Starlite Festival, the biggest cultural festival in southern Spain this summer, celebrates its third year in Marbella, alfresco under the stars. If you’re into music, fashion, art, film or simply want a good night out with entertainment, exquisite food and cocktails then you just have to check it out.
Situated in the La Cantera, Nagüeles area, a massive auditorium ‘’Auditorio Marbella’’, tucked away in the mountain, with remarkable views over the Andalucian coast, will be open every night from July 23 – August 23, with a fantastic line-up of international stars. It’s quite simply the best venue we have ever seen. Not only do you have views to Africa and Gibraltar but you are well and truly ensconced ‘inside’ Marbella’s iconic mountain – La Concha. You also get a great view of the stars – and not just the ones that will be singing!
After the success of the two previous summers of hosting the Starlite Festival in Marbella, the international music event is back for another season with a top line up of international artists. Now in its third year, the Starlite Festival has become one of the most eagerly anticipated in Spain and last year’s highlights saw performances from international stars, including Enrique Iglesias, Jamie Cullum, Buenavista Social Club and Alejandro Sanz. The organisers of this year’s series of concerts have made sure that there really is something to suit all musical tastes.
Good Vibrations
The Beach Boys, celebrated for having sold tens of millions of albums and singles and for having changed the musical terrain for every pop act since, kick-off the action-filled month with plenty of good vibrations. Their 2013 release of “Sounds of Summer” certified triple platinum and marks The Beach Boys’ positively assured comeback. To continue the band’s iconic legacy, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston (Grammy-winning songwriter), Christian Love, Randell Kirsch, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill and Scott Totten, will be rocking the stage on July 23.
La Vida Loca
Two nights later, on July 25, Grammy-award winning and multi-platinum recording artist, Ricky Martin, will be performing live. After a two and a half year break from the music industry, the Latin pop legend has come back with a bang, with the worldwide release of his second World Cup single “Vida” (2014). If you haven’t seen Ricky Martin live yet, it’s perhaps time to live la vida loca. Here’s your chance to see one of the leading musical icons of our time!
Pet Shop Boys
Playling on July 30 are the English electronic pop duo, consisting of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, who together have sold more than 50 million records worldwide. They are also listed as the most successful duo in UK music history by The Guinness Book of Records. If electro pop is your thing, you probably know all about them.
The Divas
Starlite officially introduces the show Divas: Marta Sánchez and Gloria Gaynor. On August 6, the two Pop Queens, both with dance floor Nº1’s, will ensure that the whole audience dances the night away to their multiple hits. Sánchez is known for her multiple hits “Soy Yo”, “Get Together” and “De Mujer a Mujer”, and is regarded as one of the best Spanish female voices and one of the biggest stars in Spain of the last decade. Gloria Gaynor, mother of the mythical song “I Will Survive”, made a name for herself in the mid 60s, has since won a “Legend” award at the Monte Carlo World Music Awards, and was honoured by the Grammy Awards Museum in Los Angeles in 2010. Don’t miss you opportunity to see two international music Divas own the stage while they get the party started.
King of Latin Lovers
Julio Iglesias, the man who has earned his title as King of the Latin lovers for becoming the best-selling Latin artist in history, takes the stage on August 13. Julio, Marbella’s very own international superstar, is the only international artist to perform in three consecutive editions of Starlite… and to sell-out every time! The ladies here sure do love a little bit of crooning by the old style Spanish sweetheart.
What’s New Pussycat?
August 17 sees Sir Tom Jones perform a selection of his biggest hits, including “It’s Not Unusual”, “Kiss”, “Delilah”, “What’s New Pussycat”, “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” and “If I Only Knew”, and songs from his two latest albums “Praise & Blame” and “Spirit In The Room”, for his last show in Spain this year.
Celebrate the Good Times
The awesome foursome, bringing only the best in funk, jazz and party anthems – Kool & The Gang. The Grammy-award winning band with seven American Music Awards, 25 top ten R&B hits, nine top ten pop hits, 31 golden and platinum albums, has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and influenced the music of its following generations, take the stage on August 19.
Sanz is back!
On August 22, multi Grammy winner Alejandro Sanz – known for his collaborations with Shakira and Alicia Keys – is back to perform for his second consecutive year at Starlite, his only live show scheduled in Spain for 2014. Once again, this should be a sellout!
The Starlite Gala, hosted by Antonio Banderas on August 9, is an international charity platform that was born in 2010. All proceeds will go the charities Lagrimas y Favores, Niños en Alegría, CUDECA and Caritas.
Enjoy the summer festivities! We’ll see you there!
Summer season has an abundance of encyclopedic festivals, ranging from music and film, food and yoga, to UFO Festivals and Wife Carrying Championships. Whatever you’re into, it’s out there… somewhere. We looked into some of the wackiest and unusual festivals organized this summer, some of which have become tradition in many places, attracting thousands of people from across the globe on an annual basis.
Boryeong Mud Festival is a mucky one that celebrates the healing properties of the local mud. The international phenomenon of the South Korean mud wonderland attracts a whole range of people who wish to take part in a Mr. Mud competition, mud wrestling, mud racing and mud boot camp (whatever that means?). As for the more “well groomed” festival-goers, they can opt for mud facials, body painting, pottery, soap-making, or lounging around and catching those rays of sun on the sandy beaches. Who wouldn’t want to participate in sliding, wrestling, massaging, and take photos whilst getting filthy in mineral-rich mud?
Aside from the muddy affair, Boryeong has a pop and hip-hop music line-up, parades, other cultural performances and fireworks on opening and closing night.
Jae-Sang Lee, Director of Korea Tourism Organization, says, “The most distinctive point of the Festival is to create a united place where people from all over the world come together, meet and interact with strangers and are able to break down walls of age, nationality, race and have fun together and leave with memories and new friends.”
Officially known as Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme, Spain’s Festival of Near-Death Experiences is similar to that of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos. The festival is held in Galicia, a region that had been somewhat isolated from the influences of Spain’s Catholic traditions for many centuries, and that developed a belief in witchcraft and evil spirits. Galicia has held on to its legacy, and continues to practice its primitive rituals. Santa Marta de Ribarteme (the sister of Lazarus who was brought back from the dead by Jesus), and the pilgrimage, is done in honour of Las Nieves’ patron saint of resurrection.
