tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:/blogs/risked-it-all-for-a-dream?p=1Naomi's Careers Advice 2023-03-19T15:39:57+00:00Naomi Sutherland falsetag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/71744852023-03-19T15:39:57+00:002024-03-21T13:33:27+00:00How to choose the right school for my child? <p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/198166/140ebe42d5b7af1722391c1a3b6349c8bff84b86/original/classroom23-popup.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></strong></p><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Which school?</strong></p><p>Parents often ask my opinion when it comes to choosing schools for their children. They feel torn between wanting to do the best thing for their child, while being uncertain of how to judge a school before their child has attended it. How do I find out about a school, from the website alone? What is the media saying about it? And most importantly, is this the right one for my child? </p><p>It is not easy to find the right school: whether private or state, schools are difficult to read by their marketing profiles alone. </p><p>The answer, however, is far closer than you might think. It lies in a place most parents are not expecting it to be. The number one resource parents are encouraged to use when selecting schools for their children is their <strong>own instincts</strong>. </p><p>Put simply, if it feels right to you, then pick it. If it feels wrong, avoid it. I distrusted my instincts and ended up in a school that brought me top grades, but one that, I feel, did <strong>not get the best out of me</strong>. I was an all-rounder, capable, and curious, but I ended up in an academic school that was not hugely supportive of other aspects of my character, such as my sensitivity or creativity. </p><p><strong>Thinking about culture in schools </strong></p><p>It is actually quite rare that capable students <i>thrive</i> in highly academic environments. Highly academic environments, in my experience, are ideal for naturally academic people who spend a lot of time reading and have an insatiable hunger to learn; or for capable people who respond well to disciplined work structures over loose ones. But this is not for all bright kids. Highly academic schools tend to have academically <strong>serious</strong> <strong>cultures</strong>. This means the students will be competitive, focused and disciplined, rather than playful about their studies. Grades will matter. If your child likes international communities; sports as much as school work; encouragement from staff as well as disciplined exposure to new ideas, it might be worth considering the role of <strong>academic culture </strong>when making a decision about schools. </p><p>Think of your child's personality. Are they more emotional than pragmatic? Are they mature, curious and interested in the world around them, or more socially orientated and light-hearted about school? Think about them as they are, and based on your knowledge of their personalities, think about the school objectively. Consider facilities, and reputation, but also <strong>culture</strong> and <strong>atmosphere</strong>. Do you and your child like the <strong>mood</strong> of the school? Do you see your child getting comfortably assimilated there? </p><p>Below are some wonderful resources that you might like to review when it comes to choosing schools. Without exception, trust your instincts. You'll know better than anyone which is the best fit for your child. </p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/">https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/</a></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.mumsnet.com/">https://www.mumsnet.com/</a> </p><p>Good luck! </p><p>Naomi </p><p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/71348022023-01-08T20:30:41+00:002024-02-20T08:32:11+00:00Why we should be teaching our kids that failure is a good thing - really! <p> </p>
<p><strong>I've never been so grateful for anything as much as the times I've fallen flat on my face. </strong></p>
<p><strong>- My A-levels were one long string of poor grades until my final exams. </strong></p>
<p><strong>- I have never had a job where I wasn't threatened with being fired within the first three weeks. </strong></p>
<p><strong>- I've been dumped so many times I've forgotten most of them. </strong></p>
<p><strong>My reaction? </strong></p>
<p><strong>- I never worked as hard as I did for my A-levels. </strong></p>
<p><strong>- I came into the office for as many weekends as was necessary until I couldn't be faulted at work. </strong></p>
<p><strong>- I still can't remember the guys! </strong></p>
<p><strong>All this made me much much stronger, and any successful person will tell you the exact same thing. One friend told me recently that he wished so much he'd failed earlier on in life so that he'd have been more ready for it when the time finally came. It is an inevitable fact of life. </strong></p>
<p><strong>And a wonderful, wonderful source of learning, growth and muscular development in the most important muscles we will ever need - LIFE MUSCLES. These are the muscles that make perseverance possible, provide us with the humility we need to overcome our fears, and bring our self-belief into sharper focus. Only the pain of failure can develop these muscles and give us the chance to become our fullest selves - the heroes that learn how to overcome. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Why we tell our children that pass and fail are two opposing forces we can only explain by our need for economy of expression. </strong></p>
<p><strong>The late Ken Robinson was an advocate of creativity in education. He did wonderful work promoting creativity in schools and businesses, but most of all, he introduced new ways of looking at old debates. </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Click the pic to watch Ken Robinson's talk!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTAujby263s&t=36s"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/d1d5f0ccd2e19cd925876d42402fab9174f35e3c/original/images.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" style="margin-right: 35px; margin-left: 35px;" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Embrace failure! It builds your most valuable muscles! </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/71219972022-12-13T09:25:48+00:002024-02-20T08:33:01+00:00What do you want to do? <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Career Tips No.1 </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">If you can't answer the question “What do you want to do?” </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Don't try until you can!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So much about careers advice is rooted in a question that begins each conversation and so often does not yield a useful answer: <strong>“What do you want to do?” </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If the client is seeking advice, it’s highly unlikely that they have the answer, but equally, no trained professional is allowed to give one, because the job of the careers advisor or coach is to guide the client into finding their own. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">But why is this question so very difficult to answer, except for the people that have no need of it? It's mainly because the language of the question is embedded with assumed knowledge that makes answering it create, rather than alleviate, pressure.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Let me break it down for you: </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"What?"</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"What" assumes a universe of knowledge about all the careers available to you in the world. More traditional careers, like medicine and law, are often misunderstood, and don't suit as many people as apply for them; but worse, jobs such as animal rearer, or chocolatier, or product manager don't factor into obvious choices because far fewer people have heard of them. Answering this question invites an ill-informed answer, so it's more advisable to start the conversation with an exploration of various jobs, than beginning with the end of the conversation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"Do You"</strong></p>
<p>This part of the question assumes you know who you are in a careers context. But it's more likely that you have never really worked before, or if you have, and your former role was the wrong fit, then you won't know what it was about it relative to your character that made it a poor match. It takes time to decipher the "agent in a careers context", so using a word like "you" doesn't help us much.</p>
<p>If you would like to learn more about why it is you are struggling to answer the question, <strong>"What do you want to do?"</strong> watch the video below. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/uHhDLExZo6k"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/17a9367c26f06d7af604e9ba28000efc333b83b5/original/download.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">For more information on careers, how to find your true voice, or to follow the Creative Voice Campaign, follow this link an sign up for monthly free careers tips and more! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>https://naomisutherland.co.uk/the-creative-voice </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">#careercoach #findyourvoice #thecreativevoice #earlycareersplanning #careeradvisor #studentcareerguide #whatdoyouwanttodo #careerguide </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/62245772020-02-23T08:44:55+00:002024-02-20T08:35:19+00:00Strings and Piano Eclectica: a night of improv <p>What if you take a classical trio and put it with John Lennon? The last Eclectica was a sublime mix of the mainstream and the mysterious. I did a few songs ranging from Kate Bush to originals, including a poem set to piano. Sylvia & I followed with their incredible haunting music of violin and trumpet improv which everyone described as mesmerising and finally the Archaos Trio played their set. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/Mp0B2_sYLIs"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/e412f1faa92edc2b14f00383e57548242f831b32/original/e55614a7-6e7e-4191-80b8-94d5a1a499ad.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Improv is a special kind of music and I was delighted to see an artist from the audience improvise an art piece to reflect the show. <a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTz8hD14U-U"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/fa128b306839755c2a39501bfa87250d4700f33c/original/86757035-1082176142122130-5612303576081629184-o.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We are taking a break for March but back in April with an dance beats driven electro for Dance Eclectica! </p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/60625122020-01-05T21:42:18+00:002024-02-20T08:38:25+00:00Ethereal Eclectica <p>Does a night of witchery sound like January to you? I didn't mean to be so witchy. It came to me through the songs that forever I leaned to for a sense of sisterhood. The list is growing and moving into contemporary music more and more but... they are all the same in the end. </p>
