As I write this my song, A Thousand Days, is #2 on the Triple J Unearthed Pop Chart! And #10 on the overall Unearthed Chart! 'A Thousand Days' jumped 61 places within a week! And it's made it to the #10 spot on the chart within 2 weeks. How excoitement.

Triple J haven't played my song yet though. If you want to hear it on Triple J radio, please text  and request "Jade Diary's A Thousand Days" to 0439 757 555. It's +61 439 757 555 if you life outside Australia. The phone cannot be called, only texted to.

If you haven't yet you can keep me high on the Unearthed chart by rating and reviewing my songs here: http://www.triplejunearthed.com/jadediary .

x

Jade Diary

Little known facts about Mistletoe

(Thank you fount of all wisdom, the Internet)

Phoradendron, the scientific name for American mistletoe, means "thief of the tree" in Greek. Although not a true parasite in scientific terms, mistletoe comes close, sinking its roots into a host tree and leeching nutrients from the tree to supplement its own photosynthesis.

Hmmm... I think I've rambled on enough about mistletoe!

I hope that my email finds you happy and well, enjoying this celebration of the birth of a child who would grow to a King who would rule hearts, conquer evil and divide nations. Love him or hate him, Jesus is the reason for Christmas. What's all this Santa and mistletoe business! ;) x


The EP

My EP is coming along nicely and will serve as an hors d'oeuvre to my album which is the 'main course'. David Skeet, my producer, and I are working hard to make everything sound beautiful and speccy (Aussie slang for 'spectacular' ;) which is why it's taking some time. Good things come to those who wait, so thank you for waiting my lovelies! x

The EP release is scheduled for March 2012. The album will be released some time after the EP in 2012 ... Hurrah!


New Logo

The more observant of you will notice my new 'Jade Diary' logo. It took many back-and-forth emails and tweaks by talented Artist, Rebecca Morgan, and my very patient and lovely French Graphic Designer, Anne-Alexia Louarn (Alex for short ;) before we arrived at the final logo. Another Hurrah!


Music Video

My new music video shoot was a success and shot over two INSANE days with Giovanni C. Lorusso as Director and my lovely and talented 1st Assistant Director, Erin Kujda. It involved a crew of many extras, make up artists, smoke machines and hard-working crew. It was not without drama and incident (including difficulties with a smoke machine which was not churning out smoke in a consistent way). In spite of that, it was a fun shoot and we are really happy with the results. Giovanni is still cutting and prettying up the video while he is in Sardinia, so I am still eagerly awaiting the final video which will be released as the first single of my EP in March 2012.


I want to wish you and all of your family and friends a very happy and wonderful Christmas and New Year! Thank you for your ears, hearts and minds. I am deeply thankful for your friendship and support!


Love lots xox

Cupcake anyone?


Welcome to my never-ending tea party...

This is a photo from a recent photoshoot and you can see more of the 'tea party' shots we took that day at listn.to/JadeDiarymusic. My sis-in-law, Annie, made those tasty cupcakes by the way... thanks Annie! Remember to invite me 'round to the house for a few more for din-dins ok? ;)

The photo-taking spree has not ceased, because I am preparing for PHOTOSHOOT Part Deux this Saturday! This time it'll be a different theme and I'm not telling what it is ....sssh. I think I'm just trying to re-live sad, old un-realised childhood dreams of becoming a model and fashion stylist haha. You can ask my shrink!


Behind-the-Scenes: Recording 'Start Over Again'

I've put together a short video of my behind-the-scenes fun in Sydney this past April. It's a recording involving cello (I LOVE Cello) of one of the 12 songs, 'Start Over Again'. This one's a ballad. The album is very diverse though, and you'll find a song for almost every kind of mood you might think of... :)  Click on the link or image below to have a squiz... Media




New Facebook Page

The more observant of you may notice that I have dropped 'The' from my name.... now JADE DIARY. Facebook (double grrrrrrrrrr) would not allow me to change my facebook fan page name to 'Jade Diary'. Therefore I have had to start a brand new Facebook Fan page: listn.to/JadeDiarymusic. I would mighty appreciate you having a look and 'LIKING' my new page! x


That's all for now my sweets!

Love,

Jade Diary

Hellooooo!

If this is the first time you're reading my blog... WELCOME! I'm Cheryl from Jade Diary and I write bittersweet singer-songwriter pop with touches of folk thrown in, intermingled with soul-revealing lyrics. Some say my music sounds like Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Dido, Taylor Swift or Andrea Corr... well truth is, I sound like myself. Go to http://www.jadediary.com and click on the music player at the bottom to have a listen. 

I'm co-writing some songs with David, my producer, for my upcoming debut album and coming up with some really irresistible tunes! Can't wait to present them to you but you'll need a wee bit of patience! :)

In the meantime I have a fun competition for you to participate in ... (drum roll please)...


"Jaded and lovin' it!" Competition

Prizes:

- All who enter will be able to receive 2 FREE EPs to download (7 songs in total).

- You also go into a draw to win an $80 AMAZON Gift Card (buy books, CDs, DVDs) or $80 STOP STARING voucher so you can look like a 40s movie star with their glamourous vintage fashion... where I got my green dress in the pics and where Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Rihanna shop!


To enter all you have to do is:

1. Subscribe to my Jade Diary letters at http://www.jadediary.com/freesongs .

AND

2. Share this blog on your Facebook profile (just click SHARE below this blog) OR  email at least 10 of your friends encouraging them to read this blog. Please cc me at cheryl@jadediary.com if you are emailing your friends and include your friends' email addresses in the bcc section so you protect their privacy.

OK, time for me to get back to songwriting and for you to start emailing some friends/family members!


Closer Video

I created a video of 'Closer' from my Girl With No Name EP that you can watch right here:




Twitter and Facebook wars

Facebook vs Twitter ... I used to dismiss Twitter as nothing but a vehicle for John Mayer to quip about his life and Hugh Jackman to get excited about the 'Sydney Opera Center' ;) but I recently realised that it's really not as bad as I once thought! I'm celebrating the fact that I now have over 100 people following me on Twitter! Woohoo... http://www.twitter.com/jadediary. If you are already on Twitter, show me some love!

My Facebook page has had a recent makeover. If you have already 'liked' my FB page, then when you go to the page, you'll have to click on the 3rd tab which is 'BandPage' to see the changes. But if you've never 'liked' it before, then you'll see it in its full glory immediately :)


Favourite ice cream flavour?

By the way, if you have any questions you'd like to ask me from my favourite ice cream flavour to what is the overall theme of the album, feel free to reply to this email and ask them... your questions and my answers will be featured in an upcoming email :) I always love hearing from you!


A Song about You

Ever wanted to have a song written about yourself, or a person you love? Or have a burning topic that you want expressed in a song? Imagine how your girlfriend would feel if you had a song written especially for her and you asked for her hand in marriage in the song? Ever wanted to sing the song yourself?

Well, now you can :) I am offering to write a song of your choice about anything or anyone, as long as the topic is one that I am comfortable writing about. Example: if you wanted me to write you a song that Hitler was a wonderful person and everyone should become a Ku Klux Clan member, then I couldn't do it! But you get the picture :)

Just go to http://www.indiegogo.com/jadediary and contribute $1100 and I'd be most happy to write and record the song for you! If you have a burning desire to perform on it or sing, then this could be arranged too! If you want more information about this, just email me back and I'll answer any of your questions.

All my best to you,


Cheryl

Hey romantic people (everyone's a romantic at heart;)

Happy 14th of Feb whether you're single or not! If you're attached, then it's time to celebrate your love for your partner. If you're single, then it's time to celebrate your singledom!



Pre-Production

As many of you know, I have a big 2011 planned and am currently working with producer, David Skeet, on the songs which will feature on my album. We've got some fantastic songs for you (aaaaah.... PRESSURE!)!! No really, I'm looking forward to starting work on these beauties ...

I have a few rabbits up my sleeve!

There will be songs about good ol' fashioned love, heartbreak, fairy tales, mythical creatures, strange lands, joy, pain and peace. A roller-coaster ride of emotions ... just the way I like my albums.

Pre-production will start mid-March where the songs will be started. I guess you can say we'll be 'drafting' up the songs during these sessions.



