Drake

I like Drake because he was the first North American artist I heard when I came to America. I never heard rap music while I lived in Saudi Arabia. I like the flow of the rhymes and beat of the instruments. I feel that you have to be very talented to make a good rap song. I found out later that Drake is very successful rapper who started when he was 15 years old, and overcame a lot of obstacles to become who he is today.

http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834

Biography.com describes how Drake started his career to become one of the most popular Canadian artists. The website is outdated about his recent projects and albums, but it’s greatly informative about his start as an artist, and the obstacles he overcame to rise to fame.

http://www.billboard.com/artist/301284/drake/biography

Billboard.com shows how Drake is a “cross-platform cultural phenomenon.” It also talks about how he writes his own songs.

http://www.gq.com/story/rapper-drake-in-america-july-2013

Gq.com describes another side of the rapper Drake. It doesn’t only express him as an artist, but also as a planner and business man. How he set goals for himself and reached them by working hard and using the talent he was given.

  

Michael Jackson

I remember when I was 6 years old, and for the first time I saw Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on the television. At first I thought it was a movie, and then quickly realized it was a music video, with a performance that stuck with me as I grew up. Ever since I've adored Michael's music, and to this day still listen to his music. Although some controversial, and, of course, tragic events have happened and he is no longer with us, he will forever be the one and only King of Pop. Michael's contributions to music, dance, and fashion have pave the way for many stars we see today, and may see in the future.


https://www.youtube.com/user/michaeljacksonVEVO

Here is Michael's VEVO on YouTube. It's a great place to see and reminisce on his music videos.

https://www.michaeljackson.com/the-artist/

This link takes you to a website where you can follow any events that pertain to Michael, as well as purchasing his music.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/arts/music/26jackson.html?_r=0

An awesome article that goes through most of Michael's life, and the troubles he faced as a celebrity.

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up Queen, The Beatles and a lot of Jimmy Buffet was played in my house, but none of it spoke to me as much as Queen did. Born on September 5th 1946 in Sanzibar Tanzania with the name Farrokh Bulsara, Freddie Mercury grew up in India playing the piano at St. Peter's boarding school where he played in his first band The Hectics. In the 1960's Mercury moved to London and attended the Ealing College of the Art where he befriended many musicians including future band-mates Roger Taylor and Brian May, the drummer and guitarist of Queen.

 In 1973 Queen released their first self titled album but it was not until 1974 with their Album Sheer Heart Attack which featured their first hit, and one of my personal favorites, "Killer Queen" that Queen became Famous. Queen shows a style and sound unlike any other bands I have heard in large part to the outstanding vocal and songwriting abilities of Freddie Mercury. 

Although many of the songs Mercury wrote are about women, offstage he was very open about being bisexual. Mercury lived an expensive lifestyle and was constantly in the public eye. In 1989 however, Mercury began to retreat from public view and on November 23, 1991 he released a statement saying he was HIV positive. Mercury died the next day from pneumonia at the age of 45.

To this day Freddie Mercury and the music he created plays a big role in my life and listening  to his music always puts me in a good mood. His unparalleled vocal range and songwriting ability is what lead Queen to become such a monstrous hit band. Queen is know for its almost Rock Opera style music with fun lyrics which makes listening to them intensely enjoyable. I grew up listening to Queen off cassette tapes and CD players and will hopefully continue to listen to them for the rest of my life.

http://www.biography.com/people/freddie-mercury-9406228

This page gives a good overview of Freddie Mercury and his career. Included on the web page is a photo gallery of 17 photos of Mercury over the course of his career. 

http://www.freddiemercury.com/en

This website has many archived narratives of Freddie Mercuries life and goes into detail about his legacy, greatest achievements and shows his greatest quotes. Also available is a link to the Mercury Phoenix Trust (MCT) which was founded by Mercuries band-mates after his death. In the past 21 years the MCT has donated 16 million dollars to projects and research to help battle AIDS.

http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/04/new-scientific-study-confirms-the-audience-freddie-mercury-had-an-unparalleled-singing-voice/

A scientific study came out in April of this year showing how unique and unparalleled of a voice Freddie Mercury possessed. They showed that he could product a vibrato with nearly twice ass fast of a vibration frequency as the famous opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. 

Dale Chihuly

“In a very real sense, Chihuly’s vessels, like the human vessel, are vehicles for human breath, or at least the expression of that breath: the ephemeral rendered permanent, and perhaps immortal.”

-Timothy Anglin Burgard, 2008

I was raised in Tacoma, Washington, where Dale Chihuly was born and raised. As a result of this, I grew up seeing Dale Chihuly’s work everywhere. His exhibit in the Tacoma Art Museum and the Chihuly Glass Bridge was a stop on at least 3 or 4 school field trips and countless more outings in downtown Tacoma on my own. Though in the case of the glass bridge they did not change out the pieces very often, and in some places not at all, I never failed to find a new piece of work to catch my eye. His use of shape, color, and transparency in his glass pull the viewer in and do not let go. The participate of his work is some of the strongest I have come across. Dale Chihuly now has exhibitions all around the world including his own exhibition in the Louvre in Paris. In recent years it has been debated whether or not he should still be considered an artist because after suffering many injuries he can no longer create the glass himself. He instructs trusted colleagues to blow the glass in his particular style exactly how he is envisioning his piece. No matter the decision you come to on this debate, you cannot deny the strength and innovation of his work.

http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

This is the website for his long term exhibition in Seattle that opened in 2012. It will show you some of his work as well as give you some background on Dale Chihuly.

http://www.chihuly.com/chihuly-artist-breathing-life-glass

This is an article posted on Chihuly’s official site written by Timothy Anglin Burgard. It gives a more in depth story of how Dale Chihuly came to be who he is and points out how his work can also a form of activism. The article includes detailed critics of a few of his pieces of work.

http://www.chihulyworkshop.com/glass.html

This is the website of Dale Chihuly’s workshop. It will show you many of his works as well as a little insight into the techniques used to make them.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (Eminem)

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (Eminem)

Marshall was born in St. Joseph Missouri on October 17th, 1972.  His mother Debbie was only 15 at the time of his birth.  His father ran away soon after he was born and he makes sure he lets him know in many of his songs today about how bad of a person he was for leaving he and his mom.  His mother wasn't the best to him either, although she took care of him just fine she has admitted to doing hardcore drugs while raising Marshall.  Growing up Marshall had moved from school to school getting bullied almost everywhere he went.  He was bullied so bad he lost consciousness and was hospitalized for four days at the age of nine.  Marshall later decided school wasn't for him after failing three years of school in a row. He later proved that leaving school was a good decision and he would study the dictionary on his own, learning many words to help him rhyme in his songs.  Being white in the rap industry is very tough, and he only got through because certain people recognized his talent.  Marshall changed his name to M&M because the first and last initials of his first and last names are M&M.  Later he changed it to Eminem because it looked better on paper.  Eminem was signed by Dre after being the runner up at the 1997 rap Olympics.  Eminem know has a family and because of that record deal he signed with Dr. Dre he will never have to live like he did growing up.  Eminem proved that it is possible to achieve anything making it out of Detroit and creating a new life for himself that he never would have had without his love for music. Eminem's ability to make such creative songs is the reason he is my favorite artist out there.  I love his story of the struggle he had growing up and how he dealt with everything.  Although he is not the happiest guy his music makes me happy because I understand what he is saying and trying to get a crossed.  My favorite part about his music is it is really fun to sing with his change of tone and voices that make me want to learn all of the words.  It's not so much that I relate to his songs, but that he has a song for whatever mood I'm in and it's really easy to listen to him and get carried away. 

http://www.eminem.com/
You can find the latest sweatshirts, T-shirts and apparel.  You can listen to his music and also see his upcoming tour dates where he will be doing live shows.

http://www.mtv.com/artists/eminem/
This shows music videos of Eminem's songs.  It also shows interviews and backstories of Eminem, sort of like a behind the scenes.

http://eminemworld.com/
Basically everything you need to know about Eminem and the people around him you can find here.  This site has many videos about him and his family along with pictures, a place to interact, lyrics, and information.

Jackson Pollock

An artist that has always interested me a great deal is the abstract painter Jackson Pollock. To me he seems like he was one of the most misunderstood artists. He was the first to make such intricate art from doing such a simple concept of painting. The reactions and opinions that came of his work brought a lot of strong feelings to light about whether or not his work should even be considered art or if he was just a drunk alcoholic splattering paint on a canvas. Much like the various opinions that came to light when Pollock was painting at the time, the internet has many various views of his art.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/arts/design/review-drips-dropped-pollock-and-his-impact.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FPollock%2C%20Jackson&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=collection&_r=0

This article really highlights the appreciation of the experimental aspect of his style. I really like this article because it goes into the inspirations, including different people he was inspired by behind different periods in his life and how that shown through in his art of different parts throughout his time painting.

http://discovermagazine.com/2001/nov/featpollock

This was a really interesting article to me because it made think of Pollock's work in a way that I hadn't before and that is a technical way. It really taught me what a fractal is, which really gave me a lot greater appreciation of just how much effort he put into what seems like just splatters of paint.

http://time.com/3878765/jackson-pollock-early-photos-of-the-action-painter-at-work/

In this article I really liked how the author talked about how Pollock's painting was considered action paining and he basically was dancing and painting at the same time. It seems to me like there are so many instances where different forms of art are basically exclusive from each other but the reason that Pollock is considered one of the best painters by many people is because he was able to incorporate so many different things to come up with his final pieces.

The reason the Jackson Pollock really strikes me as so interesting is because he was someone who can accurately portray a visual depiction of emotions. You can really tell how he was feeling when you look at his work. They are some of the most emotional pieces of art that I have ever seen. A lot of people discredited his work and say that it's just a bunch of paint splattered on a canvas but after looking deeper and really exploring further into his life and career as a painter, I now have a much greater appreciation of him as an artist.

This image is an example of his work called 'Free Form" which clearly shows the physical flow aspect that went into the style of Pollock's art. This is an example of when I said that Pollock was an artist how could visually portray emotions and could share with the observer his motives behind is movements and we can have a better understanding of the way he was feeling while creating the given piece. 

This is an image of Pollock in action. He put his entire mind body and soul into what he was creating and it shows when you look at his work just how much was going on both externally and internally for Pollock when he was in his own world of painting.

Misty Copeland

American Ballet Theatre Soloist



















Misty Copeland is a ballerina who began dancing at age thirteen, and now dances as a soloist in the American Ballet Theatre. Because I am a dancer and have a major passion for the art of dance, I am inspired, compelled, and moved by Misty Copeland. She began dancing later than many professional dancers have (many dancers begin at the age of three or four), but her talents and passion for dance allowed her to grow and improve quickly, ultimately reaching the professional level. In an interview, Misty Coplenad stated that no one in her family had an interest for the arts, and at the age of thirteen she took her first dance class at the Boys & Girls Club to find that she greatly enjoyed dancing, and was extremely naturally talented at it. Not only did Misty Copeland start as a teen and have incredible talent from the beginning, but she took that talent and drive and continued down the path of a professional dancer from there on. She is beautiful, passionate, strong, and talented, and has been an inspiration to me in so many ways. Here is a link to a brief video of Misty Copeland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY0cdXr_1MA




http://mistycopeland.com/

Above is the official website of Misty Copeland. This site includes her story, latest new on Misty Copeland, an access area to social media (including Twitter and Instagram). a photo and video gallery, a calendar of upcoming events and performances, and a section of books for sale written by Misty Copeland. It is a great place to explore her latest news and performances.

http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=56

The above site is the American Ballet Theatre site. Misty Copeland dances as a soloist in the American Ballet Theatre company. This site gives a brief biography of Misty Copeland, including her background and early history in dance, as well as her up and coming accomplishments in the professional dance world.

https://intothegloss.com/2014/03/misty-copeland-ballerina/

The above site is a magazine article written about Misty Copeland. The article includes words stated by Misty Copeland in an interview, as well as comments made by fans. I think this is a great way of putting herself out there to the world and allowing those who are moved by her dancing to read her interview and add in their comments.

Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams

Growing up, Bryan Adams was my favorite artist. I’m not sure how I got so addicted, but I would always ask my parents to “turn on the tire guy” (his album was him standing next to a large tire). This addiction to Bryan Adams music continues to this day. I have always connected to his music in a way that I’ve never connected to any other artist or band’s music before. My dad has always complained about today’s hits and thinks that no other type of music can compare to the music that came out of the 80’s. Maybe this is one of the reasons I love Bryan Adams so much. Or maybe the fact that whenever we went on a road trip it was Bryan Adams that took over the radio. Whatever the reason is, Bryan Adams will always be my favorite musician. 

Claim to fame:

Bryan Adams, a Canadian singer, rose to fame in North America with his hit album Cuts Like a Knife in 1983. He became a global star after his 1984 album Reckless with some of his best known songs “Run to You”, “Summer of ‘69” (my personal favorite) and “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You”. Adams has been a world renowned artist for thirty-five years and has sold over 100 million records and singles worldwide. Bryan Adams has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and has won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. Among his many accomplishments he has also been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame. To add to his many achievements, in 2008, Adams ranked 38^th on the list of All-Time top artists in the Billboard Hot 100 50^th anniversary charts. In recent years, Adams has started a family with Alicia Grimaldi, a trustee and co-founder of his namesake foundation, who share two daughters. Bryan Adams is still touring today all over the world (and I hope to attend a concert in the future). 

Top Songs:

1.     Summer of ‘69

2.     Heaven

3.     Run to you

4.     Please Forgive Me

5.     Straight From the Heart

6.     Cuts Like a Knife

7.     (Everything I do) I Do it For You

8.     All for Love

9.     Here I am

10.   Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman

11.  Do I Have to Say the Words?

12.  The Best of Me

13.   Can’t Stop This Thing We Started (another personal favorite) 

http://www.bryanadams.com/

This is Bryan Adams official website where fans can find merchandise, music, and information. People are able to find concert dates and tickets through his website with easy access. Images of Bryan Adams many accomplishments are scattered throughout his page.

http://www.mtv.com/artists/bryan-adams/

This website is a good source for viewing Bryan Adam music videos as well as live performances. These videos are nicely laid out at the top of the screen for access of the viewer. There are many images of Bryan Adams throughout the years. This website also has tour dates all lined up for purchase. I also found this website helpful because it shows related artists for viewers to check out as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Adams

This website can be used as a main source of information about Adams. From Bryan Adams early life, music career through the 80’s to current, personal life, awards and honors, to his active participation with animal rights. I found this website to be the most helpful when digging deeper for information on Adams.