<p>Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights </p>
<p>Stevie Nicks Rhiannon & Sisters of the Moon </p>
<p>And then my whole debut EP, which is almost entirely about the Jung's Shadow Aspect. </p>
<p>17th Jan, 7.30-10pm </p>
<p>Gonzo's Two Room, London Street. </p>
<p>Norwich </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/e8a82e1b1f30ff53b10605f6119b59fad756fcea/original/naomi-poster-2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/59139292019-10-03T13:28:21+01:002024-02-20T08:42:45+00:00Not Black Enough for Blues <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>It's Black History Month! </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/a034d2a3eb421b497b79bfdfd7886e27a935a8a9/original/not-black-enough.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></strong></p>
<p>Celebrating the rights, history and legacy of that so poignant a phrase - "black" people. I love how the word references so much and so nothing. Human progress has got us so far as to colour code human categorisation, like blue jays are blue so they're blue jays not red robins. </p>
<p>But there is actually something supremely excellent about Black History Month which I found out today and yesterday. OK two things: </p>
<p>- It was started by a wonderful gay rights activist and feminist called Linda Bellos, elected to Lambeth Council in the 1980s, who is in fact MIXED race: "white" Polish and "black" Nigerian, so that's African Polish for those of us still confused about colour coding. Read more about her <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Bellos">here</a>. </p>
<p>- And secondly, that though the Army came under fire recently for including "Asians" into the mix for "Black History Month", Linda and supporters of Black History Month sided with the Army. So much of the work and legacy of the Afro-Caribbeans in building modern Britain was shared by their Asian counterparts. They are not "black black" like the colour "black" but “politically black”. Ian Thomas, spokesman for the body that facilitates Black History Month says: “The contribution of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities can’t be ignored. If they consider themselves politically black, then they are”. So not "black-colour-black" just "black-politics-black". </p>
<p>So much clearer no?</p>
<p>Not that I don't like colours, I mean, of an overflowing wardrobe I have one black dress. The rest covers the rainbow. And for the record, I'm also mixed race, Indian-Canadian-British but I was born in Holland then spent 20 years travelling around until I went colour blind. Norfolk is relatively new and I'm still getting used to the ginger thing, affectionately known as "ranga" from "orangutan". If that isn't racist, then maybe that I mistake all ginger people for Ed Sheeran is. Orange hair? Actually orange? </p>
<p>As it happens I wrote a song about all this, and the producer happens to be ginger, nicknamed "Ranga" at school.</p>
<p>Here's Not Black Enough for Blues": celebrating the pointlessness of colour coding in human beings, but with a nod of immense gratitude to everything that the blues did for music. </p>3:13Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/58886782019-09-11T22:18:39+01:002024-02-20T08:43:46+00:00The Power of Original Music <p>The way things are going in the music industry, originals artists have all the best and all the worst options ahead of them. Record labels expect bands and artists to have sold out shows and touring / recording before they will invest because the risks are higher than ever. The investment is takes to get to that point is already immeasurable. This presents a challenge and an opportunity: we have to do it alone; and we can do it alone. </p>
<p>I had a rough time on my first record with fees so high that I ended up in hospital with stress. It's no easy road. But there are roads that can work and some of the involved support from other artists. </p>
<p>I've just been asked to host a night at Norwich's Gonzo's once a month, singing some Jazz and Originals and putting on any of the Originals acts I want to. Ah, now there's an idea: any local originals artists that I think are worth showcasing at a night that I will be hosting. Now what a superb way to support the artistic community of Norwich. A platform like that speaks of the spirit of the city and gives the real talent out there a place to showcase that isn't diluted by less well developed counterparts. </p>
<p>What. could. it. become. </p>
<p>Good question... Kick of Sept 14th. Gonzo's middle floor "tworoom" at 8pm! Pay what you can! </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/58043882019-06-26T08:42:31+01:002024-02-20T08:44:31+00:00Murky Waters - the backstory <p>How does one describe innate fear? </p>
<p>I wrote the song Murky Waters as a co-write, lyrics only, and left the rest to my songwriter partner on the track Will Fergusson. He and I have shared a conflictual relationship. We... fight. Every rehearsal. We agree on nothing except food. But through music we have spent much time together.</p>
<p>He always took me to water sources - river, lake, sea. His favourite river is the one that he grew up with, the River Deben in Woodbridge. He lives by the Toaist mantra "be like water". He has much water about him generally. The trips to the sea and lakes and rivers were pleasant on the whole... except that each time, I'd begin to feel afraid. It is true that I almost drowned when I was six and have become a committed swimmer ever since. Maybe one day I will beat the waves. But I don't think it was that. It was a fear of something I couldn't name. An omnipotent element and the limitlessness of a musical genius I had not seen before? I don't know. </p>
<p>The lyrics came in a matter of minutes; I didn't edit them despite their flaws. And of the 12 sets of song lyrics I gave to Will, he chose only Murky Waters. There is no other instrumentation on the track, just piano and vocals. </p>
<p>This is a song that was born spontaneously and one that has a life of its own. I don't want to tamper with Murky too much. </p>
<p>Some things you can't explain. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Click the pic for the song</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU6FvGimgIE&feature=youtu.be"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/0bee821ab27ec0f3e038099ffa9df8f47ae98367/original/th.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/56934162019-03-25T21:55:42+00:002024-02-20T08:45:49+00:00Finding your voice <p>A friend recently told me that she'd gone to see a vocal therapist because she was unhappy that her voice lacked stature. In certain social contexts, it would rise and turn to a squeak. She was nervous - and her voice showed it. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/f2c001f7a00c486a649cc78fc5db130b3a77e787/original/th.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>Interesting... </p>
<p>If your voice reflects your emotions, then what does that say about the nature of voice? Is it a vehicle for emotional communication? Or is it, itself, an emotion? </p>
<p>Some people think speech is a left-brain thing, while singing is right brain; it's why people like Carly Simon can sing fine, but stutters when she talks. </p>
<p>I find this topic so interesting because a long time ago, I lost my singing voice because of an emotional problem. From a potentially professional singer - to silent, overnight. It was like being cut from the root. It took me ten years to connect and heal.</p>
<p>Ten years without a note.</p>
<p>The best word for it was agony. You'll hear a lot of artists use that word when they are separated from their art. It was agony. </p>
<p>Luckily, I healed, but I wonder what it was about voice that meant that of all the things I lost, the vocal loss was so final. Not a note for ten years. Hmmm. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/817c2dcb9079f1fe457974fd6fee226e95d936eb/original/singing-ill-never-know-copy.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/56409272019-02-13T09:10:41+00:002021-12-06T14:45:22+00:00Love Through the Ages <p>The most disturbing experience of love I ever had was opening a book of Disney's Beauty and the Beast when I was at the dentists about to get my teeth cleaned, and feeling like I had returned to source: love was an idea that had first been shown to me as a frothing yellow dress. Omg: love was Disney. No. Life was Disney.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/072b5b043336efe5f6aee7112cef801abf2d22a3/original/th.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I realised in that moment that we are so bombarded with love as some primal form of salvation that we don't think a meaningful life is possible without it. Meaning, did Paleolithic man value love above... building a massive shrine out of bark and cawing at it? If we don't marry and fall in love, is life just a blank meaninglessness? If life were less commercial, would we even have it? </p>
