What's in a name? In the wide world of popular music, there exist a privileged few naturally christened with original names—Beyoncé, Prince, Cher—and even fewer who are musically compelling enough to merit the honor. LeTrainiump Richard—mononymously styled simply "LeTrainiump"—sings, composes, and produces pop music that blends the likes of Michael Jackson, New Edition and SWV, flavored with a synthesized something that revamps the '90s pop spirit that he embodies.
"I feel like opportunities have gone around me, you know [to] the person to my left or to my right just because I don’t have the 'look’ that the next person would have…Blonde hair, blue eyes, you know what I mean. That seems to be the thing, and it seems to be what’s accepted."
"Being from Mamou, Louisiana, it shaped my idea of music because you’re from the zydeco capital of the world," Richard recalls. "Every party in high school always revolved around zydeco. So, music was like second nature to everyone there. But for me, I actually didn’t start doing it there. I didn’t really start playing music until I was about 14 years old."
Like LeTrainiump himself in this year of new beginnings, Purity seeks to make sense of change—to find a simple philosophy in the midst of global and personal tumult. "As a person going through a lot of firsts, we tend to believe that people are out to help you and save you, and you put your reliance into it, when in reality you’re actually right where you belong…and you are who you are." Along with his characteristic upbeat tunes, Purity features the artist's first ballad, Belong, which he reveals as his second favorite song on the EP. Of the EP in its entirety, he says that it's one track and a little mixing shy of completion, though his recording and performing efforts this year are far from over.
"I’m 28 years old. I’m just starting. Most people are light years ahead of me, but I’m about to come in here swinging, y’all. Everybody is gonna know who I am."
LeTrainiump's will be among the performers at the Cinco de Mayo Housefest in Lafreniere Park in Metairie on Wednesday, May 5, from 3 to 10 p.m.
Chinese Pop Music Star JJ Lin Signs With UTA (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter
Chinese pop music superstar JJ Lin has signed with UTA for U.S. and European representation in all areas.
The Singaporean artist has reached over 121 billion streams on online music platforms worldwide, while nabbing around 400 music awards across Asia. Last month, Lin released his first English album, Like You Do , through Warner Music, and also recently released "Bedroom," a bittersweet ballad duet with U.K. singer Anne-Marie.
He launched his career with debut album Music Voyager , which earned him the best new artist trophy at the Golden Melody Awards. Lin's earlier hit singles include "River South," "Cao Cao," "If Only" and "Twilight," while he also lent his voice to the Mandarin version of Luis Fonsi's international hit single "Despacito."
Lin has collaborated with Hans Zimmer, Jason Mraz, Ayumi Hamasaki, Steve Aoki and Jackson Wang, among others. And he has completed four world tours and more than 130 shows, with 66 shows from his recent Sanctuary World Tour selling out within 10 minutes of tickets being released.
He was named as one of Forbes Asia's 100 Digital Stars and did guest appearances on China's The Voice . In gaming, Lin launched Team Still Moving under Gunfire (Team SMG), a professional esports team in China and Southeast Asia.
Ryan Tedder Explains NFTs' Appeal, as His Song/Art Combo Is Auctioned - Variety
"I've tried to write a hit that only a handful of people will get to experience," says Tedder, whose combined music-and-art piece is going up for auction as an NFT. And he's just getting started.
If you’ve ever been to Ryan Tedder ’s studio, you know immediately he’s a collector nonpareil in the pop world: Framed documents signed by Gandhi or Napoleon stand nearly side-by-side with a Warhol. But does a love of physical collecting translate into the world of NFTs (non fungible tokens)? For the OneRepublic frontman, it very much does, which might seem like a much shorter stretch if you’re aware that he’s spent the last four years being fairly obsessed with cryptocurrency as something that will transform the world’s future.
