Tag Archives: Justin Bieber
Ice Conduit to the 2013 JUNOs: ALBUM OF THE YEAR Nominees
Normally, the JUNOs honour democracy by giving this award to the best-selling album. Last year, Michael Bublé’s Christmas took the award. It was the second best-selling album in the world, outsold only by Adele’s 21. The best-selling Canadian album in the world last year was Justin Bieber’s Believe, while domestically, it was Céline Dion’s Sans Attendre. It would certainly be fabulous to see either the work of a youth or a Francophone album nab the award. Hedley’s Storms which continued to sell well last year won the Pop Album award last year. New to the international scene, Carly Rae Jepsen is up for the award for her second LP Kiss as is Marianas Trench for Ever After. Below are some tidbits about the artists and the albums.
Carly Rae Jepsen, Kiss
Mission, BC’s pop princess is up for five JUNO awards this year, adding to her two nominations from 2010. Kiss is her second full-length album, the first being Tug of War. In-between the two, she released her EP Curiosity. Kiss was named by Allmusic.com as 2012′s tenth best album in the world and has achieved gold certification in Canada. It contains the best-selling Canadian single of all-time domestically, “Call Me Maybe” (7x platinum), a re-mix of her Top 20 gold hit “Curiosity”, #1 hit “Good Time” with Owl City, Top 40 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Beautiful”, Top 30 hit “This Kiss”, and her current charting single “Tonight I’m Getting Over You”.
Céline Dion, Sans Attendre
The Charlemagne, Québec native is the best-selling Canadian recording artist of all-time worldwide. Currently, having sold 114 million records, she ranks 11th in the world. The album title, literally meaning “without waiting”, was the only triple platinum Canadian release in 2012. Sans Attendre contains three duets with prominent singers: legendary Canadian Jean-Pierre Ferland, Johnny Hallyday (best-selling French recording artist of all-time), and Caribbean singer Henri Salvador. As the latter is no longer with us, this is a virtual duet. The first single from the album “Parler à mon père” peaked at #53 on the Canadian Hot 100, a respectable feat for a Francophone tune. It was the year’s 77th biggest song in France. “Les Petits Pieds de Lea” made it to #80 on the Canadian Hot 100. Dion has won 20 JUNO awards.
Hedley, Storms
The BC band’s 4th studio album won the JUNO for Pop Album of the Year last year. It has since attained platinum certification. The album spawned hit single “Invincible”, a Top 10 hit, and “One Life”, a Top 20 hit. Both songs made the year-end charts. Hedley released “Kiss You Inside Out” as a separate single later on. It became the band’s best-selling single, peaking at #2 and finishing 2012 as the 2nd biggest Canadian song of the year. Due to its success, Hedley re-released Storms to include the single. The band has so far won two JUNO awards.
Justin Bieber, Believe
Stratford, Ontario’s 19-year-old Justin Bieber has won 3 JUNOs thus far including one for Pop Album of the Year in 2011 (for My World 2.0). Believe was the world’s best-selling album from a Canadian artist in 2012 and a double-platinum release at home. It debuted at #1 in 30 countries and sold 57,000 copies domestically in its first week of release. Bieber has sold a million records in Canada so far. Believe spawned five Top 20 hit singles: “Boyfriend” (#1), “Die in Your Arms” (#14), “All Around the World” (#10), “As Long as You Love Me” (#9), and “Beauty and a Beat” (#4). It title track also made the Canadian Hot 100.
Marianas Trench, Ever After
The Trench have yet to win a JUNO award. Prior to this year, they had received two nominations. This year they are up for three. Ever After is the Vancouver band’s 3rd album and has been certified platinum. The album has spawned four hit singles: “Haven’t Had Enough” (#9), “Fallout” (#26), “Desperate Measures” (#20), and “Stutter” (#28). The first three all made the year-end Top 100, and the fourth is their current hit. Ever After is a concept album the songs of which are like chapters of a continuous fairy tale type story. There are no pauses between the individual tracks.
Comparing the Albums
| TITLE | CERTIFICATION | LP CHRONOLOGY | HIT SINGLES* |
| KISS | Gold | 2nd | 6 |
| SANS ATTENDRE | 3x Platinum | 25th | 2 |
| STORMS | Platinum | 4th | 3 |
| BELIEVE | 2x Platinum | 3rd | 6 |
| EVER AFTER | Platinum | 3rd | 4 |
* Tracks from the album that have to date made the Canadian Hot 100.
