Ed Sheeran- One for the little guy

I remember about three years ago I was having dinner with a good friend of mine who is the biggest music fan and he kept going on about some bloke called Ed Sheeran. I got a good 30 minute ear battering about how talented Ed was and how he was the next big thing (whilst I was trying to eat a beautifully cooked piece of black cod- grrrr). Curious (and believing it was all just hype), I later took to Youtube and google to find out more about him. The first track I heard was You Need Me I Don't Need You. And that was all it took- I was hooked, his music was as addictive as crystal meth(stay away from drugs kids). Listening to one track led to another and another. This guy played the guitar, beat boxed, sang with a crazy amount of soul, wrote his own lyrics and it was impossible to place him in one genre- Ed had soul, indie, hip hop, funk, folk and even reggae influences. He was like some kinda music superhero! Plus he had red hair(I'm a sucker for a ginger fella) and was only a diddy 16 yr old who had moved from his home county of North Yorkshire to London on his lonesome to hone his craft (awww).

Now 19, Ed's paid his dues and made a name for himself. He'd put out a few EP's and albums already(the first in '05), gigged extensively (including a tour with Example), built up a stellar underground following and was ready to put out another EP and make some serious moolah. But labels were not happy to fund the project so he went off and did it himself. And boy has the gamble paid cos the EP called No 5 Collaborations which was released this Monday is already No2 in the iTunes chart-surpassed only by Rihanna (who has Jay Z, the whole world and a super tight 360 record deal behind her).
Ahhhh, I love a happy ending. The little guy refuted the big corporations advice and won- beautiful stuff.

Check out my fav Ed track above The City, its a stunning track! Then log on to http://www.edsheeran.com/ and cop his hot album! It only costs 5 squids and No 5 Collaborations features 10 of the hottest UK mc's

CASPA & MR HUDSON - Love Never Dies (Back For The First Time) OFFICIAL V...

Check out this dub beauty produced by Caspa. The beat definitely puts you in a romantic summer state and the ever emotive vocalist Mr Hudson knows how to ride a rhythm- so the minute the beat drops and he starts to sing the song gets you...right... here **tear drops, gesticulates towards heart**

Yetunde Johnson: A brand spanking new favourite thing!

The beautiful new soul diva to watch is 24 yr old Yetunde Johnson. I’ve listened to her debut album and I’m blown away. It’s soulful, edgy and fresh. Every track is soaked in swagger; Ms Johnson is an artist who pushes music to an exciting new plane. With the provocative titles of her debut single I’m What You Want and album Favourite Things, she’s clearly a girl who knows who she is .I talked to Yetunde to find out what it’s like for her as a new artist. She’s very passionate and animated when she talks about her work. And she laughs, a lot! A very husky, naughty laugh. She’s one of those people you see and you just want to know who she is. When we meet up to chat about her sound she makes a little confession “I was having a bit of a boogie to my album this morning…

I love that!
To be honest I love doing that having a little dance everyday, being thankful for my life.

Well life is good, your album is amazing. Your single I’m What You Want is out now. How are you feeling? Everything’s about to go global!
[Laughs]Yeah its all massively exciting. I feel kinda calm, and then the total opposite. Apprehensive! Its been coming for about two years so to finally be here is exciting. I’m nervous, but happy that all of my hard work has come full circle.

And was it easy- the journey to this point? Getting signed, recording the album…
It’s funny because I never expected my life to be like this. I was meant to go to uni, get a degree a good job. Singing has always been my passion, I sang in church all the time in the choir but my family is academic and I thought I would go down that road....

What changed things?
My mum passed away and that made me realise how short life is and how important it is to be happy and reach for your passions in life.
I did enrol at university but while I was there I started doing a lot of studio work and performing more and more. I went to auditions. But when I hit 21, 22 I got a bit fed up because I would get offered deals and things but they would turn out to have all this conditions tied to them or they would be a bit dodgy. I was about to give up when I got a call just before my 23rd birthday. Real Music and Management had heard a demo of mine. We met up, they liked my sound, my look and they wanted to sign me- everything just took off from there!

Was it important to have representatives who got what you were about?
Definitely, we had a great rapport and we all just clicked. I wasn’t so hungry for a deal and money that I would sign with just anyone, it was important that I fit with the management and the label. I still wanted to have creative control over my music.

I understand you recorded here and in the States?
Yeah. There was a lot happening in the UK with new artists at the time. So we thought taking the sound to another time zone and working on it there might add a fresh perspective! I wanted to keep it different! I worked with some really amazing people including Anita Mcloud in Philadelphia. She’s worked with Usher, she’s amazing. And I listened to a lot of music while I was recording, I have a lot of influences and I wanted that to be reflected in my work. Then I came back to England worked on some more tracks, I also recorded with my brothers who produce music. And we put it all together and that became the album, Favourite Things!

How did you come up with the title? It’s a bit of a homage The Sound of Music!
[Laughs] You know what I love that movie! And there’s a track on the album called Favourite Things. It sounds like a man hating track but its not. It talks about me being a genuine woman, being a catch and not being attracted to a man because of gloss and bling!

A lot of the songs [on the album] show female power and strength. And it’s got a really strong jazz/ soul influence production wise- how would you describe your sound?
I guess it’s rooted in gospel because that’s my background,. But I love soul, jazz, classical and rock. So I’d like to think my sound is all about my emotion. That goes for my lyrical content to because I have written or co written every track on the album!

And who do you aspire to be like on the music scene?
I love Mary J Blige- she’s so powerful but vulnerable and real. She’s a talent. And N.E.R.D because they are just crazy and different! I love things that are unexpected

Yetunde Johnsons single I’m What You Want is out now, her album will be available later on this year.

For more on Yetunde visit http://myspace.com/yetundejohnsonmusic

A Minute With Macy!

I hung out with Macy Gray this afternoon at the Sanderson hotel ahead of her gig in Londons Leicester Sq. We talked about her new album The Sellout, her mad DJ skills and how she loves to get naked!
Snuggled up on a white sofa in her hotel room, rocking some shades poor Macy was a bit tired "I was DJing at Mahiki last night after my first Leicester Sq performance. I love DJing my ex [husband] taught me how and I've always dabbled with the decks." But ever the trooper this amazing and truly unique soul diva animatedly talked about her latest studio effort "I called the album The Sellout cos I was predicting how well it was gonna do!" Macy quipped her voice squeaking excitedly (Macy has the sweetest speaking voice.) "Seriously though I loved writing this album because I found the song writing process cathartic. I get out emotions that I never knew I had in me- its a bit like how you act after smoking a joint!" Er, Macy I hope you didn't inhale!

Macy is known for being amazingly out there, unafraid of who she is, at ease with her style and the way she was thrust to stardom with her breakout worldwide smash I Try. Known for being sassy and upfront I had to ask whats the wildest thing she's ever done? "Ooh wow there's a lot" she laughed " I guess one of the craziest things had to be my naked phase." Naked phase?! "I loved getting on stage and just stripping. It was just me and my music!" Was there some underwear going on? Or at least a strategically placed guitar to protect her modesty? "Nah it was just me au naturale!"

Catch Macy at Leicester Sq tonight where she'll be performing and at the nightclub Maddox where she will be spinning tunage galore on the decks alongside model/ DJ Tolula Adeyemi



Macy will be headlining at GAY on Saturday 17th July and her Album The Sellout is out in stores now!