There are two unifying factors in all of this. One is Tina’s remarkable voice. An instrument of exceptional purity, it can be as tender as an angel’s sigh or as powerful as a deep ocean current. The other unifying factor in Tina’s musical universe is her vision — an all-encompassing artistic perspective that embraces many of the world’s musical cultures, languages and spiritual traditions.
Creativity and diversity are her very lifeblood. Of Korean and Yugoslavian descent, Tina was tutored in classical piano and voice from an early age by her mother. But it was her dad who fostered her interest in choral singing and popular music forms.
“When I was 15 or so, performing in choirs for years and doing musical theater at school, my dad bought me my first cheap guitar. And I started listening to all the great women of folk music at the time — Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, the Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Alison Kraus and all of those wonderful artists. That became my mainstay for years. I started writing my own songs around that time.”
Tina’s self produced debut album, Shores of Avalon, appeared in 2000. Steeped in poetic Celtic, Pagan and Native American mystery, the disc announced the arrival of a major new talent. Not long after the album’s release, Tina met pioneering world devotional artist Jai Uttal, who recruited her to sing in his groundbreaking ensemble – the Pagan Love Orchestra. It was through Jai that Tina had her introduction to the rich spiritual tradition of Sanskrit mantra chanting.
“When I first started performing with Jai,” she says. “the mantras hadn’t quite seeped into me yet. But a few years later I was going through a difficult time. Jai noticed this and asked, ‘Have you ever tried really chanting mantra? I hadn’t. So I started chanting mantra every day and, sure enough, it completely brought me out of the depression I was in. To this day I attribute my sense of well-being and where I am in my life to chanting mantra. It is so simple and yet so extraordinary.”
Tina’s love of mantra is reflected on her 2005 album Jaya Bhagavan, notable for its highly original fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and world/folk textures with Indian musical traditions. It was followed in 2006 by The Silent Awakening, more of a pop singer/songwriter disc, but infused with a poetic lyricism that reflects a deep spiritual longing.
In her newest offering, The Lost Frontier, the multi-talented Malia weaves flavors of pop, world & electronic music together with lush storytelling to open eyes, stir souls and remind us that the power to change the world lies in our own hands.
"The title track,” reflects Malia, “sets up the entire album because it highlights the cyclical nature of our existence and the far extremes that lie within it. The wheel is merely an observer as we move through revolutions of creation and decay, hope and despair, beauty and destruction. 'The Lost Frontier' is about acknowledging and understanding these different aspects in life and remembering that we have the power to choose what we do with that knowledge."
In the music video for the title track, a little girl leaves her home and embarks on a journey outside of the comfortable life she knows. Wandering down a desolate road, decay and ruin await as remnants of a pristine land now defiled with rusting metal hulks and waste lining every corner. The child moves through her surroundings with curiosity and playfulness, devoid of fear or blame. Perhaps she sees the world differently, or maybe her eyes merely see What Is, like those of the couture-clad songstress who instead of comforting or warning us, simply tells us like it is – with the hope that we'll put our new vantage point to productive use.
The songstress is, of course, Tina Malia – and, her eyes see promise in the face of hopelessness, a frontier that may be lost but not forgotten, and the hidden potential that we each hold in our hand.
Ms. Malia not only writes and sings her own material, she also engineers and produces her albums, playing many of the instruments included on them. For The Lost Frontier project, Malia also collaborated with contributing producers Kevin Killen, Jamie Catto, Jared May, Lynx, Alex Foster, Random Rab, Evan Bluetech and David Jenkins. The multi-Grammy winning Kevin Killen was also the project’s mixing engineer. Henry Sarmiento – whose work can be heard on the music of Lady Gaga, 50 Cent and Swedish House Mafia – was The Lost Frontier’s mastering engineer.
Malia delivers a rawness and authenticity through her extraordinary voice and musical compositions as well as in her lyrics and prose. Each song is so powerful on its own, that collectively as an album, The Lost Frontier makes an indelible mark every time one hears it. Upon each listening something new is learned, as the songs inspire instead of instigate, observe rather than point, wonder rather than blame. Each composition is part of the greater whole, which at the end of the day is an affirmation of love, of hope, of responsibility for ourselves and each other. They are, in short, the perfect way for Tina Malia's vision to be shared.
Boulevard
Tina Malia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the crossroad, where the wind don't lie
I've been up and down, heart a lot of rubble
Been ran out of town, in a bit of trouble
With so much going down
It's hard to tell rust from gold
But every wish that binds
Spins me back around
Passage already paid
I've been all around the world
Nothing as sweet as your boulevard
Standing on the corner
Hangin' by the front door
In the middle of wherever you are
On every island in every ocean
Nothing finer than the meeting of motion
Wrapped in the rhythm of your emanant arms
If I hold too tight, if I falter away
Will providence come to find me?
Release me and untie me from the chains?
'Cause I've been up and down, heart a lot of rubble
Been ran out of town, in a bit of trouble
With so much going down
It's hard to tell rust from gold
But every wish that binds
Every current that blinds me away
Spins me back around
Pardon already paid
I've been all around the world
Nothing as sweet as your boulevard
Standing on the corner
Hangin' by the front door
In the middle of wherever you are
On every island in every ocean
Nothing finer than the meeting of motion
Wrapped in the rhythm of your emanant arms
At first glance, Tina Malia’s song “Boulevard” seems to be a love song, with lyrics referring to standing on corners and holding someone close. However, a closer examination of the verses reveals a deeper meaning. The lyrics speak to the experience of feeling lost and trying to navigate life’s ups and downs while trying to discern truth from falsehood. Malia sings about being at a crossroad where the wind doesn’t lie, indicating that it’s a pivotal moment where she has to make a choice. She’s been through a lot of heartache and trouble, but there are forces at play that allow her to spin back around and break free from the chains that have held her down.
The chorus is where Malia’s love interest comes in, as she sings about how nothing is as sweet as “your boulevard.” This can be interpreted as a metaphor for a person or the feeling of being grounded in something secure amidst life’s chaos. Malia sings about being on every island in every ocean, but still finding nothing finer than being in the rhythm of her love interest’s “emanant” arms. The lyrics suggest that finding someone to hold onto and anchor oneself to is integral in navigating life’s uncertainties.
Overall, “Boulevard” is a song about finding one’s way through life’s challenges and the importance of having someone or something to hold onto during those tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
In shadow, where elusion hides
I'm in a place where things are unclear and it's hard to see what's really going on.
At the crossroad, where the wind don't lie
I'm at a point in life where I have to make an important decision and I need to rely on my intuition to guide me.
I've been up and down, heart a lot of rubble
I've gone through some tough times emotionally and it's left me feeling drained.
Been ran out of town, in a bit of trouble
I've had to leave places in a hurry because of problems I've gotten myself into.
With so much going down
There's a lot happening around me and it's hard to keep up.
It's hard to tell rust from gold
It's difficult to distinguish what's valuable and worth keeping from what's not.
But every wish that binds
Despite everything that's happened, I still have hope and dreams that keep me going.
Every current that blinds me away
My current circumstances and struggles are distracting me from my goals.
Spins me back around
But I'm hopeful that things will turn around and I'll get back to where I need to be.
Passage already paid
I believe that I've already paid my dues and things will start to improve.
I've been all around the world
I've traveled and seen many things.
Nothing as sweet as your boulevard
But nothing compares to being in the place where I feel most at home and most comfortable.
Standing on the corner
I love to just stand and take in everything around me.
Hangin' by the front door
I feel safe and secure inside the place where I live.
In the middle of wherever you are
No matter where I am, as long as I'm with the people I care about, I'm happy.
On every island in every ocean
I've been all over the world, but no place compares to the one I love.
Nothing finer than the meeting of motion
I find beauty in the way things move and change.
Wrapped in the rhythm of your emanant arms
And I feel safe and warm when I'm surrounded by the people I love.
If I hold too tight, if I falter away
But sometimes I worry that I'll lose what I have if I try to hold onto it too tightly or if I make a mistake.
Will providence come to find me?
I wonder if fate or destiny will step in and guide me if I lose my way.
Release me and untie me from the chains?
And I hope that if I do get lost, I'll find a way to break free and find my way back again.
Pardon already paid
But I also believe that I can forgive myself for my mistakes and move forward, even if it feels hard at first.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Tina Malia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind