Carla Bruni opens Barcelona's Jardins de Pedralbes festival

France's first lady of music Carla Bruni gave an intimate performance in Barcelona on Wednesday night at the opening of the seventh annual Jardins de Pedralbes festival.

The chanson star, a former model and ex-wife of then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, introduced her latest album 'French Touch', with its emotive lyrics about love at first sight, together with her famous formative hits such as 'Quelqu'un m'a dit' ('Someone Told Me').

On a stripped-back stage, lit only by a dozen giant candles, Bruni sang in French, Italian and English, including a couple of toned-down covers of rock songs like AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell'.

Jardins de Pedralbes, which recreates a countryside festival vibe not far from the center of the capital, has attracted a number of high-profile musicians this year, with Mariah Carey, The Beach Boys, Kraftwerk and Il Divo taking to the gardens between now and July 14.

It was Bruni's second time launching the festival, which takes place in a leafy suburb of Barcelona, also home to the city's main French international school. The first time, in 2014, President Sarkozy was in attendance, accompanied by then Catalan president Artur Mas.