In memory of the ones we love...

As I'm writing these words, I am on a train having just left a vocal session out of town.... Incredible how we remain connected to the rest of the world wherever we are with a click of a button and a solid satellite reception!

The power of a song never ceases to amaze me - we can literally travel back and forth in time as if there's so space between what used to be and has become of it, whatever that "it" may be.

Having spent a wonderful morning in the studio with Ayhan (we're working on a follow up to "Wild", so stay tuned!) I grabbed a quick lunch on my way to the station. And as some of you may have noticed by now, as much as I adore being around friends, there's also something beautiful and serene about one's own company, especially on a gorgeous day like today.

Before I closed my eyes last night, I remembered that today is a birthday of my uncle - someone I was incredibly close to on a special emotional level, someone I admired and looked up to as a child. Obviously we all love and appreciate our families, but I hope it won't come off as a pretentious remark if I say that Georgians tend to be overly protective and immensely attached to their families - and I don't just mean the immediate family, but the cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc. Instead of big get-togethers on special occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, we literally invent celebrations and excuses for such big family get-togethers on regular basis. It's definitely a cultural thing.

When I was a little girl, we rarely had dinner at home without a group of guests piling in (some of them unannounced - a very Georgian habit) as the evening progressed. I don't remember ever feeling a lack of company, particularly we still lived in Tbilisi. Incredible as it may sound, the day the civil war broke out in the capital, just a few steps from our neighborhood, my parents dressed me up in my best dress, and through the flying bullets across the town, we caught a taxi on the main road and went over to my grandma's, where my uncle and his family resided as well. I promise you, it was probably one of the most memorable nights I've ever spent, and that was in the middle of a war - literally - right outside the door, while our big, tight family clung on to each other and tried to make the most of the difficult, even scary times that had just knocked on our doors so unexpectedly. Through the lack of electricity, heating, gas, hot water - the basic needs of a modern society - we were happier as ever and together - so very together.

And at times like this, on the day when I remember the ones that are no longer with us, I feel overwhelmed and proud of having had the joy and luck of calling these dear beloved ones my very own family.

If there's a life after this, in whatever capacity that may be.... Well, may they be blessed and proud of what they left behind.... And may all your loved ones be well and healthy, for I believe there's nothing as important to us as the knowledge of the happiness and well-being of those who are most dear to us.

On a positive note, please watch this beautiful video sent to me by my friend, Darrison - you won't regret it.

Peace and love to you all,

Tinatin xxx

P.S. Duduko, dzalian menatrebi...

Something "Beautiful" is on its way....

A couple of days ago, I posted a news scoop on my new Guitarati application about two brand new tunes in the making...

In fact, one of the songs was mentioned in my earlier blogs where I talked about a long songwriting session with a real musical gem - Billy Stein - on a miserably rainy day.

It's called "Beautiful" and the title came as no surprise, because when Billy and I first started laying down some musical ideas for the tune a couple of weeks ago, we kept telling each other that it was already beginning to sound "beautiful"... So we thought, why not keep the title? (That is, when it's done and posted on myspace and you don't agree that it's beautiful, then we'll have to find a new title!)

We spent a session or two going in circles with the different ideas for a final topline, and ultimately we realized that coming back to the tune the following week would do us - and the song - a big favor! :-)

Earlier this month I started working with another great songwriter, Jeff Franzel, who like Billy has worked on some amazing projects and has got a whole list of incredible credits to his name. Jeff, a longtime songwriting partner of mine Ayhan Sahin (remember "Wild"? Billboard Top 10 Critics Pick for 2007!) and I are currently finishing another new song called "If I Lose You Now" (more on that later - we're recording the vocals this coming Thursday!!!) Jeff and Billy just happen to be based literally across the street from each other (that's quite impressive for NY!) and also have a million mutual contacts and friends in the vast world of music, so I thought "wouldn't it be fun to introduce them?" Who knows why their paths haven't crossed yet tete-a-tete!

And there it was... A fresh pair of very musical ears heard our "song in the making" - Beautiful - and made a suggestion or two "just as an idea"... And guess what? The three of us finished the entire song (so far just the music, lyrics are on their way - due any day now!) within a couple of hours, as I had to rush to a meeting at EMI, so a little bit of pressure was all the more inspiring and stimulating!

I was just listening to the rough guide vocal on my iPod and I'm so excited about this song... Every now and then, you come up with something brand new with a great group of people, which in itself is a blessing, and you can feel the excitement deep down - you know it's going to be something special!

Hopefully this feeling of genuine anticipation for the new song will manifest itself into a brand new "musical baby" that the three of us can be proud of. '

I sent Billy a text yesterday telling him how excited I am about finishing the song and playing it to EMI: for those of you who don't know, I met Billy Stein through Manhattan/EMI when I was preparing for the private performance earlier in April, so needless to say, I am immensely grateful for this wonderful hook up! Playing with Billy was so much fun not only at EMI but also at the Songwriter's Circle (check out my Bitter End photo album to see our snaps!)

All that's left to do to make "Beautiful" really beautiful is determine what is "beautiful" - that is, come up with a lyric! I'm still toying with the idea... It's strange but I've never really been that good at positive outlooks in the lyric. If you think about it, "Thinking of Someone Else" is a cruel lyric (Chris Neil, one of my co-writers and producer on the record alongside Ben "Jammin'" Robbins, is one of the most talented male writers from a female's perspective, that's for sure!) And even a happier song like "Connected" is a bit on the cynical side, too: it's an online chat that grows into a bond between two online characters, one of whom turns out to be a computer program - a mere software - "data flows through its veins" - while the person on the other side of the screen has fallen for this computerized character believing in all honesty in its truthfulness and "humanness". We've all been through this at some point, I guess, except maybe not on this level of cruelty and "robot"-esque unrealness. Do you remember the online chat boom in the 90's? Who knows who the people we spent hours chatting with back in our teens really were???

So, anyway, getting back to the new song and the upcoming lyric - just for a change, I'd like to try a slightly more positive vibe this time around... Even if it's got a twist by the end of it all... Otherwise, I won't be true to myself, will I? :-)

Time to retire to bed - it's Monday tomorrow - again!