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Carla Bruni: “Collaborating with David Foster was a dream” [Interview]

Carla Bruni French Touch

Carla Bruni – ” French touch”

With a newly released cover album, French Touch, the singer-songwriter is bringing her French croon to classic hits like “Miss You” by the Rolling Stones, “Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Although it’s Carla’s fifth studio album, it’s just her second in English.

“My cover songs are like lullabies,” the mother of two says. “The album is made out of admiration for these songs.”

Q. The songs on French Touch are very eclectic. You cover Frank Sinatra, Lou Reed and Depeche Mode, among others. What drew you to these songs?

A. Most of these songs I discovered when I was a teenager and I loved to play them on my guitar. It’s me coming back to all these songs that were so much fun when I was younger. There’s something about music that goes straight to your memory, and that’s how the album was made.

Carla Bruni met David Foster in Los Angeles

Q. What was it like to collaborate with a hitmaker like Canada’s David Foster, who produced your album?

A. It was a dream. Working with very talented people … they make you feel talented. I met David in Los Angeles – he was the head of my label at the time, Verve at Universal – and he came to my concert and said to me, “I like your voice. Let’s write some songs in English.” And I said, “What? I can’t. I already tried.” He said, “Let’s choose songs. A cover album.” And I said, “Bingo.”

Q. What’s next for you – is a tour in the works?

A. Yes, I’m going to be touring in Europe, South America, Asia and North America. I’ll be here in Canada in February. It’s going to be a long time touring then I’ll pray for my life to continue as it is. I pray for my children to grow up, and I pray that I die before my man and my kids – I wouldn’t want to live without them.

Source: Hello Magazine

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David Foster inside his L.A. apartment [DailyMailTV Interview-Pics&Video]

David Foster golden records

 

 

 

 

 

David Foster took DailMailTV inside the Los Angeles apartment

Their gargantuan Malibu home bowled viewers over on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

But since splitting from his wife Yolanda, one of the show’s former stars, legendary music producer David Foster has been living the single life in a trendy L.A. bachelor pad which DailyMailTV can now exclusively reveal photographs of.

This week, father-of-four David, 67, showed off the apartment which boasts its owns recording studio and his unrivaled collection of awards.

‘I’ve had the place for about 12 years but I just sort of moved back in about a year ago,’ Foster, 67, said as he welcomed DailyMailTV host Brandi Williams inside.

‘You know I miss Malibu but I don’t miss having to take care of that big, big home that we had.

‘It was beautiful, but I’m very happy here,’ he said, reflecting on his new, simplified abode.

David and Yolanda were married for four years but had been together for almost 10 when they parted ways in January 2016.

During their marriage, their enormous Malibu home – where they raised her supermodel daughters Gigi and Bella Hadid – featured prominently on the Bravo show.

Foster still has a relationship with the girls, who he says are doing ‘amazing’ in their careers.

‘I mean divorce puts a strain on everybody, yeah but Gigi and Bella are doing amazing and they’re so busy that I don’t talk to them much but we do text, yeah we’re still good,’ he said.

He is happy their mother has found a new home too in a farm on the East Coast, near New York City.

Their romantic split came as Yolanda, 53, was in the grips of Lyme Disease, a health struggle she has since documented in her memoir.

David features unfavorably in the book but, he insists, there are no hard feelings.

‘Yolanda had to write a book about her journey with her disease. In a way, I was a little bit of a drive by shooting in the book, but uhm, we’re all good now.

‘She’s happy, she’s healthy. She’s with her kids in New York, she’s on her farm. In a ten year, nine-year relationship you can find ten bad things to say about anybody.

‘And it’s a little disappointing that she went there a few times but the main thing is she’s happy, she’s healthy and her and I are good,’ he said.
He denied previous reports that her health battle contributed to their break-up, he adding: ‘No I don’t think it did.’

David Foster revealing a health problem

In his interview with DailyMailTV, Foster also revealed for the first time a recent health scare of his own.

‘This is a thing called A-Fib which is just an irregular heart beat and it’s not age related and it’s not gender related and it just came out of nowhere. It’s just something you have to live with. Hopefully, you live with it,’ he said.

Since parting ways with Yolanda, the composer, who is responsible for all-time hits including Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, has been linked to more than one red-carpet regular.

Sightings have included rumored dates with Elizabeth Hurley and Christie Brinkley, which Foster laughed off: ‘I have a really good life.’

But no one has sparked more fan excitement than Katharine McPhee, 33. The pair were spotted strolling through Brentwood, California, last week and McPhee was even seen placing her hand on Foster’s behind in what appeared to be a show of affection.
Foster’s daughters, Sara and Erin, who he says are ‘hilarious’, both seemed to approve of the budding romance.

Alas, he says it is not to be and insists the pair are just friends after striking up a rapport in 2005 when they both worked on American Idol.

‘Katherine and I have known each other since Idol, since she was twenty-one, and we’ve worked together and you know she’s super successful and people can just be friends you know?’ he said.

‘Do they always put their hands on your butt though? We saw those pictures,’ host Brandi Williams continued, prompting his laughing response: ‘Next Question.’

