Tonight

“Tonight's the night we make love till the end
Tonight's the night I vow my love to you
Look into my eyes
I'll love you till the end of time
I'm in love with you”

Tonight – TrueBliss

At the end of last week there were a few million people across the world who waited with held breath to see who would take out season two of The X Factor USA. Would it be the thirty something year old country singer finally getting his chance at fame, or the thirteen year old powerhouse with a voice well beyond her years? In the end, it was the country singer who won the $5 million recording contract and international fame. So what’s this got to do with TrueBliss? Well, New Zealand is adopting The X Factor format and screening it early next year, so it pays to revisit the very first winner of a New Zealand reality television singing competition.

Yes, if you didn’t know it, TrueBliss’ fame came through the New Zealand born concept of PopStars. The show’s creator wanted to form a new, five piece girl group, much like The Spice Girls, and doubled the hype by creating a television show to accompany. The format was sold overseas, with Bardot being created in Australia and Hear’Say being formed in the UK. Simon Fuller went on to create Pop Idols, which went to America as American Idol before Simon Cowell adapted the format in his own series, The X Factor. And now, the series is coming to New Zealand with Dominic Bowden hosting, Stan Walker and Daniel Beddingfield two of the judges – with two female judges still to be announced and my hopes still on one of Runga sisters. Thousands of unsigned singers will turn up and sing their hearts out, hoping to be put through to the next round and not told they are “a talent free zone”.

But will this singer or group become a hit in the country? Our previous reality television winners have crashed and burned when they tried to become big. NZ Idol season one winner Ben Lummis is now immersed in charity work and runner up Michael Murphy graces the stage once a year at Christmas in the Park. There’s nothing to be heard of from season two and three winners, and the show was canned after the third round. As for our TrueBliss ladies following their break up, we saw Megan Alatini judging on NZ Idol series three and owning her own business in Dunedin, Joe Cotton hosting on radio and appearing on Celebrity Treasure Island, Carly Binding having a string of successful songs for a few years, Erica Takacs making guest appearances and hosting that Coca-Cola sponsored top 40 show, and Keri Harper doing ... something.

I do hope whoever wins The X Factor New Zealand will make something of themselves in the music industry. Overseas acts have become famous in other countries through the show – Leona Lewis, One Direction, Reece Mastin and Chris Rene to name a few, so why not a Kiwi too. Although, let’s not forget this is for entertainment, and part of the pleasure is watching those first auditions where people hustling for new jobs cannot actually sing, much to the audiences, and later YouTube viewers pleasure. 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away, ooh

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more”

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – [Written by] Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

It is this time of year when people start to think about New Year’s resolution and, among the other common ones such as lose weight, exercise more, start a blog and finally quit smoking, is the resolution to be nicer to people you previously have had altercations with. As with most resolutions, they fall apart within a few weeks because, at the end of the day, New Year’s is simply another day in the calendar and does not have much of a psychological attachment to it as some people claim. And so, by February we are just as nasty to those people we swore we would be nicer to.

It is, quite simply, built into our human systems not to like everyone we meet and not to get along with every colleague and every friend of a friend. You can be the nicest person on this planet earth and there will still be that one person that really, really irks you. Or you could be a person who hates someone for what they did to you in the past – someone who doesn’t deserve your forgiveness or your thoughts around New Year’s resolutions. I think you should save yourself the hassle of the negative thoughts – because I think I’ve got a better solution.

Next week is Christmas. In the religious sense, it is about celebrating the birth of Christ and the way he helped guide people through their lives in Biblical times. For others, Christmas is about family and friends, food and presents, and enjoying the day off. There is so much magic in the air around Christmas time, and through functions prior to the actual day, there is Christmas festivities to share with people who are in such a jolly good mood. Everyone deserves to have a Merry Christmas. From your best friend to your parents, and from the person who you bicker with occasionally to the person you hate the sight of, they deserve to have Christmas spirit. This doesn’t necessarily mean forgiveness or the start of a friendship, but it can mean a simple bit of holiday cheer in whatever way you can manage.

