August 2013 issue one
mike posner
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Thank you Aaron Phillips EMI Music MBC PR MSO PR RCA Records Republic Records Sambush Organization Shark Week The Musebox Editor: Evan Candelmo Writers: Ryan Cirillo, Carly Meyers and Ali Pham Cover: Mike Posner Photo Credit: Dan Monick Pages 1, 2, and 18: crimesmorefun.tumblr.com Backcover: Nikki Williams Photo Credit: Kiyah Wright
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Contents Chris Wallace- page 3 Nikki Williams- page 4 Shark Week- page 5 The Young Romans- page 6 The Neighbourhood- pages 7-8 Bastille- pages 9-10 Mike Posner- pages 11-12 Stooshe- pages 13-14 Bo Bruce- pages 15-16 Cimorelli- page 17 Sounds of Summer- page 19-20
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Chris Wallace This vocalist has done it all including opening for Lady Gaga and bein g signed to a major record label with his former ba nd. Now, Walla ce has his sights set on a solo care er and he has already done more than enough to ensure a lon g run . How did you start your mu sic ca reer? I became really obsessed with music around 14. I begged my parents for a guitar for years. Started playing in bands locally. Then started writing my own music. Over time that music obsession turned into a ridiculous dedication. Who are you influ enced by? Growing up I really listened to a lot of guitar based pop music. Like Michael Jackson and Prince. How is your solo career diffe rent from being with Wh ite Tie Affair? My solo album is a way more evolved version of me. On “Push Rewind,” I’ve finally connected with who I am and what I want to say. If you could perform one song for the rest of you r life, wh at would it be ? “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen or “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
Photo: Trevor Hoehne
Nikki Williams Nikki Williams coming from South Africa is a growing pop star. With her new single, “Glowing,” getting lots of radio play as well as the song she co-wrote with Demi Lovato, “Heart Attack” going platinum, Williams is a star in the making.
How did you start your mu sic ca reer? It started when I was about 12. I got my first record deal in South Africa. Was it hard breaking into the US market since you are from South Africa? I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time and also supportive parents. We heard you also co -wrote “Heart Attack” by Demi Lovato. Can you tell us about that proc ess? It just flowed out really. We wrote it forever ago and it was a really nice surprise when I found out she recorded it. A definite top moment in my life. Is it su rprising to h ear “Glowing” on the radio and in the top 40 all t he time since this is your debut single? I don’t really hear it on the radio that often because I listen to Spotify. Lol I have a couple of playlists that I am absolutely obsessed with right now. Can we e xpect more ne w music this year? Yes. Her debut album is expected to release later this year.
Photo: Kiyah Wright
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Shark Week’s punk-garage feel has electrified audiences across the East Coast, but they are yet to break into the mainstream public. However, their sophomore album was released with a record label unlike their indie freshman album, ensuring that they are the ones to watch. Line-Up: You performed at Sweetlife in May. What was it like? Would you perform again? Ryan Hunter Mitchell of Shark Week: It was rainy. Sweetgreen guys are cool but we didn't have the best experience being the "token local band" at the fest. So I would say I would play it again, but I'd be a bit more vigilant if it were to arise again. And I'd wear a raincoat. Line-Up: Who do you envision yourself collaborating with in the future? Ryan: Andre 3000. I'd consider working with Kanye but I'd like to hear some of his ideas first. Line-Up: What inspires you guys to write your music? Ryan: A lot of things inspire us to write music. Topically, I'd say the usual stuff... Substance use, love (or lack thereof), time/age etc. The inspiration to write music in general I guess is to make something people want to listen to that either sets a mood or enhances one, at least for me. I'm not one of those songwriters, like Townes or Cohen, that can tell you something you don't already know. I'd like if people listened to us and like it; maybe they can relate or maybe
