Justin Timberlake

Rising star Anthony Alexander talks Adam Levine, new music after ‘The Voice’

Posted on by artsnla

Written by Giavanna Foster

Anthony Alexander is a rising star who appeared on The Voice during its thirteenth season. He gave a powerful performance singing “Redbone” during his blind audition before joining Team Adam Levine. In a recent interview with ARTSNLA, I spoke with Anthony Alexander about his journey on The Voice. He shared his thoughts on working with Adam Levine as well as releasing new music. Here’s the scoop:

ARTSNLA: We watched your audition for The Voice and it has 4 million YouTube views now. How does that feel?

A.A.: Honestly, that feels super awesome to know that I have a video with me on it that has 4 million views on it. I feel super grateful because it shows how much support I get from everyone. It’s awesome to really know, like, that I have a lot of people supporting me and I’m just super thankful.

ARTSNLA: You worked with Adam Levine on The Voice. What was that like?

A.A.: It was super awesome working with Adam Levine on The Voice. He’s just a super cool guy. He’s a very free-spirited dude and did whatever he wanted. I’m kind of the same way too… He is a very cool guy. He’s very much about pulling you out of your comfort zone. That’s just something that I really liked about working with him is that he’s helped me grow in a lot of different ways, not just musically but personality wise too. 

Before I actually got kicked out of the show, he said that I was a brother to him. It’s funny that he said that because the whole time I was thinking he was like a brother to me. He’s like the older brother I never had.

ARTSNLA: Did you always know you had a passion for music?

A.A.: Yeah, I’ve known that ever since I was 2. I’ve always been singing a lot and then when I was five, like, I always ran around with a microphone saying that I was going to be famous… I was going to be a rock star. It’s just awesome to know that it became a reality after saying that from when I was five. I knew I had a passion for music.

ARTSNLA: Who is your biggest musical influence?

A.A.: I have a lot of musical influences. When I was younger, Michael Jackson was a very big influence. As I got older, more influences came into play: James Bay, Adam Levine, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and a little bit of Ed Sheeran. It goes on…

ARTSNLA: Do you have family members who are also in the music industry?

A.A.: Yeah, my dad. Basically, everybody in my family has a musical background. Mostly right now, it’s me and my dad… My sisters played musical instruments in the school band. My little sister, my youngest sister, is into singing right now… And then my dad has also been playing a lot of music. He’s been playing a lot of instruments. He’s been helping me out since the beginning… He’s actually played for me in the band I play with… I’m super thankful for the support that he gives me.

ARTSNLA: What’s next? Will you be releasing an album soon?

A.A.: I do plan to release an album… Right now we’re just working on new songs. We’re using this time to build our own stuff and create our own music. We are planning on getting out some of my original music and I’m really excited for everybody to see that. It will show who I am as an artist. I’m hoping to make this album as big and amazing as I can. It will be out around June 2018. Follow @anthonyofficial on Twitter for updates.

ARTSNLA: What message would you like to send to your fans?

A.A.: You can do anything you want as long as you put the hard work and the dedication into it, and as long as you have a really good team behind you, willing to support you. That’s just something that I really do believe in, regardless of what it [the goal] is, whether it’s music or opening businesses or companies. That’s just something I want to give out to my supporters and people who are into my music… just showing them that they can follow their dreams.

 

Anthony Alexander will be performing live shows this month in Southern California. On February 10, Alexander will be performing at the Fifth Rooftop Lounge in Anaheim. On February 23, he will perform at the State Social House in West Hollywood. Click here to view his tour dates.

 

Fifth Harmony, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars shine at 2017 #iHeartAwards

Posted on by artsnla

Written by Giavanna Foster

The iHeartRadio music awards took place on March 5 at the Forum in Inglewood, California. It aired live on TBS, TNT, and truTV. Ryan Seacrest hosted this star-studded telecast. This year’s #iHeartAwards featured performances from Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Noah Cyrus. Fifth Harmony, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars shined at the #iHeartAwards. Here are the main highlights:

Fifth Harmony, also known as 5H, received the Best Fan Army award. Fifth Harmony is now one of the most popular artists worldwide. “Worth It”, “All in My Head” and “Work from Home” are certified by the RIAA as multi-platinum singles. Fans helped vote for the winner online and on social media. Over 39+ million votes were counted to determine the winner. Fifth Harmony’s Harmonizers were crowned Best Fan Army. Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato were among the full list of nominees in this category. Also, make sure you watch Clevver News’ #iHeartAwards recap video (above).

