Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’, we are going to recap the ‘2015 Billboard Music Awards’ (yay!!!). This year’s ‘Billboard Music Awards’ were hosted by rapper/actor Ludacris, and model Chrissy Teigen, and was definitely a show that we’ll be talking about for the rest of the year. One part of the show that we were all looking forward to was the premiere of Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ music video. With a large cast of celebrities such as: model/actress Cara Delevingne, supermodel Cindy Crawford, and actresses Hailee Steinfeld, Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Zendaya, and many more. The music video was very action packed and had a very cool futuristic spy feel to it. This video was definitely unlike anything we have seen from Taylor, and really shows her evolution as an artist. Not only is Taylor an inspiration to all aspiring popstars out there, her impressive new video may also inspire any up and coming videographers that want to have their own success within the music industry. It can be tough to make waves in the music video scene, but one potential way to get ahead is by having the very best equipment in order to obtain the best shots possible. As a director, you could do this by investing in something like the Mavic Mini drone, as this could allow you to get shots that none of your competitors will be able to keep up with, and you may find yourself directing your own Taylor Swift video one day. Now let’s move on to the awards, and finally the performances (I’m only going to include a few of the awards & performances that were shown during the show, because if I included everything, I would have y’all here all day. If you want to see the full list of winners and performances, check out billboard.com). So are y’all ready? Ok, let’s go! Awards: Top Duo or Group: One Direction We all had to see this one coming because One Direction has been an unstoppable force ever since their first single dropped in the U.S. They have won tons of awards, broken numerous records, and were recently named the first band in U.S. Billboard history to have their first four debut albums debut at #1.
Top Billboard 200 Album: 1989 by Taylor Swift Ok now we all know how well 1989 did this year, but honestly what else would you expect from Taylor Swift!?! With hit singles that stayed in our heads all year like Shake It Off, Blank Space, and Style, it’s no wonder that 1989 has ruled 2015 so far.
Top Male Artist: Sam Smith Now if you’ve listened to the radio at all this year, you are very familiar with Sam Smith’s music. His debut album ‘In The Lonely Hour’ went platinum, and won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Needless to say he’s had an AMAZING year.
Top Female Artist: Taylor Swift With the success of 1989, it’s obvious that Taylor Swift would have a great chance of winning this award so I honestly don’t think that anyone would be surprised here.
Top Hot 100 Song: ‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor Now you know you’ve been singing along to this one ever since it first came out. The fact that ‘All About That Bass’ has gone platinum 6 times in the U.S. definitely proves that Meghan deserves this award. I honestly don’t see this song’s popularity dwindling, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Top Artist: Taylor Swift Again it’s Taylor Swift, she seriously ruled the radio waves this year so none of us are even surprised here.
Performances: Nick Jonas ‘Jealous’: So first of all we have to talk about is Nick Jonas’ performance of ‘Jealous’. This song was a really big hit for Nick this year, and the excitement of the crowd showed that this song is still a hit with fans. This performance had a lot of cool elements to it, such as awesome backboard graphics that really made this performance stand out. All in all this was a really cool performance that fans loved from beginning to end.
Mariah Carey ‘Vision of Love’ & ‘Infinity’: Mariah Carey wowed us next with a performance that had everyone’s attention. She began her performance with her debut hit single ‘Vision of Love’, which is a song that we all still hold near and dear to our hearts. Next up we got to hear her new track ‘Infinity’. This performance definitely showed that Mariah is still able to impact is with her music, and will be an artist that we’ll keep coming back to for infinity.
Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth ‘See You Again’: Ok now this is a song that we all have had on repeat for a while now and honestly you have to admit that you still cry whenever you hear it (Honestly how many times have you seen that music video featuring Paul Walker and just started to cry. #RIPPaulWalker). At the award show Wiz and Charlie were joined by YouTube star Lindsey Sterling who, as usual, blew us away with her amazing violin skills as. The vibe of the performance was very intimate and chilled which definitely made us all want to seriously cry. The emotionally charged lyrics were definitely front and center during this performance, due to Charlie and Wiz’s ability to deliver the song in a way that made us all feel the message of the song (seriously when Charlie started choking up during the song, I thought that I was going to lose it).
Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea ‘Pretty Girls’: This was another performance that everyone was looking forward too, because we love Britney, and we love Iggy, so when you put them together it’s just perf! This performance had a very 80s feel to it, and was such a fun number to watch. It was so interesting to see these two collab because their musical styles are so different, so it’s exciting to see what they will each do next.
