Elizaveta Ephemeris

One week to go

In one week's time my EP Hero will be released to the world, as will the EP "Как Дети".

I am in Minsk, and this is where we performed last night. I really love it here. And this is a photo of the arena from the other night where the concert was:

I really don't see how it gets any better than this, really, except that if this was MY concert 100%... but I guess that is just something to work towards starting now. Performing in an arena is so addictive. I loved every minute of it.

I have had so much fun performing with Shura & Lyova of B-2! And doing this with an orchestra on-stage has been such a treat.

One week to go until my release of the Hero EP, the official music video for "Sorry", the "Как Дети" ЕР, which features three new songs in Russian.

А если вы читаете это по русски, приходите ко мне на концерт в это воскресенье:

Hero, Hero

What an unreal couple of days. 

I am on tour in Russia, supporting a veteran Russian band, B-2. I get to do the opening set, but then also sing seven duets with them throughout their own set, PLUS sing one of my own songs with orchestra.

Yes, I forgot to mention that there's a symphony orchestra, too, in addition to the band.

I am loving every minute of it. So far we have done two cities - Kursk and Oryol. The audiences in both were so warm and welcoming, it was like a dream. Maybe it is a dream. But it's also a homecoming of sorts. After all, I am Russian. I grew up here. I may not have spent the recent years here, but the roots run deep. For my opening set, I sing songs both in English and Russian.

The political situation leaves a lot to be desired... and here's to hoping it will improve, and very soon:( But as for this moment, I am here to sing for these people  - and hopefully remind them that sometimes you do get through, that life is not JUST struggle - sometimes after years of struggle you do get to live the dream.

On top of that, the PegBoard Nerds version of my single Hero is so, so good - and the Superman video it's attached to has gone viral - over 5 million views in the last two days. Here's the thing: I am already in heaven thinking about the fact that in the last 48 hours 5.5 million people have heard my voice.

That's enough for me.

But the response is mostly so positive - and today my site crashed because, apparently, the traffic to the site was too heavy for it to handle. This had never happened to me before: a definite first.

Hero is a very special song for me. I'll tell you why in the next post, though, because it's midnight here and I am absolutely knackered. Tomorrow's another show. See you then, goodnight.

Спокойной ночи!

Superman!

Remember how I said I wanted breakfast?

Well, all in all, I'd rather not eat and make an EPIC video for Hero, so... maybe I should start tightening up my belt. Or something. I have competition!

Speaking of epic videos and things, PegBoard Neds who are an electro dub step duo and I collaborated on a very DIFFERENT version of Hero. And now Superman flies through the air to my voice. Yes.

 

 

 And here is the new version by the Nerds, feat. me. 

I love it. I really hope it makes it into a Marvel film of some kind. An epic song for a fight in slow motion or a chase scene etc etc. Oh I can see it all in my head!

 

 

 

London

London is all gray skies and piercing wind. The rain lets up occasionally and then it's plain lovely. 

I went for walks and got rewarded by sun:

 

I also got rained on quite a lot.

 

After a while I decided to take matters into my own hands and bought a hat. It came in handy. I also got lots of compliments. Strange, because you'd think the English wear hats more often. But I guess not, I was the only one rocking the wide brimmed gray sexy hat. It was good for the rain.

 

I also went to see a Paul Klee exhibit at the Tate Modern. It was a feast for the senses.

 

He had a good life, that Klee. He got to be in Germany at the height of the Bauhaus movement and spent time with Kandinsky. They probably smoked cigarettes and debated art and philosophy over wine or something stronger in late night cafes and bars. Lucky him. He spent most of his life doing what he loved and in the right place. He died just before the start of the 2nd World War - probably a  good thing since it would have broken his heart. His last painting was called 'Twilight Flowers' and it made me cry. 

Here is a quote of his, I love the last sentence about the artist being 'a creature on a star among stars'.

I stayed with friends and was surrounded by cats. It's nice to have a warm cat around on a cold night, let me tell you.

This one, though, was as large as a panther - I swear! But very sweet and cuddly.

On occasion the sky looked magical, like in a Peter Pan story:

I went to the Borough Market and spent lots of money on edible things. Can you blame me?

My Troubadour show was sold out and packed. The sound guy was a cute Italian serious bloke and he was very good. I think I'll hire him again!

I caught a cold and brought it back to L.A. On the way back I woke up and saw glaciers:

a day of rest

I had an incredible couple of days and only now getting a little bit of rest. Next week I still have some vocals to finish for my Russian record and then I am off to London.

Joe's Pub performance was a grand time for me and it seemed to really connect with the audience, as well. It was sold out and people were so nice. I think I have become a better performer since the last time I sang here. New Yorkers are a tough crowd, they are very sophisticated and demanding.

I loved being part of the Prototype Festival. Unfortunately my buddy Timur the Tenor couldn't join me on the Odi et Amo duet at Joe's. I would have liked that because our performance at the LuEsther Lounge together was quite something. I think being paired up with another singer of an operatic background on a pop-ish duet makes me get louder and more dramatic/operatic than usual, and that it turn fires him up... and off we go into the stratosphere of vocal omnipotence;)

There are so many things I want to add to my live set, though. Electric guitar is going to become a permanent part of it, as I work on this in February, once I am back. Choreography...

But it's important to realize that I have come a long way as a performer in these last two years since the very advent of the first Beatrix Runs songs.

On to London in a few days. Can't wait.

New York!

I love New York. Well, I was born here. When I come back, I am always both a little scared and excited. It's almost as if I am feeling the city challenge me and say: 'So? Have you accomplished your destiny? Where are you at? Why are you slacking? This is not why you were born here, little girl! Step up!'

Unlike Los Angeles, where I am just face to face with myself and act like a hermit, NYC has an energy all its own. It's alive, it breathes, shudders, buzzes. It provides stimulation everywhere and on every level.

My show tomorrow night is sold out:

I will have a wonderful bass player performing with me, Anthony Maceli.

If you are reading this, and missed out, I am performing a short set late tonight at The Festival Lounge at Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St NYC 1003. It's like an after hours hangout space for festival goers.

I go on at 11 PM, and it's free.

Yesterday New York was chilly and sunny.

One of the things I simply can't understand is how New Yorkers don't all weigh 300 pounds, simply because there are so many incredible places to eat everywhere, ten per every city block.

A fan drew a picture of me and posted on Facebook. It's beautiful, but what's even more striking to me is the owl. You see, I have been writing a story (animation screenplay sort of thing) and there is an owl in it. I have neglected the story in the recent months because the music took over. But this is like a definite sign to keep at it and finish it. All right, I'll do my best!

(drawing by Melissa Posch)

The show at Witzend in LA was also sold out and a few fans showed up to sing Hero with me. Some of them were 10, others in their 20's, 30's, 40's & 50's - I'd say we had quite a diverse group. It was a great start to a tradition, I think. It felt great.

I love to sing.

Right now I am pretty tired, though. But it's a good tired. Tonight, I'll be joined on Odi et Amo by a pretty amazing tenor (and friend) Timur Bekbosunov. He is quite something - I guess I'll just use his own description on his personal site because I couldn't come up with anything better: "The tumultuous sensation of omnipotent splendor, fueled by passion for contemporary art, culture and politics".

Only a tenor would come up with something like that;)

Happy New Year!

And there we are.

I am currently hard at work finishing up the Russian language EP that will be released in Russia in March. I can't really believe it's already January 3rd - it seems like November and December were only yesterday. And although we were pretty good at updating the main elizaveta.com site, somehow with all the traveling and music making I let this blog go to weed again.

I spent almost three weeks traveling in November and most of that time was spent in Russia, where I had a couple of performances and was setting up details for the Russian release. I am very excited for it - it has been a long time coming. I'll also be going on a mini tour in support of a really cool Russian rock band, B-2. This will be March and April for me.

For now, I have three shows this month - one here in L.A. next week, one in NYC, as part of the Prototype Festival, and one in London on the 28th.

Something tells me this year will go by even more quickly, so I will have to make decisions right away and not vacillate a lot as I am prone to do.

My birthday was spent away from the Internet, on the beaches of Mexico. It was a lovely time and a much needed break. Now I am back in L.A.... and there is quite a bit of work outstanding, while I only have a week and a half to accomplish a number of tasks. As usual, I am fighting against a deadline.

2014... it has a nice ring to it.

 

Back.

The summer is over. LA has a long summer.  As I am writing this, fall is finally here. It feels good. The light is changing, and although Los Angeles is not really a weather-rich kind of place, you can feel the change. Evenings are chillier. Some trees are definitely recognizing that it's time to change the color of their foliage, even though it's still warm during the day. The ocean is getting colder, too, but I still go for a daily swim.