Fifth Harmony’s acceptance speech was short and sweet. They thanked their Harmonizers for “bringing so much joy, kindness, and love into our world”. Onstage, Fifth Harmony told the fans to stay tuned for their new music. After Fifth Harmony’s speech, they received a round of applause from the audience.

Also, Fifth Harmony’s rendition of “Ex’s and Oh’s” received the Best Cover award. This means that they won in two categories at the iHeartRadio Music Awards: best cover and best fan army. The girl group tweeted to thank their fans.

Justin Timberlake thanked iHeartRadio on Twitter after receiving the Song of the Year award. “Thank you, THANK YOU @iHeartRadio! First award of the night too! #iHeartAwards #SongOfTheYear”, Timberlake tweeted. At the 2015 #iHeartAwards, Timberlake received the Innovator Award.

Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” won the Song of the Year award. Timberlake celebrated this year of music and took a stand against bullying during his acceptance speech. On March 6, 2017, Timberlake’s moving Song of the Year acceptance speech landed the #12 position on YouTube’s trending list. Timberlake mentioned that “Can’t Stop the Feeling” was a song about inclusion and unity. During the speech, Timberlake also thanked Joe Riccitelli for helping him achieve multi-platinum success as a recording artist. The audience cheered to support his message of acknowledging the ideas of individuality and kindness.

 

TBS Network tweeted to announce that Bruno Mars took home this year’s Innovator award. “The man, the myth, the innovator. @BrunoMars takes home the Innovator of the Year Award! #iHeartAwards”, they tweeted.

Four-time Grammy winner Bruno Mars is this year’s Innovator Award recipient. Mars joins U2, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell Williams in the list of iHeartRadio Innovator Award winners. A hard worker, Mars innovates with his authentic style and technicality. Mars is a versatile recording artist, collaborator, producer, and choreographer. “Uptown Funk” is certified as the 13th diamond single in RIAA history. “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade” are among the list of Mars’ certified multi-platinum singles.

Mars was introduced by Big Sean and lit up the stage while performing a medley of two songs: “Treasure” and “That’s What I Like”. Mars’ Innovator Award acceptance speech was inspiring and sincere. He discussed his humble beginnings and path to fame as a recording artist. Take a look:

“We’ve come a long way. We used to play in bars not too far from here, 200 seater rooms, … and […] you’ve seen them at the Super Bowl. This is my family right here,” Mars said. “Thank you, fellas.” Mars thanked the iHeartRadio family during his speech. Mars also thanked them on Instagram after his speech:

“Most importantly, I want to thank the fans in the building and the fans at home […] You guys make me want to be a better songwriter, performer, entertainer.” Then a fan said “Love you, Bruno.” He said “I love you too.” Mars received applause from the audience.

“Innovator is a very heavy word. I’m so honored […] It’s a little ironic for me because I genuinely feel like I’m just getting started,” Mars expressed. This year’s prestigious Innovator Award is a well-deserved honor for Bruno Mars. His successful career and inspiring life story proves that success can always be earned with hard work and a passionate drive. Stay tuned for Bruno Mars’ upcoming music releases.

The Chainsmokers also shined, as they received four awards: best new artist, best new pop artist, dance artist of the year and dance song of the year. Adele won this year’s Female Artist of the Year award. Also, Kelsea Ballerini was awarded best new country artist. “Love Yourself” with Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber received the Best Lyrics award. To read the full list of nominees, click here. Also, see the “More” section at the end of this article.

What was your favorite #iHeartAwards moment? Tell us by voting in our poll:

Follow @iHeartRadio on Twitter to receive the latest updates.

