NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Last month when I wrote about Sam Tsui, Max, and Kurt Hugo Schneider's cover of Neyo's "So Sick," I talked about how Tyler Ward was my gateway drug to the world of YouTube cover artists who eventually branch out and write and produce their own music. I discovered Tyler Ward when I was bored in my dorm room and watching pop music videos--ironically of course--and saw that Ward was covering artists like Katy Perry , Far East Movement, Ke$ha, and even oldies like Oasis and Goo Goo Dolls. Starting in 2007, Ward released original music, but was mostly covering songs by the end of the '00s into the early '10s. Ward's first album stylistically flirts with rock and piano rock; however, when Ward started recording original music again, his sound was solidified as a pop singer with a penchant for non-twangy country. "Teenage Summer" is pretty typical of Tyler Ward's sound--uplifting and light. ' CAUSE WE WERE RAISED ON THESE REAL GOOD, FEEL GOOD

Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is the disco of the day. These days, pop charts are filled with DJs and features; however, in the age of disco, the featured singers often went uncredited. Today, though, in the age of powerful pop singers, a feature for a DJ can be mutually beneficial. It can either boost an up-and-coming DJ or boost and up-and-coming singer. Today's song is not one of the most popular DJs or features. The song hit number 20 on the US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in 2019. It was featured on the second To All the Boys Netflix film. ILLENIUM and Bahari are not household names, but there is something intoxicating about this smooth, repetitive pop jam, problematic lyrics and all. IT'S LIKE CHAMPAGNE/ FEEL IT POURING IN MY VEINS. When I came to Korea, I found a very conservative environment with the other missionary teachers. Just like when I chose "the most conservative (accredited) Adventist university," I had taken a leap of faith in coming to Korea. It was

After several members of the Christian Rock band Something Like Silas dissolved, some of the members came together to start a new indie rock project. The band's name was taken from a C.S. Lewis poem of the same name. Debuting in 2007, Future of Forestry has gained acclaim from music critics and the group has a modest following. They have not been hit producers; however, their music has shown up in numerous TV shows and movies. Fronted by classically-trained composer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Owyoung, who now operates the band as a solo project, Future of Forestry's music is layered and undeniably artistic. However, I just wish they would learn the rules of where to put apostrophes. YOUR HEART HAS BROUGHT YOU TO THIS LAND WHERE YOUR LOVE IS STRONG AND BOLD. "So, you're about to graduate. What are you doing next?" I asked a friend in college. My being a super-senior made me have this conversation every semester with classmates who were going on to brighter da

I n 2017 Season 2 of the highly successful Produce 101 , a reality show to make a Kpop group, premiered on South Korean broadcasting channel Mnet. Music competition shows have been popular for ages, but only on rare occasions does the group or artist translate to real-world success. Season One of Produce 101 took 101 female contestants and whiddled the candidates down to eleven group members of the highly successful girl group I.O.I. For the second season, the concept changed. This time 101 male Kpop trainees would compete to be part of Wanna One. The result was not only a more successful season two but the creation of the third most successful Kpop act of the 2010s and the band only lasted for 2 years.  THE MOMENT OUR EYES MATCH, UNBELIEVABLE THINGS HAPPEN. One of the stipulations of Wanna One’s contract was that the band would record for a year and a half and play shows for two years. In January of 2019, Wanna One played their final show, freeing all 11 members from their exclusive o

  Tim Be Told was an indie CCM band made up of mostly Asian Americans. The band toured, released singles, and got some acclaim. Founded by keyboardist and singer Timothy Ouyang , the band now is a solo act with Tim being the only remaining member. After the other musicians split in 2015, Ouyang came out as gay and Ouyang uses his project, Tim Be Told, to write songs about faith, love, and telling his stories about discovering his sexuality. Last year, Tim released his most authentic, autobiographical album under the Tim Be Told moniker, Love & Happiness  and he told his story on Matthias Roberts' podcast, Queerology .  YOU NEED KNOW IF I BELIEVE IN ME AND YOU.  " Me to You " starts out feeling like a praise & worship song. It seems like the formula I heard on CCM stations when I listened to that genre, and of course, Ouyang is well versed in that writing style. However, when says "Felt a little rush / Then our fingers touched," that line hit me. This so

On February 7, 2021, the 55th NFL Super Bowl sent mixed signals from a divided nation. You all know the story of March and April and May of 2020. There was a virus. There was a lockdown. There was a brutal murder that everyone saw. There were riots. There was a demand for change. And there was push back. As many ordinary white Americans became aware of the realties of the hardships of people of color, companies scrambled to be on the right side of history. The revolution of 2020 brought light to the realities of racism, but in many cases it seemed to be an attempt to pass the buck. Cancel culture aimed to scrub pop culture of its racist history, while companies that had first targeted white audiences started to think about incorporating diversity.  I'M GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWALS. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye is one of the biggest artists today. Better known as The Weeknd , Tesfaye has been called as the Michael Jackson of this generation. He is the most streamed artists on Spotify. While

"Weird Al" Yankovic is the king of the parody. From his early self-produced tune in of the late '70s hits on Doctor Demento to topping the Billboard albums sales chart with his 2006 masterpiece Straight Outta Lynnwood , Weird Al has stayed relevant for over 40 years, evolving with the sounds of the decades, whether it was Michael Jackson parodies in the '80s, grunge and alternative parodies in the '90s and the pop parodies of every generation. But arguably, it's Yankovic's hilarious takes on Hip-Hop that have kept the 60 year old artist up with the times. "Gangsta's Paradise"? Nah, let's rap about the Amish. "Ridin' Dirty" becomes "White N' Nerdy." And the hedonism of T.I.'s 2008 hit "Whatever You Like" keeps its title, but instead, it gets a 2008 recession lyrical modification.  THRIFT STORE JEANS FOR SALE, HALF PRICE. Let's first look at the piece that Yankovic based this song on. The T.I m