Tuesday night, he’s putting his own first official collectibles on the market. He’s collaborated with a street artist, BustArt, on an NFT that combines a new song he’s written with an animation he commissioned. On his website, ryantedder.com , at 7:30 p.m. PT, he’s dropping three “open edition” tokens that will be on sale for just a half-hour. But the real action will begin at 8:15, when an auction will open for limited edition NFTs.
There are four different tiers that will be the subject of bids. At the top level, the auction’s winner will get an NFT that includes the complete digital song and animation, as well as some physical elements like an original canvas and a Zoom chat with Tedder to work on songs or just shoot the Bitcoin breeze. At the lowest tier of the auction, no Zoom, and no complete song, but there is digital video content distinct from what you’d get at the higher levels.
TEDDER: When the NFT thing took off, I was like, “Oh, this is literally the culmination of everything I love: scarcity, art, beauty and interacting with the world.”
For this, I wrote an original song, and the idea that only a handful of people will have access to it is kind of mind-blowing to me, because that’s the opposite of everything I’m trained to do. This is the antithesis of getting into writing songs to write hits. I’ve tried to write a hit that only a handful of people will get to experience.
I have created a song that under any normal circumstance I would jockey and do all the things that songwriters do to get it recorded (by) the biggest artists possible and make it a single that gets released to the world. And if you have a global smash, it can make tens of millions of dollars. I’m doing the opposite. I have no idea how it’s going to end up, by the way. Whatever value it inherently has to collectors is what it will inherently have. With this auction, all of it combined could be $5,000. All of it combined could be $5 million. There’s no way to predict it. Frankly for me, not to sound flippant or cliche, but whatever it nets is so beside the point for me personally. This is about the experience. I’ve had a blast doing it.
What’s the name of the song? And will it really be only the handful of people who possess it who get to hear it?
No, here’s the thing. Whoever ends up with the full song, it’s theirs. They own it. If they want to stream it, upload it to YouTube, they can, but they own the original copy of it. So whatever they want to do with it, they can do with it. Whenever it trades hands, too, I’m aware of it. So if somebody sells it and then somebody else wants the original, it can go up in price. The value increases and we will know every single time one of these things has transacted, in perpetuity.
All The Best New Pop Music From This Week: Ariana Grande, Jorja Smith
This week in pop music saw a number of exciting releases. Ariana Grande and The Weeknd got together for a soaring remix, Jorja Smith announced an anticipated new project, and Chvrches made a grand return.
Seven years after their first collaboration “Love Me Harder” was released, Ariana Grande teamed up once again with The Weeknd to rework his After Hours track “Save Your Tears.” Grande saccharine vocals melt seamlessly over the song’s serrated synths and adds the illusion that the two musicians are singly directly to each other in the track’s lovelorn lyrics.
After ushering in a new era with her hypnotic track “Addicted,” Jorja Smith officially announces her upcoming project Be Right Back with the snappy tune “Gone.” "There's something about being able to write about one thing and for it to mean so many different things to others,” Smith said about the track. “I love that this song, well any of my songs really, will be interpreted in different ways, depending on the experiences of the people listening. This one is just me asking why people have to be taken from us."
Kero Kero Bonito dropped the three-track EP Civilisation II this week. Their track “Well Rested” is bright and airy, a distinct juxtaposition to it’s theme. “Well Rested” (future), our longest track yet at over seven minutes, addresses The Resurrection and humanity’s distant future,” Kero Kero Bonito said. “It’s a humanist manifesto for the Anthropocene in several parts incorporating chants, an insistent four-to-the-floor and field recordings of natural sites.”
Sharing a healthy dose of empowerment, Amber Mark makes a shimmering return with “Worth It,” her first new single in over a year. "We are our own worst critics, and I feel at times we are the hardest on ourselves,” Mark said about the song. "I wrote this song as a mantra to myself in order to lift my spirits in situations where I feel worthless. Whether someone has put you down or you've done it to yourself this song is meant to help you pick yourself up again and remind you just how worthy you are of happiness."
Two of the biggest producers in electronic music, Deadmau5 and Rezz, came together to serve up the expressive single “Hypnocurrency.” The track, which the two musicians have been teasing for some time, teeters between bass-heavy beats and bouyant synths.
Following up on her 2020 debut album Only Child , Sasha Sloan teamed up with country star Sam Hunt to share a new collaboration. Detailing how the song came about, Sloan said: “'When Was It Over?' is about not being able to let go of someone even when you know there's nothing left. [Co-writer Shane McAnally] brought the title into the room and Sam and I both loved it. The rest fell into place from there."
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
LGBTQuestionnaire: Siena Liggins | Billboard
She's been working in pop music for the last three years, but Siena Liggins is here to prove she knows how to make an entrance.
On Ms. Out Tonight , the Detroit-born singer's debut album (out now), Liggins oozes a calm, bossed-up confidence you'd expect from an artist with double her experience. Throughout the sleek, sexy album, Liggins holds nothing back as she lets listeners know that she is not one to be messed with. "I'm right here, I'm fire, I'm buzzing," she croons on "Thicc," as a skittering trap beat underlines her sentence. "Lightyears ahead of these girls/ Ahead of the curve, I put in the work."
But the album also serves as a seminar on representing queer sexuality in music. Throughout the album, Liggins makes no effort to hide her lust, her desire and especially not the girls she has her eye on — in fact, she highlights it for everyone to see. On sexed-up anthems like "Dirty Girl" feat. Yung Baby Tate, "No Valet," "Girlfriend" and more, Liggins leaves no room for interpretation; she's going to write songs about her authentic experience as a queer woman, and those songs are going to make you want to dance.
To celebrate the long-awaited release of her debut album, Liggins took Billboard 's LGBTQuestionnaire -- a series of questions, fill-in-the-blanks, multiple choice answers and so forth -- to help the world get to know its next pop obsession.
How important is social media to your music career?
Not remotely important
I do it but I don't love it
Important, but I have mixed feelings about it
Essential and I mostly love it
2021 is going to be way better than 2020.
No way
I guess
Who can tell?
Yeah, probably
Absolutely 100%
Growing up LGBTQ was taboo for me but also my mom had to know why I always wanted to watch Love Don't Cost A Thing.
There's a song on the album called "First Time" that we went back and forth on a lot. It barely made the deadline, but it has one of my favorite verses on the album.
BTS, Travis Scott and more celebrities are providing some tasty pop to fast food menus –
It’s not uncommon for music by pop superstars to appear in commercials, but these days they come with a side of fries.
Recent months have seen a string of stars from the music world entering into partnerships with fast food chains that sell burgers and help sell the musicians to a wider audience.
McDonald’s has had a string of successes with its “Famous Orders” program, collaborating with Travis Scott, J Balvin and, most recently, international superstar Korean pop group BTS. The fast food giant names a meal after the pop artist that gets promoted on social media.
These promotions transcend boundaries to reach new audiences, according to Richard T. Rodriguez, who is an associate professor of media and cultural studies at UC Riverside with lots of students who listen to BTS.
“It has a different kind of reach that a toy in a Happy Meal doesn’t,” he said in a phone interview.
The promotions are energizing, according to Mark Rosati, culinary director of Shake Shack, who a few weeks ago found himself in a restaurant kitchen making burgers with record producer and musician Benny Blanco.
Rosati, who is a friend of Blanco’s, teamed with the recording artist on a special nacho burger to celebrate the release of Blanco’s album “Friends Keep Secrets 2.”
The burger was available one day in late March at one location, a Shake Shack in West Hollywood, and Blanco and Rosati were there to promote it.
"We connected and bonded over the world of hamburgers and food in general. Benny knows so much about all these different types of cuisine. He has friends in the industry. His passions are so powerful," Rosati said in a phone interview.
Madison filmmaker to honor music icon Clyde Stubblefield in documentary
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A Madison filmmaker is working to make a documentary to preserve the music and legacy of Clyde Stubblefield, a drummer who toured with James Brown before settling in Madison.
For Trevor Banks, Clyde Stubblefield was a family friend, the guy who mentored his dad on the drums. He'd also call the house to see if Trevor's dad, Joey, wanted to play cards. For the rest of Madison, Clyde was the drummer every musician in town wanted to play with.
Stubblefield was a fixture of the Madison music scene for over four decades, after spending six years traveling around the world drumming and recording with James Brown.
In the music world, the man known as the "Funky Drummer" dropped the beats for some of the Godfather of Soul's greatest hits. Those beats made James Brown a lot of money. His beats have been sampled by a wide variety of artists, including Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and Prince.
"He has his fingerprint on so much, from early funk music that he helped pioneer with James Brown, eventually becoming a cornerstone of hip hop through sampling, DJ culture, B Boy culture. hip hop culture, and that even transcended to dance music, electronic music, and pop music.
The Funky Drummer is widely considered to be one of the most sampled artists ever. However, he never saw a dime of the money, thanks to the Wild West nature of sampling in the '80s and '90s hip hop music.
For Banks, it's not about the money. It's about honoring Clyde's name, which is what his documentary "Give the Drummer Some" will be all about.
"At this point in time with Clyde not around, I think it's imperative, whether people need to know or want to know, I think it's important that they do know what Clyde contributed," said Banks. "Especially the people who are reaping the benefits of the fruits of his labor. The people who love hip hop. The people who love James Brown."
"I look at Madison and their embracement of Clyde as a microcosm for how I wish the world embraced him," said Banks. "Madison supported him, championed him. Everyone wanted to work with him. They gave him love. He was a local legend."
New music releases for May: Weezer, Black Keys, Jorja Smith
The famed power-pop act, responsible for such radio friendly singles as “Buddy Holly” and “Island in the Sun” as well as that remarkably faithful and successful cover version of the soft-rock Toto classic “Africa,” is shooting for a harder-edged sound on its 15th studio outing. The title is a nod to classic rock heavyweights Van Halen, with the band explaining on Twitter that the album was being dedicated to the late great Eddie Van Halen “as a thank you for all the incredible music that soundtracked our youth and inspired the record.” Due out May 7; weezer.com .
Cain really turned heads with “Rise Up (Lazarus),” the chart-topping anthem from the country-rock troupe’s self-titled EP of 2020. Now, these Alabama siblings — Taylor, Madison and Logan Cain — hope to make good on the buzz with the release of their first full-length album. Due out May 7; caintheband.com .
Jorja Smith got off to a great start in her career, as her 2018 debut album, “Lost and Found,” topped the U.K. R&B charts and led to her being named best British female artist at the 2019 Brit Awards. The amazing singer, who was also nominated (but lost to Dua Lipa) in the best new artist category at the 2019 Grammy Awards, returns with a new work. Due out May 14; jorjasmith.com .
The Black Keys are back with a collection of hill country blues covers. It’s the band’s 10th full-length album, following 2019’s “Let’s Rock,” and features tunes that were originally popularized by, or otherwise associated with, such Mississippi blues greats as Big Joe Williams, John Lee Hooker, Mississippi Fred McDowell, R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. Due out May 14; theblackkeys.com .
The techno legend is offering up something that is both new and old with his 19th studio album. It’s a collection of songs from throughout his career — including such well-known tracks as “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” and “Natural Blues” — only done up with orchestral and acoustic arrangements and featuring such guest stars as Skylar Grey, Gregory Porter, Kris Kristofferson and Jim James. Due out May 28; moby.com .
Hatsune Miku: Digital Face of a Twenty-First Century Music Revolution | Nippon.com
The “Vocalo P” are transforming the Japanese music scene. Vocalo P refers to producers who use Vocaloid singing-synthesis software to create music and upload it to the internet. Long a subcultural phenomenon, now songs created by this new type of recording artist are climbing the Japanese pop music hit charts and going mainstream.
Perhaps the most well known is the singer-songwriter Yonezu Kenshi. His latest album, Stray Sheep , came out in August of 2020 and secured the #1 spot on the Billboard Japan hit chart. Yonezu began his career as a Vocalo P in 2009, posting his original Vocaloid songs under the name Hachi. In 2012, he launched a new career as a vocalist under his own name. Today he represents a mainstream Japanese pop artist.
Yoasobi is another example. This duo’s big break came from the Vocaloid scene. Their December 2019 debut single “ Yoru ni Kakeru ” reached #1 on the Billboard Japan chart, catapulting the pair to national popularity. Yoasobi consists of the composer Ayase, known for his activity as a Vocalo P, and the singer Ikura. Other popular artists such as Yorushika, Eve, and Suda Keina launched their careers from the Vocaloid scene as well.
Why are Vocaloid-affiliated artists enjoying such success in the current Japanese pop scene? The answers can be found in a revolution whose seeds were nourished in the thriving online culture of the twenty-first century.
The birth of the movement can be traced back to August 31, 2007, the date that the very first Hatsune Miku software went on sale.
Hatsune Miku was created by a company called Crypton Future Media based upon Yamaha’s Vocaloid 2 singing-synthesis technology. It allowed users to input melodies and lyrics, which would then be output as synthesized vocal tracks. A huge hit from virtually the moment it went on sale, Hatsune Miku took off among amateur musicians who created music on their personal computers and uploaded it to the internet.
Until that moment, the only way a would-be star could release a pop song was by finding a singer and recording them, or singing and recording themselves. Even before the arrival of Hatsune Miku, a variety of products utilizing Vocaloid technology targeted this same demographic of musicians.
What made Hatsune Miku so revolutionary was its use of a character – the eponymous Hatsune Miku. Based on the voice of singer Saki Fujita, it sounded far more natural than any synthesis software that had come before, hooking fans with its charming singing voice.
That made Hatsune Miku more than just composing software. It was a product that allowed anyone to try their hand at producing a singer. Thus the ability to freely manipulate the title character played a major role in its success. The first release of the software featured a colorful illustration of a character with a streaming green “twintail” hair style, who was 16 years old, 158 centimeters tall, and 42 kilograms in weight, and whose favorite genres were idol singing and dance-pop. The software allowed users to customize Hatsune Miku to their preferences, changing clothing, appearance, and personality to suit the music they made.
Equity In Art: Ali Black Documents Truth And Trauma Through Poetry
Ali Black takes a selfie with her husband, photographer Donald Black, Jr., snapping away in the background. [Ali Black]
After a 10-year struggle to be published, Ali Black is finally looking at her first book, “If It Heals At All.” She is so proud to see her name on the cover. Although, that’s not her given name.
She started getting noticed as a writer at Euclid High School, under her birth name of Allison McClain. The 40-year-old Shaker Heights resident recalled that one of her first published poems appeared in the Plain Dealer’s weekly NEXT section, which was devoted to young people.
“I spent a lot of time listening to song lyrics and, like, stopping my radio cassette player, pressing pause every few seconds and writing down whatever TLC or Jewel or Mariah Carey were singing,” she said. “I was trying to learn the lyrics to the songs, so that I could learn the story and figure out what they were really talking about”
While a singer named Mariah was Black’s queen of pop music, a writer named Nikki proved to be her gateway into poetry.
“My first poet, no matter what, forever will be Nikki Giovanni, and that is because my next-door neighbor gave me a copy of her selected poems,” Black said. “And in in that book, I just learned about other Black poets and other Black folks in history.”
Some of that history included the work of such writers as Amiri Baraka, Lucille Clifton, Dennis Smith, Jericho Brown and Ada Limon.
No comments:
Post a Comment