Tori Kelly ‘Nobody Love’: The ‘Kia One To Watch Artist’ Tori Kelly was up next, and she really showed how talented she truly is. It was amazing to see her completely captivate the audience without any special staging or effects. It really made you feel like you were able to personally connect with Tori and fall even more in love with her music. This performance made me really excited to see what’s next for her.
Simple Minds ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me): This was certainly one of the night’s most talked about performance, due to the fact that the cult classic movie ‘The Breakfast Club’ turned 30 this year. This performance had a very rock concert sort of vibe and the crowd was just completely hooked from beginning to end. It’s really fun to see so many different people rocking out to their favorite song, and the energy was definitely brought up A LOT during the this performance.
Imagine Dragons ‘Stand By Me’ (Ben E. King cover): The last performance that we’re going to discuss is Imagine Dragon’s amazing performance of ‘Stand By Me’. This is a song that we all know and love, so it was so great to see that Imagine Dragons did their best to keep the original feel of the song intact, and molded their musical style to best fit the song. This was another tear jerking moment due to Ben E. King’s tragic passing recently, but I thought that this was a beautiful way for his incredible talent to be honored.
All credit goes to unrealitytv.co.uk, Billboard Music Awards, Taylor Swift, Ludacris, Chrissy Teigen, billboard.com, Cara Delevingne, Cindy Crawford, Hailee Steinfeld, Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Zendaya, One Direction, Syco Records, Columbia Records, 1989, Big Machine Records, Max Martin, Jack Antonoff, Nathan Chapman, Imogen Heap, Greg Kurstin, Mattman & Robin, Ali Payami, Shellback, Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella, Shake It Off, Republic Records, Sam Smith, In The Lonely Hour, PMR, Columbia Records, Method, Jimmy Napes, Steve Fitzmaurice, Komi, Naughty Boy, Two Inch Punch, Eg White, Fraser T Smith, All About That Bass, Meghan Trainor, Epic Records, Kevin Kadish, Nick Jonas, Jealous, Island Records, Jealous, Sir Nolan, Nolan Lambroza, Simon WIlcox, Mariah Carey, Ben Margulies, Rhett Lawrence, Narada Michael Walden, Columbia Broadcasting System, Sony Music Entertianment, Legacy Recordings, Eric Hudson, Priscilla Renea, Taylor Parks, IIsey Juber, Wiz Khalif, Charlie Puth, See You Again, Paul Walker, Lindsey Sterling, Atlantic Records, DJ Frak E, Andrew Cedar, Marcos de Silva, Britney Spears, Iggy Azalea, Pretty Girls, Rostrum Records, Taylor Gang Records, George Astasio, Jason Pebworth, Jon Shave, Maegan Cottone, Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, The Invisible Men, Jive Records, RCA Records, Def Jam Records, Mercury Records, Grand Hustle Records, Virgin EMI Records, Tori Kelly, Nobody Love, Capitol Records, Savan Kotecha, Rickard Goransson, SImple Minds, A&M Records, Keith Forsey, Steve Schiff, Virgin Records, The Breakfast Club, Universal Pictures, John Hughes, Ned Tanen, A&M Films, Channel Productions, Imagine Dragons, Ben E. King, Stand by Me, KIDinaKORNER, Interscope Records, Atco Records, Stand by Me, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Atco Records, Atlantic Records, Ichiban Records, all of the businesses, companies, people, and any other original owners that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all 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!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ I have another exciting interview for y’all. Last Monday I introduced you to the AMAZING new indie pop band Signal City (which you can read here: Monday Memos: Signal City…the new band whose AMAZING music is our new found Fortune | celindareyesblog). I was recently able to interview Cameron Boyer from Signal City, and we spoke about that band’s musical influences, what to expect with their upcoming debut EP, who would be on the band’s dream tour, and so much more! So please read on, and remember that Signal City’s debut single ‘Fortune’ is available on ITunes NOW.
Celinda: Hi Cameron. I really love the band’s name, how did you guys come up with the name Signal City?
Cameron: Coming up with the band’s name was literally the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. We came up with so many names, probably over 200 in total. One thing we were all sure about though was “Signal”. At first we were just going to be called “The Signals”, but then we found out that like 6 bands already had that name. So after a while we decided to just put “City” after it. We still weren’t sure if we liked it, but it started to grow on us so we decided to stick with it.
Celinda: So what/who inspired you to pursue a career in music?
Cameron: For me it was my dad mostly. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have started this career. He forced me to do a musical when I was a kid. I was asked to do it by some friends but I declined, then my dad said “no you gotta do it”, and so I decided to try it, and that’s how it all started. I met Justin doing musicals, but the musical scene wasn’t really for us, so we decided to form a band.
