Zamajobe

Zamajobe is a South African artist. Her vocals are enchanting and classic. Each of her songs is extremely soulful and emotional. Many of these songs are slow and rhythmic in form. They flow well with her enchanting dynamics and natural vocal effects. Her chilling ability to transition between notes and breaks seamlessly is unmatched. As an artist, she connects modern style with classic musical movements from across the world.

Zamajobe actually releases music in both English and Afrikaans, sometimes combining the languages within a song. This unique way of creating music is what drew me to Zamajobe in the first place. The instrumentals in her songs, backup vocals while performing live, and even her music videos fail to distract from the pure talent she possesses and the intrigue of her style. It's all very methodical.

In her song, "Ndawo Yami," Zamajobe especially showcases her powerful and emotional vocal ability. This song emphasizes her range, as well as her distinct sound. The video below features Zamajobe's music video for this song.

Despite her lack of international fame, Zamajobe does fairly well in South Africa. However, as with most of the artists I feature on this blog, I feel as though her music could entertain and inspire many people across the world. It is my hope that you will spread the word and share her music with your friends. This is a phenomenal artist. One worthy of international acclaim and recognition.

Sources of Inspiration: Design

I love Ed Sheeran. He is not only one of my favorite artists, but also one of my greatest inspirations in life. As luck would have it, even his website inspires me. While I was looking into some merchandise and the newly released Wembley album/ film, I had an epiphany. I truly respect and enjoy the way Ed Sheeran's website is set up.

I'm not sure if I could mimic the style of this site for a blog on Blogger, but I definitely appreciate the setup nonetheless. The arrangement of social media buttons, featured videos/ tweets, and menu placement are all clear and simple. Everything about the site is easy to navigate and manage, but it remains very appealing to the eyes. Ed Sheeran's official logo and notorious lime green background are prominently featured on the site.

My favorite design aspect, however, would have to be the clear access to an Ed Sheeran music player. Since this is an international music blog, and Ed Sheeran is an international musician, this applies directly to my blog. I feature videos and soundbites on my blog each week with a featured artist and song(s.) By adding a music player option, I could simplify the process of hearing each week's artist substantially. Videos could be placed elsewhere on the blog. This change would free up space on the blog and add a more finished look to the top section, for I would most likely place the player along the top panel.

All in all, I feel as though Ed Sheeran's website is a pretty strong design inspiration for me and my blog. Feel free to check out the full site (linked below) and listen to some of Ed's new music!

http://www.edsheeran.com/splash/jumpersforgoalposts

Gossling

Gossling, or Helen Croome, is an Australian musician. Her style and sound is somewhat like that of British singer and sensation Ellie Goulding. This entails a young and innocent tone mixed with a worn and experienced tone. These two somehow mix to form a distinct and impressive sound.

Powerful dynamics and airy/ flowing scales keep Gossling's unique sound afloat. Each of her songs have a pop-like appeal to them. In fact, she is a very fresh and bright pop-star. Many of her songs are based around the hook and carry a distinguished melody.

In short, she produces very catchy music. Her fun style has attracted a lot of attention, but not on a large (international) scale. I believe that Gossling deserves more recognition for her work. Below is an example of one of my favorite songs that she has produced. The video below is not only a strong indicator of her musical ability, but also a powerful example of her artistic vision through the use of music videos. Harvest of Gold is a gorgeous piece with enchanting vocals, captivating lyrics, and a simple/ realistic video that many people could appreciate and relate to.

I suggest that you all check her out and spread the word! This is our chance to raise awareness about the talents of international artists. The focus is too often on American English artists. Meanwhile, the spectrum of music is far larger than many of us can fathom.

Sources of Inspiration: Font

 

SoundCloud is a popular medium for listening to music. This site features a textual logo that reflects the overall font style for most of its content. This smooth and "boxy" font style is common among music listening sites. I feel as though this connection could be relevant to my music-centric blog. 

