1) To support international pop crooner Ronan Keating in his Perth show, performing to an audience of 5000 people. Also gracing the stage will be Sharon Corr of The Corrs. Best known for his hit single “When You Say Nothing At All”, Ronan Keating has sold over 22 million albums worldwide. In Australia, he’s well known as a judge on The X Factor.

2) To perform at NXNE (North By Northeast) Music Festival & Industry Conference in Toronto in June. An annual 5-day event, NXNE is the most anticipated summer music event in Canada, and an international destination for unsigned bands, indie favorites, and major-label headlining artists alike, drawing 300,000 attendees.

Shameem Taheri-Lee presents an album that will reach out and inspire her audience. With her naturally soulful voice and strong sense of spirituality, it will make you want to see a live performance to capture the full energy and charisma of this jazz artist.

Jayde Ferguson

Dubbed Australia’s answer to Alicia Keys and often compared to British chanteuse Sade, Shameem’s style is a unique fusion of 90s-esque R&B/ soul with jazz and 70s funk elements, employing a live band. Her expressive, naturally soulful voice and sense for conscious lyrics is both refreshing and infectious. While her songs defy a number of musical conventions, none will walk away without a tune replaying in their head.

Her 10-track album features a song written in collaboration with Grammy-winning UK-based producer James Bryan, who co-wrote and produced Nelly Furtado’s number one album Mi Plan.

“James Bryan approached me, having checked out my music online, and invited me to spend some time co-writing with him,” Shameem said. “It was a really amazing experience to collaborate with someone who lives and breathes the art of song-writing.”

“I really enjoy the track that we’ve created. I think it’s one of the highlights of the album.”

Having last performed in Albany in February earlier this year, Shameem said she was excited about returning for another performance. “Last time we came down to Albany we had a lovely reception and great response from the audience,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to this upcoming show.”

There is free entry to the show at the White Star Hotel on Friday, December 16, from 9pm to midnight.

Performing as part of the Fuse West showcase on Thursday February 23rd, Shameem and the band will get the opportunity to pitch their music to the influx of music industry professionals, conference delegates and the general public.

The show also coincides with National SLAM (Save Live Australian Music) Day – a great occasion for music-makers and music-lovers all around Australia. If you’re not in Adelaide, be sure to get out to a live music gig on February 23rd!!

Looking ahead?

So, in case you don’t know, I’m one of those people who’s always trying to think ahead. What will I be doing after I’ve finished doing what I’m doing right now? What will I be doing tomorrow? The day after? Next week? Next month? Next year? Where will I be? How will I get there? What if there’s something I can do right now which will make it better once I get there???!!

I need to constantly remind myself that there’s also here and now, and that if I don’t live in the here and now, then I’ll miss it and it will be gone forever!

"Scantily clad"

When you’re a person with high aspirations/ ambitions, it’s also easy to constantly feel impatient, because you are not where you want to be yet. Sometimes I get myself down as I gaze at my TV screen and watch as scantily clad young female “singers” with voices so auto-tuned that they sound like hyper-emotional robots shake their rear ends in my face, thinking to myself, “WHY are THEY more successful than me?!”

And it’s moments like that that I have to do a double-take and take stock of what I’ve got and where I’ve been.

 

Kia - my rock

2011 has been a year of great personal tests for me. My mum who is chronically ill has been going through her second marriage break-up, and I’ve had to step up and take on a lot of new responsibilities as a result – to look after my mum, and also give emotional support to my younger siblings as much as I can. However, I count myself extremely lucky that I have my amazing husband Kia beside me the whole way – there is no way that I would have been able to do this without his support.

In terms of how my music has been going in the last twelve months, I also have a lot to be thankful for:

We’ve received two grants from the Department of Culture & Arts WA.

We’ve toured WA, top to bottom.

I did a songwriting collaboration with a Grammy-winning songwriter in the UK.

We’ve recorded and released our debut album.

We’ve played everywhere from dingey pubs to VIP events to concert venues to large festival stages.

We’ve more than doubled our YouTube views, and greatly increased our online following.

We’ve grabbed the attention of local radio stations, all around Australia.

Thank you, music-lovers!!

It’s been a lot of effort, and a lot of persistence, but at the end of the day I can safely say that I love my job; I’m proud of what I do and I’m making the music that I want to be making – music that (hopefully) uplifts and inspires others. How many scantily clad, hip-shaking auto-tune dependents can claim the same?

Now, as we pass from one year to the next, I would like to give my thanks to those who enjoy, listen to, watch performances of, read about, tell others about, advocate, fundraise for or in any other way support our music!! There are too many of you to thank… there are those of you who turn up to almost every gig (you know who you are), those of you who bought multiple copies of the album so that we could afford to print it, those of you who are telling all your friends about our shows and sharing our weblinks around, and those of you who offer encouraging words from time to time… each and every one of you are part of this journey, and the music wouldn’t be the same without you.

"The engine"

Also, my humblest thanks to the musos in the band, who bring the music to life, and share the (literal) road with me, rocky and flood-stricken though it has been … they’re the engine that gets this train going!!

So here’s to 2012… I look forward to seeing what it will bring

(See article online here)

All photos taken by Katey Manuchehri, edited by David Broadway. Make-up by Michaela Whittle of The Makeup eMpire. Hair by Katie and Kendal at Shendals Signature Salon.

Photos taken by Shamim Beyzaie.

(See article online here)