Hello people of the internet!!! Since this is the last ‘Monday Memos’ blog of 2014, I thought that it would be cool to talk about who will be the next big breakout music artist of 2015. Last year I predicted that 2014 would be a HUGE year for Ariana Grande, and well y’all saw what happened (if you want to check out that blog post then here’s the link Artist Spotlight: Ariana Grande). This year I think that Shawn Mendes will rule the charts. If you’re not already obsessed with him, then read on to learn exactly why this singer/songwriter only needs 6 seconds to win you over.
Shawn Mendes is a 16 year old Canadian musician. He first gained popularity by posting 6 second covers on Vine in 2013. He quickly received millions of views and followers in just a few months. In January of 2014, manager Andrew Gertler discovered Shawn and brought him to the attention of Island Records, where he eventually signed a record deal with. In early 2014 (before he was signed) he toured as a member of the ‘MagCon Tour’, which also featured numerous other social media stars. In June of 2014, he released his first single ‘Life of the Party’. The single ended up making Shawn the youngest artist to debut in the Top 25 with a debut song on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’. He also opened Austin Mahone’s nationwide tour, (called ‘Live on Tour’) as an opening act and released his debut major label EP ‘The Shawn Mendes EP’ in July of that year. 2014 continued to be a big year for Shawn due to his win as ‘Choice Webstar: Music’ at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards. As you can see, 2014 was an insanely awesome year for this rising artist. With an upcoming opening slot on Taylor Swift’s ‘1985’ tour, and the release of his debut full length album (sometime next year), 2015 is only going to be more insane for Shawn. So if you want to become a fangirl/fanboy now, please read on.
Next up we’re going to get to the part that y’all have been waiting for, yup, we’re gonna talk about the music! So let’s kick things off with Shawn’s debut single ‘Life if the Party’. This sweet ballad is about Shawn telling a girl not to be afraid to be herself. It’s a cute story about how we should all be comfortable in our skin because life is too short to be afraid. I thought that this was a really cool debut song for him because it’s catchy, and has a good message. Definitely a song you’ll want to add to your winter playlists. Next up we’re gonna talk about Shawn’s newest song ‘Something Big’, which was released in November of 2014. This song is a fun, upbeat song that is about the feeling you get right before something big in your life is about to happen. In this song we got to see a little of Shawn’s rapping skills (as if he wasn’t amazing enough), and you also get to see his different layers as an artist. Although I love his ballads, it’s cool to hear him have fun with a track, and it makes you wonder how exciting this song must sound live. The last song that we’re going to talk about is called ‘The Weight’. This track is a breakup song that tells the story of someone pretending that they’re ok without the person they love, but not actually being ok with the breakup. This is a really good song to cry to, and I found that the lyrics were really unique and insightful. This song also shows that Shawn has the emotional range that an artist needs to sing this kind of song (which shows how rounded of an artist he already is). These songs all leave you excited to see what he comes out with next, and just how much he will grow as an artist in the future.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Vine, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Shawn Mendes, Island Records, Ariana Grande, all those associated with the MagCon Tour, Andrew Gertler, Teen Choice Awards, Ido Zmishlany, Scott Harris, “IdoVsTheWorld, Joshua Grant, iTunes, and all other original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! I want to start off by saying that I think that ALL of the nominees are awesome in their own ways, and my picks are based off of my opinion, and should not be taken as a jab to other nominees. Also, there are A LOT of categories that are eligible for Grammys, so I just choose a few to cover in this blog. If you guys have a different opinion about any of the categories in this blog, or if a category you love is not mentioned, please comment in the comments section below. OK, now shall we begin? Great! Here we go!
Record of the Year: ‘Locked out of Heaven’-Bruno Mars
Late 2012-2013 was certainly a HUGE year for Bruno Mars. His album ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’, produced numerous hits for Bruno, and this lead track off of the album definitely began the momentum needed to make Bruno an unstoppable force on the charts. I predict that ‘Locked out of Heaven’ will win this category, because the track dominated the charts, was covered by just about every YouTuber imaginable, as well as on the popular FOX show ‘Glee’. The song shows off Bruno’s unbelievable vocal and writing ability, and is a song that I believe will continue to be a radio favorite for years to come.
