5 Covers You Need In Your Life

We all love a good cover. At least I love a good cover. I noticed that lately I've been actually obsessing over five covers in particular. So in no particular order, check out my list of the top 5 covers you absolutely need in your life:

1. Nathan Sykes - "Marvin Gaye"

If you know The Wanted or you read my review of their Word of Mouth Tour way back when, this name will sound familiar to you. Nathan Sykes has since moved on after The Wanted's split and has gone and made himself a nice little solo career. His debut single "Kiss Me Quick" is gaining attention faster than I can type this and he recently announced that his next single will be called "Over And Over Again" and filming for the official music video has already begun. Check out Nathan's mashup of Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor's "Marvin Gaye" and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It on":

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Purchase Nathan's 2016 calendar here!

2. Demi Lovato - "Take Me To Church"

Can we just talk about Demi Lovato for a second though? This girl has some serious pipes. She ceases to amaze me. Demi covered Hozier's "Take Me To Church" in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge earlier this month and it was more than amazing. This powerful and soulful rendition has been replaying in my head for the past week. Recently Demi's been under fire a bit for a Tweet she posted regarding Barbie's newest Zendaya doll. All seems to be blown over for now just in time for Demi's newest album Confident! The album will be released October 16th so grab your copy! Check out Demi's incredible cover: 

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3. Conor Maynard - "Only One"

So I've never been a huge Kanye fan (don't hate me) but there's something about a Conor Maynard cover that can change my mind. If you've never heard of Conor please listen carefully because I'm about to give you some life advice: Check.This.Guy.Out. I'm serious. I love Conor and his 2012 Contrast album basically travels everywhere with me. I still don't understand why this guy isn't more popular. He is one of the greatest vocalists (in my non-influential opinion) and his latest single "Royalty" will most likely convince you that this guy is the real deal. This cover is a bit older from the beginning of this year but it's still one of my favorites. That falsetto though? I know. You can check out Conor's most recent Diplo & Sleepy Tom cover here and there are plenty more on his Youtube channel as well. Just take a minute and fall in love...

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4. An Honest Year & The Weekend Riot - "She's Kinda Hot" 

So I'm sure everyone's pretty familiar with this 5 Seconds of Summer track as it's been playing non-stop literally everywhere. But one of my personal favorites, An Honest Year, and one of my newly found favorites, The Weekend Riot, released this cover last month and I can't get enough of it! I've been lucky enough to see An Honest Year live a couple times and they never disappoint. I was super excited for this cover. I had never even heard of The Weekend Riot but they have a TON of other covers on their Youtube channel you should definitely check out. Also, An Honest Year just released the music video for their new single "Chin Up, Kid" so give that a look. But first...

Twitter: An Honest Year, Matt, Stephen, Jon, Jordan, Greg

The Weekend Riot, Johnny, Bruce

Facebook: An Honest Year, The Weekend Riot

Youtube: An Honest Year

5. Sam Smith & Disclosure - "Hotline Bling" 

Now, Sam Smith and Disclosure are known for having some amazing collabs. It's just a proven fact. Sam is pretty much the definition of singing perfection and if you don't have some sort of experience while listening to him I don't even know who you are. If you happened to read my In The Lonely Hour Tour review you'll know that I am crazy about this guy and apparently Sam is crazy about Drake! And of course he does the man justice. Sam Smith and Disclosure have a new single "Omen" which showcases just how great these guys are together. I wouldn't mind an entire Sam Smith/Disclosure album in the future so if anyone can make that happen it would be greatly appreciated. Check out the cover below:

Twitter: Sam Smith, Disclosure

Facebook: Sam Smith, Disclosure

Vevo: Sam Smith, Disclosure

Hopefully I've restored your love for a good cover video and maybe even gave you some new artists to look into. My job is done then. 

5 COVERS YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE ~ AS TOLD BY MADS

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Summer Music Must-Haves

It seems like artists have been releasing new music left and right recently. There are a handful of songs that I've been really into this first month of summer so I thought I'd share them with you guys. I listen to all kinds of music so hopefully this little list will feature something all of you can get into. Here are my 5 current summer anthems…

1. Don't Stop - 5 Seconds of Summer

This band is blowing up worldwide and I was a bit worried that they might stray away from their original vibe as their fame increased but that was far from the truth. They are better than ever and this single has literally been stuck in my head for weeks. The music video's funny and charming and probably will make you like these guys even more. I especially like the song because it features vocal leads from Michael Clifford who doesn't normally sing too many solos *for some insane reason!*. They recently performed the single at Capital FM's Summertime Ball. Their debut album is set to be released July 22nd in the states so stay on the lookout for that. Preorder the album here.

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Twitter: 5SOS, Calum, Michael,

 Ashton, Luke

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2. Well Now - Camm Hunter

This song is crazy good! Saying I'm a bit obsessed with it is probably an understatement. This Toronto native just oozes charisma and I can't get enough of his music. This song especially has a contagious beat that you can't seem to get out of your head. I'm looking forward to so much more from Camm because I honestly can see him going so far in this industry. He seems to be in the right mindset about what his sound is and raw talent like this is hard to found nowadays. Be sure to check out Camm's links below to download this single as well as his mixtape.

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3. Sunshine - Zac Mann

I've seen some mixed reviews on this song so I thought I'd just throw my opinion in for good measure. I was really looking forward to this single and the first time I listened to it I was a bit ambivalent. However, the more I listened to it, the more I really got into it. It's pretty catchy overall but what I really like is the chill sort of summer vibe that goes along with the song. Zac's singing style reminds me a bit of Trey Songz mixed with that laid-back Cali vibe we all love *especially during summer*. Maybe sharing the same hometown makes me biased but I really believe this guy has talent. He's gained quite a loyal following and I feel like this single is definitely just a taste of what's to come from this artist. 

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4. Somebody To You - The Vamps feat. Demi Lovato

I absolutely love this song! The Vamps are one of my favorite up-and-coming artists in the US. I used to have a Youtube playlist of all of their covers and I felt like I was waiting forever for original songs to be released. When "Can We Dance" came out I literally fell in love with this band all over again. All of their singles have been different from one another but equally amazing. Also, this song features Demi Lovato which naturally means I have it on repeat ALL. THE. TIME. It's just a fun song from one of the most raw and talented bands I know which makes it perfect for summer.

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Twitter: The Vamps, Tristan, Brad,

 Connor, James, Demi

Facebook: The Vamps, Demi

Youtube: The Vamps, Demi

5. Don't - Ed Sheeran

Pretty sure I speak for many when I say…it's about time. Is it just me or have we been waiting for Ed Sheeran's second album for about 93 years? Hmm. Might be exaggerating a bit. But it's finally here and there are a lot of reasons to be excited about it. This song is one of my favorites off the album *if it's possible to even like one song over another*. It's one of those songs that makes me so focused on anything I'm doing. I just get that weird head bob motion going on and I can basically take on the world. What else do you really need, honestly? You can purchase the album here. 

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SUMMER MUSIC MUST-HAVES~AS TOLD BY MADS

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Let me know what songs YOU are loving this summer! 

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!:

Twitter: 5 Seconds of Summer, Luke, Calum, Michael, Ashton

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

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