Jayanti's Blog
The mundane is merely Magic in disguise…Archive for music
Honoring the vocal prototype, The Voice: Whitney Houston
When I was 5, I started entering talent shows with Jackson 5 songs and when I felt like a “big girl” (around the age of 10) I added Whitney and Mariah songs to my repertoire. Every wedding, every school dance, every audition… I remember watching Whitney’s performances at the Grammy’s, in complete awe. So this is what a lady singer was supposed to sound like, that is what she was supposed to wear, I was looking at the prototype, she was It! Her refined beauty, her regal air, singing soft notes that sounded like sweet cotton candy at first, then stacked on top of each other to reach a climax unlike anything I’d ever heard: passionate, raw but very smooth. Her voice sounded like it was made of gold, warm and clear, delicate yet powerful… there was a special gleam about it nobody else had, I was absolutely mesmerized by her tone (I still am, can you tell?).
Listening to my heroes as a kid and learning their songs has helped me find my own vocal identity, which is why I wanted to to use my voice to thank The Voice: Whitney Houston. She has inspired and influenced me so much, and touched my spirit in a very real way. I believe in acknowledging every positive spark you receive from another person, be it a kind stranger on the train or an artist who has showed you the ropes by example, I believe in saying “thank you”. So, therefore: Thank you, Ms Whitney Houston, for sharing your light with all of us.
Getting it on while basking in my Nightlight!
You know when you take a dive, and you can feel the arch of your body is just right, the sun is burning on your back, you take a good breath and feel know this is going to be such an uplifting swim? No? Yes? Well, that is what it felt like when I dived into 2012, performing at Holland Got Soul in Rotterdam. I was asked to do an original song and a Motown cover and decided to do my own song Nightlight and a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. Our Nightlight shone bright, my co-writer Rory Ronde (on guitar!) and I were so happy to perform our song with a band for the first time! Take a look at our faces in the very first frame of the video, that pretty much says it all! :o)
Lyrics Nightlight
The most incredible feeling, hearing your song come to life and sharing it with a beautiful audience!
When I decided to do Let’s Get It On, I really wanted to pay tribute by replying to the original. What would the seductress, the lady, say to that man, wanting to get it on? Well, yes we can get it on! Let me tell you how I’m feeling, sir! Something I have a hard time doing in real life, but a stage, a band, lights and a loving crowd can give you that extra push. Euphoria! I was really feeling it, the band was feeling it, the crowd was feeling it, it was glorious! We were getting it in and getting it on!
Huge shoes to fill, so I decided to respect and admire the man’s shoes and give you my high heeled, feminine interpretation of this classic!
Inside My Love – Tribute to Les Fleurs
Three November babies in a room, one holding the camera, one strumming the strings and one behind the mic, for a tribute to one of my favorite singer/songwriters, also born in the 11th month: Minnie Riperton.
Guitarist Rory Ronde (aka Kofi Anonymous) and I adore Minnie’s work, and we’d been talking about doing a cover for a while. In my personal little storybook, Inside My Love (by Minnie and Leon Ware) is jotted down as one of the best songs ever written: so layered and intricate, so delicately light yet filled to the brim with divine sensuality… We were both delighted to play this song together, I hope you can hear and feel our deepest respect and admiration in this tribute to one of our favorite Fleurs of the musical Garden.
We heard about Amy Winehouse’s tragic demise right before recording this take, and Rory dedicated it both to her and Minnie: two unique songstresses who have graced us with their extraordinary talent before passing on to the next Garden. May they bloom in love and light.
Thank .you
I need to get up early tomorrow and yet here I am, almost 2 am, writing to you, writing to me. I still have and need the temporary day jobs to support my dream. But the dream has expanded. I’ve got my eye on Los Angeles, and LA has got her eye on me (Laurel Canyon!). We met briefly at the end of 2010, but this intense month was all we needed to fall madly in love: what an amazing place! The electric energy of a town filled with passionate dream seekers, the sweet souls I spent time with, the music! The music!!! I’ve gained focus in my work, my music, my writing: I know what my goal is, I know where I’m going, even though I’m ready for life to take me by surprise (please, Life: surprise me!!).
