Introducing Amana Melome

AMANA Melome "PHOENIX RISING" 

"While maintaining her natural elegance, combined with her American and European heritage and cosmopolitan influences, Amana Melome's latest album "Phoenix Rising" is a refreshing voyage of world music, floating between neo-soul, funk, jazz, folk and reggae. The new album is available on iTunes May 21st.

Amana is an international singer and songwriter who was raised in Italy. Her sound is akin to such contemporary artists as Sade, Erykah Badu, Les Nubians and Esperanza Spalding. Growing up on a world stage, Amana developed an appreciation of all music genres. She is inspired by her Caribbean-American roots and the musical legacy of her grandfather, jazz bassist Jimmy Woode, who recorded with such icons as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis.

Amana moved to New York to pursue her passion of singing, where she studied at NYU. Later she moved to Los Angeles and met producer Saverio �Sage� Principini, who has produced Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated and award winning songs for various international artists. Sage recorded Amana�s first album -- Indigo Red in 2008 on IRMA Records and it was one of the first CDs distributed and sold through Whole Foods Markets. Following the American and European release of her record, Amana was headlining festivals, clubs, and performing at private events for such international fashion designers as Fendi and Christian Dior before she was cast in a lead role on the most popular Italian sitcom, Un Medico In Famiglia (English: A Doctor in the Family). Amana speaks English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese and often performs songs in different languages.

Back in Los Angeles, Amana recently returned to the studio and completed the recording of her new album, Phoenix Rising, with Sage at the acclaimed Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Visit amanamusic.com to hear more."  - Locke Dunn, Mozaic Media

Photos from album photo shoot; Amana with actress and director Nicki Micheaux at her album release party; and a photo from a performance.

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Making That Natural Step

Making that natural step � Loc's

Advice and Inspirational written piece by Naturaleza

What if�

no-one likes it?

everyone says it is not me?

people look at me strangely?

Do these sound like questions you ask yourself? 

Try these on instead - What if...?

I like it alot?

it makes me happy?

doing this allows me to be creative in other ways?

people say crap about it? I'm doing it for ME!

Don't let the views people have of you hold you back from doing it.

You know what I mean!   Having natural hair!

I won't pretend to be the guru on the topic. I can only share my experience. This is the second time that I've begun the journey. I don't know exactly what it is, but this time I feel more relaxed, feeling fit in my skin and loving who I am. 

Maybe it comes with maturity...not with chronological age per se. But maturity that allows us to block out the detractors. When we get to that phase that as people we are comfortable with who we are, who we see and quite frankly, we are not put off by what people say.

We just smile and nod!

Trust me...I smile and nod!

-Ask questions:        Educate yourself by asking other people around you who have natural hair how they maintain it. In my case, I preferred to ask questions about sizing and method to start my locs because I did
not want small locs. Find out about products and of course, the cost to maintain your hair looking its best.

-Use your tech resources:      The Internet is there to help. There are many sites, Blogs, Vlogs like Youtube to educate you.  We all have different reasons for wanting to have natural hair. But, don't get bogged down by what people want. Get excited about what you want! Use what you see and read to make informed decisions.

-Choose a responsible someone:   That someone does not have to be a Broad Street cosmetologist.  But, in the case of locs, I would rather have someone who knows what they are doing start them as they can show me what to do when making it to the salon might be difficult. Hey, that someone might even be your sister, your barber, your best-friend!

-Transitioning:    Not every day will be the same. Some days you may not want to do a twist out or do your full hair regimen. So what? Why can't you rock your headband? Or, do a scarf to complement your outfit? You are not your hair! Be creative with what God gave you! Dealing with locs has meant for me dealing with frizz and people who know me when I had relaxed hair, know how every strand of hair was in place. They knew I had every possible curling iron size under the sun.  The frizz is like a lesson in PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE!  When transitioning, do you want to wear braids? What about doing the Big Chop (BC)?  Or, even microbraids? These are things to consider.

-No more burns:            Need I say more?

-Product junkie:        Then, of course we think about products.  Hmmm, another yummy part of having natural hair!  But, hey! Take it easy! You still want your crown to look lovely. There is a whole world of natural hair care products locally and overseas. Some say "natural" on the bottle. Others, are 'natural' with the ingredients they put IN the bottle, too! So, do your leg-work.

And, don't let people put limitations on how long they think you will keep your hair in its natural state either. That decision is up to you.  Nor, should you set up yourself for  the - kinky hair vs. loc'd hair debate.  In my humble layman's opinion, "Natural "means no element of chemical processing. So don't put yourself on a guilt trip either.  

Life is dynamic...don't be afraid! And as you may (or may not realize), a woman's sense of style and dare I say, how she wears her hair changes throughout her life; from phase to phase.

Remember: Love you! Embrace your beauty - inside and out!

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