ISA 2011 Bay Area

International Secret Agents (ISA) is company which focuses on creating a platform for rising artists to perform and showcase their talents to an international audience.  ISA was founded by Wong Fu Productions and Far East Movement.  This Saturday, ISA will be hosting their 2011 San Francisco Bay Area showcase in San Jose.



ISA 2011 Bay Area will be hosted by Ryan Higa, Cathy Nguyen, and Kevin Wu. Artists expected to perform are Far East Movement, David Choi, Kina Grannis, New Heights, Wong Fu Productions, and I.aM.mE Crew. When tickets first went on sale for this show, there was so much traffic that the server crashed, which caused a delay in ticket purchases. It is expected to be an amazing night filled with wonderful talents on the stage. If you are in the Bay Area, I am sure it's not too late to purchase your ticket. For more information on tickets, check out here.  ISA will be hosting other events this year, so check their website for updates and more details.

Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Tea

Leehom Wang (王力宏) is an American-born singer, songwriter, actor, producer, and director based in Taiwan.  Leehom was born in New York and was interested in music at a young age.  He debuted as a singer in 1995, and has since released fourteen albums in Mandarin.  I recently discovered this song, "Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Tea" (柴米油鹽醬醋茶), which is off his fourteenth album, The 18 Martial Arts.  The 18 Martial Arts was released in August of 2010, and can be found in iTunes, here.  The music video reminded me of the beginning of the movie "Up".  The video tells a love story between two people who stay by each others side, while providing happiness to one another.  There is symbolism behind the airplane as it is appears throughout the music video.  I love the shadow effect of the airplane as the music video takes us on the journey of the couple's life together.  A translation (may not be completely accurate) of the chorus sung is:

           Firewood, rice, oil, salt, paste, vinegar, tea
           Every single drop is happiness sprouting
           The crescent moon shines over love's foolishness
           I lack nothing when I have you

When Leehom sings "Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Tea", he carries a beautiful, sweet melody accompanied by his guitar playing.  Check out the song and music video to "Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Tea"!

Be With You

Aziatix are at it again! So far there hasn't been a song or music video that I haven't enjoyed.  Aziatix put together a music video for "Be With You", a track off their album Nocturnal, but this time it has a rock mix feel to the song.  Aziatix released the music video on their YouTube channel last night, and it has garnered attention from fans all over the world already.  The music starts off with a lady starting to listen to Aziatix on her music device, and Eddie, Flowsik, and Nicky get up out of the album artwork.  The music video then transitions into a live rock performance of "Be With You".  You can check out the original "Be With You" off the Nocturnal album, and you can check out the rock mix single of "Be With You" on iTunes.  You will find yourself moving along to the instrumentals played by the band, and singing along to the lyrics sung by Eddie, Flowsik and Nicky (or at least that's what I'm doing right now).  Check out the song and music video to "Be With You"!  

Lonely

2NE1 is a girl group from South Korea, under the label of YG Entertainment.  2NE1 consists of CL, Dara, Bom, and Minzy.  In the beginning of May, 2NE1 released the music video to their song, "Lonely" on their YouTube channel.  Compared to other 2NE1 songs, "Lonely" is a lot slower and features every group member's vocals, without the digital enhancements.  This song is also one of the first 2NE1 songs that does not feature a rap segment.  "Lonely" demonstrates each singer's vocal talents accompanied by acoustic instrumentals.  "Lonely" can be purchased on iTunes, here.  The music video isn't your typical 2NE1 music video, but I think it fits the tone and vibe of the song "Lonely".  Check out the song and music video to "Lonely"!



2NE1 held a "Lonely" Cover Contest in the beginning of the summer, and the winner was invited to 2NE1's first ever solo concert, and had the opportunity to meet 2NE1 backstage.  2NE1 screened all cover entries through their Facebook Page.  And the winner of that contest was Megan Lee.  The same Megan Lee who sings "Love, Laugh, & Live".  Check out her winning cover of "Lonely" below!