Two huge YouTube stars have joined together once again. The overwhelmingly talented group Pentatonix and violin pro Lindsey Stirling sound better than ever in this cover of Papaoutai, originally performed by belgian singer Stromae.
The video was released September 25th onto their official YouTube channel ‘PTXofficial’ and just one day later the video has almost 1,000,000 views. For those who are not up to speed, Pentatonix is an acapella group consisting of 5 vocalists. They have a recording contract with Sony and regularly post YouTube videos of their covers and original songs.
Their latest exciting news has been reported by Entertainment Weekly, who have said that the group will be joining the cast of the film Pitch Perfect 2, planned to be released in May 15 2015.
The following artists managed to crack Billboard’s Hot 100 Top 10 list with their very first singles and then never really managed to hit the jackpot again – unfortunately, they never even made it to the top 25 again! Despite their subsequent musical write-offs, the one hit wonders of the likes of Daniel Powter, James Blunt and Gnarls Barkley are still known by all and continue to be loved by all (whether they’ve been overplayed or not). We owe it to these one-hit-makers to honour their scarce yet brilliant work.
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Here is a list of the top 10 one-hit wonders of the past decade, based on Billboard’s calculations of “how high their big songs climbed on the chart compared to how far down the tally their subsequent highest-charting effort peaked.”
Bad Day was used as the roll out song for the 5th season of American Idol and was also used for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign in the U.K. The song became incredibly successful – It went to No.1 in April, remained there for five weeks, and was ranked the most successful single of 2006 by Billboard. Bad Day became the first song to ever sell 2 million digital copies in the U.S. Although the Canadian singer-songwriter’s success didn’t last too long, he did make history!
Terror Squad, the hip-hop collective fronted by Fat Joe, reached the top of the charts with Lean Back in August 2004, gifting the world with one of the most famous dance songs (and catchy choruses) of our time. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and topped the R&B charts for over a month. Terror Squad’s next single Take Me Home, released that same year, got to No.62. The upshot of their four minutes of fame gets almost every party rocking! (That’s if you party right!).
Crazy Town, the L.A. rap-metal-rockers, soared to No1 in March 2001 with their Red Hot Chili Peppers imbued track Butterfly, and hovered there for two weeks. The band never flew sky-high again.
This Is Why I’m Hot got nice and steamy at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, at No.2 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Charts and at No.1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks charts. The song also debuted at No1 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs Charts, selling 140,874 downloads, and eventually certified Platinum. The song itself is filled with samples of other hip-hop songs, including Kanye West’s Jesus Walks and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang. Ever heard the saying: “a great chorus lasts forever”? Although the chorus is still out there sizzling somewhere, MIMS never really made a hot track again. His next single Like This, release in 2007, only reached No.32… not so steamy!
In January 2006, D4L’s Laffy Taffy hit the bull’s eye when it peaked at No.1. Most of the song’s success was due to its online sales. The song went on to certify three times Platinum. D4L’s next single Betcha Can’t Do It Like Me, however, only made it to No.72.
James Blunt definitely knew how to win a woman’s heart. His stunning ballad You’re Beautiful reached No.1 on Billboard Hot 100 in March 2006. Although the song was ranked No.7 in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone to identify the top 10 most annoying songs, VH1 ranked it No.95 on its list of 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000’s. You’re Beautiful received three Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and certified two times Platinum in the U.S. James Blunt’s fans weren’t too loyal, though. His next single Goodbye My Lover reached No.66.
It was crazy just how much Gnarls Barkley’s single Crazy stormed the world. The musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green peaked at No2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the U.K. (where it remained at No1 for nine weeks), Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and many more countries. The track won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2007 and was also nominated for Record of the Year in the U.K. The song also won Best Song at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards and was dubbed Best Song of 2006 by Rolling Stone. The track was certified two times Platinum in the U.S. As for Gnarls Barkley’s subsequent singles well, crazily enough, they didn’t quite make it to the top.
Fun fact: Gnarls Barkley’s band performed a live performance of “Crazy” at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards dressed as Star Wars characters!
