You may not have heard BC Jean’s name, but you’ve probably heard her work. The San Diego-born singer and songwriter tells a poignant story of overcoming romantic betrayal on the song “If I Were A Boy,” which she co-wrote with producer Toby Gad. The track, which appears on Beyoncé’s I Am…Sasha Fierce album, became a chart-topping, multi-platinum hit for the megastar.
Jean’s powerful version will appear on her upcoming debut album to be released early 2011 (J Records), which the 22-year-old is currently completing after working with a host of top-notch collaborators including rock producers Howard Benson (The All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance), Brian Howes (Daughtry, David Cook), Zac Maloy (David Cook, Jason Castro), and pop hitmakers The Matrix (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera), Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé) and Max Martin (Katy Perry, Pink). The result is a sparkling collection of edgy, rock-pop sing-alongs and touching balladry that paints an appealing portrait of this vibrant, young talent.
BC Jean
“If I Were A Boy”
J Records
The daughter of a piano and trumpet-playing stockbroker father and a talent manager mother, Jean comes from a musical family. Her grandparents, in addition to being painters, were also singers and actors who appeared on such television variety programs as The Perry Como Show and The Fred Waring Show in the 1950’s. Jean fell in love with music from a young age. “My favorite song was ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by Fine Young Cannibals,” she says. “I would get up on our coffee table, use a lamp as a spotlight, and put on shows for my parents. When they were sick of me, I would set up my cats and dogs, stuffed animals, and Barbies as an audience and perform for them. And I would make my friends be my back-up singers,” she recalls with a laugh.
At age 14, Jean, who played piano, began converting the poetry she was writing into song lyrics. “I listened to No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom, Britney Spears, and Alanis Morrissette and wrote down all of the lyrics to figure out how the songs were constructed,” she says, “that’s how I taught myself.” She also fell in love with the rock records her parents were listening to, albums by Aerosmith, Queen, Heart, and Rod Stewart. In high school, Jean began singing with a San Diego cover band that performed everything from Madonna and Eminem hits to old-time rock and roll and country songs. Her first live show with them was at The Sahara Casino in Las Vegas at age 15. “It was really great because it gave me stage experience and taught me how to sing harmonies. But I wanted to write and perform my own music.”
Jean convinced her mother to move with her to Los Angeles and began collaborating with various songwriters and producers who lived in her apartment complex in the San Fernando Valley. “I worked with this one producer and we recorded in a tiny closet in his apartment. I was drenched in sweat, with one leg here and one arm there trying to sing the high notes,” she recalls. Jean kept writing and making demos until one day she read an article about songwriter/producer Toby Gad in Recording Magazine and decided to send him a message through MySpace. Gad, who has worked with Fergie and The Veronicas, wrote her back and asked for a meeting. Next thing Jean knew, the two were writing songs together in New York, which is where “If I Were A Boy,” was created.
BC Jean In Studio With Producer Ryan Tedder Part 1
Recording her Lead Single
“You’re A Guy”
“I had just found out that my boyfriend had cheated on me,” Jean says. “Toby and I were walking around Times Square and there was an amazing smell coming from this pizzeria. I was doing the diet thing and was like, ‘Mmm, you smell that? If I were a boy, I would totally eat that.’ And he said, ‘What did you say?’ And I said, ‘I wish I were a boy so I could eat pizza and popcorn and wear baggy clothes.’ He asked me what else I would do and I said, ‘I’d be a better man than my ex-boyfriend,’ and he was like, ‘How would you sing it, BC’? We went back to the studio, I came up with the lyrics and melody, and we wrote it in 15 minutes. It’s such a simple song, but it’s very honest and I think that’s why it works.”
BC Jean In Studio With Producer Ryan Tedder Part 2
Recording her Lead Single
“You’re A Guy”
Jean had already been in talks with several labels about signing a recording deal when “If I Were A Boy” became a hit for Beyoncé, sparking a fierce bidding war for her services. “You eagerly wait for a multi-talented new artist to come along like BC Jean,” says Sony Music Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Clive Davis. “She’s already proven her major songwriting ability. And, what’s more, she’s got a truly powerful voice with edge and natural soulfulness. We’re all really delighted that BC has chosen us as her musical home.”
Recording her album is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Jean. “Writing songs and singing is how I express myself,” she says. “I don’t always communicate so well because I keep my guard up with people, so being able to do it through music is important. I’m way more vulnerable in my songs. I want people to listen to them over and over and feel something. I try to make what I write about relatable, but with a lot of musical twists and turns to keep it interesting. I don’t just want to write something that’s catchy, it should still sound good years from now.”
Take classic emcee skills and dope lyrics, add pop sensibility and rock energy. Stir. Sprinkle a dash of inspiration from a literary icon. What do you get? Vonnegutt.
Formed in early ‘07, the band has quickly built a tremendous buzz, placing in the top ranks of several unsigned band lists, drawing an ever-growing fan base, and catching the eye of several record labels. In the summer of 2008, their popularity earned them a spot at the Vans Warped Tour in Atlanta.
Though the band’s success may seem to have come easily, Vonnegutt’s two founding members had been paying their dues for years before crossing paths. Frontman/emcee Kyle Lucas was earning a name for himself in the underground hip-hop and mixtape scene. Guitarist Neil Garrard was busy doing session work for some of the south’s biggest names in Rap/R&B(Dungeon Family, Pastor Troy, and Kelly Rowland).
Looking to create something that fit his expansive musical tastes, Lucas decided to form an alternative hip-hop band. Garrard soon responded to his flyer at a local music shop, and after meeting they recognized their shared vision and musical chemistry.
Within months, with the help of friend and producer Michael Woodruff, the duo had created their first record, a promising marriage of rock, hip-hop, funk, and electronica. The Vice Nine EP lit up the internet with thousands of plays on Myspace and a big response from college radio with their single “Bright Eyes”. Their style has been described as “refreshing” and “a unique blend of hip-hop & rock.” They went on to play many shows in and around the Atlanta area earning a sizable following.
After a few lineup changes, the band solidified its lineup with the addition of Taylor White on drums and Patrick Postlewait on bass. In November of ‘08, after much speculation of what record label the band would call home, Vonnegutt officially signed with Big Boi, of the Grammy award winning duo Outkast, and his Purple Ribbon Records.
2009 was a growing year for Vonnegutt. They traveled up the east coast playing shows, they played Fox’s Good Day Atlanta and NBC’s MetroMix Morning show. On top of performing, the band also finished their debut album, Falling Up The Stairs.
With putting in over 2 years of writing and recording, Vonnegutt finished it’s debut album. Enlisting the help from producers Billy Hume (Rehab, Lil Jon, Heavy Mojo) and Simon Illa (D. Woods) the band feels this album is a true representation of what Vonnegutt is. Falling Up The Stairs has been greatly anticipated and is set for a 2010 summer release.
Vonnegutt 2010 EPK
Purple Ribbon Entertainment
Big Boi Featuring Vonnegutt
“Follow Us”
From Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Enrique Iglesias returns his eagerly-anticipated new album, Euphoria. With its seductive pop, driving hip hop beats and heart of pure passion, Euphoria is set to bring a rush of blood to the dancefloor, with VIP guests including Akon, Nicole Scherzinger, Usher, Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin and Yandel, Juan Luis Guerra and the legendary Lionel Richie.
His most diverse, eclectic collection to date, Euphoria is also Enrique’s first album to feature songs sung in both Spanish and English. “This territory is so exciting for me,” says Enrique. “It taps into so many different styles of music. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before.”
‘I Like It’ is the first international single from the forthcoming album, produced by Red One, it features a vocal cameo from Lionel Richie, reprising the chorus of his timeless hit ‘All Night Long’. The track is an upbeat floor-filler and comes backed with a crazy hot remix from #1 selling US rapper Pitbull (‘I Know You Want Me’). Enrique was thrilled to work with his friend Lionel Richie, but it was Pitbull who really took it out of him. “Man, working with Pitbull, it’s like he’s got everybody in the world’s mojo, his energy is so intense. And shooting the video together was just insane… ”
Other tracks on Euphoria include Enrique’s Spanish-language smash ‘Cuando Me Enamoro’, featuring Latin superstar Juan Luis Guerra, which crash landed in top 10s across Latin America and Spain on its release. Then there’s the sizzling ‘Heartbeat’, a duet with Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. It’s utterly pop but emotionally naked. Says Enrique, “If you can create an upbeat song and still put sentiment in it like that… man, that song is raw.”
‘One Day At A Time’, is a departure into mellow calypso, the melody coming to Enrique after he had spent so long battling on the song that he was driving home from the studio in despair. “I turned straight round and went back to record it,” explains the perfectionist. “It was one of those special songs that make you fight for it.” ‘Dirty Dancer’ is a party piece, thick with slamming synthesisers and featuring vocals from Usher, who announces that this is a song “for the dirty girls, all around the world.”
Born in Spain, raised in Miami, and now an international superstar, Enrique discovered his musical talent young, but got his first record deal from a small Mexican label while using a fake name. In 1995 he won a Grammy for his first ever Spanish release (Enrique Iglesias) and in 1999 his eponymous English language debut went on to sell six million albums, go double-platinum in the US, and achieve gold or platinum status in 32 countries. Since then he has had a string of successful albums, from Escape (2001), 7 (2003) and Insomniac(2007) to hisGreatest Hits album (2008), while his sold-out world tours have established him as a captivating live performer.
In the US he is one of the biggest-selling Spanish artists of all time, with over 12 million albums sold and 19 #1 Billboard Latin hits across the Americas. Meanwhile, in the UK Enrique has sold 2.2 million albums and 1.6 million singles, the biggest of which – the inimitable ‘Hero’ – spent four weeks at #1 and is now a staple of teary X Factor scenes. Enrique has had 12 top 20 singles, and six Top 10 singles in the UK, including ‘Bailamos’, ‘Could I Have This Kiss Forever’, ‘Escape’, ‘Not In Love’ (ft Kelis), and ‘Do You Know’.
