President Barack Obama is the latest star to (sort of) give Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson’s song the cover treatment. Obama shows us yet again he’s just too hot for us!
A talented YouTuber, Fadi Saleh, has spent hours putting together this incredible dubbed cover of the current chart topping hit, Uptown Funk, using interview footage of the US President.
Known as “barackdubs” on YouTube, Fadi puts together two of these dubbed cover songs every month! On his YouTube Channel he says “I put words in people’s mouths. baracksdubs mashes together presidential speeches to the tune of popular music, based on fan requests. If the president sings it, it’s a worthy song. Have a suggestion for a song? Tweet the suggestion with the hashtag #baracksdubs.”
We can’t help wondering whether the President watches these himself…we’re sure he would love them!
Here’s our list of the most popular DJ’s around the world at the moment and where they’ll be touring this year. No matter where you are you’ll be able to catch these hot acts in 2015.
ALESSO
SNAPSHOT: This Swedish born music producer has become one of the most popular DJ’s to come out of Stockholm in recent years. Alesso is a mere 24 years old but is rocking the electronic dance scene. He has worked with all the big names in the business including Calvin Harris, David Guetta, One Republic, Avicci and Usher. He has played at many of the big music festivals such as Tommorowland, Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival. He played at one of Madonna’s concerts and she claims he was going to be “the next big thing in Dance music”. He got into the game at an early age and had the good fortune to get fellow Swede Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia fame as his mentor. Alesso’s style is distinguishable and famous for his use of melody and his gravelly rave sound. He is said to be the next Swedish House Mafia, capturing his crowds wherever he goes with his energy and passion. Look out for his debut album out this year on the label Def Jam Recordings.
TOUR DATES 2015: 30 January: Park City Live, Park City, UT, US 31 January: Light Nightclub, Las Vegas, NV, US 13 – 17 February: Rio Music Carnival 2015; Marina Da Gloria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 10 –12 April: Coachella 2015; Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA, US 17 –19 April: Coachella 2015; Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA, US 25 April: Ericsson Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden 09 July:Electric Love, Salzburg, Austria
SNAPSHOT: This Scottish singer, songwriter is one of the highest paid DJ’s and record producers in the world. He is a huge worldwide success with so many of his singles having reached the top of the charts in many countries. His albums include I Created Disco (2007), Ready For The Weekend (2009), 18 Months (2012) and Motion (2014) all of which produced massive hit singles such as; You Used to Hold Me, Flashback, Thinking About You, Feel So Close and I Need Your Love – he holds the record for the most top ten hits from one album; nine! Harris has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, namely We Found Love the massive hit he wrote for Rihanna following which he went on the European leg of her tour Loud in 2011. Another huge hit Let’s Go features Ne-Yo from 2012 which ended up in a Pepsi Max advert. Other big names he has worked with are Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine, Nicky Romero, Alesso, Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, Ellie Goulding, Kelis and Dillon Francis. Calvin Harris has won plenty of awards for his work which he is humble and appreciative for, claiming that the Ivor Novello Award he won for Songwriter of the Year was “easily the greatest achievement of my entire life”.
TOUR DATES 2015: 12 –14 March: Festival Estereo Picnic 2015, Bogota, Colombia 14 –15 March: Lollapalooza 2015 Santiago, Chile 19 – 20 March: Asuncionico 2015, Asunción, Paraguay 21 –22 March: Lollapalooza 2015, Hipodromo de San Isidro, San Isidro, Argentina 28 – 29 March: Lollapalooza 2015, Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos), São Paulo, Brazi 24 June: Calvin Harris with Muse, Seinäjoki, Finland 28 June: Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway 07 August: Bleilochtalsperre, Saalburg, Germany
SNAPSHOT: Another massive Swedish Electronic Dance DJ. If you haven’t heard of this guy you have been asleep for the last five years or so. He released his first smash hit tune Seeking Bromance back in October 2010 which went top of the charts in over twenty countries, and so a star was born. He was then signed to EMI and every hit since has been huge; Wake Me Up, You Make Me, X You, Hey Brother and Addicted to You to name but a few. His eclectic mix of progressive house, electronic dance and country music give him a unique sound and style that has reached the masses worldwide.
TOUR DATES 2015: Friday 27 February: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand Saturday 28 February: Future Music Festival 2015, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, NSW, Australia Sunday 01 March: Future Music Festival 2015 Hbf Arena, Perth, WA, Australia Saturday 07 March: Doomben Racecourse, Ascot, QLD, Australia Sunday 08 March: Future Music Festival 2015, Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Monday 09 March: Future Music Festival 2015; Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville, SA, Australia Friday 13 March – Saturday 14 March: Future Music Festival Asia 2015, Singapore 28 March, 31 March, 11 April, 18 April: XS the Nightclub at Encore, Las Vegas, NV, US 29 May: Aviciifest@Summer Burst, Goteborg, Sweden 05 June: The World Club Dome, Frankfurt & Maine, Germany 12 June: Aviciifest@Summer Burst, Stockholm, Sweden 03 July: Marlay Park, Dublin, Ireland 31 July: Untold Festival, Cluj, Romania 07 August: Smukfest, Skanderborg, Denmark
SNAPSHOT: Tiësto is no stranger to DJing, he has been around in the progressive house and Trance scenes since the late nineties when he founded the label Black Hole Recordings. His career really hit mainstream when he released his first album In My Memory, there were many singles from the album which made the charts and made him a household name. He has since released five further albums all of which have reached worldwide success. Tiësto has made many world tours and continues to tour today (see dates for 2015 below). He is an advocate for AIDS prevention and has done great work within the dance scene to promote safe sex. He is the worldwide ambassador for DANCE4LIFE; a foundation which promotes the awareness of HIV / AIDS. He also has some clout in the fashion world, so much so that Armani asked him to collaborate on a T-Shirt for Armani Exchange. The 46 year old Dutch man has worked with countless acts including; Maxi Jazz, Flo Rida, Nelly Furtado, Torres, Sneaky Sound System and Busta Rhymes.
