Adonis Diaries

After modelling: Music second career for Carla Bruni (current wife of French President Sarkozy)

At the age of 19, Carla Bruni’s career as a model took off.  At the age of 29, Carla quit modeling for other horizons.  She learned to play guitar at age 9 and her mother was a professional pianist.  Carla was a big fan of the Rolling Stones and was the main girl friend of Mick Jagger for 8 years.  Carla also was the girlfriend of Eric Clapton before Mick stole her from her Eric.

As usual, Carla did her due diligence in comprehending the music business, from the main professionals in the music industry by charming them and becoming their girl friend for a period.

In 2002, at the age of 35, Carla had a hit with “Quelqu’un m’a dit“, an album that sold 2 million copies in France and outside boundaries.  “Carla arrived very discreetly and in small steps: The universe of the music industry in France is hard and closed to newcomers. Many French models tried to transfer career to music and failed miserably” said the journalist reporter to L’Express Gilles Medioni.

Actually, Carla kept taking courses in vocalism twice a week, and doing it even today.

Carla had declared 16 years ago on TV: “I am an average singer and don’t intend of making it a career in music.” At the age of 18, Carla managed to find the address of French guitarist Louis Bertignac , of the group Telephone, and became his girlfriend for a year before she jumped ship with Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger.  Later, Bertignac did the arrangement for Clara’s first two albums.  The door to the other renowned musicians and singers was wide open.

There is this Goldman who is in charge of organizing the very restrictive musical evenings of the “Enfoires”, (the crazies), and Carla made sure that Goldman introduces her into this privileged club.  From 1995 to 1997, Carla participated and sang for the exclusive “Restos du coeur“, which opened the doors to show-biz and popular singers.

In 1999, Carla charmed Julien Clerc (Femmes, je vous aime…) who presented her to his agent Bertrand de Labbey. Carla, the song writer, sent Julien 5 anonymous songs by fax, among them “Si j’etais elle“.

Carla admitted that she got her inspiration when she was in love with philosopher Raphael Enthoven, ten years younger and for 10 years her boyfriend, and with whom she had a son Aurelien.  Enthoven introduced Carla to the circles of the French intellectuals and journalists who promoted Carla’s image extensively.

Music critics for the magazine “Les Inrockuptibles“, Pierre Siankowski reported:”Carla knew the right button to press in the music industry: She knew exactly who to seduce”

Carla opted for the independent music house Naive to produce her albums.  Naive was very honored and Carla was treated as Queen instead of another singer.  The third album “Comme si de rien...” was not a success, but receive worldwide coverage as current First Lady.  Jean-Louis Murat wrote a song for Carla and let her add her voice to three songs of his album “Mockba” in 2005.

In 2009, Carla wanted to try an actress career in movies, but this time around she was not as patient and thorough as in her two previous career.  She asked Woody Allen, as he was receiving la “Legion d’honneur” in the Elysee, that she wanted to be in his next movie.  In fact, Woody kept his word in 2010, but Carla had to re-shoot 35 times a scene that didn’t involve any talk:  She kept looking at the camera, as she learned to do in modeling, but acting is a different story and techniques.

Note: Article extracted from a chapter in the French book “Carla: A secret life” by Besmat Lahouri