Despite the somewhat morbid processions, that involves those who claim to have had a near-death experience in the past year parade the streets whilst being carried sitting upright in their coffins, the afternoon fades into a wild evening of celebrations, filled with fireworks, brass bands, gypsy music, and street vendors selling religious memorabilia. After all, it’s a festival that celebrates life, not death.
Esala Perahera involves elephants, incense, drumming, and dancing, in honour of the Buddha’s tooth relic. The legend dates back to 1,700 years ago, when one of the Buddha’s teeth was stolen from his funeral pyre and smuggled into Sri Lanka. Today, the relic is stored and exhibited in the Temple of the Tooth, Dilada Maligawa, in Sri Lanka.
The festival is composed of a 10-day parade, with Hindu deities and elephants covered in beautiful silk costumes. A “water cutting” ceremony through the Mahaweli Ganga River is also held, as a ritual to divide the pure and the impure and to honour the water god for a fruitful year ahead. A goblet of that water is saved and used in the tree-planting ritual that marks the start of next year’s festival.
Filled with great intensity and colour, Esala Perahera is a great visual feast, a place for snapping shots and Instgramming pics.
“Nude Olympics, red dusty camping, thorny African scrub, oh, and lots of South African bands jamming in the veld”. Oppikoppi is South Africa’s largest music festival, with over 20,000 attendees. It showcases hip-hop, jazz, EDM, metal, soul, rock n’ roll and kwaito (a South African spin on house music and remixing tribal rhythms).
Like Burning Man and Nowhere Festival, with its “hippy, survivalist” feel, Oppikoppi is held in the middle of nowhere, near the Kruger National Park, on the African continent’s greatest nature reserve.
Like Roskilde, the festival hosts competitions, where winners can get passes to next year’s festival. The Dustbowl Olympics include Box Car Races, the Boom Street 500 Naked Dash (where no clothes are allowed but shoes are obligatory), Running of the Bewilderbeats (where you must wear a costume) and the Wil(d)abong Surf Classics (some sort of sand surfing game).
Although boiling hot days and freezing nights are memorable enough, witnessing the wildlife in Kruger Park will (hands-down) be an experience of a lifetime.
Obon is Japan’s most religious holiday and is somewhat similar to Asia’s Hungry Ghosts festival or Mexico’s Día de los Muertos. It is a place where spirits are lured back to their loved ones with lanterns, candles and dance. The festival is based on the Buddhist belief that the gates to Heaven and Hell open on the 15th day of the 7th month, allowing spirits to visit the living world.
Although the island is populated with around 250,000 people, almost 1.3 million people attend the event every year. Families come to visit ancestors’ graves with flowers and offer food and lanterns to many homes and altars. One of the most stunning rituals is the releasing of “toro nagashi” (floating lanterns) into the oceans, rivers and lakes, to carry the spirit of ones ancestors back to the afterlife. Many temples have candle-lit ceremonies, as fire is used in purification ceremonies.
Awa Odori takes place between August 13th and 15th at Tokyshima on Shikoku Island where there is street-dancing and an outburst of colour and culture. This part of the festival originated in 1586, and came with strict ancient rules: you can dance in the streets only on those 3 days, samurais can only dance at home with the doors closed, and no dancing is permitted at temples or with swords or masks. At Awa Odori, the two traditional forms of dancing are “Nagashi” (beautiful and calculated dancing in the daytime) and “Zomeki” (wild and unpredictable dancing at night).
Mount Hagen Cultural Show is a tribal gathering of feathers, mud and masks. “Unity in Diversity” is Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) motto. With an abundance of rare animal species, 841 documented languages, jungly rainforests and coral reefs, PNG (located practically off the map) is not a place for faint-hearted travelers, but a place for thick-skinned adventurers seeking to soothe their cultural curiosity.
Mount Hagen Cultural Show, held annually on the third weekend of August, is one of the biggest tribal gatherings (singsings) in PNG. Over 100 tribes share their cultural traditions, such as customs, dancing and music. They disguise themselves with anthropomorphic body paint, intricate headdresses, shell jewelry, boars’ tusks, skirts made from plants and fur, etc., and express themselves through music and dance. The tribe that receives the loudest applause from the crowd is the one that wins.
The World Bog Snorkeling Championships was included in the World Alternative Games, a list of strange outdoors events. Llanwrtyd Wells, in Dolycoed, was originally a tourist attraction for those seeking a health retreat, due to the medicinal qualities of the region’s sulfuric springs.
For you adventurer’s out there, who like to try new things and don’t mind getting extremely dirty, or for those of you who just aren’t good enough to enter the Olympics for swimming, then bog snorkeling is just for you! All you need are fins, a mask, snorkels and whichever kind of swimsuit tickles your fancy (from sexy Speedos, to a wetsuit or a costume).
Of course, the other requirement is to know how not to drown. From the beginning to the end of the 60-yard stretch of bogland, flipper power is the only way forward – no conventional swimming strokes are allowed (eg. crawl, breast stroke, butterfly). How about that? Knowing how to swim isn’t even a requirement!
The La Tomatina revolution is a wacky tomato throwing tradition held in the streets of Buñol, Spain. Over 30,000 people join in the food fight, launching and crushing over 130,000 kg’s of ripe and juicy tomatoes at one another. Although the tomatoes are the main event, La Tomatina is a week filled with a diversity of festivities, including the celebration of Buñol’s patron saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, along with a bunch of music, street parades and fireworks. With tradition comes more tradition – a gigantic paella is served on the eve of the main event, in preparation for battle.
No doubt, the festival is a shameful waste of food… so organisers have dedicated themselves to cultivate a special variety of inedible tomatoes solely for the annual event.
Evidently, like any festival that could get out of hand, some ground rules have been established: • To avoid injuries, tomatoes have to be squashed before throwing. • No other projectiles except tomatoes are allowed. • Participants have to give way to the trucks and lorries. • T-shirts must be worn throughout the festival. • No tomatoes can be thrown after the second shot fires. Inside La Tomatina Watch this video in Creation 5
The Air Guitar World Championships gives every one a chance at being a rockstar! No guitar is required; therefore no learning or mastering of an instrument is required either. Throughout the four-day event, workshops on how to best exaggerate picking motions are held, including demonstrations from previous world champions.
“Make Air not War” is the festival’s mantra. Apparently, the championships are held to promote world peace and, according to the promoters of the event, “wars end, climate change stops and all bad things disappear, if all the people in the world played air guitar”.
Due to the popularity of the festival, first hosted as a joke, the air guitar movement has travelled the world and competitions are now hosted across the globe.
