Albany’s Young Culture is known for their pop-punk sound but they fully embrace the pop side on their new single, “I’ll Be There.” While drums and guitar are still present on the track, this song is primed for Top 40 with a boy bander-esque dance routine in the accompanying music video.
Despite the music video’s washed-out aesthetic, “I’ll Be There” sounds vibrant and ready-made for summer. Referencing another summer anthem, Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” the pre-chorus goes: “Just like the song says, every little thing is gonna be alright.” Whether in relation to the pandemic, current civil unrest, or life in general, the song’s message is reassuring for many reasons. “We’re happy to put out good vibes and hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it,” said lead singer, Alex Magnan. Enjoy listening below.
Listen to Young Culture Here.
In addition to the new music video, Young Culture launched “I’ll Be There”-themed merchandise. Over $1,600 of the total proceeds are going to the Albany and Louisville Community Bail Funds. The shirts depicted the Bob Marley quote and an image from the music video. They are now completely sold out. “We’ve been sitting on this simple song for a while and didn’t know that putting it out right now would give it a whole new meaning for us,” Magnan told Broadway World.
Founded by school friends Magnan and Gabe Pietrafesa, with Troy Burchett joining later on, Young Culture released their label debut EP in 2019, entitled, (This Is) Heaven. The pop-punk EP reached #22 on the New Artist chart and and #53 on the Indie chart, and maintains a sizeable Spotify presence. One of the songs, “Drift,” was co-produced by Sam Guaiana, as well as Derek DiScanio of fellow pop-punk Albany band, State Champs.
21 year-old pop artist Lexi Mariah has released her new single “SOURPATCH.” Mariah’s music represents emotions of ambition and enthusiasm that are filled with exhilarating sounds of pop.
Music has always been a big part of the pop artist’s life from playing the piano at seven years old to learning how to play ukulele, guitar, and bass all on her own. Ever since Mariah first performed on stage, she discovered her passion for music and began pursuing her music career. She’s been writing her own songs at eight years old and enjoys performing at local bars, and open mics.
Artists such as Cher Lloyd, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and Alessia Cara have inspired Mariah’s style. Her music incorporates pop elements but isn’t “afraid to be experimental” she says, looking to incorporate other genres into her music.
Her latest single “SOURPATCH” takes a powerful approach and communicates a different message from her previous singles. Mariah says that the song is about “the two different sides of someone’s personality, finding the fine line between the nice and the nasty side.” Her other songs such as “Strange” illustrate the pain and sorrow in losing someone, while “Oh Boy” conveys confidence and perseverance.
As for now, Lexi Mariah has been advocating for the Black Lives Matter Movement and is continuing to write her own songs while quarantining. She hopes to get back to the studio to record music and go on tour once the lockdown is over.
Lexi Mariah describes what she wants her music to represent:
I want a wide range of people of all ages to be able to listen to my music and enjoy it. I want to spread positivity and make uplifting bold empowering music.
Up-and-coming LGBTQ artist Nicolas McCoppin has released the new song “Remember That Night” that recalls his first queer relationship just in time for Pride Month. Co-written with Krysta Youngs and produced by Nick Trapani, the song is about McCoppin’s memories driving down the beach, staring at the stars, and walking down Arthur Avenue in the Bronx with his love interest.
Continuing the streak of 80s-inspired dance-pop explored in McCoppin’s previous singles, the song is reminiscent of other pop artists with strong LGBTQ fanbases such as Charli XCX, Hayley Kiyoko, and Troye Sivan. “Remember That Night” shares their catchy melodies, danceable beats, and romantic lyrics, making it a natural pride anthem.
Pride isn’t the only social movement associated with the song, though. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests against police brutality, McCoppin is donating proceeds from “Remember That Night” to the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Association, a collective made up of Black trans artists, activists, and educators helping protesters with resources, medical care, and bail. On Twitter he shared that he tried to postpone the song’s release, but since it wasn’t possible he decided to donate the proceeds instead.
as i release this song tonight, I just wanted to share my thoughts with you 🤍 pic.twitter.com/t5O5W5yL7Q
— nicolas mccoppin (@nicolasmccoppin) June 5, 2020
“This song’s concept is a puzzle piece of a bigger idea from my debut EP,” McCoppin said. “I’m so excited to finally have this song out in the world.” “Remember That Night” is the third single off the debut EP from Nicolas McCoppin, due out later this summer.