they don't care. Line-Up: If Woodstock were to be recreated today, who do you imagine performing there? Ryan: I suppose you could look at just about every large festival in North America this summer and just mildly rearrange the order and that's probably what Woodstock would be if it were held this year. Phoenix, Mumford and Sons, Passion Pit. And then you could reflect on how downhill the world has come. Line-Up: How does your first gig compare to your biggest? Ryan: I guess this is a lot like sex. Which was the best? The first or the biggest? You can find a lot of parallels between shows and intimate relations: They both have important attributes. The first feels like it really matters. The biggest always hurts a little bit at first but it totally pays off. You get a little nervous for the first and the biggest in both cases. There were a lot of people wearing shark fin hats at our first show, and the same can be said for my first time with a girl. Our biggest show took place outdoors which can also be said for the biggest... #vitaminwateruncappedlive
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Photo: Jen Rosenstein
THE YOUNG ROMANS The Young Romans have touched the hearts of everyone that clicks “play” which has brought them to have their album, “Tiger Child,” continuously lingering in the top 10 on the iTunes alternative charts. Line-Up: How did you guys come together as a duo? Young Romans’ Brad: I was touring with a solo project at the time and needed a new guitarist for the band. The other one just wasn’t working out. A mutual friend of Sari’s and mine hit me up and told me… Young Romans’ Sari: That I was the coolest girl in the world…? Brad: Exactly. Sari: And then I auditioned and got it. Brad: After a couple of gigs, people started saying that we might have a new bigger, better thing going with the two of us than I had going on my own, which looking back now was definitely true. Line-Up: Where did the name come from? Brad: Well, we were young and we both liked Ramen. Sari: And the name Little Caesar’s was already taken. Line-Up: What’s your favorite place/dream
place to tour? Sari: Dream tour? Brad: I’d love to tour Europe. Especially the interior: Germany, Switzerland…. Cause I’ve only visited the countries near the water. Sari: I’d love to play all the most epic and intimate venues in each corner of the world, except the island where the Lost cast ended up. No bueno. Line-Up: How was creating the album? What influenced it? Brad: There were a lot of breakups. Me, Sari, family members. There’s definitely a bunch of inspiration drawn from those struggles. Desires to work through things and/or transition into new phases of life. Sari: As far as the recording process, it was very unique cause I got to work with my best friends. So we all had a blast. And at the same time, making a record turns out to be a little bit of a healing process because of what you’re writing about. Brad: Put it in a song, and move on. Their album, Tiger Child, is out now.
The Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood is a California based band about to win your hearts. From their chill melodies to the lively rhythms, they are poised to be the breakout alternative band of 2013. Line-Up: How did you guys form your band? The Neighbourhood: We decided one to day to try and make music with our best friends & the first song we wrote was ”Sweater Weather.” I think we knew from there that this was something we wanted to pursue as a career. Line-Up: What was the writing process like for the first EPs and your debut album? The Neighbourhood: We've always written a similar way: demoing songs out on Jesse’s computer. We generally start with a Hip-Hop backbone (drums & bass), we then add guitar & Jesse’s vocal. Obviously it gets a little more in depth but that is the bare bones structure of how they are first started. The songs take much more of a full body shape once we actually get in the studio. Line-Up: Your music videos are very intriguing. Are you guys involved with the process of editing and planning the videos? The Neighbouhood: All of our videos are done by the creative group ENDS (Daniel Iglesias Jr. & Zack Sekuler). They are two of our closest friends so the ideas for the videos come from all of us talking about what we want to achieve with each and every music video. They are an irreplaceable asset to our team; they know our vision and how to make an accurate representation of us through video. Line-Up: What makes you put them in black and white? The Neighbourhood: Black & white is The Neighbourhood. We made a decision early on to stylistically release all of our content in black & white. Line-up: What inspired your single, Sweater Weather? The Neighbourhood: Like I said, it was the first song we wrote. I believe the lyrics came from a real life scenario, although I can't speak too in depth as to what each and every word Jesse wrote, means.
