Why I still buy physical albums

AND why I refuse to make the shift to buying MP3s from iTunes or other online stores.

Re-published from Pop Reviews Now. Original post here: http://popreviewsnow.blogspot.com/2009/10/rant-why-i-still-buy-physical-albums.html

Musically I'm what you'd call a purist - I know how to make music, I know how to listen to it, my opinions on music are centered around the music itself and not image or everything else the pop music industry focuses way too much on and I was raised listening to high quality music as in music from CDs and with file sizes of around 100+ MB for 4 minutes.

I was raised a purist because my dad's one as well - these are the values he didn't outright tell me but he did things that pointed me into the direction of figuring these things out. He's a record producer so he taught me all these things in recording and one of them was the difference between an MP3 and an AIFF or a WAV file.

I was never trained to listen to MP3s or bad quality songs - I was raised to favor extremely high quality file formats and marginalize MP3s because honestly, it really does make a difference. If I lived in a country where they sold physical formats of all the music I wanted I'd buy all the albums regardless of how much it would cost me because of the quality.

Everything sounds clearer, better when you hear it in CD quality - even with crappy earphones like mine I spot the difference. The songs sound fuller so you can clearly discern how much of the songs are real instruments, how much are computerized and how much auto-tune the vocals were put through.

This is exactly the reason why I refuse to let physical CDs die because the quality will never be the same. Call me ancient for sticking with CDs in the digital age but unless they start selling AIFFs online I won't buy digital music - it's not the same. I don't know how I thought of it but you know, MP3s are a way for record companies to mask bad production, excessive use of fake musical instruments and even more auto-tuning. AIFFs let you hear everything as long as you're listening while MP3s are so highly compressed that you struggle to hear anything, really.

MP3s are the reason why hardly anyone thinks when they listen to songs anymore - there are so many things that get lost during conversion and once those recordings come out as MP3s the only thing people hear is the melody and the instrumentation highly compressed to the point of crap-y-ness. No one thinks anymore because there's nothing to think about, it's all gone.

I hate that. I don't want generations after mine to not think when they listen to music, I don't want them to passively listen to music and I REALLY don't want them to grow up ignorant of what actual songs sound like. I now know exactly how hard my dad had to fight to let me hear recordings in their purest and how he's fighting now to keep high quality recordings in people's vocabularies.

As much as I want the music industry to move forward, you cannot sacrifice quality for change. This is creativity we're talking about, these are works of people and they deserve to be heard in their most unadulterated form. Until they find a way of digitally selling the good quality files, I'm staying with my physical CDs.

So I didn't win.

It's the first time I've actually been able to sit down and write something long about the fact that I didn't win. If I don't sound like myself here or if something seems wrong, don't ask.

There are so many reasons why I should be thankful - it's almost my birthday, I'm a contributor for what's probably the biggest K-pop directory ever, I'm writing a ton of stuff right now, I got to ask the Sugababes a question before Amelle left, I have blogger friends from both sides of the world and I'm surrounded by a ton of amazing music. I've also been told that I'm a good writer, something I can hardly ever agree with.

The one thing I've never been able to do in my entire life though is win a big award by myself. For years I was held back from an academic award by a close friend, I didn't know what I REALLY loved doing and I was way too young. I wanted to prove to everyone around me that I was capable because I feel so inferior in front of even my closest friends. They all have their niches and they're all known for being good at them - it's like I have to prove to myself that this writing thing is actually worth pursuing.

Older batches in school have had Palanca winners and they were younger than me when they won - what does that make me now?

It's easy to say I can join next year and that it's just an award or that it's not known as a very credible award but I've never won anything big for myself before and to writers in the academe running a blog is not enough to be called a good writer. I need solid proof to myself and to the people around me that I'm in this for the long run and that this is not just some fun because I want to do this forever and I need measured, academic proof that I am and can be damn good at this.

What hurts about this the most though is the fact that I sacrificed to much for this and literally put my life story into that essay - I killed myself to make that essay. I want to be a powerful writer with the ability to make or break an artists' career. If I can't even move a panel of judges now, how much more will I be able to make an impact on the gigantic music industry? I'm doomed.

What Pop Music REALLY Is.

To me, at least.

Music class this year is theory and history-based and the one important thing I learned from it was the completing piece of my definition of pop music.

I've taken from numerous sources, learned from listening and right now I can cohesively and completely compile my concept of the genre.

Pop music is two things first - it's pop, short for popular or pop as in sweet, aimed at people 20 and under.

Pop as in popular is any style, any nationality as long as it's widely played, heard, listened to and nowadays bought. Pop music is what people are listening to at any given time - it's what's POPULAR.

Pop as in sweet is particularly aimed at teenagers and pre-teens - silly lyrics, simple melodies and hardly any jumping through hoops and walking through fire musically. It's a genre you don't have to really, really, really critically listen to if you don't want to. If you want to, who's stopping you? I do.

But the genre has one final description. It's got clean lines, it's processed, partly manmade, and it's like all the other modern art forms. You see how architecture in the 21st century uses manufactured materials - steel, concrete and is square, angular but built by people. How literature these days is catchy, edgy and has bite and popular visual art is mostly made on computers these days - they all mirror how pop music is.

So, pop music is literally a reflection of every other present art form - it has the qualities that literature, visual art, architecture and every other field has.

Which brings me to an external point. I HATE it when people separate 'art' from music and think that 'art' are the paintings you see in galleries and the sculptures lying around. Art is music, literature, painting, architecture, filmmaking, broadcasting, those billboards and advertisements around you - THEY ARE ALL ART FORMS.

I can't take this.

I can’t take the pressure - it’s too much. There’s so much expected of me and I can’t do it. The amount isn’t like what it was last year - this is much worse. I have to be musically competent to the point of damn good and I have to jump through fire to please the people around me. I have to ‘do my family justice’ like how all my other cousins did it. But I’m different - I can’t take it. There’s too much to to, too little time and it’s killing me.

It’s like they expect me to do everything ‘I’m meant to’ while following my dreams. I mean if all I’m expected to do is get high grades and nothing else, that can be done. But things I can’t do are the ones that are being expected of me ALL AT ONCE. I have to do Cherubim, supply this gigantic instrument to an ethnic dance contest we HAVE to win and they still expect me to juggle school AND writing?

I see it as slave-driving.

I hate it. All I want to do is effin’ sleep and write. I don’t want to be judged, I don’t want to be called ‘weak’ because I’m can’t juggle school and Cherubim.

In the back of my mind, I have a hunch that I didn’t win the Palanca. I didn’t. I’m gonna get depressed and everything and I won’t be able to write for months. I hate rejection and this means that I’m not a good writer because if I can’t even win a Palanca, what do people ACTUALLY think of my writing?

UGH. I hate my life - I hate everything about what I’m ‘meant to do’ and I wanna get rid of it.

Why A Capella is my main basis in gauging the abilities of a pop vocal group.

When I look at and listen to boybands, my gauge for how good they are is a capella work. That's what matters to me because boybands should be able to sing extremely well together - there are at an average five members so they should have something that solo singers don't. In this case, it's the ability to do a capella work extremely well.

My definition of a capella for bands is is 3 or more guys in a boyband singing different lines of a music score at the same time with no accompaniment from musical instruments whatsoever - their instruments are their voices. Once you add drums or guitar it's not a capella to me even if they sing different lines of the music score.

A good a capella piece/performance has members' vocals in their proper places, each one cleanly executing their part (no mistakes in the harmonies or phrasing) with strong but not overpowering volume and timbre, on tempo with the correct dynamics and all voices blended well at the same volume/level.

OK - why use a capella as a judge? Because music is the main thing - it always SHOULD be. To be able to judge how musical the group is and how well they work together, I look at the a capella work.

The most obvious reason is because a capella work shows me whether or not every single member can sing together with the group and individually. Since they're singing different notes, you know which part isn't being done well if it sounds off and since they're singing the same words, at the same tempo and phrasing at the same time, you know if they have the ability to listen and work with the group to make a whole. It's the most basic thing they can show with a capella - if they don't pass this, it's game over for me.

A deeper reason for using a capella as a basis is to show how technically musical the group is. Since they don't have a steady drum part that doubles as a metronome to depend on, they have to have someone or all of them have to have a good sense of tempo and time because they'd fall apart otherwise. They also have to have a sense of dynamics - there's no instrumental to tell them when to go forte or piano, that all has to be done by the members themselves. At the end of the day, they have to know what the crap they're singing - there's no room for mistakes when harmonies are concerned.

Frankly, everything about the performance has to be perfect and that's hard for five guys who most often have never met each other before they became a band.

Over time, I've found good and bad a capella and eventually I've found my standard for amazing performances. The boyband in question is none other than Westlife. There's one performance/song in particular that I use because one, it passes all my basic and further requirements for a strong a capella performance and two, this was done as a joke in their early days. A JOKE that was THIS GOOD.

For further proof and evidence that they truly deserve to be called Gods of a capella, see this video:

Westlife are my benchmark for all other groups - those 40 seconds or so say more than what a whole collection of a capella performances of BSB do. Strong vocals, tight, clean harmonies and conviction - that's what makes them the best for me.

Other notable acts who do a capella almost as well are Ju-Taun (the American representative) and DBSK/TVQX/Tohoshinki (the Korean respresentative) - below are some performances of DBSK in one video for your viewing convenience.

If I were to make my own Korean Entertainment Company..

A little exercise for myself - a scenario and what I'd do with it. How will this help my writing? Well I think it's a way for me to apply my principles, thoughts and opinions in such a way that it fits into what the scenario is asking for.

Scenario: I have my own Korean talent agency/company.

These are the things I'd do and live by if I did have my own talent company. These follow the principles I have and this is how record company executives should act, in my opinion.

But first, this is the staff I want:

1. Songwriters for the artists who choose not to write their own songs. Mostly Koreans. They know their own pop music industry more than anyone and I don't want to destroy the nature of the industry - Koreans know themselves best.
2. Producers who know what the crap they're doing. Producers who will take what an artist gives them, gives them options to improve but doesn't intrude or try to change who the artist is. I want producers who don't just buy food and press the 'record' button then during mastering auto-tune the whole song but ones who take the lead in recording songs and have their own aesthetic.
3. Managers who answer to me and only me - if something goes wrong, I'm the one who scolds them. I want managers who know how to respect and take care of their acts because that's the main job of a manager. They must have deep ties within the industry and know how to get a slot in a TV show or concert in less than 2 hours - I want them to be damn good at what they do.
4. Choreographers. I don't dance - I need people who are the best in their field. Choreographers who can whip non-dancers into competent and consistent dancers in under a year.
5. Vocal coaches who know what real, unadulterated voices sound like - they don't think the only beautiful voices are those that sound decades older than they should be. They should know how to take a beautiful voice and mould it, improve it - not change it to suit marketability.
6. PA's who can run around doing errands and who have even more ties within the industry than the managers have.

1. I'd still follow the unspoken 'dance or rot and die' rule.

It's one of the things that make K-pop what it is, in my opinion. I can't dance myself and I can't tell what a good dancer has but I sure do like the twist it puts on a song. I kinda like how synchronized dancing looks like for a band. BUT, I don't force it on those who really don't want it.

2. There will still be auditions and trainees.

I don't get it but it seems to work for the industry - let's go with that. I've come to find it as a good way to one, filter the good and bad quickly and as real-y as possible and two, turn them into competent performers and creative people. If I see the artists as themselves and in their elements I'll be able to better judge how much potential they have, how hard they can push themselves and just how good they are. It's also easier for me to be able to teach them the basics and let them decide what lessons I've taught them to use in their actual career. Works both ways, really.

I think the 'training period' should last for two years max. During that time they get sessions with choreographers, vocal coaches and get assigned a songwriter or producer to mentor them. I sit in on sessions three times a month and watch all my artists' progress so I can see how to tweak their training scheme.

Then I do what the talent companies there do - form groups from existing trainees. It works and it doesn't have any disrespect for music in my opinion so why stop it?

3. I value an impeccable voice but follow the 'dance or rot and die' rule.

To pass an audition in front of me, you have to be able to sing well - no less. Dancing or rapping or any other 'special talents' are second to singing, this is after all the MUSIC industry. During the training stage I'll still put the most weight on vocals though because one, it's what I see as most important in an artist and two, if you can't sing what's the use of being a singer? If I took you in only because you could sing and you can't dance that well - I'll turn you into a competent dancer as well but I won't oust you from the company just because you aren't a drop-dead brilliant dancer. I won't make you the next Yunho DBSK, Taemin SHINee or Rain or whoever but I'll make sure you keep on singing well and you don't falter in the 'dance or rot and die' rule.

4. Artists choose if they want to be controlled or not.

Some like it, some don't - I make them choose after the trainee 'stage'. If they want their music and their career be based on and centered around my aesthetic - what I think is good and right then so be it. If they want me to be the one to choose which songs get recorded, released, performed, how their schedule works, how much pushing they need and where to go musically then I'll do it - I respect their decision. I won't discourage artists having complete or partial control over their careers and music though. They work how they want to at their own pace with little or no pressure from me - I will only put out something they feel is their best at the time and something they think is ready for the spotlight.

5. I encourage creativity in all fields.

I give my artists a voice. What do they want to sing? What's THEM? I let them create and discover their own musical and artistic identities because it's one of the most important and valuable things to have as a singer - something that makes your songs your own. If they don't know how to be creative they have no right to be called artists but then again, everyone is creative - some just don't know in which field they are. In that case, I'll help them discover where their creativity lies.

Also, if they want to go into other fields of the entertainment industry and they ask for my help, I will support them. As long as they feel they can be creative and do a damn good job in what they want to do, I'm fine with it. Heck, if they say they want to break the US - I'll do that for them. I'm not in it for the money, I'm in it because my artists want it.

I want meaningful artists that don't just bring in cash and have millions of fans screaming their names but earn the credibility from their critics and the creative respect of their peers, juniors and seniors.

6. No one I control in my company raps.

OK, maybe there will be instances - maybe once a year or something but I refuse to put songs with rap in every single effin' album/single/mini-album I release. It's a personal preference that they not rap - I'll only retract this opinion if I find the rap tasteful or fitting to the song.

7. I'm not a money-hungry, emotionless robot.

I don't order a complete image change if someone doesn't sell because it's wrong. I don't slave-drive my artists to the point of death just so they get more exposure and ultimately sell more because it's inhumane. I'm sensitive to their feelings and opinions because they're people, not slaves or robots and they deserve to be treated like it. I make sure they put in their hard work and do their job to the best of their abilities but give them a break when they need it.

8. ALL artists are treated equally.

Doesn't matter if you've made one album or five, if you've broken Korea or the US. Doesn't matter if you've sold 100,000 copies or one - I treat everyone the same. I may personally favor the music one artist is making over another but I treat them just the same because they deserve my respect and support. Everyone has flaws they need to work on and plus points they need to highlight but at the end of the day, they all need to be treated fairly and equally.

9. I am merely a vehicle for my artists' creativity.

I only take what they make, what they give me and give it to the public - that's all I'm here for. I encourage them to make music, be creative and be themselves because it's their brains, their bodies, their lives. I'm here to teach them the basics, make sure they're introduced to the public properly and get/teach them whatever keeps that creativity flowing - it's up to them where they take their careers because they're the stars and this is their career. I have no business in their personal lives and things not related to music because this is a job and everything is purely on the professional level. I offer and make them choose - I don't force.

It's time for me to defend the music industry I want to strangle.

Taken from my review blog - Pop Reviews Now. (http://popreviewsnow.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-time-for-me-to-defend-music.html)

My own - The Philippine music industry. It's time I speak up because I am sick and tired of all the generalizations about the culture I was raised with.

As I was reading over a K-pop blog, they featured the fact that K-pop is getting pretty big here - stuff about Sandara and stuff. I said OK, I may not like it but I can't do anything about the *wannabe* Wondergirls being gigantic here. I don't know how but I found myself reading the comments but after scrolling down for a few seconds, my morning was officially ruined.

There we people talking about how ugly we are, how all we do is copy from foreign artists, never do anything for ourselves, only strip our clothes off well and sing "shit kiddie songs".

I'M ANGRY - FURIOUS.

The Philippine music industry may have some stupid people on top, uncreative artists releasing albums that sell a ton of records and a stupid music channel that shows trash and wrong lyrics but hold on - DOESN'T EVERY COUNTRY HAVE SOME OF THEM? Of all the things I hate, apart from disrespect I hate racist people the most. But that's the same thing, really.

Whatever I may want to be or dream of being, I'm still a Filipino. I may be only half a Filipino by blood but The Philippines is the country that I grew up in - it was the country that raised me. I grew up learning PHILIPPINE history, watching Philippine news, surrounded by Philippine personalities. Our politicians may be corrupt, we may be poor and a puppet of the United States and 60% of the music here may really suck but we're a country, we're people and WE DESERVE RESPECT.

That's all I ask, really. It's all I give and it's all I want in return for the respect I show.

I hate it when people call others ugly - who the effin' crap are they to tell someone that? We all have different definitions of beauty and if you tell someone they're ugly they may think that they're beautiful. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURTS TO BE CALLED UGLY OR NEVER BE CALLED BEAUTIFUL? It's unbreably painful. In my whole life I've only been called 'pretty' once and it was by someone I had just met.

I can vouch right now in front of a church or a courtroom if I have to that FILIPINOS ARE EXTREMELY CREATIVE. If you can only see the amount and quality of original music being circulated around the indie market who have no stupid money-centric capitalist morons controlling their music, you'd think twice about saying all we do are covers and 'shit kiddy songs'. All over the world, the only reason why crap, unoriginal and generic music is released is because of the morons running the damn record companies - Korea, The US, The UK and pretty much every single country with a thriving music industry are no different from us.

The reason why I don't like OPM (Original Philippine/Filipino Music) is because it's not my taste - I have my own esthetic and my own concept of what makes a beautiful song. If I strip that away from my brain, there are bands and artists that honestly make technically and artistically outstanding music here.

I'm angry at the fact that just because people think we suck at English, text with annoying sticky caps, have the cheezy-est and corny-est variety shows the world over and just because we truly have one of the most corrupt governments in the world that we have no right to be creative - THAT WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE PEOPLE.

Why I hate most rap. Personally.

I don't like rap because it's the part of a song that's most like poetry - no melody, just recited to a beat or rhythm. I can appreciate poetry, understand some of the 'hidden meanings' but the one thing I cannot do with poetry is write it. I can't because I'm not a poetic person - I've never been. I write frankly with conviction and feeling - I don't beat around the bush or try to cover up what I want to say. I think that's why I'm good at reaching 'the masses' or ordinary people - I say things as they are.

If I can't write it or do it, I can't relate to it. I can't draw and so, I'm not a big visual arts fan - I don't see why people spend so much time staring at one artwork. Yes, I respect every single form of creativity whatever it may be but respect doesn't have to mean personal preference. I may not like it but it's a product of someone's creativity so who am I to tell the person it's wrong or disrespect the creation?

I don't like rap because it's like poetry. I don't like poetry because I can't write it. Thus, I don't like rap because I can't do it. But I don't think that's the only reason.

When I listen to a song, the first thing I look for is a moving melody - without it the instrumentation, arrangement or other elements of the song mean nothing. The minute I get even an ounce of interest in the song, I begin to notice everything else - that's just how I look at music. I need melody for me to like a song.

Rap has no melody. I'm stating it as a fact - not as an opinion. Thus, I don't like rap.

HOWEVER if rap is done tastefully and creatively to my ears, then everything's OK. An example is Craig David's This Is The Girl - the song is predominantly rap and the first thing I fell in love with was the melody of the chorus but over time I noticed that the rap part wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. It's tasteful - no excessive obscenity and the rhythm was interesting. Not that I have a problem with obscenity - if it's what the writer wants, then so be it. As long as the end product tasteful, that's all I ask.

What do I mean by tasteful? To me, taste is something different in every person - it's a matter of personal preference. There is however a certain aesthetic every 'genre' or 'field' must follow. I'm not saying that people shouldn't think out of the box, I'm just saying that rap must be appropriate to the music - nothing else. It must not overpower the music, it must not contradict the music - it's there to compliment and so it should be appropriate to what it's complementing.

The State of the Industry (June 26, 2009)

Taken from my Tumblr: http://writergirl.tumblr.com/post/130620879

I adore Rain - his music, his performances, his persistence and how he broke countless moulds set before his time but watching one of his interviews has made me respect the guy and what he stands for.

Wherever I go I always complain about how stupid record company executives are because all they care about is how much they sell - they know absolutely nothing about the music itself but think they can tell the artists what to do because it sells. When Rain was making his 2008 album, he said that his main goal was to make a good album - not to sell or make money.

It’s hard to find people like that in the industry nowadays because the record company execs are stupid enough to think that people won’t notice if they don’t know anything about music - they think WE’RE the stupid ones.

I’m not stupid. I know how the industry worked before, I know how it works now and I don’t like it. While all these talentless and tasteless people who don’t do any justice to music as an art dominate people’s ears and iPods, the artists with the talent, drive and actual artistry are pushed to the sidelines just because ‘they won’t sell’.

Music isn’t made to be sold. I repeat - MUSIC ISN’T MADE TO BE SOLD. Music was made because there are people who live their lives for it, who are so passionate about it that they will die trying to make it and what to these executives do to it? They sell it, treat it like a commodity and put a price on it, saying that anyone who doesn’t pay for music will face ‘consequences’.
I’m sick and tired of the recording industry taking down download links and making a big deal about illegal downloading. Yes, artists lose money because of that but they’ve found new ways to earn back the money they spend making the album - concerts, copyrighting, clothing lines, all the gimmicks. That’s how they make money now and the industry should understand that. I don’t necessarily think artists should be millionaires - there are people in the world who live middle-class lives and they don’t seem to have a problem with it. You should make music because you love it, not because you’ll earn tons of money from it. Yes, you’ll be a lot more comfortable with the fame but that’s the the only think that matters - the music will always come first.

You get recognized on the internet, artists are noticed not because they spent this much money on this particular album but because they make an impact on people. Writing their own songs, singing covers, posting home recordings - they’re all made with limited funds but with overflowing amounts of creativity.

I personally download an album then if I like it and it’s available here, then I buy it. The problem is, the music isn’t available for purchase here - why are the record companies blaming us for something that’s their fault? I mean, it’s because they don’t bother to send over albums to this tiny little third-world country in Southeast Asia because they think we know nothing. HELLO!? I’m sick and tired of being marginalized just because I come from a poor country. I have a right to develop my own taste in music - I HAVE A RIGHT TO LISTEN TO MUSIC I LIKE AND NOT CHANGE MY TASTES JUST BECAUSE THEY DON’T SELL THE PHYSICAL ALBUMS HERE.

I respect Rain because he doesn’t look like money - that’s not the only thing he cares about in life. Yes, I like the idea of a lot of money but I’m Chinese and I was raised with values passed down from generation to generation. I was taught that yes, you need money to survive in the capitalist world but you should be frugal and spend on things you need. I personally like looking at expensive things and dream of owning them but if you actually give me money and tell me to buy anything I want I honestly won’t buy anything - I have a mentality that if I buy something now, something better might come in the future and I won’t have any more money to buy it.

Straying from the topic, much?

You get my point. I hate the recording industry and I want to change it - even if I’m ‘just someone from a poor country’.

A Teen's Mind.

A child's mind is complex and often misunderstood but a teen's mind is even more confusing and convoluted. Why? We're children given tasks and responsibilities of adults - kids thrown into an adult world. We have kids minds and hardly any experiences to shape us and yet we're faced with time pressure, growing up, body issues, a society that's confusing and a myriad of roads to follow through.

Yet I'm extremely happy where I am. I can understand what's happening in the world, point out what's right and wrong but not have to take all the responsibility for political, social and economical matters. I have the opportunity to see the world like an adult but act like a kid.

Like an adult I know what I want, I want to write but like a kid I don't have that much experience to actually professionally write.

Interview: Ju-Taun

Part of my portfolio, here's the interview that meant the world to me and still does. I respect these guys so much for their answers. The questions and write-up were made by me.

You've seen them on my weekly top 20 and have heard me rave about them on Twitter so why exactly have I been doing those things? Because my friends, I bring you my second indie interview.

The first time I ever heard Ju-Taun I was in awe of the impeccably executed vocals, the swoon-worthy harmonies and everything else that draws me to vocal groups - be it a boy band, girl group or whatever. I thought musically they were one of the best groups I'd heard in the past three years and believe me, I've heard a ton of them so yeah - I adored them from the first note I heard come out of their mouths. Let Me In is a staggering 7 minutes-long but you know what? The time just flew by while I was listening to it - those seven minutes didn't and will never seem like 7 minutes because I lose track of time when I listen to their music.

The first time I heard Let Me In I was using crappy bass-less and flat to the point of tin can-y earphones so right now as I listen to the song with a brand new pair of earphones with the best bass and sound quality ever, the brilliance I first heard now sounds life-changing. Their other songs are equally brilliant as well and I think Es Amor is just below Let Me In when it comes to the quality of the songs. Oh dear, have I become a fan girl? No problem there!

Just the music made me desperately want to interview the band so I prepared the questions as critically and close to home as possible and sent them in before waiting a few days. Apart from the quick response I got, while reading the interview for the first time as a whole just before I started doing this write-up, their answers made me smile so much.

I don't know if they knew I believed in the same things I do but I saw answers that practically took a page out of my principles that have to do with music. It's rare that I find artists who read my mind this precisely and this is the first time I've heard someone say them directly to me - I'm dumbfounded. They've given me a reason to fight harder for what I believe in - knowing that a band has the same principles and ideals as me and is fighting for the same things I am really inspires me.

So, please do take the time to read their answers to nine of the questions that were brewing in my head and really get to know the band - what they said here means a lot to me and for that I now genuinely respect them as artists. You do realize if you don't know already that my artistic/creative respect is something I don't give to just anyone.

1. In theory I see you as somewhat a boyband - you sing songs, don't play your own instruments and you're vocal harmony-based. To you yourselves, what are you? Are you what I said you were or do you have another term for yourselves?

There's such a stigma and preconceived notion that comes to mind when the term "boyband" is used. Maybe "Vocal Group" would be better. But then again that term didn't really come to the pop culture forefront until BSB and NSync got so big that they began to get backlash from their immense popularity. Groups like Boyz II Men, All 4 One and Take 6 don't recieve that label. I think nowadays that term is better used for groups that were put together. We've been together since our early high school days so there's nothing fabricated here. We taught ourselves (with the help of one of our fathers) how to produce our own records and eventually found our own sound. Everything you hear on this album is us. Everything from the backing tracks and lyrics to the vocal production and mixing we did ourselves. So no we wouldn't label ourselves as such but we'll let the public and the media come up with their own labels. Our goal is to make the best and most heartfelt music possible.

2. Being indie artists(I assume..), do you want a major label contract or are you happy with what you have at the moment?

Honestly when we first started we were so determined to get signed to just about whatever came our way. We thought it would be easy but we were in for a rude awakening. But as we continued down this road of independence we learned that maybe that road isn't for us. We have so much freedom to make the music we feel needs to be heard. Signing to a label without making them come to us would just cause us to have to compromise our sound. So I guess the answer to that answer is Yes. So far we truly feel we're fulfilling our destiny.

3. Over the years after getting to know a lot of vocal groups, watching how they debut, get famous then split up as well as being in a group myself, I've noticed that there's a certain dynamic needed between the members to properly last over a certain time period - to exceed the shelf life of a vocal group/boyband. Your bio says that you've been together since 2000 - what's the secret to the group lasting this long?

It's really all about Love. It's the reason our album title is "Love Changes Things". You treat people differently because you want the best for yourself and others. We can tell each other about each others faults and shortcomings without the fear that what we say might rub the other the wrong way. Not only do we have a brotherhood, but we also know that whenever we approach one another respectfully with a suggestion or complaint it's out of us wanting the best for each other.

4. Is music first priority for you? Above trying to break the industry, making tons and tons of money or having hoards of screaming girls running after you wherever you go - do you always want to make music that moves people and has the ability to cross generations? Why?

Definitely, you hit it right on the head. We've been approached by big name producers and labels with the lure of riches at their side but in order to play the game we had to play it their way. We were fortunate enough to find our way and make a decision to not send the wrong message through our music before they came knocking. From the very beginning music was about how it made you feel. Even in this commercialized industry artists like Robin Thicke and John Mayer still gain noteriety and success while still maintaining their integrity. We plan to do the same and stay true to the music that comes from our hearts.

5. You've opened for The Temptations, I've heard. What part of the group - their career, vocals, music, the respect people have for them or whatever, do you want for yourselves?

To even attain a fraction of their success or to be mentioned in the same sentence would be a blessing within itself. If we would have to choose it would be the respect they achieved from their peers. Whether competition or label mates (though we're sure that's the same category since Motown had a reputation for their in-house competitive spirit) they we're always respected for their body of work, and their work ethic. Their vocal delivery was impeccable, their songs we're memorable and they laid the blueprint for many groups that came after them.

6. One of the things I look at in a boyband/vocal group, apart from amazing songs is their ability to do brilliant a capella work. Powerful vocals that fit together like puzzle pieces - the reason why I adore my favorite boyband is because they can nail a five-part harmony like no other. Can you guys nail a four-part harmony that'll make me faint?

We pride ourselves in knowing that we can always be better as musicians, vocalists, producers and people. So we're not one to toot our own horn, but in our own humble opionion we can throw in some ninths and sustains with some dynamics that were pretty sure can get us kudos from the most seasoned musician.

7. Why do you want to make music?

Our parents all loved music so maybe we had no choice! lol...But we truly enjoy singing together and making music. We even enjoy working towards perfecting our harmonies, dance steps and vocal delivery at our rehearsals. This honestly feels like what we were supposed to do. Some people never find out what they truly want to do with their lives, we're just happy and blessed that we did.

8. How does your song selection process work? Do you write most of your material or do you work with other people and around how many songs did you consider to put on the album?

At one point we had 15. If you count all the songs that could have possibly been placed on this album the number rises past twenty. Like we said we write and produce all our own music. Although it was something we didn't plan, we really had no choice. We haven't really met many writers or producers that had an energy about them that just clicked with ours. Chemistry is so important. It's something we have now after years of working with each other. With us song selection is just a feeling we all get. We usually know by the time we get to writing the Hook/Chorus whether it's a good song or not and we're usually all in agreement. The best compositions are the ones that just come together so quickly that we're dumbfounded. We're just vessels for the music. The songs we picked for this album all represent how love can change things in one persons life in one form or the other. They all fall in line with the motto we live and operate by.

9. What do you want to be remembered for in the next 10 or 20 years?

We want to be remembered as the group that never gave up. The group that persevered and continued to fight an industry that makes you pay if you want to play. The group that tore down walls and built new ones. The group that reminded listeners that we're just like everybody else. Four regular guys with just a dream. The group that reminded everybody that the right kind of love can allow us to do anything we wish to do in our lifetimes.

The DMCA takedown notification.

When will I ever get to blogging here more often? I'll try.

I've talked about the DMCA takedown notification on both of my more public blogs but I want to talk about it as a writer, not a music blogger or a kid.

One of the reasons why I bawled a few minutes after what had happened actually sunk in was because I realized what I had lost that day. Above the fact that it's unjust and against my principles, I'm a writer - I love writing. I don't blog because I have to, because I'm paid to or for some strange reason - I blog because I can always look back at past posts whether it be a day or a year ago and see how I've grown as a writer. Because blogger deleted one of my posts, I'll never be able to see how I wrote during that particular period.

It's honestly like I lost a part of myself.

Here I am writing so I get better, learn technique and grow into someone worth listening to and then Blogger takes away a part of that. I work hard for all my posts - I put a lot of thought, time and my skills into each and every word or sentence I write but Blogger doesn't seem to care.

Is this because I'm a kid? That they think I'm vulnerable and wouldn't mind if they delete a post? I hate it when people think that just because I'm fourteen I don't have my own opinions and passions - that all I care about is Facebook, texting, twitter and boys. I don't care about Facebook, I don't text and I'm in no way interested in guys. Twitter is forgivable.

ANYWAY. I have passions, ambitions and I want to make something of myself. People may see family pressure as a negative thing but I see it as motivation. All my other cousins are successful in their fields - science, math, business, medicine and are at the very least 6 years older than me so it makes me want to be able to say 'OK, you're good at science and I'm good at writing,' - it's something I want to do. For once in my life I want to feel like I belong, like I'm as good as them.

I'm straying from the topic but you get the point - Blogger took away a part of me and I absolutely hate that.

Why The Saturdays Should Get A Number One with Work.

I am sick and tired of seeing all The Saturdays' singles either falling short or completely missing number one on the UK singles charts because frankly, I think they're the best things to ever happen to British pop and vocal groups since The Sugababes released About You Now. Two of their four previous singles practically hollered UK NUMBER ONE but noooooo, Just Can't Get Enough just had to get to number two.

The video for Work was released on YouTube yesterday and it's already caused what I see as a frenzy among bloggers - good reviews from us and readers will most likely buy whatever it is we like. Trust me, I've had readers buying albums because of what I write - marketing teams are correct in approaching us to write stuff for them.

ANYWAY. The Saturdays should get a number one with Work because first and foremost, they deserve it. It's been over a year since If This Is Love first blew us away and in that year they haven't had a single number one - what does that say about how much people value Britain's hottest new girl group? Up was charting and it was still nowhere near number one - it took a Comic Relief single(CR singles usually go to number one..) to get them a spot below number one but that still isn't enough.

Work also happens to be the most brilliant song the girls have ever made so far. Anyone who wishes to disagree with me can do so but my beliefs are firm and I will not retract my statement. It not only shows that Mollie can actually hold a melody for more than one line(which is a welcome relief) but it's got the most fantastic middle 8 we've heard in a very long time. You can never go wrong with the perfect middle 8 and The Saturdays are no exception.

Have I mentioned that whoever thought of their new video is a genius?

A few things..

I have tons of things on my mind, as a lot of kids my age would have but for some strange reason I think my thoughts are a lot more serious and convoluted than most of them.

I'm thinking about that Palanca. Joining it got me really excited but at one point I almost gave up trying to re-write my entry to make it a 'personal essay'. I got really frustrated that even listening to music(which works like 99% of the time) didn't help me - I was really agitated but then I thought, why not write about the reason I'm joining? So I did and it worked. I got my concept, I wrote the essay in one day and sent it off last April.

Winning a Palanca Award will not only put me on the map as a writer, give my school some needed money and get me into college, it'll jump start my future - it will tell me whether or not I'm a good writer. I want other people to call me a good writer because all my life I've always been second or third, I've never been the best. No one has ever told me I'm the best or I'm good and I want that.

A few hours ago my cousin told me that she always thought I'd be the celebrity out of us five(I have four cousins who're really close to me since I don't have any siblings..) and I was shocked. I never thought about me being a famous writer - I just wanted to be really good but what she said kinda encouraged me.

I haven't had that much encouragement from the elders in my family so to know that my cousins actually care about what I want to do and think I actually have a shot at doing it really means a lot to me.

A lot of things mean a lot but for me support from my family - the people I want to impress the most is the most important. I joined the Palanca to show them I'm just as good as they are(two of my cousins are doctors, one is a molecular biologist and the other one works as an executive for Citibank. Go figure..) and that just because I don't want to go into science or math it doesn't mean that I'm not good.

What being a writer truly means.

A few months ago, I sent in an e-mail to Justine Larbalestier who wrote possibly the coolest book ever - How To Ditch You Fairy(which I have never read.). I wasn't expecting a reply when a few weeks later, she replied. I e-mailed again and I just got her reply recently.

Ever since I started e-mailing her I kept on rating about how much I couldn't find her books, how clueless the people in the bookstores are and how living in the third world country sucks. After I replied, she told me to give her my address so she could send me a copy.

It was by that action that I truly realized what being a writer truly means - getting people to read your work no matter how far away they live, regardless of what their social status is and how they speak. It's being able to get what you want to say out to as many people as possible, and everyone else interested. Being a writer means writing what you want to, looking for people who will read it and who agree with it and treasuring them because they will serve as your inspiration to write more.

I'm excited about the book but what hit me the most was the fact that an author, a complete stranger, offered to send me something she worked so hard on, something she treasures, just so I can read it and possibly be inspired.

A little practice..

Will start making write-ups for a few artists as practice.. haha. Time to build up my portfolio.

There are two ways into the industry at the moment - post your songs on MySpace and wait for an A&R person to 'discover' and sign you or join a reality show and if you're good or have a story to tell, get so much exposure that even if you don't win the show, you're bound to be offered a recording contract. Watching a recent recording of her singing One Republic's smash hit Apologize made me realize something - if Pixie Lott was at the final of a reality show and sang that song, she'd probably win the whole thing right there and then.

An eighteen year-old singer in the industry is very common these days but a performer - one with real, raw talent is extremely hard to find. This girl however, just seems to slide into that category - she's got a stage school education, the major-label record deal, a host of superstar songwriters and producers working with her and most of all, she has a voice beyond her years.

She's got the voice, but she also has the most amazing pop songs. She's definitely on this years 'bring pop back' bandwagon but unlike everyone else, she's actually doing a good job. The songs have one distinct quality about them, a distinct quality that you can't find in a lot of other artists - they all make you want to tap your foot and smile when you listen to them. If music in general relaxes you, Pixie's songs will make you happy and cheery, they'll make you feel like nothing's wrong.

Will she make it big in the near future? I sure hope so. The industry may become superficial and processed but as long as there are still artists like Pixie and listeners who still know how to spot real talent, there's hope.

All I can see is sunshine.

Yesterday morning, I was given a Dardos award by a fellow blogger and I was truly honored. I read the description of the award and I got all tingly.

The Dardos Award is given for cultural, literary, and personal values in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.

I listed the five blogs I wanted to give the award to and since yesterday, another two have given me the award. I can't contain myself, it's a big thing for your family or your friends to say you're a good writer but for your peers, the people who do the same thing you do to say that you're good - is indescribable.

Last night, I went to the biggest concert of the year here, the last reunion show of the Eraserheads. My dad, being the producer and somehow mentor of the band, got VIP tickets for us and I watched. Watching the show gave me goosebumps. I realized again just how prolific they were, how much impact they had on Filipino music and knowing that my dad produced the songs, did the albums and taught them a lot made me want the same for myself. I want to do something that'll lead generations, not just mine but the ones after me.

Now realize that I don't want to write for a fashion magazine anymore, I want to review albums and songs for the rest of my life. I want to do something I truly love but I also want to do something close to home. I want to say that I had a hand in defining generations, I want to inspire people to do the same.

Even the mistakes weren't a waste of time..

That Jordin Sparks song hasn't sounded any better than right now.

For the first time since I entered high school, I feel good about my school work. Of course it's just one subject but I know myself, one subject will turn into two and two will go on and on and on until I get my grades up to where they used to be. Like the Jordin Sparks song, one step at a time, that's exactly how this will all go for me.

It's like a tiny little glimmer of hope, just a tiny one but big it's enough to make me believe in myself and what I can do again.

I feel like everything's starting to unfold for me, my passions are stronger than ever, my friends are right by my side and will be there for as long as we're alive and now my grades, the grades I need to follow my passions, are going where they're supposed to go.

I've suffered for long enough, I've worked day and night for higher grades but didn't get them, until now. These are the grades that'll get me into college, the grades that'll put me into a course I want, the grades that'll make my dreams come true.

Something emotional, something that's beautiful, something that stands the test of time..

I watched High School Musical 3 for the first time a while ago, and I cried. Now you might think, why would someone like me cry over something like that?

I cried because three years ago on June 5, 2006 at seven-thirty in the evening I was sitting in front of the TV, my thumb on the record button of the remote pointed to the VCR recorder, ready to tape and document the first airing of High School Musical in Asia. I cried because three years ago, I bought the limited edition soundtrack the day it hit stores here and I still have the receipt to prove it. I cried because two years ago, for my grade school graduation, my cousin in the US sent me the Remix DVD and it's there on my dresser, right next to my Westlife DVDs.

I cried because two years ago, I was waiting day and night to hear the second movie's soundtrack and when I did, I was blown away. I cried because a week later, I saw the movie before any of my classmates saw it and it wasn't what I was expecting. I cried because last year, I was the first one to let my classmates hear Now Or Never but I never watched the movie in the cinema.

I cried because the songs are brilliant, because every other new musical nowadays is compared to it. I cried because I'd like to think I've witnessed Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu and all the other main cast members go from DCOM actors/actresses to superstars.

But most of all, I cried because whether or not me or you or anyone else likes these movies, it defined my generation. This will be the movie that people in the future will associate us with, not Twilight or any other movie, THIS is the one that we'll carry with us to wherever we go.

Oops.

Disregard the last post. Some technical errors.

Contact

So, here's how to track me down or contact me if you ever want to chat or whatever:

Email: samanthaparkington [at] gmail [dot] com

Twitter: Follow me HERE.

Tumblr: Writer Girl

Facebook: I'm here.

Multiply: Here.

My other blog: Pop Reviews Now

Portfolio

My works come after this intro - please read for background on why I write what I do!

I'm an English writer/High School junior born, bred and growing up in the Philippines - I was born half-Chinese, half-Filipino into a Protestant family and practice Chinese traditions handed down from generation to generation. I respect every race, religion, opinion, creation and person because I believe that I'm in no position to tell anyone what to do with their life and what is right or wrong - we all have our own views on that.

Writing is something I can do and not be judged physically - I can choose to show you only my writing. I'm a teenager - I'm insecure about a lot of things. Writing saved me from near social suicide and continues to keep me alive and sane amidst all the stress I go through everyday - it's like the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders when I write.

As a writer I've tried numerous styles - fiction, journalism, poetry and tons of others but over time I've come to discover what I really want to do for the rest of my life.

I was born into one of the most musical families in the country - my grandmother was a renowned conductor and music professor in the country's best university, my aunt a music historian and my father one of the country's most sought-after record producers and drummers. Music is in my blood - there's no way out.

But I wouldn't want a way out.

I want to write about music. I want to write meaningful things about music and have my thoughts read by thousands of millions of people because it's what I love. Music moves me in ways I can't explain and writing helps me explain why it does.

My ultimate dream is to be a writer who can make or break an artists' career. I want my reviews to be so powerful and influential that even one bad word about a song or album can destroy an entire career. It's convoluted and will take decades but I don't care - it's what I love to do and it's what I really want it life, I will follow it to the grave.

After a ton of battles with my writing-related insecurities caused by myself I now realize that yes, I may be a kid and I may not have the maturity of real music journalists over a decade older than me but as long as I always write exactly what's on my mind, I can grow and mature as a writer.

Recently my main blog Pop Reviews Now became a finalist for the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards where I beat out hundreds of other candidates to be named one of the 11 Best Entertainment blogs in the country. It was an honor just to be nominated but to become a finalist? It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me. I may not have won that trophy or the title but being one of the eleven best blogs in the country over hundreds, even thousands of other blogs makes me feel like I'm not putting all this work to waste. It made me feel like I was a blogger with worth - that my writing wasn't crap. I was the only kid there that night - I may have felt small and didn't know anyone there but just being able to see my blog's name flashed on that screen made waiting 3 hours standing outside the theatre worth it.

Below is my slowly-growing portfolio taken from my other blogs(see: navigation on top) or specially written for portfolio purposes. This body of works as of this moment, best describes me as a writer.

Articles + Interviews:

Pixie Lott

Why The Saturdays should get a number one with Work

Interview: mnek

Interview: Stephanie Carache

Interview: Ju-Taun

Interview: Jennings & Trina Elle Double

The State of the Industry (June 26, 2009)

Why I hate most rap. Personally.

It's time for me to defend the music industry I want to strangle.

Exercise #1: If I were to make my own Korean Talent Agency

Why A Capella as my main basis in gauging the abilities of a pop vocal group.

What Pop Music REALLY Is (to me)

One Question: THE SUGABABES

Why I still buy physical albums

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY ENTIRE PORTFOLIO (on this blog.)

My Roots

A lighter scribble today, I wanna start writing a story! haha.

A few days back, my parents were talking in the car about how if my mom had married a Chinese, she wouldn't have wanted to 'watch the store' all day, because of her childhood. It made me think of my roots, where my parents came from and how I ended up growing up the way I did.

My dad's Filipino, his dad grew up in a province in the south and he came here to the city to become a doctor. I have no idea how my grandmother and my granddad met, but I do know that my dad had a comfortable life, 'lolo', (the term for grandfather), was an orthopedic surgeon and 'lola'(grandmother) was a choral director/professor/dean.

My mom, from her stories, lived a little more than comfortably. She comes from a very Chinese family, her mother's family owned(and still do..) a huge business, something to do with upholstery I think and her dad's family own(still do as well..) and are into leather and stuff like that, her dad had his own store. My grandparents' marriage was arranged, like how most Chinese marriages were at the time, to ensure that the family business is properly taken care of.

I never struggled with my cultural identity, because I think I was exposed to both cultures from the very start. I was born and raised here in the Philippines, but I live with a mix of Chinese and Filipino customs. I was taught Chinese as a kid, I can speak and read but I can't write whereas I was taught FIlipino to get into a school. I have two Filipino and two Chinese god parents, we frequently go to my Chinese and Filipino cousins' houses because I'm an only child and I celebrate both Chinese and Filipino holidays so as you can see, my parents balanced the two cultures quite well.

Why?

Why is one of the hardest questions to answer, but I guess I'll give it a shot. Why do I love writing? Why do I want to write?

I'm a young girl, I'm at a very awkward age where I'm beginning to discover who I am and what I want to do(I am just two years away from college if you put it into perspective..) but at this age, I know what my passion is.

Why do I know? Because I've been through a lot. I've seen my grades go from stellar to almost failing and I've been criticized, teased endlessly, used and treated like trash. I want people older than me right now and people older than I was at this age when I finally become a real writer to know that being a teenager isn't just all about boys and growing up and being insecure about yourself.

Sure, fine, I'm very insecure but the reason is past the fact that my body isn't skinny and it's not this and it's not that. Someone used me, made me believe she was a nice person and then just threw me on the ground when she was done using me. She made me isolate myself from my friends then, thinking they were on her side when they actually weren't and she made me miserable, made me blame myself for what she did.

The only thing that kept me sane during that period was writing. If it weren't for my journal, I wouldn't be sitting here and writing about how much I want to follow my dreams. Black would've turned into my favorite color and I would most probably stop smiling, stop listening to happy music and stop doing all the things I'm doing right now.

Writing helps me through the times when I feel I'm so alone, it helps me through problems I don't want other people to know about and I want to let people realize that life isn't what someone tells you it is, it's about learning what it is for yourself, experiencing things and coming to your own conclusion about what it actually is.

I want people to stop thinking of Gossip Girl when they say young girls and realize that girls like me have dreams, have passions and won't just give those away just because they say they're too young.

I sure won't.

So that's it. I've answered the question, it's time for me to get to bed, I've got to be up at five tomorrow morning!