PHILIPPINES' MYX INTERNATIONAL TOP 20 MUSIC VIDEOS FOR 2012 YEAR-END RESULTS

Who Reigns MYX International Top 20 For 2012? Year-End Results Here! - MYX | YOUR CHOICE. YOUR MUSIC.

There's not doubt, 2012 is the year of One Direction. They reign not just in the music charts of Europe and America but also in the music charts of Asia particularly in the Philippines.  In this year's MYX International Top 20 Year-End Results, One Direction has five music videos, two of which are in the top two.  But Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Maroon 5 are still strong contenders.  Taylor Swift has three music videos in this year's top 20 music videos, while Justin Bieber has two music videos.  

K-pop is also a strong force in 2012.  In fact, there are eight K-pop music videos in this year's 2012 top 20 hits, three of which - from Super Junior, 2ne1 and BigBang - are in the top ten. 

Next year, will One Direction still be able to rule the Philippines' music charts?Only time and Directioners can tell.  One thing's for sure, the success of an artist always depends on the support of his or her fans.

IL VOLO - O SOLE MIO

Title: O Sole Mio Artist: Il Volo Country: Italy

When I first saw Il Volo performed O Sole Mio in American Idol in 2011, I was blown away.  I was totally amazed by their unique voices. I say UNIQUE because they were only sixteen, seventeen and eighteen years old and yet they have that powerful natural voices that are simply amazing.  They are totally different from today’s teenage male artists and male groups who are usually over hyped and over rated. 

I noticed that in order to be successful in today’s music industry, young male artists and male groups have to be good looking, have silly but cute music videos, a little bit of intrigues and huge fan bases composed mostly of screaming teenage girls and young adults.

But Il Volo’s success is strongly anchored on each of the members’ real, natural and unique talent.  What makes them different from other young male artists is that they appeal not just to young adults and teenagers but also to the elder ones – the grandparents and parents alike.

One more thing, I love how they sing, because they sing from their hearts, you can really feel it.  God bless Il Volo.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: IL VOLO

CC BY-SA 3.0 photo by Bjoertvedt on Wikimedia Commons

Il Volo is an Italian trio of operatic pop tenors.  

Members:

Piero Barone

Born on June 24, 1993 in Sicily, Southern Italy

Ignazio Boschetto

Born on October 4, 1994 in Bologna, Northern Italy

Gianluca Ginoble

Born on February 11, 1995 in Abruzzo region, Central Italy

They started their career in 2009 when they each joined a music competition in an Italian show Ti lascio una canzone.  During the competition, the three of them were chosen to perform a classic song "O Sole Mio".  They continued to perform together even after the competition. At first, they used the names "Tre Tenor", "The Tryo" and "Il Trio" for their group name, and finally in 2010 they settled for the name "Il Volo" which means "the flight" in Italian. 

On November 30, 2010, Il Volo released their self-titled debut album in Italy where it was certified platinum.  The following year, they released the album's international edition on April 12, 2011. They were the first Italian artist to have signed with a major U.S. label, Geffen Records owned by Universal Music Group.

Achievements:

Album: Il Volo

Number 1 - International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

Number 1 - Top Classical Album, U.S. Billboard Charts

Number 1 - Austrian charts

Album: Il Volo (Spanish Version)

Number 1 - Latin Pop Album, U.S. Billboard Charts

Live Albums: 
Il Volo - Takes Flight:Live from the Detroit Opera House

- Number 1 - Top Classical Album, U.S. Billboard Charts

Single: O Sole Mio

Number 1 - Classical single, U.S. Billboard Charts

Billboard Latin Music Awards:
- 2014 Latin Pop Album Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

Il Volo's Official Site: ilvolomusic.com

_____________________________________________

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_Volo

IL VOLO - O SOLE MIO LYRICS

IL VOLO - O SOLE MIO LYRICS

I really don't understand each of the words of this Italian song, but I saw the English translation of this song. This is one of those few slow tempo songs that I really like. When I first heard this song, I immediately thought that this is an Italian version of the English song "It's Now or Never" popularized by Elvis Presley. But I was wrong. I researched about this song and I found out that this is a Neapolitan song or Southern Italian song composed in 1898 by Giovanni Capurro and Eduardo di Capua. The melody of Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" was an adaptation of this Italian song.

This song was performed and covered by many Italian tenors such as Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti whose rendition of this song won him the 1980 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Vocal Performance. But, it is thanks to Il Volo, the three pop operatic tenors from Italy (again), who gave this song fresh sound that suits the taste of contemporary music lovers.

MUSIC IS A GREAT UNITER

     Music is the great uniter.  An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.

- from the novel Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

So true, music is the only force that transcends belief, culture and language. Take for example the latest music craze "Gangnam Style". It's a Korean song  that only Koreans can understand, but the whole world loves it.

How many fans does UK's One Direction have? Millions of fans. Directioners - the name of One Direction's fans - spread all over the world. You can find Directioners not just in the U.S., but also in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and the rest of Asia. There are also Directioners in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Europe. Try to write nasty things against One Direction and you will get hate replies from Directioners from different countries.

Those are just few examples of how music unites people of different races. In my opinion, music is more influential than religion and politics.

PHILIPPINES' CHART TOPPERS ARE 2013 GRAMMY AWARDS NOMINEES

The nominees for the 2013 Grammy Awards were announced last December 5.  Some of these nominees were also chart toppers in the Philippines.  Here are the nominees that are also big hits in the Philippines.

Record of the Year

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

Artist: Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young

Artist: Fun. featuring Janelle Monae

Somebody That I Used To Know

Artist: Gotye featuring Kimbra

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Artist: Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

Call Me Maybe

Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

Artist: Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young

Artist: Fun. featuring Janelle Monae

Best Pop Solo Performance

Set Fire To The Rain (Live)

Artist: Adele

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

Artist: Kelly Clarkson

Call Me Maybe

Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen

Wide Awake

Artist: Katy Perry

Where Have You Been

Artist: Rihanna

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

We Are Young

Artist: Fun. featuring Janelle Monae

Somebody That I Used To Know

Artist: Gotye featuring Kimbra

Sexy and I Know It

Artist: LMFAO

Payhone

Artist: Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Safe & Sound

Artist: Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars

All of these songs were on the top ten on the different countdowns on Philippine radio stations and on music channels. Some of these songs stayed on the number one spot for many weeks, and even stayed on the charts for more than five weeks. 

SCORPIONS - WIND OF CHANGE

Title:  Wind of Change

Artist:  Scorpions

Country: Germany

For me, this is Scorpions' best song of all time.  Whenever I hear this song, the first thing that comes to my mind is the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall (1961-1989), the wall that formerly divides Germany into West Germany and East Germany, and the fall of communism in Europe. Watching the music video is like watching part of an important European history.

This song peaked at the number one spot in the music charts of Austria, France, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and of course, Germany.  This song is also considered as one of the best-selling singles of all time.

MUSIC'S INFLUENCE

     "Music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind and spirit of man."

- William F. Gladstone

Just by listening to music changes my mood.  When I do some household chores, I listen to music.  It makes my task faster and less tiring.  At work, listening to music lessens my stress.  And before I go to sleep, I listen to some of my favorites songs. There is not a day that I don't listen to music.  It relaxes my mind.

THE SCORPIONS - UNDER THE SAME SUN LYRICS

THE SCORPIONS - UNDER THE SAME SUN LYRICS

Choice quotes from the song:

"'Cause we all live under the same sun, we all walk under the same moon, then why, why can't we live as one?"

"Do you ever ask yourself; is there a heaven in the sky?  Why can't we stop the fight?"

"'Cause we all live under the same sky, we all look up at the same stars, then why can't we live as one?"

What are the reasons why we can't live as one?  There are so many answers to this question.  Every answer differs from person to person, from country to country and from continent to continent. But as an Asian, my personal answer is racial discrimination and greed.  Some people who are from "rich and powerful" countries feel that they belong to superior races just because their countries are rich and powerful.  There's no problem if they feel that way, but do they have to look down or discriminate those people who are from poor countries or those people who are different from them in terms of religion, culture and race?  

