Hello Friends,
I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I was so excited to see Judie Tzuke perform in London on Friday night at a beautifully intimate venue called The Pheasantry, in Chelsea. It has a downstairs restaurant, with a little stage, which is wonderfully lit and the audience can eat dinner as they watch the show. The venue was perfect – The whole audience is able to sit close to the stage, so you really do feel part of the performance! This is certainly somewhere I would love to sing; fingers crossed you’ll be able to come and see me there at some point in the future! 🙂
Her ‘Songs & Stories’ tour consists of a carefully chosen collection of songs, with tales of how they came about and what inspired them. It is so brilliant to hear such stories; how songs were ‘born’! I love that just 3 minutes can capture an array of thoughts, feelings and emotions that are melted together with a melody to create the perfect tribute to a particular moment. This is one of the things I enjoy so much about songwriting. I have never heard Judie sound so beautiful – her vocals were flawless and she exuded an immense comfort, with her ability to envelope an audience with her spirit and experience. Oh! I can’t wait to be performing live for you all, more and more and more!
I am so fortunate to have worked with Judie on a number of occasions. She is such an incredible talent, as both an artist and a songwriter. In fact, I would go as far as saying that she has become quite a significant part of who I have developed into as an artist over the past couple of years. Our first session, writing ‘What’s Mine Is Yours’ with Steve Anderson was very special. It was her initial idea to tackle the idea of people being reminded of a previous era of music when they listen to my voice, and turn this into a song. Since then, we have built what I consider to be a great writing relationship – With Judie, there is always a welcomed surprise when we go into the studio! ‘Maybe This Christmas’ was a perfect example of this… It is really hard to pen a Christmas song. It is so easy to go too cheesy or too emotional and to find a balance between the two is a challenge. But with all three of us having a deep affection for the time of year, Judie, Steve and I (after several hours) finally found that magical place. We had never anticipated the reaction that the song would inspire and I don’t think I will ever get used to hearing all your feedback on how my songs and performances make you feel (particularly this one)… Some of you made ME cry! On the note of feedback, thank you for all your comments on ‘Harriet’s Notebook’. I’m going to really enjoy posting on here! In case you hadn’t guessed, I LOVE writing and sharing stories… If any of you ever have questions, about my journey so far…about what I’m up to…anything! Please DO ask! And I will do my best to respond!
I’ll be in touch again shortly.
Harriet X
P.S. Don’t forget to check out Judie’s online shop: http://www.tzuke.com/shop/index.htm
I’d highly recommend to go and see her on this tour – You can book tickets via this page: http://www.tzuke.com/index.html#.VaPoSotH0fE
Do you want to perform in the US sometime in the future? There are so many small venues that would be ideal. I know I would love to see you over here!
I’d absolutely love to Norma! As soon as I am in a position to, I will definitely being exploring the States!!
You did say to ask anything . . . Curious to know your full name and background.
I grew up in Hertfordshire, just outside of London, with my parents, little sister and two dogs 🙂 I moved to central London about 6 years ago and fell in love with it. I definitely consider it to be home. I’ve been singing since I was very young, and when I was 13, I did a performance in a show at my local theatre that changed everything for me – It was the first time I realised that all I wanted to do was sing, for my career, for the rest of my life. I am classically trained as a singer, and had one particularly brilliant teacher during my teenage years. But I learned a lot about phrasing and interpretation from singing jazz. It taught me a lot about musical identity and improvisation. I see that time as playing a fundamental role in my development as a singer and now artist 🙂 Harriet X
Interesting to know, thank you. Did you attend University and study music there?
Any details on your covers EP?
It will be released later this month. A specific date will be announced shortly 🙂
Hi Harriet,
My gold fan pack has arrived safely here in Canada! I couldn’t be more pleased with everything. You have a lovely voice, and I hope that you have a long and successful career in music!
PS. You have excellent penmanship! 🙂
Thank you Murray! I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to pens and paper! 😀 So pleased you liked the gold fan package. Enjoy listening. Harriet X
So looking forward to your new Covers EP! I’m one of those who remembers that “warmer time” that your beautiful songs bring to mind. (You could likely tell by my avatar. Don’t know how to change it to a Harriet pic.) It’s wonderful that someone of your generation has a love for that style of music and the talent to go with it. Looking forward to someday hearing you perform a little jazz or blues as well. Will there be an actual CD of the Covers, or just the EP? As I tweeted to you previously, and echoing others, I would enjoy catching your show live in the U.S. one day. Saw Sharon Corr at the Musical Instrument Museum theater in Phoenix last year and it would be a fabulous venue for you. 😉