Jayanti's Blog
The mundane is merely Magic in disguise…Archive for youtube
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!!
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…)
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…
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
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.
Yes to Life!
Say yes to life and life will say yes to you. That is the lesson I learned last Saturday, December 19th.
My showcase went really well, and it turned out, the audience could vote for their favorite artist of the night. People were walking up to me after my performance, telling me they were voting for me, and I had no idea what it was all about, but was mighty thankful all the same! Who needs to know the details (voting for what?? what’s the prize?? wait, is this a competition???) when you know people can vote for you?? So I decided to campaign for myself and scare the swag out of the hormone packed teenage boys hollering at me all night. They don’t expect you to actually talk to them!?! lol!
I walked up to them and said: “Boys!” [saucer eyes, eyeballs going side to side, then regaining their faux teenage swagger] “You liked my show?” “Alright then! Great! So vote for me!”. And swift as their young brains work (yes, yes… take that pun if you want to) they demanded hugs, so I found myself exchanging hugs for votes. And it paid off: I won a flatscreen LG tv plus a Wii (I’m selling the Wii so I can pay for a new photo shoot for my new website layout and promo pics!! yay!) by channeling my inner Mac Mommy and two people who voted for me both won a prize as well! So you see: spread the love and it’ll come back to you!
Gio aka Vanno aka Giovanno came to my showcase on his birthday (thank you so much!), so we all decided to have dinner at Bazar (the same place we recorded the very first of the Life Is A Musical videos) after the gig and we ended up singing Surinamese birthday songs and slamming the tables for the right afro-caribbean beat. I had such an amazing night, only a few days after feeling like I would break. And I did break: through! Through my fears and through my pain. If anything, this night reminded me to keep on giving. All of me at all times. Feels like the scariest thing to do, but I realize it will not eat away at me nor will it kill me: giving my all expands my soul and makes me grow. I feel intensely alive!
Hopping on stage to receive two cherries on top of an amazing night :o)
Performing my Martian anthem!
The showcase was wonderful!! I got to sing
Girl From Mars -my theme song- which I was really excited about and it felt amazing to see and feel people really digging it! Kudos to Gio and Dao for organizing such a beautiful night… Everything was on point and the vibe was just lovely! Thank you so much for allowing me to share part of my soul at Life One Stage…
And thank you Win, for leaving your own birthday party with me to make this video!!
Here’s a virtual hug to everyone who came out to see me and sent me love, whether at the venue or on youtube, in person or online (it really is a small world after all..) :o) (((((martianhug)))))
Reaching for Higher Ground
To me, the best feeling in the world, is to feel free. While immersed in music, my emotions go through the roof, up to the skies above and return to me covered in stardust, magically magnified…
In my latest Life is a Musical adventure, magic flowed into the concrete form of a rooftop and tickled my vocal chords into melody.
And I felt free!
I wrote a third verse to the song Fever about the epic love story Laila Majnu. I was inspired by the last act of the Bollywood movie Aaja Nachle, which amazed me with it’s use of color, narrative style and play-within-a-play portrayal of this beautiful tale. Click here if you’d like to watch the scene.
~Life is a Musical~
It really is! Why just sing on stage or in a studio? Song is part of me, always… Even on the subway on our way home from the annual North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam… :o)
*full circle moment: I used to sing on the tram as a baby and embarrass my mother… at every stop, I’d stop… wheels in motion and I’d ad-lib my little butt off!*
Any ideas for the next “episode” of Life is a Musical?? Let me know! And I will try to shine my light upon the gray, grace white noise with melody, color the transparency of the drawings of today!
Yes.
Indulge (Part 1)
And so… Now that I’ve hopped on the Songstress plane, life is all song and praise! :op
I wrote this song, “Indulge”, when I was 15 and feeling romantic…
*This is the first verse and chorus, when the vibe is right and the Songstress plane is airborne again, I will do the rest of the song and post part 2. Any ideas for the setting…? Another restaurant? Up a tree?? Feel free to send me your ideas and if at all logistically possible, I will do it! Because, dammit: Yes We Can!!!*
