Owl City New Zealand

mommahootowl: This interview is so sweet. The interviewer is...

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:56:16 +1200

This interview is so sweet. The interviewer is obviously a serious fan of Adam’s work and really seems to “get” where Adam is coming from.

Also, Adam confirms that the Oreo jingle was done by others and he just recorded it but it is amazing to me how much it sounds like something he would have written.

Spring Newsletter! There are a few new items in the store, and...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:12:14 +1200

Spring Newsletter! There are a few new items in the store, and 20% off if you use the code OWLCITYSPRING!

Owl City's Oreo Commercial Has Him Feeling 'Wonderfilled'

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:02:08 +1200

‘Backstage, there’s always Oreos,’ Adam Young says of his new commercial for the cookie.

On Sunday night, sandwiched between the dour denouement of Don Draper’s latest affair and a whole lot of discussion about margarine on “Mad Men,” Oreo officially unveiled its brand-new “Wonderfilled” campaign with a cutesy, 90-second cartoon featuring a jingle sung by Owl City.

Over some seriously whimsical animation — seriously, it’s like Etsy exploded — Adam Young ponders the life-altering powers of the frosting-filled cookies (sample line: “Wonder if I gave an Oreo/to a vampire in creepy show/Would he not act so undead/Would he thirst for milk instead?”) And, in an era where most folks simply fast-forward through commercials thanks to the magic of TiVo, the “Wonderfilled” spot managed to stop and make people pay attention … which, is nice and all for Young; though, to be fair, he’s more interested in the message the ad conveys.

“They came to me with the idea of sharing wonder with the world, or making days brighter,” he told MTV News on Monday (May 13). “And those themes are similar to what I’m drawn to, musically and lyrically.”

Young said that the majority of the lyrics for the commercial were written before he even became attached to the project, and the whole process began more than six months ago (“There weren’t really that many changes,” he explained. “There was a line in there about Darth Vader. But I guess the people at Lucasfilm said ‘No’ to it.”) And though some cynics may scoff at the idea of an artist scoring a commercial spot, he said that he was honored to be considered … especially since he’s always been an Oreo man.

“I’m being completely honest when I say that I’ve always loved Oreos,” he laughed. “Whenever I go on tour, I always ask for them on my rider. Backstage, there’s always Oreos … so, aside from the themes of the commercial, to me, it made sense to do this.”

Of course, now that he’s involved with the new campaign (and a lifelong fan of the cookie) there’s one important Oreo-related question Young must answer: When it’s time to eat one, does he prefer the lick-and-twist method, or is he more of an “all-at-once” guy?

“Oh man, well, I guess I just sort of go for it all,” he laughed. “I eat the whole thing, though, you know, I take my time and make sure to savor it.”

youretheskythatifellthrough: “Owl City Brings Wonder to NYC...

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:55:53 +1200

youretheskythatifellthrough:

“Owl City Brings Wonder to NYC with the Wonderfilled Anthem”

(this is today 5/14 guys!)

snydergurl: Pop-culture Hit Owl City - The Morning Blend_May...

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:54:00 +1200

snydergurl:

Pop-culture Hit Owl City - The Morning Blend_May 14, 2013

dearvienna13: ‘Hey NYC! Just finished the Oreo Wonderfilled...

Wed, 15 May 2013 07:45:08 +1200

dearvienna13:

‘Hey NYC! Just finished the Oreo Wonderfilled sing-a-long. What a beautiful day for Wonder.’
~~I want one of those awesome shirts and oreos whyyy~~

OWL CITY PREMIERES COMIC BOOK THEMED "METROPOLIS" VIDEO

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:41:50 +1200

albumreviewtv:

Owl City has released his new comic book themed music video for “Metropolis”, one of my favorite tracks from his most recent album The Midsummer Station. Head below to check out the video for yourself!

Read More

Metropolis Music Video

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:37:24 +1200

adamyoungofficial:

Check out the new video for ‘Metropolis’ on JustJared.com!

Video

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:36:43 +1200

cumberbatchsolution: Wonderfilled Anthem- 2013 Oreo Advert,...

Mon, 13 May 2013 07:48:01 +1200

cumberbatchsolution:

Wonderfilled Anthem- 2013 Oreo Advert, Narrated by Adam Young

resetyoursilhouette: oh my god its gorgeous

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:42:06 +1200

resetyoursilhouette:

oh my god its gorgeous

Adam Young narrates an Oreo commercial

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:56:23 +1200

Adam Young narrates an Oreo commercial:

The other commercial, 30 seconds long, asks what would happen if “I gave an Oreo to somebody out there who I didn’t know.” The narrator wonders, “Would they laugh after I’d gone, or would they pass that wonder on?” (The narrator is Adam Young, who performs as Owl City.)

adamyoungofficial: Metropolis video coming next week!

Sat, 11 May 2013 08:11:52 +1200

adamyoungofficial:

Metropolis video coming next week!

Photo

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:11:18 +1200

mommahootowl: This was really weird. Someone posted the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:00:14 +1200

mommahootowl:

This was really weird. Someone posted the original “Alive’ that came from the German artist Schiller off of his album ‘Sonne” (Sun).

I thought I would check iTunes to see if it was available for purchase in the US as it wasn’t back in October (I much prefer buying music when I can). It was just released a few days ago! So for those who don’t have a copy yet, you can get a legal version for 99 cents. And for those like me, who downloaded from a tumblr post, please consider replacing it with the legal version.

I love this song!

Owl City Shaw Connect Interview (2013)

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:17:11 +1200

enchanting-road:

ShawConnect caught up with Young to talk about the adventurous album, the pop sensibility of his music and what life has been like since the release of his platinum debut Ocean Eyes.

“I used to hate pop music in high school for all the wrong reasons. I learned over the years to love it, at first I was more about the less fluffy stuff – that’s just where my mind goes, songs that are full of equations, metaphors. I’ve learned to love writing different pop tracks, there is a good simplicity I feel on this record,” explains Young.

When you’re a solo act the desire to “get it right” can sometimes daunt and excite in the same hiccup. Young found the challenge necessary, but rewarding all the same.

“At first I was a little apprehensive because I’ve only known how to make/do it solo, so there is something a little special when others come in, sometimes you can get too invested in what you create especially if you are a perfectionist – you fuss around with ideas and it can be exhausting. Working with other people helps you gain more perspective and see the product from the outside, the whole idea of collaborating is something I really think helped particularly on this record.”

“I find I’m always second guessing when I’m on my own because it’s all coming from the same mind, but working with other people it felt easier to go with an idea brought out from other folks in the room – I think it’s really healthy to learn how to do that. I’ve also never been good at saying no and you are in a way forced to be that way sometimes, but only when outside people are part of the mix, when it’s your baby you just can’t pretend you know?”

“Dementia” has a pop/rock dexterity and features support from a brilliant lad, Mark Hoppus of Blink 182.

“That was a huge dream come true cause I grew up with blink, pretty influenced by their music to be honest. I remember thinking ‘wow it would be good to get some of their style on the album’, but thought there was no way that was going to happen. My manager sent the track to Mark and he enjoyed it and then flew from London to get it done. I couldn’t believe it and was so honoured.”

As mentioned, Young didn’t always share a positive notion of pop music in general. Pop invariably can become synonymous with a negative rep’ just because it’s “popular music”.

“As long as there is radio and pop songs are played there is always going to be demographic, that sort of sub culture, which I was part of in high school. It could be the young college kids who just detest the idea of pop music, and that’s fine because I was there and shared that sentiment, but really, you are closing your head off before you even hear it and it’s a whole different world, I think it’s foolish to neglect the thought of liking it. It’s just the same as how you look at other people, what you associate yourself with. I think it’s okay for those who just hate pop music altogether, it will always happen, but for me I now see the beauty in simple pop songs – like Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” for example. I love that song.

Young’s musical career took off almost immediately following the release of 2009′s Ocean Eyes. Soon the small town Minnesota guy who worked for Coca-Cola was a much in-demand artist, catapulting such talent with tours and press.

“I live in a small town in southern Minnesota so when I’m back and out of the whole ‘big city mentality’ I absolutely love just walking in the woods, four wheeling, basically nothing that requires brain power. It’s cool because I spend so much time on tour that when I get home it feels like paradise.”

“The moment that I was able to quit my job for Coca-Cola was an amazing feeling, from that point until now I feel fulfilled. It’s such a happy transition, just even thinking about how many people I know don’t have that opportunity, I truly feel lucky and blessed and it was just about ‘doing it’ for me. I’m still about boundaries though, I still live in the way I know works for me, I’m really not about parading success around, it’s something I am so grateful for though. In the end though it’s still about trying new things, experimenting, producing music that brings people close either in a reflective way – good or bad.”

____________________________________________

Source: http://blogs.shawconnect.ca/music/talking-refreshing-pop-with-owl-city/

Photo

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:08:23 +1200

Adam Young: The more I create music and chase the high I get from it, the more I...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:32:40 +1200

Adam Young: The more I create music and chase the high I get from it, the more I...:

adamyoungofficial:

The more I create music and chase the high I get from it, the more I realize the worst thing you can do is become a prisoner of your own style. To do so places you under a tyranny of self-dependency to ultimately sustain yourself which is impossible, and without innovation or regeneration,…

adamyoungofficial: New video for ‘Metropolis’ coming soon!

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:32:35 +1200

adamyoungofficial:

New video for ‘Metropolis’ coming soon!

Hard work has paid off for Owl City

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:42:18 +1200

As a guy who started his whole career on his own, Owl City has made quite a name for himself, and I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing him over the phone last week before this Thursday’s appearance opening for Neon Trees and Maroon 5 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Owl City consists of the one (and the only) Adam Young, a guy from Owatonna, Minn., who used to work dead-end jobs, like loading Coca-Cola trucks, and composed music in his parents’ basement to battle his insomnia. After uploading his music to MySpace and YouTube and self-releasing an EP in 2007 and an album in 2008, he started to get noticed, and both recordings reached the top 20 on Billboard’s Electronic Albums chart.

A bit before Young was just Owl City, he produced music under the names Sky Sailing and Port Blue.

“Sky Sailing was some early acoustic music that I was writing — so no electronic anything, no production and no loops, and none of that stuff,” he says. “Just really stripped-down, simple, basic acoustic songs — some piano and whatnot, some strings.

“Port Blue, even before that, was just kind of my earliest experimenting with music, instrumental stuff, but, yeah, it’s always just been me doing my thing, regardless of the project, and just staying busy and just daydreaming.”

Young is well known for his hit single “Fireflies” (2009), which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He says he is very blessed to have that song in his catalog and “it’s still one of my favorite songs to play because everybody knows it and I can have the crowd sing the whole thing if I want and everybody knows every word and that’s such a cool thing. That’s so priceless, you know.”

As his career has progressed, he’s worked with more people and released three more albums and a few singles (some having been featured in movies). He enjoyed his second Top 10 single last year with the song “Good Time,” a duet with “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly Rae Jepsen.

“Her manager knew my manager and they kind of just turned us onto each other and I remember finding some of her music online before ‘Call Me Maybe’ had really taken over and thinking ‘Wow, this girl has got something really special,’ ” Young says. “I kind of just fell in love with her voice and her aesthetic and what she stands for and her energy, so I just asked her if she wanted to sing on the track and she said, ‘I would love to do that.’ ”

His most recent single, “Shine Your Way,” was recorded with Malaysian singer Yuna and appears on “The Croods” soundtrack.

“Yuna was such a dream to work with, as well,” Young says. “She’s got no ego and she’s down to earth and she’s just so sweet and innocent.”

Young is unsure about who he would collaborate with next, but, he says, “I have so much curiosity for music that is opposite of my own. I love to experiment with new stuff. I think that’s the whole point of being an artist and just creating, trying new things.”

Asked about the ongoing arena tour with Maroon 5 and Neon Trees, Young says, “It’s been going great so far. We’ve been gone for two-ish months now, but it’s been really great and I feel lucky to play with two other bands that are as great and as on top of the world as those bands are.

“I get to watch these amazing bands and be a part of such a cool night, night after night, for two months in a row around America. It’s pretty cool for me.”

He even says it’s great being the opening act “because you feel that energy in the room even though the room isn’t full and the fans aren’t your fans. Like, it’s a cool challenge to play the first slot because you’re still on your A game and you have to figure out how to do your best even though you don’t feel it in the room like you do when you’re playing your own show.”

Young acknowledges he does not remember his first show in Philadelphia but says “when we do come back to Philly, there’s always a great response. Just that part of the country is really great to us.”

He says he doesn’t have anything that is a specific inspiration for his music.

“I just have this kind of drive in me that … it’s like I can’t relax unless I’m just coming up with something new, just creating something. I don’t know, I hope that never goes away.”

He likens writer’s block to breaking up with a girlfriend “because I can’t make this thing work, and it’s like I’m trying to fix it and it just needs time to figure itself out.”

Other than seeming like a really cool, relaxed and interesting sort of person, Young was a pleasure to talk with over the phone. He is a really great singer and songwriter and one of my absolute favorite artists to boot and I am very thankful I had the opportunity to speak with him.

I am extremely excited to see him perform with Maroon 5 and Neon Trees tonight at my very first concert!