<p>Love isn't really working for me. If it comes, I kill it. And besides, the best times I've had recently are enjoying the things that tell about the human experience, but not love. I saw this incredible cellist called Gyda Valtysdotir at the Arts Centre on a Tuesday evening. I was blown away by this haunting birdlike woman tapping into another world. The whole room was captivated. I've also just finished reading Sapiens. The best bit was thinking relatively about human happiness and whether ancient civilisations measured happiness in terms of material comforts like we do. I love that idea. I'd honestly not thought of that before. The worst bit was learning that man has and always will destroy everything in his path, first with fire, then greed. So humanitarianism isn't actually human. Hmm. That's awkward but fact. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/9bf6e64091f1b0fccd6b1cc4d7c8789b16ed722c/original/th-3.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Love didn't really come into it. And what's more, nothing really ever makes me happier than singing a song or better, writing one that is beautiful. I've a way to go before I reach my musical pinnacle, but the journey is the joy of this lifetime. Am I missing something? </p>
<p>Maybe it is that good. Or maybe we are all just bored. </p>
<p>Either way, now that we have supermarkets we can devote all our best hours to love. And nothing is truer evidence of that fact than a quick scan of the number of love songs in existence since we deified love over an actual deity.</p>
<p>More stories like this, and a walk through time, at my next gig at Bermuda Bob's this Valentine's Day. Playing with the incredible Will Fergusson on keys, it's a night of love songs through the ages, from Classical, Musical Theatre, Jazz, Pop and some originals. Timberhill, Norwich, 8pm onwards!</p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/56176532019-01-29T09:47:43+00:002022-05-09T12:22:24+01:00How to find your own voice: the dangers of belting <p>It's a complex beast, finding the different vocal technique that suits you as a singer. The difficulty is that singing coaches will observe popular singers and work out mechanically the techniques they use to achieve certain effects, maybe belting for impressive diva-esque renditions of our favourite ballads or shrieking top notes in rock anthems. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/e558da1629f66aa69a99cf76145cbc672a7b7f44/original/th-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>But your instrument is unique to you. So how do you find a technique that serves you? </p>
<p>My biggest issue in singing was to embrace my own voice rather than feeling that I needed to belt to be a 'good' singer. Belting, hurts me, a lot. Two songs in and my voice is fried. I trained classically because my voice likes classical singing. Doesn't mean I sound like a pointy-titted opera singer, but my voice wants to sing in a head-mix register. It's happy there. So it's my job to appropriate that technique to the style I like, rather than twisting my natural voice into a shape to which it doesn't want to conform. </p>
<p>How to find that out?</p>
<p>I've found the best thing you can do for your voice, is sing well written songs. Well-written does not necessarily mean popular: most often, it's those that do not meet modern standards of effective songwriting. Better, are songs whose melodies move around, and require a controlled vocal treatment; say some of the old Jazz standards. Most of these songs follow the tradition of older styles of songwriting, that originated from blues or folk or opera or some combination of those, but their melodies tell a story on their own, while the note sequences and intervals force you to control and navigate your breath control in ways that contemporary pop doesn't. </p>
<p>Take 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'. In the second note, you have an octaval leap, eight notes. In Adele's Hello, you have one, "He-llo". Though she does reach a high belt at the chorus of the song, this is a power note that requires a vital push, a force of thrust to deliver on the emotion. Not my favourite style, but it has its merits. I just worry that all these songs are really inherited from the soul tradition, that is a wonderful, but only a singular tradition in our very varied musical landscape. The lift in the song is generally, power rather than the quiet or pause. If I forced myself to mimic Aretha Franklin, I'd get nowhere. </p>
<p>But human emotion can be more subtle. It can twist and contradict. It can fall and rise in the same breath. It can whimper rather than scream. It can be silent. It can be an echo. All this can come out in a more nuanced melody, but more importantly, one that demands muscular control of the breath and support of the note that expresses complex emotions subtly. </p>
<p>If you want to learn how to sing, sing the first two phrases of Somewhere Over the Rainbow in one breath. Sing it loudly. Sing it quietly. Vary it. But control every note and do it until you are in full control. Record yourself, work out which is best. Thereafter, your singing muscles will grow. This is yoga of the voice. And you will be on your way to finding what works, for YOU. </p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/53445122018-07-13T12:39:55+01:002023-12-19T09:40:25+00:00Probably the only song that has or ever will start with the word Wittgenstein<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Wittgenstein.</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Not a word you hear very often in a song, not a love song. But his words rule my mind more than mine, and more than love. </em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>If you think on a word long enough, you'll find yourself in oblivion. And I've thought on you so long, I'm lost. </em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No words, no words for you. </em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<hr><p>So goes my next song, the first from my next EP 'The Dark Hand of Love'. A magical, philosophical, more serious bunch of tracks that challenge the instruction I was given on vocal technique, song structure and style. I was told not to discuss themes that a wide audience wouldn't understand. I could think of no better way to start my first song than with the word Wittgenstein. </p>
<p>Wittgenstein doesn't have an obvious place in musical territory given that he was an analytic philosopher of Maths and Logic; except that Brahms was a regular at his home in Austria; he would listen to music with the same fury he puzzled over Logic; and he was a mystic. Suddenly, we are not so dissimilar. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/0692cba5f173bf696f2b54e03844f02ea9036ae5/original/download.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I came across him at school, around the same time that I lost my singing voice. Maybe because I was suddenly not able to communicate any longer through my natural voice, I found conversations about meaning and language poignant. His theory developed from book to book, but generally the journey is: a) the world is the totality of facts so words have meaning so long as we can picture them in our minds; b) then later that pictures aren't as important as how words are used in language games, so meaning is determined by use; c) and finally at the end of his life, he went on to distinguish between absolute certainty and absolute knowledge as being categorically distinct, thereby evading most of the problems that philosophers like him grapple with. </p>
<p>Blah blah. </p>
<p>Philosophy had its place in my life at one time: I used it to find my voice again; but that is a bigger story for another time. I don't need Wittgenstein anymore; but when I find myself lost, his words come to me.</p>
<p>Like during a recent romance when I found myself unable to understand someone and even more unable to express why. Some people can't be defined. Some emotions can't be defined. Sometimes - there are simply, 'No Words'. </p>
<p>Watch the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upUzwWwoOBI</p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/52082842018-04-29T11:15:03+01:002023-12-10T16:46:22+00:00Where and what is home? <p>As we fast approach the Soup Kitchen Boogie on May 13th, the theme on everyone's mind seems to be "home". </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/5ecd7ad804fbd7871152211511da738442430d07/original/download-2.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In fact, I went to a fabulous contemporary dance show at the Norwich Arts Centre last week called Home Solo. Hayley Matthews and Hej Jones combined lights, music, dance and the spoken word to explore the notion of what it feels like to be at home in one's own skin. It was mesmerising to watch her. That's Hayley below. She's in London and NYC in the coming months- don't miss it! Learn more <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/ensembledanceco/videos/1029632587184900/UzpfSTcxODM3NTExNjozMDYwNjExMjk0OTk0MTQ6MTA6MDoxNTI1MTU3OTk5Oi0xNjM0OTc5NDg1OTA2MTYwMDI/" target="_self">here</a>. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/49cd9aad5fe0290c62b76dc529be305909343c1c/original/26962232-10155168194656651-1665881814834659858-o.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Home is the subject of my next single. Or at least, the search for home. It's a word that describes a place; a feeling; an entitlement and a practice.</p>
<p>And one that I have never understood: </p>
<p>My mum is Indian and my dad British-Canadian. I was born in Holland. I lived with my mum until I was 11 - we moved from Maastricht, to Calcutta and then to Toronto - until I left her to live with my dad who had moved from Norway to Oxfordshire. His wife is Italian. He sent me to boarding school in Edinburgh but I did my A-levels in Oxford. In total, I went to eight schools and when I'd finished, he moved to Italy. The next Christmas I had at "home" was ten years later. </p>
<p>Where do I come from? </p>
<p>Mixed race nomad. Rootless cosmopolitan. No clue, basically. </p>
<p>I'm not alone. Third Culture kids are a function of modern life. We have a <a contents="wikipedia" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid" target="_self">wikipedia</a> entry now. Do read; it's a brand new category of life. </p>
<p>It's quite interesting as a story for people to hear; it's quite interesting to live it; but not having a home can be terribly lonely. I would say, it's unnatural not to have a nest. I'm grateful for the colours of my journey, but I probably wouldn't raise kids this way. Strong roots over epileptic branches. </p>
<p>Stories make for good songs though. My next release is called Sceptre, and it's is the story of my search for home. Ironically, it's the song that is guiding me to my musical home - harps, soft guitars and tribal beats see a more organic sound. Even my vocal register is more true to me.</p>
<p>Amazing how the arts have all the answers. </p>
<p>Next month release. Enjoy. Please do pledge to support the homeless, they need it. Facebook fundraiser <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/donate/1645411305555735/" target="_self">here</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/50877852018-02-19T21:05:30+00:002023-12-10T18:08:27+00:00The music of Moscow <p>What an absolute blast. To be back in Moscow after five years? A blast yes, but in the sense that I really felt like my memories blasted me back from the dead. </p>
<p>Moscow was the city from which I launched my music career back in 2012. Recently free from the shackles of my enormous university debt, I found myself richer and freer than ever before (it's a tragic thing when you can't pursue your real mission in life because of something as lame as money). </p>
<p>I remember I met a guy called Pavel in a bar. He said he was a producer and was looking for a singer. I offered. I had never been in a studio before. I told him I had. I had never used a studio mic before. I told him I had. </p>
<p>I arrived to a find him at his desk, a mic'd room to the left and little more to the song than the bass line. </p>
<p>"What do you want me to do?"</p>
<p>"Anything, here's the bass line" </p>
<p>"I don't get what you mean, where is the song? I thought I would be singing." </p>
<p>Blank face. </p>
<p>Luckily I'd brought my lyric book with me. We wrote the song in the studio. And then recorded it. </p>
<p>Next thing I knew, it had been signed to a label, put on an Ibiza compilation album and played on the radio in Europe. I think the figures are currently 40,000 hits on Youtube. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/d40f9d7fa85e13093326f7f60d2f3dded4967044/medium/unknown-1.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Thank you Moscow. You made me. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/34254bde6c8a642660f990808c7766a5ef721513/small/img-20180215-003807-404.jpg" class="size_s justify_center border_" /></p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/49020162017-10-22T17:04:23+01:002021-10-13T18:04:16+01:00It's all in the light sometimes <p>Spent the day in a pub.</p>
<p>I ate a Ploughman's lunch and had a cup of tea. I didn't know about this pub when I set off, I just wanted somewhere to write and couldn't trust what I read online. Attleburgh. I turned left off the roundabout and the first thing I saw was this pub. I spent the day writing the book that describes how I lost my voice, the book that will accompany my album, an album I wrote two years ago. It's a thing - a multidimensional mission, all my learnings so far. And then there will be round 2 and probably 3. But this is round 1. </p>
<p>I rewrote the first chapter. I've done two of the three parts of the book so far but I need to edit before I start the finale. I'm a better writer now, weave the world and the narrative; story and conception. Writing needs time. Long stretches so you can think in long stretches. And a lot of energy. It takes a lot of give to be creative. </p>
<p>Anyway, it's a book about creativity and the power of Creative Light. It's a book about light.</p>
<p>And then I read an article about Wittgenstein who was the only philosopher I could ever relate to. He talks about how confused everyone is. And then I looked out and saw the light of the sky.</p>
<p>And then I thought, I better write my blog so you all know, that if artists go into hiding, it's probably cos they're getting ready for the show. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/c79a88efcd432ff0b12c39a2d1c38e25eecd493e/original/photo-on-22-10-2017-at-17-14.jpg?1508689098" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/47261502017-05-29T18:26:57+01:002021-09-25T22:23:46+01:00Alright... so my EP wasn't what I was expecting. <p>Yeah. I thought it would be a way to burst my new found identity onto the stratosphere of a fresh life; a harmonious world of wispy angels floating on harp-shaped clouds and singing in a perfect ten part harmony of alelujia. </p>
<p>But instead, I was reminded of an industry that I'd left many years before - music, like everything else, is business. </p>
<p>How can I put this so you can understand. I.... got ripped off. Not much more I can say really. It was the second of the two times that I'd been robbed in the industry, the first being when I wrote and recorded a song in the studio, which was then sold to a label without my approval and vanished into a whiff of nothing. I know it made something because I bought the record myself. Not a penny. I can assure you. </p>
<p>My conclusion? This industry was not for me. What I'd spent had been a serious investment. I worked round the clock. I'd got sick and kept on. I'd tried. It wasn't for me. Fine. Hence my silence. </p>
<p>But lo and behold, it's not that easy to quit when you've got guardian angels. I really don't know what else to call them. Somehow, I ended up with some good news. </p>
<p>An old friend got in touch and asked me to do a charity gig for the homeless. Yes. I would love to. sometimes, you gotta give back, especially when things aren't working out. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/28fe62bc1ae85374c6eedf8518ec55fe00efa8ae/original/screen-shot-2017-05-22-at-18-14-53.png?1495614084" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>And soon after that, this: <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/084d748fda5a95031b1d29bcaa74c56c0d114f47/original/18716454-10154382157472001-2082029589-n.jpg?1495614073" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now I'm meeting some new band members and I think the tide is turning. </p>
<p>What I can say is that for all my experiences with the EP I learned one thing: choose wisely. There are good people out there, there have to be. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And onto Phase 2. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/45508262017-01-15T13:23:29+00:002022-03-08T11:06:33+00:00One EP done! So! I'm done with the first round of my music career and what a cracking year it was!<br><br>Semi-finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest, Regional Finalist in Open Mic UK, 5 times picked up by BBC Norfolk, three times by Future Radio, live set with Shoreditch radio and countless gigs. <br><br>I learned an awful lot this year. I learned about what it takes to get good news and bad news. I learned about the importance of professionalism in music as in any other job. I learned about practice. I learned to keep my voice healthy. <br><br>Most all, I learned to listen. Not to the many voices of the industry that will make decisions for you that you don't necessarily agree with, but my inner voice to guide me on my rightful path in music. <br><br><br>And best of all: I attracted the attention of some important voices for my future career. Watch this space. 2017 is my year. <br><br>Love Naomi. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/1e0e7803a8bd416557a29c7b047e8b4fb02c95c7/original/img-0221.jpg?1466520580" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/44338402016-10-24T08:56:36+01:002022-01-18T08:54:19+00:00Demons and the Shadow Aspect This is the most bizarre of all my stories. <br><br>I had a friend whose company bothered me intensely and I could never work out why. I felt tired when she was around. I felt that I couldn't trust her. I felt confused. I felt drained. I felt... something was wrong. <br><br>She always claimed to be a close friend, loyal and supportive, loving, caring. She would call me when she needed support though I would rarely see her in person. She would be heavily involved in my personal affairs and invite herself into the intricacies of my mind and emotions. She wanted to know how I felt, how I would solve issues, my history, and I shared everything with her believing in her generosity.<br><br>But I always had this eerie, haunting feeling that there was something else going on behind the scenes, this strange sense that she wasn't really a friend despite everything she said. It didn't make sense: the words coming out of her mouth and the feeling I got being near her did not cohere. I felt ashamed of my suspicions and ignored them. <br><br>In time, though, her emotional demands were too much for me and I started to feel exhausted. Once she demanded that I nurse her through another of her "episodes" and I ended up having to leave my dinner date just so I could calm her down for two hours over the phone. It became apparent that she was highly unstable. At this point, I starting thinking there really was something wrong. <br><br>My reaction was to close the door on her; it was all too bizarre and disturbing. It was at a time when I was struggling in my own life and sometimes I wonder if she preyed on that vulnerability.<br><br>Horrifyingly, the baddie ended up being - me. I was the one with the issues, it was my fault. My punishment was that I should continue being friends with her which I felt obliged to do. <br><br>Finally, I came across the Shadow Aspect in Jung. This is where we suppress our dark desires for the sake of abiding by moral norms of society. Importantly, people are not aware of it in themselves: the shadow operates in darkness, in the shadows of your mind, it's sub-, even un-concious. This was the only way that I could make sense of the oddity of this situation - I'd never been in any situation like it and it was quite rattling. I thought I was losing my mind. <br><br>I heard once "in life, there are fountains and drains, stick with the fountains". Yes. Simple really. And I said goodbye forever. <br><br>Needless to say, it's always those weird things in life that make songwriters write. So, here is Demons. <div style="text-align: center;">
<br><br><strong>DEMONS</strong> (live vocals) </div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ul5eXu9LX3M" width="560"></iframe></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"> </div>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/44241642016-10-18T14:01:59+01:002018-09-28T12:59:57+01:00The Science of Intuition: what the US Army is really fighting for <div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>US ARMY FOR INTUITION </strong><br><br><br><strong>After discovering that soldiers who relied on intuition were better soldiers, the US army is formally researching the powers of intuition. </strong><br><br> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">In 2012, the <strong>U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research </strong>decided to launch a research project called “<strong>Enhancing Intuitive Decision Making Through Implicit Learning”</strong>. It looks at the role of intuition in decision making. <br><br>“The whole goal of this research endeavor is to determine if we can develop techniques to measurably improve intuition,” says Ivy Estabrooke, a program manager at the Office of Naval Research. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/261d0d78199a2effce9efe856edbcc80d63215e8/small/unknown.jpeg?1476796892" class="size_s justify_left border_" /><br>In fact, what they are finding is that soldiers that rely on their intuition are more likely to uncover covert operations or secret explosives than people that follow prescribed learning. <br><br>Read the New York Times article: <a contents="Here " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/navy-program-to-study-how-troops-use-intuition/?_r=0">Here </a><br><br>Can you believe that? Of all the possible agencies, the daddy of constitutional reason is entrenching mysticism into the Army. Possibly the best news I've had all year. <br><br>But again I'm left with one fundamental question: why is mysticism so frowned upon in today's society if people trust in nothing else as much? <br><br><strong>Psychology Today</strong> says that System 1 reasoning - that of the right hand side of our brains, which operates the reptilian intelligence we inherited from our prehistoric ancestors - governs Intuition and actually works faster than our powers of reason. </div><br><br> <p style="text-align: center;"><b>POWERS OF PREDICTION </b><br><br>And the good news doesn't stop there: Intuition is also smarter than Reason. </p>
<p style="text-align: right;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/6057c44ee1eb84b855e89d73abcafcf1a8cdf38c/small/unknown.png?1476796748" class="size_s justify_center border_none" alt="" style="text-align: right;" /></b></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><br>For example, in one study, published in Psychology Today, shows that researchers asked their subjects to play a card game where the goal was to win the most money. What the subjects did not realize, however, is that the game was rigged from the start. There were two stacks of cards to choose from; one was rigged to provide big wins followed by big losses, while the other deck was set up to provide small gains but almost no losses. <br><br>It took about 50 cards before the subjects said they had a hunch about which deck was safer, and about 80 cards before they could actually explain the difference between the two decks. However, what is most fascinating is that after only 10 cards the sweat glands on the subjects’ palms opened slightly every time they reached for a card in the dangerous deck. It was also around the tenth card that the subjects started to favor the safer deck, without being consciously aware that they were doing so. In other words, long before the analytical brain could explain what was going on, the subjects’ bodily intuition knew where there was danger, and guided them toward safety.</p>The faster Intuition will know the answer before Reason, because Intuition developed at a time when knowledge was scarce and unpredictability was the norm. <br><br>So the belief in mystical powers is the source of all our failings? <br><br> Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/44155912016-10-12T13:08:31+01:002021-05-25T13:22:08+01:00Embrace your Intuition<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/db66ceb68f09609e985f88cbfc76304e2bf58514/original/2015-11-10-1447174683-6706697-intuition-gregrakozy.jpg?1476274099" class="size_l justify_center border_" />4:36Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/44124582016-10-10T18:40:56+01:002021-01-18T05:45:27+00:00Intuition What is it about Intuition? <br><br><br>Seems like anyone who has ever done anything interesting in life seems to rely exclusively on this one little faculty. <p> </p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/36813b3d9cde81785b3e77907b8c0469cb16fcf7/original/unknown.jpeg?1476120952" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p>Sensually, it seems to fall in its own category, not quite like love; something more like an impression or atmosphere; people cohere about it and it's totally private at the same time. <br><br>Psychology Today calls it: that inner voice, that allows you to bring your true instinctual awareness back into your rational everyday life. <br><br>Good enough. <br> </p>4:36Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43004412016-10-09T12:42:08+01:002021-09-01T02:22:42+01:00Why Being Mystical Doesn't Mean You're Nuts I always worry about the M word.<br><br>Say the word "mysticism" and immediately people think about fanged witches cawing at the devil; a cult-of-the-occult; astral travel or air-headed nymphs floating somewhere in another dimension. <p>Worrying then, that Paganism is back. <br><br>But, what is it? </p>
<p>Traditionally, Paganism was the belief system of the ancients: people believed in the powers of nature - the elements, Gods of trees and sky, the mythologies of the ancient worlds, First Nations, whatever - and developed a range of practices to show their worship, some of which were a little questionable (cannibalism, human - baby - sacrifice, yes, agree, not exactly in line with modern ethics). </p>So when Christianity took hold, it was on the grounds that pagan customs were dangerous and weird. We put Christmas and Easter in the place of Winter and Spring solstices and demonised all plant worship. It was an effective control and, frankly, made a lot of sense when it came to homogenising the world they knew.
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/6e4218f9882659c4d61479431e7028703b4ae6b1/small/images.jpeg?1469800052" class="size_s justify_center border_" /><br><br><br><br>But in doing so, they built a legacy that has still persisted today - that Paganism is evil. <br><br>But why? In early Britain, Pagans, in particular, "witches", were medicinal forest dwellers, the healers of old societies, that were in touch with the power of plants and nature directly (they made potions out of plants, basically). Technically, this would make my sister a witch, because she's using plants to make bath products and teas with medicinal qualities. She refuses to use chemical cleaning products because she feels that it damages the earth. <br><br>Terrible really. <br><br>Today's world sees a rise of Yoga, Karma, New Age "energy" theories, environmental protection, holistic attitudes to cause and effect, all just really the nuts and bolts of glorified, glamorised Paganism. Are the vegans evil? The eco-warriors? <br><br>The thing that fascinates me most about belief systems, is that despite our best efforts, questions about the world didn't just evaporate because we are told not to believe them - they linger on, somewhere in our experience of life. <br><br>Personally, my beliefs have hurricaned so dramatically that I've given up looking for answers: philosophy taught me nothing; reading taught me a lot; travel even more. But it's my instincts that have been my greatest guides when it comes to finding answers. <br><br>Something happens when I'm in nature: I feel a... force. I would describe it as experiencing a form of God, I just don't call it God. I have Christian friends who agree with me. I am not alone in this.<br><br>Does that really mean I'm crazy? Really? Look at the sky and the sea and the mountains and flowers and bees and earth and wind and stars and trees and all the beautiful animals. I feel that I'm in the presence of something wondrous when I am around the natural world. From the depths of my instincts and bones. A power. </p>
<p>So my conclusion is: Nature = Spirit. Protect Nature. That's my basic religion. <br><br>And that makes me nuts? <br><br> </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/42984432016-10-07T08:48:00+01:002021-08-02T07:33:23+01:00How Mysticism Became Modern Day Madness<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/ee71f8bbab2f746b15d902b287f02b5d4e8f8078/medium/modern-day-mysticism-cover-400x265.jpg?1475826407" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><p>So we all understand that life started with mysticism until the monotheistic religions took over. Right? After the fall of Rome, the Church was a much more attractive prospect than berry picking during the Dark Ages. People at the time tore down the aqueducts and used the stones to build little shacks. We fell back into a time of battling the elements, fighting each day for survival, eating whatever we could find. A real life Game of Thrones. <br><br>Not a huge surprise that Christianity, with all its churches and organisation, was so popular. I mean, anything would have been better. The Church replaced Pagan celebrations with its own, ensuring that they fell at the same time, and deemed all mystical beliefs demonic and dangerous. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/be8dd21d555b8d7b565122ededd18707b7bde386/original/unknown.jpeg?1469699141" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>And until the 18th century, that's basically how western Europe looked: Christian in its various guises. Later still, the scientific and industrial revolutions spurred all sorts of nutty questions about knowledge - like how we could ever really know anything outside of a laboratory - and we were left somewhere between the Rationalism of an apparent 'Enlightenment' and an unhealthy attachment to the material validation of fact. Hmm. OK. </p>Now the world looks something a robot. <br><br>My question is - what happened to our cosmology? I mean, those questions that we ask when we look at the sky at night and wonder why it's all here. And if the major religions of today - monotheism in particular - are so popular, then why is the world facing the rise of a very Hindu-coloured New Age movement? <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/dcdbfdbcf20a2e9406b7e13fe26ef90f5cce0070/original/wood-trees-trunks-greens-secret-grass-mysticism.jpg?1469699181" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I don't think people quite got over their Paganism. Even Jennifer Aniston recently said about Brad and Angelina's divorce -that it was "karma". Karma is a Pagan principle about the oneness of the universe, albeit from Asia. Paganism is simply the belief that all things are connected by a spiritual force and that nature is sacred. Is that really so weird?! <br><br>What is better than nature? Think over your childhood memories and tell me the best times don't involve nature in some way: your favourite climbing tree, the park, the seaside, skiing in the mountains, an adventure park outside in the sun - sunshine itself! Nature gives us everything we've ever wanted: the best food in the world is that which grows straight out of the ground, air or sea and goes into our bellies. It's all the chemical "doctoring" that messes it, and us, up. <p>I mean to say, that, from my perspective, if the devil really were embodied on earth, he would look like Cillit Bang.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/d5591625e6cfe910ff0f439a5824cc6224298250/medium/unknown-1.jpeg?1475824519" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br>I mean look at that guy's face, that is embarrassing. <br><br>If you can't inhale the spray of a cleaning product without coughing, I really doubt we should be washing it down the drain.<br><br>When I was travelling through Central America, I turned to find a Walmart nestled between the palms of a Guatemalan jungle. Smack, right there, beige and red, for the convenience of flying tarantulas. And years ago, while I was visiting my family in Western Canada, the right-wing leadership under Stephen Harper, himself an oil man from oil-rich Alberta, was invoking historical contracts that forced First Nations people to give up their land for sake of an oil pipeline. The core issue, of course, was that in First Nation's society, ownership over the land isn't possible: the land is sacred, you don't own it, it has as much spiritual value as any other human being - equal. </p>And we call that primitive?<br><br>What is it that makes us question our origins? An instinct? A feeling?<br><br>Hmmm. Intuition? <br><br> 4:36Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/44031682016-10-04T17:24:46+01:002021-09-01T02:24:33+01:00Open Mic UK - I'm out! :)<span class="font_regular">Surely rejection should be the worst thing. Or if not worst, than at least bad. Surely it can't be the absolute best thing that has ever happened to you? <br><br>But it is. I chose to sing Dream Lover at Open Mic and didn't get past the Regional Finals. They've kindly invited me to London to showcase for some industry reps instead, with a view to returning to the competition next year. Too kind, honestly - I was a little better than lame. <br><br>Dream Lover was the song that catapulted my solo career: a semifinalist in the UK Songwriting Contest while BBC Introducing and Future Radio playlisted it. Fantastic. It was a lot of fun. I thought it would be perfect - an upbeat, dance, synth-pop song to burst me into the stratosphere. Surely! <br><br>But the music industry isn't interested in karaoke; they are interested in talent, and someone who knows themselves artistically. Would you put a mysterious, mystical songstress behind an upbeat synth-pop dance tune? I even wore a bright red dress for heaven's sake. <br><br>They were nice about my bad performance: they said they liked my originality, that I looked more like a hotel rep than a singer, that I was out of tune and most crucially, that my voice was suited to "acoustic slow music".<br><br>Say... again. "Acoustic, slow music?".<br><br>Is it now. <br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/c017bc1b113ac438db088e51dce546fc2dfc6459/medium/edited-ns-cover-art-intuition-final.jpg?1458512600" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><br>When you do an EP you should want to thrust it confidently into the hands of as many people as you can. Instead, I would cringe with embarrassment at how electronic and bullshitty it had become. By the time I'd finally released it, I'd changed so much I didn't relate to the songs anymore, but because the dance tunes did better, I always felt obliged to honour them. The fact is, I like 80's music to dance to, but that doesn't mean I have to make it myself. <br><br>Open Mic UK's rejection has single-handedly saved my whole career. I feel like a newly freed bird, free from the leeches of a music that wasn't me. When Dream Lover did well, I was delighted. But it achieved what it did because it was a breath of fresh air compared with all the millions of ballads out there; it's bouncy and fresh, yes it is. <br><br>But it really isn't <em>me</em>. <br><br>I couldn't even play an instrument when I started recording my EP: the first time I played piano on stage was March 9th of this year. I had the power of solid chords and little more. It was only later when I bought myself a real piano that things started to improve and my sound emerged in full swing: mystical, haunting songs, that draw on seven years singing in choirs rather than my desperate attempt at singing synth-pop. <br><br>My new songs, well, I love them deeply: they talk about other worlds, about the beauty of nature, about human fragility, about my eternal search for home; they are completely and utterly - me. <br><br>Thank you Open Mic. I can now finally let go of synth pop and get on with my career.<br><br>One year, one EP, one competition - and I've only just begun. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/1e0e7803a8bd416557a29c7b047e8b4fb02c95c7/original/img-0221.jpg?1466520580" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span><br><br><br> 3:40Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43991722016-10-01T10:02:45+01:002021-02-20T10:10:59+00:00Open Mic UK Regional Finals September came and went. And tomorrow sees Open Mic UK Regional Finals. <br><br>I've been deliberating about what to sing. There's always the piano-vocal option, but it does detract from the singing, particularly cos I generally find myself closing my eyes when I sing, not an ideal look for playing piano. <br><br>But then I think back to my EP, to the songs that got picked up by Shoreditch Radio, the BBC and various other places. The songs that catapulted my career. <br><br>And I've settled on a song that seems the best fit: my debut single, Dream Lover. I'm nervous about tomorrow, I need something fun to calm those nerves. I don't think I've sung Dream Lover without a smile on my face. It's so fun. <br><br>Music should be fun - right? <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/000a947295681e95cdf82e387d062bb617139bbe/original/cqdg0p-weaajn-h.jpg?1471525592" class="size_l justify_center border_" />3:40Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43784532016-09-18T19:18:13+01:002022-02-04T03:00:14+00:00Guildhall Norwich with the Grapevine <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/ce07b3d6d7670bac017b0c3dc80758080057fc93/small/13934821-10154134268598961-8464539366592863664-n.jpg?1473669658" class="size_s justify_center border_" />Surely the best show yet. It was the show that I'd been waiting for, a chance to play where Ed Sheeran had played before he broke, a place where people love to listen carefully to the sound, a place where music has a chance to show her stuff. It was a pleasure just to do my thing and not worry whether audiences were enjoying it, just to play. Thanks Steve Howlett. It was a pleasure. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/6140c32e8faa55258b965575bb1b8b54aa085414/medium/14368640-833748870059359-7647125182196462651-n.jpg?1474222515" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/2eec7cfb7a45432c2eecfc9b142912907362b668/medium/14390917-833748983392681-3107176034022233976-n.jpg?1474222507" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43584582016-09-06T12:56:40+01:002023-12-10T16:46:13+00:00Open Mic UK <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/b3b7b0b3d0f5187f48c476ff345710ce22eaf9cc/medium/09dc087095fdfc2eb7ab3fdaa3c4572e-400x400-1.jpeg?1473436907" class="size_m justify_center border_" />A crazy thing happened a week ago. After performing at Calm Festival, I headed over to Essex for what I thought would be any other audition: get up, set up, sing, go home. And that was kind of how it happened: I got to the room along with five others, some of whom I'd got to know pretty well already, and then started to set up my keyboard. Shock horror - there was no amp or PA system! I had no sound! When my turn came about, I froze "I have no sound". "You can play... or not" Chris Grayston, the head scout said, ominously. <br><br>I looked down at my keyboard, at my black and white friend, the keys that had helped me grow into someone new. <br><br>Honestly, I don't know what happened next. All I remember is that my foot started tapping, my head started spinning and out came the lyrics to a new song "Are you Afraid of the Dark", one of my weirder renditions about the nightmares that followed me throughout my childhood (and adulthood, I never did grow up). <br><br>It was over before I knew it. <br><br>"Well improvised", I got, a most rare compliment for an audition. <br><br>And now I'm in the regional final for Open Mic UK. <br><br>Somehow, it made up for my deciding against the Voice back whenever it was. Don't know how much I loved the idea of signing a contract before the event. <br><br>Oct 2nd folks. Open Mic UK Regional Final. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/a092a46861dfb6412f5e3a593a5a9ceedad8d6a6/medium/unknown-1.jpeg?1462823647" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43351782016-08-21T19:37:58+01:002022-05-11T07:49:47+01:00Vocal Technique This is probably incredibly dull to read unless you're a singer, in which case, it's the only thing that will <strong><em>never</em></strong> bore you:<br> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>VOCAL TECHNIQUE</strong></div><br>I released an EP a few weeks ago (though it's still with my publicist). The songs were written based on a vocal practice that my teacher had warned me was most appropriate for contemporary music: belting (belt-mix officially). It's the vocal practice that a Gospel-fuelled soul music (which defines contemporary RnB and some pop) was based on. <br><br>While I endeavoured to sing like this (even though I've never actually even heard Gospel being sung live), it was basically always really uncomfortable. While I did learn to sing in a church, it was chanting out my school hymns, rather than belting out Ray Charles. And from choir I went straight into opera, bypassing contemporary singing altogether. <br><br>I get it though: belting is cool and opera isn't. Yeah. But there was a reason why I sang opera and it's because I'm naturally geared for it; pretending otherwise just makes me nervous on stage. <p>What I've learnt over this period, is that you never lose your roots. Just as Aretha always sings a blues run in her improv, so I always reach for a high C somewhere in a song. <br><br>Taken me time and a whole EP but ultimately I sing the way I sing. <br><br>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYJvUmkEhwo</p><br><br><br> Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43309132016-08-18T17:55:09+01:002022-05-09T10:24:30+01:00Airlander hits the skiesIt's been three years of supporting a filmmaker make his first independent full-length documentary film about the Airlander - the biggest flying object in the world.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/331a6512c4418dc8f0e05511ad1ef7d89fdafbd1/original/airlander-take-off-sunset-still.jpeg?1471526008" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>That is a shot I took - well, sort of: Dean set up the camera and I would have paid more attention had I not started blubbering when she rose from the ground and flew for the first time since her inception, some 15 years ago. <br><br>So Dean is my other half and we both started our creative projects simultaneously: he his film; me, my EP. And miraculously, as much Dean has contributed in music videos, carrying my keyboard to the many gigs I've had over the last few months, I returned the favour and got some shots of Airlander taking flight. <br><br>What a story - everyone is banging the door down now wanting a cut of the film. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/449947144c9e18dad2858aa00ad371971757eb8e/original/porg-camera.jpeg?1471526353" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>It's a proud moment for all of us, most of all for Dean and the team at the Cardington Hangars. We've had huge support from the crowds, I think everyone is very happy to be seeing the Brits lead the world in aviation.... for now at least. <br><br>Best of all, Dean asked me to make the title track for the film. With honour and pleasure. I can't actually wait. <br><br> Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/43138442016-08-07T20:41:16+01:002022-05-10T06:45:55+01:00Shaman sharing It was nothing like I'd expected, though I didn't really know what to expect. <br><br>So was my first meeting with a Shaman. She asked me first why I'd gone and I told her it was because I wanted to hear her play her Shamanic drums to see if they were the right kind of sound for my album. <br><br>And they were. Something in the animal skin rung true for me: that husky sound, like the thud of feet on dry ground, doomph. <br><br>Then there was the chanting, the angels, the rose quartz the size of a table in the middle the room, the strange eyes of this little woman guiding me on a journey to freedom and liberation. <br><br>Of all the people I've seen as I navigate the sounds for this album, she was the most interesting and the most bizarre. I find it incredible that she might be the one to yield the beats for my first album of solo music.<br><br>What does that say? Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/42867112016-07-20T15:51:25+01:002021-08-17T11:11:47+01:00Mystics and music Just wanted to share some thoughts about music that I'm looking forward to making. <br><br>I've been trying to capture the essence of what I'm getting at with this music: tribal, dramatic, mystical, shamanic. This is what I'm trying to achieve. And with this EP I've done some of it- namely, mystical lyrics about other worlds, intuition, demons, shadow aspect... But there is more to be done. <br><br>Having an EP ready is a part of the spiritual journey that I'm on as a musician, but it's by no means the end. The forthcoming songs will feature less of the electronic music and more of orchestral instruments that I love so much. <br><br>So stay tuned. 4:36Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/42486372016-06-25T18:19:48+01:002022-05-19T08:57:08+01:00Brexit Oh my god. <br><br><br> Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/42405202016-06-21T12:19:56+01:002022-01-21T06:45:44+00:00July 2016 <br>Wow. My EP is almost out there. Took longer than I expected, achieved more than I could have asked and now that it's ready, I'm already thinking about my album. <br>Songwriting doesn't stop just because you're busy, there are new songs to write all the time. Poof, they are born. Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41978582016-05-26T16:31:37+01:002021-03-24T06:52:05+00:00Prince's Rain <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/198166/2f09d6417684bafcd7960f0fca700d50bfce09c1/medium/unknown.jpeg?1464276623" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Just wanted to say a few words about another artist we lost this year. First, of course, there are not words: the whole world rained for him; celebrities around the world paid homage to that eternal song. </p>
<p>But were those really tears of sorrow? </p>
<p>These days, most pop songs are written by more than ten artists, usually the same ten, over a period of months. The writing takes all of ten minutes, but the production - automation - takes time because there are hooks to embellish, insatiable arcs and troughs to time perfectly, so that audiences aren’t disappointed with the roller coaster that is today’s pop tune. They have machines to autocorrect the vocals, standardise the strumming, even write the lyrics. The lyrics! They have actual software to churn out the words! </p>
<p>Prince, on the other hand, wrote and produced the whole of his debut album from his bedroom. He played all the instruments. When Eric Clapton was asked what it felt like to be the best guitarist in the world, he said “how should I know, ask Prince”. Sinead O’Connor and Chaka Khan largely owe their celebrity to songs he penned, ‘Nothing Compares to You’ and ‘I Feel for You’ respectively. </p>
<p>So were we really raining or rather celebrating a one-of-a-kind legend who raised the bar for us all? </p>
<p>I can’t say I’m much like Prince, but his legacy goes a long way in directing up and coming artists on the road to musical autonomy.... <br><br>Invaluable, and all the more potent now he's gone. </p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41459072016-04-20T20:53:11+01:002022-02-08T13:45:53+00:00The Element <p>The Element is the voice of your true spirit. Your inner voice of guidance that leads you to your true destiny in life. It needn’t be dramatic - not everyone is born to be a star, or dance or indeed, make music. What you end up doing isn’t really the point; it’s whether it’s right for you, really right for you. </p>
<p>The author starts with the story of a “psychologically disturbed girl” who was taken to a psychologist for “correction” following a series of mishaps at school. She couldn’t sit still and her teachers found this very “disturbing”. </p>
<p>The psychologist examined the girl and then requested to speak to the mother outside the room, leaving the girl inside. As the doctor left, he switched the radio on and mother and doctor stood outside to watch. </p>
<p>On hearing the music, the girl leapt to her feet and started dancing around the room. She simply couldn’t keep still. She danced like a newly freed bird. With great calm the doctor told her mother that there was nothing at all wrong with the girl, but that she was a dancer. </p>
<p>And after enrolling her in dance school, she went onto become one of the leading ballerinas in the world, setting up her own ballet school and becoming glorious and prominent figure in the world of dance. </p>
<p>This is one dramatic example of what the power of finding your Element can do. </p>
<p>Have you found yours? </p>
<p>Discovering your Element will never come to you in the pages of someone else’s book. Finding your Element will show itself in unexpected ways; it will come to you in the pain of a dissatisfaction that you can’t stand anymore; from the feeling that you're on the wrong path; that instinctive sense that life just isn’t doing for you what you need. </p>
<p>And it’s in that feeling that you’ll find your true destiny. And it’s then that amazing things start to happen....</p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41191652016-04-04T08:42:18+01:002023-12-10T16:47:31+00:00Spring In the weather and in my step. So much goes on behind the scenes.<br>Following the Birdcage gig, things have grown some what, with gigs booked through the end of August, including local festivals and events. <br>My website is now ready and the tracks for the EP are with my new producer Darryl who is pulling the song out of the song. The magic touch of the man I don't know how to explain it! <br>Almost there... Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074432016-02-08T18:12:12+00:002022-05-18T12:40:48+01:00Risked it all for a dream<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Have you ever had a dream? <br><br>I would never have believed the answer would be in the pages of my own book. I just had to find it. </span></p>Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074452016-01-15T12:15:50+00:002021-08-13T16:59:13+01:00The Power of Change<p>One thing is becoming increasingly clear to me: that my passion for music is driven by one basic principle – I like change.</p>
<p>I worked a great many things before I finally admitted to myself that I had to do music or I would slowly breakdown. One of those things, was working with young people. It was my job to get the best out of my students and I revelled in doing it. I love kids. They love things for no other reason than because they do. Like one of my students who built a rocket without realising that it would be classed as an extra-curricular activity; or the girl that was ashamed to be Jewish and is now at Cambridge studying medicine because all she wants to do is help people; or the boy who couldn’t remember anything I said to him because his preferred learning style was through pictures and colour. All different, all exceptional.</p>
<p>Kids are my heroes because they are just as they are.</p>
<p>Why we then push our kids to go through identical educational programmes, that end in overpriced degrees whose fees seem to rise far faster than their value, is really beyond me.</p>