 

—– MORE —–

Interested in more #iHeartAwards news? See the following articles:

J-14 | YASSS: Proof That Fifth Harmony Fans Are the Best Fans Ever 

Hollywood Life | Bruno Mars Lights Up Stage At iHeart Awards With Medley Of ‘Treasure’ & ‘That’s What I Like’ 

Billboard | 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards: Justin Timberlake, Zayn Malik, The Chainsmokers & More React to Wins 

Capital XTRA | Watch Rihanna’s Snapchat Acceptance Speech at the #iHeartAwards 

Billboard.com | Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ Certified Diamond by RIAA

2017 Oscars: Here’s the scoop

Posted on by artsnla

Written by Giavanna Foster

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, is an annual American awards ceremony that recognizes excellence in the United States film industry. The Oscars are a widely popular telecast, and people around the world watch it. Last year, 34.4 million people tuned in to watch the Oscars.

This year La La Land, Moonlight, and Manchester by the Sea are the Oscars’ leading nominees. Here’s the scoop:

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La La Land is a true contender, as it received 14 nominations. The cast of La La Land received major recognition for their contributions to the film. Ryan Gosling is nominated for the actor in a leading role category, while Emma Stone is nominated for the actress in a leading role category. Damien Chazelle also received recognition for directing La La Land and writing the original screenplay for the film. His work is nominated in the directing and writing (original screenplay) categories.

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Moonlight is also a standout, as it has received 8 nominations. The cast of Moonlight received recognition for their contributions to the film. Naomie Harris is nominated for the actress in a supporting role category. Moonlight is also nominated for Best Picture. Producers Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner helped create the movie’s plot structure. Moonlight is also nominated for the writing (adapted screenplay) category. Barry Jenkins wrote the screenplay, while Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote the story.

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Manchester by the Sea is the third standout film, as it has received 6 nominations. The cast of Manchester by the Sea received recognition for their contributions to the film. Michelle Williams is nominated for the actress in a supporting role category. Casey Affleck is nominated for the actor in a leading role category. Also, Lucas Hedges is nominated for the actor in a supporting role category. Hedges is one of the youngest actors to receive an Oscar nomination.

Vogue Runway tweeted that Hedges will be featured in their February 2017 issue:

Manchester by the Sea scored a nomination for Best Picture. Producers Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck and Kevin J. Walsh worked together to help create the movie’s atmosphere and plot line. Manchester by the Sea is also nominated for the writing (original screenplay) category. Kenneth Lonergan wrote the original screenplay for this film.

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Fan favorites Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Moana received 2 nominations. Rogue One earned 1.011 billion USD from box office profits. It is nominated for two categories: sound mixing and visual effects. David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio, and Stuart Wilson helped create the movie’s atmosphere by composing all of the sounds. John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould worked together to create the visual effects.

Moana earned 509.3 million USD from box office profits. It is nominated for two Oscars: music (original song), and animated feature film. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for “How Far I’ll Go”, the movie soundtrack. John Musker, Ron Clements, and Osnat Shurer worked as a team to create the animations seen in Moana. The Forbes.com article has more information on the major box office success of these movies.

Also, Justin Timberlake is nominated for the Trolls soundtrack. “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. Timberlake worked with Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster on the soundtrack. Together, they composed this catchy tune’s music and lyrics.

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting this year’s Oscars. It will take place on February 26, 2017 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The Oscars will also be televised live in more than 225 countries. See all key dates here.

Tune in to ABC at 5:30pm, pacific time to watch the Oscars. Find your time zone here.

 

—– MORE —–

For more @Oscars news, see the following links:

Oscars | View full list of 2017 nominees

Time | Oscars 2017 Predictions

ABC News | 2017 Oscars noms in 60 seconds

L.A. Times | Complete list of Oscars nominations

94.7 The Wave | Justin Timberlake, Lin-Manuel Miranda nominated

2017 People’s Choice Awards highlights

Posted on by artsnla

Written by Giavanna Foster

The 43rd annual People’s Choice Awards took place at Los Angeles’s Microsoft Theater on January 18, 2017. Joel McHale hosted this telecast, which aired on CBS. According to Showbuzz, the televised broadcast was viewed by over 6.5 million people. Here are the highlights:

Ellen DeGeneres made history by winning three awards, including Favorite Daytime TV Host, at the 2017 telecast. She also won a People’s Choice Award for Finding Dory, which was voted as the favorite family movie.

