Pick of the Week--Artist You Should Know About: Ella Henderson

If you've stumbled upon this blog post for some random reason, whether you're taking a break from studying for exams or you're looking for something a bit new to add to your Youtube playlist, you are in store for a treat. I have a Pick of the Week that I am excited to post about. There's so much to expect from this up and coming artist and I can't wait to share it with you all…

Ella Henderson is an 18-year old singer/songwriter who has basically already accomplished more than I probably will in a lifetime. You may recognize Ella from the ninth season of the X Factor UK. After she was shockingly eliminated in sixth place, Ella didn't disappear from our radar at all. Currently she is signed to Syco Music (Simon Cowell's record label) and is working on her debut album, Chapter One, due to be released Fall of this year.

Let me tell you a bit about why I love this girl! Not only is her voice and performance style matured far beyond her years, she puts so much soul and emotion into every performance you can't help but feel connected to her in some way. I immediately saw something in Ella when I watched her on X Factor. Her passion for music and her insane songwriting ability is something to rival the masters. She somehow manages to maintain a perfect balance of talent, originality, maturity, and youthful spunk with every note she sings. Ella is a contender for the ages, exhibiting vocal qualities similar to that of Adele.

Fans have been patiently waiting for new Ella tunes and she has kept most of them at bay by posting covers of songs like Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" and John Newman's "Love Me Again." She has never failed to remind us of her crazy songwriting skills either. Since X Factor, she has debuted four original songs: "Evaporate," "Waiting," "Five Tattoos" (which you can check out here), and "The First Time." Despite these amazing teasers for Ella's first album, possibly the most exciting thing has been her debut single, "Ghost." The music video for the single premiered last Wednesday while the single will be released on June 8.

Ella is one of my absolute favorite young artists and I cannot wait until her album is released and I can listen to it nonstop. Being so young, Ella has so much ahead of her. There is nothing that could possibly deter her from this insane journey she is on. There is much to expect from her new music and I am positive that her natural ability and original, heartfelt lyrics will make the album just that much better. Make sure you keep an eye on Ella in the next coming months because she is bound to make a big splash in the music world.

Ella's debut single: "Ghost"

Ella's amazing Drake/John Newman mashup!

Keep up with Ella!

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ARTIST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: ELLA HENDERSON~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Bangerz Tour Update!

Looks like Miley is still cooped up in the "hospy" but one thing we can get pumped about is rescheduled tour dates! Yes, that's right, the remaining shows on the Bangerz Tour (including the Charlotte, Kansas City, and St. Louis dates) have been rescheduled. The European leg of the tour will continue as planned. As far as I am aware, all tickets purchased previously will be honored on the new tour dates. Check with your tour venue just to be sure! Happy Easter!

Rescheduled Bangerz Tour Dates:

August 1 -- Uniondale

August 2 -- Philadelphia

August 4 -- Pittsburgh

August 6 -- Charlotte

August 7 -- Nashville

August 9 -- Louisville

August 10 -- St. Louis

August 12 -- Kansas City

August 14 -- Chicago

My Almost Bangerz Tour Review...

So as most of you have probably heard, Miley Cyrus has recently been hospitalized due to a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic that was originally treating her for a sinus infection she had earlier this month. Because of this, the Bangerz Tour has taken a hard hit. After canceling her show in Charlotte on the 7th, Miley seemed to be doing just fine. This was right up until the Kansas City show which was scheduled for last Tuesday. Her hospitalization led her to cancel the show and, yes, my St. Louis show was cancelled the next day.

I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not bothered and I only want her to get better because I was DEVASTATED. It seems that Miley's case may be more serious than was previously thought. At this point, fans are rallying for Miley to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. The remaining tour dates on the Bangerz Tour will hopefully continue as planned but as of now, there is no word on when Miley will be well enough to perform.

Along with being in the hospital, Miley has had to deal with all sorts of insane accusations that she has fallen ill due to too much partying, being pregnant, or even the recent death of her dog, Floyd. Miley has taken to Twitter to express her feelings about these rumors. She seems most annoyed that she has still not been released from the hospital to continue her tour. Lots of fans have been putting up a fight to get the cancelled shows rescheduled. The main problem that has been presented with this, however, is the fact that venues are usually booked months in advance so it is difficult to reschedule shows. This defense has naturally made many fans even more upset. For them, receiving a refund on their tickets is not going to make them forget about the whole situation and move one.

For me, I was absolutely upset that the St. Louis show was cancelled. I knew that Miley had been hospitalized but I was hoping as much as I could that she would be better by Wednesday. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. It even looks like the St. Louis show will not be rescheduled. I was really looking forward to going to probably the most insane and entertaining show I had ever been to and being able to tell you guys all about it. I have been in touch with Scottrade Center and am staying completely updated on Miley's condition and will make sure to post any further developments about the Bangerz Tour.

As of now, the Nashville show has been rescheduled for August 7th and the Louisville show will take place on August 9th. All tickets purchased will be honored on the new show dates. Stay tuned for more details on the Bangerz Tour and if there will ever be a Bangerz Tour Review coming from me! *crosses fingers* Get well soon, Miley!

Miley's latest single: Adore You

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In the mean time, let me know your thoughts on the Bangerz Tour and all of this Miley drama!