TOUR DATES 2015: 30 January: Maya Day & Nightclub, Scottsdale, AZ, US 12 – 17 February: Camarote Salvador 2015, Salvador, Brazil 13 –17 February: Rio Music Carnival 2015, Marina Da Gloria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 14 February:Camarote Parador Itaipava 2015, Recife, Brazil 15 February:P12 Parador Internacional, Florianópolis, Brazil 16 February:Green Valley, Balneario Camboriu, Brazil 28 February:Tiësto with David Guetta, Datsik, and 51 others; Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico 14 March:Tiësto with Tigerlily, Echostage, Washington, DC, US 19-20 March: Hakkasan Nightclub, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 21 March: U.M.E. South Padre Island, Texas, United States 27-28 March:Ultra Music Festival, Miami, Florida, United States 28 March: Hakkasan Nightclub, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 29 March: Ultra Music Festival, Miami, Florida, United States 01 April:Hakkasan Nightclub, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 02 April: Empire Music Festival, Guatemala City, Guatemala
SNAPSHOT: This Dutch DJ and producer of Big Room and Electro House has been voted the world’s number one DJ by DJ magazine for two years running. He founded Revealed Recordings record label in 2010 through which he has released five compilation albums; his own album came out on January 23rd this year. Hardwell started his DJ career at such a young age that his mum & dad had to accompany him to work in the clubs he played at. Hardwell’s idol is fellow DJ Tiësto, who he also looks up to as a mentor within the industry. They collaborated together on Zero 76, a track which got to number one on the American iTunes dance chart. His podcast is in the top ten podcasts on iTunes in many countries around the world. Hardwell plays at some of the biggest festivals and has gained the top watched live DJ set on You Tube for his set at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami and his 2013 set at Tommorowland gained over 19 million views. He is definitely one of the biggest DJ’s and doesn’t look like he’ll be knocked off the top spot any time soon.
TOUR DATES 2015: 07 February: Go Hardwell or Go Home, Fabrique Milano, Milano 13 February: Ultra South Africa, Cape Town, Ostrich Farm, Cape Town 14 February: Ultra, Nasrec Expo Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, 27 February: DJ Mag top 100 World Tour, Arena Armeec, Sofia 28 February: Go Hardwell or Go Home, Gazi Music Hall, Athens 07 March: I AM Hardwell – United We Are, MEO Arena, Lisbon 20 March: Ultimate Music Experience, Schlitterbahn Beach Resort, South Padre Island 21 March: Go Hardwell or Go Home, Hakkasan, Las Vegas 04 April: Danceathon, Cruise Terminal Rotterdam, Rotterdam 07 June: BigCityBeats World Club Dome, Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt 12 June: Ultra Music Festival Korea 2015, Olympic Stadium Complex, Seoul 06 August: Smukfest 2015, Skanderborg 19 August: Lake Festival 2015, Lake Schwarzlsee, Unterpremstätten
You don’t often see such an intimate performance by one of the globe’s biggest stadium rock acts. This rare, enchanting show given by Coldplay, at Christmas time, is certainly one to keep on record. Lucky for BBC’s Radio 2, they caught them for their very last concert of their 6th studio album Ghost Stories.
Interesting facts about one of the world’s all-time favourite band you probably didn’t know:
· The name of their band ‘Coldplay was originally called ‘Starfish.’ · The band originally consisted of two members, Jonny and Chris who formed the band back in 1996. · There was one occasion where the band was playing in London at the O2 arena. Chris Martin ended up travelling by tube to get to his own show, and despite their being loads of fans travelling amongst him, not one person recognised him.
· For their 2001 Mylo Xyloto tour, the band spent £4.22 million on wristbands alone. These weren’t just any old wristbands though, they changed colour in time with the music.
· President Barack Obama has claimed to be a huge fan. He listens to them on his iPod. · After they collaborated with Rihanna on Princess of China, they said she was the only artist they would ever collaborate with.
1. Always in My Head 2. Charlie Brown 3. Paradise 4. Magic 5. Clocks 6. The Scientist 7. Ink 8. True Love 9. Viva La Vida 10. Midnight 11. Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall Encore: 12. Fix You 13. A Sky Full of Stars Encore 2: 14. Christmas Lights
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Aaron is a 21 year-old London based singer-songwriter. She writes classic pop songs with an alternative electronic sound, wherein synthpop meets eighties R&B. Her work is characterised by lyrical prowess, honesty and emotion. In her personal style, her live performances and her dreamlike, ethereal music, Aaron belongs to the dream pop genre. One can also hear early 80’s Madonna, Kate Bush and Cocteau Twins influence scattered through Aaron’s work.
You’re now 21 years old with a practically fully formed look, sound and attitude. What has the last 5 years been like for you and what major differences do you see in yourself between then and now? Both musically and personally speaking. Just like any kid figuring out what they want to do, it’s been arduous and wonderful in equal measure. In hindsight I was pretty naive, both in my outlook and songwriting, but in that time I’ve transitioned from a girl to a young woman so naturally the themes and subtext of my work have changed dramatically. Personally, I think if you can accept the skin you’re in and realise there is no boundary to your capability, a lot can change for the better. That applies to being an artist as well, too many are under the impression that they must transform into something they’re not to garner the recognition they deserve, whereas for me it’s purely about being honest, personal and having the courage of conviction to stick with it.
