In a post pandemic world where face masks have replaced lipstick and temperature checks are conducted by security guards, the term "The new normal" is abnormal to say the least. Every industry has had its shake up: we've seen furloughed airline pilots drive buses and fired business executives cooking street food. The entertainment sector has also witnessed the rise of the "Social media star" - you know, that person or group your children keep watching on Youtube and TikTok over and over again? If you're still on Facebook you can stop reading this... When the world was bizarrely locked down in 2020, the internet became our main source for everything - School, Work, Groceries etc. We've also spent endless hours browsing for any form of entertainment that could take our minds off staring at four walls and a door. Enter the Social Media Entertainer - The creators who could hold our attention for more than 1 minute have experienced stupendous growth since. As shooting a TikTok requires nothing more than a smart phone and a sense of humour, the "tiktokers" who were watched solely by kids and teenagers suddenly became accessible to adults and parents alike. When all the Hollywood blockbuster upcoming releases were pushed to future dates, their funny 60 second skits became the only source of fresh entertainment. Thus in the middle of 2020 the line between influencer and celebrity started to blur. Major corporations have picked up on this trend and have started to court social media stars for their advertising campaigns. Social Media is brutal, it doesn't pay much attention to your past achievements but focuses on what you are doing at the moment: Will Smith for example, is the only pre-pandemic celebrity on the overall Top 10 Social Media list (Instagram not included). Some of the most notable breakouts of the first half of 2021 are:
Honorable mentions go to Zach King who continues dazzling us with his magic - he has appeared in commercials for major brands all over the world, and Lilly Singh who went from being a YouTuber to hosting her own talk show on NBC "A Little Late with Lilly Singh" for 2 years. Considering the above, it comes to no surprise that the new celebrities are in no way a cheaper alternative to the Hollywood. Forbes Magazine released a list of highest earning YouTubers of 2020, which had 9 year old Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World fame at number #1 with an estimated earning on 29.5M USD, followed by Mr Beast with a close 24M USD. Other names on the list of highest earners were Dude Perfect and Preston. If you are looking to book a Celebrity for your private event or a corporate function today, a Social Media Star would definitely be the trendiest choice, however be prepared to dig into your deep pockets. https://breakthroughdxb.com/news/celebrity-booking/the-new-celebrities/ Leaving a chart topping band is just as dangerous and risky as quitting a high paying day job and starting your own business. These music celebrities have taken a huge gamble on themselves and invested in their own brand, ultimately making themselves household names with remarkable uniqueness and amazing music.
1. Beyonce - Destiny's child The super popular yet equally forgettable trio Destiny's Child ruled the charts with "Survivor" and "Say my name" all of which had Beyonce as the center of attention. Largely responsible for popularizing the word "Bootylicious", Beyonce and her crew went on to release music videos and albums that were lapped up by fans worldwide. Despite global success, internal squabbling within the band soon reached fever point with Beyonce leaving and starting her solo career. She went on to become one of the best selling music artists in the world, now how's that for destiny? 2. Ozzy Osbourne - Black Sabbath The "Prince of darkness" was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 for his drug abuse and unreliability, he spent his severance package on one last party as he expected to be living on government welfare for the rest of life. However, Jet Records soon signed and paired him with fresh members, including guitar prodigy Randy Rhoads. They released the album "Blizzard of oz" in 1980 which reached multi platinum status, establishing Ozzy as a bonafide Heavy Metal Icon around the world. Later he returned to Black Sabbath for their final album in 2013 aptly titled "13". Ozzy has released 12 albums till date, his latest being called "Ordinary man", released in 2020. Not bad for an unreliable bloke from Birmingham. 3. Camilla Cabello - Fifth Harmony Dubbed the female "One Direction" due to their careers arising from a reality TV music competition, Fifth Harmony or 5H experienced massive success with "Miss movin on" and "Better together". Camilla continued to release music independent from 5H and was making huge waves with it, namely duos with Machine Gun Kelly and Shawn Mendes. Quitting the band in 2016 led to tabloid gossip which continues to surface today, however it was her song "Havana", the best-selling digital single of 2018, which earned her Pop star celebrity status. 4. Slash - Guns N' Roses After leaving Guns N' Roses in 1996, lead guitarist Slash formed and played in a few successful but short lived bands, namely "Slash's snake pit" and super group "Velvet Revolver". He also went on to release 4 albums under the brand name "Slash", featuring a plethora of singers from Fergie to Adam Levine, and finally settling down with Myles Kennedy as a regular vocalist. His prodigal return to Guns N' Roses in 2016 didn't change his brand, as he continues to perform and tour the world as Slash till date. 5. Zayn Mailk - One Direction Just when we thought the boy band era was done, One Direction decided it was time to bring it back and become the most popular band in the world, to which Zayn Malik said "I'm done" and quit the band in 2015. Initially citing the reason for leaving as wanting to live the life of a normal 22 year old, Zayn shattered that to pieces and released his solo album in 2016 titled "Mind of mine", which went platinum in second. This makes us believe that he loved the limelight at the end of the day, but just wanted to follow...his own direction. By: Fabian J Martin, Elena Solina breakthroughdxb.com/news/celebrity-booking/celebrity-musicians-who-left-famous-bands-and-are-still-successful/ BREAKTHROUGH Xclusive is proudly independent. What does that mean? Our Top 20 list is not meant to pander with record companies, magazines or music labels, neither is it based on album sales, YouTube views or downloads.
We pride ourselves on the ability to discover hidden jewels a.k.a good music (It's all about the hooks people) and our Top 20 list is based solely on the songs that rocked our world in 2020. So here we go folks: 1. Jacob Collier - In my Bones (feat. Kimbra & Tank and The Bangas) Album: Jesse Vol.3 The Verdict: 4 time Grammy award winner Jacob Collier is making A cappella music cool again. Mixing it with a touch of Jazz and Funk. 2. Megan Thee Stallion - Captain Hook Album: Suga The Verdict: Megan can rap. She has the beats, she has the hooks, but just make sure your mamma isn’t around when you drop her jams. 3. Machine Gun Kelly ft Halsey - forget me too Album: Tickets To My Downfall The Verdict: MGK’s move from Rap to PopPunk was a good decision: The Blink 182 influence is evident and adding Halsey made sure this song is a hit. 4. Benee - Supalonely ft. Gus Dapperton Album: Hey u x. The Verdict: Made immensely huge by TikTok users, Supalonely is one supa catchy song mixing Alternative Pop and Uptempo R&B. If it was up to us, this track would win a Grammy. 5. System Of A Down - Protect The Land Album: Single The Verdict: SOAD broke their 15 year silence and released new music to raise awareness and support for their homeland Armenia. The band spoke out about the Twitter censorship concerning this cause and how major celebrities backed out due to fear of being attacked. Bassist Shavo Odadjian has been receiving death threats on the same social media site and no action has been taken, because apparently it’s doesn’t clash with the community guidelines. Don’t be like Twitter. 6. Dua Lipa - Don’t Start Now Album: Future Nostalgia The Verdict: Is Dua Lipa the reigning princess of Pop? She is... in our book! 7. Claire Rosinkranz - Backyard boy Album: BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd The Verdict: Tiktok introduced the world to the Alt Pop music of Claire Rosinkranz, this went on to become the song of the summer, even the quarantine couldn't stop it. 8. Behold The Locus - S.N.T.K. Album: Nations The Verdict: If you wanted to know what your boyfriend is discussing behind your back, or if you dreamt of telling it in her face but didn’t know how. You both can pretend the guitar riffs are why you played that song and you never wished you written it first. 9. BTS - Dynamite Album: Dynamite The Verdict: These K-pop juggernauts have made 2020 their year - while Dynamite does sound like a Bruno Mars B-side track, it has blown up the charts and garnered them a Grammy Nomination in 2021. It's time they drop the K and just go Pop! 10. Skillet - Dead Man Walking Album: Victorious: The Aftermath The Verdict: Skillet gets better with every album. DMW is a heavy hitting rock song with industrial sprinkles that sounds so fresh that it’s hard to imagine the band has been around since 1996. Founding member and lead vocalist John Cooper was recently on Fox News (before they sold their souls) exposing the Antifa violence and looting in his neighborhood during the Floyd riots. 11. AC/DC - Shot in the dark Album: Power up The Verdict: "Shot in the dark" does not reinvent the wheel, and that's a great thing when the wheel you invented in the 70s is still high in demand. "Power Up" is the 17th album from the grand daddies of Hard Rock AC/DC, proving that age is just a number. Singer Brian Johnson at 73 years old sounds just as immaculate as he did back in the 1980 release "Back in Black", and founding member/lead guitarist Angus Young is laying down killer riffs and solos that are just as creamy as they did since the band's inception in 1975. 12. The 1975 - If you're too shy Album: Notes on a conditional form The Verdict: This song captures the essence of the great 80s New Wave era - think "Tears for Fears" meets "Go West" in all their glory. 13. Doja Cat - Say So Album: Hot Pink The Verdict: Another song that has catapulted to fame through TikTok - the chorus is catchy, so catchy, that it made our list. 14. Little big - Uno Album: UNO The Verdict: The St. Petersburg rave band has gained huge momentum with this track, earning them a spot on Eurovision 2020 to represent Mother Russia. Uno is a modern day "Barbie girl". 15. Eminem - Godzilla ft. Juice WRLD Album: Music to Be Murdered By The Verdict: Slim Shady can still rhyme like it’s 2000, but it's the pairing of Juice WRLD ( R.I.P) brings out the real genius of this track. 