Comparing the Artists
| ARTIST | JUNO AWARDS TO DATE | HIGHEST CERTIFICATION ON A RECORD |
| Carly Rae Jepsen | 0 | 7x Platinum |
| Céline Dion | 20 | Diamond |
| Hedley | 2 | 3x Platinum |
| Justin Bieber | 3 | 3x Platinum |
| Marianas Trench | 0 | 2x Platinum |
Ice Conduit to the 2013 JUNOs: POP ALBUM Nominees
Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen
Mission, BC’s pop princess is up for five JUNO awards this year, adding to her two nominations from 2010. Kiss is her second full-length album, the first being Tug of War. In-between the two, she released her EP Curiosity. Kiss was named by Allmusic.com as 2012′s tenth best album in the world and has achieved gold certification in Canada. It contains the best-selling Canadian single of all-time domestically, “Call Me Maybe” (7x platinum), a re-mix of her Top 20 gold hit “Curiosity”, Top 40 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Beautiful”, Top 30 hit “This Kiss”, and her current charting single “Tonight I’m Getting Over You”.
Kiss on iTunes Carly Rae Jepsen’s Website
Believe by Justin Bieber
Stratford, Ontario’s Justin Bieber has won 3 JUNOs thus far including one for Pop Album of the Year in 2011 (for My World 2.0). Believe was the world’s best-selling album from a Canadian artist in 2012 and a double-platinum release at home. It debuted at #1 in 30 countries and sold 57,000 copies domestically in its first week of release. Bieber has sold a million records in Canada so far. Believe spawned five Top 20 hit singles: “Boyfriend” (#1), “Die in Your Arms” (#14), “All Around the World” (#10), “As Long as You Love Me” (#9), and ”Beauty and a Beat” (#4).
Believe on iTunes Justin Bieber’s Website
Tell the World by Kristina Maria
Ottawa’s, Kristina Maria so impressed Céline Dion’s producer Vito Luprano, he came out of retirement to help her launch her career. She was featured on CBC’s The National and released her debut album last year co-writing songs with big names around the world. Tell the World contains three gold singles: “Let’s Play”, “Our Song Comes On”, and “Co-Pilot” as well as her current smash, “Karma”. This is Kristina’s first JUNO nomination, and she has also received Canadian Radio Music Award nominations including SOCAN Song of the Year for her hit single “Let’s Play”.
Tell the World on iTunes Kristina Maria’s Website
The Spirit Indestructible by Nelly Furtado
This was one of the most anticipated releases of the year, as Victoria, BC’s multi-platinum songstress Nelly Furtado has already snatched up 10 JUNO awards. As well, she was the only Canadian artist through the first decade of the new millennium to win a BRIT award. She has also won Grammy awards (U.S.) and has a star on our Walk of Fame. The Spirit Indestructible, her 5th studio album, continues her legacy of creating culturally rich fusion pop and spawned her Top 30 hit “Big Hoops” after her internationally successful collaboration with K’Naan (“Is Anybody Out There”).
The Spirit Indestructible on iTunes Nelly Furtado’s Website
Shut Up and Dance by Victoria Duffield
The Canadian Music Blog chose this as 2012′s Album of the Year and is the teen star’s first full-length album. She is from Abbotsford, BC. Besides a successful recording artist, Victoria is also a superb dancer and actress. She appeared on YTV’s The Next Star, was signed to Warner Music, teamed up with hit-maker Ryan Stewart, and released platinum single “Shut Up and Dance”. She topped the Billboard Year-End Emerging Canadian Artists Chart for 2012. “Feel” and “Break My Heart” were Top 40 hits, and the album contains her collaboration with Cody Simpson, “They Don’t Know About Us”. This is Victoria’s first JUNO nomination. She is also up for three Canadian Radio Music Awards.
Shut Up and Dance on iTunes Victoria Duffield’s Website
Canadian Music Blog’s Top 20 Song Faves of 2012, Part 1: #20 to #11
PREAMBLE
Considering that some 8,000 songs from Canadian artists came out in 2012, coming up with the top 200 would have be difficult enough, but the top 20 was extremely difficult! To make things easier (and a fairer and tidier list), we allowed only one entry per artist.
