It's my birthday tomorrow, so it's a fun time to share news about a new album.
What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?
The biggest challenge for me was letting go of the identity I had built for myself and allowing myself to pursue my creative dreams. When I moved to Los Angeles it was such a helpful transition for me to be surrounded by top creatives. I was able to work with Emmy winning composers and producers and to continue my work within music production and animation. That hard work has paid off with my cartoon that featured my original music, winning a film festival award.
Who is the Album For?
The Happy Birthday Remix Album is for the entire family. Whether you are a kid and it’s your 1st birthday or you are celebrating your 60th birthday you can select any genre of music including Tango, Trap, Nursery Rhyme, Traditional, Afrobeat, Calypso and so much more. But wait, what if you speak another language? I have you covered! The Happy Birthday Remix album features over 30 languages and on our YouTube channel over 100 languages including Klingon, Elvish and Pig Latin. I have something for everyone! I have been a singer and Family DJ for over 6 years, have performed over 250 times, and I know what will get a crowd on their feet and dancing!
How many languages do you speak and how many languages can you sing in?
I am fluent or conversational in English, Ibibio, Spanish and Korean.
I can sing in over 100 languages but I am not fluent in all of them.
As an artist my genre is Multilingual Dance Music for Kids and Families and it was influenced by my love of language.
You have a unique name, how do you pronounce it and what is the cultural origin?
My name is Ekaette Elizabeth Shammah and you say my first name phonetically A-Kite-A.
My name Ekaette was my grandmother's name and it means “Father’s Mother” or “Mother of the King”, which can also mean grandmother. Ekaette was my grandmother’s name and is a name that is passed down. We have several names or nicknames that are passed down in our family. The funny thing about this question which I get everyday, is that my name is very common. There are Movies, songs, and many women who have my name because it is a common regional name from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
What is your heritage and how did it play a role in your music selection?
I am so grateful to be Nigerian-American. I grew up in El Paso, Texas which is on the border of Mexico. El Paso’s sister city was Juarez, Mexico. The two cities felt like one big city separated by a river, the Rio Grande as everyone worked, shopped, and ate in both cities. I grew up speaking and am fluent in Spanish, living in the US, raised by Nigerian parents. My parents' cultural language is Ibibio which is the 4th largest cultural group in Nigeria. Growing up around English, Spanish, Ibibio, and Nigerian Pidgin was an amazing experience that has influenced me as a multilingual artist. I incorporate different languages in all of my songs and am the author of multilingual books. I love languages.
What does success mean to you?
Success for our learners is that they become inspired. Our mission is to make learning fun through our catchy music and viral dances so that learners will be inspired to become fully bilingual. We want them to catch themselves singing in another language while they go about their day to show them how easy it can be to learn if you are having fun!
Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more?
We really believe in interactive learning and have created several amazing opportunities for families to continue to learn along with the Happy Birthday Remix Album. We have an online course entitled “Sing the Happy Birthday Song in 100 Languages”, a book, and online events! We want learners to feel inspired and excited to learn new languages. Music is how we achieve our mission to inspire learners to become bilingual by first becoming proficient in a song. Listen, Dance and Learn at www.HappyBirthdayRemix.com.
Ekaette is the author of 5 children's songbooks, and has a charity program where she donates books to over 1000 schools. She has performed worldwide at Kidchella, Kidstock, Pretend City Children's Museum, With Love LA Reading Room, Nuview Library, Winter Fest OC, Pepperdine Family Arts Fest, Starbucks Grand Opening, Kids Camps, and K-12 schools.
Learn more:
HappyBirthdayRemix.com
submit@HappyBirthdayRemix.com
Instagram.com/HappyBirthdayRemix
TikTok.com/@HappyBirthdayRemix
Facebook.com/HappyBirthdayRemix
YouTube.com/HappyBirthdayRemix
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