Music – Page 2

Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Cover)

October 20, 2015February 2, 2024ayminor

My rendition of “(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow,” the classic ballad from The Wizard of Oz in the style of Katharine McPhee (as performed on American Idol, Season 5). Accompanied by the best pianist I know, my dad. Find all my covers and performances here.

THANKSGIVING 2014

November 27, 2014February 1, 2024ayminor

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J Music: UR Experience Tour at Mohegan Sun Arena

November 16, 2014February 1, 2024ayminor

Usher was my first love. Before the Famous Jett Jackson, before Sammie, before J Boog — there was Usher Raymond IV. You name a record off My Way, 8701, or Confessions and my mind instantly goes to a cherished memory from my childhood. Growing up, Confessions defined for me what success was in the industry — diamond album, sold-out tour, movies, timeless music. Until he went and messed around with Tameka, Usher was the standard.

Some argued after Confessions he had nowhere else to go but down — I had always believed he would be considered one of, if not the best entertainer of our time. Nonetheless, it’s been years since I’ve attached Usher’s career with unmatched excellence. In his stead, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake have risen in the ranks, dominating the industry and record sales.

He has the star power, voice, technical skill, and over 20 years in the business — what is the missing element? It’s a question I have asked myself a thousands times. After attending the UR Experience tour at Mohegan Sun arena in Uncasville, CT, I think I can finally articulate my answer.

I’ll fast-forward through DJ Cassidy (mostly because I missed his set — CP Time), and August Alsina (who sounded much less like a goat than anticipated).

I’ll tell you this, the problem with the concert is not Usher and it’s not the music. For two hours straight Usher performed all of his greatest hits with near perfect precision. He was accompanied by world-class dancers who performed a very high-energy set without hint of fatigue, three background singers, and a full-piece band. His charisma shined as he weaved in personal anecdotes throughout the night, keeping the crowd entertained.

The answer then — lack of innovation. The production value was nowhere near where it should be for a star of his caliber. Let’s start with the staging — a small, triangular stage flanked by two short ramps. There was no second stage. There would be no “flying” around the arena. Fans that weren’t in the front, lower level of the arena had little to no interaction with the star beyond a few shoutouts. There was scattered smoke and pyro throughout the performance, but nothing out of the ordinary for your average concert. There would be no stunning visual elements, no spectacular costume designs, and no storyline or cohesion to the songs performed. I counted one video (the intro), some filtered camera shots, 2 jacket changes, 1 shirt change and 1 hat.

I forgot, I think he changed his sneakers too.

Now I believe had the tour gone as planned, as a promotional tool for the now indefinitely delayed UR, the show would’ve been more along the lines of what I had envisioned. I understand they most likely had to cut back on the scale of the production as a result, but at 36, Usher doesn’t have time to waste on mediocre presentations. He needs something BIG to shake up the industry and remind us who has the #1 spot, and I.M.O. it’s now or never. From the album rollout, to the award show performances, to his tour production — everything needs an infusion of innovation.

Steps down off soapbox.

I know I just went in, butttt purely as a fan, I would still encourage you to attend the tour if it stops in your city. I had a great time, I sang, I danced, and when he flashed those pearly whites….swoon.

The rest of the tour dates are below:

J Thoughts: A Look at Angela Simmon’s Failed Kickstarter Campaign

August 4, 2014January 30, 2024ayminor

Last month, Angela Simmons turned to Kickstarter to raise $25,000 to fund AngelaIAM TV, a visual platform for fashion, music, art, and entertainment.

As a creative, I truly believe in Kickstarter, and other crowdfunding platforms, that make it possible for the average Joe to bring a brilliant idea to life. I am very, very selective in how I spend my money (largely because as a recent college grad I don’t have any), but when I see a project I truly believe in, I can’t help but support.

Of course, with the good comes the bad. Like everything else, I hate that these platforms have attracted more than a few projects that have caused me to raise an eyebrow (most notably Spike Lee’s “Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint” campaign).

On one hand, it seems like a no-brainer for celebs and prominent artists to turn to crowdfunding — seemingly, they have the soapbox and fan base to do a little promotion and easily get their projects funding. On the other hand, it feels as if they are intruding on a space not meant for established figures, but for those without access to big-name sponsors and prominent backers.

Although AngelaIAM TV is meant to promote aspiring international artists, which I appreciate, it was unclear how the whopping $25,000 would be used to drastically improve upon the videos she had already begun to create, and why she couldn’t use her resources and contacts to fund it herself. There were many others who felt the same; her comments on Instagram where spattered with negative reactions.

Despite my skepticism I never doubted it would raise the necessary funds, especially with the success of several other celebrity-endorsed projects.

Although Angela heavily promoted the campaign on Instagram, which is connected to her Twitter, both with over 1 million followers, had promotional videos, featured rewards, and a press release sent out to media outlets, she only received 11% of her goal — $2,766 of $25,000.

What went wrong?

Emmanuel Mensah, the producer of AngelaIAM TV, addressed the pitfalls of the campaign in an interview with Soo Detroit:

When we first launched our Kickstarter we got a lot of backlash for it. What people don’t know is that we’ve been funding AngelaIAM TV on our own long before we launched the Kickstarter. This is something we’ve been funding but we’re trying to take it on a wider scale and what better way to try to take it on a wider scale than to have people that want to see something like this happen, help us do it. This is all about the people, but it has been hard and difficult because people automatically assume: ‘Why is a celebrity asking for money?’ That’s not the case at all. We want it to be about the people and not have one investor be responsible. We want the people to be responsible as a unit for making something like this happen. (soodetroit.com)

Did the proverbial “people” take a stand? Was the project description not strong enough to gain support? Is it possible she didn’t have enough promotion?

It makes an interesting case study.

J Events: Sevyn Streeter and Mateo at SOBs

April 2, 2014January 28, 2024ayminor

Long overdue. smh

Last Monday, I finally got the chance to see a live performance by up-and-coming artist Sevyn Streeter. Though you may only associate her name with the hit single “It Won’t Stop,” Sevyn has been in the game for years after getting her start with girl groups TG4 and RichGirl. (Yes, TG4 that every B2k fan hated on the low…)

I could talk about how Sevyn didn’t come on until 10 after 10 p.m. on a Monday (I blame the venue more than anything), but I’ll just skip to my thoughts on her performance — I think she’s talented! She’s not a “sanger,” but she puts on a good performance nonetheless and I loved her choreography. She performed songs from her Dec. 2013 release Call Me Crazy, But… (including the most talked-about performance of the night), and a number of covers, among them “Stay,” and “Drunk In Love.” She didn’t immediately hit me as a superstar, but that sentiment may change as she finds her niche as a solo artist.

Sevyn’s opener for the night was one of my favorite underdogs, Mateo! Though very few people in the crowd were familiar with his music, his performance was well received. A crowd favorite — a song personalized for a fan he picked out of the audience, “Rina.”

J Music: 3 Upcoming NY Shows for $35 or Less!

2014, The Year I Stuck to My New Year’s Resolutions | “Almost Is Never Enough” (Cover)

February 24, 2014January 28, 2024ayminor

I can finally cross off one of the top 3 items on my bucket list — I performed at my first open mic!!

Every year at Penn, the Inspiration and the Excelano Project collaborate for a night of love talk and slow jams. As an Inspiration alum I had already planned on attending the show, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take on one of my greatest fear — performing solo.

For once, right after I decided to perform, I had the perfect song in mind. “Almost Is Never Enough,” a power-ballad on Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly was instantly one of my favorites off the top-charted release. The song, a duet with The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes, is the perfect mash-up of 90’s-inspired R&B, with the flair of a contemporary anthem.

Additional photos and video from the show coming soon!