Update on singer Chris Medina -Interviewed on TV4's Nyhetsmorgon on performing at funeral for Utøya massacre victim who loved his song, his new album, and life since American Idol made him well-known; a guy you clearly have to root for!

TV4's Nyhetsmorgon, Abbey Road LIVE -Chris Medina talks about his music
with co-hosts Jenny Östergren and Peter Lindgren. December 14, 2011.

http://www.tv4play.se/nyheter_och_debatt/nyhetsmorgon?title=sangaren_chris_medina_om_sin_musik&videoid=2119478&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

TV4's Nyhetsmorgon, Abbey Road LIVE -Chris Medina talks with co-hosts Jenny Östergren and Peter Lindgren about his life since American Idol and the months since his successful visits to Scandinavia this past summer. December 14, 2011.

http://www.tv4play.se/nyheter_och_debatt/nyhetsmorgon?title=chris_medina_om_sin_medverkan_i_amerikanska_idol&videoid=2119578&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

My last blog post about Chris Medina was on July 16th of this year -less than a week before the bombing in Oslo and the massacre on Utøya Island carried out by Anders Behring Breivik- when he performed LIVE on VG Lista Topp 20 at Rådhusplassen, (City Hall) Oslo.

My post then about his American Idol performances and his successful trip to Sweden and Norway was called, A talented & worthy American takes Scandinavia by storm: up-close with Chris Medina - One Day In Stockholm (What Are Words)

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/talented-worthy-american-takes.html

As I mentioned at the time, and for reasons I explained, I'm NOT an American Idol viewer, but you don't need to be Quincy Jones to see that Chris Medina CLEARLY has a unique voice and talent.

It's hard not to root for him to have nothing but success.


As I said back in July, the more I see of singer Chris Medina the more I am impressed, and the more he reveals himself as one very-grounded individual in a very cynical world.

And with this interview and these performances -in English- from December 14th on Sweden's most-popular TV morning program, Channel 4's Nyhetsmorgon, he proves that all over again.  

In the TV interview, Medina also discusses his feelings about being asked to perform at the funeral of 18-year old Monica Iselin Didriksen, one of the 77 Norwegians murdered at Utøya on July 22nd, whose very last conversation with her parents -on her cell phone, while taking the ferry to the island- was about her intense feelings for his song, the popularity of which had led him to be performing in Oslo just a few weeks earlier. 

TV4's Nyhetsmorgon, Abbey Road LIVE -Chris Medina sings One More Time. December 14, 2011.

http://www.tv4play.se/nyheter_och_debatt/nyhetsmorgon?title=chris_medina_framfor_one_more_time&videoid=2119557&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

http://www.tv4play.se/nyheter_och_debatt/nyhetsmorgon?title=chris_medina_framfor_one_more_time&videoid=2119557

TV4's Nyhetsmorgon, Abbey Road LIVE -Chris Medina sings What Are Words. December 14, 2011.

http://www.tv4play.se/nyheter_och_debatt/nyhetsmorgon?title=chris_medina_framfor_one_more_time&videoid=2119597&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

http://www.tv4play.se/nyheter_och_debatt/nyhetsmorgon?title=chris_medina_framfor_one_more_time&videoid=2119597

A few days after his calm and earnest appearance on Abbey Road, Aftonbladet columnist Ronnie Sandahl pondered what it must be like to be Chris Medina now,

and suddenly go overnight from unknown singer working hard to become a success in the industry on his own terms, to becoming a beloved American Idol contestant and popular singing artist whose songs are famously sung back to him with gusto at performances.
But inevitably, he knows that at nearly every performance he gives, the question will arise about his  fiancée, Juliana Ramos.

Medina talks forthrightly about that very issue in the second video above.

 Aftonbladet 

Chris får berätta samma berättelse tusen gånger 

av Ronnie Sandahl

2011-12-19

För vilken gång i ordningen står han där med samma milda sorgsna leende, samma fruktansvärda berättelse?Femhundrade? Tusende?

