Psychédélices

''Psychédélices'' (English: "Psych-delights") is the third studio album by French singer Alizée, released in Mexico on 23 November 2007 by RCA Records, and subsequently released on 3 December 2007 in European regions, such as France, Belgium, and Swtizerland. It was the first album without collaboration and supervision by Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat. The album showcases themes of freedom, reinvention, love, rebellion, and personal identity, reflecting her shift toward a more mature and independent artistic persona. The lyrics move away from the coy sensuality of her earlier work and dive into more experimental, introspective, and playful territories.

Upon release, the album achieved commendable commercial success across various countries. In France, ''Psychédélices'' debuted at number 16 on the French Albums Chart and remained in the Top 200 for 16 weeks. The album was certified Gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) in March 2008, signifying shipments exceeding 80,000 copies. In Mexico, the album found significant success in. It debuted at number 44 on the Mexican Top 100 Albums Chart and peaked at number 15. On the International Albums Chart, it reached the top position. By the end of 2008, ''Psychédélices'' was the 52nd best-selling album of the year in Mexico, and was awarded Gold certification by AMPROFON for sales surpassing 50,000 units. Additionally, ''Psychédélices'' earned a Gold certification in Russia, reflecting sales of over 10,000 copies. The album found success elsewhere, charting in Belgium, peaking at number 50 and staying on the charts for 9 weeks. In Switzerland, ''Psychédélices'' reached number 99 on the charts, remaining for one week. The album also charted in Poland, peaking at number 24.

The album featured two singles, "Mademoiselle Juliette" and "Fifty-Sixty". Released on 30 September 2007, "Mademoiselle Juliette" marked Alizée's return to the music scene after a four-year hiatus. The single achieved moderate success, peaking at number 22 on the French Top 100 Singles chart and number 13 on the Top Downloaded Singles chart. Internationally, it resonated particularly well in Mexico, reaching the number one spot on MTV Latin America's chart and securing position 138 in the channel's 15-year retrospective countdown. The song also charted within the top 45 in Russia and at number 77 across Europe. The second single, "Fifty-Sixty," released in February 2008, was inspired by the life of model Edie Sedgwick and delved into themes of fame and identity. Despite its artistic depth, "Fifty-Sixty" did not replicate the commercial success of its predecessor.

In support of this album, Alizée embarked on the ''Psychédélices Tour'' . The second official concert tour, it was launched in 2008 to promote her third studio album, ''Psychédélices''. Unlike her previous tour, this one had a more international focus, with performances in countries like Mexico—where she had gained significant popularity—as well as Russia and France. The shows featured a more mature and eclectic visual style, reflecting the psychedelic and electro-pop influences of the album. Alizée performed tracks like “Mademoiselle Juliette” and “Fifty-Sixty,” bringing a fresh stage presence that marked her artistic growth.

Background

In March 2003, Alizée's second studio album, ''Mes courants électriques'', was released, marking a significant evolution in her musical style, incorporating electropop and rock elements that distinguished it from her debut album. The album debuted at number two on the French Albums Chart, and achieved double Gold certification in France. Internationally, it found success in markets such as Japan, South Korea, and China. To promote the album, Alizée embarked on her first concert tour, the '' En Concert'' tour, which commenced at the Olympia music hall in Paris. The tour spanned multiple dates across France and included performances in Switzerland and Belgium. Although not all concerts sold out, the tour was generally well received. A live album and DVD titled ''Alizée En Concert'' were released in 2004, capturing performances from the tour and offering fans a glimpse into her dynamic stage presence.

Composition

After the success of her second studio album and first live tour, she spent a four-year hiatus and a time out of the media limelight, and Alizée returned in late November 2007 with ''Psychédélices'', the first one to be made without the creative supervision of her former mentor, Mylène Farmer, and without production from Laurent Boutonnat. The album, which features 11 tracks, was made available for digital downloads 26 November 2007, with a full release on 3 December 2007 on the RCA label. The album includes collaborations with Bertrand Burgalat, Daniel Darc, Oxmo Puccino, Jérémy Chatelain, Michel-Yves Kochmann, and Jean Fauque.

Singles

"Mademoiselle Juliette" the song was released as the album's lead single 30 September 2007. A music video for the song directed by Julien Rotterman was released in November of that same year, and proved to be successful in Mexico. It reached position number 1 in MTV Latin America and position number 138 in a countdown of the 150 most important videos of the channel in the past 15 years. It reached position 22 in the chart of France Top 100 Singles and number 13 in the Top Download Singles chart. It also reached the top 45 in Russia and position 77 in Europe. "Fifty-Sixty" even though "Lilly Town" was planned as the second single, "Fifty-Sixty" was released as the album's second and last international single in February 2008. The song was inspired by the real-life story of Edie Sedgwick. A music video directed by Yanick Saillet was released to promote the single, and other two videos were produced to accompany two remixes of the song. However, "Fifty-Sixty" did not match the success of "Mademoiselle Juliette".

