Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to talk about something a little different. Today, July 19th, is the 7 year anniversary of Rebecca Black’s second single ‘My Moment’ (which followed her viral internet hit ‘Friday’). Why am I talking about this you ask? Well because Rebecca Black honestly has a very interesting story that is a HUGE part of YouTube history as a whole (also we did previously discuss the ‘Rebecca Black Effect’ that was a trend for a little while a few years ago, you can check out that post here: http://celindareyesblog.com/2014/06/youtube-wednesday-the-rebecca-black-effect/). Just like TV or film teen stars, Rebecca spent her entire teen years in the spotlight. Now being a teenager can either be the best or worst time of your life, but it’s definitely harder when your attempt at making your dreams come true get turned into a giant worldwide joke. Honestly I never (and still don’t) understand why everyone gave her such a hard time. However what I’ve always liked about this story is how Rebecca was able to use this ridicule & turn it into a career doing exactly what she wanted to do. So today we’re going to talk about how Rebecca Black’s song ‘My Moment’ actually predicted her future. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
Now as we know it all began when Rebecca’s parents paid Clarence Jey & Patrice Wilson of Ark Music Factory $4,000 to write & produce a song for Rebecca, & record a music video for her. I couldn’t find an exact number in regards to how much money Rebecca has made from ‘Friday’ (although I’m sure we can all guess). What we do know is that this song led to A LOT of opportunities for her. Katy Perry (who was honestly having the best year of her career, at least at the time this post is being written) immediately came to Rebecca’s defense by not only inviting her to perform ‘Friday’ at various upcoming shows she had, but also giving Rebecca a lead role in her ‘T.G.I.F’ music video which premiered in June 2011. Other high profiled celebrities such as: Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, Simon Cowell, & Lady Gaga also came to Rebecca’s defense, and the song was covered on the 2nd season of the hit Fox show ‘Glee’. Rebecca continued to ride this fame by uploading more original music, as well as beauty/fashion videos on her YouTube channel. Throughout the rest of her teen years, Rebecca hosted the 2011 ‘YouTube Rewind’ as well as the 1st MTV ‘O Music Awards’ Fan Army Party’, has appeared at VidCon (one of the biggest annual YouTube conventions), had her own Go90 (an online streaming site) show called ‘Life After Friday’, as appeared on the reality show ‘The Four’, is an ambassador for anti-bullying campaigns, and so much more!
So now back to your original question, why are we talking about ‘My Moment’? Well although ‘Friday’ is what made Rebecca Black famous, ‘My Moment’ is what showed that she had staying power. Most of us have dealt with some sort of bullying in our lives, but nothing compares to the worldwide ridicule that Rebecca faced. To go through that throughout your teen years & still pursue in a career in the entertainment industry is not only admirable, but also very brave. However, personal strength & determination alone don’t make a successful career. Rebecca could’ve easily become just a forgettable part of internet history, but instead has been able to hold our attention all these years later. If you think about it, there have been other “internet sensations” that have quickly burned out, and now are never mentioned. Even though internet fame can come quickly, it can also disappear even more quickly. In the opening lines of ‘My Moment’, Rebecca says, “Weren’t you the one who said that I would be nothing, well I’m about to prove you wrong”, and it looks like she was right.
Check out Rebecca here:
Website: https://www.rebeccablackonline.com/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/rebecca/featured?disable_polymer=1
Twitter:https://twitter.com/msrebeccablack
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msrebeccablack/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IAmRebeccaBlack
Hello people of the Internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to talk about an AMAZING new video that’s going around YouTube. If you haven’t heard of mini martial arts expert Jesse Jane McParland then prepare to have your mind blown. At only 10 years old Jesse is a world kickboxing champion, and already has 117 martial arts titles to her name (seriously impressive!). So please keep reading and prepare to be completely amazed. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
Jesse made a huge impact on the world when she competed on the reality T.V. show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ in early 2015. She ended up placing 8th in the competition, but definitely became a fan favorite throughout her time on the show. A few days ago a YouTube video of Jesse competing at the 2015 World Championship Kickboxing tournament surfaced on YouTube, and once again we got to see how awesome she is. Jesse did some really cool routines with a sword that you just HAVE to check out in the video below. Needless to say this isn’t the last time that Jesse will amaze us with her martial arts skills. With a future of endless possibilities one thing is for certain, you definitely don’t want to mess with this girl.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we are going to discuss a trio that is quickly making their way to becoming country music superstars. Please allow me to ask y’all a question. When you think of Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum, and The Band Perry what comes to mind? Talent, great artistry, amazing vocals, all around awesomeness? Well be prepared to add another INCREDIBLE trio to that list very soon. People of the internet please allow me to introduce Restless Road.
