Avant que l'ombre... is the sixth studio album by French pop singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, released on 4 April 2005, through the label Polydor. Lyrics were written by Mylene herself and production was supervised by Laurent Boutonnat. The albums' genres mainly consist of synth-pop, french-pop, gothic-pop, electronic and pop rock. The album deals with overt themes and lyrics of love, spirituality, faith, identity, self-reflection, and solitude. Upon release, the album did well commercially; however, its critical reception varies from many mixed reviews. The album debuted at number one on the French Albums Chart and held the top spot for several weeks. It was certified diamond in France by the SNEP, signifying over 750,000 copies sold, and eventually exceeded 1 million sales worldwide. The album also charted in Belgium and Switzerland, reinforcing Farmer's strong presence in Francophone countries. Despite its relatively introspective tone and slower tempo compared to her earlier, more dance-oriented works, it resonated deeply with fans. Critics gave the album mixed to positive reviews, with praise for its lyrical depth, polished production, and Farmer's haunting vocal style. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant_q...) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)