MC = American Idol Judge

Mariah Carey

Last week the music and entertainment world was buzzing with the news of Mariah Carey being introduced as a judge for next season’s American Idol show. Count me as one who thought she would never accept the offer, but here we are now trying to guess who will be the third judge.  When asked, most with knowledge of the inner workings of the show seem to applaud the decision of bringing Mariah aboard. She is by far the biggest star to judge any of the reality talent shows to date. Perhaps this is the reason no one flinched when news of her $18 million dollar contract became public. Yes, that’s huge money but it was necessary to bring in a mega star like Mariah Carey.  Ryan Seacrest, American Idol host, believes that Mariah’s presence will be great for American Idol and all the potential singing stars to appear as contestants.  Seacrest reported Carey told him, "You know how I am. I'm very honest. I say what I'm thinking," to which Seacrest replied, "Great, you're gonna fit right in." Certainly her credentials in the business are indisputable: net worth over $500 million dollars, two decade career with over 200 million records sold worldwide, and a list of awards a mile long.  Mariah Carey will surely command respect from contestants’ right from the start of the season.  Although, my thoughts shift to the previous judges on the show, not just Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, but going back before them to Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. They all were at the very least worthy of respect from upcoming artist on the cusp of success. However, they have all moved on, voluntarily or not, leaving only Randy Jackson as an original judge. The overall problem with bringing in celebrity judges and active music executives is they still desire to follow their creative paths. The appeal of the large sums of television money is enough to possibly keep some folks in the judges’ seats a few seasons, but the mega stars have the ability to duplicate or even make more dollars than the AI contract might bring. Steven Tyler may have appeared to be “retired” but he and super group Aerosmith are back in the studio and set to tour again, perhaps pulling in more than his $10 million dollar AI contract. Jennifer Lopez also may be able to earn more from entertaining and acting than judging young talent. I’m sure all the judges took their American Idol responsibility seriously as will Mariah Carey. Nevertheless, I still wonder if the appeal of recording, touring and/or movie roles will pull her from the judges’ seat after only one year. Remember though, Mariah now is a mother of twins and wife to a husband with health concerns which may influence all her career decisions at this time. For now, many young singers will listen and learn from the wisdom of a real American Idol……judge.

Forever Young

The big news this past week in the music and entertainment world surrounded the Rolling Stones 50 year anniversary celebration.  The band mates all gathered for a private view of the photo exhibit at Somerset House in London. Even though this gathering was met with a great deal of excitement, band members just seemed to take it all in stride. Charlie Watts said regarding the event, "We've never been apart really," he said. "It's just they live in another part of the world – well, he [Ron Wood] doesn't, but the other two do." There is much speculation that the Rolling Stones are going to perform publicly this year and possibly record some new music. Watts also mentioned that the group had been playing together - but not rehearsing. This means the world will wait in eager anticipation of an announcement of something concrete.  As I watched this union (I cannot call it a reunion because the band never really broke up) my thoughts went a little different than most fans and admirers. When you really sit down and think about fifty years - that is a lifetime of any activity. Can you imagine working at the same job for fifty years? Although the job of a professional musician is unlike any other, there is no comparison to a 9am to 5pm regular forty hours a week employment. The work hours for a musician can be anytime during a day. In fact, studio sessions can last several days consecutively with very little if any breaks in work. Performances take place during the night and/or weekends as others enjoy time with family and friends - maybe even attending your concert. I can remember times when I just wanted to scrap an entire project and go home, only to tough it out until the end. Sure, even the 9 to 5 job can be grueling sometimes but the musician must enjoy his work in order to endure the intensified grind of a musical career. I began to reflect on the Rolling Stones spending fifty years of the tough times and the successes together, now I’m wondering if these guys are going to continue to give us music in their seventies. Another question comes to mind: How did the Rolling Stones stay together this long while so many other bands of their time have gone separate ways years ago? They have faced similar problems of drug use, creative differences, family influence and so much more. Nevertheless, the Rolling Stones have continued to create music a half century. Perhaps they have found that figurative fountain of youth. The band has continued to keep the music fresh not only for the fans but more importantly for themselves. Even though they may be seventy in age, the way they approach the creative side is still like a group of twenty year olds.

Selah Sue, Do Your Own Thing!

