Katy Perry's solo major label debut, One of the Boys, demonstrates that on major labels, music is a business--not an art.
For one, works of art don't come with press kits the size of Dostoyevsky novels.
More importantly: Art is generally original, whereas Perry's works mainly bite off of other mainstream pop acts. Her heavily rotating single, "I Kissed a Girl," tackles the heavy issue of Girls Gone Wild-era bisexuality; a more convincing and believable ode to experimentation would be "Oh My God" by Pink--incidentally, quite a few of Perry's hooks are reminiscent to Ms. Alecia Moore's as well. When she's not pulling a Pink, Perry morphs into a prettier Kelly Clarkson ("Waking Up in Vegas," an admitted pop gem) or Avril Lavigne ("Thinking of You").
Armed with a dream team of producers from Planet Verge favorite Butch Walker to pop monster maker Max Martin, Perry's strained vocals skip along lyrics that are indeed catchy--but not quite as clever as she wants us to think. From "Hot N' Cold's" line "You PMS like a bitch / I would know" to nearly all of "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl," Perry proves she's one of the boys in that she has the lyrical capacity of a middle school male.
Katy Perry's record may not be good for the furthering of the arts, but she's great for big business.
...Just don't expect her to shatter any glass ceilings.
*By Jess, who is wearing keyboard-print flip flops.
Showing posts with label avril lavigne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avril lavigne. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Modern Day Greek Goddess- Meet Sofia Toufa
“Being from Europe and being able to live in the states and be working in this field with all these amazing, super talented individuals is a highlight in itself…”- Sofia Toufa
*By Joelle
Remember Athena, Aphrodite or Demeter? Didn’t think so. How about Gaea or Hera? Mmm hmm... Well, here’s the newest Greek Goddess on the block and you won’t be forgetting her name anytime soon: Sofia Toufa.
It’s no surprise that since Planet Verge first met Miss Sofi over a year ago, she has garnered herself a fan base so big that there are even MySpace pages dedicated to her.
”It’s the cutest thing,” she says of her online fans. “I feel so honored and flattered and appreciate it so much. If I can inspire anyone with what I do- that's the most amazing thing to me.”
What she does is make her dreams come true. The spunky German-born entertainer said good-bye to pop star life in her native land (where her R&B act Danacee was signed to Def Jam), bravely boarded a plane and unpacked her bags in Los Angeles.
From there, Sofi’s story continues to turn pages. The one-and-only Butch Walker (Google the name if you’re so unfortunate as to not know it) handpicked her to be one-half of his singer/dancer back-up combo during the Butch Walker and the Let’s Go Out Tonites tour. And thus, the whirlwind began.
Today, Sofi flutters around on stage nightly with Avril Lavigne. They first met during Butch’s “Beth Amphetamine” photo shoot, during which a raven-haired Avril made a guest-appearance.
Later, Avril approached Sofi after watching her on stage during a Let’s Go Out Tonite’s set, Sofi tells. “She said she was going to have auditions to put together a new band and that she'd love for me to come down and audition. I was obviously really flattered but didn't think that she'd actually call.”
Well, she did. And now Sofi collaborates with her partner-in-groove from the Let’s Go Out Tonites-Lindsey Blaufarb- and Craig Hollaman to choreograph all the routines you’ve been seeing on stage during Avril’s tour and her performances on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live.
“We've traveled the world this past year. I had never been to China before so that was exciting, and again there's a bunch of places I hadn’t seen in the USA.”
While on the road with Butch’s bunch, the girls were the minority on the tour bus. With things reversed this time around, the vibe is a bit different. “I hate to say it, but I do feel like girls are a bit more dramatic,” reveals Sofi, continuing, “At the same time, it's kinda nice to have females around that can relate to things that guys obviously can't!”
Things like style must-haves: skinny black jeans, scarves, bandanas, Converse and loads of accessories. This fashionista can’t live without ‘em. One look at her and it’s hardly surprising that she feels most beautiful bearing a new haircut (hot pink, anyone?) and purple eyeliner while being in shape and eating healthy. And when it comes to her wardrobe, Sofi says her philosophy is “Definitely not less is more!” She elaborates, “Classy, not trashy. And I don't like being uncomfortable and having to pull on my clothing all day long.”
