The New Directions pay tribute to Stevie Wonder while Rachel prepares for her Funny Girl callback.
Here’s what you missed on last night’s episode, “Wonder-ful”:
Aren’t They Wonder-ful?
Regionals are only one week away and that means the Glee Club needs some serious inspiration, and who better to turn to than Stevie Wonder? The kids covered his songs for their assignment this week, with Mike and Mercedes on hand to help. If these kids do what they are so clearly capable of doing, they’ll have regionals in the BAG.
The Bitch is Back
“The Bitch” being Cassandra July A.K.A. Kate Hudson as she appeared to want nothing more than to see Rachel fail at her Funny Girl callback. After scheduling her extremely hard ballet midterm the same day as her audition, she did a total 180 and brought the entire class to support Rachel. She said she saw something in her from the beginning and that’s why she’s been so hard on her – plus she only slept with Brody because of his abs. Either this woman has a major personality disorder, or she’s not such a bitch after all (my money’s on the first option).
Big City Fears
“Back to Black” – Beyonce and Andre 3000
Amy Winehouse fans will hardly recognize this cover of “Back to Black” by hip hop powerhouses Beyonce and Andre 3000, which will appear in the Great Gatsby soundtrack. The cover still has the same melancholy feel that Winehouse’s had but this version twists the original with a haunting synth line. Andre 3000’s vocals are deep, sensual and completely opposite from anything he’s done for Outkast. Of course, Queen Bey is perfect as always.
“Your Life is a Lie” – MGMT
MGMT is currently on the road, and have been surprising fans with new music. The latest track to be debuted is “Your Life is a Lie,” a nice little psychedelic-rock gem that with smooth, dark vocals. The sample’s quality isn’t the greatest but it’ll be enough to keep MGMT fans going until the studio version is released.
“Run and Kill” – Sia
Is it any surprise that the Great Gatsby’s star studded soundtrack would also include Australian pop star Sia? While the songstress is well known for her collabs with house DJ David Guetta, “Kill and Run” is solo Sia, with breathy vocals and a toned down piano backing her beautiful voice.
“Together” – the xx
We can’t seem to get enough of the Great Gatsby’s upcoming soundtrack, so here’s another track off it, by English indie pop band the xx. The track is dark, dramatic, haunting, moody and fully embodies Gatsby’s spiral out of control. Minimal instrumentation frames singers Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim’s quiet vocals perfectly.
“Call on Me” – Kelis
Kelis’ new track is completely different from anything she’s released so far. Produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek, “Call on Me” has a great pop-African beat with tribal drums, trumpets, and a funky bass line. The track will transport you straight back to the 70s with its vintage feel and Kelis does great expanding her boundaries past dance pop tracks.
Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox turn the clocks back, way back, to bring you a 1940′s inspired cover of Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj’s “Beauty and the Beat.” While the lyrics are too contemporary for this kind of cover, the difference in lyrical and musical styles is kind of cool. The singer, Robyn Adele Anderson, also has a pretty kick ass voice, not to mention very pretty hair. It’s charming, sounds great and is incredible unique. Who knew Justin Bieber was timeless?
Big Time Rush fans hold on to your hats because their new album 24/Seven is dropping on June 11! Fans can pre-order the album now and they’ll have the choice between the regular 10 track album or the deluxe version which offers 5 bonus songs. With most of the songs on the album written by the guys themselves, this album will surely show the growth and more personal side of Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan.
The album release also comes at the heels of the announcement of their “Summer Break” tour which kicks off on June 21. Vitoria Justice is scheduled to open for Big Time Rush.
And if that’s not enough BTR news for you, the fourth season of their hit Nickelodeon show Big Time Rush premieres Thursday, May 2nd. Yay!
The boys in The Wanted have been living it up in sunny L.A. for the past couple of months. Thankfully, E!’s cameras were there to film their American adventures.
Jumping on the reality show bandwagon, The Wanted Life takes fans behind the scenes as The Wanted work on their new album, giving a bit of insight on the day in the life of being a part of one the biggest boybands around right now. Fans will have to wait until its premiere on June 2nd to see Jay, Siva, Max, Tom and Nathan on their TV sets but E! is giving a little preview of what fans can look forward to in this trailer.