Album of the Year: ‘Red’- Taylor Swift
The golden girl strikes again! Ever since the release of her infectious 2006 hit ‘Our Song’ (which at 16 years old made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a song that reached #1 on the Country chart), Taylor has had an iron grip on the music industry and our hearts. Due to her ability to perfectly capture every human emotion into an insanely catchy song, Taylor has already won 7 Grammys, and I predict that she will continue this trend at this year’s show (C’mon you know you agree…don’t be mean).
– Song of the Year: ‘Roar’- Katy Perry
Now if you owned a radio this year, then you know this song. Although Katy has had numerous hits, her 2010 album ‘Teenage Dream’ set her off on a ride of unstoppable hits. The lead single off of her next album ‘Prism’ continued this trend, with her hit ‘Roar’, which is the definition of the perfect “I don’t care what anyone says about me, I’m awesome, and now I’m going to let you know by rolling down all my windows and singing this song really loud” song…I mean everyone does that right?…Oh it’s just me? O…K..moving on! Anyway, Roar had such an iron grip on radio this year that I can’t believe any other song could win this award…let them hear you roar Katy!
Best New Artist: Kacey Musgraves
This was such a hard category for me, because there were so many amazing nominees this year. I kept going back and forth between whether Kacey Musgraves or Ed Sheeran would win this award, however I finally decided on Kacey. Although Ed had a phenomenal year, I think Kacey will take the award. If you’re next question is ‘Why?’, well I’ll tell you. Kacey had hit after hit this year, due to her ability to produce catchy tracks about ordinary people living with everyday problems. I truly appreciate how honest and blunt Kacey is, as well as how her voice doesn’t have any genre boundaries, making her likable to a wide range of music fans. Kacey also proved that she can write hits for other artists, due to her work on Miranda Lambert’s hit song ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’. Although I think that Ed could definitely win this award (and honestly I would be happy with either of them winning), I think that Kacey will take home the Grammy.
Best Pop Solo Performance: ‘Mirrors’- Justin Timberlake
Again, this is such a difficult category full of deserving artist however, I can’t see anyone other than the one and only Justin Timberlake winning this award. Whenever Justin is nominated for an award, I just naturally assume he’s going to win, because the man has the Midas touch when it comes to music. ‘Mirrors’ was just one of those songs that you couldn’t escape this year, and honestly no one wanted to! The track definitely shows Justin’s amazing vocals, and once again proves that he has cemented his place in music history.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: ‘Suit & Tie’- Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z
‘Mirrors’ showed Justin’s ability to fully connect to the emotional aspects of a track however, ‘Suit & Tie’ contains elements which show why fans continue to swoon over the superstar. Although Justin’s vocals on this track are incredibly impressive, the song’s greatest strengths lie in its cool tone. Just add in hit maker Jay-z to the track, stir, and you have a recipe for Grammy gold. Although this is a tough category, these two have proven time and time again that when they team up, the result is pop perfection.
Best Pop Vocal Album: ‘The 20/20 Experience- The Complete Experience’- Justin Timberlake
This album was so amazing I need a moment to process my thought…OK I’m ready, wait…ok I’m really ready now let’s continue. I’m the kind of person who loves buying full albums, however I’m often afraid to do this, because there are always a few tracks that I skip. When I saw this album, I bought it right away, and I still haven’t grown tired of it. All of these reasons make me believe that ‘The 20/20 Experience’ WAS the album of the year.
Best Dance Recording: ‘Clarity’- Zedd Feat. Foxes
Zedd’s song ‘Clarity’ is another one that I can listen to constantly and never get tired of it. Admittedly this song is what got me interested in EDM (Electronic Dance Music), so thank you Zedd. Although there are so many amazing nominees this year, I definitely believe that Zedd will walk away with the Grammy (fingers crossed!). Zedd’s tracks are fun, infectious, and written in such a way that they are radio friendly, as well as malleable club tracks. I believe that Zedd’s ability to produce such great songs stems from his background as a classically trained pianist, and a former rock drummer. His understanding of the structure of musical theory has allowed him the expertise to carve his own path in music, and makes his future free of boundaries.
