Internship Update/Meeting Cody Simpson/ NickRadio Launch Party

Me, Cody Simpson, & the lovely ladies of Popstar! 

Just wanted to leave a quick update on my Popstar! internship..  Monday was my first day and I can already say that I never want to leave the Magazine (like, ever.) I got to spend the day in the office reading through Twitter and updating the site's blog. (How awesome is that?!) I wrote a few posts on popstaronline.com if you want to check that out! The posts included Emblem 3's acoustic video of their single, "3000 Miles", CeCe Frey's cover of "Wake Me Up" and some cool other things. :)

On Monday, I got to tag along to the interview of Cody Simpson! I went to his #WelcomeToParadise book signing (why am I hashtagging?) in Paramus. He was such a sweetheart and his accent is just the cutest! He personalized my book and I'm excited to read it. Overall, it was a great experience. I'm so grateful to Popstar! Magazine for the opportunity and for the opportunities that'll come. The only way is up!

Thursday, (10/24) I went to the NickRadio launch party where Fifth Harmony and Cody Simpson performed! They were both so great. Fifth Harmony sang a couple singles off their "Better Together" EP and Cody did an acoustic set with a bunch of new songs, even some throwbacks. To be honest, it was the first time I really sat down and listened to Cody's music and all I can say is oh.my.god. Where have I been this whole time?! Cody's so, so good. The acoustic set was perfect. *swoon* (wait, am I even allowed to swoon? he's only sixteen..) Take a look at some pictures/videos I took!

P.S majority of these can also be found on Popstar!'s instagram! (@popstarmag)
If you want to follow mine, it's (@xonessa)

There's a bunch more that I took of Cody & 5H over on my YouTube channel!
Overall, it's been a great week!
Should I make weekly internship updates? Hmm, probably, idk, stay tuned!

Fifth Harmony/Katy Perry Album Review

What a great day in music! Fifth Harmony's "Better Together" EP and Katy Perry's "Prism" were released on iTunes and are both in the top two! (Katy Perry at #1, and Fifth Harmony following at #2.) Not too shabby, eh? Considering the fact this is only 5H's EP, not even a full-length album! (Goes to show how hardcore the Harmonizers are!) As for Katy Perry, this is the first studio album she's put out in three years, and a debut at #1 is absolutely incredible.

Take a look at their track lists:

Better Together EP:

1. Don't Wanna Dance Alone
2. Miss Movin' On
3. Better Together
4. Who Are You
5. Leave My Heart Out of This
6. Me & My Girls

Being a Harmonizer myself, I love the girl-power feel of the group and their music. Individually, they're all mega talented and thanks to Simon Cowell, they're unstoppable together as a group. Their talent is indisputable (no really, check out any of their YouTube covers, and you'll think the same thing.) The "Better Together" EP is the first official thing they've put out (except individual singles) and within 40 minutes of it's release, it climbed right up the charts to that #2 spot. (I honestly believe that if Katy's album didn't come out the same night, the girls probably would have taken the throne on the iTunes chart!) But still, charting over Drake, Miley Cyrus, and Lorde, is very impressive. The EP starts off with "Don't Wanna Dance Alone" which kinda has this cool, old-time feel to it? It's very different than anything that I've heard on the radio recently, which is awesome. "Miss Movin' On", (their debut single) follows and is still just as catchy as the first time I heard it. (Don't you love those kind of songs?) It's followed by "Better Together" which is the classic "i want you back" love story that I think shows off the girl's vocals so nicely. "Who You Are" is the power ballad of the EP and it gives me goosebumps each time I hear it. (Dinah really shines in this song!) After that track, comes "Leave My Heart Out of This" which kinda has this Demi Lovato vibe, which I love! (it's perfect considering that they'll be joining Demi on tour this winter for the Neon Lights tour!) And lastly, theres "Me & My Girls!" (fun fact: my three year old niece is absolutely obsessed with this song which I think is SO adorable! I recorded a little clip of her dancing to it!) The studio version makes you wanna get up and shake it, and the stripped down, acoustic version, really shows their vocals off. Overall, I give this EP 5/5 stars. Talent speaks for itself, and these ladies are about to take over the music industry! P.S Check out this video I recorded of Dinah singing "Who Are You" on their recent tour with Cher Lloyd!

