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Kelly Clarkson has not always had it easy, both pre and post Idol. Growing up in Burleson, Texas, she comes from a family of divorce and hardship. Working several jobs, she tried to stay afloat and make ends meet. Ironically, the very gift that changed her life was never her intention. Kelly Clarkson didn’t even know she could sing until she was in junior high school when the choir teacher overheard her singing. She originally wanted to be a marine biologist. In 2002, Kelly entered a contest after returning home from L. A. not too long before that. She’d gone out to work with a hit songwriter, responsible for Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman. ” However, he fell ill and could no longer work with her. The very day she moved into a new apartment, it caught fire while she went to eat. Living in her car for three days, she returned to Texas where her friend Jessica had given her the American Idol contest papers. Having auditioned in Dallas, she was accepted to the next round in Hollywood. When Kelly Clarkson first appeared on American Idol, she had no real sense of style but her voice was as big as many out there and her personality lit up faces nationally each week on TV. Singing songs by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Dionne Warwick, she never saw herself sitting in the bottom contestants while in the beginning, she was considered the underdog. On September 4th, 2002, Kelly Clarkson had become our American Idol. She released her winning song “A Moment Like This” and watched it soar up the charts, beating a record on the Billboard Hot 100 previously held by The Beatles for highest jump to No. 1. In April of 2003, Kelly Clarkson released her debut record Thankful. The record saw moderate success as an Idol souvenir as well as an album to kick off an optimistic future in the recording industry. The album has sold over 2 million copies in the U. S. in part to her lead single “Miss Independent,” co-wrote by Christina Aguilera. The album combined pop elements with a more R&B style. What was about to happen no one saw coming nor took seriously until Kelly found herself as one of the top female vocalists in the world. In November of 2004, Kelly released her sophomore effort Breakaway. The title, also a song that appeared in a movie, is appropriately titled for many reasons. Kelly had split with manager Simon Fuller in order to hire a company who would be there to help the budding superstar reach incredible heights. No hard feelings were left. The direction of the album had been changed dramatically to an edgy pop rock sound that allowed her thunderous voice to shine. She also had fought the label suites to include material penned by her as well. She had a lent her love for writing to the first record, however, more than half of the new record was penned by Clarkson herself, including hit singles “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “Walk Away,” and “Because of You. ” The latter being a song written at the age of 16 and was a song the record label, RCA, told her she couldn’t include on her first record. The album’s lead single “Since U Been Gone” rocked out radio and clubs nationwide and is to date her best selling single. Breakaway has sold 12 million copies worldwide and brought in her parent record label over $100 million in revenue. With the success of the record come the perks. She embarked on several tours, three in 2005 alone. Two of the tours in the U. S. were sold out and her international world tour was a success as well. 2006 saw Kelly taking home two Grammy Awards and performing for her peers. She beat out some of music’s biggest names including Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow and Gwen Stefani. Capitalizing on her success, she ventured out on yet another tour beginning June 30th to preview songs she’d like to include on her follow up to Breakaway. She’d reported that she would be ditching the bubblegum pop and would be writing and recording with her backing band. The idea was embraced largely by the public as she included new songs in each tour she’d written with someone in the band. However, the album that was supposed to be the most anticipated of 2007 turned out to be another one of music’s infamous turmoil challenges: the label vs. the artist. Kelly Clarkson paired up with legendary David Kahne, responsible for songs such as “Manic Monday” and “Walk Like An Egyptian,” to produce her third studio effort. Co-writing over 50 songs, her team narrowed it down to 26 songs to record and kept 14 for the standard track listing. The album that would be called My December, took on a more mature, raw and emotional approach. During the Breakaway era, she’d worked herself to death, missing family and friends and having a hard time finding good people to surround herself with. Needless to say, the stress took its toll, including a relationship that ended shortly before the release of her second record. Dating producer and ex-guitarist of Evanescence David Hodges, she found herself being cheated on with his former girlfriend. He’d produced “Because of You,” “Addicted,” and a track that didn’t make the cut titled “Bleed For Me. ” After he married the former flame two months after Clarkson found out, she penned the song “Never Again” that would become the lead single for her next record 2 ½ years later. Turning in the material to her RCA label, they were not pleased with the record, especially legendary record producer Clive Davis, responsible for Whitney Houston, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Hall and Oates and many more. Clarkson and her manager at the time were executive producers of the record and that didn’t sit well with Davis. He quickly dismissed the record as unsellable, he didn’t hear any hits and it wouldn’t sell more than 750,000 copies. Shelving the record for four months, he tried every trick in the book to get her to change her mind. He reportedly offered her $10 million to replace or change 5 songs to make them more radio friendly. However, after receiving rip off “Since U Been Gone” compositions and a song from Lindsay Lohan’s second record, she stuck to her ground and compromised to release My December as is and she would in turn create a more mainstream record the next time around. A week before it’s June 26th release date, she fired management The Firm and hired Reba McEntire’s husband for Starstruck Entertainment. McEntire, Clarkson’s childhood hero, had already formed a budding relationship with the American Idol Grammy winner. RCA had claimed that “Never Again” was too bitter and the public wouldn’t accept it as Alanis Morissette already had “You Oughta Know” in the 90’s. However, numbers proved them wrong. The song only peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 but has since went on to sell just 10,000 copies shy of being a platinum selling single. While the video reached No. 1 on VH1, the song was being pulled from radio while a second single was planned to arrive in July titled “Sober. ” The label not wanting to promote the record at all did not push the single to radio and it failed to chart inside the 100, peaking at 124. The U. S. received no more singles. Fans were outraged that an artist of such calibre would be treated so disrespectfully. Although the record only has been certified platinum one time in the U. S. , it proves that real music is not dead and that you don’t need a formula hit song to sell records, especially to your fans. Media was very positive and remained mainly on Clarkson’s side throughout the whole entanglement stating she’d “earned the right to call the shots. “Connecting deeper with her fans, Clarkson has stated time and time again that she will not release a record just to sell millions. To her, it’s about the music. While many artists need several songs to sell a million copies of a record these days, Clarkson only needed one, proving her to be one of the best in the business today. Her writing ability has been questioned and also put down, stating behind closed doors that she’s “25 and a female vocalist. ” Clarkson immediately hung up from the conference call in disgust. To date, she’s won three writer’s awards from ASCAP, two of them being for “Because of You,” in which one was awarded for her remake of her own song as a country duet with Reba McEntire. Some may say Kelly Clarkson put her career up as collateral when she released My December while many who have actually heard the record defend her stand. Life is bigger than being No. 1 all the time and in order to be No. 1 on today’s music charts, formula songs must be crafted and Kelly has so far stayed true to never releasing the same project twice. The first American Idol winner will be releasing a fourth record in March 2009, taking elements from her massive sophomore disc, including many of the same songwriters, and injecting it with a more aggressive pop rock. Though Kelly may have been lucky to find Idol when she did, American Idol got lucky to find Kelly’s voice and talent. Unfortunately for her, she will have to tread the murky waters of an industry plagued with corruption, dirty politics and a tendency to manufacture and pre-package their acts to rise above circumstance and release music that will create new fans as well as keep the core group that voted her to No. 1 more than six years ago.