<p>Ultimately, where are we going with this? The word I hear most often in the adult world is ‘dissatisfied’.</p>
<p>Music was my change. I found it by digging deep and finding a way to be truthful about who I was. I needed change, because nothing made sense to me unless I found it.</p>
<p>So as we start a new year, I wanted to share my position on this. It’s simple really: I hope we can build a world where we can embrace our differences and honour our natural abilities rather than punishing them. I hope we can build a world where passion is more powerful than prejudice.</p>
<p>I hope we can build a world that celebrates change…</p>
Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074462015-12-17T23:02:35+00:002022-05-26T10:14:15+01:00Just in Time<p class="p1" style="text-align: left;">If 2015 has taught me anything, it’s that the world is changing.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Despite ISIS and affiliated conflicts, the people I talk to generally seem to be m<img src="//naomisutherland.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/imgres-11.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="imgres-1" height="225" width="225" />ore conscious of the environment, more attuned to spirituality and more appreciative of the arts than even just a few years ago. Tesco, once the giant of all UK supermarkets, has been steadily shrinking over the last few years in favour of buying local; our celebrities are exposing themselves without make-up and down-talking stardom; our billionaires are competing for who can give their wealth away most quickly; and our adults are now prescribed colouring books to manage stress. </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">Was 2015 the year that made us all finally wake up? </span><span class="s1">I was amazed at a recent article in <i>The Musician</i>, called ‘The Healing Power of Music’. It talks about music as a form of therapy: people with disabilities, mental illnesses, terminal diseases or eating disorders, are given an instrument by which to communicate. They play out whatever comes to mind – loud, sweet, violent, calm – and learn to express th<img src="//naomisutherland.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/images-2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="images-2" height="183" width="276" />emselves in a language that doesn’t judge on standards of normality. Here again, we are reminded of the beauty of the simplest things. Yes, music is a voice, and yes, music will let you speak. That’s why we do it.</span></p>
<p class="p2">I can tell you that this was definitely my year. It was the year that I finally recorded the music that I’d been trying to birth for the last five years; it was the year that I shared it; it was the year that I found my voice, or rather, voiced my voice.</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">And just in time. 2015 comes to a close in a fortnight and we’re approaching the end of a momentous year. It’s hot chocolate time, it’s family time, it’s a time to heal, to forgive, to let go, to rest, to remember, to giggle and be grateful.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Merry Christmas everyone. Get the colouring books out. It’s time. </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Naomi</span><a href="http://naomisutherland.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/imgres-11.jpg"><br>
</a></p>
Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074472015-11-15T10:57:35+00:002022-05-20T08:33:44+01:00Thanks BBC Introducing!<p>Delighted to see Dream Lover on BBC Introducing! It was an absolute treat to hear that Jay Lawrence danced around the office when he first heard it – that’s exactly the point of the song! Great news.</p>
<p>What’s next?</p>
Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074482015-11-14T11:26:14+00:002021-12-28T05:35:06+00:00Living the Dream….<p>I’ve been blown away by the incredible news on Dream Lover. I really could never have imagined that it really would be like starting with a bang! It’s in the semi-finals of the UK Songwriting Contest! It’s more than a dream come true.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the support from everyone locally and my producer Tom Peters in particular. Living and Loving the Dream!</p>
Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074492015-10-23T17:33:41+01:002021-07-18T09:46:24+01:00Intuition<p>I have a music mentor who offered me some guidance in my songwriting recently –</p>
<p>“That’s nice”, she said, having read some early lyrics, “now tell me what really happened.”</p>
<p>Becoming an artist isn’t about becoming something new. It’s about celebrating the things you already are and bringing them forward.</p>
<p>Intuition is a song that means a huge amount to me. It’s a haunting track about that sixth sense we all have but don’t talk about. And it’s the song that most aptly represents me as a songwriter and vocalist.</p>
<p>I’ve always been highly intuitive. Daydreamy, spacey, ditzy, mad, head in the clouds, mental, weird, I’ve been them all.</p>
<p>I never thought I’d get to write a song about my madness. But there it is. It’s no use hiding as a creative artist. Your starting point is always – yourself. And add some musical roots and you end up with a music that is ultimately a perfect rendition of your world.</p>
<p>And a song called Intuition.</p>
<p>Welcome to my world… this is it.</p>
<p>Naomi</p>
Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074502015-10-13T12:24:21+01:002021-09-08T14:23:11+01:00The Calling<p>Six years ago, I found myself, having just been dumped, sitting in a church, letting it burn. As I walked out, I bumped into an old school friend who was the only other girl I knew at that school that had been a singer. She introduced me to Ilona Domnich, her singing teacher, who I met the following week, a woman who would offer me cheap lessons for a year and convince me to pursue a career as a singer.</p>
<p>I had taken a long break from singing. School was hard, too academic for me, and it had dried up my creativity. I remember listening to everything on the radio in those years, whatever was in my dad’s collection, but I couldn’t bring myself to sing anymore. I don’t know what it was: the cold atmosphere of an impossibly academic school in Oxford; the fact that I missed my friends from Scotland, who knows. But I couldn’t sing anymore.</p>
<p>Till that day in the church. Something snapped. Was it that I got dumped? Maybe a bit. I was worth more, but I didn’t even believe it so I don’t know why anyone else would have.</p>
<p>But actually I think singing returned when she was good and ready; when I was ready to say what I needed to say. Most creatives will talk about spiritual things at this point. Yes, there’s that too. It’s…my calling. I was just in denial for a really long time.</p>
<p>I think the first time someone told me to be a professional singer I was about 12. I learned opera; arias that were impossible for an 11 year old to sing but somehow I managed. I was part of the choir, the madrigal group, took private lessons and ended up doing most of the school solos and duets and concert performances for which there were cups and prizes. I remember losing myself in performances despite being really afraid to sing in public. I don’t really remember doing anything else. There were pianos everywhere and we all played music all the time. Until the silence fell…</p>
<p>Over the years, I honestly thought if I ignored the hunger to sing long enough, that it would eventually just die out. But if anything, that voice inside me grew louder and louder until I had no real option but to listen. There was nowhere to hide. I can’t explain it. There wasn’t any point to anything if I didn’t sing.</p>
<p>I see that now in people that want so desperately to do something and don’t for whatever reason – fear, the fear of being too late, too old, incapable. But fearful nonetheless. Fear.</p>
<p>I don’t sing opera anymore. I had a singing lesson with the head of the Bolshoi Opera Company when I was living in Moscow. I have no idea how these things happen. She said I was hopeless! But it was the criticism that kicked me onto the right path. The music you make is the music you love. And while I have the utmost respect for the discipline and skill of the classical singers, I almost never listen to them.</p>
<p>But I couldn’t quite let classical music go either. Instead, it features in my backing vocals – soaring operatics against a pop lead voice and haunting drones and strings in the background. It’s classical, just a bit rebellious.</p>
<p>Bit like me.</p>
<p>Welcome to Naomi Sutherland Music. I’m delighted to be sharing my journey with you. I ran for many years hoping that my fears would eventually silence me and in the end, finally, I faced the light.</p>
<p>If I can, you can! Dream big!</p>
<p>Amen.</p>
<p>Naomi</p>
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Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074512015-10-08T15:42:37+01:002022-04-27T10:34:05+01:00Black History Month at Song Noir<p>I have to admit, I never realized what dancing was until I saw Anna Mudeka bust some African moves on the stage at Platform 12 as part of Black History Month Norfolk.</p>
<p>We were the supporting band and I must say, I didn’t expect that! We did a nice acoustic set, Gary on guitar, Dan on keys, but the stage was owned by the Africans that night.</p>
<p>There were so many strings, horns, drums and percussion, there was barely enough space for the musicians themselves. And they went for it. The whole room was buzzing, dancing, singing; even the kids were moving. Surely that’s what it’s all about!</p>
<p>It was a pleasure to be the supporting band.</p>
<p>Thank you Abraham, Platform 12, Song Noir and Anna Mudeka for an amazing event.</p>
Naomi Sutherland tag:naomisutherland.co.uk,2005:Post/41074522015-10-07T13:01:40+01:002022-04-28T10:14:17+01:00Last night’s rehearsal<p>Sometimes I really believe in magic.</p>
<p>My two amazing comrads joined me to go through our set for tonight’s Black History Month gig for Song Noir. Everything we played just hung together properly and it was perfect way to start our new adventure as a band. With Gary on guitars, we delved into Alcatraz, an old number from last year.</p>
<p>Let’s see what the audience thinks…</p>
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Naomi Sutherland