Traditionally, Latin artists release Spanish and English versions of the same songs. “But I always wanted to combine completely different songs, rather than translate them,” Enrique explains. “I’d write one I liked in Spanish, but then I’d write one I liked even more in English, so then there’d be this internal competition to write an even better one in Spanish, and vice versa. The US is now the biggest market for Spanish songs, so this is an experiment.”
“I know people always believe their new record is the best thing they’ve ever done, but truly, this record is my most diverse, my most exciting and the most surprising album I’ve made in my career,” he says, grinning wildly. The anticipation is tangible.
Bruno Mars was born and raised in Hawaii by parents Pete and Bernadette “Bernie” San Pedro Bayot Hernandez, of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent. Hernandez was one of six children, (brother Eric and sisters Jaime “Kailani”, Tiara, Tahiti and Presley). He came from a musical family giving him a diverse mix of Reggae, Rock, Hip Hop, and R&B.From a young age, he was impersonating and performing songs by influential artists such as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. In 1990, at the tender age of 4, Hernandez was featured in MidWeekmagazine as “Little Elvis”. He attended President Theodore Roosevelt High School, graduating in 2003 at age 17, and shortly after moved toL.A. to pursue a musical career.
Before becoming a successful solo artist, he was an acknowledged music producer penning songs for the likes of Flo Rida, Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, and Sean Kingston. It was soon announced after the success of “Nothin’ On You” that Hernandez would be releasing his debut EP, titled It’s Better If You Don’t Understandon May 11, 2010 A debut studio album is hinted to be released later this year.
On first glance, Charice looks like any other teenager: pretty, petite and filled with non stop energy. But when the sweet-faced 17-year old opens her mouth to sing – with a profound, rich and soaring 10 decibel voice from every inch of her 5 feet 1 inch body – the audience quite literally gasps. And at 13 million hits and counting on YouTube tell us, that audience is growing at a staggering pace. Fast forward to May 2010: Charice’s US debut CD is scheduled to be released on 143/Reprise Records with her single, “Pyramid” featuring labelmate Iyaz (who recently spent four weeks at #1 with his international smash hit, “Replay”). “Pyramid” will be released to Top 40 radio in March with remixes already getting airplay at the clubs.
“I’m so proud of this record and feel so lucky that I had the chance to work with some of the best songwriters and producers out there. Every note and every word is right from my heart,” says Charice.
But let’s begin at the beginning: Born and raised in the Philippines, Charice’s talent was discovered at age 4 when her mother, also a singer, noticed her daughter’s loud, rather enthusiastic version of “Happy Birthday” and decided to teach her proper vocal technique. By age 7, Charice was competing in local contests and belting out songs.
In 2007, a web-savvy fan began posting a series of Charice’s performances on YouTube including appearances on the Filipino talent show “Little Big Star” and the popular South Korean talent show “Star King.” She instantly became an authentic internet sensation attracting the attention of American TV shows. Appearances on the Ellen DeGeneres Show were followed by several performances on the Oprah Winfrey Show. “You are a force to be reckoned with. That voice comes from something bigger than yourself,” raved Oprah.
Enter 15-time Grammy winning producer David Foster who invited Charice to perform on his David Foster and Friends PBS Show in Las Vegas alongside such star studded Foster produced talents as Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, and Josh Groban. When the “David Foster and Friends” show returned to the Mandalay Bay the following year, Charice received no less than six standing ovations. In between the two Vegas appearances, Charice went on to perform with Andrea Bocelli (“The Prayer”) in Tuscany and Celine Dion at her Madison Square Garden show in New York City.
During Charice’s most recent appearance on Oprah Winfrey, her heart stopping song “Note To God” written by multi-Grammy winning songwriter Diane Warren became an instant Top 10 hit on iTunes. Charice also had a featured role in the recent “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie.
Next stop for Charice, “I want to sing AND dance with Justin Timberlake,” she laughed. Her 13 million fans certainly look forward to seeing that.
Below is Her Open letter To Fans about her story on what lead up to occurred After First Hitting The Music Scene in 2003:
In The Beginning
I never imagined how tough living out my dreams would turn out to be – dealing with all the ups, the downs, lefts, and rights. While most teens my age were falling in love with the dreamiest boy in school, I was falling in love with music and musicians. I would study them – their faces, their moves and especially their voices. They made me feel so good, and I knew I had to, one day, be a part of that world.
I was not born into a “perfect” family with the perfect financial situation by far. Due to my mother’s lack of parenting, our family was completely torn apart – handed to the system: Sheldon, fifteen, and Cullen, thirteen, were taken away from her a few years back. Currently one is living with my older sister, Tanya, and the other in a group home. We had to make the best with what we were given, it reeked of unfairness, but for me it was just enough to get by and fight for better. I don’t believe in settling.
