Naria's Diary Entry...
To experience is to create memories that last a lifetime. On January 23rd, 2012 Naria boarded a plane, destination… PARIS. Upon arriving in Paris (8am the following morning European time), the festivities began. Carrying 9 pieces of luggage through the subway station and up 6 escalators, and finally along cobble stone streets, we finally found our little flat in the heart of downtown Paris. But there was no time to rest, as we had to be at The Embassy of Canada in France for a performance of “Oh Canada” on behalf of the Canadian Woman’s Society of Paris.
We got ready in record time and off we went to make our France debut. It was such a wonderful surprise to all of the women. They were excited that we had come from Canada and they were all very touched by our performance. One sweet lady said, “I’ve heard the Oh Canada so many times, but this time it really touched me”.
Despite the gloomy Parisian weather, we were on a mission to see as many tourist attractions as possible…it’s not everyday that you wake up in Paris. We visited the Eiffel Tower where we climbed the stairs on a mission to see the view of Paris from the top. Taking the elevator wasn’t an option for us, eager as we were; we thought we’d sneak in our workout for the day. The view was breath taking…we felt as though we were on top of the world. Racing to the Louvre (Annaliese in her high heeled boots) we got to see some beautiful artwork. Of course, our last stop was the stunning Paris Opera House!
Paris was memorable but what we really couldn’t wait for was our arrival in Cannes, France. A five and a half train ride on Friday morning and there we there, in the beautiful city of Cannes; the home of the big NRJ Music Awards and the yearly Cannes Film Festival (not to mention the home of all the major fashion stores: Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgary, etc). The food, the shopping, the buzz, the music and the nightlife created a very exciting atmosphere for Midem 2012. We were in the center of it all!
Midem began bright and early the next morning. When we walked into the building we were taken aback and a little overwhelmed by all of the people and booths set up. Three floors of Midem madness…the fun had just begun. We quickly became familiar with the daily program and how it all worked and off we went scheduling meetings and networking with people from all over the globe.
That very same night was our Midem Off Showcase. After a successful sound check and some yummy pasta with pesto we were ready to show the Midem crowd and the general public why NARIA had been chosen for such an amazing opportunity. 40 minutes and 9 songs later (including the debut of our new song “Canadian Girl”), we had completed our showcase on a “high note”. The city was rockin’ the entire evening with bands performing everywhere and of course the NRJ Music Awards in the Grand Auditorium (same building as the Midem conference). Stars like David Guetta, Justin Bieber, Shakira, etc., were in town. It was definitely the most exciting evening.
The Midem conference continued for three more days. Little sleep and tons of schmoozing and networking sums up each day at Midem (but not before we ate our pain au chocolat and drank a cappuccino from the amazing Boulongerie right near our flat). It was truly an experience of a lifetime and from it all we realized that there is a world of opportunity out there, it’s just a matter of believing that anything is within reach. Let your passion be your fire! We look forward to collaborating with the many great contacts we made at Midem and taking Naria to the next level. We can’t wait for you all to see what we have in store….
Naria's Diary Entry...
Our first year of NARIA has been incredible! The women of NARIA: Katya, Anna, Michelle and Annaliese have been together for a full year now and our hard work and dedication has resulted in astounding successes. NARIA wanted to put together an intimate Christmas Concert to honour all our fans, family and friends.
Us, NARIA girls, spent many days rehearsing; learning and having a great time with choreography, harmonies and making sure everything was perfection. We wanted our premiere concert to be highly entertaining, professional and also to be fun for everyone participating and watching in the audience.
This concert was a passage to enter a new realm of success for NARIA.
We brought a lot of emotion and excitement to the stage with our music. We were honored to be performing at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio due to its world-renowned accoustics and the intimate atmosphere that helped us create an intimate connection with the audience. 
Sunday December 18th, 2011 – The Big Day, Holiday Supernova started by unloading the packed van at 9:30 am. There was so much preparation to be done. Our incredible Make-up Artist, Taylor Lazazzera started her magic with all the NARIA girls. Then the sound check, the cue to cues and a complete run- through of all of the songs. It always takes longer than expected and the scheduled one hour turned into three hours! The stress was calmed with sips of warm tea and then getting dressed and ready in our favorite sequined dresses. We were ready to charge the stage!!
This Supernova concert was also blessed to have the show opened by the fabulous singer, songwriter, Clara Lofaro. She serenaded the enraptured audience with her strong, soulful voice with songs off her new album (name?).
Also, a first for our group was having the dynamic young “Consonance Chamber Orchestra”.
We were very fortunate to have Dima Graziani on the drums, who is also our amazing music producer/ arranger. The ethereal piano accompaniment by Hyoseon Sunny Kim, performing The Moon, Someone Like You, Oh Holy Night, and La Barcarolle was a delight to all!
Oleksandra Fedyshyn, virtuoso violinist, joined us and brought great excitement with one of our favorite pieces ”My Mother Taught Me”. Let’s not forget the charming children’s “Lanor Choristers” with conductor Elitza Yordanov, they were an adorable and energetic treat to share the stage with!
We wanted to end our first concert with our incredible new song entitled, “MY FAITH”. The uplifting melody and lyrics really brought to life by our emotions and in the end brought the audience to their feet.
Bouquets of beautiful flowers were presented to everyone and then we all headed off to enjoy a well deserved after-party at HUSH restaurant. Here we mingled and shared a toast with all our fans, friends and family.
None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for Katya. She has been the true inspiration for all us NARIA girls, she has been the mother and creator and has done an absolutely amazing job!
Don’t forget to come back to our website and facebook page to see the performance pictures and read about our upcoming performances!
Thank you everyone for taking the time to be part of NARIA’S journey and for being there on this momentous day!
You are truly members of the NARIA Team!
Pictures taken by Bina-Asya Akhoundov.
Naria's Diary Entry...
It is almost unbelievable to think that Naria came together less than one year ago and we are already set to release our debut album. What an accomplishment we have made in so little time. Recording “Naria: Opera Pop Supernova” took a lot of time, dedication and teamwork mixed in with a whole lot of fun!
Recording our first track for the album was definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences for all of us. “Addio” was the first song we would record together that was specific to our genre of Opera/Pop. We were all anxious to see how our voices blended together in a recording and how people would respond to Naria and our music. We knew “Addio” would be the perfect song to launch us into the world of music and when we released the song as our first single, it felt somewhat like a rite of passage for all of us; the journey had begun!
Recording had its challenges as well. Of course, there were times when one of us would be sick and still fighting to record because we had deadlines to meet. At one point, Katya completely lost her voice for two whole weeks. Furthermore, for some strange reason, almost every time I was scheduled to record, something would go wrong: a car tire blew, the electricity was turned off because there were workers outside fixing something; our producers child was ill and we had to wait two hours for him to return; and on one other occasion, all of the power in the studio had completely burned out…what an adventure!
We were so fortunate to have two outstanding musical producers/arrangers on board with us in the making of our album: Dima Graziani from Toronto and Haim Mazar from Los Angeles. Dima was always so encouraging in the studio working closely with each of us to ensure that the final product was exactly what we had envisioned. Offering us Turkish coffee at the start of every session was an added bonus! Haim, although far away, was always quick to respond to our questions and ideas and he managed to create music that would fuse different sounds specific to Naria’s style. What incredibly talented and passionate musicians they both are and always enough so enthusiastic to be a part of the Naria team!
We also had the great honour of collaborating with super talented singer/ songwriter Romina Di Gasbarro for the creation of our song “1+1+1”. Funny, the song had just been completed and a couple of days later, Beyonce made an appearance on American Idol singing her new release “1+1”. Now if that isn’t a coincidence, then I don’t know what is!
All in all, recording our fist album was very rewarding in many respects. There is a special feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when you create something that you can truly call your own. As talks are underway regarding our next album, we are excited for this wonderful journey to continue… We hope you enjoy “Naria: OPERA POP SUPERNOVA”!
~ Michelle Danese, NARIA
Naria's Diary Entry...
“The Witch” was Naria’s first feature music video, and we were all really excited to embark on this project together. The shoot began on a warm Sunday afternoon and I had the honor of being the first to be filmed. Our first location was Freestyle Farms in Norval, Ontario, a lovely farm run by Debra Burch and David Forgie. I was especially looking forward to this portion of the shoot because it had been years since I had the opportunity to ride a horse. Amidst the chaos that accompanies the first day of any shoot the serene nature of Calvin, the horse – my partner in crime – helped keep me calm and focused. The outcome of this day was not only a great scene for our video but also served as a perfect icebreaker for the cast and crew. We were ready for day two!
The next day started with a four hour drive heading north. We checked into our hotel, had just enough time for a quick bite, hair and makeup, and then off to a two hour hike up to “La Cloche”, one of the highest points in Killarney Provincial Park. The view was spectacular! The relentless black flies were no match for our killer fly swatting skills, and vocals. Here we filmed an acapella version of “Oh Canada” and Michelle’s solo scene. Followed by a race against time, we gunned it down the mountain to make it out of the park before the pitch black night set in…eek! We were split into two groups, the second of which wasn’t as lucky as my group and got lost several times trying to navigate the trails in the dark.
On day three I filmed my solo. Overcast skies and a light drizzle wouldn’t get in our way, a short boat ride to a close-by island and we were ready to go. Slightly cold for a late June afternoon, a warm cup of coffee (and a few shots of vodka) kept me motivated while we set up and shot my scene on a beautiful, gnarly, overturned tree stump. We kept our spirits high as we wrapped up this day and ferried back to land-ho, another day down and one more to go!
Day four… last day. Isn’t there always a bittersweet feeling? We began the day with Annaliese’s solo. Quick on their toes, our crew scouted an alternative location for her, as we elected to not subject her to possible pneumonia in the freezing water the day before. One camera-man down… no, not to the bears, to a family wedding… we continued on, piled into the cars, and headed back south for our last location. We were all struck by the beauty of the white sand beach in Awenda provincial park. Here we filmed Katya’s solo scene, set to a beautiful sunset backdrop over the water. Once the sun was down, we then filmed what was in my opinion the most visually dynamic scene of the entire shoot: the fire scene. What a spectacular way to wrap up this journey! Though as much fun as it was, I will admit, nothing beats jumping into my own bed at the end of the day!
~ Anna Bateman, NARIA
Naria's Diary Entry...
Naria’s official Video Release of “The Witch” took place on Thursday, August 18th. This exclusive VIP event was catered toward those who helped make the video such a success, along with close friends, family, sponsors and possible collaborators. What a magical night! What was once a quaint dance studio in downtown Mississauga, transformed into a beautiful high class venue for this special event. Wine, cheese, high bar tables, gold draping, candles, and champagne created an atmosphere specific to Naria’s style.
The night was a blast! As new faces continued to fill the room, I was able to meet and speak to a number of individuals who were all there to discover more about Naria, hear us perform, and see our very first music video. Everyone was interested in learning exactly how Naria came together, what my experience with Naria was like thus far, and what was next on the our agenda.
One particular highlight of the night was when it came time to perform! The anticipation had been building throughout the evening and we were all excited to perform for such an intimate audience. It was also the first time we would be sharing and performing our new song “Dear Juliet.” When the music started, the room became still as all attention was directed towards us girls ready to sing our hearts out. It was wonderful performing in such an intimate setting. A feeling of unity and beauty filled the room as we gave our audience a little taste of the power of Naria!
Before showing the music video, we all took turns speaking about our experiences in creating “The Witch.” Audience members laughed at our stories and shared in the joys and challenges of our experiences. When it came time to show the video, I was very excited to see and hear everyone’s reaction. The positive feedback was remarkable and a sense of great achievement came over all of us. We had created something together that we could cherish forever and in years to come, look back and recall the time when Naria was just born!
~ Michelle Danese, NARIA
Naria's Diary Entry...
Naria is looking forward to performing at a conference for one of the biggest car companies in the world. General Motors has selected Naria to represent their Buick line of vehicles. This is an exciting introduction for the group where they will be performing to over 900 attendees from across Canada.
