This year’s music industry sung a remix blended with new as well as old songs we are so familiar with. A slight tune of re-invention preludes a promising future to new and up & coming songs hoping to continue to hit the airwaves in 2016.
For one, Adele’s comeback made a big headline making her new song Hello an instant hit. Charlie Puth on the other hand became the newest singing heartthrob with the song Marvin Gaye. And who wouldn’t talk about the transformation and re-invention of Justin Bieber from a “teeny pop star” to a serious singer.
While we saw and heard good things this year, 2015 was also marred by different scandals and controversies…
The music world took on a lot of split ups, twitter wars and upsets this year. From band breakups, and accusations of racism, to a great deal of heated discussions that trended on Twitter. Even Pop Sweetheart Taylor Swift got herself into a Twitter beef that was quickly cleared up, thanks to her way of handling the issue like a true-blue adult beyond her years. Not to mention a string of incidents from a Grammy upset to a boy band member going to a different direction, here are some of the biggest music controversies of 2015.
A slight Blink that led to disbandment
After more than 20 years of making pop-punk music together, in just a blink of an eye, Tom Delonge left Blink-182.
At first sight, it seems that DeLonge amicably left and is on good terms with the group, but it soon became apparent that there was something more than what the fans could see. The tension got real when DeLonge was replaced by Matt Skiba and the former band mates continued to fire social media rants at each other.
Beck beats Beyoncé
Beyoncé’s self-titled album was the biggest thing that any artist has ever done so far. From the confidential production to the surprise release and to the songs, everyone thought that the Queen has arrived to take what is rightfully hers. Well, Beck beat her to the punch. His album Morning Phase nabbed the top honors at the Grammys. The Beyhive was stirred and one of its fiercest supporters Kanye West was not pleased at all. He went on a verbal diarrhea but quickly changed his tune after hearing Beck’s album in full. The public was not as forgiving. They kept the discourse going on social media and roasted the Grammy voters for getting it wrong.
Minus One Direction
Zayn has left the building. This was probably one of the most surprising disbandment that no one saw coming. Boy band One Direction and the rest of the Directioners were blindsided as Zayn Malik announced his departure from the group after their fourth album. The fans were right in their hunch that there is more to Malik’s tweets about wanting to forge his own career as heated exchange of tweets started to happen between music producer Naughty Boy and Louis Tomlinson. The growing spat soon ended after Malik cut ties with Naughty Boy and started working Frank Ocean’s collaborator Malay.
What’s good VMAs?
Nicki Minaj does not take being snubbed out of the VMAs sitting down. Her Minajesty called out the award show for not including her music video Anaconda in the list of nominees, and in a barrage of tweets implied that racism and archaic standards of beauty were the reasons why the show left out her music video. The VMAs chose to keep silent but another nominee, Taylor Swift, entered the Twitter match and had some strong words for Minaj. Like a lot of publicized Twitter feud, the two cleared the air and even managed to perform together on stage.
On the local side, the Pinoy music scene was not without its controversy and newsmakers. From an indefinite hiatus to calling it quits and to starting a solo career, here are some of OPM’s controversial items of 2015.
Taking a break and Breaking up
Two of the most relevant bands in the OPM scene have decided to call it quits. Well, Kamikazee stated that it will be just temporary while Cebu-based rock band Urbandub will be hanging up their music instruments for good.
The Jay Contreras-fronted band with hits songs Narda and Martyr Nyebera thanked all of their fans for the support they bestowed upon them for 14 years and urged to continue supporting OPM song. Kamikazee held their last concert “Huling Sayaw” at the SMART Araneta Coliseum last December 10, 2015.
Urbandub also had the same message of gratitude towards all of the fans who followed their 15-year career.
In an interview, lead vocalist Gabby Alipe said that they will be focusing on their families since each of them have started having their own. He added that it wouldn’t be same if they continue singing with one member missing so they have decided to take a final bow instead.
Queens Reign
It was not all tears for OPM as reigning queens Sarah Geronimo and Regine Velasquez added more feathers on their crowns. Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez was recently named by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) as the best-selling OPM artist of all time. The diva has sold almost eight million copies of her albums in the country and almost two million across Asia. She also has eight multi-platinum albums under her belt that have sold almost 300,000 units.
Meanwhile, Popstar Royalty Sarah Geronimo also brought pride to the country by besting 26 artist from around the world with her song Kilometro. Geronimo’s song competed in the 10th International Song Contest: The Global Sound and bagged the Gold Global Sound award. The ISC Global Sound, in its Facebook account also lauded Geronimo for being the first Asian country to win the contest.
Sarah’s comeback concert “From The Top” was also tagged as one of the fastest selling concerts, having sold out VIP tickets in a matter of hours after tickets sale was opened.
Read: VIP tickets for Sarah G’s From the Top Concert now sold out
Indeed, 2015 was definitely an eventful year for the music industry but we look forward to another year of exciting music both on the foreign and local music scenes.
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