The BET Awards aired this week, and with it came many stunning performances, notably a string of phenomenal tributes to Prince, who died on April 21 this year. After a number of fairly contentious performances, notably the highly-criticised choice of Madonna to lead the performance at the Billboard Music wards, BET responded with a full selection of covers, essentially turning the entire night into one big tribute.
Many of the performances were not made available for full viewing outside the US, but the good news is that all full videos from the BET Awards are now here for your viewing pleasure.
First came Erykah Badu, The Roots and Bilal giving it their all with heartwrenching covers of The Ballad of Dorothy Parker and The Beautiful Ones.
Stevie Wonder and Tori Kelly then performed Take Me With You, before Jennifer Hudson wowed with a truly stunning rendition of Purple Rain. Hudson also paid tribute to Prince’s fashion choice by wearing a hooded outfit reminiscent of his outfit at the People’s Choice Awards in 2005.
Janelle Monae was next, and much like Hudson, she honoured the late star’s fashion choices as well as his music, delivering a medley of Delirious, Kiss, Pop Life, and I Would Die 4 U in assless chaps, in tribute of the famous yellow jumpsuit Prince wore back at the 1991 MTV VMAs.
Maxwell performed his own new song, Lake By The Ocean, as well as Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U:
Finally, Sheila E led a huge medley, featuring many of Prince’s collaborators, including members of his last band the New Power Generation, backup singers Shelby Johnson, Liv Warield, Lynn Mabry and Elisa Fiorello, Prince’s ex-wife, dancer Mayte Garcia, Jerome Benton and more. Speaking to Billboard about the emotional performance, Sheila noted, “I knew it was going to be very emotional on the first day of rehearsal. We were sound checking all of the instruments, which takes about two-three hours for setup. By the time we all got together, I said a prayer and then I knew we were going to sit there and cry. It took about 45 minutes to an hour for us to pull it together.
“It was the first time we’d been together as a family since all this happened. Everyone is still in disbelief; there’s been no closure yet. Saying goodbye to him just hasn’t happened yet. It’s hard.”
YouTube started off as a place for everyone to share their voices with the online community. Now, it has turned many people’s passions into their careers. They have millions of fans who have banded together to help them go from playing music or singing in front their laptop webcam to creating high quality videos with crystal clear sound that’s ready to be purchased on iTunes. Throughout the years, however, it has become harder for upcoming artists to be discovered. There is so much content on the platform that users who are promoting themselves can often get lost in a sea of commenters.
This is why YouTube has created so many opportunities for them. One of those being ‘YouTube Music Foundry’.
According to Billboard, the initiative is a program that teaches YouTube musicians how to gain more exposure on YouTube and develop the quality of their content by ensuring they have a variety of different skills, for example by using different platforms such as Periscope, Meerkat and Snapchat, they can teach users about live streaming video production.
In the past, there have been so many artists have found their way to success on their own. Troye Sivan is one of the main examples, who began posting on YouTube at 13 years old and has continued to post videos and network with other content creators for years. He has now released his first full length album and is currently touring the world. Tori Kelly is another example, who went on to become a Grammy nominee this year against the likes of Courtney Barnett, Meghan Trainer and James Bay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYAghEq5Lfw
While they have now stepped away from creating music for YouTube, there are so many artists with millions of subscribers who still use the platform regularly. Kurt Hugo Schneider is a producer, famous for his innovative ways of creating music and ability to post high quality videos on a regular basis. Thanks to the support of his 6.8 million subscribers, his popularity has grown to the point of being noticed by Sony Music and being given the opportunity to create a series for his channel. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the series will feature Schneider performing and interviewing a number of artists from their label.
Both parties have expressed their excitement about the project with Schneider saying he is “thrilled” to be working with the label. “As a producer on YouTube, my goal is to create great content that showcases performers. I’m excited to be working with Sony’s awesome performers.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN89WESIv10
However, It hasn’t been clear skies for all of them. There’s still a stigma with being a musician in the online community. Lindsey Stirling is a skilled violist with almost eight million subscribers. While taking part in a YouTube series called YouTubers React, she revealed the dismissive attitudes some people have towards online content creators.
“There’s kind of a negative connotation that comes along with being a “YouTuber”. Sometimes they won’t even let me play at festivals where I know I’ve sold more tickets than the artists that are playing it,” she said. “It’s just something they don’t see as valuable and I think we shall all prove them wrong.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAD0BtEv6-Q
Hopefully, that’s the goal of this program. Last year, two workshops were held in Los Angeles and London. There will be another one on April 25th in New York and will feature BJ the Chicago Kid, Gemaine, The Range, Built by Titan and Miracles of Modern Science as coaches for the upcoming talents. YouTube will also make videos of the sessions available on the platform for viewers to experience.
According to Bloomberg, the website’s executives have also been in touch with a few people within the music industry to brainstorm different ways for YouTubers to collaborate with the industry and promote their mineral. These plans are still being discussed.
While music is only a small section of the website, it is still highly competitive. The skills and guidance the artists involved in the initiative will receive are bound to help the growing number of people using the platform to spark their careers.
There is, however, still an important thing they need to remember; work hard. An undying determination and an eager mind can go a long way for those who have what it takes to make it to the top.
Image: The Guardian