Happy New 2008 Going on 2009!

What a long, long year it's been for all of us, but extremely exciting and adventurous, nonetheless!

You have all been so supportive in 2008, and at times I feel very guilty to have written so little during the last few months. Yet on the same note, it hasn't been an idle period for me either, and the only consolation and my best excuse of all is that I'll have loads to share with you as a result of many, many sleepless nights and pending projects that are coming to a logical conclusion. I do wish I could write more often, but fear not - tons of news and updates are on the way for 2009, so stay tuned by all means!

Just a little teaser before the clock strikes midnight.....

On "Thinking of Someone Else" - as you all remember, the single entered the UK charts in November based on club exposure ONLY, however, in the beginning of the New Year, we're going to hit the radio and digital releases throughout the world big time. We've just completed the whole "package" and are in the process of packaging and scheduling a radio promo tour. New compilations are on the way too, while a few of the back-end of the year ones are about to hit the stores, too!

In the meantime, single #2 which will follow "Thinking of Someone Else" after the radio promotion is also in the making - or more precisely it's still a work in progress, but a concise one, too. I daren't mention the title just yet to avoid jinxing it before we've put the vocals down, but trust me - it's going to be a very cool follow up to "Thinking of Someone Else", with a bit more edge and commercial bite to it... I cannot wait!!

And that's not it - guess what else is on the way in 2009 from the Tinatin camp? I'm not about to tell you EVERYTHING but here's a quick glimpse into the future... It's a boy!! Hahaaa no, no, that was a joke - don't panic! :-)

Now, in all seriousness, it's a book - a novel based on a true story... And here's a big hint (which, by the way, requires some research if you're really curious) - it was inspired by one of my blogs written in 2008 and eventually attracted serious attention and interest within the world of literary publishing.... Unfortunately I can't tell you any more about this project, but do promise to give you more info about it as soon as I'm allowed to :-)

There's so much more I'd love to share with each and every one of you, but I do promise to keep you updated on everything as the events unfold on this end - and in the UK, as well, of course!

But before we close this chapter, I wish you all a prosperous, healthy and a very Happy New Year and hope that we'll share some more stimulating and interesting thoughts through our "blog dialogues" in 2009 - after all, isn't that what makes the online universe so fascinating?

With blessings to you all,

Tinatin xxx

When Silence Gets Too Much

Once upon a time, not so terribly long ago, daily blogging was an inner necessity for me, I had to write a paragraph or two either direct from my phone "on the go" or the laptop on my coffee table in the living room. I simply had to write. I was enjoying every bit of it, couldn't wait to post something on regular basis... A couple of times, friends jokingly warned they'd unsubscribe from my blog list if I didn't stop writing massive electronic accounts day in and day out. Breaking the habit for more than a week was unfathomable to me.



Over the past month or so, I noticed that the necessity was slowly beginning to fade, and it was mainly the group of friends on myspace that inevitably raised the question, "why have you stopped blogging like you used to?"

The bottom line is probably the fact that the act of posting private thoughts, activities and accounts of daily life and its adventures can become slightly too... personal, I suppose. Is it an addiction, I wonder? The need to share, to discuss, to talk out loud. Or simply the desire to write to those who may care to read what you have to say? As Richard will probably agree, one's ego has quite a lot to do with this phenomenon.

But on the other hand, there comes a time when something "clicks" inside and the red light goes off instantly... "I am sharing too much!" A couple of times, I have to admit that I probably said too much that perhaps I shouldn't have. Nothing wrong with being honest and genuine, but sometimes it can be misinterpreted. Openness can make us vulnerable, especially when we are actually enjoying the moment of honesty. The beauty of the internet is that every one of us is entitled to privacy and the freedom of speech - a strange combination, that is until you unmask your true identity. And then the privacy and ability to share personal thoughts and feelings is pretty much no longer what it once used to be. But the desire to share is still very much "there"... Except now there's no going back, you either maintain the honesty in the blog posts or simply "back off"... It's like a relationship in many ways, I guess.

Having said all of the above, backing off hasn't really worked for me. I do miss blogging, primarily because it brings all of us in the virtual world a little bit closer to us, and makes us so much more "human" in this inhuman online universe. That's the beauty of it - meeting some of the nicest people, and a few "odd characters" here and there, but all in all - such an adventure, how do you walk away from it?

