Eurovision: The Contestants part 8

Welcome back to another Eurovision post. I have 3 new songs to show you. Today Sweden, Austria and Belarus are making their debut on this blog. With Austria we are moving on to the second semi-final. But don't worry there are plenty more songs to come, we are not even halfway there yet. So expect a lot more in the coming weeks. There's still 43 days to go until the Grand Final. Plenty of time to check out all the contestants. If you are new, or haven't read any of my previous posts about Eurovision, please check those out as well. There will be a link to each part on the bottom of this post. Now, I'm not gonna waist any more of your time. Let's go and play some songs.

Introducing: Connie Talbot

The name Connie Talbot might ring a bell for some people, but for others she might be completely unknown. In case her name rings a bell, I will now refresh your mind a little. In 2007 she auditioned for the first series of Britain's Got Talent, when she was only 6 years old. She made it all the way to the finals, but lost to Paul Potts. Connie never stopped making music, but also had a fairly normal life. Today she is 16 years old and I'd like to introduce you all to the Connie Talbot she is today.

Eurovision: The contestants part 7

I'm back today with 2 new Eurovision songs to show you. We are almost nearing the end of the first semi final. On Friday I will be starting with the song from the second semi final. Today I have Portugal and Slovenia to show you, take a look below to continue to the songs.

Representing Portugal is Salvador Sobral with the song Amar Delos Pois. Now I always have a hard time with songs in a language that is not English when it comes to Eurovision. I have nothing against the culture of the artists that choose to do so, but it just makes it hard for me to relate to a song. I'm not a huge fan of this song in general, it has a charming quality but it's just not my cup of tea. Looking at the comments I see many people are able to take something from this, or just generally enjoy the song. I do think it has a chance for the grand-final, because of the charming quality, people seem to like that. Time will tell have to tell if I'm right.

With the song On My Way, representing Slovenia is Omar Naber. I'm not sure what to think of the song. It feels kind of old and boring and a little cheesy if I'm being honest. The lyrics are nice, but taking one glance at the YouTube comments already tells me there's a lot if people who seem to dislike this song. The singer is good, but his posing is horrible and doesn't fit the song at all. It's like 90's boyband meets Freddie Mercury. With both separately there's nothing wrong, put it together and it makes a horrible clash. As I'm writing this the song has more dislike than likes on YouTube, which says a lot. Unless he really spices up the performance and leave the horrible poses behind I don't think he's got much of a shot for the grand-finals.

Then finally I have a small rectification to make. In part 1 I worte about Lindita representing Albania with the song Botë. She is still performing that song, but has made the decision to perform in English. So her song will now be called World. In English most of my opinion still stands, though I do think the song sounds stronger and is for sure more relatable. I think it has a strong chanc eof ending up in the final. Watch the video for World below.

What did you think of today's songs? Please leave a comment below to let me know your opinion.

Find the other parts here:

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

Throwback songs: remember these ones?

 

Ever remember this song from years ago that nobody ever plays again? When I'm in a sentimental mood I always go back to the 2003/2004 era, I was about 12 years old back then and some of that music brings back so many memories. But most of these songs are long forgotten, so I figured I would dig up a few and share them with you today. How many do you remember?

My favorite girl group songs

In today's article I would like to show you some of my favorite girl group songs. Growing up I have witnessed many girl groups in the charts and nowadays they're still there. Now a small warning beforehand, not every well known girl group might be in here. I just chose the ones that are my personal favorites and that I know the best. The funny thing is that due to becoming a One Direction fan you also sort of get Little Mix and even Fifth Harmony as a bonus. Since they all came from X Factor the names always go hand in hand. The songs I chose are some of my favorites and in many occasion also some lesser known songs. Everyone knows the hits, but it's way more fun to explore something new. Check below to see which songs I chose.

