Archive for the ‘Biographies’ Category

Jesse Clegg

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Jesse was born in Johannesburg in 1988. By the time he was six months old he was on tour with his father, Johnny Clegg, and between 1988 and 1994 he spent at least 5 months a year on the road. He was a classic road kid and grew up backstage and on tour buses.

Early on, Jesse carved out an independent direction for himself in the rock genre, very different from the world music style developed by his father. He strived to express himself in the most authentic way possible and understood the importance of being able to perform live. He experimented with a number of different instruments – which included saxophone, clarinet, drums and piano – until he settled and focused mainly on guitar. By seventeen, songwriting was his chief musical focus and it was in this period and the years to follow that he honed his writing skills and put together the songs recorded on the first album.

The single “Today” which was released on radio in mid August 2008 debuted at number one on the Highveld Homebrew Chart, a considerable feat for a debut artist with a debut single and an historical first for Homebrew. The album “When I Wake Up” was released on 1 October.

Tags: biography, buses, clarinet, debut, drums, genre, guitar, images, jesse clegg, Johnny Clegg, Musical, piano, rock, saxophone, singer, single, today, tour, when i wake up
Posted in Articles, Biographies, Blog | No Comments »

Black Eyed Peas

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

The black eyed peas have wrapped up recording their new album, The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies), in London recently but where did it all start and what’s coming up? Elephunk, launched in 2003, was The Black Eyed Peas breakout album. It launched them to worldwide fame with 7.5 million albums sold, four Grammy nominations and a Grammy award. Their sound was refreshing and different which had audiences going wild. Elephunk’s success kept the group on tour for eighteen months and inspired a lot of their next album.

Monkey Business was the Black Eyed Peas fourth album. “In going on the road for so long, we got an idea of what kind of music we wanted to play and make,” explains will.i.am. “Monkey Business is very much about the types of songs we play live. It’s about a party. It’s layered differently and has energy to it that reflects how we tour – from the beats to the types of instruments we used to how we interact with the audience. It’s very much about us and the crowd on this record.”

The group, which was formed in the late 1990s, was born in the vibrant Los Angeles hip-hop underground. Even then, the group possessed a magnetic spirit that helped them establish a worldwide following through their first two albums, 1998′s Behind The Front and 2000′s Bridging The Gap.

“I was in Brazil doing some CD shopping,” will.i.am recalls. “I came across this compilation and I thought it was one thing but it turned out to be something else. The Dick Dale song ‘Miserlou,’ was on it. At first I was angry – this isn’t what I wanted to buy,” he laughs. “But then, really, that song is hot. I said, ‘we should do a song like this.’ I jump-started the computer and made some beats on the train. Then we had to fly to Tokyo and I tightened up the beat on the plane. Then I recorded vocals in this park in Tokyo. And that’s how we recorded the song, ‘Pump It.’”

Before recording that album, the three original members of The Black Eyed Peas – will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo – had been ensnared by personal demons. “I remember that we were each talking about the things that were haunting us and seemed to be crippling us,” recalls will.i.am. Adding the vocal talents of singer, Fergie, the group used music as a therapeutic vehicle. Making music with that near-desperate fervour also is maintained on Monkey Business, says will.i.am. “You’re always challenged not to go back to those bad habits in life,” he says. “When you’re comfortable living, you sometimes think that, well, I beat it once so I can do it again. But you never really escape the things that haunt you.”

After Monkey Business the group members launched hugely successful solo careers, most notably Fergie and Will. On joining forces for their new album Fergie said it had been a lot of fun.

“Just getting in there and being creative, trying to push it forward and do things that are different and futuristic and that’s what we’re doing,” she said.

She wasn’t going to spill all the beans though.

“I can’t really describe the sound, it’s just new,” she said.

will.i.am recently worked with Hans Zimmer on the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa soundtrack, as well as voicing the Moto Moto character – a large Hippo. Reuters interviewed the star, and found out more about his roll in the new X-Men film.

Q: Now you’ve done your first movie score and soundtrack, you’re also branching out as an actor, right?

A: “Yeah, I’m in the new ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine.’ I play John Wraith, a mutant, and I’m very excited about it as I’m a huge ‘X-Men’ fan. We shot it in Australia and all my scenes are with Hugh Jackman. I have a pretty cool role – it’s not big, but it’s not small. I had a great time with Hugh and I definitely want to do more acting, as long as I can contribute to the creative process. That’s what I’m good at — dreaming and imagining.”

Tags: actor, album, apl.de.ap, audiences, Australia, Behind The Front, Black Eyed Peas, Brazil, Bridging The Gap, career, CD, Elephunk, fergie, hip-hop, Hugh Jackman, Los Angeles, Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Monkey Business, moto moto, music, Pump It, singer, solo, sound, soundtrack, Taboo, therapeutic, underground, will.i.am, X-Men
Posted in Articles, Biographies, Blog | No Comments »

Parachute Band

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Parachute Band With a mission to use music to connect people with Jesus, and a mandate to raise the standard of Christian music in NZ, Parachute Music came into being. The year was 1989 and the time was right.

Founder Mark de Jong, who had his roots in Youth For Christ big concert events, launched into the deep and began a ministry that has seen 19 years of rapid growth. Passionate about working with musicians who are not afraid to sing about what they believe in, Mark is all about the potential in a song that can change the heart.

“There’s power in a song to touch the human spirit when words are simply not enough.”
Parachute Music grew into a national organisation very quickly, filling the gap between artists and record companies and hosting the largest four day festival outside the US to showcase both local and international musicians. The event has not only become a “must” on the kiwi summer calendar but evangelical, in that a large percentage of unchurched people attend the annual event.
Operating with a Board of Trustees, a staff of 20, interns, a Festival Executive and thousands of volunteers, Parachute Music is a charitable trust with a long haul mentality.

It’s 3 phase approach is this:
1. to develop music written and performed by Christians in NZ
2. to take this music into the international Christian market
3. to take this music into the mainstream industry

TECHNICOLOR, the Parachute Band’s latest release sees a band that has found their voice. With eleven tracks of sonically colourful worship songs, TECHNICOLOR is based around the concept that God’s living water equals life in all its colour… full blazing colour.

The album’s opener ‘Come to the River’ sets the scene, showcasing a new found synergy within the band and plays on the Message’s version of Psalm 51 “Soak me in your laundry…I’ll come out clean…bring me from grey exile, put fresh wind in my sails”.

From the impassioned electro rock of ‘No Eye Has Seen’ to the U2-esque ‘Shout it Out’ it’s clear that TECHNICOLOR’S songs of salvation deliver with punch and sincerity, while the soulful intimacy of tracks like ‘Grace’ and ‘In Liberty’ present a band who aren’t afraid to wear their devotion on their sleeves.

Tags: album, artists, Christ, Christian, colour, Come to the river, concerts, grace, Human, kiwi, latest, liberty, living water, Mark de Jong, music, national, New Zealand, No eye has seen, NZ, organisation, Parachute band, put fresh wind in my sails, record company, salvation, Shout it out, Soak me in your laundry…I’ll come out clean...bring me from grey exile, song, soulful, spirit, summer, TECHNICOLOR, U2, US, Youth For Christ
Posted in Articles, Biographies, Blog | No Comments »

Lindsay Lohan

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Morgan Lohan was born on the 2nd of July, 1986 in New York City and raised in Long Island. She is the eldest of four with two brothers and a sister. Lindsay’s career started at a very young age. At just three she was the first redheaded child to be signed by the Ford Modeling Agency. She appeared in print ads for companies like Toys “R” Us and modelled for Calvin Klein Kids (usually with siblings Michael and Ali) and Abercrombie Kids.

Lindsay was talented but after auditioning for some T.V. commercials she was unsuccessful. Just before she was about to give up she was awarded the role in a Duncan Hines commercial. Over sixty commercials followed including a Jell-O commercial with Bill Cosby. Lohan began appearing in soap operas, and in 1996 she landed a role in NBC’s soup opera, Another World.

Lohan was ready for the big screen. She left Another World when Nancy Meyers cast her in the Parent Trap. She played twins who attempt to bring their divorced parents together. The movie pulled in $92 million worldwide with critics praising Lohan’s performance. Disney signed her onto a three picture deal after the movie’s success. Her next two movies, Life- Size andGet a Clue, were made for T.V. Just before Get a Clue she shot a pilot for a new sitcom called Bette but left when production moved to Los Angeles. The show was cut after sixteen episodes.

After Get a Clue Lohan took time off from her movie career to focus on music. In September 2002 she signed a five-album deal with Estefan Enterprises. But Lohan was soon cast in her next Disney film, Freaky Friday. The remake of the classic had her starring alongside Jamie Lee Curtis. The movie pulled in over $160 million and allowed her to show off her singing abilities. The soundtrack ended up in the Billboard’s Top 20 in less than three weeks.

Lindsay Lohan

But her movie success didn’t follow into Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004). Lohan’s first movie which was not a remake only grossed $30 million and was a failure according to critics. “Though still a promising star, Lohan will have to do a little penance before she’s forgiven for Confessions,” Robert K. Elder wrote. Later that year Mean Girls was released to critical acclaim and $128 million worldwide. It was her first non-Disney film. Steve Rhodes said, “Lohan dazzles us once more.”

Lohan was asked to host Saturday Night Live three times, in 2004, 2005, and 2006, after her Mean Girls success. In 2005, she released her debut album, Speak, followed by A Little More Personal the next year. In the same year Lohan became the first living person to have a My Scene Goes Hollywood doll released by Mattel. She also voiced her doll in their straight to DVD movie.

Lohan was back on the Disney set in the 2005 Herbie: Fully Loaded film. Fully Loaded earned $144 million worldwide. She followed Herbie with Just My Luck. The movie received poor reviews and only $38 million worldwide. Lohan was in three limited release films leading up to 2007, the films made very little leaving critics unimpressed.

Lindsay Lohan Lohan began a troubled 2007, admitting herself into rehab in February. On the 11th of May Georgia Rule was released. Lohan was seen alongside Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda. The film received mostly negative reviews and grossed $22 million worldwide. Things got worse from there. Lohan was arrested and her latest movie, I know who killed me, opened to a shocking $3.5 million dollars. Lohan was cast in Dare to Love Me after leaving rehab in 2007; the movie is due in 2009

In February 2008 Lohan re-created Marilyn Monroe’s final photo shoot, known as the Last Sitting, including nudity. Lohan continues to search for a more adult identity but is searching in all the wrong places. She turned down a few roles in 2008 but is due to star in Labor Pains. At the time of writing the film is in post-production. Lohan will play a young woman who pretends to be pregnant to avoid being fired.

Lohan, who already guest starred in the season 2 finale of ABC’s Ugly Betty, will be back in the next season for a rumoured five episodes. She also has a new album due soon.

Tags: A little more personal, ABC, abercrombie, Ali, Another World, bette, billboard, biography, calvin klein, career, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, dare to love me, doll, DVD, estefan enterprises, Felicity Huffman, film, fired, Ford, freaky friday, Fully Loaded, gallery, Georgia Rule, get a clus, Herbie, I know who killed me, jamie lee curtis, Jane Fonda, just my luck, labor pains, last sitting, life, life-siza, Lindsay Lohan, los angles, Marilyn Monroe, mattel, Mean Girls, Michael, model, music, My Scene Goes Hollywood, NBC, New york, nudity, Parent trap, pregnant, rehab, Speak, toys r us, Ugly Betty
Posted in Articles, Biographies, Blog | No Comments »

Jesse McCartney

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Jesse McCartney was born on the 9th of April 1987 in Ardsley New York. At the age of seven he was performing in musicals and at ten he had joined the national tour of The King and I. At 11 he moved to Los Angeles to become and actor and singer. After performing in A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden McCartney landed a role on ABC’s soap Opera, All my Children, playing Adam Chandler Junior. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his role.

McCartney joined the boy band Dream Street in 1999, a group that earned a gold record with their debut CD. They broke up on tour in 2002. At just 15 he began his solo career with a local band. His debut full-length solo album, Beautiful Soul, took two years to make and was released in September 2004. The album featured four songs which were co-written by McCartney. His album later went on to achieve platinum status, selling over 5 million albums. His first solo tour with the same name as his album was launched in May 2005. It featured fifty six stops and a new band.

McCartney’s second album was released in September 2006. The title track, Right Where You Want Me, was again co-written by McCartney as were all the other tracks on the album. He did not launch a second tour because his record company, Hollywood Records, was not supporting it.

In 2007 McCartney appeared in two Disney Channel shows, Hannah Montanna and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as himself.

Jesse McCartney In 2007 he was featured as Theodore in “Alvin and the Chipmunks”. In 2008 McCartney lent his voice to Jojo McDodd, in the Jim Carry and Steve Carell animated feature, Horten Hears A Who!.

In May 2008, a full year and a half after his second album, McCartney released his third album – Departure. This was his first R&B album. He joined Jordin Sparks on a co-headlining tour for the length of August 2008 to promote his new album.

But there is more to Jesse McCartney than singing and acting. He also writes songs for other artists. Hit songs. In 2007 he co-wrote the hit song “Bleeding Love” for Leona Lewis’s debut album, Spirit. His version of the song is on some editions of his Departure album. He has also co-written for Venessa Hudgens’ album Identified. Simon Cowell has hinted at McCartney and David Cook, winner of American Idol 2008, working together on Cook’s debut album.

McCartney told the Associated Press, “I certainly knew there was going to be some shock value. Musically, I definitely took a risk; I took a chance. I wanted to do something new. But it was also something that I knew I was comfortable with, and so I’m really happy”

McCartney has supported various charities and charity events throughout his career including “Come Together Now”, “Little Kids Rock”, “Kids for a drug free America”, “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital”, “SPACE”, and “City of Hope Cancer Centre.”

Tags: actor, adam chandler, Alvin and the Chipmunks, American Idol, animated, Beautiful Soul, Bleeding Love, born, christmas carol, City of Hope Cancer Centre, Come Together Now, debut, Departure, Hannah Montanna, Hollywood Records, Horten Hears a Who, Jesse McCartney, Jim Carry, Jojo McDodd, Jordin Sparks, junior, Kids for a drug free America, Leona Lewis, Little Kids Rock, Los Angeles, madison square, McCartney, New york, Right Where You Want Me, Simon Cowell, singer, space, spirit, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Steve Carell, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, tour
Posted in Articles, Biographies, Blog | No Comments »