Justin Bieber's 'Justice' tops U.S. album chart - UPI.com
April 17 (UPI) -- Pop music star Justin Bieber 's Justice is the No. 1 album in the United States.
The Original StarKid On Fame And His Traverse City Roots | The Ticker
These days, Brian Holden is an in-demand audiobook narrator and co-founder of a musical theatre company with a growing list of famous alumni. But back in the early 2000s, Holden was finding his voice as an entertainer on the stage of Traverse City Central High School. The Ticker caught up with Holden to hear about his increasing notoriety, famous connections, and the unique niche he’s carved out in the entertainment industry.
In Ann Arbor, Holden helped launch StarKid Productions, the stage performing company that would become his biggest claim to fame. StarKid’s calling card? Laugh-out-loud parodies of iconic franchises like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter , which it performed to sold-out college crowds nationwide.
StarKid Productions quickly became a word-of-mouth hit around campus. In spring 2009, StarKid’s Harry Potter parody – called A Very Potter Musical – caused so much buzz at U of M that the team decided to put it online to see how it might perform to a broader audience.
“The reaction to [ A Very Potter Musical ] on campus was immense,” Holden says. “I had never seen the theater so packed before. There were people lined up on the floor of the studio space. It was sold out at every performance, and we even added a performance. It was super popular, and that made us want to put it on YouTube to see who else could see it.”
As it turned out, a lot of people saw it. Today, the Act 1, Part 1 video of A Very Potter Musical has more than 17.5 million views on YouTube .
“It was pretty big back in 2009,” Holden says. “I don't even know if, by today's standards, you would call it viral. But it was definitely 2009 viral.”
Holden says the warm online reception showed StarKid how it might continue to thrive even after its members graduated from college.
Criss, who also starred in A Very Potter Musical as Harry Potter, would go on to join the cast of the Fox musical comedy/drama series Glee a year later; he eventually won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his performance in the 2018 TV miniseries, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace . Holmes, meanwhile, spent five years in various Broadway, touring, and international productions of The Book of Mormon , playing the lead role of Elder Cunningham. Carlos Valdes, who played in the band for A Very Potter Musical , is another noted alumnus, known for his role as Cisco Ramon on the CW television series, The Flash.
In the years since A Very Potter Musical , StarKid has staged more than a dozen other original musicals at a variety of venues in Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as a pair of North American tours. In 2019, the team mounted a 10-year reunion show in L.A., funded by a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $547,000 from 11,704 backers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has leaned on its web following to continue producing original content.
JFLA Presents Music Mondays - Rafu Shimpo
Hallyu Wave: K-Pop, K-Drama Lovers On the Rise in Morocco
K-pop is attracting an increasing number of young Moroccans on a daily basis, despite the fact that no South Korean group has ever performed a concert in Morocco.
However, Morocco hosted a number of small Korean festivals for K-pop lovers, including the Changwon K-pop World Festival.
In these festivals, Moroccans can learn more about the Korean culture, and K-pop lovers gather to compete in the festivals’ auditions.
The aim of these festivals, according to the Changwon K-pop World Festival organizers, is to bring Hallyu fans from all over the world to South Korea, fusing Korean culture with the cultures of different countries from around the world. This is what happened to "Maze," a Moroccan group that auditioned and won the competition in 2015.
After winning the competition in Morocco, Maze traveled to South Korea to perform alongside other groups from around the world. Maze also had the opportunity to meet and watch their favorite K-pop stars perform on stage.
With the rising numbers of K-pop lovers in Morocco, it is only a matter of time before the first K-pop concert is hosted in the country.
Koreans filmed not only K-pop music videos in Morocco but also a K-drama in 2019 called "Vagabond" that featured Moroccan actors, including Kamal Kadimi.
The K-pop industry is made up of major companies that finance the training and formation of K-pop groups. These budding performers go through months of intensive training until they make their debut with a song and choreography that their labels have assigned them.
K-pop groups consist of female groups (Twice, Blackpink, Red Velvet…), Male groups (Exo, BTS, Nct, Stary Kids…), and co-ed groups (Kard, AKMU, Triple H, etc.).
Speaker Knockerz: Married to the Money II #MTTM2 Album Review | Pitchfork
Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today we examine the young South Carolina rapper's profoundly influential moment in the spotlight.
Around 2010 or 2011, McAllister sold his first beat to a Miami rapper for $50, which he used to purchase his trusty pair of affordable speakers. He scored early major placements on Meek Mill's Dreamchasers , for "Tony Montana," and French Montana's Coke Boys 3 , for "Dope Got Me Rich." Through his production, you could hear the heavy influence of Atlanta's rap scene: his piano melodies, soft enough for a jack-in-the-box, wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Travis Porter deep cut; his doomsday-ready 808s and ticking hi-hats were indebted to Lex Luger . Splitting the difference between his beats sounded like the ones on Future 's Pluto if they came from a cracked version of FruityLoops on a personal computer in a 16-year-old's South Carolina bedroom.
Despite the likely involvement of close relatives, Married to the Money II is flawed like most posthumous rap albums. Its construction is comparable to Pop Smoke 's 2020 album Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon , by how it aimed to take a regional star who was on the verge of mainstream fame before a sudden loss and build on their legacy while also remaining an introduction point for possible new fans. It ends up sounding confused, focused on too many lofty goals at once.
Unlike those two foundational mixtapes, II is not as tightly edited and runs too long. Speaker Knockerz's decisions usually felt fun and chaotic, as if made on a whim, but here the choices come out of necessity, especially the heavy emphasis on collaborations, which were sparse on earlier projects. It's easy to tell that quite a few of these songs were unfinished: Kevin Flum sounds like the most cliché fast-spitting white rapper on "U Mad Bro"; childhood friend Capo Cheeze's use of Auto-Tune on "Smoke It" and "Double Count" might make you think JAY-Z was right that one time; the "Scared Money" hook by Toni Romiti, the Vine star who helped to boost Speaker Knockerz's early popularity, is unfathomably bad.
Despite the glaring issues, II is the launchpad into Speaker Knockerz's catalog it was intended to be. Particularly notable is his production, which continued to maximize the popular rap music trends of the era: automated-sounding hand claps and finger-snaps, booming drums, and electronic keyboard melodies, hallmarks of the unconventional ATL era between ringtone rap and the arrival of pivotal mixtapes like Rich Gang's Tha Tour Pt. 1 and Migos' Rich Nigga Timeline . Of course, "Lonely" and "Erica Kane" are the peaks, but "Tattoos," where he laid heart-pounding drums over pop synthesizers, and "Don't Know," which is the perfect canvas for his AutoTune-heavy wails, belong in that conversation as well. With production this bubbly and harmonic, it's likely that if Speaker Knockerz got the chance to finish his verses and hooks himself—rather than rely on cheap mercenaries— II would have been his opus.
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5 Highest Selling Pop Albums Of All Time, Ranked | TheRichest
Our concept of pop music has changed drastically over the past several decades. Pop music originated as a spin-off of 1950's rock and roll that catered specifically to youth, according to Slide Share. The term is essentially short for 'popular music;, making it quite difficult to define the limits of the genre. Generally, pop music is upbeat and happy, though there re plenty of melodic and sappy love pop songs, too! Some of the most notable early pop artists included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and Abba. Today, the genre is dominated by the likes of Justin Bieber , Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé. Through the decades, some pop records have become iconic, selling millions of copies. These are the all time top-sellers in the genre.
ABBA are an iconic Swedish pop group who dominated the airwaves in the mid to late 70's. Their unique sound and poppy melodies are still very much adored today. Their 1992 compilation album, Gold: Greatest Hits, was released in 1992, and quickly became one of the top-selling albums of all time. With 30 million copies sold , it became ABBA's most successful release, and gave fans a heavy dose of their classics. The original 1992 release included 19 of their hits, though the record was later re-released to include an additional second disc, with 11 more tracks. Classic pop listening, this album is definitely one of the greatest pop records of all time.
Madonna is one of the most notorious and influential musical artists of our time. Respectfully coined the 'Queen of Pop', Madonna's career has spanned over 5 decades, and has included the release of 14 full length albums. Her rebellious nature and shock value was part of her appeal, especially in the late 80's and early 90's, when women in pop culture were starting to experiment more with nonconformity. In 1990, a compilation of some of her best hits, called The Immaculate Collection , was released. The album received rave reviews, and is considered as a required pop album for any collector. With over 30 millions copies sold, it became Madonna's best-selling album, according to Music Fandom, and is one of the most iconic albums of the late 20th Century.
The top-selling pop album of all time goes to Michael Jackson's 1982 album, Thriller. With an incredible 66 million copies sold worldwide, and reaching Platinum status 33 times in the United States, the album is not only the top-selling pop album, but the top-selling album across all genres...ever. Recorded at the Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, the album was produced by legendary music mogul, Quincy Jones . Michael blended disco, pop, rock, and funk sounds to make this masterpiece of an album. From start to finish, it is loaded with nonstop energy and grooves that just make you want to dance. This is an absolute must for any pop music collection. Almost 40 years later, it's still the best!
12-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren hopes for 'awesome' win - ABC News
A trophy for the Italian-language film's song, "Io Si (Seen)," would be Warren's first after 11 previous Academy Award nominations came up short.
"Yeah, it would be great to win. It would be (expletive) awesome," Warren said. "I feel like a team that's gone to the World Series for decades and decades, and never wins."
Warren, who grew up in Los Angeles, recounted her dad's reply: "She has talent. She really, really wants this."
Her gifts and drive led to success in a range of pop music genres and in film, with her past Oscar contenders including "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," by Aerosmith and featured in 1998's "Armageddon." It was a hit tune, one of Warren's many that include "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher. Toss out a big name — Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga — and Warren has likely worked with them.
She's a confessed workaholic who typically writes solo but joined with Common on the 2019 Oscar-nominated "Stand Up for Something" for "Marshall," a biopic about the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Warren's music and lyrics are "amazing," said Pausini, who recorded "Io Si" for the film. The song and the movie carry the same message, "and that's the goal."
"The first thing I came up with, sitting at my piano, was, 'I want you to know that you're seen,' she said, breaking briefly into an a cappella performance. "It's so simple but it's so profound, because we all want to be seen."
When Warren came to his Los Angeles-area home early last year to introduce her creation, she was wearing a cast from a household accident, recalled Ponti, a writer as well as stage and screen director.
It's a cliché, but Warren says being nominated truly is an honor. Of the many songs introduced in movies each year, she said, a mere five are singled out by the academy's music branch with "the best composers on the planet, the best songwriters, the best of the best of the best."
POP SUPERSTAR THE WEEKND CELEBRATED AS2021 SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AT ASCAP POP MUSIC AWARDS -
Honoring pop music's hottest songwriters, producers and publishers, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announces the winners of the 2021 ASCAP Pop Music Awards , which will be celebrated on @ASCAP social media through April 15. After a record-setting year following the release of his double platinum album After Hours , pop superstar Abel " The Weeknd" Tesfaye is named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for the first time in his career.
Known for his signature alternative R&B sound, velvety voice and pitch-perfect falsetto, The Weeknd undeniably dominated the charts in 2020. Taking home the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year honor and two most-performed song awards for smash hits "Blinding Lights" and "Heartless," The Weeknd is now a 13-time ASCAP Awards winner. As the critical and commercial success of After Hours continues, "Blinding Lights" closes in on diamond-certified status, while becoming the first song in history to spend an entire year in the Billboard Hot 100's top 10.
ASCAP Pop Music Awards Song of the Year goes to Post Malone's megahit "Circles," honoring ASCAP hitmakers Louis Bell, Kaan Güneşberk and Billy Walsh alongside publishers Nyan King Music, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group. The third single off the chart-topping album Hollywood's Bleeding , "Circles" spent 39 weeks in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marks the artist's first #1 hit as a solo billing.
ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams, Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Matthews and Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer John Titta open the event with a special video introduction on @ASCAP social media.
The 2021 ASCAP Pop Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs of the past year in pop music. Providing an unprecedented look at the music creators behind 2020's biggest hits, ASCAP will premiere exclusive winner video acceptance speeches, virtual studio tours, stories behind the songs and more on @ASCAP social media. Starting at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT on Tuesday, April 13 through Thursday, April 15, friends, fans and peers can tune in to the festivities via @ASCAP on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook , using the hashtag #ASCAPAwards.
David Cassidy Liked These Artists, Not The Partridge Family's Music
David Cassidy was known for his portrayal of Keith Partridge on The Partridge Family . The show brought him fame and fortune as well as identification with "lightweight" pop music. However, pop was not the genre he was really interested in. Let's find out what he had to say about the type of music he enjoyed as opposed to the type he was most associated with.
In his memoir, C'mon, Get Happy – Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus ," Cassidy gives us a glimpse into how he began to play guitar. A friend of his, Steve Ross, was a guitarist in the very first garage band that Cassidy joined. Cassidy says Ross "turned me on to guitar."
They would play The Beatles, blues, and Jimi Hendrix. "Personally, I progressed from being a real pop music fan like an average kid to a rhythm and blues music fan – I was looking for something deeper, more authentic – to a hard-core acid-rock, Hendrix, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, John Mayall, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield type of fan." Cassidy viewed the music he enjoyed as reflecting the social changes that were happening in society.
Cassidy goes on to say despite playing "sweet, lightweight, mainstream pop music," he did not enjoy that type of music at all. Ironically, he was interested in "the antithesis of mainstream pop." His interests were blues and acid rock. He liked "being on the cutting edge of pop culture.”
Cassidy discusses attending a party with Janis Joplin. He states "She was a big deal at the time … maybe late '66 to '67." But she was there getting high like everybody else." So while Cassidy portrayed a more conservative image on The Partridge Family and recorded pop music, his true interests were elsewhere.
Cassidy wasn’t a huge fan of bubblegum pop. However, the public embraced The Partridge Family’s bubblegum music. The Partridge Family released nine songs that reached the Billboard Hot 100 . Of the nine songs, three were top ten hits, specifically "Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted," "I'll Meet You Halfway," and "I Think I Love You." The latter song took the number one spot which peaked in 1970 for 19 weeks on the Billboard chart. Although Cassidy did not enjoy the type of music he sang, he still found success commercially.
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