LIVE PERFORMANCES: taylor swift - bbc radio 1 live lounge

taylor swift - lover


taylor swift - london boy


taylor swift - can't stop loving you (phil collins cover)


taylor swift - archer


taylor swift - holy ground


taylor swift - you need to calm down

LIVE PERFORMANCE: childish gambino - lost in you (chris gaines cover) (triple j like a version)

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: james blake - vincent

james blake - vincent
as an xmas gift james blake took a break from radio silence (where have you been james?) and recorded a version of his concert cover favorite 'vincent' by don mclean. it's a sparse piano & a mic affair, but it's still and beautiful and brings a big fat awwwww to our hearts. thank you james!

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: betty who - i love you always forever

betty who - i love you always forever
aussie pop gal betty who covers donna lewis' 1996 classic and reminds us how perfect this gentle song has been from day 1. throw in a pan cuddle party and you've got a something perfect for 2016. bring on the ahhhhs!

WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: aurora - half the world away (john lewis xmas 2015 theme song) / npr tiny desk concert

aurora - half the world away (video premiere)
getting the coveted theme song to front the annual john lewis xmas ad campaign has been very beneficial for past stars (ellie goulding, tom odell, lily allen) and this year 19 year old aurora gets the chance to pull at our heartstrings with her cover of the oasis hit "half the world away". all this means big things for the norwegian singer/songwriter who has been on our radar since the summer. with a debut album set for early next year, this is just the perfect track to create some crossover buzz.

wanna see the john lewis ad? here it is below:

john lewis christmas ad 2015 - #ManOnTheMoon

UPDATE: check out aurora performing her just released npr tiny desk concert:

aurora - tiny desk concert
"Runaway"
"Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)"
"Running With The Wolves"

SOUL GAL: kehlani feat coucheron - alive / feat charlie puth - hotline bling (drake cover)

kehlani feat coucheron - alive
you know you've hit breaking point appreciation when taylor swift name checks your song as one of her current favorites. for the multi-cultural kehlani, the bay area singer/songwriter is breaking into the mainstream after her popular mixtape 'you should be here' generated a million streams in a day. celebrating 90's r&b kehlani is readying for her debut album with the official release of this breezy island love jam. she's on our radar and should be on yours too!


kehlani x charlie puth - hotline bling (drake cover)
hot damn! stripping down drake's single to the bare minimum, charlie & kehlani sound perfect on their duet cover of this hot jam. LOVE THIS!!

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: ryan adams - blank space (taylor swift 1989 cover)

ryan adams - blank space (taylor swift 1989 cover)
going on the daily show with new host trevor noah, ryan adams performed three numbers from his 1989 cover album for the first time and it was glorious. i've been coming back to this number as his melancholic version has been the perfect soundtrack to our chilly wet northeast climes these days. LOVE this album!!!

ALBUM STREAM: ryan adams - 1989 (taylor swift album)

ryan adams - 1989 (taylor swift album)
a total curiosity, singer songwriter ryan adams spent the summer covering taylor swift's '1989' album and the result is this celebration of her songs. allowing us to hear her music through a different filter, some of these covers are surprisingly wonderful. awesome!

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: major lazer feat MØ - lost (frank ocean cover)

major lazer feat MØ - lost (frank ocean cover)
covering frank ocean's now classic track 'lost' from his 'channel orange' album, major lazer are gearing up for another (!!) new album called 'music is the weapon' due for release later this year. of course they still have a few singles left from their current album, so it'll just be a major lazer cluster F in the coming months. not complaining!

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL LIVE: chris stapleton - tennessee whiskey (live @ the view)

chris stapleton - tennessee whiskey (live @ the view)
with 15 years worth of songs under his belt for some of the biggest names in country (and one adele), singer songwriter chris stapleton is finally ready to take the center stage with his amazing raspy soulful voice and sensitive silent man stance.

ironically it was a cover of the george jones classic hit 'tennessee whiskey' (on THE VIEW no less!) that made me sit up and take notice of this talented 'new' artist. this performance is so perfect (chris even has his wife morgane on stage with him) that i may have gotten teary from the surprise of what i was watching! the new album 'traveller' just came out and you can listen to it in full on spotify now.


