Music Hype

Bon Iver, a famous indy artist, has stated that he won’t perform at the Grammys, despite being up for four Grammys, and his band’s frontman, Justin Vernon, performing in a new commercial. Bon Iver was asked to perform, but together with another artist, something Iver wasn’t fond of. According to the frontman, Vernon, the band wanted the opportunity to perform their own material, so people would understand why the band is up for four Grammys. According to him, Grammy officials didn’t accept their plea of being able to choose their songs themselves, and were told they had to perform a song both them and their collaborator could perform – a song most audiences will be familiar with, and that will fit two singers.

It isn’t clear whether the band would be suited for a family audience, since they recently started supporting the Bushmills distillery, which produces whiskey, and are happy about the opportunity to perform their own songs and support causes they’re a fan of.
It seems despite the Grammys, or maybe because of them, the group is starting to seek more freedom in their choices, and don’t want to start being mainstream, and do whatever the the record company tells them to do.

According to Vernon, the Grammy committee wasn’t even interested in them playing, and just asked because of their nominations, so they won’t get flack for not asking. So saying no is not a big deal.
It isn’t clear who the Grammy committee wanted the band to collaborate with, but according to Vernon they are people the band are very fond of, and would love to collaborate with, but only on their own terms, without any outside pressure.
It isn’t clear yet who will take their place, and what will happen with the people the band was asked to collaborate with, but regardless, the Grammy committee have stated they expect a great show.

Simon Cowell, the once dreaded judge of American Idol has continued stirring controversies elsewhere, it seems. Having moved to the American version of The X-Factor, and convincing Paula Abdul, another American Idol judge, to move together with him, he decided to let her go. Together with Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell fired the host, Steve Jones, and famous Pussycat Dolls singer, Nicole Scherzinger, who served as another judge.
It seems Cowell decided to fire the three due to low ratings, compared to the show’s competition, which includes Simon’s old show, American Idol, and the new rising star, The Voice, which has already spawned successful versions across the globe, becoming the new American Idol.

Paula Abdul has stated that despite the firing, she and Simon will continue being the close friends they are, and that they share a mutual respect. In fact, she said the predicted the firing several weeks before, and was just waiting for Simon to gather the courage to make the move.
American Idol has made the format popular worldwide, and nowadays more and more new shows revolving around the same basic concept are being created each day. Some don’t survive past a season or two, and some don’t transfer to the rest of the world, but they do take away the customers X-Factor might have had otherwise.

American Idol was a behemoth, and Cowell will have to face the fact his previous success won’t transfer elsewhere. Like he worked on the UK version, he’ll have to work hard on this one to make it a success.
His controversial choices, starting with leaving American Idol, a huge hit and what made him a household name, up to firing the two judges and the show’s host, have garnered much criticism from critics to the public. Some laud his choices, while others say he’s made nothing but wrong choices across the board, and wonder if he’ll ever bounce back.

Dick Kniss, the bassist of the famous band Peter, Paul & Mary, has died at the age of 74. The bassist, which co-wrote the hit Sunshine on My Shoulders, has performed for five decades together with the Peter, Paul & Mary band, and his loss is felt strongly among his band members. Kniss died of a pulmonary disease near his home in the Hudson Valley town, Saugerties, with his wife, Diane Kniss, by his side.
Kniss, which was born in Portland, was an original member of the band, and has played, throughout his career, with jazz legends like Herbie Hancock and Woody Herman, and has collaborated with various artists during his time.

Kniss was even active in the civil rights movement during the 60s, and consequently performed at benefits for them, as well as for various other causes, including the celebration of Martin Luther King day.
His presence will be missed by all.

The Winehouse family have stated that they were quite offended by the latest Gaultier fashion show, that takes its inspiration from the style choices & hair style of the late Amy Winehouse.
During the fashion show models showcased Amy’s famous beehive hairstyle, while a barbershop quartet was singing her most famous hits. Some models showcased light attire, while others were clad in black veils and held cigarettes, which according to Mitch Winehouse, her father, showcases her more troublesome parts of her life, and glamorizes them.

According to Mitch, the family is still grieving and didn’t like Gaultier’s tribute, which they found shocking and in very poor taste. According to Mitch the entire thing felt like a circus act, that brings light to Amy’s more upsetting patches and gives too much focus to them, which is not befitting a tribute.
Amy Winehouse, a late singer that had her fair share of troubles with substance abuse, has made big headlines due to her rampant drinking together with strong vocals.

Having released a varied album back in 2011, called F.A.M.E., containing R&B, hip hop, dance tracks and more, Chris Brown is now releasing a new album called Fortune. The album, that was released on the 26th of January, is said to contain energetic pop songs, to rival his previous album.
The first single to be released from this album is Turn Up the Music, which features R&B components, synthesizers, as well as canned percussion, and is an homage to LMFAO’s famous comedic song “Sexy and I Know It”.
Turn Up the Music is expected to become a hit, and the album to be yet another success of the young singer, and critics are already wondering what he’ll come up with for his next album, to top this one.

Whatever it might be, Brown said that it will definitely include a collaboration with Nas, a creator Brown has said he wanted to work with for a long time now.
But despite releasing a new album, Brown’s manager says Chris will stay out of the media’s eye, and try to focus more on performing songs from the album as well as starting to record a new one any day now. Meaning Brown will avoid interviews for the near future.
Some speculate that the move away from the media’s eye is due to his relationship with Rihanna, which rumors say might include a wedding in the near future.

Which is pretty surprising, considering they broke up with a bang, having their breakup announced on almost every media outlet out there, three years ago. But according to their Tweeter accounts, the two might get back together, and rekindle their affair. They both stated they miss each other and would have preferred if things hadn’t become so volatile and abusive.

Simon Cowell, the American Idol judge everyone enjoyed hating, is now apparently working on an international American Idol-type show to find the next great DJ. After judging shows including The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol, Simon Cowell just might judge a DJ talent show. It isn’t clear what connection Simon Cowell has to DJing, but it’d be interesting to see him move away from singing, and try his hand at a different form of art, and DJing getting a more respected place in popular culture.

Simon Cowell’s firm, Syco Entertainment, has reportedly joined the Smiths’, Will and Jada Pinkett, firm, Overbrook Entertainment, to develop this live, prime time international TV show, to air first simultaneously in the UK and US, together with Sony Pictures Television. The people involved have said they hope this show will become as successful as American Idol, and that like American Idol, it’ll have international equivalents, or at least reach international audiences, apart from its planned US & UK audiences.

The show has apparently been in development for over a year, which might explain why Simon Cowell decided to leave American Idol, a role in which he got plenty of publicity, but might have clashed with his new planned show. Simon Cowell has stated that partly why he came up with his new TV show was because “DJs are the new rock stars”, and that the time is right for making a show about them. Jada Pinkett-Smith also stated that they will scour the world to find the next best thing in DJing, and won’t limit the search for just one country.
It would be interesting to see what type of reward the creators have come up with, since a few shows and an album isn’t what the intended audience is really looking for. DJing is all about a long live performance, each one different than the one before.

Etta James, a famous black singer, who has been the inspiration for an entire generation of female singers, has passed away at the age of 73.
James died on Friday in California, US, after a long battle with various diseases, including leukemia and kidney failure, and even dementia. The singer has been seeking treatment since December of last year, and was soon after her health deteriorated and she was put on a respirator. But her ailment has gotten the best of her sooner than that – James stopped being active in the music industry ever since 2010, because of her Alzheimer’s disease, and eventually retired from music after writing one last album – The Dreamer.

Etta James’ style of singing has been dubbed soulful and emotional, and many current pop stars have lamented her loss and confessed of the high appreacitation they have for her, and the high amount of inspiration they drew from her works.
Her career has spanned most of her life, during which she produced over 30 albums, and almost double that in singles.
Despite being a singer most recognized for her work in past eras, she has been lauded and celebrated during modern times quite a lot, including in a film starring, among others, Beyonce Knowles – Cadillac Records.

The movie depicts Etta James rise to fame and her start in the business, which took place mostly during her long sting with Chess Records, a famous soul & rock label that has been the home to many nowadays-famous black musicians, Etta James among them.
For her long spanning career and many achievements, James has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll & Rockabilly halls of fame, has won a lifetime achievement award, as well as an R&B Founders award, as well as three Grammys & more than a dozen nominations for one.
She’ll surely be missed.