By: Megan Williams An exclusive interview with Skye Stevens. Photo: Skye Stevens Rising star Skye Stevens is definitely someone to keep an eye on. His music is guaranteed to make you want to get up and dance-his first single “Takes All Night” earned him a well-deserved spot in the Top 20 of the Billboard Dance charts. Extreme talent, exuberant personality and a lot of hard work have already taken Skye to some incredible heights, and it looks as though he has no intention of slowing down. He describes his music as “a fusion of pop, dance, with an R&B/Urban undertone to it.” His music video for “Takes All Night” has exceeded one million views on YouTube, and now his other video for the song “Rewind” is being played in malls and outlets across the US. Aside from his obvious vocal talent, Skye displays another one of his gifts in his videos- dancing. “I was 5 years old in a dance studio and wanted to be in the front performing even though I wasn’t doing the routine correctly at all, I just wanted to be performing in the front and going for it.” He is also no stranger to performing, and watching videos of him performing live, it is evident that Skye is totally at home on the stage. Charismatic dance moves, stellar vocals and a stage presence to be envied- a chance to see Skye live is not an opportunity to be missed. “Each city (and country) has served different feelings and reactions, all unique and positive to me,” He said, when we asked where his favourite place to perform live was. “But my favorite, personally, would be the second show I ever did in a small club in Sacramento. It was the first time I just really let go and performed on stage, singing my own music and just went for it. I was dancing so hard and singing with so much passion, brought girls on stage and just let loose.” Perhaps one of the most unique things about Skye is the way in which he interacts with his fan base. A while ago Stevens started a weekly twitter chat, entitled “Sunday With Skye” which allows his fans to get to know him on a more personal level. “Even though I’m a performer at heart, and do big energy shows, off-stage I was actually kind of shy with my fans when I first started out. One Sunday I was up early and I wanted my fans to get to know me better and let down my wall, so I said “I’m up early everyone! Come spend Sunday morning with me, and ask whatever you want. Just hashtag “#SundayWithSkye” and lets hangout” and ever since then I kept doing it every Sunday, (unless I had a show, or shoot, or conflict) and stayed in touch with my close fans and met new ones from all over the world.” Photo: Skye Stevens Growing up in the entertainment world can’t be an easy thing to do, but Skye feels having been involved in auditions from a young age has helped him in his career. “I kind of feel like a child who grew up in a house that spoke several languages and can naturally jump from Spanish to English to German.” Skye told us. “I will just be walking down the street and groove and pop and lock without even realizing it or even when I’m waiting for the elevator I'll be singing a song to myself. It’s natural for me to be creative and do creative things, its something I was born into and it’s now a part of my DNA.”
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By: Jaaziel Job We hope to one day be able to successfully dabble in as many genres as those bands have and still connect with people who like their music loud and robot-free. Photo: Vicky Kao Meet Ian Nichols (Vocals), Brock Tinsley (Guitar), Tim Kealey (Bass) and Kenny Saunders (Drums) - a Canadian band known as 'Double Experience'. Identifying themselves as a 'Neo-Nerd Rock' band, the lads have toured parts of North America and the UK. What exactly is Double Experience all about? What inspires them? We find out more in this exclusive interview with Brock Tinsley. Introduce yourself - what defines ' Double Experience'? Double Experience is all about bringing the roll back into rock music. Our genre has been slowly refining itself over half a century so it's time a band combined this technological and creative progress with the original spirit of taking whatever is considered popular and blasting it to smithereens. Our band is living proof that you can succeed without having to play the game the same as everybody else. Who are your primary musical influences and why? Our band really looks up to bands like Queens of the Stone Age, He is Legend, Queen and Led Zeppelin. The reason being is that