Singer

Against Me Singer, Tom Gable, Confirms He’s Transgender

May 9, 2012 By Cara Harrington 2 Comments

It takes a massive amount of testicular fortitude to tell the world that you are a transgender, but it takes even bigger lady balls to do it the public as a rock star.

Tom Gable has bravely come out with his decision to begin living as a woman. The married singer of Against Me! explained the situation to Rolling Stone. He has been privately dealing with gender dysphoria for years, but has accepted his desire to become a woman. His wife, Heather, also gets my award for AWESOME and will continue support Gable and maintain their marriage.

New Music Friday – Debi Nova

December 11, 2009 By Holly Stafford Leave a Comment

With six Grammy Award nominations and a number one dance single under her belt, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Debi Nova is ready to make her mark on the rest of the world. In March 2010, Decca Records will release Nova’s genre-defying, debut album “Luna Nueva.” The album is an electrifying combination of irresistible Latin rhythms and potent pop smarts that showcase this vivacious artist’s considerable musical gifts (she plays piano, guitar, bass and more) as well as her rich Latina heritage.

Per MySpace:

“I started taking piano lessons at four and by the time I was twelve I knew I wanted to pursue a career in music” stated Debi.

Produced by multi-Grammy nominated Marius de Vries (Madonna, Josh Groban) and Gustavo Santaolalla (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Babel“), Luna Nueva is a labor of love, long in the making, which not only showcases Nova’s electrifying vocals and musicianship, but her songwriting talents as well. The first single is the playful soca/hip-hop inspired “Drummer Boy.”

Already a massive star in her native Costa Rica, Debi has toured with both Ricky Martin and Sergio Mendes as a featured vocalist and has performed for more than 8 million people globally. As a songwriter, the Costa Rican beauty has written hit songs for Belinda and RBD, two of Latin Americas biggest artists. Since the beginning of the year Debi’s been in the studio aiming to create a sound that blends all the influences and musical experiences she’s had. Combining her passion for Bossa Nova, Hip Hop and lots in between, a sound that Debi affectionately terms “Tropical Soul.” You can learn more about Debi’s process of recording an album in both English and Spanish in her new EPK above, and click here to check out her first single “Drummer Boy.”

Filed Under: Awards, Celebrity Gossip, Madonna, Music, Myspace, Videos Tagged With: Babel, Belinda, Bossa Nova, Brokeback Mountain, Costa Rica, Debi Nova, Decca Records, Grammy Award, Gustavo Santaolaalla, Hip Hop, Josh Groban, Latin, Latina, Luna Neuva, Madonna, Marius de Vries, nomination, Performance, Performed, RBD, Ricky Martin, Sergio mendes, Singer, Songwriter, Vocalist

New Music Friday – Hodges

December 4, 2009 By Holly Stafford Leave a Comment

Hailing from Forth Worth, Texas, Hodges is an emerging singer/songwriter who has found a musical home among others who try and tell a story through their song. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty recognized this when he recently signed Hodges to his RTel imprint on Epic Records. Hodges attributes his vocal strength to his mother, a former RCA Records recording artist. His undeniable ability to craft a melody stems from his father, a Julliard-trained musician, who taught Hodges the importance of sound songwriting.

Per Myspace:

“My influences are really the artists who know how to take the universal themes of songwriting and make them their own,” says Hodges.

Hodges has a wide range of influences, ranging from Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty to U2 and Peter Gabriel. If you are a fan of the tv show “Criminal Minds,” then you probably have heard his song “My Side Of The Story,” which incidentally is also the name of his debut album. It has been some time since the music industry has produced a singer/song writer with this kind of talent for writing ballads. His ballads range from mellow to having a rock edge leaving his audiences able to feel the emotions through the songs that he sings. While he has no official videos out for his music, you can watch an acoustic performance of his song “My Side Of The Story” above.

Filed Under: Celebrity Gossip, Music, Television, Videos Tagged With: Ballads, Bruce Springsteen, Criminal Minds, Debut Album, Epic Records, Hodges, Matchbox 20, Matchbox Twenty, My Side Of The Story, Myspace, Peter Gabriel, RCA Records, Rob Thomas, RTel impring, Singer, Songwriter, Tom Petty, U2

Artist Interview – Matt Dragstrem

November 30, 2009 By Holly Stafford Leave a Comment

Chicago Tour from Matt Dragstrem on Vimeo.