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Photo: James Minchin
BASTILLE
UK group Bastille is not your average band. Hailing from London, Dan Smith’s once solo project has evolved into a band filled with whimsical rhythms and beats that are predicted to impact the US charts big time. How did you get started in music? I (Dan) started writing and recording songs a few years ago, but I never played them to anyone and it was never something I imagined doing in public. When I was in college, one of my friends heard some of the songs I’d made and encouraged me to do some gigs and that’s how I started. I played by myself for a bit, then got together with the other three guys in the band and it kind of went from there. How would you describe your “sound”? We’re really bad at describing our sound. Some people see it as indie, some as alternative. It’s a mix I guess, there are some songs that are epic with big drums and string arrangements and others that are quite minimal and electronic. What will your first single in the US be? Any plans to tour? I’m not sure what our first single in the US will be yet, but we are definitely planning to tour over there. We’re hopefully heading out in September to play some shows and we may go for a short time over the summer as well. How was it getting the #1 album in the UK? It was very surreal. It wasn’t something that we’d ever really aimed for, and it definitely wasn’t something we expected. Obviously we’re really happy that it happened, but it kind of feels like it happened to someone else. Where does your inspiration come from? From all over the place. Things that have happened to me and people I know, stories that I’ve read and films I’ve seen. Musically, our influences are quite broad, from Brooklyn bands like Yeasayer and Vampire Weekend to older bands like The Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkle. I also listen to loads of electronic producers and hip hop, as well as singer/songwriters like Anthony & The Johnsons and Bon Iver.
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Photo Credit: Dan Monick
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Mike Posner Mike Posner boasts three top 40 singles, a top 10 debut album, and has worked with everyone from pop songstress Cher Lloyd to hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg, but where has he been since 2011? Well, he’s been very busy, and we recently caught up with him! Line-Up: What were you up to on your break? Mike: I wrote and produced songs for other artists while working on my album. I wrote and produced “Boyfriend” with Justin Bieber, “Say Something” with Austin Mahone, and “Beneath Your Beautiful” with Labrinth. Line-Up: What was it like working with Justin and Labrinth? Mike: Justin is a good friend and ridiculously talented artist. He plays every instrument and has an incredible voice. Labrinth is the same. He has my favorite singing voice in the whole world. When I work with artists like this, I often catch myself thinking, “It’s so cool that I get to help
these amazing voices decide what to sing.” I’m really grateful. Line-Up: Switching gears to new material, we love the new single. Will this be the feel of the upcoming album? Mike: Thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that! Sincerely! This song is like a good appetizer before the meal. Line-Up: So can we expect a music video for the single, “The Way It Used To Be?” Mike: Of course! I’ve been on the Believe tour with Justin so we haven’t had time to shoot it just yet. We should be done with it in the next few weeks. Line-Up: Finally, can we expect any collaborations on the new album, “Pages?” Mike: Definitely. A lot of the people that I’ve written and produced have returned the favor and featured on my album. I can’t wait for you to hear it. :)
Stooshe
This funky trio from across the pond is making their way up top 40 charts in hopes of sharing their signature urban verve worldwide.
Favorite Food? Courtney- My favourite food is Caribbean. I love stew chicken, rice & peas and macaroni & cheese ;) Karis- Anything home cooked with lots of spice lol Alex- My daddy’s roast dinner. Favorite Artist Right Now? Courtney- I am loving Disclosure at the moment! Karis- Pharrell Williams, he's killing it all over again! Alex- Beyonce, definitely. Wh at wou ld be you r high sc hool superlative? Courtney- Bubbly Baby of Stooshe Alex- Light-Hearted Lady Wh at was the best part about making the album, London With The Lights On? The best thing about making the album was being able to put our personal experiences into music. We tried out different ways of getting in the vibe too which was fun. Ex: 4 o’ clock in the morning with candles & husky voices singing “Fly Again” :) How did you all meet? None of us knew each other. At separate times Alex and I (Courtney) were shopping in Topshop where we was approached asking if we could sing as we looked good. A month or so later, we were put in the band. Then, our creative director called Karis up as she knew her, asking if she wanted to join :)
Bo Bruce Immediately after her blind audition of “The Voice UK,” Bo Bruce sparked intrigue throughout Britain. She wowed Europe every week, yet her run was ended after she ultimately placed second to Leanne Mitchell. This, however, hasn’t stopped her singing career; in fact, it has only just begun. Line-Up: Is there a specific event that sparked your interest in creating music?