Selah Sue 

Sometimes if you ask any young child what they want to be when they grow up, they will give you a variety of answers. Children may never start out doing what they will eventually choose as a career in adulthood. Parents do well not to push children into a particular career path but encouragement may not be bad at all. I remember growing up I would often tell my father I was ready to start playing the trumpet. He knew it was another whim and a couple of days later I was moving on toward something else. It was not until my early teen years that I finally got serious about music and finally I was on my way. A few weeks ago, I learned about a young Belgium singer/songwriter named Selah Sue, who is taking Europe by storm. Why do I speak of her now? The reason is that Selah was not serious about a music career early in life.  “I grew up in a really little town in Belgium, and none of my family was into music,” said Selah Sue.  “As a kid, I wanted to be a ballerina. I danced from the age of six to twelve”.  How did she get from the ballet to writing songs? “I had all these worries and depressions that I wrote down, it was a way of structuring my thoughts”.  She sang in local clubs, recorded at friends’ homes and published drafts of her songs on MySpace. Oh yes, her chosen genre would be reggae, soul and funk music. As I listened to her music, I thought about the importance of artists’ performing around the world. There are a couple of generations of musicians worldwide performing reggae music thanks to Bob Marley and others making reggae accessible everywhere. Selah Sue also lists Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu as inspirations with their music also reaching the corners of the world.  What I found very interesting is that Selah Sue, without a thought of making a career in music, has attracted a large fan base and music executives and eventually secured a recording contract. This type of story is far from typical in today’s world of entertainment. Nevertheless, Selah Sue is on her way to much more success.  This all started because she just wanted to create music for people to enjoy without regard of commercial music business. Yes, success has found Selah Sue. The next big jump will be her release to US audiences. I truly feel many American fans will be drawn to her music much like her fans in Europe. One word of advice for the young singer/songwriter: whatever music you sing or write in the future, keep doing your own thing!

The Future of Socially Conscious Music

Lupe Fiasco

Nothing new? Music has always been at the base of all protests and political movements. True! However, the world political landscape is creating an abundance of material for talk show panels, media outlets, and rappers. Remember Chuck D of Public Enemy called hip hop “the CNN of the ghetto”.  Hip Hop is not just a voice for the ghetto anymore as the mainstream has elevated it into world relevance and recognition. Young and old, black, white and brown people are avid fans of hip hop music and now another wave of socially conscious musicians are finding a world of listeners. My hometown of Chicago has shaped the careers of three: Common, Rhymefest and this weeks’ featured artist Lupe Fiasco. Since Chicago is in the middle of the country, many believe it to be a major US city whose citizens have a very different outlook on the world than people from the coastal cities of  New York and Los Angeles. Musicians and definitely hip hop artists’ embrace and reflect that different outlook in their work. Moreover, Lupe Fiasco’s world outlook was most likely molded by his parents as much or more than the city of Chicago.  Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco of West African descent, he was one of nine children of Shirley, a gourmet chef, and Gregory, an engineer. His father, a member of the Black Panther Party, was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher, operating plant engineer, and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores. His parents divorced when he was five years old but his father remained in his life. Fiasco said of his father’s influence, "After school, my father would come and get us and take us out into the world—one day, we're listening to N.W.A, the next day we're listening to Ravi Shankar, the next day, he's teaching us how to shoot an AK-47, the next day, we're at karate class, the next day, we're in Chinatown..." Interestingly Lupe Fiasco initially disliked hip hop because of its use of vulgarity, and preferred listening to jazz. An avid Benny Goodman fan, Fiasco loved the clarinet but struggled to learn to play and that led him to create poetry. Fiasco is also noted for his anti-establishment views. In an interview with Stephen Colbert on the satirical news show The Colbert Report, Fiasco stated his credo on political philosophy: "You should criticize power even if you agree with it”. When you calculate all the parts of Lupe Fiasco’s life the sum is what we have now: A very good socially aware rapper. "Around My Way" Lupe Fiasco's new single is getting a lot of positive reviews from music critics which means he will continue to be a prominent fixture in the hip hop scene. What does the future hold for Lupe Fiasco and the other socially conscious musicians coming behind him?  Keep reading and watching the news around the world. Or keep listening to Lupe Fiasco!

One More Poised for Greatness!

Emeli Sande'

Musicians make it to the top of the industry from a variety of backgrounds. Some come from affluent families and others from poverty. Some come from very stable households while others from single parent families or even foster homes. Whatever the case we usually hear their experiences played out in their music. Diversity overall gives us interesting variety in people. It makes the world go around. All experiences whether in childhood or as an adult help to shape personalities and overall work ethic. I remember one of my managers at a previous media company where I worked was known for hiring people with little media experience. The manager had the idea to hire persons with desired personality traits more than work experience. The strategy paid off with a successful yet diverse department. Of course, the music industry is different than media. Nevertheless, the concept of life experience preparing persons for what lies ahead applies in any industry including music. Such is the case with newcomer Emeli Sande' who is making folks take notice of her voice. The twenty-five year old singer born to a Zambian father and English mother was raised in Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow stopping in her fourth year. She stated that education was important to her and that if her music career failed she would have something to fall back on. Medicine and music are industries far apart yet her medical background has helped to shape Emeli Sande’s songs. (Notice the video of the song “My Kind of Love” below} Her music career is coming along just fine, as she has written songs for many other singers. Emeli has also caught the attention of Simon Cowell as he calls Sande his “favorite songwriter of the minute”.  I’ve read many reviews of her music and she is compared to various artists. What seems to set her apart from others is her songwriting. In fact, she is compared much with singer Adele. This fact is easy to understand because they are both young artists coming from the UK. They even share names as Emeli Sande’s first name is Adele which she dropped due to Adele’s success. Emeli Sande' is becoming known for her own music and making a lot of new fans in the UK and the US. I encourage you to give her album “Our Version of Events” a listen and look out for her performances. There are several young singer/songwriters making their way from the UK to the rest of the world. Emeli Sande' seems to be another one poised for greatness!