Pop Prince #3: James Jagger

Who has moves like Jagger?  No, it's definitely not Adam Levine.

James Jagger, son of Rolling Stones frontman Mick, has definitely inherited the Jagger-family magnetism. Born to Mick Jagger and Texan supermodel mother Jerry Hall, James stands out from the rest of his celebrity siblings (Mick Jagger was a notorious, um, "ladies-man," who fathered 7 children with 4 women).  James originally followed in the footsteps of his sisters, who pursued careers as models, but soon rejected modeling.  Why?  Because he felt like "a piece of meat."  Hmmm... this indicates that James Jagger is not capitalizing on his looks nor his fame... intriguing!

Notably, James is our first Pop Prince who followed a career path aside from music – he is instead pursuing a career in acting.  Members of our parents' generation may remember Mick & Jerry’s failed attempts onscreen, but James is easily succeeding where his parents floundered.  So what drew James towards theatre?  Batman.  Yes, you heard me right, Batman.  "I wanted to be Batman," James tells The New York Times.  "I had Batman bed clothes, I had Batman sheets."  Um, could he be any cuter?  Watch James' full screen test with The New York Times here.

Though James admits that his last name earns him the “hairy-eyeball” at auditions, he has more than earned respect in the industry.  At 25, he has already received positive reviews for his performances at the Kings Head Theatre in North London.  Most recently, James auditioned for the role of Colin Clark in the upcoming film My Week With Marilyn, but the role eventually went to Eddie Redmayne.  Don't worry, he has a few more projects coming up for 2012, including a film called Stealing Summers with Sophie Auster.  But let a film critic debrief you on that.

So congratulations, James!  You are a designated Pop Prince, and a very deserving one at that!  (It can't hurt that you are criminally sexy)  We look forward to watching your performance career bloom.

Unapologetically,

Minna

PS - So what about James' dance moves?  According to him, he is a very self-conscious dancer... according to us, he's got them.

Pop Prince #2: Adam Cohen

Adam Cohen,  son of poet, novelist, & legendary folk artist Leonard Cohen, has already earned plenty of musical credibility in his own right.  Canadian-born like his father, Adam fronted the band Low Millions (does this song ring a bell?) in the early 2000s and has released 3 of his own records with labels such as Columbia & Capitol Records.  A celebrated singer-songwriter, Adam also plays the guitar & keyboards.  Does it run in the family?  His father Leonard was hardly ever seen performing without his guitar!  (Watch Leonard Cohen performing  "Sing Another Song Boys" here)  

Now Adam Cohen is back, but this time, as a matured songwriter & performer.  "Like A Man" is Cohen's first release since his French-language album in 2004.  Adam described the album as a deeply satisfying - but let the man speak for himself!  Check out an interview with Adam at SXSW by clicking here.  I have to say, this guy will make you believe in agelessness.  Here is a truly creativity & artistic man!

"Like a Man" is surprisingly seductive.  The first single off the album, "What Other Man," features Adam softly serenading his lover: "I know what your hands do when you're kissing / your number one & number two favorite positions / I know how your skin glistens."  Woa!  Sensual.  (Listen to all of "What Other Man" here)
I usually shy away from the overtly mushy stuff, but somehow, Adam perseveres as an inexplicably authentic performer... dare we say it?  Much like papa Cohen himself.

Congratulations Adam Cohen!  You are officially a POP Prince.  We wish "Like a Man" all the success that an honest, artistic album deserves!

Unapologetically,

Minna

Pop Prince #1: Evan James Springsteen

"The Boss"

Bruce Springsteen is a pop rock legend.  Alongside Bob Dylan, he is credited with popularizing “americana” sentimentality in music, and remains one of the best examples of “heartland rock.”  More than 30 years later, it is still virtually impossible not to hear “Born To Run,” “Born in the USA,” or “Dancing in the Dark” on your local mom-n-pop radio station.  And who could forget those dance moves? (Check 'em out here, and see if you can spot a young Courtney Cox!) Today, Bruce is known by millions of fans simply as “the Boss.”

Well, those are some pretty intimidating shoes to fill!  Can you imagine being the son of someone known as “the Boss?”  I reckon it would dissuade most from entering the same field.  However, it appears that Bruce’s first son, Evan James Springsteen, is in no way discouraged, as he himself has started making music - dropping the last name “Springsteen” and simply going by “Evan James.”

So far, 21 year-old Evan James has posted two songs to his Myspace page, “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “New York City.”  “New York City” is precocious considering that it was written by a teenager.  It encapsulates the tri-state area's nostalgia for NYC quite well.  Evan has definitely inherited his father’s folk elements, & is undoubtedly a Bob Dylan fan too – evident by his croaky, unabashedly raspy voice (check out Evan's Myspace page here).

Evan James

Many will undoubtedly question Evan James’ authenticity.  Nevertheless, even if music is purely a hobby for him, we’d like to hear more.  For a youngster, he has a massive talent arsenal at his disposal! (it doesn't hurt that he is also a teenage heart-throb).  With more time and some training, we could definitely see him as a frontman for an indie rock band (like the Gaslight Anthem or the Hold Steady).  Keep it up Evan James!  You are our very first POP Prince.

Come back soon, we have some more princes coming your way – some you may have heard of, & some you may have not!

Unapologetically,

Minna

Is there such thing as “Pop Primogeniture?”

People have lusted after popstars ever since Elvis.  In our parents’ day people threw their panties on stage when Robert Plant performed.  Even today neither Maroon 5 nor Ke$ha will let us forget about Mick Jagger! (Moves Like Jagger & TiK Tok)  Alas, slowly but surely these pop heart-throbs fizzled out of the limelight and into family life, making room for a new wave of music celebrities.  Our question is: what happened to the sons of this elder generation of pop icons?  And how many of them followed their fathers’ footsteps into the family business of music-making?

Welcome to our “Pop Princes” series. Starting tomorrow, we will be blogging about the men who were lucky enough to be born as instant pop royalty -  and where they are today.

Stay tuned!

Unapologetically,

Gregory & Minna