Celinda: That’s a really cool story, so what bands or artists have influenced your band’s musical style?
Cameron: Once the band was formed, Green Day, Muse, The Killers, The Black Keys, and similar bands became our main influences. Green Day is what first influenced me, but I wanted to go further so I started listening to SOO many different genres of music. With all of those influences, we started to form our own sound, which is very broad and hits lots of different styles
Celinda: That is so interesting; I love to see bands that are well versed in various styles of music. So, what bands or artists have influenced your music that would surprise your fans?
Cameron: Well we were also influenced by classical stuff like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. We also listened to jazz, blues, ska, reggae, and indie. The fans would probably be surprised with the classical influences, and the blues and jazz stuff. Not too sure what would surprise them though.
Celinda: What’s your songwriting process like?
Cameron: We tend to write when we feel like it. It’s just that simple. When an idea comes we just go at it and don’t stop unless we can’t continue. Sometimes we write with all 5 members and sometimes we write with just 4, 3, 2 or by ourselves. We will do whatever it takes to write a good song.
Celinda: Very cool, it sounds like you guys are really creative. So speaking of writing good songs, what’s the story behind your debut single ’Fortune’?
Cameron: ‘Fortune’ is a song driven by the experiences that the band has encountered. We all have been through so many hard times, and have done so much hard work just to be in this band. Some of the sacrifices we have made have even forced one of us to move houses, lose friendships, and many more hardships. But we have always kept at it and take the opportunities that come along, so that we can get the best possible “fortune” out of them.
Celinda: That’s a really inspiring story. So what can you tell me about your upcoming EP?
Cameron: For the upcoming EP we worked with Simon Katz from Youngblood Hawke, which was awesome because he really helped us and took our music to new levels, which really opened up our minds and made us think. The new EP is very different from what we are used to writing, but we love it and are super excited to get it out there. Like ‘Fortune’, the whole EP has the theme of trying to stay alive and do your best in anything you do. Hopefully it inspires others the way it has inspired us.
Celinda: Now I’m really excited about the upcoming EP! So, what’s one thing that you wished you had known about the music industry before entering it?
Cameron: Definitely how to make it using an easier path. Hahaha, it’s been really hard, so I wish I knew everything I needed to make this process easier. But then again, I also don’t wish that, because it has made us who we are. So I appreciate the process, even though it sucks. Haha.
Celinda: Very true.So, if you could put together and go on a dream tour, who else would be on it?
Cameron: Our band, Muse, The Killers, The Black Keys, and Green Day.
Celinda: That would be an awesome tour! Ideally, what do you want Signal City’s legacy to be?
Cameron: I really want our legacy to be that we are a band that people remember in the best way possible. I want people to listen to our music and feel good about themselves and about everyone and everything around them, even those things or people whom they may not be fond of. I want people to say “Because of Signal City, I became a better person in whatever way”. I want people to see us in a positive light. I also want people to seriously rock out like crazy and have crazy fun too while listening to our music, haha.
Celinda: I definitely see that becoming Signal City’s legacy. Your music is so amazing and upbeat, that people can’t help but rock out and have fun while listening to it. Lastly, is there anything else you’d like to add?
Cameron: Just that I really hope that we make it, because I’m dying for more to hear our sound.
Celinda: I definitely see you guys making it far in the music industry, I am so excited about what’s ahead for Signal City. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer the questions Cameron!
So as y’all can see, Signal City is definitely a band on the rise. I HIGHLY suggest that you all stay on the lookout for Signal City’s debut EP, which is dropping later this year (and don’t worry, I will make sure you ALL know exactly when the EP is released). If you’re looking for a band with infectious, upbeat music to jam out to this summer, then look no further. I anticipate that very soon, Signal City will no longer be LA’s best kept secret, and will instead be the band that EVERYONE is obsessed with. Now don’t you want to be ahead of the curve? That’s what I thought!
All photos and information used in this blog belong Signal City, Ben Watson, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, ITunes, Green Day, Muse, The Killers, The Black Keys, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Simon Katz, Youngblood Hawke, Cameron Boyer, 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!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’, I am going to introduce y’all to an amazing indie pop band that you will soon be listening to non-stop. If you love the energetic sound of pop bands, and the unique vibe of bands such as FUN and Passion Pit, then you will become addicted to Signal City (formerly called Above Seclusion). With a fun, catchy single currently on ITunes, and a much anticipated EP scheduled to be released later this year, I suggest that you become familiar with this amazing band before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.
