pop record, 1977's Star was Hardy's first album arranged by Gabriel Yared, who would produce her output for the next ten years. In 1978, as disco dominated the music industry, his team sought to adapt her sound to the era with the release of Musique saoûle, which incorporated a marked binary rhythm influenced by funk music. The singer later stated that she felt uncomfortable and embarrassed when singing over danceable rhythms. The 1988 album Décalages is noted for its layered, atmospheric sound. It incorporated the use of a Synclavier synthesizer, despite the singer's wishes to avoid fashionable digital sounds in favor of an acoustic album. Deeply inspired by the alternative rock scene, Hardy veered into an assertive, guitar-oriented modern rock style with Le danger, her first album in seven years. She incorporated influences from English band Portishead, and the grunge, Britpop and roots rock genres. Pitchfork's Jazz Monroe described its music as "adult-contemporary space rock". The album's harsh sound and lyrics reflect the "very dark" period that the singer was living in her personal life at that time. The commercial failure of Le danger, among other reasons, caused Hardy to return to her characteristic soft and light style in her following album Clair-obscur, released in 2000. Her last five albums are characterized by their elegant and melancholic sound. 2006's (Parenthèses...) is a collection of twelve duets with a production that "[keeps] tricks and mixing slick-ery to a tasteful minimum," drawing comparisons to previous uncluttered releases such as La question. Compared to previous albums, 2010's La pluie sans parapluie features a "sunnier" sound, with a few of its songs being driven by a typical rhythm track of drums and bass, rather than by piano or strings. Her 2012 album L'amour fou features half-sung, half-spoken vocals and is characterized by its "resigned, philosophical" mood. Hardy is backed by "classy" pianos, minor chords and brushed drums. The lyrics of her last album Personne d'autre, released in 2018, deal with her advancing years in repose and her own mortality, having survived a major health crisis after the release of her previous record. Her vocals in the album show the wear and tear resulting from her illness. The dark lyrical subject matter of Personne d'autre is contrasted with the singer's characteristic delicate and intimate sound. Public image and impact As a public figure, Hardy is renowned for her shyness and reservedness, and observers have emphasized