Nico & Vinz: International Stars

I always love it when I discover that an artist I'm hearing in America is actually from a different part of the world. Accents are usually hard to decipher in music, so it's often a surprise when you find out that a singer, who sounds so American, is actually from the other side of the world. This was my feeling when I read up about the Norwegian duo Nico & Vinz.


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Am I wrong when I say these guys are awesome? Sorry for the bad attempt at humor, but "Am I Wrong" is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. It's catchy to sing along with, rhythmic to dance with, and somehow the lyrics make it seem meaningful in a way. "Am I wrong for thinking out the box from where I stay? / Am I wrong for saying that I choose another way? / I ain't tryna do what everybody else doing / Just cause everybody doing what they all do / If one thing I know, I'll fall but I'll grow / I'm walking down this road of mine, this road that I call home". This song seems to be a call for independence, for doing things in your own way and not simply following the crowd. I like that message.

After replaying "Am I Wrong" so many times that I practically know it backwards, I did some more looking for other songs the duo have written and sung. I found a beautiful piece they'd done, called "Find A Way", featuring Emmanuel Jal. It was written to go with a new Reese Witherspoon movie, "The Good Lie". After listening to the song I watched the trailer for the movie, and let's just say that I definitely would like to see it!

But back to the song. "Find A Way" is a song filled with hope, and though some people may find it a little cheesy, I love the song and its message. The melody and instrumentation is beautiful as well. The song has a calming quality to it, so listening to it is both relaxing and uplifting. I definitely recommend it!

I'm very excited about this duo, and I can't wait to see what else they come out with. To conclude this post, here's a clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live! of the two performing one of the best songs I know, "Am I Wrong"; enjoy!

Iggy Azalea: A Feminist Icon?

Ever since she crashed onto the worldwide music stage with her hit single "Fancy", Iggy Azalea has been taking the music world by storm. She shines in Ariana Grande's "Problem" (see my post about Ariana Grande herself as well), and I simply can't get the catchy "Black Widow", featuring the fabulous Rita Ora, out of my head.

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Female rappers have been rising in popularity over the last few years, with one of the most famous coming to mind: Nicki Minaj. I really like seeing women succeed in a field that has generally been dominated by men. Though many people dislike rap, and some may even not consider it "music" or an "art", I personally believe that it takes quite a bit of skill to rap well.

Iggy Azalea has definitely got that skill. She has a genuine style to her rap that is very pleasing to listen to. She has a solid grasp on rhythms, and is constantly changing the pace at which she is rapping throughout each song. I often like to rap along with her whenever her one of her songs comes on the radio in the car, and I know from experience how difficult it is to change up rhythms mid-rap; and sound good doing it!

Mainly I admire Iggy Azalea for the very fact that she is breaking boundaries (hence the title of this post). She's boldly executing a music style that has been dominated by men, and is proving that women are perfectly capable of doing what the men do. Yes, it is rapping, and I'm sure many people would think "That music style is bad anyway, so who cares if it's men or women doing it? No one should be doing it!". I understand; people have different tastes. But regardless of the style of the music itself, it's the principle of the fact that women are able to do it also, and are doing it well and becoming very popular while doing it. There is nothing wrong with women singing love-struck ballads or poppy dance tunes; trust me, I love those too! But it's great to see women like Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj pave the way for women to have more possibilities with music - and, eventually, in all aspects of life as well.

So keep on rapping, Miss Iggy; we love you for it!

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Ariana Grande: There's No Problem with Her!

It's very rare for anyone in the entertainment industry to successfully transition from one field to another. We've seen many try, and many fail to do so. Yet every once in a while we see a highly successful transition, and it always make us take note of just how talented that particular artist is. A prime example of this is the fabulously talented Ariana Grande.


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I never really watched the show Victorious, but I'm sure that for people who did, Ariana Grande will forever be associated with her character Cat Valentine. She even played the same role in the spin-off series, Sam & Cat.

For me, however, I will always remember my discovery of Grande as being the first time I heard her belting "Head in the clouds / Got no weight on my shoulders!". I was immediately impressed by her ability to flawlessly hit the high notes and bought the song right after hearing it. It's true: I like her voice. She's got talent! She has successfully transitioned from acting to singing, and at this point there's no looking back for her.

My obsession with "Problem" was just calming down when I heard "Break Free", and my interest was rekindled. I like Grande's poppy style, that's so easy to dance and sing along to. Her songs have a power to them that I enjoy. She's free and strong and independent, and that's great to hear. I'm officially a fan, and I can't wait to see (and hear!) the exciting things that will come from this amazing artist in the future!


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MKTO: True Millennial Artists

I'm sure many of you have heard the new song "Classic", by MKTO, played on repeat on the radio; several times a day! I certainly have, and whenever it comes on while I'm driving I immediately crank up the volume and sing along with the catchy melody and super-cute lyrics. But does MKTO have anything else to offer? Is this new duo doomed to be a one-hit wonder before their music career has even really begun?

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After purchasing the song "Classic" (and listening to it multiple times), I decided to investigate more of the group self-named album, "MKTO". Firstly, I read online that not only do the letters stand for the artists' names, Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller, but they also make up the phrase: "Misfit Kids and Total Outcasts". Interesting; but why?

As soon as I listened to more of the songs on the album, I understood the meaning behind the duo's name. Kelley and Oller may be giving the impression that they will be producing cute, pop-y love songs with their hit "Classic", but there is clearly more to their music style. The album begins with the song "Thank You", which openly criticizes the government, referencing abuse of the environment and the world in general: "Thank you for feeding us years of lies. / Thank you for the wars you left us to fight. / Thank you for the world you ruined overnight. / But we'll be fine, yeah we'll be fine." The song is an anthem for rebellious teenagers.

The album's fourth track, "American Dream", is in fact a satirical comment on the state of America today. The song points out the values held up in American society, and even states that they're probably the wrong ones: "We don’t want two kids and a wife / I don’t want a job I just want a life". The song points out that America isn't necessarily the perfect place people believe it to be: "Look, never take candy from a stranger / And keep your eyes open for danger / ‘Cause this right here is the twisted paradise". The song questions in its chorus "Whatever happened to the American dream", and mentions that "Jack left Diane thirty years ago", referencing the 1982 hit "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp.

This revolutionary attitude continues with MKTO album's fifth track, "Could Be Me", featuring Ne-Yo. This song seems like a simple love song at first listen, but also criticizes America's culture of consumerism and greed for money by describing a girl who would rather be with a man who is cruel to her but rich than with a man who is poor but actually cares for her.

These three songs are not the whole album, of course, but they highlight the duo's core values. Even the cute song "Classic", so popular because it is catchy and about love, mentions that the world today has "gone plastic", and yearns for "classic" days of old. It is clear, when looking closely at the work on the album, that Kelley and Oller are truly of the millennial generation: rebellious, young, and ready to change the world for the better. To me, this makes it clear that MKTO does not have to fear one-hit-wonder-land; with their passion, talent, and ideological basis, this band is here to stay. And the songs are fun to dance to, as well; always a plus! ;)

Concert Review: OneRepublic, The Script, and American Authors

"Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep..." because I stayed up late at the fantastic OneRepublic, The Script, and American Authors concert!


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Prior to attending the concert, I wouldn't necessarily have called myself a huge fan of the bands featured. I knew all of the big hit songs from each band, but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. After the concert, however, I must admit that I am now in LOVE with all three bands! They each had a phenomenal performance that absolutely blew me away, and was beyond any expectations I'd had. I was expecting a lot, since these bands are all so popular, but they were even better live than I had ever thought possible.

I'll now go through and evaluate each band's performance individually:

American Authors: This band was the absolute perfect opener for this concert. They performed for about half an hour or so, and played a bunch of songs before closing with their big hit "Best Day of My Life". I'd never heard any song by them other than the previously mentioned hit, but I thoroughly enjoyed their other songs. They did an awesome job warming up the crowd, getting everyone singing and excited. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what else will come from them in the future!

The Script: I knew more songs from The Script prior to the concert and was really excited to hear them live; they did not disappoint! They were an exciting hour-long act filled with all their big songs, including "Breakeven" and "The Man Who Can't be Moved", with a good mix of tempo and style. Danny O'Donoghue even called up an audience member's ex-boyfriend and sang him an angry break-up song on speakerphone! That was a funny moment. They even sang my personal favorite song, "Hall of Fame", which I was worried they may skip since it features Will I Am. Danny ran out into the audience twice, coming quite close to where I was sitting in the back and causing excessive screaming and cheers. A fantastic showing!

OneRepublic: Concluding the concert, since they were the main band, OneRepublic absolutely blew me away. They were exciting, riveting, and so, so talented. They performed a lot of songs off their newest album, "Native", as well as many other hits, such as "Apologize", "All the Right Moves", "Secrets", and "Good Life". They also did a beautiful cover of "What A Wonderful World". There were amazing lights, movies, and even smoke blasting during "Counting Stars". Everyone in the audience was singing (or, in my case, screaming) along, and the band completely fed off our energy and gave it back and more. I immediately bought their Native album as well as a bunch of other singles when I got home; I was very impressed and would love to see them in concert again!

Overall, this was a fantastic concert, with an amazing atmosphere and wonderful location, right on the harbor in Boston. I highly recommend buying tickets for a concert in this tour, or if they decide to tour together again (which I sincerely hope they will!) purchasing tickets for at least three of the shows!

Welcome to Flo's Music Focus!

Hello Blog surfers! Welcome Flo's Music Focus, where the focus is on - you guessed it! - all things music-related. Here is my personal outlet for expressing my opinions on the latest hits, the hottest bands, and fabulous award shows. I'll also be posting reviews of concerts I've attended.

Music is a huge part of my life; I love to sing and am currently a member of an a capella group. I always have my headphones plugged in and am jamming out to the latest song I purchased. Music is everywhere, all around us. It's a huge part of everyone's lives, all over the world. I think it's so important to be aware of music as more than entertainment, but also as an important art form that is both an integral part and a reflection of culture.

Have fun exploring my blog, and feel free to post any comments on my posts. Let's talk about music!

- Flo <3