In an Interview with WonderlandMagazine, you defined your sound Dream Pop as ”an ethereal wall of sound; full of breathy vocals, sharp bass, warm pads and hazy synths. It’s all layered, textural and lovely. It relies on that as much as it does melody.” We found this to be such an accurate description. We’re curious as to how this genre developed within you… Were you always dead set on making dream pop tracks? Oh, thank you and no, I didn’t know it would be dream pop. I started writing at 15, without the first clue of where I was gonna sit genre wise. It began in some of my early sessions in the studio, working with producers. Instinctively I would lean to those sort of sounds more than any others and was quite headstrong about it. At that time I didn’t have a name for it, I hadn’t spent years immersing myself in those dream pop records and labels, it came out of me spontaneously, without effort and has now evolved into this magical hybrid of my favourite artists/influences and sounds.
What do you find is the hardest thing about being a new artist to the scene? Getting people to take you and your work seriously. Attention is gained and lost so quickly, what with the media and the technology age we live in. It’s so different to five years ago and has changed the game for a lot of new artists. I think its a good thing though, especially for independent artists, you have to be way more creative with how you get your music out there. It seems you’re more likely to succeed if you’re anti establishment about it, there’s an element of punk now.
We have to express our obsession with your song Holding Water. it really is quite magical, captivating, and definitely what we would call a ‘repeat without defeat.’ Meaning no matter how many times you repeat the song, you don’t get tired of it. Could you share some insight about the creating process of this track? Thats sweet of you, thanks. Yeah of course, I wrote it with the incredible songwriter/producer Niall Lavelle (Raffertie), he’s a very accomplished musician and percussionist also, which you can hear in the rhythm section of the track. We started with this super moody warped synth line you hear in the verse, we wanted to create a stark difference between the verse and chorus, light and shade, so it had depth. The line Holding Water came out of nowhere and encapsulated everything I wanted to say and was feeling from the music. Sometimes I write and begin with lyrics like prose or I’ll just vibe on different melodies and words will spring out of them. Once I knew what I wanted to say the rest was pretty quick to follow.
Tell us the story behind your debut E.P title Letters to Jonny Letters To Jonny is a conceptual EP, a culmination of the work I was doing last year while writing for other artists. The music is heavily influenced by the songwriter/producer Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Glass Candy, Desire) and is also where the name came from. The idea is based upon a girl who’s in love with a guy who doesn’t really exist. Her mind and relationship unravels as the record progresses, I don’t want to give too much away because you’ll hear it soon enough, but the track Jonny pieces it all together.
What kind of music in todays scene do you have the most distaste for and why? I don’t care much for EDM (I know thats a broad term) or these new pop boy bands with guitars, though I’m not one to slate other artists for giving it a go. If you have the courage to put yourself out there, then good on you.
Who would be your dream collaboration, dead or alive? David Byrne, Todd Rundgren and Dev Hynes.
What’s the most annoying thing people assume about you and/or your music? That I didn’t do that much of the work when I’ve written every song and co produced in parts. Sadly, it is unsurprising as it happens to far too many female artists (Bjork, Grimes etc).
Share some of your goals for the future, what you’re working towards, and ultimately what you want out of life? I want a career with longevity, I want to release several or more credible albums that I’ve written and produced and take them to as many countries around the world as possible. I want to keep writing, developing and learning. I’ve recently started playing guitar so it’d be cool if I do well with that. I’d really like a pet tortoise too.
Many big celebrity stars were born with silver spoons in their mouths and given all the best chances and opportunities in life due to good educations and high ranking social networks. However there are many tales that do not have such easy beginnings. The following are a handful of the musicians that have made the big time by sheer determination or perhaps necessity.
MARIAH CAREY was one of the biggest stars around at the height of her career but she didn’t always enjoy such an illustrious lifestyle. She grew up in a poor neighbourhood in Long Island, New York in a situation very close to what you would call poverty. Her grandfather immigrated to America from Venezuela and took the name Carey on arrival in New York. Her parents being of different ethnicities (Mother; white, Father; black) not only caused difficulties in the area where they lived but estrangement from Mariah’s maternal Grandparents; this disownment caused deep grief for Mariah as she grew up. Her parents divorced when she was only three years old and she grew apart from her father completely. She found comfort singing along to the radio; music became her peace. After several years of financial problems Carey and her family were able to move to a better area within New York and from here Carey made friends, who became her first co-songwriters, and began the development of her talents. She worked as a waitress to pay the rent but never held down a position, being too busy aspiring to become a musician. Eventually she managed to get a demo tape together and by chance met an executive from Colombia Records at a party…the rest is history! “It’s been difficult for me, moving around so much, having to grow up by myself… my parents divorced. And I always felt kind of different from everybody else in my neighborhoods. I was a different person ethnically. And sometimes, that can be a problem. If you look a certain way, everybody goes ‘White girl’, and I’d go, ‘No, that’s not what I am’.”
JUSTIN BIEBER’s pretty boy good looks were not from a groomed and advantageous lifestyle. Justin’s early life consisted of him sleeping on a pull-out bed, eating mainly macaroni and cheese and living amongst rats. Bieber’s parents were very young when they had him and were drug-addicted teenagers when his dad walked out on him and his mother, leaving them in a destitute situation. His mum managed to raise him alone (with a little help from her mother and stepfather) by working low-paid office jobs. He learnt piano, trumpet, drums, guitar and trumpet at school and developed a thirst for performing. He came second in a local competition where he sang Ne-Yo’s song Sick. A video of which was posted on You Tube for friends. As he continued to record himself covering R&B tracks and they were posted on You Tube he gained popularity and eventually got noticed. Justin Bieber is now worth something like 65 million dollars and has millions of fans all over the world (and just as many haters!).