Bo Bice was American Idol’s runner up, after Carrie Underwood took home the winning prize. They both released their own versions of this song in 2005. Bice peaked at No2 on the Billboard Hot 100 but, after the Idols craze was over, so was Bice. His subsequent highest-charting song The Real Thing reached No56 in May 2006. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be…
Dream, the manufactured American girl band, made it to No2 with He Loves You Not. The song certified Gold – a dream come true. Sadly, though, the dream was over before the girls could say Good Morning. Dream’s next single This Is Me rose to No39 in the summer of 2001.
On the bright side, these artists sure released some unforgettable red-hot tunes!
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Today we’re wishing T.I (Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) a very happy birthday! it’s incredible to think he’s already been in the game for over 15 years and today he turns just 34. We couldn’t resist celebrating with his unforgettable song ”Whatever You Like” from his sixth studio album, Paper Trail. This song was his first Nº1 hit as a lead artist, and today is all about him.
Back in 2008, during the debut-week, the song had the best-to-date sales by a Rap Track. T.I then broke his own record two months later when his song ”Live Your Life” sold 334,000 digital downloads in it’s first week. Whatever You Like had 205,000 downloads.
The song also holds the record for the biggest leap to the top on the Hot 100 charts. In the span of just one week, it flew from Nº71 to Nº1. This record was held for six consecutive weeks before T.I’s next hit ”Live Your Life” broke that record too. Leaping from Nº80 to Nº1.
The beloved Will Smith turns 46 today! What a jam-packed career he’s had, being a music star, movie star and managing his celebrity family. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood.
Though we are far from the days when Will was known as ‘The Fresh Prince’, we are using todays #ThrowbackThursday to take us through time to the early 90s. We can see hip-hop rap has not changed all that much in the last 20 odd years, as this song by Will Smith ”The Fresh Prince” and DJ Jazzy Jeff is still all about butts… and shaking them.
”Boom! Shake The Room” started a 2 week run at Nº1 in the UK back when it was released in July of 1993. It was the second single from their fifth studio album, ”Code Red.” The song also peaked at number thirteen on The Billboard Hot 100. There were many mixes made of the song, we present the most famous of them all: The Street Mix.
Set to be released early next year (2015) This action packed clever thriller is based on the original comic book, Kingsman: The Secret Service. Safe to say it falls under the brilliant genre of spy thrillers. Definitely a favourite as genres go. Perhaps we’ll be seeing undertones of James Bond and Johnny English?
The plot is, in a nutshell; trouble-causing street kids recruited, and put under the most brutal of tests by a classified spy organization. Sort of like an elite army training. But much much cooler. The timing of these particular recruits is on par with an emerging global threat from a twisted tech genius. What could possibly wrong?
Awesome plot aside, it’s the cast members that have us eager to see this film. To name but a few legends: Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, and Colin Firth.
Eminem and Sia come together for their second collaboration in this empowering rap song. The chorus showcases Sias’ unique, forceful vocals. As for the versus, Eminem’s endless magic on the mic takes us deep into his personal experiences.
The song debuted at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 134,328 copies in it’s first-week sales. Previews of this song first premiered in the trailer for the much anticipated film ”The Equalizer” starring Denzel Washington. The song was officially released to iTunes on August 25, 2014. The same day Eminem announced his plans to release a new album titled Shady XV. Presumably named in honour of The Slim Shady LP’s 15 year anniversary.
There’s not an official music video released yet, but this lyric video is perfect. We’re just thrilled that Eminem and Sia decided to work together again, and we hope this won’t be their last time.
“In Performance at the White House: Country Music” is a PBS music special taped in the East Room of the White House. President and Mrs. Obama hosted the event in celebration of Country music, whose roots run deep throughout American history. The concert includes performances by Lauren Alaina, The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Mickey, Darius Rucker and James Taylor. The show honors the rich history and resilience of this uniquely American musical form with performances tracing the history of Country music.
Harlan Howard, who wrote many Country music songs that are now classics, said, “Country music is three chords and the truth.”
Download these shows and add them to your music library
This is part of a 10-week series that we will be running on our blog, with the music videos conveniently separated into individual performances so that you can save and download your favourite artists, or the whole show if your prefer. Creation 5’s YouTube feature lets you download videos so you can watch offline when you’re travelling and enjoy great music on-the-go. Don’t forget that you can download Creation 5’s YouTube In-app purchase absolutely FREE, which normally costs €4.49 ($4.99), as we currently have a promotion running in celebration of hitting 450,000 downloads on the App Store!