Spice Girls - Love Thing
To start things of I am starting with the girl group among girl groups, the Spice Girls. Let's be real, who doesn't love the Spice Girls? They were one of the biggest girl groups ever and everyone has heard of them. Love Thing is a song of their album Spice, it's not one of their most known song, which is a shame. The song is super catchy and makes me want to get up and dance when I play it. Everyone knows songs like Wannabe or Two Become One, but this one definitely deserves some credit.



Atomic Kitten - If You Come To Me
How many people still remember Atomic Kitten? I think they are one of the least known girl groups ever perhaps. I don't even think they had a ton of hits. I'm not even sure if someone has ever heard of them outside of the UK and Europe. If you know them you might remember them from songs Like The Tide is High or Whole Again. This song was a single, but it's not the song everyone first thinks of. While it is quite a charming song, the chorus is my favorite part.



Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground
I think Girls Aloud is sort of a similar story as Atomic Kitten, they had a few hits and mostly in the UK and part of Europe. I remember them quite well, cause they were popular around the time I was really starting to get interested in music. Sound Of The Underground isn't really an unknown song, but it's such a fun song. Let's be real, the bassline in the background, the beat, the chorus, it's a super catchy song.

 

Sugababes - Shape
Now Sugababes are such an underrated girl group in my opinion. Just like previous names they didn't really have much success outside the UK and Europe, but I think they deserved more. Officially I have always considered Round, Round my favorite Sugababes song, but Shape is probably closely behind in second place. The reason I chose Shape is because it's possibly a little lesser known than Round, Round. Also, it has a sample of Shape Of My Heart by Sting in it, which is makes the song to what it is. I have always loved the Sugababes, probably cause they were the biggest girl group while I was growing up. To this day I still love them a lot, they are severely underrated in my opinion.



Little Mix - Boy
Moving on to the modern era girl groups. First of is Little Mix and their song Boy. Little Mix are such talented singers, vocal wise I think they might be one of the best girl groups in history. They don't just rely on a good backing track, but they can really bring it. Now this song starts acapella, which sounds impressive on the record, but if they do it live they sound even more amazing. Boy is an amazing song which is really mostly vocal driven, even the instrumental parts. Which is what makes it such an great song.



Fifth Harmony - We Know
Last up is Fifth Harmony and their song We Know. We Know is featured on their first album Reflection. Unfortunately this album doesn't have a lot of solo's for some of the members, especially Lauren Jauregui. Which is an absolute shame, because in my opinion she has the best voice of the group. Fortunately she has a big part on We Know, which is immediately what makes the song so amazing. Personally I'm not a huge fan of Camilla Cabello's voice, who gets most of the vocals on the album. So it's a nice change to hear Lauren stand out for a change. Fortunately on their second album Lauren got featured more than on Reflection. We Know is a great song, cause it has this laid back style, which gives the girls a chance to shine and show their vocals.



These were my favorite girl group tracks. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite girl group is and what your favorite track is.

My week in music

It's that time of the week again where I'll be showing you what music I've been listening to this week. This time I actually managed to listen to a few cd's as well. Let's not waste any more time and get right to it below.

March 25 2015: 2 years later, where is 1D currently?

Credit

Today is just another day for most people. Except for many fans of One Direction, which includes myself. March 25 2015, exactly 2 years ago, was the day Zayn Malik officially left One Direction. You can think or say what you want about that, but I can tell you it isn't fun when it happens. To this day it still hurts a little when I think back about the moment everyone got the news. On this memorable day I'd like to show everyone what One Direction and Zayn are currently doing. Take a look below to see what they are up to.

Eurovision: The contestants part 6

After messing up my planning a little this week we have another Eurovision post today. Starting next week the Eurovision posts will be posted on Wednesday and Friday as usual. Today I'm showing you 3 more contenders from the semi-finals. Let's continue below to check them out.

Eurovision: The contestants part 5

Whoops, I completely forgot that this post was supposed to go up yesterday instead of today. To quickly get back on schedule I will be posting my other Eurovision post tomorrow like I have been doing so far. That means you will be seeing 2 Eurovision post in a row, but that's just for once. Time to continue with today's songs.

Introducing: Lissie

My favorite thing about blogging is getting to introduce people to artists they might not know about. Today I would like to introduce you to Lissie. I discovered Lissie's music in the most coincidental way possible. One day I was on Google and I was looking for something about Stevie Nicks I believe. Then all of a sudden i stumbled across a picture of Lissie and I saw it was used in an article that mentioned Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac as an influence. That made me curious and I clicked the link to the article and started checking it out. It also showed one or more of Lissie's songs, so obviously I needed to check it out. Once I started listening I was sold. I immediately fell in love with her music and from that moment on I became obsessed with her music.

Lissie is an American singer-songwriter from Rock Island, Illinois. She is particularly known for her loud and husky voice. Her music is a mix of country, folk and rock influences. In the past she has opened for Lenny Kravitz, sang on several tracks from the album Fallen Empire's by Snow Patrol and also sang on the track Losers by Robbie Williams. Besides that several of her songs and covers got featured in in movies. I had the pleasure of seeing Lissie in concert twice in Amsterdam and she truly is as fantastic live as she is on record. Click read more to see some of Lissie's music.

My musical influences part 1

From a young age I've grown up with music at home, the influences came mostly from my dad. My mom wasn't that much into music. From my dad I got mostly classic rock influences mixed in with a few other things. I thought it would be fun to take you on a little musical journey and show you some of the most prominent influences.

5 covers you need to hear

I'm a huge fan of covers, have been for a long time. It's a great way to see a different side of an artist and it's a great way to see what they are capable of outside of their own music. I've collected five of my favorites for you today. Now these aren't in any way my top five or anything, they're just a few that I really like. It's so hard for me to actually make a list, cause I can't choose what I like the best. It all depends on what I'm looking for at the moment. Take a look below to see which covers I picked for you.

My week in music

Another week is almost over and just like last week I wanted to discuss with you the soundtrack to my past week. Now I've not played any cd's this week, I haven't even played this much music this week. Probably cause I've been watching tv a little bit more, especially in the last few days. Let's take a look below to see what music I've been playing.

3 songs I really like right now

As a fan of music you are always discovering new music. YouTube, Spotify, the radio, you name it. Sometimes you already know the artist, but they can suddenly surprise you with something as well. Or sometimes it's a new artist on the scene who you really like. I picked 3 songs that i really like at the moment and I will share them with you below.

Eurovision: The contestants part 4

Welcome back to another introduction to the contestants of Eurovision. Today I will be showing you 3 more contestants from Georgia, Greece and Iceland. One thing I have noticed so far is the amount of "serious" contestants. Eurovision is known for it's weirdness and over the top performances, but the last few years there's been a decline. Now we aren't even halfway into the full contenders list, so there's still plenty of room for weirdness. But so far there hasn't really been much.

Introducing: Waylon

Waylon, a name that I've written about before. Yet also a name that not many people know about. Hopefully after today a few more people will know his name and most importantly, his music. Let me introduce you real quick.

Waylon is a Dutch singer who got his stage name from his idol Waylon Jennings, a well known American country singer. From a young age he was inspired by country music. In 2001 he even lived and worked in America, performing with Waylon Jennings. When Jennings passed away Waylon returned home to the Netherlands.

In 2008 he got his breakthrough on Holland's Got Talent, auditioning with 'It's a Man's Man's World' by James Brown. He made it to the finals where he ended up in second place. That was the start of his career. He got a record deal with Motown and released his first single Wicked Way.

Then in 2014, after releasing several solo records he joined forces with fellow Dutch singer Ilse DeLange and together they became The Common Linnets. Under that name they participated in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. They ended up in second place behind Conchita Wurst from Austria. Soon after Eurovision, Waylon made the decision to leave The Common Linnets and go back to his solo career. In 2016 he became a coach on the seventh season of The Voice Of Holland.

Now let's continue and play some music, cause that's why we're here. Waylon is known for a varying style of music and his amazing voice. So you are in for a real treat.

