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

Life and career

Vanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos was born on 17 June 1962 in

Mangualde Mangualde () is a municipality in the subregion of Dão-Lafões (historical Beira Interior), central region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,880, in an area of 219.26 km2. History The region of Mangualde has been a crossroads of ma ...

, 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 Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium, where her sister, actress

Helena Noguerra Helena Noguerra (18 May 1969) is a Belgian actress, singer and writer. Career Noguerra was born in Brussels, Belgium. Her songs have been used in commercials and television programmes such as ''Lunettes noires pour nuits blanches'' by Thier ...

, was born. Lio at RFI Musique
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 Jean-Claude Forest (11 September 1930 – 30 December 1998) was a French writer and illustrator of comics and the creator of character Barbarella. Biography Jean-Claude Forest was born in Le Perreux-sur-Marne, a Paris suburb and graduated f ...

In 1979, together with songwriter Jay Alanski, she and Duvall began working with

Marc Moulin Marc Moulin (16 August 1942 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian musician and journalist (print, radio, TV). In the early-mid seventies, he was the leader of the jazz-rock group Placebo (not to be confused with the English rock band with the sa ...

and

Dan Lacksman Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

from the electro-trio

Telex The telex network is a station-to-station switched network of teleprinters similar to a telephone network, using telegraph-grade connecting circuits for two-way text-based messages. Telex was a major method of sending written messages electroni ...

. Her first two singles were "

Le Banana Split "Le Banana Split" is the debut single by Belgian pop singer Lio. It was a very big hit when it was first released in 1979, selling 700,000 copies. It is considered today Lio's signature song. Background "Le Banana Split" was remixed in 1995 an ...

", which sold over 1 million copies, 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 Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

and

Russell Mael Russell Craig Mael (born October 5, 1948) is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching ...

, 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 ''Amour toujours'' is the second studio album by Belgian pop singer Lio and her third LP overall. Singles Release information and re-issues The album was originally released by Ariola Records in 1983. It was re-released in France in 2005 as ...

'', was produced by Alain Chamfort and released in 1983. 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 1984, she was featured in a TV special with

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, ...

called “Formule 1”, where she sang "

Be My Baby "Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in ...

" with Gall. In 1985, she met record company executive and producer

Michel Esteban Michel Antoine Gaston Esteban (born 7 May 1951) is a French record producer, record company executive, cultural center director and former magazine editor, who founded the Paris shop Harry Cover in 1973, was influential in the early development ...

, of

ZE Records ZE Records was originally a New York-based record label, started in 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban. It was reestablished by Esteban in 2003. History Michael Zilkha (b. 1954) is a British-born Oxford graduate of Iraqi descent, the s ...

. 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 ''Pop model'' is Belgian pop singer Lio's third studio album of entirely new material and fourth album overall. It features two of her biggest hits: "Les brunes comptent pas pour des prunes" and "Fallait pas commencer". It is her second best-se ...

''. Several of the tracks were co-produced by John Cale, formerly of the

Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

, and the album produced the hits "Fallait pas commencer", "Je casse tout ce que je touche", and "Chauffeur". In 1988, after she had given birth to a daughter with Esteban, she resumed her acting career, starring in

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained criti ...

's film ''Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté''. The Lio-Esteban partnership produced another album, ''Can can'', recorded in Los Angeles and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. She also designed a fashion collection for the European department store chain

Prisunic Prisunic (Société Française des Magasins à Prix Uniques) was a French variety store chain that closed in 2003. Its stores were generally located downtown. History The Prisunic stores were founded by Maurice Farhi Pierre Lanuionie, and Hen ...

. She appeared in three films in 1990 and 1991, ''Chambre à part'', ''Sans un cri'', and ''Après l'amour''. Her 1991 album, '' Des fleurs pour un caméléon'', was produced by

Étienne Daho Étienne Daho (; ; born 14 January 1956) is a French singer. He has released a number of synth-driven and rock- surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981. Career Daho was born in Oran, French Algeria. He sings in a low, whispery voice somew ...

, she had already contributed vocals for one of Daho's earliest and biggest hits, "Week-End À Rome". 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. Her next album, ''Wandatta'', presenting a more mature approach in contrast with her previous image, and with a

sleeve A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

Guy Peellaert Guy Peellaert (6 April 1934 – 17 November 2008) was a Belgian artist, painter, illustrator, comic artist and photographer, most famous for the book ''Rock Dreams'', and his album covers for rock artists like David Bowie ('' Diamond Dogs'') and the ...

, 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 Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, and in 1999 she appeared in 50 performances of the French adaptation of ''

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...

'', a musical staged at the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

. 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 Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...

, in 2000. After performing the songs on tour throughout France, Europe and North Africa, she released the live album ''C''œ''ur 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 Marie Darrieussecq (born 3 January 1969, Bayonne) is a French writer. She is also a translator, and has practised as a psychoanalyst. Her books explore the unspoken and abandoned territories in literature. Her work is dense, marked by a constant ...

staged by Marc Goldberg. Since 2008, Lio has been a judge on the French "pop idol" show ''

Nouvelle Star ''Nouvelle Star'' (; also known as '' À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star'' for the first season) is a French television series based on the popular Pop Idol programme produced by FremantleMedia. It was broadcast by M6 in seasons 1–8 before ...

.'' In 2009, she returned to music with the rock band Phantom. In 2011, she became a judge on ''

The Voice Belgique ''The Voice Belgique'' is a francophone Belgian reality television singing competition. The TV show is part of the international "Voice" franchise that started in the Netherlands as ''The Voice of Holland''. It kicked off on December 20, 2011, ...

''.

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 EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

genres. In 2014, she gave an acoustic rendition of several songs by the Brazilian composer

Dorival Caymmi Dorival Caymmi (; April 30, 1914 – August 16, 2008) was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actor, and painter active for more than 70 years, beginning in 1933. He contributed to the birth of Brazil's bossa nova movement, and several of his samba ...

at the Archiduc café in central Brussels. In March 2018, she released her new album ''Lio Canta Caymmi'' on the label

Crammed Discs Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 375 albums and 275 ...

. It consists of half-Portuguese, half-French covers of songs by the Brazilian composer

. 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 "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Por ...

" in 1991 but she sang the English lyrics.

Discography

Albums

* ''Phantom featuring Lio'' was released in the UK under the title ''Lio et les fantômes''.

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)

Singles

Theatre

* 2004 : ''Le Bébé'' by

, directed by Marc Goldberg

Filmography

Bibliography

References

External links

Lio's Biography on ZE Records Official Website
* * {{Authority control 1962 births Living people People from Mangualde Belgian women pop singers Women new wave singers Belgian dance musicians Belgian people of Portuguese descent French-language singers of Belgium ZE Records artists Attic Records (Canada) artists Belgian feminists Belgian film actresses Belgian television actresses 20th-century Belgian actresses 21st-century Belgian actresses Feminist musicians Walloon musicians