In Performance at the White House: Country Music 2011
01.Intro [President’s speech] 02. Dierks Bentley – Home 03. Lye Lovett – Cowboy Man 04. Kris Kristofferson & Darius Rucker – Pancho & Lefty 05. The Band Perry – If I Die Young 06. Alison Krauss – When You Say Nothing at All 07. James Taylor – Riding on a Railroad 08. Darius Rucker – I Got Nothin’ 09. Dierks Bentley & Lauren Alaina – Always on My Mind 10. Mickey – Crazy 11. James Taylor – Wichita Lineman 12. Lauren Alaina – Coal Miner’s Daughter 13. Lyle Lovett – Funny How Time Slips Away 14. The Band Perry – I Will Always Love You 15. Full Cast – Me And Bobby McGee
The Vamps have invited Tyler Oakley and the rest of YouTube’s talent to sing for charity. We loved their rework of Simon & Garfunkel’s Cecilia already, but this is way better…and it’s for a good cause, Teenage Cancer Trust.
The video stars Tyler Oakley, Sam Pepper, Joe Sugg, Jim Chapman, Alexa Losey, Ebony Day, Benjamin Cook, Caspar Lee, Doug Armstrong, Patty Walters, Harrison Webb, Mazzi Maz, Sam King, Jake Boys, Chip Daddy, BriBry, Luke Cutforth, NikiNSammy, and Laura Bubble. Some of these stars are far better at singing than the others – (Patty Walters, Ebony Day) – but it doesn’t seem to matter, it all sounds great and makes you feel good!
The whole thing is in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity that focuses on helping young people get proper treatment. Click here for more info. So please consider buying the track now on iTunes and support The Vamps valiant efforts to do something worthwhile.
The new remix of Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) is the fifth single off their debut album Meet The Vamps. The song borrows the chorus from the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel song Cecilia which includes, “Celia, you’re breaking my heart / You’re shaking my confidence daily / Oh Cecilia, I’m down on my knees / I’m begging you please to come home.”
The Vamps – Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) ft. Shawn Mendes
Today Google marked the first day of Autumn, the September equinox – with a great doodle. We’re marking it with a playlist – a collection of classic songs that give you a sense of the changing seasons.
There are two equinoxes every year, in September and March – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of the day and night are more or less equal. This happens either on September 22, 23, or 24 every year. Of course as we enjoy the first day of Autumn some of you reading this might be on the other side of the world enjoying the first day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox!
It’s true to say that all seasons inspire artists in different ways, but this colourful, poignant time of year has inspired some of the greatest tracks of all time. So grab your pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks, stick your headphones on and enjoy the year’s last, loveliest smile.
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
Autumn Playlist
Click here to open it in Creation 5 1. The White Stripes – Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground 2. The Kinks – Autumn Almanac 3. Ed Sheeran – Autumn Leaves 4. The Mamas & The Papas – California Dreamin’ 5. Jack Johnson – Constellations 6. Jon Foreman – Southbound Train 7. Guns N’ Roses – November Rain 8. One Direction – Fireproof 9. Ella & Louis – Autumn in New York 10. Mumford & Sons – Reminder 11. Oh No! Oh My! – Walk In The Park 12. The Moody Blues – Forever Autumn 13. The Beatles – Blackbird
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Kartik Pillai is gearing up for a hectic end to 2014. The Delhi-based multi-instrumentalist has just released a fantastic debut album with his experimental dream-pop act Begum, and is all set to release a solo EP next week under his JAMBLU moniker. There’s also another album in the works with gypsy/cabaret punk act Peter Cat Recording Co. Add in his studio work and video production house The Hundredth Initiative and it’s easy to imagine Pillai and his bandmates as the epicentre of a small, self-sufficient scene headquartered in New Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village – a scene that is producing some of the best music to come out of the country. We talk to Pillai about his recently released album, his influences, and his plans for the future.
Begum [Urdu word for a Muslim lady of high rank] is an interesting name for a band with three guys. What’s the story behind it? The name is homage to the honorable Begum, we hope to be in her loving shade for as long as possible and spread word of her benevolence and kindness till when we are called back to our lives.
How did the guys in Begum start playing together? Kshitij [Dhyani, bassist] and I have been collaborating since 2007 when we met each other on a thread on the Rock Street Journal Forums. We’ve been in metal, funk and blues bands together and started composing by ourselves in early 2009. One day (in 2012) we called Karan [Singh, drummer] for an impromptu jam, there were 15 minutes of brilliance in that 2 hour jam and we latched onto it. After writing a dozen songs or more we ended up being a band.
In an interview, you mentioned that Begum is influenced by Tame Impala. What are your other influences? Various musical acts come to mind, a lot of the influences for me at least have been visual so far. One major influence on my playing ethos has been Kaki King (her more recent material). Also the Kinks, the Beatles, Elliot Smith, Jandek’s tape machine and The Sea… all these acts influenced me to a much greater degree than Tame Impala.
You recorded Begum’s debut album Bagh rather unconventionally, doing the whole record in one live take. What prompted you to take that approach? We recorded the album twice before on a metronome but it didn’t sound right. Finally we had one day before Kshitij left for Bombay for his masters. So we hauled everything into Karan’s room and just hit record. We left a couple of the songs off the album because we got tired and because Kshitij had to pack.
There’s a distinct old Delhi/Mughal flavour to the band’s general aesthetic. Is the capital city a major influence for you guys? Yes the city of Delhi has definitely been a major influence on our aesthetic in terms of artwork and imagery. But musically i think we try to create paradoxes with our current situations, most of the songs stem from our love for dying civilizations, pale winter suns and the sea.
There was a lot of buzz around the music video for lead single Chinbein, which features a surreal and sepia-tinged montage of videos and imagery. Where did the concept for the video come from?
The concept is completely [ video director ] Samridhi Thapliyal’s. We just sent her the song and she took it from there. I think she was trying to portray a sort of cycle, the constant creation existence and eventual destruction of all things.
How was the response to Bagh been so far? Any plans for a tour? The response has been great, a lot of kind words and a lot of interest which we’re very grateful for. We have a tour lined up starting with The New Wave Festival In Goa, we’re gonna drive down from Delhi and plan on hitting all the major cities including some others like Jaipur, Cochin, etc.
Apart from Begum, you also play guitars in Peter Cat Recording Co. and have a solo electronica project called JAMBLU. Is it difficult to juggle three distinct musical identities? I really don’t find it difficult because i think we all have to manage a multitude of personalities in public and in life. I have different approaches to all these projects which are generally just spurts of creation in various directions. For me all these personalities are completely natural so there’s no real effort put into solidifying them, over the years I’ve learnt which reality of mine to take inspiration from and when…. for the mind is a toy.
You call JAMBLU ‘post-dance’ on your bandcamp page. What’s post-dance? A friend of mine once summarized it visually as a group of people standing around like mindful zombies swaying slowly. The idea is that once the physical section of a release (dancing which is intensely spiritual) is over, Depth Training would then be used to sink into oneself and surrender to one’s own ticks and unconscious tremors in utter decadence eventually allowing one to just exist rather than react or act.
The JAMBLU debut ‘Depth Training’ is a very immersive and melancholy album. What’s the inspiration behind that project? The album is my abstract version of the birth of the universe, the earth and evolution on it , starting with a vacuum, the big bang, growth of life on earth, nature and its various tangents such as the industrial revolution, the accidental enlightenment of poultry, and quaint cottages in the forest.
When can we expect the long-awaited Peter Cat Recording Co. album? How has the pcrc sound evolved since the last album? We’re hoping for a november release for Peter Cat, the sound has definitely evolved from the first album. Once we settled into being a band (after I joined pcrc), we started exploring new sounds and methods of playing other than the gypsy/cabaret sound. In terms of grooves, styles and intention we’re definitely going towards a much more ambient sound. The instrumentation is also slowly evolving.
Any other plans for the future? pcrc, Begum, Lifafa and Jamblu tours for India, and quite possibly abroad as well.
The production company (Hundredth Monkey Initiative) that I’m a part of will also start producing short films soon, we’re pretty much just finalizing on scripts at this point and an animated series tentatively called Beevision.
I’ll be releasing the new Jamblu EP come Sept 23rd on the Equinox. There are also music videos to come soon after for Depth Training and the new EP. We have one more music video coming up for Begum which we’re making with my brother Sachin Pillai and we’ve also started work on the next Begum album and the subsequent Opera that we plan to produce. The album should be out middle of next year and the Opera hopefully by the end of next year.
