The time has finally come...my baby arrived
Current mood: confused

Today i was given the very first EVER pressed copy of the new album "Brand New Day"...and as excited as i was to finally have this in my hands after SOOOO long...i'm kinda in a weird place with it. I mean, i've spent the last 9months working my ass off on this thing i am now holding in my hand but i don't know what i am meant to feel toward it. It's like i've just given birth to a child and i'm not sure what to name it!! hahaha

No seriously, It's like i've got post natal depression with it...every second of every day in the last 9 months has been consumed with the making of this album - from going into the studio in my days off at the end of last year to write with Australian producers, then spending my christmas holidays writing and recording even more, then travelling across the world to write for 2 months, then religiously listening to the 50 songs to cut it down to 12, listening to how they all work and flow together as an album, then recording all the lead vocals and bv's, editing the millions of takes, talking with the producers all over the world with ideas for instruments or production, listening to edits coming back and forth of all the different tracks with the changes the producers are making or i'm requesting. Then there's the timelines and deadlines that must be made and kept to for the sake of media, retail, manufacture, production, etc. for the single, and the album.

Then there's artwork - which starts with researching through magazines, websites, other artists album booklets for ideas of what i want my album booklet to look and feel like, then making sure it all represents the story of the album, then finding a photographer, conceptualizing the shoot, the styling, the locations. Once the photos come in you cut down the 1000 shots taken to about 50 shots, then you have to choose your covers of the single and the album so they can be sent back to the photographer to retouch them and make sure everythign looks gorgeous. Once you've chosen the cover for the first single it needs to go to the graphic artist to add all the text, logos all over it and you go back and forward with them a million times to make sure all the cropping of the photos is right, the colours and positioning and crediting is all right. But even before that you've gotta look at remixes & b-sides as well and make sure they work with the song and boost it that little bit more. Then once the single has been done you start looking at choosing the pics and layout for the album. First you need a tracklisting - which ends up ever changing as the songs keep changing as they go through production and sound different or work better at the beginning...or the middle...etc You then have the very difficult task of choosing ONLY 10-12 photos that you are gonna use in the booklet, get them retouched, then work out the layout, colours of text, backgrounds, placement of pictures, different crops, sizes of text, fonts, styles etc. This takes FOREVER!! Then you have to write thank you's...which is SOOOOOO hard, make sure everyone is credited right, make sure there's no typo's, blah blah blah....this goes on forever and ever and seems like its never gonna get done!!!

And at the same time as all of this happening you have a video clip to plan and execute for the first single - coming up with ideas for the concept, pitching it out to different directors, choosing one, workshopping the ideas of storyline, shots, locations, dates, availabilities, styling, choreographers, extras and dancers auditions. Choosing cast, rehearsing choreography, finalizing styling for me and dancers, etc etc....again...takes FOREVER!

And AGAIN - at the same time as all of that you have all of the files of the tracks being sent over from producers on other side of the world and the mixing process begins on all of the album tracks. So as they all come in they are loaded up on the massive desk and the mixing engineer spends a day levelling everything out, then i go in and listen through every sound, every instrument and every vocal to make sure levels and effects are all ok. Listen over and over and tweaking the tiniest things...trying new things. Each song takes about 2 days to mix...then they go off to mastering to be tweaked EVEN MORE!!!!!!!!!!

Then while that is all happening you have media and promo starting to happen - so you have phone interviews and radio interviews and photo shoots happening in the spare minutes of the day. You also look forward at the rest of the year - touring, second single (artwork, video, etc) media setups through radio, tv, print and web and making sure everything is in place. BLAH BLAH Then there's always issues arising, problems, arguments, disagreements, miscommunications, mistakes etc which prolongs every decision. LOVE IT!!! And believe me.....all that i have just written is completely THE SHORT VERSION of it!!!

Oh yeah - and in between all that you are meant to have a life, have a fiancee', a family and friends!! HA! Oh and plan a wedding!! I can't believe i havent' gone completely loopy........well some would say i have!!

So much pressure, so many stressful situations, hard decisions, heartbreaking and crushing moments, complete and utter happiness, then pain and angst, excitement, anticipation, hard work, thought and effort has gone into this and to finally see it all compacted into one little disk just seems a bit strange. It's a huge range of emotions i'm feeling and i can't just decide on one! haha I feel so many different things when i look at it, I can't stop staring at it and every little detail. This process has changed me so much...and i think i need to just sit back and enjoy what i am holding onto in my hand right now, but i just dont know how to. I love it, I'm over the moon and i am grateful and thankful to finally have it.......but it has just been such a long time working on all the finest little details and to see it as a whole just doesnt' register yet. I can't wait for you all to hear it......xxxxxxxxxxx

Sorry to blab on!! haha
Love Always xxxxx
Ricki-lee

5:25 AM - 31 Comments - 32 Kudos - Add Comment

Brand New Blog, Brand New ALbum - "BRAND NEW DAY"
Current mood: excited

WELL WELL WELL - what a month it has been!!
FINALLY finished recording the vocals for the album a week ago and am just in the process of mixing all the songs and putting all the finishing touches on it before my little baby gets put into manufacture!!

The tracks are coming back from producers in London, L.A, New York, Melbourne and Sydney...so as you can imagine, it has been a tedious process of getting the tracks right via e-mails and LATE night phone calls, as i'm not an artist who will just go "oh yeah, that's fine...that'll do"...every note, every instrument, every sound, every effect is scrutinised until it is right!! And that is just the bitchy, opinionated, know all scorpion that i am!! haha Nah just jokes....it has been an amazing process and i really feel like this album is overflowing with my heart and soul, my blood, sweat and tears.

It is a reflection of the amazing journey i have been on over the last few years, but also touches on growing up, friendships past and present, relationships, love, loneliness, happiness, this crazy industry and it's ups and downs, a girl growing up and realising that life and the people in it aren't always as you expected. A girl sick of being told what to do and how to be, how to act, what to look like and what to say - breaking free and being who she is - no matter what. Looking forward, no matter what happens, through the ups and the downs there is always a lesson to be learned and tomorrow brings a Brand New Day to step forward again.

I'm so excited!! I'm so proud of it and i just can't wait for everyone to hear it!!
The new single "Cant' Touch It" will be at radio beginning of July and out in stores 4th AUGUST and the album titled "BRAND NEW DAY" will be in stores 11th AUGUST!

Shot the video clip a couple of days ago for the first single "Can't Touch It" - (which i'll put up for you all to hear VERY SOON!!!) And it was AMAZING! This clip is gonna be HOTTTTTTT! Unlike anything i've ever done before - it's glamorous, it's sexy, it's sultry it's cheeky and fun. SO much fun to make....and it is just so amazing being back doing my own thing!!

I can't wait to put some of the new tunes up for you all to hear and to get out there performing them......time is ticking....it won't be long now.

Just wanna say thank you to you all for your ongoing messages of support. I really appreciate it. I read every single message but it is SO hard to reply to you all. But I just want you to all know that i do appreciate it and i do read them!!

Thank you all so much......will update you all again VERY SOON!!!
xxxxxxxxxxxx Love Ricki-Lee

7:42 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos

NEW YORK NEW YORK
Current mood: indescribable

OH MY GOD!
This place is the most AMAZING place i have ever been! I could so easily live here...New york is the BEST place i have been in the world so far. The atmosphere is electric...there is so much going on...people are really friendly...i love the accents...(i've convinced myself and at times others that i am american...hahaha!!)

I've been here for 4 days and i already want to move here. It is crazy.
Flying here from London was a really easy flight and about half an hour before landing when i started to see how close we were on the little TV screens i started freaking out and had to calm myself down with a little bit of Sauvignon Blanc!!! hahahaha
I got really emotional, knowing that i was about to step off a plane in a city i had dreamed about coming to since i was a kid, every favourite singer of mine, every favourite song, every movie and tv show i love, have all come out of this city. Everything i've seen on tv or in the movies, i will be seeing in the flesh with my own two eyes...Yellow Cabs, Empire state building, manhattan, Ground Zero, all the big shopping centres and famous landmarks...and i jsut freaked out. It kinda scared me but excited me at the same time. I was nervous, anxious, excited and scared all at the same time.

