Friday 28 November 2014

SOUL Post: Poetry Freestyle-How The World Works


How The World Works

I wish I knew how the world works
I wish I knew how to make the world
Turn turn
I wish I knew how the world world
I wish I knew how to make the world
Turn turn turn
All I know is God's voice
Tells me where to go go go
All I know is God's voice
Tells me where to go go go go
I wish I knew how the world works
I wish I knew how to make the world
Turn turn turn
Go round
But I guess I'll leave it
Up to

God.

Ekeisha E- 2014


Monday 24 November 2014

SOUL Post: Music Monday!

Hi Loves,





I've been typing up my dissertation hence my disappearance!

Hope you had a lovely not manic Monday!

Jazz FM gives me life during late nights of typing, from early morning to dusk.

Currently cannot get enough of this song Ledisi- Pieces Of Me!









Click to listen!



X

Friday 24 October 2014

Song Post: Fink- Shakespeare

Hi guys,

I bring to you Fink's latest video for their second single 'Shakespeare'. A Heartwarming song the video reflects that.


This track comes from their latest album 'Hard Believer', it is hypnotic, redemptive and highly emotive- you can really hear and feel the well written acoustic rock songs. It includes remixes from Zac Rae, Shelter Point, and Fin's very own from Nachbarn39Dub.



Click here to see the video










Tuesday 14 October 2014

SOUL Post: Poetry Freestyle- Here Is To Living



Here is to living
Living to learn
Living to love
Living without regrets
Here is to living
Living to grow
Living to feel
Living to see the beauty on offer
Lets live for the present
Lets do all we can
for tomorrow
Here is to living
Living to give
Living to absorb
Living to change
Be better everyday
Here is to life
Living with faith
Forgetting our fears
Wiping our tears
Raising our fists
As we win
We are winners
Lets toast to LIFE.





Ekeisha Edet
Freestyle poem inspired by Black History Month 2014

Sunday 12 October 2014

Life of a FINAL Year Commerical Music Student


Hi guys!



I can't believe the final year of uni has come about already!

It's been 3 weeks at uni and it feels like it's been forever to be honest. We've had pitches for our dissertation due at the end of November as well as thinking of projects; I've also been volunteering to give back and top-up my CV do it has been a hectic couple of weeks to say the least.

I plan on writing about DIVAS the topic has interested me for a long time, but boy does it go back way back in time. Further than the Beyonce's, Mariah's and Madonna's of today. I will be posting a link to the finished product by Easter.

So as in what is next on the music side of things I am planning a Piano EP. I was a piano player before a songwriter really so I think it would be great to show share some compositions as a project. But stay tuned as I bring you through my final year at University.





Side-note here are some photos from my 25th birthday celebration September 19th 2014





















Exciting times lay ahead. I will definitely keep you all updated, and try to post as much as possible. Really have missed the blog-sphere.

How are you all? If you haven't heard my latest music project 'Heart Strings' listen here.




Sunday 28 September 2014

SOUL Post: Art Meets Music!

Hi guys,

 I bring to you Social Architek's event: 'Art Meets Music'. This takes place monthly at the lovely Arch gallery in Bethnal Green.

Here you can chill out after work, sip on cocktails and socialise while listening to amazing emerging singer/songwriters and poets perform. In between you can view beautiful artwork on display by London's up and coming talented artists.

I was always meaning to go and finally made it last thursday (25th September 2014), the night was presented  by Venus vs Mars Actress/Presenter Letitia Hector.

The whole night was a WIN! One of my new favourite singer/songwriters Rukhsana Merrise performed as well as singer/songwriter Mallie & poet Samuel King. Let me not forget the DJ Kookie a female DJ who was playing classic Hip Hop & R&B- class!

Tickets were free so it was an absolute must. I had the chance of meeting some great people- whats not to love?

Come down one and all next month!

Railway Arches, 89 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9HA
Guestlist: wearesocialarchiteks.com

Check out Social Architek's here













Thursday 28 August 2014

What a Wonderful Summer: Carnival Tabanca

Hi guys!



It is safe to say that I am back. In June & July I was working at the premier sporting tournament in Tennis: Wimbledon. What a great time it was my heart was trembling during the final matches well done to the Champions!!

The week after the tennis tournament I found myself frantically packing to go on vacation- back to sunny St Lucia. What a great holiday I had with family, friends and loved ones.




Hotel Pina Coladas- my favourite beverage






Collecting fresh coconuts










He gave us a coconut- delicious




I played mas aka carnival out there. Carnival is a great season where people go out to fete (parties) most of these are all inclusive meaning they include UNLIMITED food and drink. Carnival came and I found myself playing mas with Just 4 Fun Carnival band!



Carnival Day 1- Face






Full view of costume -Passion 2014 






To get you all in the spirit, and to feel the carnival tabanca with click the link below for top DJ Private Ryan's post carnival relief!










I have Tabanca y'all. This is an intense desire for carnival to return in all of its glory despite the fact we are all licking our wounds and recovering from intense food and intoxication!


Listen to the mix while scrolling through some photos I took in St Lucia. Perhaps a Part 2 Photo Diary will come soon.


Post Carnival Beach Selfie





Reduit Beach







Pidgeon Island






At the top of Peak 1







Random Lizard aka Henry









Anse Chasanet Beach






Soufriere





Soufriere





Anse Chasanet Beach




The Pitons





Friday 20 June 2014

SOUL Post: Best Guacamole EVER!

Hi guys!

Summer is here, and a favourite at my house is my Guacamole.

I adapted this recipe from a Salsa Verde Recipe I discovered and also a Youtuber Benji's Guacamole recipe which you can fine here.

This is such a simple recipe and it is delicious as a snack with oatcakes/rice cakes or as a starter to share with tortilla chips! What makes this recipe even better is no machines are used, it is all by hand.

Your avocados must be ripe, and a must in this dish is the addition of Sriracha sauce. If you love guacamole that is flavoursome yet has texture this is for you!

So, here's what you need:


Utensils
1 x Large bowl
1x Potato Masher

Ingredients: 
2  x Avocado
10 Baby tomatoes
Juice of half a lime
1x Small Onion
4 x Garlic Cloves
2 x Spring Onions/Scallion
Green Pepper

To season:
2 tbsp of Tamari (can substitute for Soy Sauce)
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Mixed Herbs
Extra Garlic Sriracha Sauce (can subsitute for regular Sriracha)




1) Finely chop up onion, green pepper, tomatoes, spring onion, and garlic cloves and set aside.
2) In a bowl crush the avocados with a potato masher until small chunks, for texture.
3) Add seasonings to the avocado and mix in the chopped ingredients; be sure to taste for seasoning.
4) Mix well and serve with a side of tortilla chips.














X





Favourite Lippies

Hi guys!


I hope everything is well! So I bring to you my favourite lip products at the moment; I'm absolutely in LOVE with them and they can be picked up from your nearest Boots, Superdrug or any other drugstore. If I could wear pigmented lip balms over lipstick I would any day. Perfect for day wear.




First up is Rimmel London's Lasting Colour Rush:





Colour: 220 'Rumour Has It'

Price: £5.99

What do I think?
These lip crayons are great! Firstly the smell is delicious, slightly coconutty. Now as for pigmentation  I was pleasantly surprised to see how pigmented these are. This colour would be suitable for all skin tones and perfect for brown skin tones. The colour pay off is great and long lasting, BUT the colour does transfer. If they did not I would give these 5/5. I will definitely be trying out more colours from the range. Pigmented, Moisture rich and affordable!


SSS Rating
4.5*









Second up is Blistex Lip Brilliance:





Price: £2.61*

What do I think?
This lip balm is great! It smells fruity almost strawberry like, and it is extremely moisturising. I would wear this during the day. It is lightly pigmented, a nice natural blushing pink- not intrusive at all. I would wear this on vacation, or on those days when you are running errands or off to the gym and need a nice natural lip colour as well as moisture. Last summer this was my staple lip product,  BUT it does not last long at all and I find myself constantly applying.


SSS Rating:
3.5*





X

Monday 2 June 2014

SOUL Post: Monday Music

Hey guys!


How was your Monday?



Today was a good day...always remember to live life to the fullest and enjoy every day.

Here's a cool new group I discovered today Hawk House, formally known as Yellow Man.



Check their video out below and let me know if you feel the SOUL!







X

Tuesday 20 May 2014

SOUL Post: Poetry Freestyle #3



The light that shines
Brightly
This light within fears not
It listens to your hopes and dreams
And feeds upon your trust
Although we waver slightly
The light is not put out
It burns ever so brightly
As long as
There is air
The breath of life
It feeds upon
And with that comes your might
The power to love
The power to live
Is all that we need
Always remember
The light within
Will guide you on your way
Follow the light
Let it shine bright
As you go spiritedly on your way.



"Enjoy the gift of life; you live to see the light."

-Ekeisha E

Song,Spirit & Soul: The Sun Is Finally Out

Hi guys!

How was your weekend?

Mine was great, and what made the entire weekend was the SUN! I had a really busy week last week with the last of my uni tour. I managed to put on a three night London tour for two bands from Westminster Uni; Twisted Light and XOEO. Friday was the last night, and although all the hard work was over you do miss the adrenaline rush of planning, the build up and the excitement and relief when it all ends.

After the gig, my friends and I decided to explore London. We were very snappy-happy as they say taking pictures of the Shard from London Bridge, walking all the way to Old Street. There were a lot of people out and it literally felt like we were on vacation. We were in search of food; and went to our old faithful Busaba Eathai. I do recommend you go; you can never go wrong. I had the seafood stir fry, and 'healthy' deep fried squid. SO GOOD. We then went to a club; this was not planned, not planned at all but we had a great night dancing the night away to 90s R&B. It was 3am the lights switched on and long behold I saw my cousin. My long lost cousin who I had not seen in 20 years! Typical me want to tear up; this could be partly due to an alcoholic beverage I had earlier but I do get emotional at times. I was in shock. Number 1 we didn't intend on clubbing let alone in the Old Street/Bricklane area and number 2 we hadn't seen each other in 2 years. *sigh*

Saturday my friend and I went shopping. A nice girly day out consisting of clothes browsing & some spending at Topshop and Froyo!

Sunday was just the icing on the cake. A friend of mine (Lidiaana) invite me to her friend's (Ragz-CV) video shoot in the park. It was awesome and for a great cause, nice to just chill out in the 24 degree sun. Good vibes and music- I will post the video when its out!

I apologise for the lack of  no photos. I'm currently exporting all the photos and videos from my phone, as I have no memory on it. Song, Spirit & Soul will be sharing photos soon; via a camera promise.

If you have not already take a listen to 'Heart Strings' my debut E.P  here :)

All in all a great weekend. It is safe to say summer has arrived.


X

Friday 9 May 2014

SOUL Post: It's Friday!



Happy Friday all!


There's something about Fridays, I think the Friday feeling is definitely contagious. I mean, who doesn't like LOVE Fridays! lol


I come to you with sweet sweet Soca! Caribbean Soca music is crossing over finally, as we have Bunji Garlin crossing over with 'Differentology', 'Carnival Tabanca' and now 'Jus Now'


I'm a proud sweet sweet Soca mama!  Check out these videos below as well as my new favourite mellow Soca song 'Golden' by Jaiga, and thank me later if you will.











What songs get you ready for the weekend?

X


Tuesday 6 May 2014

SOUL Post: Soul Searching

Hi guys!

Pinch, punch first of the month! Do they still do that? I remember in Primary School on the first day of the month everyone would go around punching and pinching each other to welcome the new month. I hated being caught out... thinking about those times makes me feel old; and I'm still young!

Being 24, not yet 25; close to 30 but not close enough. 24 has its pros and cons. I always imagined by 25 I'd be married maybe with some kids lol. It's funny how when we're young we think of our ideal lives, and its interesting to be here now and think about how different my life is to how I imagined and dreamed it would be. I also imagined I'd be either a doctor or a lawyer, and owning my own beauty magazine!

It was summer 2012 when I applied to University of Westminster through Clearing and managed to gain a place on the BA Commercial Music course. I was so excited I'd finally get to study what I enjoy. Near to the end of my second year it is safe to say i have learnt alot. If I'm completely honest this course was not what I expected either but I am much happier that I can make improvements within my reach. They say the grass is not greener on the other side but I do believe I have found a green patch on the other side in which I can seek my teeth into. The music industry in a commercial sense is not easy, but nobody said it would be. I'm just happy to play the piano, and write songs. But as well as being a musician I have learnt that I am may things in life and we cannot be defined by or as being just one thing. Especially as a creative if there's a way to express and have an outlet do it I say.

A little debut project, called 'Heart Strings' all songs written and produced by me you can find on my Sound Cloud NOW! :) https://soundcloud.com/ekeishae



SONG Post: Introducing Lidiaana

Dear all,

I had the pleasure to interview my dear friend and talented songstress Lidiaana this past February. Catch up with Lidiaana as she embarks on the next stage of her music career. It was so nice to see what she's up to, and to find out more of her life story. Be sure to comment and share, and check out her music. I hope you enjoy.




E: Hi Lidiaana, so great to meet you. So can you tell our readers a little about yourself?
L: Hi Ekeisha thank you for having me. I am Lidiaana and mainly known for being an R&B/Soul singer and songwriter but also produce, do live events and I’m an entrepreneur! I am Eritrean, a proud African. I was born in Germany but feel more connected to my African roots. I travelled around Europe as an exchange student [Italy and France] before deciding that London would be the place for me. Here I could learn English, and not be too far from my mum and family in Germany. There’s no way she would have let me move to say America. After a year I fell in love with the place, began studying and seven years later I’m still here!

E: How as a young girl did you find leaving your mum and your family, thousands of miles away?
L: Living on your own and being independent is pretty hard. I like to be around my family all the time. But, here I’m focused on music and my career. I feel more productive if I’m on my own.

