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Shakira,
Shakira, the graceful one, has been sneaking up on you-the Grammys, the MTV Video Awards, those Pepsi spots. She's a child prodigy who wrote her first song at age eight, a blond-locked Colombian who speaks three languages and loves only in Spanish. She's a perfectionist who spends hours in the studio; she needs to be close to nature but her passion is the crackle of electric guitars. She is in the blush of youth, but she's far older than her 24 years. As her countryman, Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote, "Shakira's music has a personal stamp that doesn't look like anyone else's and no one can sing or dance like her, at whatever age, with such an innocent sensuality, one that seems to be of her own invention."
The swift ascent of Shakira's star is the stuff of Latin American legend. At the age of 13, she signed her first recording contract with Sony Music Colombia and released her first album Magia. (Magic). After graduating from secondary school, Shakira decided to dedicate her life to the music, recording Peligro ("Danger") and Pies Descalzos, ("Barefeet") in the years that followed, which broke her in Latin America , Brazil (over one million sales) and Spain. Her next album, ?Dónde Están Los Ladrones? produced by Shakira and executive produced by Emilio Estefan, established her as the major force behind Latin pop-rock, going multi-platinum in the U.S., Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Central America, Mexico and platinum in Spain. Then came a Grammy and two Latin Grammys, the key TV appearances, the brave new world of Shakira, the star. Shakira is a walking, living, breathing, singing contradiction. "I was born and raised in Colombia, but I listened to bands like Led Zeppelin, the Cure, the Police, the Beatles and Nirvana," said Shakira. "I was so in love with that rock sound but at the same time because my father is of l00% Lebanese descent, I am devoted to Arabic tastes and sounds. Somehow I'm a fusion of all of those passions and my music is a fusion of elements that I can make coexist in the same place, in one song."
It's the songs that make her new album, LAUNDRY SERVICE, her first with English-language tunes, the kind of breakthrough work that will turn the pop world on its head. From the tango-inflected "Objection (Tango)," to the Middle Eastern flavor of "Eyes Like Yours," to the lyrical innovations of "Underneath Your Clothes", to the richness of the melodies of "The One," to the pop-rock of "Whenever Wherever," Shakira will stand in the ranks of the best singer-songwriters in any language.
"I think I am celebrating life more than ever," said Shakira. "I had a slightly narrow vision of love. Now I am feeling unguarded, and it feels great. I feel washed clean of the way I looked at things in the past, which is why I am calling the album LAUNDRY SERVICE."
The most extraordinary thing about LAUNDRY SERVICE is the way she was able to translate her Latin American sensibility into a new language. The idea to do songs in English first came up during Shakira's partnership with Emilio and Gloria Estefan. Gloria initiated the process by translating "Ojos Así," a song that appeared on Shakira's last album, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (Where are the Thieves?). "I wanted to have her involved in this somehow because she was one of the people that really believed that I could make a record in English," said Shakira.
But nurturing the belief that she could write songs in English was a strong challenge. "The first song I wrote by myself for this record was "Objection," remembered Shakira. "I prayed and asked God to send me a good song today, and I remember I started writing the song a couple of hours after. I wrote the music and lyrics at the same time, and when that happens it's really magical to me." When she completed "Objection," she knew that she could write ten more, so she packed up her loved ones and set up portable studios in rural Uruguay. Taking in the primordial energy of natural surroundings, Shakira came up with a crop of new songs more introspective, more passionate than any she had written before. "I had to find a way to express my ideas and my feelings, my day to day stories in English. So I bought a couple of rhyming dictionaries, read poetry, and authors like Leonard Cohen and Walt Whitman," she said.
"I would feel love in Spanish but I would think about how to express that love in English. Afterwards that became such a natural process, and if you check the subject of my songs, most of them talk about my own experiences and feelings and what I was actually going through in my life," said Shakira. "Is impossible not to write about love.. It's the great mystery of life. It makes me ask myself new questions every day."
Shakira is one of the poetic songwriters of her generation and considered the best female lyricist in Latin America: On the ballad "Underneath Your Clothes," she claims as territory a man she likens to "a song written by the hands of God"; on the blues-rocker "Fool" her "tears make a sea of desert." But she is still as quirky around the edges as she's always been-on "Ready for the Good Times" she remembers close encounters with roaches; on "Poem to a Horse" she scolds a friend dulled by "hydroponic pot," and on "The One," she rewards her true love by shaving her legs and learning how to cook.
"I try to represent only myself, but there are many women that identify with me," said Shakira. "I am definitely not a woman who washes her husband's clothes every day. I hope I don't sound like a feminist leader saying these things. I just try to be honest the way I write."
There's no doubt that Shakira has maintained her creative integrity with her new project. But perhaps more importantly, LAUNDRY SERVICE is a record that reflects her deep love for the basics of rock production. "I felt that I needed to make an organic record with real players in the studio playing live music and doing it like they made records 30 years ago, in the old times," said Shakira. "We used an engineer named Terry Manning, who's worked with ACDC, Led Zeppelin, Lenny Kravitz. He's somebody from the old school. I was determined not to depend on too many electronic sounds, and he definitely understood that."
On LAUNDRY SERVICE there is a very strong dedication to old-fashioned rock riffs, to the soulful, bluesy singing styles of a Bonnie Raitt, even the mournful, wailing guitars of Aerosmith. But Shakira can't help being herself, and that means that "Whenever Wherever," will bounce along with some help from Andean pan flutes and Brazilian drums, and "Eyes Like Yours" bursts from your CD player with navel-baring, belly-dancing furor. And for those longing for Shakira in her original language, four new tracks in Spanish are included. "The world has become so small and music is so eclectic now, and our taste is so broad that that's almost predictable that all this crossover from one culture to another was going to happen," she said, then paused for a second, making sure everyone knew she had her priorities straight. "But I know that rock and roll is never going to die."
EMINEM
The average rapper wouldn't be able to grace the pages of Rap Pages, VIBE, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Source, URB and Stress and go on a national tour months before their major-label debut album is released. Then again, Eminem isn't an average rapper. He's phenomenal.
The impending release of the The Slim Shady LP, his first set on Aftermath/Interscope Records, already has underground hip-hop heads fiending for Eminem. Chock full of dazzling lyrical escapades that delve into the mind of a violently warped and vulgar yet extremely talented wordsmith, the 14-cut collection contains some of the most memorable and demented lyrics ever recorded.
For Eminem, his potentially controversial and undoubtedly offensive songs will strike a chord with a multitude of hip-hop loyalists who believe they have little to lose and everything to gain.
"I'm not alone in feeling the way I feel," he says. "I believe that a lot of people can relate to my sh*t--whether white, black, it doesn't matter. Everybody has been through some sh*t, whether it's drastic or not so drastic. Everybody gets to the point of 'I don't give a f**k.'"
Those words are more than just a slogan for the Detroit resident. "I Just Don't Give A f**k" and "Brain Damage" are the two songs comprising Eminem's initial single from The Slim Shady LP. Each tune is sure to paralyze meek listeners with their relentless lyrical assault. Produced primarily by long-time collaborators FBT Productions, the Slim Shady LP also features beatwork from Aftermath CEO Dr. Dre. The N.W.A. alum handled beats for "My Name Is" (the second single), "Guilty Conscience" and "Role Model."
Dr. Dre was so impressed after hearing Eminem freestyling on a Los Angeles radio station that he put out a manhunt for the Michigan rhymer. Shortly thereafter, Dre signed Eminem to his Aftermath imprint and the two began working together. Thoroughly impressed with Eminem's previously released independent Slim Shady EP, Dre said they would include many of the EP's tracks on the album.
"It was an honor to hear the words out of Dre's mouth that he liked my sh*t," Eminem says. "Growing up, I was one of the biggest fans of N.W.A, from putting on the sunglasses and looking in the mirror and lipsinking to wanting to be Dr. Dre, to be Ice Cube. This is the biggest hip-hop producer ever."
But like many other rappers, Eminem's rise to stardom was far from easy. After being born in Kansas City and traveling back and forth between KC and the Detroit metropolitan area, Eminem and his mother moved into the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble.
Rap, however, became Eminem's solace. Battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence. Although he would later drop out of school and land several minimum-wage-paying, full-time jobs, his musical focus remained constant.
Eminem released his debut album, Infinite, in 1996. Desperate to be embraced by the Motor City's hip-hop scene, Eminem rapped in such a manner that he was accused of sounding like Nas and AZ.
"Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself," he recalls. "It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up."
After being thoroughly disappointed and hurt by the response Infinite received, Eminem began working on what would later become the Slim Shady EP -- a project he made for himself. Featuring several scathing lines about local music industry personalities as well as devious rants about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's difficult-to-please underground.
"I had nothing to lose, but something to gain," Eminem says of that point in his life. "If I made an album for me and it was to my satisfaction, then I succeeded. If I didn't, then my producers were going to give up on the whole rap thing we were doing. I made some sh*t that I wanted to hear. The Slim Shady EP, I lashed out on everybody who talked sh*t about me."
By presenting himself as himself, Eminem and his career took off. Soon after giving the Rap Coalition's Wendy Day a copy of the Infinite album at a chance meeting, she helped the aspiring lyrical gymnast secure a spot at the Coalitions 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, where he won second place in the freestyle competition. During the trip, Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg, gave a few people from Interscope Records his demo and he made his major radio debut on the world famous Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech. Realizing that this was the opportunity of his lifetime, Eminem delivered a furious medley of lyrics that wowed his hosts and radio audience alike.
"I felt like it's my time to shine," Eminem says of that performance. "I have to rip this. At that time, I felt that it was a life or death situation."
Eminem would soon record the underground classic "5 Star Generals." This record helped establish him in Japan, New York and Los Angeles. It also helped him earn a spot on the inaugural Lyricist Lounge tour, which took him to stages from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.
Set to take the hip-hop world by storm with his unique lyrical approach and punishing production, Eminem and his The Slim Shady LP are sure to have listeners captivated.
"I do say things that I think will shock people," he says. "But I don't do things to shock people. I'm not trying to be the next Tupac, but I don't know how long I'm going to be on this planet. So while I'm here, I might as well make the most of it."
Amr Diab
Amr Diab was born in Port Said, Egypt into an artistic family. His father, Abdul Basset Diab, worked for the Suez Canal Corporation where he was chairman of Marine Construction & Shipbuilding. He possessed a fine singing voice and encouraged the young Amr to sing.
One evening, when Amr was just 6 years old, his father took him to the July23 rd Festival at Port Said There they visited the local broadcasting station and Amr made his first singing appearance on Egyptian Radio performing the National Anthem "Biladi, Biladi". He was praised by the Governor of Port Said who awarded him with a guitar as a prize.
In due course Amr began his musical studies at the music faculty of the Cairo Academy of Art and from which he graduated in1986 . His first album "Ya Tareeq" followed shortly. It was an instant success. There have been, since then, a further 16 top selling albums in a prolific recording career which has established him as the super-star of the Arab world.
Amr has toured widely throughout his career organizing galas and performing concerts in countries as far flung as Australia, Canada, Europe & the USA.
In 1990 Amr was chosen to represent Egypt at the5 th Tournament of African Sports where he sang in English and French as well as Arabic. This concert was televised by satellite throughout the Arab world and highlighted on CNN. He became the first Arab artist to make a video clip and in a parallel career, has acted in several films including "Dhahk We La'ab" (Laughter & Fun), a film which opened the Egyptian Film Festival in1993 . In this film, directed by Tarek Al Telmasani, Amr played opposite the world famous Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. In the film "Ice Cream" directed by Khairi Bishara, Amr played the role of the main hero.
The singer has already been the subject of three biographies Amr Diab, the owner of my heart, The Rebellious and Amr Diab, Star of the20 th Century. His nickname is Rebellious due, it is said, to comparisons made with his contemporaries, in all aspects of life - his clothes, hairstyling, the performance and execution of his music, the melodies he composes and his many appearances at parties.
Amr became known for the new 'style' of his music which the Arabs came to call "Mediterranean Music" referring to its blend of Western and Arabic rhythms. He was named, by most satellite and TV stations, as the Best Singer in the Arab World throughout the nineties and continually sets new Arabic sales records with successive album releases.
1996saw the release of the Alam El Phan produced album "Nour El Ain" ("Mind's Eye") which was a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world. The title track, and its English version "Habibe", was an international phenomenon, becoming a massive crossover hit in countries as far afield as India, Argentina, Chile, France and South Africa. The song was remixed by several top European remixers and has become a big pull on the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El Phan for the song "Nour El Ain", was one of the most lavish and expensive productions in the field of Arab song, and set a new standard for his contemporaries to aspire to. "Nour El Ain" has become the best selling album ever released by an Arabic artist.
In 1997 Amr Diab won three Awards at the Annual Arabic Festival (for Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year). In the following year, he received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of "Nour El Ain", and received the Worldwide Music Award in Monaco on 6 May1998 , under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco, and attended by such International luminaires as Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Stevan Segal and many more. This award was the first of its kind for an Arabic artist, emphasising that his appeal is not just confined to the Middle East unlike the majority of his contemporaries.
His follow-up studio album entitled "Awedony" was released in July1998 , and as for "Nour El Ain" it was produced with Hamid El Shary and recorded in Cairo, Egypt. The first video from the album, the title track "Awedony", was shot by the river Nile in Egypt and directed by Tareq Al Aryan. Like its predecessor this album was a huge success for Amr and reinforced his popularity in the Arab world and abroad.
The "Best of Amr Diab" released in early 1999 contained a brand new song "Maham Kibirt Sugheir" recorded as a tribute to the Legends of Arabic music such as Omm Kolsoum, Abdel Halim Hafez and Mohammed Abdul Wahab that have influenced him. A strong ballad with a spectacular video of the concert footage inspired by Puff Daddy (who he met at the Monaco Awards) it became another big hit for Amr. The album also contains a previously unreleased European remix of Habibe, and the most popular songs from Amr's albums of the1990 s.
July 1999 sees the release of Amr's new studio album "Amarain", already hailed as the best work of his career to date and including the eagerly anticipated duets with the France based international Rai superstar, Khaled of "Didi" fame, and with the Greek diva, Angela Dimitrou, whose crossover smash "Marguerites" was a huge hit across the Middle East in1998 . The title track Amarain is the first video to be broadcast and the album seems certain to confirm Amr's position as the leading and most innovative artist from the Middle East.
Next came Tamally Ma3ak, which was released on17 th of July2000 , and achieved a high level of popularity and success. The title tracks video, tamally ma3ak, which was shot in Czech republic, was considered one of the best videos for Amr Diab. Again he appeared with a new look and a new style!
On the1 st of August,2001 , and after a long time of longing and impatient waiting by the great number of fans, Aktar Wa7ed was released. The album contains 10 tracks and a bonus oriental remix for the song Wala3 ala Balo. Wala 3 ala Balo, a song with music consisted of both techno western style along with the oriental Arabic music and the rap part performed by SandMan, was shot in London in a disco-tech. An even newer style for Amr Diab!J The album contains a good number of significant songs like Adeeni Rege3telek, Ya7 abeeby La, Sadda2ni 7alas and Ba3edd Ellayaly.
Anastacia
Anastacia is a story about personal struggle and triumph.
A story that embodies her soul, her energy, her passion and her sincerity, the only way that she knows how her way. She is a determined, uncompromising and a focused Chicago-born, New York City-raised talent that is known for her sass and style, but hailed for her unique vocal styling.
With her debut album Not That Kind on the Top 10 Album Charts in nearly ten countries, with gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales status in more then a dozen countries and with overall sales exceeding 5 million overseas, Anastacia has conquered Europe (U.K., France, Italy and Germany) as well as Holland, New Zealand and Australia with her sheer talent.
After the release of Not That Kind Anastacia is certain to draw from the things that have helped guide her success thus far her soul, her energy, her passion and her sincerity.
I had no preconceived ideas about what this record was going to be, said Anastacia. I was fortunate to find people to work with who felt the same way I did. If Im not singing songs from my heart, and if I dont feel something in the groove or the lyrics I dont touch the microphone. I just cant express anything musically unless its coming from my heart.
It is this strong belief and practice that has guided Anastacia on her more then tedious personal and professional journey. Following several jobs as a dancer on Club MTV and appearances in numerous hit videos, including Salt-N-Pepas Everybody Get Up and Twist And Shout, her dismissal as a receptionist in a Los Angeles hair salon (a few years later) found Anastacia on the unemployment line and completely disenchanted with a business that she had been around all of her life -- her father was a crooner and her mother, an actress who worked in musical theater and on Broadway.
I was told that I needed to look a certain way, to sound a certain way, to move a certain way and all I wanted to do was just sing. I couldnt understand why this was such an issue.
But convinced to take one last shot by her manager, Anastacia got the break she had been waiting for when recognized by the right people following an appearance on MTVs The Cut. Anastacia was courted by several producers and labels and after signing to Epic Records/Daylight received a phone call that gave her even more confidence to believe in herself.
The reaction to my performance on The Cut was incredible, she recalls. Michael Jackson called me at home and over the next few months I met the president of almost every major record label.
Speaking to Michael Jackson and hearing his kind words of support and encouragement really gave me the confidence and more importantly the belief that I was destined to get my shot in this business, said Anastacia.
Life has always been about growth and learning for me and I learned a valuable lesson in the 30 minutes that I spoke to Michael stay true to who you are and do things that you can be proud of and everything else will fall into place.
But whether a new lesson or a reaffirmation of lessons learned during her youth, Anastacia finds herself remarkably focused and centered at a time when most, on the cusp of international stardom, might lose their path. She credits some of this balance to her ongoing battle with Crohns disease, which she was diagnosed with at 13.
For those with Crohns, holding in our emotions or masking her unhappiness fuels the symptoms, said Anastacia. What is seen as a curse for some, is a gift for me, because it has helped me to discover who I really am as a person. The disease has given me a clear window to my own emotions, which causes me to live each moment and to understand exactly how Im behaving in a particular situation.
But living in the moment wasnt a problem during one of the seminal moments in Anastacias life a moment when she was able to come face to face with one of her biggest supporters.
Elton John is so frickin cool. I met him as a total unknown, he knew nothing about me as a person and was absolutely one of the kindest men that I had ever met, said Anastacia. He told me that he liked my songs and that he liked the way that I sang them from the heart, with soul and passion the biggest compliment that I couldve ever received.
It wasnt until this past year that Anastacia and John finally got together on stage and tore the house down for his network television special, where the two performed Saturday Nights Alright (For Fighting) from the hallowed halls of New York Citys Madison Square Garden. It is clearly these life experiences, along with, as Anastacia puts it meeting the taxi driver, the doctor, a new guy, a fan, that have inspired her to be a performer.
Everyday living on the earth has inspired me to communicate through my music, she says stopping short of calling herself a songwriter. Bono is a songwriter, Elton is a songwriter, Sting is a songwriter, Rob Thomas is a songwriter Im an expressionist, I have a way with words so I just put them on paper and communicate them through my music.
The result is a collection of songs that are equal parts dance, R&B, rock and scorching power ballads. Holding nothing back in her tremendously powerful vocal range, Anastacias soulful voice is the common thread that binds this eclectic mixture of genres on Not That Kind.
Anastacia co-wrote eleven out of the thirteen tracks on Not That Kind and collaborated with a number of all-star producers. Among the most prominent is Grammy Award winner Rick Wake (Mariah Carey and Celine Dion) who produced the title track Not That Kind, Whyd You Lie To Me, Late Last Night and co-produced the rock-flavored Cowboys & Kisses along with The Shadowmen.
In addition, Sam Watters of Color Me Badd and Louis Biancaniello produced four stand-out tracks including Made For Lovin You, Dont You Wanna, I Ask of You and the infectious #1 European single Im Outta Love, due as the first U.S. single, slated for radio ads on February 20th. Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers (the hit-making composers of NSyncs God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You) produced two tracks Same Old Story and Whos Gonna Stop the Rain.
Whether an expressionist or a songwriter, call Anastacia what you will. She is a rare and unique person blended with just the right mixture of heart and mind, sincerity and passion and courage and confidence -- with just the right mixture of humor and personality, style and sass. And with all thatman can she sing and dance her ass off!
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