Eurovison: The contestants part 3

Today I'll be showing you 2 more candidates for Eurovision 2017. But before that I need to apologize for not posting yesterday and for being late today. I've been a little busy and my planning got a little messed up. On Twitter I promised you a double post today, but unfortunately I can't live up to that. But I also had to write for tomorrow and it was also election day here in The Netherlands. So I wanted to keep up with that as well. Starting tomorrow everything should be back to it's usual schedule. Now on to the next 2 Eurovision candidates. Let's take a look below.

Introducing: Dilana

For some the name Dilana might ring a bell to some of you. Maybe you know her as Dilana Smith or even Dilana Robichaux. One thing is sure and that is that Dilana has been around for quite some time. In 2000 she scored hits in The Netherlands with her songs Do You Now and To All Planets. Then in 2006 she became runner up on the CBS reality show Rockstar: Supernova. After that she went on an independent tour, opened for Aerosmith and starred in her first movie role in the independent movie Angel Camouflaged. In 2009 and 2013 she released 2 solo albums called Inside Out and Beautiful Monster. Then suddenly this season I decide to watch The Voice Of Holland and who is auditioning? It's Dilana! Unfortunately she got eliminated during the knockouts. After a little bit of background information it's now time to discover some of Dilana's music.

My week in music

It's the end of a week, my first week of blogging, and I'd like to go through it by showing you the music I've been playing this week. I still love playing cd's and have a decent collection, but I also use Spotify if I'm on the go or if I don't own the cd for example. I've shared a few things I've been listening to on my Twitter and I'd like to expand on that a little more in this post. So please read along.

10 One Direction songs you should hear

One Direction? I can predict the urge for some of you to click away. But please don't. Bear with me here. I know the reputation 1D have among some people probably more than anyone. Why? Because I've been a fan for a little over 2 years now, and I was once one of you. I thought 1D were awful, a band specifically created for teenage girls. While that is true to some extend, 1D has grown up a lot over the years as you can see in the picture above. But they didn't just grow up in appearance, they also grew up musically. Unfortunately that is not something everyone always knows. Many people still remember them from their first single What Makes You Beautiful. But their style has changed so much since then and since they're currently on a break I thought I'd show everyone a side of 1D that you probably don't know yet.

Eurovision 2017: The contestants part 2

Last Wednesday I started part 1 of my Eurovision series. I showed you the contestants for Albania and Australia. Today I will be showing you 3 more contestants from Belgium, Cyprus and Czech Republic. The next parts will also be posted on Wednesday and Friday, just like I did this week. time to get going with the contestants.

Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson - Just Hold On music video

After releasing their collaboration in December last year Just Hold On was a great success for Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson with the song becoming number one on the iTunes charts in many countries around the world. The song was released after Louis' mother Johannah Deakin sadly passed away after a long battle with leukemia.

Eurovison 2017: The contestants part 1

If you live in Europe then there's a good chance you are eagerly awaiting one of the biggest musical events of the year. I'm talking about Eurovision of course. Ballads, glitter, costumes, it all comes together at Eurovision. Eurovision 2017 is being held in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Semi-Finals will held May 9th and May 11th, the Grand Final will be held May 13th. In 9 weeks I will be showing you all the contestants and songs for this years Eurovision. Today I will be talking about the first 2 country's. I'm going in alphabetical order as much as I can, but since some acts have not yet been announced it might not always be exactly in the right order. Today I'll be starting with Albania and Australia.

My upcoming concerts

 

Since I have quite a few (for me) concerts line up this year I figured I would give you all a look in my concert agenda. Recently I went to see Waylon in TivoliVredenburg which was my first show this year and a great one too start with. It was also my first time and TivoliVredenburg. This year I will be seeing many more venues/places that are new for me. I'm very excited for these shows, cause they differ a lot from each other musically, but also venue wise. So it should be an interesting musical year!

My musical equipment

As a lover of music I have invested quite a bit of money into my musical equipment. I think that if you really want to experience music in the best possible way, you should listen to it through some good equipment. Sure, sometimes I may still use my phone speaker, but when I do I instantly notice the difference in quality.