Blogging rehab aside, it has been really frantic recently, even more so after the initial bite of positive reaction and a bit of success in the UK club scene with "Thinking of Someone Else". The big question is, how do we keep the momentum and build on it while it's still very much hot and current? The answer is - RADIO - but of course like everything else, it's easier said than done. However, this weekend the song will, in fact, premiere on FM radio and needless to say, I am THRILLED, but also refusing to stop and enjoy the moment when there's so much more that has to be done, one by one - it's finally coming together like a puzzle that's missing one little piece in the corner on the left-hand side.

Apart from the radio dilemma which is now beginning to click, click, click cross-Atlantic, we also realized that I'm short of a ... Ballad! And this is where somebody like Billy Stein comes in. The new song is currently "under construction" and is being written by myself, Billy and Christopher Neil, my executive producer and someone without whose belief, support and hard work I wouldn't be doing what I love the most - as simple as that. It's very exciting, but I have to say that after being out of the studio since June, the past week was a strange "homecoming" experience for me. And exhausting too, but I loved it. What do I look forward to the most now? (Apart from hearing the song on the radio this weekend onwards!) Recording the vocals - finally!

And of course aside from the Music, the UN radio show, recording sessions and publicity work "in the making", there's always that extra bit of time, patience and space that we devote to the family, friends and matters of the heart... The latter being the trickiest one, of course, but there's never a dull moment, is there? :-) That's it, daren't say any more in case "I really shouldn't".

It has only just hit me... I have missed blogging A LOT. That aftertaste following a night out with close friends, chatting, catching up and sharing bits and pieces after a long period of silence can be so comforting. That's what I've missed about this experience. I really should devote a little more time to this particular form of writing - it's too good to neglect!

Long Time No Blog!

After 10 days of absence from the blog scene, I was startled to discover some of the sweetest, funniest inquiries about my unexpected silence.

Had I disappeared after the crash of Wall Street having been affected by the financial crisis first-hand? Am I well and healthy? Is there a specific cause for the longest-running silence ever since I first launched the blog?

The unexpected volume - and warmth - of these messages caught me by surprise, although I have to admit, it was immensely flattering - and inspiring, too!

Truth be told, my days and nights have been absolutely frantic lately, ranging from official debut single release preparations and first reactions from England, UN and radio work, manuscript development and editing, personal matters of the heart, etc. All positive, exciting and hectic - so no worries at all, I'm still here! :-)

The major source of excitement is, of course, obvious to most of you by now - the UK radio & club rotation of "Thinking of Someone Else" double single: initial feedback and reviews from some of the top-notch clubs across the country, as well as additional commercial Top 40 compilation albums in the UK and Canada which will also feature the track as one of the upcoming highlights of Oct/Nov/Dec '08.

There's one particular massive compilation album that will feature the song as an upcoming hit of the season... All confirmed but not yet released, so forgive me for not being more precise :-)

Absolutely over the moon, to say the least!

What has made it slightly less enjoyable is the lack of sleep and zero time to actually celebrate the first results... Except, I'm a true believer that there's always time to celebrate somewhere down the line - but first things first: work, work, work and multiply the initial reaction by 100, building on the first bits of success!!!

Well, what can I say? Too early to feel dizzy and dazed based on all of this madness, but all the more to work on and develop, day by day, minute by minute. There will always an opportunity to sit back and relax, but not now - far from it, in fact.

Instead, what I should do is find more time to blog more often, keep you all posted and above all, maintain our fascinating, fun discussions about this, that and the other... That's what I miss the most!

Thank you all so much for reaching out, caring to ask if everything is in order, and for proving once again that online correspondence can, indeed, turn into friendship both online and offline - regardless of the medium of communication! I can't quite describe how wonderful it is to know that you're all there, regardless of the silence - we're all just a click away, one way or another.

Getting back to the frantic reality now, but do promise to write again sooner than you think - and then we can collectively complain about how often Tinatin posts her blogs without giving anyone sufficient time to go through them all, one by one! Hand on heart, I've missed that - badly.

Blogging: Personal or Professional?

After setting up and later informally letting a few of the friends know about my "personal" blog the other day, I inevitably got several emails of the same nature: why create another blog when there's myspace?

Logical, I agree. But not so easy to answer....

It all started a month or so ago, when one of the friends here suggested that I create a separate "world" altogether and feel free to write anything and everything instead of constantly trying to censor myself again the "managing" powers and a few prying eyes here and there (that is, mostly from the real life, funny enough...)

Seemed like a good idea at the time, so as soon as I got a moment or two to myself this past week, I decided to make it happen - after all, it's just a click away, right?

To make the long story short, the new blog which I mentioned here before has replaced a journal but will, of course, not replace the official myspace blog - if the Russianette's world is a personal one, may this spot always remain musical, artistic and less silly in comparison with the "other one"....! :-)