Det är ännu en dag i nöjesfabriken. Den amerikanske sångaren Chris Medina försöker variera sina intervjusvar,fastän frågorna nästan alltid är samma

Read the rest of the column at: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/ronniesandahl/article14097494.ab

As you know from my earlier blog post, for weeks earlier this year, What Are Words was the number-one song on the best-seller list in both Norway and Sweden.

http://allcharts.org/music/sweden/singles.htm 

http://lista.vg.no/

UniversalMusicSweden video: Chris Medina - One Day In Stockholm (What Are Words). Chris appears on Rix FM in Stockholm. 
Yes, they DO have 'Morning Zoo' radio formats in Sweden. http://youtu.be/eNjSIKIBE1U 

As I wrote back in July, I received the behind-the-scenes Chris Medina video above within about ten minutes of it being posted to YouTube by Universal Music Sweden, and thus was one of the first persons to see it.

That's the kind of video I want to see more of! 




ABC News Good Morning America: Robin Roberts with Chris Medina.



NRK-TV video: Chris Medina LIVE on VG Lista Topp 20, Rådhusplassen, (City Hall) Oslo, Norway. June 2011
http://youtu.be/ap6oY2cN11E

http://www.youtube.com/OfficialChrisMedina

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrismedinaVEVO

http://www.facebook.com/OfficialChrisMedina

http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalMusicSweden

A talented & worthy American takes Scandinavia by storm: up-close with Chris Medina - One Day In Stockholm (What Are Words)

UniversalMusicSweden video: Chris Medina - One Day In Stockholm (What Are Words). Chris appears on Rix FM in Stockholm. Yes, they DO have 'Morning Zoo' radio formats in Sweden. http://youtu.be/eNjSIKIBE1U

---------

Chris Medina VEVO video: What Are Words

http://youtu.be/nQY4dIxY1H4

I received the behind-the-scenes Chris Medina video at the top of this post within about ten minutes of it being posted to YouTube by Universal Music Sweden last month, and thus was one of the first persons to see it.
That's the kind of video I want to see more of!

As most of you know by now, I'm NOT an American Idol viewer.
The only time I've actually watched it for even a minute without immediately changing the channel from Fox-TV, was when it intentionally bled over past nine o'clock into the time slot for HOUSE. That's it.

I want to see genuine musical talent, not contrived histrionics or teen divas and attitudes and ponderous programs larded with no-talents. Which is why so many foreign TV music programs are MUCH more to my liking, however friendly they try to be to the "talent."
They're much more cut-throat and don't indulge contestants as much because of their back-story or haircut or on-air melodrama like American version does or did.

You don't need to be Quincy Jones to see that Chris Medina CLEARLY has a unique voice and talent, just like Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson, so why does the American version of Idol persist with all the crummy shows for weeks, while shows like ET and Access Hollywood relentlessly hype the no-talents as interesting curiosities, when they're not? Advertising dollars.
Sometimes, less is more.
Just saying.




ABC News Good Morning America: Robin Roberts with Chris Medina.




NRK-TV video: Chris Medina LIVE on VG Lista Topp 20, Rådhusplassen, (City Hall) Oslo, Norway. June 2011
http://youtu.be/ap6oY2cN11E
The complete version of this performance as aired by NRK is here:
http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=41778
See interview at http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=41779

His daytime performance in Bergen is here: http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=42240

As of today, Chris Medina is #1 on the official Swedish singles chart, http://allcharts.org/music/sweden/singles.htm and #3 on the Norwegian chart: http://lista.vg.no/

Not bad for a 27-year old guy that you never heard of eight months ago!

--------------

http://www.rixfm.com/

Listen LIVE here: http://webradio.rixfm.com/webbradio/webbradio-rixfm.php
Just remember, Stockholm is six hours ahead of us in the U.S. Eastern time-slot!

http://www.youtube.com/OfficialChrisMedina

http://www.facebook.com/OfficialChrisMedina

http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalMusicSweden

Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend & Dancing on My Own - ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live; 13-Year-Old Girls Ruining American Idol Vote -and U.S. film industry!

Robyn -"Call Your Girlfriend" on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live, April 13, 2011

http://youtu.be/4R2zbo--jPA




Robyn -"Dancing on My Own" on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live, April 13, 2011

http://youtu.be/spy9uv30y2A

Above, as promised last night, the two videos of Robyn performing on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live TV show, plus, two wild cards.



