Tag Archives: Rachel Platten

Grammys, Music

2017 Best New Artist Grammy Predictions – Updated

We’re one month away from the 2017 Grammy nominations being announced, so I thought I’d share my predictions – it’s fun for me and sometimes I’m weirdly accurate.  One year I correctly guessed all the nominees for Record of the Year and I was 90% accurate on the other main categories (not that I’m bragging).

Anyway…

I know I already written about my predictions for Best New Artist, but I think that was a bit premature – at the time I didn’t realize that some of the following artists could be nominated.  So below is an updated list of artists (in no particular order) who I believe could/should get nominated (not that the people in the last shouldn’t be nominated, but I think these artists have greater odds of getting nominated).

Kelsea Ballerini

 

Halsey

 

Twenty One Pilots

 

Alessia Cara

 

Maren Morris

 

Rachel Platten

 

Personally, I think Twenty One Pilots, Halsey, and Maren Morris have the greatest chance of being nominated considering each made huge waves in their respective genres.  Twenty One Pilots had a huge year with their hits “Stressed Out,” “Ride,” and “Heathens,” it’s almost likely they’ll get nominated.  Halsey’s break out with Badlands and her new take on alt-electronic-pop deserves a nod.  Maren Morris’ Hero is one of the biggest country albums this year, and she recently was nominated for a lot of big CMA awards (i.e. she has critical acclaim).

Kelsea Ballerini likewise made similar splashes in country music like Morris, but I’m hesitant to think she’ll be nominated because her album The First Time was released outside the Grammy period.  However, the Grammy’s have bended this rule before, so you never know.

Alessia Cara and Rachel Platten both had huge hits (“Here” and “Fight Song,” respectively) and likewise have chances of being nominated as both albums are within the Grammy period.  I’m hesitant, however, because while I’d love to see both of them there, I have a gut feeling…

Grammys, Music

2017 Best New Artist Grammy Nominees Prediction

While the 2017 Grammy nomination period officially comes to a close September 30th, I’ve been thinking a lot about potential nominees, particularly Best New Artist.  Now the rules state that the nominee has to release “the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist” during the period,  which would mean the album would be released October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016.  I don’t know how strictly they enforce this because, for instance, Ed Sheeran’s album + was released in America in June 2012, but he was nominated for the 2014 Best New Artist – the release date was within the 2013 Grammy period.  Regardless, I thought I’d throw a list together.  It’s fun for me.

Halsey really made waves this past year with her album Badlands, which showcased her unique take on electronica/alternative.

Twenty One Pilots are a shoo-in for the nomination and win.  They blew up last summer with “Stressed Out” and have been dominating the charts this summer and breaking records.

Rachel Platten was pretty big last summer with her hit “Fight Song” and made some more waves with “Stand By You.”  She’d be an underdog, but Platten has proven people wrong time and time again, so she could get nominated.

Charlie Puth burst on to the scene with his “See You Again” collaboration with Wiz Khalifa, but this past year he shaped pop music with his album Nine Track Mind.

Shawn Mendes rose to prominence in 2015 with his hit “Stitches,” and his album.  Personally, I think it’d be a stretch for him to be nominated, although he does have an incredible voice.

Marren Morris made her debut in late 2015 with her hit “My Church” and is the country darling following in the steps of hitmakers like Sheryl Crow and Kacey Musgraves.

So…that’s what I got so far.  I’ll probably add to it and create more lists, but it’ll be interesting to see who gets nominated in December!

Music

We Are Wildfire

Rachel Platten exploded over the summer with her hit song “Fight Song.”  After struggling for many years, Platten wrote the song as an ode to never giving up on her dream.  Finally that dream was realized when she delivered Wildfire on New Year’s Day, her major label debut album.

Wildfire

Wildfire is Platten’s major label debut album, featuring “Fight Song” and “Stand By You.”

Overall, Wildfire is a very strong debut.  With the snappy anthem “Stand By You,” the fiesty “Hey Hey Hallelujah,” and the tender and sweet “Better Place,” the album shows Platten’s great range and ability to draw her listeners in (and keep them…even more important).  She brings back visions of Vanessa Carlton with sweet piano melodies while having instances of vocal ability reminiscent of  Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and Kelly Clarson.  While most artists these days seem to focus on the negative and the depressing emotions, Platten has a Swift-esque way of delivering her truths in a positive, optimistic way – something that grabs hold and spreads like wildfire. To sum up the whole experience of listening to Wildfire: I didn’t regret my decision to purchase her album.

Highlights from the album include: “Stand By You,” “Hey Hey Hallelujah,” “Beating Me Up,” “Fight Song,” and “Better Place.”

