Purple Ferdinand, equipped with her ukulele performs a beautiful acoustic cover of Lady Gaga’s “You & I” for the first Reload Session! Her enchanting, delicate vocals take this pop track into an emotive story of lost-love turmoil allowing you to really concentrate on the lyrics of this song. I love that she has taken this song and made it her own, there are millions of Lady Gaga cover tracks on YouTube but this really stands out as more of a ‘adaptation’ than a cover. Hit the jump to peep the visuals!

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I must admit I found it quite strange at first how Purple Ferdinand doesn’t really communicate with the camera whilst she’s singing, I’m used to singers, particularly female singers really romanticizing the camera lens – usually in a rather seductive manner so as to appeal to the viewer. But instead it’s actually really refreshing and endearing how wrapped up Purple (yes i’m gonna call her that from now on) is in her music during this session, there’s a slightly awkward factor about this performance which is really appealing and leaves you craving for more!! Props to Reload on capturing this session in such a way, there’s way too many live music series around right now and this appears to have much more genuinity in the way it’s shot! When asked about her moniker, Vanessa (as many of you will know her as), told me:

Purple Ferdinand is the name of my tumblr, and I named it that because its my kind of power colour. and by that I mean.. It has properties within it that appeal to me, its passion, it has depth, its mellow, its dark but also in a way enlightening.. and from my blog it kind of stuck and of course Ferdinand Is my family name.

She’s promised she’ll be working on more material in the future – but if like me you simply cannot wait, check out her Tumblr link below for more music, tattoo art and delightful ramblings!

Purple Ferdinand Tumblr  | Purple Ferdinand Twitter

Had a blast in Belfast at the EMA’s thanks to Dell and seeing everything backstage was a great experience, however it didn’t compare to seeing the arena filled with hundreds of people and then actually watching the show! Unfortunately I wasn’t permitted to take photos so they took my camera until the end of the show. Seeing as I didn’t get a chance to take any photos, I’ve used photos here from MTV’s website. If you followed the commentary on our twitter page then you’ll know what I thought of the show. Here’s a few highlights from the show.

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You can watch all of the performances here

Selina Gomez made a great host, to present to an arena full of people televised must be nerve racking or a 19 year old! But she was really confident, she sounded great and her personality came across too- not one of those robotic presenters!  Performance wise… not my cup of tea. Her and her man and their teenie boppy style wasn’t doing it for me. The Biebster who picked up 3 awards that night sung out of tune but danced to a satisfactory level.

No but what was Lady Gaga wearing….? Why is she so weird, seriously she needs Holy Ghost water fe cleanse her! The satellite picked up 4 awards, best song, best video, biggest fans and best female! I suppose all well deserved since she can’t really be faulted in terms of her craft.

Top performances for me were Jessie J, Lady Gaga and Queen ft Adam Lambert. Jessie J mainly because she sounds great live and she got the crowd moving. I wasn’t particularly a fan of Gaga but after seeing her live I can understand why so many people love her off. She has a great voice and strong stage presence which means she delivers the kind of performances that make you watch her in awesome wonder. Queen would obviously steal the show, although only 2 of them are still alive, they performed with Adam Lambert (who looks terrifying) as their lead vocalist.

Other champions included Bruno Mars who won best push and best new…seems like he’s been ‘new’ for a long time but OK. His performance of ‘Marry Me’ was great, really enjoyed the 60’s swing vibe…given that I’m actually about 70yrs of age.

You can watch all of the performances here

With such a busy day ahead of us there was no time for chilling, we went straight from the airport to the hotel, dumped our stuff and headed straight for a backstage tour of the Odyssey Arena courtesy of  Dell. On the tour- we saw the red carpet area, dressing rooms, the arena post completion and more. Read the experience after the break!

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First up was the main red carpet area where obviously by 7pm the following day would welcome celebs such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and more. It’s crazy actually how incomplete it looks now in these photos because the whole scene looks completely different when you see them in magazines and newspapers. Some people were quite smitten with the whole idea idea of being on the red carpet as they took turns in getting their money shot.

