French band Phoenix have been lucky enough to have their music graced by the spirit of one of the world’s most recognizable musical artists—Michael Jackson! No, they didn’t summon good ol’ MJ in a séance (that would’ve been cool if not slight creepy), but they do have his console! Bass player Deck D’Arcy and guitarist Christian Mazzalai tell ANDPOP’s Simon Mohos how they got the legendary artifact and why they went Bankrupt!
Don’t forget to watch part 1 HERE.
Although Wiz Khalifa isn’t rushing to go to a lamaze class with his pregnant wife Amber Rose, he’s certainly ready to be a dad — and he’ll even risk personal embarrassment. “If it’s a girl we’re going to paint to the whole car pink,” he said in a new episode of ANDPOP’s Small Talk. “And if it’s a boy, we’re going to black it out like the President of the United States. And I’m going to drive it if it’s the pink one, so you’ll see me in a pink Rolls Royce.”
Turns out, it’s a boy! So you’ll see him in his blinged out car next February.
ANDPOP’s Jordan Bortolotti spoke with the O.N.I.F.C. rapper while he was in Toronto all about parenthood. It sounds like he’s full of wisdom: “I think to be a good dad you have to have good parents first. My parents raised me really well,” he said. “You just have to raise your kids like everyday is a new day, like learn with them. You’re not so much trying to teach them everything.”
For someone who used to play for free food, American Idol winner Phillip Phillips has sure come along way.
“One night we were gonna play at a restaurant and gonna get paid but then it started snowing and no one else came to the show. It was just me my brother-in-law and I think my girlfriend. We cancelled the gig but it gave us free food and then we started playing for free food,” he said. “You just do what you gotta do to get out there.”
The Georgia singer was crowned Idol of the eleventh season of the show in May of 2012 and since then found success with his coronation song “Home,” which is on his debut album The World From The Side of the Moon.” It became the best selling of all the coronation songs.
Although it has been a whirlwind since then, Phillip’s prefers to stay at home. In our new episode of Small Talk the singer talked about being a homebody at heart and writing embarrassing teenage love ballads.
Watch it here
We’ve been following Canadian singer My Name is Kay since falling in love with her debut single and first music video, aptly called “My Name Is Kay.” ANDPOP’s Caity Babcock caught up with her for our newest episode of Small Talk and talked about everything from pre-stage rituals (try “peacocking”) to her favourite female rappers.
“When I moved out on my own I kinda started developing my own type of style. So it’s been a blend of everything. I learned how to rap from MCs in London,” she told us. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Missy Elliot, I think she’s one of the best. No one can replace her, she is one of the best female rappers of all time. Then obviously people like Nelly Furtado, I love her. She can actually freestyle and everything.”
To end the interview, we had a hilarious balloon-blowing competition with the singer (we try not to sexualize things).
Watch it here
When you’re travelling as much as Sweden’s DJ duo Icona Pop, you start considering yourself a drifter. Time blends together when you’re living out of your suitcase and while it’s bizarre you learn to love it. Aino Jawo and Caroline Elizabeth Hjelt feel like drifters, especially since releasing their single “I Love It” and their Iconic EP.
“I think it makes you feel free in a very strange way when you learn to live like that,” Aino told ANDPOP’s Jordan Bortolotti on the newest episode of Small Talk.
“I think when you travel a lot you meet people, they show you new music, you see new places. It’s like this creative little chaos,” said Caroline. “It’s easy to feel inspired and just like ‘AHH’ write stuff. It’s nothing you can switch on and off, it just happens.”
In fact, one time they both stayed with a guy who had a TON of video games to offer and he served them perfect little sandwiches. Apart from being inspired by cool people on the road, Aino and Caroline love going to late night clubs — the darker the better. They even call themselves Club Kids.
“It’s kind of romantic when you think about it,” said Aino. “What happens there kind of stays there.”
Watch it here
Believe it or not, Bridgit Mendler actually started her career acting in soap operas, and we managed to track down the footage! She even re-created her well-rehearsed soap opera reaction, which is much alike to Derek Zoolander’s.
In this interview we talk about her brief foray in daytime dramas and how she got her start in acting. Her one line: “I hate you and I wish I’d never been born,” (seriously).
We also wanted to find out how she balances Good Luck Charlie and her budding music career. “It’s nice that they’re complimentary. You can share an audience, which is good, and sometimes there’s opportunity for synergy on the channel,” she said. “I think it’s important to make a definitive line. I don’t want my character on Good Luck Charlie to have the same singing voice as me in real life. I’ve made an effort to make it not be that.”
Apparently she has it all figured out!
Watch it here
We were surprised to hear Bridgit Mendler’s debut studio album isn’t semi-autobiographical, considering it’s called Hello My Name Is.. (Bridgit Mendler). Although it’s self-titled, the songs on the album aren’t all personal to her, though they do appeal to her sense of style and personality. She recently sat down with ANDPOP’s Jordan Bortolotti in Toronto to chat about the writing process.
“I think it’s so brave for artists to tell their own stories,” Bridgit said. “And I would love to do that. But I think another part of the fun of it is not just telling your own story but telling a bunch of different stories.”
“Ready or Not” was the first single off her introductory album. It was an international Top 40 hit and thrived on the Billboard Hot 100 list. The 19-year-old was also at NYC’s recent Big Jingle on Dec. 7.
Bridgit said she’s looking forward to doing more albums in the future that have an over-arching concept, but the eclectic mix of songs was perfect for an introductory album. “For now,” she says, “the main thing I’m trying to convey is ‘Hi! This is who I am.’” And if this is who she is, we’re into it!
Watch it here
It’s hard to believe but Austin Mahone wasn’t always a ladies man. “I was in this little town so all the girls were into the country guys that wore boots and jeans. So I was completely different from everybody else and none of the girls found me attractive,” he said in an interview with ANDPOP.
A year ago he met Taylor Swift in a cafe and she told him to never give up on his dreams. Now he’ll be opening for her during her upcoming Red tour. “It’s gonna be crazy,” he said.
He also talked about the ups and downs of having a loyal social media following. Although it’s been harder to keep in touch with his friends, he loves connecting with his fans. Keep the tweets coming, he reads all of them!
Watch it here
One of the most endearing things about indie dance duo Matt and Kim is their wicked sense of humour and candid war stories, including getting blackout drunk or fooling around with “groadies” (groupies + roadies).
Apart from being hilarious, their fourth-studio album Lightning is addictive. They were happy to go back to their DIY roots, recording it themselves from their hometown in New York — which also meant they didn’t have to wear pants (WIN).
In their interview with ANDPOP’s @Jordans_Life, Matt and Kim also revealed how they got their start with the after-hours MTV crowd.
“When we started out we were just playing loft parties and house parties and stuff like that and we ended up hosting a show on MTV really early on before were doing any legit venue shows,” said Matt. “But it’s just probably because the people who were coming to those parties and stuff like that are also —”
” — people who work for MTV or write for magazines,” added Kim.
“So you’re in front of those people just when they’re going out to gett blackout drunk,” Matt laughed.
Either way, we’re happy they caught the attention of those reporters early on because we’re obsessed!
Watch it here
Allstar Weekend’s Michael Martinez is the only member turned away from the camera on the cover of their new album The American Dream. Considering all the folklore behind album covers, we wanted to get to the bottom of this. Is it some type of hidden message? A conspiracy? ANDPOP’s @Jordans_Life sat down with the guys and talked to them about their cover, being unphotogenic (we beg to differ) and the evolution of music.
Watch it here:
When the superpowers at Glee decide to reinterpret your song, it’s a fairly good indication that people like your music. In this case, television show or not, the guys from Imagine Dragons are pretty excited about where their careers are headed. Not only have they won over the Gods of entertainment television, they’ve also gathered a group of pretty serious music fans. In spite of all their success, one thing never changes with bands, you always have to get someone out of jail. In this interview Dan chucks Ben under the bus and tells Jordan about how they had to bail him out of the big house.
Watch it here:
Love and loss are pretty common subjects to write songs about. However, few people bring the theatrical drama to songs about heartbreak like Marina. Once again, @Jordans_life had a bit of a “Dr. Phil” moment with her and asked about her personal life. We’re not exactly sure about his motives here but Marina seemed into it. What do you think? Should some things be left private, or do you like when artists pour their hearts out? Let us know in the comments below.
Watch it here:
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Marina’s latest album “Electra Heart” is a bit autobiographical. With some heavy song titles like “Primadonna,” “Bubblegum Bitch “or “Power and Control,” it’s pretty obvious she didn’t have the best outcome in her last relationship. Luckily, our very own @Jordans_life was there to awkwardly inquire about her personal life and find out how it’s reflected in her music.
Don’t forget, she’s our Artist of the Week too!
After some secret messages were exchanged through their music, rumours started circulating about a potential romance between Adam Young and Taylor Swift. We all know nothing really happened around Valentine’s Day but we’re still curious about what exactly went down. We asked Owl City about his musical flirting with Taylor Swift and a rather controversial blog post about changing his musical style.
Before Cody Simpson started his interview with @Jordans_life, he couldn’t help but notice two female names written on his arm. Of course he called him out and asked if he was two-timing. Uh def not! Considering the teen heart throb is only 15 (sobs), he has tons of charm with the ladies and let’s us know how he stays grounded. He also dishes out how to be perfect gentleman and his type of girl. By the way, I totally want a matching floral button up!
Watch here:
Cody Simpson is such a suave gentleman we just had to ask if he had any dating advice to share. Sometimes it’s hard to remember the Australian hottie is only 15, considering everything he’s accomplished. Simpson talked to @Jordans_Life about working with Dr. Luke and shared what inspires him in his music (hint, the outdoors play a key part). Finally he reveals how he would spend a last day on Earth.
Watch here:
Sometimes when you’re working with the likes of Pharrell Williams, you just have to go to a corner and cry in happiness. British singer Conor Maynard sat down with @Jordans_Life to talk about his addiction to Grand Theft Auto, dealing with expectations and his upcoming album Contrast.
Sometimes we interview bands who shock us. Surprisingly, not all musician’s personalities reflect the sound of their music. It leaves you wondering, where did this music come from? Then there are bands like GROUPLOVE. From the moment we met these lovely people, it was obvious that their personalities are definitely present in the music. So this interview was relatively flawless, even if they were running on very little sleep. Follow @andPOP for new episodes of Making Waves every week!
Tyler Medeiros is in a pretty good spot right now. If you ignore the fact that his two cousins are huge Canadian pop icons, Tyler hasn’t really needed their help. With a newly inked record deal with Flo Rida and a spot on his tour, Tyler is really proving himself. Unfortunately, even though he’s got such a banging career at his age, in the eyes of the law he’s just a regular teenager. Which means he has to take his drivers test just like everyone else.
Hoodie Allen is a great example of how the music industry is changing for the better. He’s proof that you don’t need a major record deal to sell out shows. In this interview @Jordans_life talks to Hoodie about running his own business and the girls in Toronto.
“It’s a relatively new feeling where we’re headlining all these shows and they’re sold out and it’s like ‘oh, these people came to see me,’” he said. “It’s an awesome feeling, it’s great.”
Watch it here:
