the hamilton mixtape: kelly clarkson / the roots feat busta rhymes, joell ortiz & nate ruess

after much talk about a mixtape curated and produced by hamilton creator lin manuel miranda, we are FINALLY getting to hear the results in advance of it's december 2nd release. don't worry we will be updating these tracks as soon as they're available!

kelly clarkson - it's quiet uptown
how fascinating to spin the song from a mother's perspective. kelly clarkson's version is a completely different take on what is probably the most emotional crux of the hamilton score and it's equally heartbreaking. try to not cry when the words "forgiveness" is sung. brilliant!

the roots feat busta rhymes, joell ortiz & nate ruess - my shot
OMG the busta rhymes section is EVERYTHING!!

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: kelly clarkson - piece by piece

kelly clarkson - piece by piece
easily one of my fave tracks from kelly's album of the same name, it's the lyrics of this number that always gets to me, spinning a positive from what was a pretty bad early relationship in her life. with the track remixed for radio, this is officially her latest single and it's just beautiful.
in her own words, kelly talks about the lyrics of the song:
"I like to think of "Piece By Piece" as the happy ending to "Because Of You." It's not the happiest story in the beginning, but it's a real one that I decided to write after a conversation with my sister. So many of us had to grow up without parents to model a healthy relationship for us, so we often get into dysfunctional relationships because it is what is familiar. We end up settling instead of being with someone who is worthy of our hearts and our time. We all deserve to feel worthy of love. We all deserve to be truly loved. This song is basically my past, present, and future. It's my love letter celebrating and thanking my husband for being a man that knows how to love me and our children without expecting anything in return. Also, this is a promise to my kids that I will never cease to love them, and be present in their lives always."
feel like you know the song by now? check out a very emotional kelly as she tries to perform this song live a few months back. it'll make you tear up for sure!

kelly clarkson - piece by piece (live)

WEEKEND MIX: kelly clarkson - invincible

kelly clarkson - invincible
co-written by the almighty sia, this is a nice power ballad anthem that kelly can belt out in her sleep. not my fave track off her current 'piece by piece' album, but it's not bad either.

WONGIE DUET OF THE WEEK / PLUS FULL ALBUM STREAM: kelly clarkson feat john legend - run run run / piece by piece

kelly clarkson feat john legend - run run run
what happens when you get two powerhouse voices to duet on a large epic heartbreaker? you get this emotional number that just begs for you to play on blast. the upcoming album 'piece by piece' is quickly turning into a solid collection of songs that marks this as one of kelly clarkson's better albums.


surprise! the whole 'piece by piece' album is here for you to stream in full! enjoy!!

VIDEO PREMIERE: kelly clarkson - heartbeat song

kelly clarkson - heartbeat song
UPDATE: check out the video premiere of kelly's single. not sure why she's hiding behind flowy material, but the song is still catchy as heck a month onwards!
reuniting with hitmaker greg kurstin ('what doesn't kill you (stronger)'), kelly kicks off 2015 with this insta catchy pop number that weirdly reminds me of the jimmy eat world 90's smash 'the middle'. but lets re-focus at the fact that kelly is back from her mini break and we look forward to hearing more from her in the coming months!

ok fine... here is the jimmy eat world song that is now a fave at karaoke for yours truly:

jimmy eat world - the middle

XMAS MIX 2013: kelly clarkson, trisha yearwood & reba mcentire - silent night

kelly clarkson, trisha yearwood & reba mcentire - silent night
taken off her wonderful 'cautionary christmas music tale' special last week, this lovely performance was a definite highlight from the evening (especially when they do an acapella three part harmony that just kicks it). awesome!

XMAS MIX 2013: kelly clarkson - underneath the tree (live)

kelly clarkson - underneath the tree (live)
with thanksgiving out of the way, lets get right into the xmas spirit! been holding off on posting this catchy number for a few weeks and now it's the perfect weekend to do so! [UPDATE: check out this live performance of the lovely song from kelly's upcoming xmas special]

CUTE DITTY: kelly clarkson - tie it up

kelly clarkson - tie it up
with her own nuptials coming, kelly offers up a gift in the form of a cute country jam to celebrate everyone getting hitched! what a lovely gal!

