International Artist Spotlight: Nelly Furtado

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: NELLY FURTADO

NELLY FURTADO "SAY IT RIGHT"

Before  I write about today's featured artist, I just wanted to apologize for the long delay between posts. My laptop stopped working a few weeks ago, and that prevented me from being able to update the blog daily. Have no fear, I have come into possession of a new laptop, and the blog is now back up and running! Thank you for your patience, and I am hopeful that there will be no more hiccups.

Today's choice for the international artist spotlight comes from Canada, although she was born to Portuguese parents. Nelly Furtado is one of the most well known women of pop over the last two decades. She has been singing since the age of 4, and it has now turned into a very successful career. Her first single of her career was "I'm Like A Bird," which could just have easily been a great selection for the song today. Ever since then, she has been pumping out hit after hit with each new album released. Her most successful album was Loose, where we got wonderful hits like "Promiscuous" (her first #1 song) and "Maneater", as well as the song featured today, which was her most successful song worldwide. Throughout her career, Furtado has stayed very close to her Portuguese roots, including some of the language throughout her music, as well as writing a song off of her second album that became the theme for the 2004 European Football Championship, where the finals were held in Lisbon. She is also an active philanthropist. While most of you have probably listened to her music before, I hope you'll enjoy this small bio, and refresh yourself with some of Nelly Furtado's music today.

Lyrics to "Say It Right"

International Artist Spotlight: Zara Larsson

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: ZARA LARSSON

Zara Larsson "Lush Life"

Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson has been making music since she was ten. At that time, she won Sweden's version of America's Got Talent, and, with a cover of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," her music career was underway. The song featured today was released in 2015, and was her first big international hit, including here in the United States. Since then, she's had a few other songs gain international acclaim and released her first studio album. Her accolades thus far include Time magazine's 30 most influential teenagers of 2016 and being named on Forbes' "30 under 30 Europe" segment. This particular song is very upbeat, and is all about having fun. In Larsson's own words, "live with no regrets and enjoy the moment." She also describes this song as a perfect summer song, as that tends to be when most people take the opportunity to live that way. Needless to say, Larsson's future is bright, and I believe she's on the verge of being one of pop's next biggest mega artists.

Lyrics to "Lush Life"

International Artist Spotlight: Shakira

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: SHAKIRA

Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean "Hips Don't Lie"

Shakira is the best selling Colombian artist of all time. Her music is widely popular throughout the world, including the United States. Which, if you know about her, would have been far fetched when she first started making music. It took her quite a few years before she broke through on the American charts. The album Laundry Service, which contained the song "Whenever, Wherever," was what broke through that barrier. It reached number 3 on the U.S. album charts, according to biography.com. She has been a judge on The Voice, and has won 3 Grammys throughout her career. She's also a very active philanthropist, having her own charity foundation as well as being a UNICEF ambassador. The song featured today topped the charts in 55 countries, according to Genius. I'm sure most of you will recognize this, as well as many other songs by her. Enjoy today's pick, the second most successful Latin American artist behind Gloria Estefan.

Here is the full biography used today

Here is her website, which provides plenty of information, including her extensive philanthropy

Lyrics to "Hips Don't Lie"

International Artist Spotlight: Kaleo

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: KALEO

Kaleo "No Good"

If you're looking for a band to really rock out to, than may I introduce you to Kaleo. They are a rock band with a blues sound hailing from Iceland. Their debut album A/B showcases their unique sound. According to the band's website, this album is inspired by vinyl records of old, where there were two sides to the record. Each side of of the vinyl allowed the artist to put on display different sides of their musical talent. Kaleo approaches their album the same way, with the front half filled with that blues rock sound, while the back half is filled with softer ballads. "No Good" is a representation of that blues rock sound, and it is also the opener to the album. It's a great way to start off a pretty great album. I did get to see Kaleo in person at the Firefly Music festival last summer, and they are just as impressive live. I highly encourage you to check out this group from Iceland.

If you want to learn more about them, check out their website

Lyrics to "No Good"

International Artist Spotlight: Lukas Graham

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: LUKAS GRAHAM

Lukas Graham "Mama Said"

A song that samples "Hard Knock Life" can't be terrible, can it? You probably know who Lukas Graham is from the song "7 Years," since that's the song that launched him into the spotlight. I also believe that today's selection, "Mama Said," was also played on the radio quite a bit. It's a simple, upbeat song about appreciating the things that you have in life. The lyrics stress not needing to have all these extravagant things to be happy. It also talks about following your dreams, with Lukas' personal story as an example. Lukas Graham is actually a pop band from Copenhagen, Denmark. Lukas, the lead singer, has used his life and background as inspiration for a lot of his music, and you can tell within the lyrics. He grew up in a fairly poor neighborhood in Copenhagen, yet made it out to the success he has now as a musician. However, he always likes to share that success back to where it all started. 

For the rest of the month, each day will feature an artist from a different country around the world. Hope you enjoy this month's theme!

Check out their website for more info!

Lyrics to "Mama Said"

February Love Song #28

FEBRUARY LOVE SONG #28

Dua Lipa "New Rules"

In a twist on this month's theme, I chose a break up song for the last song of the month. We are breaking up with the love song theme as March approaches. Dua Lipa has broken into the pop scene within the last few months, with "New Rules" being the smash hit that has really put her in the spotlight. It's a powerful song about not going back to your ex, no matter what. Dua lays down "New Rules" that are supposed to help remind her of why going back won't work. It has a really catchy beat, and Dua Lipa's voice is great in its own right. Combine that with a little sass with this particular song, and it makes a fantastic song. I highly recommend other songs off of this album as well. Whether you're going through a break up or not, enjoy this song. Don't forget to check back tomorrow as I unveil March's theme!

Lyrics to "New Rules"

February Love Song #27

FEBRUARY LOVE SONG #27

The Penguins "Earth Angel"

I'm taking you all the way back to the 1950s today. Of course, I think you'll more than likely recognize this song, even if you know it by one the remakes of it. This is the original "Earth Angel," recorded in 1954. It has that classic 1950s musical style, and could easily be slow danced to by couples. According to Genius, this was the B-side of another song, but DJs mistook it is the A-side, and so goes the popularity of "Earth Angel." It allowed The Penguins to get a major deal with Mercury Records, although they ended up being a one hit wonder. In my opinion, sometimes you just need a day to sit back and listen to some older songs like this. It can really be enjoyable, and I'm hoping you enjoy it today. 

Lyrics to "Earth Angel"