ATRL's Next Top Member Cycle 13 | EP6: The Entries!
EPISODE 6: NEW ARTIST PROMO
WHAT TO DO WITH THE ENTRIES:
Answer the Question: WHO HAD THE BEST & WORST ENTRY?
Anyone can answer and you cannot say yourself!
DEADLINE
Monday August 31, 2015
@ 7 PM US Central Time
(65 hours and 30 minutes from the time this was posted)
THE ENTRIES
Quote:
Originally posted by Superpower
Zara Larsson is the 17 years old Swedish prodigy who won Talang in 2008, their version of Got Talent. Zara's amazing voice, charisma and natural beauty charmed the Swedish crowd and now she's ready for her global break. After winning Sweden Got Talent, vocalist and songwriter Zara Larsson released her fantastic debut album titled 1. She signed with Epic in the U.S. and she's readying her first full length global release. In the meantime, we can enjoy her various EPs and limited released album. Zara's songs are amazing and masterfully crafted by the best writers and producers such as Tove Lo (Habits, Love Me Like You Do, Talking Body etc...), Claude Kelly (the man behind Britney's Circus, Miley's Party In The USA, Bruno Mars Grenade, has worked on the soundtrack of the Cher lead movie Burlesque and my favorite Kelly Clarkson song My Life Would Suck Without You.) Zara has also worked with Canadian producer Mathieu Jomphe whose resume includes collaborations with Britney Spears, Dr Luke, Max Martin and Madonna.
Yes, she has a great team of Pop masterminds behind her, but Zara remains the star of all her songs. This is what's expected from a winner of a talent show, especially someone whose vocal prowess has carried her to the top at a young age, and who has been perfecting her gift for more than half a decade.
Zara might be young of age but her songs speak to all the avid Pop music fans of all ages while she manages to keep her youthfulness and sweet innocence. She is charming, relatable and self aware like Tove Lo and she isn't afraid to show her vulnerability like Sia.
After winning Talang, Zara Larsson scored a record deal with TEN and she released her first full length album in 2014, the incredible 1, only released in few countries. We have to applaud Zara for waiting 6 years after her claim to fame to release her album. She took the time to mature her voice and find herself.
She recently signed a 3 years record deal with Epic in the USA and subsequently released her first global single Lush Life which has been described as "the Rihanna style summer jam we all deserve" by Time Magazine
Zara's growing discography also includes 3 extended plays (Introducing, Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself and Uncover which is the only EP available worldwide)
Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and YouTube links are provided below so you can easily pick your favorite streaming service.
Winning Talang was just the beginning for this talented young woman. She went on to receive multiple Swedish Grammy nominations for her work while winning many other local awards.
With Sweden being the birthplace of Pop Perfection (all the biggest Pop stars are heavily influenced by Swedish Pop and work with Swedish producers) it's only a matter of time before Zara Larsson takes over the world.
Renowed For Sound calls her a "trend setter for all the right reasons" MuuMuse gushes "this is the very essence of Swede-pop at its finest: Strong songcraft, powerful melodies and captivatingly pure vocals, from the feel-good, ’80’s synth-soaked “Wanna Be Your Baby” to the thoroughly brilliant “Rooftop” to “She’s Not Me, Pt. 1 & 2,” which glides across ghostly wisps" Idolator puts her next Pop virtuosos Robyn and Tove Lo.
Zara Larsson has a very small ATRL following and this is what our fellow members have to say about her
Quote:
Originally posted by Ben Ili
She is amazing!!
I love her song Carry you Home !
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Originally posted by nickolsen
I used her album to death a few months ago.
Can't wait for her new material, lush life is amazing.
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Originally posted by honeymoonavenue
I've stanned her for a while, and Lush Life is a giant bop
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Originally posted by MusicTalker
This song is awesome. She needs to promote it in the US.
Quote:
Originally posted by Sam
"Lush Life" just scored its fifth week @ #1 in Sweden this week. So proud of her. ATRL needs to stop sleeping on the next big thing!
Zara has been able to handle herself flawlessly since becoming famous and she's very humble. Her Instagram account shows how down to earth she is and how she's been able to stay grounded and keep her youth.
Zara isn't afraid to speak her mind as shown by this viral post proving that men have no excuses not to wear a condom.
