There's nothing better than Australians and disco music. This is a known fact. So up-and-coming duo Midnight Pool Party are pretty much a dream come true. Not only do they have the sickest band name of 2014, they create funky pop music in the same vein as Chromeo and Miami Horror. MPP's music has the distinct pleasure of never taking itself too seriously and listening to it makes sure you have a good time. "If You Were Mine" does just that and these guys are sure to be ones to watch in the upcoming year!
Well, I guess you're surprised that this little blog managed to get an interview with a popstar, aren't you? Well clearly, NSOTPop is going places because I managed to get a hold of the lead singer of one of my favorite up and coming pop acts!
YYZ are a Canadian-British electropop outfit that make some of the most vibrant and frenetic music this side of the decade. Made up of two producers and front woman Ali McNally, the lovely woman in that image above, the group set out to conquer the dance floor. You may have seen them on the blog before as they are responsible for one of the best songs of last year before signing with Universal Canada. Then, without any warning, YYZ casually dropped possible Single Of the Year "I Wanna Be With You." So here is my little talk with Ali on Facebook about YYZ's future!
Hey Ali, are you free to talk right now?
Absolutely!
Wonderful! We can start right now.
Yay!
How has your day been going so far?
Not too bad thanks! Taking it pretty easy. Went to the gym, now speaking to you. Been getting over Tokyo jet lag!
That jet lag must be rough, what exactly has the time difference done to your sleep?
Well it's a 14 hour time difference(!) We have been getting tired mega early, waking up mega early (like pre sunrise) and waking up lots during the night.
Oh dear, that sounds terrible, although if I were to go over to Tokyo now, I think my vampire schedule would put me on track as soon as I got there!
Hahaha student life?
Student and New York nightlife combined :) Anyway, you're the lead singer of amazingly brilliant group YYZ! First things first, what exactly do those initials mean?
YYZ is actually the airport code for my hometown of Toronto.
Interesting, I think I knew that because every time I would Wikipedia you guys that would pop up!
Ha no doubt that and the Rush song
Very true. What made you decide to focus on YYZ, considering you and the other members Dan and Ed already had other projects before?
Well, it felt like the project Dan and I had been working on had reached its natural conclusion. We were both listening to and being inspired by music that was more dance/pop so it felt like a step in that direction was a totally organic one.
Ed's remix of Nicola Roberts "Beat of My Drum" is really something. Did Ed joining help you decide the sound that is YYZ or was there always a vision since the beginning?
I think the vision was always there between Dan and I, right from the beginning of the project. The addition of Ed just helped it all come to fruition.
Well I first heard of you when Popjustice featured your group as song of the day. "Lost In The Mix" really was something special! Would you say that it was the breakthrough single?
It was the first single we released, and I think it helped get the attention of Universal Canada. To date it's still one of my favorite YYZ tracks to play live.
The video was kind of bonkers, did you enjoy the process of making a party video?
Absolutely! I enjoyed every element of making that video. the director and producer came over from the UK and are good friends of mine and I styled the whole video, which was a lot of work but super fun. It was great to hang out and interact with the cast and the whole days was a lot of fun, basically.
That's fabulous! Your style is very en pointe I must say.
Ahhhhh thank you! I worked as a stylist in London and I love clothes!
Living the dream clearly! Now that you're signed with Universal Canada, have you relocated to Toronto?
Yes and no! I'm all over the place at the moment but I suppose mostly between Toronto and New Orleans at the minute
Interesting! What have you been up to in New Orleans?
My fella's down here and it's only a 2.5 hour flight from Toronto…plus it never gets cold! :)
I've heard! All right, 2014 saw the release of YYZ's brand new single "I Wanna Be With You" Now I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've listened to the song at least 20 times a day since it has come out! Is this the first taste of what YYZ's album will sound like?
Definitely! It's one of the older tracks from our arsenal but it's very indicative of what's still to come.
Oh dear god, that's amazing! It does sound kind of like the Girls Aloud comeback single everyone wanted, but your vocals really do make the track.
Awww thank you! And I was always a massive Girls Aloud fan, so I will take the compliment!
Have you thought about reaching out to their producers like Xenomania, or even the Ginger Queen herself Nicola Roberts?! That would make for a definite album of the year.
That's a great idea actually. And Nicola is definitely my have Girl Aloud.
That was one of my questions! I'm more of a Sarah kind of guy but Nicola's parts were always the best. I especially loved the old school arcade motif for the IWBWY videos, how did you guys come up with that?
It was a weird coincidence, I'd been working on the lyric video with my sister (who did the artwork) and we happened to get a treatment in for the official video that was really in line with it. We couldn't say no! And the lyric video was borne of old PC games that I loved playing as a kid…
Well it was brilliantly executed! Now, there was about a year long gap between "Lost In The Mix" and "I Wanna Be With You." Will the YYZ nation have to wait that long for new music?
Hopefully not! We have another single already earmarked so fingers crossed it will be with you soon!
As all good popstars should be! Well, would you be up for some fast lightning round questions?
But of course! Fire away!
Pick your favorite Robyn: Robyn Fenty or Robyn Carlsson?
Robyn Fenty. But that was a hard question.
No one said pop would be easy.
Ha! I just felt like I betrayed the other Robyn!
Sweden or Australia?
Australia.
Favorite One Direction member?
Pass? Lol. Harry because he's the only one whose name I know.
Haha the Directioners will eat you alive for that one.
Eeeeee good point. Harry Styles! Best name ever.
True that. If you were going to dye your hair, what would you do?
Pink!
Are you Fancy?
Not really, ha!
Oh no! I was hoping you would say "YOU ALREADY KNOW!"
Man, that song. I loved Iggy a lot harder before that song.
Awww really? That's been my jam for most of the summer, but mainly the Charli XCX bits.
The chorus saves it.
What is the one makeup product you can't live without?
Red lipstick. MAC Lady Danger or Ruby Woo.
Could you write Lady Gaga her next hit single?
I'd love to try!
Could you write Adele her next hit single?
Hmmmmmm maybe less so. Different sensibility. But if there's money involved I'd take a crack at it!
Oh god, but imagine her doing a whole dance floor makeover! It would be killer, another year long number 1 for sure.
You're right. I'd give it a go.
Fantastic! Who is one dream collaborator you would work with?
A Madonna duet, a la Britney? Please?
I'll signal the Twitterverse immediately.
Or Nas.
Those are two very different sides of the pop spectrum, but that would be amazing nonetheless. What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show?
COPS! Lol
Hahahaha is that still a show? I thought that stopped airing ages ago.
It lives on in reruns in perpetuity. Forever. It's a late night guilty pleasure.
Fair enough. What do you consider to be the best album of 2014?
OMG I'm so bad what's come out this year?
That Tove Lo album was pretty fantastic.
Shit I haven't heard that, I've been meaning to.
Ariana Grande, La Roux's is pretty killer, Queen of Hearts, Foxes, Lana Del Slay.
Do you like Ultraviolence?
I do, but I have to be in a pretty specific mood to listen to it.
Right? I much preferred Born To Die I think. Far more accessible album.
Agreed but it seems like everyone is jut trying to make the album "that is really true to artistic vision and comes from the soul" and all that.
You think?
Yeah, it's not the worst thing in the world but we get to the last Lady Gaga and Britney Spears albums and you saw how that turned out. Sometimes you just need the catchy hits vs. something super personal. But that's just me. So I'll just put you down as tentatively loving the Tove Lo album.
Yeah do that! Ha! Or wait let's say ScHoolboy Q! I just remembered that came out this year.
Interesting. Side note: it seems like you love hip-hop and rap a lot more than it seems. Is that something we'll hear on future tracks?
Yeah everyone seems surprised to find out it has always been my favorite genre of music, with pop as a close second. i wish I could indulge it more with my own work but I don't think the world wants or needs a half Chinese half Irish female emcee :'(
On the contrary, I think that's exactly what the world needs, what if you rapped over an Italo disco song?! It would be like Azealia Banks vs. Madonna!
Shit that would be cool. Although I think Azealia's got me beat on flow. She's better than people give her credit for and I LOVED Heavy Metal Reflective.
We'll work on it, but maybe save it for the third "experimental" album :D All right, final question and probably the most important so choose carefully: What is your favorite Kylie Minogue song?
*Wait for it*
Easy! Love At First Sight, I've karaoked it many times.
INSTANT SOULMATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*we continued by having a giant gush fest*
I always tell people that "Love At First Sight" would be my first dance at my wedding, but no one knows it!
Nobody knows it? It's a classic! Tell you what, if Kylie can't make it to your wedding to sing it, I'll do the honors!
OMG I'm gonna hold you to that!
Please do! I'm a woman of my word.
Thank you so much Ali for this amazing interview!
Ha! Thank YOU! It was an absolute pleasure!
So there you have it! An wonderful interview with a wonderful woman. YYZ can only make the pop world better and hopefully, we hear some more music very soon. Be on the lookout for their debut album in 2015, which is sure to be the most danceable album of the year! Till next time, kisses!
So far, the Voice UK has got two promising talented alumni compared to the US version. I think it's time we give up on these other shows and try to bring American Idol back to its best. Based on that photo, 21 year old singer-songwriter and Voice semifinalist Becky Hill would agree with me. This big-voiced starlet was mentored by our favorite melisma addict Jessie J and was probably the only one worth watching. Like fellow alumna Leah McFall, her talent seemed a little too good for the show and she's done rather well for herself as a featured vocalist, working with Rudimental and Oliver Heldens (which reached #1 across the pond).
As a solo artist, we don't have much to go on with Becky. Her first promo single "Caution To The Wind" didn't exact set my pop sensors on fire and seemed too critically aimed to ever be enjoyable. But thankfully, her BFF and supremely talented pop producer MNEK brought her to the light with her real debut single "Losing.""I'm through with Losing" is a pretty great lyric. Ms. Hill somehow sounds like she isn't even trying to sound so powerful over the bouncy, 90's leaning tune that signifies two things. One, this is a certified hit and two, we haven't even scratched the surface with Becky Hill.
This throwback is dedicated to the almost debut album by Swedish 90's bitches Icona Pop. Though it was not their first LP, Icona Pop's revamped album of balls to the wall bangers was a reckless thrill ride across every dance floor. So let's get into shall we?
1. I Love It feat. Charli XCX
We've been through this before, but "I Love It" is OFFICIALLY the best song of last year and possibly this decade. Thanks to Charli XCX, we got an insanely catchy kiss off that every college freshman had screamed in clubs across the world. Pretty much my theme song for any occasion. At 2 and a half minutes, the three girls managed to take over TV, airwaves, movies, and anything else you may have thought of. With this being their first song on the album, Aino and Caroline set the bar pretty high.
2. All Night
"All Night" was the follow up to "I Love It" and would have removed Icona Pop from their one-hit wonder status if people would give it a chance. It starts off with a fun little guitar lick before finding the girls back on the dance floor (where they belong). Though not as immediate or anarchist, it is an aspirational feel-good jam that is especially great live. And the video should give you LIFE in so many ways.
3. We Got The World
The girls first foray into EDM territory also happens to be Tove Lo written. I wonder what it sounds like? BLOODY INCREDIBLE THAT'S WHAT! By now, Icona Pop's signature can be heard as a carefree statement of being who you are and just having fun. And it's a lesson a lot of popstars need to remember.
4. Ready For The Weekend
By now, it's pretty dizzying the pace that this album is going. The BPM is probably averages above every other album from last year. However, with "Ready For The Weekend" Icona Pop decides to mislead us into thinking that Gregorian chant would be there the entire time. Then the auto tune and beat comes in and we realize Aino & Caroline were just joking. Not the most amazing song but one of the most interesting for sure.
5. Girlfriend
Yes that is them sampling Tupac. But don't let that turn you off. The song is all right. It just kind of ambles on with steady electronic beats pairing up with the girls declaration of female camaraderie (ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND). It would have probably been better if they had replaced this with a song from their Swedish album like "Nights Like This" or "Downtown." Oh well.
6. In The Stars
We start to enter some pretty cool stuff now. "In The Stars" has the girls declaring their future as "pharaohs on the throne" before going into a rock n roll esque chorus. One of the catchier songs on the record, it will have you jamming in about 10 seconds. The best bit is when you hear one of them shouting in the background!
7. On a Roll
This Shellback-produced joyride is a definite favorite. That beginning with Icona Pop "do do doo"ing is pretty awesome. It's a headbanger from beginning to end and uses a guitar wisely for a dance song. And for some reason sounds very distinctly Swedish. Way to represent Icona Pop!
8. Just Another Night
The only real ballad on the album is the delicate and heartfelt "Just Another Night." For some reason, this appears to be Icona Pop's favorite off the album and is no doubt a nice song. For Hilary Duff. Or Celine Dion. Or Adele. Just not Icona Pop. It's sad when an act can't deliver a ballad properly but it's better to just accept it and move on to the next banger. Fortunately, this is the only really skippable song on the album.
9. Hold On
Back on the dance floor, we see the girls get a little more angsty and steer the boy-hating "I Love It" energy into a little darker territory. Then that slightly country-ish chorus comes in like sunshine and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The most straightforward pop song for sure, a little boring compared to the others. But the chorus is still great.
10. Light Me Up
The second to last song on their album happens to be their best (besides I Love It cuz duh). Another Tove Lo co-write, it bridges the gap between older indie reggae Icona Pop and newer EDM Icona Pop. From the islandy guitar to the "Oh Oh's" in the background, "Light Me Up" pretty much sums up the girls aesthetic for marrying organic and electronic sounds perfectly. That "Even If I go down in flames" part is really great.
11. Then We Kiss
The last song on the album is an energy filled smash that somehow incorporates an electric harmonica. Bearing a similarity to the Sugababes' "About You Now," it's a bouncy and fun song with Icona Pop recounting stories of falling in love and that amazing first kiss. It pretty much writes itself.
THIS IS… was Icona Pop's introduction to mainstream pop music and is a solid effort regardless of its lack of critical success. It may have been a lot less charming than their Swedish debut but it's a fun-filled thrill ride that succeeds in getting you to move. So let's hope Icona Pop continue to achieve the success they deserve and if not let's just remember
While I have shown my intense love for girl groups around the world, I have to give credit to the guys too. I grew up with NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys so there is a high bar for boy bands in my books. And I'm gonna come clean and say that I very much like One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer probably have one of the best albums of this year. But until Rixton get off their asses and release an album, I have yet to decide who my favorite modern boy band is.
Therefore, it's time to go across the seas and see if there is a sufficient contender. Scandinavia had a lot of promise last year when Satin Circus released the mind-bogglingly good "Emma" and there was a point when I was obsessed with street smart Swedish group The Fooo (King Of The Radio is amazing). But then we get to Australia and I stumbled upon the salvation of all boy bands, Justice Crew.
These boys are doing a lot of things right. They have iconic names like Solo, Samson, Paulie, & Wildrok. There is at least one guy in this group that any teenage girl (and a couple of them boys) will find irresistible. They clearly work out and love to show it off, thank god. There is so much racial diversity that they should just be poster children for the UN. They have the rare ability to meld catchy music and mesmerizing dance routines which many pop acts including One Direction will never be able to pull off. They have managed to make a song that includes Flo Rida extremely good, and that takes skill, just ask Kesha and T-Pain. Finally, the band includes very cute twins.
Officially obsessed
The band comes from a street dance background and got their big break after winning the fourth season of Australia's Got Talent. They must have a lot of talent since they are probably the only act to break out from that franchise. Step it up America and England! After a string of semi-successful singles and a loss of a couple of members, the group got some more fame after becoming the opening act for Chris Brown and Janet Jackson's tour in Australia. Some of Ms Jackson's magic must have rubbed off because they then released this monster of a single last year.
A saxobeat filled jam with full on party attitude, "Everybody" came in like a real wrecking ball during a time when that goddamn "Story Of My Life" bullshit came out. It reminded us that a boy band shouldn't get too introspective and learn to dance and have fun. You're not Take That, 1D so calm down. Along with "Everybody", the band snagged their 1st Australian number one with "Boom Boom" which kept up their track record for amazing moves and bodies.
It looks like these boys have all the goods to breakthrough internationally, but unfortunately they have to do so through Pitbull's imprint on RCA Records. Now, this may lead to a massive hit but that hit will most certainly contain Mr. Dale on it, and I'm sorry but he just needs to go away. Oh well, the boys can continue notching platinum singles in Australia. Btw, they just so happen to have this year's most played song in Australia with "Que Sera." So don't be surprised if everyone decides to forget 5 Seconds Of Summer and move onto to these guys by next year.