I am surrounded, embraced, by a warm and dedicated team of people I lovingly call “Sexual Chocolate“: my people, my friends, my crew. I am pushing hard, because I fall apart when I don’t follow my passion: I need to sing or I don’t feel right. But they are pushing hard for my dream because they believe in me. Just that. They just do. When I get tired and frustrated, when I’m feeling “meh” and I’m ready to fling my drive out the window, they’re all still there. And that circle of support has expanded, too.
Two Blue Monsters from Canada Sesame Street made me a facebook “Like” page, including a bio that is so beautifully written, and so humbling, I just want to run around my apartment, jump on my bed and hide under the covers while bouncing up and down. They are fully responsible for the page and post whatever they want to post, videos they like and whatever they feel is worth sharing. As my own personal facebook page is called www.facebook.com/jayanti.me (feel free to add me as a fb homie), I thought it would be cool to name the facebook Like page www.facebook.com/jayanti.you. We used the .you page to host my Revolution in B-Minor live stream, and the Blue Monsters monitored the chat while I was performing, providing live info about the songs I did. And I plan on doing more livestreams in the future (studio sessions as well as live shows) and I would love for this to be a place for song requests and (random) questions about my art.
I got featured worldwide on the YouTube homepage about a week ago and I was chosen as one of four Fresh Faces of July on YouTube’s Music Tuesdays channel. It gained me over 100,000 new views on my no budget video Girl from Mars, and the response has been overwhelming and so loving! People who have been following me on YouTube since the Life is a Musical videos, homies I hadn’t talked to in a while, folks I met in LA 9 months ago, have been writing me messages, that I’m on the right path, how happy they are for me, not to give up, that they’re behind me and have full faith in me. Wow.
Thank you.
Revolution in B-Minor
My mini-concert at a Revolution in B-Minor at Grounds in Rotterdam was the perfect venue for me to share my songs and lyrics in an intimate setting with guitar magician Kofi Anoymous by my side, while broadcasting the show live on my livestream channel. People from all over the world (Canada, Korea, US, UK) tuned into my little party and chatted with me during the break and afterwards: intimate, reloaded!
I started my set with Indulge, a song I wrote when I was 15. It’s a fictional tale of love at first sight, including a hug and kiss that lived inside my mind… . This song came to me at once, from beginning to end, while I was sitting in my bedroom, dreaming of some magical romance in my future: wishful thinking poured into melodies and words. The song is now included as one of the four Fresh Faces of July on YouTube’s Music Tuesdays along with my no-budget music video Girl from Mars!
The second song of the first set was the only cover I did that night: For the Love of You, my 2nd rendition of this beautiful Isley Brothers song. The first time was with a full band (and what a band that was!!) during my trip to LA. I had a poll on facebook, asking my fb homies what song they’d like me to sing at my upcoming acoustic show and this song won by a landslide, and I’m glad it did, cause I love to sing this song!
I started the second set with a ballad version of High on Life, originally an uptempo song I wrote with producer Al Mar (we also created Girl from Mars together), a song about my outlook on life. We were arranging the song and slowed it down to really work on every note, when we realized it would also work as a ballad. When I got booked for the Revolution in B-Minor gig, with the objective of stripping down your songs to the core, I decided to do the ballad version of this song with a guitarist, as the chords work beautifully on strings.
Nightlight is a song I wrote with the guitarist, Kofi Anonymous and this was our first time performing our song together. The story is: I’m in bed, anxiously waiting for my lover to enter the room. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, so I don’t want to miss a moment of him and want him to see me as soon as he comes in. Thus… I leave my nightlight on.
I concluded the night with my song Girl from Mars. The music video got featured on YouTube’s homepage (worldwide!) last week, which gained us an extra 100,000 views!
