It was amazing to be included in these 25th Anniversary Concerts for Final Fantasy in Japan. There was so much excitement in the air – it was contagious! The shows went really well. The first night in Tokyo was followed by an interview with Japanese press. This was a crazy experience as Arnie and I were the only two people being interviewed that did not speak Japanese. Thank goodness we had a translator!! As I heard her explain my responses in Japanese to the room of reporters, I sort of laughed to myself as I thought, ” she could be saying anything right now and I would never know “. I thought of Jim Carey in Pet Detective when he was in that village and his guide described him as ” white devil, cuz that is how they know you”. Of course I am joking and I assure you my translator did a great job
This is picture of me backstage at the first show:

Next, we took the bullet train to Osaka. Osaka was just amazing – much larger than what I expected. It is hard to believe how huge both Osaka and Tokyo are and yet so close together. Apparently, Japan is the place to be – the new ” New York”. This is a photo I took while we were on the train – such a beautiful country.

That night we had a traditional Japanese meal: 3 million courses of different sushi, no shoes, and little teeny tiny cups of sake. It was a very cool experience. There were a few items I wimped out on however. Just can’t get past “eyes” on something I am going to eat. ” Can it see me”? ” Will it come back to life in my stomach and start swimming around” I know, ridiculous. Maybe next time I will take the plunge of courage on this one.
This is a photo of me, My best friend, Stacie, and Yuki from Kyodo Tokyo ( the concert promoter ) in downtown Osaka:

The show in Osaka went well too. . As I started to adjust to the time change, I felt more focused on stage which sort of helps when you are trying to belt it out in front of thousands of people, right? Here is a photo of me and my friend Seitaro Tanaka from Square Enix . . with the opera singers in the background – LOL

Finally, it’s time to re trace our tracks. . Back on the bullet train to Tokyo. At this point hotel rooms are getting confusing as you can’t remember which room number goes with which hotel. Good thing I always save the card you get when you check in with the number on it – sort of good to do if you are jet lagged and don’t want to end up breaking into someone else’s room, who doesn’t speak English, by the way. Try getting out of that one. Here is a photo of me in the train station:

This last night in Tokyo on New Years Eve was my favorite. We were all a bit more nervous for this show as it was being recorded live. SO . . no room for musical blocks, lyric “snafoos”, or wardrobe catastrophes. Rehearsal went well and we were ready to rock! The orchestra was especially great this last night, as we had already done a show with them. Goes to show you that practice makes perfect. For you “youngstas” out there – never underestimate the power of repetition. The more you do something, the better you get at it!!

For example, I am getting very good at performing with no sleep!
Ha ha Here are a couple photos of me backstage in my dressing room before show #3. My friend Stacie did my hair this night – she did such a great job. Hair is hard. It’s a girl thing
I am very sparkly for this show. Hey, it’s new Years eve here too so it seemed appropriate

Square Enix hosted an after party for this last show. It was great to celebrate & toast this landmark event with them.
Here is a photo of me and Chris Szuberla, Producer for AWR Music & me with the amazing Nobuo-san – notice Arnie in the background – ha! It’s hard to grab Arnie for photo opps – I’m working on it – maybe in Paris ?

The only thing that was missing from this party was all of you, the fans. Final Fantasy is more than a game. You have all taught me this. This music has become the sound track for your lives; your struggles, your victories, love lost, love found again. . The mystery and the magic of all that it means to be human. This music is about all of us. We live in an amazing world full of possibilities. There is so much beauty and potential all around us if we just take the time to look. I pray this will be the year we all climb the mountains in front of us, not just talk about it or circle it . . but really climb it
I took this from the plane – the Rocky Mountains . . .

When I think about all that has happened in America in recent days, like many of you, I find myself asking . . . where is “Peace on Earth” this Christmas?  The senseless massacre at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut shook us all to the core.  There is something especially evil about shedding innocent blood, spreading darkness, fear, and hopelessness . .  in what SHOULD be a season of light, faith, and love.

I find it a bit ironic that this horrific event happened so close to Christmas, the moment when Christ was born, the symbol of God’s amazing attempt to make peace with us. I say this with my deepest respect to each of you dear friends and fans knowing that many of you don’t believe as I do, but I’m sure you can still appreciate the irony.

So what do we do in the face of this bitter-sweet Christmas season?  I want to challenge all of us to remember that love, above all things is the greatest force of all.   It overpowers darkness, it heals the broken hearted, it gives us strength to overcome the worst circumstances, to forgive the unforgivable, to show compassions when it is undeserved.  It is exactly how God loves us. . .  And that is what Christmas is all about.

Anybody can shoot their mouth off, hold a grudge, or even lash out in physical violence, but it takes a hero to love instead, to lay down their weapon.  I hope that each of us finds love, hope, joy, and healing this holiday season.  It is my prayer that love will become our new “weapon of choice”  in 2013.

As I watched the new trailer for final fantasy XIV, Like many of you I was amazed at the power of the song ANSWERS in the backdrop of this huge battle scene. What an amazing contrast of beauty and tragedy playing out on the screen.

I have to tell you guys that I was so honored to work on this song with Arnie Roth and Nobuo Uematsu.  From the first time I heard the song in my own studio, I knew it had the potential to be an epic song for Final Fantasy. Between Nobuo’s amazing songwriting & Arnie’s careful production, they had created a musical masterpiece.  Now my job began. To sing this song with as much passion and intention as the story inspired.  That is always my goal when I sing. Forget about all the technical things and just close your eyes . . . get lost in the music, sing from the heart.  I hope you can hear that when you listen to ANSWERS in Final Fantasy XIV.  It was a magical experience to be a part of this recording and to be on the game itself.  I was so blessed for the opportunity.

I know how much this music means to all of you who are fans of Final Fantasy. I want you to know what an honor it is for me to deliver these songs to you.  Whether at a live show or on a recording, I hope I bring the characters and story of the game to life with my voice.  Music is such a powerful form of expression. It can take us on a journey, challenge our ideas, heal our wounds, comfort our souls, inspire us, and light a fire under our dreams.  As a recording artist and songwriter in my own right, this is what music is all about for me. I can’t wait for you guys to hear my new CD that is coming out in 2013.  I hope I can inspire you all with my Susan music in the same way I have hopefully inspired you with the amazing music of Final Fantasy. Thank you for the privilege of sharing my talent with you.  You have all inspired ME beyond words.  And just like the trailer reminds us, every end is a chance for a new beginning.  No matter what, keep reaching for your dreams. We are all stronger today than we were yesterday . .  and we will be even stronger tomorrow.

Much love to you all , xoxo     Suz

Square Enix releases new Trailer for Final Fantasy XIV featuring Susan singing ANSWERS! Check it out here!

Paper Thin Heart talks about how we get a bit “beat up” by life over the years and it’s hard to recover after that.

I didn’t start out this way

Used to be tough as nails, I used to say

Nothing could get to me

Now everything sticks, everything makes me bleed

Love was a picture, a red heart on my wall

But I think it’s broken, cuz it won’t beat at all

It’s my Paper Thin Heart  . . .

It is hard to be a sensitive person who actually cares about people without it all blowing up in your face. Know what I mean ?

I know you do Sometimes I hate that I am sensitive – cuz it can wear a girl out !

BUT – something I have found is that thru my faith and realizing how much God loves me, I can put my heart out there without freaking out . .  Because no matter what happens, His love is there to catch me. . .  and this is  such a better way to live. I hope you guys like this tune. We are almost done – just putting the finishing touches on it.  Most of all I hope it does your soul some good, too.

A friend of mine returned recently from a trip to Haiti. As I listened to her describe the conditions at the orphanages she visited, I found it hard to hold back tears.  One particular story bothered me the most. There was a smaller orphanage in the mountains with only 20 children. They had received clothing donations, but had no building, hut, or shelter. She went on to describe how the women who were running this “orphanage”, had sewn together all the clothing to make a large tent for the kids so they had shelter. 

But the problem is, this left them without ANY clothes. All these children were naked. 

 I could see it in my mind; all of these kids with no clothes, curled up in the corner, naked, ashamed, cold.  It was in human.

They also had very little food.  One meal of rice mixed with a little meat each day.  A lot of kids would add dirt right off the ground to their food  just to make it go farther.

I think of the food I throw away because it fell on the floor or had a slight bad spot on it. I have a pit in my stomach.

Yesterday as I went into Whole Foods Market to get some groceries, I saw the store with fresh eyes.

I took note of the large shelves bulging with healthy food, numerous choices, fresh vegetables, fruit… the endless array.  I felt so spoiled.

I complain so much. I have more than I need or even use.  I know there will always be the poor among us.  In the New Testament, even Jesus says this. But on this day, it is not enough solace for me.  Not even close.  

So what can we do?  . . . . We can’t all quit our lives and move to Haiti. But we CAN make sharing what we have WAY more important.  Our “normal” is like paradise for many.  There are people struggling in our own cities, sometimes even right down the road.  I challenge all of us to live our lives open-handedly and share what we have.   Life is funny. You never know when you might be on the other side of the fence, hoping and praying for that open hand yourself.   It starts with each of us.   It starts with me.

Bullying is not a new problem.  Most of us have a bitter childhood memory of some person who bullied us, often relentlessly.  Boys did it with their fists and name -calling.  Girls dished it out pretty well too, especially when it came down to emotional bullying. In fact I think the girls were worse than the boys sometimes.

The truth is that even though we grow up, we can’t shake the bully. They are still out there at our jobs, in our neighborhoods, or even in a “tolerated” friend or family member.   Once in a while, we luck out; we can be passive and just avoid a bully, and certainly we should when we can.  It’s not like we can go beat up everyone that spits mud in our lemonade. But when it turns into an ongoing situation, passivity is not the answer.

We need to learn to stand up for ourselves. When someone is clearly a jerk to you over and over, don’t just put on the victim hat and complain to anyone who will listen.  Do something about it.  In most of these scenarios, the answer is simple.  We must confidently and directly confront our bully.   Bully’s can’t be bully’s without a victim who lets them get away with it.  So don’t be one.

” All it takes for evil to triumph
is for good Men & Women to do nothing “

Bury the Bully. You’ll be glad you did.

First, BE THANKFUL ANYWAYS.

Even if this feels like a reach, try writing down 10 things that are not so bad in your life.  Being thankful keeps us all from turning into jerks and from taking life for granted.  Things will be good again. This is a great first step to getting back there.

Second, ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE.

It is now time to BE the person you always wished you were. Surviving a difficult experience builds our character if we let it.  We become stronger, more mature, and more compassionate, at the very least. Show me a great person and I’ll show you someone who has been thru some difficult stuff.

 

Third, RECEIVE THE WISDOM.

Difficulty teaches us like nothing else can. This not only benefits our own lives, but benefits the people we care about. The coolest experiences in my life have been the moments I’ve been able to help a friend thru something I had already survived.

“Though a good man falls seven times, he rises again “

No matter what you are going thru,
you don’t have to lose your mind.
You can Rise Up.