Zara has a plethora of Pop gems. I've hand picked four of my favorites for you judges to have a peak at her discography. These selected tracks showcase her great voice, the beauty of her youth, the catchiness of her songs, the amazing production, her maturity and overall, just how brilliant she is.
Live performances are probably the most important and also the most nerve-wracking part of being an artist. It's the moment when you have to prove yourself and set yourself apart from the other pop stars. This happens to be my favorite live showing of Zara. I love how she brought the song to life, love her presence, her voice control and how mesmerizing her raw talent is.
Instead of creating a thread like the other contestants, I decided to think outside of the box and do something more effective. I took inspiration from the "door to door" marketing plan and applied that old promotional approach to this challenge and talked directly to just over 30 well known and influential ATRL members. These members were selected because they all represent different bases or are well known in different sections of the forum or are known to have great musical taste or have ranked high on ATRL's Most Influential Members list. I told them how amazing Zara Larsson was, recommended two Zara songs, gave them streaming links and showed them her videos. I also asked them to wear Zara Larsson avatars if they wanted to and to feel free to share her music and to continue the conversation. After all, word to mouth is still the best and most effective way to promote anything.
And it worked! Zara took over ATRL. Most members loved her and were very appreciative to discover this talented artist. Here are just few quotes from them.
Quote:
Originally posted by Bloomers
Cool. I checked out the two songs. They were both very good. I don't think I've heard too much by her before so thanks. I might have to keep an eye out for her and keep her songs in regular rotation
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Originally posted by Mark Rih
Zara slays so hard
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Originally posted by J-esper
Rooftop is a cute bop (only listened that one so far)
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Originally posted by Element
My faves are Uncover, She's Not Me, and Under My Shades
Quote:
Originally posted by jax.
I'll be rooting for Lush Life's success!
jpow even took the liberty to create 2 new avatars that were praised a lot in the Best Avi Thread (the conversation goes on for more than 2 pages) and members started to wonder where were they from
Quote:
Originally posted by 1989
What video is that from?
Here are some of the members who are wearing Zara avis for the next few days starting by yours truly.
Meet Zara Lovers
I also decided to apply what we learned from the Trend challenge and wanted to expand Zara Larsson's visibility a little more, as if having many regular posters sport her avatar wasn't enough, by using these gifs because we all know this is one of the fastest ways to become an ATRL "it girl". I was hanging out in the Pop Queens Rate thread on Tuesday and ATRLers quickly latched on to them.
Here are few examples
Quote:
Originally posted by Superpower
If it's Green Light
Quote:
Originally posted by MANUELF
Wont miss it
Quote:
Originally posted by Bloomers
I always forget how Take A Bow sounds, but I remember liking it alright. I guess this is a cool place for it.
Should have been Telephone though
Quote:
Originally posted by MANUELF
Thats because your taste is horrendous and if you see the scores you will only see me once in the lover section of Britney, I was fair to everyone
Quote:
Originally posted by dwuw
Alejandro > Blackout
Quote:
Originally posted by Tanguy
My flawless taste remains unbothered.
Take A Bow is a 10.
Quote:
Originally posted by Era
Quote:
Originally posted by A Bomb
Welcome to the whimsical world of LIZ, born Elizabeth Abrams, in LA, California. Drawing inspiration from the Y2K era, LIZ, channels the likes of Aaliyah, Brandy in combination with the infectious hooks of bubblegum pop. Her style mirrors her sound by paying tribute, to the FUBUs, Air Force Ones and Baby Phats of that era. Her latest release, produced by SOPHIE, is basically one big hook and her vocal delivery is very reminiscent of Ke$ha’s rap-sing vocals. All-in-all this has all the makings of a bubbly smash pop record. It’s already being used as in a Samsung advert! A blonde pop singer with sonically dynamic songs will have ATRL foaming at the mouth.
Other than her having BOPS, and being sonically interesting, she’s developing as a great performer. She’s on the verge of her first taste of mainstream success, with her collab with Diplo. Her songs have also been featured in TV and Film: The Scream TV series, on MTV, and The Amazing Spiderman 2 soundtrack. I’m confident this won’t be the last we hear of LIZ. Soon she will be Ruling the World.
