It’s not even Christmas yet and Beyoncé is already dishing out presents – ALL the remaining 13 videos from her self titled album were uploaded to her YouTube channel last night! Also, to mark the release of her Platinum Edition of Beyoncé, she has made the repackaged collection available to stream on Spotify! This Platinum edition includes six extra tracks with collaborations from Nicki Minaj, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and the Mr Vegas remix of Beyoncé’s H&M track Standing on the Sun.
It was virtually a year ago when Beyoncé changed the game and shocked the music industry by releasing Beyoncé last December. Continuing in the same vein she has surprised us all again. There has been no promotion surrounding the release of these 13 music videos – no prior teasing or social media pumping up, Beyoncé has just put the videos on Vevo and lets her supportive fan base spur the publicity.
Taylor Swift caused controversy by removing her album from Spotify yet Beyoncé is very happy to have her entire record collection available online.
The special platinum edition box set is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.
To watch any of the videos in Creation 5 just tap the title of the video.
“Get ready to celebrate” said Pitbull just before the AMAs kicked off last night in the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. His words were spot on because although it was an award show, it was the live performances that provided a fantastic entertainment spectacle. It was star-studded night for the music industry.
If you missed the show last night, don’t worry, check out our list of the top 10 performances.
1. Taylor Swift – Blank Space
This performance was amazing! Everyone is talking about it – it really was the most original performance in the show’s history. It was the first time Taylor Swift had performed the song live and she really nailed it. She dangled form the ceiling, fed poisoned apples to her boyfriend, played with fire and looked like an authentic psycho. It was an absolutely stunning performance, I guess you could say Taylor Swift: 100 and Haters: 0
Later in the evening she was presented the Dick Clark Award for Excellence by the legendary Diana Ross. “Tonight we are all honored to present this to a young woman who has taken the music industry by storm,” Ross said.
2. Lorde – Yellow Flicker Beat
We love Lorde, she owns her own style and is the coolest dancer out there. It was her debut performance of the song and it started off just like a movie with her singing in the dark about “Silver and gold scars”. It was all about the music, and the dancing. She is just the coolest cat on the block. She might not have won any awards but alongside Taylor Swift, she was the star of the show.
3. Sam Smith – I’m Not the Only One
No theatrical sets, no gimmicks, just his gorgeous voice. Oh, and the trench coat of course. A$AP Rocky gave a helping hand on the vocals and dropped his verse into the mix. The standing ovation was well deserved.
Sam Smith won the Favourite Male Artist for Rock/Pop and gave such an emotional speech – as heartfelt as his songs. “I didn’t think I was going to be winning this … thank you to my fan base. Last year, I wrote an album about being lonely, tonight, I couldn’t feel further from lonely,” he candidly said.
4. Mary. J.Blige – Therapy
Just like Sam Smith’s performance, this was without bells and whistles and put her amazing voice front stage. The song was co-written by Sam Smith and her jazzy, soulful rendition of it was stunning.
5. One Direction – Night Changes
One Direction gave a great live performance, they were one of the few of the night’s performers to sing without a backing track – and hat’s off to them, they did a brilliant job. It might not have been the most exciting cut from their Four album, but they did it justice.
6. Ariana Grande & The Weekend – Problem/Break Free /Love Me Harder
Not only did Ariana dazzle us with her lacy, black dress, she stunned us with her voice in a jazzy, big band rendition of Problem followed by Break Free and then a beautiful performance of Love Me Harder featuring the Weekend and his hair.
Ariana Grande & The Weeknd – Problem/Break Free/Love Me Harder (Live at the 2014 AMAs)
How refreshing it was to see Nicki Minaj let the song be the star – instead of some part of her anatomy. She stood by the piano in a an elegant ball gown and delivered the song without any theatrics.
Nicki Minaj – Bed of Lies ft. Skylar Grey
8. 5 Seconds of Summer – What I Like About You
We are not boy band fans here at Creation 5, but this performance has started to change our minds. Perhaps 5SOS aren’t a boy band any longer? Their cover of the immortal New Wave hit was the best rock performance of the night. Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin truly rocked out, as did most of the audience.
5 Seconds of Summer – What I Like About You (Live at the 2014 AMAs)
A great performance from Charli who sang the oh so sweet Boom Clap, dressed in a prom gown, which had the whole audience singing along. She then transitioned into a kick-ass performance of Break the Rules tearing off her sweet prom dress to reveal a tight leather skirt and top. A lollipop got smashed to bits at the end, proving that pop music can sometimes rock as hard as rock!
10. Iggy Azalea– Fancy / Beg For It
After a political-themed delivery of Fancy, Iggy transitioned to her latest single, Beg For It. She seemed to be having mic problems during the song which was a shame. Great showmanship nonetheless.
Iggy won the Favourite Artist Rap/Hip Hop and also Best Hip Hop Album for The New Classic. Youmight think that Iggy has loads of Awards already, but not so, this was her first one, ever!. “This award is the first award I’ve ever won in my whole life.” Well congratulations! Let’s hope for many more!