Grammys

My 2016 Grammy Nominations Predictions

The 2016 Grammy nominations are being announced Monday and I decided to list out my predications of who might be nominated like I do every year.  The list is not complete, these are just brain waves I had and wanted to put out there.

Album of the Year

1989 – Taylor Swift

To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar

The Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd

If You Reading This It’s Too Late – Drake

Song of the Year

“Blank Space” by Max Martin, Shellback, and Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift, artist)

“See You Again” by DJ Frank E, Charlie Puth, Wiz Khalifa, and Andrew Cedar (Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth, artists)

“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge (Ed Sheeran, artist)

“Here” by Andrew “Pop” Wansel, Isaac Hayes, Warren “Oak” Felder, Alessia Caracciolo, Terence Lam, Samuel Gerongco, Robert Gerongco, and Coleridge Tillman (Alessia Cara, artist)

“Glory” by John Stephens, Lonnie Lynn, and Che Smith (John Legend feat. Common, artists)

“Girl Crush” by Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, and Liz Rose (Little Big Town, artist)

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten and Dave Bassett (Rachel Platten, artist)

Record of the Year

“Blank Space” or “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” by Taylor Swift

“Here” by Alessia Cara

“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran

“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth

“Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd

“FourFiveSeconds” by Rihanna feat. Kanye West and Paul McCartney

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

Best New Artist

Meghan Trainor

Hozier

Elle King

The Weeknd

Tori Kelly

Walk the Moon

Fetty Wap

Sam Hunt

Best Pop Vocal Album

1989 – Taylor Swift

Title – Meghan Trainor

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence and the Machine

Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd

Honeymoon – Lana Del Rey

Best Pop Solo Performance

“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift

“Lips Are Movin'” by Meghan Trainor

“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran

“Here” by Alessia Cara

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

“Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar

“Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend

“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth (*they may put this under the Rap category)

Best Song Written For a Visual Media

From Selma, “Glory” by John Stephens, Lonnie Lynn, and Che Smith (John Legend feat. Common, artists)

From Furious 7, “See You Again” by DJ Frank E, Charlie Puth, Wiz Khalifa, and Andrew Cedar (Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth, artists)

From Spectre, “Writing’s on the Wall” by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes (Sam Smith, artist).

Anyway, those are the thoughts I had at the moment and I’ll add to it until Monday when they release the official list.  Some of these probably won’t be nominated, but I figure they deserve a shout out because they were great in 2015.  Just as a fun fact, Adele cannot be nominated this year for “Hello” or 25 because both were released well outside the nomination period.  She’ll definitely be nominated for the 2017 Grammys.

Music, Television

Be Unstoppable.

Have you seen those annoying Ford commercials where the person is driving around the seemingly empty city (which never happens, by the way, cities are always packed with traffic) and then they play a snippet from “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten?  The other day I was trying to find it on Youtube (long story, don’t ask), and I found this video, which I seriously hope is a spoof.  I think it is, and it’s quite funny.  Just keep in mind, Ford’s tagline is “be unstoppable.”

#PhillipRadio, Music

Biking/Work Out Playlist

I may have mentioned a couple times this past summer, like every summer, that I’ve been biking a lot.  There’s a great bike path right down the street from me, so it’s great to blare the music and peddle my problems away.  Usually I create a playlist each year, and then add or remove songs throughout the year.

I created a Spotify Playlist of some of the music I listen to while biking/working out in case you’re looking for some new beats or a song to change up your playlist.

NOTE: There’s no particular order because I just hit “shuffle” before I start biking.

 

Here’s other songs that I usually listen to, but couldn’t find on Spotify:

#PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Music

Stand By Rachel Platten

Rachel Platten has finally released “Stand By You,” her follow up single to her smash hit “Fight Song,” and I got to say it’s pretty darn catchy.  The song itself deals with the nature of loving someone unconditionally and standing by them through thick and thin, which has caused some critics to deem it “Fight Song – Part Two.”  It’s really nothing like “Fight Song” other than it’s positive messaging.  Take a listen:

From the first second of the song, I was hooked.  When I bought it, I hadn’t heard the song in it’s entirety, which is a very rare thing for me.  I’m very frugal when it comes to spending my money on iTunes and I don’t usually make purchases without being absolutely sure I’ll like the song (i.e. I hear it on the radio a couple times, etc.).  In fact, I thought I’d regret the $1.29 on this purchase, feeling Platten was a one hit wonder with “Fight Song,” but I was in love with “Stand By You” from the first note and willing to eat my words about her being a one hit wonder.  The soft piano and fading into the first verse is perfect and ingenious.  And when she reaches that full chorus – which makes you want to dance around and sing along – I was sold.  Add in snappy lyrics like “If your wings are broken, borrow mine so yours can open too,” and “Even if we can’t find Heaven, I’ll walk through Hell with you,” and you got a hit.  It’s such a positive, upbeat song that will brighten your day…we need more songs like that.

I saw a criticism of the song on iTunes where the person said they loved the song, but thought it should be entitled “Can’t Find Heaven.”  In fact, I found a clip where Platten performed the song during the pre-“Fight Song” era and it was referred to as “Can’t Find Heaven.”  Initially, I thought that song title was catchier than “Stand By You.”  And given the fact the first lyric that appears in the song is “Even if we can’t find Heaven” and it’s part of the major hook of the song, it’s a pretty prominent string of words.  I was especially on board for a name change particularly because “Stand By You” made me think of Stand By Me, which I really only know of from The Big Bang Theory, whereas a title of “Can’t Find Heaven” seems unique to me and doesn’t remind me of Wil Wheaton (which I’m not saying is a bad thing, it’s just when you hear a Rachel Platten song you should probably think of Rachel Platten).

But then I started thinking about why they probably chose “Stand By You” over “Can’t Find Heaven,” and realized that “Stand By You” is probably the better choice.  At first thought, “Stand By You” seems the better title in regards to the message of the song: she’s going to stand by her love no matter what happens.  But the same could be argued for a title of “Can’t Find Heaven:” their relationship has imperfections and they are not in a bliss that is Heaven.  Overall, though, “Can’t Find Heaven” has a negative connotation of not being able to do something whereas “Stand By You” has the positive message of never giving up on someone.  And, really, “Stand By You” expresses the sentiment of not giving up a little bit better than “Can’t Find Heaven.”

But, really, if the only argument/complaint I’m going to have about a song is it’s title, then I think you know it’s pretty good.

Grammys, Music

Early 2016 Grammy Predictions

I was out biking this morning as usual, listening to my biking playlist on shuffle.  Rachel Platten’s song “Fight Song” came on, and I started to think about how great that song is.  It just has such passion and a ring of freedom, and I wondered if it would be nominated for any Grammys the coming year.  I know the Grammys are months away, but the entry period is ending in September, so I was thinking about which songs/artists will get nominations in December.  While reflecting on all that, there are some definite contenders that seem sure to get nominated.

I’m not sure if Rachel Platten will get any nominations.  I know she deserves it and I’d be a proud fan to see her there, but the only categories I think she could qualify for are Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance (all for “Fight Song”).  My gut is telling me she won’t get nominated (I’m not really sure why, I just have a feeling), but my head thinks that she deserves at least a nod for Song of the Year as the song is so well written musically and lyrically.  Plus it has a great, timeless message (like last year’s nominee “Shake it Off,” which deserved those Grammys…).  But, there were so many great songs this year by other, more-known artists, and while I think fame shouldn’t be a judging factor, I sometimes feel these awards shows are slightly biased and political.  Then again, none of the music blogs I saw (except mine) thought Meghan Trainor had a chance for either of her Grammy nominations last year for “All About That Bass,” and a lot of people were shocked.  So, you never know.

Anyway, I wanted to kind of make note of which artists I think are most likely to get nominated so far.  Again, it’s early and probably too soon to call, but it’s fun for me:

Taylor Swift:  With out a doubt, Taylor Swift will be nominated for several awards, especially Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 1989.  In all sincerity, 1989 is by far one of the best albums put out in a decade and is so cohesively and thematically well done it should be no surprise that it will get nominations.  I also feel Swift has a chance again this year to pick up a nomination for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance, though I’m not quite sure which song.  I totally thought “Blank Space” could be nominated for Record of the Year, but with the recent success of “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar),” I think that could be nominated.  I also think she could get her first nomination for Best Music Video, again either for “Blank Space” or “Bad Blood.”  I think she has a better shot at it being for “Bad Blood” since it has such a strong theme of feminism; “Blank Space,” I believe is Swift’s most viewed music video on Youtube/Vevo, so that may be nominated over “Bad Blood.”  Similarly, “Bad Blood” could be nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (or Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, depending on how they categorize it…I mean, it’s a pop song, but Kendrick Lamar does have a fair amount of rapping and I’m not sure of the official rule).  Anyway, I’m not sure about the song/video categories, but I’m almost certain that 1989 will get those two album nominations.  If not, then I’m boycotting the Grammys because it seriously deserves it.

