Stylish Thought

Katy Perry is my alterego.. the Sasha Fierce to my Beyonce. Now I know I’m uber-late, just having watched the California Girls video, but where is this fantasical CandyLand place and how can I book my flight?!? The camp, the kitsch, the peppermint bras! Holy Smokes Batman! I’m in love with every element of this video and I’m working on a D.I.Y. whip cream shooting bra, as I type. Oh just you wait!

Sure the concept has nothing to do with California, but when the video is this fun who cares?!?

How do you feel about California Girls? Katy Perry? Be nice, she is half of me!

The new generation of artists are embracing fashion as an extension of their music and stage persona. One such stylish singer is British transplant VV Brown. The 5’11 model has a distinct sound and look that blends to create an offbeat, yet refreshing musician. “Shark in the Water” and “Back in Time” are my personal favorites. Her debut album “Traveling Like the Light” was released in July 2009.

VV is signed to Model Management and has appeared in Vogue magazine. Her fashion sense is characterized by her retro flattop hairstyle and vintage style. She even has her own online vintage shop www.vvvintage.com.

Isn’t VV Brown’s style and voice phenomenal?

While my body loves dance music, my soul craves those old standard love songs that make you crave being in love and even worse breaking up so you can feel exactly how the singer feels. Few singers have the ability to make you feel that way. Chrisette Michele is one of them. In the vain of Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday and Jill Scott, Chrisette Michele has a gut wrenching voice and lyrics that feel like she’s poured her soul into her music. Newcomer, Chrisette has already won a Grammy award in 2009 for her single “Be Ok” and was nominated in 2008 for “If I Had My Way”.

On her second studio release Epiphany, Chrisette continues her slow, melodic tunes that she established on her debut album, I Am (2007). Epiphany features more of the  wide-ranging vocals, bluesy melodies and soulful lyrics. Chrisette has also grown in her style from her first album to Epiphany, ditching her long locks for a short flipped do, and this change is definitely reflected in Epiphany’s strong themes of love and getting over heartbreak.

Here’s Epiphany and her recent video for her single titled the same.

Chrisette Michele – “Epiphany”

Epiphany – Chrisette Michele

I’m a self-confessed Dance/ Disco lover. I crave all things electronica and disco gets my heart thumping and feet pounding. Ask my former roommate about my Saturday morning Disco and techno dance-a-thons. So it’s a no-brainer that I would love current Pop artist Lady Gaga.

Born in New York, Joanne Stefani Germanotta, Lady Gaga got her start performing in the Lower East Side with fellow performer Lady Starlight. They created a disco revue complete with elaborate costumes and at 20 she began working for Interscope Records where she was signed and in 2008 released her debut album, “The Fame”

I’m obsessed with her 80′s meets disco style and her infectious dance tracks. She’s my hair idol at the moment, so look forward to seeing a Gaga-esque hair’do. Here are more tunes and videos from Lady Gaga.

THE FAME – LADY GAGA [2008]

Just Dance

Beautiful Dirty Rich

Poker Face

The Making of “The Fame”

Does Lady Gaga make you go gaga or just gag?

He’s on the lips of everyone, thanks in part to the appearance of his unwearable wears surfacing on Beyonce, on several occasions. Now T Magazine has brought the on the radar designer, Gareth Pugh, above light to get some insight into his upstart in London, his upcoming project with Michele Lamy and his artistic vision.

2008 was an alright year for me, there was nothing spectacular to recount and I’m wholly looking forward to 2009, to do all the things that I have planned or wasn’t able to do in ’08. So instead of going down memory lane with my experiences of the past year, I thought I’d hit play and do a music recap of the albums and songs that got me through another year. Click the albums to listen.

1. Santogold-“Santogold” : Just when everything in music and life was beginning to sound and feel the same; the Philly/ Brooklyn transplant came in and smashed the radio. Seeing her in concert was a highlight and the themes in her music of carving out your own path and following no one but yourself are all things that made Santogold my fave by far.

3. Lil Wayne-“The Carter 3″- By no means am I a Lil Wayne supporter, but you can’t deny the man that the Carter 3 was the fastest thing smoking. “A Milli”, “Lollipop” and others had me on full blast and got me excited about hip-hop again.

4. M.I.A.- “Paper Planes” : Released early in 2008, Paper Planes didn’t start rolling until later with the Pineapple Express soundtrack and then the T.I. remix featuring Kanye, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. It’s reach over-exposure but I’m still partial to the original and how could you resist a song with gun shooting and cash register ringing.

5. Janelle Monae- “Metropolis- The Chase Suite” : When women were being over-sexualized, Janelle Monae sang “when you take off your clothes, all your dreams go down the drain.” Her rockabilly meets funk soul made Janelle Monae my favorite female of the year and her music isn’t short on message or danceability. She’s a Cybergirl from outer space and I want her to beam me to her planet.

Honorable Mentions:

What music got you through 2008?