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Universal Time (UT) is a time scale based on the rotation of the Earth. It is a modern continuation of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), i.e., the mean solar time on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, and GMT is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for UTC. In fact, the expression "Universal Time" is ambiguous, as there are several versions of it, the most commonly used being UTC and UT1 (see below). All of these versions of UT are based on the rotation of the Earth in relation to distant celestial objects (stars and quasars), but with a scaling factor and other adjustments to make them closer to solar time.

Universal Time and standard time[link]

Prior to the introduction of standard time, each municipality around the civilized world set its official clock, if it had one, according to the local position of the Sun (see solar time). This served adequately until the introduction of the steam engine, the telegraph, and rail travel, which made it possible to travel fast enough over long distances to require almost constant re-setting of timepieces as a train progressed in its daily run through several towns. Standard time, where all clocks in a large region are set to the same time, was established to solve this problem. Chronometers or telegraphy were used to synchronize these clocks.

Standard time zones of the world since September 20, 2011. Instructions for converting UTC to or from local times are on the bottom.

Standard time, as originally proposed by Sir Sandford Fleming in 1879, divided the world into twenty-four time zones, each one covering 15 degrees of longitude. All clocks within each zone would be set to the same time as the others, but differed by one hour from those in the neighboring zones. The local time at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich, England was chosen as standard at the 1884 International Meridian Conference, leading to the widespread use of Greenwich Mean Time to set local clocks. This location was chosen because by 1884 two-thirds of all charts and maps already used it as their prime meridian. The conference did not adopt Fleming's time zones because they were outside the purpose for which it was called, which was to choose a prime meridian. Nevertheless, by 1929 all major countries had adopted standard time zones. Political considerations^{[clarification needed]} have now increased the number of standard time zones to 40.

In 1928 the term Universal Time was adopted internationally as a more precise term than Greenwich Mean Time, because GMT could refer to either an astronomical day starting at noon or a civil day starting at midnight. However, the term Greenwich Mean Time persists in common usage to this day in reference to civil timekeeping.

Measurement[link]

Time can be measured based on the rotation of the Earth by observing celestial bodies crossing the meridian every day. Astronomers found that it was more accurate to establish time by observing stars as they crossed a meridian rather than by observing the position of the Sun in the sky. Nowadays, UT in relation to International Atomic Time (TAI) is determined by Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of distant quasars, a method which has an accuracy of microseconds. Most sources of time and celestial coordinate system standards use UT1 as the default meaning of UT, though occasionally UTC may be implied.

The rotation of the Earth and UT are monitored by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). The International Astronomical Union is also involved in setting standards, but the final arbiter of broadcast standards is the International Telecommunication Union or ITU.

The rotation of the Earth is somewhat irregular, and is very gradually slowing due to tidal acceleration. Furthermore, the length of the second was determined from observations of the Moon between 1750 and 1890. All of these factors cause the mean solar day, on the average, to be slightly longer than the nominal 86,400 SI seconds, the traditional number of seconds per day. As UT is slightly irregular in its rate, astronomers introduced Ephemeris Time, which has since been replaced by Terrestrial Time (TT). However, because Universal Time is synchronous with night and day, and more precise atomic-frequency standards drift away from this, UT is still used to produce a correction (called a leap second) to atomic time, in order to obtain a broadcast form of civil time that carries atomic frequency. Thus, civil broadcast standards for time and frequency usually follow TAI closely, but occasionally change discontinuously (or "leap") in order to prevent them from drifting too far from mean solar time.

Barycentric Dynamical Time (TDB), a form of atomic time, is now used in the construction of the ephemerides of the planets and other solar system objects, for two main reasons. First, these ephemerides are tied to optical and radar observations of planetary motion, and the TDB time scale is fitted so that Newton's laws of motion, with corrections for general relativity, are followed. Next, the time scales based on Earth's rotation are not uniform and therefore are not suitable for predicting the motion of bodies in our solar system.

Versions[link]

There are several versions of Universal Time:

• UT0 is Universal Time determined at an observatory by observing the diurnal motion of stars or extragalactic radio sources, and also from ranging observations of the Moon and artificial Earth satellites. It is uncorrected for the displacement of Earth's geographic pole from its rotational pole. This displacement, called polar motion, causes the geographic position of any place on Earth to vary by several metres, and different observatories will find a different value for UT0 at the same moment. It is thus not, strictly speaking, Universal.
• UT1 is the principal form of Universal Time. While conceptually it is mean solar time at 0° longitude, precise measurements of the Sun are difficult. Hence, it is computed from observations of distant quasars using long baseline interferometry, laser ranging of the Moon and artificial satellites, as well as the determination of GPS satellite orbits. UT1 is the same everywhere on Earth, and is proportional to the rotation angle of the Earth with respect to distant quasars, specifically, the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF), neglecting some small adjustments. The observations allow the determination of a measure of the Earth's angle with respect to the ICRF, called the Earth Rotation Angle (ERA, which serves as a modern replacement for Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time). UT1 is required to follow the relationship