We moved onto the the chill out area for the stars. Which featured pop ups for beauty products and spa treatments. Being one of the partners for the event, there was also a Replay jeans area which featured their latest collection. Like the celebs were not getting enough special treatment, there was also a special dining area for them where they could wax down a very fancy breakfast- the only envious moment for me as we took this tour on empty stomachs! Jokes aside, it was a nicely designed room as you can see- with some sort of ‘manderine type theme’ as someone described it.

Finally the stage area, which actually at first glance from the side entrance reminded me of walking on the Westham’s football pitch when I was about 13. The Arena is not as huge as I thought it would be probably because it was dark and still under construction. No doubt it will look incredible for the show tonight. The Odyssey arena will feature 3 stages one of which already held a strange colourful ball that I’ve decided is Lady Gaga bedroom. In reality though it’s probably part of Katy Perry‘s set, which makes me sad. Here’s a few photos of the backstage area.

Now on the way to a press conference, we were met with SCREECHING Bieber fans *VOM* chanting his name and unsavory music- growling at all humans as they left the arena. They are mental… #thatisall. No doubt the show will be great tonight, I’ll leave you with a few more photos.

Very dope. The man who Jay-Z hails as  ‘the conduit between corporate America and rap and the streets-he speaks both languages‘, Steve Stoute unveils his new The Tanning Effect video series coinciding with his new book “The Tanning Of America: How the Culture of Hip-Hop Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy.” I’m already in love with the book and it hasn’t even been delivered. Stoute sits down with the likes of Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Gaga (Not a fan of her answer!) and Jimmy Lovine. They speak on how the new generation have rewritten the rules of the new economy. Bet you didn’t know Pharell, Notorious B.I.G and Scarface inspired Louis Vuitton to start manufacturing & selling eyewear. Peep the first video on the reverse. Some Sunday inspiration for you.

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Buy the book here – Amazon

I’m looking forward to more from this season if it’s all about branding and marketing. Will definitely inspire me for campaigns at work!

When Fortune 500 companies need to reenergize or reinvent a lagging brand, they call Steve Stoute. In addition to marrying cultural icons with blue-chip marketers (Beyoncé for Tommy Hilfiger’s True Star fragrance, and Justin Timberlake for “lovin’ it” at McDonald’s), Stoute has helped identify and activate a new generation of consumers. He traces how the “tanning” phenomenon raised a generation of black, Hispanic, white, and Asian consumers who have the same “mental complexion” based on shared experiences and values. This consumer is a mindset-not a race or age-that responds to shared values and experiences, rather than the increasingly irrelevant demographic boxes that have been used to a fault by corporate America. And Stoute believes there is a language gap that must be bridged in order to engage the most powerful market force in the history of commerce.

The Tanning of America provides that very translation guide. Drawing from his company’s case studies, as well as from extensive interviews with leading figures of multiple fields, Stoute presents an insider’s view of how the transcendent power of popular culture is helping reinvigorate and revitalize the American dream. He shows how he bridges the worlds of pop culture, brand consulting, and marketing in his turnkey campaigns offers keen insight into other successful campaigns-including the election of Barack Obama-to illustrate the power of the tan generation, and how to connect with it while staying true to your core brand

I’m an idiot. I have 6 days till my holiday. 4 of them I’ll be spending in meetings, doing shoots & attending events and the last one I’ll spend packing. So that leaves me with ONE DAY to shop. I need some tees, shorts and a hat or two. It’s going to be manic, my bank account won’t appreciate especially after the new lens I copped last week. One way of me not feeling so guilty would be by heading over to Uniqlo and purchasing a few of their ‘Save Japan’ tees. They have teamed up with the Condé Nast Group (Vogue + GQ publisher to those that don’t know) to produce t-shirts featuring messages of encouragement from celebrities and artists around the world. Uniqlo hope to donate around 100 million yen through the sale of these tees. More information on the reverse.