Although this font may seem too simple and typical, I believe that it is an easy-to-read and appealing style. The soft look does not hurt the reader's eyes, nor does it appear difficult to make out words or letters. In fact, I noticed that the spacing between letters in this particular font is very liberal and underwhelming.  From what I've found, this font style is most closely associated with "Interstate" (more information on this font can be found at the link below.) It is simple, yet uniquely shaped.

All in all, this font style is definitely an inspiration for my blog. I would love to use it as my title or link font. 

http://www.dafont.com/forum/read/54582/what-s-the-name-of-this-font-for-soundcloud

Sources of Inspiration: Design

Although my blog is predominately a music review blog, I take great interest in blogs that directly play music. I have seen many efficient designs for webplayers and music blogs, but none better than Spotify's. This easily navigated webplayer opens up several options for listeners. The sleek layout of the page really adds to the overall design. Every color, navigational toolbar, and preview option compliments the basic components of the webpage.

The best thing about Spotify's design is its condensed format. You can view many songs, while listening to and updating any playlist. Rather than putting all of its content on display, players and viewing panels collapse automatically. It is musical multitasking made easy! Listeners can even choose to see a full playlist, or simply listen to a few songs at a time.

The overall layout of the page is also phenomenal. There is a lot going on all at once, but it's not overwhelming. In fact, there is enough white space (on most pages,) that listeners can appreciate everything each page has to offer without getting confused.

Alex Boye

Alex Boye is a British-born singer, but his genre is purely Africanized. His gorgeous vocals and talented composition skills were showcased brilliantly in his most recent album. On this album, you will hear what I think to be the greatest cover of Frozen's "Let it Go" ever created.

This unique cover utilizes a children's choir and common African themes. The music video is a glorious interpretation of the song and Frozen's playful storyline. Although many people have developed a strong distaste for this song and its film, I believe that Alex Boye created a masterpiece. This international artist blew me away with his creative take on this Disney hit.

The children's choir harmonizes for acapella style background vocals, while Alex Boye's chanting compliments the lead girl's voice perfectly. The acoustics for this recording are absolutely astounding. Listen carefully for the instrumentals and the way that they work with the vocals to add chilling effects- pardon the pun, to an already thrilling vocal piece. This song is challenging enough in its original form, I do not see how anyone could surpass this cover. Internationally, this video has received much recognition. This may differ from my usual theme, but I think that this is a worthy exception. Winter is fast approaching, and this song could quite possibly be your next seasonal favorite! The timbre, rhythm, and dynamics will give you chills.

(I apologize for the puns...)

Edith Piaf

In the past, I have focused on current artists who are not prevalent in the international music industry. For today's featured artist, however, I will be focusing on an international superstar from the 1940s. Edith Piaf experienced much turmoil in her personal and professional life. Despite this, she is one of France's most well-known and critically acclaimed singers.

Edith's extreme range and vocal ability is reflected in the seriousness and professionalism of her music. She utilized vocal effects such as trilling, big band style ballads, drastic dynamics, and progressively dramatic pauses. Her skilled enunciation made her French very clear to both foreign and native listeners.

Hits such as "Padam Padam," "La Vie En Rose," "La Foule," and "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" made her a household name across the world. She is best known as a French Cabaret star. Cabaret music was France's crown jewel between the '40s and '60s. As such, she was a key element in France's revival on the international stage.

The songs previously listed show her extensive vocal ability. "Padam Padam" is a wonderful example of her dramatic flare in certain songs, while "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien" shows her ability to channel an inspirational tone. Power was always her best quality. Each of her songs, no matter the emotion elicited, show exactly how strong she was vocally. She was the definition of a powerhouse.

Edith's strongest quality can be heard clearly in "Padam Padam." If you listen carefully to the recording below, you will be able to hear her extreme ability to sustain notes for extensive periods of time without faltering. This legend will go down in history as one of the world's greatest musicians.