Donny Hathaway

  Christmas time has come again. Even here in Japan, which is not a predominantly Christian country, the holiday lights, decorations, events and songs declare the season's popularity.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is Donny Hathaway's This Christmas. I love listening to his version and I love singing it as well. In fact, I've performed it a few times this month at various Christmas events.

Today, I'd like to share a beautiful version which I discovered recently on YouTube. What is even… Read more

The Nutcracker - http://www.cbtnva.org/nutcracker

 

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra & Baltimore School for the Arts dancers - http://www.bsomusic.org/calendar/events/2014-2015-events/the-nutcracker.aspx

As a child, The Nutcracker was one of my favorite ballet productions. It inspired my desire to become a ballerina and to take ballet lessons in primary school back in Trinidad.
 
With a fabulous score by Tchaikovsky, the ballet premièred at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on Sunday, December 18, 1892… Read more

The official lyrics video for my new single, Can You See Me? (Hands in the Air) has been released. 

Please check it out and please help me share the links on social media. 

The song is a call for solidarity in the face of racism, institutionalized discrimination and police brutality.
We have lost too many of our sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, to this hatred.

#BlackLivesMatter #SayHerName #LaquanMcDonald #Sandra Bland #TamirRice #EricGarner


Can You See Me? (Hands in the Air) 
Artist… Read more

 

M.I.A. in music video for Borders

Reading about a new M.I.A. release is enough for me to click on the link and listen to the new song or watch the new video. She is such an original and talented young woman.

Today, after watching the beautiful and self-directed music video for her new release, Borders, my love and respect for her has grown even more.

Not only is she addressing such an important and pressing human rights issue, but she is doing it in such a creative and visually stunning way. That is the… Read more

Saul Williams (from Buzzfeed)

Where does one begin when speaking about the wonderful Saul Williams? 
He is so prolific - an actor, rapper, musician, artist, and writer. 

No wonder that he was commissioned to write a book about about the United States of America. 
In US (a.), he reflects on the complicated issue of identity, of being an American, and the ways in which race informs that identity.
Check out the beautiful interview on Buzzfeed here.

Enjoy this video below. He is definitely one of the artists… Read more

Sananda Maitreya

He's back.
I have loved Sananda Maitreya since way back when he was known as Terrence Trent Darby.
His voice, his wonderful songs, his style, his sex appeal--- it was all enthralling. I followed his career as he became more and more philosophical and continued to produce beautiful music.  Today, my respect for him increases with the release of his new, powerful, passionate song and heartbreakingly beautiful music video.
The song is called I Wanna Breathe. According to AfroPunk, where… Read more

The first single from the Lady A Project is due to be released soon. 
It is a protest song and a call for solidarity in the face of racism, police brutality and injustice.
Here is the cover art.
What do you think? :-)

Photography by Fabio Dal Grande, Emoeye Photography. http://www.emoeye.com/
Cover Art by Kim Bernard. https://kimbernard.carbonmade.com/

Single: Can You See Me? (Hands in the Air)
Artist: Alicia Saldenha
Writer/Producer: Alicia Saldenha
Mixing Engineer: Chris Howe  

Upcoming Single by Lady A aka Alicia…

Read more

Hi Friends,

I've been wanting to do a music podcast for a while now, to promote the great independent artists I have discovered over the years and to introduce more and more people to the gorgeous music coming out of my homeland, Trinidad and Tobago.

Finally, here it is! Thanks to Blackan Radio, Japan, for hosting the show. Blackan has been a great champion of independent music by foreign artists in Japan, as well as a big supporter of my music and my albums, Rose, with indigo jam unit, and my solo album… Read more

Hi Friends,

I've been hard at work the past few months working on a number of exciting projects. Of course, new music is at the heart of it all.
Look out for more details and big surprises soon.

Here's a cute promo video to announce the good news. :-)

RedFire (Fractal Art by Alicia Saldenha - DeviantArt.com)

  Hi Friends,

Drum roll please......

Announcing my new art music video!!! 

Yes, art AND music. 

With my new passion for fractal art, I decided to showcase some of my first digital creations in a movie slideshow, set the the soundtrack of my original music. I'm a beginner in the weird and wonderful world of fractal art, but I love it so much that I have been producing tons and tons of it. I'd like to share some of it with you.

(You can also visit my Digital… Read more

 

Empress - Happy Mother's Day!!! (by Alicia Saldenha

  When I was a child, I sang this to my mother.
My teachers taught it to the class at our Catholic primary school. 
I thought that it was beautiful and that it captured everything I wanted to say to the wonderful, strong, caring and nurturing lady who worked so hard to take care of me.

M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word that Means the World to Me)
Written by Howard Johnson and Theodore Morse (1915)

M is for the million things she gave me
O means only that she's growing old
T… Read more

How unexpected and lovely!

My song, "Don't You Wish I Was Your Woman," is #1 on the Top 12 Indigenous Songs of All Time in Trinidad and Tobago!! It means so much to me that you loved the song enough to keep it on the charts for so long - 43 weeks! 

Moreover, the Indigenous Crew are doing such invaluable work by supporting local and independent artists at home. 

Thank you to everyone who voted for my songs and shared my music. Thank you for buying the music as well. Your support is so crucial. 

As independent…Read more

'Doctor' by Alicia Saldenha Makes No. 1!

Well, this was certainly a great way to end the year! It means so much to know that people at home appreciate my music. 

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for my song. It has been on the chart for 21 weeks!! That is so much more than I could have expected. 

Congratulations to all the independent artists who also made the charts, and to the Indigenous Crew for working so hard to promote independent musicians in Trinidad and Tobago.

To all the music lovers, a big… Read more

 

Alicia Saldenha - LoveAlicia.com

  Hi Friends,

I hope you are enjoying the new look of the website. It has been given a long-overdue make-over.

Feel free to browse, listen to some music, watch some videos and help support this endeavour by purchasing an album or some singles on iTunes or CD Baby. Musicians, especially independent musicians, cannot live on listens alone. We really do need your support. So please buy a CD and be sure to attend the next show. I'll be very happy to see you.

If you're in Japan… Read more

 

Freedom Fest Japan

Osaka, Japan

November 28, 2013


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Osaka loves Nelson Mandela! November is Nelson Mandela month in Osaka with the launch of Freedom Fest Japan – a festival inspired by the former President of South Africa. 

Artists, dancers, musicians, photographers, academics and activists from all over the world have all come together to stage events throughout Osaka and even in Kyoto in honor of the ailing ninety-five year old Nelson Mandela. 

Freedom Fest Japan, conceived by the… Read more

 I was very honored and pleased to be invited to do an interview with Sisters with Beauty, a hot new blog about natural hair and beauty based in the United States. If you've seen my photos, from the past braids and dreadlocks to the present fro, you'll know that natural hair is a passion of mine. So I was very happy and excited to do the interview.

Like me, Diana Ramsey, founder of the blog, is passionate about what she does and very dedicated. I wanted to be a part of her growing online presence as well… Read more

 

Thanks to Junior Campbell for his feature on me and my new solo album, Dance with the Sun, on AllVoices. 
Please check it out and share with friends. As an independent artist, the promotion is priceless. Without a record company, I rely on friends and fans to get the word out about my music. 
I truly appreciate all the support and I'm so happy to be able to share the new album with you.
Official release - June 13.

Read the article here.

My solo album, Dance with the Sun, is finally ready! Hooray!! 

The CD release is coming soon - Saturday May 12 at Janus in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.
I can't wait for the show and for you to listen to the album. :-)

Here is a preview - the album cover!

Photography by the multi-talented Zak Baney, who also directed the music video for my single, "Ooh Boy."

Album design by my dear friend, Bernhard Rothbucher, in Austria.

You really must buy the CD because the art work inside is just beautiful.

Thank you so… Read more

Hi Friends,

I found this beautiful picture and article recently on Pinterest. Please take a look.

Ella Fitzgerald has been such an inspiration to me as a jazz vocalist. I have also always been fascinated by Marily Monroe. She deserves far more credit as a singer and actress than she usually receives. So I was very happy to read of the mutual respect my two icons held for each other.

Click on the link below to read the article.

Enjoy!

Source: allaboutjazz.com via Alicia on Pinterest

Hi Friends,

I'm happy to announce that my solo debut CD release show is set for May 12. 
Here is a little video teaser I made to announce the news.
Tickets will go on sale soon. Hope to see you there!!!!

Here's a little video I made to announce the title of my upcoming solo CD.
Thanks to everyone who helped me with suggestions and encouragement...

 I was very happy to attend the concert of one of my friends and favorite artists, José James, at Billboard Live Osaka on February 20. It was my second time to catch his live show and just as the first time, I was transfixed and transported all at once by his artistry and by the beautiful sound of the band. Joining him on this tour was the very impressive Taylor McFerrin, whose beatbox skills synced perfectly with José's hip hop scatting. 

Also featured in the band was my friend, Takuya Kuroda on the… Read more

 Feeling a bit homesick today....

It is still difficult to accept the passing of Whitney Houston. The loss is compounded by the fact that it was so untimely - she was only 48 years old - and the fact that she was in the middle of a comeback. I, like countless other young children, sang to Whitney Houston in front of the mirror, or in front of the TV screen watching her on MTV, dreaming of the day when I, too, would be on the stage.

I don't want to think only of the sadness, however. This post is meant to focus on the happy news that we… Read more

Rumours have been circulating for years about a come-back for soul sensation, D'angelo, all leading 
to dead-ends and disappointment for his legions of fans around the globe.

We have been waiting since The Voodoo Tour of 2000. 

Then, last month, a leak of a new demo on the internet - "Black Hole Sun."

Now, concrete proof - clips of D'angelo's concert on January 26 in Stockholm at the Filadelfiakyrkan. 
(Pronounce it if you can.) 

He has ended his retreat and our frustration with the first of a… Read more