New York is everything it is jacked up to be and much more. It is INCREDIBLE!
I've been into Victorias Secret and bought some lingere....Jamie is flying in tomorrow...LUCKY HIM!! hahahaha I've eaten at the NEW YORK Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, eaten the BEST PIZZA i've ever had at a pizza place next door to my hotel, i'm staying across the road from Madison Square Garden, round the corner from Empire State Building and MACYS!!! There is just so much here to do...

It snowed the other day!! It was so beautiful...i woke up to snow for the first time in my life...the curtains were open and i looked out to falling snow!! SO COOL!!!

It has been absolutely FREEZING!! I'm talking -19 on some days!! Today isn't too bad...i only have 3 jumpers on today!! hahaha It got that cold that any part of your face or body that isn't covered HURTS!!! It stings and is really painful. My nose and fingers felt like they were gonna fall off...and my poor little ears were stinging and red from bign so cold!!!

I'll post some photos when i get a chance....

I LOVE NEW YORK!!!

9:00 PM - 10 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

My trip to the U.K so far!!
Current mood: horny

HEY ALL!!
Well i am just sitting in my tiny hotel room in London, right across the road from Hyde Park and Kensington Palace!! How special!! I'm about to go to a writing session, but before i do i am waiting for a phone call from my boy...i miss him so much...lucky we have web cams huh??!! =)
Anyways...I got here last Sunday 11th Feb, and STILL don't know what the hell this JET LAG thing is!! I think i adjusted well because the week before i hadkind of adjusted myself to the time zone... Tuesday night i stayed up all niht til 5am wednesday morning...slept all day wednesday because from 8pm Wednesday til 4pm Thursday i was filming a video clip with the Yound Divas!! Then i went home and slept...so when Saturday's flight came, i stayed up the whole flight from Brisbane to Singapore...and then slept 11 of the 13 hours on the flight to London.

We arrived at 5am...dropped our bags at the hotel...went and got breakfast and then went for a walk around hyde park...which is jsut so beautiful!!
We had a look at Kensington Palace and then jumped on the Big Bus tour around London like REAL TOURISTS!!! haha And spent the whole day freezing our butts of on top of a bus taking photos!! haha We didn't get off cos we just thought that we'd spend the first day seeing it all and then the next day we'd get off at the places we thought would be cool!! Didn't turn out that way....the next day when we got off the bus i swear it was like 2DEGREES and i was jsut freezing and made a DIVA DEMAND that i wouldn't spend any more time in the freezing cold and GET ME IN TO A CAB!!! hahaha We ended up going to Madame Tussauds wax museum or the day which was really cool!! I had some really innapropriate photos with some of the worlds biggest stars!! haha So keep an eye out for the pics!!

The next day i got stuck into work....and have been for the rest of the week!! Already have 4 HOT TRACKS!!

Caught up with a friend Saturday night from Australia and got smashed in the lobby lounge room of my hotel on our duty free alcohol!! haha SO classy!! haha

Had yesterday off and now i've gotta go get ready for today's session...=)

I've been such a little public transport queen i LOOOOOVE it!! The trains are so cool...every thing is no more than 30 mins away!! Food is GREAT!! Had an awesome Valentines day romantic dinner with my assistant at a place called HARLEM where they just serve all SOUTHERN style fried chicken and ribs and steaks!! IT was awesome..except the night ended in a fight, and the two of us storming out of the place and walking home on opposite sides of the road!! hahaha funny funny!! haha

Anyways...better shoot....will update you all again next week!!

Love ME =) xxx

4:30 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos

I've been bitten by the myspace bug
Current mood: blah
Category: MySpace

Well...after realising that there are so many fakes out there PRETENDING to be Ricki-Lee i thought i'd set the record straight and create my own myspace page!!
Little did i know that i would become obsessed with creating the page, and uploading photos and music, and trying to find backgrounds and friends and i'm now obsessed with checking the damn thing every five minutes to see if i've had a friend accept me, or if i have any friend requests or new messages!! It's crazy!!!
I used to just roll my eyes when people would talk about myspace and not understand what the obsession is...but now i have totally been bitten by the myspace bug and i can't stop thinking or talking about it.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MYSPACE!!! hahaha

6:26 AM - 12 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment