So happy to be featuring all of these great artists, authors, and designers on the blog, and there are definitely more to come! As always, feel free to email me if you would like your work to be featured!Today, the spotlight is on Irish pop/rock band, The Enemies! Founding members Ronan McQuillan (lead vocals/guitar) and actor Colin O’Donoghue (vocals/guitar) started the band back in 2003, adding along members John Boy Berkley (bass), Johnny Crean (guitar), and Dazzy Oglesby (drums) along the way. In 2010, the guys finally buckled down and got serious about their music career, getting in the studio to record together! “You have to have a passion for music to pursue it as a career. Like any career really. Being surrounded by creative and talented people makes it an easy decision. There has to be a belief in what you do to continue through the bad times. And lots of sacrifice,” the band said of their career. That strong passion is definitely clear in their music!
Check out more about The Enemies below!
Inspired by the likes of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, John Mayer, and Bob Dylan, just to name a few, The Enemies perfectly blends pop and rock for their awesome sound! The music scene in their home country of Ireland is thriving as well and serves as inspiration on the band’s road to success! “There are the big league guys like U2 and The Script who we all admire,” said Ronan, also naming Kodaline as a band to watch out for! “While we look up to these bands we tend to concentrate on our own sound that hopefully sets us apart from the rest,” he added.
Currently, The Enemies are signed to L.A. based agency A&R Worldwide, which is behind the success of artists like Adele, LMFAO, Muse, Coldplay, and more! Working to get global recognition, the band is finishing up their debut album Sounds Big on the Radio, which is sure to be a big success. “Hearing one of our songs, “Perfect Stranger,” on Irish national radio last year, and how big it sounded through FM stereo prompted the album title,” the band said on the inspiration behind the project. “That rush when it we heard it on radio mixed with the realization that potentially thousands of other people are hearing it at the same time in their car or their kitchen or wherever is very exciting. We decided that all the album tracks should have the same impact.”
The album is a combination of tracks that the band has been working on and playing live for the past two years along with new music! Though Colin isn’t currently a full fledged member of the band anymore (he can presently be seen as the bad boy Captain Hook on ABC’s Once Upon a Time!), he has contributed vocals and instruments on the album as well. A contemporary rock pop record, Sounds Big on the Radio will be released sometime next year. “We’re hoping to get a label to put it out, so shopping for potential labels begins soon as the masters are delivered to us,” Ronan said.
In addition to finishing up the album, The Enemies are always composing music for major brands like Chevy and ESPN. In fact, they just finished Playstation 4’s launch music, and have also composed for advertisements for Durex! Their song "Sustain" was featured on Direct TV's 3D surfing documentary series Gone Until December in the U.S. and they've also co-written and recorded the theme tune for the 2012 animated global TV show Max Adventures. They've also recorded the music for major ice-cream brand Cornetto’s new global ad which was inspired by their own song “Dark Light”.In the future, the band hopes to be recording music for years to come, becoming a timeless band that people will love, and touring places around the world! With their talent and ambition, the future is very bright for this group!
You can learn more about The Enemies on their official website, as well as connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr. They love to connect with their fans, so definitely hit them up! And be on the lookout for Sounds Big on the Radio when it hits--I’ll be rocking out to it for sure!
It's a very cute video...I just wasn't feeling her flicking that fan all over the place! But it was cute. I still hope that, for her next album, Ariana turns away from the Nick vibe a little bit. She's definitely a girly girl, and I'm sure we'll always get that from her, but with her talent, I want her to give a little more with visuals and performance. I love this song though!
What did you think of the video?
Image via DirectLyrics
Today, the spotlight is on British electro-folk singer Samuel Gough! Born to an artistic family in London (his father was a writer, and his mother and grandfather were actors), music was introduced in his childhood relatively early, mostly classical. At seven years old, he began singing in a “very strict, terrifying school choir,” but at 14 he branched out and put a band together with friends called STUBBLE, as his boarding school. He was in boarding school at the time, but got permission to hit the local country pubs on Saturday night to play covers of old Cream, B.B. King and Allman Brothers songs. He ended up starting another band at 16 with his sister and cousins once based in Spain, on the island of Mallorca, playing the local summer fiestas!
Read more about Samuel below!
Yet what Samuel calls the “lighting bolt” moment of knowing he wanted to pursue music was at the age of 17, as he was on a train to London to start training in opera. While reading an old Allman Brothers article in Rolling Stone, and the imagery of Duane Allman pulling out his motorcycle from the tour bus and taking off on the open road inspired Samuel. “Something just lit me up,” he said. Inspired by artists like Simon and Garfunkel, Queen, Mozart, as well as Ry Cooder, Paco de Lucia, and, of course, the Allman Brothers, Samuel has a pretty eclectic taste in music. The London music scene also sparked his creativity. “My sister ran a little kind of “speakeasy” in town, The Asylum, filled every night with all the local musicians who’d come down and let off steam after a show,” he said. Close by, were blues and country music clubs, all of which had great musicians that just played from the heart. Samuel was even inspired from visiting different flamenco bars. “I guess this gave me a sense of no limits in my music,” he said of the various styles he heard, “not following any one style, and sticking it in a box.”
