Isa (Zaz album)

Isa
Studio album by
Zaz
Released22 October 2021 (2021-10-22)
Studio
  • The Church (Amsterdam)
  • Studio 72 (London)
  • Atelier 18
  • Studio Garage (Paris)
  • La Fabrique (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence)
  • ICP (Brussels)
Length47:53
LanguageFrench
LabelParlophone
ProducerReyn
Zaz chronology
Effet miroir
(2018) 		Isa
(2021)
Singles from Isa
  1. "Imagine"
    Released: 28 July 2021
  2. "Le jardin des larmes"
    Released: 17 December 2021

Isa is the fifth studio album by French singer Zaz, released on 22 October 2021 by Parlophone. The album takes its title from the artist's real name, Isabelle Geffroy, since its contents were more personal than her previous albums. It reached the top 10 of the album charts in five European countries. The Nouvelle edition of the album was released on 9 December 2022.

Background and origins

[edit]
Zaz opening her concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 31 March 2022 with "Les jours heureux" from Isa

After nine years of intense work following her commercial breakthrough in 2010, Zaz decided in 2019 to take a break in order to "take care of myself…I'm trying to say to myself if I want to help the world, I've got to be well."[1][2] During her hiatus she became a vegetarian and got married.[3] Although Zaz described the contents of Isa as more "personal" than her previous albums, she wrote none of the tracks herself. Instead she communicated her feelings to a team of writers who tried to best capture them in words and music.[4]

Reception

[edit]

Isa received a mixed reception.

Although Laut.de praised the duet with Rammstein's Till Lindemann "Le jardin des larmes" as being "somehow reminiscent of a classic art song" and credits Tout là-haut for "letting Zaz's voice speak for itself", the overall conclusion is that a, "monotony of beautiful instrumentals, beautiful voice and beautiful words prevails overall. It's all nice, but also pretty boring."[5]

Belgium's Radio 1 made Isa its album of the week on release, referring to the album's themes of "simplicity, openness and diversity" showcased by "that voice, that presence."[6]

A positive review appeared in Le Devoir which concluded that by being both herself and her enhanced creation "Zaz chez Isa" were finally reunited and complete.[7]

In April 2022, Le Centre de la Musique certified Isa gold for export sales outside France in 2021 [8] and in July 2022 the album achieved gold certification for overall sales.[9]

Promotional tour

[edit]

Zaz promoted Isa performing most of its tracks during her "Organique" tour of France, Germany, UK, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic.[10][11] The Canadian leg of the tour was cancelled since Zaz refused to comply with the country's requirement that she be vaccinated against COVID-19.[12]

Track listing

[edit]
Isa track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Les jours heureux" (Happy Days)Barcella4:07
2."Imagine" (Imagine)
  • Barcella
  • Laurent Lamarca
2:51
3."De couleurs vives" (Bright Colours)
  • Jules Prouha
  • Julie Prouha
  • Sylvain Duthu
3:28
4."Ce que tu es dans ma vie" (What You Are in My Life)
  • Antoine Graugnard
  • Ben Mazué
  • Davide Esposito
  • Jean-Etienne Maillard
  • Renaud Rebillaud
3:04
5."Tout là-haut" (All the Way Up There)Barcella4:53
6."Il faut qu'on se donne" (You Have to Give Something to Yourself)
  • Frederic Volovitch
  • Olivier Volovitch
2:34
7."Exister" (Existing)
  • AuDen
  • Vincha
3:42
8."A perte de rue" (To the End of the Road)
  • Graugnard
  • Esposito
  • Rebillaud
3:21
9."Comme tu voudras" (As You'll Wish)
  • F. Volovitch
  • O. Volovitch
4:31
10."Avec son frère" (With His Brother)
  • F. Volovitch
  • O. Volovitch
3:11
11."Le jardin des larmes" (The Garden of Tears) (featuring Till Lindemann)
  • Lindemann
  • Myriam Perez
  • Thierry Faure
4:03
12."Le chant des grives" (The Song of the Thrushes)Noé Preszow5:03
13."Et le reste" (And the Rest)Barcella3:06
Total length:47:53
Nouvelle edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."L'une ou l'autre" (One or the Other)Barcella3:06
15."Sans en avoir l'air" (Without Looking Like It)Barcella3:49
16."Animaux fragiles" (Fragile Animals) (with Ycare)
  • Axelle Red
  • Ycare
3:15
17."Serendipia"
  • Esposito
  • Mazué
  • Maillard
  • Lamarca
  • Paula Rojo
2:54
Total length:60:00

Charts

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Zaz sort un nouvel album : "Je suis beaucoup plus apaisée"" (in French). Europe 1. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  2. ^ Sourd, Mathilde. "Zaz, amoureuse et belle-maman : cette petite fille qui bouleverse son quotidien". Voici. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Zaz: fini de boire, fumer… et manger des animaux, la chanteuse nous explique sa nouvelle vie plus saine". Sud info. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Zaz est de retour en " Isa ", après trois ans d'absence pour se retrouver". La voix du nord. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  5. ^ Aumann, Michell-Marie. "Wenn der #throwback-Moment das Beste am neuen Album ist". Laut.de. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Zaz - Isa". Radio 1. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  7. ^ Cormier, Sylvain. "Isa, Zaz". Le Devoir. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Certifications Export 2021" (PDF). CNM. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Les certifications - Zaz". snep. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Hier soir à Londres... Zaz". Paris Match. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  11. ^ "TOURNÉE". zazofficial,com. Warner Music France. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  12. ^ D'Angelo, Laura. "Zaz, non-vaccinée à la Covid-19 : la chanteuse annonce une mauvaise nouvelle". Femme actuelle. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Zaz – Isa" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Zaz – Isa" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Zaz – Isa" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Lista prodaje 46. tjedan 2021. (08.11.2021. – 14.11.2021.)" (in Croatian). Top Lista. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Zaz – Isa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Zaz – Isa" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 45. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Zaz – Isa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Zaz – Isa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  24. ^ "Rapports annuels 2021 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2021". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 23 March 2022.
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