Blast from my past...

Souffle de Mon Passe (Blast from My Past)

From my days as a Diva-Chantuese - circa 1999

While I was studying to become a historian, before I was a wife, mother and professor; I was a singer. I can't remember when I began to sing (mom says I was 3). I also can't remember when music was not in my life. One of the many advantages I've found in having a mother who is a Fabuleuse Diva is that incredible, AMAZING music has always been a part of my life. So when I began to sing, mamma encouraged and nurtured me, in every possible way.

However I do remember the first time I sang on a real stage with a real band. I was barely 13 years old and my mom took me to the Drake Hotel's famous Coq d'Or Room. I don't know what she said to the band leader, but what seemed to me to be a blink of an eye, I found myself standing on the tiny stage with a jazz quartet behind me. I sang: "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Nancy Wilson) - it was a magical moment. I knew, then and there, that wanted to be a singer, but mom insisted that I focus on my education. We made a deal, I could sing where ever, whenever as long as it did not interfere with my schooling. Flash forward about a decade...

I was in some smokey nightclub. I had just finished belting my heart out to a Cole Porter classic, when a gentleman (Chris Cuban) approached me. He said he was interested in my voice and had a project that he wanted me to work on. He gave me his card and asked if I'd come to his studio the next day. Of course I was leery, but my dad drove me there and went in with me, he was legit (and brilliant!). I recorded one of his songs (and many others, but that's another story). A few months after recording that first track, Chris called me. A movie producer had heard my song and wanted it for the soundtrack of a movie he was producing. The movie's title was "Cool As Ice," starring Vanilla Ice - they used it - WOW!

Years ago, I found the soundtrack/cd at Amazon.com - of course I purchased a copy (sheepish grin) and I was amazed and humbled by how many times my song was mentioned in the comments section. Flash forward a few more years...

Tonight I was tripping the light fantastic on YouTube and, on a whim, decided to search for my song. It's been 20 years, what are the chances that my song would be on YOUTUBE?- pulleeezzzze! But I figured, why the hell not?! Lo and Behold it's there - 3 different times (that I've found so far). My song has been viewed/listened to by about 75,000 people from around the world. But what I couldn't believe was that all of the comments are positive, how they've loved that song and have been looking for it everywhere. Moreover, nearly all of the commentators asked who the singer was - wow, little ole' me ;-)

When I was 30 years old, I found myself at a crossroads. - a) become a singer? b) become a professor. I was extrememly conflicted, but learning that I was expecting Rory made the decision for me. Over the years, since then, I've often wondered if I made the right decision. One night I asked Mr. Gorgeous what he thought and he said that If I had chosen option a) my delightful three would not be here and he was greedy, gratefull and thankful that he had me all to myself. And I've never regretted my decision.

Still, when I hear/see what I did, and how positively it affected so many people, I can now allow myself to dream about what my life would have been like if I had chosen option a) - and that 's a nice thing to fantasize about when I'm correcting term papers and/or chauffering one (or all) of my three to somewhere, for something. I know that 40-something working mothers can relate when I say that there's something soul-soothing about knowing that a girlhood dream, for a shining moment, was a reality - a reality that still lives...

I guess that Diamonds really do last forever

Vivre! Rire! Aimer!