A little while ago we featured an article on Matt Dragstrem, an up-and-coming songwriter, who is rapidly gaining recognition with his melodic songs paired with simplistic, yet compelling lyrics. Having just released a behind the scenes video from his most recent tour throughout the Chicago and Nashville areas, Dragstrem is being deemed as an audience favorite and hailed as the new talent in town to write with by respected Nashville songwriters. He is currently in the process of recording for his upcoming full-length album, after receiving great reviews on the release of his EP “Heritage.” Recently, we’ve had the chance to throw out a couple of questions for Matt about things such as his influences and what he hopes are for the upcoming year. Our mini-interview is below. Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite places to have played?

Rockwood Music Hall in New York City has always been one of my favorite places to play. There’s such a great energy in that little hall. Everyone is straight up crazy and I love it. The audience at Rockwood typically sing and often scream my songs much louder than me. Another favorite of mine is the Elbo Room in Chicago. It’s my home town hang out. I love seeing the familiar faces.

What is one of your most bizarre fan encounters?

Well I have a lot of fans from Ireland and England who email telling me all the time how much they love my record. Not really a bizarre encounter but a cool thought that people from overseas are jamming my record. Id love to play over there soon.

Who are some of your inspirations?

I would say my current inspirations: (sifting through iPod) I have Jay-Z’s new record, One Republic’s, John Mayer’s, and the new Norah Jones. But my biggest influence stylistically are Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald primarily for there approach on singing. These two sing behind the beat and add a little improve to every performance without being forced.

Where do you get your song inspirations from, lyrically speaking?

I am a very in the moment kind of writer. I don’t plan on writing about someone or something specifically that day. I think if you’re honest with yourself in the moment and how you are really feeling about a situation the words (and melody) flow easily. So to answer your question the inspiration in my writing comes from a real place. A side note, when I write don’t know if it’ll be a pop, ballad, or country song. You can’t plan songs out like that but you can focus on creating something great.

What are some of your passions outside of music?

Lately I’ve been obsessing over vintage Ford and Chevrolet trucks. I might cave-in and buy one soon here. Im a fan of road trips and redvines (hopefully at the same time). I’m also crazy about Great Danes though I’m not sure how that beast will fit in the truck.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing?

Well in the beginning Genesis 1 (bad joke) but really in fall 2007 when i started writing songs i didn’t have a focus on my sound. I really played and wrote songs for fun because some of my friends liked what i did. But now after touring, writing, and recording my music has naturally developed into a organic pop sound. And while my voice is more ‘organic’ I’ve always desired to write big songs. Songs that could reach people everywhere.

What are your hopes for the upcoming year?

Well ill share a few things that are going down this year. I’m working on a new EP as we speak. Ive actually got a friend coming over to overdub vocals in a few moments. The EP is going to be sick and have been youtubing my progress on my page (youtube.com/mattofthedrag). I have hopes to write for other people’s records as well, to be touring, and just to be mad busy with what i love to do. Writing, playing, and eating redvines.

Filed Under: Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity Quotes, John Mayer, Music Tagged With: Album, Audience, Ballad, Bizzare, Chevrolet, Chevy, Chicago, country, Elbo Room, Ella Fitzgerald, Email, England, EP, Favorite, Ford, Frank Sinatra, Great Danes, Heritage, inspiration, Interview, Ireland, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Matt Dragstrem, Melody, Nashville, new york city, Norah Jones, NYC, One Republic, Organic, Passion, Performance, Pop, recording, Redvines, Roadtrips, Rockwood Music Hall, Singer, Songwriter, talent, Touring, Write, Youtube

Joss Stone and Lilly Allen Cat Fight!

November 4, 2009 By Holly Stafford 1 Comment

Joss Stone is obviously not a Lily Allen fan! In a recent interview, Stone may have started up a bit of a feud when she shared her thoughts on the fellow Brit’s stance on file sharing, believing music should be shared for free whenever possible while Lily has campaigned to make internet file sharing a criminal offense.