SNOOP DOGG was named Cordozar Broadus Jr. but was nicknamed Snoopy when he was a child due to his looks. He began his musical life singing and playing piano at church but in sixth grade began rapping. His early days consisted of him selling drugs on the street to scrape a living together and attempt to avoid the squalor in which he was living. He went to prison a few times, for short periods, but after which he started to record music with a friend. This friend happened to be the stepbrother of the one and only Dr. Dre. How lucky to have friends in the right places! When he heard a mixtape on which Snoop featured Dr. Dre brought him in for an audition. Following this and some education in the music business he went on to make the big time and become a worldwide household name.
JAY Z is these days the king of a financial empire but things were not always so lucrative for the husband of Beyoncé. His ambition, intuition and talents have given him the drive to become one of the richest men in the world. Being born in Brooklyn in a housing project he was raised by his mother alone. Growing up in the projects subjected him to a rough upbringing where graduating high school was not something of a normality, being shot and selling drugs and shooting your own brother were typical situations to occur. They didn’t have much but when Carter (Jay-Z) began banging the kitchen table for want of some percussion his mother saved up to buy him a boom box, mainly to avoid him waking up the whole house with his drumming. Followeing this his talents developed as he wrote lyrics and began free-styling. Known as Jazzy to his friends and neighbours the boy gradually developed into the worldwide success phenomenon that is our man Jay-Z.
MARK WAHLBERG is not strictly just a musician but he dabbled in a few of the arts before he settled in as an actor, and his story is one to be told. He was the youngest of nine kids growing up in a very rough neighbourhood. He dropped out of school at the age of 14 and went to work as a street thug. He made many bad moves, drug dealing alongside addiction and got into trouble with the police over twenty more times in his home town of Boston. Civil action was filed against him at 15 for a racial attack on some Afro-American kids, at 16 he violently assaulted two different Vietnamese men on the same day for racial reasons. He was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to assault and served only 45 days in prison. There were many other incidents involving violence throughout his teens and early twenties for this clearly wildly angry, frustrated young man. He repented eventually and his Catholic upbringing gave him a big sense of regret and guilt for his actions. “You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn’t until I really started doing good and doing right by other people, as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don’t have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning.” His role models and peers were not much of a good influence “Three of my brothers had done time. My sister went to prison so many times I lost count. Finally I was there locked up with the kind of guys I’d always wanted to be like. Now I’d earned my stripes and I was just like them, and I realized it wasn’t what I wanted at all. I’d ended up in the worst place I could possibly imagine and I never wanted to go back. First of all, I had to learn to stay on the straight and narrow.” Luckily for Mark he had an angel on the other shoulder that was a little bigger than the devil on the other and he ended up making good. He never blames his upbringing for the mistakes he made, he takes full responsibility claiming that he was always taught right from wrong and it is a choice make within ourselves. Nobody else has that power. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and I’ve done bad things, but I never blamed my upbringing for that. I never behaved like a victim so that I would have a convenient reason for victimizing others. Everything I did wrong was my own fault. I take full responsibility”. His brother Donnie Wahlberg, of New Kids on The Block fame helped his little brother to get a record deal and put a stop to his street days. And so was born the star we know today, although his early fame was made as Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch, he went on to become a serious actor with worldwide critical acclaim. His Hollywood blockbusters include; Boogie Nights (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of The Apes (2001), The Italian Job (2003), The Departed (2006) – for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and more recently Ted (2012) and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014).
SHANIA TWAIN, the country singing beauty had a very poor upbringing in Canada where food was something of a luxury. At one point things got so bad they w2ent to a homeless shelter for help. Her already struggling family was given a harsh blow when her mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident. Twain had to support and raise her three younger siblings by herself. She used to sing in local resorts to get by. Once they were old enough to take care of themselves she left for Nashville to win her place in the heart of country music. In 2008 Shania was reportedly worth a whacking $450 million.
SEAN COMBS was born in a public housing project in Harlem, his father, Melvin Combs, was an associate of convicted New York drug dealer Frank Lucas. At age 33 he was shot to death while sitting in his car in Central Park West whilst Combs was still a child. Diddyplayed football at Catholic school and was given his nickname “Puff” for the way he used to huff and puff when he was angry. Sean “P Diddy” Combs left New York City after his father was murdered and moved upstate with his mother, who reportedly worked several jobs to support them. Ambitious from a young age, Combs got his first break as an intern at Uptown Records while he was a business student at Howard University. He quickly worked his way from the mailroom to management, making his big break with the recording artist Notorious B.I.G. Since those days P Diddy has built up something of an empire and is now worth around $700 million!
LEIGHTON MEESTER’s beginning was beyond humble: Her mother gave birth to her while incarcerated in a Texas prison, where she was serving time for drug smuggling. After 12 weeks in a halfway house, Meester’s mother went back to prison and Meester went to live with her grandmother in Florida, where she stayed until her mother was released. In addition to her acting career, Meester has also ventured into music. She released two singles, recorded songs for various soundtracks and collaborated with several artists, being notably featured on Cobra Starship’s “Good Girls Go Bad (2009). Her musical style has since shifted from pop to folk. In 2012, she embarked on a mini tour with folk band Check in the Dark, whom she had been working with since 2010. Meester has maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, are good people with experience that has only made Meester more open-minded and non-judgmental, “It made me realize that you can’t judge anyone—especially your parents—for what they’ve done in their past, because people change. Meester has joked, “Look, I could’ve turned out a lot worse.” She has cited her mother as her style icon. When Meester was 11 years old she began modeling in New York, her photographer happened to be the now filmmaker Sofia Coppola. She was in many ad campaigns and had a very confident attitude which seems to have pulled her through to the front of the line. Her powerful determination and talents got her a leading role in the madly successful Gossip Girl TV series. This was her big break and has assisted in her being worth an estimated $5 million today.
