My Continuing Travels

What a wonderful week this has been! Singers from 15 European nations had gathered for the 20th edition of the International Song Contest in Çesme, Turkey. We were overwhelmed by the Turkish warm welcome and hospitality, and it was a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere from the beginning, especially since some of us artists had known each other. I represented Switzerland (I’m glad you asked…) and was accompanied by my friend, Swiss producer Matthias Heimlicher. Elif Cansu, a bright student from Izmir, was our faithful guide, who did a great job supporting us and translating for us. And she taught us some much-needed Turkish words. I speak a couple of languages, but man, Turkish is something else!
The contest itself was a blast: We performed in an outdoor amphitheatre, packed with around 5000 people, it was a great show that was watched by 10 million people on TV. And I’ll be honest with you: I initially didn’t even want to participate in the contest, but once there, I certainly wanted to reach the Final Four. I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t make it! It must have been my hairdo that the jury didnt approve of. Ah well, a bit disappointed, but not a big deal, really. I learnt some important lessons, though. One line in the song “Hide & Seek” that I performed says: “When I lose, You’re still my gain”, and that’s the truth! In addition, I didn’t lose anything as the purpose of this trip goes far beyond our performances. I made friends with so many wonderful people: Turkish locals as well as artists and managers from all over Europe. I learnt to let go of ambition and pride and enjoyed supporting others. I was reminded that sharing life and playing the part that I’m assigned to is important than being first. Not to mention the delicious food, phantastic weather, some beach time, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and even playing football with locals. It was a week to remember and I truly look forward to going back to this part of the world soon. Maybe next year, representing Serbia? )
PS: the Ukrainian singer Valeriya won, followed by Kazakhstan and Finland.

June Special

Order Vlada’s new album by June 30, and you will get 2 copies for the price of 1! You can place your order here>http://www.vladamusic.com/store.html

VLADA Vlog No. 9: Gospel Festival in Stockholm

The other week I was supporting the Swiss Gospel Choir at the 20th International Gospel Festival in Stockholm. It was an intense, but very exciting week, full of rehearsals, performances, and occasional visits to Stockholm’s beautiful old town. We had performances as the Swiss Gospel Choir, but were also part of the Mass Choir. Singing gospel songs with 1500 other singers was quite an experience! And there’s something about Black Gospel music that touches my heart and soul, time and time again. Black Gospel attracted me from my early youth onwards, I sang in and was the musical director of a gospel choir for over 10 years. I guess it’s not surprising that you can hear some gospel elements in my music as well )

My question to you this time: 

>> Have you ever been to Sweden?

Leave me a comment, if you will! 

So long, take care, 
Vlada 

VLADA Vlog No. 8: Serbian Food/Belgrade

ry has suffered severely in the past two decades (for obvious reasons), but it seems to me after my last visit that there’s some hope coming up that the dire conditions might change after all. I am confident I will talk about this in another blog some time. 
This vlog is a short introduction to Serbian Food (albeit incomplete) and to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. My question to you this time is: 

>>Have you ever been to Eastern Europe?

Let me know! 

Blessings, 
Vlada

 

VLADA Vlog No.7: Hiking in Serbia

This is a short video from my hiking experience with marathon runner Christoph Hegi in the mountains of Sumadija (Serbia). I just love being outdoors in the forest or the mountains, even though I do it way too rarely. What about you:

>> Do you love hiking and being outdoors?

Let me know! 

Blessings, 
Vlada

 

VLADA VLOG No. 6: Montreux Jazz Festival

I was blessed to go to Montreux (Switzerland) this week and spend a couple of days at the famous Jazz Festival. Montreux during the Festival is a fascinating place! The location is simply beautiful, there are hundreds of world-class shows (at ridiculous prices at times) and you’ll meet musos & fans from all over. You never know who might come around the corner or which cat might end up playing a jam session at the Jazz Café. This year, I saw Herbie Hancock with his All-Star Band (feat. Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Louis Loueke), Chaka Khan with Rahsaan Patterson and Quincy Jones’ 75th Anniversary Celebration with so many Special Guests that I won’t even start… I would just make you jealous. In my quest to meet some stars or be recognized as one myself, I failed miserably (but WHY?). Anyway, check out the video, and you will see for yourself…

Let me know:

•  Have you ever been to the Montreux Jazz Festival? Or any other Jazz Festival?
•  If yes, what did you see?

