France's first lady launches new album on Web

By Crispian Balmer

PARIS (Reuters) - France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy gave Internet users a free hearing of her new album on Wednesday ahead of its official launch later this week.

The former supermodel sings of her love for President Nicolas Sarkozy in the CD, "Comme si de rien n'etait" (As if nothing had happened), which has generated massive interest ahead of its July 11 release.

To whet the appetites of fans, anyone logging onto www.carlabruni.com is given a two-hour window of opportunity to listen to the 14 tracks for free, although many users found it hard to gain access to the website on Wednesday morning.

Bruni-Sarkozy has released the album under her maiden name and told France Inter radio that she was determined to carry on singing despite her high-profile marriage.

"This is a trade like any other. It is an honest trade and I hope it won't upset the French if I hold onto a trade," she said on Wednesday.

But in another interview, Bruni-Sarkozy made clear she had other things on her mind besides just work, telling VSD magazine that although she wasn't pregnant, she would like to be.

"Will it happen? It is very difficult for me to say. However, it is more difficult when you are 40 than when you are 25," she added. Bruni-Sarkozy has a child from a previous relationship with the philosopher Raphael Enthoven.

The new album has received generally positive reviews and Bruni-Sarkozy said she wrote the lyrics "a little bit before, a little bit during and a little bit after" her whirlwind romance with Sarkozy last autumn.