 

 

Foster’s aforementioned daughters both work as writers for HBO and Fox and have won the gushing pride of their famous father.

‘They’re smart girls. They’re very smart girls. Everybody should follow them on Instagram, their Insta-stories are so hilarious, it’s crazy,’ he said.
While his new pad doesn’t have all the stylized finishes as the home he shared with Yolanda (he admits his new refrigerator is not as show-stopping as the see-through door creation she installed in their old house), it is packed with proof of his legendary musical talent.

Dozens of Grammy awards sit atop his full-grand piano in the living room. It is this piano where Foster wrote Earth, Wind and Fire’s hit After The Love Has Gone.

If you’re going to be wrong, go big wrong

While most of his musical instincts are spot on, he admitted making one error in judgement when he told Celine Dion not to record My Heart Will Go On.

‘I said it you record this song it will ruin your career. That’s how wrong I was. But, if you’re going to be wrong go big wrong,’ he joked.

There is also a recording studio on site. ‘You have to have a studio, I have studio wherever I go. And of course, now it’s so compact because everything is all digital. It’s simple but it works,’ Foster said.

While his focus on music continues, he is also devoted to continuing to raise funds for The David Foster Foundation. Its recent 30th anniversary dinner raised more than $10million.

The foundation provides financial support for non-medical expenses to families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants.

Source: DailyMailTV

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David Foster said he retired from “making records” last December

David Foster retired Donald Trump Katharine McPhee

 

 

 

 

 

David Foster met Donald Trump at a fundraiser

David Foster did not expect to meet Donald Trump playing a fundraiser at Florida’s Florida president earlier this year, but he wished he had a piece of advice.

“What I wanted to say that night at Mar-a-Lago — which I didn’t say — is when you’re doing a concert, if the room hates you, you’re going to do a terrible job,” the Victoria-raised producer said during an interview earlier this week.
“It’s just the weight of the room hating you. The president is faced with a lot of hate, and I’m sure that’s weighing him down.”

Foster took some action on social media in February after affirming a charity event to what Trump calls his “Winter White House”. The musician insists that he does not know the president he was planning to attend, even though he had already pledged to play a role in supporting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute a year earlier.
The man behind Whitney Houston “I Have nothing” and Peter Cetera’s “Glory of Love” calls Trump “associate” and “acquaintance” for almost 20 years, but has remained away from links to Trump in the past.

David Foster refused an offer to attend Trump’s inauguration

In December he posted a message on Instagram claiming he had “kindly and respectfully” refused an offer to attend Trump’s inauguration, a statement that followed the rumors he was helping to align the artists for the ceremonies related to the grip of Trump.

“I live in America and I have an American passport as well as a Canadian passport. He’s my president, and that’s the end of the story,” Foster said.
“I’m a Democrat so, you know, that could almost start and end this conversation.”

The veteran of the music industry is active in many charities and has marked the 30th anniversary of its foundation David Foster with the annual Miracle Gala and concert last Saturday in Vancouver. The live entertainment evening included Oprah Winfrey, Steven Tyler and Carly Rae Jepsen’s appearances.
The showcase raised $ 10.2 million to help families with children who need organ transplants. The funds go towards reducing the weight of mortgage payments, travel costs and other expenses.
Some celebrities have turned up in the city days before the event, Foster said. Tyler in particular wanted to make sure he pulled out an impeccable performance. The producer said they become big names like the rock star and Winfrey to engage the time has become easier over the years.

“If you believe in karma, I think a lot of it comes back to you,” he said, while suggesting he’s also become bolder in his approach to recruiting famous people.
“Kenny Rogers taught me a long time ago (that) you should never go to the artist or celebrity directly to ask them.
“Whenever I wanted to do a duet with somebody I’d always have my manager reach out to their manager. I guess I kind of broke that rule when it comes to charity.”

David Foster retired from making records?

Foster isn’t planning any more duets in the studio any time soon. The producer said he retired from “making records” last December.
Next year he plans to embark on a 10-concert tour to raise money for his foundation. He’s also writing two musicals on the side and appears as a judge on the reality competition series “Asia’s Got Talent.”
He expressed hope that Trump, a former reality show star himself, can push for more unity in the United States.
“We need to try and uplift this presidency and hope that good things happen,” Foster said.
He added: “Even the most staunch Democrat is in some way pulling for him to get it together and do a good job.”

Source:  CTVnews

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David Foster works on three new projects in New York

david foster works on new projects

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were hard times for David Foster Foundation

David Foster admits that there was time when the future of charitable foundation bearing his name was uncertain.

The organization that collects funds for survivors of pediatric organ transplants has helped with the medical expenses of over 1,100 Canadian families to date. This weekend celebrates its 30th Gala and Concerto Anniversary in Vancouver with a line of stars, including Oprah Winfrey, Jay Leno, Goldie Hawn and Steven Tyler, to name a few.
The 16 award-winning producer and musician outlined the goals he has for the foundation, which he admits, was inadequate in the early 2000s.