Lisdoonvarna, a small rural community in Ireland, is the place that holds a one month-long mystical matchmaking festival, designed for people to find their soulmates, with the hope that they’ll catch the magical “luck of the Irish” bug. Call it the real life Match.com or the non-virtual form of Tinder; it’s a fun festival of dancing, drinking, betting, flirting, and “playing”. The festival originated over 150 years ago during the Great Irish Famine, when emigration from the farms accelerated and families would pay matchmakers large dowries to find wives for their young men.
Willy Daly, author of the book “The Last Matchmaker”, and member of Lisdoonvarna’s community, is known today as the king of the matchmakers. He is also known as “the horse whisperer of matchmaking”.
The festival, “Europe’s Biggest Single’s Event” attracts men and women from all over the UK and Europe. With one too many pints and cupid’s arrow ready to strike its prey right through the heart, perhaps Lisdoonvarna is where someone will find their great, great love.
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Today we are celebrating greatness, it’s Nelson Mandela International Day – Nelson Mandela would have been 96 years old today.
The UN General Assembly unanimously approved this day back in 2009. It was created as a way to honour Mandela and inspire others to carry on his efforts to “take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time,”.
In Johannesburg people are marking today with charitable acts in honor of the former president. Organizers have urged people to perform acts of charity for 67 minutes, symbolizing Mandela’s 67 years of public service. People are picking up litter, cooking at homes for the elderly and donating food, blankets and other basics to the poor.
Mandela died at 95 years of age on December 5, 2013, so this is the first time the day has been celebrated without Mandela. He was respected around the world for fighting minority rule in South Africa. After spending 27 years in prison he was released in 1990 by Mr De Klerk, South Africa’s last white ruler. He then went on to become the country’s first black president in 1994, a position he held until he stepped down in 1999.
In honour of Mandela’s birthday we have put together a musical tribute.
Eric Bibb – Mandela is free
Eric Bibb is an American-born acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He moved to Europe in 1970 and currently lives in Helsinki, Finland. Eric is a great guitar player and has a rich and soulful voice. His tribute to Mandela is soulful and inspiring. “Courage and Vision cannot be in prison”.
Hugh Masekela Bring Back Nelson Mandela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer. In 1987, this was a huge hit for Hugh Masekela, it became an anthem for the movement to free Nelson Mandela. At that time, the mere mention of the name ‘Mandela’ meant the song would be banned in his home country.
Hugh continues Mandela’s great work and is involved in several social initiatives. He serves as a director on the board of The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization that provides a daily meal to students of township schools in Soweto.
Jive Soweto (El Rey David) Sipho Mabuse
Mandela loved music and dance and used it to unite people. South African music mpaqanda music (soul stew, zulu jive) is one of the most joyful in the world. It’s a testimony to the enduring nature of the human spirit that the most joyful music should come out of a country that has been beset with hatred, injustice & prejudice.
African Hymn – Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Choir, ZA
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) choir has 55 members made up of students and alumni, all from different walks of life. Since its inception in 1994 the choir has gained a reputation for its unique ability to successfully interpret both Western and African repertoire.
Freshlyground – Doo Be Doo
Freshlyground is a South African Afro-fusion band, formed in Cape Town in 2002. The band members come from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Their musical style is a harmony of traditional South African music (such as kwela and African folk music) with blues, jazz and a bit of indie rock. Doo Be Doo comes from their very successful album Nomvula, released in 2004. The initial success of the album was largely due to the feel-good ‘Doo Be Doo’, which enjoyed significant play on local radio.
The Specials – Nelson Mandela
Jerry Dammers: how I made Free Nelson Mandela: “The song said what I wanted it to say very clearly. At the time, there was a huge amount of opposition and propaganda directed against Mandela. Margaret Thatcher had described his party, the African National Congress, as a “terrorist organisation”. But in the days just after punk, record companies would never have refused to release something on the grounds it might be controversial. At the time, there were these two enormously influential record pluggers called Ferret’n’Spanner. They were big Specials fans and pushed the track at radio stations. If they hadn’t liked it, I don’t know if it would have been played on Radio 1……The concert at Wembley to celebrate his freedom was amazing. He went from being in prison to being mobbed. When he came on stage, the standing ovation lasted 10 minutes.”
This beautiful track was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Miriam Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. It was released in the US in 1967 on her studio album of the same name, it peaked at Nº12 on Billboard. The song was originally written and sung in the Xhosa language – the song’s title means “touch touch” in English.
Under African Skies – Paul Simon
Taken from Paul Simon’s 7th studio album, Graceland, which won the 1987 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Paul Simon uses a galloping 4/4 time signature to tell the story of two musicians and how their earliest memories shaped themselves into the music they create. “Under African Skies,” is also a documentary by filmmaker Joe Berlinger made for the 25th anniversary of the Graceland album.
So happy birthday, Madiba. We will hold on to your memory, and try to live up to your legacy. Thank you!
Google have put together a wonderful doodle with lots of Mandela’s inspiring quotations: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.”
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Nile Rodgers, co-founder of 1970’s disco-funk-soul band, Le Chic, has worked and collaborated with some of the most talented artist of the past and current generations, and has established a name for himself by producing a myriad of hit songs for the likes of Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Duran Duran, and Daft Punk.
Take a brief look into the long history of timeless music, written and produced by the incredible hit-making genius, Nile Rodgers.
Le Chic – “Good Times” (1979)
Le Chic, formed by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, released many hit songs, including: “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) (1977), “Everybody Dance” (1977), and “Le Freak” (1978). “Good Times” (1979) was the lead track on Le Chic’s 1979 album Risqué, and was regarded as one of the most influential songs of the era. It has since become one of the most sampled tracks in the history of music.
Perhaps you’ll recognise musical influences, similarities, or samples, in Queen’s timeless tune “Another One Bites The Dust” (1980), The Sugarhill Gang’s famous “Rapper’s Delight” (1979), Daft Punk’s base-heavy electronic track “Around The World” (1997), and Blondie’s hit single “Rapture” (1980).
“Good Times” reached Nº1 on Billboard’s R&B singles for 1979 and is ranked at Nº229 on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Sister Sledge – “We Are Family” (1979)
Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards co-composed and produced Sister Sledge’s 1979 album “We Are Family”, which bore 3 massive hits – “He’s The Greatest Dancer”, “Lost In Music” (a disco classic) and “We Are Family”. The song in question went to Nº1 on the US R&B and Disco Charts in 1979, peaked at Nº2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and was certified Gold.
