18th June
Hello!
How hot is it where you are? It is BAKING in Norwich, but the clear skies are glorious and I am typing this sitting in the shade of my garden. I hope wherever you are reading this is similarly soothing and comfortable.
SO
The ALBUM is RELEASED!
Listen on SPOTIFY
The TOUR is STARTED!
It has taken more than a week for my feet to touch the ground again. Everything except the show itself, the work, the music itself, fell away recently, and I am delighted exhilarated and frankly relieved to get the first show under my belt.
I had great support from the one and only NX Panther and TM Kaysher with his group’s performance of Ecstatic Baul.
And it was all good. I can say it.
It felt good.
I could see by how the lovely audience reacted that it was good.
And the audience WAS lovely - from my guru Baluji Shrivastav OBE and Linda Shanson, to my music buddies Marianne and Lois who came ALL the way from Austria and Perth, Scotland JUST to see the show, to people I have known in other projects who came to support me, to the people I have not met before but who came, to my lovely family - I thank you all. I appreciate it.
But more than that, I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed singing, I enjoyed using the gear, I enjoyed the incredible sound that Camilo Tirado created in Rich Mix, and I loved, loved, absolutely loved the wonderful tabla playing of Sukhdeep Dhanjal.
The songs worked. The set order worked.
All those things that could go wrong, didn't. Thank you universe!
The sari was a hit too - Debbie Golt (Outerglobe - Resonance FM) called it 'magnificent'!
Funny that in all these years I have never worn a sari on stage, though a sari was what my mum wore most of the time when she went out - to the cinema, even to the park for a picnic. It feels so lovely to wear one, though you do have to walk differently and hold yourself differently, but I ESPECIALLY loved rocking songs out wearing a sari.
Bring it on! MY culture, all of it!
The lead up to the opening night was a bit fraught - from my daughter moving house on that very day (I was painting her new place 2 days before) to plumbing emergencies where I was staying that kept me up half the night before the show, to issues with the timing and programming, and were the LPs going to arrive in time (they didn't)...
But it was good.
And I am soooo excited that I have the rest of the year to deliver this work to as many of you as I can, either in person at a show, or through digital channels. See the long list below.
And PLEASE DO send me feedback?
Which songs do you like? Or not?
Any feedback, constructive criticism, or adoring missive will be gratefully received!
And if you look here on my music page you will see links to lots of other streaming and downloading services.
It's been an exhausting and thrilling time - I have been so wired for weeks and it now feels so nice knowing it is done and OUT IN THE WORLD.
The axis of my world is now slightly different.
Go CD go!
I have loved creating and now sharing this album.
I hope YOU love it too.
With love
Samia x