Tag: "taylor swift"

I know today is Halloween, but we just can’t wait for the upcoming holiday season! There are so many great things in store, one of which being the Holidays Rule compilation released yesterday by Hear Music, a joint venture between Starbucks and Concord Music Group. The release features holiday (mostly Christmas) classics covered by some of today’s most noteworthy artists such as the one and only Paul McCartney, The Shins, Andrew Bird, The Civil Wars, fun. and many more! If you’re ready for a glimpse of Christmas future, heat up some hot coco and listen to fun.’s cover of “Sleigh Ride” streaming here! If that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, then you might be a Scrooge.

If you like fun. then you might also like OurStage’s own Ivory Drive.

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“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”?’

We love passing new music videos around the OurStage office, and now we’re going to be sharing our finds with you. Here’s this week’s freshest new clips!

Nicki Minaj – “Come On A Cone”

Nicki Minaj has put out so many music videos in the last few months that we’re starting to lose count. Just a few days after the rapper dropped her video for “Boys,” she very innocently tweeted the link to the visual companion to the wild and wacky track “Come On A Cone.” No bright makeup and flashing screens on this one – instead, we’re given a behind-the-scenes look at Nicki’s life: hanging with Jay-Z and B, posing at award shows, and rapping alongside Waka Flocka Flame. You know, the usual.

Continue reading ‘“Watch This!” Wednesday: Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, & fun.’

With all the buzz surrounding her latest album, Red, it’s no surprise that Taylor Swift has been a constant presence in our newsfeed. Early yesterday morning, Swift threw on her warmest show clothes and headed out to the middle of Times Square to perform on Good Morning America.

Beginning with her latest success “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Swift led straight into “Red” before finishing off the performance with her breakout hit, “Love Story.”

Speaking on Good Morning America, Swift said:

“I think for me, the music is my way of understanding what I’m feeling,” she says. “It’s kind of carried me my whole life and allowed me to filter through really complicated emotions and make them simple.”

Check out Swift’s performance right here.

If you like Taylor Swift, check out OurStage artist Shelby Marie.

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What’s not to love about Tuesdays? You get to listen to a bunch of great new albums, and it’s not Monday anymore. That enough is cause for celebration. This week’s slate of new releases is especially diverse, and gives fans of almost every genre something great to spin.

Taylor Swift – Red

If at first, you hated “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” then you started humming it absentmindedly in the supermarket aisle, and then you found it taking over every waking thought, you’re not alone. Every successive single released from Red has nestled itself into the deepest recesses of our minds like a musical laser beam of pure studio magic. Red could be Swift’s most blatantly poppy, and best, album yet.

Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city

Indie whiz kid Kendrick Lamar’s major label debut is a stunner. A cohesive rap album with a unified concept that doesn’t get bogged down in its own storytelling, good kid, m.A.A.d city features Lamar spitting beautifully rhymed off–kilter verses complemented by an all–star guest list that features Drake, Dr. Dre, production by Pharrell, Hit Boy, and more.

Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man

Bat For Lashes’ first album in three years showcases a new set of moody chamber ballads from singer Natasha Khan. Dark synths shiver and glitchy beats pop behind Khan’s lyrical journeys into the shadows of her own psyche. Impossibly compelling and intricately composed, the songs on The Haunted Man demand repeated listens.

Further Seems Forever – Penny Black

Further Seems Forever make their triumphant return with original singer Chris Carrabba, and the result is everything that fans have been waiting for since the release of The Moon Is Down more than ten years ago. The band has never sounded more cohesive or confident, and Carrabba’s vocals soar high over a tangle of rhythmically dense guitar work. It’s emo all grown up.

Titus Andronicus – Local Business

Scrappy Jersey punks Titus Andronicus have already made a concept album about the Civil War, so it only makes sense that their newest effort is a little bit closer to home. Local Business details the band’s personal trials – sometimes in an intensely honest way, as on “My Eating Disorder” – to brash and strident success. This one’s meant to be played loud.

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This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and it likely won’t be the last. In the digital age, where we can have anything we want at the click of a button, Taylor Swift fans are learning that isn’t always the case.

Swift and her management have “made a decision not to make her new album available to Rhapsody’s million-plus subscribers for several months” causing quite the uproar among fans. With intent to remedy the situation, Sr. Director of Content Programming, Garrett Kamps has initiated the #WheresTaylor hashtag on Twitter, in the hopes that Swift can be swayed. Kamps says he is urging users to “post and Tweet and comment… (and) let Taylor know how much it would mean to all of us to have her latest on Rhapsody”. Check out more after the jump.

Continue reading ‘Taylor Swift Keeps ‘Red’ Album Off Rhapsody; #WheresTaylor Campaign Launches’

After only six years in the spotlight, Taylor Swift has yet another milestone under her belt, marked by her latest release, “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Joining superstars Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and Connie Francis, Swift has achieved her 50th charting song on the Billboard Hot 100.

Although this is due in large part to the fact that many of her releases were preview tracks from her albums rather than official singles, it still marks an incredible triumph for Swift, one which took others over a decade to complete.

Of the four other women to boast this same triumph, Aretha Franklin was the quickest to reach 50 entries into the chart, taking just over 14.5 years.

If you like Taylor Swift, check out OurStage artist Jessica Lynn.

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Up until the recent teasing of Red’s tracks, it was fair to say that Taylor Swift was primarily seen as a vivacious pop singer, with enough twang and heartbreak to attract a few country lovers as well.

However, with the upcoming release of Red we’ve seen a suspected diversity throughout the album, and Swift’s latest release, “State Of Grace” proves as an incredibly mature step, documenting love in a much different light than we’re used to from Swift. Through the wispy melodies and haunting vocals, it’s no surprise that the track flew to number one on the iTunes chart less than 24 hours after being released.

Speaking to Good Morning America about the track, Swift said:

“I wrote this song about when you first fall in love with someone. The possibilities. Kind of thinking about the different ways that it could go,” Swift continued, “It’s a really big sound. To me, this sounds like the feeling of falling in love in an epic way. I hope you like it.”

Decide for yourself, by checking out the video right here.

If you like Taylor Swift check out OurStage artist Shelby Marie!

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• Taylor Swift Drops New Track: “I Knew You Were Trouble”
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Separately, Elora Taylor and Dee Filc are just two twenty-something ladies from Oakville, Ontario. Together, they become something even better, a folk duo called Tallulah Darling that plays stripped down, bare bones rock and country. Though the two cite influences like Miranda Lambert, Loretta Lynn, Dixie Chicks, and Toby Keith, you’ll find more street edge in tracks like “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.” There, a serpentine bass, buzzsaw guitar riffs, and cheeky lyrics are loosely combined for raw, unrefined rock. “Metal Heart,” on the other hand, is a more lackadaisical meditation on love, wrapped up in acoustic guitars and falsetto vocals. Finally, on “This Is Not A Joke,” those country roots are unearthed. With the wistful, confessional appeal of Taylor Swift, Mulligan delivers her simple request: “This is not a joke so please stop smiling.” Mute adoration, however, is permitted.

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