Russian beauty queen, Irene Nelson has collaborated with some of the hottest artists in North America. Her voice has taken her across continents touching each and every one of her fans. Her single Sunrise was recorded at George Martin’s legendary Air Studios in London and produced by Steve Orchard (U2, ColdPlay, Peter Gabriel, Dido). This year Irene is going to be doing something different for the holidays “having lived in LA for two years I realize that I spent most of my time working in studio and other daily routine duties. I have not fully enjoyed being in this amazing place yet; this is why I will be trying to catch up during the upcoming holidays. I want to visit the San Diego Zoo, go to Santa Barbara, maybe admire stars in the observatory or go to the LACMA museum. And maybe enjoy the club atmosphere.” As she looks back to her previous holiday memories, Nelson remembers her friends. “[My friends] knew I was missing a pet when I came to LA. Last Christmas they gave me a chinchilla in the box that had a red stripe tied in a bow, they were enigmatically smiling before handing me the gift and waited for my reaction. But the “surprise” was discovered long before that – it gnawed a hole through the box and I saw a furry muzzle! I consider it a space creature. It doesn’t smell bad at all and her favorite snack is paper. When I’m sad she is always making something funny and makes me happy!” Irene isn’t used to LA Christmases and hopes for some snow! “I was born in Siberia so it’s hard for me to imagine Christmas without snow, which is why I’m happy to have found a wonderful place called Big Bear, so during the holidays I would be able to ride a sled or a snowboard. Last Christmas, my friends and I were at Big Bear and my friend Jane asked me to teach her how to cook Russian pancakes. They must be very thin, not bigger than two millimeters, and the size of a big frying pan, it was very funny watching her cooking them. The first pancake wasn’t good; it had so many holes in it! The second one got ripped when she flipped it over, the third one got stuck and it was hard to get it off the frying pan. Thanks to her patience she finally made a perfect one. She decided to dry it and make an installation, arranging it into a frame behind the glass. Now its there hanging on her wall. This year, “I want to try roller coaster rides, which is a frightening thing to think of at the moment. But seriously I wish the peaceful initiatives presented last year by our presidents to be fulfilled and accomplished. These were remarkable steps! Four years ago I wrote a beautiful slow ballad called “When Apples Fall To The Sky”, its seems like I have foreseen this situation. The feeling of the song is consonant to John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Last years resolution was more than just a roller coaster ride! “I came to America to record my album in English but much more happened than I expected. My first single “Sunrise” entered Billboard charts and the video for this track started to rotate on America’s popular music channels. Thanks to this, I have acquired fans throughout 25 countries.” Hopefully in the New Year Irene will be waiting for a release of her album with impatience. “I am planning to shoot the music videos for all the new songs and I have more interesting plans regarding potential movies, but for now I will keep them as a secret. And you might think that I’m crazy, but my dream would be to sing a duet with U2′s Bono.” Dreams do come true!