Tales of April and Magic in May
It’s May! That means that this month, May 13th, I’m performing at A Revolution in B-Minor! Ooooh, I’m so excited, less than 2 weeks to go!! This night is all about the essence of the song and stripping your music to the core, so I’ll be doing two short acoustic sets, including the cover you guys voted for on facebook: For the Love of You by the Isley Brothers. Rory Ronde will be strumming his guitar, as lovely as he did in our Simply Beautiful video, and we will be doing a live stream! I will update my blog, facebook and twitter with the link and of course, the songs will be uploaded on YouTube after the show.
Before May comes April. And in April, I made two videos: one came prepared, the other on a whim. Mitchell Thompson accompanied me on keys in the first video, we made a rendition of Quincy Jones’ You Put a Move on My Heart, one of my absolute favorites. Mitchell worked with me on Girl from Mars and High on Life, and I’ve been wanting to do a video with him for a while now. It was a joy, and I’m planning on doing another one with him, but that might take some time, as Mitchell just won the Dutch Sing-Off with his close harmony group Gentle Voices!! Woop woop!
Singing with my homie Mitchell!
As you may know, I love stories and truly believe Life is a Musical. So, one sunny Saturday afternoon, as I was strolling around the neighborhood, a sea (alright a pond, ok a puddle) of gorgeous red roses caught my eye and I stopped. It was the day before Easter, and I know my grandparents would love these flowers. I rummaged around my purse, but I didn’t have any cash on me. I asked the flower man whether I could pay with my card, but he said it was cash only or… I could sing him a song. Well! You know what happened next! :oD
Funny thing is, the name of the flower shop is actually The Flowerman and I didn’t know!
Those were my own videos. But April brought me 7 other videos all shot at the very same moment at the YouTubeStars convention I got invited to in Amsterdam. I did some impromptu singing at the end of this seminar because after all… I believe Life is a Musical!
One of seven: uploaded by strapschronicles
To my fellow YouTubers StrapsTalksBack, Whizprtised, howhowdecrow, HetVideobureau, spixara, maschadriessen and vit0r1979: Thank you for taking the time to grab your camera’s, hold them up in the air, save the content and then even uploading it to youtube!!
Painting this town blue!
I am in love with LA. So much talent, so many sweet spirits! I’ve been running around every day, meeting people, observing, learning, breathing it all in and of course singing. That is why I’m here. I did a rendition of the Isley Brothers’ For The Love Of You at RedWhite&Bluezz and was incredibly fortunate to sing with some of the most amazing musicians out there: Herman Jackson (keys), G-Mack (guitar), Stanley Randolph (drums) and of course my good friend, Brandon Brown (bass)!
Painting the town Blue!
A lot of people warned me about LA, fake people, superficial, plastic, short term, fleeting. And maybe it’s because I’m meeting the Brandon Brown approved people and also seeing the friends I knew before I came out here, but I am meeting such lovely people here. The total opposite of superficial, really endearing, people who go straight to the core and talk about real things. People who remember you from last time and hug you like you’re their long lost daughter. Maybe it’s because I’m meeting musicians. Maybe it’s because you create your own world, teach people how to treat you by staying true to your values, talk about the things you want to talk about. Brandon said LA is a place that puts a spotlight on who you are and magnifies it, and I think this is true. People are intensely passionate here, and I love that.
I’ve had a lot of people asking me about my blog and “what’s up with the stories, J?”, so I promise to write more during my stay in LA. I need to go now, going to a show at Stevie’s! Be back soon!
Girl from Mars – the music video
The day before I spread my wings and fly to LA, my very first real music video drops and honestly, I’m so happy right now I don’t even need wings or a plane! Feels like I really just came flying down from Mars! I’m afloat! Soaring high!
