Music is the Remedy

In the past week or so I've been overdosing on music...if that's actually possible. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that music is the remedy for me. If I'm sad I play music, if I'm happy I play music, if I wanna create a mood *wink wink* I play music. Music plays a big part in my life. I've written some of my best songs when I've been going through some major ish and needed to vent. I LOVE MUSIC !!

SO...continuing from my last post, I've been going out to more gigs! Supporting some fantastic musical friends of mine.
I went down to Vibe bar in Brick lane to see my friend, musician and producer Colin Emmanuel otherwise known as the Black Einstein.
He actually produced a track on my EP www.nadinecharles.bandcamp.com
Have a listen. It's called "Not My Man".



Anyhoo. He played a brilliant set and had Mystro, Baby Sol and Sharlene Hector on vocals. I was enjoying it so much that I nearly forgot to film. But I did get a little bit for you.
Have a lookie

Black Einstein from Nadine Charles on Vimeo.

The next night my sis sang at an event called Soul-d-out held at Cottons in Angel. The food was great and my sis was even better!





Last Thursday, I met up with some of my friends for dinner on Portobello Road before having the pleasure of seeing my longtime friend J-soul from Gospel group Blessed Voices perform @ Inn on the Green. He's now doing his solo thing and I'm sure you'll agree that he's got a beautiful voice.

J-Soul from Nadine Charles on Vimeo.

We had a fun night as usual. Too many jokes, great food, company and music. Perfecto!

Friday I had my first rehearsal with my new band "Soundforce". It was fun. We have a LOT of work to do, but we had a nice lil jam and just got familiar. Played my songs a bit and I introduced them to the sounds of Don Blackman. They loved him!!



Here's a lil clip of our rehearsal. Remember it's our FIRST so don't watch any bum notes on the band's part...on the other hand, I have no excuse, but hey! Apologies for the shaky filming. My son was the cameraman on the day. He's got a bit to learn!

Untitled from Nadine Charles on Vimeo.

Today I had a rehearsal with a guitarist and a studio session with my good friend Pesci and Nutty P. I was rushing around so much I forgot to film anything or take pics. Sorry!

Until Next time...Stay Blessed
Nads xx
www.twitter.com/nadiva99

GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS!

Nah I'm not going back to Africa, China, Japan, Scotland or wherever I'm from...I've gone au natural. I decided about 8 months ago not to chemically process my hair anymore because my hair was crying from all the madness I was doing to it. And in a bid not to use my hair straighteners to get my naturally curly hair straight,I decided to give it a break and braid it for a few weeks. It was a bit of a shock to the system but...I'm getting used to it!
Just thought I'd explain the change of appearance...



Anyway...onto more interesting things.
I've been busy, out and about and even remembered to take some pictures and footage. I think I deserve a massive pat on the back. Yay me :)

So...we've had lovely weather lately which has made me much more sociable.
I've been a bit of a social butterfly! lol

My friend Yomi, otherwise known as poet, G.R.E.E.D.S, invited me to the Grace Obika Album launch as he was her opening act. So I rounded up a few of my friends and headed down to Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch.
As usual he smashed it. I love it when an artist engages a crowd, and Greeds does it EVERY time. When he talks, people listen. A great skill.
I took some footage on the night so you could see the talent, but it's one of those " you have to be there to get it"...Hopefully my camera captured the spirit of things but I'm afraid the sound man was deaf and the lighting person was blind, so the levels are not too great!
Have a butchers below!

Untitled from Nadine Charles on Vimeo.

The pics I took on the night were waaaay below average! I only had one drink so I wasn't even drunk so I don't know what my excuse was! I think I was just having too much fun! lol


I captured mine and DJ Christoss' shiney foreheads! lol...I'll keep practising my photography skills...


This one is slightly better...slightly

That day I went for a casting for a modelling job, where they tested different looks on me to see if I was suitable. So luckily I didn't have to do my make up and I also got the job. I did the shoot the following week, which consisted of a couple looks, one being a bride, so I daydreamt as I posed in a stunning wedding dress!...one day...*sighs*

Anyway...pics will come soon

Another friend of mine, rapper, Incisive invited me to his show in Shoreditch last Monday. I've watched his blogs, performances, even worked with him, but this was my first time seeing him live.
The venue was a little bit strange and there were some strange acts there...some were actually strange in a good way.
Incisive was on last, which was a good move on the part of the organisers because they really did save the best for last.
Again, I was a bit p'd off with the sound and lighting person. Different venue, same bloody problem. Luckily Incisive and his fab band are professional and they gave a great performance.
I will definitely go and support him again not just because he is a friend and a fellow West Londoner; his tracks and production are really good too. He's not just a run off the mill rapper, he's got that X factor. Follow him on twitter for more info and watch the clip below. Look out for a special appearance from bad bwoy singer Shakka too!

Incisive and Shakka from Nadine Charles on Vimeo.

www.twitter.com/incisive1
www.twitter.com/shaxmusic

I've had a couple birthday celebrations too. It was my cousin's 21st *WINK WINK* so I went to go and show my face at the club. I'm not really a clubber but it was a special occasion so I made the effort. But greedy lil me was taken to dinner before hand so I had that itis going on...I was in bed by 1am! I'm a lightweight these days.


