The Winner of BTSCelebs iTunes Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Btscelebs

After two months of waiting, the moment you anticipated has arrived!

The correct answer to the question:

What date did Occupy Chicago start?

September 23rd 2011

The winner of BTSCelebs first giveaway is …….

Rzibecchi from Argentina

Congratulations to Rzibecchi!

Coming Soon: BTSCelebs announces an all new autographed album giveaway just in time for the holidays!

Posted in BTSCELEBS, Entertainment, Movies, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Did You See Jordin Sparks in Chicago?

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Btscelebs

The newest American Idol judges rolled into the Midwest to survey the talent and former winner Jordin Sparks had her own agenda.

Watch the AI talent, work with Velvet Teddy Bear and perform at the Cup were just a few of the things on the singer/actress agenda in the Chicagoland area this week.

There was Sparkle all over the Windy City and beyond when Sparks shared the following messages and images via her Facebook and Twitter:

“ALERT: was just backstage at some of the auditions. Pleeeeease watch @AmericanIdol this year. The panel is insane!!! Omg.”

Got to hang with my American Idol Alum, Ruben Studdard, yesterday! Velvet Teddy Bear!! We shot a viral video for Reebok so look out for it! 🙂

So excited to perform at the Ryder Cup for the opening ceremonies tonight! I brought my Grandpa…he LOVES golf! Look who we ran into! Justin Timberlake! Who knew that golf would be the reason I finally got to meet him!! So happy I finally got to! 😀

I hope you enjoyed Sparks account of her adventures in Chicagoland.

All rights to the images and quotes belong to Jordin Sparks.

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Hilary Duff: “Staying Healthy for My Luca!”

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Btscelebs

Tweet for a cause!

On September 25th, the singer and actress tweeted in support of  the national awareness campaign for women about heart disease. The Heart Truth celebrated its 10 anniversary!

Check out her tweet and image below:

“Happy 10th birthday @TheHeartTruth! Thinking of my 2009 @dkny red dress & staying healthy for my Luca! #HeartStory”

Bravo, Hilary!  One of my favorite actresses growing up was Hilary Duff. In my opinion, the BEST movie of all time was 2004 A Cinderella Story co- starring Chad Michael Murray. It’s good to see celebs standing up for good health…. now if only she and Chad could reprise their roles for “A Cinderella Story” follow-up 

All rights to the images and quote belong to Hilary Duff.

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Future Presidents: “This Was Our First Shot at Making Something for K-Pop”

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Btscelebs
BTSCelebs: How did you get your start in the music industry?
Future Presidents: The Three of us were making music for many years and had some small releases here and there until we all ended up getting signed to a publishing for young talent owned by one of the top producers in The Netherlands. We met each other while working on several projects and decided to do a project together called DJ Porny. What started as a gimmick, became a top 5 hit in The Netherlands and charted in Germany and Belgium as well, it was released in over 14 countries in total. Immediately record labels were interested in working with the three of us so we came up with the name Future Presidents and ran with it. We have been working together non stop since 2006 and we’re still growing every year.
What made you choose the K-pop industry to work in?
About two years ago, our current publisher Universal Music sent us a couple of youtube videos and introduced us to K-Pop. We immediately loved the energy, the catchy melodies, the edginess of the productions and the amazing music videos and the great response it was getting. So, we locked ourselves up for about two weeks and started working on our own version of a K-Pop track, that song was “Electric Shock”.
How did you get the opportunity to work with SM Entertainment on f(x)’s album?
Our publisher already had several successes with SM placing songs and he sent Electric Shock there about two years ago after we had just written it. We didn’t hear anything regarding the song until a couple of months back when SM let us know they wanted F(x) to record it.

Walk us thru the recording and production process of the single “Electric Shock”:
This was our first shot at making something for the K-Pop scene, so we had to think outside the box for this one. We started with the drums on the verses and added synths, we wanted something aggressive with alot of drive right away.. And started building from there.. It needed a breakdown from the heavy verse and than we changed up the beat to give it a more dance vibe in the chorus, which seemed to work. Than we started writing the melodies and lyrics in English, cause we can’t speak Korean, but made sure everything would sound good in Korean as well.. So in our heads it sounded Korean already haha. We hired a great vocalist to come in and record it after listening to K-pop records by f(x) and others to make sure we got the sound and the vibe just right. When everything is recorded we usually start adding breakdowns and effects etc. until we feel we did everything to keep it interesting throughout the whole song.

