Era (styled as +eRa+) is a new age music project by French composer Eric Levi. Some of the lyrics were written by Guy Protheroe in an imaginary language similar to Latin, but deliberately devoid of any exact meaning. Musically, the project blends Gregorian chants with modern elements and genres, especially rock, pop and electronic music.They described their music as pointing at a trend towards spiritual and mystical music – music that could be and should be interpreted by everyone in his own way.
Their first album, ‘Era’, was released in 1996 and became a worldwide success, helped by its first single, “Ameno”. It sold over 6 million copies and became the most exported French album at the time. It was followed by Era 2 in 2000 and The Mass in 2003. In 2008, the project saw a significant departure from its previous themes and presented a more electronic soundscape with Arabic influences in its fourth album, Reborn.
In the following two years, Era released Classics and Classics 2, which consisted in contemporary reinterpretations of classical works by Bach, Verdi, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, amongst others. In 2013, Era released an album in collaboration with French singer and actress Arielle Dombasle entitled Arielle Dombasle by Era and, in 2017 an album titled The 7th Sword.
Era mixes Gregorian chants and occasionally world music with contemporary electronic and pop-rock arrangements. It is reminiscent of new age music projects such as Enigma, Gregrorian, and Deep Forest. Lyrics are written in Latin and English and, some are based on beliefs of the 13th century French heretics, the Cathars.
Era’s live shows and music videos often feature artists dressed in medieval or traditional clothes and armour. Usually, actors Pierre Boisserie and Irene Bustamante perform at Era shows. Most Era songs are sung in an imaginary language inspired by Latin, but with no intended meaning, while others are in actual Latin. They also have some songs in English such as “Mother” and “Looking For Something” and, in Arabic, such as “7 Seconds”.
