Came across Halsey a month or two ago and I've been obsessed with her music ever since. I can't believe she's just 21. How does she channel all of that? It's crazy how talented she is! I also dig that Halsey is an anagram of her real name Ashley. How cool is that?! I'm totally fangirling and I'm not even ashamed. Haha :D To top that off, I saw on tumblr that her Badlands tour's theme is travel! Like there's a passport with stamp, boarding pass as a venue ticket, a screen showing boarding times in the lobby etc. I don't know if those were true, but if it were, I'm totally sold! Attending a concert is one of the best times of a fan's life; experiencing these things will be euphoric and having some kind of a memorabilia to take home other than ticket stub is freaking amazing! Believe me, I know. I love discovering new artists. It's one of life's simple joys. :)
The artists that I'm showcasing this week is very special to my heart. I got to know them through a celebrity who tweeted a lyrics from one of their songs, then I searched for it and I found a treasure. Ever since then, they're my most favorite duo, ever. I've been listening to them for about 3 or 4 years now. (This is a little absurd but every time I'm in a plane and it's about to take off, I always listen to their song Big Jet Plane.) So, naturally, I was so happy when I discovered that they released a new album! Oh, wait! By the way, I'm talking about the Australian singer-songwriter sibling Angus and Julia Stone.♥
I believe this is their most popular song. They've actually won a Single of the Year award for this track. Yes, this is the song I always listen to while the plane's taking off or about to take off, it calms my nerves and it's some kind of a habit now. :)
This is the song I was talking about. A Filipina celebrity tweeted a couple of lines from this song. After reading the tweet, I just had to search for the entire lyrics and the artist as well, and I guess the rest is (iTunes)history. Haha :p
Out of all their songs, this is and will always be my most favorite. I love this song so much, I'm at lost for words to describe how much. I didn't wanna share this song at first because I don't want someone else telling me, they love this song more than I do. That's just not possible. And I ended up sharing this song anyway because I want every reader of mine to know how great Angus and Julia Stone are. :)
Ending this post with my track of choice from their latest self-titled album. :) I hope you enjoyed listening to these two great artists, as much as I always do.♥
This week, I decided to share two songs from two movies this year. One has already been released last month, called Begin Again, and had an amazing reviews while the other one, called The Giver, will be shown this month. I chose these songs to share this week because I really like the lyrics of the songs. If you've been reading this blog, you'll notice my music choices are greatly affected by the words in the song, not the melody or the beat or anything else. :)
Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is the songwriter and the original artist for this song, but I decided to share Keira Knightley's version because I like its rawness, I love songs in the point of view of a girl/lady/woman, and it's easier to sing along with this version because Levine's voice, as we all know, is amazingly extraordinary high pitched. This song is my current favorite!! Cross my heart! I listen to it every single day. I undeniably love the lyrics, the melody, and the message. This song tugs at the heart every time I listen to it.♥
I personally believe that Ryan Tedder is one of the greatest songwriter of this generation. If you do not believe me, here's some of his (co-)written works outside OneRepublic's albums: Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Do It Well by JLo, Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Neon Lights by Demi Lovato, Rumour Has It by Adele, Halo and XO by Beyonce, and Words As Weapons by Birdy. That's just a few amazing songs up on his sleeve. I'm totally geeking out so going back, Ordinary Human is a good song. I really like it! It's catchy and meaningful at the same time. And I'm crushing on Tedder's falsetto. :)
London Grammar is one of my favorite underrated bands. I stumble upon them while I was watching random youtube videos probably around this time last year. I still remember that Wasting My Young Years is the first song I heard from them and I instantly loved them. Hannah Reid's voice is magical! I initially thought Hannah Reid is London Grammar, just like Foxes or Birdy, but then I googled London Grammar and to my surprise it's a band! An amazing one at that. :)
Devil Inside is not London Grammar's original song, but it's a cover song from INXS. This wonderful cover was used for Game of Thrones's Season 4 trailer early this year. I love it so much, I decided to put it here. :)
They're really amazing, aren't they?!I love the melody, the lyrics, Hannah's voice, the instruments' combinations; everything perfectly fits.♥ I've read over the web that they're amazing live and I wish to see them perform a few meters away from me anytime soon, or merely in my lifetime would be more than enough. If you liked them, go get their album called If You Wait. If you didn't liked them, you need to get your ears checked. Kidding aside, try listening to their other songs; aside from the songs shared or mentioned above, I also like Strong, Nightcall, Metal & Dust, and If You Wait. :)
There are two reasons why I decided to share this artist or this song this week. (That's a lot of this in one sentence.) When I first saw the video below, I literally shed a few tears! I'm not kidding or exaggerating. I merely can relate with what the video is portraying. Self-esteem is not so easy to acquire. It's something we all work on everyday. I really commend John Legend for making this video, it's amazing, uplifting, and real. And for the song, he never fails to make a girl feel better and feel special.
Have you seen it? Now, how do you feel?☺ Anyhoo, another reason why I wanted to showcase John Legend this week is because he's coming back to Manila this year! AAAAAH!! I missed him last time that's why I want to catch him this time! I wanna watch him perform live the song above, All Of Me, Everybody Knows, Take Me Away, Save Room, and Ordinary People. Ordinary-freaking-People!!! Where's a genie or a fairy godmother when you need one? I hope I get to save money before the ticket sells out. Or I wish for a good samaritan to give me a ticket.♥
In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. -Anne Frank
I find this MV so cute and I really like the song. I've been reading a lot of bad reviews regarding Robin Thicke's latest album named 'Paula' because they said it's too personal and not meant to be publicized. But personally, I like the album and actually the track above is my favorite among the songs. I will never know what truly happened between the couple but I really hope they sort it out. I'm not sure if the album was honestly made for apologizing and for winning her back or for publicity purposes; If the reason is the former, I want to commend Robin Thicke for admitting his shortcomings through some of the songs and for trying to win her wife's heart back. Not everyone is strong enough to do that, more so to do that with the world watching.
P.S.
I'm sorry for being too serious with this post. I just don't like separations and break ups. It's always personal for me, and besides I really feel sorry for their kid. The innocents are the ones who suffer the most.
Sam Smith is my greatest 2014 artist discovery. Well, yes, I've been living under a rock for quite some time that's why I just discovered Sam a couple of months ago this year. And man, I love him! I listen to him every day to make up for the loss time. I hope I'm not the only one who do that! Anyway, a lot of us have been hearing his songs playing over the radio specifically Latch, Money on my Mind, La La La, and Stay With Me so I personally opted to not share those songs for my Music Monday. :)
I am sharing my most favorite track from Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour album...
I love the song so much! There are just so many feelings when I'm listening to it. If you have ever been in an unrequited love, I know you're gonna understand. Sam Smith himself mentioned in an interview that his album is inspired by a one-sided love affair. The whole album is really heartbreakingly beautiful! Someone said he's like the male version of Adele, and I couldn't agree more. He can absolutely tug your heartstrings! What's up with these brilliant British artists these past few years? They've been dominating the music industry. :)
When I was thinking of what song or which artist to share this week, I'm leaning towards Lana Del Rey or Ed Sheeran since they just released their album last week; But I already featured Lana in my then Music of the Week post and I'm still waiting for a real video of Ed singing my favorite track from his album so I decided to share an acoustic version of my current favorite track from The Fray's latest album Helios.♥
You probably already know The Fray since they had great songs from their previous albums. How to Save a Life, Never Say Never, Over My Head, You Found Me, Look After You, Heartbeat, and Be Still to name a few. Helios is their latest album and it was released last February 2014.
If you're wondering why I chose to use this acoustic performance instead of their official music video is because I personally don't like their MV. I just don't get the connection they're trying to portray, if there's any. The MV doesn't make me love the song any less though. Listen to their other songs, they're really good! :)
I've been hearing this particular song over the radio these past few weeks. Actually, when I heard it the first time, I was so sure it was Rihanna collaborating with B.O.B. I'm utterly shocked when I searched for it and came up with B.O.B Ft. Priscilla Renea, the girl who sang Doll House a few years back. She really sounded like Rihanna during the chorus, I swear!