I was offered a big recording contract with Jive Records, but decided to pass due to musical differences. It was a tough decision and I was grateful, but their vision for me was different than who I was as an artist. I felt it was important to stay true to myself, and have faith that another offer would come along.
After passing on the Jive deal, Jay Levine and JamesMcCollum helped me find direction. They sent me off to play at small cafes and bars – preparing me for the events to come. Fortunately, my musical family kept growing while I waited for another deal to come along. Jay and James introduced me to their manager,Chris Smith, whom I had to play an acoustic set of four songs to get him fully hooked. He did not say much to me when he left the lounge, but in my gut I knew I had just won myself a manager. From that point on all the other missing pieces fell into place. Meeting with various record companies were scheduled, and I was busy doing showcases for record executives. At the end, I found a home at Island Records and was beyond happy.
My first record
My debut album was definitely a first look into my sort of topsy-turvy world.
I wrote about things that sometimes even made me feel awkward, but I was not afraid to go there and open up about real topics and my unorthodox relationships. I wrote a lot about love and feeling love.
It was quite the experience making that first album: I was new to the industry; a fresh face and things felt awesome. I moved to New York, which was a big deal for me seeing as before then I was not even allowed to go to the movies by myself. I started recording Fefe Dobson as soon as I got there.
It took a few months to perfect but finally the record was complete.
To promote Fefe Dobson, I toured for about 2 years playing multiple cities multiple times. I got to meet so many different artists that I had the pleasure to befriend and share a stage with artists I remember staring at with admiration on the TV such as Justin Timberlake, Cindy Lauper, Joan Jett, Lenny Kravitz, amongst others, but, as time ticked on, reality kicked in. The promotion of Fefe Dobson was cut short due to a restructure within the record label: a new Island/Def Jam regime was formed and it was like starting all over again; I had to gain their confidence. My time on the road was over, and I was back to square one preparing for record number two.
Working on Sunday Love
I recorded and recorded… I recorded my brains out. I gave every bit of energy I had to give, and when the energy began to falter, I prayed for a deeper connection. I lost my Canadian boyfriend and my American affair. I deserved it, as I was not being true to either one. At the same time I began to completely lose perspective for my music. Things were falling apart. I started experimenting – watching florescent lights go off in my eyes. This was my way to escape. However, it was not my only way. During this very dark period in my life I decided that the crème de la crème of escapes was to alter myself completely. I found a way to reflect the new, gloomier me by changing the tone of my voice, my image, everything about me. That makeover backfired in my face; to the media and the public I came across as trying too hard. Sunday Love was looked at as a failure. It did not take the new executives at Island and me very long to separate. The album was shelved and when a label shelves an artist, they do not just shelve recorded discs with pretty artwork, they shelve dreams.
My life went on pause, and when it was on play, it was actually in slow motion. I flew back to Toronto – back to my home and back to the drawing board. I knew I was not going to give up, but I was afraid that in the process of not giving up, I might lose my mind. I had to make another record, but I did not know where to begin or how I was going to do it. I had no label but did have a manager that believed in me no matter what, and that was more than enough for me. In a calm yet desperate attempt, I called up some pals I knew and began cutting demos.
The New Me
Lucky enough, I also began maturing. I found myself writing happier songs with happier meanings; my voice felt lighter. I was letting go of all the resentment against my former record label, my former lovers, and my family. Before I knew it, it was happening right in front of my eyes. Maybe it started when my best friend begged me to smile, or when I met a new boy, or maybe it was when I finally woke up on the right side of the bed. Whatever it was, it worked. I could have sat around and moped about all the horrible things that were happening to me, but instead I just grabbed my guitar and started strumming.
I read books, watched films, and listened to artists that both enthused and inspired me: The Alchemist, Many Lives Many Masters, The Secret, and John Lennon. I wanted to fill my soul with something other than anger and past baggage. What is the best way of ridding yourself of heavy baggage? Toss out the things that do not fit anymorePack light, live lightI have tried to teach my brothers the things I have learned over the years. I have warned them about karma, and explained the beauty of forgiveness and compassion. The main reason why I push this on them is because we have had to, somehow, forgive our own mother. I do my best in giving them advice and being the older sister and friend they need, and deserve. I am told that I inspire them, and that shines a light on my heart. Knowing that my words and love provide inspiration and hope gives me a sense of faith and has helped me become a better person. I have come to realize that a major positive change occurred when I opened my arms to my once absent father. It took me time to get to that point, but when I did it was totally worth it. Growing up, I honestly could never have imagined having him in my life. I even wrote a song to him called “Unforgiven”, which expressed the hurt I went through as a young girl because he wasn’t in my life. My mother told me so many bad things about him — all of which ended up being far from the truth. When we finally got together, he proved to be a very sweet and hard-working man.