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Uniqlo | SAVE JAPAN

People always say the fashion industry is shallow but when it comes to raising money for charity, it’s always been one of the best. Naomi Campbell’s ‘Fashion for Relief’ campaign has raised over £5 million in just over 5-6 years. Uniqlo have utilised their industry contacts to get artists to create a unique and personal design for each tee – artists involved include Lady Gaga, Karl Lagerfeld, Blake Lively, Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alber Elbaz and Nicole Kidman. Sigh. I just realised that the tees only go on sale on the 25th of June. Hold tight folks.

I want the Victoria Beckham tee. It’s clean.

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These have been out for quite some time now but we havn’t posted a fuckery video in a long while so I thought why not! You may or may not have come across ThisisMack, a channel on youtube quickly attracting a lot of attention because of his witty and highly amusing hypothetical beef videos mainly between Beyonce and Ciara.  Other videos include the likes of Kelly Rowland, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and even Michael Jackson. These videos kill us every time we watch them, there are some spectacular lines in these such as MJ’s “im sorry…who are you” and Ciara reference to Rihanna as a “Mothaf**kin crayon”.Wow and the voices… this guy went in. I wonder if he’ll do one with Christopher Brown and Frank Ocean! Watch the videos after the cut

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To say that I’m a little concerned is an understatement. I love Beyonce as much as the next person and only wish good things for her but unfortunately I am beginning to wonder if her reign at the top has come to an end. Though nothing can be truly said until her new album 4 is released later this month but we can speculate and form opinions.

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After the release of her third studio album I Am Sasha Fierce and all the promotion and tour that came with it Bouncy decided to take a 6 month break. This was a break to just live life and source some new inspiration before heading back into the studio to fully start on the new LP.

It has now been 3 years since the release of I Am….. and with B having taken a well deserved break fans have been eagerly anticipating her next musical move. That next move was to come in the form of Run The World (Girls) the lead single taken from the new album.  The song debuted at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and then slide way down to number 70 something not long after. Admittedly the song isn’t by any stretch of the imagination great but one would think that a brand new BEYONCE track would fair far better in the charts.

Many put the lackluster chart performance down to an early leak of the song, claiming that the song was never meant to be released into the public domain at the time it came out hence why B wasn’t promoting the song. Now this many be all well and good, a very reasonable justification but my question is when she eventually started her promo train why didn’t the song shoot straight up the charts.

She had four major promotional showings in the space of about a week. First the music video for Run The World was debuted on American Idol, millions and millions of people watch that show, next she had her EPIC performance of the song on the Billboard Music Awards. Then she was seen performing the song a few days later on Oprah’s penultimate show, again watched by millions and finally she returned to American Idol during the finale to sing a new song called 1+1, please bare in mind the final was watched by over 30 million people in the US. Not to mention the viral sensation that was the video of her warming up her voice backstage at Idol. So again I ask the question why didn’t her song shoot straight to the top of the charts.

1+1

So far we have heard 4 tracks from this album, the lead single, a leaked single entitled End Of Time – which in my personal opinion should have been release way before Run The World, 1+1 which was debuted on American Idol and the albums official second single Best Thing I Never Had.

End Of Time

Honestly I’m scared for her this time around, I fear sales of the album will be slow until the public hear that one defining track that will make the album worthwhile. When ever I have spoken to someone about their opinions on the new album all I get back is negative feedback. Mainly due to the apparent dislike for Run The World.

With Lady Gaga selling 1.1 million copies in the first week and Rihanna seemly the queen of the singles chart as of late, it concerns me that B hasn’t come back to reclaim her rightful place at the top like many of us thought she would.

Every artist goes through a bad patch or has a dud album, could this be Beyonce’s one to forget. Think Usher Here I Stand or Rihanna Rated R (although her album didn’t sell masses she still was able to shift singles unlike B at this moment in time)

With the release of her 4 album drawing ever closer I just hope that all her fans come together and start supporting her like they should be supporting her. Talk is cheap, its all good saying how much you love a certain artist but if you don’t buy the records then you are just adding to their demise.

By no means am I a Beyonce stan, I’m just a guy who happens to of liked majority of her music and wishes her well. If she doesn’t sell great numbers it doesn’t effect me really but I would prefer that I don’t have to witness it, She is far to great of a talent to not be supported.