I really really dig this song that's why I decided to share it today. I opted for this version because I miss seeing JoJo. And she did a good job covering Priscilla's part. She's a great singer(I've seen her perform live.☺) and I hope she releases a new song or a whole album this year. :)
Did you like it? I'm currently obsessed with it!♥ B.O.B never fails to release an awesome song. Remember Nothin' On You or Airplanes or Bet I? :)
Rixton is the next big thing. Or they're currently the big thing. Whichever, same difference. They're an English Pop/R&B band. And in my opinion, they're really good. If you like Maroon 5 or Lawson, you will definitely like Rixton as well. Their first single, Me and My Broken Heart, is doing great in the charts worldwide. You probably heard that song already over the radio that's why I decided to share the next song I personally like from their EP, this one's called Appreciated. :)
Do you like the song? I do!!!♥ Anyhoo, some people mistakenly calls them a boy band but I beg to disagree. They're a legit band! Every single member plays an instrument. C'mon now! Know the facts first before labelling something or someone. :)
I just watched The Fault in Our Stars yesterday and I'm still grieving. I've read the book last year and knowing what will happen in the end doesn't help at all. Nada! No help at all! I still cried like I was a part of Hazel and Augustus' life, and I will forever cry at the pre-funeral scene and the letter at the end. But what helped my tears flow continuously are the tracks played all throughout the movie. And since it's Music Monday today, I decided to share the tracks that I've been obsessing about for weeks now. Here are some of TFIOS's soundtrack:
The first 3 songs are originally made for the film, while the other 2 were picked out from the artists' album. I love these artists! I have a copy of their songs on my iTunes. I hope you like them as much as I do! Or even much more! I can't possibly pick just one artist from these array of talented singer-songwriters that's why I included all of them. :)
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band consisting of Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Eddie Fisher, and Brent Kutzle. They went here in Manila for a leg of their Native Tour late last year, specifically November 6, 2013 at Smart Araneta Coliseum. I knew the band from a while back and I'm familiar with their singles, I liked some of it to be honest. But I only really noticed and love them recently, maybe last year. I can't help but fall in love with their latest album called Native. Every track in that album is amazing, nothing to throw away! I swear! Every song can be their single. They're that good. So when I was informed that their coming to Manila, I did not hesitate and decided to watch them perform live! :)
Our tickets!☺ I have this collection of my past concert tickets and every time I look at them, it always lifts my spirit up. I hope to watch a lot more artists! :) Please, please, please. :D
My companions that night.♥ Iza, my friend from high school, on the left and Apols, my cousin, on the right. :) We settled on Upper Box A tickets because that's what our means can buy that time, but if given the chance, we would have loved to be in the VIP section. But staying in the upper seats didn't stop us from enjoying the show! We were jumping up and down, dancing like freaks, and singing our hearts out like there's no tomorrow! :D
Here are my videos but do not expect much because as I've mentioned, we were way up there and besides every thing's just taken using my phone. So merely enjoy the music, my friend. OneRepublic is a very good band with really really great songs, if you don't know that already. :)
If you're wondering why the songs aren't complete, I have this thing that I only record a part of the song then just enjoy the performance the rest of the time. I do not want to waste an awesome experience by just being on my phone recording everything the whole time. And besides, I do not sing while recording so my voice won't be heard on my recordings. I learned that trick from my past experiences in watching concerts; I used to sing while recording and my voice is overpowering the vocalist so it turned out really funny when I played it back. :D
Parting shot! It's always bittersweet. 2 hours is not enough to enjoy an amazing band. I would have listened and watched OneRepublic perform live for hours and not get tired. :)
"Music is a total constant. That's why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know? Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person. No matter what else changed in your or the world, that one song says the same, just like that moment."
-Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
I discovered this American pop duo last year while watching The Voice US. Christina Aguilera performed an intimate song with them on stage and I got hooked with their single at the time, Say Something, that I listened to it almost everyday. There's just something about heartfelt words and melodramatic rhythm that strike the chords of my heart. So now, I decided to share one of my favorite tracks from A Great Big World's album "Is There Anybody Out There?."
I hope you enjoyed listening to it as much as I still do. It just get me every single time, no matter how many times I've already heard it. Try to listen to their other songs, most of the songs in their album aren't as sad as Say Something or I Don't Wanna Love Somebody Else. :)
I decided to change my Song of the Week's posts to Music Monday because I just like the ring to it. Or maybe, I've just gone a little crazier from my 2 month hiatus. Whichever; From now on I'm gonna post every Monday my current favorite jam/s or my latest music find/s. :)
So this is my comeback post, and I'm gonna share my love to this wonderful young lady. She's super talented, I'm sold the first time I heard Royals. I first heard her last May and I'm hooked since then. She's making her name now in the music industry all over the world, and she just released her debut LP called Pure Heroine. I'm pretty sure you already heard Royals, because it's her hit song, so I'm not gonna share that song anymore. Instead I'm choosing my personal favorite songs from her The Love Club EP and her latest LP. ;)
I hope you enjoyed listening to her as much as I do!♥
"Music always helps, no matter what you're going through. So, if you flunk a big test, or you had a really bad break up, or you just miss someone so bad, it hurts, then listen to my playlist. A hundred songs to save your life. And it should help."
Been preoccupied with random stuff these past few weeks that's why I haven't been posting, all I can squeeze in is my promised weekly song choices. This week I'm sharing with you my super mega duper favorite band find last January. I've been obsessed with their song Recover for quite a while, and now I'm sharing their latest song Gun. This Scottish electro-pop band is one of my favorite indie bands ever. Lauren Mayberry's, the band's vocalist, voice is to die for! Her voice and their songs won my heart over. If you like indie-electric-pop genre, you're gonna love them. Crossing my fingers on seeing them perform live! ;)
This is my song choice of the week. And this is a rush post. Hah! Pretty busy with maybe not so relevant stuff for you, but it's important to me. :p Been listening to Muse these past few days. I love their songs! And I hope you like them too. xx
Four days ago, I, together with my good friend Ellaattended our first ever music festival at Globe Circuit Makati. I'm gonna tell you how my day went through the photos below. And by the way, before I forget, I copied a lot of the photos here from Ella and Kuya Ian. Click their names to see their blogs.☺ Enjoy reading!♥
After 2 days to recover, it's crazy that I'm still hangover from Wanderland Music and Arts Festival. No, I didn't drink but I'm still high from the awesome music experience which I will blog soon enough. I wanna share a song I discovered there, well, I discovered a couple but this particular song was stuck in my head. I'm so in love with this song I decided to make it my song of the week. It's from the amazing band, Nada Surf. ♥
I feel so happy and blessed that I got to hear this song for the first time and live 2 days ago. This is my heart's song and I can't believe I didn't know this song. If you already know this, good for you. If not, here's your chance; And that's definitely one of the reason why I do this song of the week thing, to broaden my music choices and knowledge, as well as to share some songs I know that might struck other people too. It can be the same as it struck me, or it can be a different kind of feeling toward the song. I believe that like food, music is universal and can connect people one way or another. It's only a matter of personal preference and taste. I hope you dig this song! Because I definitely do!☺
The Vampire Diaries has the best music choices, ever. I found this song out from TVD's episode a little while back. I discover a lot of non-mainstream artists from the soundtracks of some of the TV shows I've been watching. I'm currently obsessed with non-mainstream artists because I can feel the realness in their song, and being not commercialized makes it more special. I find joy in listening to songs that not everyone is listening to. Dave Baxter is the brainchild of Avalanche City. Call it coincidence, but I'm seeing AC perform live on Saturday. I'm so stoked! Anyway, it's election day in the Philippines today. Vote well and vote wisely Filipinos! I'm gonna cast my vote later, toodles!☺