With these awards, DeGeneres became the first person to win a record-breaking total of 20 People’s Choice Awards. Justin Timberlake congratulated Ellen DeGeneres during his introduction speech. Timberlake said that Ellen is the most decorated winner in history and referred to her as “one of the best people on this planet”.

Ellen’s acceptance speech had a friendly sense of humor. She mentioned that winning 20 awards meant a lot because the people voted for her. Ellen also talked about mashed potatoes, traffic, and her love of animals.

“This is amazing,” DeGeneres expressed during her speech. “Seventeen, I get it. Eighteen, sure. Nineteen, I can see that. But 20 is outrageous. This is… This is really something that means, um, more to me… because it comes from the people… I say thank you, people, and the only thing that would make me happier… if it was voted on by animals.”

She concluded her speech on a sincere note. “Thank you all very much. I love you”, Ellen said to the cheering audience. People’s Choice tweeted a link to the video while congratulating Ellen on her success.

Click the tweet to watch Ellen’s acceptance speech.

Timberlake won the People’s Choice award for favorite song with the Trolls soundtrack, “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. He also won the Favorite Male Artist award. “Thank you”, he said. He said the experience was awesome and added that he was under dressed. He expressed his joy of being onstage before mentioning that he was on the 101 freeway eight minutes ago. He thanked Max, Yohan, and the fans. Timberlake then mentioned the two favorite people in his life, his wife and son, before firing the nanny live. Timberlake said that his son was the muse behind “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. Click Justin Timberlake’s picture to watch his speech.

Melissa McCarthy received the “Favorite Comedic Movie Actress” People’s Choice Award. She is well known as Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and Megan Price in Bridesmaids. This is McCarthy’s fourth People’s Choice Awards win. During McCarthy’s speech, she said that she is a fan of people. McCarthy mentioned that she is grateful to go to work and do what she loves. She then called the other nominees in this category “amazing women”. McCarthy thanked the lovely ladies in this category, as well as the fans that support her. She then thanked everyone for putting up with her bits. Click Melissa McCarthy’s picture to watch her speech.

Blake Lively won her first award for “Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress” category. She thanked everyone and mentioned that her win meant a lot to her. “My mom, she always taught me as a kid that you can’t ever let anyone limit you. Don’t ever let anyone tell you there’s something you can’t do,” Lively said. “Thanks, Mom.” Lively called herself an ambitious kid before adding that she set her first goal as a little girl: meet the Spice Girls. Blake Lively expressed her love towards the Spice Girls and their embodiment of girl power.

She continued, “Thank you for sending a message to Hollywood that people want to hear stories about women,” she continued, “and we want to hear your stories. Whether it’s social media, your iPhone — whatever, tell your stories, now more than ever. You need to be heard, you are valuable, and no one can limit you! Thank you, guys, and thank you to my husband.”

Blake Shelton won three People’s Choice Awards this year, including favorite album for If I’m Honest. Victoria Justice presented Shelton’s award for “Favorite album”. He thanked everyone who voted for him, Warner, “hottest date out here tonight, Gwen Stefani”. He won after performing at the People’s Choice Awards. To add, Shelton is well-known for being a coach on “The Voice”. This year, the NBC television series won its 4th consecutive People’s Choice Awards for the favorite competition TV show category. Click Blake Shelton’s picture to watch his acceptance speech.

With 4 nominations apiece, Drake and Rihanna are this year’s leading nominees at the People’s Choice Awards. Grey’s Anatomy, Outlander, This is Us, and Good Morning America were among the top television picks.