ERA = 2π(0.7790572732640 + 1.00273781191135448T_u) radians

where T_u = (Julian UT1 date - 2451545.0)^[1]

• UT1R is a smoothed version of UT1, filtering out periodic variations due to tides. It includes 62 smoothing terms, with periods ranging from 5.6 days to 18.6 years.^[2]
• UT2 is a smoothed version of UT1, filtering out periodic seasonal variations. It is mostly of historic interest and rarely used anymore. It is defined by the equation:

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): UT2 = UT1 + 0.022\cdot\sin(2\pi t) - 0.012\cdot\cos(2\pi t) - 0.006\cdot\sin(4\pi t) + 0.007\cdot\cos(4\pi t)\;\mbox{seconds}

where t is the time as fraction of the Besselian year.[3]

• UT2R is a smoothed version of UT1, incorporating both the seasonal corrections of UT2 and the tidal corrections of UT1R. It is the most smoothed form of Universal Time. Its non-uniformities reveal the unpredictable components of Earth rotation, due to atmospheric weather, plate tectonics, and currents in the interior of the Earth.
• UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is an atomic timescale that approximates UT1. It is the international standard on which civil time is based. It ticks SI seconds, in step with TAI. It usually has 86,400 SI seconds per day, but is kept within 0.9 seconds of UT1 by the introduction of occasional intercalary leap seconds. As of 2012^[update] these leaps have always been positive, with a day of 86401 seconds. When an accuracy better than one second is not required, UTC can be used as an approximation of UT1. The difference between UT1 and UTC is known as DUT1.

See also[link]

• List of international common standards
• Unix time

Notes[link]

References[link]

• "Date and Time Definitions". United States Naval Observatory. http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/earth-orientation/eo-info/general/date-time-def. 
• "Earth Rotation Variations Due to Zonal Tides". Paris: Earth Orientation Center. http://hpiers.obspm.fr/eop-pc/models/UT1/UT1R_tab.html. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
• Galison, Peter (2003). Einstein's clocks, Poincaré's maps: Empires of time. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-02001-0.  Discusses the history of time standardization.
• McCarthy, Dennis D. (July 1991). "Astronomical Time". Proceedings of the IEEE 79 (7): 915–920. DOI:10.1109/5.84967. http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/volatile/astronomical-time.pdf. 
• McCarthy, D. D. & Seidelmann, P. K. (2009). TIME—From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics. Weinheim:Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. ISBN 978-3-527-40780-4.
• O'Malley, Michael (1996). Keeping watch: A history of American time. Washington DC: Smithsonian. ISBN 1-56098-672-7. 
• Seidelmann, P. Kenneth (1992). Explanatory supplement to the Astronomical Almanac. Mill Valley, California: University Science Books. ISBN 0-935702-68-7. 
• "What is TT?". Naval Oceanography Portal. United States Naval Observatory. http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/astronomical-information-center/what-is-tt/?searchterm=terrestrial_time. 

 This article incorporates public domain material from the General Services Administration document "Federal Standard 1037C".

External links[link]

• Time Lord by Clark Blaise: a biography of Stanford Fleming and the idea of standard time

v t e Time Major concepts Time Eternity Arguments for eternity Immortality History Past Present Future Futures studies Deep time Time Portal Measurement and standards Chronometry UTC UT TAI Second Minute Hour Sidereal time Solar time Time zone Metric time Decimal time Hexadecimal time Clock Astrarium History of timekeeping devices Horology Marine chronometer Sundial Water clock Calendar Day Week Month Year Tropical year Gregorian Islamic Julian Intercalation Leap second Leap year Chronology Astronomical chronology Calendar era Chronicle Dating methodologies Geochronology Geologic Time Geological history Periodization Regnal year Timeline Religion and mythology Dreamtime Kāla Kalachakra Prophecy Time and fate deities Wheel of time Philosophy A-series and B-series B-Theory of time Causality Endurantism Eternal return Eternalism Event Perdurantism Presentism Temporal finitism Temporal parts The Unreality of Time Physical sciences Time in physics Absolute time and space Arrow of time Chronon Coordinate time Planck epoch Planck time Proper time Spacetime Theory of relativity Time dilation Gravitational time dilation Time domain T-symmetry Biology Chronobiology Circadian rhythms Psychology Mental chronometry Sense of time Specious present Sociology and anthropology Long Now Foundation Time discipline Time use research Economics Time value of money Time-based currency Time Banking Related topics Carpe diem Duration Space System time Tempus fugit Time capsule Time signature Time travel

