WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: dodie - secret for the mad

dodie - secret for the mad
it's really rare that a youtuber crosses over onto my radar, but i've been recently introduced to dodie (aka dorothy miranda "dodie" clark) who had a popular channel performing covers but now is creating buzz with her own creations. case in point, the current single 'secret for the mad' comes from her UK top 10 EP 'you' and is ballsy in that it's whole construct is just a simple piano note, layered vocal harmonies culminating in a really gorgeous choir at the end. i'm kind of obsessed! listen to dodie's other songs, cause they are pretty darn good and kicks off an exciting year for this singer/songwriter/youtuber!

WONGIE DUET OF THE WEEK: troye sivan & alessia cara - wild

troye sivan & alessia cara - wild
after a long standing lovefest covering each others songs, troye sivan has gotten alessia cara to offer up a new verse for his album favorite 'wild' which officially comes out this weekend as a "remix". the song is still a gem and now with alessia on harmony, it's just even more lush!

WONGIE SONG OF THE MONTH: alessia cara - wild things (video premiere)

alessia cara - wild things
we buzzed about this gem last weekend and now 'wild things' gets an official video! nothing new to add to our already massive admiration for this singer/songwriter, just turn it up and sing along at this point!

alessia cara - wild things
like troye sivan, alessia's song was featured on our best of 2015 list (#10!!) and we have since given very special attention to this wonderfully joyous and catchy number many times over. if you haven't found the genius that is singer/songwriter and lovely youngin' alessia yet, you really should get to know her debut album 'know it all' which is filled with gems like this one. LOVE HER!!

WONGIE SONG OF THE MONTH: troye sivan - youth

troye sivan - youth
#12 in our best of 2015 list it's right to say that we have LIVED this song thoroughly by now! but watching troye with his friends in this new video just brings back all the joy that we experienced upon hearing this song for the first time. we heart troye and we definitely heart this song from his wonderful 'blue neighbourhood' album!

WONGIE POP BALLAD OF THE WEEK: troye sivan - talk me down

troye sivan - talk me down
teasing his upcoming debut album 'blue neighbourhood', troye sivan is definitely proving himself beyond his internet sensation tag and showcasing some serious cred with the songs he's already shared with his fans. this dreamy ballad is not only a highlight of the lot, but paired with it's emotional video, is also tear worthy. swoon away kids.  

NEW TROYE SIVAN: troye sivan - wild

troye sivan - wild
aussie youtuber/actor/singer troye sivan offers up the title track from his new EP 'wild', continuing his worldwide success as a pop singer with indie electronic leanings. definitely making his mark for the fall season, get to know this kid if you haven't been into him already.

WONGIE DISCOVERY: alessia cara - here

alessia cara - here
discovered via her youtube channel, toronto based singer/songwriter alessia is getting some serious buzz with her wallflower anthem "here" where she is seemingly vocal freestyling over the classic isaac hayes 'ike's rap II'. signed just a year ago to def jam, this is a very auspicious start for the young talent. radar alert!

NEW CONOR MAYNARD: conor maynard - royalty

conor maynard - royalty
i have to be honest here, as much as i'm a fan of conor maynard, i much prefer his previous single 'talking about' than this jazzy pop number. hopefully there are better songs in the upcoming album to choose from.


conor maynard - royalty (live @ red bull music)
actually this stripped down version is MUCH better. they really should do a remix with a more ragtime arrangement.

WONGIE POP HOUSE SONG OF THE WEEK: conor maynard - talking about

conor maynard - talking about
after taking a mini break, uk youtube soul pop sensation conor maynard returns with this fun house pop number that he's been teasing for the past few weeks with the help other youtube stars (conor's team got these youtubers to do a cover version of the song before the public got to hear one note of the official single!) it's hella catchy and on repeat for the week!