Signal City formed 3 years ago in 2011, when Cameron (vocalist/rhythm guitar) and Justin (vocalist/lead guitar) met. They became friends, and soon found that they shared a love of music, and were both influenced by artists such as: the Black Keys, Muse, Green Day, Journey, etc. Cameron and Justin soon added vocalist/bassist Brennen to the band, and the final pieces of the band fell into place with the final additions of CJ (vocals/rhythm guitar), and Cole (drums). Once assembled, the band quickly began creating hits, and their meticulous dedication to their craft began to pay off when Signal City caught the attention of Simon Katz (of the band Youngblood Hawke), and later iconic engineer Mark Needham (a Grammy nominated producer, mixer, and music engineer, who has worked with artists and bands such as: Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, The Killers, Stevie Nicks, P!nk, Shakira, Imagine Dragons, and many more notable stars). After being thoroughly astonished by the band, Simon soon signed on to produce their debut EP. After they began working with Simon, the band began to collaborate amongst themselves, and in the words of Justin, “…discovered that working together drastically improves the music [they were] creating and solidifies [them] as a band”.
Well now that you know all about the band, let’s get to the music! If you love fun, energetic songs that will make you want to get up and dance (or bob your head for fear that your dance skills might emotionally scar your friends), then Signal City is the band for you! Their sound is great for the summer time, because they have crafted the perfect blend of indie meets mainstream pop/rock. Their new single Fortune is a very strong introduction for Signal City, which will definitely become a fan favorite very soon. Fortune is a fun, high energy song that is reminiscent of bands such as Fun, and Echosmith, but still has a vibe that makes the track feel completely original and new. I found myself constantly replaying this song, and finding something else to fall in love with each time I played the song. I have said it before, but I believe that the #1 mark of a great band/artist is if they have the ability to make songs that not only instantly grab your attention, but keep you spellbound in such a way, that it is impossible to get tired of their songs. I definitely see in greatness in Signal City’s music, and I know that you all will too. I am VERY excited to see where this band ends up, and am even more excited to hear the INCREDIBLE music that they will release along the way. So, please check out Signal City’s music video for their debut EP Fortune (Signal City – Fortune (Official Video)), and stay on the lookout for their new EP, which will drop later this year.
So as y’all can see, Signal City has been able to use their passion for music, natural talent, and years of training, hard work, and dedication to make great strides in the music industry. With a growing, loyal fan base, and amazing mentors at their side, this band is truly on the verge of becoming ‘the next big thing’. With a unique sound that will make their music instantly recognizable on the radio, and the ability to captivate an audience’s full undivided attention, Signal City is on a powerful upward whirlwind. I anticipate that they will very soon become an inescapable name, and because of their ability to cross genres, will find fans in any and all music lovers. It’s very seldom that you find a band that is truly special, but once you hear Signal City, their specialness becomes apparent, and can only be described as magical.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Signal City, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Fun, Passion Pit, Black Keys, Muse, Green Day, Elton John, Journey, Echosmith, Fleetwood Mac, The Killers, Stevie Nicks, P!nk, Shakira, Imagine Dragons, all of the labels, managers, corporations, businesses, and any and all others associated with the before mentioned bands/artists, ITunes, Simon Katz, Youngblood Hawke, Mark Needham, 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!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ blog, I want to introduce you to a phenomenal up and coming pop singer named Tyler Layne. I recently discovered Tyler on Twitter (I really owe you on Twitter!), and he really impressed me. At such a young age, Tyler already has the artistry, musicianship, and natural talent of a professional much older than him. I am really excited to share this artist’s music with you all, and I know that you will quickly become as obsessed with him as I am. I will warn you now, that once you hear Tyler Layne’s voice, you will definitely spend the majority of your time listening to his covers and original music. Ok so are you guys ready to be introduced to your latest musical addiction!?! Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Tyler Lane!!!
Tyler Layne was born in Portsmouth, VA and discovered his love of entertaining at the ripe old age of 4, when he began singing in his church’s choir. By the age of 5, Tyler was a soloist in his choir, and his love of music continued to flourish. Only two years later at the age of 7, Tyler began to astonish crowds at local festivals and community events. At the age of 8, Tyler began professional training in piano, voice, and acting. This training made the already naturally gifted entertainer an even stronger performer, which became a huge asset for Tyler when he became the youngest member of the group RD7, after impressing judges related to Radio Disney. As a part of this group, Tyler was given the opportunity to tour with numerous famous musical acts such as: Raven Symone, The Cheetah Girls, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. After Tyler’s time as a part of RD7 was completed, Tyler founded other groups called Seven5Seven and Brooke and Tyler. The experience and public recognition that Tyler gained by participating in these groups led him to feel confident enough to continue his career as a solo artist.
On January 18th, 2012 Tyler posted his first YouTube video, which was a cover of Rihanna’s hit track ‘We Found Love’. Tyler had no idea that posting this video would snowball into the opportunity to share his music on a much larger scale. Tyler has continued to post videos of himself singing hit songs from popular artists such as: Katy Perry, Adele, One Direction, Hunter Hayes, Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars, etc. As if Tyler’s vocal ability was not impressive enough, he has also used his YouTube platform as an opportunity to demonstrate his phenomenal guitar, piano, and songwriting skills. Tyler released his first original song on YouTube, on January 28th, 2012 entitled ‘Dear Julia’. This track is a piano driven ballad, which was certainly an early indicator of Tyler’s advance skills as a writer, which is an increasingly more important commodity for artists to have. Tyler made a music video to accompany this single, and was able to show his acting talent through the video’s emotionally charged lyrical content. Tyler’s next original song was a fun, high energy track which featured pop-rock band Everlife. The video contained numerous photos of Tyler’s performances throughout the years, and really showed just how seasoned the young entertainer was at that point. Tyler has released 3 additional original songs, which are entitled ‘Over the World’, ‘Ms. Perfect’, and his latest single ‘Boom Boom’ (all of these songs are currently available on ITunes, so I would suggest you go pick them up…after you read this blog of course! And for all of you remix lovers out there, ‘Boom Boom’ has been remixed, and it is AMAZING!!!!).
Tyler’s latest two singles (‘Ms. Perfect’ and ‘Boom Boom’), showed an evolution for him as an artist, due to the videos’ production quality, and the videos’ storylines. In ‘Ms. Perfect’, Tyler demonstrates that he can not only sing and act, but can also control a stage, and dance (seriously how can one person be so talented!). Although I love Tyler’s other music videos and his live covers, I feel that the Ms. Perfect video showed the audience his fun personality, which only makes you fall even more in love with his talent. My favorite video is definitely the ‘Boom Boom’ video, just because the song is amazing, and the video itself makes you want to get up and dance (seriously, how do I get invited to a Tyler Layne house party!?!). I can definitely see this song become a huge radio hit, and an infectious summer time song, that will have us dancing for years to come.
Since Tyler posted his first video in early 2012, the young entertainer’s talent as a musician, vocalist, songwriter, actor, and all around amazing entertainer has taken center stage. You can see Tyler’s growth through his videos, and it seems that he has nowhere to go but up. In the past few months, Tyler has had many phenomenal accomplishments, which include becoming a partner with YouTube super channel VEVO (also home to artists such as One Direction, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, John Legend, and just about any popular artist imaginable. This is also where you can find Tyler’s music video for ‘Boom Boom’). Other accomplishments that Tyler has had are his sponsorships with Peace Tea, Sodiem Clothing, and Giannini Guitars. However, arguably Tyler’s largest accomplishment to date is signing with the record label ‘Blow Me A Bubble Records’. In this day and age, the competition to secure a record deal is cut throat, so for an artist to sign a deal is a HUGE accomplishment. Make sure you catch Tyler on ‘the Fanatics tour’, which began on January 11th, 2014, and continues through July 26th (I believe that Tyler will be performing on all of the tour dates, but make sure you check the website here (the FANatics tour | Showcasing up and coming talent) to see if he is performing in your city…there are also A Lot of other amazing acts on the tour, so I highly suggest that you check it out!).
As for Tyler’s future, I definitely see this shinning light only getting brighter with time. Although Tyler’s original music has been primary pop, I can definitely see him crossing over into music that has a more soul vibe to it. I think that Tyler’s natural vocal talent is very unique, and his determination and persistence to constantly become better at his crafts will certainly set him apart from current mainstream radio artists. I see big things on the horizon for Tyler, and definitely think he will soon become a household name and eventually a worldwide phenomenon. With an entertainer like Tyler, there are no limitations, and I am very excited to see what amazing project this modern day Renaissance man produces next.
Do you want to stay connected with Tyler? Here’s how:
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Tyler Layne, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, VEVO, Raven Symone, The Cheetah Girls, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, American Idol, Kelly Clarkson. Rihanna, Katy Perry, Adele, One Direction, Hunter Hayes, Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars, Blow Me A Bubble Records, Peace Tea, Sodiem Clothing, and Giannini Guitars, prnewswire.com, 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!!! On last night’s (November 24, 2013) AMAs, A LOT of stuff happened. Ok, ready? Let’s get started!
Host:
This year’s AMAs were hosted by Latin rap superstar Pitbull, who certainly seemed to be appreciative of his hosting gig. Pitbull said that it was a miracle that he was hosting the award show, and that he was living the American dream. Although Pitbull’s opening monologue was short, he did make a pop culture reference when he asked several female dancers to come on stage to twerk for the crowd. He also explained that twerking was not a new concept, and stated various names that twerking has been giving, previous to Miley Cyrus adopting the dance.
Winners:
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist: Justin Timberlake
With the tremendous success of his latest 2 part album ‘The 20/20 Experience’, it’s obvious why Justin tops pop this year.
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist: Rihanna
Once again Rihanna proves why she is an unstoppable force in the music industry, by adding yet another award to her long list of achievements.
Favorite Country Album: ‘Red’ by Taylor Swift
The golden girl strikes again (and no I was not referring to her hair color) ! The first award that Taylor won last night was so appropriate and well deserved.
Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album: ‘The Heist’ by Ryan Lewis & Macklemore
This team has had an iron claw on radio since their song ‘Thrift Shop’ made thrift stores cool (now you know you want to go to a thrift store and just start rapping…yes you do, don’t deny it!). They have had similar success with their numerous other tracks such as ‘Same Love’ and ‘Can’t Hold Us’, so it’s obvious why they would take this award home.
Favorite Alternative Rock Artist: Imagine Dragons
One thing that keeps this band on top is their constant habit to always evolve musically. Even though they had us hooked when their hit song ‘It’s Time’ first hit the airways, Imagine Dragon has continued to push their musical capabilities with their equally infectious tracks ‘Radioactive’ and ‘Demons’.
Favorite Latin Music Artist: Marc Anthony
For the past few decades Marc Anthony has been an icon in Latin and mainstream music, so it’s not surprising that fans still love him.
Favorite Pop/Rock Album: ‘Take Me Home’ by One Direction
C’mon was it ever a question that this super group would win! Since their U.S. debut in 2011 with the smash ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, this boy band has had an iron grip on the hearts of U.S fans. This was One Direction’s first AMA, and as if that wasn’t special enough, they were the only British group of the night to win an American Music Award.
Favorite New Artist of the Year: Ariana Grande
This powerhouse vocalist has been compared to many iconic female vocalists, and if this year is any indication, she will have a very long and successful career. At only 20 years old, Ariana has had a role on a successful Broadway musical, has been on two highly successful TV shows, and has had a number 1 album. So this is a girl you should definitely keep your eye on, and if you haven’t, pick up her debut album ‘Yours Truly’.
Icon Award: Rihanna
At the ripe old age of 25, super star Rihanna won the 1st ever Icon Award last night. With many accolades which include: six Grammy Awards, 12 number one singles, and the honor of being Billboard’s highest selling digital artist of the 2000s, it is obvious to see why Rihanna is a musical icon. The award was made extra special because Rihanna’s mother presented the award to her (Ok, everyone say AWWWWWWW!), so last night was a good night to be Rihanna, good job girl!
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist: Justin Timberlake
Since 1993, when a fresh faced young boy named Justin Timberlake appeared on ‘The Mickey Mouse Club’, he has had full control of the hearts of fans. From his time as a member of the highly successful boy band N’ Sync, to his even more successful solo career, Justin’s iron grip on the music industry has only tightened with age. And I have to say that it was so funny when Justin won, he walked over to Taylor Swift and started mouthing “Oh my god, oh my god” (yes, my words exactly Justin).
Favorite Country Female Artist: Taylor Swift
Ok, for 1 minute we’re going to pretend that this was a surprise…ok minute over now back to the blog. Well, Taylor had such a successful night last night, adding 4 more awards to her large collections (Have you ever wondered how many award shelves she must have?).
Favorite Single of the Year: ‘Cruise’ by Florida Georgia Line Feat. Nelly
This cross-over track has controlled mainstream and country radio for the last year, and has turned country duo Florida Georgia Line into a household name. With all of this considered, it makes perfect sense that this song won the AMAs first ever ‘Single of the Year’ award.
Favorite Soul/R&B Album: Justin Timberlake
Yes Justin Timberlake won again! (It was a good night to be Justin Timberlake! GO Justin GO Justin! ok my fangirl moment is over).
Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist: Avicii
This has been a huge year for electronic dance music, and Avicii’s mega hit ‘Wake Me Up’, featuring vocalist Aloe Blacc, has certainly put him in the fore front of the minds of music lovers.
Favorite Country Male Artist: Luke Bryan
The country superstar has been burning up the charts, as well as celebrating a very successful year with a lot of awards. It seems that fans just can’t get enough of this rising king of country.
Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group: One Direction
Now when you say the words ‘favorite’, ‘pop’, ‘group’, you gotta think of One Direction. These guys have gone from reality show contestants to full-fledged pop superstars, and with the release of yet another #1 album, it’s obvious that there is no stopping these talented guys (good job Simon Cowell, we are forever in debt to you!).
Favorite Country Group: Lady Antebellum
This group has had quite the year, from releasing a successful album, to performing with the legendary Stevie Nicks; this group is truly making their mark on music history.
Favorite Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Just when you think that Taylor can’t do anything else to surprise us, she does something amazing like this. Good job Taylor, after all your success with ‘Red’ you deserve this award (c’mon you know she does…don’t be mean)
The following awards were not presented during the actual award show:
Favorite Female Artist-Pop/Rock:
This award shows that Taylor’s music has now gone beyond genre restrictions, and that her fans now span an extremely large demographic.
Favorite Artist-Adult Contemporary:
From their hit 2002 album ‘Songs about Jane’, this rock band has had the hearts and ears of fans worldwide. With front man Adam Levine’s participation on the hit NBC show ‘The Voice’, this band has only gotten more and more popular.
Favorite Artist-Contemporary Inspirational: Matthew West
This super star has been taking his fans “to church” ever since his award winning 2003 debut album ‘Happy’. Matthew has also written tracks for numerous Christian and mainstream acts (such as Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, and country music legend Vince Gill).
Top Soundtrack: Pitch Perfect
Ok on the count of three everyone say YESSSSS. Ready? One, two, oh I can’t wait YESSSSS! You know you’ve been spending the past year quoting every line form this movie, and singing every song. So of course it would make sense that this movie is so successful I mean it brought us Fat Amy right?! You may now jump in the air and fangirl…ok time’s up.
Performances:
There were so many amazing performances this year so let’s get started!
Katy Perry kicked off the show with a performance of her hit song ‘Unconditionally’. The performance had a Japanese theme, complete with Katy and her dancers wearing beautiful, multicolored kimonos, and dancing with fans. The screens behind Katy had visuals of Japanese lanterns rising up, which helped the overall effect of the performance. There was also a Zen garden on the stage, and midway through the performance, Katy danced with an umbrella as strobe lights shined around her. The performance ended with confetti falling from the ceiling, as some of the dancers did acrobatic tricks in the air. Katy then ascended the stairs, a smoke screen emerged, and then Katy disappeared. A very cool way to end a performance if you ask me!
Next up was the super group of the moment, One Direction. The guys sang the track ‘Story of my Life’ one of the singles off of their latest hit record ‘Midnight Memories’. The staging consisted of several small light bulbs which resembled candles, and gave a very intimate feel to the performance. The guys mostly stood still during their performance, but in typical 1D fashion, they looked as if they were singing to every individual girl in the audience. Such a solid performance by the guys on their big night!
Ariana Grande was the next performer, and even though she tweeted that she was extremely nervous about her performance, she certainly didn’t show it. Ariana sang a very small portion of her hit song ‘The Way’, and then dove into a full rendition of her 50’s inspired hit ‘Tattooed Heart’. The throwback style performance was made complete with 4 backup singers, who all sang with old school 50’s style mics (you know the one’s that can’t be taken off of their stand, but look really cool. Oh and Ariana also sang with this kind of mic, so it made her performance that much more authentic). When Ariana finished performing, she received a standing ovation, and it was definitely deserved, because her voice was so strong and precise, despite the fact that she has been performing A LOT…don’t you wish you were this amazing? I sure do!
Imagine Dragons were up next, and they definitely brought the rock and roll with them. Their set started with their newest hit ‘Demons’, which included cool blue lights and a lot of smoke on the stage. They then transitioned into their song ‘Radioactive’, which included red lights and yeah you guessed it smoke! At another part of the performance, all the members of the band had a drum solo, so that was so different and cool!
The man of the honor was up next…yup you guessed it Pitbull! Pop star Ke$ha joined him on their hit song ‘Timber’ with several dancers on stage with them. The staging consisted of two staircases, and there was a lot of really cool fire shooting all over the stage. The pressure was definitely on for Pitbull to deliver on this performance because of his job as host, and….he delivered. Two thumbs up!
Justin Timberlake was up next and as always he delivered. JT sang the track ‘Drink You Away’, one of the songs off of his album ‘The 20/20 Experience’. He introduced himself as Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids, and the band included several backup singers, and instrumentalist. Justin also played the guitar during his performance (he sings, dances, acts, writes music, plays guitar, seriously what can this guy not do!). The performance once again proved that this super star isn’t going anywhere!
Country duo Florida Georgia Line performed their infectious cross-over hit ‘Cruise’ with hip hop star Nelly next. All three guys did an amazing job performing the song, and once the song was completed, they transitioned into singing Nelly’s 2001 hit ‘Ride wit Me’, which was unexpected, but was also a very cool transition. Since Florida Georgia Line and Nelly have been performing this song on award shows all year, it was nice to see them do something different with this performance.
AMA Icon award .winner Rihanna performed her super hit ‘Diamonds’ next, and she definitely “shined bright like a diamond” (I’m sorry I had to say it). Rihanna wore a beautiful black dress, a pearl chocker, pearl barrettes, and diamond earrings, which made her performance, look very elegant. Between the stunning ensemble that Rihanna wore, and her incredible vocals, Rihanna proved that she is a musical icon!
Next up was Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who performed live from Miami via satellite feed (don’t you just love technology!). The two performed their latest hit ‘Can’t Hold Us’, and their staging had lights of various colors, and some of the lyrics appeared on the screen behind them. They brought a lot of energy to their performance (as always!), and proved why they deserved such a great year (because c’mon, 2013 was a very good year for these guys!).
Multi-talented superstar Jennifer Lopez performed next, with an amazing tribute to late Cuban superstar Celia Cruz. JLo performed a medley of some of the late superstar’s hit songs. Her performance showcased numerous dancers doing many Latin style dances, and JLo (who had 3 quick changes during the performance) proved that her dancing skills haven’t lost a beat during her many years in the industry. She did many difficult dances, including one move at the end of her performance where she was lifted into the air by her partner, and ended in a plank position above his head. This performance was actually my favorite of the night, you gotta love her.
Great Big World and Christina Aguilera performed their chart topper ‘Say Something’ next, and it was pure magic. My favorite thing about their performance was the fact that the two acts have such distinct voices; however their voices still blend together so perfectly.
Hip Hop artist Kendrick Lamar performed his hit track ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ next and showed that he is one to watch in hip hop. The artist is currently opening for Kanye West, and his performance at the AMAS last night demonstrated that he won’t remain an opening act for very long.
Country superstar Luke Bryan performed his hit ‘My Kinda Night’ next, and he certainly received a warm welcome form the crowd. The back screen behind Luke had a ring pattern that grew and then collapsed (it sort of reminded me of a screensaver, it was really cool). The staging also consisted of lots of red and white lights, and of course included Luke’s signature dancing. All in all it was a very fun performance, that made you wanna get up and dance.
Iconic R&B group TLC made a special appearance next, and performed their hit ‘Waterfalls’ with the assistance of rap/hip hop artist Lil’ Mama. The group performed all of the original dance moves from the ‘Waterfalls’ music video, and Lil’ Mama did an excellent job performing the rapping segment of the song. At the end of the performance, the back screen showed a photo of the late Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes, which was a beautiful touch to the performance. The performance itself was amazing, and showed just how great T-Boz and Chili are, due to the fact that they can still perform the iconic song with such precession and skill, even after all these years.
So all in all, the AMAs were full of exciting 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 all those who have any part of the production, conception, implementation, or are in any other way involved with the AMA awards, Pitbull, Justin Timberlake, all those involved in the production, conception, implementation, or are in any other way involved with the following albums or singles: The 20/20 Experience, Red, The Heist, Take me Home, Songs of Jane, Thrift Shop, It’s Time, Can’t Stop Us, Yours Truly, Same Love, Radioactive, Demons, What Makes You Beautiful, Cruise, Wake Me Up, and Happy, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Imagine Dragons, Marc Anthony, One Direction, Ariana Grande, The Mickey Mouse Club, N’ Sync, Nelly, Florida Georgia Line, Avicii, Aleo Blacc, Luke Bryan, Simon Cowell, Lady Antebellum, Stevie Nicks, Maroon 5, Adam Levine, Matthew West, Fat Amy, Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Vince Gill, all of the individuals, labels, and other corporations associated with any and all artists, bands, groups, and individuals mentioned in this blog post, 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.