Bo Bruce: No it’s just all I've ever known. I never wanted to be anything else. It’s all I could think about, and there was no plan B. Line-Up: We've read that the title of your album, Before I Sleep, is inspired by a Robert Frost poem. What about the album spurred this choice? Is poetry important to you, and why?
Bo Bruce: It was about the meaning of the poem, or how I interpreted it- that we have to keep going, that no matter what crumbles around you, what your souls pleads you to do, stop maybe, that we are still able to exist, to make choices and life has to go on. We still put one foot in front of the other. We still breathe oxygen, everything hurts but our bodies still exist. You have to keep going. Line-Up: How has your particular style of music evolved through your experiences and growing success?
Bo Bruce: I was lucky enough to work with people who directly influenced my musicality growing up, so it’s been enhanced by hanging out with them for sure. I’ve learnt a lot about myself in that sense too. Line-Up: On The Voice it seemed you had a special relationship with your coach, Danny O’Donoghue. Has this relationship continued beyond the voice? If so, how has it influenced you?
Bo Bruce: We wrote Alive, but life got in the way, and we didn’t see or speak to each other for a very, very long time. It was hard to find reason to put it on the record in the end, and we are intrinsically very different writers, different people. I took it to my friend, Henry Binns from Zero7 to see if we could turn the song Danny and I had created into something that would sit happily with the rest of my album and I'd be lying if I said it was an easy process. I felt enormous pressure to have that song on my album. Henry and I worked very hard to make it something it perhaps was never meant to be. But there's a reality and a truth in that song that on writing was utterly right. Line-Up: What do you look forward to achieving in the future?
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Photo: Eliot Lee Hazel
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Cimorelli Cimorelli is a girl group from California. The catch is that they are all sisters. Ranging from ages 13 to 22, their fame comes from posting cover songs on YouTube. Their new EP features all original music that you can jam to all summer. What’s it like working with each other? Catherine: It’s good. We’ve been getting along and figuring out how to deal with conflicts since day one, so we’re really good at working through every situation and we’re really good at communicating with each other because we’re sisters. So I think we work very effectively and we’re in sync. Christina: I think we working together extremely well. Like we work together so well. We’re just like a well-‐oiled machine at this point. And it’s not stressful like “Oh No! I don’t want to tell this person that I’m annoyed at what they’re doing!” or whatever it is. You can just say what you’re thinking. What’s the craziest thing a fan has done for you? Lisa: I think flying from Brazil to LA to see us [in concert] or like Mexico or the Philippines. Catherine: And one girl drove 11 hours. Christina: They do some crazy things.
Lisa: It’s pretty awesome and getting us trending worldwide… Catherine: Getting us on radio stations. Christina: They’ve done a lot. They get us on Australia radio. They’ve accomplished so much. They’re crazy. They’re awesome. Celebrity Crush? Christina: I don’t have a celebrity crush but I like Channing Tatum because he reminds me a lot of my boyfriend. Catherine: Tim Tebow Lisa: The Rock. I just watched a movie with him in it last night. Amy: I’m gonna have to go with Tim Tebow. Lauren: Ross Lynch Dani: Keaton of Emblem3 Favorite song ever covered? Christina: “As Long As You Love Me” Catherine: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” Lisa: “Call Me Maybe” Amy: “Mirrors” with James Maslow Lauren: Same Dani: I love “Payphone.” The “Made in America” EP is out now.
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Sou nd s
of S
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Ellie goulding- Burn Alunageorge- bad idea Katy perry- roar Haim- the wire MKTO- CLASSIC eLLIPHANT- music is life BONNIE MCKEE- aMERICAN gIRL iGGY aZALEA- work BETTY wHO- high society NONONO- Pumpin’ blood Eliza Doolittle- Big when I was little Smallpools- dreaming the neighbourhood- sweater weather Avicii- wake me up tHE CEREMONIES- LAND OF GATHERING Passenger- let her go Karmin- acapella Vance joy- riptide Lady gaga- applause Icona pop- all night lorde- royals gale Cecelia- over mike posner- the way it used to be Panic! At the disco aND LOLO- Miss jackson JOHN NEWMAN- LOVE ME AGAIN
August 2013
Nikki williams