Per DigitalSpy:

“She needs to sell records because she’s not a singer, and that’s not an offence to her because I think that she knows that too,” she told The Mirror. “I think she’s a performer and she’s more of a personality than she is a singer. But I think when musicians are really making real music people come to the show and that’s what we make our money from, from playing live. I think it’s probably harder for an artist like Lily and any other pop acts. It’s really about the track and about their personality and their celebrity and that’s how they make their money is selling those records. So the downloads – she’s not going to win that fight. None of us will win that fight. So let’s just accept it and let’s see it as something that can be beautiful and it might change music for the better. It might sort the weeds from the flowers.”

Meow! I just love it when someone so irrelevant takes a stab at someone more successful then they are, trying to gain a little bit of the limelight. You may have bitten off a little more than you can chew, Joss! Oooo I can’t WAIT to see Lily’s rebuttal on this one!

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Images Via: WENN.com

Filed Under: Celebrity Feuds, Celebrity Gossip Tagged With: Acts, Celebrity, Criminal Offense, Downloads, Feud, File Sharing, Interview, Joss Stone, Lily Allen, Live, Music, musicians, Personality, Singer

New Music Friday – Justin Bierber

October 30, 2009 By Holly Stafford 1 Comment

An old soul is the last thing you would expect to find inside 15 year old Justin Bieber, but all it takes is one listen to the new artist to realize that he is years ahead of his manufactured pop-star peers. After posting dozens of homemade videos on YouTube in 2007, where Bieber put his spin on songs from artists like Usher, Ne-Yo, and Stevie Wonder, Bierber racked up over 10,000,000 views from nothing more than word of mouth.

Per Billboard:

“I entered a local singing competition called Stratford Idol. The other people in the competition had been taking singing lessons and had vocal coaches. I wasn’t taking it too seriously at the time, I would just sing around the house. I was only 12 and I got second place.” In an effort to share his victory with his loved ones, Justin began posting his performance footage online. “I put my singing videos from the competition on YouTube so that my friends and family could watch them,” he says. “But it turned out that other people liked them and they started subscribing to them. That’s how my manager found me. He saw me on YouTube and contacted my family and now I’m signed!”

The videos caught the attention of former So So Def marketing executive Scooter Braun, who helped Bieber score an impromptu audition with R&B star Usher. Impressed by what he saw, Usher and Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid quickly signed Bieber to a recording contract. Bieber released the single “One Time” about one of Justin’s favorite topics, puppy love, and his album “My World” was released in September. I think we may just have another Jessie McCartney on our hands – Only this one is cutie! You can check out the video for “One Time” above – the song is catchy!

Filed Under: Celebrity Gossip, Music, Videos Tagged With: Audition, Competitions, Island Def Jam, Justin Bierber, L.A. Reid, My World, Ne-Yo, One Time, Scooter Braun, Singer, So So Def, Stevie Wonder, Stratford Idol, Usher, Video, Views, Youtube

New Music Friday – Adele

October 16, 2009 By Holly Stafford Leave a Comment

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known professionally as just Adele, is an English singer who describes her musical style as “heartbroken soul.” She began singing at the age of 4 when she became obsessed with voices, an obsession that she says is still ongoing. Some of her influences includes Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, who she says she stumbled upon on accident while a teenager looking through cds in a local record store.

Adele wrote her first record, “Hometown Glory” when she was only 16 years old. During her teenage years she recorded a demo and gave it to her friend who eventually put it on MySpace where it became very successful. Adele then got a record deal through MySpace, but at first didn’t believe it was real because the only record company she knew was Virgin Records. In 2007, Adele was awarded with the first ever Brit Awards Critics’ Choice Award. She then later signed to independent music label XL Recordings, which in January 2008 released her second single “Chasing Pavements.” The singer has said that the song was written after a night on the town with her ex-boyfriend, who she realized wasn’t worth pursuing anymore.

At the Grammy nomination concert last December, the Jonas Brothers told MTV News that they were big fans of her music. Adele, who performed at the Grammys with country act Sugarland, was up for four awards and won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award in addition to being named the Best New Artist. Her album was certified as Gold in February 2009 by the Recording Industry Association of America selling over 230,000 copies in the United States during the first quarter of 2009, ranking it fourth among international artists. Her first single, “Hometown Glory” has been re-released as her fourth, and latest, single. It has been widely featured on United Kingdom and United States television shows including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” and “One Tree Hill.” Adele wrote the song in 10 minutes after her mother tried to persuade her to leave her home town of West Norwood in London for college. You can watch the video for the song above.

