Matthew Najar - Problem Child

Matthew Najar, born in Adelaide, Australia, began his music career almost four years ago with the release of his first single 'I Like The Way You Are', released on iTunes worldwide. The single received mediocre reviews but garnered the pop singer great attention from underground music social networking sites, propping up his online fame to the point where major record label IslandJaMusic Group signed him up on the spot. Since then he has released two additional singles and a variety of music video and dance clips earning him a great reputation as an accomplished dancer, at just 20 years of age. Apart from this new-found fame and attention, Matthew hasn't been consistent with music. Oh no.

In 2010 he appeared in various modelling advertisements worldwide for such brands as Diesel, Burberry and Calvin Klein. Matthew also modelled for boutique department stores in Australia such as David Jones and Myer. During his modelling stints he met (and subsequently dated) 23 year old model Elle Potter, also Australian-born. Their relationship latest just under a year with an abrupt end arising when Ms Potter revealed in a personal blog (in true celebrity style, which was 'leaked') describing Najar as a "childish" person who didn't "care for money or fame". She repeatedly called his behaviour "contradictory" stating that "(he) works as a famous singer but he doesn't seem to want it - he doesn't attend shows, meetings or ceremonies". Interesting, yes. But that's not it. Ms Potter goes on to claim that while he is an "amazing lover" his bedroom aptitudes do not make up for his "poor" behaviour. Further Potter stated that "isn't interested in (her) most days", which is hard to believe as Potter has been hot-property in the modelling industry since 2009, working for such houses as Dolce & Gabbanna, Louis Vuitton and Sax.

Bad news follows celebrities; it's part of their nature to become involved in embarrassing or complicated affairs. Najar, while only young, is still a 'freshman' in the music industry, still planning his conquering battle plans preparing to take on the world outside of Australian and Asian music scenes. Music critic Henry Watson was quoted saying "(Matthew) is only just beginning his career; he has a strong following in Asia already and a strong fan base in France. Any negative press would hurt his performance significantly this early on". Negative press seems to already have found Najar. By looking at him you would assume a sweet, quiet and humble person within but this doesn't seem to be true - don't let his soft smile, high cheekbones and deep eyes fool you, he is it would seem as much more than that. Is his bad behaviour necessary? How many people would treat the position he is in with more respect? He has the voice, the dance moves, the talents of any good musical artist and good looks to boot, but is he deteriorating his reputation to a point where his talents and fetching looks will not be able to liberate him? Time will tell, and if future girlfriends find his behaviour odd you can be sure that the media will be right there ready to report it. This could be a one-off situation or it could be the start of a future celebrity problem child.

Matthew is due to release an album this year in 2011 titled 'Crisis' which has been two years in the making, it will be interesting to see how this press affects it's chart performance. The album will be available at selected Walmart, Virgin Music, Leading Edge Music and KROCK Music stores as well as iTunes, Zune, Amazon and Napster online retailers.

Erin DeForte is a music, art & film reporter and has been in the business of celebrity news for over 10 years.

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Church Sound: The Common Problem in Houses of Worship

Almost every church, temple, synagogue, or other House of Worship shares the common audio problem of intelligibility. Yet, most Houses of Worship throw their money at more electronics instead of addressing the primary problems with their acoustics.

The primary need of any church or House of Worship is to deliver their message. Therefore if the congregation can't understand the worship leader, for whatever reason, then that need is unfulfilled. Emphasis is usually placed on the electronics of the sound system to try to correct the problem, and little attention is paid to the acoustics in the space.

The acoustics of the room should be the primary environmental aspect to be addressed. Why? If the acoustic problems are fixed first, then the electronics will have a much easier time delivering a clean message.

The most common sound issue is the long decay time in these large and beautiful spaces. As the worship leader has speaks the first word, the sound waves bounce all around the room, off the walls, off the windows, off the ceiling, and every other reflective surface. But as the worship leader begins to speak the second word, the reflected energy from the first word is still arriving at the members of the congregation. The result of this is that the congregation will have difficulty hearing the second word, and the next word, and so on. The longer the decay time, the more garbled the message.

So how to you address this common audio problem in your church? Contact an audio professional (and you should), but first understand that some of the audio energy should be removed from the room. Acoustical panels, heavy drapes, ceiling tiles, and more can help alleviate this problem by absorbing the direct sound wave and preventing it from being reflected towards the congregation.

How much acoustic treatment is needed? Every House of Worship, church and temple is different and the approach should be tailored to the specific problems of the space. However, roughly figure that about 25% of the available wall space should be treated.

Does this mean that the walls will be covered in unsightly materials? No, not at all! A talented acoustic designer will select materials that exemplify the overall message of the sanctuary, yet be able to remove enough of the original reflections so that the message arrives clean and intelligible.

If you need an experienced consultant to fix this problem in your House of Worship, then please feel free to drop us line, we'd love to hear from you!

Michael has been working in the professional audio industry for over 25 years, and is available to all in the Central Florida region. Please visit his website at http://proaudionetconsulting.blogspot.com/ for more useful articles and contact information.

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