Jay Chou

Jay Chou ((traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún, born 18 January 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, director, and actor.

In 2000, Chou released his debut album, titled Jay (2000), under the record company Alfa Music. Since then his music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in regions such as Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and in the Asian communities of Western countries such as the United States and Australia. He has sold more than 30 million albums and has received numerous awards for his musical work. Chou has also written songs for other artists whilst working on his albums. In 2003, he was the cover story of Time magazine (Asia version), titled New King of Asian Pop, acknowledging his influence on popular culture. He has since held six world tours, performing in cities around the world to more than 10 million people.

Chou debuted his acting career in the film Initial D (2005); followed shortly by his role as the honorable son, Prince Jai, in the multi-nominated Mandarin Chinese epic, Curse Of The Golden Flower (2006). He has since ventured into many other movie projects, becoming known to western audiences when he made his Hollywood debut in 2011 with The Green Hornet, starring alongside Seth Rogen and Christoph Waltz. Chou also manages his own record and management company JVR Music.

James van Riemsdyk

James Frederick van Riemsdyk (born May 4, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Van Riemsdyk began his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, the organization that originally selected him second overall at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, before being traded to the Maple Leafs in 2012. Additionally, he has represented the United States in numerous tournaments.

His younger brother, Trevor, is also a professional hockey player in the NHL, currently with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Playing career

Amateur

Van Riemsdyk attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey, before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan for his junior year to play for the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP). Prior to that, he played from Mite to his first year of Midgets for the Brick Hockey Club in Brick. Although van Riesmdyk was born and raised in New Jersey, he was an avid fan of the rival New York Rangers.

Music

Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and with vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping, and there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses"). In its most general form, the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music (songs, tunes, symphonies, and so on), the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound."

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys are marketing campaigns for food and other products. Although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. Consequentially, YouTube has been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans and audiences.

GJan

Greta Jančytė (born 24 April 1995) better known by her stage name GJan is a Lithuanian singer and songwriter.

2010–11: Second Riot career and departure

From 2010 to 2011 Greta performed in the Lithuanian rock group Second Riot. They released two songs, "Memories" and "Stalk". In the summer of 2011 Greta left the band due to disagreements with the other group members. She was replaced by Neringa Banyte.

2012–14: Solo career beginnings and a one-year break

In October 2011, GJan published a cover of Katy Perry's song "E.T." on her YouTube channel. Later, on April 9, 2012 she released her first solo single "Not Afraid". On December 2, 2012 she released the song "Tattoo". She became known for her videos on YouTube. Her first hit single "Not Afraid" got more than 4 million views, followed by her second big hit "Tattoo" that received over 2 million views. Her third single "Need Your Love" was released on May 12, 2013. On November 17, 2013 she released the song "Now You". In 2012, GJan was nominated for the Best Music Video Award at M.A.M.A. awards, but lost to Jurga Šeduikytė. The following year, the singer was nominated for the Best Female Act at the same M.A.M.A. awards. In 2014, she took a year break to successfully graduate school. During the time, no new songs were put out.