HOT SONG: hunter hayes and jason mraz feat you-tube all stars - everybody's got somebody but me (you-tube mash up)

hunter hayes and jason mraz feat you-tube all stars - everybody's got somebody but me (you-tube mash up)
how cute, bringing together all the you tube singers that have covered this song into hunter's official video is not only a lovely celebration to all these talents, but sets up this country singer/songwriter for some serious deserved crossover potential.

wanna see more of the contributing acts, check out the list below:
Echosmith - http://youtube.com/echosmith
Brandyn Burnette - https://www.youtube.com/BrandynBurnet...
Sam Tsui - http://www.youtube.com/TheSamTsui
Peter Hollens - http://www.youtube.com/peterhollens
Tyler Ward - https://www.youtube.com/TylerWardMusic
Kina Grannis - http://www.youtube.com/kinagrannis
TJ Smith - http://www.youtube.com/tjsmithmusic
Brian Landau - http://www.youtube.com/briansthing
Tessa Violet - http://www.youtube.com/Meekakitty

SUNDAY CATCH UP MIX: karmin x mike tompkins - acapella

karmin x mike tompkins - acapella
um... this is kind of f**king awesome! i'm an acapella nerd, but the fact that this was performed by 3 people is just insane. maybe they should release this as an official version instead!

WONGIE FOLK POP SONG OF THE WEEK: lewis watson - into the wild

lewis watson - into the wild
at just 20 years old, youtube sensation lewis watson offers up his beautifully breezy lead single from his latest major label EP 'the wild'. after being discovered online, lewis has been getting serious buzz opening for acts like lianne la havas and birdy (another youtube singer turned crossover act), plus he's prepping his debut album which features collaborations with songwriting producers who've worked with jake bugg, florence and the machine and arctic monkeys. with the success of male singer/songwriters ed sheeran and ben howard the past year, it's looking like lewis will have a good shot at similar successes. i'm betting yes!

KPOP WEDNESDAYS: ailee - i will show you

ailee - i will show you
after gaining popularity on her youtube channel, amy lee (aka ailee) ventured to korea to pursue a solo career. definitely with a strong set of pipes, this disco anthem number is joyous in it's cheesyness and hopefully offers this young talent something big in the coming year. on my radar yo!

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: conor maynard and felicity abbott - take care (drake feat rihanna cover)

conor maynard and felicity abbott - take care (drake feat rihanna cover)
[i am OBSESSED with this song at the moment, so to have my new fave pop boy conor do a lovely cover just adds to my love for the original. nice one this!]

POP BOY: conor maynard - can't say no

conor maynard - can't say no
[houston, we definitely have a problem! this UK kid is going to do some serious rounds on the screaming girls front (heck, his fans already call themselves mayniacs). and like the bieber, conor made his viral name via posting covers on youtube. the kid is talented and the fact that his debut single has some serious neck bouncin grooves shows me that there's some interesting releases in the horizon. like!]


conor maynard - valerie/back to black (amy winehouse tribute)

want more? check out some of conor's youtube performances below:

conor maynard - slow dancing in a burning room (john mayer cover)

LIVE WONGIE: justin bieber feat legaci - baby (live @ late night with david letterman) / legaci feat cathy nguyen and traphik - baby (justin bieber cover)

justin bieber feat legaci - baby (live @ late night with david letterman)
[how these youtube sensations ended up being the backup singers for justin bieber is beyond me, but how cool is that? throw in a surprisingly rowdy performance and you have one of the best pop songs out at the moment!]


legaci feat cathy nguyen and traphik - baby (justin bieber cover)

LIVE WONGIE: alicia keys - live! on youtube (full concert!)

alicia keys - live! on youtube (full concert!)

youtube made me: esmee denters

justin timberlake's new label imprint tennman records announced yesterday their first signing as esmee denters, an 18 year old dutch girl who found a fanbase of up to 21 million hits since august 2006. basically, esmee posted cover versions of her favorite songs on youtube and found very quickly that people from all over the world were tuning into her.

now the true test is to see if this kind of artist will translate into the 'real' world, but with JT hooking her up with a bunch of hot producers, things are looking very bright indeed. [thanks to kevipod for the intro]


esmee denters - waterfalls
[as you can see, this is still one of her first broadcasts, chewing gum and probably reading the lyrics on screen]


esmee denters - what goes around
[boom! less than a year later, esmee's in a studio with a special guest playing the piano for her. yes indeed, youtube made you!]


the esmee story
[poorly put together, but you get the idea of the story behind this girl]