#Colin Michie

[artist-issues]

OR...can you only relate to characters who have the same set of experiences/culture/beliefs/traits/issues as you? I know you can relate better than that.

Reminds me of that scene in Community's pilot where he breaks a pencil named Steve, and a part of everyone dies.

You can relate to Simba even though you're not a lion, you and your family have never ruled over any country, you don't have a red-orange mane or tail, and you don't eat bugs.

You can relate to Spider-Man even though you don't live in New York, you weren't bitten by a radioactive spider, and you haven't grown up in a world of super humans, and you aren't black or white etc.

You can relate to Barbie even though you're not a living doll with no genetalia who neither eats nor drinks and floats to the ground every day.

Get off the "representation matters" point. Representation of humanity is the only thing that matters in storytelling, because humans can all relate to anything based on what we have in common, not what makes us special.

"we NEED representation in media" why does everything have to be like you. didnt the fun of stories used to be going somewhere and experiencing something totally new and outside yourself. why does everything have to be comfortable and easy and ego-stroking

[nomeancity]

So, with Tumblr communities being a thing now, would anyone be interested in a Taggart community?

I'm not expecting this post to get much attention. But even if only a couple of people express interest, I'll make a request to create a Taggart community.

[spryfilm]

Blu-ray review: “The Adventures of Merlin” (2008 - 2012) 

“The Adventures of Merlin” (2008 – 2012)  Television / Fantasy Sixty Five Episodes Created by: Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy Featuring: Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Anthony Head, Richard Wilson, John Hurt and Nathaniel Parker [introduction to each episode] The Dragon: [voiceover] “In a land of myth, and a time of magic, the destiny of…

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

Today I am delighted to present you the series you were able to choose thanks to the survey done on my Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) last Saturday and that is ... Oh no, I'm not going to tell you just like that! It's a series created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy (yes, that's a lot of people!) in 2008 for the BBC. Need more clues? It's a medieval fantasy series that revisits a great myth. Do you have it yet? Yes, of course, I'm going to tell you about the Merlin series!

To begin with, I'll give you a short synopsis: In medieval times, in the Kingdom of Albion, King Uther Pendragon has banned the practice of magic. Merlin, a young magician sent to the castle to be educated by Gaius, must hide his extraordinary powers in this age of terror against magicians and sorcerers. Propelled as Arthur's valet -the son of the monarch Uther Pendragon and future sovereign- following a fortuitous combination of circumstances, Merlin has sworn to protect his lord Arthur at the request of Kilgharrah -the dragon secretly imprisoned beneath the castle of the monarch Uther Pendragon. And a short technical presentation : Created by : Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy. Music by : Rob Lane, Rohan Stevenson, James Gosling and Michal Pavlicek. Main cast: Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, Katie McGrath, Richard Wilson, Anthony Stewart Head, John Hurt.

Merlin is a freely-adaptated story of the Arthurian legend that largely rewrites its roots. Over the course of 5 seasons and its 65 episodes, the creators and screenwriters have attempted to modernise the themes of the original legend, including the following examples from the first episode:

Uther Pendragon -played by Anthony Stewart Head- governs the kingdom of Camelot which, in the legend, does not exist under his reign.

Merlin -played by Colin Morgan- and Arthur -played by Bradley James- are approximately the same age, which is not the case in the Arthurian legend.

Morgana -played by Katie McGrath- is the ward of King Uther and Arthur's adopted sister.

Guinevere -played by Angel Coulby- is the mixed-race daughter of a black smith and works in the castle as Morgana's lady-in-waiting instead of being the daughter of the King of Carmelides -a clan federated by Arthur- in the legend.

And there are other alterations that I'll leave you to discover as the series progresses (although I'll talk about some of them below but I'll warn you when I will)!

I realise that, for people familiar with the legend, this can be very confusing and even unpleasant. But, if you manage to put aside your pre-watching knowledge of the subject and give the series a chance, I think you might just enjoy it all the same.

The main cast of the series - although different from what you might expect - has been meticulously chosen. The characters may differ in character from those in the legend, but there's no denying the acting ability of the cast. Some of them were well known before the series, such as Anthony Stewart Head -notably known for his roles in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in the film The Iron Lady alongside Meryl Streep and more recently in the TV show Bridgerton -, John Hurt -notably known for his role in the Harry Potter saga, in the film V for Vendetta and more recently in the Doctor Who series- and Katie McGrath -notably known for the King Arthur: The Legend of Excalibur movie, the Tudors series and, more recently, the Supergirl series which I'll talk about in a later article. However, the revelations that turned out to be Bradley James and Colin Morgan are not to be outdone either. As for the guest actors and actresses, many of them are well known to the British public, and some even to international audiences. Indeed, actors such as Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), Tom Hopper (Umbrella Academy), Tom Ellis (Lucifer) and Warwick Davis (Harry Potter, Willow, Leprechaun, Star Wars) have enjoyed successful careers since Merlin went on air (and some even before that) and are recognized as major talents internationally. Whether they are recurring, main or guest actors, the unity formed by their complicity both on and off stage helps to make this cast a family with its affections, tensions, passions and losses. The relationship between Merlin and Arthur, despite their complicated beginnings and the fact that their social positions put them on different levels of equality, is a brotherly one. Merlin, on his mission to protect the future King Arthur, will do everything in his power to learn how to live at court and make himself useful to Arthur, who, for his part, will come to recognise Merlin's usefulness at his side and will develop a great affection for him, albeit tinged with teasing. Even during their quarrels, the bond that unites them always leads them back to each other, and to me, this is a fine illustration of a brotherly friendship. The bond between Merlin and Gaius is also important and touching, because, in the series, Merlin was raised by a single mother and Gaius acts as a father figure to him. Indeed, Gaius protects and educates him as best he can. In the end, a real bond and understanding develops between the old man and his apprentice, and I think it's important to show that a parental figure is not necessarily linked to a blood relative.

However, there was one aspect of the actors' performance that I didn't like, but I think that has more to do with the artistic direction than the acting ability of the actors: I'm talking about the fight choreography. I'm aware that sword fighting or even hand-to-hand combat isn't easy, but that's precisely where I think they should have been better choreographed to make the various battles that take place throughout the series more believable. Indeed, when we talk about the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, these epic stories are often punctuated by numerous battles. It was only natural, then, that when I watched the series I expected big, strong, rhythmic and carefully choreographed battles. Unfortunately, in my opinion, most of the fights, especially the sword fights, failed to live up to these expectations…

I'd also like to say a few words about the different filming locations. Pierrefonds Castle in the Oise region in France, near Compiègne, was one of the locations used for the Camelot Castle set. This 14th-century fortress is open to visitors and many of the sets for the series can be seen there.

The series was also filmed at Goodrich Castle in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, on Penshurst Place in Kent in England and in Wales. The fact that the majority of the sets are real means that the use of special effects - especially green screens - has limited, as the series ages, the diminution the quality of the images.

Speaking of the quality of the images, I'd like to talk very briefly about the special effects used on the series. As a fantasy series, Merlin necessarily uses special effects to symbolise the magic and mythical creatures that inhabit the kingdom of Albion. The computer-generated images were produced by the British team The Mill, whose credits include the special effects for Gladiator and Doctor Who. However, the quality of the effects varies depending on what is being represented. As long as the effects remain minimalist, such as smoke or a change in the colour of a character's eyes, they have aged well and remain effective in their own right. But as soon as they are more important, such as a fall caused by magic, a physical transformation or the animation of a dragon (this is not a spoiler, the word dragon appears literally in the name Pendragon), the effects have generally aged rather badly, look a little crude and, let's be honest, quite ugly…

On the other hand, one of the aspects of the series that I liked the most was the work that went into the characters' costumes. From what I've been able to see and learn in the course of my research, the costumes chosen for the characters by the series' costume designer, Charlotte Morris, are fairly faithful to the armour and court dress worn in the period that the series aims to reflect. One detail, however, bothers me personally in this temporal cohesion, and that's the cut of Merlin's brown jacket. I find that this jacket, which appears to be made of nubuck, seems too modern, too recent to blend in with the atmosphere that was intended to be created.

Let's take a look at the changes that have been made to the Arthurian legend! BEWARE OF SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH! In the series, Merlin -who in the legend is a druid and in the series a magician- is Arthur's valet, to whom he hides his magical powers while using them to save his master without his knowledge. He is the son of a single-mother and farmer called Hunith and his father is unknown. It was Hunith who sent Merlin to her friend Gaius, a physician in Camelot's court and a former magician. In the legend, Merlin's parentage differs radically from one version to another. Speaking of the origins of the legend, an anecdotal but noteworthy fact is that even Geoffrey of Monmouth appears in the series as a court genealogist. The real Geoffrey of Monmouth (1095-1155) did exist, and he is known to have been the first to write a very extensive version of the Arthurian legend that served as a model for all later Arthurian stories. Finally, in the most remarkable changes, Morgana, who is Arthur's adulterous sister and Morgause's consanguineous sister in the legend, is in the series Morgause's adulterous younger sister and Arthur's consanguineous older sister. END OF SPOIL. All these changes have enabled Merlin's authors to modernise the various themes and make the series more accessible to a wider audience. They also took this opportunity to slip in a few nods to the British literature to which the Arthurian legend belongs.

Finally, as usual, I'd like to end with the series' soundtrack. It was created by Rob Lane, Rohan Stevenson, James Gosling and Michal Pavlicek and for me it's one of the series soundtracks that best fits the genre of this one. Unfortunately, the link I've provided is missing a lot of tracks, but there are enough for you to get a good idea.

That's it for this article on the BBC series Merlin (2008). I hope that if you were reluctant to watch it, I've been able to help you in your choice. And for those of you who have seen it, let me know what you think and whether you agree with me.

Don’t forget to keep an eye every Saturday on my Instagram account (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) if you want to be able to choose the subject of the next article!

Until our next adventures, I wish you a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead,

Eli.

[unscharf-an-den-raendern]

Ich hab auch was: Ich guck grad Pauline (Serie bei Disney+, Sira und Lukas von druck und auch Michi aus staffel 22 spielen mit, schaut es wenn ihr d+ habt!!) und Pauline trägt so 'ne gestreifte Hose, die verdammt ähnlich aussieht wie die von Joel und Colin.

se verfolgt uns. Die ganze Zeit.

Eine Kinderserie hat unser Leben ruiniert.

[the-ultimate-spaceboy]

Michi came over to introduce her parents to Yuri since they were visiting, getting a bad feeling when she knocked on the door. Luckily Leaf wasn't there right now so she currently has no clue as to what's going on. (ask-leaf)

Colin was the one to open the door, looking at Michi and immediately sighing. “Sorry, Michi...if you were looking for Mr. Kagarin...he not there... He kidnapped again and we currently looking for him...”

He looked worried, in the background Nadia and Drake were sitting on the couch and looking on a laptop screen together.

@ask-leaf

[vulturehound]

10 Years On: Merlin – The Diamond of the Day

10 Years On: Merlin – The Diamond of the Day

(more…)

[lucidpantone]

Which actor is the strongest|best acting wise in your opinion across the remakes for their portrayal of the Isaks, Evens, Williams, Nooras and Vildes?

Purely based on acting delivery and canonically available seasons 

Eva: Alba Planas | Eva SkamEs ( Suus De Nies | Isa is great too but we only got 2 seasons and 4 with Eva)

Noora: Nicole Wallace | Nora Grace Skam Es (Honestly its mainly because her portrayal is so different)

Isak: Michelangelo Fortuzzi | Matteo & Willem Herbots | Robbe (It honestly comes down to personal taste with these two I think Michi slightly edges Willem out but we are basically splitting hairs at this point because they are both monsters).

Sana: Hajar Brown | Amira/Jonas (but this slightly feels unfair because she got way more screen time then Tua El-Fawwal because Hajar was Jonas too)

Vilde:  Lula Cotton-Frappier | Daphne (Look Lula is insanely talented but major applause for Lea Zoe Voss | Kiki) Jonas: Ludovico Tersigni | Gio

Madhi: Robin Migné | Arthur  Magnus: Paul Scarfoglio | Basile (But special shout out to Nicholas Zerbini | Luchi SKAMIT)

William: Nathan Naenen | Senne

Even: Willem De Schryver (Willem closes out Rizha by one clip and thats Vrijdag 23:31)

Chris: Coline Preher | Alexia (I am counting Cris Soto Pena in with the Isaks) 

[jon-astronaut]

hi! i don’t know if you already answered this (and im so sorry if you did!) but i was just wondering what your favorite and least favorite portrayals of all the skamverse characters were and why?

oh hi anon! i haven’t actually answered this ahahha all day i only answered when people told me their faves and never counted mine. this might take a long time to answer because i have to think and reply so long so sorry for replying late in advance...

eva:

favourite is lisa. she just started the whole thing and she was so real and authentic in her portrayal like everything she did felt so fitting with eva nothing less and nothing more. i would give a special shoutout to ludovica just cause she is my fave eva and i think she added a good comedic acting and edge to her character.

least fave might be alba not because she did so bad but because i didn’t connect with her character much. idk either the acting or the writing didn’t resonate with me she felt a little too plain. but maybe i need to do a rewatch. and anyway she grew on me.

noora:

favourite is nicole. she showed us how much nora faded away and a hollow ghost of her came forward throughout her seasons. the change in nore is apparent even in her posture, her tone.

least fave benedetta. kinda ironic because skamit is one of my top 2 remakes but yeah she didn’t work on me at all in s3. i didn’t buy most of her scenes which is a shame because she was good in s1 and she had good chemistry with the edoardo actor.

isak:

favourite is tarjei, definitely. there was something about his portrayal that made me feel like watching a documentary and no remake reached that level. he was so nuanced and a lot of his emotions were in the little mimics, looks and gestures. axel and michi are a close seconds.

i can’t choose a least fave here. i mean i like all the isaks in their own way. i don’t think any of them were like bad. i wish we got to see florian too. or or if we are counting lucas rubio is a isak remake then alejandro isn’t good as the extra clips show...sorry.

sana:

favourite is tua. she had the heart eyes for mohammed, she had such easy chemistry with him. but then she played amira’s anger and her pain and her pain through her anger in the henna party and the break up with mohammed so well.

least fave ugh maybe assa? this probably has more to do with the writing then her acting but idk there was something there that didn’t communicate her relationship with sofiane or her anger to me.

jonas:

favourite anselm. i literally spent the day praising him...the thing is while michi and lilly are easing into their roles in s1 anselm already seems to portray jonas so well. like he is so relaxed and natural in his role. and then he added a ton to jonas with his softness and his funny side. kudos to the breakup with hanna + coming out scene. with ludovico as a close second because he made giovanni his own too.

least favourite nathan bouts. i swear this has less to do with writing and more with acting. i find him similar to reiky’s jonas and while reiky communicated the loveable asshole vibes to me nathan didn’t. maybe he had better material to play with in s3 it would be different.

william:

favourite is nathan. i might like alejandro's william more as a character but nathan did the best with the not much changed storyline. he literally took the william we saw in og and added so much dimension like the softness with zoe, his voice when he is defending his views, his anger towards his brother chef’s kiss. chris veres is the close second here i mean even his comedic delivery is everything.

least favourite thomas. while trying to have him be this cold, popular guy i think he didn’t actually played well mostly just stood there with no expression. and that’s just no.

even:

favourite is henrik. really shows his power how no one was able to top him yet. i think in praising tarjei we forgot him but like i talked about all day THE LOCKER ROOM SCENE and how much he communicated with his eyes yup.

least favourite maxence. like i said he started bothering me on the rewatches and i realized they relied too much to his looks and natural charm of the actor. i might be biased here about rocco’s acting because i like nicco and marti and nicco so he is not my least fav.

yousef:

favourite is hassan who plays mohammed. maybe it’s because he had more heated arguments with amira about religion and their ‘breakup’ was more painful so i liked his portrayal much more. he just put something into the character like he defended his beliefs with as much fierce as amira.

least fave is lucas nabor who plays dani because spoiler! dani is yousef in skamesp. i will give him the benefit of the doubt maybe by the end of the season i could like his acting more and he does have good heart eyes but right now i don’t vibe with his acting much.

vilde:

favourite is lula. suffered through s6 for her acting’s sake (and for flavie’s) and she is just so good. the pain is in her eyes throughout s6, her breakup with basile was so heartbreaking. but also in earlier seasons she got daphne’s energetic and naive self so well.

least fave is nona who plays amber. idk i don’t vibe with amber and since wtfock cast put a lot into the characters even when writing is bad i think it’s more of her acting issue. it feels like there isn’t anything to her character and amber feels so one dimensional.

chris berg:

(not counting irene here) ah i would say fave is coline. i think she is the chris character that got the most material to play with (maybe why she is my fave) and she did the best out of it. but her scenes in s5 especially the one where she opens up is so nice i could read her emotions on her face.

least fave is nonexistent? i mean most of the time the chris character doesn’t get stuff to act with so like i cannot really judge the actors much when i haven’t seen much from them. and i just vibe with all chris versions.

mahdi:

fave is robin. s5 of skam fr might have gone downhill but robin had a really good performance that only got better throughout the season. especially the ending of the first ep where he looks over the street with his hearing faded away just the look in his eyes wow. honorable mention arda because his little improv lines with louis is amazing. he steals the backgroudn.

least fave again nonexistent because aside from robin and maybe francesco they didn’t get stuff to play with. i mean how can i judge dilan’s actor’s ability?

magnus:

fave is paul. his comedic timing is everything!! and most of that is improv so additional kudos. the way he stole a lot of background moments in s3!!! and s5 and s6 showed how well he could do drama too. when arthur tells him about his hearing the way his face crumbles - wow.

again no least fave because they don’t get material. like i may not like aaron as a character but i cannot say the actor does a bad job when he has to play one side of a character.

i think that about covers everyone!!! naturally i didn’t do anyone from druck or skam france new gen because this was just the versions.

i am so sorry that this is too long......but i cannot just name actors and not explain myself come on. and thanks anon for asking this i enjoyed typing out this a lot!

i also discovered something my fave version of the character doesn’t equal to my fav portrayal always. like nora isn’t my fav noora but she is my favourite portrayal. but jonas augustin and giovanni are my fav jonas characters interchangeably and anselm is my fav portrayal with ludovico following behind.

anyway let me know what you think about my answers!

[filmposterzine]

FILM POSTER ZINE CONTRIBUTOR LIST

Hello, again! We would like to introduce to you guys the contributors for the Film Poster Zine! With 50 artists on this project, we are nothing short of excited to see what’s in store for this zine. 

Contributors’ links are on our carrd as well as below! 

MANON twtr | ig  ◾ SAMMY twtr | ig  ◾  CAM twtr | ig  ABBEY  twtr | ig  ◾ MARIE twtr ◾ QU twtr | ig ◾ KATHERINE  twtr | ig ◾ NIK twtr | ig ◾ ANGELINA twtr  ◾ MARGAUX twtr | ig | tmbr  ◾ PELCRON twtr ◾ CONNOR ig  ◾ JONNY twtr | ig  ◾ BRI twtr | ig | tmbr  ◾  CINDY twtr | ig ◾ REN twtr | ig  ◾ VALERIA twtr | ig ◾ STEPH twtr | ig | tmbr  ◾ DAN twtr | ig  THEO  twtr  ◾ NICOLE  twtr | ig ◾ SILVI twtr | ig ◾ COLIN LAUREL twtr | ig ◾ STEPH C. twtr | ig  ◾  BASIL twtr | tmbr  ◾  IVY twtr | ig  DOL AY twtr | ig | tmbr ◾ LUCY twtr | ig | tmbr ◾ JENNY twtr ◾ MICHI twtr  ◾ SHANIA  twtr  ◾ ALICE twtr | ig  ◾ JR twtr | ig  ◾ JORDAN twtr | ig  ◾ GICA TAM twtr | ig  ◾  JAMES  ig | tmbr  ◾ ALAN  twtr | ig  RUIRIEL twtr  ◾ ZI XU twtr  ◾ IVAN  ig  ◾ RK twtr | ig  ◾  LUCAS PEVERILL twtr | ig  ◾ JACKSON  ig  ◾ MINH twtr | ig  TAYLOR twtr | ig  ◾ A.C. twtr | ig | tmbr ◾  DES twtr | ig | tmbr  ◾  ARLEI twtr | tmbr  ◾ MARCEL twtr 

[bbcmerlinvault]

[Press release] “Richard Wilson and Anthony Head lead cast in Merlin, a fantasy drama for BBC One”

first published by BBC Press Office on 17th March 2008. 

[Original source]

(the following is a copy/paste of the article and then screenshots)

Press Releases

Richard Wilson and Anthony Head lead cast in Merlin, a fantasy drama for BBC One

Category: TV Drama; BBC One; Wales

Date: 17.03.2008

BBC Drama and Shine Limited today (Monday 17 March) announce that filming has begun for Merlin, a brand new drama for BBC One.

Acclaimed British actors Richard Wilson (Gauis) and Anthony Head (Uther) will star alongside newcomers Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James (Arthur) in the forthcoming 13-part series, which will transmit in autumn 2008.

Set in the mythical city of Camelot, in a time before history began, this adaptation of the much loved tale focuses on Merlin as a young wizard on the cusp of adulthood and his ongoing clashes with a young King Arthur.

Merlin is produced and created by the International Emmy Award-winning production team behind Hex and Sugar Rush – Julian Murphy, Johnny Capps, Jake Michie and Julian Jones.

The show will be directed by James Hawes (Fanny Hill). Executive producer for BBC One is Julie Gardner, BBC Wales Head of Drama. Merlin was commissioned by Jane Tranter, Controller, BBC Fiction.

Julian Murphy, Creative Director, Shine Limited, said: "The BBC are renowned for their high-quality drama and we are delighted to be working with them on such an ambitious project. The story of Merlin is a much loved classic and with the new take that this version adopts we hope to appeal to all audiences."

Jane Tranter comments: "The writer Julian Jones and award-winning team at Shine have delivered scripts which are bold and original, entertaining and enchanting, and director James Hawes's bravura vision for this piece is perfectly suited to the adventure we are all embarking upon. Merlin is a wonderfully ambitious and beautifully crafted series which we're sure will enchant families later this year."

Filming for Merlin will take place in Wales, England and France and the series will transmit on BBC One in autumn 2008.

Merlin joins an impressive stable of diverse and exciting BBC One drama commissions for autumn 2008 including Little Dorrit starring Matthew MacFadyen, Apparitions starring Martin Shaw, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Survivors and Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh.

DR/MW

[nomeancity]

Taggart reunion photoshoot to celebrate the 40th anniversary

[detournementsmineurs]

Colin Morgan dans le rôle de Merlin dans la saison 5 de "Merlin" série créée par Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps et Julian Murphy (2012) et inspirée des légendes arthuriennes, septembre-octobre 2018.

[wowsirs-film]

MERLIN

CREATED: Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy 2008-2011 STARRING: Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Bradley James, Katie McGrath

GOOD FOR: bingewatching, homoeroticism, comically bad cgi WARNINGS: fantasy violence, comically bad cgi, generally just. not great quality

[ask-leaf]

She kept looking around, hoping to find something, asking around to see if any of them knew where she could find Dr. Marcel.

"Because I didn't know how else I could contact someone. Yes, Yuri is a robot now. And I don't know myself what's going on. I just...want Yuri to be back to normal...I don't like him being this way..." She took a moment to regain herself, "Sis? Are you referring to Nadia? What's going on with her? Also, I'm sorry to be bothering you right now...I just...didn't know what else to do right now..."

Michi had figured out something was wrong with Yuri rather quickly, covering Leafs eyes and blocking her from seeing him right now, "Yuri, what happened?" (ask-leaf)

He gasped: “Two new friends at once? How great! Give me a moment please, I need to perform my face scan!”

His eyes moved for a moment, it looked more like a camera or a doorspy than anything, before they lit up: “…Michi and Leaf, correct? Hello there! You already know my name? What a delight! What happened? I was sent by Doctor marcel to spread happiness across the world and that is what I am doing right now! I am always happy to make some new friends!”

@ask-leaf

[shemakesmusic-uk]

This segment features artists who have submitted their tracks/videos to She Makes Music. If you would like to be featured here then please send an e-mail to shemakesmusic@hotmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Christine Baird

While living in Park City, Utah during her high school years, Christine Baird had the opportunity to be the lead vocalist in the bands the Crescent Super Band and the Soul Research Foundation. Christine then moved to New York City to pursue a degree in Musical Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College where she studied with Broadway legends and honed her craft as a singer and actress. After college, she booked a contract as a principal vocalist on Viking Ocean Cruises and spent 2017 exploring the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas by day and performing musicals and cabarets for guests by night. Upon her return to New York City, Christine hit the ground running with her music career. She began writing more original music, performing solo gigs throughout the city, and found success as a singer in the party band circuit in the tri-state area. She spent a large majority of 2020 recording and producing her debut EP, Sense of It All, out March 5. The lead single, 'Alone Tonight', has prompted recent listeners to describe Christine as "Country Celine Dion." Christine has this to say about the song and the EP: "'Alone Tonight' was written a couple years ago and made into a very minimal demo with my producer, Ashton Corey, as somewhat of a side project. However, in 2019, I played some live full band gigs featuring all of my original music. It was then that I contacted Ashton and expressed my desire to produce a full EP, with 'Alone Tonight' going on to become the first single. Sense of It All features songs that reach every edge of the country music genre from blues to rock to folk and back, tied together by my southern rock/soul-styled vocals. We set out to make an album of music, featuring an incredible group of international musicians, that felt organic and sonically spacious. With Sense of It All, the intention was always to make music we love and I can guarantee we accomplished that! 'Alone Tonight' was produced with Mutt Lange's style of production––specifically his work with Shania Twain––in mind, with the intention of achieving the big sound that defines country music of the late 90s/early 2000s." Listen below.

Christine Baird · Alone Tonight - Single

XUP

XUP (pronounced Zoop) is Lane on the mustang bass, drums, and vocals. Formerly the bassist and founder member of The Chelsea Girls (who later became Nine Black Alps), Lane began to record and perform as XUP in London in 2008. Then in 2015 she returned to Manchester, where she continues her post-punk journey. XUP has produced six albums and her latest - Feed The Wolf Inside, was released on August 23, 2020. 'Feed The Wolf Inside' is the third and final single from the XUP album by the same name. "'Feed The Wolf Inside' is a  primal creature that shape-shifts between predator and prey and dances between the chase and the kill. It creeps into birth, life, death and all the sick and twisted love songs that fill the deep, dark spaces in between," explains Lane. The song was written, arranged and produced by XUP and was recorded at the start of the apocalypse at Cherry Vitriol Studios, Manchester. Additional sound production and mastering comes courtesy of Him In That London. Listen below.

Carsen Gray

Hailing from Haida Gwaii, BC, Carsen Gray is indigenous (Haida) and mixed descent and is no stranger to a life of art, music, and entertainment. In 2017 Carsen Gray released her debut self titled album. Carsen Gray is a fresh artist that is stunning Canadians across the Nation with her soulful lyrics, sexy style, captivating voice and energetic sound. Passionate about songwriting and creative new sounds, Carsen is sure to entertain fans that yearn for relatable lyrics, and upbeat songs that make you want to dance. "My late friend wrote 'Little One' for my dad and me, and I fell in love with the lyrics," says Carsen of her latest single. "The song really made me think about my children and the love I have for them. How children come into the world so perfect, pure and innocent, but somehow our hearts become hardened as we grow older and experience the hardships of life. He always wanted me to sing one of his songs. I really didn't know how it was supposed to flow, or the melodies he had in mind, but it just came out naturally and without much thought. I know he would have been proud to hear it. Children are born with faith, love and trust but for many, those beautiful qualities are slowly taken away, resulting in the current broken generation. As parents, we need to protect them; to be their nurturing and guiding presence along paths of hardships, troubles and sorrows. I think about how God thinks of us in this way, as his precious and beloved children. He knew us before he knit us together in our mother's womb. We are his little ones too. I hope this brings you comfort." Listen below.

Joce Reyome

Allow Canadian artist Joce Reyome's new single 'Cross My Heart' to transport you to summertime. This will be one to listen to at max volume, driving in the car on a comfy summer night. "When I was first starting to write my own music, it was very tame and folky, just me and an acoustic guitar," says Joce. "I really wanted to explore other genres, and started listening to some Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Earl Hooker to feel that sound that comes from an old soul. And all of a sudden, this straight blues idea came to mind, and I said "Damn! I gotta get on this!" It was a fantastic experience working with Erin Costelo and Colin Buchanan (Paper Lions) on this song. In my day-to-day life I am very easy-going, almost to a fault. When it came time to say "yes" or "no" or "I don't like that" during recording, I struggled a bit. But I learned very quickly that only I know what I want it to sound like, and nobody is going to know if I don’t tell them!" Listen below.

Joce Reyome · Cross My Heart

Clara Jones

Clara Jones is a mainstay of the Montreal music scene, having played everything from JazzFest to Osheaga with the indy-trio, Motel Raphael. After nearly a decade of work, including two studio albums and two North American tours with the band, for the first time, Clara Jones is breaking out as a solo artist, with her single 'Ordinary Person,' a deep and emotional examination of the human experience. Clara Jones provides a space for everybody. Her country-folk background inspires deeper dives into her music’s subject matter, with a focus on lyrical depth. But, most importantly, her songs are fun and energetic. Clara on 'Ordinary Person': "You know the feeling when you're lying awake at night in a spiral of anxiety and can't understand why the regular stressors of life are so intense for you? When you begin to compare your problems with others and find yours unworthy of the 3am despair you're feeling? It isn't rational, but I think it is something we've all gone through this year. I wanted to illustrate that slice of life with my new single, 'Ordinary Person.' You are not the only one engaging in catastrophic thinking, and I hope this song can be a comfort through this." Listen below.

Clara Jones · Ordinary Person

Michy Tree

Michy Tree is a Berkshire-based alternative/indie musician and she had just released her second single 'Floating House'. 'Floating House' is an alternative, indie-pop track. It was created, written, produced, mixed and mastered by Michy herself. "'Floating House' is about living in London by myself and being consumed by the feeling of loneliness," she says. Listen below.

Hayley Biegel

New York based singer-songwriter Hayley Biegel has released her new single 'what you forgot'. Produced by fellow badass, queer singer-songwriter Skyler Cocco, this song is an epic sonic journey with influences from Coldplay, Phoebe Bridgers and Fiona Apple. This song came about when Hayley was reckoning with the suicide of a beautiful young woman in her life. The phrase 'what you forgot' encompasses all the good qualities about yourself and all the things you love about the world that slip away from you when you’re trying to keep the darkness at bay. Hayley wrote this song to explore the duality of being strong and vulnerable in the face of adversity. Fierce and soft. Listen below.