Equally difficult was trying to decide whether a song could be considered a 2012 song. The biggest song of the year, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” was released in 2011. But we think of it as a 2012 song because that’s when it enjoyed its biggest chart success. Below are a list of rules about which songs were eligible for our list.
ELIGIBILITY
1. For songs on albums not released as singles, the album had to have been released in 2012.
2. For non Hot 100 charting singles, the release date had to be in 2012.
3. For charting singles, the song had to reach its Hot 100 peak position during 2012.
4. If a song was included on our Faves list for the previous year but ended up being released as a single or charting this year, we will not re-include it on this year’s Faves list.
5. All songs eligible had to be in whole or in part credited to and performed by a Canadian artist whether or not it was composed by a Canadian.
PROCESS
As with our albums list, we listened to all 2012 songs shortlisting the ones we loved, then ranking them at the end of the year. We were not at all swayed by how popular (or unpopular) a song was or what the genre was.
We have included the cover art for singles. For album non-single songs, we framed the album cover with the song’s name on the frame.
THE LIST…
#20. “You and I” by Anjulie
JUNO-nominated, platinum-selling Oakville recording artist Anjulie is one of the most stylish and exquisite songwriters in the country, not to mention a talented musician and very good singer to boot. This year she released 3 gourmet singles and it was a tough call picking our favourite. We’re settling on Top 30 (currently) “You and I” which pays homage to 1970s dance music while still remaining distinctively fresh and modern. It begins in a simple vein on acoustic guitar strums and builds into a star-soaring, beat thumping chorus, complete with revving keyboard riffs. This was one of 2012′s precious treasures, simply beautiful.
#19. “Love” by Raghav
Gold single “Fire” was one of the most delightful songs of 2011. Calgary’s JUNO-nominated Raghav was the only artist from anywhere in the world to score three Top 10 singles in the UK in 2004 having launched his career from Britain. He released his long awaited album The Phoenix in home country of Canada this year. Raghav’s gorgeous ballad “Love” was originally written for Michael Jackson and was released as a single late in the year. With catchy lyrics “Is this what they call love? Is this what all the fuss is about? If so, let me out!”, unpredictable and detailed hooks, and some sweet singing, this was definitely one of the best songs of the year.
#18. “Tough Love” by Suzie McNeil
This Mississauga native, currently signed to Vancouver label 604 Records, is a fabulous singer best known perhaps for her song “Supergirl” which made the year-end top 100 of 2009. Suzie is blessed with a versatile voice, handling both softer and harder rock with ease. She released her 3rd studio album this year, Dear Love, three tracks of which have been released as singles. She co-wrote “Tough Love”, the album’s 3rd single, with Marianas Trench frontman Josh Ramsay. This magnificent song which should have been a huge hit is Katy Perry rolled up with Joan Jett, i.e. lovely but tough. This song is like a battle between mischievous Cupid and Supergirl Suzie.
#17. “The Love You Gave” by Elisapie
Her album Travelling Love was one of our favourites of the year and this track stood out the most for us. Elisapie, previously in JUNO award winning duo Taima, is zooming ahead in her solo career’s skidoo as her second album shifted gears from her folky roots to a more pop/rock sound. The song is a savoury blend of spicy keyboards, sweet vocals, bitter beat, salty guitars, with backing choir, handclaps, and even a 70s style guitar solo. In short, “The Love You Gave” is perfect from every standpoint including composition, arrangement, delivery, and production. It’s no wonder that iTunes selected this song as one of their “songs of the week”.
#16. “Castle in the Cloud” by Stef Lang
A cool groove that has the beauty to stop you in your tracks is this little jewel written, delivered, recorded, and produced by British Columbian independent artist Stef Lang. After releasing radio friendly EP Fighting Mirrors earlier in the year that spawned airwave played “Paper Doll” and moreover after laying the vocals on two tracks off Delerium’s latest album Music Box Opera, she created LP Self, our 9th favourite of 2012. This track was our pick of the bunch, though just about any selection from the album could easily be placed here. While many of the more popular tunes this year got away with bearing too much resemblance to a hit of the past, this is a very original composition.
#15. “The Veldt” by deadmau5
Canada’s best-known EDM musician who composes but does not normally sing recruited Chris James to deliver the vocals on what sounds like a track inspired by Carol Anne Freeling in Poltergeist. One thing we know for sure is that the title came from a short sci-fi story by Ray Bradbury. Deadmau5 first created the tune on a live streaming session and then discovered Chris’ vocal rendition of it via Twitter. He invited Chris to perform on the official recording. The single came out just one month prior to Bradbury’s passing. “The Veldt” peaked on the Hot 100 at #24 and was the 75th most popular song of the year. To date, deadmau5 has won 4 JUNO awards.
#14. “Beauty and a Beat” by Justin Bieber
Believe was the most internationally successful Canadian album of the year and was certified double platinum at home. Of several singles released from the LP, we favoured this one best which is just a blast with its playful style and funky bass. The song was composed by internationally acclaimed songwriters Max Martin (Sweden), Anton Zaslavski (Russian-German), and Savan Kotecha (American) and it features a short and sweet spoken word segment with Nicki Minaj. “Beauty and a Beat” debuted on the Hot 100 at #47, disappeared the following week, and then re-entered 16 weeks later, peaking at #4. It has gone gold. Justin Bieber has won three JUNO awards.
#13. “So Happy I Could Die” by Bif Naked
JUNO-nominated and platinum-selling (not to mention humourist, motivational speaker, and comic cartoonist) Bif Naked in recent years underwent a successful battle against cancer. This year she released an album of mostly acoustic versions of her biggest hits plus a couple of new songs, Bif Naked Forever: (Acoustic Hits & Other Delights). In teaming up with Ryan Stewart, “So Happy I Could Die” is her welcome tribute to dance pop with a fantastic beat punctuated by her classic and lovable nasally vocals. “So here goes. I decided that’s enough. And it shows. I’m a fighter; I am tough” pretty much sums up the lessons she has learned from her experience.
#12. “Satellite” by Andrew Allen
Vernon, British Columbia, situated in the beautiful Okanagan valley, is the hometown of emerging recording artist Andrew Allen. Having enjoyed some radio hits, most notably the 3-million-plus YouTube viewed “Loving You Tonight”, Andrew launched his delicious dance-pop tune “Satellite” after scoring a charting single “I Want You” earlier in the year. Pulsating, percolating, and bubbling ’round the maple tree, the song is quite the embodiment of the touring lifestyle to which Allen has no doubt grown accustomed. 2012 was the year that Canadians became dance pop specialists and Allen is yet another example of such greatness.
#11. “Kiss You Inside Out” (Bilingual Version) by Hedley ft. Andrée-Anne Leclerc
The addition of Star Academie finalist Andrée-Anne Leclerc to perform a bilingual duet with Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard converted a good song into a great song and transformed something that could pass for a tune from any country into one that was distinctively Canadian. “Kiss You Inside Out”, released outside of JUNO-winning album Storms as a separate single, reached #2 on the weekly Hot 100 and was the second biggest Canadian hit of the year (after “Call Me Maybe”) in 19th spot on the year-end Billboard Hot 100. Given the beauty of musical composition, with a sweet and catchy melody, we are not surprised that this has become a triple-platinum single.
Related Posts
Top 20 Song Faves of 2012, Part 2 (#10 to #1)
Top 10 Music Video Faves of 2012
2012′s Music Video of the Year
Top 15 Album Faves of 2012
2012′s Album of the Year
Canadian Music Blog’s Top 10 Music Video Faves of 2012
We are counting down our favourite music videos of 2012. Regardless of when the song came out, to be eligible, the MV had to have been released within 2012. Sorry Jepsies, “Call Me Maybe” was released in 2011 (and was one of our favourites that year). In assembling our list, we were not concerned with how much we liked the song, simply with the video itself. If low on the violence, raunchiness, and expletive side, while beautiful to look at, clever, creative and original, had great wardrobe choices, some breathtaking cinematography, or a stellar message, the music video had a good chance of making our list. Here we go…
#10. “Love Again” by Kreesha Turner
Edmonton’s Kreesha Turner takes a journey through an iron gate and folding / pop out staircase from what looks like a video game or Fifth Element style Egyptian stone temple into an abandoned warehouse converted to a dance studio. She is greeted by a legion of hoodie-clad dancers atop blocks of stone. Turner dazzles throughout the video with a number of sleek black outfits and greets the viewers with bright-eyed sincere and confident gazes. Keep an eye out for the chandelier-lit, smash-through ceiling elevator with a nod to Charlie and Chocolate Factory. This is such a gorgeous video, it received a big thumbs up from Nelly Furtado. Watch…
#9. “Feel” by Victoria Duffield
Speaking of dancing, few can outdo Abbotsford, BC’s teen pop princess Victoria Duffield. The video begins with Victoria knocking on a formidable-looking door at a teal and vermillion wall. She enters a room with a propeller-bladed metal wall fan and lights resembling Luke Skywalker’s light saber. With her copper-coloured hair slapping through the air, she releases bursts of high energy power dancing. She proceeds with her crew through various rooms in the building all lit by lamps of various colours. In the words of Chekov, “(Sigh), I vas never zat young.” The whole video is like a fountain of youth. Watch…
#8. “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Walk off the Earth
We are not sure if Walk off the Earth are members of the Flat Earth Society, but they grabbed a novelty song from around the globe and turned it into one of the cleverest music videos of the year – five musicians cover Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” while simultaneously playing a lone guitar. Big beardie and crew taught us that you do not necessarily need a big budget and elaborate set to create an enjoyable video, just some clever ideas, skill, and talent. To date, the video has been watched on YouTube over 140 million times. Let us hope for Sarah’s sake that the men showered before they crowded her on the chesterfield, eh. Watch…
#7. “Co-Pilot” by Kristina Maria
Think about a Stress Centre and most of us would name the airport: lost luggage, long queues, jet lag, delays, taserings, getting accosted by Customs, the fear of flying, watching your new laptop get fingered by the drooling security dudes, and having your belt buckle set off the alarms. In 2012, Ottawa’s Kristina Maria came to the rescue, relieving all those pent up stresses from all of our bad experiences, by dancing up the airport with a multiethnic squadron of dancers. The video begins with a headphoned girl chuckin’ and jivin’. A security guard approaches her, and we think he is going to tell her to settle down. But unexpected twists happen and before you know it pilots and flight attendants join in the fun. Corneille adds some fabulous French for a true Canadian bilingual treat. Watch…
#6. “Le jour se lève” by Garou
This was a #1 Hit for Esther Galil in September 1971; it topped the charts in France for 4 weeks. Canadian soul singer Garou, off his bilingual album Rhythm and Blues, interprets it brilliantly. The mood the video sets is a perfect complement to the music. Looking like it comes out of an Orson Wells film, it is shot beautifully with gorgeous lighting and shadows in a night of fog, alleys, lamp posts, pool hall, and a dimly lit jazz club with a wooden revolving door. A mysterious motorcycle woman brushes shoulders with Garou on the sidewalk, and she drops something. He assumes it is a wallet, stoops down to pick it up, and finds a surprise. Watch…
#5. “I’m Just Me” by Diamond Rings
We haven’t seen a video this cool since John Foxx’s “No One Driving”. Another John (O’Regan), as Diamond Rings, fills an ominous void formed when the visionary electronic rock artists of the early 80s retired from the scene and left us surrounded by 1990s skaters in crotch-drop pants and 2000s heavily-tattooed yoga pants lovers. John reminds us why new wave fashion rocked. He combs his platinum blonde hair upwards, dons a silver space cadet uniform, holds a tennis ball with flashing lights, shows off glow-in-the-dark nail polish, slowly rotates his head adorned with diamond-themed shades, all amidst a stage set of TV screens, dry ice, and fanned out green laser beams. Watch…
#4. “Burning” by Mia Martina
Mia Martina is one of the few artists who can and does release both English and French versions of her songs, a true Canadian trooper. “Burning” offers crisp, clean, images of a high society evening in an intricately decorated indoor space graced with the presence of human flame throwers and a sax player dancing within a kaleidoscope of showering sparks of light. Mythic oil, red candles, framed mirror, a pair of sparkly shoes, gold evening gown, lots of jewellery, with ribbon rhythm dancing complete with confetti are everything a party-goer needs. You can tell a music video is good when you turn the sound off and your eyes are still glued to the screen. This is one of them. Watch: English Version French Version
