imagine dragons

2014 MTV Video Music Awards- Who Will Win

As sad as it is for me to say this, I was not invited to the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards that are happening tonight in Inglewood, California. I repped Manhattan Digest to the fullest at last year’s show when they were held at Brooklyn’s very own Barclay Center, and gave us one of the most epic performances in VMA history- Miley Cyrus. If you don’t know what happened then you have been living under a rock for the past year. Needless to say, this year’s VMA’s is sure to be unpredictable and insane as it usually is. The lineup of performances look sick, with the opening being pop divas Jessie J, Arianna Grande and hip-hop songstress Nicki Minaj doing their current top 10 single “Bang Bang”. Other noteworthy performances of the night should be Taylor Swift, who will be performing her new hit “Shake It Off” from the much anticipated new album “1989” due out October 27th. And of course, the lady of the night will be eight time nominee and already multiple VMA award winner Beyonce, who will be receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award later in the evening. This award has been bestowed on several legends in the industry, from Madonna, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and most recently pop pioneers Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Should be a performance of epic madness and one that I cannot wait to see.

So let’s breakdown the other thing that people are there to see- who will win each category at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. This year’s pack is stacked with some of the biggest artists and songs of the year, and is making it tough for this journalist to choose who will win and who should win. It is still funny to me that MTV broadcasts something like this when I believe I was wearing JNCO Jeans the last time they actually aired a block of music videos, but it is the most highly anticipated award show of the season, so I can see why they keep it going each year. Let’s breakdown each category, starting with the “Artist To Watch, Presented by Taco Bell”.

Artist to Watch, Presented By Taco Bell

5 Seconds Of Summer- “She Looks So Perfect”

Fifth Harmony- “Miss Moving On”

Sam Smith- “Stay With Me”

Schoolboy Q- “Man Of The Year”

Charli XCX- “Boom Clap”

Who Will Win- 5 Seconds Of Summer, Who Should Win- Sam Smith

5 Seconds Of Summer really came out of nowhere and has won the hearts of millions of adoring teens, who are the ones voting on this particular category for the most part. They are One Direction with talent, drums and guitar for the most part, so I sure as heck see them easily winning this won as it is a fan based vote. Fifth Harmony could’ve been a heavy contender for this if 5SOS wasn’t in it, but they won’t win this one. Schoolboy Q is amazing, as well as Charli XCX’s song from “The fault In Our Stars” but not enough to garner this. If Sam Smith doesn’t win this at the VMA’s, he sure as hell will win at the 2015 Grammys and several other prestigious awards. His solo work this year on “Stay With Me” on top of his brilliant performances with other artists such as Disclosure and Naughty Boy prove what a threat this guy is to the industry, and I hope he gets some love on VMA night.

Best Rock Video-

Lorde- “Royals”

Linkin Park- “Until I’m Gone”

Imagine Dragons- “Demons”

Black Keys- “Fever”

Arctic Monkeys- “Do I Wanna Know?”

Who Will Win- Imagine Dragons. Who Should Win- Black Keys.

Imagine Dragons have had a pretty awesome two years, and this was only the 2nd song released off of their amazing debut album. “Royals” is not a rock song, so I don’t get why it is in this category. Lorde has a better shot in other categories than this one, and sadly I don’t think Arctic Monkeys have a shot in this category either. Black Keys should win as “Fever” is an amazing video, but no doubt Imagine Dragons will be the one taking this home tonight.

Best Pop Video-

Arianna Grande Featuring Iggy Azealea- “Problem”

Iggy Azalea Featuring Chari XCX- “Fancy”

Avicii Featuring Aloe Blacc- “Wake Me Up”

Jason DeRulo Featuring 2Chainz- “Talk Dirty”

Pharrell Williams- “Happy”

Who Will Win- Arianna Grande & Iggy. Who Should Win- Pharrell.

