Vanessa-Mae responded to the questions that we submitted with opur bday present for her. The questions are depicted in italics and her answers in bold.

1 Can you give us an update on the progress of your new album? Do you have a title already; is there a release date known? Will it be available in the USA and Canada as well?

I have not stepped into studio yet as my management (www.merlin-elite.co.uk) have certain aspects to sort out beforehand. There are so many creative ideas to factor in but what is sure is that there will be a new twist that I hope you will enjoy.

2 Are you planing a tour for the new album already? Will the dates be available at your official website? Will the tour include dates in the UK too? Since for the Choreography tour you only did two concerts in the UK!

We are still touring Choreography live but a new tour will be organised for the new album and I hope to play to as many fans as possible.

3 Would you consider the release of a tour DVD of your next tour? As your fans, we would definitely appreciate this since it is on the top of our wish list!

Yes, that is a great idea!

4 We have read in The Telegraph that you have finished your Autobiography. Is this true and when will the book be being published?

The 2001 recall was my father's request during his divorce from my mother. I have had time since to rethink the style and content but it is not finalised. The thought now is for it to follow the next album.

5 Recently you visited India for the first time to do three concerts! In the MSN video interview you told us that you were looking forward to going to India one day because you heard that it was such a fascinating country. Now you have finally been there, did India meet up to your expectations? And, did you have time for sightseeing and to visit some of it's cultural highlights?

I enjoyed India more than I could have imagined. The fans were great fun and I played a duet with a sitar player which was an experience. There were promotional commitments and bombings at the time so I did not go out on my days off.

6 On your album China Girl you were searching for your Chinese roots and your Chinese-ness! Is your search completed or it is still on your mind? Will we ever see a sequel to China Girl perhaps in the form of a collaboration with Chinese musicians? What are your thoughts on that?

I am now sure that I will never feel that I belong to a country, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, China fascinates me and there is much talent in a place so big.

7 Recently you were photographed on various occasions wearing Chinese style clothes. Did Shanghai Tang design these clothes and are they made out of silk? What does silk represent to you; is it luxury, comfort or both?

They were by Shanghai Tang - flowing and flatteringly cut.

8 Your career last now already far more than a decade. Do you collect newspaper cuttings and photos from Magazines and photo shoots of yourself?

Not always as we are always promised them but are rarely sent them.

9 Maybe a too personal question but what did you get as a present from Lionel? What did you plan to do on your birthday? Please skip this one if you consider it none of our business, but we hope to get some idea.

I was out busy dealing with stuff related to my house but I enjoyed dinner with my family. Lionel gave me a games console - grown up at 29!

10 Finally, do you have a personal message for your best fans? We hope for some quotable statement from you!

Thank you for your thoughts and your patience. I hope to play again to you all soon!

Comments on Vanessa-Mae's feedback to our questions.

Q1: It is of course a bit disappointing that Vanessa-Mae has not been in the studios yet to record a new cd, but check out the management site she mentions, there the new cd is announced for release in 2008. The good thing, I guess, is that she has professional mangement now. I hope this will improve basic communication about concert dates and televisision appearances

She promises us a new twist, that sounds fantastic and it would be great if she can set a new standard with it!

Q2: Follows Q1 about the new album. She will set a new tour and hopes to see as many of us as possible

Q3: That would be so fantastic if she would finally reward our requests for a live tour DVD

Q4: I think she needs to take all the time she needs to make the book interesting and readable.

Q5: Who wouldn't enjoy visiitng India. Sad that she was not out sightseeing due to commitments and a need to avoid risks.

Q6: Well, I still hope for sequel to CG album with the imput of Chinese artists. such an album would be fantastic. Vanessa-Mae never rules this out. Maybe she will do such if she is ready for it.

Q7: I think she looks fabulous in silk Chinese style clothes by Shanghai Tang. It is noticable that she feels comfortable wearing these.

Q8: That is sad that many do not keep promises to sent stuff. I have many photos of her and perhaps I can make a nice photobook to present to her when she will become 30, next year!

Q9: She is still busy for her house. Dinner with family is a tradition on her bday, I suppose. Hey guys, she got a games computer from Lionel;, that means they do games together. That is so normal and down-to-earth; Lionel and Vanessa-Mae must really have a solid relation between them

Q10: Obvious, I think she really appreciates what we do for her each year.

A new management company, did you still go to the old company Fretless Rijko with the questions, this is the first I have heared of Vanessa changing companies but it is not unheared of artists to have more than one management company.

bye

Dom

Wow a personal response from Vanessa-Mae herself! I guess Nintendo Wii is the game console given by Lionel.

Found V-M's profile on merlin-elite.co.uk --> http://www.merlin-elite.co.uk/music/cli ... php?id=14#

Fretless is Vanessa-Mae's own management company. She organised her personal and artistic management theough Fretless. Since only recently, she sigend to Merlin Elite, so she has professional management again. No doubt keeping Fretless alive as company is wise and profitable from tax and legal points of view!

I'm glad she likes my idea of a new DVD! Maybe she will hire me now as a consultant!

But seriously, I agree with Xanthippe. I think V-M and Lionel do have a very stable relationship. I will even go further to say that for all intents and purposes (even though no legal papers may have been signed) they are a married couple. It will be very interesting to follow how the family will turn out.

NBE

IF SHE RELEASES A DVD I AM GOING TO FLIP OUT!!!!!!

New CD album delayed?
Never mind our girl deserves the right to be allowed to catch up on her life
that she missed as a child. Hmm Wii console? very possible as Noodles
loves working out.
Good look to you Noodles.

I can't wait to see what the twist will be woth her new album next year?
She has done Classical, Folk and pop, so maybe it will be rock orientated?
Or maybe like the remixed stuff she did on her singles CD's?

Xanthippe, If you can thank Noodles for us all for her reply.

VANESSA MAE IS EXCLUSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SERIOUSLY!!!! I LIKE THAT!!!! I really like how she waits years and years to produce an album bc it causes more excitement actually than having a cd release every year plus concerts. it is good to see her having her life though and not being in the tabloids. vanessa mae has my upmost respect! vanessa mae is exclusive as in getting into cambriage university seriously. i honestly feel that vanessa mae is the female paganini bc of her abstraction. i was at this violinist's site, janinie jansen, and there was a negative remark referenced to vanessa mae, and i got extremely annoyed! why are there so much vanessa mae bashers?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? what did she do to them? oh yea!!!! she decided to break out of the classical rim and play her own works and contemporize old pieces such as summer 3rd mvt into the popular hit, storm....thats why people tend to bash her- the fact she is abstract and not so "baroque".................vanessa mae=rare! vanessa mae is cool. if people disses her, than you are a fool does anyone wanna see my freestyle about vanessa mae???????????????????????????? I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!! and, did anyone check out the power of c video?!!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG, I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!!!!! CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!

Arioch, I did sent an email to express our sincere thanks to Noodles for her open answers to us all. I am sure she'll expect something from us again next year when she crosses the milestone of 30.

Wow, VanessaMaeFan18, what an excitement.

I agree with you that she is fantastic and that we must repsect her for keeping her private life out of the tabloids. It is her choice to have her life of her own out of publicity and make a new album when she is ready for it. she deserves our respect for that.

The Power Of C (Art Of War) video is great, indeed!!!

Well my friend, come next year you can still count me in.