Professional Backup Singer. My first time ever!

I only started singing seriously 3 years ago. And honestly, I don't know if every singer feels the same way as I do but I really don't like my voice. YES. My secret wish was to have a soulful and cool voice. The voice that has the capability to go here, there and everywhere. The voice that would always be pitch perfect. With loads of stamina. yada yada yada.


I am still discovering my own VOICE. The plus point that I have about my voice is that it is unique. Very me. Which is great because that means no one sounds like me. And yet, I also sound like a bit of this and that. My secret wish is to have a voice & be able to sing like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Ben Folds, Siedah Garrett, Maysa from Incognito years, that crazy singing keyboardist from Dirty Loops, Erykah Badu, Adele, Sakura, up and coming Kimbra....oh my gawd. Loads. I want to sound like everybody! I wished to have a black, gospel-y voice. I also wished to have a cool sweet voice. Ish. Sounds so ungrateful & greedy right?


However, I have one important person to thank. She saved my life in so many ways and she is truly an icon to me. She is legen....wait for it...dary! Her name is KAREN O. She is the frontwoman of the alt-art punk band from New York, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I had a YYYs tribute band (HamsterDamnAged) a few years back and it got me singing seriously. And people started taking me seriously as a singer. Wow. Who would've thought, a female Richard Clayderman being taken seriously for her vocal work =P. But guess what? Being a Karen O impersonator opened so many interesting and fun doors for me! And one of them is to sing back up for Najwa Mahiaddin for her DFP show tomorrow night. Yes. Tomorrow night. Yes. That Najwa. I am so grateful & excited. I don't think many people know, and they are in for a nice surprise when they watch the show tomorrow night and I am right at the side with my tambourine and singing my harmonies out with semangat tahap gaban. Yosh!

Many great singers use backup singers either in large groups like Mariah Carey with her gospel choir or smaller groups of one, two or three or more. I love gospel choirs & gospel singers. They are just amazing. And the harmonies, if properly executed and arranged beautifully, can send shivers down your spine & give you goosebumps. But most importantly, it compliments the lead singer and the music as a whole. Hey, look at the picture below, even Amy Winehouse herself did backup vocals.
Mad props and much love to all the backup singers in the house! Now I am one of you, yay! *confetti*

Tempered Mental

Tempered Mental. One of the best bands in the world and very low profile at the same time. I am terrible at writing and I am afraid that my amateur journalist skills will not do these friends of mine justice. We go a long long way back and I am always so happy & honoured whenever they ask me to help them out with their photoshoot or makeup for their shows. It was really fun tagging along with these guys & Pete Teo on their Japan tour back in 2008. 
This was a really last minute photo shoot for them. I think this is for their Korean & Japan promoters to promote them for their shows there sometime in the near future, probably around late Aug/Sept 2012. Yay! I forgot the name of the photographer, he's a friend of Jimmy's. But I think the picture turned out pretty good. Just basic makeup, fixed their hair a bit and they're good to go!

Tempered Mental are (from left to right) Jack Lian, Melina William & Jimmy Tan aka Jimmy Jamz.
You can check them out on their official website www.temperedmental.com.
You can also check their MySpace and follow them on Facebook and twitter.

Tempered Mental (@temperedmental) on Twitter

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Yup. That is me. I was there at Jalan Sultan with all these other people. And I was wearing my pair of Nike running shoes that were bright yellow in colour. I wore a light yellow floral scarf that I made myself eons ago and I am carrying a bottle of Tinge that is yellow in colour. That is one of my favourite drinks to quench my thirst. Flavoured water. Yummy.


I didn't get tear gassed or shot by the water cannon. I am super lucky. But I could feel the semangat rakyat. Amazing. Negaraku, the national anthem of Malaysia, never sounded more beautiful.


It was hot, it was packed, and it was for a good purpose. I don't have to elaborate further what the social media has already made known to the public. Only time will tell and the truth will set us free.


We can make that change. Exercise your right to vote. Don't feel peer pressured into doing so. Take the initiative to find out more information and form your own opinion.


We will not be the innocent ants getting squashed by the big smelly boot only if we make that change. 


Negaraku
Tanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidup bersatu dan maju
Rahmat bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita selamat bertakhta
Rahmat bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan 
Raja kita selama bertakhta.

Suraya & Hanafi's Engagement, 8th April 2012(Pt.2)

Suraya & Hanafi's Engagement, 8th April 2012(Pt.2)

Sorry morry. I am still learning and haven't quite figured out how to make my posts have multiple pages or combine the photos into a collage or something.

Yes. I am cacat with the Internet and the computer. Well, we learn from trial and error. And I will improve! Just give me time.

So, these are the pictures continued from my previous post of this cute couple's engagement day! (Photo credits: Kaiyisah and Nadirah Zakariya, courtesy of Suraya)

 Yvonne took over with lining Suraya's eyes with liquid liner while I started doing a Bohemian updo with her pre-curled hair.

 

Suraya getting her veil put on. Almost ready to go!

 

Effortless elegance. Sungguh ayu.

Suraya's Bohemian Updo. Love the red highlights.

Suraya's overall look - naturally flawless.

 

 

 

The cute couple, Hanafi & Suraya.

A little group of photo with all of us that went to witness that awesome day. And ate the awesome food!

(photo credits : Kaiyisah and Nadirah Zakariya)