So go out and support our girl BEYONCE! – I’ll leave you with her newest single to be release Best Thing I Never Had

I came across this article on the Guardians’ website a moment ago and thought it was pretty interesting. They have complied a list of 100 influential figures in the UK music industry for 2011; the list features reconisble names such as Adele, Jay-Z, Will-I-Am and Lady Gaga. But its not just a list of the front line as they have also included, labels, managers, broadcasters, retailers, promoters and various other roles behind the scenes. I must say there are a few surprises in there, I was expecting to see Beyonce and even Rihanna in there- especially since she killed the UK charts with her album sales earlier this year. With Adele claiming the No.1 Spot check the full listing after the break.

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Full Article | The Music Power 100

1. Team Adele
Artist: Adele
Label executive: Richard Russell, founder, XL Recordings
Manager: Jonathan Dickins
Publisher: Paul Connolly, European and UK president, Universal Music Publishing Group
Radio plugger: Brad Hunner, Radar Plugging

2. Lucian Grainge and David Joseph
Label executives: CEO, Universal Music Group, and chairman and CEO, Universal Music UK

3. Simon Cowell
Label executive: managing director, Syco

4. Nigel Harding
Broadcaster: Music policy executive, Radio 1

5. Person or persons unknown
Retailer: iTunes UK

6. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim
Digital media: founders, YouTube

7. George Ergatoudis
Broadcaster: head of music, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra

8. Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt
Digital media: co-founders, Google, and their executive chairman

9. Simon Moran
Live music promoter: managing director, SJM Concerts

10. Jeff Bezos
Retailer: president and CEO, Amazon.com

11. will.i.am
Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Producer: Justin Timberlake, U2, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Cheryl Cole

12. Lyor Cohen
Label executive: chief executive, Warner Music US

13. Mark Zuckerberg
Digital media: founder, Facebook

14. Team Radiohead
Artists: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Phil Selway
Managers: Chris Hufford, Bryce Edge and Brian Message

15. Ged Doherty
Label executive: chairman and CEO, Sony BMG UK and Ireland

16. Max Hole
Label executive: COO, Universal Music Group International

17. Jeff Smith
Broadcaster: head of music, Radio 2/6Music

18. Lady Gaga
Artist

19. Rob Stringer
Label executive: chairman, Sony Music Label Group

20. John Reid, Christian Tattersfield and Max Lousada
Label executives: CEO, Warner Europe; CEO, Warner Music UK; chairman, Atlantic Records UK

21. Roger Faxon
Label executive: CEO, EMI Group

22. Martin Mills
Label executive: chairman, Beggars Group

23. Simon Fuller
Manager: founder and CEO, XIX Entertainment

24. Damon Albarn
Artist: Blur, Gorillaz, the Good, the Bad and the Queen
Label executive: co-founder, Honest Jon’s

25. Nick Williams
Talent mentor: principal, Brit School

26. Melanie Armstrong
Retailer: head of music, HMV

27. Daniel Ek
Digital media: founder, Spotify

28. Team Dizzee Rascal
Artist: Dizzee Rascal
Manager/producer: Nick “Cage” Denton

29. Zane Lowe and Clare Chadburn
Broadcasters: DJ and producer, Radio 1

30. Mark Cooper
Broadcaster: Creative head, BBC TV music entertainment

31. Mike Smith
Label executive: managing director, Columbia Records

32. Ashley Tabor
Broadcaster: founder and CEO, Global Group

33. Gordon Smart
Print media: editor, Bizarre, the Sun

34. Michael and Emily Eavis
Live music promoters: Glastonbury festival organisers

35. Geeneus
Talent mentor, broadcaster and producer: head of Rinse FM

36. Denis Desmond
Live music promoter: owner, MCD Productions

37. Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams
Digital media: co-founders, Twitter

