NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

  I got into Kye Kye in 2013 when I was also staring to listen to K-pop. The Christian electronic band made up of Estonian-born, Portland, Oregon-based siblings with their vaguely spiritual, etherial pop music never quite caught on with any part of the Christian music scene. Maybe they were too artistic for the Christian pop world and not heavy enough for the Christian rock world. The band is still around today, though not releasing Christian music. Today I wanted to delve into their remix EP, Young Love .  1. " Broke ." This is a remix of the band's single from the record. I remember it kept losing on RadioU 's Battle of the Buzz   but when it was released in regular rotation, it caught on and even topped their countdown show, TMW . 2. " Introduce Myself ." On the album Young Love , "Introduce Myself" is kind of a mundane track; a kind of meandering intro to public speaking class that breaks the rules of good speech writing. As a dubstep track,

Writing a song that an entire nation sings for a year or more is no small feat. In 2018, the K-pop band iKon released a single that was hummed by the elderly and even banned in some elementary schools for what teachers and administrators said was inappropriate lyrics, but was really about the students singing it excessively. Unlike some K-pop bands, iKon's members are often involved with the songwriting process.  Kim Han-bin (김한빈), better known by his stage name B.I , took inspiration from the ending scene from the 2016 musical La La Land when writing iKon's " Love Scenario ," the song that was called "The Song of the Year" in South Korea in 2018. THE LOVE SCENARIO WAS CREATED AND NOW THE LIGHTS ARE OFF. Spoiler alert: In the final scene of La La Land, Mia ( Emma Stone ) and Sebastian ( Ryan Gosling ) play out a "love scenario" which plays to a beautiful instrumental fantasia. In this fantasy, Mia and Sebastian imagine themselves together, patch

In 2003, Stacie Orrico was among a spate of Christian artists crossing over to secular radio. At that time, it seemed like every act was secretly Christian. Stacie Orrico's breakthrough record as a Christian artist came when ForeFront Records released Genuine in 2000. The record sold well and several singles were released including the biggest hit " Don't Look At Me ," which topped the Christian Hit Radio charts for eight weeks.   CHASING DOWN EVERY TEMPORARY HIGH TO SATISFY ME.  Stacie Orrico's   first record was unambiguously Christian. Though she dealt with teenage issues, her thesis lay in the message of her biggest hit, "Don't look at me, look at Him," meaning Jesus. But "Don't Look At Me" didn't have a music video. Christian labels often released one music video per album because videos are a great expense and the record sales often didn't mirror general market acts. Orrico's team chose to make a video for the alb

For some musical acts, it takes a while for their audience to take them seriously. Take for example Relient K . After three records of lyrics about Marylin Manson eating girlfriends , manipulating emotional girls to wear mood rings , and fantasizing about showing up to an '80s-themed prom in a pink tux listening to Tears for Fears , the band scored two mainstream pop hits from their not-quite-as-cheeky Mmhmm album.  TOO OLD TO BE GROWING UP.    Relient K's latest effort Air for Free was released in 2016 and the band continues to tour with the record. While the band gets playful with songs like " Local Construction ," " Cat ," " Mrs.  Hippopotamuses '" and " Elephant Parade ," there are serious moments on the record. One of the most serious songs is " Man ," the fifth track. Relient K's early music was almost exclusively punk rock--electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. But little by little, Relient K began introdu

When a successful band records a new record and the announces the departure of their lead singer— the face of their band, it can be industry suicide. That’s exactly what happened when Flyleaf ’s frontwoman Lacey Sturm quit the band soon after releasing their third album, 2012's New Horizons . After the car accident and death of the band’s sound engineer Rich Caldwell and after reevaluating her life, Sturm decided to quit the band to focus on her family. Before leaving, though, she and the other band members selected Kristen May , formerly of the band Vedera , to replace Sturm. PULLING ME FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. Momentum for the third Flyleaf record withered with the departure of the signature sound of their front woman. Dropping out of Flyleaf meant dropping out of all album promotion, save for the singer’s farewell videos, “ New Horizons ” and  “ Call You Out .” Kristen May stepped into touring duties immediately following Sturm’s departure. The next year, Flyleaf rele

In 2008, The Starting Line went on hiatus. Disillusioned from the recording industry after their sophomore record and major label debut, Based on a True Story, was neglected from promotion due to the band’s label, MCA being acquired by Universal Music Group and forming the sub-label Gergen Records. This prompted the band to sign to Virgin Records and release their third record, Direction . Unlike Based on a True Story, Direction was better promoted. Still, even with the new promotion the band had enough. GETTING CLOSE TO WHATEVER MATTERS. The Starting Line’s hiatus included a few tour dates together and live recordings. The band is yet to release a full-length follow up record to Direction, but in 2016 they released a three-song EP titled Anyways . Lead singer Kenny Vasoli said at Slam Dunk Records festival in 2011: “ People keep asking us when we're getting back together, and the answer I have is yesterday. And what happens when bands get together? They write music. So, we have

In 2006,   Family Force 5   debuted with their brand of 'crunk,' rap-rock punk that was comical, dancey, awkward, and overall unique. You'd be hard-pressed to find much Christian Rock on  Business Up Front/Party in the Back .  Most of the songs are about dancing in the club and falling in love. While pretty innocent, it was one of the first times a Christian Rock band invited its listeners to the club. Known for their outrageous live shows and touring with the likes of   Cobra Starship ,   30h!3 ,   Cash Cash ,   Breathe Carolina , and   The Secret Handshake , the band took a stylistic left turn when they released their sophomore record on   Tooth & Nail Records   in 2008.   Dance or Die   has much less crunk, more singing, and fewer joke songs. The band started taking themselves seriously on this record, but looking back, I wonder   who   it was for? THEY TRY TO TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT WE WILL SURVIVE . Family Force 5 is a rock band, but in their live shows they functioned