Biography
Who is Lio?
Early life and background
Lio was born Vanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos in Mangualde, Portugal, on June 17, 1962. Her family later relocated to Mozambique when her father was called up for military service in the Portuguese Army. After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother and stepfather to Brussels, Belgium, in 1968.
She grew up in Belgium and is the older sister of actress Helena Noguerra. As a teenager, she developed a strong interest in singing. A family friend and songwriter named Jacques Duvall encouraged her musical ambitions. She chose her stage name, Lio, after a character from the Barbarella comic book series created by Jean-Claude Forest.
Rise to pop stardom
In 1979, she began collaborating with Jacques Duvall, songwriter Jay Alanski, and musicians Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman from the group Telex. Her debut single, Le Banana Split, became a big success, selling over one million copies. She followed this with another hit, Amoureux solitaires, a cover of a song by the punk rock band Stinky Toys.
Both tracks topped pop charts in France and helped establish her as a prominent figure in the music scene. Moulin and Lacksman produced her self-titled debut album. By 1982, she worked with Ron and Russell Mael of the American duo Sparks on the album Suite sixtine. Her second album, Amour toujours, followed in 1983.
Acting and television career
She made her screen debut in 1983, appearing in the film Golden Eighties by director Chantal Akerman. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she balanced music with film roles, including appearances in Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté, Chambre à part, and Sans un cri. In 1999, she performed in the French adaptation of the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
In later years, she transitioned into television judging roles. She served as a judge on the French version of Pop Idol, titled Nouvelle Star, starting in 2008. She also became a judge on The Voice Belgique in 2011. In 2024, she joined the judging panel for the first season of Drag Race Belgium.
Later musical projects
She continued to record music throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In 2000, she released the album Chante Prévert, which featured interpretations of poetry by Jacques Prévert. In 2009, she collaborated with the rock band Phantom. She also explored Brazilian music, releasing an acoustic album titled Lio Canta Caymmi in 2018, which featured covers of works by Dorival Caymmi.
This project marked the first time she recorded an entire album in her mother tongue of Portuguese. She has also performed acoustic renditions of these songs at venues like the Archiduc café in Brussels. Her earlier work has continued to influence modern music, with tracks like Mona Lisa being sampled by artists in the Nu-disco and House genres.
Birthday and age
Lio was born on June 17, 1962, which makes Lio 64 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Lio shares the date with 65 other famous people.
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