It used to be that performers went off to New York City to get famous. But Raleigh r&b singer Julia Nixon already did that, with a star turn in the original "Dreamgirls" run on Broadway. So now she's packing her bags for a far more exotic place -- Russia. She leaves on Nov. 9 for a 10-city tour.
"I've not ever been," Nixon says. "I'll have someone to interpret for me. I've had a few Russian acquaintances help me see the differences in the language, that our poetry does not translate well to Russian -- it takes a lot of words to say what we say. So I'm thinking music will be our bond, the way to bridge the gap. But a lot can get lost in translation."
Nixon says she'll be singing jazz standards with an all-Russian jazz ensemble, as part of an exchange program. She came to attention over there via video play on BETJ of songs from her 2007 album "Keepin' on Track."
"My CD did well in Russia, Belgium, Germany," she says. "They love American jazz over there. I'm a little nervous about going, but I love to travel and this is one of the payoffs of being a musician. You get to see how your music translates. It seems like American audiences are bored with our music. So to see someone else get excited about it, that part I love."
Comments
Re: Thanks
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 00:13 — Julia Nixon (not verified)David: Thanks a lot for the blog. Correction my dance hit "Breakin' Down" did well in Belgium, Germany, Japan, and London; in fact it was a #1 hit in London selling 100,000 copiess. That was in the 80's, with Polygram London. This will be Russia's first introduction to me.