Recording the Album

The album will be recorded in Sydney! My bags will be packed and I'll be leaving in late March. Pretty exciting! My apology for the gratuitous use of exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!


Pre-Order the Album

You can pre-order my album now at http://www.indiegogo.com/jadediary for only $20! And there are only 57 days left for you to do this so what are you waiting for?



Who is David Skeet?

(See the copy and paste queen at work ;)

You can hear some of David's excellent work at http://www.shelleyharland.com and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arFl_MfdULg

David Skeet is an English born producer currently residing in Sydney. His formative years were spent in the UK where he developed a broad and eclectic taste in music. On his arrival in Sydney, he made his mark as an original and unique guitarist primarily with highly regarded band the Venetians who released 12 singles and 3 albums over a 6 year period and this, combined with Skeet's collaborative nature as a songwriter/arranger and skills as a multi-instrumentalist, cast the die to embark on a career as a record producer. Skeet lived and worked in Los Angeles for eight years as a producer/composer/recording artist with his own project God no.9 with singer Cassie Giles as well as working with other luminaries such as Dave Stewart, Andy Prieboy, Mark Goldenberg, Concrete Blond and worked extensively on soundtracks and artist developement.

Since returning to Sydney he has produced the critically acclaimed album Trigger for Sony artist Sandrine, produced recordings for Brooke Fraser, Kate Miller-Heidke,The Church, George Byrne to name but a few and has completed production for albums by New York artist Shelley Harland, Wons Phreely due for release this year. Currently working on albums for The Falls, My Idle King, Merise and have just completed tracks for Tiare Helberg's Zephyresque and whose critically aclaimed Limited Edition EP, The Iconsolable Isolation Of Intimacy can be heard playing here.


It's time for some zzzzzzzzzzzzzs!

Have a wonderful week ahead :)


Cheryl

Hello!

Hope you are having a great start to Christmas... only a few sleeps away! I'll be having a hot Christmas here in Perth... traditionally it gets up to 40 degrees Celsius... still dreaming of a white Christmas!

Since I hit 100% on Sellaband, it's been a bit crazy. Working on songs, demos, organising recording... busy!

All along, I have wanted to record a full-length album, however because of the uncertainty surrounding finding the funding on Sellaband for a full-length album (it would have taken much longer to reach my goal and there was a deadline), I had to settle on raising money for half an album (about 5 songs). Therefore I am now seeking an additional amount of money to record a full-length album.

Please go to http://www.indiegogo.com/jadediary or click on the image below to find out how I am going to record a full album and how you can pre-order it!





You can go ahead and share my indiegogo link with your friends through facebook, myspace, email, twitter!

And by the way, why does youtube always have to pick the most awkward looking image to freeze on?! Looks like a fishy face :-o

Anyway, it's all pretty full on and exciting... looking forward to 2011 and I hope you are too!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!



Cheryl

100% raised

We made it. At 3.44am 6 November 2010 (Western Australian time) we reached 100% on Sellaband and raised 9600 Euros or about $13260 AUD for production of our new CD. And no, I did not celebrate with champagne sad to say... but with pineapple juice at 6.30am (yes I am boring that way :) It's been a crazy month!  I never expected this to happen so quickly. Well actually, if you consider the fact that we started fundraising on Sellaband in January 2008, it has taken close to 3 years in total.  In spite of that, the things that have happened in the last month have caused me to be a stunned mullet ...

Urban Dictionary definition: a. in complete bewilderment or astonishment b. in a state of inertia very common in Australia. "Like a stunned mullet" "He just stood there like a stunned mullet."

So thankful to all of you for helping me along the way - whether through encouragement or financial means.

Currently I am in the process of working on some new songs. Once I am confident that our songs are strong enough, we will be going into the recording studio. Should be fun!



Charity Rockfest 14 November

Join us for our last gig of the year at the Newport, Fremantle. We perform at 4.30pm sharp!






TAKE THE STAGE COMPETITION

I would really appreciate your help in voting for this:

We can win a chance to get treated like rock stars and perform in a concert in Melbourne/Sydney - in front of A&R people and win a Casio keyboard! Yes this is a different competition :)

1. If you could kindly go to this page: http://www.whotune.com/#page=home

2. Click on the GREEN 'REGISTER' button in the middle to register yourself as a fan or musician.

3. Once registered, click on the 6th box in the middle of the screen, on the 'flag' button. You will get a drop-down menu and you just need to click on the 'Take the Stage' option. Once you have done that, you will come to the competition screen.

4. Then you can vote for us by pressing the 'vote' button next to our song entry, 'Closer'. I found that you can vote more than once if you want to. You just need to refresh the screen by clicking on 'Competitions' then 'Take the Stage' again. So feel free if you want to :) You can vote up to 10 times a day.

THANK YOU if you vote for us! Free songs coming your way if you let me know you have been voting. Just email me at cheryl@jadediary.com.



Girl With No Name Video

You can have a look at our new video of Girl With No Name. It features some photos of us performing around Perth and has lyrics! Go to www.jadediary.com/media to have a look!



Have a really great week!


Cheryl

Hello,

How are you? I’ve been well but thinking about quite a few things these months since I last spoke to you. I want to let you know about a few major changes.


Fundraising Deadline

Sellaband recently introduced a new condition to all artists. All artists who are currently fundraising on Sellaband must now raise their targeted amount by September 2011 otherwise, all the money raised so far will disappear and we will not receive any funding.

Sellaband have introduced this condition in order to separate the wheat from the chaff and get the desired outcomes quicker because they were finding that many artists have been inactive or taking a very long time to raise the targeted amount.


The implication…

While friends, family and believers have helped us raise 6107 Euros (about $8516 USD or $8640 AUD) so far, we still have a significant way to go before reaching our target.

We must raise the entire 11,900 Euros by September 2011 otherwise all the money raised so far will disappear. That would mean countless hours of fundraising down the gurgler… :(

---

By the way, we are the 11th artist on the Sellaband charts (meaning that out of the hundreds of bands on Sellaband, we come in 11th based upon how much money we have raised so far). Also, we are the #1 Australian artist on the whole of Sellaband!

---

What is Sellaband?

“Sella-what?” I hear you say… well go to:
https://www.sellaband.com/en/pages/how_it_works


Food for the Soul…

What I am asking all of you to consider is this:

Imagine you are a restauranteur and you put your heart and soul, time and money into making amazing culinary experiences that customers get nourished and delighted by.

Now I want you to imagine what would happen if the restauranteur offered this food to people but very few were willing to pay for the meals. The restauranteur has to meet overheads, staffing costs, let alone the cost of the raw materials. How is the owner going to survive, and continue making his ‘works of art’ that he delights to give to his customers?

This is what is happening to independent musicians such as me all around the world. We put our hearts, soul, sweat, time and money into making songs that people enjoy. It costs about $2000 AUD to record a song professionally in a studio. But today people see music as a ‘free’ commodity. However, bills have to be paid. We love what we do, but we cannot continue to do what we love if the well runs dry. I wish we could.

If you have gained any enjoyment from our songs, would you please consider helping us out at Sellaband to fund our next release? If you have any questions about Sellaband, I will be glad to answer your questions.

Click here now to buy 1 or more parts...



You need a credit card to make the purchase. Alternatively, if you don’t like using your credit card to make purchases over the Internet, then email me and I will gladly make other arrangements with you.


Buying 1 part to pre-order our next CD:




If you buy more parts, you will also receive additional rewards. Find out more about our incentives at https://www.sellaband.com/en/projects/jadediary/incentives.

Think of it as a way of pre-ordering the CD. And by doing so, you are keeping the music alive and helping an independent musician who really needs your help.

Making music is a wonderful privilege and joy for me, but like I said, I need to survive too. I cannot continue to make music if no one wants to pay for the music I make.


The Jade Diary is now a Solo Project

If you have been following our history, you will know that we have had many line-up changes.

After much thought, I have decided that The Jade Diary will no longer be a traditional 'band' in the U2 sense. It will now be a solo project. Meaning that I will be the solo artist and I will have musicians collaborating and helping me along the way. Some of these musicians will be familiar faces, others may not be. This is why the pictures of the 'band' on the websites have been replaced with pics of myself :)

Isn't the fact that U2 have remained in pretty much its original lineup for such a long time... a miracle in itself?

The Jade Diary will go on... just in a different form. I will be the face of The Jade Diary from now on!

My love to all of you and deepest thanks for your generous support and encouragement along the way... Thank you for being a part of my dream.



Landscape of Dreams video

I am working with a French musician, Lyter, http://www.myspace.com/lyter911, on a new video for Landscape of Dreams. This will involve filming us against a green screen! How Matrix-like is that?! No, I don’t think I’ll be decked out in black leather, wielding guns, dodging bullets and karate-chopping my way through the ‘Landscape of Dreams’ but it should be a lot of fun anyway! Ah, I think it would be dangerous if I had a million dollar budget for this! ;o)



Charity Rock Fest 14 November

14 November 2010, Sunday: 4.30pm

Charity Rockfest (to raise funds for The Centre for Cerebral Palsy). Newport Hotel. Playing acoustically. Tickets for $15 will go to The Centre for Cerebral Palsy. Please come and support a great cause and have a great time listening to fantastic bands! Email me now if you want tickets …





New Website Look, Pictures, Reviews

Go to www.jadediary.com to have a look at new pictures and reviews!



Love,



Cheryl

Hey everyone!


Village Kid EP LAUNCH@ The Paramount 28th July Wednesday



Really excited to be supporting:

VILLAGE KID at THE PARAMOUNT, 163 James Street, Northbridge, this WEDNESDAY 28TH JULY...
Doors open 7.00pm

Featuring:
ALI TOWERS
THE JADE DIARY (in acoustic mode) at 8.30pm
VILLAGE KID (pop with soul and lots of groove)

We are selling tickets for $15 each: includes a PREMIUM DRINK + COLOURFUL GIRL EP BY VILLAGE KID.

If you'd like a ticket, please email me right now... otherwise I won't be able to mail it out to you in time for Wednesday! Please support indie musicians :)


Thirsty Merc!

For those of you not familiar with THIRSTY MERC, they are a fabulous well-known Australian band that has recently released an incredibly addictive and infectious song called Mousetrap Heart. Can't get the freakin' song out of my head!!!

Saw them last Thursday night, with ALI TOWERS and VILLAGE KID also supporting them at the Fly By Night Club. All the artists were fantastic, especially Thirsty Merc!

I got autographs from Thirsty Merc and cheeky me also passed them our Landscape of Dreams and Girl With No Name CDs! They were sweet and said they'd play them in the car... well let's hope they do :) Hope they like our music! Really nice guys :)


Closer

We just uploaded a brand new track called 'Closer' to our player... check it out!


Hope you have a great week and if you're in Perth, why don't you come down and head down to the Paramount this Wednesday!


Cheryl

Hello!


Manhattans Original Music Explosion
This Thursday 15 July!
Manhattans Bar, 243 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park WA

Playing Times:
The Jade Diary: 8:15-8:50pm
Rachel & Henry Climb a Hill: 9:10-9:45pm
The Blue Finish: 10:05-10:40pm
The Midnight Collective: 11-11:35pm

Hope you can join us! We're performing as an acoustic trio.



Supporting Village Kid - EP Launch @ The Paramount 28 July

We will be supporting Village Kid a really amazing funk-pop band that have a horn section and full ensemble. Truly fine musicians and an amazing singer, Aaron Malone. I am in awe of them, and we feel very privileged to be supporting them on 28 July at The Paramount in Northbridge. We perform at 8.30pm. Currently selling tickets for $15.

$15 includes:
Entry
Drink
'Colourful Girl' - Village Kid EP

Bargain! ;) Please be quick and email me at cheryl.lim@iinet.net.au to reserve your tickets now! It's going to be a massive show...



Pictures of our 19 June Single Launch @ The Civic Hotel



I know lots of you are overseas so couldn't make it to our single launch on 19 June ... so as a little compensation, you can go to www.fasterlouder.com.au/gallery/17317/1/The-Jade-Diary.htm to have a look at some pictures taken at the launch.



CDs

Very soon we will be raising the price of our CDs on the website, so if you'd like to get them at a discount, don't hesitate! You snooze... you lose! ;p Go to Store if you'd like to purchase some CDs!


We always love hearing from you, so feel free to email us about anything... :o)


Cheryl