P.S as a part of my internship with Popstar! magazine, I'll be seeing 5H tomorrow as they promote and celebrate their new EP! I'll post about that tomorrow, if you have a question for them, let me know asap!! You can comment it, or tweet me.

Prism (Deluxe):

1. Roar                                                                9. Ghost
2. Legendary Lovers                                        10. Love Me
3. Birthday                                                        11. This Moment
4. Walking On Air                                            12. Double Rainbow
5. Unconditionally                                            13. By the Grace of God
6. Dark Horse (ft. Juicy J)                              14. Spiritual
7. This Is How We Do                                     15. It Takes Two
8. International Smile                                     16. Choose Your Battles

The album starts off with the self-empowering anthem, "Roar", that you can't help but sing along too. (I haven't stopped since it's made it's radio debut!) It then goes into a powerful love song, with lyrics like: "Go down in history, go down together." & "I never knew karma could be rewarding and bring me to your life." (How sweet!♡) It's then followed by a bunch of feel-good songs, that I'll definitely be blasting in my car. I lovelovelove how Katy manages to have such upbeat pop songs and never forgets to include meaningful lyrics along with them. She definitely embodies true musicianship. The song "Dark Horse" is kind of like this dark/fantasy-like, but still beautiful, song. (does that make sense?) I don't know, but I love it so much! I'm not gonna go and describe each song because I think they're all worth checking out for yourself! (Buy the album, you won't regret it.) My favorites at the moment are definitely "By the Grace of God", "Ghost",  and "Legendary Lovers." (I'm sure I'll have new favorites each day but that's the beauty of music, right?)

Which album did you like best? Comment below with your favorite track! Or, if you're currently obsessed with an entirely different album, let me know too! I love listening to new things! :)

CMJ Music Marathon 2013 NYC

Conner Molander & I

If you were in NYC Oct 15-19, I hope you checked out a night of the CMJ Music Marathon! The lineups were incredible this year, and it's crazy how many talented bands there are out there. I went to two nights of CMJ, [Oct 17- ICM Showcase at the Gramercy, and Oct 19- Paradigm Showcase at the Bowery] All I can say is that nights like these are what reminds me why I love music so much. These artists are true, genuine musicians who do it for the love of the art. I love being in the same room with people like this because - let's face it, who doesn't love being surrounded by talented, ambitious people?!

If you want to read about the ICM showcase, check out that post right here. It includes a bunch of pictures and videos of Neon Hitch and a free download link to NGHBR's EP, "Hellomind."

Now about the Paradigm showcase.. the talent was mind-blowing. I originally went for the band, "Half Moon Run" (I'm pretty much obsessed with them) and since they were last on the set list, I watched a few bands before them and they were so great. I especially loved MisterWives because their energy was so infectious and the lead singer had such a unique and cool tone to her voice. She sang a cover of Drake's "Hold on We're Going Home" and that totally sealed the deal for me - I can't wait to listen to the rest of their music and to catch them live again on their next tour! (video below)

Dylan Phillips & I!

I was so, so happy that I got to meet 2/3 of the Half Moon Run members (Dylan and Conner! I couldn't find Dev anywhere before the show. Sigh.) They were super sweet and such humble guys. The paradigm showcase was their last US show, so now they're off to Europe and then a few shows up in Canada. Hopefully they come back to NYC very soon- I can't get enough of this band! Check out this acoustic video of them!

POPSTAR! Magazine Intern!

Woohoo!

Hi all, I am officially the newest intern of POPSTAR! Magazine!! I'm so excited for this new chapter in my life and am so excited to continue working on this blog because it was a huge part in me getting the spot! I can't wait for all the fun adventures this internship holds for me & I'll be sharing it with you all here :) Stay tuned & follow me on Google+, or subscribe to the blog by email! Yay!!

twitter: @vsalles_
instagram: @xonessa

Neon Hitch (NYC. ICM/CMJ SHOWCASE)

After waiting for what seems like forever, Neon Hitch is finally releasing new music! I've been a fan of her for a long time now, so I was super excited when I heard that she was performing at Gramercy! It was a part of the ICM Showcase (10/17/2013),  which had a lineup of six artists (AJR Brothers, Wild Child, NGHBRS, Neon Hitch, Joywave, and Diane Birch.) I might've actually just shown up twenty minutes before Neon's set (oops) so I didn't catch any of the artists before her.. BUT, I did hear the last two songs that NGHBRS performed, and they were awesome, so quick shout-out to them! The lead singer was all over the stage and so into the performance (looooove those type of performers, they just radiate their love for music!) and you couldn't help but rock out with them. (click here for a free download of their EP "Hellomind" as well as all of their other unreleased tracks) Bummed I didn't get to see them after the show, but I'll be sure to catch them live again, real soon!


Neon announced that she's dropping an EP fairly soon and already has an entire album recorded that she's really proud of! The album is still untitled but she shared some new songs with us, including "Colors" which is an anthem for being who you are and not caring about what society has to say about it. She called the song "some inspiration for anyone who needs inspiring." :) She also sang her hit, "Love U Betta" but gypsy-fied it a bit for us. (it was even better than the original version!) Another fan-favorite was "Ass Back Home," the entire crowd was singing along. Of course I can't forget, "Some Like it Hot," which will be featured in her upcoming EP.


I think the main reason I love Neon Hitch so much is because she's fearless. She shares her story with us all, and her fearlessness is what's got her so many fans - they all find something to relate to in her lyrics. I don't know if she wants to be super mainstream, but I love the direction that her music is currently going in and I'll always be a supporter! I got to meet her after the show, and she was such a sweetheart, which makes me admire her even more! Her vocals were amazing and she's a true example of raw, genuine talent. True musicianship, for sure. Pics & vids below!

XFactor USA 2013 Top 16

If you've been keeping up with XFactor this year, you know how incredible the top 16 is. I'm so, so happy for everyone that made it through to the live rounds (even though it meant saying goodbye to a few of a my favorite acts. *sigh*) BUT, XFactor IS having a "WildCard" this year, meaning the fans get to bring back one act they thought should never have gone home. (They did the same thing last year with contestant, Diamond White.) In case you missed any of their auditions, I made a playlist of them all on YouTube, so you can click here and get all caught up!

Now you know I can't blog about XFactor and not bring up who my favorites are.. Although they are ALL insanely talented, there are those who I'll be voting/rooting for no matter what.

(Groups) Alex & Sierra- (DUH.) They had me hooked since their audition video, and if you check out their YouTube covers, you'll fall even more in love with them! & Restless Road- Ugh, I'm a sucker for country music and these three (very, very handsome) boys are gonna be HUGE in the country world, mark my words guys.

(Girls) Khaya Cohen- Her voice is so unique and her rendition of Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven" sealed the deal for me.

(Guys) TIM OLSTAD! Like Kelly said at his audition, his voice is like a blanket of love :) I love all the other boys but I think Tim is such a sweetheart and deserves all the fame he's gonna get from this show.

(Over 25) Jeff Gutt! I was so disappointed when he didn't make it through Bootcamp last season. I thought his vocals were incredible and I was SO happy when he tried out again this year. Thankfully, like Simon said, they didn't let him get away this time. :)

*MY WILDCARD PICKS*

GIRLS UNITED- These girls have such style and are so talented. I honestly think they have the power to take over the industry and be a huge, internationally known girl group. Here's their cover of "Pink Champagne" by Ariana Grande! I love it! (and take a look at their xfactor journey!)
  JEFF BRINKMAN- This guy's voice had me hooked the second after he sang the first line in "You Are So Beautiful." The tone, the raspiness, everything about his voice just makes me so happy. I was super bummed when he was sent home, so I'll definitely be voting for him to come back!
Others I'd like to see come back: Al Calderon & Rylie Brown. (links to their audition)   I'll be happy if either of these people make it back to the competition! I'm not exactly sure how the WildCard voting works but if you tweet @thexfactorusa and hashtag your favorite act as your #wildcard, they'll have to do something about it. ;) Vote away, guys! I know I will be.  P.S the top 16 still have to perform on the first night, and one act from each group will be eliminated. Fans don't have a say in this first elimination because voting only starts with the top 12! So keep your fingers crossed that your favorite gives an awesome performance!

American Music Awards 2013 - Nominees

First off, how awesome is this infographic on the left?! It was created by Ryan Casey. (creator of award-winning celebrity webcomic But You're Like Really Pretty!")

Anyways, the nominations for the AMAs are finally in and I could not be any more excited for this event! Based on the list of nominations, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis look like they won't be leaving the show empty-handed; They duo tops the list with six noms: Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Favorite Rap Artist, Favorite Rap Album, Favorite Pop/Rock Band or Duo and the newest AMA category, Single of the Year for "Thrift Shop." Following close behind in the nomination department are Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift (each with five noms.) Florida Georgia Line, Robin Thicke, and Rihanna are all up for four, while Bruno Mars and Imagine Dragons are nominated in three categories. (Mars, Timberlake, Swift, and Rihanna all join the rap duo in the fight for Artist of the year. Personally, I think Bruno or Justin should take home the award..)

I think it's awesome how artists can be so diverse in genres, like Justin Timberlake for example. He became the second artist in 2013 to have two no. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 with both parts of "The 20/20 Experience." His diversity and wide appeal earned him nominations in the pop/rock category and the soul/R&B one.  Same goes for Taylor Swift, who's nominated for Favorite Female Artist in pop/rock and country. "Red" (Swift's latest album) is up for both favorite country and pop/rock album.

One category I'm super excited about is New Artist of the Year. I just so happen to love each and every artist nominated so I'll probably be spreading my votes amongst all five. (BUT, I might be showing former American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips a bit more love just because I think he deserves a bit more recognition for all his awesome talent.) However, I'll be okay if Ariana Grande takes the award home because, let's face it, the girl can sang and her career is about to blow up. 

*Check out Phillip's site for tour dates/info while he's opening up for John Mayer! & buy his debut album here for $7.99.

Buy Ariana Grande's debut album, "Yours Truly."

Now for the fun part: the AMA stage is sure to get real interesting with Miley Cyrus set to perform at the ceremony. (maybe she'll reveal the new single?) Imagine Dragons is also set to be performing and more performers/presenters will be announced closer to the awards.

The nominations were announced by Kelly Clarkson and Will.i.am in NYC, yesterday, Oct 10. The awards are determined by fans so if you want your favorite artist going home with an award, make sure you vote! (voting is live now at AMAvote.com.) But that's not the only way to vote! For the time ever, the AMAs are allowing fans to vote for the fav artists via Twitter.

Who has what it takes to win?

                        The awards will be held on Nov. 24, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. It'll air on ABC. Tickets are actually available for purchase if you live in the area! Get them while you can!

For a full list of the nominations, click here. (via Billboard)

P.S Vote Pitch Perfect for top soundtrack! Let's make it the winner, aca-bitches!

Comment with who you think will win what category! :)

#BANGERZ - Miley Cyrus (Album Review)

Whether you have love for MC or not, you have to admit that Bangerz was one of the most anticipated albums this fall.. So this is where I stand on all of this: SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT. If you already went straight down the track-list, your thought process was probably something like "wow... YAAS... oh... hmmm... okay yes, get it girl" No? Just me? Well anyways..

The ballads are e v e r y t h i n g on this album. There's no way disputing her talent and I could listen to her voice for hours on end. The deluxe version includes a few more songs, which are all SO good. "Rooting for my baby," & "Someone else" are my favorites from the bonus songs. As for the regular track-list, I have too many favorites. (does 'the entire album' count as an answer?)

AS FOR THE LYRICS??? The lyrics are crazy powerful (for the most part) and I can't help feeling they're all directed to ex-hubby Liam Hemsworth? *sigh* There's so many references to marriage, and a love that's falling apart.. But hey, they do say that a broken heart is a musician's best tool. Aside from all the emotional songs, there's also the ones that make you want to get up, dance, and scream the lyrics outloud. All I know is, Miley's voice sounds better than it ever has. The soothing and sultry tones in the album makes it one that you can run through without ever wanting to skip to the next track.

Bangerz tracklist (deluxe version):

1. Adore You                                                       9. Drive
2. We Can't Stop                                               10. FU (ft French Montana)
3. SMS (Bangerz) ft. Britney Spears             11. Do My Thang
4. 4x4 (ft. Nelly)                                               12. Maybe You're Right
5. My Darlin' (ft. Future)                                13. Someone Else
6. Wrecking Ball                                               14. Rooting For My Baby
7. Love Money Party (ft. Big Sean)               15. On My Own
8. #GETITRIGHT                                           16. Hands In The Air (ft. Ludacris)

Click here to buy BANGERZ.

Listen to the full-length album in this video: (via Bangerz YouTube channel)

P.S If you missed Miley's SNL performances of "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop," do yourself a favor and watch it here.. Miley k i l l e d it.

That's all for now, I'll let the music speak for itself. Comments are encouraged. :) And a big congrats to Miley Cyrus, for already having the #1 album on iTunes!