Some would cite such a career as thriving. Portuguese-Belgian siren Wanda Maria de Vasconcelos prospered in the trades of pop music, film and eventually theater, starring in 17 films, releasing nearly a dozen albums and taking roles in three long-running stage productions.

So why haven’t you heard of her? Well, chances are, Lio’s output is a bit too domestic to have graced your ears. Let’s put an end to that, shall we?

When it came to her music, De Vasconcelos based her alias and persona around an obscure character in a ‘60s Barbarella comic. The teenage character’s obsession with pictures paints an appropriate picture of De Vasconcelos’ identity and her own fascination with imagery. (There have been loads of highly involved Lio pictures and videos archived throughout the years.)

At age 18, she dropped her first single, “Le Banana Split,” in 1979 with the help of several songwriter/producer types, one of whom being Marc Moulin of Telex fame. A year later, the 12 tracker Premier Album, an album as affable and well done as it was forward thinking, hit shelves. It kicked off with the French gumball pop charmer “Amicalement Vôtre,” whose tinkling toy pianos and sugar-coated string arrangements not only set the pace and timbre for the rest of the album but for much of Lio’s career as well.

The 1984 dance single “Tétéou” has since seen the light of day on several Lio Best Of comps, the newest of which being the forthcoming Les Pop Songs. Set to hit shelves in June, Les Pop Songs will feature 17 tracks and boast a comprehensive dip into Lio’s 25-year-long music career. It will focus on the pseudo starlet’s more upbeat endeavors while its sister compilation, Les Ballades, will feature 20 of Lio’s more heartfelt tunes.

De Vasconcelos relocated to Los Angles to record the 1986 release Pop Model, an album co-produced by John Cale. The sax-heavy “Je Casse Tout Ce Que Je Touche” saw Lio falling into B-52’s- themed territories. The saccharine swing rhythm and reliance on horns perhaps made Pop Model Lio’s most accessible album for its time.

French archivists ZE will be releasing the bulk of De Vasconcelos’ catalog in the coming months. 2006 has actually seen a brand new Lio release, Dites au Prince Charmant. It’s something of an unfortunate cross pollination of a Putumayo green tea coaster and a post-Lilith-Fair braiding party.

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