ON SONG: Am I Wrong duo don’t seem to be doing anything wrong with their careers!

By Geoffrey Rowlands

Formula One racing driver Mr. Rosberg and one half of Norwegian hip hop / soul duo Nico & Vinz have something in common. Their given name is of Greek origin and means ‘victory of the people.’

Nico Sereba and Vincent (Vinz) Dery, both 22, began their career and enjoyed hit records as Envy. But their success was basically limited to Norway and the other Scandinavian countries. Signing a world-wide deal with Warner Bros. Records prompted the change of name.

“We discovered there were many groups called Envy,” Nico explained. “Throw in fashion stores, nightclubs and who knows what else so the name was anything but unique to us. The name change eliminated confusion (because of its meaning in one language) and avoided any possible legal problems.”

“It also gave us a more personal connection with our fans,” Vinz added. “Nico and Vinz are our own names, not stage names. We hope this and the things we reveal on our social network accounts will allow fans to feel that much closer to us as people rather than just as a music duo.”

Having been hugely successful across Scandinavia in 2013, it made perfect sense for the boys to release Am I Wrong as their debut international single. The song has hit number one on the Austrian chart and reached the top ten in numerous countries. Among these is America where Nico & Vinz now find themselves in eighth spot on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“We always felt Am I Wrong was a great song but we can’t believe how successful it’s become in the States,” Nico admitted. “If we’d been an established act with previous U.S. hits then we might have hoped to make the top ten. But doing so as a new, unknown act is way beyond our wildest dreams.”

“People have even said we’ll top the Hot 100,” Vinz added. “I know A-ha are the only Norwegian act to have a number one in America. As we keep being told, they did it with Take On Me in 1985. I can’t imagine we’ll equal A-ha but I hope we can maybe match our fellow Norwegians Ylvis who reached number six last year with The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?).”

The musical beats of Am I Wrong reflect the boys’ African heritage. The official song video was filmed in Africa mainly in Botswana but also at the Victoria Falls on the Zambia/ Zimbabwe border.

“We wanted the video to show Africa in a positive light,” Vinz explained. “Negative news is so often associated with the continent so our video concentrates on the good energy in Africa.”

In addition to promoting Am I Wrong, the boys’ own energy is being channelled into completing their first international album.

“We did release an album as Envy,” Nico remarked. “It was called The Magic Soup and the Bittersweet Faces. It reached number 37 in Norway.”

In the meantime, they are readying their second single.

“It’s In Your Arms,” Vinz stated. “The song was another big hit for us in Scandinavia so we hope international audiences will enjoy it as much as Am I Wrong.”

 

in brief

Iggy Azalea

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea has equalled a 50-year-old U.S. chart record held by The Beatles.

By reaching top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 with her single, Fancy, and number two as the guest artist on Ariana Grande’s Problem, Iggy has matched the Fab Four as the only acts in Billboard chart history to hold the number one and two positions simultaneously with their first two Hot 100 hits.

The chart of February 22, 1964, saw The Beatles at number one with I Wanna Hold Your Hand and number two with She Loves You. They remained in the top two spots for six weeks switching positions

four weeks into the run. The songs were only ousted from these places on the April 4 chart when John, Paul, George and Ringo held the top five spots with Can’t Buy Me Love and Twist And Shoutreplacing them at numbers one and two respectively.

Iggy’s achievement may perhaps, be somewhat tainted in comparison. While The Beatles wrote and played every instrument on their songs, Iggy only co-wrote Fancy and Problem and is just the guest artist on the latter. She even shares the spotlight on Fancy with co-writer and guest artist Charli XCX.

Still, Iggy is in the record book as equalling The Beatles and should be congratulated as such. The video for Fancy can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zpOMYRi0w while Problem is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1g8G_njx8

 

Foxes

Many fans might like to appear in BBC Television’s Doctor Who. Maybe their wish could be realised if they ever find themselves chatting with the sci-fi show’s production team. This is precisely

how British singer / songwriter Foxes landed her role in an upcoming episode.

“The production team came to one of my gigs,” explained Foxes, real name Louisa Rose Allen. “I got talking to them afterwards and said how much I love watching Doctor Who. The next thing I knew, they

asked me to appear in the show. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t say ‘yes’ quickly enough.”

Foxes has now filmed the role which marks her professional acting debut. She is sworn to secrecy on the storyline but did reveal she got to spend some time in the Doctor’s Tardis and performed a song

which she wrote specifically for the episode.

 

Oh Honey

Brooklyn-based duo Mitchy Collins and Danielle Bouchard, collectively known as Oh Honey, are gradually building the kind of fan following which should shortly see them making a significant impact on the charts.

“Our whole outlook on our songs and life is very optimistic,” Mitchy explained. “We have a kind of mission statement that everyone goes through problems and heartache but there will always

be a tomorrow and things will eventually work out.”

Their debut EP, With Love, contains four perfectly crafted poetic pop songs. They can all be heard at (no www.) soundcloud.com/ohhoneymusic. Videos have been made for two of the tracks. Lead single, Be Okay, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=15pMHi9h8rI while the follow-up, I Love You Will Still Sound The Same, can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H6TOTDH2Ds

 

Slaves

Through Art We Are All Equals is the forthcoming debut album from American post-hardcore experimental quartet Slaves.

Formed in January by ex-Emarosa, Dance Gavin Dance and Isles & Glaciers vocalist Jonny Craig, the line-up is completed by Hearts & Hands guitarists Alex Lyman and Christopher Kim along with ex-Four

Letter Lie drummer Tai Wright.

Their album is scheduled for release on June 24. But the band have already issued three singles in little more than a month. Lyric videos have been made for each track. Debut release, The Fire Down Below, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuj8PZBWZeg. Second single, The Upgrade Pt II, can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeYDNbaryCY while latest single, Starving For Friends, is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql7gHUHEgrw