As of Friday, June 12, the self-titled debut album from Mariah Carey is 30 years old. With four consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 including “Vision of Love” and “Someday,” it instantly shot the Long Island-born diva into superstardom and an elite class of vocal legends including Whitney Houston. While Mariah’s legacy has been watered down to that of a washed-up Christmas singer in recent years, this unfair revisionist history ignores the impact she’s had on virtually every pop and R&B act after her.
When Mariah Carey released “Vision of Love” in 1990, the French-German duo Milli Vanilli had just been busted for lip-syncing and artists like Madonna made up for subpar vocal talent with shock value and spectacle. On the contrary, Carey demonstrated she was capable of belting, runs, melisma, and whistle tones in less than four minutes, swinging the pop pendulum the other way and reintroducing the concept of pop stars as vocalists with few gimmicks besides their own voices. More of these rose to fame throughout the 90s, from Brandy to Usher to Destiny’s Child, and the explosion of reality talent shows in the 2000s only intensified the phenomenon. Mariah’s power ballads like “Vision of Love” and “Hero” have been American Idol since its inception, a show she eventually judged.
Throughout the 90s and 2000s, Carey achieved 18 #1 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100. She wrote and produced 17 of them, the sole exception being a cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” for her MTV Unplugged EP. She also shared the record for the chart’s longest-running #1 with Boyz II Men for their 1995 single “One Sweet Day,” which spent 16 weeks at the top and had yet to be surpassed until Lil Nas X’s 2019 hit “Old Town Road” beat it with 19 weeks atop. Late last year, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” finally hit #1 on its 25th anniversary, giving Carey her 19th #1 overall and the first in 12 years.
Despite her immense success, Mariah’s career hasn’t been without its setbacks. She made bizarre guest appearances on MTV’s TRL and Cribs in the early 2000s that she later attributed to bipolar disorder, and she was the subject of public ridicule when critics panned her 2001 film and album Glitter. However, she returned to form with her 2005 comeback single “We Belong Together” and its accompanying albumThe Emancipation of Mimi, winning three Grammy Awards. And although her 2016 New Year’s Eve fiasco temporarily made her the butt of the joke again, she set it right with a pitch-perfect performance the following year.
Mariah Carey with her three wins for The Emancipation of Mimi at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
Carey is also no stranger to engaging in public feuds with other singers. Interestingly, a short glance at the long list of artists Carey has feuded with shows that they’ve all been influenced by her in one way or another: Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, to name just a few. They might not like her, but they still respect her achievements and emulate her in their music, style, and personas. With the Ol’ Dirty Bastard remix of “Fantasy” in 1995, Mariah became one of the first mainstream pop singers to feature a rapper on a song’s verses while singing the hook—now a common crossover recipe for top 40 artists.
Even Canadian electropop artist Grimes defended her love of Mariah Carey to Pitchfork, saying, “I know very few adult males who consider themselves serious ‘music guys’ who don’t laugh when I say I like Mariah Carey. Why? Because she’s beautiful and people like her. Therefore she must be selling sex, right? So obviously her music is terrible, right? Ugh. The first time I heard Mariah Carey, it shattered the fabric of my existence.”
Even though schools have been closed since March 16, the College of Saint Rose in Albany has given former season 18 American Idol contestant Julia Gargano and a small group of former classmates special permission to use the Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media, the Times Union recently reported.
From Staten Island, Gargano was a senior in the music-industry program at Saint Rose when the opportunity presented itself to travel to Brooklyn and perform in front of Idol producers. She continued on to impress all three judges, singing her way onto the show. Each week her performances were top notch until an unprecedented coronavirus pandemic caused the show to halt and send contestants home.
Idol production resumed from each of the contestants’ homes where Gargano sang her way into the top seven for the finale. Even though the singer-songwriter did not win she feels that Idol has impacted her career in ways that she did not imagine. Gratitude for how recent experiences have impacted her life has been Gargano’s outlook since the ending of the show.
Gargano told the Times Union “‘Idol’ totally lit this drive inside me, I’m in work-work-work mode. The show will really help me be my own artist, my own singer-songwriter.”
The show might be over but it is not the end of the road for Gargano’s music journey. Now a Saint Rose graduate, Gargano and four of her previous classmates are working on three singles that are set to be released on streaming services later in the year. For now check out Gargano’s original song ‘Growing Pains.
In his latest music video “Talk 2 Me,” Nick Deutsch retorts the poetics of up all night running through rainy New York City backend streets to nowhere and isolated vocals searching for a voice on the back of a bar napkin, into tender melodies. “Talk 2 Me” ruptures the singer-songwriter essences of spacial time and place, to recapture the breath behind the vocals in a wholly original inspiration. The best expressions of the human experience don’t tell us what to feel, they provide a compass through ourselves.
“Talk 2 Me” texts the pressing distances between 2AM love lost and the possibility of tomorrow that pulls us inwardly without asking where or when we’ve arrived at the place we embody. Thematically Nick Deutsch constructs a soundtrack for a new depth of vulnerability but also finds playfulness in the unmasking of pretenses. A note on the mantle of infinite possibility, if only you “Talk 2 Me.” Maybe a reminder that all the broken pieces can recoup a liberated spirit of being; The perfect song to cinematic imagery for a pause in reclamation of that breath we all need before the feelings fall out.
Nick Deutsch is a New York based piano playing, indie pop Singer/Songwriter originally from Wilmette Illinois. Jazz arranging and harmony brought Nick to New York University where he met and became friends with Tina Shafer, CEO of the New York Songwriter’s Circle. He has shared the stage with established singer-songwriters Ian Axle, (Great Big World) Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) Rob Mathes (Sting), as well as recorded with American Idol’s finalist Marissa Pontecorvo.
While this may be new music from Nick, he is no stranger to the international music scene for his songs off his EP’s Crazy Ride and Heartsaver have led to nominations for Best Pop Male Vocal (2013 IMEA Awards), and The Great American Song (2013 POP Category). Additionally, his music has been featured on Nickelodeon’s “Jagger Eaton’s Mega Life” and TV Land’s “Younger.”
In the meantime of Nick’s upcoming music releases, visit his website to subscribe to his email newsletters and request a song for his weekly live performances.
As “American Idol” on ABC came to an end on Sunday, May 17, many were disappointed to find out that Julia Gargano would not be advancing to the top five.
Gargano, a 22-year-old graduate of the College of Saint Rose in Albany, gave her all in a top seven socially distant group performance of The Beatles’ “Come Together” but it was not enough for her to advance onto the final five.
Hailing from Staten Island, Gargano came a long way from her first audition where she performed an original song called ‘Growing Pains’, stunning the judges from the very beginning. She continued to wow spectacular performances such as with Pink’s “Glitter in the Air” and Adele’s “Sweetest Devotion.”
Despite having not made it on to the top five, Gargano still felt grateful for the experience Idol has given her. “I love you guys. Thank you so much,” she said, while rocking a silver dress at home for the finale.
Much of the 18th season of “American Idol” took place virtually from the residences of the singers’ homes due to social distancing protocols in place because of the coronavirus outbreak. Technical difficulties initially caused a bit of confusion as the top five were announced but the show continued on.
In the top five were piano teacher Jonny Webb, college student Francisco Martin, construction worker Dillon James, Nepalese singer – songwriter Dibesh Pokharel (stage name: Arthur Gunn) and Samantha Diaz (stage name: Just Sam), a 21-year-old subway singer from Harlem.
Each finalist performed two songs and viewers voted live for their favorites. New York still saw a victory when Ryan Seacrest announced that Just Sam was the Season 18 winner of ‘American Idol’ on ABC.
New York-based electro-pop duo, Palm Suede, is delighted to share their new single “ Fight or Flight” that premiered May 15. The song continues the two’s exploration of battling anxiety while dealing with everyday situations
Palm Suede renders the duos new single “Fight or Flight” balanced in vibrational techno-pop frequency lining a rapture of uptempo synth-balladry. The anthem unclenches the tightly knitted anxieties of windswept dispatches to find symphonic solace in the eye of the storm. The duo dares the frame that social distancing entails disconnection. In primal chemistry of intimacy, mindfulness, and allure the cadence breaks from expectation to fight gravity in every breath of Ellen Hodges’ aerial vocal register.
In the trial between two poles stretched across oceans, the sound transcends the current with an international claim. Crossing over Palm Suede splices lyrical expressions from geometric cadence to take flight in the indulgence of the song’s entrancing backbeat. The duo specially produced Fight or Flight to be able to seductively lure escapism in being centered in one’s own energy.
New Jersey’s FRND CRCL (pronounced Friend Circle) comes in hot just in time for summer with their new single “ Loose Cannon” off their sophomore album Internet Noise.
Delivering their new single with angsty, punk-driven lyrics and catchy melodies reminiscent of early 2000s pop punk akin to the likes of Sum 41 and Blink 182, the track is essentially about embracing the mentality and spirit of punk rock, with lyrics referencing the choice of not selling out in college and even a comparison to the heartbreaker himself, Ben Stiller. FRND CRCL deliver their youthful hooks over crunchy and distorted guitar passages and twinkling lead melodies. If one thing is clear about this group it is that they certainly don’t cut the “pop” out of pop punk.
The track is produced by FRND CRCL and Tyler Skye of Monoplane Recording Studios, this is the second single premiering off of the upcoming sophomore album Internet Noise, which dropped May 1.
Formed in 2018, Aaron Smith (Drums) and Dom Giacalone (Lead Guitar), along with dual vocalists Zac Johnson (Guitar) and Adam Skirvin (Bass), combine their individual musical backgrounds to create a new approach to the genre. Utilizing 2010 era pop structures and punk rock riffage, FRND CRCL is not afraid to incorporate lyrical wordplay, the occasional pop culture reference, and influences from various genres across the board.
Brazil/NYC-based electro/indie-pop duo B.A.D.A. explore the inner workings of an artist’s journey in their new video for “Exile,” title track to their upcoming album. “Exile” is a dark pop thriller, held almost entirely on a minimal synth bass line, murmured vocals and melodic sorrow.
Aiming for conceptual depth while standing out in the overpopulated electronic-indie-pop scene is B.A.D.A.‘s ambitious mission. Brazilian artist/producer Pedro Cesario and Brooklynite multi-instrumentalist/producer Carey Clayton devoted the whole of 2019 to this mission after the vision for Exile came to Cesario during Burning Man in 2018. The story that underlies the single is very personal to Cesario, who states, “I quit music after experiencing a traumatic experience recording a demo when I was ten years old. The lyrics and film represent the creative hiatus in my life and my search for that grit again as an adult.”
The self-produced, trilingual album was recorded internationally throughout 2019, first in a cabin in Woodstock, NY, then at the Abbey Road Studios in London, and finally in Clayton’s bedroom in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. B.A.D.A. worked with the house engineer of Abbey Road, John Barret (George Ezra, James Bay), several guest musicians, and mastering engineers Luke Moellman (Great Good Fine OK) and Chris Gehringer (Janelle Monae, Harry Styles) along the way to create an auditory and visual experience through their music.
While the album navigates the same sonic palettes as contemporaries Bon Iver, The Japanese House, and Muna, B.A.D.A.’s sound unashamedly flaunts its romance with the dance floor, and each song seems to be specifically designed to soundtrack a lysergic trip. The uniqueness of the concept lives in the fact that the album’s scores are a blueprint of the journey itself, as the artists use their own identity and experience as a white canvas to perform the transformation.
The duo originally started as a remote project between Brazil and New York City, before Cesario decided to join Clayton in the city so that they could materialize the project into the real world. “Exile” materializes an unobvious music journey that reflects the chaotic state of pop in the turn of the decade, where boundaries of language, genre or identity no longer apply.
