| Introducing...Farita | ||||
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Winner of Best Female Solo Artist, Australia in the International Music Aid Awards 2006, has seen Farita hit the USA, Broadjam Top 10 Charts including the Pop Top 10, The Production (Other) Top 10, The Female Vocal Top 10 & The California Top 10. And now Ish managed to catch up with her on her busy schedule to bring you this exclusive interview with her.
How about we start by telling our readers a little about yourself, your background. Where do I begin? I’m not your typical “I’ve been singing since I was two” singer. I grew up in a traditional Indian, (Zoroastrian) family where it was always studies first! I was in school choirs growing up and played the clarinet in primary school but I never really thought about music as a career. During high school my desire to sing and write grew – it was my form of escape as I wasn’t cool or popular. When I began university, I enrolled in singing lessons as well and from there my interest in music evolved into something more than just a hobby. It was hard at first convincing my parents that I wanted to pursue a singing career. They were, understandably, concerned that I would be influenced by ‘unsavory characters’ but my goal has always been to be a true, strong Indian female artist and nothing less. Once my parents understood how important this was to me things sorted themselves out. Every artist is given a blessing to release their feelings, their thoughts through music and that is something really special. Initially I was singing for other writers/producers and I was okay with that but as I became more involved with the music I realised that I had a unique opportunity, here I was an artist with the best of two worlds – my Indian heritage and my western upbringing - an unique combination and a true reflection of the influences that have led me to where I am today, instead of letting that pass me by I thought why not fuse the two and create something new and different. ‘Farita’ as an artist is all about blending the best of east and west. Even the tracks that do not have a blatant Indian feel often have subtle ethnic characteristics to them, whether it’s a percussion instrument, a sound, a riff. As for the listener, the beautiful thing about music is that it is completely open to interpretation. It’s all so completely personal what a song means to each individual. You recently won ‘Best Female Solo Artist – Australia’ tell us more about this? Ah yes, the International Music Aid Awards. The Music Aid Awards began in England in 1988 as a way to reach the public through music while creating awareness for worthwhile and needy causes all around the globe. It has featured some of the biggest names in music. We submitted the track, ‘Get Up Now’ (available on her debut EP). I didn’t think too much too much about it…okay, I thought a little about it but I was stunned when I read my name next to Australia for ‘Best Female Solo Artist’! What makes it even more rewarding is that the track was reviewed anonymously by industry peers, writers, musicians, producers etc. It’s wonderful to receive some recognition from others in the industry.
You’re right, “Karma” is not your typical ‘what goes around comes around’ track. We tried something different. For me it's a track about taking control of your destiny, being grateful for the blessings you are bestowed in life and being true to yourself and others. At the same time it’s got a great beat to move to! I love Karma – it’s something unlike anything else out there right now. The track was a finalist in the respected Australian WAM Song of the Year Awards in the ‘Urban’ category.
You started playing music as a young child - would you say it took away something from your childhood? Hahahaha, hardly! I only played the clarinet for two years. I was awarded a scholarship during primary school. In fact I wish I had kept it up and continued playing it, who knows, maybe I will take it up again.
A big part of the problem is that people are misinformed about how much artists actually earn. The average listener thinks an artist is making ‘all this money’ and so it’s ‘no big deal’ to just download or copy their track without paying for it. The reality is quite different. For every CD sold a percentage will go to the label (if they are signed). You have to pay the producers, the writers, the engineers, for the mastering of the CD, the CD artwork and design, CD pressing – and we aren’t even going into marketing, distribution and promotion here. To have a professional product, none of these things come cheap and these costs are all incurred by the artist. So you have to sell many thousands of CD’s to even recoup your initial costs let alone make a pile of money. From an artist’s personal perspective you invest so much of your time, your creativity and your dedication into each and every project - a part of you goes into every line, every song, every CD. That should to count for something I think. When people don’t pay to enjoy an artist’s music they are saying to the artist we don’t feel you are worth $1 for a download or $15 for an album. Music prices have some way down. A lot of good artists never make it because the public doesn’t support them. An artist can’t survive on ‘I love your stuff’ or ‘I’m a big fan’. If you like an artist - buy their music! It’s that simple.
What are your plans for 2007?
Who do you think has helped the most at your career? All my tracks! Nah, just kidding, gees I am not the kind of person who really has a top 5 as such. I just enjoy a variety of music though I steer more towards Pop/R&B and I like Bollywood tracks and Latin Pop music too. I’m a fan of many artists including, Justin Timberlake, Mario, Beyonce Knowles, Ricky Martin, P. Diddy, Pussycat Dolls, Joe, 112 and there are heaps more, it all just depends on what I feel like listening to.
I’d like to complete my debut album – but in this industry you can want one thing and get quite another! I would love to tour at some point too. What is an average day like in your life? Always lots to do but I don’t want to bore you with the details!
Which places would you like to visit but haven’t yet and why?
SimplyBhangra readers, I hope you’ve gotten to know me a little more today and I sincerely hope you enjoy my music. It’s been a very special project for me and I’m excited to be sharing it with all of you! I’d love to hear from you in my guestbook or at Myspace.com. That’s it guys! Mwah!
For more information and to grab your copy of Farita’s debut CD, ‘Karma – The EP’, visit www.farita.com. Don’t forget you can also drop Farita a line in her guestbook!
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