My brilliant best friends Winand and Vinod Singh are responsible for conjuring the concept of every scene, finding ways to manually and cerebrally execute their ideas. We started out with brainstorm sessions, the twins with paper and pen in hand, while I looked from one to the other, wide eyed and amazed. The things they come up with! Because they know me so well (and of course, because they’re so talented and smart!), they visualized the theme of my song perfectly: seeing things from a different perspective, in a different light, and giving your love freely, for we all come from the same source made entirely of that same love. And we loved making this video, gave it our all! Our all came down to a bucket of paint, 7 rolls of DUCT tape, 1 roll of barrier tape, 253 tea lights and high spirits.
intro
So peculiar, I’m this girl from Mars…
I bought a bucket of white paint, which the guys used to write JAYANTI on a crosswalk around 6 am on a Sunday morning. It took them exactly 12 minutes, and I was scared the police would show up the whole time. But they didn’t! There were some taxi drivers parked on the side of the street, nodding, waving and even taping our guerilla shoot. It was such a rush, and weeks after, you could still see the paint marks. Naughty.
1st scene – verse 1
You don’t understand me, but you really do…
We shot this scene on some stairs outside, the guys used 7 rolls of colored DUCT tape to make a moon and some stars, which cost them 6 hours, leg pain and back strain. We featured my cousins Rosa, Samuel, Priya and Uma in the scene, and had them walk up and down the stairs using the special gravity defying superpowers we all possessed before our 13th birthdays (and maybe some of us still do, and in that case I say: “Congratulations and welcome to our secret society!”).
2nd scene – verse 2
I’m holding a fire, while my hands are cool…
Vinod spotted this empty exhibition space, and asked the people of Roodkapje whether we could use this room for our video. He pulled some strings and we got in! The twins used a roll of barrier tape to offset the clean ethereal white room and gave you a clue to what I am. Martian, perhaps, but ultimately, just a girl.
3rd scene – bridge
I’m so peculiar, outer space, new to you, true to you…
This scene was shot in an empty office space, courtesy of Schieblock. Winand passionately explained the concept of the video and they were very generous in handing us the keys to the largest room, which we were able to use for two nights. We ignited 253 tea lights to show you where I came from and I felt like I was dancing in a fairytale… :o>
Vinod, Winand and I would like to thank the sorcerers who waved their wands to make this video possible, and believed in our project enough to lend us their time, space and designer outfits. Thank you all so much for being so generous and warm-hearted!
- Roodkapje (exhibition room verse 2)
- Schieblock (empty office space bridge)
- Wendela van Dijk (outfits intro, verse 2 and bridge)
Big thank you to *you*, for caring enough about me as an artist and how we made this video, to read this ridiculously long post all the way to the end. I see you, and you’re beautiful.
Simply Beautiful [R&B Remix]
Second remix! Dean Howard did a mashup of Al Green’s and my vocals, and I love what he did!! Anyone who decides to remix both Mr. Wonka and Mr. Jackson (3 times!!) is obviously following that same yellow brick road I’m on, so I’m very thankful and honored he wanted to take a crack (his words, love that…) at remixing my rendition! Thank you, sir!!
Simply Beautiful R&B Remix by Dean Howard
Simply Beautiful [Eye Refuse Remix]
My rendition of Al Green’s Simply Beautiful (with Kofi Anonymous aka Rory Ronde on guitar) got remixed by one of my YouTube friends from the ATL, Jermaine aka YaKinfolkJStylesOO9 for Eye Refuse Ent. When he heard the song, he sent me a message and asked me whether he could do a remix and I was so humbled and honored! Thank you, Jermaine!!
Simply Beautiful remix by Eye Refuse Ent. Love the artwork!!
He was not the only one, drummer Wes aka CB010 had already ripped the song off of YouTube to do a remix before I’d even uploaded the mp3!! I can’t wait to hear what he’s done with the song, but as he’s busy listening to jazz and watching soccer with his newborn baby girl, I will gladly wait a little longer… :o)
Live recording of Simply Beautiful
If you’re inspired to do a remix of my Simply Beautiful rendition, hit me up: hi@jayanti.me and I’ll send you the separate wav files. I would love to hear what you make of it! Feel free unravel it, put it back together, leave your mark on it and make it your art. Send me your upload and I will post your remix on my blog, twitter and facebook, keep track of all these updates -in real time- on www.jayanti.me. If you need photos for the artwork, download hi-res pictures here.
