Say what you will, Taylor Swift is just going to shake it off. Swift debuted debuted her new music video on Monday via Yahoo Live Stream. The pop star announced an upcoming pop album, titled 1989, and then further surprised fans with a full music video of one of her new songs, “Shake It Off.” While the video was not about a breakup, it did feature twerking, ballerinas dancing, cheerleaders flinging Swift in the air, and striking similarities to those musical Gap commercial. The song is basically about not caring what people say, because she’s Taylor Swift and she does what she wants. Still, haters gonna hate (hate, hate, hate, hate) — on Twitter at least. Taylor Swift Reactions As if today’s news couldn’t get worse, now Taylor Swift REALLY wants to get in on the appropriation game — Sama’an Ashrawi (@SamaanAshrawi) August 18, 2014 ICYMI: Taylor Swift unveiled a new Taylor Swift product in her keynote address at the biannual Taylor Swift Conference — Adam Markovitz (@amrkvtz) August 18, 2014 My Black Swan nightmares have been fully realized. #TaylorSwift http://t.co/mv9W0Z0eGy — Andrea Romano (@theandrearomano) August 18, 2014 o u h8? pic.twitter.com/AfIEJxeMrT — Jeff Petriello (¬‿¬) (@thebeff) August 18, 2014 Theory: Taylor Swift is a very elaborate performance artist. — Kari Paul (@kari_paul) August 18, 2014 Oh @taylorswift13, you shouldn’t have: https://t.co/zwQzGP6exC — SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) August 18, 2014 wait taylor swift i thought you weren’t a cheerleader wtf is with these conflicting narratives — pilot?????? (@pilotbacon) August 18, 2014 Taylor Swift needs to relax her eyebrows. — Marvelous Sugar Baby (@DiovanniFrazier) August 18, 2014 The Taylor Swift-Skrillex hybrid is going to kill us all one bad song at a time. http://t.co/yIcoJGvdNQ — Annie Colbert (@anniecolbert) August 18, 2014 I like how you learn everything you need to know about Taylor swift from her album titles ahah — baby donut (@ALEXTVRNR) August 18, 2014 So, according to Taylor Swift’s new music video, she’s going through a mid-life crisis and has no grasp of country anymore. — Rob Ciambra (@RobTheFreshman) August 18, 2014 that Taylor Swift video is a few pairs of khakis away from a Gap commercial. — Jesse David Fox (@JesseDavidFox) August 18, 2014 Taylor Swift is the Frozen of whatever category Taylor Swift falls into. — Michael O’Connell (@mikeylikestv) August 18, 2014 What if Beyonce dropped a new album in the middle of Taylor Swift’s livestream? — Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) August 18, 2014 I will, along with the rest of Twitter, now tweet my feelings on Taylor Swift’s new song — Greg Seals (@GregSeals) August 18, 2014 What many don’t realize is that Taylor Swift makes a cameo in the Nine Inch Nails “Closer” video as a Madagascar roach flailing on its back. — Christian (@csweda) August 18, 2014 Pretty crazy that Taylor Swift dropped a Weird Al style parody video today — Mark Popham (@markpopham) August 18, 2014 I love Taylor Swift’s new version of Happy. — Barb (@BarberaLoyd) August 18, 2014 Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/08/18/taylor-swift-musc-video-twitter-reactions/
Ed Sheeran performs at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show on Dec. 2 in London.Image: Samir Hussein/Getty Images Ed Sheeran has won the world over, claiming the throne as Spotify‘s most-streamed artist this year, with 860 million listens in the 58 global markets where the service is available. The English singer-songwriter held off stiff competition from Eminem, who is Spotify’s all-time most-popular musician, Coldplay, Calvin Harris and Katy Perry. Perry, next year’s Super Bowl halftime show performer, dethroned Rihanna to become the top female. On Perry’s tail were Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé and Lorde. Sheeran’s sophomore studio album, x, also earned the title of top-streamed album, with 430 million streams since debuting at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in June. He beat out Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, Pharrell Williams and Grande. Meanwhile, over on rival Rhapsody, Sheeran was absent from the service’s top global artists, as Eminem, Drake, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Rihanna came out on top in 2014. Musicians’ streaming stats have become more important than ever in terms of their success on Billboard charts. Billboard and Nielsen announced last month that they would alter the Billboard 200 albums chart to now include audio streaming data to rank the top albums, while also taking into account physical sales and paid downloads of albums and tracks. However, streaming services are also embroiled in controversy over artist royalties. Here’s a breakdown of the best of the best on Spotify: Top five global artists 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Eminem 3. Coldplay 4. Calvin Harris 5. Katy Perry Top Five Global Males 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Eminem 3. Calvin Harris 4. Avicii 5. David Guetta Top five global females 1. Katy Perry 2. Ariana Grande 3. Lana Del Rey 4. Beyoncé 5. Lorde Top five global groups 1. Coldplay 2. Imagine Dragons 3. Maroon 5 4. OneRepublic 5. One Direction Top five global tracks 1. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams 2. “Rather Be” (feat. Jess Glynne) – Clean Bandit 3. “Summer” – Calvin Harris 4. “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry 5. “All of Me” – John Legend Top five global albums 1. x – Ed Sheeran 2. In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith 3. The New Classic – Iggy Azalea 4. Girl – Pharrell Williams 5. My Everything – Ariana Grande Top five global viral tracks 1. “Take Me To Church” – Hozier 2. “Gooey” – Glass Animals 3. “Ojos Color Sol” – Calle 13 4. “Coffee” – Sylvan Esso 5. “Hey Mami” – Sylvan Most streamed artists in the U.S. 1. Eminem 2. Drake 3. Kanye West 4. Lana del Rey 5. Ariana Grande Most streamed tracks in the U.S. 1. “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea 2. “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry 3. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams 4. “Problem” – Ariana Grande 5. “All of Me” – John Legend Most streamed albums in the U.S. 1. x – Ed Sheeran 2. The New Classic – Iggy Azalea 3. In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith 4. Native – OneRepublic […]
When it comes to street performers taking on classical songs, it can be a huge hit or a monumental miss. This lady was filmed singing “Ave Maria” on the street in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and her performance was definitely in the former category. It’s by no means an easy song to sing, but her soothing voice does Franz Schubert’s famous piece stunning justice. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBP_ATF’); }); Not only does she have an angelic singing voice, but her mandolin accompaniment puts the performance on an entirely new level. What a beautiful rendition of an already beautiful song. This certainly isn’t what you’d expect to hear from a street performer, and that just makes it so much better. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/street-ave-maria/
In a series of YouTube videos, 20-year-old Anthony Harrison shares his battle with cancer and his wish to meet Katy Perry before he dies. Harrison explains in his videos that after an ineffective bone-marrow transplant, the doctors told him “there’s not much they can do,” and gave him months to live. Harrison created a YouTube bucket list that includes activities such as skydiving, taking a helicopter ride and riding in a hot air balloon. His list also included one very special item: to meet his “celebrity idol,” Katy Perry. Harrison, a musician himself, is a fan of Katy and says that she seems like “a great person overall.” The singer’s fanbase, the “Katy Kats” have latched on to the video and used Twitter and Tumblr to send the message to Katy herself. trend #KatyMeetAnthony he has cancer & his dream is to meet @katyperry & he only has a few months left to live, please! — Brooke Bennett (@brookeloveskaty) July 8, 2012 Katy Perry dedicated tumblr, iheartkatyperry, posted the video (which currently has 12,758 views) and is quickly attracting reblogs. Reddit user OliverBoj also posted the video to Reddit with the comment “If he’s real, he’ll appreciate the support. If he’s fake, we’ll leave that to 4Chan” — in reference to questions over the video’s authenticity. OliverBoj also posted these photos from Harrison’s Facebook in an effort to substantiate Harrison’s story. Katy Cats and supporters of Harrison are currently tweeting #KatyMeetAnthony in an attempt to catch the singer’s attention. Image courtesy of flickr, Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement(‘script’);js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}; _msla(“//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”,”twitter_jssdk”); Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/08/katy-perry-cancer/
Writing a song is easy when you have Jennifer Lawrence as your muse. Brett Domino, the alter ego of musician and comedian Rob J. Madin, has the secrets to writing the number one hit that has been locked in your brain. His own musical masterpiece, “You Look Sexy When You Do That,” is inspired by Jennifer Lawrence and sounds a bit like a Jason Derulo (Jason Derulo) song. Some of Domino’s ingenious tricks include Googling lyric ideas and playing an instrument that you have no idea how play because “you don’t want it to sound too good.” It turns out, being a multi-platinum pop sensation isn’t as hard as all those Grammy Award-winning musicians make it out to be. BONUS: 20 Songs Turning 20 in 2014 20 Songs Turning 20 in 2014 1. “Buddy Holly” by Weezer Video: YouTube, WeezerVEVO 2. “I Swear” by All 4 One Video: YouTube, VIETNAMESEPORKROLLS 3. “Gin & Juice” by Snoop Doggy Dogg Video: YouTube, hemoglobian 4. “Crazy” by Aerosmith Video: YouTube, AerosmithVEVO 5. “Come Out and Play” by The Offspring Video: YouTube, EpitaphRecords 6. “I Wanna Be Down” by Brandy Video: YouTube, Atlantic Records 7. “All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow Video: YouTube, Matias 8. “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men Video: YouTube, BoyzIIMenVEVO 9. “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys Video: YouTube, turboEF 10. “Back & Forth” by Aaliyah Video: YouTube, Aaliyah Shakur 11. “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John Video: YouTube, WaItDisneyWorId 12. “Zombie” by The Cranberries Video: YouTube, TheCranberriesVEVO 13. “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden Video: YouTube, SoundgardenVEVO 14. “Basket Case” by Green Day Video: YouTube, greenday 15. “Turn the Beat Around” by Gloria Estefan Video: YouTube, GloriaEstefanVEVO 16. “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb Video: YouTube, LLOnline 17. “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders Video: YouTube, Javipy3 18. “Come to My Window” by Melissa Etheridge Video: YouTube, melissaetheridge1988 19. “Hold My Hand” by Hootie and the Blowfish Video: YouTube, Atlantic Records 20. “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex Video: YouTube, RednexVEVO Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/30/how-to-write-a-pop-song/
Lead singer Sting (L), lead guitarist Andy Summers (R) and drummer Stewart Copeland (C) of the band The Police perform onstage to open their world tour at General Motors Place May 28, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada.Image: Jeff Vinnick Words — who needs ’em anyway? Let’s be honest, the most fun part of a good pop song is often when you get to belt out some “na na”s, “doo doo”s or “la la”s unabashedly. However, the nonsensical nature of these lyrics often makes it hard to remember which songs they came from in the first place. Fortunately for you, we assembled this Music Monday playlist full of the best nonsense syllable passages in popular music. So throw on these songs and enjoy being able to sing along with no fear of forgetting the words. Have something to add to our playlist? Share with us in the comments, below, or on Spotify, and we’ll add it. How to Share Your Song With Us 1. To follow Mashable on Spotify, click here. If a popup window asks you to launch an external application, accept. This just means the browser will open up Spotify. 2. Follow Mashable, or send us music by clicking “Send Music.” 3. To send music while browsing tracks within Spotify, follow the MashableHQ account. Then right-click (ctrl + click) on the song you want to send, and click the “Share” option. 4. By default, Spotify pulls up the “Post to Feed” option. Instead, select the “Send to Friend” tab, type in “MashableHQ” and hit the blue “Send” button. If “MashableHQ” doesn’t show up when you’re trying to send a track, make sure you’re following the account. If you’re still having problems sending a song after that, let us know in the comments, below, and we’ll help you fix the problem. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/08/18/la-la-la-music-monday-who-even-needs-words/
The seemingly ageless Madonna released the music video for her new single “Turn Up The Radio” on Monday. The track is from her latest album, MDNA, which was released back in March. The Queen of Pop premiered the video on her Vevo channel. One of the advantages of online distribution is that Madge can release the “explicit” version of the track. Shot in Florence, Italy, the video is vintage Madonna — dancing in a souped-up convertible while flanked by beautiful men. Let us know what you think of the video in the comments. Thumbnail via Madonna.com. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/16/madonna-turn-up-the-radio/
Marketer Tom Monday has always been inspired by independent enterprises — businesses or individuals that are fueled by an unflappable passion for what they do and who they can reach, not just a desire to get rich. For more than a decade, Monday labored in the music industry in a variety of roles to help bring exposure to smaller (but no less important) performers. Then, in 2011, he moved onto a more corporatized position in the field, a decision he would later regret. “It was soul-crushing,” Monday tells Mashable. “I had a moment when I said, ‘I have to go back and work with people who are making things that are interesting and that I care about.’” “Telling their story” In 2012, Monday decamped from his job and turned his complete attention to a new passion that he and his professional and social circles were buzzing about: Helping small-batch food and drink producers establish a foothold in American kitchens. “There are a lot of similarities between independent music and independent food and drink, and a lot of my friends started talking about food and drink the way they used to talk about music,” he says. “They started wanting to not so much turn me onto a band, but turn me onto a small batch bourbon they just encountered, or a food truck or a pop-up shop.” The problem for many independent brands, however, is marketing. While they can go from their kitchen to a farmers market, they often have trouble navigating grocery chains and implementing customer acquisition strategies. Monday, who spent more than a dozen years in marketing, could help. The first step, he told them, was to tell their story, which would justify charging a premium for their product. Without a story about the maker, and where the product comes from, most small-batch producers struggle to attract the attention of customers who might be tempted to purchase a cheaper, mass-produced alternative. “People won’t pay premium for something if they don’t know a lot about it and haven’t been able to experience it,” Monday says. “It’s hard for people to tell their own story, so one of the most exciting things we can do is have a good product from someone who has a good story but hasn’t been able to tell it yet.” Since 2013, under the name Small Batch America, Monday has helped dozens of small brands, like Mast Brothers Chocolate, Grady’s Cold Brew and Sour Puss Pickles, tell their stories. He’s done so using many of the connections he made in the music industry. Backstage at concerts and festivals across the country, Monday has brought small-batch products to musicians who pride themselves on supporting small producers. He’s even been able to find a home for some of the products he represents in the green room of the The Daily Show. “One of my goals is to get venues and festivals to care more about what they’re serving their guests,” he says. “It seems silly to me that […]
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is a new documentary about the genesis of Julian Assange’s website and soldier Bradley Manning‘s controversial document dump, which exposed U.S. security secrets on WikiLeaks. Today, Mashable is offering an advance stream of the dramatic soundtrack to the film, featuring music by Brooklyn artist collective Fall On Your Sword. The film was directed by Alex Gibney, who won Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards in 2007 for Taxi to the Dark Side. The documentary on WikiLeaks premiered at Sundance earlier this year and releases to the public on May 24. In addition to Gibney’s documentary, a Wikileaks film titled The Fifth Estate is in production and aiming for a November release. It stars Star Trek Into Darkness‘s Benedict Cumberbatch as Assange. Oliver Stone recently met with Assange and described the films as “unhappy” portrayals of WikiLeaks and the site’s founder. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks Original Motion Picture Score comes out May 21 on Back Lot Music but is available to pre-order now [iTunes link]. Below, check out the film’s trailer and let us know what you think of the soundtrack in the comments. Image via Oli Scarff/Getty Images Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/05/20/wikileaks-documentary-soundtrack-listen/
Justin has made real Bielebers of the Twitterverse. On Thursday, the movers and shakers of social media couldn’t resist, well, moving and shaking to the Bieber’s hit song “Baby.” Twitter employees flashmobbed their crowded cafeteria, showcasing a popping and locking male lead and a female employee who could rap the entire Ludacris section (we didn’t even think those were real words). Twitter has said it was to celebrate #hackweek, but it was great timing — Bieber is poised to hit the 25 million Twitter followers milestone today. It would make him the second most followed person on Twitter, trailing only Lady Gaga’s more than 27 million followers. Hackweek is a good excuse, but maybe all of Twitter-land just couldn’t contain their Bieber-fever any longer. What’s your favorite flashmob YouTube video? Share with us in the comments. BONUS: Check out our top 5 viral videos of the week: This Week’s Hot Viral Videos ‘Simon’s Cat’ Partakes in the Animal Olympics A new “Simon’s Cat” video hit the web Saturday, and this one gets into the competitive spirit of the Olympics … with a snail race. Will Ferrell Lashes Out at Kristen ‘Trampire’ Stewart Someone give Will Ferrell a box of tissues and pint of Ben & Jerry’s because the funnyman needs help healing his broken heart. Ferrell sat down with Conan O’Brien and let his emotions spill out as he discussed the recent breakup of Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (or “Patterson,” as Ferrell referred to him). A Real Dad Won’t Save You if You’re ‘Taken’ The 2008 thriller Taken, about an American girl kidnapped by human traffickers in Paris, raised anxiety levels for many worrywort parents. The film isn’t based on a true story, but that didn’t stop moms and dads from wondering what they would do in a similar situation. 90-Year-Old Pole Vaulter Will Make You Feel Lazy Meet Dr. William Bell, a 90-year-old fitness nut who holds a pole vault world record for his age group. Pfft, as if a bunch of buff 20-something Olympic swimmers prancing their six-packs around the pool didn’t already make us all feel like a bunch of unaccomplished cubicle potatoes this week. Envy aside, Dr. Bell could provide a helpful dose of pick-me-up to any of us feeling a bit lapsed in the physical fitness department Choo-Choo-Choose to Watch Excited Train Guy Maybe it’s the rumble of the engine or the sound of the horn, but something has this train enthusiast yelling with excitement. The railfan — yes, that’s a real thing — squeals behind the camera as a rare 1953 EA Heritage Train engine rolls through a New York station. As one YouTuber put it, “Double Trainbow!” Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/13/bieber-twitter-flash-mob/
