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Backtracking is our recurring look back at the pop music that shaped our lives. Friends may come and go, but we'll be spinning our favorite albums forever.
It's hard to imagine now, but 15 years ago, there was no Britney Spears on the radio. Nor was there Christina Aguilera or Pink or Lady Gaga. Apart from the reigning divas at the time — that would be Madonna, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey — the pop landscape was filled with post-grunge rock chicks like Alanis Morissette and Courtney Love, and fresh R&B female acts like TLC, Mary J. Blige and Aaliyah. That's when American Idol creator Simon Fuller, then known best for managing Annie Lennox, took a gamble that our lives could all use a little spicing up.
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Posts Tagged ‘Spotlight’
ZZ Ward: Popping Up
Thu Feb 2 2012 by Becky Bain
Popping Up is our recurring look at new artists making noise on the music landscape. Because, hey—Madonna and Britney were once unknown, too.
Fusing soul, R&B and hip-hop into one delicious listening experience, ZZ Ward isn't your typical new singing starlet on the rise. The LA-based, Oregon-raised artist dropped her debut mixtape Eleven Roses last month, and the 8-track collection includes ZZ's incredibly raw vocals singing over samples from songs like Tyler, The Creator's "Yonkers", Childish Gambino’s “You Know Me,” and Wiz Khalifa/Curren$y’s “Rooftops." She namechecks David Bowie as one of her musical idols ("He was unconventional, but his music was still so emotional and powerful") but it's clear from the first note out of her mouth that the blues is where her heart is. Head below to discover just who this wild woman is. More »
Fusing soul, R&B and hip-hop into one delicious listening experience, ZZ Ward isn't your typical new singing starlet on the rise. The LA-based, Oregon-raised artist dropped her debut mixtape Eleven Roses last month, and the 8-track collection includes ZZ's incredibly raw vocals singing over samples from songs like Tyler, The Creator's "Yonkers", Childish Gambino’s “You Know Me,” and Wiz Khalifa/Curren$y’s “Rooftops." She namechecks David Bowie as one of her musical idols ("He was unconventional, but his music was still so emotional and powerful") but it's clear from the first note out of her mouth that the blues is where her heart is. Head below to discover just who this wild woman is. More »
Katharine McPhee Takes Idolator’s This Is Your Career! Quiz
Wed Feb 1 2012 by Kim Persse
Katharine McPhee is anything but predictable. Since her days on American Idol, the Los Angeles-born beauty has tried everything from music and film to television and becoming a blonde (and a pixie one at that). And with her brand-new Steven Spielberg-produced NBC drama Smash about to debut, her star is about to rise even further.
We caught up with McPhee recently to discuss a few of her favorite things (her beauty tip truly is a must-see) and to test how well she knows her own path to stardom. Watch below to see if she recalls past Idol performances, film costumes and more in our This Is Your Career! Quiz video. More »
We caught up with McPhee recently to discuss a few of her favorite things (her beauty tip truly is a must-see) and to test how well she knows her own path to stardom. Watch below to see if she recalls past Idol performances, film costumes and more in our This Is Your Career! Quiz video. More »
Madonna’s 10 Best Songs That Radio Forgot
Wed Jan 25 2012 by Robbie Daw
Madonna is on a triumphant streak lately that is quite fit for a queen. In addition to scoring a Golden Globe Award, the Material Girl has her directorial effort W.E. — which just earned an Oscar nomination — hitting theaters on February 3, will perform at the Super Bowl two days after that and has a highly-anticipated album on the way in March, via her new label deal with Interscope. And, like any red-blooded pop music fan, we're chomping at the bit for the arrival of Her Madgesty's new Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.-featuring single "Gimme All Your Luvin'".
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Guinevere: Popping Up
Thu Jan 19 2012 by Mike Wass
Popping Up is our recurring look at new artists making noise on the music landscape. Because, hey—Madonna and Britney were once unknown, too.
Guinevere is not your typical electro-pop diva. For starters, the 20-year-old Canadian is named after King Arthur’s two-timing wife and was discovered while she was fronting a rock band. She’s also a self-proclaimed gaming geek and out-and-proud Trekkie. This quirky streak is reflected in the Call of Duty aficionado’s attitude-drenched dance anthems, which pair her gutsy rock vocals with heavy beats courtesy of super-producers like Cirkut and Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons.
Her debut single "Crazy Crazy" has generated attention with its Lady Gaga-meets-Ke$ha approach to pop and sexy subject matter. "It's about everything a person might be thinking in the back of their head, but are too afraid to say," says the poster girl for gamers. "I tend to lose all my inhibitions on-stage. What do you say — a lady in the street, but a freak in bed?" Guinevere's other tunes include "Beautiful", a dance anthem about losing interest in your date when the lights go on in the club, and a cover of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer".
Jump below to discover why Guinevere is on our Popping Up radar, and why we think she’s one to watch in 2012. More »
Guinevere is not your typical electro-pop diva. For starters, the 20-year-old Canadian is named after King Arthur’s two-timing wife and was discovered while she was fronting a rock band. She’s also a self-proclaimed gaming geek and out-and-proud Trekkie. This quirky streak is reflected in the Call of Duty aficionado’s attitude-drenched dance anthems, which pair her gutsy rock vocals with heavy beats courtesy of super-producers like Cirkut and Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons.