Ken Block
Ken Block in 2008.
Nationality	American
Born	(1967-11-21) 21 November 1967 (age 44) Long Beach, California
2012 Rally America
Debut season	2005
Current team	Monster World Rally Team
Best finish	2nd Overall in Rally America in 2006 and 2008
Awards
2004[1] 2005[1] 2009	• One of the most influential people (#17) in Sports Business Journal • Ad Age's Marketing 50 • One of the Fast 50 in Fast Company Magazine • 40 Under 40 Awards, Sports Business Journal • Rally America's Rookie of the Year • Gymkhana 2 was 2009's #4 most viewed viral video

Ken Block (born November 21, 1967, in Long Beach, California)^[2] is a professional rally driver with the Monster World Rally Team. Block is also one of the co-founders and recently appointed Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes.^[1] Block has also competed in many action sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross.

Rallying[link]

2005[link]

In 2005, Ken Block began his national rallying career with the Vermont SportsCar team.^[3] Vermont SportsCar prepared a 2005 Subaru WRX STi for Block to compete. His first event of the rallying season was Sno*Drift, where he ended up finishing seventh overall and fifth in the Group N class.^[4] During the 2005 season, Block had five top five finishes and placed third overall in the Group N class and fourth overall in the Rally America National Championship.^[3] At the end of his first rallying year, Ken Block had won the Rally America Rookie of the Year award.^[5]

2006[link]

In 2006, Ken Block along with his DC rally teammate Travis Pastrana signed a new sponsorship deal with Subaru.^[3] Through this deal with Subaru, the teammates became known as "Subaru Rally Team USA."^[3] With the new rally season, Block also got a brand new Vermont SportsCar prepped 2006 Subaru WRX STi.^[3] He competed in the first ever X Games rally event at X Games XII.^[3] In the competition, Block ended up finishing third to take the bronze.^[3] He went on to compete in the 2006 Rally America National Championship, where he finished second overall.^[3]

2007[link]

In 2007, Ken Block competed in the X Games XIII rally event, where he placed second overall and won a silver medal.^[5] In the 2007 Rally America National Championship, Block finished third overall.^[5] During this season, Block also entered in a few rounds of the World Rally Championship; Rally Mexico and Rally New Zealand.^[4] In Rally New Zealand, Block recorded two top-five stage times in the Group N class.^[4] At the end of 2007, Block had achieved 19 podiums and 8 overall victories in rally events.^[1]

2008[link]

In 2008, Block was provided with a brand new rally prepped 2008 Subaru WRX STi to compete. Block decided to compete in the Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs of the Canadian Rally Championship to gain some experience with his new 2008 rally car and prepare for the World Rally Championships later this year.^[6] Block gained his first Canadian rally win at the event.^[6] This was only the second event for the new car.^[6] Block and his co-driver were unable to get any championship points at the event due to not having a Canadian competition license.^[6] Block competed in the Rally New York USA competition and finished in first place.^[7] In the X Games XIV rally competition, Block finished tied for third place with Dave Mirra.^[8] This occurrence was due to both competitors having issues with their car. Block, who made it to the semi-finals of the event, had a radiator problem after landing the car awkwardly on a jump. With both bronze place competitors in damaged cars unable to compete, the medals were awarded to both of them.^[8]

Block competed in the 2008 Rally America National championship, which concluded on October 17, 2008. In the event, he finished second overall with a strong victory in the last event. In the Lake Superior Performance Rally stage, Block finished over one minute ahead of his next closest competitor and secured the second overall position.^[9] Next up for Block this rally season is three World Rally Championship events.^[4]

2009[link]

Block appeared in a segment of motoring show Top Gear.^[10]

2010[link]

Ken Block testing Ford Fiesta for the 2010 Rally America season

Block driving a Ford Focus RS WRC at the 2010 Rallye de France

On January 6, 2010 the Monster World Rally Team announced Ken as their driver for selected rounds of the World Rally Championship, in which he will be campaigning the Monster/Ford Racing Focus RS WRC 08. His car will be prepared and run by the North of England based M-Sport, who also prepare the official Ford WRC cars. He will be simultaneously running in his sixth season of the Rally America Championship in an open class Ford Fiesta, as well as his fifth X-games. Ken will also be the first ever American driver to campaign for the World Rally Championship. On February 27, Block won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Rally America) for the 5th consecutive time. This broke the record held by John Buffum.^[11] Ken is currently being trained by former Ford factory driver Markko Märtin. At the Spain rally, he won his first 2 points in World Rally Championship.

2011[link]

On March 23, Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were taken to hospital, having rolled their Ford Fiesta RS WRC during the shakedown stage of the 2011 Rally de Portugal in Faro, Portugal.^[12] A representative of the Monster World Rally team later stated that both men were fine.^[13]

Complete Rally America results[link]

(key)

Complete WRC results[link]

* Season in progress.

PWRC results[link]

Other motorsport activities[link]

On October 15, 2009, it was reported that Block was close to a deal to join the World Rally Championship in a new Ford team. Long time co-driver Alex Gelsomino is also reportedly involved in the deal. Former Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson has been reported to be lined up as Block's team-mate in the all-new Monster Energy Drink Ford World Rally Team.^[14]

In 2005, Ken Block along with his DC Shoes associates participated in the Gumball 3000 Rally. For the event they sent out three modified 2004 Subaru WRX STi's sponsored by DC Shoes.^[15][16]

In 2006, Ken Block competed in the One Lap of America competition along with Brian Scotto. They were teamed up in a 2006 Subaru WRX STi and finished forty-fifth overall.^[17]

In 2006, for the Discovery Channel show Stunt Junkies, Ken Block jumped his Subaru WRX STi rally car 171 feet (52 m) and a max height of 25 feet (7.6 m).^[3] The whole episode was dedicated to Ken Block attempting this stunt.

In 2007, Ken Block joined the DC Shoes Snowboarding team at New Zealand's Snow Park.^[3] Block did massive jumps and assisted in snowboarding tricks while driving his rally car on the mountain alongside the snowboarders. The session made the cover of the December 2007 issue of Snowboarder Magazine and closed out the MTN.LAB 1.5 DVD.^[3]

In 2009, for the BBC show Top Gear, Ken took James May out for Gymkhana-style driving at Block's stunt course at Inyokern Airport, an operational California airport, also starring Ricky Carmichael, whom Ken describes as 'a good friend'.

In 2010, for the BBC show Top Gear, Ken took the feature car from the previous episode (a Reliant Robin) for a lap of the Top Gear test track. He rolled the car and was unable to complete a lap but was unhurt.

On January 6, 2010, the announcement is made as Ken joins up with Ford and begins his WRC career driving both a Ford Fiesta and Focus RS WRC.

On August 24, 2010, Block released the first of a three part Gymkhana 3 video release featuring his new Ford Fiesta.^[18]

Ken Block also holds the world record for the world's fastest snow cat, a modified Subaru STI called a Trax STI.^{[citation needed]}

On September 14, 2010, Block's third Gymkhana video, featuring a Ford Fiesta, was released on YouTube.^[19] The video got more than seven million views in its first week.

On August 16, 2011, the fourth Gymkhana video, The Hollywood Megamercial was released on YouTube, featuring Block driving around the Universal Studios backlot.^[20]

Involvement In Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and Dirt 3[link]

Ken Block is featured as a driver in Codemasters Colin McRae: Dirt 2, along with his Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza.
In Dirt 3 he is seen as a driver and Gymkhana teacher, his Monster World Rally Team vehicles are available in the game.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ken Block

• Ken Block's Official site
• Monster World Rally Team
• Rally Results and News
• Subaru Rally Team USA
• Rally America Website
• Ken Block Official Merchandise Store
• Ken Block Interview
• Gymkhana racing improved by Ken Block, Video, ~4min
• dirt2game.com

Carly Rae Jepsen
Jepsen performing on Canada Day in 2010
Background information
Born	(1985-11-21) November 21, 1985 (age 26) Mission, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Pop, pop rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2007–present
Labels	604 (2008–present) Schoolboy/Interscope (2012–present)
Website	carlyraemusic.com

Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian recording artist and singer-songwriter from Mission, British Columbia. In 2007, she placed third in the fifth season of Canadian Idol, and was a part of the Canadian Idol Top 3 concert tour.^[1]

Shortly after competing on Idol, she signed to Fontana and MapleMusic, and released her debut album, Tug of War, on September 30, 2008. Three years later, she released a new single, entitled "Call Me Maybe", which was released by 604 Records, and was followed by the release of her debut extended play, Curiosity, on February 14, 2012. "Call Me Maybe" was met with much success, reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the number 1 spot on the Canadian Hot 100. The single also went to number 1 in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Jepsen signed with Interscope Records in 2012.

Life and career[link]

Jepsen attended Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission, British Columbia and has since performed there post-graduation. She later attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC before auditioning for Canadian Idol. After completing the Canadian Idol tour, Jepsen retreated to B.C. to focus on writing, recording and completing her band. Her demos attracted attention and she was eventually signed a joint management deal with Simkin Artist Management and Dexter Entertainment. A deal with Fontana/Maple Music quickly followed, leading Jepsen into the studio with producer/writer Ryan Stewart.^[2]

[edit] 2008–11: Tug of War

On June 16, 2008, Jepsen released her debut single and another single, a cover of John Denver's song "Sunshine On My Shoulders". It is the only cover song on her debut album.^[3] On July 21, 2008, Jepsen added two new songs from the album to her MySpace page: "Bucket" and "Heavy Lifting". In August 2008, Jepsen's MySpace page announced that the album's title would be Tug of War, and it was released on September 30, 2008. The page also mentioned two more songs that were included on the album: "Tug of War" and "Sweet Talker". The former was released as a single on iTunes on September 16, 2008, and has been receiving radio airplay on various stations across Canada. She performed the latter as her Canadian Idol audition.^[4]
A music video for "Tug of War" was released in January 2009. "Bucket", her second single, was released in May 2009, and the video for "Sour Candy", a duet with Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench who has also help produce some of her songs including Call Me Maybe, has also been released. All of Jepsen's music videos have been directed by Ben Knechtel. In spring 2009, she toured western Canada with Marianas Trench and Shiloh.^[5] She then went on a cross-Canada tour with Marianas Trench, The New Cities and Mission District.

[edit] 2012–present: Curiosity

Jepsen's second album Curiosity was released on February 14, 2012. It was produced by Ryan Stewart and Kevin James Maher produced the track "Dear Julien". On the same day as the release, Justin Bieber made the announcement on the MuchMusic program New Music Live that Jepsen has been signed to Schoolboy Records, the label run by Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun.^[6] The lead single, "Call Me Maybe" (which gained notoriety after "Primetime" Sam Roberts played the track during "After Opie and Anthony Live" on SiriusXM Satellite Radio) is from her second studio album Curiosity was released on September 21, 2011 and was produced by Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench and co-written by Jepsen, Ramsay and Tavish Crowe. "Call Me Maybe" is the first song by a Canadian artist to reach the top of the digital chart since Justin Bieber's “Baby” in January 2010. It is also only the 11th song by a Canadian artist to reach No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital download sales in 2005. The song has also peaked at #1 on Billboard's Canadian Hot 100, being the 4th Canadian artist to do so, after Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend", Nikki Yanofsky's "I Believe", and the Young Artists for Haiti version of "Wavin' Flag", originally by Canadian rapper K'naan.^[7] Jepsen is currently touring on the Shout it Out World Tour. She is the opening act for the pop-rock trio Hanson. In February 2012, Jepsen visited Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun in Los Angeles, California, where she subsequently signed to Schoolboy Records and Interscope. Her music will still be distributed by 604 Records in Canada. On March 23, 2012, Jepsen made her first American television debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, performing "Call Me Maybe" (with Jared Manierka on keys), later joined by Justin Bieber. Carly was also the first Canadian Idol contestant to enter the UK charts, when Call Me Maybe debuted at #1. Carly played at Citywalk at Universal Studios on April 14 2012. 400 people who paid $5 were allowed to meet with the singer and get CDs autographed by her.

Jepsen, 26, has been criticized in the press for dressing "too young" for her age in an effort to appeal to the pre-teen demographic.^[8][9]

On May 20th, 2012 Jepsen performed "Call Me Maybe" at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. On May 22th, 2012 she performed "Tug of War", "Curiosity", and "Call Me Maybe" at the first Q102 Springle Ball concert.

[edit] Canadian Idol performances

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Tug of War (2008)

Extended plays[link]

• Curiosity (2012)

Tours[link]

Opening act

• Justin Bieber – Believe Tour (North American dates) (2012)

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Carly Rae Jepsen on Twitter
• Carly Rae Jepsen on Myspace
• "Primetime" Sam Roberts

Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Melanie Fiona Hallim
Also known as	Syren
Born	(1983-07-04) July 4, 1983 (age 28) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	R&B, soul, jazz, reggae
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2002–present
Labels	SRC, Universal Motown, Universal Republic, Roc Nation
Website	melaniefiona.com

Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian R&B recording artist. She was born and raised in Toronto.^[1]

Fiona's debut album The Bridge was released in 2009, having collaborated with Future Cut, Vada Nobles, Stereotypes, J. Phoenix and Peter Wade Keusch. The debut single "Give It to Me Right" was sent to radio stations on February 28, 2009, and peaked at number 20 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and number 41 on the UK Singles Chart.^[2] The second single, "It Kills Me", became her breakout song on the Billboard Hot 100 where it entered the Top 50, along with topping the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song earned Fiona a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The Bridge also earned her a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding New Artist. In 2012 Fiona won two Grammy Awards for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Fool for You" with Cee Lo Green.

Life and career[link]

1983–2005: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Melanie Fiona Hallim was born on July 4, 1983, in Toronto, Canada.^[3][4] She is the daughter and second child of Guyanese immigrant parents, who immigrated to Canada in the late 1970s.^[3][5] Her parents are of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent.^[1] Her father was a janitor before working in finance, and her mother worked in banking.^[3] Hallim began writing songs at age 16.^[6] Living in a music filled household, Hallim says she always knew music was her passion. Her father was a guitarist in a band and would allow her to sit on the stage when she was younger as he practiced, and remembers her mother playing music at home; from The Ronettes to Whitney Houston.

In 2002, Hallim was briefly involved with girl group X-Quisite.^[7] She was also in a group called The Renaissance with rapper Drake. Early in her career, she would perform at nightclubs in Toronto.^[8] In 2005, Hallim traveled to Los Angeles, in search of a recording contract. According to Hallim, record labels "loved" the way she looked and sung, but she "knew that the minute I worked with them or would have signed with them, they would have tried to change me into someone else completely different. That was something that I didn't want to do."^[7] She went on to co-write songs for recording artists Rihanna and Kardinal Offishall.^[7] Hallim also recorded the reggae song "Somebody Come Get Me" under the stage name Syren Hall, which was included in the Reggae Gold 2008 compilation album.^[9][10]

[edit] 2007–2010: The Bridge

Fiona performs in Bern, Switzerland at the club Bierhübeli in 2009.

Entrepreneur Steve Rifkind discovered and signed Hallim to SRC Records and Universal Motown through Title 9 in 2007.^[3][7] She went on to tour with Kanye West in his Glow in the Dark Tour^[9] Prior to completing her debut album, Hallim met with recording artist Jay-Z and his friend Tyty. She played them some of her music and was then signed to be managed by Roc Nation.^[11] She released her debut album, The Bridge, in June 2009, which has sold 248,000 copies in the United States.^[9] Beyond Race Magazine ranked Hallim among "50 Emerging Artists" of 2009.^[12] Several singles were released from the album, including "It Kills Me", which topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for 10 weeks and earned her a Grammy Award nomination at the 52nd Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.^[7][8] Other singles that were released were "Sad Songs" was released in April 2009 in the UK only as a digital download, with the reggae-tinged songs "Somebody Come Get Me" and "Island Boy" as B-sides. "Sad Songs" did not chart in the UK. "Give It to Me Right" was the first official single from The Bridge. The song peaked at #41 in the UK but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It did, however, reach #57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at #41.

"Monday Morning" charted in Switzerland and Poland at number 1[13][14] and in Austria at number 5. It was released as the third U.S. single, however, "Bang Bang (Melanie Fiona song)"[1] was sent to radio as the second Canadian single for Canadian top 40 & hot AC play, but due to "Priceless" not being released in Canada, "Monday Morning" will serve as the fifth single in Canada due to hot adult contemporary radio station CKZZ-FM (Virgin Radio 953) in Vancouver having the song on its playlist. "Ay Yo" was released as the fourth official single from The Bridge, according to Hallim's website and Twitter. The music video premiered on April 12, 2010. "Priceless" will be the fifth U.S. single due to airplay on urban adult contemporary stations. Due to "Priceless" not being released in Canada, "Monday Morning" will be serviced to Canadian stations as the fifth single, even though "Monday Morning" was released as the third American single.

Hallim participated in "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" to benefit after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. She began touring with Alicia Keys as an opening act on The Freedom Tour in 2010.^[13] The album spawned six singles with one being "It Kills Me" which reached the top spot on US R&B chart.

[edit] 2011–present: The MF Life

In 2011, Hallim began recording her second studio album. The lead single was entitled "Gone and Never Coming Back." The single peaked at 37 on US R&B chart becoming her second highest peaking song on the R&B chart so far. Later on that year Fiona released her second single, "4 AM" was sent to urban stations on August 30, 2011.^[14] 4am peaked on the US R&B chart at #8, the song was about a lover who had gone out and was cheating on her. The album was released on March 20, 2012.^[15][16][17]

On January 2, 2012, she performed "O Canada" at the NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park.^[18]

Artistry[link]

Musical style and influences[link]

Hallim cites Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Sade, Amy Winehouse, India.Arie, Patsy Cline and Bob Marley as her musical influences.^[5][6][10] She also cited Janet Jackson's career as inspirational, who she called an icon.^[19] She called Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill the album that changed her perspective, calling it an "amazing body of work".^[6] She attributes her parents for her vintage sound. Her father was a guitarist in a band, while her mother would sing around the house. She explained that "[m]y parents were big music lovers and played soul music all the time", who would play The Supremes, The Ronettes and Cooke, as well as Caribbean music like soca, calypso and reggae.^[3][20]

Hallim's occasional songwriting revolves around her personal experiences. She stated that she attempts to "keep [the songs] as universal as possible, unless I am writing about something very personal, even then the themes are universal".^[5] She has received comparisons to Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, Macy Gray, Chrisette Michele, Marsha Ambrosius and Jill Scott.^[21]

Discography[link]

• 2009: The Bridge
• 2012: The MF Life

Awards and nominations[link]

• BET Awards^[22]
  • 2010, Best New Artist (nominated)
  • 2010, Best Female R&B Artist (nominated)
  • 2010, BET Centric Award (nominated)
  • 2010, Video of the Year "It Kills Me" (nominated)

• Grammy Awards
  • 2010, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "It Kills Me" (nominated)^[7]
  • 2011, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Wake Up! Everybody" with John Legend, The Roots & Common (nominated)
  • 2012, Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Fool for You" w/ Cee-Lo Green (won)
  • 2012, Best R&B Song: "Fool for You" w/ Cee-Lo Green (won), presented to the songwriter

• NAACP Image Awards
  • 2010, Outstanding New Artist (nominated)

• Juno Awards
  • 2010, R&B/Soul Recording of the Year: The Bridge (nominated)^[8]
  • 2012, R&B/Soul Recording: Gone and Never Coming Back (won)

• Soul Train Music Awards
  • 2010, Best New Artist (won)

• Eska Music Awards
  • 2010, Best Album: The Bridge (won)^[23]

References[link]

http://freshndef.com/?p=14408

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Melanie Fiona

• Official website
• Melanie Fiona at the Internet Movie Database

Jackie Evancho
Evancho in February 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jacqueline Marie Evancho
Born	(2000-04-09) April 9, 2000 (age 12)
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Classical crossover
Occupations	Singer
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Syco Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Website	jackieevancho.com

Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho ( /iːˈveɪŋkoʊ/ ee-VAYNG-koh; born April 9, 2000) is an American classical crossover singer who has gained wide recognition at an early age.^[1][2]

Between 2008 and 2010, Evancho entered several talent competitions; made singing appearances, mostly in Pennsylvania; issued an independent album, Prelude to a Dream; and attracted interest on YouTube. Later in 2010, at the age of 10, she gained wider popularity with her performances in the fifth season of the America's Got Talent (AGT) competition, finishing in second place. With the subsequent release of her O Holy Night EP, she became the best-selling debut artist of 2010, the youngest top-10 debut artist in U.S. history and the youngest solo artist ever to go platinum. In June 2011, her first full-length major-label album, Dream With Me, debuted at #2 on American album charts, and she became the youngest top-5 debut artist in UK history. Billboard ranked Evancho the top Classical Albums Artist for 2011.

Evancho impressed composers Tim Janis and David Foster, each of whom included her in his concerts beginning in 2009. Foster later produced Evancho's album, Dream With Me, and subsequent PBS special for the television series, Great Performances. Evancho performed in front of U.S. President Barack Obama at the 2010 National Christmas Tree lighting in Washington, D.C. She is the ambassador for "Mission: Humane", a Humane Society program which encourages children's involvement in the protection of animals. She features songs from Dream With Me in a 2011–12 concert tour with symphony orchestras. Evancho released another studio album, Heavenly Christmas, in November 2011. The same month, she became the youngest person ever to give a solo concert at Lincoln Center in New York City. A national cotillion organization listed her as one of the "ten best-mannered people of 2011".

Early life[link]

Evancho was born to Lisa and Michael Evancho, who married in 1997.^[3][4] Her father operated a video security business until Evancho's singing and recording career required her parents' full-time attention.^[5] She has an older brother Jacob,^[6] a younger brother Zachary, and a younger sister Rachel.^[5] She was raised Catholic, attended Eden Hall Upper Elementary School from 2009 to 2010,^[7] but since she began to tour and record, she is cyber schooled.^[8] She resides in Richland Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her family and numerous pets.^[9][10][11] Evancho's interests include playing the violin and piano, and sewing.^[5][12]

Evancho's dedicated singing began just before her 8th birthday,^[13] after she saw the film version of the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Her mother purchased the DVD, and Evancho began to sing the songs around the family home.^[14] Her parents have said that they did not recognize that her voice was unusual until her first talent competition.^[15][16] In April 2008, her parents allowed her to enter the Kean Idol, a local talent contest.^[17] She finished as first runner-up;^[18][19] the winner was 20 years old. She began taking vocal lessons after her success in the contest,^[20][21][22] and her parents began receiving requests for her to sing at various events and nursing homes, mostly in Pennsylvania.^[23][18] She also started a YouTube channel^[24] and was a member of the Children's Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh during its 2008–09 season,^[18] as well as performing the title role in a 2009 school production of Little Red Riding Hood".^[25]

In January 2009, Evancho competed in Las Vegas in the 15th annual U.S.A. World Showcase Talent Competition, where she also finished in second place.^[18][7] She entered the 2009 Kean Idol contest and was again runner-up to an adult.^[17][7] She entered other talent contests,^[26] winning the Golden Ribby Award – WonderworldTV in April 2009^[27] and the Talent Quest TV Show in June 2009 (both in Massachusetts).^[28][29] Also in 2009, she sang "Ave Maria" in composer and conductor Tim Janis's PBS television special "Celebrate America"^[30][31] and performed in other concerts and TV shows with Janis,^[24] who sought her out after seeing her on YouTube.^[32][7] She also made various singing appearances around Pennsylvania in 2009 and 2010.^[23][33]

Career[link]

[edit] David Foster and Prelude to a Dream

Evancho in "David Foster & Friends" concert, December 29, 2011

Evancho first caught record producer David Foster's attention in 2009.^[17][16] After sending a video to him, she was selected for the regional semifinals of his “Hitman Talent Search Contest”, finishing as runner-up, and in October 2009 she sang in the "David Foster & Friends" concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.^[34][35][36]

In November 2009, Evancho released her independent debut album, Prelude to a Dream.^[37][38] The album featured mainly covers of songs such as Andrea Bocelli's "Con te partirò" and "The Prayer", Josh Groban's "To Where You Are" and Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel", and also included a rendition of "Amazing Grace", among other selections. It debuted in August 2010 on the Billboard 200 at #121 and at #2 on the Billboard Classical Albums Chart.^[39] Evancho's parents withdrew the album in September 2010, citing Evancho's vocal progress since its release.^[40] Since Evancho's success on America's Got Talent, the album has become a collector's item and an autographed copy received a final winning bid of $3,933.83 in 2012.^[41]

[edit] America's Got Talent

After two earlier unsuccessful auditions for the show,^[26] Evancho was accepted as a contestant on the fifth season of the America's Got Talent TV show (AGT) by placing first in a 2010 YouTube competition sponsored by AGT. On August 10, 2010, Evancho performed "O mio babbino caro" by Giacomo Puccini in the show's quarter-final round.^[42][43] She received a standing ovation after her performance and was awarded a trip to Universal Studios Florida for receiving the most fan votes of all the YouTube submissions to the show.^[44] Judge Howie Mandel said in his critique that the show sought to "find that one moment, that one gem, that one star from a place we've never looked before ... This is the moment. You're the star."^[45] After Evancho's performance, astonished commentators queried whether her performance had been lip-synched.^[46][47] On the next evening's live show, Mandel requested that Evancho sing an impromptu voice exercise as proof that the broadcast heard by the audience was Evancho's live voice.^[46]

Her semifinal performance was "Time to Say Goodbye".^[48][49] She advanced to the Top 10 round, where on September 7, 2010, she performed "Pie Jesu" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem and was voted into the Final 4.^[50][51] Pittsburgh leaders declared the following week "Jackie Evancho Week" in appreciation "for her positive representation of our city" showing "poise and determination well beyond her years".^[52] Her final competition performance was her rendition of Gounod's "Ave Maria" on September 14. The following evening at the AGT season finale, Evancho performed "Time to Say Goodbye" together with guest artist Sarah Brightman;^[53] then Evancho was announced as the runner-up, finishing second to singer Michael Grimm.^[54] Many viewers and commentators felt that Evancho should have won,^[55] and even Grimm expressed surprise.^[56][57] The show brought Evancho wide exposure to American audiences, as up to 16 million viewers watched her performances each week.^[58] The finale show was AGT's highest-rated episode in three years.^[59]

Evancho performed in 10 of the 25 cities in the America's Got Talent national tour from October 1 to November 5, 2010.^[60][61] On October 8, 2010, Evancho signed a record deal with SYCO music and Columbia Records.^[59] From June 2010^[46] until 2011, Evancho coached with voice teacher Yvie Burnett, a mezzo-soprano from Scotland, who has worked with many of Simon Cowell's acts.^[10][62][25] Tim Janis scheduled Evancho to perform in his show at Carnegie Hall in New York City on December 2, 2010,^[21][17] where she would have been the venue's youngest female vocal soloist.^[63] During the AGT tour, however, her parents withdrew her from the Carnegie Hall event;^[64] by the time of that event, Evancho had begun making promotional appearances for Columbia Records, with whom she had signed.^[65][66]

[edit] O Holy Night

Evancho's first release on a major record label was a Columbia Records EP entitled O Holy Night. It was released on November 16, 2010, and reached rank #1 on Amazon's bestsellers in music during pre-orders on October 19, 2010.^[67] It entered the Billboard 200 at #2,^[68] making Evancho the top-selling debut artist for 2010 and the youngest solo artist ever to debut in the top 10.^[69][70] It also launched at #1 on Billboard's Classical Albums Chart^[69][71] and the Canadian Classical Albums Chart.^[72] It was #2 on Billboard's Holiday Albums Chart.^[73] The album sold 239,000 copies in its first week.^[74] On December 10, 2010, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA, shipping an excess of a million copies in the U.S.,^[75] making Evancho the youngest solo artist ever to go platinum.^[76][77] Allmusic rated the EP 2-1/2 stars out of a possible five.^[78]