CELINE DION. This one tops them all for sibling rivalry; Celine was the youngest of FOURTEEN children. Born in Canada to French Canadian parents, she was raised in poverty in a happy Catholic home. She started very young and dreamed of being a performer. She began to make her dream a reality wen she began to perform in her parents’ piano bar. She never gave herself a chance to become a normal teenager as she spent it travelling around signing, not that she regrets this; “I missed my family and my home, but I don’t regret having lost my adolescence. I had one dream: I wanted to be a singer.” Her brother Michel Dondalinger Dion sent a recording to music manager René Angélil, whose name he discovered on the back of an album. Angélil was moved to tears by Dion’s voice, and decided to make her a star. Her popularity spread to other parts of the world when she sang and won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988. In the nineties she hit the big time (namely America) During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved worldwide fame after signing with Epic Records and released several English albums along with additional French albums, becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music history. Though she has faded from the spotlight since her late ’90s super stardom Dion is still ranked as one of the highest-grossing female entertainers and in 2007 was listed by Forbes as the fifth richest female entertainer, coming in at $250 million.
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This list of red-hot red-heads are all masterful musicians in their field…a wide variation of talents with only one other thing in common; their roots (as in hair!).
ED SHEERAN – This 23 year old musician from England began playing guitar and writing songs at a very young age. His success has been phenomenal due to his incredible songwriting skills and that voice of his. He has written songs for the likes of One Direction and Taylor Swift (who he went on to tour with), which has gained him recognition in the States. He is an excellent musician and since signing with Asylum Records he has won two Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello and been nominated for a few Grammys among many, many others. His albums have earned him critical acclaim all over the world and he continues to rise in stardom while maintaining a very humble and grounded approach to life.
FLORENCE WELCH – Lead singer of Florence and the Machine, Florence Welch has a powerful and haunting voice which first became popular after the release of their first album Lungs. There are some gruesome and morbid themes to her songs apparently influenced by the losses of her grandparents at a young age to strokes and suicides. Welch has an eclectic look about her which is encouraged by her unique vintage style and not forgetting those long auburn locks of hers which add to her individuality. Lungs went to Number One in the UK album charts and stayed there for 28 weeks, the “dark, robust and romantic” sound of Florence and The Machine relate to Renaissance artists (influenced by her mother’s studies of the subject, “We’re dealing with all of the same things they did: love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell”. Welch has suffered depression since her rise to fame and notes that, “sex, violence, love and death, are the topics that I’m constantly wrestling with”. The group’s second studio album, Ceremonials released in October 2011, debuted at number one in the UK and number six in the United States.
KATE NASH – This English singer songwriter hit the big time when she released her first album Made Of Bricks which earned her the Brit Award for Best Female Artist in 2008 and reached Number One in the UK album charts. She has since released two more albums My Best Friend is You and Girl Talk. Nash’s style on her first two albums was quite twee and gentle with an Indie edge. She sang of everyday things and life situations with the accompaniment of her piano. The most recent album displays a total change of attitude and musical genre with a much harder, grungier style. Nash claims that “I’ve been hurt and I’m angry and playing bass and shouting about it makes me feel better. That’s all it is. And if that freaks people out then good.”
DAVE MUSTAINE – Mustaine was the lead guitarist for the heavy metal super band Metallica. Due to a problem with drugs and alcohol the rest of the band eventually ousted Mustaine from the band. He then went on to form the band Megadeth who went from strength to strength and have done countless tours all over the world over the years. They continue to tour to this day and have become one of the main influential and popular heavy metal bands ever. On June 16 for the first time ever “The Big Four” (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) of thrash shared the stage in Warsaw, Poland. The event happened in various other countries like Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Greece, Germany, Sweden and ended at the Yankee Stadium of New York City on September 14, 2011. On August 3, Mustaine released his autobiography in the US, titled Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir. The book covers Mustaine’s life from childhood until the release of the 2009 Megadeth album Endgame. The book was released in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand under the title Mustaine: A Life in Metal.
AXL ROSE – The frontman and exhibitionist from Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose, is a household name and has been named one of the greatest singers of all time by NME and Rolling Stone. In 1985, he co-founded Guns N’ Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their first album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), has sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide, and is the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S. with 18 million units sold. Their next two albums were just as successful. They completed many tours in the 80’s and 90’s, and became one of the biggest bands in the world. At the end of the nineties Rose decided to take some time out and the band went into hiding for many years. He bought the rights to the name of the band and is currently the last remaining original member of the band. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
NEWTON FAULKNER – The English born singer-songwriter and musician is well known for his unique percussive style of guitar playing. Hand Built by Robots was Faulkner’s first album released in 2007 which went double platinum in the United Kingdom and reached No.1 in the UK Album Chart in August 2007. Faulkner released his second studio album, Rebuilt by Humans in 2009 which made number three UK Albums Chart followed by Sketches in Aril 2012 and finally Write it On Your Skin on July 9th 2012 which got to number one in the UK album chart.
BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG – Green Day front man covers up his natural locks to maintain a grunge indie punk rock image. He is the songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist for Green Day and has also turned his hand to acting. He recorded his first song aged five and has been an achiever in the music world ever since. He met band member Mike Drint when they were kids and formed the band at the tender age of fifteen. He also has his own record label Adeline Records based in San Diego. Green Day’s rock operas have become a raging success with American Idiot being the first in 2004 selling more than 15 million copies around the world; hit singles included Boulevard of Broken Dreams and American Idiot (the latter also became a hit musical on Broadway starring Armstrong himself for fifty performances). The second rock opera, 21st Century Breakdown, was also a huge worldwide triumph.
DANNY ELFMAN – Formerly the front man and songwriter of rock band Oingo Boingo between 1976 to 1995. Following this he has made his mark writing music for film and TV. He wrote The Simpsons theme song and the 1989 Batman and has developed a long running personal friendship and composing relationship with Tim Burton having written the scores for the majority of his movies. Burton has said of his relationship with Elfman: “We don’t even have to talk about the music. We don’t even have to intellectualize – which is good for both of us, we’re both similar that way. We’re very lucky to connect”. Elfman has been nominated for four Academy Awards, won a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and honoured at the BMI Film & TV awards for his significant contributions.
ART GARFUNKEL – One half of the much celebrated famous duo Simon & Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel is an amazing singer, poet and actor. Together Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame having been a massive success since the early 60’s. Some of their most famous works are Bridge over Troubled Water, Sounds of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, Scarborough Fair, to name but a few. Garfunkel has gained himself six Grammy Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award. During his solo career he released over a hundred successful hit singles and attained a People’s Choice Award. Garfunkel has had bouts of depression during his illustrious career and has dipped in and out of the spotlight on many an occasion, his relationship with Simon also had many ups and downs. More recently he toured in 2009 with four other musicians and his son. On April 2, 2009, the duo announced a tour of Australia, New Zealand, and Japan for summer 2009. In late October, they participated together in the 25th anniversary of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Other artists on the bill included Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, U2, Metallica, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Crosby, Stills, & Nash.
MICK HUCKNALL was the lead singer and songwriter of popular 80’s band Simply Red. The band was a huge worldwide success selling over 50 million albums over a 25 year career. Hucknall is famous for his very distinctive soulful voice and wide vocal range as well as having wild red curly hair! He has been described by critic Trevor J. Leeden as “one of the truly great blue-eyed soul singers”.
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If Beyoncé Knowles is known for anything, it’s that the woman can put on a great show. Ever since her early concerts touring in her group Destiny’s Child, people were impressed with her performance abilities. Carrying out a jaw dropping range of Flawless notes whilst in the midst of an intense dance routine, for ridiculous lengths of time, she’s proven to be at a practically olympic level of stamina.
The now Queen of Pop, ever since rising to fame, never left for a second. It seems this past year of 2014 and late 2013 has been more Yoncé-filled than ever. Her unprompted, exclusive iTunes album release and accompanying videos, featuring Jay Z, Drake, Frank Ocean and daughter Blue Ivy, shocked not only her fans but the entire music and media industry. Following this, her massively successful tour with husband Jay Z catapulted the power couple and their careers even further into the limelight.
Before delving into her newest material, which is all the rage, naturally. We wanted to take a moment to enjoy one of her shows from 2013 (Live in Atlantic City) Her costumes are to die for, as is her figure, her singing, song choices and all round performance. She even starts crying at some points and connects with the crowd. So, although we are embracing the new Bey of 2015, we originally fell in love with the old one, and this show takes us back to that familiarity.
Set list
1 End of Time 2 Get Me Bodied 3 Baby Boy 4 Crazy in Love 5 Diva 6 Naughty Girl 7 Party 8 Dance for You 9 Freakum Dress 10 I Care 11 Schoolin’ Life 12 1+1 13 Flaws and All 14 Countdown 15 Run the World (Girls) 16 I Was Here 17 I Will Always Love You 18 Halo 19 Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) 20 Green Light 21 Love on Top
When these stars go on tour they take the label ‘diva’ to a whole new level. It is standard that they would generally travel with an entourage who take care of their ‘needs’ but also many requests are sent in advance to the people organising the event at the particular venues. This list of requests is better known as a rider.
Van Halen reportedly became the original whacky rider requesters with the idea that they believed if they snuck in some strange asks and their demands were met then the venue and the organisers were up to scratch on all levels including security. They famously asked for all the brown M&M’s to be removed from the candy bowls way back in 1982. They kept up the oddities when they followed that up with wanting herring in sour cream and one large tube of KY Jelly!
The following are genuine demands made by stars that sent the most bizarre or extravagant backstage riders…
JAMES BROWN. The Sex Machine singer had a pretty twisted idea of what was necessary to have in his dressing room; · an electric golf cart · two girls under the age of 21 · a hooded ladies hair dryer. Say no more.
LADY GAGA kept her demands pretty sane when she asked for Jameson Irish Whiskey, posters of her favourite rock stars (David Bowie, Elton John and Billy Joel) to be hung on the walls of her dressing room. She also kept it fairly standard when she requested 56 bottles of water; 28 cold, 28 at room temperature. Even when she asked for all the walls of her room to be draped in black and silver satin plus a fully equipped smoothie station, it didn’t seem like such a big deal. Then finally she made us breathe a sigh of relief when she took it up a big notch in the weirdo stakes and demanded a mannequin with puffy pink pubic hair! There’s the Gaga we all know and love.
KANYE WEST has a thing about man-made fibres in that he flatly refuses to be near them. He therefore demands that any drivers he has during a tour must only be dressed in pure cotton only. He also has a penchant for “imported and re-cut Versace towels” which must always be available wherever he may roam.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE demands that a member of staff must clean and disinfect each and every door knob that he may potentially come in to contact with. Not just once but every two hours. Runs a clean ship — right down to the door knobs!