How many times do I hear from my fellow Asians who studied and migrated to these rich and powerful countries experienced some discrimination?  Until now, discrimination of all sorts is still happening around the globe, and the usual victims are the blacks, the Asians and the Muslims.  Then they wonder why we can't live as one.

AGAINST ROCK MUSIC

I used to have a negative view on rock music. I considered rock music as noise and a devil's sound. This may be because of all the negative articles that I read and heard about rock music. I read that rock songs contain hidden evil messages when such songs are reversed or played backwards, a technique which is popularly known as backmasking. But as my ears grew musically matured, I realized that why should I reverse a song just to get its messages. For me, just by listening to a song in a normal way, you can easily tell whether a song contains evil messages or not. There's no need to play it backwards.  

My negative view on rock music changed when I started to take into consideration the lyrics of all songs that I heard regardless of the songs' genre, and I found out that not all rock songs have offensive messages. Why should we pick only the rock songs when there are also songs from other genres that contain offensive lyrics.

Aside from the negative articles that I read about rock music, the other reason for my negative view of this type of music is that it is not my type of music, it does not appeal to my musical taste. But now I realized that just because I don't like rock music does not mean that this type of music is not good. When it comes to music, it's a matter of choice or preference and also let me add, a matter of lyrics. Lyrics of songs play a great role in music's influence.  For me, there is no bad music genre, be it rock, pop, country, jazz or r & b.  What makes music negative is when it influences people in a negative way; when it offends people.  My favorite types of rock music are pop rock and a little bit of alternative rock.  There are certain rock songs that I like. I like Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and Linkin Park's "What I've Done".  They have good messages.

Next time, I should listen carefully to a rock song first and not immediately judge it as evil or offensive.

THE BESTS AT THE 2012 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

Two Canadians won this year's major awards at the 40th American Music Awards held last November 18 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.  Carly Rae Jepsen won the award for New Artist of the Year.  But this year's biggest winner is Jepsen's fellow Canadian Justin Bieber who won all three nominations including Artist of the Year, edging out Drake, Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Rihanna who were also nominated for this same category.

British boy band One Direction was nominated for New Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop/Rock/Band/Duo/Group, but they lost to Carly Rae Jepsen and Maroon 5, respectively.  Their album Up All Night was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, but Bieber's album Believe was the chosen one.

Katy Perry is America's choice for Favorite Pop Female Artist over Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.  But Taylor Swift is one of those artists who never fail to receive awards from every music award giving bodies.  She's this year's Favorite Country Female Artist.

Grammy Awards winner, Adele didn't go home empty handed, for she is the 2012 AMA's Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, while Linkin Park is the Favorite Alternative Artist.  Other winners were Usher and Beyonce who respectively won Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.

On the other hand, I have seen so many performances at the American Music Awards before, and PSY and MC Hammer's performance of Gangnam Style and 2 Legit 2 Quit at this year's AMA was one of the best performances.  It was so nice to see two artists from different countries performed together in one stage, and even though I'm not a Korean, I'm so proud of my fellow Asian PSY for making it big not just here in Asia but also in America.

THE MOFFATTS - IF LIFE IS SO SHORT

Title:  If Life Is So Short

Artist:  The Moffatts

Country:  Canada

This song was written by The Moffatts, a Canadian group composed of four brothers Scott Moffatt, Clint Moffatt, Bob Moffatt and Dave Moffatt. They were so popular here in Asia where they had numerous sold-out concerts in 1998, 1999 and 2000.  Their album Chapter I: A New Beginning which contains this song "If Life Is So Short" was certified five times platinum in the Philippines, and this music video was MTV Asia's 1998 number one music video.

They were often mistaken as a boy band maybe because this was also the time where Backstreet Boys and N'Sync were dominating the pop charts in America and in Europe.  I was one of those who were able to watch their concerts, and I can say that this group was NOT a boy band. They may be young - they were just teenagers then - but their performances were as good as those of adult rock bands.  They can really rock.  But unfortunately, before they can totally make their mark in Europe and in the U.S., they disbanded in 2001.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: ELVIS PRESLEY

Birth Name:  Elvis Aaron Presley

Birthday:  January 8, 1935

Birthplace:  Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.

Died:  August 16, 1977

Elvis was born in Mississippi but moved to Memphis, Tennesse with his family when he was thirteen years old.  He was an only child of Vernon Elvis and Gladys Love Presley.

He had his first recording in August 1953 under Sun Records.  He recorded the songs My Happiness and That's When Your Heartache Begins.  The songs were intended as a gift for his mother.  At that time, Sun Records' boss Sam Philips was looking for a white man who could bring the music of African-American musicians to a wider audience, and he found what he had been looking for when Elvis performed That's All Right on the night of July 5 of that same year.

RCA Records acquired Elvis' contract from Sun.  His first single Heartbreak Hotel was released on January 27, 1956 while his self-titled debut album was later released on March 23.  In November, he debuted in the film Love Me Tender.

In 1958, he was drafted into military service.  Two years later, he continued his singing career.  Elvis devoted much of his time making Hollywood films in the 1960's.  On May 1, 1967, Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu after seven and a half years of courtship, their only child Lisa Marie was born on February 1, 1968.  But in August 18, 1972, Presley and his wife filed for divorce.

In 1973, he staged a concert entitled "Aloha From Hawaii" which was broadcasted globally via satellite.  Elvis suffered from multiple ailments such as enlarged colon, glaucoma, high blood pressure and liver damage.  On August 16, 1977, Elvis died of a sudden violent heart attack.  U.S. President Jimmy Carter credited Elvis Presley as having "permanently changed the face of American popular culture".

Achievements:

10 - number 1 albums in the Billboard 200

10 - number 1 albums in UK Albums Chart

18 - number 1 singles in the Billboard Hot 100

21 - number 1 singles in UK Singles Chart

3 - Grammy Awards and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

Photo Attribution:

cc photo by fab4chiky on flickr

__________________________________
Reference:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_presley

QUOTES FROM THE UNFORGETTABLES

     "I'm not claiming divinity, I've never claimed purity of soul.  I've never claimed to have the answers to life.  I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can ... But I still believe in peace, love and understanding."

- John Lennon

October 1940-December 1980

     "God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there for?"

- Whitney Houston

August 1963-February 2012

Words that come out from our mouths will always be remembered. Good or bad words are alike, they cannot be erased, especially those words that come from the mouths of famous personalities. People will die but words never die, they live forever.

GONE BUT STILL ALIVE

What do Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston have in common?  All of them were gigantic stars during their time.  They have strings of number one songs and sold-out albums and concerts.  But where are they now?  They may be gone but their songs are still alive and will live forever.

There are artists who are really born to become huge and influential stars even after their deaths. They even have left significant marks in the music industry.  What's more, their influences are still alive until today.

They may be gone but their names and their music are forever etched in the annals of world history.

MADONNA BOOED IN NEW ORLEANS

Last Saturday, October 27, Madonna got booed on her MDNA concert tour in New Orleans.  Concertgoers were angered and booed Madonna when she encouraged  the audience to vote for Obama. She told them, "I don't care, who you vote for as long as you vote for Obama."

cc photo by choupigloupi on flickr

Politics and religion are very sensitive topics.  It's an unofficial rule that one should not talk about politics or religion in any occasion or gatherings. People have different beliefs and opinions and these two topics would often create heated debates and arguments.

While there is what we call "freedom of expression", that "freedom" should not be misinterpreted as saying or doing whatever you want to say or do without taking into consideration the feelings of other people around you.  

Next time Madonna, just concentrate on your concert.  Your fans are there to see you perform and enjoy your music not for politics. 

LINKIN PARK - WHAT I'VE DONE

 
Title:  What I've Done

Artist:  Linkin Park

Country:  U.S.A.

I instantly liked this music video and the song when it premiered on a very popular music channel.  

This music video shows the real situation of our world today. What have we done to our world so far?  God gave us a very beautiful world but we are destroying it by our wars and our pollution.  This one and only world is ours, this is God's gift to us, let's take care of our world.

I hope to see more socially relevant music videos from other artists in the future.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: MANDY MOORE

cc photo by MingleMediaTVNetwork on flickr

Real Name:  Amanda Leigh Moore

Birthday:  April 10, 1984

Birthplace:  Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.A.

Mandy Moore is an American singer, songwriter and actress.

Moore's singing career started when her friend, a FedEx employee overheard her singing at a recording studio. This friend brought her to the attention of the head of Epic Records' artists and repertoire department which is a record label's division that is responsible for talent scouting and discovering new recording artists. Her first debut studio album, "So Real" was released on December 7, 1999. The album was certified platinum in the U.S.

In 2001, Moore began her acting career. She was cast as one of the characters in the hit movie Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway, where she played the role of Lana Thomas. The following year, she had her first starring role in the movie A Walk To Remember. The film as well as the film's soundtrack was a hit in the Philippines especially among teenagers and young adults. The songs "Cry" and "Only Hope" from the film's soundtrack album topped the Philippines' Music Charts for many weeks.

Presently, Moore is the ambassador for UN Foundation's "Nothing But Nets" malaria prevention campaign.

KATY PERRY - FIREWORK LYRICS

KATY PERRY - FIREWORK LYRICS

Facts about this song:

This song was number one in Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, US Billboard Hot 100 and Venezuela. It was nominated for Record of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards.

As of today, the single "Firework" is a certified platinum in Italy and Sweden; 2x platinum in New Zealand and U.K.; 4x platinum in Canada; 5x platinum in the U.S.; and 6x platinum in Australia. 

MUSIC TRIVIA: FIRST FEMALE ARTIST TO HAVE FIVE NUMBER ONE SONGS FROM AN ALBUM

cc photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Katy Perry is the first female and the second artist to have five number 1 songs from an album at the US Billboard Hot 100. Her album "Teenage Dream" which was released on August 24, 2010 was a huge success. The album topped the music charts of Australia, Austria, Canada, European Top 100 Albums, Ireland, New Zealand, UK and US Billboard 200. 

Five songs from that album went to the number 1 spot at the US Billboard Hot 100. The songs are California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Firework, E.T. and Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F).

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson was the first artist to produce five number one songs in his 1987 album "Bad".

GANGNAM STYLE PHENOMENON

Gangnam Style music video has taken the world's music scene by storm. The music video of the song Gangnam Style by Korean artist PSY has become a global phenomenon.  When it was released on July 15, 2012 in South Korea, it debuted at the number one spot of Gaon Charts, Korea's equivalent to the U.S. Billboard Charts. Presently, it is the most watched Korean music video in history. 

The music video caught the attention of different international media outlets worldwide and has received positive reviews. The song peaked at the number one spot on the iTunes charts in 31 countries worldwide; in the music charts of 21 countries; and in Billboard's YouTube Music Charts and iTunes Music Video Charts.

And, to top it all, on September 20, 2012, Guinness Book of World Records listed it as the "Most Liked Video in YouTube History."

GIRLS' GENERATION - RUN DEVIL RUN

 

Title:  Run Devil Run

Artist:  Girls' Generation

Country:  South Korea

I love this music video from a South Korean girl group Girls' Generation even if I don't understand the Korean language. I like the simple choreography that goes along with the music. But what I really love the most is the girls' overall simplicity, from their attire to their hair and make-up. They're simple but pretty and sexy. Unlike other music videos that show scantily clad or naked women, there's nothing obscene in this music video. Kids can safely watch and enjoy this.

This music video peaked at the number one spot at the different music channels in Asia including the Philippines' music channel for many weeks. At first, I wondered why it landed on the number one spot when the song is in the Korean language. Filipinos can understand the English language but not the Korean language. But I realized that music knows no boundaries. This is one of my favorite music videos.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: GIRLS' GENERATION

cc photo by LGEPR on Wikimedia Commons

L-R: Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Seohyun, Sooyoung, Yoona, Jessica, Tiffany, Sunny, Yuri 

Girls' Generation is a South Korean pop female group that has eight members formed by S.M. Entertainment - an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer and publisher of music - in 2007.  They're also known as SNSD (Sonyeo Sidae) which is their Korean name in abbreviated form.

MEMBERS:

Taeyeon

Given Name: Kim Taeyeon

Birthday: March 9, 1989

Birthplace: North Jeolla, South Korea
- Taeyeon was discovered in the 2004 SM Entertainment's 8th Annual Best Contest. She won 1st Place and Grand Award Best Singer.

Sunny

Given Name: Lee Sunkyu

Birthday: May 15, 1989

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

- Before joining SM Entertainment, she was a member of a duo called "Sugar" which never debuted. 

Tiffany

Given Name: Stephanie Hwang

Birthday: August 1, 1989

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, U.S.

- Tiffany was scouted while performing on stage in the U.S. She was invited to audition and joined SM Entertainment in 2004. She trained for more than three years.

Hyoyeon

Given Name: Kim Hyoyeon

Birthday: September 22, 1989

Birthplace: Incheon, South Korea

- Hyoyeon auditioned for SM Entertainment at the age of 11. Star News picked her as Korea's number one idol dancer.

Yuri

Given Name: Kwon Yuri

Birthday: December 5, 1989

Birthplace: Gyeonggi, South Korea

- Yuri won second place in SM Entertainment's 2001 Youth Best Dancer Contest. She joined SM Entertainment on that same year and trained for almost six years.

Sooyoung

Given Name: Choi Sooyoung

Birthday: February 10, 1990

Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

- Sooyoung was discovered in SM Casting System via the 2000 SM Open Audition. She won first place in the 2002 Korea-Japan Ultra Idol Duo Audition.

Yoona

Given Name: Im Yoona

Birthday: May 30, 1990

Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

- Yoona was cast in SM Saturday Open Casting Audition. She was trained for seven years in the areas of acting, singing and dancing.

Seohyun

Given Name: Seo Joohyun

Birthday: June 28, 1991

Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

- Seohyun was discovered while riding in a subway train. She joined SM Entertainment in 2003. She is an accomplished pianist and guitarist.

Past Member: Jessica Jung

Achievements:

Golden Disk Awards (dubbed as Korean Grammy Awards)

- 2007 Rookie Award

Seoul Music Awards

- 2008 Best Newcomer Award

Melon Music Awards
- 2009 and 2010 Artist of the Year
- 2011 Global Artist

Annual Korean Entertainment Arts Awards
- 2007 Best New Female Group
- 2008 and 2010 Best Female Group

Mnet Asian Music Awards
- 2011 and 2013 Best Female Group
- 2011 Artist of the Year

Japan Gold Disk Award (Recording Industry Association of Japan)

- 2011 New Artist of the Year (Domestic)

Japan Record Awards (similar to Grammy Awards)

- 2010 New Artist

MUSIC: EVERYBODY'S LANGUAGE

  "Music happens to be an art form that transcends language." 

                                                                   - Herbie Hancock

     
     "Music is the universal language of mankind." 

                          - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

   "Music is a great energizer.  It's a language everybody knows."

                                                                              - Bill Hicks

I totally agree with these quotations.  Music is a universal language.  It doesn't matter if you understand the lyrics of a song or not, what is important is that you enjoyed the music.  This is what happens to a Korean song "Gangnam Style".  

Only the Koreans understand what the song says but everybody loves it. They love it in Europe.  It won Best Video in this year's 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards.  The whole world loves it.  As of this date, it is the number one most watched and the most liked music video in YouTube.  The success of this Korean song only proves that music is truly an art that transcends language.

K-POP: A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

What is K-pop?  K-pop is an abbreviation of Korean pop or Korean popular music.

K-pop or Kpop is a musical genre that consists of South Korean dance and music which is usually pop, hip hop and R & B.

It is one of the three forms of media that defines Hallyu or The Korean Wave which refers to the rising international popularity and visibility of the Korean entertainment, and of the increase of interest in the Korean culture.

K-pop became accessible to the international audience when Korean entertainment companies spread K-pop music videos via Facebook fan pages and YouTube.

K-pop not just consists of music and dance that originated in South Korea; it also includes South Korean fashion and style made popular by Korean idols which have the most following among K-pop lovers.  

Korean idols refer to female groups and male groups, and solo artists who are mostly teenagers and young adults.  They're usually idolized by the younger audience. But now, not only do they appeal to the youth but also to the adult music lovers as well.