So, to my friends, my family, my colleagues, my university mates, my wonderful blog readers, and the people I really don’t like (whether or not you know it), I truly wish you a Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful day – and if you aren’t a Christmas goer, I wish you a fantastic 25^th of December in what will hopefully be a fine summer’s day. I will see you for a final Kiwi blog next week, then I look forward to bringing your more rambling wisdom and musings in the New Year. 

Get Rhythm

“Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
Come on, get rhythm when you get the blues
Get a rock 'n' roll feelin' in your bones
Put taps on your toes and get gone
Get rhythm when you get the blues”

Get Rhythm – Johnny Cash

Yesterday was one of the most surreal days I’ve ever experienced. I donned a heavy gown and hood, walked across stage (without tripping, thank goodness) and received the certificate that officially said I have completed my degree. Now, I’ve assumed I was going to graduate throughout my whole university life and knew I would graduate a couple weeks back when I received my final academic results saying I had passed everything. But it wasn’t until I actually received the certificate and put on the trencher when I really realised I had done the degree. And, as surreal as it was to know I had actually done it, there was a large part of me which was proud of myself.

So what now? I have the certificate and the knowledge of three years of uni – well, what I can remember from Media Comm which I haven’t removed from my brain. I’ve made some amazing friends which have resulted in the best memories (and worst mornings, and the occasional times where things don’t quite get done when they should, like Thursday blog posts). As my tutors would say, it is time to face “the real world”. It’s an exciting prospect – my graduates and I are young and living on hopes and dreams and tins of spaghetti when the finances get really bad. I feel like there’s been a part of me which has been in this “real world” for a few years, as I held down a part time job and made sure not to go into debt, and made it a point of interest to meet people who can help me move forward.

But what if it all falls apart? There’s a deep dark part of me which is so worried everything will just fall apart.

 

I guess that’s when I get rhythm. If anyone knows how to cure the blues, it has to be the man in black who nearly ended up in Folsom Prison. And if any song character can still get rhythm when they are the shoe shiner on a windy corner of the dirty street, then surely a graduated university student can get rhythm too, because it does you a world of good. Getting some rhythm helps you calm down and put things in perspective, and figure your way forward. I’ve heard stories of people succeeding through the worst times and it seems nothing is ever too big to be solved if you want to solve it. It might not be able to be solved straight away and it will take some hard work – but in the meantime, you can get your rhythm on to get through it all. 

Somebody That I Used to Know

“But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know”

Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye feat Kimbra

I’m always happy when it comes to December, because a lot of cool exciting things happen all around the same time.  There is Christmas and all the trimmings which come with it. In New Zealand December means our summer and beach and barbeques. And it’s also a time for countdowns and looking back at what the biggest events of the year were. The news breaks, sport stories and entertainment scandals which made front page news are all put into countdowns to see what the biggest event of the year was (this year it has got to be the Olympics).

It’s also the time of year when we start to look back and determine what the biggest song of the year was. At the end of every year I scour lists to see who put what song where. It began in 2003 during my ZM listening days when I heard their top 103 of ’03 and I waited all day to hear Where is the Love by The Black Eyes Peas was number one. It’s been a yearly obsession since and each year I’ve always disagreed with the website which told me the winners. I often use this website http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/songoftheyear as it is US based and reflects that of Billboard pop charts (which doesn’t give me top songs of the year). I have followed it when it said 2004 went to Usher with Yeah! And 2005 was Mariah Carey, followed closely by Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl. Last year Adele took it out with her smash hit Rolling in the Deep. And, interestingly, in 2002 it claimed Nickelback’s How You Remind Me was the biggest song.

This year there have been some huge hits in the pop charts– Maroon 5 have had two chart topping hits, Carly Rae Jepsen’s song for some reason stayed near the top  for weeks, Katy Perry, fun., Pink, One Direction and Flo Rida have been dominating our Top 40 radio stations ... and Gangnam Style, of course. But my prediction is Goyte feat Kimbra will be the song of the year. I’m not saying just because it is featuring a gorgeous Kiwi girl; it has been chart topping since it broke into the American market at the beginning of the year. It was the number one song on the Billboard charts for 15 weeks in a row and has sold more than six million copies into the market. It is the third-best-selling single of all-time in Australia, with a certified 10 times platinum status. The stats add up to one smash hit song which I think deserves to take out song of the year – but what are your predictions? 

This blog idea came to me from this awesome mash up video 

Maybe

”I'm not playin' hangman with you
I've run out of letters, let alone words
You've got me shiverin' in my spine
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/o/opshop/maybe.html ]
If everything turned out as we had said
We wouldn't have to sit here talkin' like this
Maybe I would be a better fit in my own skin
Maybe”

Maybe – Opshop

I find the word ‘maybe’ quite an interesting term – it’s a sitting on the fence kind of decision you make when you cannot make up your mind. It’s how you reply to Facebook event invites if you’re unsure what you will be up to that night ... or don’t want to go to said event. Or you can only rationalise an 11.4% chance you will be off work that night and can find a ride to the events location. For a better definition of ‘maybe’ I hit up google. The first return was Call Me Maybe. Ugh. A scroll down and maybe shows uncertainty, much like the characters in this Opshop song, and much like my opinion of Opshop’s lead singer Jason Kerrison ... maybe I like him.

Jason Kerrison is the good and the bad of New Zealand music. He’s the lead singer of a pretty sweet New Zealand band – not the best, not the worst, but somewhere between Evermore (higher up there) and The Feelers (a bit lower down). He’s currently a judge on New Zealand’s Got Talent and, while I have only watched a few episodes, he’s doing a not so bad job bringing people into the entertainment business. And he came into the semi finals Rockstar Supernova back in 2006 and while he never made our screens in the final 15, he’s the Kiwi which got the furthest on the Rock Star stage.

But maybe Kerrison isn’t all that amazing – after all he’s in an above average but not amazing Kiwi band which puts out good songs, including the one which was on the New Zealand Post ad. He’s on New Zealand’s Got Talent which, in my opinion, didn’t quite live up to its expectations. And he built an ark to survive the 2012 apocalypse thing. Built it from scratch for his family. Like, AN ENTIRE ARK! I don’t find that maybe weird, I find that weird full stop.

Interestingly, amongst my sitting on the fence musings of Jason Kerrison, I realised I find Opshop’s music average in the overall scheme of music. I pride myself on loving New Zealand music and have even dedicated the last blog of every month to a Kiwi artist. But when I think about it honestly I don’t love, or even particularly like, every single New Zealand song. I do love some, I hate some, and some I ... maybe sitting on the fence with uncertainty like, but that's just the way music preferences work. And while Jason Kerrison probably won’t be the Kiwi musician who will change the world, he hasn’t done anything wrong. Apart from this ark business...

We Are Young

"The world is on my side
I have no reason to run
So will someone come and carry me home tonight
The angels never arrived
But I can hear the choir
So will someone come and carry me home

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter
Than the sun”

We Are Young – fun. ft. Janelle Monáe

Remember when you were a wee child about to start your first day at school and year six seemed so far away. Or when you started high school and saw the year 13’s walking by and thought there was no way you would ever become that old, ever. You would go to your older cousin’s birthday milestones; when they reached were 13 and they’d reached the teen years or when they were 18 and were allowed their first (legally) alcoholic drink. Getting older seemed such a far away concept, until you became that person who had magically gotten older.

This year has been a year of celebrating 21^st birthdays. Traditionally, this is seen as the coming of age birthday and it originates from the rituals of knighthood – 21 was the age when a boy was deemed to have completed his training and he could become a knight. In Elizabethan times, it was the age in which a boy became a man and was therefore allowed to marry. In current society, it holds little more value than an excuse to get really drunk together and celebrate the life we’d had so far – and if you are an American, then you are legally allowed to drink and enter bars. All these traditions make me think turning 21 is the point where you become an adult and, as an adult, you have to act a lot more responsible. Since I’ve turned 21 all that has changed is my increasing hatred for 18 year olds who drunkenly squeal loudly when I’m trying to have a nice drink out with some friends. And there’s a few things which I’ve learned along the way which I wouldn’t have known a few years back. But otherwise, I don’t really feel like my age is any more than a number, like my shoe size or phone number.  

I chose We Are Young this week for two reasons. Firstly, at one of my friends’ 21^st birthdays this year her brothers pulled out a guitar and sang the song, and all the party goers joined in. It was a nice song choice and I think it summed up 21^st birthdays perfectly – which brings me to point two. For our 21^st birthday night, and, let’s face it, for all our friends’ 21^st birthdays because they are designed to be celebrated with your best mates – we are young and the world is on our side. We are only 21. We have our whole lives to find real jobs, pay off student loans and eat more than baked beans on toast every night because that’s all we can afford right now.

This year I’ve attended some of the best parties, heard amazing life stories about my best mates, and laughed myself until I nearly cried at some fantastic and embarrassing photographs, and been lucky enough to have my own fabulous party with the best people on earth.  Turning 21 is, as I’ve said above, traditionally meant to be about coming of age. But I can’t help but feel young and carefree and, while excited about my unknown future, this is the time where we live in the moment, because we are young.

 

 

 

 

Here's a selection of photos from some of the 21st I've been to this year:

The 21st which inspired this week's song choice

My 21st! The theme was from Luger Boa's album - New Hot Nights

Cupcakes - 21st birthday cake is the best cake ever!

An example of the effort people put in for their birthdays - this one had a marquee and lights!

It's also been a year of cool themes - this was Black and Gold

And there's been some fantastic fun times all year!

 

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

“I turn the music up, I got my records on
From underneath the rubble sing a rebel song
Don't want to see another generation drop
I'd rather be a comma than a full stop

Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees
Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes
But my heart is beating and my pulses start
Cathedrals in my heart”

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall – Coldplay

Last Saturday night I saw Coldplay live at Mt Smart Stadium. On the way to the show my friend and I were discussing other music acts we’ve seen live. I realised within the past year I’ve been to Vector Arena six times for concerts and numerous gigs at bars for local bands. It seems I am drawn to live acts as much as I’m drawn to chocolate cake with pink icing. I remember a few months ago I had food poisoning and missed Luger Boa, Villainy and Clap Clap Riot playing together and I’m sure I nearly died. Not from food poisoning, but from missing out on seeing these three bands playing together. Therefore, with my history of seeing musicians in the flesh, Coldplay would have to do something spectacular to top the list of live shows. And as Coldplay’s music is often described as slow, sad and slightly mournful, it has hard to see them doing that.

But holy shit Coldplay put on an amazing live show. They turned their slow crooning British songs into hits which got the audience rocking and singing along. They had glowing wristbands, fireworks, confetti, light spinning across the stadium, three stages and the band were full of energy start to finish, from Paradise to Viva La Vida through to Fix You, the slowest song of them all. They ended with Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, the song which is all about turning the music up, something which you know I endorse.

It was easy to get lost amongst all the glamour though, and there was so much glamour at the Coldplay concert. Chris Martin and the band sounded really good live, but they weren’t the most amazing band I’ve ever heard (Dave Grohl takes that award home). I don’t love their songs like I love Keane or Skillet’s music. And I’m certainly not attracted to the lead singer of Coldplay like I’m attracted to Reese Mastin Meatloaf all the members of Hot Chelle Rae. Yet Coldplay were mesmerizing to see live because I wanted to know what was coming next: which song and which sparkly accompaniment flying through the sky. They were seasoned performers who knew how to wow a crowd and make their songs sound as best as possible live.

Thus, Coldplay takes the award for the most amazing show I’ve ever seen. Not the best live band or best songs performed, but a spectacular music and lights show which left me buzzing for hours.