The People’s Choice Award for CBS.com’s favorite digital obsession went to the mannequin challenge. The full list of winners include Lilly Singh, Rihanna, Niall Horan, Britney Spears, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Britney Spears tweeted to her fans after winning 4 awards, including Favorite Female Artist. “This goes out to The Britney Army! 4 Awards last night… can’t believe it. Love you all so much 💕 ,” Spears tweeted. See the tweet below:

https://twitter.com/britneyspears/status/822134265135722497

Read more about your favorites below in the “More” section.

 

—– MORE —–

Interested in more #PCAs news? See the following links:

Billboard | See the Full List of #PCA2017 Winners

CBS | People’s Choice Awards 2017 Highlights

NY Mag | See the #PCA2017 Red Carpet Looks

People | PHOTOS: 10 Standout Moments of 2017 #PCAs

The Wrap | #PCA2017 grows 10 percent in viewers

Rihanna receives Vanguard Award and 2016 MTV Video Music Awards recap

Posted on by artsnla

Written by Giavanna Foster

The 2016 VMAs took place on August 28 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. This star-studded event featured the latest trending videos and fan favorites. The list of presenters included Jimmy Fallon, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, Fifth Harmony, Drake, and Kim Kardashian. Here is the recap:

Rihanna shined bright like a diamond at the VMAs, as she was one of the biggest winners of the evening. She opened and closed the show with a 4-part set that featured a shuffled selection of her hit songs. This list includes “Only Girl (In the World)”, “We Found Love”, and “Diamonds”. Mary J. Blige introduced Rihanna’s closing number,”Love On The Brain”. (Rihanna also performed this soulful tune at the Billboard Music Awards.)

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Also, Rihanna is this year’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award recipient. With over 64 million Twitter followers, Rihanna has made her mark in the industry as an international icon that impacts music, pop culture, fashion, film, and philanthropy. She is also the best-selling digital artist. Watch her MTV Vanguard Award speech below:

At 28, Rihanna joins the prestigious list of Vanguard Award recipients that include Justin Timberlake, Madonna, and Britney Spears. Drake presented the Vanguard Award to Rihanna. Drake also delivered a heartfelt and respectful speech. In the speech, he said that Rihanna is “a living, breathing legend”.

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Beyoncé was another big winner at the VMAs. This year Beyoncé won 8 VMA awards and she was nominated for 11 categories. “Formation” received 6 awards that include Best Direction and Best Pop Video. It also won the Video of the Year award, which Jimmy Fallon presented to Beyoncé. “Hold Up” received the Best Female Video award. Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman presented this VMA award.

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Adele received 8 nominations at this year’s VMAs along with well-deserved recognition on YouTube. Adele’s “Hello” received 7 nominations that include Best Editing, Best Female Video, Cinematography, and Visual Effects. “Hello” has achieved the rare milestone of being featured in the top 10 most viewed YouTube videos of all time. Right now “Hello” stands strong at #6 with 1.7 billion views on YouTube. “Hello” reached 1 billion views on YouTube in 87 days, breaking Psy’s record.

The Chainsmokers and Halsey delivered an intimate performance of “Closer”. Their show featured strategic blue lighting, keyboard players, raw vocals, and lots of confetti at the end. “Closer” debuted at #1 on the iTunes singles chart. It joined Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, and others in the top 10 iTunes charts.

Then Kim Kardashian announced Britney Spears and G-Eazy‘s entrance to the VMAs stage. They performed “Me, Myself & I” and “Make Me…”, which is from her new album Glory. This performance featured structured choreography and colorful lighting.

Britney thanked her fans by sending a sincere tweet after the show. “Tonight was unforgettable 💫 Thank you and thank you to my amazing fans!”, Spears tweeted.8 31 2016 DNCE Best New Artist.jpg

Fifth Harmony presented the Best New Artist award to DNCE. Then Joe Jonas spoke on behalf of the group. Jonas mentioned the power of creating and evolving as an artist in his speech. The experience of winning Best New Artist was surreal for the group, as they later expressed gratitude towards their fans with this tweet. DNCE’s win proves that tenacity and hard work pays off in the long run. Success is always possible when you make a daily commitment to your dream goals. Don’t stop believing.