I just spent a couple of days resting and basically doing not much of anything. I loved it. Sometimes I think maybe I don't have any 'in-between' settings. I am like a car that only has a 1st and 5th speeds. Sometimes I find myself idling - it could be because I need to rest or due to fear, but I can't stay there long. Once I start something, I go hard. Sometimes too hard, in fact, but a part of me enjoys that, as well. What is life for, if not to burn bright? 

My last entry here was early July, was it not? I think I was very raw and uncertain about a number of things. I had just come off of a trip of a lifetime - attending and performing at TED Global - but I was wrestling with a few emotional issues. I was also just at the start of making my new EP, which I had decided to produce myself. I was terrified, frankly. I wasn't sure I could do it. I was also freshly broken up with my major label. A good and friendly divorce, that. But a divorce is still a divorce, is it not? It had taken its toll.

I kept at it and kept going.

And fast forward to the last couple of weeks. We are done with my new EP. I did it - I think. This is the last week of tweaking and small changes and adjustments, and then we are mastering. And then I get to present this new music to my peers, the industry and the world.

Could it be better? Have I accomplished what I set out to do? It can ALWAYS be better. That said, this EP is most definitively me and I did my best - this time around. I know I will do better next time, as well, because I learned so, so much in the process. I loved every minute of it, even the fear and the freak-outs; the moments when I lay in bed, shaking and thinking: 'What the hell am I doing? Why do I think I can even do this?' Because you see, it's those moments of pain that frame the instants of 'Aha! It is working! Wow!' and by default, make me realize my progress.

The world will react to my music in some way, and I do hope it's as positive as it gets, but in my heart I know that I am these songs. This is my evolution. The fact is, because I produced this, every note, every chord and every moment of these songs is me, and me alone. Don't get me wrong - I delegated where I had to and I am forever grateful to some amazing people who contributed their time and talents. But this is me 100% in a way that Beatrix Runs was not, because this time I was not only the ship, I was also the Captain and the First Mate.

Some fun things happened this summer, too, like my song 'Meant' being featured on TV for the show 'Scandal', and then being used for 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Watching an amazing rhumba dance routine to 'Meant'  on prime time television was a treat in itself.

Some heartbreaking things happened, as well. The actor who was my romantic counterpart in the official video for 'Meant', Anthony De Baeck - passed away from cancer in the recent weeks. He had become a friend. He was a truly amazing, warm, beautiful human being. It hit me hard.

The owner and mastermind of my favorite L.A. listening room, The Witzend - Jeb Milne - also passed away. I grew to love and respect Jeb. I have performed many, many shows there in the past two years and loved it. Fortunately, his legacy, his venue will go on. I am glad because he had worked so, so hard to make it a reality. It was his dream. No, it was his Dream, with a capital 'D'. He made it come true, and then just as it took off, he left us to pursue other adventures on the other side of the universe. I will miss him, as will many others.

Where to now? Well, I feel strong, I am healthier than ever and I have this new music to carry me forward. One of the songs on the EP also has a Russian language version and will be my first official Russian single, as well. I am working on the full length Russian EP, as well. Also, in the making of my new EP, I encountered a wonderful new collaborator and creative soulmate. We are putting together a new project, separate from my solo music. It is a duo and the sound is quite different.

I have been writing the last bits of the Beatrix story and we intend to put it up in its entirety by the time the new release happens - better late than never.

A new stage is about to begin and I finally feel like I am ready to take it on.

I guess regardless of what will happen in the coming months, one thing that I do know deep in my heart is that I am, indeed, better than I was last year - as a singer, writer and performer. I kept evolving. Sometimes I took a step backwards, sometimes I stood still paralyzed by fear, but never for long. I kept moving forward. That is the most important thing to me. In the end, it is more important than recognition or material success. Knowing that I have improved and feeling the enthusiasm of a new beginning - those are the components of my 'aphrodisiac' towards life. Recognition is the third component, of course, but if the first two are truly present, the mixture can still be magic without external validation.

As long as I have the sense of the first two in my heart, I am the Alchemist.

 

Traveling, TED, Strep Throat etc

I am currently in Paris.

Yesterday I had crepes for breakfast.

Before that I was in Portugal, and I loved it. I would like to go back. I love the sound of the Portuguese language. It is soft, hard, romantic but unpretentious at the same time. It is cozy. French is beautiful, but it's difficult and twisty on the tongue. Italian - my first love - is open, honest and gorgeous like a sunlit cathedral. Of course there are many dialects of Italian, too. Portuguese is like cuddling under a blanket with a loved one, knowing that there are tasty things to eat in the kitchen and the day is stretching in front of you, lazy and welcoming.

I performed in London at the Elgin in Notting Hill. Unfortunately, my throat was not great, and I started coughing mid-set. I was not sure I could go on. Fortunately for me, I had my magic tea with me, the crowd was supportive and kind - and I went on to do all the songs, even the 'big' ones.

Missy Washington, aka i102fly, made me a special little something to wear for this show:

 

At this point, I am waiting until tomorrow to see how I feel and if I don't feel better, I'll go to a French doctor and probably end up on more antibiotics. Let's hope not. But I have rehearsing to do, and a TED performance next week - Tuesday. 

Right now I am working with a French stage visual effects wizard Cyrille Brissot. He and I are going to TED together and we're preparing something special for my show there.

 

So You Think You Can Dance, Strep, Dragons, Dreamer Kids and Journeys

How is that for a blog entry title?

Anyway, just a few minutes ago I got an email that my song 'Meant' will be featured on tonight's season premiere episode of So You Think You Can Dance. Wow! I will have to watch! Very excited. Over the past year I have received so many emails from people who used 'Dreamer' as their dance song - for recitals, flag routines - you name it. I do like that show a lot. Every time I have watched it I have walked away with a firm decision to take up dancing again. Er....OK, soon.

Unfortunately no celebratory glass of wine for me tonight. I have been sick with strep throat. Let me tell you: don't get it. I don't know how I picked it up, but chances are it was at the elementary school where we did our first Dreamer to Hero Art & Music Workshop a week and a half ago.

The workshop was done as a collaboration with my designer and art partner in crime Missy Washington of i102fly - she did the art portion of the event, while I did - guess? - the musical part of it, obviously. The kids were 8-9 years old and there were about 20 of them.

Halfway through the workshop I recorded the kids singing a part for my new song HERO. Yes, the one with the choir at the end. After that, Missy led them in an arts and crafts endevour.

Let me tell you: who needs high end gadgets or materials? She brought supplies from a Re-Use outlet and we made Superhero Machines from cardboard, discarded plastic, CDs, old packaging and other bits and pieces. The idea was to show them that sometimes even though you don't have the ultimate raw material/situation/resources to work with, you can still come out on top, be creative and come up with something amazing - and that applies to everything in life, in my opinion. The kids made some really incredible things and it was really inspiring to watch them.

We had a brilliant time and I can't wait to do it again. It was also filmed (by my friend Julien Lasseur), so in the next week or so we will post the video summary of the event.

Here is myself, two young Dreamers and Missy of i102fly.

A good time was had by all.

 

Speaking of the Choir for HERO: a huge thank you to all who submitted their recordings and videos. We had plenty recordings and the choir is sounding great! We may still ask fans for more videos, but we may be ok, too, we'll have to cut to song and see what happens. The best part about it is that for the first time I have engaged my fans in something active and something collaborative. It generated so much positive energy - I am definitely doing to do this again.

Later that week we also shot a little video for the acoustic version of a new song called Dragonslayer. The song is in the electronica genre and one of the ones I have been producing myself recently. I am pretty proud of it. The acoustic version works really well, too.  Here is a still from the shoot:

So now there are all sorts of videos in the pipeline.

However it was that weekend that I got very sick. I tried my best to stay off the antibiotics, but it turned out that I had strep throat, and it was rather virulent. It was so bad that I felt a slight sore throat Sunday morning and by Sunday night I had no voice whatsoever.

I did all my natural remedies, as usual and they helped a lot - but after a week in bed I was still in pretty bad shape. As much as I try to avoid medication (due to a very negative experience in the past I may speak about here later sometime) I had to give in and take one because now it's less than two weeks before I leave for Europe - my London show is on the 30th - and then Paris - and then TED Global. There's lots to do and I can't just keep riding this infection out.

Fortunately the antibiotic seems to be doing its job and I am better, except for a nasty cough that comes and goes, so no singing for another few days.

And now back to work.

Here is also a photo from my photoshoot with Belathee Photography a couple of weeks ago. Those girls are so good! And so fun to be around! Can't wait to work with them again.