Recently I redecorated my bedroom (I still live at home) and therefor also upgraded my equipment. I went from having a portable cd/cassette player to a beautiful 40 inch tv with soundbar and a Blu-ray player. Here's a rundown of everything I use to listen/watch music.

Concert: Waylon: This Is Our Night @ TivoliVredenburg Utrecht

The name Waylon may not ring a bell for everyone. But most Dutch people will at least know who he is. If you're a fan of Eurovision you may remember him as well. But maybe just not his name. He was the male half of The Common Linnets, the country duo that ended up in second place (behind Conchita Wurst) with their song Calm After The Storm at Eurovision 2014 in Copenhagen. He was the guy with the big hat. In The Netherlands we have known him ever since he first auditioned for Holland's Got Talent in 2008 with 'It's a man's, man's, man's world' by James Brown.

After Eurovision Waylon soon left The Common Linnets and proceeded to work on his solo career. Recently he released a new EP called Seeds. Which is a collection of songs inspired by different artists and genres. In support of this EP Waylon is currently touring through The Netherlands with his This Is Our Night tour. February 25th he played a show at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. I was lucky to score a ticket and finally see Waylon in concert, something that has been high on my list for a while now.

A little introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Caroline, I'm 26 years old and live in the Netherlands. A very warm welcome to my blog. I have started this blog with the intention of writing about my biggest passion, music. I don't aim to be the next Rolling Stone or the next NME. Why not you ask? Well the answer is simple, there already are so many websites that do this. Also, I am not a journalist, I am someone who enjoys music, purely from a consumer point of view. I don't play an instruments, I can't really sing, but I love listening to music and going to concerts. So I figured I would try and see if anyone is interested in reading about it.

I have have several other blogs in the past, but I never quite committed to them as well as I maybe should have. But I fully intend to do it right this time around. So what can you expect from this blog? Anything to do with music, concert reviews, album reviews, music recommendations, a little bit of tech and probably much more as time goes by. What I will not be talking about here is music news and gossip. That's not the type of blog I want to be.

I love sharing music with my friends and on social media, but there's only so much you can share and so many people you can share it with before people are getting annoyed . So I figured I would broaden my audience and see who else are out there. I hope that through this blog I can share some great music with people. That's where the name 'Seed The Music' comes in. To me the name literally means, "to seed the music". To plant a seed by sharing something and hope the seed will start growing and the music will be shared and enjoyed by many more people.

Music is something that can unite people, it can cause so many emotions. That's the most beautiful thing about it. It's a universal language. And while the charts my vary from one country to another, most of the time you can count on it that a lot of the songs that are on the radio at home are also on the radio on the other side of the world. Yet there are also artists that don't make it all the way across the world. So while the language is the same, there may be variations in it from country to country. So you can still discover new things when you're away from home. Also a song can bring back so many memories. If a certain song has been played a lot while you were on holiday then there's a good chance you will keep associating that song with that holiday for example.

For now I will remain from sharing my favorite music with you. Cause there will be plenty of that to come in the (near) future. But I can say that I have a very eclectic taste. From rock to pop to a little country and so on. I don't discriminate based on genre, I just listen what I like and what gives me pleasure. That's the most important thing. I'm some higher power that tells you that if you listen to artist X you can't be taken seriously. If you listen to artist A then you can't listen to artist B. Music is for everyone and belongs to everyone. I am not going to dictate your taste, so I encourage everyone to keep an open mind and enjoy whatever you hear. I'm not someone who religiously follows the charts or listens to the radio every day to hear what's new. I find music in my own way. Sometimes through the radio. Often through YouTube. Sometimes I walk in a store and I hear a song playing over the sound system and I use my phone to find out which song it is.

That's it for now. You will be getting to know me more and more as time goes on. I hope everyone will enjoy what I write about. If you have any suggestions on what to post, feel free to leave a comment.