Photo and videos by Brian Dalthorp, wearepopstudios.com for A-Sides.
It's unavoidable. Most writers, bloggers, or whatever you want to call us are going to start out a story about Melanie Martinez by mentioning right off the bat that she competed on the third season of NBC's The Voice. Actually,, any talent who from that singing competition or similar ones are going to get that label and it's up to them to break out of the pack and make us lose the moniker. Daughtry did it. Carrie Underwood did before him. Bo Bice? Well, let's just move on and wish him well. In any event, luckily for Martinez, she has all the right tools to make us forget that her career started with a chair turn. Before I go on, I just want to say that singing competitions are wonderful for talented singers to get noticed. I support them 100 percent. I don't think they're helping people cut corners to success. The reality of such reality shows are putting a spotlight on some really talented people who may otherwise go unnoticed. OK, phew. I'm glad that's out of the way. Let's just back into this piece...
Martinez, who was mentored on the show by Adam Levine, broke out of the pack quite easily when she was a contestant on the show, and seems ready to do the same in the real world. The singer/songwriter full of quirk and substance just dropped her debut EP Dollhouse, and it's true to the artist she showed on the Carson Daly-fronted show. it's safe to say conforming or being a pop clone is the last thing this unique singer/songwriter is.
The 18 year old has her own look (two-toned hair is about to become a trend thanks to her), her own sound, and her own everything. The music and lyrics on the LP are dark, but her personality contradicts it as does her almost angelic voice. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is we can lose "former The Voice contestant" before her name from here on out and just refer to her as "emerging pop star." That is all.
Late last month, the Baldwin, NY native performed a pair of songs off her EP for A-Sides at the Atlantic Records offices in New York City (did I mention the label snatched her right up after she was voted off The Voice.) There, Martinez also sat down for an interview, discussing the EP, the delightfully creepy music video for its title track. and her post Voice life. Watch. Listen. Love.
We go from judge chair turns to a hot young artist whose new single is called "Take a Seat." OK, it's not the best segue but it got the job done. Mason Noise is making some noise of his own in various pop circles. He's also proving that MySpace still has some legs - or at the very least - some kind of legacy. The UK artist was, after all, discovered by French producer Da Seth of Bad Boy Records and signed by Ambition Worldwide Entertainment in 2011 based off of his MySpace page. While it's unclear who made his top six or twelve or whatever they left off with, his page did lead to big things: a debut LP entitled Legend and a multimedia project called Blow The Doors Off. Now, Noise is back with a new single called "Take a Seat" and it may actually illicit a Mya-like "whoa." It's good, people. Anyway,
he performed it last month and sat down for an A-Sides interview in White Plains, NY.
Check the rising star out below.
About A-Sides Music
Jon Chattman's "A-Sides Music" series was established in August 2011 and usually features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometimes humorous) way. No bells, no whistles -- just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I'm hoping this is refreshing. Artists have included: fun, Courtney Love, Air Supply, Birdy, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Pharrell Williams, American Authors, Imagine Dragons, Gary Clark Jr., and more! A-Sides theme written and performed by Blondfire.