Sing a Song of Sixpence...
Bobby Singh's Euro Asia Project performing at the LunchBox, Esplanade
Candid shot of Munir & Weixiang fooling around during Euro Asia Project photo-shoot
29 August 2006 marked a milestone in my life - for the first time, I released my writings to be used in a context other than work. Two songs...one happy, the other sad. The songs were performed at the Esplanade by Euro Asia Project - I am as of now the first Singaporean songwriter who wrote an original song in Spanish. Both songs were in Spanish. The team of people I worked with included a musical genius, Weixiang - pianist and composer.
Weixiang gave music to the words. He does not speak nor understand Spanish. I gave him a brief background on the "feel" of the songs, and he composed. Weixiang captured the spirit of both songs. The talented man also gave music to a Hindi song - written by Navin Kumar, Euro Asia Project's percussionist. Navin is the first Hindi songwriter in Singapore. Weixiang's composition of Tere Bina is an example of his versatility and understanding of different music genres. Under the guidance of band leader and music director Bobby Singh and Weixiang's compositions, the words I wrote became a song.
The first song I wrote in Spanish is El Conguero Mulato (The Brown-Skinned Conga Player). It is written for a friend who is a percussionist. It is a happy-silly song, about a village girl-meets boy-next-door. It is a Cuban guaguanco crossed with salsa, resulting in an explosive rhythm. Heavy on the percussions, yet simple. El Conguero Mulato was an easy song to write because it was sheer fun, using the idiosyncracies of my friend - a picture was painted in a song. All three percussionists in Euro Asia and guitarist contributed to making the song complete.
No Me Castigues, the second song, was written for someone as yet too young to understand the implications of the song. One day he might face the issues in the song, and maybe the lyrics will give him the answer he seeks. I wrote the song for someone in great distress and anxiety. The emotions were too strong to ignore, that was how the song came about. I must add that the guitarist Syed Munir gave the final touch that made the song heart-wrenching. The song was built around one line "Amargo la lluvia que cae de mi cielo..." which means Bitter the rain that falls from my sky. Mi Cielo in Spanish also means my love, and the rain symbolises tears. How bitterly sad it is to see tears in the eyes of our loved ones...The words kept haunting me, and the rest of the song I constructed around that line.
So where do I proceed? Currently I am looking at the possibility of working with the same group of people, or others who may be interested in words I wrote. My only criteria is that they are respectable people, dedicated to their art, not interested in fame or glory, and serious - as I mentioned in my earlier blog - I cannot tolerate bullshit.
The following is an extract from something I recently completed:
In Chile "Vivo de amor y aire fresco" literally means living on love and fresh air. Means living the poor life. The proverb stuck in my head, and eventually grew into a song. I haven't given it a title yet (not happy with the ones I have so far...)
Vivo de amor y aire fresco
El mar es mi muro, el cielo mi techo
Vivo de amor y aire fresco
Weixiang gave music to the words. He does not speak nor understand Spanish. I gave him a brief background on the "feel" of the songs, and he composed. Weixiang captured the spirit of both songs. The talented man also gave music to a Hindi song - written by Navin Kumar, Euro Asia Project's percussionist. Navin is the first Hindi songwriter in Singapore. Weixiang's composition of Tere Bina is an example of his versatility and understanding of different music genres. Under the guidance of band leader and music director Bobby Singh and Weixiang's compositions, the words I wrote became a song.
The first song I wrote in Spanish is El Conguero Mulato (The Brown-Skinned Conga Player). It is written for a friend who is a percussionist. It is a happy-silly song, about a village girl-meets boy-next-door. It is a Cuban guaguanco crossed with salsa, resulting in an explosive rhythm. Heavy on the percussions, yet simple. El Conguero Mulato was an easy song to write because it was sheer fun, using the idiosyncracies of my friend - a picture was painted in a song. All three percussionists in Euro Asia and guitarist contributed to making the song complete.
No Me Castigues, the second song, was written for someone as yet too young to understand the implications of the song. One day he might face the issues in the song, and maybe the lyrics will give him the answer he seeks. I wrote the song for someone in great distress and anxiety. The emotions were too strong to ignore, that was how the song came about. I must add that the guitarist Syed Munir gave the final touch that made the song heart-wrenching. The song was built around one line "Amargo la lluvia que cae de mi cielo..." which means Bitter the rain that falls from my sky. Mi Cielo in Spanish also means my love, and the rain symbolises tears. How bitterly sad it is to see tears in the eyes of our loved ones...The words kept haunting me, and the rest of the song I constructed around that line.
So where do I proceed? Currently I am looking at the possibility of working with the same group of people, or others who may be interested in words I wrote. My only criteria is that they are respectable people, dedicated to their art, not interested in fame or glory, and serious - as I mentioned in my earlier blog - I cannot tolerate bullshit.
The following is an extract from something I recently completed:
In Chile "Vivo de amor y aire fresco" literally means living on love and fresh air. Means living the poor life. The proverb stuck in my head, and eventually grew into a song. I haven't given it a title yet (not happy with the ones I have so far...)
Vivo de amor y aire fresco
El mar es mi muro, el cielo mi techo
Vivo de amor y aire fresco
La mejor manera, el mejor dicho
Vivo de mi arte vivo de mi canto
Vivo de amor por todo lo que es bonito
Vivo en paz vivo con poquito
Vivo de amor por todo lo que es bonito
Vivo de amor por todo lo que es bonito
Vivo en paz vivo con poquito
Vivo de amor por todo lo que es bonito
I live on love and fresh air
The sea is my wall, the sky my roof
I live on love and fresh air
The best way, the best saying
I live on my art I live on my song
I live for love for all which is beautiful
I live in peace I live with very little
I live for love for all which is beautiful
(copyright A.H. Sharm)
posted by noushkin at 10:36 PM
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