Jessica Meuse Is Halfhearted On New Album

21-May-2018 By Robert Loustaunau

American Idol’s Jessica Meuse will have her first full-length album, “Halfhearted,” released on August 3rd via Warrior Records/eOne.

Penned by Meuse, the 15-song album is a retrospect of her life, loves, and breakups, which is aptly being released to coincide with National Girlfriend Day.

“I am thrilled to release my debut album, ‘Halfhearted!’ It’s my first major release since my time on American Idol, and it truly embodies who I am as a singer, writer, and musician,” commented Meuse. “My dedicated fans have been waiting for a while, and I’m happy to say the wait is going to be completely worth it! This is my best work yet, and I hope everyone loves it as much as I loved creating it. This is only the beginning!”

Jessica’s song, “Love Her Better,” has risen for 14 weeks up to #2 currently on The Iceman’s Top 40 New Country Artist Chart and is also #1 this week on the Euro Academy of Country Music Chart, with over 100k views of the music video on YouTube. The track will become available June 1st, along with the album preorder, on all retail outlets. Subsequent songs from “Halfhearted” will also become on June 15th (“High”), June 29th (“California Dream”), and July 13th (“Thank God It Didn’t Work”), with the full album releasing on August 3rd.

Thematically, Meuse’s collection of songs delves into the heartfelt dedication that has always driven her to succeed.

“The album is titled, ‘Halfhearted,’ which can be interpreted in several ways — which was also my intent,” said Jessica. “For me, ‘Halfhearted’ is about the duality of everything, from the macro-cosmic concept of good versus evil to the darkness and light within each and every one of us. It’s about taking the two extremes…because they are a part of something much, much bigger.”

The album also features a guest appearance duet by friend and fellow American Idol alumni, Bo Bice, on Jessica’s composition, “Without You.” Commercially, Meuse became the first person in the history of American Idol to perform her own original song, “Blue-Eyed Lie,” during the show’s finals.

“I wrote most of these songs after Idol, and they are a direct reflection of everything I have gone through emotionally and mentally in the time that’s followed,” relates Meuse. “It means the world to me to be a songwriter and be able to take a thought — a simple line or even just a word — and turn it into something real. A lot of the songs on “Halfhearted” came to me like a slap in the face. They just happened. Music has always been a therapeutic and healing power for me, so writing this album was what has held me together. It’s my heart and soul opened up for the world to see.”

Jessica Meuse’s Halfhearted Release

The past year has been a busy one for Jessica with the new album production, increased touring, a 2017 Female Vocalist of the Year Nomination (Texas Country Music Awards), and 2018 Best Female Vocalist Finalist (14th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards). The summer will see Meuse in concert at various festivals and an extensive radio tour through the fall, beginning Memorial Day Weekend with a May 27th performance at Brat Fest in Madison, WI, where she and her band go on before Black Stone Cherry.

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Crowdsourcing: Will it Really Shape Your Music Career?

15-May-2018 By Josey Dunbar

What is Crowdsourcing?

“Crowdsourcing” can be defined as a sourcing model which enables individuals to gain a particular good or service through an exchange. Today, crowdsourcing is quite prominent between artists of all disciplines. Musicians, sculptors and designers connect through crowdsourcing sites where they can gain exposure as well as promotional opportunities. Naturally, there are hundreds of platforms out there where an artist can get connected but the trick is finding the two or three platforms that are actually good.

What about Crowdfunding?

So, now you understand crowdsourcing, hopefully you’re familiar with crowdsurfing – I’ve got one more for you: crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is often a group of people coming together to fund some business venture through small financial intakes. This could be a musician whose revenue for a show comes from ticket sales sold through a crowdsourcing platform. This brings us right back to the quintessential issue of how to choose the right connection agency to help you crowdsource.

It all comes down to what you are looking for.

Crowdsourcing conference at youbloomDublin Music Festival & Summit

Though crowdsourcing and crowdfunding originate in the same place, focusing on one can help artists when narrowing down their options. There are organizations that have been around for years, such as Kickstarter, which are strictly for crowdfunding inquiries. This means that musicians can connect with a community of like-minded creators and build funds around their passions. Similar sites include Pledgemusic and Patreon.

