Petition to ask Firaxis for a Civ BE song from Malukah

Some of you may already have heard the Civ4 song "Baby Yetu" in a new version with
the artist Judith de los Santos aka Malakuah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5scparvQWE

In 2006 she published first record under her real name.
In 2007 she also started her first Youtube channel:
Old Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/judithonline/videos
Album "All of the Above": http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0012C4HR2
"Everything" from the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPSrNh-2lZY


Being a video gamer herself, in 2011 she started a new YouTube channel
singing songs of video games under her artist name Malukah.
In 2013 her beautiful version of an Elder Scrolls tune on YouTube went viral:

"The Dragonborn Comes": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z9TdDCWN7g
New Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/malufenix/videos
story: http://www.dailydot.com/gaming/gamer-covers-video-game-music/

Zenimax then hired her to write some tracks
for the video game The Elder Scrolls Online:

"Beauty of the dawn": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwp8UxIY_iM
free MP3 download: http://static.elderscrollsonline.com/assets/mp3/BeautyofDawn-Malukah.mp3
ESO: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/media/malukah

I rarely have heard such talent before.
Currently, Malukah is writing songs for a new original album.
She also is continuing to create songs inspired by some of her favorite games.

This thread is to start a petition to
ask Firaxis for a Civ BE song from Malukah.

A song in the spirit of a "Farewall to Earth" or "Dawn in a New World"
could be a wonderful addition to the game.

If you agree, please answer with "Signed" and
perhaps leave a line with a compliment if you also appreciate Malukah's work.

Official homepage:

http://www.malukah.com

No. No. No. No. No.

If it's as epic as the "dragonborn comes" from her, i would to love to have a song of her in the game

I think having a song from her in Civ BE would be awesome.

We are now less than 2 months to release. There is not enough time to make this happen, even if they were inclined to do so.

I'd be down with a song from MAKAHLUA

Something involving coffee, preferably.

AriochIV said:

We are now less than 2 months to release.
There is not enough time to make this happen, even if they were inclined to do so.

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I am certain that there is more than enough time. In the end, this would just be one more MP3 file to include. One month is more than enough for a top artist to come up with a single song, and she is a gamer. I bet that she would love to contribute a song. Even if Firaxis could not include another MP3 for the release, they could just patch it in later. I think that having unique guest artists like Christopher Tin and Malukah made/could make Civ more special. Baba Yetu has been incredible, and I wonder with what Malukah would come up. Such a heavenly voice is perfect for a game in the stars.

Against.
1) A religious song (Lord's Prayer/Pater Noster) in Swahili has nothing to do with the futuristic and transhumanistic style of the game. Religion is obsolete and is shifting into Affinity. All races, cultures and languages are melting into one global culture. Maybe there are no African christians in the world.
2) Maluka is not a professional, she is talented and I love her, but the tracks really lack the quality required for a modern AAA-title. BE is not indie. Sound standarts are very high. They will need to re-record in a studio, not only sign some docs. And a chorus is required. A real one.
3) Sci-fi ambient/trance/techno is more setting-fitting, and she is not working in that genres.
4) No adding in pre-release state is a holy rule for a good dev. Better concentrate on testing and bug hunting.
5) I personally think that petitions must be ignored and that is the only way to create a full work of art. Imagine Tolstoy/Kubrik/Any good creator listening to petitions. What is a product orientated on everyone's taste is well seen in modern movie production.

Sorry, I can't agree. It's sci-fi - not "world music". A petition to get Van Gelis to rehash the Blade Runner soundtrack...now that'd be worth signing

gunther_nt said:

Maluka is not a professional, she is talented and I love her, but the tracks really lack the quality required for a modern AAA-title. BE is not indie. Sound standarts are very high. They will need to re-record in a studio, not only sign some docs. And a chorus is required. A real one.

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Believe me, there is nothing to worry. I am a musician for 40 years now, and I wish I could play so spot on as Malukah can. Firaxis would just have to reserve about 4 hours for a recording, then she could fly over and play in ALL tracks. The art of singing all tracks by herself is what makes part of the magic. It sounds like a chorus of angels.

gunther_nt said:

A religious song (Lord's Prayer/Pater Noster) in Swahili has nothing to do with the futuristic and transhumanistic style of the game. Religion is obsolete and is shifting into Affinity. All races, cultures and languages are melting into one global culture. Maybe there are no African christians in the world.

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Why do you think that Malukah would do any religious song for CivBE? This is not a religious game. And AFAIK Malukah never did any religious song for a game. Malukah certainly does spiritual songs, which is a difference. And once mankind will leave Earth, this will be a spiritual moment. Remember the moon landing in 1969? I had goosebumps watching it. As I have listening to Malukahs voice.

We will see the stars in the game. During this,
wouldn't it be great to hear the stars in her voice?

Seek said:

I'd be down with a song from MAKAHLUA

Something involving coffee, preferably.

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hehe... I was looking at the name and thought I was having a dyslexic moment as well.

I'd be here for a "space travel" sounding remixed version of Baba Yetu (something like the 2001: A Space Oddisey song)

You realize that singing is misfit for the soundtrack of this game, right?!?! And if you leave that out, there's really nothing interestig about her music. Apart from that I'm usually not too fond of the typical melancholic singer/songwriter/guitar player stuff anyways... :-/ I rather hope they keep the immensely high standard of Civ V.

I really can't see how someone could think her music fits a scifi theme... Or why she's supposed to be THAT good in the first place...
But getting a male internet fanbase for being a girl that covers video game songs is pretty mandatory I guess. Let's start a petition to forbid fanboys starting petitions.

Moderator Action: Please avoid use of the term 'fanboy'.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

JokerJace said:

I really can't see how someone could think her music fits a scifi theme...

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Perhaps you think that only a waltzer could be worse?
Like the one in "2001: A Space Odyssey"?

Music is a form of art. And art first and foremost is a spiritual thing, not so much sound "design", as you perhaps do expect for a scifi game. Creating a movie soundtrack or a game soundtrack or any kind of music is not so much about sound, it is about inspiration and transportation. As a musician, you ask yourself: How does it move me? And how do I express this feeling? In this case: How does moving away from earth would feel to me? To never see the sun going up again over your hometown? Then you transport this feeling with your musical means.

All artists develop their own "transport layer" to do this. If you would ask AC/DC for a CivBE soundtrack you would get another result than if you would ask Hans Zimmer. Certainly, both results would be great in their own way. However, AC/DC and Hans Zimmer probably are bit out of reach. But here is an extremely gifted young woman who just finished her studies and brings more inspiration into a simple song than I have heard in a very long time.

JokerJace said:

why she's supposed to be THAT good in the first place...

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As a musician I could tell you a lot about timing, phrasing, articulation and so many things where most of us ordinary people could spend years studying and still would not reach the perfection of the few people who are truly gifted. As this young lady is. The TES players already hang on her lips.

If you want to call me a fan boy, you may do so. I probably am.
As I am a Civ fanboy, like most of us are.

It has to be Blader Runner-esque.

And speaking of which:


Link to video.

I know guys, it's Max Payne. But what the hell, doesn't that sound awesome and fitting for a sci-fi themed game? It's totally like Blade Runner. Especially from 1:00m on.

JokerJace said:

You realize that singing is misfit for the soundtrack of this game, right?!?! And if you leave that out, there's really nothing interesting about her music. Apart from that I'm usually not too fond of the typical melancholic singer/songwriter/guitar player stuff anyways... :-/ I rather hope they keep the immensely high standard of Civ V.

I really can't see how someone could think her music fits a scifi theme... Or why she's supposed to be THAT good in the first place...
But getting a male internet fanbase for being a girl that covers video game songs is pretty mandatory I guess. Let's start a petition to forbid fanboys starting petitions.

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I disagree with but respect your low estimation of Malukah's skill as an amateur artist.

Here is one of her excellent Sci-Fi pieces to perhaps melt your heart (we can only hope)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re32xnyYP3A

I think the designers should chose which artists they want to make the music of C-BE, I think Christopher Tin made the better version of Baba Yetu, what if we miss the real great music because of a petition like this, that would be to bad.

gunther_nt said:

1) A religious song (Lord's Prayer/Pater Noster) in Swahili has nothing to do with the futuristic and trans-humanistic style of the game. Religion is obsolete and is shifting into Affinity. All races, cultures and languages are melting into one global culture. Maybe there are no African Christians in the world.

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Do you hear the words upon reading the translation which then offend your Secular Ideology? Can you find it in your heart to be Moved by the Spirit of the Song without being beholden to the the Christian Source of the lyrics? I once took issue with it being The Lords Prayer as a Non-Christian but in time I came to embrace Baba Yetu as a Non-Relgious Celebration of Human Civilization. Can you find it in your Heart to join me in this appreciation?

gunther_nt said:

2) Maluka is not a professional, she is talented and I love her, but the tracks really lack the quality required for a modern AAA-title. BE is not indie. Sound standarts are very high. They will need to re-record in a studio, not only sign some docs. And a chorus is required. A real one.

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Professional does not always equate to Superior and Amateur does not always equate to Inferior. I am very saddened if you would deny Beautiful Moving Music in a Game because you belittle 'fake choruses' and 'indie artists' and prefer 'real choruses' and 'real artists'.

gunther_nt said:

3) Sci-fi ambient/trance/techno is more setting-fitting, and she is not working in that genres.

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In my estimation those would be horrible, as I do not want say Skrillex adjacent music (as much as I like some of it) in Civ:BE. You may want to consider that you have a strangely narrow opinion of what is acceptable in Sci-Fi. However, i respect that our opinions clearly differ here as well.

gunther_nt said:

4) No adding in per-release state is a holy rule for a good dev. Better concentrate on testing and bug hunting.

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I see your argument here, but I think Beauty should come before Software Testing in Civ:BE.

gunther_nt said:

5) I personally think that petitions must be ignored and that is the only way to create a full work of art. Imagine Tolstoy/Kubrik/Any good creator listening to petitions. What is a product orientated on everyone's taste is well seen in modern movie production.

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Art has always been historically influenced by Patrons, Art Lovers, and Commission Requests towards Artists. I am puzzled that you of the opinion that Artists exist in an Ivory Tower where the masses should have no say in the Masterpieces delivered upon them form on high.

DarkestOnion said:

Here is one of her excellent Sci-Fi pieces to perhaps melt your heart (we can only hope)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re32xnyYP3A

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Thanks man. This is what I often miss in modern movies/games. While I adore the works of Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and all of these great guys blowing you away with incredibly powerful orchestral arrangements, sometimes less is more.

iRule said:

it's Max Payne. But what the hell, doesn't that sound awesome and fitting for a sci-fi themed game?

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Being in space, moving away from earth to never return again,
now knowing what lies ahead of you,
what kind of music would you pick as comfort?

I probably would rather pick the voice of an angel
to remind me about heaven when I may be going to hell.

Link to video.

We need a new one

Moderator Action: Fixed YouTube link