By Niy Birden

This summer was an ultimate blast from our reigning pop and hip hop musicians. The music we were hit with resonated with the summer expectations, political climates imitated our harrowing weather, and some of our old faves came back with music that made us remember just how much we loved them way back.

P!nk was recently awarded with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2017 MTV VMA’s, Miley Cyrus has mysteriously decided to return back to her country and rock roots, and even Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato have amped up their sexuality in their tunes. Which is why the recent album rumors coming from teen sensation Avril Lavigne and Black Eyed Peas member Fergie are worthy of being called Music’s Christmas Present for 2017.

Who wouldn’t remember Avril Lavigne, our friendly Canadian who came bursting through the teenage airwaves in the 90’s with hits like “Complicated” and “Sk8ter Boi”? While Avril has had a few hits and misses with album sales, her core fan following have been the torch-bearers for her music, helping her gain numerous chart-topping hits and a cemented place in Pop-Rock music history. People loooooove Avril Lavigne. And this is not an understatement. You can find a true fan through almost any type in the last two generations, thanks to her musical outreach and quality. Nerds, ego kids, punk kids, bubblegum pop kids, and even our friends over in Japan adore her and her ever-evolving lyrics.

People are so well-aware of Avril Lavigne that there is a highly-discussed theory located almost everywhere on the internet that she was at some point replaced with a clone, by proof of her supposed physical transformations. And frankly, we all know that you are an influential musician if you start to get government conspiracy theories made up about you.
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By Niy Birden

First of all, let’s just start by acknowledging that Don Cheadle is on a roll. Not only because of the legend that he is and always will be, but because he has made two incredibly placed appearances in two of the biggest music videos this year so far: Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA”, and now, Logic’s “1-800-273-8255”. Can we all agree here that Don would make a damn good director for a music video??

This year, the topic of LGBTQ discussions have been fairly quiet but still in demand, thanks to our recent election. With recent events such as the Charlottesville Nazi protests showing just how much of hate America is tolerating in society, it might be fitting to say that right now, more than ever, our youth need understanding and support with personal matters, especially the types of matters that has been behind the spike of suicide rates in teenagers. Fortunately, that support comes from a multitude of sources. And Logic wants to open up the discussion about it.

Sonically, the song is very pro-pop with a hint of R&B and Hip Hop, like most of Logic’s hits. Starting off with vintage electro piano and some lovely, optimistic strings, he opens up with a very honest statement “I’ve been on the low/I been taking my time/I feel like I’m out of my mind/It feel like my life ain’t mine/Who can relate?/I’ve been on the low/I been taking my time/I feel like I’m out of my mind/It feel like my life ain’t mine”. It then continues on with the mid-tempo beats as a nice accompaniment, and has a generous contribution by Alessia Cara and Khalid. Lyrically, it details someone calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and detailing their dismay, and then deciding that they actually don’t want to continue with ending their life.

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By Armando

Its only four days away from music world’s big event and the excitement is already heating up as to who will be getting a Moonman this year.

Set to be held this Sunday August 27, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, MTV’s annual Video Music Awards will be hosted by Katty Perry, marking the first time for Perry as host of the event.

On Wednesday, Demi Lovato took to Twitter to announce her scheduled performance on Sunday. “See you at the VMAs this year,” Lovato wrote complete with emojis. Gucci Mane, Logic and Post Malone are also set to perform, joining previously announced artists Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Fifth Harmony, The Weeknd, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, Julia Michaels, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and Shawn Mendes.

Also this week, Cardi B was announced to perform at the pre-show stage. She will be joined by “Location” singer and songwriter Khalid and indie pop act Bleachers.

The event is set to be a big night for P!nk, who will be receiving a Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her accomplishments in music and film. Sometimes called “Lifetime Achievement Award” in some years, the accolade has been given to some of music’s biggest names, most recently Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Rihanna.

The top nominees for this year’s Video of the Year include Kendrick Lamar for “Humble”, Bruno Mars for “24K Magic”, Alessia Cara for “Scars to Your Beautiful”, DJ Khaled (featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller) for “Wild Thoughts”, and The Weeknd for “Reminder.”

The ceremony on Sunday will start at 8 p.m. ET while red carpet starts at 7 p.m. ET. The pre-show will be hosted by rapper Lil Yachty.

