When your co-worker offers you a couple of tickets to a live taping of American Idol’s Season 12 finale show, what do you do? It wasn’t a tough choice at all, really. I chose to go. AI is one of the most prolific music shows in pop culture history, so I did not mind checking out what all of the hype was about. Plus, we at The Pearl Mic love live shows anyway, so it was an instant “yes, yes, yes!”

The day of the show, Thursday, May 16th, in downtown Los Angeles, between Pico and Olympic, the streets were bustling with police officers, security, AI fans, and AI staff carrying stiff folders and walkie-talkies. Since we already had our tickets, everything was easy breezy upon entry, and we had pretty decent seats. We got there an hour early, around 4:00pm, taping started at 5:00pm. The place was already packed with dedicated fans that brought posters with love-laced greetings for the judges and AI contestants. The show’s crew was milling about the place to make sure equipment was testing well for taping.

10 minutes before airing, the hypeman came out and prepped the audience for the live show. When Ryan Seacrest brought his pretty little self out, that’s when we knew the show was going to get started. Shortly, the judges were escorted out to the panel. Observations: Nicki Minaj is a mini cutie. Mariah Carey is stunning. Randy Jackson has a very unique sense of style. Keith Urban has amazing hair.

The performances were a lot of fun, everyone did a decent job, in my opinion. You see performances on television, but hearing them in person proves how talented these people are. The standout performances were Emeli Sandé and Amber Holcomb’s “Next To Me” duet. Don’t laugh or log off when I tell you this, but Psy was good too. In a clumsy cool way in his performance for “Gentleman”. Proving that he indeed is THE “mother-father-gentleman”! Jennifer Hudson and Candice Glover ‘s “Inseparable” duet was so soul-stirring I thought I was in church. Lastly, Angie Miller and Adam Lambert’s “Titanium” duet was phenomenal. Jesse J even hopped in on a duet with Angie, flaunting a new hairdo à la Amber Rose.

Other honorary highlights were appearances from Frankie Valli, Aretha Franklin, Travis Barker, Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull.

All in all, I have much respect for the real superstars that we did not get to see — the lighting and set design crew. What is great about going to live tapings is that you see how great or awful a show can be right before your eyes. Each performance was like a fantastic light show. It was quite fascinating to see.
We were so disappointed that Mariah Carey and Keith Urban did pre-recorded performances. Oh, and Randy Jackson is leaving Idol. That’s all.
Honestly, throughout the taping, we knew that Candice Glover would win. Just got that vibe, and guess what, she did.

*Sorry we do not have photos, we were not allowed to take cameras and phones inside.

Having just completed her schooling at Brit of the Performing Arts & Technology, where Adele, Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, and Jessie J honed their skills, she is ready to follow her predecessors footsteps.

Check out the track and let us know what you think:

anitanicole.com

Spotted at HighSnob

“I wanted to make all of the creative artistic decisions but I wasn’t the one paying for it. And they didn’t fully trust me to make them,” she says. “Every decision was a battle. It was exhausting. I wanted to be in a position where not only was the music fully my body of work, but everything thereafter was also my body of work. I knew that meant I had to leave and that I had to struggle.”

“I have a mother who never took no for an answer when it came to her creative pursuits,” Solange says. “She started a hair salon in her spare bedroom and four years later had 30 employees. I have a father who was the first black student at his junior high and high school and had to do a lot to get to that point. So it’s really in my bloodline when it comes to having an idea and making it happen.”

“When I’m home, I’m just straight mommin’ it,” Solange says of life in Brooklyn, which revolves around 8-year-old Juelz. “School runs, play dates, soccer games, etc. You have to constantly fight for that balance and now I kinda got it under control.” After a hectic few weeks on tour, she’s looking forward to leaving town with Juelz later today for a two-week vacation—a week in L.A. and a week in New Orleans, where she feels very, very at home. “I go to crazy bounce clubs,” she says. “I eat crazy po’ boys, drink daiquiris. I ride my bike a lot.”

Read the entire interview on COMPLEX.com.

Plus, she connects with Kendrick Lamar for the remix of “Looks Good With Trouble” from her True EP:

If you love listening to music on the go, Beats By Dre has just released the cutest little music device that’s chic, portable and syncs with your phone. Beats have teamed up with Nicki Minaj to create the Pink Pill wireless speaker which is available for purchase exclusively at AT&T retail stores nationwide and online at att.com.The Pink Pill has features you can use such as:

•Big sound – This wireless and cord-free device produces powerful sound. You can hear soaring highs and deep booming bass in every room of the house.
•Change tracks from your phone – Or your laptop, or any other Bluetooth®-enabled device from up to 30-feet away. You can roam, and always have high-quality sound near or far.
•Portable – You can set up anywhere since it’s lightweight, and small enough to fit in whatever you’re carrying out the door.
•Bluetooth conferencing – The Bluetooth capability and internal microphone allows you to take calls.

Price: $199. Also available in Red, Black and White.

YouTube Vlogger, Maya Washington aka Shameless Maya, created an anthem for the curly-haired girls around the world called “I Don’t Care (Frizzy Hair)”. She grabbed a few friends of all hair types to celebrate their varied textures of kinks and curls.

This video comes at a great time for Maya who just shaved off all of her hair to show that beauty is beyond one’s hair.

The song is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Lianne La Havas

“This subject really interests me. I knew that I was brown, let’s say, but I never felt like I belong necessarily to any racial group. At school, there would be a lot Muslim girls hanging out with other Muslims and a lot of African and Jamaican girls hanging out together. That was never my thing: to be part of a group that you’re the same as. A lot of it was music related too, like goths and grunge kids. I was with the group that wasn’t with any other group. It had an African girl, some very English girls, a Bangladeshi girl, and it didn’t really matter. We all knew where we came from, we knew our parents were from different places, we just thought that we were all hilarious and we hung out with whoever we thought was the funniest. Doing what I do now and seeing the plethora of creeds, colors, and religions I’m reaching with the music I’m making—it’s amazing. This is going to sound cheesy, but I think the beauty of music is that it doesn’t see color. The kind of music that I’m doing comes from many different worlds. I like to think that it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Read the rest of the interview here.

Hello All: Here is a link to a piece that I was ‘required’ to release immediately, by virtue of the impending legal deadline. I love being able to reach people directly, but in an ideal scenario, I would not have to rush the release of new music… but the message is still there. In light of Wednesday’s tragic loss (of former label mate Chris Kelly), I am even more pressed to YELL this to a multitude that may not understand the cost of allowing today’s unhealthy paradigms to remain unchecked! -MHL

Freddy Hefner,22, calls herself a “Strapper.” First image that comes to mind is a gun-blasting vixen, but no, it simply stands for “singer-songwriter turned rapper”. The Los Angeles native just graduated from St. John’s University, and plans to display her versatility as an independent artist. She recently sent us a couple of new tracks, “The Come Up” and “Imaginary Friend,” from her second EP, Time Machine.

The Come Up

Imaginary Friend

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