Mem Nahadr
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Mem Nahadr ( ), also known as M. Nahadr and simply "M", is an American
performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
and multi-octave
vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
having access to the whistle register and best known for the performance of the
song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...
"Butterfly", composed by
Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer of soundtracks for anime series, Video game, video games, Japanese television drama, television dramas and movies. She has written scores for ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Gho ...
and lyricized by
Chris Mosdell Christopher John Mosdell (born 9 November 1949) is a British lyricist, poet, author, composer, vocalist and illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan, and New York City, United States. He has collaborated with an extensive array of musicians and artis ...
for ''
Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 Japanese neo-noir space Western anime television series that aired on TV Tokyo and Wowow from 1998 to 1999. It was created and animated by Sunrise (company), Sunrise, led by a production team of director Shinichirō Watanabe, ...
''. In the recording studio, Nahadr writes, records, performs, and produces all of each project's music. She is co-produced by Grammy Award Winner, James P. Nichols. She is also an
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
, and
human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...
.


Early life

Mem Nahadr was born with the genetic condition known as
albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...
from African American parents. Her parents discovered her love and natural understanding of music during a parent/teacher meeting at the age of five. She was discovered creating coherent improvised passages from her own imagination, on the class piano as the meeting was held at the opposite end of the classroom.


Career

In 1999, Mem Nahadr created a music label to promoted her music and protect her interests. She named this company MADWOMAN MULTIMEDIA, as an acquaintance once commented, "You always work like a Madwoman!". She is the sole artist on this label. In 2008, she presented her first
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
theatrical production, '' Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera''.''Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera''
", ''Lortel Archives''.
co-produced by Grammy winner James P. Nichols, and Harvard LOEB Theater director, Claude E. Sloan, Jr. Nahadr, being an
albinistic Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, was requested in 2004 by ''
National Geographic Magazine ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' to have a portrait made of her by renowned photojournalist Robert Clark, to be included in an article on
genetic inheritance Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...
, ideas of diversity and acceptance of difference. Later that year, the portrait and some of Nahadr's artistic work were included in the magazine's "Best of the Year" collection of images.(2004).
Tracking the Evolution Story
, pp. 13–14. ''National Geographic Magazine''.
Another portrait of Nahadr travels internationally in the '' Positive Exposure'' exhibition (featuring many people with albinism and other genetic conditions) by notable fashion photographer and human rights activist Rick Guidotti. The collection was launched at the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
during the Mapping of the Human Genome Celebration in 2000. In 2009, Nahadr released her fifth studio album entitled ''EclecticIsM'' internationally, to critical acclaim. AMG/''Billboard'' gave it 4 stars, while
BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...
presenter
Kevin Le Gendre Kevin Le Gendre is a British journalist, broadcaster and author whose work focuses on Black music. He is deputy editor of '' Echoes'' magazine, has written for a wide range of publications, including '' Jazzwise'', '' MusicWeek'', '' Vibrations'' ...
called it "The soul album of the year for its challenge to the genre itself". In 2010, Nahadr was asked by legendary poet and playwright
Ntozake Shange Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018 ...
to compose a musical work for the soundtrack to the feature film adaptation of her iconic Broadway classic ''
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf #REDIRECT For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf {{R from move ...
''. This film was released by
Lionsgate Entertainment Starz Entertainment Corp, formerly known officially as Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation and commonly as Lions Gate and/or Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company currently headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Founded by ...
, Hollywood, California. Award-winning journalist Kevin Le Gendre included Nahadr extensively in his 2012 book ''Soul Unsung: Reflections on the Band in Black Popular Music''. Also in 2012, Nahadr embarked on a worldwide pilgrimage in order to study sound and healing techniques worldwide, from the U.S. through Europe to Asia. The project was entitled, LoM. In March 2013, Nahadr began the creation of a new opera entitled ''FEMME FRACTALE - An Opera of Reflection'', for the theater. James P. Nichols and Claude E. Sloan, Jr supported this presentation with co-production and state-of-the-art technical and creative design. In April 2015, the second opus of her operatic work ''FEMME FRACTALE'' was released in audio form and began to be performed in theaters internationally again to critical acclaim. James Nadal from
All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
stated: "This record pushes the boundaries of where vocalization can go. This aptly named 'Opera of Reflection' is a determined and energetic project, depicting how positive energy can be channeled into music that is palatable yet vanguard, and realized with a cosmic message of confidence. Mem Nahadr is very much the modern woman who is savoring her role as a visionary artist, creating futuristic music for a contemporary audience that appreciates the effort it takes to accomplish something so imaginative." In 2017, the third opus entitled ''FEMME FRACTALE 432 - An Opera of Reflection - The Celestial Resonance Opus 3'' was submitted to The Recording Academy for
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
consideration, and made the voting ballot in 13 categories over five musical genres. Also in 2017, the aforementioned project on healing techniques through sound, entitled LoM was inevitably released. In 2019, Nahadr began work on her third opera. This new work is entitled ''M.E.M. - "Mon Electro-Magnetisme": An Opera on Attraction''.


Discography


Albums

*1999: ''Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera'' *2012: ''Eclecticism 432'' *2015: ''Femme Fractale: An Opera of Reflection'' *2017: ''FF 432 - An Opera of Reflection... The Celestial Resonance OPUS 3'' *2017: ''LoM 528 - GOLD'' *2024: ''Mon Elextro-Magnetisme: An Opera on Attraction''


Singles

*2010: ''I Found God In Myself - Ntozake's Song'' *2012: ''The Underground Aria 432 - CLUB MIX'' *2024: ''Another Like Me - from the Soundtrack of the Motion Picture "Indelible"'' *2024: ''M's Butterfly - Remix from the Soundtrack of the Motion Picture "Cowboy Bebop"''


Album appearances


Theatre


Filmography


References


External links


Official site
''www.MemNahadr.com'' * *Murph, John (2009).
M. Nahadr's Eclectic Artistry
, ''TheRoot.com''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nahadr, Mem Living people People with albinism African-American writers 21st-century American composers American performance artists Peabody Institute alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women composers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers