Little Mix!

From left-right: Perrie, Jade, Jesy, and Leigh-Anne

Little Mix.... a group of four british girls. Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards. They were formed in the eighth series of the UK reality show, The X Factor (2011). Each lady auditioned as solo artists, but failed to pass bootcamp, so the judges decided to give them a second chance! Jesy and Perrie were put in the group, Faux Pas, with 2 other people and Leigh-Anne and Jade were put in the group Orion with one other person. A later descision was made and two members from each group were put into one group. Their first group name was named Rhythmix but it was changed to Little Mix once they started the live shows. The girls were the first ever group to win the show!


After the X Factor, Little Mix was signed to the UK record label, Syco Records and was later signed to Columbia Records, a U.S record label January 2013. On November 2012, the girls released their first debut album DNA. The album included Wings, their debut single that reached number one in the UK charts and the song, DNA. In March 2013, Little Mix revealed that their second album would have more R&B sound. Also, their single, How Ya Doin'? will feature artist Missy Elliot. Lastly, they announced that they would release many different merchandise and an autobiography in the future!

What do you guys think of Little Mix?? -Johanne

The Beatles

Top Left: John Lennon
Top Right: Paul McCartney
Bottom Left: George Harrison
Bottom Right: Ringo Starr

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in the 60's in Liverpool. The group, which lineup was best known to be John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, became the most successful  in the 'rock music era'. They also were the most critically acclaimed, which meant many professionals thought they were great. The Beatles also incorporated different genres in their music, including some classical and pop ballads. The bands reputation of playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg built in over a three-year period in the 1960's. It was in late 1962 where their popularity grew when they released their hit, Love Me Do. The groups nickname was the 'Fab Four'.

Early 1964, they become international super stars and started the 'British Invasion' in the U.S. After 1965, the Beatles produced material that many critics would agree as 'their finest material' which included many hit albums. In 1970, the band broke up and each of them enjoyed their solo careers. Unfortunately, John Lennon was shot and killed December 1980 and George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are still here enjoying their successful music careers. According to Time Magazine, the Beatles are the best selling band in history. 

I personally think the Beatles are really cool and I love their music. Some of my favorite songs are Let it Be and Hey Jude. I hope you guys liked this post! What are your opinions on this band? -Johanne

Bruno Mars: When I Was Your Man

Hello! This week's 'Song of the Week' is................ When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars! This song by the American singer/songwriter is included in his latest album, Unorthodox Jukebox. The album was released in 2012 but the single was released as a single on January 2013. This song was written by Bruno himself, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt. Below is the music video for When I Was Your Man! 

I, myself, really like the song. I think that the meaning is basically that he lets this special girl go and really regrets it. This song is saying that he hopes the girl's new man would treat her right, and treat her better than he could ever do. The music video is very cool, too. As you saw from the video above, its like one of the 'old' types of films, it looks really vintage and I think it goes great with this song. It is also very simple. Bruno is just playing the piano while singing.

So, what did you guys think of the song, and the video?? COMMENT BELOW! -Johanne

Alicia Keys vs Beyonce

Hello! So, I'm going to do another versus! This time, its Alicia Keys vs Beyonce. Both ladies are very talented and are very big artists, but its up to YOU to decide which do you think is better!

Beyoncé
On September 4, 1981, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born. Today, she's known as an R&B, soul, pop, and hip-hop artist. She is a singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress born and raised in Houston, Texas. As a child she enrolled in performing arts schools and joined singing and dancing competitions. In the 1900's Beyonce was the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child. Due to some problems, the group decided to take a break from Destiny's Child so they could pursue solo careers. As a solo artist, Beyonce's four studio albums has given her awards such as Grammy's and has reached the top of the charts! As of today, she is married to Jay-Z with a child. Also, her group, Destiny's Child, released the album, "Love Songs" January of this year which is full of romantic-themed songs from their previous albums. To cover her future songwriting and her upcoming albums, Beyonce signed with Warner/Chappell Music.


Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook was born January 25, 1981 in Manhattan, New York City. She is a singer-songwriter and actress, professionally known as 'Alicia Keys'. At 12 years old, Alicia enrolled in The Professional Performing Arts School and when she was 14 she began writing songs. Her career began when she met Jeff Robinson at an after-school program, the man who is her long-term manager and the one who introduced her to Arista Records, one of the recording labels she is currently signed to. She is also signed by record labels like Columbia Records. Alicia has also made many guest appearances on television series. One of her first appearances was on the show "Charmed". Today Alicia released her 5th studio album "Girl On Fire" November 27, 2012, and she is married with a child also.


Comparison
Now that we have most of the background information on these two phenomenal artists, I made a comparison of the two! Below you will be able to see the comparison based on their success for Alicia Keys and Beyonce.

Beyonce’s Success	Alicia’s Success
Over 7 Million followers on Twitter	Almost 12 million followers on Twitter
4 studio albums	4 studio albums
Has sold over 13 million albums in the US alone and over 118 million records worldwide	Has sold over 30 million albums and 35 million singles worldwide
1997-present: Years active as an artist	1996-present: Years active as an artist
Achievements: 17 Grammy Awards, 12 Video Music Awards (VMA), and a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame	Achievements: 9 Grammy awards, 11 Billboard Music Awards, and 3 American Music Awards

Top Tens!
Now, I made a list of top ten songs from each artist! This information is from The Top Tens by the way :) Below you can click on the title and there is a Youtube link to the song!

Beyonce:                                                                             Alicia Keys:
1. Halo                                                                                1. Fallin'
2. Irreplaceable                                                                 2. No One
3. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)                                 3. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart
4. Crazy In Love                                                                4 .Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)
5. Best Thing I Never Had                                               5. Butterflyz
6. If I Were A Boy                                                             6. Superwoman
7. Sweet Dreams                                                              7. Goodbye
8. Listen                                                                             8. Like You'll Never See Me Again
9. Love On Top                                                               9. Girl On Fire
10. Broken-Hearted Girl                                               10. A Place Of My Own


Summary
So, what did you guys think? Have you changed your minds about these two ladies, or are your opinions still the same? I myself am very fond of Beyonce. She is AMAZING. As you can see from above, she is a very famous person and many people like her. And her voice is absolutely incredible! Now, it is time for you guys to decide on who is better. Alicia Keys.... or Beyonce?! Comment Below!  -Johanne