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lady gaga

Pop Superstar Lady Gaga Is Failing… Here is Why

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Billboard
Credit to: Billboard

Lady Gaga… still a superstar?

 

A couple of years ago, Lady Gaga was truly at the top of the world when it comes to music and beyond.  Adored by millions of fans, the pop superstar emerged from out of no where with her Avant Garde style not only in fashion but when it came to her music as well.   She won multiple VMA’s and Grammy’s and was touted by so many people as the next Grace Jones or Madonna.  Now only five short years after the release of Gaga’s first album, “The Fame”, a lot of those people have become naysayers and think that she has run out of steam in such a short time.  As for Britney Spears, more to come on that.

I can say that I am still to this day a huge fan of Gaga’s, but at the same time there is a point where oversaturation comes into play, even when it is someone like her who is consistently changing her style and tune to stay with the times.  There are certain artists that seem to narrowly avoid that term, such as Rihanna for instance, where she comes out with a fresh album every year yet always seems to hit the right notes of pop, R&B and even EDM hits that shoot her straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  Yet, there are artists that can take too long of a break in between and not develop the way that a lot of them would’ve expected to.  Christina Aguilera is a prime example of that.  Her last two album releases have been critical and commercial flops and the only thing she seems to have going for her anymore is a gig on “The Voice” and the occasional guest appearances on other artists songs (Maroon 5, Pitbull, etc).  She never seemed to have the fluidity that other pop divas have had before her in terms of transitioning herself to keep up with the times.  To go from teen pop singer to dirrty girl to 50’s pinup throwback to a Gaga rip off to being a dirrty girl yet again doesn’t really equate to how you progress naturally in this industry.  Justin Timberlake on the other hand, who took seven years off to focus on an acting career amongst other things, came back with a roar in 2013 with “The 20/20 Experience”, an album that shot him straight to number one and has subsequently brought him into the music game, something that he started over 15 years ago.  For Lady Gaga, she tends to fit into the middle of this.  Here is why.

Gaga’s latest album “ArtPop” is her first in almost three years, mainly due to a broken hip that kept her off the stage for a year.  Of course, that is completely understandable.  But in this ever present world of chew em up and spit em out pop culture, sometimes taking a break that long makes you lose fans and have them gravitate to a newer and fresher pop star.  Although “Born This Way” was a commercial and critical success to a certain degree, many critics thought it was tacky that for the week of her release she listed the album as 99 cents as a ploy to sell more albums in its first week.  Granted it worked (a million plus) but many of the songs that were released didn’t get the praise that her previous hits (Bad Romance, Poker Face) did.  One critic said it sounded like “a major artist sprinting to please everyone all the time”.  The album was a bit all over the place and didn’t seem to have the cohesion that her previous efforts did, added onto the fact that it was a rushed album that was made in 2 weeks which other critics called out as well.

At the same time, there is a bit of oversaturation with how Avant Garde you can truly be.  Every performance or outfit is something completely different from the rest but there are people out there that think a simple LBW would shock people more than anything.  “The Fame” album was a great album in that it did a lot without having to do much at all.  I personally feel like she is at a stage in her life where she has to keep pushing the envelope to the point where no one will push back.  There was also a big battle when she released the first song off of “ArtPop” called “Applause” when she did it the same week as Katy Perry’s “Roar”.  Both pop songs with completely different messages and beats.  Katy’s was a simple song about overcoming a relationship with a great pop beat, Gaga’s was ultimately about her self absorbed way of saying she lives for her plans applauding her (sorry/not sorry but that’s my opinion) to a beat that sounded like a weird throwback to the mid-80’s dance movement.  Who won in that?  Katy.  Katy seems to take the smart approach with her music because it is approachable and easy to listen to, whereas once again Gaga tends to be a bit all over the place just to please an audience that is wanting more and more from her.  Sometimes, less is more.

“Roar” ultimately hit number one where “Applause” peaked at number 4.  Many artists would kill to have a number four slot on any chart but when you are a superstar like Gaga number one should be an easy get.  It was also stated by many fans and people alike that the song took a while to really get into whereas “Roar” and other big anthems that have come out recently like “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus and “Royals” by Lorde were instant hits.  Not at all saying that going outside the lines is wrong just to get a number one single, but at the same time it is good to conform at some point and do something simple.  Her follow up to “Applause” called “Do What You Want” featuring R&B King R. Kelly (a very odd choice but a good one at that) has only hit number 13 and has been on the charts for a couple of weeks, and is presently dropping.  Funny thing is this track is MUCH better than her first release, and another song off the album called “Dope” is even better.  Are there just stronger showings on the Billboard charts right now?  Maybe.

There are also two major artists with albums coming out that Gaga has to compete against- Eminem and Britney Spears.  Both artists who over the history of their careers have done what only a handful of other artists have been able to do and reach- diamond status (10 million plus sold on one album).  I believe for Gaga to rise above the pack she will have to come out with a song that truly shows why we fell in love with her in the first place and not necessarily “try so hard”.  Am I a hater- absolutely not.  I am just stating it like I see it and see how she has transitioned over the course of the past couple of years.  Gaga is a talented woman who will be around for a long time, I just hope that we look back on it in a positive way and not a negative one, that is all.  Check out Billboard for all major music news and album releases.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: 20/20 experience, applause, born romance, born this way, britney spears, christina aguilera, do what you want, gaga, justin timberlake, lady gaga, Rihanna, the fame, the fame monster

Fall Music 2013- It will be epic!!!

by Ryan Shea

Maybe it’s just me, but the music scene so far in 2013 has been pretty legit for the first time in a long time.  The summer alone has brought us some inescapable and funk’dafied jams from “Blurred Lines” to “Get Lucky” to “Summertime Sadness” to name a few.  It also brought us Miley Cyrus f***ing herself with a foam finger and wearing a Gaga latex rip off Sunday night.  I think I am going to vomit.  Regardless, with the fall season rapidly approaching it also is a reminder that some of the biggest names in music will be dropping their records in the upcoming months, thus making this guy here very excited for what is to come for 2013 and beyond.  Seeing as the VMA’s was a preview for some of the incredible music we are about the unveil in the upcoming months, one can only hope that it will segue into an amazing 2014.  Let’s start off with the news that got me insanely giddy.

Credit to: Rap-Up.com
Credit to: Rap-Up.com

Eminem- The Marshall Mathers 2. 

Eminem as far as I am concerned was MY GENERATION.  He was everything to so many of us growing up in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and has continued to be a dominating force not only in the hip-hop industry but in the music industry period.  At the Video Music Awards it was announced that his highly anticipated new album, the follow up to 2000’s “Marshall Mathers LP” will be dropped on November 5th and the first single off the album called “Berzerk” has already shot to number one in less than a day of it debuting on iTunes.  “Berzerk” is such an insane throw back for so many different reasons yet has a modern edge to it.  It also proves why he is the fucking man still practically fourteen years after his debut in 99.  Expect this album to do some severe damage on the charts and for him to educate a whole new generation of people on the school that is Eminem.

Credit to: Bop and Tiger Beat
Credit to: Bop and Tiger Beat

Katy Perry- Prism

Katy Perry has come quite a way since her days of kissing a girl (I never liked it personally.  Not her, kissing girls.)  Her last album “Teenage Dream” did the unthinkable in that she tied (and almost topped) Michael Jackson’s record of the most number one singles off of a single album (California Girls, title track, E.T., Last Friday Night, Firework) and received numerous awards and a pivotal nomination for “Album of the Year” at the Grammy’s.  Well after a semi-quiet year from her after the long haul of her sophomore album success, she has come back full throttle with the first single off of Prism called “Roar” which quickly debuted at number one on the iTunes charts and raced up to number two on the Billboard Charts (expect it to dethrone “Blurred Lines” this week).  The album “Prism” is set to hit shelves on October 22nd and the second single called “Dark Horse” is set to hit airwaves in a couple of weeks. “Blur” is a slower paced version of a lead off single than she normally does but somehow it works as she is very good at belting out a pop hit or two and this album will no doubt compete with Eminem and a couple others for the top spot in the fall.

Credit to: Idolator
Credit to: Idolator

 

Lady Gaga- Artpop

As much as I love Lady Gaga, and I really do, she needs this album to be freaking phenomenal compared to what I and many people think was a lackluster third effort with “Born This Way”.  That album just felt very rushed and ill planned and conceived as well as it didn’t really hold a candle to what “The Fame” and “The Fame Monster” really did.  “Artpop” is set to be released right before Thanksgiving on November 22nd and the leadoff single “Applause” really isn’t taking off like a lot of people thought it would.  The song debuted at number 6 on the Billboard Charts where as its biggest competitor “Roar” by Katy Perry debuted at number two instead.  She has an insane fan base so it is a given that this album will do well but I don’t think “Applause” was the right start off single.  Hopefully her follow up songs will prove why she is one of the best out there right now and a force to be reckoned with in the world of pop.

