Pramananda: new mantra cd by Carola Zafarana

¡Second goal!

¡MUCHAS, MUCHAS GRACIAS!

Six more days to go, thank you all so much!

I would love to record a videoclip of one of the mantra's of Pramananda and that all of you participate! That is why I am putting a second goal of 500 euros, tell the whole world about it!

The story

When?

Sometime in 2017.

Where?

In “La Nena”, a place in Barcelona where they serve excellent chocolate, cake and lunch.

And how did it start...?

Well, with a whatsapp.

J: "Carolaaa, this is Jordi, lunch in La Nena tomorrow?

C: "Jordiii, what’s up, yes, yes, lunch and chupito suizo (Google it, it will make you want one right now)

The next day in La Nena:

J: "Carola. We need to have a very serious talk about your next cd because we are going to record one that will be different from all the previous ones you made”.

(Meanwhile, the waitress brings me a chupito suizo with whipped cream, delicious in this place)

C: "Tell me more..." (I feel a bit of anxiety entering my body)

J: "An album extremely well produced, we’ll lock ourselves into the studio for at least a month. And we’ll work on it until it’s like “butter for the ears! (this is a typical Jordi expression)”

C: "¡A month!? (the anxiety now converts into light panic)

J: "Yes, Carola, I can’t believe it’s taking you so long, your fans deserve a good dose of that butter!”

C: "But...I don’t have savings, not even one euro, I’m a musician, Jordi! It’s what I love most in life, but how on earth will get the money for this? Besides, who still buys cd’s? You want me to go and live underneath a bridge? Give me another chupito suizo, please, with melindros!"

Ok,so there it stayed for now. But...somehow the seed was planted and slowly, very slowly it started to grow until it popped its head from the earth and said: "well, hello there!"

At the same time, I got access to a piano and started to play it, for fun really. And it didn't take very long until I started to get ideas, new melodies for mantra's and other songs. Where do these melodies come from? I have no idea, but I love it when they decide to present themselves.

So one day in the autumn of 2019, I felt coureagous and I said to myself: "I don't know where I am getting myself into, but I am going to say yes to this."

The eternal excuse of not having the funds is just so boring somehow and it will keep me from doing it, always. I just want to make good music!

I send Jordi a whatsapp.

(While I wait for him to reply, I look at the framed picture of my teacher and friend Swamini Pramananda, I keep it at my desk. There she is with that big, generous smile. Last year when she was visiting Barcelona in July, we drove around in taxi's a lot and we had lots of conversations. She said to me once that she found it hard to understand that I was always doubting myself, my abilities in life.)

C: "Jordi, let’s have a coffee!"

J: "Carolaaa, tomorrow at 17.00, let’s go to that terrace on the corner, I think we might be lucky and get some sunshine around that time”.

An “angels jump”

And at the end of January 2020 we started with Pramananda and once again I am falling in love with this. It’s such an incredible joy to do something that you really, really love.

And yes, oh yes, it’s a risk to begin this work and at the same time launch a crowdfunding, but what can I say, it was the perfect momento, not sooner, not later!

How does it work, what can you do?

If you are touched by this little story and you feel like being part of it with me, with us, to make it possible, well there are several ways to support it.

1. Share the link of the Verkami campaign on your social media and with your contacts and ask them to do the same. Help it spread her wings!

2. Check out the rewards and pick the one you like most. If you can! Any question, doubt, comment, suggestion etc., please write to me and I will respond as fast as I can.

Important

Remember that Verkami doesn’t charge your credit card right away. This will happen after the 40 days of the campaign end and only if I have reached the goal!

What will be the destination of the money

I can imagine that for many of you, it seems just unbelievable that most of the money will go to studio recordings and mixes etc., the production. But what we are doing, is making an album of high quality, we want it to sound absolutely beautiful.

The rest is for design, photography and the video and of course the print of your copies of Pramananda!

What if we receive more money than the set goal, what will we do with that?

First of all, I will be a 100% transparent about everything we do with the money in general and especially if more money comes in. Most likely, the actual costs for design will be higher and I would love the album to have a booklet with the lyrics of the mantras etc.. Also, it would be fantastic to make a videoclip (and you could all be featuring in it!!).

A bit more about myself

I was born in the Netherlands. My last name is Italian because my dad is Italian. Music has always been my first love, from a very young age. Even if, when I was a child, what I absolutely loved doing was making people laugh, I would make up comic theatre acts, for example.

Finally I decided, or life gently pushed me towards that, to study music, classical music, the piano. Something completely different but hey, today I am returning to the piano on this album! Barcelona has been what I call home since 2004. I dedicate myself to music, writing and theater. I love to teach and share anything to do with our voice, especially in groups because it’s more contagious!

Jordi Navarro I met in his studio, when I recorded some harmonies for a colleague musician and we became friends instantly!

It’s a pleasure and a privilige to work with him, he is one of the most authentic persons I know, a great professional, excellent musician but above all, one of my dearest friends. And we have good laughs, until my whole body hurts (of laughing!).

Pramananda is my fifth album. The other four are Shabad Simran, Zafarana, Pocket Songs (together with Karim Habib El Fakih) y Exhale. The last three made in The Room BCN with Jordi Navarro

The team

Carola Zafarana: voice & piano

Jordi Navarro: production, guitars & bass guitar

Carlos Peñasco-Martín Lara: video

Nono Rueda: graphic design

Carlos Montilla: photography

Rubén Mármol: hair & make-up

All the melodies and arrangments are born from an idea that comes to me, usually when I am improvising at the piano in the theatre before starting rehearsals or at home. Sometimes when I am walking the streets of Barcelona or when I am having a coffee. Then I show Jordi and we start creating, molding, adding, enjoying.

Time table (aprox.)

January/February all the studio work: creation, mixes and master. Production.

March/april we will send you the digital version of Pramandanda or we meet up for a coffee (or “chupito suizo”) and I pass it directly to you on your pendrive.

Mayo/June we will have the physical copies of the album!

If there are important changes, we will inform you of course.

More info & contact

You will be kept posted during the campaign:
+ on the Verkami blog.
+ on Instagram
+ on Facebook

Also, you can always send me a message through Verkami or directly to my email (any doubt, question, suggestion, comment you have):

carolazafarana@gmail.com

We are working in Barcelona in the Gràcia neighbourhood at:

The Room BCN

https://www.theroombcn.com

https://www.goandjo.com/

GRACIAS THANK YOU DANK JULLIE WEL GRAZIE MILLE