By Eric Gasa

Weezer – Pacific Daydream

Weezer are back with a follow up to last year’s White Album. Pacific Daydream, their 11th record, is due out October 27 with an extensive summer tour heading far into 2018. Originally suspected to be the long awaited Black Album, Pacific Daydream came to be as the songwriting process shifted from darker elements to “reveries from a beach at the end of the world,” according to a press release.

Pacific Dream’s first single, “Feels Like Summer” trades the pop-punk guitars for a bouncy electronic pop beat ala Imagine Dragons or 21 Pilots. Frontman Rivers Cuomo shouts about youthful insecurities despite being 47 years old but still sings like he’s 24 again. It’s a far cry from 90’s classics like “Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly” but “Feels Like Summer” is sure to be heard blasting at a beach somewhere.

The more traditional “Mexican Fender” finds the band doing what they do best; singing about girls, guitars, and nerdy idiosyncrasies. Fitting to the title, Pacific Daydream is still stepped in Weezer’s signature sunbaked, California style. Check the charming video for “Mexican Fender” starring a lovesick seagull.

Robert Plant – Carry Fire

Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant delves into his love for blues and acoustic guitars on his newest single, “The May Queen”. The song is the first from his forthcoming record, Carry Fire, which is due out October 13 via Nonesuch Records. On “The May Queen” the fiery singer takes a break from the heavy rhythms to deliver a softer, sweeter slice of his songwriting. Think more “Stairway to Heaven” or “Going To California” than “When The Levee Breaks” or “Immigrant Song”.

Some Zeppelin fans will notice the sly “Stairway to Heaven” reference in “The May Queen” but this song could not be more different from his original work. Regarding the recording process, Plant says that he prefers “mixing old with new”.

“The May Queen” is especially unique wherein we see Plant take a twangier approach reminiscent of Paul Simon and acoustic world music. Country-style fiddles permeate the song alongside slide guitars and a choir. If “The May Queen” is a primer to Carry Fire then fans should expect a warmer side of the former frontman.

“Out here the fire’s still burning so long into my night,” Plant sings, “Still captive and still yearning/Surrender to your light.”

By Cameron Pridmore

Way back yonder before there was Spotify or Pandora, and way before music download services like iTunes, the way that you found out about new music was MTV. The music powerhouse was launched in 1981, and brought with it the music video revolution, as well as some pretty memorable television shows. Now of course you had your Bevis and Butt head, but there was also a wonderful little morsel called Unplugged. The show which ran in two different formats one from 1981 to 1999, and then Unplugged 2.0 which was ran until 2009, was one of the most popular music television shows of its time.

The press release by new the network on Tuesday illustrates that the network is bringing the franchise back, acknowledging that Unplugged was one of the networks strongest franchises and one that built MTV over the years. The press release did not exactly illustrate what type of format the show will take on this time, but undoubtedly it will most likely take on its previous tremendously popular format as before. The return of this iconic television franchise is MTV admitting that their network has really fallen off as of late, the channel which was built on music is now nothing more than a cesspool of reality television programs.

The unplugged series was built on live performances, and the premise of the show is built around the fact that it is an acoustic performance. Generally it was a showcase of the artist’s vocal talents, as well as their song writing abilities. The lack of the use of an amplifier or any electronics gave fans an intimate experience with their favorite artists and this helped the ratings explode during the last half of the 90s. The show also spawned some great album releases from the live sessions, which all sold double platinum. Some of these releases were from Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, and even the Eagles just to name a few.
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By Armando

The longest-serving CMA Executive Director and one of the most influential advocates of country music, Jo Walker-Meador, has died. According to the Country Music Association and the Country Music Hall of Fame release, she died Tuesday night in Nashville after a stroke. Jo Walker-Meador was 93, and he is survived by her brother Pete Denning, daughter Michelle Walker, and step-children Rob and Karen Meador.

“Jo was a champion for Country Music around the world and a groundbreaker for women in the entertainment business,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern. “On a personal note, I will miss her guidance, humor, and friendship. She was the first meeting I set up before I took this job. She taught me lessons in how to gracefully navigate the Board. She was always diplomatic in her storytelling and she had some great ones to share. Over the last six months she was a little more candid and I always looked forward to our time together. She will be greatly missed by all. My heart is broken.”

It is during her tenure that many of country music’s major initiatives were conceived, including The Country Music Hall of Fame which was created in 1961, the CMA Awards which created in 1967 and began its national tv broadcast a year later, and the CMA Music Festival; all of which are staples in celebrating the genre while also helping global awareness of Country Music.