#3. “Beauty and a Beat” by Justin Bieber
This video broke a VEVO record, racking up the most views ever in a 24-hour period with 10.6 million. Filmed in a clever way with a smiling Justin apparently pulling the camera while walking backwards and turning around, it was filmed at Raging Waters Theme Park in San Dimas, California, USA. The video shows an assortment of acrobatic dancers in and around swimming pools of various shapes and splash dancing in an ankle-high wade pool. Flashing coloured lights abound amidst the plants and straw covered bamboo bridges, the video being filmed after dusk. And for the grand finale, the Biebs comes down a water slide into a pool of a cheering crowd in broad daylight. Watch…
#2. “Missing You” / “Tu me manques” by Mia Martina
The French and English music videos for the song are slightly different. In either case, the intense images match the yearning music. The MV opens with a view overlooking a town by the sea (we’re guessing Dubrovnik, Croatia), and we find Mia in a breezy room with a rotary telephone. She emerges, and we see some intricate Spanish architecture and streets of Madrid before she takes a drive in the countryside in a classy white car with a backdrop of copper-stained rock. We then see Mia in a green evening gown surrounded by Greek pillars and a marble staircase. It all wraps up with time-lapsed photography of night traffic. Mia states this will be the final MV release from her Devotion album. We can’t wait for her next album release. Watch: English Version French Version
#1. “Wonder Woman” by Elise Estrada
When the tragedy of a 15-year-old girl named Amanda Todd, harrassed and bullied into suicide, struck Metro Vancouver, making news around the world, Elise Estrada wrote a song called “Wonder Woman”, its music video put together with tremendous expertise. It contains snippets of Amanda’s life growing up, intermixed with Elise walking through beautiful parks and streets, the ground covered with dying autumn leaves. It opens with a young boy clinging to a fence saying that bullying needs to stop and shows scenes from candlelight vigils held in the city to honour Amanda Todd’s memory. Elise is also shown behind a window in a café, the panes of glass streaked with tears of teeming rain. The video also includes photos sent in by various people touched by the song holding placards of messages. All proceeds raised by the song are going to the Amanda Todd Foundation dedicated to the elimination of bullying as well as suicide prevention.
The powerful message this video presents, the expertise in putting it together, and the gorgeous cinematography all combine to deliver the best music video of 2012. The Canadian Music Blog declares Elise Estrada’s “Wonder Woman” 2012′s Music Video of the Year. Watch…
For Those of You Disturbed by What You’re Seeing in the Press…
In the new millennium, when pop stars are treated like they are politicians and politicians like they are pop stars; when Quebec is lambasted for considering separation by those who exclude its artists from performing at a national event, when drunkards from the peanut gallery jeer at their own while cheering on the foreigners playing their own sport for them; when the wisdom of acts chosen to perform is questioned rather than the contempt and ill-will harboured by the audience; when, unexplainably, stars are suddenly criticized for lip syncing when this has been going on at the same event for years; when, after weeks of raising awareness about bullying, the latter’s manifestation in booing the young rears its ugly head and goes on unaddressed—all fuelled and driven by the press in the name of increasing Grey Cup halftime show viewership to 6.1 million, up by 44% from last year—one wonders what is happening in this crazy country of ours.
The nastiness of the press can be summed up in a single word: materialism. Materialism is the belief that financial gain is more valuable and important than doing the right thing, that, for example, treating people badly is acceptable provided it leads to the accumulation of material wealth. Morality is the opposite of materialism.
The media has learned that, generally speaking, it pays to praise obscure artists and to denounce the popular. The press has no conscience. It does whatever will result in attracting readers and viewers to the maximum extent possible. The more they attract, the higher the rates they can charge those corporations wanting to place advertisements, therefore the more money they make. The media does not do what is right; it does what is profitable.
When we see something very negative written about a famous Canadian recording artist, not only does it draw us in, it has us telling others about it. Even if we are a fan of the artist, we tell other fans in order to voice our grievances, and these want to see the article too. Readership goes up, lots of comments are added, nasty replies are given, everyone swarms around these trashy articles like a wretched hive of scum and villainy, and this is exactly want they want.
Understanding how the media works and why it operates the way it does helps unburden our hearts and to resist the temptation to read / watch the pieces.
As for Justin Bieber, we hold nothing but admiration. Holding his head up and responding to hatred with love, the youth is more manly than most men, who could learn to do some growing up themselves. We’re better than that, Canada.