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: kelly clarkson - people like us

kelly clarkson - people like us
one of the catchiest numbers from the kelly clarkson catalog, i'm very happy that this gaga-esque song gets an official release! taken from her greatest hits collection, this should definitely be your pop singalong anthem for your week (if you didn't sing along to this already)

ACM COUNTRY AWARDS 2013 HIGHLIGHTS: little big town/ kelly clarkson/ tim mcgraw, taylor swift, keith urban/ hunter hayes/ miranda lambert/ blake shelton/ carrie underwood/ the band perry

i love the ACM country awards! every year i not only discover new country tunes to quench my secret love of country music, but it's a joy to see a community get together and honestly love performing with each other on stage. with the new pairing of luke 'tight pants' bryan and blake 'the voice' shelton, the guys definitely offered up a fun evening for all! here are some of the highlights of last night!


little big town - your side of the bed
easily the most moving performance of the evening. this beautiful song by the vocal country group of the year, had me in tears. throw in the fact that LBT are my fave country band and you've got something special for all.



kelly clarkson - don't rush
performing a lovely number co-written by vince gill, i can seriously watch kelly sing a phone book and still gush!



tim mcgraw feat taylor swift & keith urban - highway don't care
yeah, this song is destined to be a huge hit for tim mcgraw. throw in a dramatic performance by taylor and keith, and you've got a highlight of the evening.



hunter hayes - i want crazy
though he's still got to hone his vocals for live performances, the kid's debut album just churns out hit after hit.



miranda lambert - mama's broken heart
female vocalist of the year is just wonderful to watch live, and watching her cry on stage just really endears me to her even more.



blake shelton - sure be cool if you did
yeah. i secretly like this guy...



carrie underwood - two black cadillacs



the band perry - done



luke bryan wins entertainer of the year
i actually have yet to fall in love with any of his songs, but the guy himself seems like such a nice guy that his win is a genuine 'awwwwwww' moment. shame that you don't get to see what happens afterwards as luke continuously thanks co-host blake shelton with kisses on the cheek. so sweet!

OBAMA INAUGURATION PERFORMANCES: beyonce - national anthem / kelly clarkson - america (my country tis of thee)

two of my favorite female singers prove themselves amazing at the obama 2013 inauguration! here are their goosebump inducing performances below!

beyonce - national anthem
UPDATE: as you probably heard by now, bey lip synched over a pre recorded version. the plus side is that she sure knows how to lip synch!!!


kelly clarkson - america (my country tis of thee)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!: robin skouteris - poplove 2012

robin skouteris - poplove 2012
while you're celebrating with your family the turkey love, why not blast this while you're prepping the stuffing and make it into a total happy bouncy pop moment for all? athens producer robin skouteris mashes up 24 pop artists of the year and gives us 6 mins of pure pop! happy POP thanksgiving y'all!
wanna know who's on this?
Mashup includes:
Kesha - Die Young
Owl City feat. Carly Rae Jepsen - Good Time
Justin Bieber - As Long As You Love Me
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
Calvin Harris - Feel So Close
Katy Perry - Wide Awake
One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
FloRida - Whistle
Kelly Clarkson - Stronger
Jessie J - Domino
Mika - Love Today
Psy - Gangnam Style
Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger
Dev - In The Dark
NeYo & Calvin Harris - Let's Go
Rihanna - You Da One
P!nk - Blow Me One Last Kiss
Ellie Goulding - Lights
Lady Gaga - Scheisse
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
Madonna feat. Nicki Minaj & MIA - Give Me All Your Luvin'

NEW KELLY CLARKSON!: kelly clarkson - catch my breath

kelly clarkson - catch my breath
the first single off her 'greatest hits: chapter one' collection, kelly clarkson offers up a fine track for the masses (but not a classic if i have to be honest). i'm still a massive fan though, so don't think otherwise!