Restless Road began their journey as contestants on season 3 of the X Factor USA. The three original members: Zach Beeken, Colton Pack, and Andrew Scholz originally auditioned as solo artists, but eventually were combined as a group and mentored by Simon Cowell. As they began to compete as a group, Restless Road made it into the ‘Four Chair Challenge’ portion of the competition (which was a section in which the acts competed, and their mentors choose four acts to take into the live shows portion of the show). During the ‘Four Chair Challenge’ of the competition, Restless Road dazzled the judges with their rendition of Keith Urban’s hit ‘Somebody Like You’. This well executed performance propelled them to the live shows. In the live shows, the trio showed off their advanced level of artistry by performing a country version of Katy Perry’s hit track ‘Roar’. Restless Road advanced to the top 12, and treated their fans to their rendition of the beloved song ‘Easy’ by the Commodores (in honor of ‘Motown’ week). Unfortunately due to a graphics error that nullified the votes, Restless Road was forced to sing a different song in the re-vote show. They stayed true to their country roots by choosing the track ‘Don’t You Wanna Stay’ by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. The next show had an ’80’s’ theme, so Restless Road decided to incorporate their country roots into the performance by selecting country superstar Blake Shelton version of the 1984 hit ‘Footloose’ ( originally performed by Kenny Loggins, who sang the song for the 1980s classic musical ‘Footloose’). The next challenge the trio took on was ‘British Invasion’ night. Restless Road room on this challenge like pros, and performed a country rendition of Coldplay’s mega hit ‘Fix You’. This choice ended up being a crowd favorite, and definitely proved that Restless Road can handle emotional ballads. Next up was ‘Big Band’ night, in which the trio covered Rascal Flatts’ version of the 1991 Tom Cochrane hit, “Life Is a Highway”. The next competition night was ‘Divas/Unplugged’ night, and the trios choose to perform ‘Red’ by Taylor Swift as their “diva” song. Their ‘unplugged’ song was ‘Wake Me Up’ by Avicii (Restless Road’s version of this track reached #1 on the iTunes country chart). After conquering every test the show threw at them, Restless Roads entered the semi finals, where they performed ‘That’s My Kind of Night’ by Luke Bryan (which the public chose), and ‘Wanted’ by Hunter Hayes (which the trio chose). Unfortunately Restless Road was eliminated the next night and finished 4th in the competition (but considering all of the thousands of people they had to beat out, and the fact that they were not a trio before the competition, finishing 4th is pretty impressive!).
On February 25th, 2014, Restless Road uploaded their first YouTube video since Colton’s departure. The video was a cover of Keith Urban’s hit song ‘Cop Car’ (Restless Road Cop Car), off of his latest album ‘Fuse’. I really enjoyed this cover because it allowed fans to see how much Zach and Andrew grew vocally, since there time on The X Factor ended. I also liked that they didn’t perform any harmonies on this track, because you were really able to hear how strong their vocals are individually, and this excited me for how amazing they will now sound together. All in all, they performed an excellent rendition of a very difficult song (because Keith Urban is AMAZING!), and thus proved that they are ready to compete in mainstream country music. On May 28th, 2014 Restless Road uploaded their version of One Direction’s latest hit ‘You & I'(Restless Road You & I), with new group member Jared Keim. I have to say that this is definitely one of my favorite Restless Road covers ever, because it really demonstrates how far the trio has come. In this song all 3 guys proved that they are talented vocalist (and Jared proved that he is an AMAZING guitarist), and have the potential and meticulous hard work to only get better and better. I really loved the chemistry that the three members share, and am excited to see what they release next. I really enjoy that Restless Road continues to impress me time after time, and I know that these YouTube covers are just a small taste of what this powerhouse trio has in store (yay!!!).
In 2014, Andrew and Zach announced that Colton had left the group, but that they would both continue in the group. On May 28, 2014, Andrew and Zach posted their rendition of the One Direction song ‘You and I’, and in doing so, officially introduced their fans to the newest member of Restless Road, Jared Keim. Restless Road has stated through their social media sites that they are currently writing and recording new original music for their fans. On June 3rd, 2014, Restless Road uploaded a Ustream session (a website that allows people to hold Q&A and/or performance sessions) to YouTube. In this Ustream session they discussed the future of Restless Road, answered questions, and really allowed their fans to see their true personalities (BTW they are really funny guys, y’all should definitely check out the video).
So as you can see, Restless Road is on their way to becoming country music’s next super trio. With talent, ambition, charisma, and a loyal fan base, there is no stopping these superstars. I can definitely see them performing on numerous large scale platforms (stadiums, award shows, etc.) one day, and their sound and vocal versatility is also very radio friendly. It seems as if the stars are aligning perfectly for this power trio, and I for one am excited to see where their “Restless Road” takes them.
Stay in touch with Restless Road:
YouTube: Restless Road
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RestlessRdMusic
Andrew’s Twitter: Andrew Scholz (Andrew_Scholz) on Twitter
Zach’s Twitter: Zach Beeken (zachbeeken) on Twitter
Jared’s Twitter: Jared Keim (JaredKeim) on Twitter
Facebook: Restless Road | Facebook
Instagram: restlessrdmusic on Instagram
Andrew’s Instagram: andrewscholz on Instagram
Zach’s Instagram: zbeeken on Instagram
Jared’s Instagram: Jared has an Instagram but I couldn’t get a link for it on my computer, but his username is jaredkeimofficial