The first step was obvious. Considering Rich White Ladies didn't even have a base, I figured I should start one. This step was actually collaborative between Buddy! and I because we chose to work more as partners rather than competitors. In preparation, I decided to look deeper into their story and their background. Afterwards I constructed a Base OP which included important links, a summary of their origins, and links to all their music videos. Of course, I topped it off with an iTunes link to their EP.
Also, some of the replies included people saying that they were interested in checking them out, hihi.
The second step to spread the word was to fashion my personal presentation across the forum in such a way that used the aesthetics created by Rich White Ladies. Firstly I changed my avatar, and even changed it to a rotating avatar so that I could demonstrate my two favourite videos:
&
After this, I worked on my signature to further the promotion. Each of the words in "NO BAD VIBEZ" links the person to a separate video (providing them streams ) but also helping to get the message across. The little crown also links them to purchase the EP on iTunes because why not?
I decided to adopt the approach where I would assume these girls as my actual faves (they kind of are but you know). That meant that where possible I would bring them into the discussion. I had to be careful not to over-spam though so I made my posts where relevant.
Again, trying to keep things casual cool, I started a thread in which I embedded Rich White Ladies' "Wimbledon" music video. The concept for the thread was Favourite Music Video Concepts. Although it wasn't wholly focused on the girls, I felt that it was a good way of promoting them while also promoting good discussion. Plus it spread awareness.
This power duo has shown great strength and diversity. With their music and new EP released proves that. They have yet to debut on a major album (coming soon!), however, with the right amount of exposure they may hit it big! They have a perfect mix of hip hop and pop, along with their unique sound it's something fresh and new that can make people fall in love with them. They poke fun at the materialism in America, and can clearly be shown in their Music video Wimbledon, white powder perm, and in their lyrics.
On March 31st, 2015 they released their first EP under Motown records. Containing 5 songs, each lyrically infectious.
White powder perm
My promo was subtle yet effective. I changed my ENTIRE look (which yall know is a very prominent feature of mine.) Changed my avatar, header, and signature to a link to their EP. I decided to use RTs as a basis for basic promotion. Posting videos of their songs, and just posting in general so people can see my new profile. Stepped up the promo by creating a thread, and for a virtually unheard of group, garnered about 9 replies basically all praising the duo, their album and songs.
(She's also a lesbian, so support your fellow homo!)
So, the new artist I chose to shine a spotlight on is country singer Brandy Clark. Part of the reason I chose her is because I think country is an unfairly maligned genre on ATRL, being considered a lesser genre and the typical thinking that it's all about "drinking and pickup trucks" (though I'm sure Citrus can relate to that) and Brandy is someone who can dispel that thinking pretty quick. Although she's a fairly new artist, she has been a songwriter for a long time. She's even responsible for some critically acclaimed country hits that you may or may not know, like Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart" and Kacey Musgraves "Follow Your Arrow", making it easier to get into her imo.
Brandy released her debut album, 12 Stories, in 2013 to mild commercial success but great critical acclaim. I think it really represents the modern style of country music, musically with the instruments etc, but mainly lyrically. Country music nowadays is very much story telling, which is what this album is all about, as you can see in the title. I understand some of you don't listen to country, and probably have no interest in it, but I think this album is a good gateway to the genre and that you should at least give it a fair try.
The album is 12 totally different stories, from the dark (Take A Little Pill), to the relatable (Hold My Hand), to the humorous (Stripes). There's something for everyone on here.
In terms of promo around ATRL, I took a different approach. I did things a lot more low-key. I figured most of ATRL wouldn't take a second look at a Brandy Clark thread and it would be left with 2 replies, so I tried to attract the small fringe audience that might actually have some interest with these threads and advertised Brandy within.
So yeah, I'm not good at closing paragraphs so please listen to at least one of the songs above and see if you like them. I remember back when I didn't use country at all and it was songs like Mama's Broken Heart that won me over and I hope this entry might get something similar to happen for one of y'all. Plus, the good sis' album only charted at like #120 so consider streaming (or even buying) her album to give her some coins. It's hard out here for a lesbo in country.
Peace!