New Certifications for Justin Bieber – BELIEVE Goes Double Platinum
It is Canadian youth who are enjoying most of the fanfare these days, and that’s the way it should be. Although his style falls more into the R&B category, he’s referred to by many as the world’s biggest pop star. Not Katy Perry, with all her #1 singles, eh? Whatever the case, the Biebs is doing very well. Nine songs either by or featuring Stratford, Ontario’s Justin Bieber have peaked on the Canadian Hot 100 so far this year, and all but one of them have made the Top 40. “Boyfriend” has done best, becoming the 5th single by a Canadian artist to top the charts since Billboard began them in 2007. It has been certified triple platinum, being the second most successful Canadian single of the year in terms of sales.
Top 10 single “As Long as You Love Me” (#9) which features United States rapper Big Sean has just been certified a Platinum single. “Beauty and a Beat” (#16) featuring U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj has just gone gold. “All Around the World” (#10) with Ludacris went gold a while back. Other charting singles were “Die in Your Arms” (#14), “Turn to You” (#22), and Believe (#100). Bieber was featured in “Live My Life” by The Far East Movement (#4) and Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Beautiful” (#37).
Now comes the question about the album, Believe. It has just been certified double-Platinum tying Star Academie 2012 as the best-selling album of the year.
100th Grey Cup to Feature Canadian Superstar Singers
The CFL has announced that the 100th Grey Cup, taking place in Toronto on November 25th, will feature a lineup of some of the biggest superstars in Canadian music. Yes, belieb it! Scottish import of country music Johnny Reid and the legendary Burton Cummings will headline a special kickoff show. The halftime entertainment will feature Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Gordon Lightfoot, and Marianas Trench. At last year’s Grey Cup halftime show, Nickelback performed.
The CFL has not indicated that they have invited any Francophone performers.
Gold Rush at the End of August 2012
Goldmember, wherever he’s at these days, must be excited with the recent gold rush among Canadian recording artists. Six singles have received gold status … and one platinum.
Dean Brody’s expertise on Canadian girls has now been verified, as his Top 40 single has now gone gold. How about a solid gold hoop, a prospect that would have James Naismith bouncingly happy? Nelly Furtado’s “Big Hoops” has been certified gold. “Lullaby” has rocked to sleep a gold nickel … back. Carly Rae Jepsen’s curiosity about gold has been fulfilled, as title track off her EP has attained such honours. The Biebs has a pair: one he will carry with him all around the world and the other he will keep as long as you love him.
Platinum? If you want it, you have to kiss it, inside out. Hedley has done so.
Pianist James Yang Pays Homage to the Biebs
James Yang lives and breathes piano. He loves hammering those keys so much that he decided to do something special, turning the instrument into a drum and guitar as well. As a one-man band, Yang puts together an impressive instrumental version of Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend”.
Bieber’s CA-US Believe Tour Sells Out in 1 Hour
Justin Bieber will embark on his CA-US Believe Tour beginning on September 29 in Phoenix, USA and ending January 26, 2013, in Miami. Label mate Carly Rae Jepsen will be joining him in concert. Bieber will play shows in 8 Canadian cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto). All of his shows have sold out (though there may still be some VIP tickets available). His entire tour sold out in less than 1 hour; in New York his 2 shows at Madison Square Garden sold out in 30 seconds. Bieber’s new single “Die In Your Arms”, followup to “Boyfriend”, has been released in lieu of his much anticipated Believe album which will be out in a couple of weeks.
Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” continues to be thwarted from entering the #1 spot on the United States’ Billboard chart, as Gotye has charmed his way into the American psyche. Her single has reached #1 in the official charts of Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.
Stratford, Ontario’s Justin Bieber Set to Release BELIEVE
On the eve of Victoria Day, the United States held its annual Billboard Music Awards gala which honours the most popular music in that country. A number of Canadians were nominated with a lone star winning: Justin Bieber. Here at home, the Stratford, Ontario youth recently became the 5th home-grown artist to top the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 since its launch in 2007. “Boyfriend” was a number one single and was released in lieu of Bieber’s upcoming 3rd studio album, Believe. His first two LPs–My World 2.0 and Under the Mistletoe–were triple-platinum sellers.
Believe will contain a dozen tracks in addition to “Boyfriend” and will continue his preference of having guest rappers featured in some of them. Confirmed are Ludacris, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, and fellow Canadian Drake. Co-writing with Bieber and producing are Sweden’s Max Martin (who has worked with Avril Lavigne), Mike Posner, Rodney Jerkins (who has written U.S. chart toppers for Brandy & Monica, Jennifer Lopez, and Destiny’s Child), Savan Kotecha (Indian American who wrote chart toppers for Carrie Underwood and One Direction), and Canada’s own The Messengers (Toronto production duo consisting of Nasri Atweh and Adam Messenger).
A deluxe version of the new album will be available (4 bonus tracks plus an expanded booklet) in three special packages. In addition to the deluxe CD, the “Silver Bundle” ($30) will include a T-shirt and poster; the “Gold Bundle” ($50) will include those three items plus a Believe bracelet and sneaker pin; and the “Limited Edition Platinum Package” ($120) will include the previous five items plus a Believe clinch bag and autographed photo. A portion of the proceeds for the sneaker pin will go to the Believe Charity Drive.
The album is set for release on June 19th.
More information can be found at Justin Bieber’s Official Website
New Video: Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend”
A few weeks ago, Justin Bieber became the 5th Canadian artist to score a #1 hit in the history of the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart, joining the ranks of Avril Lavigne, Nikki Yanofsky, Young Artists for Haiti, and Carly Rae Jepsen. “Boyfriend” made it to #2 in the U.S., U.K., and New Zealand. Having racked up over 21 million followers on Twitter, the lad from Stratford, Ontario has mojo baby. Stratford, which lies between Kitchener and London, is known for swans, its Shakespeare festival, and Loreena McKennitt. The Biebs’ new studio album Believe is due to be released on June 19th.
Carly Rae Jepsen Has a Hit Around the Planet
After topping the iTunes and Billboard charts in Canada and receiving double-platinum certification, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”, after the British Columbian singer’s signing on with Justin Bieber’s management team, has been released around the globe and has already topped the iTunes and official singles chart of several countries. Here’s a summary of the song’s progress.
Australia: currently #3 on the ARIA chart and #1 on their iTunes. Certified GOLD.
Belgium: #2 on their iTunes.
Ireland: #1 on the IRMA chart as well as their iTunes.
The Netherlands: #2 on their iTunes.
New Zealand: #1 on the RIANZ chart and on their iTunes. Certified GOLD.
Norway: #7 on their iTunes.
U.S.: Currently #4 on their iTunes and #18 on their Billboard Hot 100.
The United Kingdom, which has always proved a tough nut to crack for the Dominion of Canada, is lagging behind most other countries in promoting the single. But a few days ago, BBC Radio 1 added the song to its ‘C’ Playlist. The radio station normally adds songs from newer artists onto the ‘C’ playlist first. If it is well-received, it gets upgraded to the ‘B’ Playlist receiving more frequent airplay. If it becomes even more successful, then it will get added to the prestigious ‘A’ Playlist. “Call Me Maybe” will be released on UK iTunes on Sunday.
The Biebs has released a new single called “Boyfriend” which is nicely accompanying “Call Me Maybe” at the top of the iTunes charts in Australia and New Zealand.
Carly and the Biebs Hook Up in Los Angeles
For those of you keeping track of Carly Rae Jepsen’s catapult into the international pop arena, she did fly down to Los Angeles and meet with her new management team including Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun. Via Twitter, she has shared, in addition to the choice photo here, her first impressions of the two gentlemen.
Justin Bieber is “passionate, talented, charming”.
Scooter Braun is “sincere, powerful, and intelligent”.
Justin Bieber also shared his first impressions of Carly:
Carly Rae Jepsen is “kind, talented, and the real deal”.
Carly’s EP, Curiosity, debuted on the Canadian Billboard Albums Chart at #6 this week. And the title-track from the EP has entered the Hot 100 Singles Chart.
Canada’s other #1 women are in Los Angeles right now as well. Avril Lavigne should have returned form her Black Star Tour in Asia and Nikki Yanofsky is there visiting too. Wouldn’t it be cool if all the Canadian artists in Los Angeles got together for a party? Maybe Avril can serve up some of her famous pea soup.
Leonard Cohen’s new album, Old Ideas, is still high on the charts, at #2 this week, behind Adele. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” is at #2 on the Singles Chart, behind Katy Perry’s new single ”Part of Me”. Over the past few days, “Call Me Maybe” has off-and-on been a worldwide Twitter trend.
