YUNGA interviews Nadéah and discovers a few interesting facts about its new Ambassador…

1. Have you always wanted to be a singer, or were there also other jobs you dreamed about when you were little?
Yes, I always wanted to be a singer, but I didn't tell anyone until I left Australia as I didn't want anyone to see me doing it in case I made a complete fool of myself!

2. If we met your old schoolteachers, what would they say about you?
They would probably say that I was creative, somewhat crazy, but with potential.

3. You’re a singer, but you actually also write your own songs. Where do you get your ideas? Can you tell us a bit about how you write your songs?
Personal challenges, other people's challenges; sometimes it's just a means to process uncomfortable emotions. A lot of the time the ideas come when I just pick up the guitar or sit at a piano and just play. Very often the music dictates the script that gets written, but often I write things I want to say to people or say to myself... Kind of like post-it reminder notes, or photographs.

4. What do you think is the key to your success?
Well, that depends on your definition of success...

5. What kind of difficulties have you faced on your way to fame?
The same as every person has on their journey through life – worry, doubt, fear, illness, insomnia, insecurity. I had to leave the UK where I lived, which meant I had to start my music again in Paris. That was hard, but it worked out better in the long run, like most things do.

6. What has been your proudest moment?
I’ll tell you when I have it.

7. Which people, real or fictional, have inspired you most?
I think anyone who exhibits courage standing for what they believe in – like Jonny Kennedy (see “The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off") who travelled around for 3 days before he died, trying to raise awareness about his little understood disease. Also Leonard Matlovich, who was the first gay military service member to come forward and fight for gay equality. Fictionally, I am inspired by Forrest Gump and his complete faith and trust in Life. Forrest is my guru.

On a greater level, of course Ghandi, Jesus, Martin Luther King, those fighting for women's rights in third world countries, Peter Singer (the animal rights activist). There are so many great human beings and these are only the famous ones....I am also inspired by all of the kind and truly caring nurses (it’s such a hard job to not become bitter in); the people I met in South Africa running shelters for kids; doctors who work one day a week for free to help people with no money in the USA; people who devote their lives to bettering the lives of others: this is what inspires me.

On a musical level, I am inspired by Patti Smith – poetic shaman and rock to the core. She really cares about what is going on in the world! Also, the singer of the ‘Flaming Lips’, Wayne Coyne – he's pretty special and has a beautiful message.

8. You have a very international background. Where is ‘home’ for you?

Home is wherever I feel like I am giving something – on stage, in a rehearsal, spending time with friends and the people that I love; playing with kids and dogs. 

9. Can you tell us about some of your favourite things? (Food, animals, colours…)
My favourite things at the moment are: springtime and freesias (it’s been a long winter!), swimming in late summer oceans, autumn winds, my newly inherited 1930's bathtub, Lindt 90 percent dark chocolate, walking onto the plane to go "home" to Melbourne Australia, cooking for people (but not too many people), making things (music, collages, writing, poems), a perfect song (like ‘The Sound of Silence’ by Simon & Garfunkel), simple human kindness, creativity and an imagination well used.

Oh and trees and ladybirds and coffee! 

10. In your opinion, what are the most important challenges that the world faces regarding the environment?

Oh so many! But the main one is consciousness. We are sharing this planet and yet we, at least in the West for the most part, act like other humans are the enemy. We need to understand that we are all interconnected.

11. What would your recommendations for an environmentally sustainable lifestyle be?
I think if we all started to care just a little bit more about the other beings we share this planet with, animals included, that would start to change us from the inside out. I think to change we need to stay a little more awake, and pay a little more attention. Not much, just a little to realise that we are taking care of this place and its people together.

We all know about recycling, buying recycled goods and reusing bags, re-using paper (the back of any one sided printed paper), printing double sided copies etc., but getting bill companies to send e-statements rather than paper copies and using ‘no junk mail’ stickers on letterboxes can't hurt and is fairly easy to do. There are other simple things, like, if you smoke, to always put the stubs in a bin as the filters can choke turtles and really mess up things for ocean wildlife. Bringing your own cup instead of using the disposable ones in coffee houses is a good and fairly easy practice. Also, using stairs instead of elevators (where it’s practical) and riding bikes or walking instead of using cars for errands (where practical, again). Shorter showers (hard in winter) and watering gardens early morning or evening so as to avoid water evaporation is easy to do also. 

Carpooling and sharing rides helps as does taking the risk to talk to people at airport taxi ranks to split a cab into town. In Singapore, it used to be part of the system – there was a machine which matched you up with other people waiting and heading in the same direction. I have done it quite a few times in Paris and it always feels good, saves money and petrol and you get to meet people.

In terms of food, I know that organic food is considered pretty expensive, but in many cases it only costs a small amount more (oats/ rice/ carrots/ yogurt/ butter/ milk/ eggs), and it makes a huge difference. Especially for dairy, meat and eggs – buy free-range, organic, local produce or from a butcher who can tell you which farm they get their goods from so you can check that the animal welfare is humane. It takes a bit of time and effort in the beginning, but it is well worth it. If we stop buying non-free-range and non-organic eggs, meat and dairy, these suppliers will be forced to change their ways and treat animals with more respect. But it is the consumer who dictates, so we do have the power to change these systems just by our choices. People say it’s too expensive but the fact is we do not need to eat as much meat and fish as we do, so if we reduced our consumption, even just going vegetarian for one day a week, it would be helpful.

Become conscious of which fish have been overfished (like swordfish, tuna, etc.) and which fish are farmed in environmentally sustainable ways. Try to buy from companies that are conscientious even if it costs more. Eat less and it will cost the same.

Onto other things we can do... Buying second hand or giving your old clothes to friends or charities (or checking out www.freecycle.org and similar sites) is a good way to avoid buying cheap goods that are made by people in factories that add to environmental destruction. 

Repairing things (even if it costs more) rather than just buying new things is a good practice, especially in such a disposable climate. To try to buy food items locally where possible, and from countries that treat their workers fairly and are not destroying the environment. And when the latest phone/ computer/ TV/stereo comes out, but your old one is working fine, think about whether you really need to replace it.

12. What do you hope to achieve in your new role as a YUNGA Ambassador?
I hope to become more conscious of what is going on in the world, and in turn be part of passing on this information. I hope to be a link in waking up the fire of compassion, so that we are all doing something to make this planet a little better. On a personal note, I hope to become a less self-centered and become a more others-centered human being.

13. Do you have any last comments for our YUNGA tribes?
I don't think I can say it more simply than the writer George Eliot: "What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?"