Iggy Azalea – Fancy & Beg For It ft. MØ (Live at the 2014 AMAs)
Combining her love of classical music with EDM, hip-hop, and dubstep; violinist, dancer, and performance artist Lindsey Stirling is a one-of-a-kind. Born in Santa Ana, California, Stirling grew up in Arizona and began studying classical violin at the age of five. In 2010, she appeared as the “hip hop violinist” on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. After finishing in the quarter-finals of the show, Stirling worked with director/cinematographer Devin Graham and produced her first series of videos on YouTube. Crystallize, was her first major hit, and has been viewed more than 107 million times. In 2012 Lindsey independently released her self-titled debut album, which sold over 200,000 copies in the United States and was certified Gold in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. After successful concert tours throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and Russia, Stirling signed a deal with Lady Gaga’s management firm, Atom Factory, and reissued her eponymous debut album through Universal Music. Lindsey’s second album, Shatter Me, arrived in 2014.
This year, after an 8 week US tour, you then went on to tour for 6 weeks in Europe. Your european tour brought over 100,000 of your fans to come see you live in action. How was this whole experience for you? and are you planning on taking a break to recharge now that you’re back home? It was absolutely incredible; I felt so honored to be able to perform for so many of my fans all over the world. The fact that that many people were excited and even willing to buy tickets to my concerts still floors me haha; I couldn’t feel more blessed.
Speaking of living out your dreams, one of our favourite videos of yours is We Found Love which was filmed in Kenya and features some fantastic vocals and authentic African sound. You say that this was one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Through the video we experience that with you, and that’s what’s so great about it. Tell us a bit about VenTribe and how you came to do this song and film in Africa? I was dating Devin Graham (devinsupertramp on YouTube) at the time, and he was doing the project with VenTribe and convinced me to come with him to Africa for the project. I figured I might as well participate in the promotion and make a video while I was there, so I contacted Alisha Popat, who is an amazing singer and even more amazing as a person. She strives to be an example to women in Africa and teaches young girls to love and respect their bodies, which I think is amazing. The children I met there were absolutely beautiful, happy, and thriving. I know that not all villages in Africa are like that, but their example was a testimony to me that true happiness can come from loving and being grateful for what you have. These people had so little, and yet they took such pride in the work they did and what they were able to do and contribute in their communities.
Going back to your worldwide popularity, you now have over 5.7 million YouTube subscribers and over 815 million video views. Did you ever imagine yourself becoming this huge? I always dreamed of it, yes, and I saw it in my mind and I hoped for it, of course. Did I believe it could happen? Of course I did 😛 I was raised to believe that anything is possible. Does it still shock me when I see how far I have come? Every day. I can’t even begin to describe how humbled I feel by my success, by all of the supportive people in my life, and for my faith in God who guided me where I needed to go.
A lot of your initial popularity stemmed from the time you were on America’s Got Talent. Shockingly, Piers Morgan told you that you weren’t good enough, and Sharon Osbourne commented that what you were doing was not enough to fill a theatre in Vegas. Boy were they wrong. This reminds us of Simon Cowell’s criticising comments to the now very successful Tori Kelly when she auditioned on American Idol. What was going through your head while the judges were dishing out those harsh comments? How did it affect your self esteem at the time, and ultimately, when did you decide to not let that block your road to success? It absolutely crushed me. I felt humiliated. At the time I wanted to hide under a rock and cry and never come out again. But as the days went by the shame and the hurt fueled the kindling within me into a blazing fire. I knew I could succeed, with or without their approval or help. So I resolved to prove them wrong.
Speaking of AGT, you returned earlier this year, giving a powerful performance of your hit song Shatter Me alongside Lzzy Hale. You make playing the violin flawlessly suspended in mid-air look so easy. How cool did it feel to be back and bigger than ever? And did you get any feedback from the judges for old times sake? Man… I gotta admit, it felt massively good to perform for AGT as a successful artist. I didn’t have to say a thing, but everyone there knew it was a massive “in your face” moment for me XD #thankyouagt
Let’s talk about your Master of Tides video. You’re playing the violin, whilst dancing like a gymnast, whilst submerged ankle-deep in water, surrounded by mer people, who are also dancing like gymnasts. There’s some crazy choreography happening- oh, and there’s a guy who cartwheels on his trident. Pretty spectacular. How did you manage not to slip over through all that? Believe me, I was nervous! Slipping was a definite possibility, so I put on my best shoes, prayed like crazy, and went for it haha.
Where did you learn to dance like that? Tell us the story behind your moves. I used to love to improve-dance when I was a little kid; I loved watching figure skating and “dancing” shows on TV and I would mimic their moves. As I got older I watched YouTube tutorials and had one or two private lessons.
Through your experience, what would you say is the greatest and hardest part about being an independent recording artist? I’d say the pace. It’s easy to get left behind in this industry if you aren’t putting out new stuff on a regular basis. Fans want new songs/new videos/new material, and of course I want to make my fans happy. So I work really hard to do that. It’s easy to get overloaded and sometimes I have to force myself to slow down. The greatest thing about being an independent artist is that I have so much creative freedom, and the ability to mold and channel my career how I see fit.
A very special aspect to your music is the diversity of it. You’ve featured in practically every genre under the sun, with loads of artists on different ends of the spectrum. You’ve single handedly proved that violin can accompany pretty much any type of music track and make it better. How does this process usually unfold? Does the artist send you the music and you fill in the blanks? or do you both work together in the creating process? It’s usually a collaborative effort/I’m allowed creative freedom, but there have been times when I’ve been given material and asked to stay “true” to the writing. In my collaborations with Pentatonix, for example, the violin parts were pre-written for me and I was asked to play them as such.
On the subject of collaborations, your cover version of Radioactive with Pentatonix won Response of the Year in the first YouTube Music Awards in 2013. Did this achievement spark the new cover of Papaoutai featuring you and the a cappella group? Fans want to know if we can look forward to more songs with PTX? We’re pretty obsessed. I absolutely love those guys; if they’re up for another collab I’m all for it!
A day in the life of a successful musician is no piece of cake. Are you playing the violin every single day? How intense is the practicing, and do you ever need to take a break from it all? It’s honestly been difficult to the find time to practice very much on tour due to the insane schedule. I still take private lessons whenever I’m stationed in Los Angeles, which is a great motivator for me, and I plan to practice several hours a day now that I’m home and off tour.
What was it like joining Cirque de Soleil earlier this year for the annual One Night for One Drop in Las Vegas? That was definitely a unique opportunity; absolutely loved it! Loved the costumes, loved the people, loved the whole production. I was honored to be part of it and I highly recommend.
We want to know what your favourite meal is, and is there a favourite person to sit and eat it with? Here we are indirectly asking about your dating life ;). Cereal! I don’t really have a dating life at the moment haha, so I think I would choose to eat with my dad. Only I would order him a hamburger because that’s his favorite (“No sissy cereal for me,” he’d say).
From the start you’ve been very open and honest with your fans and the general public about your life. One struggle you had to face in your early adulthood was an eating disorder. What would be your message to others going through similar struggles right now, and how did you personally overcome it? #1 would be that everyone struggles with something, and you absolutely have to be able to admit you have a problem before there is any hope of overcoming it. #2 Know that you are never alone and #3 It is absolutely critical to ask for and be willing to receive help. We all need it 😉 That’s what we’re all here for …we need each other.
Finally, what are you most looking forward to going into the new year 2015? I’m looking forward to touring again, making more music videos, and maybe producing a Christmas album.
Shatter Me tracklist
1. Beyond the Veil
2. Mirror Haus
3. V-Pop
4. Shatter Me
5. Heist
6. Roundtable Rival
7. Night Vision
8. Take Flight
9. Ascendance
10. We Are Giants
11. Swag
12. Master of Tides
Singer, songwriter, dancer, activist and musician, James Brown was known by two nicknames: The Hardest Working Man in Show Business and the Godfather of Soul. He is also known as the Inventor of Funk, the Grandfather of Hip-Hop and is certainly one of the most influential musical pioneers of the last century. Born in 1933 in South Carolina, he died in December 2006 of pneumonia at 73 years old. He lives on through his music. As he said himself “If people wanted to know who James Brown is, all they have to do is listen to my music.”
He grew up in abject poverty and his parents split up when he was very young, so at age 4 he was sent to live with his Aunt Honey, the madam of a brothel. Brown later recalled his impoverished childhood: “I started shining shoes at 3 cents, then went up to 5 cents, then 6 cents. I never did get up to a dime. I was 9 years old before I got a pair of underwear from a real store; all my clothes were made from sacks and things like that. But I knew I had to make it. I had the determination to go on, and my determination was to be somebody.”
Well, as we know, the story has a happy ending because James Brown was certainly somebody! He developed his powerful voice singing in the church choir and his musical career started in earnest in 1955 when Bobby Byrd invited him to join his R&B group, The Gospel Starlighters. Naturally, with his almost overbearing talent and charisma it didn’t take long before he was running the show. Changing their name to the Famous Flames they started performing in local clubs. A year later in 1956 they recorded a demo tape of Please, Please, Please and played it for a talent scout for King Records. Within months the song reached Nº6 on the R&B charts. But it wasn’t until a couple of years later that Brown got the kick start he needed to make it into the big leagues. He recorded Try Me and the song went straight to Nº1 on the R&B charts. Then followed a string of hits, Lost Someone, Prisoner of Love and Night Train.
Brown toured relentlessly, performing 6 nights per week throughout the 60’s, which earned him his first nickname, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. He was such a great showman – you could describe him as hypnotic even. His dancing was incredible and his charisma and passion left audiences in raptures. He mastered all the popular dances of the time “the camel walk,” “the mashed potato,” “the popcorn” and of course his own “do the James Brown.” He went on to record many of his most popular songs during the 60’s including Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag which is considered the first ‘funk’ song – an offshoot of soul and a precursor to hip-hop.
During the 70’s more hits came, most notably Sex Machine and Get Up Offa That Thing although with the advance of disco, plus personal financial troubles, the 70’s weren’t his best decade. He made a brilliant comeback in the cult 1980s film The Blues Brothers and recorded Living in America in 1985 which was featured in Rocky IV and became a huge hit for him.
