the release of three extended plays and her representation in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song " Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the ...

with the song " Voilà", Pravi began working on a full-length album as her next work. The record's title comes from a lyric found in the song "L'homme et l'oiseau", which she stated is "because nothing is more majestic than the spreading of one's own wings". ''On n'enferme pas les oiseaux'' is a

French pop French pop music is pop music sung in the French language. It is usually performed by singers from France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, or any of the other francophone areas of the world. The target audience is the francophone market (primaril ...

and

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...

album that explores themes of love, feminism and

self-affirmation Self-affirmation theory is a psychological theory that focuses on how individuals adapt to information or experiences that are threatening to their self-concept. Claude Steele originally popularized self-affirmation theory in the late 1980s,St ...

Background and release

After releasing singles and an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

with Jules Jaconelli on Capitol Music France in 2017, Pravi switched direction to French ''

'' music, which was 'more to her own taste'. In 2021, Pravi's song " Voilà", composed alongside Igit and Lilie Poe, was chosen to represent France in the

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

. She finished in second place, scoring 499 points, thereby achieving France's best Eurovision result since . Following the contest, Pravi continued to work with Elodie Filleu and Jérémie Arcache on her debut full-length album, continuing to write with Igit and Poe, who co-wrote "Voilà", as well as Vincha and Arcache. Two further music videos were released after "Voilà", to create a triptych of videos before the album's release; "Le jour se lève" and "L'homme et l'oiseau". The album was released on 27 August 2021 on CD and digital download, and 8 October 2021 on vinyl.

Critical reception

The album was met with critical acclaim upon release. Jeremy Williams-Chalmers of ''

The Yorkshire Times ''The Yorkshire Times'' is an online newspaper founded in 2011 by Richard Trinder, and the sole online-only paper in Yorkshire. Rather than employing journalists, ''The Yorkshire Times'' focuses instead on citizen journalism, with opinion, comm ...

'' highlighted its distinct sound, concluding that the record "is a stunning collection that showcases an artist comfortable in her own skin and ready to explore many musical terrains." Martin Leitch in a '' Gigwise'' vinyl review of the album praised Pravi's songwriting and lyricism, adding that "''On n'enferme pas les oiseaux'' boasts the compulsive immediacy of all the best pop, whilst managing in the same breath to command a certain distinguished subtlety that sets Pravi out as an artist with a clear creative vision."

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:On Nenferme Pas Les Oiseaux 2021 albums Pop albums by French artists Chanson albums