Grammy Awards 2018 : The Best New Artist Battle (Likely Winner Breakdown)

THE GRAMMY AWARDS..... Music's biggest night, awards excellence in the recording industry, is my favourite award show as an artiste myself. Last year we witnessed the first 'independent' artiste win the award for Best New Artist, in Chance The Rapper. I've decided to focus on this very award, which has been dubbed one of the more trickier awards of the ceremony. (I'm looking at you Milli Vanilli)

THE NOMINEES ARE......

SZA

Sza had a phenomenal 2017. TDE's Punch ensured that SZA wrote every song on her full proper debut album, and the end result resonated with women of all different races and backgrounds. The album 'CTRL' was certified Gold for sales of 500,000 copies in October of 2017.

Likelihood of Winning = 80%



KHALID

Khalid is a 19 year old singer born in Georgia, USA. He took the pop world by storm with vocals and songwriting beyond his years. His debut single 'Location' from his debut album 'American Teen' has been streamed over 200 Million times on YouTube alone.


Likelihood of Winning : 40%







Alessia Cara

This is a nomination that puzzles me a bit. Alessia Cara's debut single 'Here', an intelligent takedown of youth culture's partying ways and her disdain for it, came out all the way in April of 2015. Yes you read correctly TWENTY FIFTEEN. So a nomination for Best New Artiste almost 3 years later is a bit confusing to me. Either way Alessia herself is a quite talented artiste and is still deserving of the nomination (even if its a couple years late). Funnily enough she and fellow nominee Khalid were both featured on rapper Logic's 'Song of The Year' Grammy Nominated record '1-800-273-8255'

Likelihood of Winning : 25 %



Julia Michaels

Julia Michaels born Julia Carin Cavazos, is a 24 year old singer, born in Iowa, USA. A super talented writer in my opinion, who has written songs for everyone from Justin Beiber, to Selena Gomez and Fifth Harmony. I still remember hearing her debut single 'Issues' for the first time while driving. I was struck with the brilliantly witty songwriting and emotive vocals. Evidently, I am not the only one it resonated with as 'Issues' went on to become 3X Platinum (Selling Three Million Copies), and not only helped Michaels gain a 'Best New Artist' nomination, but also a nomination in the 'Song Of The Year' Category.

Likelihood of Winning : 50%



Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Uzi Vert born Symere Woods from Pennsylvania, USA, is a 23 year old leader of the 'mumble rap' movement. I watched his influence and growth among young rap fans from all the way back in 2016, for perspective in 2016 his Instagram account had about 300,000 followers whereas in January of 2018 it currently sits at 5.9 Million followers. He had his first undeniable hit in 2017, called 'XO Tour Llif3' which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.


Likelihood of Winning : 20%
  

THE RED FLAGS : Dating Edition

Dating in 2018, the horror, the horror!

Every woman wants a man with a full beard, steady job, 6 pack and a dig bick. And every guy wants a woman with a thin waist, pretty face and fat asssssssociation with the word of the lord (obviously). But in this day and age of Tinder, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram, the days of spending actual time to know someone is a sacrifice not many take willingly.


BUTTTT As a single human myself, we usually take the dating leap ever so often with someone we may find is worth the effort. Soooooo what are some of the RED FLAGS that you should absolutely heed warning of when they poke their little faces? Here's a few I've compiled below for both males and females.


RED FLAGS for Guys

1) Have you been dating fo more than 3 months and she's never offered to split the bill or pay for a SINGLE Meal? Are you sure you're not saved as 'FREE FOOD' in her phone?

 2) Do you go on dates and she always finds a way to bring up her ex, as in maybe he ordered the same meals as you, or dressed similar to you. There's a clear indication that she is either neither completely over her ex, or is unfairly comparing you to him.

RED FLAGS for Women

1) Have you been dating for months and he hasn't introduced you to a single one of his close friends?
This usually means that he doesn't see the relationship lasting the long haul but is having fun with you in the interim.

Is the guy you're dating hiding you from his loved ones?

2) Does the guy you're dating hate when your male friends comment on your photos? I mean really, guys you've known before him? This kind of jealousy is a CLEAR Red flag of an insecure man, with borderline clingy tendencies.

 

Top 3 Most Anticipated Music Albums for 2015

Ok guys, despite the fact that 2014 only saw the release of two Platinum albums by Taylor Swift and Sam Smith, 2015 should will see the release of a number of anticipated albums. Here's a countdown of the 5 most anticipated albums of this new year.


1) Rihanna- New Album
   Possible Title - R8 

Rihanna's last new album was released on November 19th, 2012. Previously known for releasing a new album album every year, Rihanna purposefully too a two year hiatus from releasing albums, which has lead to great anticipation from her fans and the general public for new material. On January 24th, 2015 a new single titled 'FourFiveSeconds' featuring Paul McCartney and Kanye West was released, featuring a new folk and acoustic sound fans are not used to hearing from the Bajan bombshell.

2) Drake- Views From The 6

Drake's last album titled 'Nothing Was The Same', was released on September 24th, 2013. The following year saw drake focus more on tours and features. Additionally 2014 saw drake further cement his status as CO-SIGN KING with his artistes PartyNextDoor and ILOVEMAKONNEN. This year he'll be releasing his follow up to NWTS (Which has sold over 1.5 Million copies in the US alone), an album tentatively titled 'Views From The Six'.

3) Kendrick Lamar- New Album

Kendrick Lamar released a unique album in 2012. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. Instantly hailed as a classic album, even leading to Macklemore (2014 Best Rap Album Grammy Winner) apologizing to him for beating Kendrick in the category. Anticipation for his follow up has been high, with pressure mounting after it's lead single 'i' was perceived to have been a flop. Will King Kendrick have a sophomore classic? Time will tell

The Power Of The Drake Co-Sign

Aubrey 'Drake' Graham, aka Drizzy Drake is a Canadian rap superstar. He's sold countless records and lives on the Billboard charts. But there's one thing about Drake that separates him from others, and that seemingly is his ability to bestow upon someone the prized commodity known as 'BUZZ'.

Drake trying to decide which artiste he should co-sign next.

BUZZ is that one thing every underground artiste desires to make the jump from unknown to mainstream. And there is no other artiste in recent time with the ability to bestow upon others, significant buzz quite like Drake. Let's look at his first co-sign success, The Weeknd.

The Weeknd ( Real name Abel Tesfaye)



Though initially unknown, having quietly released songs like 'What You Need' and 'Loft Music' to YouTube, The Weeknd's profile rapidly rose via coverage on Drake's OVO Blog. Fast forward four years later and The Weeknd now has his own distribution deal with Republic, an estimated personal wealth of five million dollars and a loyal fan base.



Now I'm not saying The Weeknd would not have been successful without Drake, as his talent would ultimately had seen him rise to the top regardless of a co-sign, but in today's industry, a co-sign from an artiste of Drake's magnitude is an incredible leg up. Future co-signs for 'Migos' (Versace) and  more recently for Dej Loaf (Try Me) all further prove my point. However only recently has the power of the Drake co-sign been cemented into LEGENDARY status. Ladies and gentleman I give you 'ILOVEMAKONNEN

'

Makonnen Sheran is a 25 year old artiste, who In July of 2014 self released his debut EP 'ILOVEMAKONNEN'. In late August 2014, not only did Drake like one of Makonnen's songs in 'Tuesday', he liked it so much that he asked it's producer Sonny Digital if he could do a remix to it, which he quickly recorded and released. Ultimately Makonnen would be signed to his label OVO Sound, however what makes this particular co-sign legendary is the fact that within a space of 6 months 'ILOVEMAKONNEN' went from underground artiste to GRAMMY NOMINATED artiste, with 'Tuesday ft Drake' receiving a nomination in the best rap/sung category. All hail Drake, the KING OF CO-SIGN.

Fashion Look of the Day (Jan 21st, 2015)

In my opinion the following look applies well to every skin tone, and once perfectly tailored will make you stand out in a crowd. Ladies and gentlemen, the TAN SUIT.

John Legend killed it, pairing the suit a salmon colored tie.

Ryan Gosling chose to go tie free for his look

President Obama caused controversy last year for wearing this tan suit during his State of The Union Address.

The Top 5 Best Trinidadian Non-Soca releases of 2014

Trinidad and Tobago is a country rich with talent, the main money making genre of music however, remains to be 'Soca'. Never the less, there are lots of artistes from the island that believe the genres of music that they do, should not be limited by their country of  birth. Here is a list of the TOP 5 non-soca releases of 2014 in no particular order.

1) Nah Boy- Mark Hardy x Yung Rudd 

Favourite line 'Haters get jelly like buying a coconut round the savannah'

Much like their 2013 release 'Pumpin', 'Nah Boy' finds Mark Hardy and Yung Rudd further pushing their sound which they have dubbed as 'Trapso'. Nah Boy is the perfect song to play on your way to the club, or for going hard in the gym.

2) 'Tumbling Down'- Detnator & a_phake

Favourite line 'I keep lying to sell my self some more'

Denator and a_phake began working on 'Only A Fool' the EP long before 2014, but when it was finally released in November 2014, one of it's stand  out tracks was the guitar laced 'Tumbling Down'

                              CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TUMBLING DOWN

3) 'Temptation'- Nebula868

Favourite line 'So much pretty gyal for me to pick one, should I go with Gillian or Crystal'

Nebula868 reunite with their 'Amped Up' producer Track 7 and delivers one of their best singles to date with 'Temptation'. Smooth production and witty word play made the song an instant hit in early 2014.

                                           

4) 'In These Skies'- Annalie Prime

Favourite line 'In these skies there's no flying'

Annalie Prime is a 20 year old singer/songwriter from central Trinidad and Tobago. Last year she released her debut EP 'Annalie' on soundcloud. A mix of covers sprinkled with some original releases. Stand out track 'In These Skies' is an acoustic guitar driven song, which showcases this young artiste's potential.

                                                    LISTEN TO 'In These Skies' HERE 

5) 'GO$$!P'- Jimmy October

Favourite line ' Why ya talk so much? I'm just tryna get a fade and a cut'

OverDose Music Group co-founder Jimmy October released his debut single 'GO$$!P' fittingly in the month of October of 2014. A choir sampling instrumental courtesy producer Noah, is the perfect sound scape for Mr. October to officially announce his arrival to Trinbagonian airwaves.

                                                  

How To Cope With Being Unfollowed on Instagram

Instagram is a wonderful place. Where else can you go to get a carefully edited view of someone's life? Instagram has a way of making normal every day people feel like celebrities. With each double tap, an ego inflates by a tiny bit. The first thousand followers are the hardest, or so I've been told.

So you're well on your way to achieving 'Instagram fame' which puts you in the same category as a doubles man and a Trinidadian Politician, when suddenly you start losing followers. GASP!! Worst yet you have no idea who is unfollowing you. Ultimately this leads to depression.

Why am I being unfollowed?

That was then, nowadays people have a little app called 'Followers', an app that tracks every single person that's unfollowed you. Now you can put a face to those that have wronged you. Revenge is oh so sweet.

Followers. Basically an app that snitches on people.




Being the vindictive person that you are, the only reasonable response to an unfollow is OBVIOUSLY to unfollow them aswell. But you're so ticked off that you take it one step further, you unfollow them on ALL social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, You may even go so far as to avoid them in public, not even making the effort to give them an acknowledging nod. This in your mind is the only way to cope with being unfollowed. Power to the people, thanks 'Followers' app. 

How To Create The Perfect Carnival Fete (Part 1)

Carnival 2015 is in full swing, and with such a short season EVERY SINGLE fete is planned months in advance as to go off without a hitch. Carnival crowds are simple people, give them loud music, quintessential soca act (Insert Machel Montano) and loads and loads of alcohol. HOWEVERRRR in my limited and none scientific research, I do believe I have found the exact ingredients for the PERFECT soca fete.


Ingredient 1.- The Live Performers

The live performer is important to the soca fete, even though admittedly a lot more party goers actually prefer DJ's over live acts. It helps if you have all the 'hottest' acts at your party. But not just that you can pull a 'Fantasy 2015' and have one premier act perform EXCLUSIVELY at your function for the night. Ok ok basically just get Machel aka Monk Monte and ya good to go. Make sure and display his name LARGE AS FUDGEEE on the ticket.


Ingredient 2- Novelty factor. (ADD WATER & POWER)

Ok so you've got your act, but what will draw people to your brand new fete? Simple, something novelty like colored power and water. And before you gooo ooooh you're just stealing Soaka's plot, actually I'll have you know that at the 'Perfect' carnival fete I'm thinking about Major Lazer concert type water, so ha I win.

'Years & Years' Primed for 2015 Success

The year 2014 saw the breakthrough of a few acts, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea and UK artiste SAM SMITH. Opening for SAM SMITH on tour last year was a small band by the name of 'Years and Years'. Consisting of lead vocalist Olly Alexander, bassist Mike Goldsworthy (awesome last name btw) and synth player Emre Turkmen.

I stumbled upon Years & Years late 2014, the first offering I heard from them was the melody filled, dance ready, joy inducing 'Desire'. I immediately rushed to find more material from the band, discovering cuts such as 'Take Shelter' and 'Real'. How was it I had never heard about them earlier? After all they had been releasing music since 2012. Well as it so turns out 2014 was a breakthrough year for Years and Years, with the release of the aforementioned 'Real', whose music video features a dance scene featuring actor Ben Whishaw (Q from the 2012 James Bond film 'Skyfall'). Noting that their admiration of R&B (Which I can hear in their song 'Memo'), they signed to Polydor Record in the UK and were most recently named BBC radio's Sound Of 2015 winners. Yup, a bright 2015 is surely on the horizon for this band, hopefully they can ride this wave for years and years to come

Nathan Marcelin : Personal Blog Entry (What's new with me)

Hey guys. Nathan checking in here, just wanted to keep you updated as to how my life is going these days lol. Firstly I received my VERY FIRST COTT membership payment this month. It really made me feel like a real artist to know I'm being paid for my creative output.  

Money money money..Monayyyyyyyy lol

Recording of the album has been delayed, because where I usually record has been closed until September 2nd. We usually record on on day every weekend so the sessions are usually limited to about four a month.But recently me and the guys who are helping me create the album had the opportunity to record at a studio in St Anns called Champion Sounds. There I met local artiste Chris Garcia (He gave us a really heartfelt speech about always giving your all), but the highlight was getting to pose and TOUCH REAL GRAMMY AWARD INVITES. OMG it was so good, if there had been an actually Grammy award trophy I would have lost my mind lol.

Nathan Marcelin (Right) and music producer POPS pose with Grammy Award Invites.

Is Lady Gaga Past Her Prime?

Right off the bat, let me make it clear that Lady Gaga is by no means struggling financially. Topping Forbes' list of top earning celebs under the age of 30 this year 2013 with 80 million dollars, this article is not about lady gaga the brand, more so Lady Gaga 'THE ARTISTE.

On may 23rd   2011 Lady Gaga released the album , Born This Way, It sold 1.108 Million copies first week. Excellent figures however, this sum was achieved large in part of an amazon first week promo of having the album sold at 99 cents for two days. Now granted if persons weren't interested they could have still saved that 99 cents and downloaded the album for free illegally, a large indication of the quality of the project as a whole however, can be seen when taking into accounts its total sales thus far with the album having sold only TWO MILLION copies in the US two years after its intial release.

Was this a sign of declining popularity or just a sign of the album sales market in general?

 Fast forward to August 12th 2013, Lady Gaga resurfaces with a new single called applause.Initial estimates has the song selling upward the 400, 000 units sold mark by the end of its first week of release. However, something unexpected happens, the single ends up selling only between 200,000-225,000 mark, GASPS!,, Lets look at this comparatively with the first single of her 2011 album ,Born This Way, The title track 'Born This Way Single' sold  448, 000 units first week and at the time was the most ever sold in a single week by any female artiste (Taylor Swift has since broken this record). To have now 2 years later sold about HALF of what she was able to sell at the height of her popularity, one has to ask, Is Lady Gaga past her prime?    

'

Exes...The lasting influence of your ex in relationships.

So, you've cried your last tear, you've returned all their clothes. You are finally over your ex or so you say. Recently I was  dating someone and on our dates she would bring up these stories about her ex being an ass towards her, and or instances where things I did or we had in common she also had with her ex. This brought me to a realization, in my mind I wondered, is she sizing me up to her ex, is everything we do a sense of deja vu to her. This brings me to the point, exes always leave you with one bitter gift, that is from that point on everyone you date you unknowingly or knowingly will compare to them and may or may not put up' defensive walls' whenever they get an instance when "Hey this person really reminds me of my ex and I know how that worked out." Sometimes it may be a good thing to keep in mind however don't hold it against someone new if they have traits reminiscent of the GOOD ones your ex had. Once they don't have the same FAULTS, never go into a relationship holding on to the baggage of those that didn't work out.

Dating in your early to mid-twenties in TRINIDAD and TOBAGO .Nerve racking isn't it? (Part One)

Soooooo you're in your early twenties, 23-24years old. You're one of those who want to be in a relationship and believe you have your whole relationship plan laid out, date for two or 3 years, engaged by 27 first kid by 30. Yea it's all good, however, if you're like me here's the problems. 1) Opportunity 2)Personality 3)Ambition

Opportunity

.
This is basically where exactly do you as a person who has a general idea of what you want, look for a like minded individual to date? Here are the options. 1) CLUB or Avenue 2)Boat ride 3)School 4)Online


CLUB or Avenue
Basically I would not suggest seeking your future soul mate at a location where he/she will be intoxicated, wining like a maniac, shouting in your ear over the club music. This is NEVER the place to gather meaningful connections. Clubs are like stress relieving  areas, and seriously do you want to tell you kids you meet mommy met daddy at the club?



BOAT RIDE
Hmm I've never been to a boat ride, however, im going to assume all the cons of the club apply here as well and added con is, being on a boat you're stuck with whoever may have blanked your advances, till at least the ride is over lol 

SCHOOL
This is a viable option for the university going.person. Lots of options to choose from.And you get to see your 'Target' out in the wild. In their almost natural habitat.

Online
Online option is TRICKY..Due to the advent of instagram and filters, person can edit their pictures to a certain extent that they are 'selling dreams' *cough* CATFISH*. Also you may click with the person on FB chat or twitter, but in person its like trying to converse with a department store mannequin. 

Trinidadian music industry?

Sometimes i believe the music industry in my country can be summed up with ONE PHOTO!!!

Crab....meet bucket.I feel like there's a lack of unity within the Trinbagonian music industry. I'll relay to you the story of a well known soca artiste in relaying to me that he would have no problem working with me on a none soca release. I Sent him the demo, he liked it, he just wanted to hear his part to the song, I quickly went to the studio and recorded an ENTIRE rough mix of the song for him and emailed it to him. Days, and months passed and he had not responded. Now I don't know if perhaps he did not like the direction of the song or the songwriting, however some sort of response would have been only fair. Maybe this is just the musings of a bitter artiste

Can I Freeze Time.....Because I Like You?.....

Welllllll..The Complexities Of Human Relations Sometimes Baffle The Mind.Baffle Me Atleast. Have You Ever Found Yourself 'Liking' or Being Attracted To Two People At The Same Time?? Its Confusing And Leads You To Start Thinking Like an Irrational Human Being.

So Now You Find Yourself Torn Between Who To Pursue Primarily...Sure You Can Flirt With Both and 'Lime' aka Go Out With Both, But At Some Point You're Going To Have To Up The Ante A Little With One Of Your Choices. So Is It Wrong To String Someone Along Whilst You See If The Person You've Decided To Put Your Main Effort Into Pans Out Or Not..Or Should You Be Straight Up With The Other Person and Let Them Also Date Other People? Ahhhhh Noooooo Because We Want To Keep Things To Ourselves. Maybe Im Thinking Selfishly Lol, Wanting To Freeze A Relationship In Time Should Be Something Invented In The Year 3000 Lol...But For Now As The Drake Song Says...The Good Ones Go..If You Wait To Long..Meaning No Matter How Hard You Try To Conceal Someone Amazing For Yourself, They're Bound To Be Discovered By Someone Else. 

New Music : Nathan Marcelin - Games (Dirty Deeds)

Soooooooooooo Shamelessly Plugging My Own Music Lolzzz Check Out My First Local Release..A Nice Song About Tales Of an Unfaithful Partner



If You Guys Liked It Check Out My Music At  http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Nathan-Marcelin/108388802555405

New Music- Lil Wayne- How To Love

Hmmm This Album Making No Noise Jed...Den Again Lil Wayne Has a Large Fan Base..Hmm Wonder How'd They Respond To This (VERY POP song) Seems Like He's Been Around Drake Too Much Lolzz

 

Awwwww I Fine It Was Cute Lolzz

New Music : Beyonce- 1+1

Laad Another Leak Lolzz....By This Rate The Entire Album Will Be Leaked By The Time Its Suppose To Drop (June 24th 2011)..Check Out The New Track and The Full Album '4' Tracklisting Below
  


Album Tracklisting :
1. "1+1"


2. "I Care"
3. "I Miss You"

4. "Best Thing I Never Had" Babyface

5. "Party" (featuring André 3000)
6. "Rather Die Young"

7. "Start Over"
8. "Love on Top"

9. "Countdown"
10. "End of Time"
11. "I Was Here"

12. "Run the World (Girls)

New Music- Beyonce- Until The End Of Time

Yesss Beyonces Second Single..Tilll The End Of Time Leaked..and I Must Say Its Muchh better than tThat Run The World Song...Boosting a Very Nice Drumline..The Beats Very Infectious..It Kinda Gets a Lil Boring By The Time It Reaches Its Climax But Still..The Song Takes Win Lolzz Take a Listen Below

 

New Video : Frank Ocean- Acura Integurl

One of My Favourite New Artists Finally Drops Some Kind Of Visual For One Of His Songs..Check It Out Below
 

Frank Ocean “Acura Integurl” from Team OnSMASH on Vimeo.