With such passion for fashion, it’s only natural that she hopes to have a clothing line in the future, along with a record of her own, a movie and says Sofi, “I better stop before I sound too ridiculous! Seriously, I have endless goals, both personal and business. I just wanna be happy and continue doing what I love to do the most and hopefully help out other people reach their goals.”
While nothing else is confirmed for the immediate future, she’s quick to point out, “So far everything that has happened is not something I had planned out.” (Like also backup singing for Fall Out Boy, The Von Bondies, Rockstar Supernova with Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted and Gilby Clarke and The Academy Is). “Everything I'm doing as of now is helping me to get to that point where I'm absolutely ready for it.”
“You know, it's that time of year when you start reflecting,” she concludes on her e-mail pre-show in Minneapolis. “I really enjoy this whirlwind. I don't really wanna get out of it.”
To read more about Sofi’s background and her adventures on tour with Buch Walker, check out Planet Verge’s introductory interview with her in 2006 from our print issue 15 online now.
Drop Sofi a line and tell her how rad she is: www.myspace.com/sofiatoufa
INTERVIEW OUTTAKES:
PLANET VERGE: You said you were at Butch's (Walker) Malibu home a few hours before it burnt down. Did you witness any of the fires firsthand?
SOFIA TOUFA: No, I didn't. Me and my friend Johnny were at the house watching the dogs. I'd left the house that night to meet up with another friend. Johnny woke up in the middle of the night and managed to save the dogs and three hard drives while the back of the house was already on fire. I can't believe he got out of there! He left his car and took theirs to fit the dogs!
PLANET VERGE: What most attracts you to a guy?
SOFIA TOUFA: Personality, confidence not cockiness, great sense of humor-somewhat dorky. I'm a sucker for tattoos. The "I'm a dirty looking bad boy clean guy" that has an opinion but isn't judgmental, is worldly and passionate and creative. Know anyone?
PLANET VERGE: Best cure for a broken heart?
SOFIA TOUFA: Great friends that are gonna sit down with you over some sweet potato fries and talk shit about this guy that doesn't see how great you are and that he's missing out, Sex and the City, working out and treating yourself and a hot new date. Don't ever just sit in your room by yourself for days! That just makes it worse.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Burned
MTV just burned Butch Walker worse than the Malibu fires did to his home. The headline on MTV.com is Avril Lavigne Producer Butch Walker Was Renting Flea's Malibu House; He 'Lost Everything'.
Any Butch Walker fan will tell you that headline should read
"Best frontman of our generation, Butch Walker...."
"The producer who can make anyone sound great, Butch Walker..."
"The songwriter no one can penn a better Pop tune than, Butch Walker..."
I think you get the point. Butch deserves recognition and acclaim for a whole lot more than just working with Avril. So much that I am resurrecting a tribute we did to him in a print edition of Planet Verge two years ago and putting it online.
Read. Learn. Listen.
http://www.planetverge.com/pv07/interviews/ButchWalker.asp
It's awful that Butch lost all his creations. His music has shaped all our lives and we're lucky to be able to experience it firsthand.
When it all comes down to it, material things don't matter. It's the memories from the road, the feelings of seeing people's smiling faces while you perform for them, the little things that shape your live and who you are. For all of us, not just Butch.
Events like this really make you appreciate what you have and who is in your life. Live your dream...and all that.
If anyone has pictures or things you'd like to send to Butch- memories for him-- contact us at planetverge@gmail.com and we'll send it over.
*joelle
And here's the MTV article:
In a tragic turn of events, it has come to light that the rental home owned by Flea that burned in the Malibu, California, wildfires over the weekend was being occupied by Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker — and he lost everything in the blaze.
Walker was touring New York at the time of the incident, and "had just consolidated my entire recording studio and house from Atlanta into the one house in Malibu," the songwriter/producer, who has also worked with Pink, Fall Out Boy, the Academy Is..., Tommy Lee and others, said in a press release. "I lost everything I've ever owned. Every master of every song I've ever recorded, every piece of recording equipment, guitars, drums and things I've collected over the years, cars, motorcycles, every family memorial, heirloom, picture and document we ever had. ... Gone. I feel like I finally know the difference between 'going back' and 'going home.' "
Over the weekend, Flea said in a text message obtained by the Los Angeles Times that his $4.8 million home in Corral Canyon was "burnt to a crisp" by the fires on Saturday morning. According to TMZ.com, a second, $10 million Malibu home owned by Flea — the one in which he currently resides — did not burn. The one that did was a house that the bassist had been renting — most recently to Walker — and currently has up for sale, the site reports.
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose also had a close call when the fires burned his roof and singed some of his property. According to a report on KCAL-TV, Rose's assistant said the rocker "was with the hose everywhere" on his property, fighting to save his home.
The fires, which have largely been contained, were the worst in Malibu in years, according to the Times. In late October, another series of fires forced evacuations in the area but hit the San Diego area much harder.
Any Butch Walker fan will tell you that headline should read
"Best frontman of our generation, Butch Walker...."
"The producer who can make anyone sound great, Butch Walker..."
"The songwriter no one can penn a better Pop tune than, Butch Walker..."
I think you get the point. Butch deserves recognition and acclaim for a whole lot more than just working with Avril. So much that I am resurrecting a tribute we did to him in a print edition of Planet Verge two years ago and putting it online.
Read. Learn. Listen.
http://www.planetverge.com/pv07/interviews/ButchWalker.asp
It's awful that Butch lost all his creations. His music has shaped all our lives and we're lucky to be able to experience it firsthand.
When it all comes down to it, material things don't matter. It's the memories from the road, the feelings of seeing people's smiling faces while you perform for them, the little things that shape your live and who you are. For all of us, not just Butch.
Events like this really make you appreciate what you have and who is in your life. Live your dream...and all that.
If anyone has pictures or things you'd like to send to Butch- memories for him-- contact us at planetverge@gmail.com and we'll send it over.
*joelle
And here's the MTV article:
In a tragic turn of events, it has come to light that the rental home owned by Flea that burned in the Malibu, California, wildfires over the weekend was being occupied by Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker — and he lost everything in the blaze.
Walker was touring New York at the time of the incident, and "had just consolidated my entire recording studio and house from Atlanta into the one house in Malibu," the songwriter/producer, who has also worked with Pink, Fall Out Boy, the Academy Is..., Tommy Lee and others, said in a press release. "I lost everything I've ever owned. Every master of every song I've ever recorded, every piece of recording equipment, guitars, drums and things I've collected over the years, cars, motorcycles, every family memorial, heirloom, picture and document we ever had. ... Gone. I feel like I finally know the difference between 'going back' and 'going home.' "
Over the weekend, Flea said in a text message obtained by the Los Angeles Times that his $4.8 million home in Corral Canyon was "burnt to a crisp" by the fires on Saturday morning. According to TMZ.com, a second, $10 million Malibu home owned by Flea — the one in which he currently resides — did not burn. The one that did was a house that the bassist had been renting — most recently to Walker — and currently has up for sale, the site reports.
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose also had a close call when the fires burned his roof and singed some of his property. According to a report on KCAL-TV, Rose's assistant said the rocker "was with the hose everywhere" on his property, fighting to save his home.
The fires, which have largely been contained, were the worst in Malibu in years, according to the Times. In late October, another series of fires forced evacuations in the area but hit the San Diego area much harder.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Hula to This
Lately I've decided to do a half-hour of hula hoopping a day (it's a great workout and rumored to be how Beyonce gets so bootylicious) and with that comes another excuse to listen to loud music. Here's what's been keeping my energy pumping.
1. Avril Lavigne, The Best Damn Thing- I know! I know... It's a guilty pleasure. I always listened to Avril on the radio and once two of my favorite artists, Butch Walker and Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida both worked on her last album I had to buy it. This time around, Butch was back and so was I. Here's what I learned from watching the accompanying DVD. 1-Butch wasn't in it enough, 2- Derek Whibly still needs a nose job, 3- Marriage hasn't made Avril more mature, she seems a little bratty. 4- A lot of her fanbase is going to be alienated or not allowed to listen to her potty mouth. Bottom line, this CD may not be The Best Damn Thing, but it's mighty delish. Some songs feel like she's going backwards in evolution as an artist. Some are a giant leap forward (credit Butch). Don't take it too seriously and you'll have a good time singing along. Best of the bunch- "When Your Gone," is sure to be a Number One radio hit. I will keep this on rotation with my hula hooping sountrack.
2. Good Charlotte, Good Morning Revival- I cringed when they did a song, "The River," with Avenged Sevenfold and ended up liking it anyway. I didn't know who sold out more with that one. However, I love this album. While I have a strong alliance to their debut and much boredom with their last effort, I must say, this is new CD anything but a let down. Even the slight rapping that I didn't like at first, I like now. "Keep Your Hands off My Girl" is a winner. "All Black" is a bore (seriously, what is the point of that track??). Good Charlotte are at a place in their career where they could've tanked and followed the same old format that got them famous, but they proved that they're sailing on into safe waters and aren't going anywhere just yet by branching out into new musical territory. The CD gets my hips moving. It'll stay on rotation. Try to get your hands on issue 2 of Planet Verge (from like six years ago, so good luck) and read my interview with Billy. He was blonde then. ah, memories...
3. 1997, A Better View of The Rising Moon- Flat out, Victory Records has been sorta sucking lately (no Black Maria tour??) It's to the point where I don't even want to open CDs from them. But I'm glad I took a chance and spinned 1997. Honestly, the fact that there is a girl in the band (and her hair is cute) grabbed my interest. But I really like the songs and the smooth contrast between male and female vocals. Deff. check out this band.
*Joelle
1. Avril Lavigne, The Best Damn Thing- I know! I know... It's a guilty pleasure. I always listened to Avril on the radio and once two of my favorite artists, Butch Walker and Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida both worked on her last album I had to buy it. This time around, Butch was back and so was I. Here's what I learned from watching the accompanying DVD. 1-Butch wasn't in it enough, 2- Derek Whibly still needs a nose job, 3- Marriage hasn't made Avril more mature, she seems a little bratty. 4- A lot of her fanbase is going to be alienated or not allowed to listen to her potty mouth. Bottom line, this CD may not be The Best Damn Thing, but it's mighty delish. Some songs feel like she's going backwards in evolution as an artist. Some are a giant leap forward (credit Butch). Don't take it too seriously and you'll have a good time singing along. Best of the bunch- "When Your Gone," is sure to be a Number One radio hit. I will keep this on rotation with my hula hooping sountrack.
2. Good Charlotte, Good Morning Revival- I cringed when they did a song, "The River," with Avenged Sevenfold and ended up liking it anyway. I didn't know who sold out more with that one. However, I love this album. While I have a strong alliance to their debut and much boredom with their last effort, I must say, this is new CD anything but a let down. Even the slight rapping that I didn't like at first, I like now. "Keep Your Hands off My Girl" is a winner. "All Black" is a bore (seriously, what is the point of that track??). Good Charlotte are at a place in their career where they could've tanked and followed the same old format that got them famous, but they proved that they're sailing on into safe waters and aren't going anywhere just yet by branching out into new musical territory. The CD gets my hips moving. It'll stay on rotation. Try to get your hands on issue 2 of Planet Verge (from like six years ago, so good luck) and read my interview with Billy. He was blonde then. ah, memories...
3. 1997, A Better View of The Rising Moon- Flat out, Victory Records has been sorta sucking lately (no Black Maria tour??) It's to the point where I don't even want to open CDs from them. But I'm glad I took a chance and spinned 1997. Honestly, the fact that there is a girl in the band (and her hair is cute) grabbed my interest. But I really like the songs and the smooth contrast between male and female vocals. Deff. check out this band.
*Joelle
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
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