Diana Ross – “I’m Coming Out” (1980)
“I’m Coming Out” was co-written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, for Diana Ross’ comeback Platinum-certified album “Diana” (1980). The track became the legendary Motown singer’s second hit single. Partly written with Ross’s gay fan-base in mind, the lyrics held another meaning for Ross as she was in the process of leaving Motown Records at the time. The song peaked at Nº5 on the US Charts and has been pinpointed as an unofficial gay pride anthem.
INXS – “Original Sin” (1983)
“Original Sin” was written by Michael Hutchence (keyboard) and Andrew Farriss (vocals) and produced by Nile Rodgers. The track features on INXS’ fourth album “The Swing” (1983). In 1984, the song reached Nº1 in Australia and became an international hit.
David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (1983)
David Bowie hired Nile Rodgers to work on his 1983 album “Let’s Dance” after meeting him in a nightclub and talking to him about music. The collaboration was successful amongst a younger audience and resulted in the broadening of Bowie’s fan-base. The track became Bowie’s best-selling single reaching Nº1 in the UK, US and in many other countries around the world. Due to the success of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album, the British singer-songwriter attempted to cater to his new fans, not knowing who they were or what they wanted, and consequently suffered creatively in his next two albums.
Madonna – “Like A Virgin” (1984)
“Like A Virgin”, written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and produced by Nile Rodgers, was the key instrument in shaping Madonna’s new image as a pop culture icon, and the trigger to setting her long-lasting career in stone. Rodgers altered her previously synthesized sound by using the same live musicians as the ones he used in his Chic albums. The song became Madonna’s first Nº1 single on Billboard Hot 100, topped the charts in several countries across the world, and sold over twenty million records. Madonna’s invincible, sexually unashamed and confident persona had a huge influence on the younger generation at the time.
Duran Duran – “The Reflex” (1984)
The success of Duran Duran’s biggest selling hit “The Reflex” had a lot to do with Nile Rodgers experimental use of sampling and funk. Despite “The Reflex” being their eleventh single, it was their second and final one to top the UK’s Singles Chart at Nº1. The track also became Duran Duran’s first single to hit Nº1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rodgers went on to produce their “The Wild Boys” single, their 1986 album “Notorious” and numerous tracks on their 2004 album “Astronaut”.
Sister Sledge – “Frankie” (1985)
Written by Denise Rich and produced by Nile Rodgers, the single was released on Sister Sledge’s 1985 album “When The Boys Meet The Girls”. The sisters suggested the song to Rodgers, who refused to produce it upon hearing it, claiming he hated it. After singing it over and over again for a week, Rodgers went back to them, insisting they record it.
The single became a hit, reaching Nº1 on the UK Singles Chart and dominating for four consecutive weeks. On Sister Sledge’s side of the world, the single didn’t do as well. It was ranked at Nº75 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and at Nº32 on the Billboard R&B Chart.
Grace Jones – “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You) (1986)
“I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You)” was released as the first single on Grace Jones’ eighth studio album “Inside Story” (1986). The song, co-written by Bruce Woolley and produced by Rodgers, became Jones’s biggest-selling hit and was her last to enter the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song is recognised for its exceptional vocal performance and complimentary classic guitar riff. The music video features cameo appearances from Jones’ friends, including Andy Warhol (only a few months before his death), Nile Rodgers himself and fashion designer Tina Chow.
Daft Punk – “Get Lucky”
Co-written by French house music duo Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, “Get Lucky” was the lead single from Daft Punk’s fourth studio album “Random Access Memories” (2013). The disco-funk song reached the top 10 on the music charts of over 32 countries and has since sold in excess of 9.3 million copies. “Get Lucky” was the song that received the most amount of streams in one single day since the birth of Spotify and won Grammy Awards for Record of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Summer hits are blasting on the radio and what we’ve dreamt of all year has finally arrived. To get you in that beach-loving summer mood (if you aren’t in it already), we’ve compiled a playlist of music videos filmed on the beach. If you haven’t yet booked your summer beach destination flights yet, these videos might inspire you to book away!
Nicole Scherzinger shows off her incredible figure in her new music video ‘Your Love’. Filmed on the beach in Malibu, California, Scherzinger playfully dances around in a pair of denim hot pants, strikes graceful and sexy yoga poses in the sand in a black cut-out swimsuit, wears a multi-coloured outfit as she dances around fire-throwers, and poses in a white bikini in the middle of a circle of flames. The video gives off a hot, tanned, and carnival-esque kind of feel. Boys – the former Pussycat Doll won’t let you down!
Lana Del Rey’s dark black-and-white clip offers hazy shots of the Californian coast, with crashing waves and burning palm trees. The clip perhaps narrates the story of a romance now gone forever, as the footage jumps scenes between a blonde bad-boy-type embracing the singer on the beach, to the singer riding in a convertible next to a mysterious older man, as she takes long drags from her cigarette.
Demi Lovato joins the Vamps as they hit the beach in Malibu, California, in their ‘Somebody To You’ music video, directed by Emil Nava. The video features Laura Marano (actress), playing a fan watching the British boy-band perform on the beach.
Directed by Hype Williams, the music video was shot in black-and-white on Golden Beach, Florida. Critics praised the video’s sexual nature and simplicity, featuring husband and wife, Mr. & Mrs. Carter, singing together and looking madly in love. Beyoncé said the shoot was the most organic video she had ever done. Adding: “the shoot was extremely effortless and spontaneous and we completely captured the energy of the song… I wanted to carry this idea of being in the moment and making mistakes”.
The video features Italian model Raffaella Modugno dancing with Pitbull on a beach in Exuma Islands in the Bahamas. Most of the video was filmed on Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Island or Pig Beach, due to it being populated by swimming feral pigs. There are several legends as to why the pigs are there… could they have survived a shipwreck? Were they put on the island as part of a business scheme to attract tourists? As well as pigs the video also features The Bloody Jug Band performing as the bar’s house band. Kesha and Pitbull filmed the video at different times, with Kesha filming her scenes one week before Pitbull filmed his. “Timber” peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 consecutive weeks.
Directed by Mark Klasfeld and filmed in Acapulco, Mexico, the music video shows Flo Rida surrounded by several babes in bikinis on a beach. The video’s paradise setting shows a picturesque teaser of what a luxury holiday in Mexico would be like. Are you tempted?
