Elizaveta Ephemeris

Post-TED

Ah, I am still in Europe, and TED Global 2013 is over. What a week. I am still digesting everything that happened. What an overload of information, inspiration and adrenaline. My performance went rather well - waiting to hear when the video will be posted on TED.com. The visual effects collaboration also went great and it was a wonderful addition to the performance. There are photos to follow, but for now there is a write-up of it on the official TED blog

I also fell in love with Scotland and took lots of pictures. Today is the first day I am resting without having to run somewhere, talk and socialize or get on a moving conveyance of some sort. It feels divine. Tomorrow is another such day and then it's back to Los Angeles and finishing my new music. There is much work ahead!

Tomorrow I will also spend some time writing down my TED highlights and will post some photos.

photo by James Duncan Davidson

guitars.

Spent the whole day yesterday recording guitars on new tracks with Ben Cassorla. He says I am in real danger of becoming a female Phil Spector: I love to layer, and I am very specific about what I want and what I don't want. In fact, he went as far as compliment me on my "session skillz" by saying that I was 'very organized'.

I'll take it. Being organized is a big part of being disciplined. I think I am happiest when I know I am actively working on goals I set for myself, as I have been recently. I spent most of Sunday preparing for the session by coming up with various guitar lines, hooks and ideas, and then recording them in scratch form, for Ben to re-record later. Yesterday we recorded all guitars for my new song Da Da Da Da - which, incidentally, is looking to become my first Russian single, too, and also Hero.

Speaking of Hero, today I am sending out the email with instructions for my Virtual Choir participants, of which there are more than a hundred. It will be an amazing choir!

This week I am finalizing the Japanese version of Dreamer and also continuing work on the Chinese version of Odi et Amo. Yes, I know it has been a while since I promised this recording, but it's better late than never, is it not? I think so.

Producing my new music is a huge deal for me. At least even being able to take it this far and give it all I've got - it is doing wonders for my self esteem and overall mood. Last week was increasingly stressful and I had to consciously distance myself from the news, social media etc and throw myself into work. It is pretty easy for me to spin out and lose track of time, or get anxious and sad when I read about negative things happening around the world. I have realized recently that if I am going to do the work, I must make sure I limit my exposure to the outside world, Internet, Twitter and such when I am focusing on the music. There is no other way.

It has been a melancholy few days, with the Boston tragedy and then Texas plant explosion taking place shortly thereafter. This morning I made a choice to stay away from the news, Facebook and Twitter for a little while because I was assaulted by second to second coverage of the manhunt.

In my humble opinion, no manhunt should be made into a spectacle. It brought back to me memories of reading 'The Running Man'.

My dear hope is that this incident does not give rise to more hate. The world can't hold any more division, than it already does. We are all different, some of us are very flawed, some are angry, some are lucky and others are starving - but the important thing is not to give in to hate. Violence always begets more violence. Hate always makes for more hate. Righteous retaliation and judgment are a slippery slope.

Today I am focusing on recording lead vocals for my potential Russian single. I call it my Russian single because the original idea for it was to be the single from my upcoming Russian EP, however I am very proud of this song, although it is a little more dance-oriented than some of my previous tunes... and so it will be part of my US release, as well.

I have been feeling, increasingly, how important it is to meditate these days. Even if is just a few minutes of silence and reconnecting to the 'Inner Map'.

Speaking of maps and things - I have just scheduled a show in London for end of May, as I'll be on my way to Edinburgh (via Paris) to perform at TED Global 2013. It is at The Elgin in Notting Hill, May 30th, which I believe to be a Thursday. Check all the details in the little window to your right. I may be doing a Paris show, too, but not sure about all the details yet...

 

Meant on 'Scandal' and Oscars:)

Well, tonight I was just at home, in my PJ's, working on new songs and re-singing vocal harmonies over and over, when my phone went crazy, and so did my Facebook and also Twitter.

In fact, my song Meant was being used for the promo of the ABC show 'Scandal' and it aired during Oscars. I missed it! I was working and not watching the Oscars: I'll admit it.

Also, I knew about the possible use, but it was not a sure thing - these things can change any moment - and so it came as a surprise to me, too... a very good one! I have been working very hard on the follow up music recently, and this is like a beautiful gift, and a fitting place for Meant. I have heard from some new fans who say the promo has a James Bond vibe:)

Thank you ABC for picking my song. Seriously: a big, big thank you.

And for those of you who are reading this and meeting me for the first time because of this occasion:

Buy the album version of Meant (the one used for the promo) on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beatrix-runs/id495053308

There is a ton of cool things and videos on my official site, too.

Download a free copy of the original acoustic demo of Meant on my SoundCloud.