"13-Year-Old Girls Ruining American Idol Vote" montage on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live, April 13, 2011
http://youtu.be/VqtwsMLSRg0


As most of you regular readers to the blog know by now, I DON'T watch Fox-TV's American Idol, since actual singing talent is NOT the main focus of the show like TV singing competition shows in other countries,

It never hurts, of course, to be ridiculously talented AND ridiculously good-looking like Élodie Frégé, the 2004 winner of Star Academy in la belle France, whom I mentioned here on Valentine's Day, when I also ran the great infectious video below.
She's a super-talent, plus, nous partageons la même date d'anniversaire!




Élodie Frégé & Michal "Viens jusqu'à moi"
http://youtu.be/MU-ldqcvjow


http://www.youtube.com/user/ELODIEFREGETV1

IF only we could get rid of corrupt South Florida pols by tossing 'em off a plane -just thinking out loud per new trailer for 2011's Körslaget

http://www.tv4play.se/noje/korslaget?title=trailer_korslaget_2011&videoid=1286649&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

IF only we could get rid of corrupt South Florida pols by tossing 'em off a plane -just thinking out loud per this new season premiere trailer for 2011's Körslaget.
Or, how a snippet of a Swedish TV trailer reminded me that for about two years, I have wanted to say something here on the blog about American TV music shows and why I find them so unappealing compared to other countries', so here's my chance to say a thing or two.

Körslaget, the popular Swedish TV singing competition show on TV4 features choruses led by a well-known singer battling one another, and has its 2011 premiere on Saturday night the 19th. It has a great homepage on TV4's website, with new videos, photos, and old trailers from past seasons.
And just a reminder, it's considered a Premium to see the entire show repeated at TV4 Play.
http://www.tv4.se/korslaget but you can see clips of the songs performed for free.
http://www.tv4play.se/noje/korslaget?videoId=1.1621208

Here's the Körslaget trailer from two years ago:



http://www.tv4play.se/noje/korslaget?title=trailer_korslaget_2008_09&videoid=1286648&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

Here's an article from two weeks about the 500 people who lined-up for hours in Umeå to be part of one team that would be led by hometown girl and popular singer Lisa Miskovsky, whom I've previously mentioned here. Of the 500 who showed-up, 20 were selected for further consideration.
http://www.folkbladet.nu/242725/2011/03/01/korslaget-rena-koslaget




Lisa Miskovsky -Still Alive (Theme from Mirror's Edge)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE9gMFR1yFY

I believe this sort of show would do extremely well in the U.S. if you made sure that none of the well-known singers competing were under the age of 40, so you could directly eliminate the Teen and Tween media frenzy factor that drives so many American music shows, and which cause me to ignore them, except for Glee.

The thing that's so noticeable to me as someone who watches a lot of music shows from other countries is not only the sheer talent and resolve of participants to be professional in handling the ups and downs, but the fact that the shows do NOT go out of their way to feature obviously bad singers, drama queens or oddballs to fill out the programming the way that American Idol's producers do to fill out the dozens of hours it occupies on the Fox-TV schedule.
Instead, it's largely just singing.

That more than anything else is why I NEVER watch amerikanska Idol -I don't want to watch someone on TV just because the show's producers think he or she is attractive, interesting or amusing.
I want to hear good singing -first and foremost.

That's why I watch the Swedish version of Idol, http://www.tv4.se/idol of whom the 2009 season's Calle Kristiansson is the best example of someone whose self-evident talent is apparent to everyone who hears him, which is why I've posted his Walking in Memphis video here a few times.

That no-nonsense attitude of mine for music shows makes me a member of the minority hereabouts.
Plus, I want to hear rockers, not trilling divas, and see talent rewarded, not attitude.



Calle Kristiansson - Walking in Memphis, Sweden Idol 2009, Malmö auditions.
The music part starts at 01:18 of the video and the judges are so wowed by Calle that he doesn't even need to finish the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEly4QZaf30

As to the genius idea behind Körslaget, IF you could put together a first-class competition featuring choruses fronted by some well-known power pop singers from the '80's and '90's, like Simon LeBon for instance, it would be EXCELLENT and people would tune-in!

Below, the complete acoustic version of Calle Kristiansson singing Walking in Memphis



Idol Calle - Walking in Memphis - XL Live Expressen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQtKe9qQYH8



Lisa Miskovsky & Jill Johnson - Just The Way You Are, På QX Gaygalan 2011, TV4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny6j7eyYrhQ

Lisa's official website: http://www.lisamiskovsky.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/ExpressenTV
http://www.tv4.se/idol