Filed Under: Awards, Celebrity Gossip, Grey's Anatomy, Jonas Brothers, Music, Myspace, Videos Tagged With: Adele, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best New Artist, Brit Awards Critics' Choice Award, Chasing Pavements, College, demo, Ella Fitzgerald, English, Etta James, Gold, Grammies, Grammy, grammys, Grey's Anatomy, Hometown Glory, Independent music lable, Jonas Brothers, London, MTV News, Myspace, One Tree Hill, record deal, Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA, sing, Singer, Singing, so you think you can dance, Sugarland, Virgin Records, voices, West Norwood, XL Recordings

Joe Jonas Dating Demi Lovato

October 15, 2009 By Holly Stafford 13 Comments

Joe Jonas apparently didn’t mean it when he vowed never to date singers and actresses again! Reportedly, the Jonas brother has gone back on his word and is now dating a singer AND actress all in one, his “Camp Rock” co-star Demi Lovato.

Per StarPulse:

A source says, “They’re more than just friends.”

The rumored new couple reportedly went on a double-date with brother Kevin and his fiance Danielle Deleasa earlier this month to a Toronto, Canada restaurant. The Disney stars are said to have grown closer after appearing in the musical last year and will be spending quite a bit more time together when “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” starts filming. .

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Images Via: WENN

Filed Under: Celebrity Couples, Celebrity Gossip, Jonas Brothers, Movies Tagged With: actress, Camp Rock, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Danielle Deleasa, Dating, Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Jonas Brothers, Kevin Jonas, musical, Relationship, Singer

Taylor Lautner Kissing Taylor Swift Plus Shirtless ‘New Moon’ Photos

October 2, 2009 By Holly Stafford 3 Comments

Sorry ladies… Taylor Lautner has already lined up his Valentine for 2010, and Taylor Swift is the lucky one. The duo recently wrapped up shooting the movie “Valentines Day” due in theaters, you guessed it, February 14th. The buffed up wolf and the country crooner play a onscreen couple who fall in love. Pictures of the two kissing in the movie have hit the internet and I don’t doubt there are a few “Team Jacob” fans who are throwing daggers at the computer screen this very moment. Swift calls getting the chance to kiss Lautner “life-changing” – Yeah, no kidding! I am dying to know how many girls are so jealous of Taylor Swift right now? Come on, girls you can admit it!

And, as an extra little treat for our readers, we also have something hot to warm you up for the cooler weekend ahead! “Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Wolfpack members Alex Meraz, Bronson Pelletier, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman were seen shirtless on set while filming the new movie trying to keep warm wearing bathrobes and Uggs. Only thing that could possibly make this even hotter is Taylor Lautner…. Enjoy!

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Images Via: EclipseMovie

Filed Under: "Twilight Saga News", Celebrity Gossip, Movies, Taylor Lautner Tagged With: Alex Meraz, Bathrobes, Bronson Pelletier, country, Eclipse, Fliming, Kiowa Gordon, Kissing, Love, Movie, Pictures, shirtless, Singer, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, theaters, Twilight, Twilight Saga Eclipse, Tyson Houseman, Uggs, valentines day, Wolfpack

Rick Astley Not Dead

June 30, 2009 By Crista Webster 1 Comment

Seriously Kittens, this is getting out of control.

We have all been overwhelmed this week with the number of beloved celebs who have passed. We are also overwhelmed with the number of false death reports we have received for other celebs who are alive and well like Miley Cyrus and Jeff Goldblum.

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And now, the liars have taken it a step too far by reporting that my first boo, Rick Astley, is dead.

Via The Examiner:

“There’s a purported Associated Press release doing the rounds on the internet stating that Rick Astley is dead. The release is very well done, it’s in the house style, it looks real. However, it didn’t actually appear on the Associated Press wire itself. It’s only circulating second hand.”

Don’t worry-he’s alive and well. The original story, which stated the “Never Gonna Give You Up” singer was found dead in a Berlin hotel room, has since been taken off the internet. A sure sign it was a fake.

Via Idolator:

“The phony story was submitted to CNN’s user-generated, non-edited iReport.com, which, because it carries the imprimatur of the cable news network, gets extra ‘cred’ from credulous readers.”

Make fun of Cyrus and Goldblum all you want, but leave your dirty lyin’ hands off Agent Orange.