MAKING MUSIC Many people dream of finding fame as a pop star either as a solo artist or in a band It can be a glamorous life and there’s the satisfaction of performing songs that please huge audiences but it’s hard work too It wasn’t about how good you could play your instrument it was about how much you enjoyed playing your instrument NATHAN Leon is the name of Nathan Caleb and Jared’s father Fact KINGS OF LEON
Celeb bio Dates of birth Nathan Followill June 26 1979 Caleb Followill January 14 1982 Matthew Followill September 10 1984 Jared Followill November 20 1986 Origins Nashville Tennessee Musical style Alternative rock Influences Led Zeppelin Rolling Stones Neil Young Johnny Cash Albums Youth and Young Manhood 2003 Aha Shake Heartbreak 2005 Because of the Times 2007 Only by the Night 2008 Achievements Two BRIT Awards and one Grammy Award Making Pop Music Pop bands appeared in the 1950s As well as a singer there would be a guitarist bass player drummer and sometimes a piano player Today synthesizers drum machines sequencers and samplers allow new ways of making music Grunge and Guitars Real instruments are still essential for an authentic rock sound Kings of Leon use not one but three guitars for their energetic brand of grungy rock Lead guitar is played by Matthew rhythm guitar by Caleb and bass by Jared Nathan accompanies on the drums A Musical Childhood Nathan Caleb and Jared are brothers raised on the road because their father was a traveling preacher The boys learned to sing and play along to gospel songs Music has always been part of their lives Steps to Fame Nathan and Caleb started the band and soon Jared and cousin Matthew joined them The band signed to record label RCA in 2002 Kings of Leon found instant success in the UK but fame was slower to come in their native United States Performing as a support to such big names as U2 and Bob Dylan helped bring them to a wider audience www kingsofleon com And if you like this check out The Strokes www thestrokes com and the Arctic Monkeys www arcticmonkeys com 5
DEMOS LABELS LILY ALLEN
Lily’s MySpace page 7 What Labels Do Record labels such as Lily’s label Regal Recordings are companies that market music They pay to produce CDs and distribute them to stores and other retailers They also help sell them Publicists set up interviews with the media and make sure that new tracks are played on the radio and TV Finding Talent Record labels employ talent scouts or A R executives to seek out tomorrow’s big names They go to gigs on the lookout for talent and listen to sample tracks demos sent in by wannabe stars like Allen Lily Online Lily Allen signed up with Regal Recordings in 2005 but before long she lost patience with the slow progress of her first album Lily posted demos and mixtapes on her MySpace page to whip up interest It worked and her album release gained momentum Lily still uses the Internet to promote herself and to give details of secret gigs Into the Future Other artists are using the web to bypass record labels altogether Now that music can be put online available for anyone to download will labels be able to survive Undiscovered bands and musicians focus enormous amounts of energy on the quest for a record deal Without one they may never make it as a pop star Some artists like Lily Allen are also using the Internet to promote their music I had been doing demos and I probably had like seven or eight that I was confident enough to put on MySpace for people to hear Date of birth May 2 1984 Place of birth London UK Musical style Pop and pop rock Influences Blondie T-Rex Squeeze The Clash Albums Alright Still 2006 It’s Not Me It’s You 2009 TV show Lily Allen and Friends Achievements Three BRIT Award nominations and one Grammy nomination Famous relative The actor Keith Allen is Lily’s father Celeb bio www lilyallenmusic com And if you like this check out Pixie Lott www pixielott com or Little Boots www littlebootsmusic co uk Lily Allen sang in her school’s chamber choir and achieved grade 8 in singing She can play the piano violin guitar and trumpet Fact