Shall we host a viewing party? I think so!
What should you be doing when you have a delicious plate of nachos in front of you and a talented singer-songwriter by your side? Scroll through Instagram, of course!
ANDPOP’s Simon Mohos did just that as he sat down with electropop musician Lights at Toronto’s Sneaky Dee’s with a plate of her very own nacho dish (it’s called “Cactus in the Valley” which we highly recommended—both the track and the dish).
With over 97,000 followers, Lights is no stranger to the Instagram world. Watch as Simon gets her to spill on why she cried on her birthday, married life and what Instagram photo wasn’t so #instagood when it got people wondering if she was pregnant. With Instagram on the mind, Simon naturally couldn’t leave without getting a few duckface selfies with Lights! Check it out!
Lights’ new album Siberia Acoustic is OUT TODAY! In honour of her new release, ANDPOP and Universal Music Canada want to fly you out to Toronto for your own meet-and-greet with the singer. Find out how HERE.
To follow ANDPOP on Instagram, click HERE.
Beyonce’s cover of Amy Winhouse’s “Back To Black” for The Great Gatsby dropped yesterday. Today, a cover of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” was released today. It’s Beyoncé-ption.
Recorded by Emeli Sandé and the Bryan Ferry Orchestra, the cover puts its own unique spin on the song with its jazzy take. It’ll sound great on screen as a backdrop to the films anticipated party and dramatic scenes.
It is safe to say that the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby is the most highly anticipated soundtrack of the year. With tracks by Fergie and Lana Del Rey amongst many other huge names, this Jay-Z produced soundtrack will explode once it’s out on May 7.
LISTEN TO CRAZY IN LOVE HERE:
Things are going great for 20 year old Selena Gomez. Not only has she recently fangirled over meeting Brad Pitt and seem to be rekindling her romance with Justin Bieber, Selena also has the release of her new music video for “Come and Get It” to look forward to.
In this trailer, fans get a glimpse of what they can expect in the upcoming music video. Showing off her seductive side, Selena is seen belly dancing in fields as well as swimming. Fans will have to be patient to view the video in its entirety. According to her Twitter account though, it should be out soon!
Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Capital Cities, an electro pop band from Los Angeles, California.
Capital Cities is the awesome result of two talented singers and multi-instrumentalists finding each other through Craigslist and realizing that they can make something great. Fortunately for all of us, their realization was an accurate one, which means more fun to dance to songs in our futures, and countless opportunities to marvel at Sebu’s ferociously badasss beard. Their debut album, In a Tidal Wave of Mystery is due to be released on June 11, 2013.
Origins: Los Angeles, California
Band members: Ryan Merchant (frontman), Sebu Simonian (frontman), Nick Merwin (guitarist), Manny Quintero (bassist), Spencer Ludwig (trumpeter), Channing Holmes (drummer)
Known for: Capital Cities is known for expertly crafted melodies and Ryan and Sebu’s voices singing in unison
Used in a sentence: Capital Cities make the perfect music to dance to, whether you’re at the beach, at a bar, or whipping up dinner in your kitchen
File next to: The Mirrors, Goldfrapp
Download now: “Safe and Sound”
Five fun facts:
1. Ryan and Sebu met on Craigslist
2. They have performed with Chromeo, LP, Asher Roth, Jane’s Addiction and Theophilus London
3. Ryan is originally from San Francisco and Sebu was born in Syria
YouTube sensations turned Ellen Degeneres mini-interviewers Sophia Grace and Rosie are back. The adorable British duo have taken a quick break from having tea with celebrities like Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus to do a cover of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop.”
While Sophia Grace and Rosie’s are adorable with their enthusiasm, I can’t help but want my own tiara and tutu after watching that video. Well, any video that they’re in. I would wear it to the grocery store, to work— really anywhere. They’re fashion-forward, righT?
If there’s one mash-up you listen to today, this should probably be it.
Writing songs about heartache is something both Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift are known for. So when a mastermind of music technology joined the forces of these two powerhouses, one heck of an amazing track was born.
In this video, Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack” and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You were Trouble” get the mash-up treatment. The track is called “I Knew You Had a Heart Attack” and is all kinds of awesome.
Lights is no one-trick pony.
The JUNO-award winning musician flexes her musical prowess as she strips down once again for her new album Siberia Acoustic. Taking ten songs from her 2011 sophomore album Siberia, her new acoustic offering includes guest appearances by Owl City, the Arkells’ Max Kerman, and Coeur de pirate.
To celebrate the release of Siberia Acoustic, ANDPOP and Universal Music Canada want to give you the the opportunity to meet Lights! We’ll fly you out to Toronto for your own personal meet-and-greet with the singer-songwriter where she will also personally sign a custom Epiphone guitar just for you! We’ll also have our cameras rolling so you can remember this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Add Lights’ signature and this could be yours!
All you have to do is get creative and show us why you’re Lights’ number one fan! You can make a music video, do a cover, create some fan art, write a blog post—just show us your talents, passions and love for Lights! We’ll highlight some of our favourite contest entries every week leading up to the contest deadline.
Just fill out the online form below and don’t forget to include the link to your work of art in your application.
This contest is only open to residents of Canada, excluding Québec. For full contest rules and regulations, CLICK HERE.
WATCH Lights talk about married life, owls and takes a couple of selfies on the latest episode of #NoFilter HERE.
CONTEST FORM AFTER THE JUMP!
From fashion to music, the 90s is making a huge comeback. The decade’s third most popular boy band 98 Degrees (after Backstreet Boys and N*Sync, duh) have returned with their new club-ish track, “Girls Night Out.”
Funnily enough, the song is like my favourite go-to wine, also called “Girls Night Out.” It’s a favourite because this bad boy is $6.75 a bottle and contains more sugar than actual alcohol, which is also how I would also describe 98 Degrees’ new song. By that I mean it’s more style over substance though the alcohol is more than welcomed (if not necessary) when listening to “Girls Night Out.”
Okay, it’s not that bad. I just wanted a chance to allude to “Girls Night Out,” the drink. “Girls Night Out” the song is upbeat and catchy. But let’s all remember that the men of 98 Degrees are all quickly approaching their 40s, are married, and three of the four members are fathers themselves. Needless to say, their musical desires to hold every single woman in their arms is less than authentic. Basically, they’re trying to do what The Wanted are doing right now and it’s kind of freaking me out.
Alas, don’t let my bias cloud up your judgement. Take a listen below and tell me I’m wrong.
LISTEN BELOW: “GIRLS NIGHT OUT” WITH 98 DEGREES
It’s time to get pumped for this summer’s Mixtape Festival!
Donnie Wahlberg recently revealed to Ryan Seacrest on his radio show that amongst other huge names (and ANDPOP favourites), New Kids On The Block will return to Hershey, Pennsylvania to headlined the festival once again. ANDPOP favourites like Emblem3, Serena Ryder, TLC, and The Jonas Brothers are also scheduled to play at the festival.
Fun fact, this will be the the first TLC performance in North America in 10 years.It’s time to pray for “No Scrubs,” “Unpretty,” and “Waterfall” as their setlist. So obviously, we want to go to there.
If my parents let me, I would’ve put pink highlights in my hair after watching my first P!nk video. At a time when there was Britney Spears and people trying to be Britney Spears, P!nk brought (and still brings) a welcome rock bite to bubblegum pop. The “Just Give Me A Reason” singer always had a wild streak, and we’ve got the old school pics and clips to show it.
She knew she’d be famous
Alecia Beth Moore was born on September 8, 1979 outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to her dad, she loved singing around the house non-stop. He told Biography that when he’d ask her to be quiet, she said “Dad, I’m practicing. I’m gonna be a star some day!”
She was always tough
Don’t let that innocent smile fool you — by the time P!nk was 13 in 1992, she already started sneaking into clubs, had her first tattoo and her signature tongue piercing! Thanks to her military vet dad, she also knew how to break wrists if she had to.
She got her first gig by herself
When P!nk started writing songs at 14, she knew that wowing the crowd had to come next. She boldly made her own spotlight by walking up to the DJ at Philly’s Club Fever and asking him if she could belt between his set breaks. She blew everyone’s minds (duh) and got a regular gig on Friday nights.
She was in an R&B trio
When Ryan Murphy revealed in a Q&A that Glee would play tribute to Stevie Wonder in one of it’s final episodes, ANDPOP predicted what Stevie songs would make it into the episode and who would sing them. Glee recently released their very special Stevie Wonder song list, so using a very special, creative and innovative tally system, we’re going to check if we were right.
See if what we did and didn’t get and keep reading for some random thoughts!
WHAT ANDPOP SAID:
Signed Sealed Delivered – Kurt (1/2)
Livin’ For The City – Kurt/Santana/Rachel/Mercedes (X)
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Finn/Rachel (1/2)
For Once in my Life – Artie (?)
My Cherie Amour – Ryder/Jake/Blaine/Artie/Sam (X)
Do I Do – Mike (X)
Part-Time Lover – New Directions (X)
Uptight (Everything’s Alright)/ Top 40 – Marley, Kitty, Santana, Rachel (1/2)
Superstition – Jake/Blaine/Artie (?) (More or less accurate…right?)
I Just Called To Say I Love You – Mr. Schue/Emma (X)
THE EPISODE TRACKLIST: Read more…
After hearing snippets of The Great Gatsby’s soundtrack in the trailers, the full studio recording of Andre 3000 and Beyonce’s “Back To Black” cover is now out! In case the track doesn’t make it clear with its irritating radio mark playing overtop the recording floating around the internet, the song premiered on EastVillage.com’s radio station.
When you are covering a song made iconic by a talent as tremendous as Amy Winehouse, it is difficult to live up to expectation – something the two cover artists have learned the hard way.
While the song hasn’t exactly been getting glowing reviews so far, I think Beyonce deserves some kudos for taking on a difficult song. Her soulful voice is well suited for the famous Amy Winehouse song. On the other hand, the production of the song falters as Andre 3000′s intro sounds very forced and the arrangements sound to over-done. It’s unfortunately the result of trying to introduce new and unique arrangements, and which ultimately doesn’t help to showcase André 3000′s talents.
It could be better, but it could be worse. The attempt was made. While it’s disappointing that a track so many were excited for failed to meet expectations, we can still look forward to Lana Del Rey’s contribute to the highly anticipated soundtrack.
Listen to the Andre 3000 and Beyonce cover of “Back To Black”:
Say what you will about the boys of One Direction, one thing’s for sure, they keep upping the adorable factor. Louis and Zayn are going to have one sweet ride during the American leg of their Take Me Home Tour as they might be seen rolling up in a real life version of Scooby-Doo‘s Mystery Machine.
There’s been talk of the boys putting down £70, 000, (roughly $109.9 thousand CAD) on the bus. It looks like it’s all finally coming together, and of course Louis had to share his excitement through Twitter.
Decked out in colours you can’t miss with “The Mystery Machine” painted in large orange lettering, you have to wonder if this a good idea. I mean the “mystery” is pretty much gone and I can just see the fans now on the look-out for a large turquoise van roaming the streets of their city this summer. Nonetheless, it’s pretty cool. Maybe they should go all out and drive around disguised as the characters.
Just a few days ago, The Wanted teased us with a snippet of their newest single, “Walks Like Rihanna”. Since then, we couldn’t wait until the full song premiere.
Luckily, the wait wasn’t too long as the single hit radio airwaves today and well, WE LOVE IT. It makes our hearts go boom boom! It might be a bit different than their previous singles, but we can still see ourselves singing this song into our good ol’ hair brush microphones.
LISTEN BELOW:
Audio via http://maxgeorgies.tumblr.com/
Alex Guadino recently dropped the music video for his latest single “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” featuring Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, and it is unbelievable to say the least!
Not only is the track insanely catchy, but the concept of the video is insane as well! A couple owns a cat hotel, and one of their “guests” inspires a great new idea: “Work it Kitty,” an aerobics video for cats. As you can imagine, the hilariousness only continues from there.
Crazy cat lovers, this one’s for you!!!