Samuel recently released his LP Day Broken on September 30, 2013. The singer worked with producers Sleep Deez and Aidan Clarke, which he calls a “humbling experience.” “[They are] two guys who give so effortlessly--passion, creativity, understanding, and, above all, no bulls**t,” he said. When asked what his favorite tracks are from the EP, Samuel chose lead single “Morning Light,” and the title track “Day Broken, “both for how easily they were written. Both [were] created at day break.” Samuel added, “Words and music flew out as if they'd always been there. They lift me up, these tracks.”
Currently, the singer is in Paris, working on an electro-folk project for French TV with French jazz composer and maestro horn player Gnowee. He’s also writing new songs and arranging old tracks for a re-release of Day Broken. This artist is truly fearless, and doesn’t want to put any limits on his music and creativity! “Coming from a classical background, being deeply influenced by Flamenco and also albums like A Meeting By The River [by Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt], I feel things cinematically, and every visual has a different soundtrack to it,” he said. “As the long as the music is TRUE, there is nothing that cannot be done.” In the future, Samuel would love to branch away from the norm for his career. He wants to play around the world, but in unexpected expected places. “Ancient ruins, Greek temples, out in the desert,” the creative artists is thinking, “using local sounds and players to color my brand of cinematic country-folk, in so giving the music new life at every turn.”
You can check out more about Samuel on his official website. He is truly a talented artist with a unique voice, beautiful lyrics, and amazing sound! Definitely an artist that you want to check out for those who love electro and folk, and even those who want to branch away from their typical genres!
Image via Samuel Gough
Looks like Kim Kardashian has another ring to flaunt. At Kim's 33rd birthday celebration last night at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Kanye West reportedly popped the question in a huge way!After asking Kris Jenner for her daughter’s hand in marriage, Kanye supposedly gave Kim a huge 15-carat diamond ring from Lorraine Schwarts, while the field’s jumbo screen flashed, “PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!!”
A 50-piece orchestra played Lana Del Rey‘s “Young and Beautiful,” followed by Keri Hilson, Ne-Yo and Kanye’s ”Knock You Down. Then a display of fiireworks hit the sky! Really really grand, as only could be expected.
This will be Kim's third marriage. Her first was from 2000-2003 to music producer Damon Thomas. Her second, which was just finalized in April, was to Brooklyn Nets player Kris Humphries and lasted only 72 days after their lavish wedding in August 2011. All power to her for wanting to get married again. I just hope that this time it lasts for her!
Images via Getty/Splash/E!
I'll admit. I was VERY NERVOUS when this was announced. I respect both Drew and KeKe as actresses, but I wasn't sure they could pull something like this off honestly. I REALLY wasn't sure about Lil Mama. However, after seeing one of the trailers, I quickly changed my mind! Lil Mama looked so much like Left Eye, it was ridiculous. The trio captured TLC's chemistry and mannerisms to a tee! So it was definitely a movie that I had to check out and review!
Check out my thoughts and sound off about the movie below!
The movie starts off with the group's individual humble beginnings. T-Boz started off just really kicking it and dancing at Jellybeans, a skating rink in Atlanta. Left Eye spent her time rapping on the streets of the ATL to get a little money, while Chili was a background dancer and in school. We see original TLC member Crystal Jones for all of five minutes as she approaches T-Boz with the idea to get signed to LaFace Records, which, back then, was the hottest label around down in Atlanta, and was run by L.A. and Babyface. Pebbles owned her own management company, Pebbitone, within LaFace. As T-Boz already had a strong connection with Left Eye and knew her skills, the girls quickly scored an audition at LaFace. However, Crystal didn't cut it, leaving Pebbles to have to find another girl. Chili impressed her with her vocals at a rehearsal and was quickly added to the group. Left Eye gives her the nickname "Chilli" and they keep their original name of TLC. That's how it all starts.
Throughout the movie, we see the ups and the downs of TLC's career, including Pebbles' hard hand on the girls. In two hours and thirty minutes, we get the story that many of us already knew. We see just how the girls were treated horribly with their contracts (though, to be fair, they were a little too eager in signing in the first place). Even after millions of albums sold, TLC wasn't really making money like that (Left Eye broke down the music industry formula towards the end when the group filed for
bankruptcy). We even see the girls breaking into Clive Davis' office with a crew of girls, demanding their money! It was a real insight into how the music industry really can be, which is why a lot of artists are staying or going independent. You can be a huge mainstream artist, and, due to label and management fees, as well as touring, lawyers, and all of that, not really see a dime. Pebbles is possibly looking to sue for defamation, but she has to prove that this movie (which held a lot of facts that we already knew anyway) is really damaging her reputation. I don't think she'll win if she does try to sue, but hey, she can try I guess. TLC's perception is their perception.We also saw the girls' own personal individual struggles. Chilli, of course, had an up and down relationship with producer and songwriter Dallas Austin (played by Evan Ross). She became pregnant early on in the group's beginning, and actually got an abortion. Later, they had a son, but eventually Chilli broke it off after being tired of dealing with his player ways. We see T-Boz's struggle with sickle-cell anemia, as she is frequently hospitalized and has to be checked out during touring. It was said that she would never have children, but she has a daughter now from her relationship with rapper Mack 10.
Of course, Left Eye's story line was the most complex of all. We watch her get into various relationships, including her infamous one with footballer Andre Rison (and yes, we saw her light a match to those sneakers and burn his house down!). More than likely it had to do with her own relationship with her father We also see her wanting to branch out from TLC and really get into her s
Her alcohol and depression problems were also highlighted. However, in spite of it all, it could be seen that Left Eye was "crazy creative," as T-Boz put it towards the end. We see Left Eye's spiritual journey in Honduras, and her untimely death is peeked into a bit.
Sorry to disappoint, but there is NO discussion of Usher and Chilli's relationship, which I was actually fine with. I don't think that really would've added to the overall story of the group. People just wanted to know what happened more so than anything, but I guess that will be left for folks to debate about (Chilli did make it known that she was NOT the inspiration behind "Confessions," though and that he never cheated!).
I HAVE to give it up to Lil Mama for this role! In all honesty, she was the one that I was most worried about in the casting, especially since Left Eye is no longer here. Everybody was looking to her to see what she would bring to the table, and SHE KILLED IT! I mean, from Left Eye's appearance to her voice and mannerisms, Lil Mama really got it down pat! It was very impressive to watch. KeKe and Drew were very impressive too, though sometimes Drew faded in and out to me as T-Boz at times. However, I loved their chemistry together, and think that they were indeed the best actresses to pull this off. Shout out to T-Boz and Chilli for creating this movie with VH1, and giving us a new possible VH1 classic to watch. RIP Left Eye!
What did you think of Crazy Sexy Cool?
Image via VH1/Fan Pop
Born Dan Sultanov, he grew up in the mix of two cultures, Russian and Azerbaijani, both strong, yet very different walks of life. Sultanov grew up in a very artistic family, which fueled his own artistic side. His grandfather is internationally known Azerbaijani painter and draughtsman, Tahir Salakhov, a leader in Russian art. Sultanov’s mother is a painter and dancer, and his father has been playing music all of his life. The singer was always With that in his blood, it was only natural that Sultanov himself would break out into the arts, and he chose to dive headfirst into music!
Check out more from Sultanov below!
Sultanov went to jazz music school, and studied the saxophone between the ages of seven and sixteen, but eventually gave it up. He also played guitar, and was even in a band during his time at the International Relations University, covering bands like Metallica and Suicidal Tendencies. However, after getting involved into advertising business after graduation, he realized he wanted to seriously pursue a musical career. “I understood that if I wouldn`t go into music seriously and professionally and devote myself to it, I would regret for the rest of my life,” Sultanov admitted. “I didn’t want to just be in a band playing covers in clubs. I wanted to do something serious with my music,” he said.
Sultanov actively sought producers overseas to work with and came across producer Andy Wright. “The process with Andy started with me playing him my first song now called "What lies beneath,” he said. “Then I showed him other melodies, [and] we together added onto them [and] worked on different musical arrangements,” he said of working with Andy. “We worked in a small room, playing different instruments, trying different tempos, rhythms, giving ideas. I was singing mostly all of the lead and backing vocals during this sketching.”
The result of their work is the singer’s debut self-titled album, Sultanov, which is on the way for listeners here in the U.S (Europe listeners can buy the album now on iTunes)! Of course the project reflects his Azerbaijani heritage, as well as his Russian life, plus American and English rock and pop--truly a multicultural project! Influenced by a wide variety of artists from Tchaikovsky and Beethoven to the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Sultanov focuses on combining energy, romance, rhythm, and melody for his debut. “For me, melody is the key component to any song. So I’ve focused on this and worried less about what genre it fits into,” he said of the project. He’s been steadily working on it for the last four years, and the album is sure to showcase the singer’s great talent and creativity! Catch a sample below!
You can learn more about Sultanov on his official website, and connect with him on Facebook, VEVO, and Soundcloud!
