RSS Feed (xml)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Singer Shakira has waded into an ongoing U.K. debate over illegal downloads - insisting the controversial practise brings her "closer to her fans".
Lily Allen spearheaded a campaign last month (Sep09) to stop illicit file-sharing and called on the British government to help beat illegal downloaders, who she fears will destroy the music industry.
Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox and George Michael backed her protest - but the Whenever, Wherever hitmaker, who has sold millions of records worldwide, is sympathetic to illegal downloaders.
Shakira tells Sky News, "I like what's going on because I feel closer to the fans and the people who appreciate the music. It's the democratisation of music in a way, and music is a gift. That's what it should be, a gift."
Allen is adamant the practise means artists just starting out in the music business will struggle - but singer Nelly Furtado has also joined the debate, insisting losing sales is irrelevant to success.
She adds, "If you love music you're going to make it anyway. You'll find an audience, and you may not make like millions of dollars but you'll make enough to have a house and a family and a car."
Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox and George Michael backed her protest - but the Whenever, Wherever hitmaker, who has sold millions of records worldwide, is sympathetic to illegal downloaders.
Shakira tells Sky News, "I like what's going on because I feel closer to the fans and the people who appreciate the music. It's the democratisation of music in a way, and music is a gift. That's what it should be, a gift."
Allen is adamant the practise means artists just starting out in the music business will struggle - but singer Nelly Furtado has also joined the debate, insisting losing sales is irrelevant to success.
She adds, "If you love music you're going to make it anyway. You'll find an audience, and you may not make like millions of dollars but you'll make enough to have a house and a family and a car."
Singer and dancer Shakira has revealed how she went undercover so she could attend university without getting recognized.
The She Wolf hitmaker, 32, took a break from music in 2006, after releasing the album Oral Fixation Vol. 2, and enrolled on a history course at the University of California in Los Angeles.
And she was so desperate not to attract any attention, she dressed up as a man; changed her name; and wore a disguise so that people would not discover her true identity.
“I needed a break from me,” Shakira told UK newspaper The Guardian. “The universe is so broad, I cannot be at the center of it.
“So I decided to go to the university and study history for a summer course, just to kind of switch gears, taste the student life.
“I used to wear a cap and a big backpack, I looked like a boy. I didn’t get recognized. Some people looked at me very suspiciously, a few people asked me, but I told them my name was Isabelle. I would go to university over and over again if I could.”
“I should care less,” Shakira said of her career. “It has been 20 years, but I still care about my career. I care about the music. I’m not normal.”
;;
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