Credit to: Broadway World
Credit to: Broadway World

 

Justin Timberlake- The 20/20 Experience Part Two

What a comeback year this has been for the prince of pop ey?  Part one of “The 20/20 Experience” debuted at number one back in early 2013 with an impressive near million first week sales and nothing has stopped him since.  Things really took it to another level with his EPIC VMA performance on Sunday night which included a very abbreviated reunion of the band that made him famous in the first place, NSYNC.   He also was the recipient of two major awards that night, The Michael Jackson “Video Vanguard Award” and the ultimate- Video of the Year for his second single off “20/20” called “Mirrors”.  Well now expect to hear much more from Justin as part two of “20/20” is scheduled to be released on September 30th with the leadoff single “Take Back The Night” already released last month.  Hard to believe you can do two albums in one year, but then again this is a man we haven’t heard any new material from in 7 years, so bring it.

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: applause, berzerk, eminem, justin timberlake, Katy Perry, lady gag, lady gaga, michael jackson, miley cyrus, mtv, roar, vma

My exclusive with Long Island’s very own Kayla Stockert!

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Reverb Nation
Credit to: Reverb Nation

 

Kayla Stockert is your typical 16 year old girl from Long Island with a really unique twist.  She is poised to be a big star in the music industry by doing a modern take on retro-pop music.  Working with the likes of other Long Island natives like the Como Brothers band, she drives her inspirations from artists as wide ranged as Freddie Mercury to Taylor Swift, Connie Francis to Lady Gaga.  You can’t get more open than that?  Yet she does it in a simple yet extraordinary way that keeps people at the forefront of their minds.  I recently sat down with this talented girl to discuss her life so far and what she hopes for in her musical career.  Oh, and a duet with Elvis.  Yup. Check it out.

How old were you when you decided you wanted to take music seriously?

I was about 9 years old.  I used to do covers and stuff and then I started writing my music, and I developed a passion for it.  It was about a year later that I decided to take it seriously and here I am today.

Who are some of your musical influences?

Amy Winehouse definitely, I love her retro-style.  Then I have a bunch of ones from older generations like Frankie Lymon and Connie Francis and Leslie Gore and all those kinds of people.

How would you describe your sound for me?

I think I have a retro-pop sound, and definitely unique sounding.  I can’t really be sounding like anyone else at this point and time based on the material I put out.

You play Piano and Guitar.  How long did it take you to master those?

Well I haven’t mastered them quite yet.  I only play chords right now.  I started playing them when I was 12 and everyday coming home from school and sitting down at the piano or with my guitar.  For me, everyday it is something new that I learn, can’t ever learn too much you know?

Who do you get comparisons to the most?

I know that I get told I look like Taylor Swift, I don’t really see that.  I’ve been told I sound like her a little bit.  Others say Amy Winehouse, some say Miley Cyrus, I don’t know.  People see different kinds of sounds that I don’t really see. It’s cool that people think you sound like other people.

You have worked with The Como Brothers Band in the past.  What was that experience like?

It was good.  I went to them and asked if they wanted to be my musicians and help me out with certain shows and stuff. They agreed, and wanted me to show them some songs and we can help you.  I showed them my song “Don’t Go Messing”, and we collaborated on it and it turned out great.  Overall it was a really great experience.

Favorite song you have recorded and why?

I definitely think it is some of my newer songs off of the EP.  I really like the song “What They Say” off of the new EP because I remember in the recording studio we had a lot of harmonies and it was really fun so if I had to choose one it would be that.

Tell me about the new EP and other things you have planned.

I definitely want to come out with a full length album as the EP is only three songs.  I also want to keep writing and practicing my guitar and piano and really honing in on my craft.

Who would you love to do a duet with, dead or alive?

Hmmm.  I would go with Elvis Presley because he is a huge music legend.  I think it would be a really cool thing do it a duet with him.

What is the one thing you want your fans and readers to know about you?

That I am a real person and I don’t strive to be perfect.  I am unique and have my own little unique kind of style and always want to stay true to who I am.

Be sure to check out her new EP and everything Kayla by going onto her site and seeing more.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC Tagged With: amy winehouse, como brothers band, connie francis, elvis, elvis presley, frankie lymon, lady gaga, long island, miley cyrus, retro, retro pop, Taylor Swift

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