Please include: Vocals by Jayanti – Guitar by Rory Ronde - www.jayanti.me in the credits, thank you!! :o)
Free download, hit me up for separate wav files!
Simply Beautiful
Friday the 13th was one splendid day, filled with a thunderstorm, lots of sun, wonderful vibes and triple scorpio energy*! Winand -and his sexy camera- joined me for my music session with Kofi Anonymous (Rory Ronde). We finished the basic form of our song Nightlight (remember me writing and recording the very first draft of the chorus?), so that the instrumentalists can record their magic under my vocals, after which I’ll record the final vocals. After working on our song Nightlight, Rory and I decided to do an acoustic rendition of one of my favorite songs: Simply Beautiful, by Al Green.
Video by Winand Singh
*Rory, Winand and I are scorpio’s… not a big deal, just thought it added extra flavor. Yeah, maybe not. Still think it’s pretty neat. :o)
While July passed me by…
It’s been a while. It’s been quite a while, an eventful while, definitely worth the while!
I’ve been going through turbulent times, with extreme highs and lows. Leaving the secure path of becoming a psychologist to follow my passion does mean I struggle financially and get disappointed when people I work with seem to take it less seriously than I do. People I loved to work with, people I clicked with, people who inspired me to dive into the magic. I mourn lost songs and lost projects, adding them to the huge collection I built over the years of songs unheard, unfinished, unrecorded: Jayanti’s Double Album of Lost Songs. I hope and trust these songs will be given a rebirth and the right people will cross my path so that my lyrics, melodies and compositions will come alive as they are in my mind. But even through the lows, I feel this constant state of happiness, knowing there is no light without the dark. And the darker it gets, the brighter the light! Almost there!
Almost There
And the light is glorious! Skyrocketing highs, dazzling altitudes! This fall, I will be going to LA for a month!! A month!!! I am so excited, so happy, so thankful, so ecstatic, there is nothing that could pull down the corners of this continuous inner smile beaming from my soul. My first vacation in 10 years, this gives a new ring to work hard, play hard. And I will play hard! I’m meeting up with my friend, Brandon Brown, bass player extraordinaire and his band members and friends. We will jam in real life as we now do on Skype, sharing the deep love we both have for Michael Jackson (one thing we have in common is that as kids, he learned how to play the bass and I learned how to sing by doing Jackson 5 songs), Stevie Wonder and, well, MUSIC! We will go to Disneyland to see Captain EO!! I will see my cousin La Toya after almost 10 years, I can’t wait to watch her perform, she is a bad ass dancer and choreographer and we have always wanted to work together, and I believe that we will. Yes, I am incredibly excited and feel the blessings upon me. I am intensely grateful!!
At Vin’s house, while Win was sleeping…
Another celestial, Martian high: we started shooting my very first music video for the song Girl From Mars!! We will be shooting this month, and hopefully release the video in September. I got up at 3 am last night (Was it last night?? What day is it?!?), so we could shoot the opening scene at dawn. It was a one take guerilla shot, and one taxi driver even took pictures with his phone, while his colleagues stepped out of their cars to see what was going on, all with encouraging smiles. It was such a thrill!! Winand and Vinod Singh are shooting and directing the video (and doing a cameo in this first scene), and they also came up with the concept. We will shoot the rest of the scenes in two weeks and I can’t wait for you guys to see it! Yes! Almost there!!
Music & Michael – Ascension to Magic
June 25th.
Exactly one year ago I was recording my song Girl From Mars under a full Moon. I was in the recording booth and decided to take a break, when my phone rang in my hand. It was Orfeo, telling me about Michael Jackson’s cardiac arrest. I called my mom, Jackson 5 fan from day 1. I called Urdao. I leaned on Win. I went back into the vocal booth, I had to do something, my mind was numb and frantic, woozy and focused, all at once. When they called me back from the vocal booth they told me he had passed away. My knees buckled. I felt like I would dissolve, wash away with my tears, blow away with the sighs of disbelief, eyes wide as if staring harder would help me grasp the news, see it, feel it. I leaned on Win. Mitchell held my hand. Almar hugged me. They all asked me whether I wanted to stop, it would be ok if I wanted to stop, we were all dazed, the world was dazed and you could sense it… I felt I needed to finish, I took a deep breath, reached into my soul and blew it into my song.