From the time you recorded the demo to the finished product, how long did it take to complete “Electric Shock”?
It’s been about two years since we worked on the demo so I’m not sure.. It took us a while to find the right style, but I think it was probably about two weeks in total for the demo.The recording with F(x) and the final mixing was done in Korea, which took a couple of days I think in total.

Is there a tour planned? Any places f(x) plans to stop?
We just write and produce the songs, we don’t plan the tours, but I believe they are focusing on Japan with a tour there soon.

Does this have any relation to “Electric Lights”?

EleKtriK LightZ was the original title of the track when we wrote it in English. 

Is it a revamped or remixed version of “Electric Lights? Do they have any plans for a full album, if any? **
The Korean translater changed it into Electric Lights. I believe the plan is to release an album in Japan first and than work on a new Korean album.

A Special Thanks to Future Presidents for the interview and photo

**A BTS Thanks to BTSCelebs Team Member Kevin for his interview questions**

All rights to the video belong to SM Entertainment, Future Presidents and f(x)
Posted in Interviews, Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Artist Minjae Lee Releases New Masterpieces

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Btscelebs

Our Spring 2012 interview guest Minjae Lee (aka Greno) recently released his new “works” to the public.

The female-inspired abstract portraits boggle the mind yet inspire so many.

Check out all of his latest masterpieces and Click Here to relive BTSCelebs interview with Minjae

A Special Thanks to Ryan at Roth Management and Minjae Lee for the images.

Posted in Art | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Make Your Bollywood Debut in “Dhoom 3: Back In Action”

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Btscelebs

Photo from Dhoom 2

Bollywood returns to BTSCelebs!

It’s been awhile since I had the opportunity to share news about the Bollywood industry. Earlier this month, Dhoom 3 became the second film I acted in.

Dhoom 3: Back In Action, starring Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif, is an action thiller film. The Hindi language movie is the 3rd installment in the box office hit series. They started filming in Chicago in early August and they are scheduled to continue filming here thru late October – early November 2012.

Since the movie hasn’t been released in theaters, I’m not at liberty to tell you what happened. However, here on BTSCelebs I give everyone the opportunity to have their own Bollywood experience!

The extras casting call may be over, but extras casting for the series is not!

Click Here to find out who is casting extras for this movie and learn how you can be apart of this hot international film.

BTSCelebs Insight: The day I worked, the crew and casting company reps were very business-oriented and informative. I recommend working on this production to anyone who is an experienced actor or who is truly passionate about acting.

When you sign up, tell them BTSCelebs sent you!

All rights to the image belong to Yash Raj Films.
Posted in Bollywood, Movies | Tagged , | 1 Comment

F(x)’s Production Team “Future Presidents” Electric Shocks BTSCelebs

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Btscelebs

Psy‘s “Gangnam Style” may be all the rave right now, but “Electric Shock” took Asia by storm this summer!

SM Entertainment‘s resident five member girl group f(x) returned to the K-Pop music scene this summer with their Asian hit “Electric Shock”.

The production team (from The Netherlands) behind the catchy tune recently spoke with BTSCelebs about their work on the girls’ album. Next week, you can read their responses to the following questions:

How did you get your start in the music industry?
What made you choose the K-pop industry to work in?
How did you get the opportunity to work with SM Entertainment on f(x)’s album?
Walk us thru the recording and production process of the single “Electric Shock”:
From the time you recorded the demo to the finished product, how long did it take to complete “Electric Shock”?
Is there a tour planned? Any places f(x) plans to stop?
Does this have any relation to “Electric Lights”?  **
Is it a revamped or remixed version of “Electric Lights?”Do they have any plans for a full album, if any? **

You can’t wait that long?

Ok, here is one question and response to get you thru the week:

BTSCelebs: How did you get the opportunity to work with SM Entertainment on f(x)’s album?

Future Presidents: Our publisher already had several successes with SM placing songs and he sent Electric Shock there about two years ago after we had just written it. We didn’t hear anything regarding the song until a couple of months back when SM let us know they wanted F(x) to record it.

A Special Thanks to Future Presidents for the quote and photo

**A BTS Thanks to BTSCelebs Team Member Kevin for his interview questions**

All rights to the video belong to SM Entertainment, Future Presidents and f(x)
Posted in Interviews, Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Producer Steven Lee: “[The] Recent Global Phenomena of K-pop Brought A Lot of Foreigners”

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Btscelebs

Do you dream about joining the K-pop or J-pop industry? Well, Producer Steven Lee gives BTSCelebs a glimpse inside the recording studio!

You love to sing the songs, now find out how your favorite hit tracks are made. Discover the semi-hidden world of the Asian music industry thru one of the industry’s finest.

1 – BTSCelebs: How did you get your start in the music industry?

Steven Lee: I started playing piano when I was 5, and was in a punk rock band in high school playing guitars. Music always has been part of my life. When I was 17, I entered “Star Search” audition in Los Angeles and won as a Music Producer. Then I started to work in legendary Studio56 in Hollywood where Elvis Presley to Christina Aguilera recorded their hit albums.
2 – What are the steps in creating a hit song?
When I write a song, I write melody first and then track comes after most of time. I don’t mean that backing track is less important…but I believe a good melody lives forever. That is why many artists remake(cover) songs from the past by using the same melody more often than backing track because it is what listeners remember.
I always had a small recorder with me since I was in high school, so I can record melodic ideas immediately whenever it comes to my mind. Then I go back to the studio to start writing music with a basic instrument such as a piano or a guitar first. My method in creating music is, I build a strong foundation first with a catchy “hook” and then I start to build backing track.
3 – How many people are involved in the process of creating one song? What are their roles?
Most of time, I pretty much do everything by myself from writing, composing to mixing for a demo. There are many important people involved in final products which people listen to (CD, DVD, Radio, TV). It’s important to have the best result with professional recording engineers, mix engineers, mastering engineers, vocal directors, artist managers, and sometimes many session players (A full orchestra, Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer, etc)
4 – How long does it take to compose and complete an entire album?
 I always wish there is more time to complete an album. In reality, most of major signed artists are very busy with full schedule. They don’t only work for the album, but also many other activities such as: TV shows, concerts, CMs, promotions, etc. Therefore, the actual time they can spend for the recording is very limited. In this case, I have to follow the artists and record company’s schedule.
For example, I had to finish SS501’s “De5tination” album within 10 days from all of recordings to final CD mastering. During this time, I lived in the studio working 24/7 drinking energy drinks with only couple hours of  sleep. It was challenging but I enjoyed it a lot! I think the longest time I had for an album was Kim Hyun Joong’s 1st album “Break Down” I spent one full year to finish this album, plus, I also finished half of his next album “Lucky” at the same time.
5 – With the recent global phenomena of K-pop, what are the odds of an foreigner getting their song material on a K-pop album?
Last year, I traveled to England and Santorini Island in Greece for a Songwriting Camp and met many talented European songwriters and producers. While I was working there, I was surprised that many of them were already working in K-Pop/J-Pop market, or were trying to get in to Asian music market. I personally think recent global phenomena of K-pop brought a lot of foreigners to try to get into Asia and it made competitions higher, but I think it’s good. Record companies and publishers can have more great songs from around the world, and these songs could destroy the cultural gap between western and eastern music scene. For example, recently, 2NE1’s show at Kodak Theater in Los Angeles was completely sold out, and Psy’s “Gangnam Style” now got over 181 million views on youtube. This is something that I could never expect before.
6 – What is the first feeling you have when you hear your song on the radio? **
 I feel very blessed! In fact, TV and radio are only sources where I listen to my songs because I usually don’t play my songs myself after they’re released. It’s probably because I’ve been listening to them over and over many times during the sessions of recording and monitoring. (haha)
7 – Who do you want to write music for the most? **
 I’m trying very hard to write songs for more artists in the US. I’m pretty sure most of the songwriters/producers in the world are the same.
8 – What is your favorite time of day or night to compose? **
I’m totally a night owl. All of my musician friends work at night. haha
9 – What is in your CD player right now? **
Let me check…. It’s a new CD with unreleased new demo songs. As I mentioned above, Ialways try to listen to them as many times as I can and fix until it achieves perfect sound.
10 – If you could take any Kpop act and make them famous worldwide, who would it be and why? **
The first Kpop band that crossed my mind was Big Bang, but they’re already famous worldwide. They always have their K-Pop elements in their music which gives more originality, but still keep new fresh sound. Big Bang’s music video production is amazing and I think they have such a great choreography.

A Special Thanks to Steven Lee for the interview and photos

**A BTS Thanks to BTSCelebs Team Member Anna for her interview questions**

All rights to the video belong to Kim Hyun Joong, KeyEast, Steven Lee and Essel Music Publishing
Posted in Interviews, Music | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Inspirational Rock Star Adam Cappa: A Review of “The Rescue”

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Btscelebs

This is the BEST rock music of 2012!

Adam Cappa debuted with his album “The Rescue” in March of 2012. The 10 track worship filled project is perfect for the world family. The stand out tracks to me were “The Rescue” and “From The Inside“. I loved the message the lyrics conveyed , as well as, the perfect music accompaniment. The album is spirit filled and Adam’s voice is truly anointed.

“The Rescue” is a MUST BUY!

Check out my complete review below:

The Rescue – This song is about asking God to rescue you. Life can get rough and impossible to maneuver thru, but that is exactly when we all need to just stop and ask God to rescue us. It’s never too late (or the wrong time) to ask God to deliver us from hardships, confusing circumstances, bad relationships and the like.

All I Really Need – If you need a sweet love song for your motion picture soundtrack, this single is for you. It is suppose to be about someone so infused or on fire for the Lord they can’t help but share it with the world. Only God can satisfy.

Washed Over Me – A pure worship song. It describes the true spiritual cleansing from being  born again. Adam talks about having his sins being washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. The slow and dramatic musical accompaniment is the perfect track to use at the beginning of a church service.

The Only One – Who can you trust in this world? There is only one answer…. God. This single is about only relying on God for everything. The world may be deceitful, but God is always there for us to run to. A great up-tempo fast paced tune to listen to anytime of the day.

Sail Away – How much strength do you have? When you have done all you can and things still seem to difficult to achieve…. just rest in God. Adam’s slow ballad tells listeners to turn to God because He is the only one who understands. God can renew your strength if you trust in Him.

Perfect – Adam interprets God’s message to Christians thru this track. This powerful enlightening single expresses God’s feelings towards believers. It doesn’t matter how much you judge yourself… you are perfect to Him.

From The Inside – It does not matter how perfect you look on the outside…. is your spirit at peace? Adam’s lighthearted feel good tune digs a little deeper with the message that you will never be a positive influence or good role model without being saved. Christianity makes you “effective”.

Only A Glimpse – All of the blessings Christians receive in this life is only a glimpse of heaven. God’s faithfulness to believers on earth is only a fraction of what is to come. This is the second pure soft rock worship song. A great addition for worship leaders’  playlist.

What’s At Stake – It’s Christians’ job to witness to non-believers in the world. This a song about witnessing to the people around us. Eternity is coming one day and Adam expresses his disappointment in the selfishness of Christians lives. We need to stop wasting time and win as many people as we can over to the Lord. This a a mellow tune with a powerful message.

How Worthy – This is the third pure worship song on the album. It reverences and completely praises God. Adam praises God for His ultimate love. He anticipates the amazing gift of heaven that is promised in the Holy Bible. The song has very little music accompaniment, it is the closest to a acapella song on the album.

Click Here to view BTSCelebs exclusive interview with Adam Cappa

Next month, BTSCelebs will be giving away autographed copies of “The Rescue” so stay tuned for all the details.

*A Special Thanks to Adam Cappa, BEC Recordings, Lori from Merge PR, Steve Harpine from Flat Out Entertainment.* 

All rights to the videos belong to Adam Cappa and BEC Recordings

Posted in Adam Cappa, Music, Reviews | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Brittany Hargest: “Jump 5 reunion!! Meet our very first lil jumper”

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Btscelebs

Lesley Moore Sawyer and her hubby Daniel welcomed their first child to the world!

On December 28th, 2011, BTSCelebs announced that Jump5’s Lesley was pregnant. The joyous J5 reunion was celebrated with an updated “Spinnin Around” performance.

Fast forward to September 7th, 2012, former J5 member Brittany Hargest shared a photo of the group (via her official Facebook page) with Lesley and her baby girl. Check out her caption to the photo above:

“J5 reunion!! Meet our very first lil jumper”

Lesley and Daniel Sawyer’s baby girl was born on June 26th, 2012.

Congratulations once again to the new parents.

All rights to the image belong to Brittany Hargest

Posted in Babies, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment