Wednesday, August 19, 2009

She Plays Music

She Plays Music

Get Shiloh’s Single “Alright” Free on iTunes!

Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:46 PM PDT

Have you heard of Shiloh?  She's a 16-year-old Canadian singer/songwriter who has been referred to Avril Lavigne since they both have a pop-punk edge to their music.   shiloh picture imperfect

Like Avril, I think that Shiloh overdoes the whole "I won't conform" thing but she's young and I'm sure she will find a way to express her individuality without being so in-your-face about it. 

Her song "Operator (A Girl Like Me)" has done well (it was nominated for Pop Video of the Year at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards) and, yesterday, she released her debut album Picture Imperfect.  It's gotten her noticed since she's performed with acts like Lady Gaga and Canadian rock group, Hedley.

I'm not sure how long this will last but iTunes is currently giving away downloads of her song "Alright" which has been chosen as the "Single of the Week."  There's a reggae feel to it and, while it will probably be pretty light for lovers of the genre, it's a totally decent effort for an emerging artist.  It's worth a listen!

image: iTunes

Post from: She Plays Music

Does “Dancing With the Stars” Really Boost Careers?

Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:27 AM PDT

Dancing With the Stars is really popular.  The ratings for last season's premiere (March 2009) reached an all-time high.  Viewers really like seeing celebrities try to learn different dance moves and it seems that many celebrities are clambering for an invite – but is it good to be on the show?

I don't know about you but the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Dancing With the Stars is C-list celebs – basically people who might have been incredibly popular at one point (or not) but who have ceased to be relevant or active as an artist.  I know it's bad to be living in obscurity but is it better to be a confirmed has-been?

Why am I writing about this today?  The cast for the upcoming season of the show has been announced and it includes several women in music – Mya, Macy Gray and Kelly Osbourne (okay, I'm being generous on that one). 

mya Mya was pretty popular in the late 90s and early 2000s.  If the name doesn't ring a bell, you might remember her duet, "Take Me There" with BLACKstreet (the song appeared on the Rugrats Movie soundtrack) or her collaboration on "Lady Marmalade" with Pink, Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera (featured on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack). 

Because of her physique and relative youth, I expect she'd be able to handle the dancing but is she really going to get a boost from this?  Doubtful.  Whatever extra popularity she garners is going to be temporary and I'm not sure if that's just as sad (or worse) than fading out of the limelight.

Macy Gray had basically one song "I Try" (from her 1999 album On How Life Is) that most people would macy gray recognize.  I think that she's a very talented artist but I almost hate to see her reducing herself to being on the show.  I'm not particularly confident about how she's going to handle the choreography. 

Sometimes, if a star does badly, it's almost another strike against them – "do you know Macy Gray?"  "hmmm, the name sounds familiar but I can't quite… oh wait a second.  Wasn't she on Dancing With the Stars?  You know, the one who got eliminated the second week?  What a mess!"  See what I mean?

Then there's Kelly Osbourne, the only one of the three with any reality TV experience (you might know her as Ozzy and Sharon's daughter on the now defunct show, The Osbournes).  She told American Idol host, Ryan kelly osbourne Seacrest (on his radio show) this morning:  "I’m not very graceful, so it’s just something that absolutely terrifies me, and it’s the main reason that I kind of wanted to do it. I wanted to do something different.  I wanted to do something that scared me, and I don’t think anything could scare me more." 

I have to admire her attitude!  A lot of people would be horrified to make a food of themselves but sometimes they end up triumphing over their fears and come out on top.  Kelly has struggled with her weight so it looks like she's thinking this will help her get in shape: "My body is going to get sick and be toned," she said.  I don't know, Kelly, some people have lost a little weight but they were either too out of shape to get "toned" or they were eliminated too quickly…

So what do you think?  Is Dancing With the Stars a good career move?  Which former contestant has had the biggest boost?  When I think of the winners, I can't name any of their current projects but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.

If you would like to watch newest season, the live three-night premiere event begins on September 21, 2009.  Here's a quick promo video listing the entire list of competitors.  Will you watch it?

images: Amazon

Post from: She Plays Music

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