Trend Alert

I may know nothing about fashion, but I do know that everyone who is anyone these days is wearing some form of fuzzy animal ears on their head.  Snoop Dogg, Ke$ha, P!nk, Rihanna, & Katy Perry have all been spotted dressed up like childish cartoon animals.  

Even everyone's hipster daydream, Zooey Deschanel, is rockin the animal accessory.

So advice to any aspiring singer-songwriters: if you want to be taken seriously, you better run to Urban Outfitters for some bunny ears.  Fast.


Unapologetically,


Minna

JFF - Conor Maynard "Can't Say No"

Yesterday, we received a fun surprise in our inbox from the kind folks at EMI UK introducing us to their new act, Conor Maynard. Conor is a beautiful singer whose music is set to polished hip-hop beats. Only a year ago, Conor uploaded covers of his favorite songs to Youtube. Before long, pop stars began tweeting about him. Ne-Yo even called Conor's house, offering his production prowess. Soon after, Conor signed a deal with Parlophone.

He hasn't yet released an official single, yet Conor has the 7th most subscribed music channel in the UK, 175,000 Facebook fans, and 60,000 Twitter followers. This is truly a testament to his talent - check out his GORGEOUS cover of Drake's "Marvin's Room" below. Conor's voice will make you melt.

Most recently, Conor has been named the winner of MTV's Brand New for 2012. He won the competition by a landslide, polling 45% of the 150,000 votes cast. Make sure to check out the snippet posted below, in which Conor introduces his debut single, "Can't Say No," co-written by Connor himself and produced by The Invisible Men (Jessie J, David Guetta, VV Brown, etc.) The production is immaculate. It will be officially released on April 30, 2012, with the album release planned for sometime this summer.

Those of you who like what you hear should check out Conor's website, Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter pages, all of which are posted below. If you're in the UK and would like to see Conor live, you may find ticket information on his website. He will be performing at Islington Academy on the 8th of March.

http://www.conor-maynard.com

https://www.facebook.com/ConorMaynard

http://www.youtube.com/conormaynard

http://twitter.com/conormaynard

Unapologetically,

Gregory

The "Domino" Effect: Can Jessie J Break the USA?

I'm American.  Ok, cool.  With that said, I have had a long-running, 23-year hate-love relationship with the Billboard Hot 100.  Sometimes I have happy days (an indie rock band peaked at #3!) & sometimes I have angry days (ugh, please make Bruno Mars go away & replace him with Robyn). But all this aside, one track, slowly creeping its way up the charts, is putting a smile on my face: Domino.

I am an unlikely Jessie J fan.  I'm not really into soul.  Nor R&B. I generally shy away from "vocal acrobatics," as our friend Vertigo Shtick calls them. But I can sing Jessie J's praises to anyone who will listen.  I'm waiting to see Jessie J break the USA - and Domino is her best chance.  

It's Dr. Luke. It's Max Martin. It's Claude Kelly. And damn, is it catchy.  Yes, it sounds a hell of a lot like Katy Perry, but I highly doubt that Jessie had anything to do with that (did she produce it? No).  Idolator is fair to deem it a "Teenage Dream leftover" because, let's face it, it sounds an awful lot like one (Dr. Luke is very green, he reuses, recycles).  But Jessie J, ever the fighter, took what the big names gave her & made it her own!  Domino may sound akin to a song from Teenage Dream song, but no one can sing it the way Jessie can.


So who is Jessie fighting on her way up? The Big Girls. The Queens of the Charts: Rihanna, Adele, Katy Perry, & most upsettingly, Flo Rida, who doesn't deserve to be there.  Does Jessie really stand a chance of peaking at #1? Unfortunately, probably not. BUT, truly, Domino is "a shot of pure gold."  It can definitely make it higher than its current position at #15, to say the least.  Now that we know to expect a more "painful" second album, the time is now to get Jessie in the US Top 10, where she belongs.

She can do it.  And when she does it, I will have a happy day.


Unapologetically,


Minna

We'll get you there, girl!

JFF – Jessie J Tells You To Be True To "Who You Are"

Holler!

Mr. Perez Hilton (Hey Perez! We love you!) posted this vid on his blog over the weekend, but I have to post it here. This song has been my anthem (Yes, I’m still in 8^th grade and have anthems) ever since I heard it this past winter. It’s perfect for the fall/winter season. It will give you chills when you listen to it. On those days/weeks/months when you’re feeling hopeless and insecure, when you’re struggling to keep up your spirits, Jessie J reminds you that being yourself is enough. Just keep your chin up. Be true to “Who You Are” (click here to listen).

Unapologetically,

Gregory