TINATIN RELEASES DEBUT EP “WILD”

4/1/2011

FOCUSING ATTENTION
ON POTENTIAL RAVAGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE;
RELEASED ON THE EVE OF ANNUAL EARTH DAY

As catastrophic events continue to impact the very ground we walk on, from the devastating combination of earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan and Haiti to the potential ravages of climate change, Earth Day is a more urgent call to arms than ever. This year, the 41st annual cause, designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for our natural environment, culminates on April 22, with education, public policy and consumer campaigns in more than 175 nations.

If music is the universal language, then perhaps there is no better way to spread the message than song. Singer/songwriter Tinatin grew up in the Soviet Republic of Georgia—hit by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in 2009—while collaborator and co-songwriter/producer Ayhan Sahin worked for a decade as a civil engineer in his native Turkey—witnessing hell on earth as an equally hard-hitting earthquake devastated the nation’s northwestern region in 1999, near the metropolis of Istanbul.

Today, both New York-based musicians have banded to record Tinatin’s debut EP, “Wild” on Young Pals Music. It’s no coincidence that the six-song collection is timed for release on April 19, the eve of Earth Day. Its title track offers a socially conscious anthem about the consequences of climate change, as a rash of alarming trends sweep the land: “temperatures plummeting to 12 below at the equator, a dry spell across South America’s tropical rain forests and fire along the Polar ice caps.”

The song also includes a nod to Al Gore’s “Alliance for Climate Protection,” in the lyric, “Al sends regards, he said he is going out of his mind/The sun is shining in the middle of a quiet Carthage night,” referring to his Tennessee hometown. In hand, 10% of the song’s proceeds from iTunes will be donated to Gore’s foundation.

In addition, the force field of cacophonous percussion and insistent beats in “Wild” were such an inspiration for Tinatin and Sahin that he remixed the title track into a frenetic dance floor paean. This version, included on the EP, will be released to DJs/clubs in June. Videoclips for both were lensed by Christopher Holmes/ Holmeswood Features.

With all songs on the EP written by Tinatin and Sahin, and arranged/produced by Sahin, the disc includes a posse of name-brand live musicians, including acclaimed Aussie Garth Ploog on piano, classical guitarist Emre Yilmaz, Mike Stanzilis on bass, drummer Mike Sorrentino, Elyssa Samsel on violins and Dennis DelGaudio on electric and acoustic guitars.

Other highlights include the tender, regretful “Fly,” which tells of a lamenting lover whose partner has been untrue, defiantly offering no second chances. “When you come back, I’ll be out of your life, say goodbye,” Tinatin sings. Similarly, the midtempo “Said and Done” gracefully acknowledges when it’s time to turn the page and begin a new chapter; while “If You Ever” is a lovely lilting ballad that assures a helping hand: “If you lose your ground, if you come undone/If I held you in my arms, you would feel the love inside.”

Aside from this first physical CD release, Tinatin has seen her career burgeon since planting roots in the U.S. Debut single “We the Peoples,” based on the United Nations Charter, earned her kudos as one of Billboard magazine’s 2008 “Artists To Watch,” while composition “Connected” was a finalist in the Pop category of the John Lennon Song Contest. “Is It True,” written by Tinatin with Óskar Páll Sveinsson and acclaimed producer Christopher Neil, was first runner-up at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. The entry was subsequently hailed as the pageant’s Song of the Decade.

Sahin has worked with Olivia Newton-John, Melba Moore, Phoebe Snow, Turkish superstar Sezen Aksu, Sandra Bernhard and a half-dozen “American Idol” finalists, including the 2010 debut single for “AI” season eight finalist/comedian Norman Gentle, “Bitch Slap!” The track’s music video logged more than 75,000 YouTube hits in one week after being launched by The Los Angeles Times and Yahoo! Music. In addition, Sahin is associate producer of the award-winning music documentary “Lift Humanitarian Relief Songs Initiative,” which features Tinatin as one of 35 global participants.

For information on “Wild,” contact Janet Castiel at Redwood Entertainment, Inc.
212-543-9998; Janet.Castiel@RedwoodEntertainment.com.