Posts Tagged ‘UK’

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

One of my favorite alternative rock duos, The Kills, are back with a smashing new single entitled Baby Says. This is by far one of the strongest tracks off of their fourth album release, Blood Pressures. Not to focus on the whole album, but it is indeed a fine work in a progressive discography.

There is just something about The Kills’ Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart that gets my heart pounding. In order for a two piece band to work, there has to be a certain magic between the two performers and these two certainly get a passing mark.

Check out this rare acoustic performance of Baby Says below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Sunday Girl (AKA Jade Williams) has written for a whole host of impressive collaborators with tracks on albums by Martin Solveig, Rusko and Booka Shade. Her skills in the pop-writing department are currently in demand from the likes of Deadmau5 and none other than the very Princess of Pop, Kylie Minogue. So needless to say, the material she creates for herself is just as stellar.

The new single, Love U More, takes Sunday Girl’s music into a more commercial arena, meshing heart with dance pop, creating an undeniable appeal. The track was recorded in Club Ralph in London with producer Mark Ralph (Ana Calvi, Hot Chip, The Two Bears).

Now signed with Polydor, Love U More marks a fresh start in the run up to Jade’s debut album, which is set to drop early in 2012.

Sunday Girl has also made a solid name for herself in the fashion world over the past year, which has invited the interest of Firetrap who approached her to design her own AW11 collection for the label. This exclusive range will be available from early October and is already being worn by a host of celebs including: Fearne Cotton and Rihanna.

Watch the super sweet and super chic video for Love U More below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

The Horrors recently hit up BBC Radio 1, covering Beyonce’s Best Thing I Never Had. The arrangement mixed with frontman Faris Badwan’s vocals sends the breakup anthem into a disheveled indie rock state of mind.

It’s random, bizarre and unexpected, and that’s what makes it so cool.

I dig.

The Horrors – Best Thing I Never Had (Beyonce cover) by the3penguins

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Do you sometimes look in the mirror and struggle with loving what you see? I do. I envy those who seemingly love every inch of their skin without hesitation. I always preach this kind of self love (especially to girls), but I often forget the rules when I look at myself. Note to self: The surface is an imperfect ever-changing shell. The pearl is and will always be on the inside.
[Rob Brayl Poetry]

[Pop Gets A Facelift With Jessie J]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

As a follow-up to my Darren Hayes Pours Gorgeous Over New ‘Bloodstained Heart’ Single post, Darren has officially released the music video to the stunning ballad. Shot in the UK and directed by Chris Cottam, the video remains true to the simplicity of the song. Less is more and Darren proves this in the clip.

Says Darren:
“The song means so much to me because I wrote it about a time in my life when someone close to me was going through a horrible time and I wished more than anything that I could step in and take the bullet for them. We’ve all experienced that helpless feeling of standing by idly while someone you love is suffering – and wished that you could absorb the impact for them. It’s about those situations in life where, maybe you feel you are losing the battle, but you’ll never lose your dignity.”

Freakin’ love!

Darren’s new album Secret Codes and Battleships is due out next month.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

First off, apologies to my baby daddy Drake for what I’m about to say. I think I may have a new crush! And he’s white! Guess the world is going to end in 2012 after all. I’m kidding. I love white dudes! As long as they are cool, personable, genuine, funny, and not into like Michelle Bachmann and stuff. Ya know, the usual ‘Is he worth it?’ routine.

His name is Jamie Scott and if you’re from London or a music trendsetter than you may have already called dibs, but I just stumbled across this video and instantly felt static cling. Beyond the surface remains a talent that stings just the same.

The style + art direction hits the bull’s eye.

Watch Jamie Scott in action below to see what I mean.

Graffiti6′s EP Free will drop on October 4th, so watch out!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

“I’ve seen people where it rules their lives, who want to be thinner or have bigger boobs, and how it wears them down…I have insecurities, of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who points them out to me.”

–Adele on body image
[Taken from this month's issue of Vogue UK]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

[Myself, Heidi Klum, & Jessica Brasfield of Le-Mos]

Fashion’s Night Out in NYC is no joke! At the beginning of the night, my mantra was simple: As long as no one gets stabbed in da eye with a high heel, all is well.

Highlights:

-L’Oréal Paris spraying so much hairspray I could’ve sworn that if a cig was turned in the wrong direction someone’s ass would’ve been tickled. And by tickled, I mean torched.
-Seeing DJ Pauly D in SoHo. For real, I think you could crack an egg on that hairdo of his. It’s harder than a 2×4. Wait, that didn’t sound right.
-Meeting Heidi Klum!!!
-The original ‘Back to the Future’ car on display at Nike. I mean, how awesome is that? Uber-awesome. Duh.

Ok, back to Heidi for a second…

Yeah, oddly enough we met Heidi at QVC’s party! Who knew QVC would have the coolest party tonight?! Who knew QVC even had parties? Not I! But for real, it was swanky, chic and hella fun. Kathy Griffin was there, too. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Kathy as she was busy being a ham with the press (go fig).

My only beef is spotting Marina & the Diamonds and watching her disappear before I could say hello. She was in attendance at Beth Ditto’s set at MAC Cosmetics. I’ve been writing about her long before she developed a buzz for herself and her music and I just wanted to tell her that. I love her work. Oh well, next time!

All in all, a night of epic proportions (but mainly size zeros — next year, someone needs to hand out deep fried twinkies)!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

[All photos via Getty Images]

Ok, Gaga makes one creepy old man! Adele’s WTF face in the audience was priceless and my thoughts exactly. But what else is new? Same ridiculous crap.

Nicki Minaj’s outfit is epic…epically HORRENDOUS. Gurl bye.

