Here are some pics from my Australian Solo Tour – 9 shows in 11 days in 8 towns/ cities!
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Just wanted to give a shout out to music blogs Sounds of Oz and Love ‘Em for giving my Australian Solo Tour a plug!
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“… killer track with standout vocals and lyrics that really cut through…” – Sounds of Oz on Beautiful Soul
I had a really nice chat with Brendan MacLean from Scenestr magazine about my solo tour, among other things.
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Often dubbed ‘Australia’s answer to Alicia Keys’, Shameem’s music blends soul and jazz stylings with personal stories and socially conscious lyrics.
The WA neo-soul songstress will be touring nationally throughout October. But this time, she’ll only be accompanied by her keyboard. “When you’re a self-managed muso you’re always trying to find ways to save money and touring solo’s much cheaper,” Shameem laughs.
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I did this thing for Scenestr Magazine, where they asked me to put together a “Top 5” on any topic of my choice. In my usual social commentary style, I decided to make a dig at reality TV shows by putting together a list of 5 over-the-top fictional reality TV shows, which are actually not too different from some of the programs that we are all currently obsessed with. You can read the full write-up here.
1. MasterPlumber
Forget MasterChef… follow your favourite DIY plumbers as they battle it out for the honour of being crowned Australia’s MasterPlumber! A book deal is included in the grand prize.
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It’s very rare that someone pronounces my name correctly, especially on the first go. So I made this little video to teach you how to pronounce “Shameem” in one minute!
So I was surfing Google and I found this BMA Magazine review of my Canberra tour show by accident! What a nice surprise…
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At The Basement, Friday February 20
Been to The Basement lately? The venue’s makeover is gobsmacking, with the old décor, including the big spider, replaced by a flash look with autographed guitars and LPs on the walls. While still supporting metal fans, the venue now embraces a wider range of genres. Instead of bone crushing beats and ragged screams, tonight’s show engulfed us in a wave of funk.
I performed a “house concert” in an office, as a reward for the Special Sponsor of my album The Second City, Trilogy Advertising and Marketing. It was a really lovely evening, with Trilogy’s employees, contract workers and network of contacts enjoying lovely nibbles and drinks and a chance to catch up. I also performed for them a song that I wrote them as part of their crowd funding reward, entitled “We Do It Right”.
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I made this lyric video with beautiful black and white photos donated by some awesome people who responded to a call out on my Facebook page! “Give Me A Reason” is a heartfelt, very personal song on my new album, The Second City. Thank you to Clem Bailey, Hiro Ugaya, Todd Wilkinson and Sophie Brown for the use of your photos, you rock!
Mostly I’ve been featured on music blogs, but this time I was featured on Baha’i Blog! Check out my interview here.
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Over 12 years ago while visiting Perth, Australia, I met an amazing young Baha’i who was singing her heart out at the Baha’i Centre of Learning there. Her name was Shameem, and even though she was only in high school at the time, it was immediately clear that this enthusiastic and talented young singer, songwriter and musician was really going places with her music!
Now on her third album, and with a bunch of awards under her belt, Shameem continues to bless the stage and the airwaves with her wonderful soulful sound.
I recently caught up with Shameem again to find out more about her and her music:
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One pet question that I get whenever I’m doing an interview for a radio station, blog, streetpress or magazine is, “So, where does the title of your album The Second City come from?” So many people ask that question that I thought it would probably make for a good blog article, and that way I could take my sweet time explaining it, and not feel the need to rush to keep time available for other interview questions, haha.
So there’s a song on the album called “Chill in The Fire”. You can read in detail about the meaning of the lyrics in “Chill in The Fire” here, but the point is that it’s inspired by a Persian mystical work by Bahá’u’lláh called The Seven Valleys. The Seven Valleys is a highly poetic book describing the journey of the soul, using the imagery of travelling through seven valleys to explain ones spiritual journey. In the opening section it reads, “The stages that mark the wayfarer’s journey from the abode of dust to the heavenly homeland are said to be seven. Some have called these Seven Valleys, and others, Seven Cities. And they say that until the wayfarer taketh leave of self, and traverseth these stages, he shall never reach to the ocean of nearness and union, nor drink of the peerless wine.”
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The lyrics of “Chill in The Fire” are inspired by the second of these seven valleys, or seven cities, which is called The Valley of Love. I’m particularly enchanted by the imagery and language of that chapter in the book. So, since that song is inspired by the second valley/ city, and because this is my second album, I thought “The Second City” would make an apt title for the album. My second choice for the album title would have been “Beautiful Soul” (the title of the first track on the album), but I like the mystery behind “The Second City” more. Plus it gave me the excuse to have the album photoshoot with the skyline of my beautiful hometown, Perth city, in the background.
You can check out a lyric video that I made for “Chill in The Fire”, using photos from The Second City photoshoot, here. The album is available for purchase on iTunes or BandCamp.