So long, my dears, have a blessed weekend,

Vlada

VLOG No. 5: EURO Football 2008

I’ve been playing football (US friends: I’m talking about soccer) since I was little kid. After 15 years of playing as a striker in a club, I stopped playing due to injuries and lack of time. I couldn’t invest that much time into music AND sports. Music won in the end, but I still love playing football whenever I have the chance. I don’t watch football that much any more, but with the EURO Football Cup (arguably the world’s best football tournament) being held in Switzerland (ok, and Austria…), I coudn’t resist watching a few games, some of which I watched in Nashville with my football-loving friends (a Swiss couple, a Dutch friend and an Australian mate) and some I ended up watching in Switzerland after my return back home, usually with my Dad. The difference in attention this sport gets on these continents could not be vaster. The Vlog will show you what I mean…

Let me know:

• Have you watched the EURO 2008? How and where did you experience it?
• What’s your best/worst football (soccer) memory?

I’m looking forward to your comments! So long, my dears, blessings,

Vlada

Recording My Debut with My Heroes

It’s exactly five years ago that we recorded the basic tracks for my debut album. I can hardly believe it’s that long ago! On June 23-25, 2003, I had the chance to record 13 songs with an all-star band featuring some of the world’s finest players (no name-dropping, for once ). It was nothing short of a miracle. Imagine you’re a basketball fan and player (unknown and averagely talented), and suddenly an all-star team featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Kobe Bryant comes to your small village to support you in a local tournament (ok, sorry, I couldn’t resist). That’s crazy, right? Well, by God’s grace alone, that happened to me in musical terms. It turned out to change my life completely. Later that year, we recorded the 14th song acappella with Take 6, my biggest heroes of all, which surpassed my wildest dreams. Through them, I ended up finishing the album in Nashville. After going back and forth between Switzerland and the US, I’m now on the verge of relocating to Nashville. It’s been a rollercoaster ride since the album has not been finished, let alone released yet, due to many reasons. But I’ve learnt countless valuable lessons along the way, and looking back I simply know that there was reason for all the detours. I hesitate saying this, but this time I am confident that my debut will actually be released in early 2009. It will be the beginning of a new season that I am truly looking forward to!

Let me know!

• Have you had big dreams that have been fulfilled, if not even surpassed? Tell me about it!

Much love, Vlada

Meet the Band, June 25, 2003

Album Photo Shooting

Wow, what a day! This was my first real photo session (with studio, make-up, styling and all that) and I have to say, it was quite an experience. Again, I was blessed to work with the best! Legendary photographer Jimmy Abegg and amazing stylist Tony Armani went out of their way to make me look good and capture the magic moments. We had decided beforehand to explore two different angles: a snappy, classy European suit one (see pic below) as well as a crazy-funky, 70s, over-the-top one (I reveal which one we chose soon!). Somehow, I felt more relaxed and at ease in the second, probably because was so ironic that I didn’t worry about looking good any longer… And as always, I learnt a few lessons along the way. It was again a matter of letting go – of my own image of myself, my perceptions, my expectations – and trusting these pro’s that they will actually make me look great or even better than I do in reality! That’s a hard thing to do for someone as vain as me… I haven’t seen much yet, but from what I have seen, I’m convinced that we will have loads of phenomenal material to choose from! One thing we all agreed on was that the album artwork should support and capture the energy of the music, more so than just my face or my looks, which, as a matter of fact, might remain something enigmatic and mysterious. It’s an adventurous journey and the session today was certainly another big step towards finishing the album. I can’t wait to see those pics…

VLOG No. 4: Prêt-à-Porter

Hey my dears!
In this week’s VladaVlog stylist Tony Armani and I are looking for funky clothes for Vlada’s upcoming photoshoot. Leave me a comment and tell me which suit you would choose!