LIVE or Lip-Sync?

Surfing the internet on a Sunday night after a long day... Quite a contrast from my teenage years in Moscow back in the 90's, that's for sure :-)

Just came across George Michael's live rendition of "Praying for Time" on American Idol, which fortunately was captured on tape. Aside from the obvious relevance of the lyric, probably even more so now than when it was initially written, the truthfulness of this far-from-polished performance made me appreciate real, honesty artistry. Clearly affected by a cold, he delivered such a genuine rendition of an earlier, near-to-perfection record and even managed to compromise the lack of spotless purity in the voice with something so much more admirable and effective than a merely "auto tuned" perfection.

And that really reminds me of what artistry used to be and what it's become in our day and age.

As a teenager, I used to look forward to live albums of the artists I loved, knowing that the acoustic renditions of my favorite songs would not only provide a brand new glimpse into the essence of a song I had already fallen in love with, but also allow the listener to witness the very transformation of the artist's work into something familiar yet fresh and unpredictable (a new arrangement, an unexpected riff, a slight detonation here and there - so real and so credible!)

Nowadays, we basically have to keep our fingers crossed for most (not all!) singers not to miss the lip-sync spot, or at best - maintain a more or less bearable pitch throughout the song... Again, not always the case - thank goodness for that! - but more often than not, that's what the commercial market has to offer.

All very nice that we have the luxury of discovering fresh talent - real talent - online and at various clubs around the city... Great news, I agree, BUT let's face it, who wouldn't want to see that caliber of talent (and even more than that, for I genuinely think the average level of artistic metier and musical integrity is beginning to deteriorate throughout the industry and beyond) on our television screens, radio stations, big concert venues, etc. like back in the day of the Golden Era of Pop/Rock... You name it!

We can all argue about how wonderful myspace is as opposed to what the limited radio Top 40 used to offer to us back in the 90's and the 80's, but hey... Let's face it... This ain't all that wonderful either. We're just left with our own means for finding good music - and REALLY looking for it...

Wouldn't you want to witness a new breakthrough career of a real mega talent?

No denying - something's gotta give BIG TIME in the music business, the internet can't solve this whole mystery by itself - there's got to be another "complementary" route - and the industry's still looking for it. Let's just hope they don't end up wasting too much time and eventually STILL come back to the original form - the traditional way of how it used to be done.

There's only one way to do it, really, although the formats and catalysts are evolving by the day and that only makes it more exciting! :-)

Soviet Idol Not Allowed!

A lot of my friends have been asking me both jokingly and seriously over and over again: "Why aren't you on American Idol?" Well, I have never tried it on this side of the ocean, but I did audition for the original Pop Idol show in the UK a few years ago... Without even knowing what Pop Idol was all about!

In autumn of 2002, as an aspiring 17-year-old singer, I finally decided to make the big move to the UK and really focus on my music career. With nothing to my name but "a voice", I embarked on a journey that would take me to some of the most exciting, thrilling, even somewhat scary places...

On my way to Sheremetyevo International Airport of Moscow, I got an email from DJ Neil "Doctor" Fox, a dear friend, great champion, adviser (you name it!) suggesting that since I was going to be in London anyway, I should pop over to the final off camera audition for an upcoming ITV show called "Pop Idol" - a new television contest that was about to hit primetime TV in the UK for the first time.

I had no idea what the show was all about, so I called Chris Neil, someone I have immense admiration for and really looked up to from day one (he later became my executive producer.) "Just do it, you never know, you have nothing to lose!" he encouraged me during the long-distance call.

As soon as I got off the plane, I literally rushed over to the ITV studios with my dad and a family friend of ours. I barely made it in time for the last call of auditions - and had to talk my way through the security, as I was already too late by then.

It was nothing like what we see on television - completely off camera, intimate, equally stressful but still somewhat relaxed... We made sure that by the time I showed up at the audition, Foxy was no longer there, so it wouldn't look like a set up or a name-dropping contest.

And there they were: Nicki Chapman from 19 management, Pete Waterman, the producer of Kylie Minogue, among others, and THE Simon Cowell from BMG. I have to admit, at the time, nobody outside of the tight circle of the music business in the UK knew anything about Simon, so to me, he was a complete stranger!

The three potential contestants lined up, I was the last one... Two other girls were sent home within minutes... I got a bit scared, I thought: "That's it, bye-bye, Tinatin!"

By the time it was my turn, I stood center stage in the spotlight and started chatting to the judges, the most charming of whom was Simon, in all honesty. I sang "The Power of Love" and I was amazed when they didn't stop me even when I got through the second verse!

The most critical of the three was definitely Nicki - she said I looked somewhat tired, so in response, I started recounting my flight details, but Simon quickly cut us off: "Come on, Nicki! She has a great voice. You're really good. Tell me more about yourself..."

I must have spent at least half-hour, if not more, just talking about music, who I was planning to work with in London, etc. and Simon and I really clicked. The best part of it was that because at the time Pop Idol was still completely unknown as a project, and so was Simon Cowell to the general public, I didn't feel the need to "please" him or gain his approval - I could be myself and let the rest take care of itself.

It was unanimously decided that I would enter the final selection of contestants before the TV show kicked off (at the time, it was done mostly off camera) - but then Simon verified my citizenship... Oops! "You have to be British in order to qualify, I think, but let me check..." So they looked into the rules and regulations and the contract confirmed his hears - no Soviet idols (nor any other nationality) allowed, gotta be a Brit :-(

I was slightly disappointed, especially because I had no clue about the show and who would have known back then that it was going to take over primetime TV!

Instead of worrying about the legalities, Simon immediately suggested that I get Chris Neil, whom he had known for years and who was also about to become my producer, to contact him and arrange an A&R meeting independently (at BMG) outside of the Pop Idol framework.

Before we knew it, Pop Idol took off within a month and Simon Cowell became the biggest TV star in England, so when the meeting was moved once again to January of the following year, Chris and I laughed and politely thanked Simon's assistant.

Although, I have to admit, Simon was the most charming, warm, gracious gentleman, so every time I see the really nasty Simon on American Idol, it makes me smile... He was far from it when I met him, and to be honest, I don't for a second believe he's changed that much - but it's a great TV personality that surely achieves its goal for what it is.

Fond memories, though, I always smile when I remember my Idol experience... Didn't regret it for a second, but on second thought, I don't think I would have signed up for it now, even though it was fun and exciting at the time - and adventurous, too!

So, my dear friends, I did American Idol before it was American Idol - in fact, before it was even on air :-) All the more to tell the grandchildren!