Quote:
Originally posted by JakeKills
ANTM Cycle 13, Episode 6: New Artist Promo
Quote:
Brandy Clark: The Greatest Artist Nobody Knows
Brandy Clark is presently the greatest artist working in the (semi-mainstream) country genre. A talented vocalist with outstanding lyrics, Clark is a diamond in the rough -- a glimmer of hope in a genre filled with 30 year old men chasing a frat boy demographic. One need not look any further than Clark's songwriting contributions on other artists' albums to see that she has a distinct style. Hits like Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart" and The Band Perry's "Better Dig Two" burst with the dark humor that makes Clark's music stand out, while co-writes with Kacey Musgraves, including the popular gay rights anthem "Follow Your Arrow," reveal Clark's wittier side.
Brandy Clark won a CMA Award for Song of the Year for her work
as a co-writer on Kacey Musgraves' popular single "Follow Your Arrow."
Clark's own debut single "Stripes" is a few years old now, but it has a timeless quality to it. The song masterfully walks the razor's edge that is the balance between classic and contemporary country music. Although the murder ballad is one of the hallmarks of country songwriting, Clark manages to put a fresh spin on it by not following through with the murder. "The only thing saving your life is that I don't look good in orange, and I hate stripes," Clark sings on the track's rousing chorus. It's a song whose theme and humor are well-suited to the Orange Is The New Black generation, and an excellent introduction to Clark's music.
The music video for Brandy Clark's debut single "Stripes."
The remaining songs on Brandy Clark's universally acclaimed debut album 12 Stories work to establish her as the greatest storyteller in the country genre's recent history. Over the course of a dozen well-rounded songs, Clark puts forth her best wit and dark humor to tell the stories of struggling working class people, mistreated women, adulturers, and more. Part of what makes the album, and Brandy Clark in general, so remarkable is that she continuously breathes new life into the most traditional topics of country music. For instance, my favorite track "What'll Keep Me Out of Heaven" contemplates the sin of adultery, but decides the orgasm is worth the trip to Hell.
Country music is generally viewed as a form of escapism, just as most popular music is. The past few years have seen a surge of mindless party songs, bringing listeners even further from their real lives. Brandy Clark is one of a few artists who breaks this trend. Rather than encouraging listeners to escape their lives, she writes openly about their lives. She works through average-Joe characters and acts as an observer, making her something like the polar opposite of Taylor Swift (whose writings are intensely focused upon Her own life). Even though Clark may not be writing about her personal experiences, her songs burst with personality because of the unique perspective with which she writes.
Brandy Clark has been widely praised for her work, but the public has not yet caught wind of what she has to offer. That "Stripes" went nowhere on country radio is unsurprising. It is notoriously difficult to break a female act in country music, and it likely didn't help that she is nearly 40 years old, traditional in sound, a lesbian in a conservative genre, and already popular for her work behind-the-scenes. That Clark managed to pull nominations at the 2015 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Country Album despite her total album sales failing to reach six digits should speak volumes about the quality of her material.
It was at the most recent Grammys that most people had their introduction to Brandy Clark. Her understated performance of "Hold My Hand" with Dwight Yoakam gave her album the third greatest sales boost of the night (up 275%). This only goes to show that there is an audience out there for Brandy Clark, perhaps even a large one. She only needs the support and opportunity to reach it.
12 Stories saw a 275% sales boost after a performance of "Hold My Hand" at the Grammys.
For the past five years, people both outside of and within country music have watched in horror as the quality of material in the genre deteriorated faster than it has at any other point in history. The rise of bro-country has filled the genre with mediocre songs that bring hip-hop and EDM to country radio, where veterans and women equally struggle to be played. It's a tall order to want or expect anyone to "save" country music, but Brandy Clark has the potential to do just that. A first-rate lyricist with a unique perspective and a gift for blending classic and contemporary country, Brandy Clark is not just another up-n-comer; she's almost inarguably that greatest female country artist to debut this century. Country music has a poor reputation on ATRL, and even in the mainstream media in general, but if I could encourage someone to listen to just one country artist, it would absolutely be Brandy Clark.
I thought about making a "Meet the Best Woman in Country Music" thread, but the only replies would have been those 3 Carrie Underwood stans ranting on about her voice and string of #1s.
I thought about making a "Meet the Best Woman in Country Music" thread, but the only replies would have been those 3 Carrie Underwood stans ranting on about her voice and string of #1s.
Her stans are a mess, except that one that actually mentioned albums other than hers.
Meet Zara Lovers
& 
) but also helping to get the message across. The little crown also links them to purchase the EP on iTunes because why not?