He was one of the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – in 1986, which was the year it started. The late 80s were lost in a mix of depression and drug addiction and ended in 1988 when he went to prison for 15 months after a high speed car chase with the police. He continued touring after release from prison, albeit on a much lighter schedule than in his heyday.
This incredible show, filmed 6 years before he died, is a must-have video for any fan. He might not have had the energy of his youth but he could still hit it! This concert event at the House of Blues in Las Vegas features music through five decades of his chart-topping hits.
1 Get Up Offa That Thing 2 Gonna Have A Funky Good Time 3 Living In America 4 Popcorn 5 Soul Power 6 Soul Man (Vocals – Roosevelt Johnson) 7 I Got That Feeling 8 Hot Pants 9 Try Me 10 Prisioner Of Love 11 Georgia On My Mind 12 If I Ruled The World 13 Why Don’t You Do Right (Vocals – Candice Hurst) 14 Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag 15 Funk On A Roll 16 Payback 17 I Feel Good 18 Papa Don’t Take No Mess 19 Please Please Please 20 Sex Machine 21 I Still Care (Vocals – Tomi Rae) 22 Try (Vocals – Tomi Rae)
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If you’re an animal lover, you’re certainly going to appreciate this list of music videos we’ve put together starring man’s best friend. A great deal of training went in to some of them, a great deal of comedy went into others, but a great deal of cuteness is present in all of them.
OK Go never fail to impress with their brilliantly choreographed one-take music videos and catchy anthem-like tracks. They really went up a level with this one though as it features a bevy of incredibly well trained rescue dogs… and a goat.
All the neighbourhood hounds rally up to this alternative rock backdrop. They break into somebody’s back garden and end up throwing themselves a pool party. It’s a dogs life!
A possy of practically perfect pedigree pooches prowl the urban sprawl in the dark of night, stopping the bad guys and protecting the innocent. They’re out to save the world one heroic act at a time. You’ve never seen a set of more adorable vigilantes.
German musician Herr Tischbein got the mixture of trumpets, comedy and canine just about right in this classy vid. He definitely set out to put a smile on the viewers face, and so far he’s been very successful. Guaranteed to make you giggle.
This very sweet, light hearted and cleverly done rendition of We Could Be Heroes was made to raise awareness for pet cancer. Not only is it definitely worth a watch, it’s also worth donating to the charity who organised it’s production: http://www.pettrust.ca
Will Young starts off being embarrassed by his seemingly not-so-well trained show dog at a very important competition. As the video goes on, the greatest thing happens. This could be classified as a tear jerker… You’ve been warned.
The bulldog featured in this one gets showered with a plethora of bones – yay! Then some mailmen show up and start breakdancing, as they do… and then some sexy human kittens in heals pop up and start grinding on each other, as per usual. Safe to say the dog is confused, or so we think. Wait, is that band member wearing a steak? Keep watching to see how this bulldog ends up saving the day. More doggy power!
This is a cute video showing how if you get dumped, your dog will be there for you. But remember, he’s still a dog, and not a boyfriend replacement. Don’t be too upset when he doesn’t appreciate you getting him a takeaway coffee at the park. He’s going to want to run around at some point!
The cool dawgs in this set are running the nightlife; deejaying, bartending, piano playing, drinking hard liquor and getting lucky with the ladies… or at least trying to.
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Whether they have a penchant for nudity, statement making, crowd shocking tendencies, or are simply desperate to shake things up in a revival attempt; these are our top ten naked music videos featuring some of the best known artists in the business. Sex sells, that’s an old cliché if ever there was one, but it still works, add in a little celebrity fairy dust and bingo you’ve got a million hits in one morning. This top ten list has it all when it comes to the nudity stakes – abs, pecs, butts and boobs, some very long tongue action and even some balletic sexual reenactments; enjoy!
There’s no better way to reinvent yourself from perfect Disney princess to rebel with one hell of a cause, than to get naked (except for some hob nail boots of course) and swing around on a demolition ball, lick a hammer and shave off most of your hair. Here’s the sweet and innocent Miley Cyrus’ transformative music video Wrecking Ball which does not leave much to the imagination, except why on earth she chose those awful white knickers when she finally did put some clothing on?!
Robin Thicke also needed some reinvention and he found it when Blurred Lines topped the charts and became a humungous success all over the world in 2013. He had a little help from his friends, Pharell and T.I., when he launched himself back out of obscurity and made a bomb with this track. The music video of course had its own little part to play in all this…you may not know this but the video that most of the public saw over and over and over again last year was not the only one to be released. The other video was the one that got all the boys talking. So, clever old Thicke hooked the ladies with his dulcet tones, slick suit and shades and lured in the guys with his unrated video of all the models stripped down to their birthday suits (bar a teeny tiny something you could call underwear and some platform trainers), bouncing around cutely between the three singers. Take a look at the previously, temporarily banned adult version of the Blurred Lines music video.
Lady Gaga is no stranger to getting her kit off, we had plenty of footage to choose from with this young strip fanatic. Lady Gaga, née Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is a woman on a mission. She wanted to hit the big time and she went for it, getting naked is not exactly high on the list of shocking moments in her thus far illustrious career and she certainly is not reticent to baring all. Forget the dress made of meat, forget the McQueen ensembles, forget the masks and ever-changing hair styles (although she manages to squeeze in all of the above anyway) and take a look at Gaga unveiled in Applause. (OK she might not be strictly naked but can you count a bit of string and a couple of shells?=
Britney Spears may have had her troubles in the past, and may well again in the future but when it comes to buffing up her body and getting back out there she is a master. The video for Womanizer is a no-holds-barred depiction of a raunchy Britney in her entirety. She gets naked, sweaty, fries an egg in a sexy robe, gives a saucy secretary rendition, a red-headed waiter/waitress (?) and a sexy chauffer-ess who can drive using her 6’ heels in this tongue in cheek (sometimes) performance. The plot is to expose the guy she is seeing who has managed to womanize all of these different versions of her, but Britney wins in the end as she makes her bed without him in it.
Katy Perry is yet another chameleon when it comes to her appearance, although a lot less Art Pop and more candy pop than Gaga she has had her fair share of costume and hair changes in her career. With a more Alice in Wonderland meets the Care Bears feel to it; California Gurls features Snoop Dogg and also a butt naked Katy Perry laying on a pink fluffy cloud in this sickly sweet video about the girls from the West Coast.
Blink-182 do the naked thing properly in this video, they are stripped bare running through the streets, playing their instruments, playing basketball, and even the odd cartwheel whilst distracting the general public with….their nakedness! Check out the video to What’s My Age Again for some full on Blink-182 which will really make you blink.
In keeping with the male theme for a moment, a treat for the ladies is upon us. D’angelo’s Untitled (How Does it Feel) video is basically a close up head shot of the rather stunning (and naked of course) man with a simple black backdrop. The camera pans out to reveal more unveiling the top of his hips (strangely similar to a Ken doll) and then back to a facial close up, then some trickly sweaty ab close ups and an odd nipple grab, a slow spin around to show off the back, a few more pan in and outs, some more warbling and that`s all there is to it in this up close and personal eye candy video; you even get a zoom in on his molars.
This one deserves a mention just because it is Alanis Morissette for one thing and also because she is naked for the duration. This is not a ploy for attention or a desperate reach out for viewers, this is an artistic video, it is not crass nor does it appeal to the masses for admiration. The song is about admitting your faults, your flaws, thanking the world for the emotions we experience in a positive way and letting it all out; the video depicts the same thing in the physical sense. It is simple, it touches on the greater sides of humanity and it is, despite Alanis’ fairly odd, quirky delivery, quite beautiful. And it’s a good song – Thank You!
Sigur Rós features a very different Shia Le Boeuf in Fjögur Píanó, an incredible arthouse video depicting two lovers and their journey through a day in their life via dance and a bit of hallucination. The film starts with the pair discovering their post-coital cuts and bruises and performing a very sensual ballet rendition of their sexual acts. This is quite beautifully choreographed, and many scenes show full nudity. Shia is definitely not shy when it comes to revealing all, yes all. They then go on a seemingly drug induced trip whilst licking some hallucinogenic lollipops, which is all slightly surreal and odd but very entertaining. They then have a huge fight and wake up the following morning in much the same situation; Groundhog Day?
Robbie Williams’ Rock DJ has to get a mention when it comes to naked videos, because, well he bares more than just his body in this depiction of how to get attention. Assuming this is a reflection of life under the spotlight and how you literally have to bare it all to get ahead in show business, sell your soul if you have to. This gets a rather incredible almost horrific spin as he strips off his clothes initially to raise some interest – when this fails he starts to give more and more of himself to the crowd as he peels of his flesh and launches it at them. The girls go mad for literal pieces of Robbie…warning, this is pretty gruesome.
And who could forget the one hit classic; Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know feat. Kimba. The video depicts Gotye’s naked body being gradually painted from head to toe with abstract shapes as he eventually blends in with the background, and then an also painted, also naked Kimba pops in for her de-painting and verse of the catchy tune that had us all singing along in 2011.
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This 24-year-old Angelino singer-songwriter mounts enchanting, effortless vocals on a daydreamy backdrop for an entirely timeless yet refreshing new blend of soul & folk music. Predisposed for musical merit, Williams continues the story set in motion by her father David Williams, whose guitar-playing genius lent itself to the likes of Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston.
Tap any video title to open it in Creation 5.
Writing her own chapter in the legacy, Williams has cultivated her talent from an early age. In 4th grade, she was selected to perform Hard Knock Life with Jay-Z for a TV special. Cut to today and she is still gaining nods in the hip-hop scene, most recently collaborating with Freddie Gibbs on his single The Hard.
Further proof of her ever broadening appeal can be found on YouTube, where her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams alongside Leighton Meester has acquired over 2 million views.
Having given fans a teasing taste last year with her debut single, ironically titled, Keep Me Waiting, Williams released her 5-track The Lonely One EP on March 25, 2014. This was followed by national TV exposure on ABC’s Rising Star, which saw her being voted into the final by 4 million viewers!
Earlier this year you released your first EP titled The Lonely One. How would you describe it’s sound / vibe? I would describe the sound of my first EP as melancholy/dreamy/soul/folk.
We love your cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, sung alongside Gossip Girls’ star Leighton Meester. We want to know why there are not more of these videos on YouTube – are there future plans for more poolside sessions? We have had conflicting schedules over the past few months but plan on releasing more duets together! And, I am not sure if they will be poolside.
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life journey? At this point, I am just proud that I have been able to continue to make music, share it with others, and follow my dream.
Have you ever leant towards a different career path, or have you always wanted to be a musician? I always wanted to be a musician, but I have always been incredibly shy, so in college I considered being a poet. I considered just writing poetry and songs for other people and avoid performing my own music. But then I realized that my passion was performing my music for people and it honestly makes me the happiest to perform. Also, I can still write poetry and be a musician! 🙂
Not everyone that knows about you, knows that your late father was a guitar player for Michael Jackson. That’s quite a legacy. How has your father’s influence affected the way you view music and the world around you? Well, since I grew up in a musical family, music comes as second nature to me. It makes it more of a lifestyle. Whereas, when people ask me ‘what else would you want to do?’ there really are no other options, music is a part of my soul and I couldn’t live without it and I think that has a bit to do with the fact that I grew up around it.
When you were on ABC’s show The Rising Star you performed live to millions of people. We got goosebumps ourselves watching your powerful performance. What was going through your head while you were giving it your all on stage? I was mostly just thinking: ‘everyone is staring at me, and I better not mess up’ because since it’s shot live, if you make a mistake it will be caught on camera and reported in the news and that was the most stressful thing for me. Performing for a live studio audience is weird, because when you play a live show everyone is there to see you and they know your music and they are into it, but for a studio audience, the energy is slow, the audience has to be quiet while we are shooting and everyone is sitting down, so they just sit and stare at you and it’s hard to tell if they’re enjoying it or not.
During your time on the show you were praised endlessly but also you were constantly being judged. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve taken away from the whole experience? Well, there were some times where the criticism got to me. But at the end of the day you have to do what’s best for yourself. The biggest lesson I learned was that it’s important to connect with the audience (in this case….a camera). I learned a lot about my performance and how to improve upon that.
Give us your top three artists in todays scene that you’d want to work with. Chance the Rapper, Spooky Black and Shakey Graves.
One reason why your songs are so popular is because real people can really relate to them. With your sound and the raw emotion you project in your lyrics, you manage to create this world that people already know. They get that feeling of ‘This song is about my life’ or even ‘I remember feeling that way, or being in that place.’ How does it feel knowing that you strike this chord in so many others? It’s nice to know that I strike a chord with so many others. I write about my personal life experiences, finding love and then losing it, and I feel like love is something everyone can relate to. Every person loves. Even dogs love.
You’ve recently performed alongside rapper Freddie Gibbs at the 3rd Annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. How did you and Freddie first meet, and how did you come to feature in his 2012 song The Hard? I met Freddie through my cousin. He accompanied her to one of my first shows at a restaurant in West Hollywood, like two and a half years ago, and afterwards he said, “I like your vibe, let’s do a song together” and then we did! He pulled a few tracks for me, but the one that ended up being The Hard was the one that I think we both preferred.
What would you say draws you in to this kind of real and gritty rap music… What resonates with you? I’m not sure what draws me into any kind of music really. I just like good music. It doesn’t matter if it’s rap, country, blues, soul, classical, I am just drawn to good music and Freddie is a really talented rapper and that’s what draws me in.
We want to know what you have lined up for 2015?
I have some new videos and music lined up which I am very excited about! I have been writing new stuff, so more content then last year I would hope! And some potential collaborations 🙂
Finally, looking back over 2014, what would you say is the most fun you’ve had? The most fun I’ve had is probably playing shows with Leighton and singing duets with her. I really appreciate her support, and I love performing my music for live audiences!
David Foster is a legendary musician, songwriter and one of the most successful record producers in history, creating albums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions. He is the king of pop, the hit man, the No. 1 music producer in the world. In the course of his enviable career, he has worked with just about every star in the business.
Before he became such a legend he received a valuable piece of advice from legendary music impresario Quincy Jones. “He said to me, ‘If something isn’t exactly the way you think it should be, don’t put your name on it,’” Foster recalls. “His words of advice had a great impact on me, and since then I’ve always fought for my artistic vision. I don’t always win, but I know when an artist hires me, it’s my job to push them toward greatness, and to get something out of them they didn’t know was there. My personal motto has become, ‘compromise breeds mediocrity.’”
This philosophy has shaped the way Foster has approached everything in his more than four decades as a musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, and recording artist. It is the reason why superstars like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Wonder have trusted him with their voices and to help them realize their musical dreams.
Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards (and 45 nominations), including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and racked up three Oscar nominations for “Best Original Song”. In June 2010, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame.
In 2012 Foster entered a new phase in his career, becoming the chairman of Universal’s Verve Music Group. His mission, he says, is to turn the fabled jazz label (founded in 1956 and home to Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, and other jazz luminaires) into the premier label for singing legends and legends in the making. The label’s roster includes Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, and Natalie Cole. Foster recently signed Grammy-winning artist Sarah McLachlan and R&B-soul great Smokey Robinson. Foster also has his eye on the next generation of talent, having signed Malaysian singer Yuna and Swedish YouTube sensations Dirty Loops, a virtuoso trio who blend jazz, rock, pop, and dance music into a unique hybrid all their own. “As a musician, artist, writer and producer, I’ve been on both sides of the glass in the studio,” Foster says. “I feel like I’ve been prepping for this new job for 40 years.”
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster began studying piano at age four. As the story goes, his mother was dusting the family piano, hit one of the keys, and was shocked when David correctly called out, “That’s an E!”, thus discovering he had perfect pitch. The son of a maintenance yard superintendent and a homemaker, Foster has chronicled his life in the highly regarded, best-selling autobiography Hit Man. The book is filled with page-turning, eye-opening anecdotes — from Foster joining Chuck Berry’s band at age 16 to sitting in Paul McCartney’s kitchen talking to him about the day The Beatles broke up.
In May last year, Foster received his star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located on Vine Street in front of the iconic Capitol Records building, adjacent to the stars of his musical heroes — John, Paul, George and Ringo — a thrill for the self-described “biggest Beatles fan on the planet.”
We have compiled a Showtime playlist based on the wildly successful PBS specials, Hit Man: David Foster and Friends, in which Foster plays master of ceremony and also accompanies a staggering lineup of stars.
1 – Chaka Khan – Through the Fire 2 – Earth, Wind & Fire – September / After the Love has Gone 3 – Ne-Yo/Charice/Robert Randolph – Earth Song 4 – Natalie Cole – This Will Be 5 – Lara Fabian & Michael Bolton – The Prayer 6 – Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire (Feat. Kenny G) 7 – Donna Summer – Last Dance 8 – Michael Buble – Save The Last Dance For Me 9 – Earth, Wind & Fire – In The Stone/ September Medley 10 – Babyface (Kenny Edmonds) – I Swear 11 – All-4-One – Medley 12 – Seal / Michael Bolton – hen a Man Loves a Woman / It’s a Man’s World 13 – Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman 14 – Martina McBride – Smile 14 – Eric Benet – Chocolate Legs
Foster has made charitable work his life’s other priority. The David Foster Foundation work to provide financial support to Canadian families with children undergoing life-saving organ transplants. Over the past quarter century, the Foundation has helped more than 700 families and provided millions of dollars in direct support. In addition to easing financial stresses, the Foundation also strives to increase organ donor awareness and registration in Canada and the United States. If you’d like to learn more about the David Foster Foundation or find out how to sign up to be an organ donor, please visit www.davidfosterfoundation.com
TED runs lectures on all sorts of cultural and scientific issues and is seen as one of the most easily accessible intellectual hubs out there. From looking into how sampling has affected the music industry to eleven year old violinists, here are our Top 10 music related TED talks that are really worth watching.
Mark Ronson, the Brit Award winning musician, DJ, singer and song producer talks about how sampling transformed music. He demonstrates examples of how sampling works during this TED talk using the latest equipment. The English superstar speaks candidly about his obsessions with fiddling about with other people’s music, picking out the bits he likes and using them for his own benefit. The intent of this highly original talk is to explain how much variation and opportunity there is in making music, now that sampling has become commonplace. Take a look and see him in action sampling fifteen different TED talks to make one “audio-visual omelette”.
You may assume that lyrical geniuses have it easy when it comes to churning out lyrics but, in this popular TED talk, Sting explains how he suffered from writers block for many years. To overcome this songwriting drought he utilized his memories of the misery that was his monotonous occupation as a young man working in a shipyard for material. He performs a song from his upcoming musical and also a rendition of Message in A Bottle.
This is an incredible performance of mimicry and technology alongside an astonishing musical talent. Beardyman struggled with the idea that as a human he could only produce one note at a time and so, being a musical inventor decided to create a machine that could loop and layer sounds he makes with his voice. His ability to copy a whole host of worldly sounds and perfectly imitate almost any musical instrument is remarkable; this piece is one of the most watched musical TED talks going.
This is a truly incredible young lady, at such a young age her improvisation skills and piano dexterity is something to behold. She is a very talented young girl; she displays here as she comments on the process of creativity and then selects a sequence of random notes which she uses to create an amazing improvised piece of music. And did I mention she is only FOURTEEN?
This is an innovative and astounding visual and audio performance. Eric Whitacre, the Grammy-winning American composer and conductor, known for his choral, orchestral and wind ensemble music, has been involved in many “virtual choir” assemblies, however, this is the first time he has done it live and simultaneously. His usual method is to cut and splice different singers from different countries to create his pieces. This time he is working in real time as he utilizes the technology of Skype to bring together 32 singers from around the globe to join an onstage choir performing his Cloudburst based on a poem by Octavio Paz. The conductor and composer excels himself with this performance which has inspired millions.
Jazz, funk, hip hop, pop, latin, R&B, Clayton Cameron can drum the beats to all these musical genres. In this TED talk he speaks about how all beats have one thing in common, mathematics. This is what the drummer calls a-ryhtm-etic. He breaks down and explains the equations behind the beat whilst playing them out on the drum using his famous brushes. He gets the audience involved while he delivers this interesting talk which has over a million views.
These boys are just incredible. They are all under the age of sixteen but can play a Bluegrass tune like the best of them. Having grown up in New Jersey, not famous at all for its Bluegrass music, these kids have been covering and writing songs since a very young age. They are amazingly talented and will have your toes a-twitching while you watch them perform three marvelous songs on the banjo and guitar; truly awe-inspiring stuff that has almost two million views!
This is another incredible performance. This 11 year old girl is a fiercely talented musician as she displays here in this TED piece. She gives a charming introduction where she praises the design of her instrument as timeless. Sirena is a beautiful violinist; this is one not to be missed, nearly achieving two million TED views.
Usman Riaz is a self taught percussive guitarist and is pretty amazing. He spent many years watching YouTube videos of famous musicians playing the instrument in order to learn how to play. He performs an incredible piece in this TED clip. If that wasn’t inspiring enough along comes one of the best in the field, Preston Reed who will blow you away with his performance. This is followed up by an incredible improvised piece by both artists combined.
David Pogue is an American technology writer and TV science presenter. Pogue has written, or co-written, seven books in the For Dummies series (including Mac computers, magic, opera, and classical music). The Yahoo tech columnist discusses downloading issues during this “satirical mini-medley”. This is a very clever piece which features Sonny & Cher and The Village People.
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The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) took place at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow last night. The event was hosted by Nicki Minaj whose boobs, not butt, were the talk of the evening, and completely took over Twitter. One Direction were the biggest winners, taking home four awards including Best Pop and Best Live Act. Unfortunately they weren’t at the show to collect their awards in person, fans had to make do with a video thank you.
Ariana Grande also did well taking home two awards for Best Song (Problem) and Best Female Act. Other stars winning multiple awards were Katy Perry (also absent) and 5 Seconds of Summer.
Nicki Minaj showcased a number of outfits throughout the evening, but the most talked about was the outfit she wore when she first appeared on stage. She also performed a fantastic medley of her hits (no official videos available yet).
Other performers were U2, Ed Sheeran, Royal Blood and Canadian artist Kiesza, whose fantastic performance was mostly from the inside of a glittery red phone box.
Other artists appeared at the O2 Academy in Glasgow with their performances making up part of an outside broadcast – with performances shown live on screens around the Hydro Arena. A heavily pregnant Alicia Keys was one of the artists in this outside broadcast.
The majority of the audience must have been under 20 and crowds of teenagers were queueing up from midday on Sunday (8 hours before the show started) and the excitement was palpable. Many had come from all over Europe to see their stars perform.
Highlights Highlights from the show included Nicki Minaj’s incredible and much-talked about cleavage, the fact that Ariana Grande didn’t wear a ponytail (hooray!) and then performed in her knickers (hooray!) – her entrance was pretty impressive as well – she came flying in on a huge chair/swing.
Nicki Minaj’s see through jumpsuit has to be a highlight – and of course when she played mini golf on the stage shooting the ball into a model of her butt…Ed Sheeran’s performance of Thinking Out Loud was amazing – as were the dancers that accompanied him.
Other WTF moments were the appearance of a dinosaur, Katy Perry hugging a model of Nicki Minaj’s butt, the incredible amount of times Ariana Grande said Thank You and last, but certainly not least, the free drinks tickets that were thrown into the audience.
It’s no mean feat of organisation hosting the EMAs and organisers revealed that an incredible 10,000 km of cable had been installed to power the event. The attending stars and performers needed 22 hairdressers and 40 make-up artists to look as good as they did and a huge wiggery was built backstage to house the 300 hairpieces and 500 wigs! The dressing rooms were jammed packed with luxurious gifts and each performer and presenter was given a goodie bag that included diamond and crystal jewellery, condoms and SpongeBob SquarePants socks.
THE WINNERS
Best Song Ariana Grande – Problem, ft. Iggy Azalea
Best Pop Act One Direction
Best Male Act Justin Bieber
Best Female Act Ariana Grande
Best New Act 5 Seconds of Summer
Best Video Katy Perry – Dark Horse ft. Juicy J
Best Rock Act Linkin Park
Best Electronic Afrojack
Best World Stage Performance Enrique Iglesias
Best Alternative Act Thirty Seconds to Mars
Best Hip-Hop Act Nicki Minaj
Best Live Act One Direction
Best Look Katy Perry
Best Push Act 5 Seconds of Summer
Best Song With A Social Message Beyonce – Pretty Hurts
Best UK & Ireland Act One Direction
Best US Act Fifth Harmony
Biggest Fans One Direction
Global Icon Ozzy Osbourne
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