Even though K-pop songs are in the Korean language (with a little bit of English) and could not be understood by non-Korean speakers, K-pop lovers love them for their upbeat melodies and beats accompanied by awesome music videos that always showcase the K-pop artists' unique and stylish dance choreography. Majority of K-pop music videos are wholesome and are safe for kids' viewing.

The charm of K-pop songs and music videos could not be underestimated since most of these videos are always on the top ten on the weekly charts in the different music channels in Asia.  Many of these music videos even peaked at the number one spot oftentimes pushing downwards the usual chart toppers such as Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and recently One Direction. 

Some people considers K-pop as a fad. Whether K-pop is a fad or not doesn't matter anymore. The fact is, music is a universal language that knows no language and boundaries. 

TRIP TO AFRICA ENLIGHTENED 50 CENT

cc photo by Alex Const on flickr

Last February, rapper 50 Cent flew with World Food Program to Kenya and Somalia in the African continent. There, he witnessed firsthand the effects of hunger especially on children who only have one meal a day. What he witnessed had deeply touched him, he said, "It enlightened me in different ways.  To actually see people under the circumstances that I saw was a totally different experience."  Later, 50 Cent announced that part of the proceeds from Street King; an energy drink that he launched last year would be used to help fight hunger in Africa.  His goal is to provide one billion meals to hungry children over the next five years, and so far, he's provided more than 3.5 million meals.


- Source:  Huffington Post


But I read that there are some people who reportedly questioned the sincerity of 50 Cent's motives.  Whether his motive is genuine or not, only God knows.  What is important is that he's doing something to help those who need help.

CASTING CROWNS - JUST ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

Title:  Just Another Birthday

Artist:  Casting Crowns

Country: U.S.A.

Thank goodness!  The young pregnant lady in this video chose to let her daughter live rather than abort/kill her.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: CASTING CROWNS

CC BY-SA 3.0 photo by PLGPress on Wikimedia Commons

Casting Crowns is a band that started as a student worship band in 1999 at First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, but later, they moved to Stockbridge, Georgia where some of the members are currently working as ministers of Eagles Landing First Baptist Church.  It was formed by youth pastor Mark Hall. Their music genre is Contemporary Christian and Christian Rock.

Current members are:

Mark Hall - lead singer and songwriter

Melanie Hall - road manager and Mark's wife

Megan Garrett - piano, keyboards and vocals

Hector Cervantes - lead guitar and vocals

Juan Devevo - guitar and vocals

Melodee Devevo - violin, cello and vocals

Chris Huffman - bass guitar and vocals

Brian Scoggin - drums

Achievements:

American Music Awards
- 2007 and 2011 Contemporary Inspirational Artist

Billboard Music Awards
- 2012 Top Christian Artist

Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards

- 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Group of the Year
- 2010 Artist of the Year

Grammy Awards
- Lifesong - 2006 Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

References:
- http://castingcrowns.com/

CASTING CROWNS - WHO AM I LYRICS

Facts about the Song:

On April 13, 2005, this song won 'Song of the Year' at the 36th Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards.

click for Who Am I Lyrics

MUSIC TRIVIA: U2 SINGER BONO'S FIRST FUNKY PONTIFF

"I have a sweet tooth for song and music.  This is my Polish sin."

                                                                   -  Pope John Paul II

The late Pope John Paul II was a music lover. Many times he invited top music artists such as Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Ricky Martin and many others to perform in concerts and other functions organized by the Vatican. 

He invited Bob Dylan - the man behind the song "Blowin' In The Wind" - to perform at the 1997 World Eucharistic Congress which was held at Bologna, Italy. He also invited B.B King, an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist to perform at the Vatican's fifth annual Christmas concert. A year later, he welcomed Ricky Martin who performed at the 6th annual concert at the Vatican.

BONO of U2

In 1999, Pope John Paul II gave his all out support to the campaign of Jubilee 2000, an international coalition movement that called the leaders of rich countries to cancel the debts owed to them by the world's poorest countries. After meeting with the Pope, U2's lead vocalist Bono who was one of the members of the Jubilee organization said, "He's one of the great showmen of the twentieth century. I told him this and he picked up my wraparound shades and put them on. He's great, such grace and humanity. The first funky Pontiff."

cc photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons