"9" of 2005

She re-appeared on the music scene in France (and also in Canada) with a brand new record, an album that marked a completely different direction in Lara's musical and personal life. In early 2005 she released her 5th French album "9", a title that symbolically resembles "a change," "a rebirth [...]the end of a period of time in one's life and simultaneously the beginning of another."

Lara sang differently, with smoothness, serenity and with a lot of joy. This was far from the in-depth and dramatic vibes of earlier recordings. Critical voices that had so often given bad reviews for Lara's vocal abilities, claiming that she "screamed," or that she was just attempting to "become" another Celine Dion finally saw a Lara that no longer used her vocal power to reach her audience. The album yielded the hit single "La Lettre," a song co-written by Lara and composed by her new-found partner and lover at the time, Jean-Félix Lalanne. He would, in fact, be the other element responsible for the composition and production of the album's 11 tracks with Lara herself. Other singles featured were "Ne Lui Parlez Plus D'Elle," "Un Ave Maria", "Il Ne Manquait Que Toi" (a song written by Lara and inspired by Lallane) and the gospel-infused "L'Homme Qui N'Avait Pas De Maison."

The success of this album was then followed by a huge tour called "Un Regard 9" in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon, Russia, Quebec, Turkey, Luxembourg, Mauritius, French overseas territories of the Caribbean and Oceania (more than 60 concerts), and a summer tour. Lara also performed in Portugal for the first time, showcasing songs from her two English records and a few French songs like "La Lettre."