I also realized I was completely uneducated about all of my ethnic slices as I didn’t know my father growing up, but with time and understanding, the missing ingredients began forming a whole pie: an English, French, Native Canadian, and Jamaican pie. I even found out I am closely related to the famous Jamaican Olympic runner, Donald Quarrie. How cool is that?
I’ve Found Joy
JOY is my third LP. It is the first album I can honestly say hit the spot. I finally felt I had all the ideal elements into place. With true love, happiness, forgiveness, and of course, joy, dancing around in my back pocket, I courageously went back to Los Angeles to record. It was wild. Things took on a different color for me. I had the freedom to create, and I felt confident doing it. This was by far the best experience making a record I’ve had – ever. It was all hippie vibes and Wii-, a truly far out combination.
21 Music (Chris Smith’s indie label) gave me the opportunity to experiment without any pressure. Chris trusted in our eight lengthy years of working together, and allowed me to make the music I wanted to make. There were no questions like “who is Fefe?” He knows who I am and is encouraged by what he has heard and seen.
There are more than ten songs on this album where I offer expressions of me like “Watch Me Move,” a party song at the surface but if you dig deeper you may find that it’s a song about confidence and rejuvenation. What’s really exciting about “Watch Me Move” is that VH1 recognized the potential of the song early and before the album was completed made it the theme song for the Margaret Cho Show. I love the guitars in this song. They make me think of sun bathing on the top of a 1966 GTO. “I Want You,” is about attraction and desire. As a special treat we are releasing both “Watch Me Move” and “I Want You” together along with a video that will showcase both songs and a new title, “I Want You 2 Watch Me Move.” “Set Me Free” is about finding liberation and freedom. “Joy,” is about the excitement you get from finding new love. “In Your Touch”, talks about the fear of falling for an ex-boyfriend all over again — if given the chance. To me, “Shame” represents my self absolution: So sick of being ashamed/So sick of playing games/So sick of all the lies I keep inside/Yea they’ll eat you alive/Till nothing else remains/Except shame.
I would sort of be lying if I said that I am forever saved of all my heartache and “Paranoia,” and I would also be lying if I said I was not appreciative of those intangible feelings. They are slightly beautiful as long as they are managed beautifully… oddly enough, I think I realized how to do just that. I had to feel the bad in order to feel the good and I had to learn from my mistakes in order to grow. Growing comes with rewards and I was given the best one. I made an album with my friends. Dave Lichens, Jon Levine, Dean Dichoso, Gadget, the Heavy Steadies, Chris Smith and the 21 team. They all helped me actualize my Joy, and I did it with a permanent smile on my face.
Singer/songwriter Matisse is no stranger to the spotlight. She began appearing on TV at six months of age on “One Life To Live” and by the age of 15 she was a popular spokes-model for the successful hair care brand John Frieda and signed to The Ford Agency. But now at 23 years old it’s always been about music. From an early age Matisse gravitated toward music, finding inspiration in the songs of Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Whether singing along to Motown with family, putting on impromptu concerts with friends or taking the stage with her Dad and his band, she always had a tendency to steal the show. “My family is very musical and I grew up listening to everything from rock and roll, to pop, soul, the blues you name it. I definitely inherited my parent’s love of music, and was influenced by their diverse tastes.” Evidently music is an innate family trait. Matisse and her twin sister Alex honed their craft from an early age which led to a stint as a duo with Universal Music. Now, after years of writing, recording and fine-tuning her sound, Matisse is ready for her close-up. Like the famous painter with whom she shares her name, Matisse refuses to follow convention and instead sings to the beat of her own drum. “Over the years people have tried to make me into something I’m not,” Matisse says, “but I’m not interested in being the next ‘so and so’ or compromising myself to be a one hit wonder. I want to make music that I like and that I can be proud of.” Matisse has been working with some of the biggest names in music such as Dallas Austin, Tricky Stewart, The Dream, Ne-Yo, Stargate and Kevin Rudolf. As a result, she has compiled a collection of songs that define her as bold, colorful, strong and determined; someone ready to be heard. “I’ve been writing, recording and performing for years now. I’m definitely ready for this.” Her background and experience make Matisse a unique – and sometimes surprising – personality. “My family likes to tease me because I’m fiercely independent and freedom loving, yet I don’t have my driver’s license. They think it’s funny that I can be equally enthralled with “The Star” magazine as I am with “Anna Karenina.” As Tricky Stewart says, Matisse “brings the entire package to the table: great songwriting, strong vocals and explosive live performance”. Meet Matisse.
Sometimes it pays to be different. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, a city known for its outcasts, B.o.B is truly out of the ordinary. At just 19 years old, the rapper – born Bobby Ray Simmons – has become a breath of fresh air in Atlanta’s snap and trap-obsessed scene. Known primarily for his heavy smokers anthem, “Cloud 9,” and the frenetic energy of his song “Haterz Everywhere,” B.o.B scored a record deal with Atlantic Records while he was still in high school. Now, the teen-aged rap phenomenon is ready to bring his genre-bending style nationwide with his highly anticipated debut, The Adventures of B.o.B.
