The Exodus (music video) 2008-01-24

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THE EXODUS
A Story of Current Events

I recently returned from one of the most amazing journeys of my life! I was in Egypt and Greece. While in Cairo, I made an effort to go to the pyramids to film. It was an adventure getting there, riding a horse full speed across the desert while looking at 5,000 year old pyramids in the distance, I’ll never forget that moment!

When my friends and I arrived at the location, my thoughts were simply to film myself singing through a few of my songs. My goal was to get 30 seconds of good footage that would be used for a promotion. So for an hour, I filmed. The Great Pyramids were in the background and every now and then camels and horses would walk by, it was perfect! Totally unplanned, totally unrehearsed. No special lights or gear, no film crew, just a simple hand held camera and lots of passion! Every now and then people would stop at the top of the hill to look at a madman in the desert who was singing his songs with no music being played (I had in-ear headphones pumping the music to me so I could synchronize my mouth and motions to each song).

When I got back to my hotel room and looked at the footage I was in awe! I suddenly began to realize that without thinking about it I had actually just filmed the music video for The Exodus! I was flying to Greece the next day so I decided I would go to the Acropolis in Athens and film there too. Both Egypt and Greece are important to the true story that inspired the birth of The Exodus.

I completed the video edit yesterday and amazingly the headlines in the news were about “the exodus” that is literally taking place in Egypt right now! I don’t take this lightly. And also on the same day, the Greek Prime Minister made the first official visit to Turkey in 50 years! All of these things are important to me. You see, my Greek family fled for their lives from Turkey in the early 1900’s because of war, they left behind homes, businesses, everything. So for Greece to be seeking “…permanent improvement in relations…” with Turkey means much to me and to countless others! Then during WWII, my family once again fled for their lives, this time it was into the deserts of Egypt where they lived as refugees for several years. The timing of the completion of The Exodus and all these current events just amazes me.

For years I have known that God has been preparing me to go to nations to deliver a message of hope and love to their people and leaders, to sing a song that they can feel and connect with. I went to Egypt for no other reason than because I felt it in my heart to go, and after the decision was made and the ticket was booked that is when things began to unfold and happen. First, an invitation to sing on a national radio show, then in a moment of inspiration a few hours before I was leaving Cairo I shot the footage that has now became the music video of The Exodus! The same was true in Greece, after decided to go, it was then that I was invited for an interview on a national radio show and then as a result of the show I ended up doing my first live performance in Athens and also had the opprotunity to film footage at the Acropolis! Imagine having several dreams all come to pass in 48 hours. It was magical, I felt like time stood still. I feel very guided and that my trip had a purpose that cannot be put into words.

The Exodus is about pain, loss and persecution but it is also about resolution. The Exodus is the story of current events. This video is RIGHT ON TIME. There’s nothing "slick" about this music video, it’s raw and passionate. There are no words in The Exodus, only expressions and cries of deep feelings and emotions. Someone said to me today, "If a picture paints a thousand words then The Exodus paints a thousand languages." The Exodus is a story of HUMANITY and it speaks in an unknown tongue understood by all. ~ Niko

My team and I feel very strongly about this video. If it moves you, please help us spread the word about it by sharing this page with your friends and family. Help us take it around the world, we can’t do it with out you! Thanks!!!

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My fight against domestic violence 2007-10-18

Someone wrote me yesterday and said…

"Hey Niko, let’s do something about domestic violence/abuse. Anything, please."

I decided to share my response in my blog…

Niko

Aloha from Maui! 2007-07-09

Aloha!

I’m writing to you this morning from the magical Hawaiian island of Maui! It was while living here that I discovered and unlocked so many amazing things – about myself, spirituality, people, friendships, music, nature…and sushi! I ate my first sushi here and have been hooked ever since! *smiling*

I came to Maui this week to rejuvenate my being and to overcome some challenges within myself. I found answers to some very important questions. I’d like to share some thoughts with you that may speak to you and encourage you…

Never lose your joy!

In all that you do – with family, friends, work, hobbies, etc., never lose your joy! If you lose your joy, then you’ll lose so much purpose and meaning in life. You’ll start to become unhappy, depressed and unpleasant to be around. Children laugh an average of 300 times a day, adults laugh an average of only 17. When and why do we become so inhibited along the journey of life?! In one of my songs, “My Son”, the verse goes, “Agility of a child, when didst thou flee? Hold me, fold me, unfold me! Jump in my soul and out of my bones! Innocence lost at such a foolish cost, may I once again feel you in my heart!” Seek to become childlike again! Have joy and laughter in your life, they are like medicine! I’ll post a separate blog entry after this one of an interesting article I recently read about the importance and benefits of laughter.

Don’t sweat the small stuff!

Life is filled with important things that truly need your attention, so don’t sweat the small stuff. You only have so much time and energy in each day, be wise and productive in how you spend it. Don’t waste your time with insignificant and meaningless things. For me, it’s something as simple as checking my email too many times each day. It’s being too much of a perfectionist about things that are not really that important. It’s worrying about things I have no control over. It’s trying to please everyone when in fact sometimes you’ve just got to do what you know you’ve got to do! It’s fearing being misunderstood and misjudged. It’s caring about what others think in situations where what others think doesn’t matter at all! It’s being upset about a mistake when in fact I should just smile at my mistake and learn from it. It’s have a check bounce. It’s having someone hack into my myspace account and send out advertisements for porn with my name signed at the bottom. It’s accidentally getting a scratch on a new guitar or a dent in my car, it doesn’t really matter because every material thing on this planet is eventually going to turn to dust anyway! It’s having a delayed flight or being stuck in traffic and being late for a meeting. It is what it is and it’s out of my control so I might as well relax and just BE! I should just enjoy the moment, turn on some music and chill or strategize a business plan or…I should do anything while sitting in that traffic except be upset and frustrated about it. There are plenty of other things in life for us to sweat about, so, don’t sweat the small stuff.

Let go.

Realize and accept that some things are out of your control. Just let go. Do your best, your absolute best, be prudent and then let go. Carrie Underwood released a song titled, “Jesus Take The Wheel”, it was a hit because people identified with the idea that sometimes you just have to let go and trust a higher power. Some people say trust God, some say Allah, other’s say The Universe, whatever your faith may be, we should all practice letting go. Let go of micro-managing things that do not need to be micro-managed. Let go of worrying about things which worry will do nothing to resolve. While growing up, my pastor told me many times that 99.9 percent of the things we worry about never happen, all these years later I can say that he is right! Let go of trying to figure everything out, there are parts of life that as a flower they just have to unfold on their own and in their own time. Let go of all the “dead weight” in your life. A hot air balloon cannot rise into the sky until the dead weight is removed, if you’re gonna rise then let go of all the bad relationships, all the bad habits, fear, anger, anxiety, etc., this is all dead weight in your life. Let go of an image of no value, know that you are beautiful and special and unique. Let go of all the lies you have been told - about yourself, about others (especially others with a different skin color or different culture), about the career path you are “supposed” to be on, about God. For example, I once saw God in quite a small box, I had to let go of some old mindsets to realize and experience a God so limitless and beautiful that words cannot begin to tell.

I would like to say that I have not mastered these things, quite to the contrary. Writing them out and sharing them with you will help me achieve them. I will read what I have written many time over the next few weeks and I will let these words provoke me – to grow, to mature, to be childlike, to be patient, to walk in love and freedom and peace. ~ Niko

Cast The Vision 2007-05-01

Our vision is to spread a message of hope and love to the world through the art of music. It is why we were born and it is what drives us each and every day to give all.

Our hope is that as we cast our vision to others, they will rise up and join with us to help take our music and its message across every continent. We are not concerned about one’s skin color, religious faith or political views. We are minstrels, messengers, warriors of light.

Each person who reads this has the power to help and to be part of the vision. How? Take a few minutes to listen to our songs, if they touch you, share them with others. “Play it forward”. It’s that simple. Email the mp3’s to your friends, burn a CD and give it to someone you think will appreciate it, share our web address NikoOnline.com with as many people as possible, that’s how it happens. One tells another who tells another…and the next thing you know it will spread across each continent. We do not seek fame or glory or power or riches, we seek purpose and destiny, we seek to make a positive difference in this world.

We do not have the backing of a major record label, but people everywhere are showing us that it is possible for our music to spread at an exponential rate simply through word of mouth. Radio and TV are no longer in control, no longer dictating what is hip and relevant, what will and will not be heard. Rules are not just being bent, they are being broken! A new genre is emerging and it’s called “UNCLASSIFIABLE”. A new breed of artists are rising up, questioning things, pioneering a fresh and new path! Artists like myself no longer have to bow down to the rules and regulations of the “industry”. Each of us make our own rules, they are called Truth, they are called Heart and Soul, they are called Inspiration, they are called Passion and Honesty, they are called Being True To One’s Self! It’s the New Millennium and its time for the Warriors of the New Millennium to rise up and BE!