This really has been the year for Arianna and Iggy, however I think because Arianna has a bigger tween and teen fanbase she should lock this one up. “Wake Me Up” should be more in the clubland award than this one, and “Talk Dirty” just seems too urban for this as well, as is “Fancy”. “Happy” is a freaking brilliant video that screams pop with a R&B flare, and should be the one to win in this. But expect pop ingenue Arianna Grande to be leaving with not just one but a couple of VMA night.

Best Female Video-

Lorde- “Royals”

Beyonce- “Partition”

Arianna Grande Featuring Iggy Azalea- “Problem”

Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX- “Fancy”

Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J- “Dark Horse”

Who Will Win- “Royals”. Who Should Win- “Dark Horse/Partition”

I think “Royals”, even though it is quite simple, kept my focus a lot more than the colorful pops that Iggy and Arianne presented in each of their videos, and the song is better than both so based off that it will and maybe should win. I loved the video for “Dark Horse” as Katy keeps bringing us really unique and out there videos that she has done so well over the years. “Partition” isn’t the best video from the Beyonce album, but the look and feel of it should really make her a good contender for this category tonight.

Best Male Video-

Ed Sheeran Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Sing”

Sam Smith- “Stay With Me”

John Legend- “All Of Me”

Eminem Featuring Rihanna- “Monster”

Pharrell Williams- “Happy”

Who Will Win- Ed Sheeran. Who Should Win- All of them (Minus John Legend).

This is quite possibly the strongest category of the bunch this year, as all videos and songs are incredible in their own unique ways. John’s song is amazing and is this generation’s new wedding song, however the video was basic and more of wedding video than an actual music video. I happen to love Ed Sheeran’s vocals and video for “Sing” so that gets my vote easily. I wouldn’t mind multiple VMA winner Eminem winning this for old times sake, however I think this is Ed’s to lose.

Best Hip-Hop Video-

Childish Gambino- “3005”

Drake Featuring Majid Jordan- “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”

Eminem- “Berserk”

Kanye West- “Black Skinhead”

Wiz Khalifa- “We Dem Boyz”

Who Will Win- Drake. Who should win- All of them.

Another really amazing category. I have to say Drake will win just based off of how popular the video and song was, however Eminem might be knocking at Drake’s door for this so don’t be surprised if he pulls an upset. Kanye’s video is one of his best ever with his own social message that makes this video and song one of the standouts off of his last album. Wiz hasn’t really had the biggest success since “Black & Yellow” however “We Dem Boyz” is a great video and keeps his street hustle going in the hip-hop game. Childish Gambino deserves a lot more success than then man is given, and I am super pumped the “3005” got the nod this year.

Video Of The Year-

Sia- “Chandelier”

Pharrell Williams- “Happy”

Miley Cyrus- “Wrecking Ball”

Beyonce Featuring Jay-Z- “Drunk In Love”

Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX- “Fancy”

Who Will Win- Miley or Beyonce. Who should win- SIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Chandelier” is such an AMAZING song and video that I really just want to see Sia make a public appearance and win this. She’s like the female Daft Punk, you really never see her so I think it would make an AWESOME VMA moment if she won. I don’t get why Iggy is in this, the video is great but not at this level, she’s too new. As much as “Wrecking Ball” is a great video it is more 2013 than 2014, so I don’t think it deserves to win this. “Happy” is amazing, but I fear Pharrell may be shut out due to the younger demographic. Seeing as this is Beyonce’s night, expect her to win her second Video Of The Year trophy (done once before for “Single Ladies” back in 2009). But this is quite the unpredictable category, so you never know.

Who do YOU think will win tonight? Comment here and for a full list of nominees check out the official website for more info.

Grammy Award Predictions: Record Of The Year

by Ryan Shea

Manhattan, Manhattan Digest, Lorde, Grammy, Grammy Nominees — Credit to: Wikipedia

Music’s biggest night is only three weeks away now, where the 2014 Grammy Awards will take place live on CBS at 8PM Eastern, 7 Central. The Grammy Committee released its nomination list in early December to much fanfare and shock. One of the biggest awards of the night, if not the biggest, is “Record Of The Year”, an award that is recent years has gone to Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”, Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now”, and most recently Gotye & Kimbra’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”. This year’s category is interesting as it really isn’t that cut and dry as it was in previous years, which makes this category amongst others that much more interesting. Let’s break down the nominees, and see who was left out, who should win and ultimately who will win.

Record Of The Year Nominees-

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Lorde- “Royals”

Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams- “Blurred Lines”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

Imagine Dragons- “Radioactive”

Who Got Snubbed Yo-

There were a couple of people that I thought could’ve definitely been in the running for this category, but above all I think the Grammy Award Nomination Committee got this one right. Justin Timberlake was the biggest snub in my opinion for his song “Mirrors” as I thought he was kind of a shoo in for this and the other two main categories (Song, Album of the Year). Other hopefuls for this were Drake’s “Hold On We’re Going Home” and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” as they tend to love both artists in their perspective categories (Rap, Country).

The Long Shot-

The Long Shot here in my opinion is Bruno Mars, as when you look at his track record at the Grammy’s he always seems to be the bridesmaid and never the bride in terms of the big categories. The Grammy Award committee always nominates him for these particular awards, yet he never seems to win them. Granted he has won one, but he also has been nominated about 10 times in the past couple of years. So this will come and go for him again as he is always up against bigger fish.

Who Will Win-

There can definitely be an argument for each of the nominees for who will win this, minus Bruno Mars. I feel like Pharrell might be the thorn in both nominees sides because each song came out at the same time over the summer, and received similar fanfare in terms of chart positions, airplay and overall sales. I get the feeling that the Grammy Award committee that votes for this won’t really be able to differentiate between the two, and they will cancel themselves out. So this leaves “Radioactive” and “Royals”. Alternative has definitely had its moments for “Record Of The Year” over the past decade, with acts like Gotye, Kings Of Leon, Green Day and Amy Winehouse winning. That being said, my money is on “Radioactive” to win, as it seems to go with how the Grammy’s have voted on in the past. An upset for Lorde would be great, but I’m not counting on it that much.

Who Should Win-

I have a hard time breaking this down as for me it is between two songs- “Royals” and “Get Lucky”. “Blurred Lines” was great but I felt like it was overplayed and redundant after a while. I do feel as though “Blurred Lines” in the grand scheme of things could be considered the ROTY as it was the highest selling song on iTunes and stayed number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for such a long time, but personally I don’t feel that it is. Neither do I feel this way about “Locked Outta Heaven” and “Radioactive”. “Royals” has a simple beat with some simple backup singers, yet Lorde’s amazing falsetto and message of an anti bling society that she wants to be the queen of really rang true for me. In a world of Miley/One Direction mania, she really comes in to counteract something like those two and bring a more authentic sound to what she is doing. “Royals” would be a great winner. As for “Get Lucky”, two words- Nile Rodgers. Anytime you hook him up on a song it is going to be dope. “Get Lucky” is one of those songs that is just as good instrumentally as it is with Pharrell’s smooth vocals. It was the best dance track of 2013 in my opinion, and I would just love to see this win off the sheer fun of Daft Punk getting on the Grammy Award stage with those helmets to accept. Tee hee.

Who do you think should win? Take a listen to a Grammy podcast that I did with my good friend John Campanario last month after the nominations were released to hear our perspective on who should and will win. Best of luck to The Grammy Award nominees!

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2014 Grammy Nominations- Shockers, Delights and Kendrick!

by Ryan Shea

The 2014 Grammy Nominations were announced live last night in Los Angeles at the annual “Grammy Nominations Special” they do each year, hosted by LL Cool J. They had some pretty off the chain concerts from some of the biggest artists in the world, and it truly set the stage for a great night to come in February. When I read the list of nominees this year, some I expected, some I was somewhat surprised on, and some I was insanely baffled that got left out. Let’s break each category down and see what went right and what went really wrong.

Record Of They Year-

Lorde- “Royals”

Imagine Dragons- “Radioactive”

Robin Thicke Featuring TI & Pharrell Williams- “Blurred Lines”

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

In my original prediction blog, I had four out of five right (Hooray for me) with Imagine Dragons as an “Honorable Mention” but definitely a contender. Not surprised by any of these as they were all great nominees. Justin could’ve made this category, but I will delve much further into that on the next one. These five songs were really some of the biggest of the year, each of them representing a different genre of music in my opinion. Lorde on that pop/alternative tip, Imagine Dragons are pure alternative, Robin Thicke as the R&B crooner, Daft Punk bringing in the EDM and Bruno Mars giving us straight soul. This is going to be an interesting category of sorts because I don’t think there really is a clear cut winner here. Moving along.

Album Of The Year-

Sara Bareilles- “The Blessed Unrest”

Daft Punk- “Random Access Memories”

Kendrick Lamar- “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- “The Heist”

Taylor Swift- “Red”

No Justin Timberlake in this category, I am beyond shocked about that. I pegged “The 20/20 Experience” as winning this award beyond easily and I truthfully believe he was the biggest snub of the night. Kind of sad when you have the biggest album of the year and you are left off such a crucial list. I think Sara and Kendrick are the surprising nominees here, in a good way. I thought Bruno Mars was a shoo in as well for “Unorthodox Jukebox” but I am somewhat glad to see him left off this list as I think Sara and Kendrick had stronger showings. Not shocked by Macklemore, Taylor or Kendrick but for the sake of my sanity I pray that Taylor doesn’t win AOTY again because “Red” wasn’t really a strong showing. It was a continuation of her last album, and I hope when she releases her new effort it has a bit of maturity to it. This is a tough one to call right now, but if I had to be personal on this- KENDRICK. Please.

Song Of The Year-

Pink & Nate Ruess- “Just Give Me A Reason”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

Katy Perry- “Roar”

Lorde- “Royals”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert- “Same Love”

In my original article, I had three out of five right (Pink, Macklemore, Lorde). Katy Perry wasn’t really on my radar, and this was the category I thought Sara Bareilles had a chance at with “Brave”, which Katy insanely ripped off for “Roar”. I actually had Drake in this category for “Hold On We’re Going Home”, a song he didn’t even get nominated for this year. That to me is frustrating, as it is one of the best tracks of 2013, and its the same sentiment I felt two years ago when his song with Rihanna “Take Care” got snubbed as well. This is a pretty standard list, so nothing too surprising. They could’ve given Miley something in the main categories, especially for the teen voters, and “Wrecking Ball” is in fact a very well written song. That being said, “Same Love” has got my vote. The lyrics are incredible and if there is one award Macklemore & Ryan Lewis should win it is this one folks.

Best New Artist-

James Blake

Kacey Musgraves

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Ed Sheeran

Kendrick Lamar

Two out of five in my original predictions, with Macklemore and Kendrick easily getting nominated. The others, I don’t really know how I feel about it. First off, where the heck is Imagine Dragons and Lorde on this? Ed Sheeran has been around for a while, so I don’t get why he is nominated this year and not last year. I am beyond floored that Florida Georgia Line didn’t get ANY nominations, and I thought that they would be the perennial country nominee as well over Kacey, but I am glad to see she got in here. The shocker here is EDM producer James Blake, who is following similar pathways with EDM being recognized in the main categories as Skrillex earned a Best New Artist nod last year. Fun! won this last year, something that I thought was completely shit as it should’ve been Frank Ocean, but this is a pretty strong group across the board. Best New Artist has proven to be an award that is never really cut and dry, and many artists that have won in recent years are the one you least expect (Bon Iver over Nicki Minaj, Esperanza Spalding over Justin Bieber). So James Blake really is the odd one out in this. Macklemore really isn’t a new artist in my opinion because he has been around a lot longer than people think, so once again I would love for Kendrick to take this one home. Country nominees never win this award, so it really comes down to Kendrick and Macklemore in my opinion.

Check out the official Grammy website for all the nominees and keep checking on Manhattan Digest for our official prediction blogs in all the categories for months to come. Congrats to all the nominees, especially Kendrick and my homegirl Kathy Griffin who got a sixth nomination for Best Comedy Album! 🙂

Grammy Award Predictions 2014- Record Of The Year

by Ryan Shea

Awards season is upon us! 2013 had to have been one of the greatest years in music in my honest opinion, with so many diverse artists coming out with some fantastic songs that really took the world by storm and put some of them on the map for the first time (Lorde) and on it again (Justin Timberlake). Now with the Grammy Awards rapidly approaching in February and nominations being announced in shortly a month, now is the time to look at who are the most viable choices to be nominated. Here is a good list of six contenders looking to take the top prize at the 2014 Grammy Awards-

Justin Timberlake- “Mirrors”

I personally think he has the Album Of The Year category on lock, but needless to say this has been the year of J Tim. After taking a near seven year break from the music industry to focus on his acting career, he roared back into the music scene with not one but two records. After releasing the first track of “The 20/20 Experience” called “Suit & Tie” with Jay-Z, many critics felt as if that track in particular wasn’t a strong enough showing especially coming from his other two efforts, “Like I Love You” off of “Justified” and “SexyBack” from “Future Sex Love Sounds”. Although that song was a top ten hit, it failed to make a huge impression on fans as well. Then “Mirrors” was released, and all was forgotten. The song made it all the way to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling three million units and ultimately winning a prize that has alluded him at the Video Music Awards- Video Of The Year. A strong contender indeed to win this.

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Adored by fans worldwide, millions of them were eagerly awaiting the release of “Random Access Memories” which was the first release from the group since they made the soundtrack to the uber successful film “Tron: Legacy”. The lead off single featured the man of the summer Pharrell Williams, who was also featured on another little track called “Blurred Lines”. With his smooth vocals mixed with Daft Punk’s gymnastic type rhythms, the song became one of the three biggest tracks of the summer, and scored a number 2 slot on the Billboard Hot 100. Having Nile Rogers appear on the track isn’t too shabby as well. They could be a top contender for this as well, but I do feel like they will win all of the EDM awards. Yet, I do wonder how they would accept this award with those helmets on. Interesting!

Taylor Swift- “I Knew You Were Trouble”

This is not a personal choice, so please don’t jump down my throats for this. The Grammy’s love Taylor. They love her so much that they gave her album of the year award back in 2009 for “Fearless” over some insanely strong competition (DMB, Beyonce, Gaga & Black Eyed Peas). The former Best New Artist contender should definitely expect at least one nomination in the main categories as her “Red” album was released too late in 2012 to be considered for last year’s award. My personal favorite track off this album is either the title one or “Everything Has Changed” with Ed Sheeran, but this song was huge for Taylor and really brought her more into the pop-rock mainstream than ever before. A much better effort than last year’s ROTY nominee, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, Taylor will be a sure fire lock for this song to at least be nominated in the pop categories as she has in a way ditched the country ones a long time ago.

Lorde- “Royals”

Said this in the last article, but she truly defines the whole late in the game thing. The fresh faced 16 year old from New Zealand quietly made her U.S. debut with this song which was played on heavy rotation on MTV Hits and a couple other channels. When airplay got ahold of it, it brought the track to another level and put her on the market as an artist to watch. A true shoo in to be nominated for Best New Artist, this talented songstress will be the perennial Alternative track nominee, unless Imagine Dragons come in with “Radioactive”. Still I am pulling for this girl 100 percent for at least this nod.

Robin Thicke Featuring Pharrell Williams & T.I.- “Blurred Lines”

Ah yes, Robin Thicke. Jesus you couldn’t escape this song and to be honest you really didn’t want to. This song came to life back in late May of 2013 when they all performed it on “Ellen”. The song itself was a true hit but it also was accompanied by a very racy video which included semi naked models parading around a set. Robin has earned quite some notoriety for this song, in particular his Beetle Juice inspired outfit at the 2013 Video Music Awards with the foam finger loving Miley Cyrus, to which they both performed this song. Needless to say, after being in the industry for multiple years with only one big song to his name before this (“Lost Without You”) this is the true time for Robin and his silky vocals to get his recognition.

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

Here is the thing with Bruno Mars, you either love his music or you can’t stand it. Just like Taylor, Bruno is loved by the Grammy’s. The first song off of his album “Unorthodox Jukebox” was received very well both by fans and radio alike. He took a dirtier approach to this album, as his first album tended to be more about love and adoration for love for women. This track in particular talks frankly about what it feels like to be locked outta sex (Keep it real) as well as other songs of his like “Gorilla”. 2014 should be a huge year for him as he has been tapped to be the halftime show at the upcoming SuperBowl being held at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Strong contender indeed to win this category.

Honorable Mentions (And possible contenders)-

Pink & Nate Ruess- “Just Give Me A Reason”

Imagine Dragons- “Radioactive”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert- “Same Love”

Drake- Hold On We’re Going Home”

Who do you think will be nominated? Check out The Grammy’s official website for more information.

Grammy Predictions 2014: Best New Artist

by Ryan Shea

As award season has truly kicked into gear, many of us entertainment fans await with baited breath to see who is going to be nominated for each award show. The one that I particularly look forward to every year is The Grammy’s, which is set to take place in early February. This happens to be the biggest social networking event of the year, besting other award shows and even The Super Bowl.

Now with nominations expected to be announced on December 6th, I wanted to share with you my predictions on who is most likely to be nominated at next years ceremony. My first category is Best New Artist, an award that has gone to Adele, Maroon 5 and most recently Fun! (Something I truly don’t agree with). Here is who I think will be the 5 up for the big award this year.

Lorde- talk about a late in the game entry. The 16 year old New Zealand native blasted onto the scene in the late summer of 2013 with her hit “Royals” which has been at the top of the alternative charts as well as dethroning the current cockroach of pop Miley Cyrus’ song “Wrecking Ball”. Lorde has a great deep falsetto and is reminiscent of everyone from Etta James to Amy Winehouse. A good contender in my books.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- The Grammys tend to nominate people who aren’t necessarily new in this category, yet if these two are eligible they are a shoo in to be nominated and I believe win. This will be their night unless JT has something to say. “The Heist” is an incredible effort by these two, churning out hits like “Same Love”, “Can’t Hold Us” and hrs pivotal “Thrift Shop”. Expect these two to take home Grammy gold that night.

Florida Georgia Line- the perennial country nominee but won’t win, they never do. FGL had quite the year with their platinum selling album “Here’s To The Good Times” which features their huge hit “Cruise”. The song became even bigger with the help from Grammy winning hip hop artist Nelly, whom in my opinion made the song that much better. Expect at least a win in the country portion for this song, but they are the long shot for this one. Sorry guys.

Imagine Dragons- Alternative is slowly making it’s way back into the mainstream thing, and this band has done a pretty great job in aiding that. Fueled by the biggest alternative song of the year “Radioactive” from the almost double platinum selling “Night Visions”, these guys plan on making a name for themselves on Grammy night. Expect “Radioactive” to be a huge contended in Record and Song of the year categories as well.

Kendrick Lamar- usually in the BNA category there is only one hip hop nominee, yet if they don’t nominate Kendrick they are fools. Dude is the best thing to happen to hip hop in a long freaking time and he deserves credit on Grammy night. “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” is one of the best hip hop albums in a long time and I am really hoping that the nomination committee recognizes him in this category and many more.

Honorable Mentions-
Kacey Musgraves
Avicii
Ellie Goulding
Emeli Sande
Capital Cities

Who do you think will be nominated this year? Voice your thoughts and check out the official Grammy site for more info.

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