On the other hand, crowdsourcing platforms, which cater more towards a direct exchange of goods or services, can be equally effective to the artist. These connection agencies include youbloomConnect and Songkick. Rather than simply giving artists a platform, companies like youbloom play a central role in providing artists exposure and fans. Youbloom is unique as it pairs artists together, connecting the two fan bases, and broadening an artists fanbase beyond the band’s origin. Contrarily, a regular complaint among Songkick users is its lack of connection and community between artists.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to go entirely wrong with any of these hardworking crowdsourcing platforms; it all comes down to whether your art needs support or more clearly laid-out instructions and opportunities.

Josey is a content writer for youbloom as well as a member of the marketing team. She is music obsessed and a diehard Tom Petty fan. Josey currently lives outside of Los Angeles where she enjoys excessively sunny days, train adventures and organic chai (yes, Josey is high-maintenance about her chai).

youbloomDublin 2018 Music Summit & Festival – Press Release

14-May-2018 By Robert Loustaunau

youbloom, the global music event, is returning to Dublin this Summer.

Now in its sixth year, youbloomDublin thrills fans and the music industry with aspiring artists getting the opportunity to play showcase gigs with free-of-charge access to the youbloom Music Summit.

The youbloomDublin 2018 Music Summit

The youbloomDublin 2018 Music Summit which is open to everyone, is an industry conference offering emerging talent the chance to network and learn from top level music connections and experts. The festival will be taking place at the headquarters of one of youbloom’s sponsors, IMRO (Irish Music Rights Organisation) on June 2nd. The day-long conference will range from themes of industry knowledge, legals, songwriting, and Spotify with keynote presentations like: “A Sea of Gray Hats – How to Use the System to Change the System” by LA industry legend Ted Cohen.

There will also be a panel discussion, “How To Write A Hit – Inspiration or Perspiration,” led by Steve Lindsey of Elevate Music as well as 3 Masterclasses, “How to Get the Most Out of Spotify,” hosted by Peter Astedt and “Managing your career in the 21st century music industry” with Pete Holidai. Full Summit details.

Meanwhile, in the city centre, youbloom brings over 60 artists to the stage. Free gigs will take place in The Underground, JT Pimms, The Mercantile and Berlin D2. Artists have traveled from across the globe to perform over the June bank holiday including Tanjier – Concreto (Brazil), D-Day, (Ireland) – Danu5ik (England), Katie Gallagher (Ireland), Georgia & The Vintage Youth (England), The Finns (Ireland), Emmanuel Nwamadi (England), Luke Clerkin (Ireland) and BoW (Austria). Catch all the details!

Indie artists take on the Bloom Main Stage in Phoenix Park.

Last year over 120,000 people graced the gates of the Phoenix Park, enjoying the best in homegrown food, drink and culture. Stunning performances from Aine Cahill and David Keenan in 2016, uplifting pop from Lavengro in 2017 and the well loved music of The 4 of Us will give you a hint at the type of talent we put on the main music stage at Bloom. This year, feisty folksters Corner Boy and the inimitable duo Don Baker and Rob Strong will sparkle in the sonic sunshine on the main stage in the Phoenix Park. We also have a host of unsigned talent just waiting to be discovered.

For more info, check out our FAQ, or shoot us an email at: customersupport@youbloom.com

Want to see more more of what youbloom has done and who has played with us in past years? Check out youbloom Though the Years.

Corner Boy. Photography by: Michael Duggan Photography.

youbloom Through the Years

14-May-2018 By Robert Loustaunau

Here’s a look back at what youbloomDublin and LA festivals have been doing since 2010.

youbloomDublin 2017 took place in Dublin’s city centre (Dame District) and at Bloom with a mix of Irish and international bands. The conference keynote was by Scott Cohen, founder of The Orchard.

youbloomLA 2017 took place in the NELA area of LA. Over 90 acts played in venues including HiHat, Highland Bowl, Old Towne Pub, La Cuevita, Griffins of Kinsale, Offbeat Bar and Five Star Bar with conference keynote speaker Andy Gould (Linkin Park, Pantera, Rob Zombie) with a total of over 40 speakers.

youbloomDublin 2016 took place in Dublin’s city centre and at Bloom with a mix of Irish
and international bands. The conference keynote was by legendary trad Irish musician Donal Lunny.

