Fairytale In Red (Malukah Remix)

I first heard Malukah's angelic voice when she posted her very first Skyrim cover on Youtube a couple years back, and since then, I've become hooked. Then a couple months ago when I heard her original song "Reignite" (inspired by and including clips from one of my favorite game series "Mass Effect") I knew she was a star. She has become just that among gamers all over the world, and rightfully so. 

I commented on her Reignite video saying something like "Keep writing songs. That is where your true power lies." THEN I discovered that she had released a whole CD of original songs under her real name Judith de los Santos, called "All of the Above" and what do you know, I was right - her original songs are in my opinion even better than her covers. She puts so much emotion into everything, and this album is no exception. The sound is masterfully produced and the lyrics are surprisingly brilliant. 2 of my favorites from the album are "Covered in Red" which has that dark intensity I always look for in music, and "Fairytale" which weaves words together in a mind-blowingly impressive way. 

The 2 songs seem to have a similar theme, as well as similar notes (each of them still standing alone as separate songs though) so I had the idea to try mixing these 2 songs together. I used "Fairytale" as the base (it plays the whole time) and added clips of "Covered in Red" over it (it's quiet but it's there - I would have made it louder but the drums would have clashed). Mind you, I don't have the best equipment to do stuff like this with, but hey, I tried. And my husband tells me that despite my lack of good equipment it still sounds like one fluid song, which is a huge compliment coming from him (he tells me the truth whether it's ugly or not) so, I hope you guys will like it too! 

 

Screenshot from "Fairytale In Red" (animation)

They say all musicians are capable of hearing 2 songs in their mind at once, and I've always been able to do that. As a result of this bizarre talent, I've been wanting to mix songs together for a few years now (even made a list - lost it since then but it's quickly growing again - this will be the first of many mixes), but I never actually tried it until now. And Malukah was the one I wanted to mix music from first, since that first project is always so special, and Malukah is also so special. Her covers alone have helped me through some pretty hard times, especially "Reignite" (which also got me through beating Dragon Age: Origins for the first time) and not only does she have this amazing talent, but she is one of the sweetest people you'll ever encounter. She always takes the time to reply to people online (which is quite the feat considering how many people interact with her every day) and it amazes me how humble she still is. The following wasn't even in reply to anything, which I thought was awesome of her.

Via Google+

Anyway, since I'd already talked to her a few times, I felt like I needed to ask her permission before uploading this mix. So, I sent her an email and crossed my fingers, not wanting to get my hopes up. To pass the time until I heard from her, I tweeted things such as this to get people excited: 

And I think it worked ;)

Then, to my surprise, Malukah said yes! I was happier than a kid on Christmas morning, and it definitely showed in my posts on Twitter. LOL. And @MarsAmee (a mutual fan) was pretty excited too, which was awesome ;)

I quickly got to work finalizing the project, making a simple lyric video (to clarify which parts I used where) and even adding some animation (which is apparently MUCH harder than it looks) and finally, after much blood, sweat, tears of frustration & tears of joy, staying up until 5am for 3 nights in a row, working on it for most of my birthday (today - New Years Eve), 34 Movie Maker files and over 520 Photoshop files, I'm happy to finally say IT IS FINISHED! I know it's not perfect, but I hope it will showcase her music in a fresh new way and attract even more fans for this amazing musician and wonderful person. :)

 

Screenshot from "Fairytale In Red" (animation)

If you haven't heard the album "All of the Above" you can check it out at Malukah.Com - I recommend listening to each song on its own before listening to the mix. I also recommend checking out her Youtube if you haven't yet. Get over there and see what you've been missing! 

Anyway, enough rambling. Here it is. My mix and lyric video of these 2 amazing songs (I've also combined the titles of the songs to get "Fairytale In Red") - Hope you like it! 

I'd suggest headphones & full-screen. Just saying.

So, there you have it. Remember, this was my first time mixing 2 songs together, and also my first attempt at actual animation. So be gentle with me, but let me know what you think! I loved making this, and I hope I get to collaborate with Malukah (again) in the future. I think this arrangement would make for a great duet (might have to try that if Malu and I are ever in the same town LOL) and I already have a little something in mind (actually kind of a BIG something) for a possible future project with her if she's up for it. Hint: The song in the credits. ;) 

Whatever the future holds, I feel brilliance on the horizon. New year, new passion. I'm so excited to bring you more stuff like this :) If you like it, please subscribe to the channel and also to my channel where I'll be posting some future stuff like this too. 

Happy New Year! 

 Be The Lightning ;)

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UPDATE:

Here is Malukah's sweet and thoughtful response to the blog and the mix: 

   Thanks Malu :)


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