1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com loves your new single! How do you feel about that and what do you think this year holds for you?
I feel very happy and grateful people are taking to the music. I’m very excited for the year ahead.
2. When will the album be out and what will it be called?
My new album is out now, it’s called Heaven.
3. How do you feel about starting out in a [competition] reality show, do you think that was the right platform for you?
I think it was. I wouldn’t of had the exposure I’ve had without the X Factor.
4. Should we expect a tour after the album release and when do you think it will be?
Yes I’m touring in February and March. I’m really excited to be performing my own songs to my fans and it’s my own tour. (Side note: Rebecca Ferguson has added three extra dates to her February / March 2012 headline UK tour. She will play Plymouth, Reading and another date in Liverpool, in March next year.)
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
“Live for today as tomorrow might not have been written.”
Loft965.com’s Best Albums of 2010.
1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com picked your album It All Starts With One as an “Album to look forward to in 2011.” How do you feel about that and what do you think this year holds for you?
I’m very proud and happy to hear that! I hope that as many people as possible will hear this album, because I’m very happy with it. I’m going to do my best to spread my music around the world.
2. The first single “Do You Remember?” is a different sound from your other singles. What inspired this direction and what’s behind the song?
The demo for this song is me playing a bass line on one string of a guitar. It’s a kind of melancholic love folk song, and this rhythm was already there in the bass line. But we decided to make it bigger, and we invited 3 drummers to the studio. I felt like making a production where you just can’t stand still. I hope everyone wants to move to it.
3. You recently toured with Ani DiFranco, whom we love here at Loft965.com, how did you find the experience and should we look forward to more collaborations in the future?
Ani DiFranco is a very lovely woman, and I’m a big fan of hers. She was my main inspiration when I first started playing guitar 12 years ago. I loved doing the gigs with her, and playing for her audience, and I hope that I can do it again in the future.
4. What will be the next single from It All Starts With One and why did you choose it?
We chose “Worship” as the next single from the album. I love José Gonzales’ voice and I love this recording. It’s a bit hypnotizing.
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
― Nelson Mandela
The uploader has made this video not available in my country because apparently they are so eager to break the Kuwaiti market when they get to it, or they just lump up everyone not from where they are or not a huge market for western music like the US and the UK. Nonetheless, we love the band, so we want to give the chance to some of our international readers to see it. Tell us how it goes.
1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com picked “Phakade” and “Mali” as a “Sexy Tracks” of 2011! How do you feel about that and what do you think the rest of the year holds for you?
Amazing, I did not expect that the African songs would resonate but I think this is very exciting! Thank you! I’m going to spend the rest of the year taking advantage of Southern African Festival season so that I can reach more fans.
2. As of now, “Mali” is constantly on our stereos! Will it ever get released as a single?
It is currently one of our singles in South Africa.
3. You just released an EP for your American audience. Are you planning on launching your new album there and when will it be?
I’m planning to launch a full album titled Rise Again in early 2012 and then follow it up with a tour from the end of January. The album is a combination of tracks from Feel Good, Soul in Mind but mainly containing new tracks from my Return to Love album.
4. Are you going on tour? What will be your next single?
Yes my tour will span over the entire North America and it will be 60 days long!
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
I post so many on my twitter and facebook page periodically. My favourite one from this week is “Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.”
And we are off to Cape Town now! For reals!
After three years and more in operation, your favorite (we hope) music source is getting a little facelift. We have been in the process of choosing and plugging in a new look for our little blog here and it will be up shortly. Of course, tell us what you think once the changes take place, miss sugar. “Often imitated, never duplicated” – MC.
1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com picked “Pop Song” as a “Sexy Track” of 2011! How do you feel about that and what do you think the rest of the year holds for you?
I am happy to hear that, thank you. I have to say I didn’t realize it was such a sexy song, I thought it was just honest. I think I will be busy writing and recording my third album for the rest of the year. I will be releasing it in 2012.
2. We are excited about the new album. What will it be called?
I am still writing songs for the album so I haven’t decided on a name for it yet. I usually don’t name my albums until all the songs are ready.
3. What musical direction are you taking for your new album?
At the moment it sounds like it’s going to be a pop album with a country and folky twist. But that could change before the album is finished.
4. Are you going on tour? What will be your next single?
I won’t be going on tour until after christmas, but I hope to travel to lots of different places to play my new songs next year. I don’t know what song will be my next single but I have two songs that are strong candidates. One about a scary house close to where I live and another about a very lucky boy.
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
We have a lot of old sayings here in Iceland and some of them seem very strange, especially when they have been translated. One of my favorites is “Ég kalla nú ekki allt ömmu mína” it translates as “I don’t call just anything my grandmother .” It means I don’t get scared easily.
Following the three year anniversary celebrations of Loft965.com, some people went a little extra to show their love for our little blog. Other than the cyber-success we are having, it’s always great to see that some feel passionately about the blog to take the time out to show it. The feedback was international and, as we always overly us the term, “lovely.” As always, keep them coming and this kind of love keeps us doing what we do. It’s always great to be noticed from all corners of this pop-loving world, as you can tell by the picture from the Philippines above. Much love and appreciation to the readers and those who have been summoned.
Another reader from Kuwait sent us this “Official Seal Of Awesomeness” via the comments section. Thank you!
From the USA. One of the highlights of reader feedback in the past 3 years!
Another reader from Bahrain and one of our favorite Twitter users took a picture of her bedroom wall adorned with our compilation covers. Loves it!
This reader stumbled upon the tiny corner of a location in Prague, Czech Republic where we took the album cover for the Prancina! compilation. She spotted it and sent it to us. Click here for the cover.
And an iPad/iPhone doodle of love our way from another reader.
Thanks for all the @LOFT965 love and keep coming!—
Nasser AlQatami (@nasque) October 11, 2011
We’ve followed Reham’s career for a while now and we are constantly reminded of how beautiful her lullabies are and how poignant and timely her lyrics are. When we originally listened to this track we knew it was written about Kuwait, but the video treatment for the song takes place in Dubai’s metro system and it’s quite lovely. It propels the song to a different level and brings it back to life for us. Watch for yourself!
Yes, Loft965.com is about to complete its third year in operation. The little blog that started with a public sneer, yet reached the global sphere will celebrate its inception on September 15th, 2011. For this occasion we plan to give you gifts and create a strategy for the fourth year. We promise you a better, bigger and bolder year ahead of us. In celebration and because we have been receiving some great love, we need you to get involved!
Please send in your Loft965.com wishes, letters, pictures, stories, videos, quotes and whatever else in commemoration of this occasion. We already have a few, we’ll post the best of the best on here. Also, the best entry will receive a Loft965.com goodie bag with wonderful things! The submissions can be anything from one-liners, to tribute pictures, to essays and vlogs.
Send in your submission to: admin@loft965.com
Thank you!
As you can tell by the lovely picture, we are covering the Way Out West festival, which Robyn, Santigold and the lovely Prince are playing. We hear rave review of the festival and how greatly it was organized. We will keep you posted it with the write-ups soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the crowd cheering to Robyn below.
Come see us this Thurday August 11, 2011 at 9pm!
We know this is a music blog, but we can’t not cram in a little something we have been working on. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kuwait is glad to invite you to its first ever celebration of International Youth Day. In a bid to further expand its youth programme, UNDP Kuwait is throwing the world-renowned PechaKucha night for youth to attend. Comedienne Hoda Marafie will be the hostess for the evening. The event will also have an exhibition with corporate and organization booths that cater to the youth of Kuwait.
This little blog from Kuwait is going great places! Technorati has given us branding new ratings and they are the highest this blog has ever gotten. We haven’t updated you lately on the blog, but we figured we’d wait until our 3rd anniversary this September! But, this piece of fantastic news came our way and we couldn’t resist but divulge. Loft965.com has nestled comfortable in the Top 50 range for quite a while now with the other music blogs, but this month we took a leap higher. According to the most highly respected rating system for blogs online Technorati.com, these are our ratings as of now:
#29 Most-Visited Music Blog Worldwide
#120 Most-Visited Celebrity Blog Worldwide
#312 Most-Visited Entertainment Worldwide
#2585 Most-Visited Blog Worldwide
This has, of course, turned our month around and gave a stamp of approval to our efforts unlike anytime before. This is a great step forward for us. The music industry is taking notice by the influx of email offers we receive daily and our readership keeps increasing. Thank you for visiting us as always and we promise to give you the freshest in music.
Our 2011 Accolades as on now:
Top Music Blog from Technorati.com
Top Authority from TopicsBest.com
Authority Music aBlog from Wikio.com
Much thanks and appreciation. We have you keep coming b y the tens of thousands like you have and never hesitate to drop us some feedback, commentary or a little note. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook! Join our community and be forever updated with the the beats that will soundtrack your life.
Thanks again and we hope you are having a monumental summer, as busy as it was for us, we are trying to make the best of it and also to ensure we fill it with festive music for you. There’s more to come from this little blog and we hope you join us for the entirety of the journey. Your participation is intrinsic for the succes of this site and it is never forgotten. Cheers to the freakin’ weekend!
This is one of our favorite Amy Winehouse tracks ever. One time we spent 6 hours listening to it on repeat on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuwait. Lovely song and her reference to Erykah Badu was so timely, her voice flawless.
You’ve been following Loft965.com for a while now, it’s time you looked into being part of the team.