youbloomLA 2016 took place in the NELA and DTLA areas of LA. Over 80 acts played in venues including Old Towne Pub, La Cuevita, Griffins of Kinsale, The Lexington and Five Star Bar with conference keynote speakers Liz Garo, Talent buyer for Spaceland (The Echo/Echoplex/Regent Theater) and Darrell Brown, Hit Songwriter, Arranger & Producer with a total of over 40 speakers.

youbloomDublin 2015 took place in Dublin’s Dame District with a mix of Irish and international bands, and saw over [insert figure] of acts plat over the three days. The conference keynote was by Martin Elbourne (Founder of Great Escape, booker for Glastonbury, New Order, The Smiths etc).

youbloomLA 2015 took place again in the NELA area of LA. Over 50 acts played in venues including Old Towne Pub, La Cuevita and Griffins of Kinsale with conference keynote speaker Tom Sturges.

youbloomDublin 2014 where Alan McGee, the legendary manager of Oasis, Primal Scream and The Libertines was the keynote speaker, had 110 bands from 20 countries play to venues in Dublin’s Dame District.

youbloomLA 2014 took place in November 2014. Los Angeles hosted over 60 bands from all over the world for a rockin’ 3 days/nights of live music and networking. The conference hosted UK A&R legend, Nigel Grainge as keynote speaker. Other speakers included Dede Flemming, Jan Fairchild, Mike Bone, Vince Bannon and Tom Sturges.

youbloomDublin 2013 took place in June 2013. This consisted of a two day industry led music conference and 90 bands from 11 countries playing over three nights. The conference included music industry icons Dave Robinson of Stiff Records who gave the keynote address, Tommy Silverman of the New Music Seminar and producer Rupert Hine.

youbloom Music Awards 2010: The youbloom Music Awards began in 2010 primarily as an online event with fan voting and high profile judges led by Bob Geldof, Nigel Graine (Thin Lizzy, Boomtown Rats, Sinead O’Connor, 10 CC, Waterboys) and Rupert Hine (Tina Turner, Rush, Stevie Nicks). youbloom formed an A&R team that ran alongside the roll out of the live program in the UK, Ireland and Argentina.

Check out there rest of our video interviews with youbloom artists and speakers on youbloomTV.

You’ve Been Writing Song Lyrics Wrong

08-May-2018 By Guest Blogger

As musical styles progress and change with the times, one thing is for certain, writing song lyrics continues to play a vital part in what sets artists from being good to being considered a great. So for those of you currently in a creative drought, here is some advice from a few of the greats.

Jimi Hendrix on Artistic Liberties with the Facts

“Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction.”

–Jimi Hendrix

Many artists pigeonhole themselves by believing that every word written must be 100% accurate to their lives and story they are telling. Of course, speaking from your own personal experiences is vital in creating meaningful music. But the point is to get your message across in the best way possible. Sometimes, this might involve a little science fiction.

Dolly Parton on Throwing Yourself into the Process

“It’s therapy. It’s fun. It’s creative. I love getting on a big writing binge and staying up a couple days working on song and knowing at the end of those two or three days that I’ve created something that was never in the world before.”

–Dolly Parton

If this is your passion, don’t be afraid to throw yourself into your work. The stories of artists writing a hit song in 5 minutes’ time, on a napkin, in an airport is incredible! But most great songs come from hard work, dedication, and focus from the artist. This mean sitting down and wrestling with a song until it feels right.

John Mayer on Speaking Your Own Truth

“I hope that what it comes down to at the end of the day is that people believe that I believe what I’m singing. It comes down to being believable.”

–John Mayer

Authenticity is key in songwriting and producing. This may seem strange since the first piece of advice was to stretch the truth in the songwriting process. Don’t be confused, there is a difference between writing a nonfiction story to produce a personal truth, and writing a meaningless song for the sake of staying on trend. Be true to your artistic endeavors and creative process because the song will thus come across genuine to the listeners.

Now go on and be inspired to create and then when it comes time to perform, remember to sign up for youbloomConnect to get the chance to connect with your fans and other artists to grow not only your fan base but your connections in the industry. To get more information on how youbloom can help you book more gigs across the world and have the chance to play at #youbloomLA and #youbloomDublin, follow the link: http://www.youbloom.com/