Jennifer Lopez looks stunning in her ‘I’m Into You’ video, filmed in Chichen-Itza, Mexico. While one of the scenes captures JLo standing on the steps of an ancient Mayan pyramid, another shows her dancing with a group of girls. The superstar also shares a steamy and sensual moment on Tulum’s Turtle Beach with Telenovela star/Calvin Klein model, William Levy, where she reveals her famous curves and beauty, wearing a diamond dress.
Directed by John Urbano, the video was shot on a beach in Malibu, California, with intercutting scenes of the British boy-band driving an orange camper van along the coast. The final chorus shows the band sitting around a fire with girls, lighting sparklers and taking photos. The video won two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video.
Directed by Paul Hunter on the beach in Malibu, the video features the band performing the song and burning palm trees. The video alludes to Baywatch, with beautiful women in sexy red swimsuits looking out for Courtney Love, as she walks into the sea in a skin-coloured bikini under a see-through gown.
The music video for David Guetta’s third single features model Kelly Thiebaud, who plays a young girl who goes to the beach and dreams about meeting a handsome surfer. The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California.
Rihanna looks so innocent in her early days, wearing a short white skirt and a cropped tee, in the music video directed by Marcus Rayboy on a beach on the coast of Malibu, California. Speaking about the development of the shoot, Ri-Ri said: “The water was so cold… but oh my gosh, we had so much fun… We were bumping each other off the jet skis and just had a ball”. The good-girl-gone-bad continued by saying “this video is about having fun, giving off the vibe from the Caribbean… we did some mermaid looking stuff down on the sand… and I’m just performing to the camera as if it were my boyfriend”. So sweet!
The 17th year of The World Bodypainting Festival (WBF), Austria’s unique annual event, saw up to 30,000 artists, performers, and visitors descend on Pörtschach to celebrate a weekend full of art, music, creativity, and a weird and wonderful explosion of colour.
Artists from over 40 countries attended the famous festival, founder of the modern bodypainting art movement, to compete for World Champion titles in Bodypainting and to build amazing installations, sculptures and eye-catching performances into the landscape of the city.
Working up to the main event, the WBF week’s tradition is to begin with the ‘WB Academy’, where some of the most talented teachers in the bodypainting field hold workshops and seminars to share their knowledge and experience. Artists, photographers and models, no matter their level, can take part in a wide array of classes that include bodypainting, airbrush, facepainting, special effects, beauty and fashion make-up, photography, digital art, modelling, and more.
Festival week attracts more than just the artsy type. Lake Wörthersee is a little hotspot for the crowd that likes to party. Live international bands, street musicians, and DJ’s, performing on different stages and areas of action, attract a huge number of international visitors, many of which put extreme effort into blending in (or standing out) with the city streets, wearing fantasy costumes, incredible make up and masks.
However, the most amazing part of the festival is the main event, which took place between Friday 4 and Sunday 6 of July, this year. “Bodypainting City” transformed itself into an extraordinary and vibrant Open Air art park, with artist focusing their work on this year’s two themes: “Pop Art” and “Artificial Intelligence”. Partially clothed, or sometimes fully nude, bodies of models are used as canvases, for painters to create and exhibit their new and vivid works of art and to share their imaginations and creativity with the world. Visitors are left stunned by the bold array of colour, texture and design applied onto the models’ bodies.
The festival includes many awards, such as: the World Bodypainting Championships, the World Facepainting Award, the World UV Bodypainting Award, and many more.
Some of the greatest events of the festival are:
The World UV Bodypainting Award Models glow in fluorescent colours as they perform under UV black light, as 15 selected artists communicate their stories via the use of colour, sound and dance. Scott Fray and Madelyn Greco received first place this year, making history again, winning in four categories for four years consecutively.
The Installation Art Award The top dogs in the world of bodypainting exhibit their installations in different locations around the city. Artists combine colour and surrounding to nude, or partially nude bodies, applying skilful technique to their living canvases, and covering them with thin layers of colour and design. It’s absolutely stunning and fascinating for visitors to watch as they wander around the city.
The Body Circus Held in a castle known as Schloss Mossburg (built in 1541), The Body Circus is known for being the “most bizarre and unforgettable club effect imaginable”. The location, music and extravagant fashions create an unparalleled artistic atmosphere there. It’s wonderful, artistic and intense.
The Colour Splash/The Original Paint Party On the final day, the WBF traditionally holds a colourful aftershow party, known as “The Colour Splah” or “The Original Paint Party”. Those who attend the event splash paint fireworks onto each other’s flesh, turning the whole event into a rainbow colour rave, filled with smiles and delight.
People were left mesmerised by the incredible art displayed at the WBF 2014. Check out the picture gallery below to get a glimpse of the colourful action.
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Glastonbury wouldn’t be Glastonbury if it weren’t for the horrendous weather conditions. The mother of UK festivals saw just under 180,000 dedicated music fans camp out on Worthy Farm in Somerset to watch over 2,200 music, theatre, cabaret, poetry, and art performers spread their magic over 100 stages, despite heavy rain, lightning bolts and mud, mud, mud! Festival organisers were off to a bad start as they were forced to bring the festival to a halt, cutting power to stages and bringing Rudimental’s dance set short, due to lightening striking the Pyramid Stage before 6pm on the opening day. Musically, though, there was no such thing as the calm after the storm.
Some of the weekend highlights included: An outstanding performance by Dolly Parton, singing some all-time classics (‘Jolene’, ‘9 to 5’, ‘Islands In The Stream’, and ‘I Will Always Love You) to what was the biggest crowd of the weekend. The 68-year-old country singer was so darn good, she was accused of miming… an accusation she rebuked by telling the sun: “My boobs are fake, my hair’s fake, but what’s real is my voice and my heart”. Isn’t she just great?? Parton was presented with a surprise award for having sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
After having been thrashed by critics before even taking the stage on Saturday, Metallica, the first heavy metal band to ever headline Glastonbury, showed the crowd what they were made of. After lead singer James Hetfield howled: “Do you want heavy? Metallica gives you heavy, baby!” the metal giants delivered a thunderous and dynamic two-hour set.
The weekend saw other great performances by Arcade Fire, who brought the party back to life by creating an electric atmosphere hours after the power cut; George Ezra, with his divine and powerful voice; Ed Sheeran, who saw a 195% increase in streams 24 hours after his solo acoustic set; Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, with their insane finger acrobatics and lively performance, and much, much, more.