Me and bday boy Herman


Me and cousin Cleon

The next day it was birthday celebrations number two! For my sister obenewa. She booked a room @ one of our favourite restaurants, Busaba and made us all dress up supposedly "geek chic" ...but we mainly just looked geeky!

Birthday girlie Obenewa








So, I'm going off to my bed now. I hope you're proud of me for sticking to my word.
I've got a few events/gigs I'll be going to this week and I'll get some pics for ya.
Sweet dreams my darlings
Nads xx
www.twitter.com/nadiva99

Hello!!
I have a confession to make....I've been naughty. I've done loads of things and taken my camera with me everywhere but taken very little footage and pictures. It's hard to enjoy yourself when your stuck behind the lense of a camera.
I apologise for being so selfish. I realise the error of my ways!
So from today I'm making a conscious decision to take more pics etc even if it's just a couple.

What have I been up to?
I can't remember everything off the top of my head, but the events that stand out are :
Shean Williams Mixtape launch party
This dude can SANG! I love his voice and his slightly gospel/oldskool feel although he's very current. He's also a very humble person. I've come across so many people who have fallen into the "internet celebrity" thing and believe their own hype. Not our Shean. Look out for him. He's on facebook and twitter as "Face Williams", add him and follow him.

Obenewa @ Shoreditch house

Yes I'm slightly biased as most of you know this chick is my sister, BUT she was fantastical last week @ Shoreditch house. I invited quite a few of my friends down to see her and although some of them weren't very familiar with her material, by the end of the night she had them singing along and downloading her mixtape!
That speaks for itself!
www.twitter.com/obenewamusic



Cat on a hot tin roof

I've been wanting to see this play since it came out last year. For those of you who don't know, it stars Sanaa Lathan (hot chick from Love and Basketball) Phylicia Rashad (Fame), James Earl jones (Mufasa, Lion King). So...I dropped hints, left messages, status updates and then one day, I think on the day the show was closing, I got tickets. I was beaming. It was a long play but I really enjoyed it and respect the actors for learning all those lines cos I find it difficult learning a couple songs!

Rehearsals
I've started rehearsing again. I've put off live performances for a while because I've had so many other things to take care of, but I have started rehearsing with various musicians and am really enjoying it! So make sure you show your support and come see me when I announce dates. :)

Jason Jermaine @ I luv live
I went down to the Proud Galleries in Camden to see my friend Jason do his thang. If you haven't seen him perform yet, you should really catch one of his gigs. He's got a really unique style which I find it hard to describe. It's kinda electro, retro, soulful, pop....I'm doing a crap job. Best thing is to listen yourself.
Trust me, he'll have you singing "Hollywood"!



The Video

For all of you that have asked me about "the video", it's nearly done. As soon as it's finto I'll post it up for you all to see.

I'm going to dash now because I have to get my son from youth club...nearly lost track of the time. It's not easy multi-tasking sometimes. But it makes us stonger and builds our characters.

On a slightly different note, apart from enjoying fabulous gigs in the past few weeks, I've had some reflective times. Certain events occurred that forced me to question certain relationships and appreciate others. Life is not all strawberries and cream and fields of daffodils, and it seems that at those particular times we are tested and true characters surface.

I don't really want to go into details and single any one situation or person because like I said, these situations make us stronger and I don't want to attack anyone. But I am grateful for my true friends who are always there without fail when the lights aren't flashing and the champagne isn't flowing. You know who you are.

Much love
Nads ♥
Follow me on twitter...just a click away! www.twitter.com/nadiva99

And another one!

Whoah dudes!
Two posts in one week...what the heck is wrong with me??? lol
I guess I just wanna share things with you. I just got the above pictures yesterday from one of the photographers who snapped away @ day one of the video shoot.
You can check him out on twitter, his user name is @pr0file so follow him and keep an eye on his work. I'll be putting up links on my website which is nearly good to go!!

I also wanted to share some footage with you of my Candy Mag shoot that I did this weekend.
I hadn't done a shoot since August/September last year so I was a bit rusty. But I had a great time with photographer Kosher and MUA Emily Rose.

Have a peek @ the shoot



I'll be featured in the May Edition...make sure you grab a copy!!

I'm off for now but I'll keep you informed on the progress of the video. It's being edited right now and as soon as it's done you'll be the first to know!
Have a great week and take advantage of the lovely weather...I might go for a walk in a bit.

Later lovelies xx

TIME FLIES !!!

WOW dudes/dudettes, mums and dads!,
I really can't believe so much time has passed since I hollered at you. But I'm back!! I actually didn't go anywhere but I was so pre-occupied I didn't have the time to blog...



