I have to feel good when singing: Brightman<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A woman lies writhing on the floor in a provocative outfit as
\nvibrant music with strong influences from the Middle East plays
\nin the background.<\/p>\n
Is it Madonna? Or Britney Spears? Or any of the other female
\nsingers who compete with each other by baring their midriff?<\/p>\n
As the distinctive soprano is heard the next second, people
\nrecognize the powerful voice of Sarah Brightman, who has
\nenchanted millions around the world.<\/p>\n
To many, Brightman is still synonymous with Christine of The
\nPhantom of the Opera, the musical phenomenon created by
\nBrightman's ex-husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber.<\/p>\n
After working on Broadway, where she also performed in Cats,
\nthe British pop\/classical songstress launched a career as a solo
\nartist with the release of her platinum breakthrough in 1997 Time
\nto Say Goodbye. The album topped the Billboard Classical
\nCrossover chart in the United States for 35 weeks, and sold three
\nmillion copies worldwide.<\/p>\n
The success continued with her next albums Eden, La Luna and
\nSarah Brightman: Classics, which have sold more than 15 million
\ncopies worldwide, earning her rave reviews and sold-out live
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
Brightman has just released a new album called Harem, with a
\nnew and old repertoire, in which she showcases her songwriting
\nability. Featuring an orchestra, it resulted in an exotic
\ncombination of sounds from the East and the West.<\/p>\n
Joining Brightman on this album are classical violin superstar
\nNigel Kennedy, Iraqi singer Kadim Al Sahir, Natasha Atlas, Ofra
\nHaza and Shweta Shetty.<\/p>\n
Aside from the contemporary Middle Eastern sound, Brightman
\nalso mixed the sound of grand opera into her songs, such as in
\nPuccini's Un bel di from Madame Butterfly to spark It's A
\nBeautiful Day.<\/p>\n
The Journey Home, meanwhile, comes from Indian film composer
\nA.R. Rahman's West End Bollywood musical hit Bombay Dreams,
\nproduced in London by Webber.<\/p>\n
Brightman was in Taiwan recently and journalists here were
\ngiven the opportunity to have a video conference with her. Below
\nis an excerpt from the interview with the warm and friendly
\nsinger.<\/p>\n
Question: Why did you decide to make an album with a tangible
\nMiddle Eastern flavor?<\/p>\n
Answer: I've always been fascinated by the whole Arabian
\nNights feeling, an Asian theme, the desert. I love Lawrence of
\nArabia, English Patient. I wanted to record an album with a
\nMiddle Eastern feel. It just felt like the right way to go, just
\na feeling at first, which is how I begin all my albums.<\/p>\n
Q: With the conflict in Iraq, weren't you afraid of anti-Middle
\nEast sentiment in Europe and the United States?<\/p>\n
A: I started working on this album a very long time ago. It's
\npurely a coincidence with the war in Iraq. There is no political
\nmessage in this album. It's purely about fantasy, and Middle
\nEastern and also Asian stories and poetry.<\/p>\n
Q: There is a song called The War Is Over in this album, where
\nyou perform a duet with an Iraqi singer, Al Sahir. How did you
\ncome up with the duet? And what is the song about?<\/p>\n
A: I was introduced to Kadim Al Sahir one and a half years ago.
\nHe is a well-known Middle Eastern singer. And the chemistry
\nworked well between us.<\/p>\n
We asked Kadim to do the song. When he came into the studio,
\nwe didn't know what he would do. I told him, 'Just do anything,
\nfeel like you're flying over the melody'. So, he just started and
\nit was beautiful. That was the take we used.<\/p>\n
The song is actually about ... the message is about love. It's
\nabout a war we didn't love. When the Iraq war happened we were
\nactually very worried. But it has nothing to do with it.<\/p>\n
Why did you give the album the title of Harem?<\/p>\n
In the end, I didn't choose that. We came up with many
\ndifferent titles. Harem means 'a forbidden place' in Arabic. It's
\nvery interesting. It's a secretive, mystical place; a place that
\nyou can think about but cannot get to.<\/p>\n
Q: What do you love most about Middle Eastern music?<\/p>\n
A: That's difficult to say, well, not that difficult. I've always
\nloved the sound of the voices. The singing is very soulful,
\nalthough I can't understand the lyrics most of the time.<\/p>\n
When it comes to music, I'm interested in the scale, it's
\ndifferent. I have to say that I had a certain ignorance about the
\ndifferent type of music instruments (of Arabic music). There are
\nso many instruments. But we do that in this album. We listened to
\nmany, many traditional songs. They inspired us to do many, many
\nthings on this album.<\/p>\n
Q: What is your philosophy in singing?<\/p>\n
A: I need to feel good when I'm singing. I need to be very, very
\npeaceful and happy, and to be able to collect different feelings.
\nSinging is a spiritual, spiritual thing.<\/p>\n
Q: Are you happy with your level of success? Or do you plan to
\nhave global domination like Celine Dion, perhaps?<\/p>\n
A: I don't think about that too much. What I would like is my
\nmusic to be accepted by people. People enjoy my work. It was
\nproven in several countries. But it's up to the public to decide.<\/p>\n
Q: Are you influenced in any way by the mainstream, pop music
\nscene?<\/p>\n
A: I'd like to be aware of everything. I like mainstream because
\nmainstream generally can come up with more offbeat things. I
\nlisten to many, many things all the time from all directions. My
\ntaste is pretty eclectic.<\/p>\n
Q: What are you listening to now?<\/p>\n
A: I'm listening to Coldplay. Let's see, what's on my CD players?
\nI like Goldfrapp, Lou Reed, Pink Floyd ...<\/p>\n
Q: What direction will your music take in the future?<\/p>\n
A: I don't really calculate what I'm going to do next. It's
\nalways been very organic, nothing is calculated. I would come up
\nwith feelings and ideas, and if it feels right than I go ahead
\nwith it. I think I'll continue to record things, listen to
\ndifferent types of music, do different sounds.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you plan to take part in another musical?<\/p>\n
A: I've spent 10 years of my life working in musicals ... For me
\nit was not a very creative process. I needed a diversion. I'm a
\ncreative person, I like to come up with new ideas. No, I don't
\nhave any agenda (to do another musical) for the moment.<\/p>",
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