Sananda Maitreya

Once upon a time, there was an extraordinary artist called T.T.D., who stormed up the charts like a hurricane with his first album "Introducing The Hardline" in 1987. The phenomenal album contained five top ten singles, it has sold more than 12 million copies so far and it became one of the best selling debut album of all time. And this was fully justified: the native New Yorker's album was filled with passionate funk-rock, wild soul and ballads which made the mature beau with the phenomenal voice a perfect mix of Prince, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. The start to a fulminating career seemed successful, but then everything changed. For he was not prepared merely to sing brilliant hits, instead he wanted to go to the limits of what is possible in pop music, according to one statement. Following this trend, in the next eight years he made three albums experimental, existential, unique. On the other hand, the extraordinary musician has been able to become fulfilled and has set up his own musical microcosm which is like no other. And then what happened? The man with the five-octave voice box disappeared as if the earth had swallowed him up. And so much news in Summer 2001: "My friends have called me Sananda for the past six years at least in my presence. A sect pseudonym? "No, No," he kindly smiles. "I have always been a spiritually oriented person but I have never had anything to do with anything that smelt of dogma". Why was this radical step from Terence to Sananda so necessary? Because it was in his nature to become just that. I did not become Sananda I remembered that I was. Today I am a free person who lives in the now, in the grace of the moment, because: "Deep within me I have always been concerned with truth, this is hammered into us as children. But whenever I was honest, I was always being edited until there came a time when I was no longer so exact with the truth. Since accepting myself as Sananda, living my truth is the only thing I am concerned with and encouraging and accepting others right to do the same thing. It really all boils down to following your heart and your deepest passions. This has given me more joy, peace, harmony with my self. How can artists be healers and messengers if they are not honest with themselves? Authenticity, honesty, autonomy the three pillars of existence for Sananda Maitreya in 2001. It took such a long time until we finally got a sign of musical life from him, because he wants to fill these three pillars completely with life. With regard to his creative future the reborn artist is more active than ever - full of energy and originality as we were accustomed to before. It goes almost without saying that, because of his stubbornness and his powerful tendency to be self-sufficient, he is taking his work to the people in his own way.

His new album "WildCard - The Jokers' Edition" is released from 2001. This record is equally a goodbye and a new start. Over thirty songs were recorded and mixed in his home-studio in Los Angeles. However, he is ready to step over the Atlantic and relocate himself in Europe as "I always felt more at home in Europe than in the United States", he laughs. I grew up in Europe also, so it's equally a part of my heart. "If America is my mother, Europe is my wife", says Maitreya. "WildCard" is a very intimate album of a very sensitive artist: No wonder that an artist with such high goals has had to fight to maintain his artistic vision and integrity in the rigid world of the record industry with its strict rules. "As a result of the decision to establish my own company I am absolutely free in all my decisions, without having to go to war with idiots who not only do not feel music but do not care for it either," he says excitedly.

Currently he's recording Volume II of "Angels & Vampires", Volume I is already available as an MP3 album on his website www.SanandaMaitreya.com