Meghan Trainor: While Meghan Trainor was a surprise at last year’s Grammys, I think she quite honestly deserves a Best New Artist nomination.  She couldn’t qualify last year because her “significant work” (aka Title) was not released during the period.  Since Trainor has really incorporated a lot of different twists into her music and defined pop music in a new way, she definitely deserves some sort of nomination.  I also think she could get nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album for Title because her vocal work is incredible on that album.  There is the possibility she could get nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her duet with John Legend “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.”  I doubt “Lips Are Movin,'” her follow up hit to “All About That Bass” will get any nominations despite it being a great song, but there is always the possibility it could get a Best Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year, and/or Record of the Year nomination.

Mark Ronson:  Who can forget “Uptown Funk.”  Literally, every radio station in my area played it non-stop for like four months.  So, I think “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars could get nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Wiz Khalifa: “See You Again” was such a huge anthem this year that it definitely deserves nods in Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and possibly Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (or Best Rap/Sung Collaboration…again, I’m not sure how they define that).  It also could be nominated for Best Song Written for a Visual Media because I believe it was written for Furious 7.

Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly was another huge album this past year, and I think Kendrick Lamar will be nominated for Best Rap Album, and quite possibly Album of the Year again.

The Weeknd:  Undoubtedly the Weeknd had an incredible year with the release of his massive hits “Earned It,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” and “The Hills,” as well has album Beauty Behind the Madness.  His works definitely makes him a contender for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album (or whatever genre they categorize his album) for Beauty Behind the Madness, and possibly Song and Record of the Year for either “Can’t Feel My Face” or “The Hills.”  I personally think he’ll get the nomination for “Can’t Feel My Face” for Record of the Year and has a good shot at winning it.  I also think he could perhaps get a nod (and maybe win) Best New Artist, but I don’t know if he qualifies.  Best New Artist is one of those categories that I’m not sure how the Grammys defines the qualifications.  It’s supposed to be an artist who releases a breakthrough album that establishes the artist during the Grammy period, like the Weeknd seemed to do, although he did have a big debut with his first album Kiss Land.    However, Ed Sheehan released “The A Team” and was nominated for Song of the Year a couples years ago and then the following year after that nomination he was nominated for Best New Artist, even though the prior year would have been the year he “established” himself.  There have been other instances like that were it doesn’t quite add up.  But, I definitely think the Weeknd should fit that category.

 

Anyway, those are the thoughts that I had while biking this morning, and I just wanted to put them out there…if I have anymore brainwaves, I’ll add to the list.  Again, take this all with a grain of salt because I’m getting way ahead of myself and you never really know who will get nominated.  Although, I’d like to point out that I predicted all the nominees last year for Record of the Year (and I was pretty spot on with the others, but Record of the Year was the only category I guessed them all right).

#PhillipsSongOfTheDay, Music

This is My Fight Song

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten has to be one of the best songs this summer (and year).  I heard the song on the radio a couple months back and was instantly intrigued because the song had a Kelly Clarkson vibe about it.  So I quickly asked Siri what the song was, and discovered Rachel Platten.  What I love the most about the song is the defiant, war cry of someone who is not giving up on their dream.  Indeed, Platten said in an interview that she wrote the song at a point in her life where she questioned if she should give up on her music career because things weren’t panning out.  Instead, she told herself to just believe in herself.

I also think this song holds some of the best lyrics we’ve seen so far this year.  With lines like, “Like a small boat/ On the ocean/ Sending big waves/ Into motion,” “I might only have one match/ But I can make an explosion,” “And all those things I didn’t say/ Wrecking balls inside my brain/ I will scream them loud tonight,” and “And I don’t really care if nobody else believes/ ‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me” are incredibly powerful and inspiring to me and really emulate this warrior cry of independence.

The song itself is beautiful outside the lyrical content, starting with the shimmering piano and Platten’s perfect vocals sends shivers down the spine.  Then to the chorus with pounding drums and grunts (you can hear them more in the third chorus).  I especially liked how at the bridge, they pulled back to just the piano again to remind us of Platten’s vulnerability.

Platten recently performed “Fight Song” with Taylor Swift on Swift’s 1989 World Tour, and I got to say watching them is great.  Not only did this cause “Fight Song” to rocket into the number one spot on iTunes and jump to number thirteen on Billboard’s Hot 100 (we really need to get it to number one!), but to see Platten’s look of happiness and joy just to be able to sing “Fight Song” to a stadium full of people was intoxicating.  I am a bit sad that Swift didn’t have her as a guest for the date I’m going to the 1989 Tour…

I do believe that we could quite possibly see Platten at next year’s Grammys for Best Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.  You never know how the Grammys will work (and she would be a huge upset if she did get a Grammy nod), but I feel like how Platten perfectly captured the emotion and delivers a great performance warrants a Grammy.

I also read that Platten is working on her debut album, which will be out later this year, so keep your ears peeled!