This Christmas Afternoon morning I would love to reach out and give
you a big squeeze! Can you feel the love? Thank you for all your
support this year! It's been a really fun, exciting, wild,
adventurous, milestone of a year for us. Thank you for all your
loving hugs, words of encouragement, and belief in me, it's phenomenal
to feel all those hearts out there cheering me along. I also have a
feeling that next year is going to be out of this world! . . .Thank
you for coming along on my journey with me. . . hold on tight . . .
cause it's about to get much wilder!
Gratitude to the moon and back!
Rikka Z

We're throwing a party, (that's what they are to me) before we go
into the studio at Soho in Santa Barbara with a full band including
the wonderful Scarlet Rivera on January 13th!
so . . . mark your calendars!

Yahoo! check out our write up in Santa Barbara Magazine!

"There are so many accomplished musicians from Santa Barbara. Tim Lopez of The Plain White Ts for example was my 6th grade crush. Now he´s a rock star. It happens. And Rikka Z. is such a talented singer and songwriter. She lights up the stage and draws you in. It´s beautiful. Like my favorite fortune says, "You stand in your own light. Make it shine." That´s so much of what music embodies: being yourself and doing what you love, and having the drive and determination to share a piece of your soul with the world. That´s the stuff that dreams are made of."

Christie Myers, Santa Barbara Magazine

Wow! Just reading those words is so fantastically, fabulously, amazingly, brilliantly, unbelievably exciting! I've been holding back on all the details until I knew it was on . . .

I left the label with a very special piece of paper in my hand that starts with . . . dramatic pause . . . another dramatic pause . . . are all your hearts racing yet? . . . mine is . . .

RECORDING CONTRACT/DEAL MEMORANDUM
This agreement (hereinafter referred to as the "Agreement") is made effective this day . . . etc . . .

After the meeting was over at the label they walked me out to my car . . . I acted cool . . . you know, no big deal, as my heart is pounding with elation . . . no problem . . . I can hide it . . . I'm cool . . . .I jumped in my little cream convertible beetle pulled the top down . . . waved good by nonchalantly about to burst until . . . . .. I pulled out of sight and started SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS . . . laughing hysterically . . . howling into the big orange California sunset driving down 101 with tears of joy streaming down my face . . . man it feels so good!

So WE DID IT! How cool is that?

We're going to be celebrating the news at Ojai Day tomorrow (Sat) giving away free Rikka Z Gear and playing on the MAIN STAGE on the corner of Blanche and Ojai Ave. between 11:30am and 12:30pm!

I really couldn't have done it with out you . . . it seems like everyone says that . . . but I really mean it . . . each and every one of you has gotten me this far . . . and I´m going to need your support as we embark on the greatest Rikka Z adventure our lives . . . if you want to spread the word forward this invite to the show on to your email list. It like it takes a village to raise a baby . . . It takes a whole world to raise a country star.

See you there!
So much gratitude for you,
Rikka

Thank you for all coming out to Zoeys! We rocked the house! I came up to Alan and his phenomenal wife Margaret after the show and he said "YOU EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS BEYOND WHAT I COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED!"

How does it get any better than that?

They are so phenomenal! Every moment I spend with him and his wife I am more and more impressed and in awe by who they are. Their contributions to the music business are so immense. They have so much care for their artists; I can't even begin to explain how it feels to have them in my corner! I can't even begin to explain what I know is in store but to say . . . just wait . . . it's on!

I did some energy work on Margaret after our meeting on Monday, and received this email the next morning. I thought I would include it in this journal entree so that you could get a sense for what an extremely gifting, talented, honorable, and phenomenal person he is . . .


Another really great and fruitful day!
Thank you for your loving time with Margie. Hearing the two of you laughing so freely blessed our sweet home. How absolutely lovely.

As I get to know you I am more and more impressed that you, like us, are a committed and proactive individual that will help us achieve great things together - we already have - and as we move forward in the manner we were discussing today, there is not anything that will not be achieved.

I have been doing this a long time and your openness and beautiful heart is a rare thing in this cynical world and crazy business - you are indeed a breath of fresh air.

I am so pleased we have found each other. I think about you and smile and have peace in the knowledge that we are planting seeds in fertile soil. Water it with commitment, consistency, talent, professionalism and lots of honorable love and the world is ours and we are adding to the joy in it.

" So Let's Fly!"

Again thank you for your appreciation of the finest person I know, Margaret.
Alan.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!

HOW DOES IT GET ANY BETTER? READ ON . .. .