Celebrities such as Rita Ora, Bradley Cooper, Nikki Hilton, Stella McCartney and Florence Welsh, amongst others, were spotted taking in the eclectic mix of music, arts and fun over the dirty, muddy weekend.
Here’s our list of top 10 performances at Glastonbury (in no particular order):
OPEN’ER FESTIVAL, July 02 – 05, 2014, Gdynia, Poland
Open’er Festival, first hosted in 2002, has seen the likes of Prince, Coldplay, Bon Iver, Arctic Monkeys, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, Kendrick Lamar, and many more, rock it’s 3 main stages. Set in old war bunkers on an old Polish airbase in Gydnia, on the Baltic Sea, with at least 60,000 music lovers rocking under the (moonlit) radar, Open’er has managed to maintain its niche-and-undiscovered-feel, despite all its awesome features. Open’er Festival has been referred to as ‘a low-cost Glastonbury’, with fashion shows, silent discos, pop-up avant-garde art installations, graffiti, experimental film screenings, kid zones, libraries, crowd-surfing, and great line-ups on offer.
Info: • Surrounding the outskirts of the airfield are the 3 main stages: 1. Open’er Stage – Top acts 2. Hear & Now Stage – Quirky bands 3. Beat Stage – Electronic music • Behind the stages are the food stalls, alcohol vendors, and merchandise stands. • The music begins everyday at 4pm, which means late-night party-goers can have a lie in, mong-out at the beach and recharge their batteries for another night of raving.
Warning: • No piggy-backing allowed, as to not block other Open’er’s from seeing the bands on stage. • No drinking on the dance-floor, for a purely music-infused mash-up! Alcohol-infused mischief happens behind the stages, in the food and drink area.
Montreux Jazz Festival is located on the beautiful Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. The multi-cultural music fest, also known as ‘The Pearl of the Swiss Riviera’, is one of Europe’s most prestigious music events of the year. Its legacy hums the words ‘music’, ‘cosmopolitan’, ‘collaboration’, ‘sophistication’ and ‘environment’, and paints a picturesque image of a lake, mountains, palm trees, tropical flowers, and sunset promenades. With its fusion of hip-hop, acid jazz, techno, indigenous African bands – basically any ‘music with a soul’ – roughly 200,000 music connaisseurs flock their way over to exchange an up-close and intimate moment with the diverse array of artists on show, from emerging talents to those at the heights of their careers, from Prince to Ben Harper, from Sting to Joe Cocker. Info: • Montreaux still has ‘street cred’ within the artist community. • There are boats on the lake dedicated to salsa & samba. • You can enjoy long sunset walks along the promenade. • Each venue is a short walking distance to the next. • It’s original location, the old Montreaux Casino, caught fire and burned down in 1971 while Frank Zappa was performing. This event inspired the song ‘Smoke On The Water’ by Deep Purple.
NOWHERE, July 08 – 13, 2014, Spain Located near Zaragoza, in the north-east of Spain, kind of in the middle of ‘nowhere’, is an ‘experiment in participation and creative freedom’. The global gathering centered on art is an extension of Burning Man, built on the same 10 principles, of which one of the most important principles is immediacy: so say goodbye to your phones, take a deep breath, let go of your inhibitions, feel the essence, and let the magic reign. Apart from the vital need to own a pair of earphones to tune down the blasting music, many members of the community see Nowhere as a place to grow and connect. Art, healthy-living and personal-growth workshops can be found within the self-built commune. Surrounding the event is an international and participatory feel, tied to a deep sense of idealism, leaving you with a zealous desire to change the world.
Exit Festival takes place in a beautiful and historic 17th Century fortress on the banks of Danube – an idyllic location to launch an eclectic all-night/every-night music festival. Exit was originally organized by university students to protest against Slobodan Milosevic’s government and to alter his awful politics. The word exit was taken from a slogan recalling Milosevic’s regime: “exit at 10 years of madness”. The festival was created as a catalyst for change and as a cathartic way for the Serbian people to collectively heal through the power of music. With its radical politics, medieval setting, and incredible line-ups, enhanced by the incredible natural acoustics brought about by the stonewalls, Exit has become one of the most popular festivals in the world. Info: • The music on offer at Exit ranges from mainstream acts to underground electronica, metal, punk, experimental, and more. • While the Main Stage (mainstream) attracts 30,000 attendees, the Dance Arena (electronica) attracts 25,000 ravers. • Although headliners end at 12pm, Exit-ers can attend the ‘after 2am’ dance raves. • Other stages include the Explosion Stage (rock, metal, punk), Fusion Stage (up-and-coming) and Suba Stage (experimental). • There are ‘chill-out’ zones dotted around the village, with hammocks, shade and chairs. • There is also a sports arena and an open-air cinema.
Described as “entering Narnia”, Latitude is an award-winning, family-friendly, camping-oriented music and arts festival, so great, it’s regarded as one of the cultural highlights of the festival season. Set amongst fields of multi-coloured sheep, a fairy-lights-scattered wood, and a gondola-filled lake, Latitude is more than just a music festival with a great line-up. It offers a taste of everything for everyone, including film, music, comedy, literature, theatre, poetry, and more. Also known as Britain’s ‘middle-class’ festival, Latitude changes its theme every year. This year, the theme is ‘secrets’ and the heart of the matter is to explore the intricate relationships between the private and public worlds of individuals, communities and society as a whole. Info: • Stages: BBC Radio 6 Music Stage, Lake Stage, Oblisk Arena, and i Arena. • Music: A mixture of mainstream, obscure, experimental and eccentric. • There are hidden DJ performances in the woods and an opera by the lake. • There is a family campsite with 24h security, bathrooms, showers, etc. • There is a Children’s Arena, which is a festival in itself! • There is an Inbetweeners Arena for teens.
Wanderlust is a festival created for the holistically-minded and health-conscious, interested in nourishing their mind, body and spirit. What a perfect way to disconnect from the madness, with daily yoga classes, live music, farm-to-table food, inspirational speakers, outdoor adventures, paddle-boarding, surfing, healing vibes, and a beautiful natural setting overlooking Lake Tahoe.
BENICASSIM, July 17 – 20, 2014, Valencia, Spain Due to its close proximity to the beach, Benicàssim attracts a young and party-oriented crowd, seeking a fun-loving, music-craving, sun-kissed weekend, with live music blasting from 5pm-8am. Benicàssim is considered to be one of the best festivals on the international festival circuit, with a line-up that mostly focuses on mainstream pop, rock and electronica acts, and with short films, fashion shows and art on offer.
Melt! is an ‘industrial-meet-electronic’ music festival located amidst giant machines and monuments from the machine age, within the industrial museum of Ferropolis. Showcasing some of the best European Tech DJ’s (nearly 100 of them) on a backdrop of colourful lighting, disco balls suspended from trusses and flame-throwing cranes, the ‘Dance City of Iron’ never sleeps. The weekend-long party-festival-fever, spread across 6 floors, has seen the likes of Laurent Garnier and Richie Hawtin set fire to the stage. Info: • Located on Lake Gremmin, you can take a dip and soak up the sun at sunset, whilst watching the Beach Stage. • Stages: Main Stage (indie, techno, house – from 3pm to 7am), Sleepless Floor (open around the clock until Monday morning), Gemini Stage, Big Wheel Stage, Intro Zelt Area, Beach Stage. • Melt! took home the best medium-sized festival award in 2013
Fuji Rock Festival, powered by solar energy and biodiesel, aims to be ‘the cleanest festival in the world’, inducing a huge recycling awareness within the grounds and encouraging members to think about social issues. Located amidst a flawless mountain forest in the Noeba Ski Resort, one of Japan’s biggest ski resorts, Fuji Rock hosts the largest music event in the land of the rising sun, with 100,000 to 150,000 festival-goers. The festival showcases the best of local and international bands and DJ’s across their many stages: Green Stage, Red Marquee, White Stage, Orange Court, Field of Heaven. Info: • Green Stage (40,000 attendees) has large screens dotted around the venue. • Red Marquee is the only indoor stage, with room for only 5,000 people. It comes alive at night, with dance acts and DJ’s playing till dawn. • The Stoned Circle provides drumming lessons for everyone. • The Forest Broadwalk Trail takes you from stage to stage, with hammocks and quirky sideshows hidden away in the forest. • The main attraction is the Dragondola cable-car, the largest gondola lift in the world. It takes you 5km up to the top and has spectacular views overlooking the site. • Oasis provides an array of international cuisines, eg. African, Hawaiian, Japanese. • There’s a Kidsland and a Nursing Space. • There’s even a natural hot spring spa!!
Splendour In The Grass doesn’t feel like a music festival. Instead, it feels more like a “country fair on steroids… with great headliners for good measure”. The hip and groovy music festival, parked on Byron Bay’s sandy beach, offers heaps of super popular music, DJ’s, crafts, food-trucks, smoothies, yoga, meditation, teepees, pop-up shopping malls, art installations, massages, workshops, kids areas, spa activities, circus performers, and dancing under the stars at the moonlight fire show. The Global Village surfer’s paradise puts forward a variety of music in different venues, some of which incorporate food directly into the music experience, with mariachi bands and margaritas (Mexican Cantine) and cocktails on the dance-floor (Smirnoff Cocktail Bar). Info: • For it’s charitable cause, the fest donates money to schools on an annual basis. • Splendour has been granted the Greener Festival Award for its various sustainability initiatives. • Amongst its many stages is a busker stage, supporting local talent. • For those of you with kids, Little Splendour will keep them occupied.
The young, shaggy-looking busker from Suffolk turned multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran, once again emerges from the dusk, shimmering in golden lights. It’s been 3 years since Sheeran dropped his debut album ‘+’ (Plus), spurring international hits such as ‘The A Team’, ‘Give Me Love’, ‘Lego House’, and taking the world by storm. The 23-year-old acoustic/folk/pop sensation is loved and praised by many a million, all of whom have been waiting to get their hands on his highly anticipated sophomore album ‘X’ (Multiply).
Indeed, following the launch of his mixed bag of musical material on his soon-to-be blockbuster of an album, released yesterday (June 23, 2014), Sheeran will be multiplying his fan base. The ‘X’ (Deluxe Edition) is already at #1 in the UK iTunes Charts, with ‘X’ falling just behind at #2. With groovy upbeat tracks, mid-tempo tunes, classic Ed Sheeran-esque acoustic ballads, and raw, intimate and emotional lyrics, brought to life by charming and stunning vocals, the lovely English boy is set out to not only serenade us all, but to take us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Whilst still staying true to himself, Sheeran pushes the boundaries tied to his name, broadens his horizons and adds a new direction to his sound.
The album’s opening track is a chill-giving, heart-wrenching lamentation of having found ‘the one’, losing her, and yet still hoping that one day she’ll find her way back to you.
“Tell me that you turned down the man/ Who asked for your hand/ Cause you’re waiting for me/… Would you take away my hopes and dreams and just stay with me?”
With music and video production stripped down to a bare minimum, stunning raw vocals, and emotionally piercing lyrics, Ed Sheeran sure knows how to capture his audience.
‘One’ is at #20 in the UK iTunes Charts.
‘I’m A Mess’(Play this video in Creation 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HwYvM6eeco Sheeran is not the type of artist to release anything that sounds remotely close to a glossy, auto-tuned pop song. The secret of his success lies in his simplicity, authenticity and intimacy. He aptly manages to make each and everyone in his audience feel as if he were singing to them and them alone.
Ed Sheeran’s single ‘Sing’, co-written and produced by Pharrell Williams, has secured #1 on the UK Top 40 Singles Charts. Many critics have dissed the song and have compared it to Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” (also produced by Pharrell). Indeed, Sheeran justifies this by saying “It was pretty close to a direct inspiration” and admits to having been influenced by ‘Justified’ and ‘FutureSex/LoveSoul’. No wonder the song is a hit. It’s upbeat, it’s groovy, it’s rhythmic, and it’s so much fun! Yes, it has Pharrell written all over it and yes, it has a JT-esque vibe to it. What’s wrong with that?
Sheeran isn’t afraid to speak the truth or to give the world a front seat look into his personal life as he reveals explicit details about a relationship gone sour due to touring and distrust. In his piano-heavy, jazz-like song, Sheeran raps the lyrics to an anguishing tale of betrayal: “I never saw him as a threat/ Until you disappeared with him to have sex, of course”. Perhaps he found inspiration from his touring partner, Taylor Swift, and learnt to wear his heart on his sleeve and to take his anger out in song. ‘Don’t’ is at #8 on the UK iTunes Charts.
Here’s a pop ballad that carries a beautifully uplifting image of what love can be. Sheeran’s stunning falsetto voice conveys a heartfelt love song, filled with layer upon layer of warm whispers and harmonies. ‘Photograph’ is at #5 on the UK iTunes Charts.
Sheeran sings about drowning his sorrows with wine and waiting for the chemicals to react. In a dark-themed and guitar-heavy melancholic track, Sheeran sings: “I’ve been looking for love/ Thought I’d find her in a bottle/ God, make me another one/ I’ll be feeling this tomorrow/ Lord, forgive me for the things I’ve done/ I was never meant to hurt no one… Broken heart, tell me when it kicks in”. ‘Bloodstream’ is at #16 in the UK iTunes Charts.
Fearless lyrics and a fantastic chorus! ‘The Man’ goes to show just how versatile Sheeran can be. It’s intimate, soulful and dynamic. What’s more, Sheeran’s rap skills are off the hook! ‘The Man’ is at #11 on the UK iTunes Charts.
This classic Sheeran ballad is a lovely little love song. It’s sweet and smooth and highlights how good of a songwriter Sheeran is. ‘TOL’ is at #6 on the UK iTunes Charts.
Sheeran showcases his vulnerable side with a soft, gentle, extremely personal and emotionally heartbreaking, candid account of his grandfathers’ death. The piano-heavy track has reached #14 in the UK iTunes Charts. Sheeran’s divine harmonies take the song to a whole other dimension. Two words: Pure. Stunning.
Sheeran takes a celtic approach in ‘I See Fire’, written and recorded for the film ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Sheeran brilliantly builds the song to a crescendo, with spot on acapella vocals that travel to great heights, with incredible harmonies.
Ed has created a marketable and easily digestible album, with great taste. Sheeran showcases his maturity by using his charm and softness to his advantage and by bringing real honesty and originality to the forefront. There’s no doubt that he’s already proven himself as an incredibly talented young musician, teeming with outstanding potential. Worshipped by many, and rightly so, the boy never fails to deliver. Hidden in ‘X’ are a bunch of gems.
Track List 1. One 2. I’m A Mess 3. Sing 4. Don’t 5. Nina 6. Photograph 7. Bloodstream 8. Tenerife Sea 9. Runaway 10. The Man 11. Thinking Out Loud 12. Afire Love Deluxe Edition: 13. Take it Back 14. Even My Dad Does Sometimes 15. Shirtsleeves 16. I See Fire
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Surely, amongst your hundreds of Facebook friends, it’s somebody’s birthday out there today. Pick a song from this playlist and celebrate by posting it on their wall. Or ‘Play All’ and enjoy the party!
“Happy Birthday Mr. President” was sung by sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, for President John F. Kennedy’s fourty-fifth birthday. President Kennedy later came on stage and joked: “I can now retire from politics after having had Happy Birthday sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way”. This song is famous for a couple reasons: 1. Rumour had it that Monroe and Kennedy had an affair. 2. The song was one of Monroe’s last public appearances before her death.
When it’s your birthday, do what you want! – Lesley Gore sent out an important message when her version of “It’s My Party” became a number 1 hit in the US pop and R&B charts in 1963. Quincy Jones was the man behind Gore’s first hit single. Quincy Jones also produced Amy Winehouse’s cover of the song, which leaked in 2010.
“It’s your birthday, you don’t have to do nothing/ We gon’ celebrate” – A beautiful birthday song sung by beautiful women with beautiful voices, harmonies and lyrics.
“Birthday” was released in 2014 for Katy Perry’s fourth studio album, Prism. The music video shows Perry entering four different parties in disguise and revealing her identity at the end. Perry makes sexual references throughout the song… How could the pop goddess of controversy not?
Drum beats, power chords and classic Bon Jovi hooks – Released in 2005, “Have A Nice Day” made it to the top 10 charts in 11 different countries. The song is included in Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits album.
With plenty of distortion, reverb and a melodic guitar hook, guitar & rock genius, Jimi Hendrix, sings: “Everybody’s wishing me a happy birthday/ Everybody’s wishing me a real good time”.
Stevie Wonder originally recorded “Happy Birthday” as part of a campaign to have Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday celebrated as a national holiday. The campaign succeeded and the song hit number 2 in the UK pop single charts. It’s the classic birthday song.
The German rock/synthpop group released “Forever Young” on their 1984 debut album. It has since been covered by numerous artists and has become part of pop culture.
Rihanna – Birthday Cake(Play this video in Creation 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK4eoqwmfU “Birthday Cake” was not to be considered for Rihanna’s 6th studio album “Talk That Talk” until it leaked on the Internet. It was featured as a 1:18 minute interlude on the album, after fans expressed interest in the track. The full-length version (official remix) of the track, featuring Chris Brown, was released on February 20, 2012, the day Rihanna turned 24.
Parchis was a Spanish children’s group formed in the 1980’s who reached international fame. The band was named after a board game, where each player represents a different coloured pawn.
Jeremih’s debut single peaked at number 4 on Billboard Hot 100 and certified Platinum. The lyrics originally sang “birthday text” but were later revisited and recorded as “birthday sex”. The song has sort of become a birthday anthem.
Released in 1961, the song reached number 6 on Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the UK single Charts. The song is about a girl’s transition from her awkward tomboy phase into a beautiful young lady.
Featured on their 1968 “White Album”, “Happy Birthday” marks The Beatles’ return to traditional rock and roll. McCartney and Ringo Starr performed the song for Starr’s birthday on July 7, 2010, at Radio City Music Hall.
“Birthday” was written and recorded by Icelandic band, The Sugarcubes. It was their first international single, released on their 1988 debut album Life’s Too Good. Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, Björk, is easily recognizable on lead vocals, as her haunting voice pervades the song.
R&B doo-wop group, The Crest, released “16 Candles” in 1958. It was their most popular song, rising to number 2 on Billboard Hot 100, selling more than 1 million copies, and certifying gold.
“Happy, Happy Birthday Baby” was The Tune Weavers’ only hit. Written by Margo Sylvia and Gilbert Lopez in 1957, the single reached number five on Billboard Hot 100. On the B-side of the record is The Tune Weavers’ own version of “Ol’ Man River”.
American rock band, centered around husband-wife singer/songwriters Karen and Don Peris, formed in the 80s during a Catholic school production of Gospell. Karen’s sweet and soothing voice is just so fitting!
Nobody seems to know whose song this is! Youtube says it’s Quincy Jones, Shazam says its Mark G Hart & Emil Dudas, yet it sounds just like James Brown. Anybody know who the mystery artist is…?