they all cover so much ground sonically, and all anybody can really say in response their entire catalogues are “they are a rock band”. We hope to one day be able to successfully dabble in as many genres as those bands have and still connect with people who like their music loud and robot-free. Tell us more about your experience touring Canada and the UK? Nobody is snowed-in alone in the woods in the UK, and therefore everybody is way more receptive to the idea of leaving their house to experience live music and have a drink. As for Canada, depending on the month, touring is absolutely dangerous. For example, we don't tour out to the west coast anymore after driving overnight through a blizzard in the mountains just to try and make it to the next show on time. What do you think sets you apart from other bands in the scene? We aren't selling sex, which will probably ruin our career in the long run. Too many bands have been trying too hard to perpetuate success by buying the right look or the right number of fans that they forgot that all that shit doesn't matter if your music is connecting with people. I think people start believing in our band the moment they realize we don't take their support or trust for granted by consistently entertaining them on and offstage. What's installed for 'Double Experience' in the near future? Our upcoming full length is a bit of an experiment for us. We've spent a few years just releasing singles and grinding away on the live circuit so this will be a milestone for us. Maybe afterwards, we'll see if we can get into the hologram market and tour dozens of places simultaneously. It's the only way we'll make it back to the west coast of Canada. The dedication is real. You can find out more on their official website - http://www.2xexperience.com/ By: Jaaziel Job Taylor Swift's RED Tour - Singapore / Nicky Loh Playing the first of her two ‘Red Tour’ shows here in Singapore, Country-pop princess Taylor Swift left 8000 enthralled fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a night they will remember forever. Dressed in a collared white top tucked into a pair of black high-waist shorts, the 24 year old songstress ushered in the night with an enchanting performance of 'State of Grace', an indisputable stand out track off her latest record –‘Red’. Taylor Swift's RED Tour - Singapore / Nicky Loh Despite melting in the blistering Singapore heat, Taylor kept her energy high throughout the 13 piece set - which included hot favourites like '22', ‘You Belong With Me’ and "I Knew You Were Trouble', proving not only her competence as a singer, but as a performer. Fans were electrified by the seven-time Grammy award winning singer's superb guitar solos, brilliant theatrics, and her engulfing stage presence. A great sense of nostalgia filled the stadium air as Taylor Swift smothered the audience with classics like ‘Teardrops On My Guitar’, ‘Love Story” and ‘Sparks Fly’. Taylor Swift's RED Tour - Singapore / Nicky Loh Finishing up the 90-minute concert with the upbeat number - ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, Taylor took her final bow as her loyal following of ‘Swifties’ cheered her on. Taylor Swift is arguably one of the most versatile musicians today. With her rare ability to draw people in from all walks of life, she remains a stand out act amongst her fellow musical comrades. She is The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Elvis of modern day pop culture. Armed with her signature red microphone, one can only imagine what lies in store for this charming young lady – a consummate master of her trade. LTLtv had the pleasure of interviewing the finalists of Cornetto's 'RIDE TO FAME' contest. Check out the interview below. After the hard work and sweat, local quartet 'Imprompt-3' emerged victorious and will now open for American singer Taylor Swift during the Singapore leg of her Asian tour. Congratulations boys!
By: Jaaziel Job Country-pop princess Taylor Swift has announced a second date (9th June 2014) for the Singapore leg of her Asian tour. All this comes after the unfortunate cancellation of her anticipated show in Bangkok.
The seven time grammy winning singer/songwriter last performed in Singapore in 2011 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. By: Alexandrea van Huizen Many competed for the once in a lifetime chance to open for international superstar Taylor Swift but only one act managed to take home the title. Introducing local group, Imprompt-3.
