Tag: "keith urban"

“I’m gonna knock you out…. I told you I’m not f**kin’ putting up with her f**kin’ highness over there!”

It’s not exactly prose worthy of Bob Dylan, or even Eminem, her sometime partner in rhyme, but with those fighting words, rapper Nicki Minaj recently helped make American Idol hot for the first time in years. She hurled them directly at Mariah Carey on October 2 in Charlotte, N.C., during the audition rounds for season 12 of Idol, which kicks off in January of 2013. Continue reading ‘Sound And Vision: Will Nicki Minaj Vs. Mariah Carey Hurt the Rapper While Helping “American Idol”?’

It seems that no sooner did David Nail finish his tours with Keith Urban and Gavin DeGraw than he launched his own tour this fall. But the 2011 GRAMMY Award nominee is reveling in playing some smaller venues for the rest of the year.

Perhaps that’s because the music on his latest project, the three-song EP 1979, is so emotional, that it almost begs to be played in more intimate settings. As fans know, the songs on the recording are acoustic versions of his songs “The Sound Of A Million Dreams,” “Half Mile Hill,” and a cover of Adele‘s “Someone Like You,” which set off a Twitter storm when it was first released.

Nail took a bit of time out to talk about his latest recording and just why it speaks to his heart. Continue reading ‘Exclusive Q and A: David Nail Talks About ’1979,’ Adele, and Life without Romantic Misery’

Let’s talk about Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. When American Idol announced that Minaj would be joining the team, there were more than a few whispers about the future of the show and judge interaction. Now we know. Drama. Lots and lots of drama.

A new video acquired by TMZ shows Minaj and Carey at the Charlotte, NC auditions on Tuesday getting involved in a pretty heated argument. The cause of this diva-filled drama fest? Sources say the argument began after a disagreement over one of the contestants. Continue reading ‘Nicki Minaj Vs. Mariah Carey: American Idol Explosive Showdown’

The drama is getting started a bit ahead of schedule over at American Idol. Ever since Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler decided to bow out from their roles as judges on the popular reality singing competition (though not Randy Jackson, apparently) there has been a great deal of speculation and conjecture as who will take over their spots. About a month since Tyler and Lopez’ departure, it looks like the panel for Season 12 is finally coming together. Maybe.

Mariah Carey was one of the first names floated around as a replacement judge. Indeed, Carey was the first new face to sign on for season 12 to the tune of $18 million. But it looks like Carey might not be the only woman at AmIdol this time around; Nicki Minaj is reportedly close to signing onto the show for $8 million and an allowance for hair, makeup, and outfits. Knowing Minaj, that could easily drive her price tag into the tens of millions.

While it doesn’t sound like Carey is too pleased with having to share the spotlight with another female performer it is unlikely that she would have been the lone diva for long. Katy Perry was also in talks with Idol to judge, though $20 million apparently wasn’t enough to land her.

As for the guys it’s still unknown who is going to be bro-ing out with Jackson in season 12. Keith Urban is in talks with the show and he would certainly lend the twang to the proceedings that Idol has been lacking. It would be an easy transition for Urban, too, as he has just wrapped up his judging gig on Australia’s incarnation of The Voice. The other big hosting candidate would be rapper and living embodiment of ego Kanye West. It also sounds like West has some pretty powerful backers, namely American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and Kris Jenner, matriarch of the Kardashian clan and momager extraordinaire. So, he’s basically got it, right?

More like this:

• Sound and Vision: Why Judging a TV Star Search Is More Valuable Than Winning One
• Has American Idol Lost Its Platinum Touch?

Hunter Hayes has hit gold with “Wanted,” the second single from from his self-titled debut album. Between that song and the first single from the album, Storm Warning, Hayes has also watched digital sales move beyond the one million mark.

Although Hayes is only 20, he is a virtuoso performer, writer, and producer who played every instrument and writes or co-writes every song on his album. The 2012 Academy of Country Music (ACM) New Artist of the Year nominee is on a musical fast track touring with household names including Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, and Hank Williams Jr. As he continues his own tour and looks ahead to joining Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” tour this fall, it’s clear his star is continuing to rise. Recently he took time out from his jam-packed schedule to talk about his music, performing and one special inspiration for his latest hit single.

OS: Congratulations on your recent success! You’ve certainly had a lot of great news lately. It has to feel surreal in a way.

HH: Just about five years ago or so when I was a freshman in high school, I was dreaming of this day. I was dreaming of traveling in a tour bus and playing theatres and [large venues]. Now I’m dreaming about traveling with several tour buses and playing arenas. This really is all a dream come true.

OS: So you co-wrote the song “Wanted.” What is the song about?

HH: I co-wrote it with Troy Verges. I had this idea about what I wanted to tell this (female) friend of mine who I just want to spend time with every time I’m home. So we were talking about that and he was helping me with what I’d say. So that’s really how the song came together.

Continue reading ‘Exclusive Q and A: Hunter Hayes Talks Carrie Underwood, Joe Walsh and the Young Woman who Inspired ‘Wanted’’

It’s not that Connie Smith wasn’t thrilled to receive the news that she was one of three inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s just that when the news arrived, she was completely unprepared.

It came out of the blue, really, one night when Smith and her husband, country legend Marty Stuart, were having dinner. At Stuart’s request, she grabbed the ringing phone and heard the news that she was one of three 2012 inductees—Garth Brooks and session musician Hargus “Pig” Robbins are the others. She admitted to being speechless for a minute until she shared the announcement with Stuart.

“It just floored me. I wasn’t expecting it would ever happen to me—maybe sometime after I was gone,” said Smith, who established her country stardom in 1964 with the release of her first single “Once a Day,” that was the first No. 1 hit for a female country singer’s debut. “Marty and I just grinned at each other.”

For all her modesty and hesitation to keep herself in the spotlight, Smith’s credentials speak for themselves. During the inductee announcement ceremony earlier this month, music fans were reminded that Smith has recorded fifty-four albums and had a string of hits including “Ain’t Had No Lovin’,” “Just One Time” and “The Hurtin’s All Over.” The multi-GRAMMY Award nominee—who was most recently nominated with Stuart for their duet on “I Run to You,” which was on Stuart’s 2010 Ghost Train album—is cited by many other female vocalists including Dolly Parton to Martina McBride for her vocal quality and range.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Connie Smith’s Star Glistens in Hall of Fame Spotlight’

Every singing voice is unique. After all, that’s what makes vocalists special, and what makes music so interesting. But besides tonal quality, range and timbre, there is another factor that sometimes contributes to a singer’s sound—his or her accent. For some singers, accent doesn’t play a huge role in their music, but for others, it is a defining factor.

The Beatles‘ Liverpudlian accent is, in my opinion, a defining factor in their music. It is very apparent in many of their songs, and is one of many factors that makes the band great. For example, the way that customer is pronounced in “Penny Lane” stands out, as well as countless other examples throughout their catalog of music. Still, it’s hard to know where exactly certain artists come from.

There are so many examples of British singers who sound as if they could easily be from the US. Elton John, Amy Winehouse and even Adele have been known to shed their British accents in song. And then there’s a band like Phoenix, who you’d never suspect comes from France. And this makes sense if you think about it. A regional accent is made up of differences in features like intonation, speech rhythm, vowel length and vowel quality, all of which naturally disappear in song. Intonation is replaced by the melody which the vocalist sings, typical speech rhythm changes based on timing and rhythm of the song, and vowel length and quality are oftentimes elongated and enunciated when sung. Continue reading ‘Vocal Points: Singers and their Accents’

John Mayer isn’t known for his humility. In fact, quite the opposite—he’s been called showy, cocky and even called out for his womanizing ways. But he IS known for his voice. The way that he can make his fans melt with his sultry, light tones, both in a stripped-down live performance, and with layering of harmonies on his fully produced records. But all that became impossible for Mayer when he was diagnosed with granuloma (throat inflammation). After looking into alternative remedies, it was determined he would have to undergo throat surgery to fix the problem. And while the surgery is somewhat routine, and he’ll be able to perform again after he recovers, he explained that the experience was humbling, in a post on Tumblr “I never thought I’d be wishing I could do what I love again”. Like so many vocalists, Mayer had begun to take his voice for granted, and needed this experience as an awakening to move his career and life forward.

Continue reading ‘Vocal Points: Where Have All The Voices Gone?’

In the US, Australian songsmith Paul Kelly’s cult-hero status was cemented by a pair of late-‘80s A&M releases—Gossip and Under The Sun. Kelly’s concise, cutting lyrics and no-nonsense tunes suggested sort of an Aussie answer to Graham Parker, with the sharp, sympathetic backing of The Messengers revving things up in a rather Rumour-like way. Leaving The Messengers in the early ‘90s after two more albums, Kelly ultimately embraced his folk and country influences and pursued the rootsy, acoustic-based singer/songwriter path he treads to this day, having slowly but steadily expanded his American audience over the years.

In his homeland, however, Kelly is a national hero regarded with an almost Springsteen-level reverence, earning just about every honor and award the Australian music industry has in its power to bestow. But with the current ramping-up of Kelly activity stateside, it may finally be time for America to begin playing catch-up. Not only has he got a new eight-CD box set, he’s written a book as the box’s companion piece (also available separately), and there’s a comprehensive, two-disc anthology getting its first US release.

The box, The A-Z Recordings, had its genesis in a series of specially configured live shows. “I started doing these A-Z shows about seven years ago,” Kelly explains, “where I do 100 songs in alphabetical order by title, over four nights, twenty-five songs a night. It’s a sort of theatrical show, with the letters up [on a big easel onstage] and storytelling, and intermission. I found that audiences really liked the idea. I started doing them once or twice a year and recorded the shows as I went. That led to the idea of putting out the recordings. We ended up making it an eight-CD set so we could match the nights evenly, four nights, two halves each night.”

Continue reading ‘Riffs, Rants & Rumors: Paul Kelly Knows His ABC’s’

Jake Owen has to be a believer in the number three.

As he travels around the country on Keith Urban‘s “Get Closer” Tour, the man behind this summer’s hot single “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”—the title track of his upcoming album (watch the music video below)—sounds convinced some kind of great karma has come into his life.

“It is kind of ironic that my new album is being released on August 30, two days after I turn 30, and this is my third record,” said Owen. “This album is a big step for me and my career and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”

Although the album isn’t yet available, fans can get a taste of it during his current concerts—and soak in the audio sun it brings.

“When we recorded ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night,’ I was really looking forward to summertime,” said Owen.  ”This song has that nostalgic feeling of growing up, running around barefoot and feeling free. It doesn’t matter whether you grew up along the coast, on the lake or in the country, most everyone remembers that feeling.”

Although Owen is looking forward to his own headlining tours in the future, he’s full of praise for Urban and fully enjoying his role in the “Get Closer” Tour.

“We are so lucky to be…on the Keith Urban tour,” said Jake who has also toured with Kenny Chesney, Sugarland and Brad Paisley. “I am excited for the fans to hear some new songs from the new record. And while we are out on tour, I really want to celebrate summertime so I’m [pulling] my boat behind my bus. I have a Malibu, which is a great wakeboarding boat, and I really want to spend my days out in the sun, meeting people and hanging out.”

Since releasing his debut album, Startin’ with Me in 2006, Owen has had five consecutive Top 15 singles.

“Everything is amazing right now. I have other artists, song publishers, promotion reps, people at other record labels coming up to me and saying, ‘Jake, I really like your new song. We’re pulling for you, dude.’ That validates everything I’ve ever done up to this point. Now I have people cheering for me and that is an awesome feeling.”

Find out more about Jake Owen, his new album and upcoming music on his website.