LORDE
You’ve probably heard the lyrics, “And we’ll never be royals, it don’t run in our blood. That kind of luxe just ain’t for us,” a million and one times on the radio by now, but who is the artist behind this number-one hit “Royals”?
Ella Yelich-O’Connor, also known as Lorde, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter who has recently skyrocketed to the top of the charts, including Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2013.
And did I mention she’s only 17 years old?
I love that her alternative, indie-pop style is so different from all the other music I listen to — but different in a good way.
Her voice, in combination with her unique style of music, makes for the perfect album. Although she released her debut EP, “The Love Club” in November 2012, her first full album, “Pure Heroine,” came out just this September.
And if I do say so myself, it’s basically perfect. I can’t help but tweet some Lorde lyrics every time I listen to her music.
While her other songs receive much less attention than “Royals,” I personally think they’re much better.
My absolute favorites from the “Pure Heroine” album include “White Teeth Teens,” “Team” and “400 Lux” — even then, it’s hard to just pick a few. “The Love Club” and “Tennis Courts” from “The Love Club EP” are definitely worth listening to, as well.
BASTILLE
Bastille recently released their new album “Bad Blood.” Before this debut album, the band released six singles of the songs on it.
Although this alternative band is not very well-known, I can tell they will become a hit.
Bastille is an English rock band that was formed in 2010. Frontman Dan Smith’s voice is very unique — he could sing a dictionary, and I would still enjoy listening to him.
The album came out on Sept. 3 but has just recently started receiving more attention. As of Nov. 26, “Bad Blood” is number 45 on the iTunes top albums list.
The most popular songs on this album include “Pompeii,” “Bad Blood,” “Flaws” and “Things We Lost in the Fire.” “Pompeii” was actually the band’s fourth single, which was released in February of 2013 before the album came out. It was the first song that stood out in the United States to give people a great impression of Bastille.
The songs on the album all vary in tempos, and the lyrics are insightful. The songs include a lot of symbolism — for example, “Pompeii” talks about how the city is all in ruins and questions how to start rebuilding.
If you haven’t listened to Bastille yet, I strongly suggest checking out the “Bad Blood” album in addition to their other songs.
SOMO
Oct. 22.
Teenage girls all over Kansas tweeted up a storm about how excited they were to see SoMo perform at the Granada Theater in Lawrence, Kan. while others tweeted asking who the heck SoMo even is.
Joseph Somo, also known as SoMo to his fans, just completed a 30-city headlining tour that made a stop close to our home. If you haven’t heard of him already, you should probably change that — he basically has the voice of an angel. With a voice like that, in addition to his good looks, SoMo is definitely going places.
Getting his start in 2011, SoMo first gained popularity by posting a medley of Drake’s “Take Care” album on his YouTube channel, receiving many more views than anticipated. Since then, SoMo has continued to post more medleys, renditions, covers and original music on YouTube, including a new song every Sunday — “SoMo Sunday,” as he calls it.
My favorites include his Frank Ocean medley and the renditions of J. Cole’s “Work Out” and Bill Wither’s “Lean On Me.” However, SoMo’s original songs “Ride,” “Show Off” and “Kings & Queens (Throw It Up)” are definitely the best. His voice sounds like a mix of Drake, Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, and he has music with an R&B, pop and hip-hop sound.
You can listen to SoMo online at YouTube.com/TheMrSoMo. Seriously, do it.
