I am practicing Ave Maria and a few other classical thingies… so it's only appropriate I share this with you. A bit more on the classical side of things, but I do like to go there occasionally.
photo taken by Koury Angelo for an Interview Magazine (Russia) shoot.
Yes I know I have been remiss in my blogging.
But you see, everything has been moving so fast. And not in one straight line, either.
In fact, my new hero of the day is Philippe Petit – whose brilliant talk I caught at the TED Conference (that one deserves a blog entry all its own) this past week. He is a tight rope walker and also a juggler.
February was one such month, where I felt what it may be like to be him. Ah, but you see, he chose that life and that rush of adrenaline. He willingly walked on a wire between the Word Trade Center Towers years ago.
Whereas I – well, I make music. All I want is to make more music. And I like peaceful life. Or so I keep telling myself, but the fact of the matter is: it is not necessarily true. And as much as I bemoan it sometimes when events go definitely south or even off the known map, I did choose this life. I chose a life of last minute opportunities, ups and downs, not-quite-coincidences, half-victories, bright lights, early mornings on the plane-fall-asleep-on-my-feet-is-my-voice-going-yet performances.
So there it is: the truth. I am an adventurer at heart.
And this week I get to perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, opening for none other than Sinead O'Connor. It is only now starting to sink in, as I am typing this entry, and I have not even packed yet – while tomorrow I get on the plane. I have to do laundry, do some sound mixing, run errands, pack, and maybe even sleep.
So for now – and I know it is a cop-out of the highest order – I am posting here my most recent email update I just sent out to the Elizaveta e-mail list. Please bear with me:) I will have plenty time to write on the plane…
Hello my dears,
It has been a pretty fast paced few weeks since the release of Beatrix Runs. And looks like it will go on that way for a while! If you are in the UK, I will be performing five concerts in the coming two weeks, opening for the legendary Sinead O'Connor. The links to buy tickets can all be found HERE.
But it doesn't end there. Come April, I will be on tour of the West Coast in the USA, opening for the amazing band James. We will be starting in Vancouver, and hit Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and others – 10 concerts in all!
We are also prepping for the official music video shoot for 'Meant'. I performed and recorded the exclusiveiTunes acoustic session on Valentine's Day, to be released in April, as well (with string quintet and more!) – and guess what! The physical release is also coming up! I am excited because Missy Washington of i102fly outdid herself in designing the amazing packaging, which will hold clues and a special map for the Beatrix story (as some of you already know, there is a story behind the record, which will be unveiled online in the coming months).
We are also working on launching the new and much improved interactive Elizaveta.com - also in the weeks coming up.
As always, I am doing covers and posting them for your viewing and downloading pleasure – like this cover of one of my favorite Irving Berlin songs, which we put to footage from the film classic City Lights (I am obsessed with Charlie Chaplin!). We just shot some great footage for Home Sessions, to go up on YouTube in the next two weeks!
Thank you, thank you and thank you for listening, supporting, commenting and spreading the word about Beatrix Runs! Please keep sharing the videos, covers and the songs!
Lots of love,
Elly
The four shows I played on the East Coast sold out. It was my first time in three of the four cities, and so it was a fantastic surprise.
I didn't get to see much of Boston – or Philadelphia – or VA, for that matter, because we were on a tight schedule. I was also sick when we left – and singing every night or so made it much worse.
Fortunately I only have another appearance tonight. I have to admit I am a bit exhausted right now.
Tomorrow we return to Los Angeles, and Monday I fly to Moscow, Russia, to perform at a private event. I get to spend one day with my mom after that, and return back to Los Angeles right away.
And then February 14th – session at Capitol Studios with string quintet! More about that later…
It appears that it's -20 celsius (which equals -4 Farenheit) in Moscow right now. I am trying not to think about that.
I am trying not to think about many things, actually. There is so much hanging in balance right now – my record's viability – my voice (yes my throat is not feeling great) – my ability to juggle everything, persevere and remain the calm and balanced captain of the ship… It is a little daunting.
But I tell you what: I have been receiving incredible messages and emails for the past week and going. It is really apparent that the record is connecting with people out there. And not only connecting, but inspiring them to speak of it to others. It is out in the world now, and it feels like it is now almost independent of me. It is almost as if Beatrix (the main character of the record's story) were coming more alive every day.
I have received an email from someone at the hospital, who was getting through a major injury and he wrote to tell me that my record was helping him through it. From someone else, whose elderly dad was going in for surgery. And many, many more.
And I received a fan email from China, written in strange but endearing English of someone who must have learned it through Western ads and commercial films, asking me for an autograph. The address was different, too – it actually included the room #, and the gate # – I couldn't help but flash back to the recent report on some electronics factories in China, where people live six to a room… But I hope not.
I will send that autograph when I return home.
All I can say to myself, I guess, is that when you are in the midst of an adventure, it never is a safe and cozy place. You can observe an adventure from afar, or read about it in a book – or watch it on-screen – but then you are not actively in it. The adventure of this year is only beginning for me, and if the rest of 2012 lives up to the past week, I will have to be on my toes and muster up all my strength, patience, endurance and imagination.
But – of course – the sense of wonder, as well: can't forget that.
It feels to me right now as if everyone is a bit more tense than usual. People are more easily offended, discouraged, angered and generally unbalanced. Is it just me? Or is the Year of the Water Dragon kicking in?
Happy New Year, everyone! I love dragons and I love water, so even if it might be sink or swim, I will keep singing, playing, writing, persevering – and steer my ship to the best of my ability.
I am here…and so tired.
But happy.
And look whose music has been released!?
I think I am in good company.
I am still under the weather a bit and fighting off a sore throat, which doesn't make singing easy as pie. But it hasn't rained in NYC, and it's sunny, although humid. I just had the best Greek food I have had in ages.
Tonight, one more show – with strings – and then I get to rest a bit. This morning I did an interview and a performance already.
But maybe it's time for a little poem, so I get a little perspective on things. I wrote this a year and a half ago. I am in a very different place now, in so many ways, although still some things ring true, when I read it. But reading it today brings me calm, somehow. Three more months until my birthday, of course – yes, I am a child of December. But it is ok to re-visit. The huge city outside is breathing fumes, crowds and buildings crowd the sky. I am a little anxious, because -well- the music I have made is now officially out there: no more hiding, waiting or theorizing. I am living it.
So I am reading the poem slowly, remembering a frozen December in Hudson, NY, and the quiet, and a church with piano, where I did some recording – and wrote this.
December Child
Words escape me.
It's only the night
and the frost in the air.
Morning soon; but for now
We'll paint the air
with our breath and laughter.
This winter chill
tastes like cinnamon candy;
it burns my throat
through a borrowed scarf
but the sweetness lingers.
Lights glitter in the trees
and cigarette smoke twirls
like a reminder
of another night long ago
in a foreign city
and a soft-spoken stranger
by my side
at the witching hour.
I have given all this time
to the land of sunshine
only to find myself craving the cold.
This is an end of a cycle
and a little death
but a new life is in the making.
I am afraid, but fear is for the living
and so is pain of loss;
as long as I am breathing
I will choose to run free,
searching and questing,
wearing my heart on my tattered sleeve,
taking chances.
Because I hope that somewhere
a fireplace has been lit for me
and so I follow the trail of bread crumbs
down a winding, twisty path
towards another's heart
and a new beginning,
half-wishing I was stronger and better;
half-knowing there is no destination.
I am a child of winter
tonight I feel it in my bones
and the crunch of ice under my feet
is an exclamation point to a story
I started writing a long time ago.
I am used to the ache of departures
and I am friends with empty spaces.
And just like then,
I am at the crossroads again.
Except now I am older
and a little kinder.
The page turns
and now it's snowing..
I wrote this song when I was actually quite low. I did not know how I was going to pay rent in the months to follow and my long-term relationship was over. I walked away and left my piano behind – it had been a birthday present from the (ex) boyfriend.
I also sold my motorcycle.
I kept trying to move forward with music, but the going was slow and I was discouraged.
I was offered a job, which would have taken me overseas, but it would have taken up a few months of my life and I was afraid to lose what little momentum I had acquired with my music.
I chose not to take the job – even though I was very tempted. Mostly because it represented some security – and being able not to worry about rent in the months to come.
Instead, I took a risk and bet on myself and my songs. And things started happening.
To me, Dreamer is a bit of an anthem. It is not simply a happy song – it is about following your bliss, no matter how twisty the road may get. It is about trusting your inner compass.
And it is also about falling down, getting up and persisting.
I have walked a pretty twisty and winding road myself, to get to where I am today, musically and personally. I have made many detours and certainly my share of mistakes.
Dreamer is my anti-cynicism song. I do still believe in fairytales and serendipitous events, so to speak. It does not come from a lack of experience or being naive. I have certainly been very fortunate in life, but I have also had my fair share of hard knocks.
In the end, however, I choose to believe that it is possible to love, dream and find what you have been seeking for a long time – even when you have lost all hope.
So – that's what Dreamer is all about.
🙂
another piece of trivia: I actually wrote the chorus in Japanese, at first. Don't ask me why. Maybe because I love Japanese anime. I found someone on Facebook to translate some lyrics for me.
I also have a version where the chorus is in Russian and talks about a hot air balloon and flying away.
🙂
