THE forteloud FAMILY'S
ARTISTS OF 2014
ELLIE// 'Charli XCX'
My girl Charli is finally breaking through and people are realising how amazing she is. What took you all so long?!?! I’ve been a huge fan of Charli for a very long time, and I’m so glad she’s getting the success and recognition she deserves. She was first catapulted into the spotlight with her and Iggy Azalea’s song, Fancy. We all know how the chorus goes, and none of us are afraid to sing along with Charli. But she didn’t stop there when her song "Boom Clap" charted worldwide, being the feature song for one of the most talked about and highly anticipated movies of the year "The Fault In Our Stars". Her second album ‘SUCKER’ is set to release in the UK in February and I can barely contain my excitement. 2015 is going to be an even better year for Charli, I can feel it.
JAMIE// 'Ben Howard'
Since I bought Every Kingdom by Ben Howard back in 2011 I was blown away by the overwhelming talent of this guy. I remember his song Only Love was sung up and down Welsh mountains during our 50 mile Duke of Edinburgh hike enticing us towards our far away finishing goal... And In the 30 degree heat at V festival 2012, standing in the front row, we danced and clapped in perfect beat to The Fear... And of course I can’t forget singing Keep Your Head Up around the piano in my first ever singing lesson. I have nothing but wonderful memories connected to each and every song off Every Kingdom. So as expected when his second studio album, I Forget Where We Were, was released earlier this year I was eager to create new and exciting memories with these tracks too.
However the album did shock me. It was very different to his first album channelling more long instrumental sections in the songs rather than upbeat catchy lyrics. I believe it is very daunting but brave for an artist to move away from their popular sound that got them where they are today to a completely different one. Seeing him live also surprised me as he didn’t play Keep Your Head Up or Only Love at all in his set to the enormous disappointment of the crowd. When asked why he simply said he ‘didn’t like them’ anymore. This showed to me just how much Ben is progressing as an artist learning exactly what makes HIM happy, not letting himself become encouraged into the commercial market as many modern artists these days have been. I love how despite all the fame he has stayed as humble and inspiring as when I first heard his voice.
DAISY// 'Taylor Swift'
The pairing of 1989 and 2014 mirror that of a power-couple, making others look in envy without reason to dislike and when together, display the optimum of unions. It is this pairing of re-deyning one's self, not only in the media but also in the music, whilst retaining such an unified reputation, which places Taylor Swift as my Queen of 2014. Instead of focusing on her next lovers or who the songs could be about, Taylor has shifted the focus of her endeavours onto the way she has changed her style, however still refusing to change the way she writes. I feel Taylor has been a great ambassador to represent some modern females: either through her album, interviews, performing or just being herself, Taylor has been strong, sensitive, loving, funny, independent, fun and mature and of course, been able to stand by herself as her brand with dignity and success. As 2014 brought the discussion of feminism to the forefront of the media, more than I had ever seen in my lifetime before, I believe Taylor Swift's character and the 1989 journey has mirrored the changing views in society and that is why she has secured herself as a powerful and influential figure from this era.
LUKE// 'Ben Howard'
I Forget Where We Were really should be my album of the year, or at least ‘End of the Affair’ could be a song of the year contender. The simple depressing fact is this – I didn’t listen to it enough, and still haven’t, to merit it as a song or album of the year. But I refuse to believe anyone else has released a second album this year as incredible as this (at least that I’ve heard, which, granted is a small amount). It’s not incredible because it’s a good album on its own – although that is undeniable. It’s so great because it compliments ‘Every Kingdom’ so perfectly, in my opinion. Its darker, ‘spacier’ (if that’s even a useful adjective), and it feels like a linear progression from the previous work. It doesn’t feel like a continuation of the previous work, or a departure from it. It feels like a perfect blend of the two; he has managed to make an album which is close enough to its predecessor that every fan will still be in love, but its different enough to spark a new love for him, a love varying from the first because it makes you react differently. ‘Every Kingdom’ to me felt like a great album, that sounded like an acoustic singer-songwriter, who is an extremely talented guitar player, playing to us in a front room, surrounded by a band that could or could not be there, and it wouldn’t have mattered, because of how much the arrangements were orchestrated around him. That is not a bad thing, simply something I picked up on. But this album. Its different. It feels like one organism, almost like a great band who have found their peak chemistry, and Howard convinces me that he is entirely devoted to the sound he has created. What a guy.
CHARLOTTE// 'Keaton Henson'
Keaton Henson is an artist who I have only started listening to in the past year. He is an inspiration past his music as he does much more than just that - he gets to carry on with his art, and make them his album covers; he puts on productions that, albeit, are to do with his music but are more experimental, the modern dance production that is happening in a couple of weeks and his introduction into a more classical or instrumental area of music by his production at the Barbican. I have just recently posted about Keaton Henson; click here for you to read more about why he is my choice for Artist of 2014.
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