Jazz enjoys a universal popularity. This form of music emerged in the beginning of the 20th century in the African- American community of the United States of America. The repetitive patterns of ‘call’ and ‘response’ define the jazz music. The various types of rhythm patterns that are prevalent in the jazz music are reggae, blues and the swing patterns.

A kind of musical assembly associated with the jazz musi Read more…

For years America has been obsessed with music and the people who make it. Ever since the 1950s when rock and roll became famous, people have made singers and bands into celebrities that are bigger than life. Singers like Elvis Presley and too many others to mention, were discovered one day out of no where and went of to be loved by millions for years to come.
While every singer that gets a hit or two may not be remembered as well as Elvis still is, even a little while in the lime light can be thrilling, especially if you are one of those unknowns trying to rise to stardom. For many of these struggling singers, getting that one big break can make the difference as to whether or not they ever get heard by the public.
The one best way that singers can have a chance to become known all over the world practically over night, is if they are smart enough to audition for the reality show sensation, American Idol. There could be no better break than to audition and be chosen to appear in the competition of the actual show.
American Idol came to the United States in 2002 and has been a success ever since. Phenomenal is probably a more accurate word. When the new season of American Idol gets started, you can not pry some people away from the Fox channel. If you do not have satellite or cable you probably can not get Fox. When the new season starts, it usually ranks #1 for works weeks until the competition is over.
All the singers that compete on American Idol ultimately want to be the over all winner. This is a slim chance out of the thousands that initially audition. Sometimes it seems like some of the good singers get weeded out too early, while some of the not so good ones some how get further along. It appears that we like to love the good ones and love to hate the bad ones at the same time.
The judges are the same each season. The every body hates him sometimes, Simon Cowell, always finds a way to belittle someone and yet he has an excellent ear for talent. Randy Jackson, while a little more sympathetic to bad performances, will still tell it like it is. Paula Abdul finds it hard to let contestants know if they are really bad. She is very emotional and often cries whether someone is good or bad.
This is one reality show that when you watch it the first time, chances are you will be hooked just like every one else in the country seems to be.

The judges of American Idol have finally chosen who will stay on the show’s seventh season. Out of 50 contestants, the list was trimmed down to 24 semi-finalists with 12 males and 12 females. This sent other hopefuls crying, while the top singers also shed tears but that of joy. Below are the names of the aspirants who made it, along with some information about them. Alaina Whitaker is a 16-year-old from Tulsa , Oklahoma . She stands by her favorite quote which goes, “The desire for success should be greater than the fear of failure. ”

Sixteen-year-old Alexandrea Lushington comes from Atlanta , Georgia . Her musical Influences are The Beatles, John Mayer, Alicia Keys and Nikka Costa. Rocker Amanda Overmyer is from Mulberry, Indiana . This 23-year-old is also a nurse. Amy Jean Davis, 25, hails from Cedar Lake , Indiana . She looks up to Patty Griffin for the artist’s talent in singing and song writing. Asia’h Epperson is 19-years-old. She comes from Joplin , Missouri . Her father passed away just a day before she left for Hollywood . Brooke White is a 24-year-old blonde from Van Nuys , CA / Mesa , Arizona . She was raised on the soulful sounds of the 70’s and looks up to James Taylor, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Eagles and America .

Twenty-four-year-old Carly Smithson is a tattooed Irishwoman from Dublin . Her favorite quote is that of Willy Wonka, “We are the makers of music and we are the dreamers of dreams. ”Chikezie Eze believes in the saying that “legends are made where genius meets hard work and timing. ” This 22-year-old man comes from Inglewood , California . Colton David Berry, 17, is from Staunton , Virginia . He claims he has been surrounded by music since he was young, and that everything and everyone around him has influenced him musically. David Archuleta is a 17-year-old from Salt Lake City , Utah . He idolizes Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams.

Danny Noriega claims his musical influence is Fantasia. He’s an 18-year-old who comes from Azusa , California . David Cook is a 25-year-old man from Tulsa , Oklahoma . His musical influences are Our Lady Peace and Big Wreck. Twenty-four-year-old David Hernandez lives by Dr. Dyer’s words, “Believe it and you’ll see it. Know it and you’ll be it. ” He’s from Phoenix , Arizona . Garrett Haley, 17, appreciates the talents of Steve Perry and the Backstreet Boys. His hometown is in Elida , Ohio . Jason Castro is a 20-year-old from Rowlett , Texas . He likes the quote, “In the end, it will all be ok. If it’s not ok, then it’s not the end!”

Jason Yeager comes from Grand Prairie , Texas . He admires Journey, Boyz II Men, Michael Bublé and Josh Turner. Joanne Borgella believes in the quote, “that which doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger. ” She is 25-years-old and she comes from Hoboken , New Jersey . Eighteen-year-old Kady Malloy hails from Houston , Texas . Her musical influences are Freddy Mercury, Queen, Elton John, Billy Joel, Eva Cassidy, Led Zeppelin, Keith Whitley and Marty Robbins. Kristy Lee Cook, 24, is from Selma , Oregon . Her favorite saying is “rope it, ride it, wrestle it, cowgirl it. ”

Luke Menard is a 29-year-old from Crawfordsville , Indiana . He admires artists like James Taylor, Take 6, Chapter 6, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Keane, Billy Joel and Bee Gees. Michael Johns trusts in the saying “it’s better to be a has been than a never was. ” This 29-year-old comes from Atlanta , Georgia . Ramiele Malubay, 20, believes in the saying that goes “if you’re hated, you’re doing something right. ” She comes from Miramar , Florida . Her musical influences include Filipino singers Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez.

Robbie Carrico, 26, is a former boy band member. He comes from Melbourne , Florida and considers Jonathan Davis, Brett and Rob Thomas his musical influences.

Twenty-one-year-old Syesha Mercado is from Miami , Florida . She believes in the quote “be the change that you want to see in the world. ” Her idols are Whitney Houston, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Zap Mama, Lauryn Hill and Aretha Franklin.

There goes the list. Catch these contestants on the following episodes of the hit reality TV talent search series American Idol.

For more resources about American Idol or for the full story of American Idol 7: Meet the Official Top 24 please review http://www. buddytv. com

The Hollywood week of this season’s American Idol gave us some surprises. Unlike before, each of the 164 finalists was given the chance to choose to sing with or without an instrument. If they have the talent, they can pick up the guitar or play the piano. There was also no grouping of contestants this time. And second chances were offered. After their initial songs, the non-approved contestants were again asked to sing in a cappella, and the judges chose another few from them and asked them to move on to the final round, where they compete with the winners from earlier rounds. On the final round, all the aspirants were asked to sing with a band and back-up singers. Until the judges finally narrowed down their list to 50 contenders.

As always, it’s impossible to please everybody. Hollywood week’s new format had some good reactions and some bad ones. For one, viewers found the episode less exciting than the previous Hollywood weeks. But on the other hand, more talents were discovered and exposed as many chances were given to the contestants.

Among the scenes missed by the avid fans are the trio performances, the struggle of one person as he tries to squeeze himself into a group, the never-ending arguments late at nights and all those stuffs that used to be. Other viewers even found the episode boring. But the new format actually worked for some of the contestants.

Brooke White rose above others after displaying her skills in playing the keyboards. The judges were clearly impressed with her performance. Josiah Leming also got the Judges approval. This man, who lives in his car and sings with a British accent, did a rendition of Mika’s song “Grace Kelly” and immediately awed everybody, gaining him a spot in the top 50.

On the next episode of American Idol, the judges will choose 24 semi-finalists from the 50 contenders. To find out who will and will not make it, keep on watching the hit talent series.

For more resources about American Idol or for the full story of American Idol 7: Hollywood Week Recap please review http://www. buddytv. com

Let’s face it: American Idol auditions aren’t exactly a good judgment for great singers. In fact, having a person sing a capella in a room with good acoustics is entirely different from singing with a microphone on national TV with a back up band. Nonetheless, American Idol was able to capture a few good auditions in its first week.

Backtracking a little bit, last year’s good performance was that of Sundance Head. However, Sundance wasn’t able to keep up with the national stage due to a set of terrible songs coupled with a tendency to sing out of tune. Sanjaya Malakar was also good, but then there’s Blake Lewis and Taylor Hicks who initially got only two out of three judges’ votes but made it far. Sort of.

This year, we picked three best performances in American Idol’s first week of auditions. First up is Angela, a single mother whose child suffers from a rare disease much like Cerebral Palsy. Of course, that little fact squeezed in kind of tugs our heartstrings, and makes her competition a little bit interesting. Some may find it annoying that the producers need to add in a little of that sentimentality, but we all guess that it’s really how reality TV works. Anyway, Angela seems to be a great singer, who is fully supported by her friends and family. Aside from being a kindhearted person, she sings for a living, showcasing her strong and powerful voice. A down side to her audition came in the form of some level of cheesiness in her performance, after she ad-libbed “Simon” in her song. Advised by the judges to scrap that, she may as well be on her way to the top 24.

Next up is Kady Malloy, who isn’t just a great performer, but also looks like a pop star herself. Oh, and that Britney Spears impression earned her a little bit more points.

Lastly, there’s Pia Easley, who is the most exciting, atypical personality who has been on the audition so far. She sings well with her deep, bluesy voice, and boasts of a career as a model and musician. Stepping into American Idol may be a big leap for her, and may as well be her grand entrance into Hollywood .

For more resources about American Idol or for the full story of American Idol: Best of the Best – Week 1 please review http://www. buddytv. com

American Idol is perhaps the biggest singing competition in America these days, and it’s really not hard to see why. Broadcasted over Fox Network in the United States, it is aired internationally in more than 100 countries outside the United States such as; Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and India. And with viewer ratings ranging from 9. 9 million viewers during the first season up to 37. 7 million in the sixth season, this singing competition, which has also been dubbed as a reality show, is undoubtedly one of the most phenomenal programs to be broadcast on television.
In fact, American Idol has come to be regarded by many as an authoritative television executive, a force to be reckoned with, such that even rival television networks have come to rearrange their program schedules around American Idol in order to diminish their losses. Fox has even accordingly used American Idol to publicize and promote its other programs during its airing. Needless to say, American Idol is a major advertising hotspot for some of the biggest companies and products in the United States.
American Idol was created by British show business mogul, Simon Fuller, in 2002 and the main thrust of the show is to search for the best singer in the United States through a succession of singing contests. Contestants are filtered from literally hundreds of aspiring American Idol hopefuls across the United States. During the initial auditions, contestants are screened and chosen by four judges; recording producer Randy Jackson, Grammy award-winning pop songstress, Emmy award-winning choreographer and dancer Paula Abdul, music manager and mogul Simon Cowell. Recently added, was the multi-Grammy nominated songstress and composer Kara DioGuardi.
Judges decide the top 24 contestants who then face off in a series of weekly competitions, each with different themes. Examples of themes that have been used include disco, big band, Motown, Billboard hits, and even featured singing artists like Dolly Parton, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Queen, Barry Manilow, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, The BeeGees, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Neil Sadaka. It is during this later stage of the show when the public vote is used to decide the top 12, eventually narrowing it down to the top 2 by voting a contestant out every week.
American Idol is hosted by Ryan Seacrest who used to host game shows for children. In the first season, he co-hosted the show with funnyman Brian Dunkleman.
First aired with little fanfare as a summer stand-in television show in 2002, American Idol has since developed and grown an immense fan base all through to its eighth season this year. Needless to say, the show has produced award-winning and popular singing artists, starting off with the winners of the first seven seasons, namely Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, and David Cook. Noteworthy are also the runners-up of the first seven seasons, who are Justin Guarini, Blake Lewis, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee, Bo Bice, and David Archuleta.
 

In the highly competitive world of the music industry, it is never wise to sail alone. Equipping yourself with the necessary tools can ensure safe passage through the often rough and shark infested waters of the music business, and lead the aspiring musician straight to musical success. Putting on a show is important; learning the business is imperative.
Most artists concentrate solely on the creative aspects of their career and typically are unaware and/or unprepared for the business and marketing side of the music industry. When aspiring musicians put their careers in the hands of others, it’s essential that they know the business before jumping headfirst into shows like American Idol.
While winning big is the main goal for everyone who auditions for these types of shows, do the contestants really win big? Or are they pushed into contracts that basically equate to indentured servitude and a total loss of both their creative freedom and control of their music career in exchange for stardom?
With dreams of sugar plums in their heads. . . actually large contracts, tours that span the globe, adulation of the world and screaming fans ringing in their ears, these music hopefuls sign away their lives and often their careers with stiff contracts that are not in their favor.
It’s has often been said that unless we learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Aspiring hopefuls need to learn from those who have already been there. A few of the legendary bands they can learn from are: It’s a Beautiful Day, Joe Cocker, The Dixie Chicks and TLC. Each of these bands has learned the hard way what happens when you give up control of your career without knowing the business side.
As stated, although dreams of stardom loom through the minds of contestant hopefuls, who is still around from the American Idol or Nashville Star winners? Kelly Clarkson is the only real winner in music.
So how do you learn the business and avoid being taken advantage of? You need to learn from others who have been right where you are. From mentors, books and careful guidance. Jaci Rae’s The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money has helped start and keep many artists dreams alive.
This book will provide the struggling artist with everything they need to pilot and navigate their own course towards musical victory without American Idol, Nashville Star or other reality based shows. Take if from an insider who knows; learn the business before you put on a show.

For couples seeking a unique Native American Pendants or wedding band, try to look at the Native American Jewelry designed rings. Many couples choose to Native American jewelry, because they want to reflect their heritage, believe in the symbolism, or the ideals which are manifested by such jewelry. You do not need the U.S. to appreciate the beauty and know-how that goes into their jewelry. Many models are inspired by the spiritual beliefs of Read more…

The internet has revolutionised the music industry and how music is sold and distributed online. We are all aware of the issues facing illegal music downloads and the heavy impact it has on bands to generate payment for their music. But we are talking about the best ways for you to sell your music and generate publicity for your band.

With the increase in internet usage throughout the world and the easy availability of internet Read more…