Currently confined in Paris, the American singer/songwriter Melody Gardot launches a powerful call on her social media networks. Due to social distancing measures put in place as a result of COVID-19, people are unable to gather and musicians are currently confined, with all public concerts cancelled and normal recording sessions postponed.
It was a situation that inspired Gardot to launch a personal initiative dedicated to fans and orchestral musicians from around the globe who are currently staying at home. The concept is simple: keep creating despite our distance. The singer aspires to assemble a message of love via a “live casting” on social networks to bring together a “digital global orchestra”. All musicians selected will be paid as if they were in the studio.
“There are so many magnificent artists and musicians in the world who can no longer live through their art, exercise their profession, or find themselves together working in the studio. I feel strongly that we cannot just wait and continue to struggle, that on the contrary, we must try to do something beautiful all together and come out “virtually” from our confines to continue producing. I hope this project will give love and hope” explains Melody whose albums have sold millions of copies worldwide and who will donate her royalties of this new track to benefit healthcare workers (see below for charity details).
Musicians apply via www.melodygardot.com. They will be sent musical charts, backing tracks and instructions with which to record and film themselves performing the piece at home. Fans and those who want to contribute to the video portion of this process have been asked to send a digital video portrait and a handwritten message (see Instagram post HERE).
Upon receipt of all submissions, the individual parts performed will be reviewed. According to the images and performances, musicians will be selected by Melody and her multi-Grammy award winning team: Producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock), conductor, arranger and composer Vince Mendoza (Bjork, Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello) and the legendary engineers, Al Schmitt and Steve Genewick (Frank Sinatra, Joao Gilberto, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney).
Any musician chosen and featured in the final recording will be paid a fee relative to a standard UK union recording wage.
The end result will be the release of the single ‘From Paris with Love’. The accompanying video, once assembled, will be available on social networks, featuring all selected musicians performing from their homes, and a kaleidoscope of fans openly invited by Melody, where she asked them to send her video portraits of themselves from wherever they are in the world, along with a separate handwritten sign saying “FROM (Paris, London, Tokyo, etc.) WITH LOVE”.
‘From Paris With Love’ will be a delicate taste of Melody Gardot’s next album, details of which are to be revealed soon.
Decca and Melody are waiving their profit on this track and will pay a minimum of £0.50 to the charity Protège Ton Soignant for each permanent download sold in the UK and 0.20p for each permanent download sold outside of the UK or for every 150 streams.
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