Reach In
My mom and I went to all his concerts, I started singing Ben, Ain’t No Sunshine and I Wanna Be Where You Are at weddings and talent shows when I was 5 (afro wig and everything!), I saw Moonwalker in a movie theatre and I thought it was the most spectacular thing ever… People knew about my mom’s love for MJ and how much I adored him, so it became a running gag that he was my real dad. Growing up without a positive father figure to look up to, I must say this joke wasn’t far from the truth, strange as it may seem. I truly learned how to sing by listening to his songs, over and over again, with my headphones on. I remember my mom telling me to really listen to the way he was feeling the song and made you feel it too. He was my mentor, my idol, my role model. And there’s a good chance he was yours, too. He was the musical father to an entire generation of kids, reminding us that magic is alive, teaching us to love and give. He was magic personified. He is magic.
Music and Me from Moonwalker
I will never forget the day I had the chance to look into Michael’s eyes. It was on his day off during the HIStory tour in Amsterdam. We stood a few feet from him, and he literally glowed, shining as if he were on stage, without any extra lights on him that night but his own. Light emanated from his spirit. It was real. We all saw it. It was as if the universe was following him with a natural spot light. A true star if ever the world knew one. Naturally illuminated.
Music and Me – live
I love you, Michael Joseph Jackson. Thank you for teaching us about music and magic, kindness and humility, sharing your gift and grace with the world. I celebrate your ascension to heaven one year ago, for you are home at last, no longer in search of the world that you came from:
Childhood
Indulge (Part 2)
In July 2009, after having dinner with my friends, they asked me to sing something. We debated over the right song for me to sing: Baby Be Mine, The Way You Make Me Feel, Girl From Mars, even My Heart Will Go On (naw…) were thrown in there, until Cas asked me about the song I used to do back when we all met: Indulge.
This was my very first YouTube video (Life is a Musical!) and we even got featured on abduzeedo for the first time (Weak also got featured later on), a Brazilian inspirational website for artists. I did the first verse and chorus and promised to do the second verse when the time was right. Today was it! We’d had our eye on these colored columns for a minute, they seemed the perfect addition to the first Indulge video at the restaurant. I hope you will indulge in the lovely colors: peach & lavender…
I wrote this song when I was 15. I was sitting on my bed one afternoon and started singing it from beginning to end, the complete song came to me all at once. Funny thing about this song is, I met my closest friends during the days I performed with Indulge, including Win & Vin (my photos, videos, website) and Al Mar (my producer, co-writer, pianist). Al Mar has even done some vocal harmonies to this song at some of the shows, cause back then, he was a pianist and vocalist with a close harmony group and we were in a hip hop musical together. So Al Mar and I will definitely include Indulge in the Exotic Tinkerbell Music Tale, along with Girl from Mars, High on Life, Nightlight (with Kofi Anonymous) and a bunch of new songs that Al Mar and I are working on. Indulging in the lovely lovin’: inspiration galore!!
In case you missed it, here is Indulge (Part 1)
All Life is a Musical videos (a series of me singing anywhere: bookstore, subway, roof…)
High on Life [introducing Sexual Chocolate]
I always look forward to my Friday Pow Wows [E! ;o>], when Almar (aka Al Mar, producer and co-writer of Girl From Mars and amazing Piano Man), Mitchell (Mr Close Harmony Vocal Arrangement Smoothifier and Amazing Piano Man) and I get together to work on our songs. We always have a wonderful time, playing Almar’s beats really loud, dancing around, cracking jokes, and using that great energy for our music. I love these guys!! Yesterday, we worked on one of our new songs, High on Life. Their friend Björn joined us, so I shoved my Flip cam in his hands and he did such a great job in capturing the creative process: thank you so much, dude!!
Also, we decided that my team and future band will bear the name Sexual Chocolate. The guys were all for it! And if you don’t know, now you know! Sexual Chocolate! Yes Win… you have VISION!! :oD
Warmfuzzy
Erika.. like I said, you’ve been filling my life with gems.. Thank you so much! And we shall overcome this Twilight-hump.. I pray.
One of those gems is the Warmfuzzy mixtape by DJ Neil Armstrong, which is Erika’s (aka Erikutz in Spinland!) fave and now also my fave and if you listen to it, you will hear why and I have a feeling it might become (one of your) faves, too!
Say Yes!!
Yes!! Almar and I -the Martian duo- got together to do a rendition of one of my favorite songs: Say Yes. Winand really captured the wonderful and magical musical chemistry between Al Mar aka Mr Almar Nooitmeer or the Man behind Girl From Mars (he’s my producer and co-writer and I adore him!) and myself. I am overjoyed!! Sooo happy!!! (and Mitch… I can’t wait to rock some songs with you, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful talented spirit with me… let’s make some magic!)
It is 5.25 am and I’m waiting for the video to upload. I’m at Win’s, who’s leaving for India tomorrow, attending some fancy media congress and shooting a pilot for a television series. I remember him conjuring up the idea for this tv show months ago and us thinking it would be the ultimate amazing perk for him to go to India and while we didn’t even know whether his pitch would make the cut (and of course it did!!) I think we were both convinced he would go. Win had already said yes to India, with bold determination, then having faith to let go and see where his stream would take him. As his twin Vin always says: it always works out. And now India is saying yes to Win.
I believe the universe will say yes to you once you decide to let go of your fear to fly and say yes to life. I say yes to life, I say yes to music, I say yes to singing and hope you will find it in your spirit to unfold your wings and say yes to your passion, too! Dare to be free!
Michael Jackson on Creating Magic
Michael Jackson is my mentor, that is how I feel. He inspires me like no other. I learned how to cultivate my voice, by listening to his early work, like Ben, Ain’t No Sunshine and I Wanna Be Where You Are when I was a little girl. I’d perform these songs with my afro wig on, at talent shows and weddings. After writing my first song “Starlight” when I was 7 and had just gotten back from a family visit in the States and was longing to go back, watching the tiny specks of light of airplanes moving across the sky, I studied Michael’s work on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad and was amazed by the art of creating songs. The game of making up songs was called songwriting, and the melodies I hummed were compositions, the way I changed the melody when I found the right words were arrangements… How marvelous!!
My mom took me to his concerts and each time, we’d fly (that’s how I remember it, now I really don’t understand how she did it!) all the way to the front row, me and mama, nobody in front of us, just a clear view of The Master. She taught me one of my most valued life lessons: picture yourself already standing there, it is where you’re supposed to be! The security guards even placed me in front of the barrier when I was really young and even shorter than I am now (yeah..) so I was able to dance and run and feel like I was hanging out with Mike while he was performing… Amazing!
Part 1
On this full moon, I would like to share a rare interview my mom found (yes, mom, you were right…. it’s beautiful and I should have watched it right away and I didn’t and I’m an idiot…) which I think is so special, because he really talks about the process of creating and you can see little J5 Michael in his face, his gestures, his voice, his smile. His smile… :o)
Part 2
Thank you, Michael, and happy Full Moon to you, may your spirit be blessed and dance on the tides of the universe, as it always has!! I love you…
Marsha Ambrosius EP –> Put It On repeat!
Win sent me this link, and I had to share.. Marsha Ambrosius released her ep/mixtape Yours Sincerely and I love it! I’ve been devouring the third track, Put It On, following Marsha’s instructions as she melodiously urges us to “put it on repeat”. I Say Yes, Marsha… this song is a main course on a delicious plate of hors d’oeuvres to her upcoming album.
ArtByShake (2dopeboyz)
Download: Yours Sincerely
Nightlight: Layering the Chorus (draft)
So here’s a first draft of the backing vocals to Nightlight’s chorus. I basically recorded these vocals as a guideline which I will write the lead vocals to and Rory aka Kofi Anonymous will use to deepen the song musically.
First, I did the higher vocals which I doubled and then layered with lower vocals which I also doubled. Then you’ll see Mr Kofi aka Rory listening to all 4 voices on the basic beat (in the final version, the lower vocals will be much less prominent to mesh with the high vocals). Later on, when both Rory and I finish our parts (me: completing the lyrics and vocal arrangement for the verses, lead vocals and ad libs – Rory: completing the musical composition and arrangements), I will sing this all over again to make a perfect blend with the rest of the components of the song.
Next week, I’m seeing Al Mar and Mitchell again, the guys I made Girl From Mars with. We’re working on 5 new tracks (one at a time!! :o>) and will also do some acoustic videos in the coming weeks.
Flip Nightlight Electronica
Uhuh, now that’s a title!! :op
I’ve been awesomely busy these past few weeks, writing songs, doing the photo shoot selection, writing songs, reading the first Harry Potter for the 7th (?) time to relax before bed [vital!], writing songs, going to music sessions… Yeah. And writing songs.
Also, I am very excited to tell you that I just made my very first Flip video! Wooooo!! Yeah!!!! The idea is to bring my new lil friend with me wherever I go, so I’ll bring him (yes him, hush..) to my music session tomorrow and kind of have you tag along… In a good way! :o) So you can see what I do and how I write my songs, work with the producers and rehearse.
On this first flip vid, I was writing (am still writing) one of my new songs Nightlight. When, right in the middle of it, Win pings me to tell me about the awesome dopeness of tonight’s Jay Electronica concert. See I was supposed to go!!! But I forgot that it was on the same night that I had a session earlier and then I also had a session the day after, which is tomorrow. Anyway… this is me with the Flipman.
listen closely and hear the draft of Nightlight thru my headphones
Cruising down thesixtyone…
I joined thesixtyone, a platform for new artists. You’ll be able to listen to my music, buy my songs for $1 or simply heart my songs or favorite them. I will upload more songs along the way and keep you updated. There’s a lot of very interesting freshness going on over there, so check it out, sign up as a listener or an artist and hit the road with me!
Tell Ya Momma about Soundwaves & Red!
Just a quick rave about Soundwaves, an LA based radio show I’m adoring. Their playlists send me into a frenzy, it’s like being at your cool friend’s house.. You know the one who has rows upon rows of all the classic gems from way back and seems to be up to date to every fresh song that just popped out of the ground? Yes indeed, the two hosts know their music and I’m happy to know about their show, so I had to share!
I was listening to this show when I first heard this song, by Red: “I Should Tell Ya Momma On You”. Check this video to watch him simultaneously using his grimy voice for the catchy hook and his deep, funked up beat boxing while literally slamming the beat on his chest. Awesome!! Apparently, he was (I hope it’s past tense..??) homeless when they discovered him, so seriously, if you dig this like I do, get on iTunes and support this guy!
I especially love -and bought- the first two versions: the original beatbox version and the Dam Funk remix.
Snow!
It’s been snowing and I get all fuzzy inside watching the flakes fall while crunching virgin patches of the white fluffy stuff with my boots. So for my new Life is a Musical video, I decided to do a song which I adored as a kid and makes me feel like walking through a field of snow: weak in the knees and giddy all over!
As always, video by Winand Singh aka Wintin Tarantino (as I like to call him) :op
Showcase & Striking Chords
This Saturday, December 19th, I’ll be performing at Zuidplein Theater in Rotterdam around 9 pm!
Also, I am very excited to be working with producer / multi-instrumentalist Rory Ronde aka Kofi Anonymous. We are working on some tracks that really strike the right chords with me. I find myself weaving through the notes, exploring the spaces, while my soul feels like she’s coming home.
I’m very excited about the showcase on Saturday, so hop on over if you can! If not, pay me a virtual visit on YouTube shortly after or keep an eye out on my blog for echoes. Not the actual thing, but resounding nonetheless! Or so I hope… ;o)