Best Rock Performance: ‘Radioactive’ –Imagine Dragons
This has defiantly been a good year to be Imagine Dragons. They have not only ruled rock radio, but have also found a home within the rotation of mainstream pop stations. Imagine Dragons don’t just produce songs, they produce experiences. The band is able to take the listener into a different world within the span of a few minutes, which has caused them to resonate in the souls of a wide variety of music lovers. I don’t think any other rock group had this big of an impact this year, so because of this, Imagine Dragons certainly deserves the Grammy this year.
Best Country Solo Performance: ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’- Miranda Lambert
Miranda has been able to charm audiences for years, due to the cantor in her songs. Her tough as nails attitude has also given her tracks a slight rock influence, making her tracks the perfect road trip music. The insanely catchy song ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ has certainly been a great addition to Miranda’s already impressive repertoire. This song’s greatest attribute (besides Miranda’s awesome vocals) is the honest way in which she delivers the song (which is made even more impressive, due to the fact that Miranda didn’t write this song, Best New Artist nominee Kacey Musgraves did (see I told you Kacey was awesome). Because of all of these reasons, I think that Miranda will definitely win this category.
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: ‘Highway Don’t Care’- Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
This emotional song has taken country radio by the horns, ever since its release. Honestly this shouldn’t come as a surprise, due to the star power on the track. Tim and Taylor use this track as a vehicle in which to showcase their amazing vocals, and Keith blows listeners away with his amazing guitar skills ( I mean have you heard this guy’s guitar solo on this track, it’s absolutely breathtaking). Although the completion for this category is stiff, I don’t see how these three superstars could lose (and if they do win, maybe they will record more music together…so actually everyone wins!).
Best Country Song: ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’- Miranda Lambert
Grammy’s why are you doing this to me this year? I mean seriously, all of these categories have such amazing performers, I wish we could just give them all Grammys. But since we can’t, I see Miranda Lambert taking home this award. Like I mentioned earlier, this track is just pure country gold. From the lyrical content, to the delivery of the song, this track doesn’t miss a beat, and showcases Miranda as the super star she is.
Best Country Album: ‘Red’- Taylor Swift
Honestly, you just can’t beat Taylor. She has a way in telling a story through music in such a way, that the listener becomes entranced in the album, and before you know it your sad because the album is through (that’s why we must all be thankful for the replay button). ‘Red’ is another album that I can listen to from beginning to end multiple times, without becoming bored,. One of the things I’ve always loved about Taylor (besides her ability to steal my diary and write hit songs about it…by the way Taylor I’m going to need that back please), is her ability to write tracks that have no genre limitations. I like it when an artist is so in touch with their craft that they can reach people who normally wouldn’t be into their music. You go Taylor; Glenn Coco has nothing on you.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to huffpost.com, Bruno Mars, Atlantic Records, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Elektra Records, Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records, Jeff Bhasker, Nathan Chapman, Dann Huff, Jacknife Lee, Max Martin, Karl Johan Shellback, Butch Walker, Dan Wilson, Gary Lightbody, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Capitol Records, Lukasz Gottwald, Bonnie McKee, Henry Walter, Kacey Musgraves, Mercury Records, Justin Timberlake, RCA Records, Timothy Mosley, Jerome “J-Rock” Harmon, James Fauntleroy, Timbaland, Jay-Z, Shawn Carter, Terrence Stubbs, Johnny Wilson, Charles Still, Rob Knox, The Tennessee Kids, Zedd, Foxes, Interscope, Anton Zaslavski, Matthew Koma, Holly Hafferman, Porter Robinson, Zedd, Imagine Dragons, KIDinaKORNER, Alexander Grant, Dan Smith, Chris Wood, Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson, Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf, Chuck Ainlay, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Mark Irwin, Josh Kear, Brad Warren, Brett Warren, Byron Gallimore, and all other original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! Ok, last Wednesday (November 6th) was the 47th annual CMA awards and A LOT of stuff happened. Ready? Ok, let’s get started!
Hosts:
Once again the talented and hilarious duo of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley hosted the CMAs. The duo’s monologue included many funny moments including a rendition of ‘Why can’t we be friends’ which discussed celebrity feuds. The actual feud between Zac Brown of The Zac Brown Band and Luke Bryan was finally settled when the two singers hugged (awww!). As well as the feud among the Jonas Brothers, the feud between Sinead O’Connor and Miley Cyrus, as well as the feud between Jimmy Kimmel and Kanye West. The opening scene of the show also included a parody of ‘Blurred Lines’, where Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, and the cast of ‘Duck Dynasty’ imitated Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s performance at the 2013 VMAs. The final laugh of the night for the duo was a joke about the frustration that the American public has had with the Obamacare Health Plan, which was set to the tune of ‘Amarillo by Morning’ by George Strait. All in all the banter between Carrie and Brad was really great, and once again showed what a great and hilarious team they make.
Winners:
Single of the Year: ‘Cruise’ by Florida Georgia Line
This infectious song was all over country and mainstream radio this summer and was even remixed with the help of Hip Hop recording artist Nelly. Cross-over radio popularity and a killer remix on the first single of a new album?!…I can definitely see more success in this duo’s future.
Song of the Year: ‘I drive your truck’ by Lee Brice
This heartwarming song about a fallen Afghanistan solider and the father who mourns him is performed with such powerful emotion by Lee Brice that I can see why this song deserved the title of ‘song of the year’.
Vocal Duo of the Year: Florida Georgia Line
I think the success of cruise explains why this duo deserves the award.
New Artist of the Year: Kacey Musgrave
Although Kacey experienced previous success with her single ‘Merry Go Round’, her career was never the same when ITunes featured ‘Blowin Smoke’ as the ‘free single of the week’. With her new single ‘Follow your Arrow’ blowing up the charts, and her work on Miranda Lambert’s song ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’, Kacey is definitely an artist to watch.
Music Video of the Year: ‘Highway Don’t Care’ by Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
In my opinion this music video is not only a great PSA about the dangers of texting and driving, but a piece of art. When I first saw this video, I was captivated from beginning to end. I definitely believe that this was the music video of the year.
Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award: Kenny Rogers
Really what can be said about the legendary Kenny Rogers?! With more than 120 hit singles, 130 million records sold worldwide, numerous Grammys/AMAs/ACMs/CMAs, and a career that began in 1958 and is still going strong, I think that his credentials speak for themselves.
Album of the Year: ‘Based on a True Story’ by Blake Shelton
From the party anthem ‘Boys Round Here’, to the emotional ballad ‘Mine Would be You’, Blake’s latest album has so much versatility and honesty that it is easy to see why this album was a favorite this year
Pinnacle Award: Taylor Swift
Now I know that we all know who this artist is, I mean she somehow knows every detail of our lives and writes songs about it, so she’s everyone’s BFF right? Well her beautiful voice and incredible songwriting ability has helped her receive this prestigious award at the tender age of 23. Not bad Taylor!
Vocal Group of the Year: Little Big Town
With previous hits ‘Pontoon’ and ‘Tornado’, this is a group that couldn’t miss. Also, their harmonies, and pure vocal chops are always on point, which was evident by their performance of their new single ‘Sober’ on the very night they won this award.
Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert
With a long career of hits (most recently ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’, ‘We were Us’, and ‘All Kinds of Kinds’, Miranda is definitely the woman to beat, and she once again let all know on one of country music’s biggest nights.
Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton
Blake once again proves why he has had such great success finding incredible talent on the ‘Voice’; on Wednesday he showed that he is the man to beat by becoming the male “voice” of country music for this year.
Entertainer of the Year: George Strait
Although many amazing artists were nominated for this award, “King” George proves that he still has it after all these years by topping country music with this coveted award.
Performances:
There were so many amazing performances this year so let’s get started!
The show kicked off with Luke Bryan performing a shortened version of his hit ‘My Kinda Night’, which also included a snippet of ‘Cruise’ with Florida Georgia Line, and then the artists all finished ‘My Kinda Night’. The performance of these two songs was entertaining, from the amazing vocals, to the staging and lighting, it was such a great way to open the show.
Jason Aldean sang his song ‘Night Train’ later in the show, and the staging was incredible. Jason performed in a manufactured train box car with a background screen which displayed trees, and dark lights shadowed the stage.
New Artist of the Year Kacey Musgrave performed her new hit ‘Follow Your Arrow’, which displayed her ability to captivate a crowd without theatrics.
Power trio Lady Antebellum performed their newest single ‘Compass’, which was made complete by the trio’s stunning vocals, as well as the background screen which had revolving pictures of compasses, roads, and people on horses.
Group Little Big Town played their hit ‘Sober’, which placed their outstanding vocals front and center. The presence of candles in a circle around the stage further added to the ballad.
Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert displayed why their new single ‘We were Us’ has been burning up the charts, by giving an electrifying performance of the song.
Next up was country superstar Taylor Swift’s epic performance of her song ‘Red’, with country legends Alison Krauss and Vince Gill, as well as Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, and Eric Darken. The softer take of the track definitely added a new dimension to it, which made an amazing song even better.
Florida Georgia Line appeared once again, and this time performed their hit ‘Round Here’, which once again showed how amazing the duo is.
The next performance was by Hunter Hayes and Jason Mraz, who performed their duet version of Hunter’s hit song ‘Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me’. The performance showcased both artists’ vocal talent, as well as Hunter’s amazing guitar skills. Which ended with Hunter presenting the New Artist of the Year Award to Kacey Musgrave.
Eric Church performed his new song ‘The Outsiders’ next, which was spectacularly performed with the assistance of smoke, lights, fire, and a cool guitar solo.
The Band Perry was up next with their new song ‘Don’t Let me be Lonely’, which was spectacular due to the band’s stellar vocals and amazing special effects.
Next up, Tim McGraw performed his newest hit ‘Southern Girl’, which showed that like a wine, country superstars only get better with time (sorry for the unintentional rhyming).
Blake Shelton was next with his emotional ballad ‘Mine Would be You’, which showed off the Male Vocalist of the Year’s “voice”.
Internet sensations Lennon and Maisy performed a unique cover of ‘You Belong with Me’ to Taylor Swift right before she was presented with the Pinnacle Award, which resulted in a sweet moment among the three vocalist, in which Taylor hugged Maisy, which was immediately followed by video testimonies by numerous artists that Taylor opened up for when she was a new artist.
Carrie Underwood performed amazingly as usual, her performance included renditions of her hit songs ‘Good Girl’, ‘Blown Away’, ‘Two Black Cadillacs’, and ‘See You Again’. While she performed, clips of all of Carrie’s music videos appeared on the screen behind her.
Country legends Alan Jackson and George Strait paid tribute to the iconic George Jones by with their breathtaking performance of George Jones’s hit song ‘He Stopped Loving her today’. As they performed the song, images of George Jones and his wife appeared on the screen behind Alan Jackson and George Strait.
The Zac Brown Band, with the assistance of Dave Grohl( of the the band ‘The Foo Fighters’), gave their new song ‘Day for the Dead’ a great debut due to their energetic performance.
Next up was Brad Paisley who performed his new single ‘Mona Lisa’, which was given extra character due to Brad’s shirt, which had an image of the Mona Lisa on it. Paisley not only showed off his amazing talent as a vocalist, but also did a breathtaking guitar solo that left the crowd in awe.
Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Kenny Rogers was honored next, with a medley of some of his hit songs performed by Jennifer Nettles(of country duo Sugarland), Darius Rucker, and Rascal Flatts. The number was made extra special when Kenny Rogers sang his classic hit ‘Islands in the Stream’ with Jennifer Nettles.
Darius Rucker closed the show with his performance of the song ‘Wagon Wheel’, which was unfortunately cut off mid performance, but was still wonderfully done.
So all in all, the 47th annual CMA awards were full of hilarious moments and amazing musical numbers. The show definitely did not disappoint, and made me excited for next year.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to childstarlets,com, ABC, the CMAs, all associated labels and cooperations/businesses,, and any and all other original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! Since this is the last ‘Monday Memos’ blog of 2014, I thought that it would be cool to talk about who will be the next big breakout music artist of 2015. Last year I predicted that 2014 would be a HUGE year for Ariana Grande, and well y’all saw what happened (if you want to check out that blog post then here’s the link Artist Spotlight: Ariana Grande). This year I think that Shawn Mendes will rule the charts. If you’re not already obsessed with him, then read on to learn exactly why this singer/songwriter only needs 6 seconds to win you over.