The most PHENOMINAL music manager, flew into my life, and it's
ON! The famously talented Scarlet Rivera RAVED fabulous about me
saying if he passed me up he'd regret it, it would be like passing on
the next Faith or Shania to her long friend and manager Alan Abrahams,
(thank you Scarlet), and he said that he would take a meeting to help
me understand the music business, to be prepared for the EMI showcase
ect . . . and the more he investigated . . . the more he was extremely
interested . . .

He told me he wasn't looking for another artist . . . then one of his
artists took a sabbatical . . . so it "just so happened" that his
schedule opened up . . . then he went to the site and was like . . .
ok, she's very marketable . . . got her shit together, that's good . .
. then heard the music . . . and he flipped out!

He has been on every side of the music business for 40 years, knows
everyone, was the head of A&R for RCA for 10 years, owns a publishing
company, has placed endless songs endless places, knows everyone, is a
producer, runs his label "Do Right Records" Has worked with A&M,
Atlantic, Blue Note, Capitol, Columbia, Def Jam, Elektra, EMI, Epic,
Geffen, Island, Jive, LaFace Records, Light, MCA, RCA, Rhino,
Rykodisc, Sony, Tommy Boy, Universal, Virgin, Warner Bros, you name
it!

So now . . . he wants to see us live!

So, I called Zoey's and they've agreed to open up the restaurant for
us to do a secret showcase for Alan and a few of his influential music
friends this Wednesday September 5th with a full band!

Oh man, my emails are so filled with this . . . I begin to write about
the newest developments with the music and there's so much gratitude .
. . I can contain the tears of joy . . . my life is so overflowing
with yummyness . . . (my new word for today) How did I get so f%$*ing
lucky?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone who came to hear us rock
the house at the Deer Lodge! You coming made all this happen . . . .

David from EMI music . . . . flipped and totally LOVED it! And,
Lisa, the head of marketing from clear channel, who came with Scarlet
totally flipped out too! Lisa and David sat me down after the set and
were like . . . I knew I was going to come here and find this . . .
there is no reason why you aren't signable today . . . and Lisa is
going . . . I'm the head of marketing for Clear Channel . . . and I
love this . . . I can hear this all over the radio . . . I can do this
on my side . . . and David's going . . . I can do this on my side . .
.

So all the material got to EMI, and they LOVED IT!
and sent it to the next step at Capitol Nashville!

What Else Is Possible?

I am so excited . . . . drum roll please . . . . our song "Fly You Home" won . . . . . wait . . .wait . . . dramatic pause . . . . . Song of the Year's Songwriting contest for the Folk division! How cool is that?

The judges included Norah Jones; (we all know her credentials) , Wayne Watson; christian music singer, has achieved thirty for top 10 songs, twenty one #1 hits, and two grammy awards, Sheila E; multiple grammy award nominations, won MTV's Best Video Award twice and has worked extensively with Prince, Tim Palmer; producer for almost every major label including artists like Faith Hill, U2, INXS, and Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Dellafiora; Capital Records, and Stephanie Wright from Universal Music.

I am so excited that it gets to be heard . . . what would it take to have it playing all over the US . . . even the world?

Thank you so much for being such a constant support! All of you coming to shows keeps me going in this crazy music industry . . . .

I'm finally back from all my travels, Hawaii, Europe, then Hawaii again, what a blessed life! I started my journey hiking the jungles of Hana in Maui, sleeping to the sound of the rain and ocean, I awoke one morning speaking, . . . last night I slept in the ethers surrounded by the weather . . . so immersed in nature I realized that all my words for such glory are unreal, out of this world, and unbelievable? What if we all lived lives where such peace, tranquility and beauty was real . . . was us . . . was everywhere . . . in everything? I wonder what it would take for that to show up? A week later I found myself yipping and hollering on skies following my brother down the many faces of the Austrian Alps with my family . . . across mountain ranges into little villages nestled in tiny canyons between the piercing landscape. In Europe they have something called; Apre-Ski; noun, activity beginning around 3pm where about skiers and snow boarders from all cultures tend to loose all self control drink copious amounts of alcoholic beverages, dance on tables in their ski boots, and sing arm in arm cheesy remixes of American Pop music. There is even the Apre-ouch-ski viewing where about you sit at a local pub at the base of the mountain and watch the show while skiers and snowboarders flail down the mountain making ridiculous fools of them selves.
We then traveled through Tuscany by car stopping tasting the local wine villages down the Amalfi Coast, where we rented a house on the beach in Vernassa. Where I indulged in daily Gelato and explored the many faces of the village. One afternoon I climbed up a mountain side, found myself a bit stuck, with no way down but into the Mediterranean Sea, so I jumped what felt like 100 feet into the stirring ocean! A day after returning I hopped on another plan and flew to Oahu where I photographed an intimate gorgeous wedding. So what´s next on the grand and glorious adventure list? . . . let's play music!