KATY PERRY lives up to her pop princess status when she sent a rider demanding an array of furniture to be arranged in her dressing room; · a Perspex, modern style coffee table · two “French ornate” floor lamps · a glass fronted fridge · two cream coloured “egg” chairs with a footstool and the entire room to be draped in cream or pale pink. Not forgetting the super specific flower arrangements consisting of white and purple hydrangeas, pink and white roses and peonies. Oh and “ABSOLUTELY NO CARNATIONS.”
IGGY POP doesn’t do anything by halves; one of his tour riders was a mere eighteen pages long and bordered on the absolutely ridiculous. The list included the following: · “a USA Today article about morbidly obese people · seven short people (dwarves or taller people if they have the right attitude!) dressed up as characters from Snow White · a Bob Hope impersonator on call 24-7 · a pack of cards, “For me… in case one of the band’s girlfriends fancies a quick game of strip poker while the band are on stage” This must have been written during a less than sober moment but the poor venue organizers simply have to take these demands seriously and supply all of the above.
EMINEM has changed his ways and keeps a very clean and sober dressing room these days. No requests befitting his old ways in sight but he would like a Koi Carp fish pond thanks very much.
PAUL MCCARTNEY’S flora and fauna rider requested nineteen leafy 6ft tall plants and four leafy 4ft plants…to be precise.
MARIAH CAREY is one of the major divas of our time. Her backstage demands stretch to the extreme: · Cristal champagne · a box of bendy straws · an attendant whose sole purpose is to dispose of used chewing gum · a tea service for eight · a Honey Bear bottle of honey · two air purifiers · a puppy, 20 white kittens · plenty of vitamin water in which to bathe her dogs · black, dark grey, cream or dark pink pattern-free furniture only Oh, and of course the thing that should be on every girl’s list – 100 white doves! Really Mariah? Really?
THE FOO FIGHTERS generally write really amusing riders which although complicated must raise a few laughs when received by the event coordinators. They ask for: · plenty of “God’s currency”, also known as bacon · twenty-four large bath towels, which, “If they are new and unwashed, you will receive a wedgie.” · “If Solo Cups are not available please find a store that sells 16oz plastic drinking cups and then offer the shopkeeper some currency in exchange for said cups. Once again, you have the time of our booking to find this stuff. No snippy ass, tiny tim, two drops of dew in a cup sized cup, please. I WILL CALL OUT A CATERING JIHAD IF WE DO NOT HAVE THESE CUPS.”
Another began with a request that their fat roadies eat immediately on arrival so they have energy for “their arduous 70 to 90 minute work day.” However, the band requested vegetarian soups for their fat roadies to avoid noxious gas issues. The 2008 rider also demanded one bag of Pirate Booty, a selection of cereals not recycled from “last night’s Dio show,” four bottles of Gatorade in “wacky colors” and DVDs that don’t feature Jamie Kennedy, Martin Lawrence or sports!
MARILYN MANSON appears surprisingly down to earth with his demands at first: · Haribo gummy bears · Doritos · popcorn and a bottle of Absinthe for example, but read on and he stays true to his shock rocker persona when he asks for “a bald-headed, toothless hooker.” Words cannot express how wrong that is.
PRINCE lives up to his peculiar character when he demanded a physician to administer B-12 injections and that all the items in the dressing room absolutely must be covered in clear plastic wrap until uncovered by the artist himself.
BRITNEY SPEARS does not hold back with her tour riders. She has asked for: · two boxes of Pop Tarts · Fruit Loops · cable television · two 6ft sofas · odour-free carpet · fish-and-chips and McDonald’s cheeseburgers without the buns Getting into the realms of very strange, according to British tabloid The Daily Mirror, she also demanded a framed photo of Princess Diana. And, lest we forget she’s a diva at heart, she told the O2 venue they would be fined $5,000 if the phone ever rang in her dressing room!
MADONNA. The Queen of pop won’t park her backside any old place! With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Madonna demands a fresh, brand new toilet seat be fixed in the bathroom of every venue! Madge also requires 20 international phone lines; lilies and white and light-pink roses that have stems trimmed to precisely 6 inches and 25 cases of Kabbalah water.
JENNIFER LOPEZ. She may claim to be good old Jenny from the block but she has definitely veered from her roots and become yet another greedy, spoilt little diva princess. Her rider list included: · coffee to be stirred counter-clockwise · skittles · room temperature be kept at a strict 25.5°C · two humidifiers and two oscillating fans · room temperature Evian water · no tomato, apple or grape juices · her dressing room be painted white and everything inside be white too… including white flowers, white tables and tablecloths, white drapes, white candles, white sheets, white couches, white lilies, white roses…more like Jenny from the Ritz!
P DIDDY takes indulgence and excess to the maximum with his demands for: · 204 towels · 20 bars of soap · two bottles of Hennessy cognac · two bottles of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio · two bottles of Veuve Clicquot · a bottle of Dom Perignon · Grey Goose vodka · a Boom box · a bouquet of white flowers · cheddar cheese and sour-cream chips · Sweet Tarts And, just to top it off, a $300,000 bullet-proof Maybach!
RIHANNA. Last but not least the Disturbia singer is pretty specific when it comes to ambience; here’s the list of dressing room requirements sent by her team. · 5 AC power outlets · adequate lighting for a relaxed atmosphere · white drapes to cover lockers and/or brick · 1 humidifier · 1 large throw rug — plush and animal print (Cheetah, Leopard)… must be CLEAN, as she will walk on it barefoot · pipe and drape the room in dark blue or black drapes with icy blue chiffon draped nicely on top · 6 candles — Archipelago Black Forest (if you can’t get these, please let me know ASAP as we have a 2nd choice of candle for Ri) · 4 small, clear, square vases with white tulips, no foliage (2nd choice: white casablanca lilies no foliage, 3rd choice: white freesia, no foliage).
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The stars of film and TV gathered in Hollywood for the first big awards ceremony of the season held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel yesterday (Sunday January 11). The show was presented by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who left no superstar unscathed during their riotous opening monologue: “Good evening, good evening, and welcome you bunch of despicable, spoiled, minimally talented brats.” The pair gave the best opening monologue of any awards show we have ever seen. They managed to keep it warm even though their jokes were quite mean.
Fey and Poehler continued in much the same tone with North Korea’s threat to attack the US if Sony Pictures released The Interview with Fey pointing out, “North Korea referred to The Interview as ‘absolutely intolerable and a wanton act of terror.’ Even more amazing, not the worst review the movie got.” Later, Fey turned her attention to George Clooney who was receiving the Cecil B de Mille award, mentioning Clooney’s recent marriage to Amal Alamuddin, saying, “Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected for a three person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza strip. So tonight, her husband is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award!”
The pair were hilariously scathing and continued by looking at some of most revered movies of the year, from The Theory of Everything (“It combines the two things that audiences love,” Poehler said, “a crippling nerve disease and super complicated math”) to Selma, which was about, “The American Civil Rights movement that totally worked and now everything’s fine.” Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more scandalous, and proving nothing is sacred, Fey and Poehler offered an alternative plot line for Into the Woods in which Sleeping Beauty just thought she was getting coffee with Bill Cosby…!
The whole evening went down without a hitch and had all the ingredients for a great award show – plenty of laughs, quite a few upraise wins and lots of emotional acceptance speeches.
To cut a long story short, here are our other favourite moments:
– Je Suis Charlie support – Many stars showed their support for free speech following the Charlie Hebdo attacks. George Clooney wore a Je Suis Charlie badge, while Helen Mirren had a pen attached to her dress. Some held Je suis Charlie signs on the red carpet, while others referred to it on stage. Actress Kathy Bates had Je Suis Charlie on her phone and held it up for the cameras. George Clooney, who was awarded Cecil B DeMille lifetime achievement award, in recognition of his film career, but also of his humanitarian work, ended his acceptance speech by commenting on the marches which took place around the world on Sunday. He said: “They didn’t march in protest. They marched in support of the idea that we will not walk in fear. So, Je suis Charlie.”
– Prince presented the award for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture to John Legend and Common and the assembled stars went wild. “I want to thank God and the Hollywood Foreign Press,” began Common. “I am the hopeful black woman who was denied the right to vote. I am the caring white supporter,” added Common. “I am the unarmed black kid, who maybe needed a hand, but instead of, was given a bullet. Selma has awakened my humanity,” he continued, thanking Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey and more. “I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing film,” said Legend. “We’re so grateful to write this song.”
– The standing ovationearned by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Theo Kingma, whose speech centred on how Hollywood stands behind free speech, everywhere from France to North Korea. Usually these speeches are so boring – this was emotional and spot on.
– Kevin Spacey swearing in his acceptance speech.He finally took home a Golden Globe for his performance in House of Cards. We think the F bomb he delivered was totally called for considering the fact that he has been nominated 8 times before!
– The Grand Budapest Hotel beat Birdman for Best Comedy of Musical Movie. It was such a surprise as Michael keaton had just walked away with the award for Best Actor in Birdman. It’s these kind of surprises that keep award shows interesting.
While the Golden Globes is thought of as the grand opening of the film awards season, it is not always a reliable indicator of future Oscar success. In the past 10 years, only four Golden Globe winners for Best Picture – in either category – have gone on to triumph at the Oscars.
“Glory,” Selma, John Legend and Common (WINNER) “Big Eyes,” Big Eyes, Lana Del Rey
“Mercy Is,” Noah, Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye
“Opportunity,” Annie
“Yellow Flicker Beat,” The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part I, Lorde
We take a look at the soundtrack for the long awaited and thirstily expected film Fifty Shades of Grey, the listing of which was revealed last week, and it includes the likes of Ellie Goulding and Beyoncé.Not to be confused with the classical album for Fifty Shades of Grey which was released in August 2012. The lead male character, Christian Grey, has a penchant for classical music and this previous album was released for readers to listen to whilst indulging in a little S&M literature, chosen by the author himself, E.L. James.
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The hype around these books was something extreme in itself, akin to the popularity of Harry Potter and Twilight (in a different genre of course) but notably touching on the erotica, which for so long has been taboo and not in the mainstream. These stories of ‘Red Rooms’ and sexual explorations have long been out of the norm and now we are all waiting with trepidation as to how Hollywood will turn this into a blockbuster movie.
To provide the music for such a movie required a delicate touch; there is quite a variety when it comes to sound, generation, beat and sensitivity but here is the low down to the sound of Fifty Shades – it’s hip, sexy and pretty awesome. Itwill be released on February 10, just a few days before the film’s February 13 worldwide release.
Full Tracklist: 1. I Put A Spell on You – Annie Lennox 2. Undiscovered – Laura Welsh 3. Earned It – The Weekend 4. Meet Me in the Middle – Jessie Ware 5. Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding 6. Haunted (Michael Diamond remix) – Beyoncé 7. Salted Wound – Sia 8. Beast of Burden – The Rolling Stones 9. I’m On Fire – AWOLNATION 10. Crazy In Love – Beyoncé 11. Witchcraft – Frank Sinatra 12. Where You Belong – The Weeknd 13. I Know You – Skylar Grey 14. Anna and Christian – Danny Elfman 15. Did That Hurt – Danny Elfman
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