16. Green Day - Father of All Album: Father of All The Verdict: Green Day has actually found a way to reinvent themselves with "Father of all’, sounding more Indie than Pop Punk - Kudos to Bille Joe and crew for trying something new. 17. Kanye West - Wash Us in the Blood (feat. Travis Scott) Album: Single The Verdict: Kanye West has been very outspoken about his Christian faith, allowing it to permeate most of his endeavors. Wash Us in the Blood is a cry for help, a prayer if you will for the African American community, done in true Kanye style - sick beats while he spits bars like a street preacher. 18. Joe Satriani - Nineteen Eighty Album: Shapreshifting The Verdict: The original guitar hero returned in 2020 with this instrumental banger, he even slowed down things a bit for us mere mortals to attempt. 19. The Weeknd - Blinding Lights Album: Blinding Lights The Verdict: The Grammy Awards may have snubbed him, but we still think this song is gonna be on the radio for a long-long time. 20. Saweetie - Tap In Album: Tap In The Verdict: Female fronted Rap dethroned the male dominated genre in 2020 - while Saweetie may not be the queen as yet, she’s definitely the Duchess. https://breakthroughdxb.com/news/celebrity-booking/top-20-songs-of-2020/ Award winning American progressive band "Dream Theater" have just released a Christmas single "The Holiday Spirit Carries On". All proceeds will go towards the road crew who remain unemployed since the World Health Organization halted large gatherings around the globe. While artists continue to earn a living from merchandise sales, royalties and copyrights, the crew who make live shows possible have lost their chief source of income, so Kudos to Dream Theater for this noble effort to help people in time of need. Source breakthroughdxb.com Here is the video the band released requesting fans and music lovers alike to purchase the single. There is that one special day when the whole world comes together to celebrate Giving, Family and Fun and that is on the 25th of December - Christmas Day. So whether you are fortunate enough to celebrate a 'White Christmas' or not, we can all agree the movies are a very important (non)tradition during the season. Hollywood continues to churn out Christmas movies every year, and it has come a long way since the first one released in 1898.
Christmas themed movies circle around almost every genre - Comedy, Action, Drama, Family and Silent (yes silent). So with 25 days to go till Christmas, BREAKTHROUGH Xclusive has taken it upon themselves to compile a list of the 25 best Christmas themed movies ever made. Click to see the Top 25 Christmas Movies of all time Benee has announced what her fans have been anticipating: the release of her debut album - 'Hey u x', out on November 13. It includes a list of noteworthy collaborations: Lily Allen and Grimes, to name just two, as well as previously released songs Supalonely, Snail, and Night Garden. It's been a massive two years for the artist from Grey Lynn, whose pop music has attracted a group of loyal listeners everywhere from TikTok to US talk shows. She has 2.1 billion streams under her belt, and now Stella Bennett says "it's time" to put out her album after previously releasing two EPs. "I'm just very excited to be honest, I'm super keen to get it out. It's been brewing. I've had to keep it a secret for a while," the Supalonely singer says. Does she feel the pressure of her first full-length body of work? "I think the pressure will hit me when I've released it," she says. "I try not to overthink whether or not it will do well because that'll just stress me out!" "I like the idea of shocking people, and people not being able to predict what I'm going to put out." When it came to making and naming the album, Benee went with the creative vision that feels right for her. "'Hey u x' was something that was something that I thought was cute. I feel like there's never a word that sums up the whole thing … I try to just find something that's completely relevant. " The album isn't the only exciting project for Benee - who has just launched her own record label called Olive and has signed Raglan artist Muroki who is currently on tour with her. You've probably heard about Among Us by now, given the amount of people discussing it (and sharing memes) on social media. It's not a new game, having released in June 2018, but it's seen a huge surge in popularity recently. According to Google Trends, it saw 50 times more Google searches at the beginning of October as it did the beginning of August. The game is available on computers as well as smartphones and tablets, the main difference between the two versions being that you have to pay for the PC version while the mobile port shows you ads between games.