Her debut single "Crazy Crazy" has generated attention with its Lady Gaga-meets-Ke$ha approach to pop and sexy subject matter. "It's about everything a person might be thinking in the back of their head, but are too afraid to say," says the poster girl for gamers. "I tend to lose all my inhibitions on-stage. What do you say — a lady in the street, but a freak in bed?" Guinevere's other tunes include "Beautiful", a dance anthem about losing interest in your date when the lights go on in the club, and a cover of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer".
Jump below to discover why Guinevere is on our Popping Up radar, and why we think she’s one to watch in 2012. More »
Watch Lana Del Rey’s ‘SNL’ Performance
Sat Jan 14 2012 by Idolator Staff
Lana Del Rey's Saturday Night Live appearance has been pregnant with expectations almost since the day it was announced, with fans celebrating her warp-speed ascent and critics insisting the dusky, bloody beautiful pop sensation behind "Video Games" actually doesn't deserve to take on one of music's most prestigious stages so early in her career. (Sorry, The Jonathan Ross Show.) Did the Born To Die singer knock 'em dead? See for yourself. More »
Coachella 2012 Lineup: Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Florence + The Machine & David Guetta To Play
Mon Jan 9 2012 by Becky Bain
Christmas came early, so to speak, for Coachella lovers this year! The 2012 lineup for the annual music festival, which takes place in Indio, California each April, is typically revealed in mid-to-late January. But the mods behind Coachella's official Twitter must have been too impatient to wait, as they tweeted out the official lineup poster for this year's fest. And they found some amazing acts who were available to play two consecutive weekends in a row! More »
Penguin Prison: Popping Up
Thu Jan 5 2012 by Robbie Daw
Popping Up is our recurring look at new artists making noise on the music landscape. Because, hey—Madonna and Britney were once unknown, too.
We're 85% sure that Chris Glover, now known professionally as synth-enthusiast and remixer extraordinaire Penguin Prison, is not an aquatic bird. Nor is he incarcerated. This 28-year-old New Yorker is, however, an artist who cut his teeth by dabbling in hip hop and remixing tracks for such artists as Goldfrapp ("Rocket"), Darren Hayes ("Talk Talk Talk") and Ellie Goulding ("Starry Eyed") before releasing his self-titled, groove-slathered first LP under his Penguin Prison monicker last fall. (He previously had an album out under his real name six years ago.)
Having been born in 1983, it makes perfect sense, then, that Chris, who attended school and played in bands with Holy Ghost!'s Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel, first found an appreciation for music courtesy of Michael Jackson. "I remember having a Michael Jackson doll when I was around 5 years old," he tells us. "And I remember having the Thriller album on vinyl and playing it on a Fisher Price record player."
Head below to why just why Penguin Prison is on our Popping Up radar, and why we think he's one to watch in 2012. More »
We're 85% sure that Chris Glover, now known professionally as synth-enthusiast and remixer extraordinaire Penguin Prison, is not an aquatic bird. Nor is he incarcerated. This 28-year-old New Yorker is, however, an artist who cut his teeth by dabbling in hip hop and remixing tracks for such artists as Goldfrapp ("Rocket"), Darren Hayes ("Talk Talk Talk") and Ellie Goulding ("Starry Eyed") before releasing his self-titled, groove-slathered first LP under his Penguin Prison monicker last fall. (He previously had an album out under his real name six years ago.)
Having been born in 1983, it makes perfect sense, then, that Chris, who attended school and played in bands with Holy Ghost!'s Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel, first found an appreciation for music courtesy of Michael Jackson. "I remember having a Michael Jackson doll when I was around 5 years old," he tells us. "And I remember having the Thriller album on vinyl and playing it on a Fisher Price record player."
Head below to why just why Penguin Prison is on our Popping Up radar, and why we think he's one to watch in 2012. More »
Pop Music’s 13 Biggest Fails Of 2011
Fri Dec 30 2011 by Becky Bain
There were plenty of noble efforts to come out of the 2011 pop scene — Adele's crowd-pleasing, chart-dominating album; Lady Gaga's various charitable commitments; Justin Bieber's surprisingly impressive freestyle raps, just to name a few. But even though we like to highlight the good stuff, the fail-worthy moments from the past year are too unforgettable (and too funny) to ignore. We've picked the 13 Biggest Fails from the past year for your reading (dis)pleasure, and if you thought nothing could be worse than Chris Brown's chair-throwing temper tantrum at Good Morning America, you're wrong. Reflect on Pop Music's Year In Fail below. More »
2011’s Best Albums: Idolator’s Favorite 10 Out Of ‘11
Tue Nov 29 2011 by Robbie Daw
Since January, our ears have reveled in hearing new LPs from several bona fide superstars and promising debuts from up-and-coming artists. Of course, there was also one juggernaut from a power-house Brit vocalist that shattered all expectations. Naturally, a few of our discoveries rose above the usual din, and it's about time we shared the music that truly sound-tracked our 2011.
And so, like at the end of 2010, each of the site's three editors recently took it upon themselves to strap on their pumped up kicks and sift through the records that ran the world, rolled in the deep and took them to their own personal edge of glory in 2011. Head below to catch the roundup of Idolator's 10 Favorite Albums Of The Year (which, we'll point out, are in no particular order). More »
And so, like at the end of 2010, each of the site's three editors recently took it upon themselves to strap on their pumped up kicks and sift through the records that ran the world, rolled in the deep and took them to their own personal edge of glory in 2011. Head below to catch the roundup of Idolator's 10 Favorite Albums Of The Year (which, we'll point out, are in no particular order). More »
