The Natalie Portman Rap

Hey guys, as a "I'm sorry" for my absence these past weeks I'm gonna leave you with this masterpiece that never fails to amuse me and make me laugh. As soon as I have time I'll post about my "The Hunger Games" press conference experience. Have a nice laugh and an even nicer week.

My Love Letter to Adele

So after Adele won her six Grammys this Sunday, I deemed it proper to write my love letter to her. Just because I can.

I first heard of Adele a year and a half ago thanks to a Scottish friend who was obsessed with her. I just skimmed through the CD and was instantly captivated by “Someone Like You”. After that, I just kind of forgot about her until one day I was very bored and decided to listen to some of the music I was keeping in my “to listen” list.

I was hooked.

 

Adele has a quality in her music that most musicians lack these days: honesty. It is very true that we all love a spectacle—lights, awesome videos, stunts at concerts we attend—but I believe that the quality in the performers is reduced to the kind of show they put on. Artists seek to please more than to express their feelings. That is why Adele shocked the world, she has stripped herself of all this and only uses her voice and ability to perform.

Adele was born in 1988. Since an early age, she demonstrated that she was a talented singer and pursued it. She went to BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in 2006 and was classmates with Leona Lewis and Jeesie J. Shortly after she graduated, she was signed into her record label and produced her first CD “19”, for which she won two Grammys in 2009.

After the success of her first CD, Adele was looked upon the new face of music. Different, endearing and classy, but accessible. She won people’s hearts. And with “21”, she consolidated her place in the music industry, selling more that six million copies and winning six Grammy awards.

So eventually when it was announced that Adele needed surgery concerning a vocal hemorrhage, all her fans –including myself- flipped out. It was very scary to think that the career of such a promising artist could end as quickly as it had begun. So after four months of anxiety and speculation, she was able to perform again and to all of her fans tranquility, she hadn’t lost her touch.

So, why is Adele so popular? For one, she has a very original voice that is captivating from the first time you listen to it. It is very powerful and that makes it feel very deep and soulful. Her lyrics and music fit perfectly with the message she is trying to convey. It is easy to feel what she is singing about.

Besides her voice, she has made a very positive image for herself. Not only has she demonstrated that she has a lot of talent, but she is very approachable and she even stopped drinking to protect her voice.. She talks and acts like a normal person and lets say that is very refreshing in a world filled of performers that seek to put a “conceptual” show before everything else. She even stopped drinking to protect her voice.

She knew how to sell her music and she did it differently than everyone else. Lady Gaga uses a lot of bright colors and weird costumes? She uses mostly black and very simple dresses. Nicki Minaj puts on big elaborate shows? She just uses her band and chorus. Adele goes for simple, because her greatness comes from they way she feels her songs. And as ironic as it sounds, that is very refreshing. Less is more with her.

So the answer to her popularity is brought to us by the notion that she is different and unique. She is the opposite of everything we see today, she is a positive role model and has heaps of talent to back her up. So to people who have asked me if she deserves six Grammys and so much fame I say, without hesitation: yes, she does. 

Just a song for you to listen. 

New "The Hunger Games" Trailer

For your enjoyment. Now excuse me.

*Goes die in a swamp*

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-hunger-games/

Evanescence Comes to México

Band Name: Evanescence.

Band Members:

Amy Lee – lead vocals, keyboards, harp.

Terry Balsamo – lead guitar.

Troy McLawhorn – rhythm guitar.

Tim McCord – bass.

Will Hunt – drums.

Tour: Evanescence Tour.

CD: Evanescence.

Evanescence is a band I have liked for many, many years. As a preteen, it introduced me to a new kind of music I didn’t know then, and I fell in love with it. So after almost five years of absence, I was excited to hear their new stuff.

“Evanescence” is a step up from “The Open Door”, but it doesn’t quite reach “Fallen”, “Origin” or their bootleg stuff that is very hard to find. After so much time, it was very refreshing to see how the band innovated and evolved with songs like “Swimming Home”. Also, many of the new songs have a techno feel to them, which is very interesting.

So, when I heard they were coming to Mexico I didn’t hesitate to buy tickets to the show. I had seen them when they came here on their “The Open Door” tour and it was a very good show, so I thought I would repeat the experience.

Apart from some evil and mean person stealing my phone, the show was incredible. Maybe a little short, but the energy of the crowd and of the performers made it very fun and enjoyable. People were very supportive of the band and it was very exciting to hear those epic songs live and Amy’s very distinctive and strong voice.

The stage was very simple, yet filled with lights that helped the music and performance grow. The only bad thing was the lack of screens as a visual aid. Even though, the show was very powerful and that power didn’t come from the lights, or the stage; it came from Amy Lee’s vocal performance and stage presence. She seemed happy to be there and that energy went directly into the way she performed the songs. Even when she was sitting at the piano, she managed to convey a lot of emotion with her voice.

The set list was mostly composed of songs from the new CD, but it also left space for some of the old favorites. They opened with the first single of their new CD “What You Want”, which instantly made the crowd go crazy.

One of the highlights, for me, happened when they played “Imaginary” which happens to be my favorite Evanescence song. They also played some of the fan favorites like “Lithium”, “Going Under” and “Bring Me To Life”. They played 18 songs, including the encore.

The encore and show finished with a performance of “My Immortal”, which Amy introduced in Spanish. The song managed to move the whole venue and there wasn’t a person who didn’t sing along. It was very moving and exciting.

It is very good to see Evanescence back with new music. I can only hope they keep doing it for many years to come. That way I can go and enjoy their concerts whenever they come to Mexico.

I'll leave you a clip of one of the songs played at this concert so you can see what I'm talking about.