Games of Among Us can be tense, confusing, and even funny if you're an Impostor watching a team tear itself apart without ever placing suspicion on you. If you can't get out and about because your country is teetering on the edge of lockdown, it might be a perfect way for you to keep up communication. Well, to an extent. You can only converse with other players during a vote, and the time limit on these means you need to be succinct in your communication – there's no time for logical reasoning here. Instead you need to work out how best to make your case to a group of people who all already have their own ideas. Plus, this limited communication means you get to ignore annoying family members and friends for long periods of the game if you want!You've probably heard about Among Us by now, given the amount of people discussing it (and sharing memes) on social media. It's not a new game, having released in June 2018, but it's seen a huge surge in popularity recently. According to Google Trends, it saw 50 times more Google searches at the beginning of October as it did the beginning of August. The game is available on computers as well as smartphones and tablets, the main difference between the two versions being that you have to pay for the PC version while the mobile port shows you ads between games. Games of Among Us can be tense, confusing, and even funny if you're an Impostor watching a team tear itself apart without ever placing suspicion on you. If you can't get out and about because your country is teetering on the edge of lockdown, it might be a perfect way for you to keep up communication. Well, to an extent.You can only converse with other players during a vote, and the time limit on these means you need to be succinct in your communication – there's no time for logical reasoning here. Instead you need to work out how best to make your case to a group of people who all already have their own ideas. Plus, this limited communication means you get to ignore annoying family members and friends for long periods of the game if you want! CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta did not receive the warmest welcome while reporting from the Trump rally in Sanford, Fla. Hours before President Trump made his debut on the campaign trail following his recovery from the coronavirus, Acosta told "The Situation Room" anchor Wolf Blitzer about the planned rallies the president has on his schedule including Iowa and North Carolina, states Acosta asserted should have been "in the bag" for the GOP incumbent. However, a couple of rallygoers are heard chanting "CNN sucks," which grew louder quickly with more people piling on the anti-Trump network. "And as this crowd is chanting that there are members of the press here who suck, I should also point out, Wolf, what also sucks- getting the coronavirus," Acosta said. An energized President Trump boasted to the Florida crowd that he felt "immune" following his coronavirus diagnosis, hours after his physician Dr. Sean Conley revealed that the president tested negative. AC/DC have returned with their first new song in nearly six year years, “Shot in the Dark,” the lead single from their highly anticipated album Power Up. “As soon as it starts up, straight away, it’s AC/DC,” guitarist Angus Young explains during the band's exclusive conversation with UCR. “And that’s what we’ve always been about.” Indeed, the track boils over with the band's signature brand of energy, including fiery riffs and arena-ready vocals. “Shot in the Dark” also features an emphatic guitar solo roughly two minutes in, reminiscent of blues legend Robert Johnson. “Well, I think Robert Johnson might do it better than me!,” Young laughingly admits, happy to accept the comparison. Though “Shot in the Dark" is new to fans, the song has actually been brewing for many years.“It was pretty much written a while back,” Young explains. “All of the tracks that we’ve got on the album were written by me and Malcolm. A lot of them were ideas we had that we knew were good AC/DC ideas at the time. But we just never got around to getting them on record.” Rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young died in 2017, with his brother, Angus, revisiting their old song ideas shortly thereafter. Though Malcom’s playing will not be heard on Power Up - nephew Stevie handles those duties - the late guitarist’s fingerprints are all over the album, including “Shot in the Dark.” “Stevie is playing Mal’s parts,” Angus explains. “But the songs, all of the songs on there are songs that Malcolm and myself had." Choosing “Shot in the Dark” as the LP's lead single was no easy matter.“When I first heard the album, I shot an email off to Ang and I said, ‘I tell you what, man. I’m pleased that I’m not the guy who has got to pick a single from this,’” confesses singer Brian Johnson. “Because I couldn’t pick one.” The band enlisted the help of its record label in selecting the single, preferring to get opinions from outside the group. “I suppose you’ve got to get a clear head and not be emotionally involved with all of this stuff and these [record label] guys are good at it,” Johnson notes. “We all get too close to it,” adds bassist Cliff Williams. “We love them all.” |
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