Pitbull… Get it, papi! Latinos always bring the heat!

Adele’s performance, with nothing but a microphone and a piano, has exposed the sham that is 90% of the other acts that have performed so far tonight. The woman knows real music, heartbreak, and what true beauty is all about. Gorgeous!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Adele

Ok, not to sound mean but I definitely think Taylor Lautner has tasted the rainbow!

SOUTHERN PRIDE! GO BRITNEY & BEYONCE!

Amy Winehouse, RIP.

OMGOMGOMG DRAKE, my baby daddy!!!

Get More: Music News

Lil Wayne, for the love of God! Please pull your pants up!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

So yeah, there was an earthquake today in New York City…

Honestly, I thought these types of things only happened to those stupid enough to live in LA. Right? Earthquakes in New York, really? What’s next? Sunshine in Seattle?!

The only way I’d ever be ok with earthquakes is if Jake Gyllenhaal is by my side protecting me from the elements like in The Day After Tomorrow! If there’s any way to go, it would be helpful to have a real, genuine, loving, non-douchey ball of scruff by your side.

On a serious note, my company was located in the Twin Towers on 9/11 before moving to Brooklyn after the attack. So you can imagine how some of the people were feeling in the office when the ground started to shake. Hearing those people talk about that day on 9/11, how they managed to get out of the towers was terrifying but beautiful. Most spoke of how they thought it was an earthquake as well. It certainly left a yearning in the pit of my stomach and made me want to pick up the phone and spill my heart to a few people.

Read between the cracked earthquake lines with a little Pixie…

Heart first / dancefloor second.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

It’s new. It’s breathtaking. It’s super ferocious and it’s what real music should sound like. It’s self-explanatory. It’s Florence and the Machine with What the Water Gave Me. It’s a hit.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

BTB favorite Natalia Kills recently took over the roof of New York City’s Atlas Hotel, to celebrate the release of her debut album Perfectionist dropping earlier this week. Performing singles Wonderland and Free acoustically, the live set was part of the Hotel’s 4th Annual Open A.I.R: Artist In Residence Summer Concert Series, an event that benefits the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

Awesome music + NYC rooftop views + a wonderful cause = 2Grool4Skewl!

[Related Post: On Heavy Rotation: Natalia Kills]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I’ve been diagnosed!

“My music is solely happy at some points, but there’s always a dark kind of thing running through my songs. I am just kind of a dark person. There’s always a place in my head I go to to write songs, and the darker it is, the more genuine it feels to me. Everyone’s different, but I’m just one of those. I think a lot. I think too much, even when I’m really happy.”

–EG

[Related Post: Ellie Goulding Covers Rihanna]

BTW, the beautiful song you’re about to hear is an unreleased demo.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I can’t help but get a little giddy when the Artic Monkeys release new swags, so fresh and oh so brilliant. The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala has such a compacted title in itself, I almost don’t have to listen to the song to enjoy it; but I will anyway. This is the latest single off of their June release Suck It and See (and it’s a damn good choice indeed), that incessantly outlines their shape and frame of contemporary British rock’ n’ roll.

I cannot classify this group; they seem drawn on some kind of classic influences, yet they’re wholly innovative at the same time. Maybe it’s the complete mystery I enjoy. This track, along with the album as a whole, sends shivers through my spine, with that slight added touch of pop goodness. Some fans may think this album has lead The Artic Monkeys into a new direction, but it’s apparent they want us to follow them along their path.

Enjoy.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

This past Saturday was stained with a horrible residue. The temperature in New York City was over one hundred degrees and everything seemed a bit too sticky for comfort. Yet what stuck the most was not produced by the sun, it came forth digitally through a Facebook post, one that hurt to read: AMY WINEHOUSE DIED?

Thinking of recent death hoaxes, I quickly searched Google to find an answer. I found nothing. But then, minutes later, a confirmation popped onto the computer screen by CNN, and I felt a laser of grief pass through my veins. How tragic, I thought. How incredibly tragic. I had recalled how just the night before, I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge talking about her style and music with my friend Sheilah. It felt eerie, as if somehow light years away, our frequencies as human beings might have crossed.

I began to break and tears soon bubbled over my eyes. Having dealt with addictive behavior in my own life and addiction in the roots of my family, I felt Amy’s pain. In an attempt to remember the artist who brought us the beauty of Back to Black, I, like millions of other fans, took to YouTube to find clips, interviews, and to re-watch her previous music videos.

While searching, I stumbled upon one of her last performances and my heart shattered. Her eyes were that of a lost, hurt child, and suddenly an overwhelming feeling came over me — I wanted to give her a hug, a big fuzzy teddy bear hug and look her into the eyes and tell her that she is worthy of love and that everything would be alright.

Once upon a time, Janis Joplin proclaimed that she made love to 25,000 people at her live concerts, but went home alone. That statement to me represents the type of yearning for love and acceptance that is felt by addicts, that deep but unmet need for connection that pushes the drive for fame and the aching pain of addiction, which could be the reason why it’s common among the famous, why the two often feed off each other. The reason why it fed and ultimately starved Amy.

I want to end this piece by saying that no one will ever be able to replace Amy Winehouse in this life. She was a one-of-a-kind performer and artist. You can’t fake that kind of raw talent and you certainly can manufacture REAL music.

And to all of you making light of this situation, I ask that you have respect. Addiction is not a light switch you can just turn on and off. Celebrities have hearts and souls like the rest of us. Please show some compassion, because I can guarantee that there’s someone in your life who has fought or is fighting with addiction issues right now who could use it.

To anyone reading this who might be struggling, my heart is with you.

An early interview + performance of a much happier time below.

RIP.