 

Official Meant video, directed by Julien Lasseur:

 

And if you're abroad, or on mobile or the You Tube video above is refusing to play, here is also:

 

 

Plus, the acoustic version with strings recorded and filmed live at Capitol Studios

(iTunes Live Session, also available on iTunes):

 

UK! Paris! Meant! Sinead O'Connor! Elephants! (ok, maybe not those)

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 

 

Chronicles

So it has been a whirlwind kind of time since June, really.

We are in the process of posting the issues of Chronicles for September and October. So bear with us!

But here is the Very First One, from our trip to Chicago and Lollapalooza - Chronicles Issue #1.

You can click on it and expand it, by the way.

Designed by the inimitable Missy of i1o2fly, of course:)

 

good morning.

I woke up and saw the news over the weekend. And it just keeps getting worse. Earlier in the week I found out that my mom, back in Moscow, had a heart complication and is now in the hospital, undergoing some tests.

And here I am, today, working on some songs, as the record is nearing completion. I will be flying to Moscow soon, right after the mastering day. But I can't shut out reality. And so I sat this morning, and looked at some beautiful Japanese art books, and cried.

In the big picture, what I am doing, my record, my music: do they even matter?

But yes. I think it is on a day like today that I turn to one of my most favorite teachers: Joseph Campbell:

• We're in a freefall into future. We don't know where we're going. Things are changing so fast, and always when you're going through a long tunnel, anxiety comes along. And all you have to do to transform your hell into a paradise is to turn your fall into a voluntary act. It's a very interesting shift of perspective and that's all it is... joyful participation in the sorrows and everything changes.

                                                                                                            (Sukhavati)

It's a wonderful, wonderful opera, except that it hurts.

So I will drink some coffee, donate some money to Red Cross and their Japan effort, meditate and go on. It is a beautiful day outside - the flowers need watering and the songs want finishing, I can hear them.

And if you are reading this - I am so very proud of the music I have prepared for you. And I love you very much.

 

Nadia - song lyrics in progress

I watched something online the other week which touched me deeply. 

It was a story about a young freshman girl who committed suicide. In the process, she was encouraged by a very sick and twisted man, who had trolled message boards and forums for deeply depressed teenagers, and would befriend them, in order to push them over the edge, while pretending to be another depressed person.. by encouraging them to enter suicide pacts with him. 

Anyway, you can watch the story HERE, : it is a jaw-dropping one, and it even includes a Miss Marple-ish British old lady, who has been key in bringing the criminal to justice. I wrote a song.. and I called it Nadia.. because that was her name.

Nadia

Excuse me while I try to breathe

The water's dark and deep beneath my soul

so I let go

I feel a churning in my chest

like wheels that never come to rest below

till I let go

So if you stay and hold my hand

at least I'll know I had a friend

it's not your fault I'm so alone

I hope you're happy when I'm gone

But if you leave and let me drown

then will they say I dragged you down

beneath the weight of my despair

because I needed you to care

that I let go..

The current's strong

it pulls me in

and carries me away from all I know

till I let go

I'm tired of fighting to hold on

I tell myself I'm going with the flow

when I let go

So if you stay and hold my hand

at least I'll know I had a friend

it's not your fault I'm so alone

I hope you're happy when I'm gone

But if you leave and let me drown

then will they say I dragged you down

beneath the weight of my despair

because I needed you to care

that I let go..

I'd never thought that breathing in and out

can be so hard to do

I'd never thought I would give up

and I can't make it up to you

but this is something I can't fight:

this bleak and hopeless tidal wave

it picks me up, it pulls me down

into the dark, until I drown..

Chorus

(eik 2010, all rights reserved)

 

inspiration

When I get overwhelmed, I go to the NASA website and look at the photos. It helps me put things in perspective. The interesting thing is that if you do it side by side with National Geographic pictures, there are some that work very well together. So the two sites are my go-to places in the cyber-world. They ground me, but also inspire me to fly..

Andromeda Galaxy

Galaxy M33 (couldn't they have come up with a better name?)

Milky Way (Jim Thompson)   

Please think rain. I need your help.

I am continually bombarded by images of fires and Moscow and Russia.. the arid air, the smoke, forests burning down. My mom is virtually confined to her apartment, taking a cold bath every hour, and the authorities are encouraging people to wear surgical masks when venturing outside.

I have close to 3,000 people on my facebook I am connected to. If you took even 100 of those and had them share this with 50 of their friends, you get 5,000 people.

There is not a lot I can do right now to help the situation, except praying and working out a way to get my mom out of Moscow for a few days or so, to get some fresh air, somewhere.

But I am a believer in power of thought. If you are reading this, please take a minute and imagine rain. Rain over Moscow and the woods. Water falling from the sky to stop this madness, which has decimated the crops and countless ecological preserves. And please share this with your friends, and have them do the same. If intention and thought are all we can do right now, at least let's do it on the grand scale, since we can - thanks to the power of social networking.

Listen to the song below I found on YouTube. Say a prayer for all the beauty lost. And hopefully more beauty to be saved. And think rain. Rain. Rain. Please.