B.o.B made the decision very early in his young life to pursue a career in hip-hop. He started rapping at the age of 13 after studying classic albums from DMX and Eminem. With the encouragement of his older brother, B.o.B started feverishly writing down anything and everything. “At the time, Joe Budden was poppin’ and my brother told me when Joe was 15 he used to fill up notebooks with rhymes,” says B.o.B “That lit off a light bulb for me and I was like damn, I need to do more than that. Then from seventh grade up to tenth grade, I just started filling up notebooks with lyrics. Then it got to the point where I was just writing them in my head.”
While still in junior high school, B.o.B formed a group with his cousin Swag, called The Klinic. The two young MCs were able to buy a simple studio set-up that included the beat-making program Fruity Loops. They quickly started crafting their own songs and performing at open mics around Atlanta. Their manager, B Rich, introduced them to a local ATL rapper named Playboy Tre of the Georgia Durt camp, and he taught the young’ns how to use his professional studio.
The Klinic continued to collaborate until their senior year of high school in 2006, when B.o.B’s cousin decided to leave home in order to attend college. Faced with a tough decision, B.o.B chose to continue rapping, this time as a solo artist. “I called my manager and was like, ‘I think I’m just going to start working at the mall for a little while and get some money so I can really start pursuing music like I want to,’” he remembers. “Him and Playboy Tre came by my house and were like, ‘Look man, we can get you a deal within a year, don’t give up!’”
In mid-September of ‘06, just two weeks after going solo, B.o.B performed at Club Crucial, where TJ Chapman, founder of the national DJ conference TJ’s DJ’s, was in attendance. After hearing the rap rookie perform “Cloud 9,” TJ was convinced he was in the presence of a star. “That was the first time I performed ‘Cloud 9′ and I got a standing ovation,” says B.o.B “TJ Chapman was amazed. He linked up with B Rich, who let him hear my music, and TJ wanted to be involved in the team.”
With the budding MC’s demo in hand, TJ, B.o.B and B Rich flew to Miami to meet platinum producer Jim Jonsin. After one listen, Jonsin offered B.o.B a spot on his label. On October 3, 2006, B.o.B signed to Atlantic Records through Jonsin’s Rebel Rock. “I’m really focused on painting a picture of myself as a musician and an artist and not just a rapper,” says B.o.B “I feel like I’m not just making rap music; I feel like I’m changing music, period.”
The gifted showman’s debut album, The Adventures of B.o.B, is a fascinating journey into the Atlanta artist’s far-reaching imagination. On the track “Not Alone,” a song B.o.B describes as an alternative rock chant, he touches on his pain as a child who was unable to fit in with his own peers. The Tombz-produced cut, “Camera,” explores the story of a young woman who chooses life as a stripper over a college education.
B.o.B continues to rap to the ladies on “Cyber Heaven,” where he claims his lovin’ will take them out of this world, while “Haterz Everywhere” featuring Rich Boy, a song that has flooded the South since its release in early 2007, proves his stronghold over the competition. B.o.B’s most honest reflection of his artistic intent comes on “Trippin’,” where he raps about using his craft as a therapeutic means of solving his feelings of eccentricity. “I feel like I have a really different perspective,” he says. “When I grew up it was really hard for me to figure out why I felt that way, like I really felt like I was from another planet. Now, it’s the opposite. All of that time I spent developing my talent and really analyzing myself, now I feel like I can express all of that and give all of my energy and love to the world.”
After producing the majority of his album by himself, and learning to play multiple musical instruments – including the piano, trumpet and French horn – B.o.B is destined to spread his message of creativity and empowerment through his music. “I just want to show people that there are endless possibilities of what you can do,” he says. “You don’t just have to be a rapper, you don’t just have to be a trapper; you can be anything you want to be and whatever you do, just love it and it will show.”
If there’s one thing Ke$ha knows how to do, it’s tell stories. Here’s a pretty good one: Two years ago, the aspiring pop singer and songwriter decided she wanted Prince to produce her first album. So, she found out his address and drove to his Beverly Hills home, where she paid the gardener five dollars to let her squeeze herself under his front gate. Then she hiked up the driveway (which was lined in purple velvet), let herself in through an unlocked side door, and rode the mirrored elevator up to the third floor where the Purple One himself was jamming with his band. “It was kind of awkward,” she recalls, “but who cares, right? So I sat on one of the purple thrones in the room until he noticed me, which he finally did. He was like, ‘How the hell did you get in here?’” she says with a laugh. “His security kicked me out, but not before I left him my demo CD wrapped in a giant purple bow.”
Ke$ha never did hear from Prince, but the incident speaks volumes about this 22-year-old newcomer’s firecracker personality and determination. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a performer,” she says. “There’s video of me at age five, naked and covered in body paint, saying, ‘I’m going to be a rock star and there’s no way anyone is going to stop me!’ It’s my calling. If I don’t go for it, I’m going to feel like a tool when I’m 50.”
Luckily, Ke$ha won’t have to find out what regret feels like. She is currently at work writing and recording her debut album with executive producer Dr. Luke, who has scored No. 1 smashes for Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, and Flo Rida. After falling for her playful half-sung/half-rapped vocal delivery on a rough demo, Luke brought Ke$ha to RCA Records, which signed her in February 2009. The album — which will also feature Ke$ha’s collaborations with veteran hitmaker Max Martin (Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears) and in-demand songwriter/producer Benny Blanco (Katy Perry, 3OH!3, Spank Rock) — is shaping up to be an edgy collection of hard-hitting electro-pop songs, made all the more irresistible by their high-octane punk energy and Ke$ha’s irreverent lyrics and attitude. “I want my music to be fun, unapologetic, rowdy, quirky, humorous, and interesting,” she says, “but with substance behind it. I’m an emotional person underneath all my fronting. I want people to listen to it and feel like they can relate.”
Not surprisingly, the songs showcase Ke$ha’s flair for storytelling, though her choice of subject matter isn’t exactly conventional. There’s a song about the time Ke$ha threw up in a closet during a party at Paris Hilton’s pad (“Party at a Rich Dude’s House”), and one she says is about the time “some dumb bitch fronted like she was my friend but then secretly tried to bring me down” (“Backstabber”), and another about finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her with a famous pop starlet who shall remain nameless (“Kiss & Tell”). Oh, and the one she wrote about beginning to see the universe as a cyclical chain of connected events after meeting a guy in a club (“Chain Reaction,” which has been featured on MTV’s The Hills).
Ke$ha credits her love for story-songs to spending her formative years hanging out with veteran songwriters in Nashville. Her mom Pebe, a former punk-rock singer, is a songwriter whose career took off in Music City in the late ’70s when a song she co-wrote, called “Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You,” became a hit for Joe Sun in 1978 and a country chart-topper for Dolly Parton in 1980. But by the time Ke$ha was born in 1987 (during a party in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, Pebe was going through a bad patch, struggling to support Ke$ha and her older brother through her music. “We were on welfare and food stamps,” Ke$ha says. “One of my first memories is my mom telling me, ‘If you want something, just take it.’”
In 1991, Pebe moved the family back to Nashville, where she had landed a new publishing deal. Ke$ha saw the inside of a lot of recording studios. “I thought everyone grew up in a recording studio,” she says. She attended a music school in the Tennessee countryside (“where some of the kids didn’t have any shoes,” she recalls), took songwriting classes, and fell in love with country music greats Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Patsy Cline. “I’d listen to these beautiful songs and they all told stories,” she says. “Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline is one of my all-time favorite records.” From time to time, Pebe let Ke$ha sing on tracks she was working on. “My mom always told me, ‘You have a good voice, practice singing,’ so I’d sing everything all the time,” Ke$ha says.
When Ke$ha was 17, she quit high school, “which was crazy because I was enrolled in an International Baccalaureate program and was going to go to Columbia University and study psychology,” she says, “but I wanted to move back to L.A. and pursue my music.” That’s when she met Dr. Luke. “I had been looking for a female artist with an incredible, distinctive voice who had her own style,” Luke says. “Ke$ha didn’t sound like anybody else.” Dr. Luke was also working with red-hot hip-hop artist Flo Rida on a track for his second album. One night, Ke$ha was hanging out with them and the rapper told her he wanted a female voice on a track and asked if she wanted to lay down a vocal. Naturally, she obliged. In February, that track, “Right Round,” soared to No. 1, selling more than 636,000 downloads its first week out, and shattering the all-time one-week digital single sales record. (Ke$ha also contributes her sassy vocal stylings to “Touch Me,” another track from Flo Rida’s upcoming 2009 album R.O.O.T.S.)
“When I first heard my voice on ‘Right Round’ on the radio, I started screaming and crying,” Ke$ha says. “I may seem kind of crazy, but behind it all I have my s**t together. I’m working really hard to make this happen and it’s nice to see that hard work pay off. I mean, three years ago I was stealing canned vegetables from the dollar store to survive. Now I’m on a No. 1 song, working on my album, and have a little change in my pocket. To be able to take my mom out to dinner is the best feeling in the world.”
Nine-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys returns with her long-awaited third studio album, As I Am, set for a worldwide release on November 13 on J Records. Within 10 hours of being serviced to radio, Alicia first single, “No One,” became one of the fastest moving and highest charting single on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. This also marks the highest first single debut for a female artist in 2007 on the R&B Monitor’s Urban Mainstream chart!
“No One” was written and produced by Keys, longtime collaborator Kerry “Krucial” Brothers and Dirty Harry. The Justin Francis/The Saline Project-directed video for “No One” was recently shot in LA and will premiere on national video outlets on September 17.
Her first studio album since the critically-acclaimed 2003’s The Diary of Alicia Keys, Alicia showcases her songwriting and producing talents on all 13 songs on As I Am, but also joins forces on several tracks with her longtime collaborator Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, award-winning songwriters Linda Perry, John Mayer, Harold Lilly, Sean Garrett and producers Mark Batson, Dirty Harry, Swizz Beatz and Jack Splash.
One of the few artists who can capture an old-school vibe and make if feel refreshingly new, Alicia tackles this feat once again with an album she describes as “Janis Joplin meets Aretha Franklin.” Punctuated with rich powerful vocals, Alicia’s vocal muses can be felt on songs ranging from the anthemic “Superwoman” and power-charged “Go Ahead” to the misty-eyed ballad “Like You Never See Me Again” and the soulful “Sure Looks Good To Me.”
Tonight on CBS’s Fashion Rocks, Alicia mesmerizes the audience with a soul-stirring performance of “The Thing About Love” from As I Am and joins the incredible Carlos Santana in an amazing duet of “Black Magic Woman.” Keys will also rock the MTV Video Music Awards on September 9 with a national televised debut performance of her new hit single “No One.”
Since the 2001 debut of Songs In A Minor, the New York native has built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments with over 20 million albums sold worldwide! Songs In A Minor, which spawned her signature hit “Fallin,” sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and garnered five Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. Alicia’s follow-up disc, 2004’s The Diary of Alicia Keys, which is currently 7 times platinum, captured four Grammy Awards and featured the hits “If I Ain’t Got You,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” and “Karma.” With the 2005 release of Unplugged, which has sold 2 million copies, Keys became the first female R&B artist to have three consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard 200 album chart in as many releases.
Announcing the upgraded Clizbeats.com, our online magazine for hit music lovers. We will continue to add new interviews and articles along with some of our older ones. Please visit often. We appreciate your continued support and we thank you for caring about what we do from the bottom of our hearts! More...
Craig and Matt Clizbe, Co-founders, Clizbeats Productions, Inc.
Atlanta Hip Hop sensation B.O.B. aka Bobby Ray checked in with Craig & Matt of Clizbeats.com! Bob told them about how his love for all types of different music, especially Rock has made him one of the most creative new voices in Hip Hop today. Hear all about the adventure of Bobby Ray!
Check Out B.O.B.’s [...]
Clizbeats.com congratulates our friend and supporter, Tommy Page on his 20th anniversary of reaching the top of the Pop Charts with, “I’ll Be Your Everything” this week. Since then Tommy remains a force behind the scenes at his label Warner Bros, and Reprise Records. He has been influential in radio promotion and has even gotten to sign some [...]
Clizbeats.com is proud to present an exclusive world wide premiere of The Elevated Mixtape The Remix by Clizbeats Featured Artist and the latest addition to the Bad Boy family, Jeremy Greene!
Everything about this kid’s story has turned out to be the American dream, and he has the combination of a singing talent and hustlers heart [...]
Glen Power from international Pop/Rock band, The Script called into Clizbeats to chat about a little bit of everything involved with the making of the band! ! Take a few minutes to learn the story of the guys who came together unexpectedly, only to become one of the biggest forces in Pop music around the world. This [...]
Take a listen to a preview of Clizbeats’ upcoming interview with Cash Money/Universal Republic recording artist/producer, Kevin Rudolf! In this clip you will hear Kevin discusses Lil’ Wayne’s incarceration, and the music we will hear from Wayne in 2010 despite his absence from Cash Money Records!
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Audio Feature Credits
Host Matt Clizbe
Interviewers Craig [...]
As we mentioned in an article post from back in June, Clizbeats Featured artist Asher Roth is making his return to the game with his second album, The Septette Tree that is now preparing for release. This time he trades in the college loving party anthem s for a more progressive unity oriented mind. You [...]
The much anticipated MTV Unplugged performance from B.O.B. is now live courtesy of MTV and MTV.com. Take a look at some of the stripped down performances of some of the favorites from his album B.O.B. Presents The Adventures Of Bobby Ray. The set features collaborations on stage with the likes of Robin Thicke, Janelle Monae [...]
Yes Its true, after over a year of being his very successful Island Def Jam label mate, Justin Bieber has had his dream of working with Kanye West come true. West’s remix of Bieber’s song “Runaway Love” made its way online yesterday. Bieber’s vocals are the originals from My World 2.0 , while Kanye puts his [...]
Guitar legend in Rock and Pop music, Carlos Santana is returning to the music biz strong with his eleventh solo album, Guitar Heaven: Santana Performs the Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time. The set is exactly what the title implies it to be, a collection of 13 cover songs of some major guitar driven tunes. [...]
“Not That Far Away” is the title track of Jennette’s EP that has been released digitally and is now available on iTunes. Jennette co-wrote three of the four tracks on the EP including the title track which she wrote with Rachel Proctor and Blair Daly. All of the tracks were produced by Paul Worley (Lady [...]