E: Amazing story. How did you find growing up in Germany, did it influence your music in any way?
L: Growing up in Germany was wonderful. I am from a small city in the south of Germany, Stuttgart. The city of Mercedes Benz and Porsche. I got first into musicals and theatre productions as a young girl and later into Gospel music, where I would perform in various churches. I was lucky to have musical neighbours Hip Hop duo Les Sans Mono. They -performed conscious lyrics joined with neo soul and hip hop sounds, whilst being accompanied by live instruments. Since 15 they supported and helped me to get myself out there. My older sister Ella, listened to a lot of R & B and Soul, artists such as Erykah Badu and Mary J Blige therefore inspired my musical development. Here in London I found my own voice and style, I learnt how to use my voice tone and pitch wise. Now, my music ranges from R&B/Soul, to Jazz, to African R&B.






E: From Germany to the UK, did this experience help you as an artist?
L: Speaking about my days living in Germany I can tell you my life story in 2 hours. London, I can go on forever. Living alone, one is much more in touch with yourself. When having any problems there’s no family to solve them for you. So you feel more independent career and self-development wise. I can write about a lot more experiences now being a young lady, compared to growing up in Germany. So you feel more independent career wise and self-development wise. This really inspired many songs I’ve released recently (Album-‘How Often). For example feeling sad constantly inspired ‘Depression’ and ‘How Often’ came about when I was falling for the same type of guy (wrong guy). I can write about a lot more experiences now being in my early twenties compared to growing up in Germany.

E: I’ve been listening to your debut album ‘How Often’ and love it I must say. It has soul. What inspired the tracks?
L: Since my last release ‘Adey’, where I worked with other Eritrean songwriters I feel like I have grown so much and can write more honest music about my experiences. I have decided to go back to writing in English and to perform more Soul/RnB music than to traditional/Eritrean music. A lot of songs were inspired by my family, such as 'Noah's Lullaby' which is dedicated to my sweetest nephew Noah who was born in 2012. It is produced by my good friend and Swedish Music Producer El Campeon. I love how it turned out. 'To the sky' is a song that was produced by Torontonian Music Producer OverNitte. We -recorded this song whilst chatting on Skype about our amazing holiday in Toronto 2012. From listening to the track you can tell a lot is just my vocals mainly adlibs. I think in general this album is honest about my feelings and very 'me'. That’s why my album is the way it is.




E: That’s great. The album is very varied but still manages to flow well. I like your recent releases what inspired them?
L: My cousin, Samuel Mekonnen, who is a talented actor from Toronto suggested to do more ambient singing similar to ‘The Weeknd’, and to create more airy and atmospheric sounds. Also, I tried to include a lot of my 'real' feelings into it. From haters, that I have in my life, to the people, that used to be in my life and left an impact, to my future wishes that you can gather from "The one for Me' and 'Do You'.


E: So, as well as making the music there’s the shows. What does performing mean to you as an artist?
L: If your fans can see you live it’s a new experience for them to see you. Nothing beats being on stage, it can’t be captured in song, photos or video as it is happening live right there and then. The face to face experience doesn’t compare to anything else. I understand now what it is to create a show the behind the scenes work that goes into it. Also I’m so lucky to have my beautiful ‘Afro – Lidiettes’ to perform with supporting me; sharing the energy. Once you do what you love, nothing else matters and all your worries go away.




E: What is your direction for your next release?
L: Currently I’m listening to a lot of music, from unknown artists to commercial. I like a lot of different music, and influenced by a lot. People say this can confuse your fans. But I believe just as things changes in everyday life so can music; Artists can reinvent themselves. I’m writing and listening to a lot of other artist’s music and will continue to and go with the flow until I find my direction.

E: You started your own label how do you balance being an artist with entrepreneurship?
L: It is quite a lot but Studying Commercial at University Of Westminster we were always made to develop our business skills on coursework and projects. ‘Segenita Group’ is the company name. All of my singles I have released have been through the label ‘Segenita Records’. There’s ‘Fusionita’ which is for live events and ‘Segenita Productions’ for creative who make videos and produce and my charity ‘The Lidiaana Foundation’. It’s difficult to work on everything with being an artist and entrepreneur but eventually I will build a team and work on everything at the same time and have my enterprise!









E: The future is looking bright! Where can we the readers find you?
L: Well get off at Willesden Green Station and then…. (laughs). Just kidding. You can find me and all my social networking sites at www.lidiaana.com. Follow! Subscribe! Like! Love! Share! Comment! ...Thank you Ekeisha, I have really enjoyed chatting to you - Wishing you and all the best.




- Ekeisha E
  x