WEEKEND CATCH UP: kelly clarkson - dark side / princess of china (coldplay bbc radio live lounge cover) / feat jordan merideth - mama's broken heart (miranda lambert cover)

kelly clarkson - dark side
[out for awhile and i figured i'd do a bit of catch up over the weekend just in case you haven't seen this video yet!]


kelly clarkson - princess of china (coldplay cover) (bbc radio live lounge)
[oh my gosh she sounds so good! and it's SO much better than the original!]


kelly clarkson feat jordan meredith - mama's broken heart (miranda lambert DUETS cover)
[taken from the current singing contest 'duets' kelly not only mentors the talented jordan meredith, but sings on stage with her! check out this awesome cover of the miranda lambert hit!]
 

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: kelly clarkson - stronger (what doesn't kill you)

kelly clarkson - stronger (what doesn't kill you)
[aw... kelly started a flash mob! love the song, love her, love love!]

WONGIE XMAS: kelly clarkson - i'll be home for christmas

kelly clarkson - i'll be home for christmas
[ms kelly just nails it perfectly! her voice is goosebumpingly great!]

LIVE WONGIE: kelly clarkson - what doesn't kill you (stronger) (live @ x-factor usa)

kelly clarkson - what doesn't kill you (stronger) (live @ x-factor usa)
[though i've given up on the competition itself, i have to say that the US stage for x-factor is MASSIVE! so massive that artists can get lost among the graphic insanity played on the screens behind/around/below them. thank goodness we can still hear kelly's amazing voice within the visual mayhem!]

LIVE WONGIE: 2011 american music awards - the performances (kelly clarkson, katy perry, david guetta & nicki minaj, the band perry, j-lo, maroon 5 & christina aguilera & gym class hereos, justin bieber)

also known as the biggest train wreck music 'awards' show on TV (oh wait there's always the world music awards from monaco), AMA's have no reason other than to showcase an endless slew of performances after another (most of them mediocre or just weird). for your viewing pleasure here are some highlights (thank you mr yardie for the clips!)


kelly clarkson - mr know it all
[love the fact that kelly decided to mix it up a bit with this new orleans jazz arrangement. sadly it's the least musical appreciative audience on the planet, wasted...]


katy perry - the one that got away
[just love this acoustic version that she performs live. LOVE!]


david guetta feat nicki minaj - turn me on & superbass
[i swear they should make a muppet character for david guetta! he's so animated it's kind of funny. plus what is he mixing? it's a pre-recorded track! nicki shows that she has the ability to sing (pretty good mind you) and dance and well... be awesome]


the band perry - if i die young
[i love how pop-ifying a country act means turning down the harmonies and throwing in an electric guitar! as always they're a class act!]


jennifer lopez - medley (feat pitbull)
[aka the one where she shamelessly hawks the fiat on stage!]


maroon 5 feat christina aguilera & gym class heroes - moves like jagger / stereo hearts
[ok i just read that adam was very sick yesterday, so the fact that he did the performance that he did is very commendable.]


justin bieber - under the mistletoe
[oh boy... the voice is turning...]

WE HEART KELLY CLARKSON: kelly clarkson - i know you won't (carrie underwood cover) (live @ vh1 unplugged) / what doesn't kill you (stronger) (audio)

kelly clarkson - i know you won't (carrie underwood cover) (live @ vh1 unplugged)
[goosebumps! pure goosebumps! as kelly hits the kind of notes that just make you tear up cause you're hearing something beyond the voice. as a teaser to the 5 song unplugged set that is going to air next thursday on vh1, kelly takes on the carrie underwood ballad and well... goosebumps! amazing!]


kelly clarkson - what doesn't kill you (stronger)
[for those of you who haven't heard the follow up single to 'mr know it all', check out what is easily one of my fave tracks on the album stronger!]

LIVE WONGIE: kelly clarkson - mr know it all (live @ x factor uk)

kelly clarkson - mr know it all (live @ x factor uk)
[nice one! the avant garde drum line is a nice spin on kelly's always flawless performance!]