Promotional singles

*"Lilly Town": The song was planned to be released as the third single from the album, but the record label decided to end the promotion of the album. However, the song did get a minimum release in Mexico. It was sent to Mexican radio stations in March 2008. It proved to be successful on Mexican radio stations, entering the chart of the most played songs.
*"La Isla Bonita": It was released as a promotional single to promote the World Tour Edition of the album. It was a cover of a Madonna song. The song was released as a promotional single in August 2008. It was her first top ten song on the Mexican national top ten airplay chart.

Release and promotion

The first single extracted from the album was "Mademoiselle Juliette", officially released on 30 September 2007. It was accidentally released early on the Virgin Megastore website on 23 September 2007, but was taken down later citing an error on the part of Virgin Music, France. The single was later made available in online music stores as well as radio stations, and went on to capture the #13 spot on the legal music downloads charts. To promote the single, Alizée appeared on the French radio station, ''NRJ'', on 27 September 2007. The video for the single was released for broadcast on 19 November 2007, though it was made available on MSN France on 16 November 2007. It was released on both CD and vinyl, on 21 January 2008.

Another track from the album, "Fifty-Sixty", was leaked two months before the album was released. Though the song was not mentioned by name, the leak was confirmed in a press release which revealed the title and release schedule of the album.Translation
. "Fifty-Sixty" later launched as the second single from the album in February 2008. The lyrics to "Fifty-Sixty" tell, in personal and metaphorical manner, of a young model under the guidance of Andy Warhol, possibly inspired by the real-life story of Edie Sedgwick. The song ends with a reiteration of how she foolishly believed Andy that she was the most beautiful model of all. Three music videos were released for the single – one for the album version of the song and the other two for two remixes. An Alizée website, ''Psychedeclips.com'', was dedicated to the video series, the first of which was released on 5 May 2008.

Coinciding with the new album, a new official website was created, which, despite being announced on 11 September 2007, was kept under wraps until 28 November 2007. The album was also promoted via an official artist profile at MySpace. Advertising and marketing campaigns for the album began 22 November 2007 with ad campaigns on NRJ Radio, TF1-TV, and the web.

Tour

The ''Psychédélices Tour'' started in 2008, to promote Alizée's album. The tour was highly focused in Mexico, one of the countries where Alizée has experienced the most success. In 2008, she gave one performance in Russia and five in Mexico. A performance in Paris, France, on Le Grand Rex was cancelled, making this the only tour by Alizée that had no venues in France. She returned to Mexico in 2009 for one concert for San Marcos Fair, where she appeared as an international guest. The follow-up concert was not part of the actual tour and featured only a partial set list.

Commercial performance

The album was not considered a total commercial success in France, where it reached second place on the download charts and 16th place on the physical album sale charts. It was more successful in Mexico, where the stores put the album on sale three days earlier than the actual release date to avoid piracy, and with only three-day sales the album debuted in 44th place on the Mexican Top 100 Albums Chart and 14th place on the international chart. It peaked at 21st place on the main chart and third on the international chart in early December.

After falling down the Mexican charts, the album made a second appearance on the charts, reaching 15th place on the Top 100 and first place on the international albums chart. In 2008, the album ended as the 52nd-best selling album of the year in Mexico. By June 2008, the album had sold over 200,000 copies worldwide.

Critical reception

''Psychédélices'' was generally well received, and the reviews generated talk of Alizée's independent career after three and half years of musical inactivity and after leaving her former mentors Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat, while being a mother at the same time. It was also noticed that her style had become a little more mature.

Track listing

CD+DVD Tour Edition

On 25 June 2008, ''Psychédélices CD+DVD Edition'' was released including bonus tracks, a DVD and new artwork. The tour edition was certified Gold for shipping 50,000 copies in its first week. The award was given to Alizée during an autograph session (the second of her career) in Mexico City on 26 June 2008.Alizée recibe disco de oro durante firma de autógrafos en México (in Spanish)
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Credits

Credits adapted from ''Psychédélices'' liner notes.

* Alizée – vocals, backing vocals (all tracks)
*Bertrand Burgalat – Bass, Percussion, Piano, Organ (Hammond), Fender Rhodes, Realization
*Elise Canepa – Assistant
*Sylvain Carpentier – Guitar, Percussion, Programming, Clavier, Engineer, Beat Box, Mixing, Realization
*Darius Scheider – Guitar
*Jeremy Chatelain – Piano, Programming, Clavier, Realization

*Maxine Garoute – Percussion, Drums, Juno, Guest Appearance
*Sébastien Gerbi – Engineer
*David Husser – Mixing
*Michel-Yves Kochmann – Melodica
*Anne LePape – Strings
*Frederic Lo – Guitar, Programming, Clavier, Engineer, Realization
*David Maurin – Drums
*Pascal Rode – Guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Psychedelices
2007 albums
Alizée albums
RCA Records albums