MILEY CYRUS HOSPITALIZATION~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Pick of the Week--THE NEXT BIG THING: 5 Seconds of Summer

This Pick of the Week is a bit different from others because instead of telling you about an artist you should know about, I'm going to tell you about an artist that EVERYONE knows about. After coming across them back in 2012, I've been so excited to see how far they have come in just a few short years. If you haven't heard of these guys, you definitely will in 2014. This band has been slowly conquering the music world and are on the fast track to becoming the next big thing, that is, if they aren't already…

5 Seconds of Summer: (from left) Michael Clifford,
Calum Hood, Luke Hemmings, Ashton Irwin

5 Seconds of Summer is a Sydney based pop/rock band composed of Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, and Calum Hood. 5SOS was officially formed back in 2011 with the addition of Irwin as the band's drummer. Before Ashton's entrance, Michael, Calum, and Luke posted covers of songs on Youtube such as "I Miss You" by Blink-182 and "Next To You" by Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. The covers continued as the three-piece band became a four-piece and posted their own renditions of artists like Wheatus and All Time Low.

In May of 2012, 5SOS posted an acoustic video for their original song, "Gotta Get Out." This song was later featured on their first EP: Unplugged. The release of their EP followed shortly after their first headlining tour hitting Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. The band was then quickly back on the road touring Australia on their Twenty Twelve Tour. In December 2012, 5 Seconds of Summer released their debut studio EP, Somewhere New. The EP featured fan favorites like "Gotta Get Out" and "Out Of My Limit" as well as two additional tracks: "Unpredictable" and "Beside You."


2013 was a HUGE year for 5 Seconds of Summer with the release of their single, "Heartbreak Girl." This song was a quick hit among their rapidly growing fanbase. One Direction caught wind of this sudden 5SOS craze and reached out to the band offering them a spot as the opening act of their Take Me Home World Tour. This helped launch 5SOS even further into the professional music world and gained them even more fans who were beyond thrilled when the music video for their song "Try Hard" was released. Since last year, 5 Seconds of Summer has released their latest worldwide single, "She Looks So Perfect," as well as their brand new She Looks So Perfect EP. They've even launched their own independent record label, Hi Or Hey Records, in partnership with Capitol Records. With their latest single hitting #2 in the US charts, 5SOS are gearing up to be the next big thing especially with their announcement that they will once again be opening for One Direction later this year in the UK, Europe, and the US on 1D's Where We Are Tour.

5SOS has been hard at work touring all over the world and writing new songs that are bound to be hits. The band will be returning home to go on an Australian tour in May but will soon be back in the states on their first US headlining tour. You can check out the dates for these two tours here. There is so much in store for 5 Seconds of Summer in the coming months and I strongly encourage you to go see them if they come to a city near you. They are fantastic, naturally-talented performers who have nothing but a great time onstage. Check out their music on iTunes and see for yourself why they are the next big thing!

5SOS' latest single "She Looks So Perfect"!

Check out the band's video for their 2013 hit

"Heartbreak Girl":

Keep up with everything 5SOS!:

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THE NEXT BIG THING: 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Pick of the Week--Artist You Should Know About: Rixton

There's just something about bands who play their own instruments that makes me want to drop everything and live on their Youtube channel for days. It just makes them that much more REAL. It gives them that extra je ne sais quoi in the talent department. I've been really into a particular group of musicians the past few weeks and they are definitely an artist you should know about…

Rixton (formerly known as Relics) is a four-piece Pop/Rock/R&B band made up of Jake Roche, Charley Bagnall, Lewi Morgan, and Danny Wilkin. These Manchester natives have developed quite the following on Youtube with their remastered covers of artists from Taylor Swift and Usher to Sisqo's "The Thong Song." Yes, it's true. They covered "The Thong Song" and it wasn't horrific. It was actually quite amazing. If I hadn't believed that these guys had something special before listening to that cover, I definitely do now. Check out their cover of "The Thong Song" here. It's absolutely worth a listen.

Rixton: (from left) Lewi Morgan, Danny Wilkin,
Jake Roche, Charley Bagnall

Rixton just recently released their US debut EP: Me And My Broken Heart EP. The foursome went on a bit of a road trip across the US radioverse promoting their first single, "Me And My Broken Heart." They have already gained a dedicated following in the states evident by their single entering in the top 50 on iTunes and reaching #1 on 102.7 KIIS-FM's top 9 at 9. Their popularity seems to be rising like crazy especially with the anticipation of their debut album due out this year. With their abundance of originality and lead singer Jake's out-of-this-world vocals which are literally unlike anything I think I have ever heard, Rixton are bound to catch the attention of big-name talent managers. And they've already done just that with one Scooter Braun.

Now I'm naturally a bit skeptical about this Scooter Braun business because of everything that has gone down with The Wanted recently. The Wanted announcing their "break" hit a lot of fans really hard and have lead to numerous rumors about Rixton being a sort of "replacement." Now whether this is true or not, I'm not going to attempt to dissect the mind of Scooter Braun. What I have mainly picked up on is that people are hesitant to jump on the Rixton train because of this assumption that Scooter Braun ditched The Wanted and needed to fill the empty boyband slot. People are drawing all sorts of conclusions about this whole ordeal but, in reality, Rixton are a crazy talented band that can pull off a sort of Maroon 5 vibe perfectly while still being able to sound original and ooze potential to be the next big thing. I can't get enough of Rixton right now and I have no doubt in my mind that I will be wearing out the replay button once their album is released.

The Rixton guys are set to perform at 103.5 KISS' Fantabulo 2014 show in May along with Timeflies, Austin Mahone, and Jason Derulo. They are doing a few shows here and there over the next few months in the UK and US. You can find all of these dates on their website. Also, make sure you don't miss their "Rixton Roundup" videos where you can see what the band is up to basically 24/7. I can't wait to see how far Rixton will go this year with new music releases and hopefully announcing a tour…or two…or three…? Challenge accepted.

"Me And My Broken Heart" by Rixton:

Rixton's latest single: "Make Out":

Rixton's cover of "Ignition" by R.Kelly!

Keep up with all things Rixton!:

Twitter: Rixton, Lewi, Jake, Danny, Charley

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ARTIST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: RIXTON~AS TOLD BY MADS
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