“We hit a serious lull about 15 years ago when I took my eye off the ball and we were down to $49,000 in the bank,” said Foster. “So I decided to get fierce and we expanded across Canada and had a major shift in the board in 2010 that lead to making a $30 million dollar commitment, which will probably turn into $50 million by the end. The $49,000 was my fault and the $50 million will be due to a lot of others, not just me.”

The list of others is a true celebrity of entertainment and sports as well as corporate superstars such as Boston Pizza founder and Dragons’ Den member Jim Treliving. Foster is candid about what it takes to get the likes of Oprah to join you on stage.

“It’s begging, really,” he said. “We all do things for each other on occasion, as I appeared at Goldie’s fundraiser awhile back, and so on. Jay Leno, who I know but not well, just volunteered to be there because he’s one of those great guys who is very charitable. Steven Tyler did our event in Calgary which was a huge blowout and he donated money to the foundation that night.”

There have been numerous 250 events to support the foundation and have been able to bring in a very varied and A-list guest group at all. Like every show, you get to use your connections. Sometimes celebrities could be linked, like German Tommy Haas, who is Foster’s father-in-law. As always with this annual event, David Foster works on and promises that there will be some surprise names added to the already loaded roster.

“I always do my best to give the crowd a little something extra and they won’t be disappointed,” he said. “Honestly, I get star-struck myself being around people like Oprah. There is just something about her.”

David Foster new production: Carla Bruni ‘s “French Touch”

Recently, Foster plied his producer chops with no less than a celebrity model and star singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. The newly released album, titled French Touch, is the first English version of the Franco-Italian vocalist. The cover song collection ranges from Highway to Hell AC / DC to Clash Jimmy Jazz and standards such as Stand By Your Man and Moon River that have given a distinctive cool jazz.

“To Carla’s credit, she lead me on this album because she didn’t want the David Foster sound even though she wanted to work with me,” he said. “She has a huge fan base, who probably prefer to hear her sing in French, and had very specific ideas of how to do this which included my string arrangements. I think we succeeded, mainly because of her keeping the album cool because she just reeks with coolness.”

This eclectic project falls beyond the popular pop kingdom of Foster. David Foster works on the project he thinks is humble enough and he hopes to help Bruni bring a broader fan base.

David Foster works on new projects in New York

Surprisingly, Foster is taking his talent away from pop and heading to Broadway. He bought a home in New York and is working on three different projects, all destined for the musical theater stage. Among the projects is an adaptation of Amy Bloom’s Lucky Us novel, a project he can not name and – of all things – a musical based on the iconic Max Fleischer Betty Boop comic character. The first cartoon character to be ever profiled in A & E biography television series, the character featured by Mae Questel, appeared in over 100 cartoons from 1932 to 1939.

The show was fast for production next year, with readings in December. David Foster works writing musicals, explaining his interest comes from a love for form and a good song.

“The way to explain it, is that when I wrote all those hits in the 80s and 90s, I did it with abandonment and didn’t think about it,” he said. “But when you get older, you eventually start to go from leading to chasing to write for a particular artist or style. The thing about Broadway is that you don’t have to do that, because it’s about the song suiting the story, and I find myself behind the keyboard writing with abandonment again.”

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David Foster and Brenda Russell: “I was so blown away with her voice”

David Foster Brenda Russell

Remember when Brenda Russell and David Foster were making music together

E-zine Popmatters.com shares the interesting story about singer-songwriter Brenda Russell, written by Christian John Wikane.

“Counting the Stars: Treasured Singer-Songwriter Brenda Russell Shares Her Story” is an amazing review of Brenda Russell’s recordings since the 1970’s, when she worked with producers and renowned artists such as David Foster, Earth Wind & Fire, Andre Fischer, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Lukather and more.

David Foster says about her: “One of my favorite subjects, a triple threat. I was so blown away with her voice, her songwriting, her piano playing and everything about her when I first met her. She has written some of the best songs on the planet and she continues to be a driving force in the music business with no regard to boundaries. She doesn’t write R&B music. She doesn’t write jazz music. She doesn’t write pop music. She simply writes music, beautiful and melodic music for all ages and times.


She also has the most spectacular spirit, which only enhances all of her other wonderful abilities. I always have been and I always will be a Brenda Russell fan. I am so happy that I was just one of many that got to witness her talent up close and collaborate with her.”

David Foster recommending Brenda Russell to Earth, Wind & Fire

David Foster recommend her to Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White. As the group prepared Faces (1980) at AIR Studios in Montserrat, White called Russell and asked her to contribute lyrics to a trio of songs for the album, “And Love Goes On”, “You”, and “Song In My Heart”. Russell’s association with Earth, Wind & Fire continued on Raise! (1981), which featured “I’ve Had Enough”, her collaboration with Philip Bailey and Greg Phillinganes.

David Foster ‘s band Skylark

Brenda and his husband Brian wrote a song in 1975, “Please pardon me”, lately recorded by Skylark band (the one with David Foster on keyboard and ex-wife B.J.Cook as the singer).

This is the link to the whole article: http://www.popmatters.com/