Check out Imprompt-3's very own rendition of Five For Fighting's 'Superman' below, taken from their official YouTube page. Video credit: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkVu8jol2Pp9ifR2J4bmgw/feed By: Megan Williams Lily Singh with Fans. /Photo: Lily Singh This weekend, the YouTube FanFest returned to Singapore, bringing excitement, hilarity and some wonderful YouTubers along with it. The event was made up of three live shows and a chaotic red carpet event, giving fans the unique opportunity to connect with their online heroes. It brought together both international and regional YouTube creators, who have a shared audience of over 60 million subscribers. There was stand up comedy, questions and answers and even a surprise visit from the Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.De.Ap, who came to spread the word about his new record label- BMBX Entertainment. The two hosts, Dom Lau and Dee Kosh, were amusing and highly engaging-getting the crowd excited with some comedy dance moves and a few videos they had put together. The evening performance on Saturday sold out quickly and exceeded expectations! Local stars ‘Tree Potatoes’, who answered some questions before performing a hilarious improvised scene, opened the show. Next came Alodia, a cosplayer from the Philippines, whose outfit changed no less than three times during her brief appearance. Bethany Mota, a beauty guru from the states, came out next, to answer a series of tweeted questions. Fans threw all sorts of gifts onto the stage for her- the most bizarre being a pineapple! Local & Inetrnational Youtubers. /Photo: YouTube FanFest One of the highlights of the weekend was the red carpet event, which allowed people who hadn’t been able to get their hands on tickets to see the stars in person. Credit must go to the YouTubers, who all took the time to sign, and take pictures with as many fans as possible. The fans went wild for Bethany Mota, Troye Sivan, Tyler Oakley and Ryan Higa- who seemed to be crowd favorites. The enthusiasm in the atmosphere was infectious, and the feeling of anticipation was shared amongst anassemblage of an estimated 1,000 fans. Troye Sivan, Lily Singh & Tyler Oakley. /Photo: Lily Singh Ryan Higa & Bethany Mota. /Photo: Bethany Mota David Choi, Ryan Higa, Greg Saniatan, Sean Fujiyoshi. / Photo: Sean Fujiyoshi In response to roaring chants of ‘Troyler’ from the crowd, Troye Sivan and Tyler Oakley then walked onto the stage. The duo answered fan questions, which resulted in them doing impressions of each other and wearing lipstick! The show was closed by the brilliant musical act- Trick. Trick were a perfect end to a great night, with their seamless rapping and evident charisma. Tyler Oakley & Troye Sivan. /Photo: Tyler Oakley All in all, the weekend was a conclusive success, and we hope the FanFest will be back for more fun in 2015!
Singaporean Directioners, are you ready? After what feels like forever, fans in Singapore can finally rejoice! Popular UK boy band One Direction have announced they will be gracing our sunny island early next year for their 'On The Road Again 2015 Tour'. Get your tickets from Sports Hub Tix by visiting www.sportshubtix.sg or call 6333 5000. Tickets also available at Indoor Stadium Sports Hub Box Office and all SingPost outlets. Tickets go on sale on 11 June 2014 at 10AM so set your calendars! Date: 11 March 2015 Time: 8PM Location: National Stadium, SIngapore Ticket Prices: $168 (Standing) $88, $128, $148, $168, $188, $198, $388 (Seated) Check out the band's video announcement below! By: Megan Williams Photo: 5SOS After making a name for themselves online, 5 Seconds of Summer have exploded on to the music scene in recent months. Having spent 2013 touring with One Direction, the band is quickly gaining momentum, as is their fan base, and they are only just getting started. The bands origins lie in Sydney, Australia, where in 2011 three school friends-Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford and Calum Hood- launched the band by performing covers on YouTube, quickly gaining a dedicated following. They completed the band later that year when drummer Ashton Irwin joined them. The talents of these four boys seem to know no limits. The shared lead vocal sound drives their songs, with Luke’s power and impressive vocal range and Calum’s unique and slightly softer voice. Despite having opened for One Direction and being comprised of four young heartthrobs, these boys are not to be attached to the “boy band” stigma. They play their own instruments with talent beyond their years and write their own music. What is perhaps even more distinctive is that the boys formed the band as genuine friends, and were not built by record or television executives. Photo: 5SOS Their first ever music release, a pop-punk inspired EP titled ‘Unplugged” reached number 3 on the Australian charts in 2012, a huge victory for the four boys. 2 years later, their single “She Looks So Perfect” reached number 1 in 39 countries! “She Looks So Perfect” is everything you love about boybands, the effortless harmonies and light-hearted lyrics, but deliciously edged with a touch of rebellion. With a brilliant collection of hooks it chases a love story vibe and is filled with promises of escape. The song showcases their grit and personality, with a combination of cheeky lyrics and catchy tune that make SLSP hard to get out of your head. On top of this, 5SOS recently premiered an awesome comic book inspired lyric video for their up and coming single “Don’t Stop”. The view count on the video surpassed 2 million after just 6 days and the song further defines the musical path that 5SOS are set to go down. It draws influences from Green Day and All Time Low, and is guaranteed to get you on your feet and dancing.
Pair raw talent with a die hard ‘family’ of fans and you get the inexorable force that is 5 Seconds of Summer. These two components together are likely to ensure 5SOS a long term stay in the fast moving world of pop culture. YouTube short film enthusiast Anna Akana has released yet another amazing short - 'Emergency call'. The thriller is the third film Akana has released this year. The actress has promised to release a total of 12 short films in 2014! 'Emergency Call' was Written by Megan Rosati and Directed by Anna Akana.
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