if you can't watch the video, check out the bluesy studio version below:

chris stapleton - tenneesee whiskey

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL LIVE: ed sheeran - dirrty (christina aguilera cover) (live @ bbc radio 1 live lounge)

ed sheeran - dirrty (christina aguilera cover) (live @ bbc radio 1 live lounge)
showing up to the live lounge yesterday with a 6 song set, ed surprised everyone by kicking it all off with this cover version of the classic Xtina hit (with the redman rap thrown in too!) press play and you might actually discover that you liked this song after all!


christina aguilera feat redman - dirty
ok... maybe not the original...

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL LIVE!: jessie ware - jealous (labrinth cover) (live @ bbc live lounge)

jessie ware - jealous (labrinth cover) (live @ bbc live lounge)
hot damn! the ever brilliant jessie ware does an excellent cover of labrinth's current ballad (which truth be told, has never left much of an impression... until now!) and even mashes it up with a verse from chaka khan's "through the fire". not much more to say than just press play and enjoy this wonderful wonderful cover.

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: frank ocean - at your best (you are loved) (aaliyah birthday tribute)

frank ocean - at your best (you are loved)
aaliyah would have been 36 this weekend, so frank ocean went and did a beautiful cover of the isley brothers classic that the young singer also covered back in 1994 for her debut album 'age ain't nothing but a number'. listening to this just makes me think of the lost possibilities of the young songstress. sigh...

WONGIE XMAS 2014: tom odell - real love (the beatles cover) / john lewis christmas ad

tom odell - real love (the beatles cover)
it's that time of the year again! xmas 2014 kicks off with the annual john lewis ad campaign pairing a pop star with a classic cover. this years vocalist tom odell gives us a lush version of the beatles classic that will have you swooning!

wanna see the ad that's getting some serious 'awwwww's out for the season? check out the john lewis ad below:

tom odell - real love (john lewis christmas ad 2014)

HOT SOUNDTRACK: sia - you're never fully dressed without a smile (OST annie)

sia - you're never fully dressed without a smile (OST annie)
re-interpreted for the new soundtrack, sia covers one of annie's classic numbers and gets the new annie, quvenzhane wallis and her co stars (spot bobby cannavale!), to spread some happiness for the video. this is probably the first thing from the film that actually gets me excited, so hopefully they'll be more interpretations to come!

and if want a reminder of how the original sounded, check out this clip from the 1982 version:

annie - you're never fully dressed without a smile

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: annie lennox - i put a spell on you (screamin' jay hawkins cover)

annie lennox - i put a spell on you (screamin' jay hawkins cover)
taken off her upcoming covers collection from songs of the 1930s and 40s called 'nostalgia', annie lennox puts her own spin on these classic standards and if its anything like this lead track, then it will be amazing! just the lush arrangement from this song alone is enough to get you excited for whats to come! omg this is good!!

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: hozier - do i wanna know (arctic monkeys cover) (live @ bbc radio 1 live lounge)

hozier - do i wanna know (arctic monkeys cover) (live @ bbc radio 1 live lounge)
the amazing hozier covers one of the best songs of 2013 and strips away the soul grit of the original and gives it a more gentle interpretation. gosh i love this man!

JUST CUTE: meghan trainor, jimmy fallon & the roots - all about that bass (live @ the tonight show with jimmy fallon)

meghan trainor, jimmy fallon & the roots - all about that bass (live @ the tonight show with jimmy fallon)
welcome to the cute!!!

KIESZA COVERS: kiesza - what is love (haddaway cover) / take me to church (hozier cover)

lets show you another side of our gal kiesza as she covers the 90's dance classic 'what is love' by haddaway and one of the best songs of this year by hozier in ballad/acoustic form. both showcase her total control of her vocals and the ability to do stuff other than dance music. we are formally intrigued now!


kiesza - what is love (haddaway cover)


kiesza - take me to church (hozier cover)

LIVE WONGIE: asgeir - stolen dance (milky chance cover) (live @ triple j like a version)

asgeir - stolen dance (milky chance cover) (live @ triple j like a version)
aw... this is nice! happy weekend y'all!