One Struggle, One Opportunity

Why is it that I always wait months before I post my next blog! Listen people, if you want to have a successful blog, don't do what I do! Geez, I'm going to have to get better.

Anyway, just a few updates on my music career. Nothing too exciting....hmm....maybe this is why I took so long to write. No but really, I have some new music NHD and I have been working on, and I am soooooo excited to share it! I am just waiting for a photographer who will help take the pictures for the album covers, but these guys are hard to find in the Country. I am getting to the point now where I may have to resort to some very professional and creative selfies. Before I stoop to this low level, I will keep looking for a professional photographer to join the HunnyB team.

I was also recently contacted by someone out of Vancouver who represents artists and gets them music deals in Asia, and Europe. Supposedly this guy has worked with Grammy and Juno award winners, but how come when I look him up, I don't see this? BIG QUESTION MARK! Well, all I can say is that if he works with me, he will then have worked with a Juno and Grammy award winner, because I intend to win both of those statues :D

Anyway, I better go before my computer dies. I will let you know how it goes with the artist manager from Vancouver. Stay tuned for some new music by moi, before Christmas.

Love and light!

HunnyB

Wizkid Ojuelegba Ft. HunnyB (VIDEO)

HunnyB Chokes On Garlic

Hi everyone, I bet you never expected to read that headline..but it's true! A week ago, I choked on a massive piece of garlic, and had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Thank the Lord my throat is okay and I can sing! Hallelujah! My life is one thing, but please don't take my voice "la la la". So this is how the story goes:

It's 3:30am and my son is up, crying his little eyes out. Usually I can rock him back to sleep in ten minutes, but that night, he wasn't having it. He had been fighting a cold, and wanted the extra cuddles. Well, the clock went from 3:30am to 5:30 am, and the little rascal was still awake. As a singer, getting your child's cold is a no no and I always try to prevent it by swallowing garlic. This has worked for me in the past, and is something that was passed on to me as a child, by my darling father. So here it is, 5:30 am and I am exhausted. No sleep, and being around someone with cold, is a recipe for disaster. So, I said 'okay Amari, you're going to have to cry yourself to sleep,' so I put him in the cot, went downstairs, peeled a clove of garlic, grabbed some water, looked at the massive clove, thought 'this is big you should squash it like usual,' decided I was too tired, and then swallowed it. Wrong choice! The garlic got stuck half way down my throat and I started choking. It was pushing against my wind pipe, but not inside my windpipe, thank God, so I was able to breathe out of my nose. Regardless, of still being able to breathe, I was scared, and in pain.

I ran upstairs to tell my sleeping husband I was choking, and with great effort, he tried to dislodge the piece of garlic with the heimlich manoeuvre, and then my hitting my back extremely hard. Nothing was working and I was coughing up blood, so he called the paramedics. The paramedics showed up about 20 minutes later and after another failed attempt at trying to get the garlic out of my burning throat, they called the ambulance. After what seemed to be a lifetime (40 min), the ambulance came, and took me to the hospital. I started to vomit in the ambulance, but the garlic would not budge. I could not swallow anything, not even my own saliva. I had to continuesly spit in a bowl, which was absolutely disgusting. My mouth, and throat were so dry, I couldn't help but continue to cry in frustration. I was tired, sick, in pain and fearful that I had wrecked my throat and my career. What would I do if I couldn't sing anymore?

Once I got to the hospital, the staff just left me alone. I was doubled over in agony, and no one asked me if I was okay or needed anything. I had to actively get someone to help. Finally they hooked me up to an IV, and called a doctor in to see me. If I hadn't said anything, I would have been sitting there with no help for hours. It was like, I didn't exist. I am never going that hospital again ;)

The doctor took me to get an X-ray of my throat, and after seeing how big the garlic was, he wasn't sure their first method of trying to dislodge the garlic was going to work. In preparation, he called the ENT doctors to standby for surgery. I was thinking, 'Can't you guys just stick a long tube or claw down my throat and just suck or pull it out...geez!

After what seemed like a lifetime, the doctor finally injected me with a drug to relax all my muscles. Twenty minutes later I was throwing up, and thinking 'this is not working, I am in so much pain, my throat is burning and this stupid Allium Sativum is not moving. However, I was wrong. My muscles had relaxed, and the garlic was sliding down my oesophagus. I could finally swallow painfully through the inflammation. The crazy part was that I was more scared of losing my voice than anything. Maybe because I knew I was going to survive, but the thought of not being able to sing again was devastating.

Needless to say, I am fine and laughing about it now. It took me less than a week to recover, and yes I have had garlic since, but only ground up in someone else's cooking.

Journey to Namibia

Over the month of December, we, being myself, my husband, our son and my in-laws, visited the beautiful Country of Namibia. When I say Namibia is beautiful, I mean it is GORGEOUS! There is something about the colour of the sand and the dunes, and the vegetation. I love the way some of the houses are built on the hills, just like in Hollywood, California. We spent our time in stunning hotels, and even stayed a couple nights at the fabulous Erindi Lodge Safari, which took my breath away! To me Erindi was paradise. However, nothing would impact me like when I found myself on the streets of Katutura. The poverty overwhelmed me. We think we know what it's like until we step foot in it. I must say however, that Katutura, in spite of it's desperation, was beautiful in its own right. The residents were always smiling, laughing, dancing and full of the Spirit. The kids were running around the streets, playing in the hot sun. Music would be blasting while some danced in the streets. How could you not find this beautiful? Everyday I am reminded of how fortunate we are, allowing my perspective on life to be influenced by this very intimate trip to Namibia.

Namibia has the potential to be an outstanding Country, and with all it's resources, there should be less poverty. I would like there to be more done for those in need.

I have began writing a couple songs about my experience in Namibia. My goal is to complete these songs with accommodating music videos, shot in the Streets of Katutura where I am able to hire the locals as actors.
I want you to see the beauty through my eyes.

Let's continue to help each other one person at a time, one idea at a time, one dream at a time.

Love HunnyB

My Audition Hustle With a Baby

So you make a plan, which is this: "When my baby naps I will study my lines, put myself on tape, and sort out my look for the audition," but instead you sleep. Then you wake up to a very rested, hyper baby and you have gotten nothing done. Welcome to my life!

I had to put myself on tape the other day for a high profile UK agency who recently vocalised their interest in me. They wanted me to send them a tape performing two musical theatre songs, one ballad and one pop uptempo. I emailed them back saying, "no problem" with the utmost confidence, but in my head I was thinking, "Oh NO, how am I going to do this with my son around all day, God love him."

The first night I asked my husband tape me. My son would be in bed, and hopefully would stay sleeping. Of course each song had a loud moment, which I had to convey properly through my emotions. I got through the first song once, and then BAM...my son woke up. I was shocked I didn't hear banging from our neighbours. I wasn't happy with my performance, but couldn't do it again, as it was late, and I didn't want to keep waking up my son. The next day I thought, alright, I will put him to nap, set up the tripod, and "voila" I will have one shot to get it right. This was what I did! I litteraly sang the song once, then he was awake crying, since I probably scared the CRAP out of him! Thankfully I was happy with how the song came out, however what I wasn't happy with, was that the stupid video was BLURRY...REALLY?

The next day (3rd day) I did the same thing, this time making sure I focused the camera properly. Finally, I got it right!

Now we are on the fourth day of me trying to complete this stupid audition tape; reason being is I still had one more song to sing. This time I was a pro at setting up the camera, so I knew I was not going to have any issues on that end. My only concern was that I had just learned the second song, and with the baby napping, I really only had one shot at it. The first time through, I nailed it, and the baby didn't wake up....BONUS! Feeling determined, and being the perfectionist that I am, I decided to perform the song one more time. It took me a few tries to get this one right, but I finally nailed it again, this time finally waking the baby from his slumber.

I was so excited to have finished this audition tape, four days later. I then sent the video to the agency on the fifth day, and now pleased to say that I will be meeting all the agents tomorrow.

Completing the audition tape, makes me feel like I already won. Oh the joys of being a working mama.

Go Team Mommies GO!

Working Mama

What can I say? I am back on the saddle and rusty. This audition game is similar in the UK as in Canada, but man do they really ask a lot.  I mean, I have an audition on Friday  for Sister Act, and have been asked to learn 2 songs from the show by memory, and 30 pages of dialogue.  Erm...I got the call on Monday. Let's not forget that I'm now a mother, and I also had 2 other auditions this week. God knows I am a hard a** worker, and He will also tell you that I will do what I can.

Today though, I auditioned for a company that produces review shows. We sang in the morning, and then were asked to stay for a dance call. I told them straight up...I'm a singer who can moooooove...cause this girl has not danced in YEARS! Well let me tell you..after some push turns, padebures, a pirouette and a high kick, I quickly had no choice but to bring it back to my flashdance days. I worked my butt  off trying to memorise the steps and the sequences, however because I gave my only bit of food to a homeless person on the train to my audition, I had no brain power. My first run through the dance was bang on, however my second pass was like a monkey trying to swim. Of course I have a big mouth and told the panel of judges  that I can not leave knowing I crapped my last dance pass, and needed to do it again. They were so kind, and allowed us all to get it right just one more time. BOOM KAK! Hello JLO.  Let's just say I left satisfied, yet tired! Man, auditioning is a workout.

I'm so blessed to be back in the game and can't wait to see what the future holds for me here in the UK.