A Musician’s Life – Not All Celebrations
Before I get sidetracked, thank you so much Global Indian Music Academy. What a memorable experience!! You were all so kind and considerate! I love and appreciate you so much, too.
I am writing this after the recent tragic early passing of another American music icon, Prince. Such a big loss. He was amazing. I won’t try to pay full tribute, as I’m not as well-qualified to do that as many others who will review his life and work. Suffice to say life is short, may he rest in peace.
We performers tend to be caught up in dozens of projects, working with a growing cadre of other gifted artists, and don’t always take time to reflect where we started and the many wonderful people who helped us take our dreams into the daylight (or stage lighting, as the case may be). Nor do we take enough time for our own rest and recuperation. I hope to do better on that front starting THIS year, not next.
I am grateful for the many excellent songs of artists like Prince, unfortunately with whom I had not worked, nor at this point can that happen. So sad to see another great talent ended so early in life (only 57).
People often ask, “Are you planning to do music with so-and-so [some really gifted artist whom I may or may not have ever met]?” FYI, chances to work with a star like Kajol are, to me gifts from God that I cannot always plan! Surely more opportunities will come, and I’m not avoiding new collaborations, but maybe I should be glad that I’m not stretching my time even more than I am.
One important thing to remember, dear friends, is how brief of a moment each of us has in this earthly mortal plane.
No, I haven’t begun to look more at my cup being half-empty rather than its usual state (half-full, or often, empty or full because my life is a whirlwind of activity, thanks God), I simply want to take some time to say that surely music and filmmaking are two art forms populated by not only some of the smartest, funniest folks you could meet, we (I include myself by default, lol) are so often surrounded by amazingly caring and gifted people behind the scenes, and all of us combine our talents to present something special to our wonderful, very expecting audiences.
I wish Prince had taken more time for his own well-being. I have seen great talents drive themselves like slaves, and suffering is often the result. It may take a few years to catch up with them, but life is brief either way.
I’m not suggesting that there is some hidden evil pulling us away from our best lives, although seeing so much pain in the world and sad surprises like the deaths of giants, such thoughts can arise… I want to note that I don’t turn to drugs to stay awake (nor am I suggesting anything about anyone else).
What I mean to make clear is that it is LOVE that creates us and informs us profoundly so that we can share our individual gifts, and often people in our lives making our paths straighter, etc. go unrecognized. Or maybe, folks forget to surround themselves with enough truly caring people.
I want to take a moment to thank some people who tend to be overlooked. What first comes to mind is that a big song has many hands involved. The lyricist can go ignored by entertainment reporters, but without their words, no song!
Likewise, musicians who may contribute stellar performances in rehearsal that for some reason get cut from the final mix… such things happen to actors all the time, but hopefully they are paid for their work anyway.
Even the fine folks facing an eager public at the box office selling tickets are keys to film and concert successes who are rarely recognized.
One of my favorite things is being blessed to wear such amazing gowns on stage like the one I’m adding to this post. Several very skilled seamstresses and tailors work to make our dresses hang just so, and keep them pressed as needed to look good.
In short, as the title of a famous book says, it does take a village to bring a child into their prime. Maybe this is my prime time, I don’t know, but it is in many ways all still quite new to me.
The great work of sound engineers ensuring that my mic works as needed, or mixing the monitor audio is part of the presentation, too! I need you guys.
I can safely say, you would NOT believe what a madhouse it is backstage at a big pageant-like show with multiple costume changes. Makeup, hair ribbons, tape, etc. flying as each dancer, singer, etc. gets themself (or the pros get them) ready to go on stage!
While I have fun with the gowns and other nice clothes I get to wear, trust me: sitting in front of a mirror for 20 min. touching up eye and face makeup is not my idea of good fun! (Not that I ever personally took more than 10 minutes at a dressing station, lol!)
I just want to for a moment sing praises for the behind-the-scenes staffs who do hair, makeup, wardrobe, etc. and expect no recognition. I love you gals and guys just like I adore the fans who pump me up when singing. I may get the glory, but it’s not all me.
I so appreciate what you do to make us all look good. Thank you! It’s definitely partly your kindness and positive energy that help to propel my live performing with vigor. While you may not get the glory, as long as I’m working you can rest assured, you’ll get some love from me!
Same goes for cooks (yes, women most known for homemaking are finally getting some well-earned respect, but so many still work hard for little love). Without great food… I don’t need to explain! When one has 8 minutes to eat, quality matters!
You can see some ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of me on my Twitter feed. I’ve learned from Dad and Mom (and others) to love myself even upon arising from a deep sleep, and even when my hair’s a mess. I may not always look my best, but I do hope to project the love I feel.
There are certainly more important things upon which to reflect than blushing cheeks or eye liner! Just to have a chance to sing with great musicians for everyone to share, I cannot tell you how grateful I am.
When I do look especially good, I know that I’m not the only reason. When one is surrounded by beauty, one will also reflect some at the same time. (This is why people should NOT annoy me: others will surely suffer, lol.)
You can see that with a little effort and the right colours, I touch up okay, and I truly prefer to go easy on the makeup thing. When singing a long set, no one wants dripping makeup. Somebody get this girl a top-quality beauty products line endorsement, lol?
Whew, that was a lot to get off my chest! It’s why I tend to post more on Twitter, because one must keep each post quick. My time often gets crushed, and I never know when I’ll have a full hour to construct another English blog composition. Hmm, maybe I’ll write a long post in Bengali. Stay tuned! It could take a while, lol.
