Put on the show!

Santa decided to surprise me this year with a wonderful gift; Celine's concert DVDs: "A New Day, Live in Las Vegas" and "Celine through the eyes of the world". I wanted to watch those forever and I was glad to receive them for Christmas! :) I watched the Las Vegas show this morning and it brought me happiness and excitment, and made me feel alive!

Celine Dion: what a woman! She is such a talent to watch and listen to. I enjoyed the show and the songs. It was a pleasure to watch her perform but it was also a lesson. I observed her every breath and every move. I examined her posture, her techniques, her dynamism on stage! She has such a way of looking at the audience, a way to get to them, to excite them and incite feelings in them.

It's important to watch live performances as they teach a lot about how an artist manages to sing, dance and perform all at once without losing control over the voice and moves. This needs practice and lots of focus. I admire live performers who can put on a show, look good, sound good and feel good. The audience feels the love, the excitement, the happiness, the sadness and reacts to those emotions when the artist's involvement shows. A concert is where this mutual relationship between the artist, the dancers, the musicians and the audience amounts to an ecstasy and delirium.

What a feeling! I hope to be able to watch Celine in Vegas once she returns. Hopefully by then, I'd have contacted her for a duo! ;)

Today, I'd like to share with you an amazing song that I love for Celine and that I wanted to mention for a while. It's called "Don't Save it all for Christmas Day". Have a listen and read the lyrics. It's a song that reminds us that Christmas shouldn't be the only time of year when we give love. "Find a way to give a little love everyday".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t2jOlyxrVQ

Don't Save it All for Christmas Day Lyrics

Don't get so busy that you miss

Giving just a little kiss

To the ones you love

Don't even wait a little while

To give them just a little smile

A little is enough

How many people are crying

People are dying...

How many people are asking for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day

Find a way

To give a little love everyday

Don't save it all for Christmas Day

Find your way

Cause holidays have come and gone

But love lives on

If you give on

Love...

How could you wait another minute

A hug is warmer when you're in it

And Baby that's a fact

And saying "I love you's" always better

Seasons, reasons, they don't matter

So don't hold back

How many people in this world

So needful in this world

How many people are praying for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day

Find a way

To give a little love everyday

Don't save it all for Christmas Day

Find your way

Cause holidays have come and gone

But love lives on

If you give on

Love...

Let all the children know

Everywhere that they go

Their whole life long

Let them know love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day

Find a way

To give a little love everyday

Don't save it all for Christmas Day

Find your way

Cause holidays have come and gone

But love lives on

If you give on

Love...

Love...

I wish you a Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Everyone! It's just lovely to be spending this feast and season with loved ones. I had a wonderful time with my family and I hope you spent good times too. Last night, Christmas eve, was full of music, hymns, carols and songs.

I put on some classics for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Elvis Presley. Then, we danced on some Christmas songs which is not a common thing I suppose but the spirit was there! hehe... We sang a lot of carols, the family, friends and I. I noticed though that my voice was getting really tired at the end of the night as I was too excited and I was singing with a lot of enthusiasm! :)

That is probably one thing a singer should be careful about. Once one knows how to sing properly, practices regularly and has control over his/her voice, he/she can sing longer, more comfortably and easily. However, one has to also have control over the emotions that rush in when singing. If one gets too emotional and lets the emotions seep in, singing will be a tedious process. One must let go and feel the music and rhythms without letting the sentimental aspect get to him/her.

Well, that's one advise on this beautiful celebration. Open your hearts, let the music and the love in and sing with all your heart to praise the Lord and thank Him for His greatest gift of all: LiFe!

I would like to ask each one of you for a small gift on this special day: send me your comments of this blog to either my email or on the blog itself and what you would like to see more of, know more about and what you would enjoy better reading and hearing.

My amazing sisters and I!

Feliz Navidad... Merry Christmas...Joyeux Noel...Milad Majid... Natale Hilare...Maligayang Pasko... Buone Feste Natalizie... Fröhliche Weihnachten...Feliz Natal...

It's Christmas Time!

It's Christmas time! I bought a 2-disc Christmas CD that contains popular Christmas songs sang by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby. It's so magical to be transported to a time where songs and recordings were different from today. There is a certain warmth and depth in the voice of Frank Sinatra for example that I can't feel in anyone else's voice.

I can already feel the Christmas spirit with every passing day. I am very excited as I will be spending it with my family, whom I miss so much! On Christmas eve, we have the tradition of putting Christmas songs and hymns and singing along with them. When I used to be in the AUB Choir, I used to have my music scores and I was able to sing more than just the traditional records... Now, I'll be able to join the best voices in history in praising the Lord on that special evening.

There is one song from our time that I can't but listen to during the Christmas season: All I Want for Christmas is You for Mariah Carey. Its rythm is so lively and its lyrics so expressive. Everybody wants somebody on Christmas. We all want to be with our loved ones. So, join your family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ and don't forget to sing along some yuletide carols...

Andrea Bocelli... La leggenda

I'm listening to Andrea Bocelli's "Con te Partiro". What a pleasure! What an ecstasy~ How can I start to explain this man's beauty? I adore Andrea Bocelli's voice; it has so much warmth and genuiness. A lot has been said about this legend but never will it be enough.

He has such a unique way of expression. There is not a single song that I wouldn't listen to. Besides the fact that he is Italian, he effortlessly represents elegance and finesse. His language is that of romance. I appreciate his art as it has given the world so much delight, happiness and faith. He's also an incredibly handsome man in my opinion. ;) I just love his smile. Such a pure, honest smile...

I remember the evening I watched him perform in Abu Dhabi. He obviously sounded as good as always despite the windy night air but I was quite disappointed that he didn't sing "Un Amore Cosi Grande" especially that I fell in love with that song and on that song in his album "Incanto". I think it was a great idea that he compiled all these wonderful songs made famous by celebrities of another time so that they can reach us today. And I generally think it's a great idea for artists to have remakes of some of the older songs so that they may be enjoyed by the new generations.

On that note, I leave you to enjoy one of my favorite songs by Andrea Bocelli and my beloved Celine Dion: THE PRAYER  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK5VulNn3so&feature=related

The song has incredibly well written lyrics and the delivery by both artists gives me the goosebumps. I hope this song warms your souls and makes you feel the Christmas spirit as it does to me. God bless!

The Prayer (duet With Andrea Bocelli) lyrics

(Carol Bayer Sager/David Foster)

I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go

And help us to be wise, in times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way

Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe

La luce che tu hai [I pray we'll find your light]

Nel cuore resterà [And hold it in our hearts.]

A ricordarci che [When stars go out each night,]

Eterna stella sei

Nella mia preghiera [Let this be our prayer]

Quanta fede c'è[When shadows fill our day]

Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza

Ognuno lo dia la mano al suo vicino

Simbolo di pace, di fraternità

La forza che ci dà [We ask that life be kind]

È il desiderio che [And watch us from above]

Ognuno trovi amor [We hope each soul will find]

Intorno e dentro sé [Another soul to love]

Let this be our prayer [Let this be our prayer]

Just like every child

Need to find a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

È la fede che

Hai acceso in noi

Sento che ci salverà

David Guetta... You're the best!

Last Thursday, I spent a really good time at the Creamfields event in Abu Dhabi. It was held on the Yas Island (where the Formula One circuit is) which has been used as a venue for many international artists' performances. The place was crowded although there was space for more people to be present.

A lot of DJs performed, among which were MadJam (I didn't know he was Lebanese until that night), Dizzee Rascal (who played a song to make sure we don't forget his F***IN name), and AfroJack (who put on a good show and did a good job in keeping people entertained before David Guetta showed up). I was very surprised as to how free the artists and DJs were in their choice of words and music. The F word was everywhere in addition to a lot of foul language. People were enjoying it but it just surprised me how some scenes in the movies are cut and this was allowed in a public event.

So, David Guetta was extremely late that a lot of people got impatient, left the event, wouldn't stop swearing, and shouted out to Guetta. Finally, at 5 a.m. in the morning, David Guetta showed up. He apparently came straight from a 30 hour flight from LA. He apologized and put on a great show as usual. I was disappointed though that he didn't play ONE LOVE. The screen just lit up with the words "ONE LOVE, DAVID GUETTA" and that was it. He left. No encore. Nothing. He disappeared. And people just left as I assume nobody could stand on his/her feet at 6 a.m. I really wanted him to come back and play one more song. But he didn't, even after I shouted out to him! :)

THE DAVID GUETTA

So, despite the disappointment and the wait, I'd like to express my admiration and appreciation to the music that David Guetta is creating, composing, producing, and collaborating with other artists on. I think he's the number one DJ. I would also like to say how much I'd like to collaborate with him myself. ;)  I'll be working on it. Dreams come true.

LOVE YOU DAVID GUETTA!

YEAY!!

Feelings ... for Greatness

It's intriguing how certain emotions and incidents that a person experiences can turn into forms of expression. It's impressive how pain... suffering... joy... memories... birth... death can cause one to write, compose music, sing, paint and come out with a piece of art.

As humans, we are emotional beings who act and react to what happens to us or around us. It always amazes me how some moments are divine and irreversible. For example, I wrote a song a while ago when I was in a certain state and it came to me like a thunderbolt. I wasn't too focused on what I was communicating but I read the words a few days later and I had fascinating lyrics jotted down. Sometimes, it seems to me that we are given the inspiration through a state of mind or a state of being. As if one's misery, pain or joy is a stimulant for better expression.

Obviously, this is true and a lot of great poets, painters, singers, composers and artists in general offered the world extraordinary masterpieces because of a mental or emotional state they were in. We are witnesses today of how their work contributed greatly to the world and impacted societies and individuals all over the globe. It's seemingly hard to tell whether one's state will lead him/her to reveal something as great as a symphony by Bach but I am certain that a genuine work of art that reflects the depths of a person's feelings and thoughts will be appreciated and will impact people, whether that is one person or many people.

Every individual makes a huge difference on earth. Nobody is a bystander... even if they think they are. We are all affected by one another. That can easily be noticed when a person passes away or a child is born. A lot of things change for a lot of people. Emotions that were never felt before surface and move us. The way of the world is bewildering sometimes. I can't help but notice...