FINALLY I have finished shooting my video. And boy was that some hard work. Three days of blood, sweat...and maybe a few tears may have escaped...lol. But we had crazy fun and I can't wait til it's all edited so I can show you what I've been working on for the last couple months. I wasn't being unsociable and selfish for no reason! lol
I can't reveal too much as yet but I just wanna say a quick thanks to everyone who contributed to the shoot! Dirty Media London (who directed and produced the vid), Kele Le Roc, Jason Jermaine, J Stories, Selam Yohans who provided my shoes, Jewel Clothing who designed a beautiful dress just for me, the MUAs and Stylists. I will go into more detail in a later post and give you all their details so you can give em a shout!




Whoop whoop, I got another Tattoo! Yep another one!...but it's only a lickle one and it means a LOT to me....I hope you like it...if not, I don't care cos I do :) xx


Gotta dash now cos I have to overlook some of the editing for my vid so I can add my 2 pence worth...

Have a fandabulous day...

Mwaaaaah, Me love you LOOOOOOOOONG time xxx

Nay Nay xxx

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I know we're well into 2010 now but better late than never right?
Seriously though, Happy New Year :)
I was sick at the end of 2009 so I kinda fell off the radar a lil bit BUT I'm back with a vengence!

I've got a fully functional team working on my video plans. It's taking longer than I intially hoped, but we're getting there.
At the moment we're casting for the the leading man and I can't complain. I've had loads of applicants and I've enjoyed going through the pics! lol
We should be making a decision in the next few days, so if you've sent me your pics and CV's, hopefully you will be getting a call from me soon!

After recovering from my two weeks of ill health, I went straight back into the studio and have been recording for my 2010 projects and I'm very happy with what we've produced so far. So if you like my EP, you'll LOVE the new stuff!

As I've been so busy writing and recording, I've been a hermit but this weekend I had the perfect opportnity to come out of hiding.
My sister was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer at the Official Mixtape Awards so we decided to take a trip to Portsmouth to where it was being held!
It was a good excuse to doll ourselves up and thanks to Jewel Clothing(www.jewelclothing.co.uk) I felt fabulous in my gorgeous dress :)








There were mixed reviews on the actual event and a lot of people have asked me my opinion...
Now, if I thought it was total rubbish, I wouldn't even mention it, BUT as I actually believe it has a lot of potential and is a great concept.
I will say though that I do think it lacked organisation which would have made it more enjoyable.
BUT it is the first Official Mixtape Awards and we all have to start somewhere. I'm looking forward to next year's one because they should have sorted out the teething problems by then...fingers crossed!


Marvel


Scorcher


Scorcher's booty! lol


Ghetto


Wretch 32

Here's a lil footage from the Awards

Official Mixtape Awards 2010 from Nadine Charles on Vimeo.

This week I'm busy busy busy! I'll keep you up-to-date on my twitter! www.twitter.com/nadiva99 Holla at me and I'll tweet you back.

Have a great week

Nads xx

Busy lil bee...

Wha Gwaan mi lickle sugar dumplings?

I've hardly had time to sleep lately and I'm not gonna bore you with all the ins and outs of my week but it has been very hectic to say the least! I'll just give you my highlights otherwise I'll be here all day and you'll probably switch off!



I was invited to the nomination party for the very first Official Mixtape Awards hosted by Ras Kwame and the lovely Kele Le Roc.
My sis Obenewa was nominated in the best newcomer category, so you can imagine I was pleased as punch. Please vote for her @ www.officialmixtapeawards.co.uk she's amazing! www.myspace.com/obenewa1

Saturday, I went out with my twinny, Sherona, we share the same bday, but unfortunately she was sick on the day of our party so I had to party with out her :( I didn't stay out too late because I had early morning footie the next day (which was actually cancelled because of the rain) but we had a nice time. It was much calmer than my party, but nevertheless I good night out!






I had a great night out on Sunday @ Room 4 Movement, which was held at the Book club in Shoreditch with my Uprock Crew and Dego from 4hero spinning.
Me and ru baby AKA Rumel had fun catching up and as it was her bday she had a few cocktails which were ridiculously tasty and STRONG!
I tasted one called "Brown Sugar" and it was divine :) Although I remained VERY sober as I was designated driver...boooo!




Yesterday I popped into Lightning fm to see Dj Christoss as I was in South London for a meeting, so I killed two birds with one stone. We had a right old laugh! Thanks for all of you who called in and texted. You asked some really good questions and gave me some great feedback. I'll definitely be passing my music to the Lightning fm crew to play new material so stay tuned! www.lightningfm.co.uk!






As you all know, or should know by now, my Ep is out! www.nadinecharles.bandcamp.com, which is all very exciting. But what is really exciting for me right now is that I'm going to be doing a video for one of my tracks.
It's my first video so it's quite daunting, but exciting @ the same time. And yeah I realise I've used the word exciting a lot but I'm EXCITED!!
I have great team of people working on it already and many volunteers too. If you feel you have any skills that you feel you could contribute please do not hesitate to contact us at nadinecharlesbiz@gmail.com.

Okay...well I have a couple meetings, a dinner and a gig to attend and that's just my schedule for today, so I have to dash.

But I'll catch up with you very soon

Nuff Love Nay Nay xx