38. Jay-Z
Artist
Label executive: co-founder, Roc-A-Fella Recordings

39. Tim Westwood
Broadcaster: DJ, Radio 1/1Xtra

40. Harvey Goldsmith
Live music promoter: Harvey Goldsmith Productions

41. Michael Mulligan
Retailer: music buying manager, Tesco

42. Murray Chalmers
Publicist: Murray Chalmers PR

43. Alison Howe
Broadcaster: producer, Later … With Jools Holland

44. Paul Cheal and Krissi Murison
Print media: publishing director and editor of NME

45. Chris Moyles and Aled Haydn Jones
Broadcasters: DJ and producer, Radio 1

46. Karen Williams
TV plugger: founder, Big Sister Promotions

47. Kyle Lynd
Broadcaster: music supervisor, Skins

48. Rob Hallett
Live music promoter: president of international touring, AEG Live

49. The Smeezingtons
Artist/songwriter/producer: Bruno Mars
Songwriters/producers: Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine

50. Alan Edwards
Publicist: CEO, Outside Organisation

51. Dr Luke
Producer/songwriter: Katy Perry, Jessie J, Britney, Taio Cruz

52. Huw Stephens and Natasha Lynch
Broadcasters: DJ and producer, Radio 1

53. Liam Howlett
Artist: the Prodigy

54. Darcus Beese and Ted Cockle
Label executive: co-presidents, Island

55. Pete Tong
Broadcaster: Radio 1 DJ

56. Fraser T Smith
Writer/producer: Adele, Tinchy Stryder, Ellie Goulding

57. Rob da Bank
Broadcaster: Radio 1 DJ
Label executive: founder, Sunday Best
Live music promoter: Founder, Bestival

58. Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee
Label executives: partners, Rough Trade

59. Peter Robinson
Digital media: editor, Popjustice

60. Lohan Presencer
Cub promoter and label executive: CEO, Ministry of Sound

61. Dean James, and Cerne Canning and James Sandom
Live music producer: Co-CEO, Mama Group
Managers: Franz Ferdinand, the Vaccines, White Lies, Kaiser Chiefs

62. N-Dubz
Artists

63. Rob Lynch
Radio plugger: founder, Airplayer Independent Promotions

64. Laurence Bell
Label executive: founder, Domino Records

65. Paul Latham
Live music promoter: president, Live Nation UK

66 Guy Moot
Publisher: president, EMI Music Publishing

67 Carl Fysh and William Rice
Publicists: Purple PR

68. Steve Purdham
Digital media: founder and CEO, We7

69. Laura Lukanz
Broadcaster: music manager, BBC 1Xtra

70. David Goodman
Digital media: CEO, CBS Interactive Music Group

71. Steve Schnur
Digital media: worldwide executive, music and marketing EA

72. Eric Wahlforss
Digital media: founder, SoundCloud

73. Melvin Benn
Live music promoter: MD, Festival Republic

74. The nu-folk gang
Artists: Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling
Manager: Adam Tudhope

75. Mark Hargreaves
Manager: Jessie J, Ellie Goulding

76. Many Ameri, Torsten Schmidt
Talent mentors: founders, Red Bull Music Academy

77 Martin Elbourne
Live music producer: Glastonbury booker

78 Paul Epworth
Producer: Adele, Florence + the Machine, Plan B

79. Richard Griffiths and Harry Magee
Managers: founders, Modest! Management

80. Stargate
Producers/Songwriters: Rihanna, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo

81. Rimi Atwal
Print media: publishing director, Bauer music titles

82. Ryan Schreiber
Digital media: founder, Pitchfork

83. Simon Frith
Talent mentor: chair, Mercury music prize jury

84. Magnetic Man
Artists: Benga, Skream, Artwork

85. Roland Swenson
Live music promoter: president, SXSW

86. David Guetta
Artist
Producer: Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez

87. Danger Mouse
Artist: Gnarls Barkley, and multiple collaborations
Producer: Gorillaz, Black Keys, Beck

88. Plan B
Artist

89. Marc Robinson
Label executive: director of film, TV and licensing, Universal Music

90. Russell Warby
Live music booking agent: vice president of music international, WME

91. Barry Hogan
Live music promoter: founder, ATP

92. RedOne
Songwriter/producer: Lady Gaga

93. Kanya King
Talent mentor: founder and CEO, the Mobo awards

94. Team SuBo
Artist: Susan Boyle
Manager: Andy Stephens

95. Gavin Maude
Lawyer: partner, Russells Solicitors

96. Bob Angus
Live music promoter: managing director, Metropolis Music

97. Annie Mac
Broadcaster: DJ, Radio 1

98. John Northcote
Live music producer: CEO, Academy Music Group

99. Jamie xx
Artist: the xx
Remixer: Gil Scott-Heron

100. Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe
Digital media: founders, MySpace

Lady Gaga appeared on SNL last night and while we normally don’t post about her I feel like I have to in this case. As with any guest on the show she participated in a comedic skit, alongside Justin Timberlake who was hosting the finale show. Its the 90′s song skit that has prompted me to write this post because in the clip we get to see what Gaga would look like if she stopped wearing tea towels and buckets on her head. Donned in classic 90′s clothing and hairstyle its the first time that i can say i’ve looked at her and said ‘Yeah she looks really nice’ might I dare say she even exuded a glimmer of sex appeal. For her talent is undeniable but her outlandish theatrics are tiresome and less shocking as each outfit passes. This insight to a relatively normal dressed Gaga is actually more shocking to me. Anywho peep the video after the cut.

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Here is the other skit she did with JT

So we’re all intrigued to find out who else will be joining Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid on the US version of the X Factor. However Simon and Cheryl Cole might not be sitting on the judging panel by the time the UK begins its eighth season later in the year. This would be reminiscent to a UK act succeeding in their homeland charts and then heading over to the US to focus all their attention and energy across the pond to live “the American dream”.

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So it could be said Simon has conquered his home country and will now carry on with his focus on US soil. However what has he left in his wake? The simple answer is commercialism. The reason I say this is because the programme spoon-feeds viewers who sit at home on a Saturday and Sunday night. We are told what is good and what isn’t. We all wait to see what Simon is going to say about a performance. We’ll look at whether he gives a standing ovation or if he seems disinterested and then base our judgements on this. The show can be likened to the game ‘Simon says’.

We see good singers audition for the show, but it’s what happens during the auditions and the live finals that expose the show. The further an artist goes, the more of their originality these lose. It’s as if we’re watching a live production chain every weekend until we finally get to the final polished product with the aim of selling and making those behind the programme a great sum of money. If a product doesn’t work then it’s back to the drawing board and the process is started again, just like with the X Factor, which runs every year.

Do people watch the X Factor because they want to watch live music? I’m not so sure as if you are interested in live music then why not check out your local listings and see what live music you can find for yourself. If we do this we are helping ourselves learn about new music as well as helping those unknown artists fund their musical journey. I can only imagine the amount of talent we’ve missed out on. However to go to a live gig in your local area/town seems foreign to some as the acts are unknown, the lighting’s not great or the venue isn’t nice etc. Not to mention there’s no one to tell us whether the performance we just watched was good. So instead we sit on our sofa in the comfort of our home and are told who to like and who not to like while watching a pantomime unfold.

The problem with a show such as this is it’s so much harder for acts to break into the music industry. Some new acts struggle to just sell out a local gig, yet if you go on the talent show your performing to about 10 million people every week. It will only get harder for new artists to break in the industry the bigger the show gets, as more viewers could equal more votes which may lead to more profits for the show, these can then be used to make the show even bigger. Before we know it winners and losers of the show will dominate the majority of the top 40.

I can only imagine how hard it is for new and emerging acts to break in to the music scene. Pop is a very safe option to go for at the moment and some acts are making achieving a number 1 look easier than spotting Lady Gaga at the recent Grammy awards that took place in February. However not everyone wants to be making pop music and it’s even visible in some of the acts who have recently conformed to the genre.

We should be making our own decisions as to who and what we want to listen to, rather than being told. So maybe have a look at your local listings and see what’s going on around your local area and support some local artists who are trying to find a way in to the business.