Author Archives: Ayhan Sahin
BIANCA’S ALBUM LAUNCH
May 13, 2014
Bianca’s first album “El Mundo Era Mio” was introduced to the press at a meet-n-greet and CD release party at La Pulperia in midtown Manhattan (371 West 46th Street). Young Pals Records International hosted the event at this elegant restaurant featuring rustic Latin cuisine from Chef/Owner Carlos Barroz and Victor Medina, La Pulperia offers Barroz’s simple yet refined cuisine from the countries of Latin America with European influences. The cocktail party was co-sponsored by Hiro Sake.
Bianca celebrated the release of her long-awaited debut album with guests that filled the room, including some of her colleagues from the entertainment industry like Latino heartthrob and recent “Mira Quien Baila” star Pedro Moreno, telenovela actress and “Bailando por un Sueño” judge Livia Brito, fashion designer and Velasco Couture founder Rogelio Velasco, singer and Aventura co-founder Henry Santos, and her co-stars from the Broadway hit Chicago, Brent Barrett, Amra-Faye Wright, Christopher Fitzgerald, Carol Woods …
This special day was only complete with some of her fans attending the party, where she gave away autographed CDs, while songs from her 11-track album co-written by Marroquin, Young Pals proprietors Ayhan Sahin & Dennis DelGaudio was echoing through the walls of the venue. Tom Gallaher, the album coordinator and Bianca’s long-time music director introduced her with a personal speech, followed by Bianca’s speech explaining the last 9 months when the album was conceived and the work put through during recording sessions.
Following the cocktail reception, media was invited to attend that evening’s performance of the acclaimed, Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre (219 West 49th Street), starring Bianca in her award-winning performance as merry murderess Roxie Hart.
BIANCA MARROQUIN RELEASES HER DEBUT ALBUM: “EL MUNDO ERA MIO”
Hispanic audiences are intimately acquainted with Bianca Marroquin. As a triple threat entertainer—singer, dancer and actress—she plays Roxie Hart on Broadway’s “Chicago” the musical, winning the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in a Musical at Washington’s Kennedy Center. She also won five awards from the Mexican Critics Association, including Best Actress. Theater roles at home include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Rent,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Vagina Monologues” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
YOUNG PALS MUSIC CELEBRATES 2013 WITH SIX NEW RELEASES, INCLUDING BEST-SELLING CD TO DATE
New York City-based full-service music label continues versatile musical palette with R&B, rock, pop, dance, musical theater & jazz projects over past year
Best year ever? It certainly sounds like it, judging the accomplishments that Young Pals Music/Young Pals Records International logged in 2013, its sixth year as a New York City-based full-service independent record label. Since its launch, the company—helmed by accomplished composer, producer and arranger Ayhan Sahin—has released more than two dozen albums and singles for its proprietary acts.
Leading the charge in 2013 was the August launch of Erica Jacob’s 10-track debut album “Extraordinary Woman,” with a standing room only live performance in Manhattan’s East Village. First single “Run,” shot by Christopher Holmes/Holmeswood Features on location in Long Island City’s famed 5 Pointz (the world’s premiere outdoor “graffiti Mecca”), fostered nearly 40,000 views on YouTube in its first month of release, while Jacob performed songs from the album at renowned venues in New York and Los Angeles.
In fact, Jacob’s “Extraordinary Woman” has become Young Pals Music’s bestselling project to date. With its abundance of pop, R&B and dance tracks, music journalist Chuck Taylor deemed the album “a joyous pageant of sing-along anthems, offering musical mastery akin to the 100-watt persona of Jennifer Hudson, and the vocal chops of Alicia Keys.” The disc also garnered praise from nearly a dozen media outlets in Sahin’s native Turkey, including the lofty phrase, “Ayhan Sahin is following in Arif Mardin’s steps.”
Young Pals Owner Sahin, who produced the album, notes, “This process felt so right from the first note. Erica is among the most talented, natural singers I’ve worked with. We spent three years recording dozens of songs before choosing the magic 10 to include on the album. Yes, I’m proud of the album’s success—but I also have so much pride in working with an artist I’m certain is going to be a name brand in the coming years.”
The label opened the year with a revised & refashioned double-CD soundtrack recording of “Swedish Style: The Musical,” a dramatized retelling of the break-up of Swedish super-group ABBA, originally written by Sahin and Selcen Pamuk in the 1990s. The new version comprises 14 songs from the show, mastered for licensed productions by theatrical groups and schools. It features a new NYC-based cast with a 13-piece live band & orchestra.
In July, Young Pals issued singer/songwriter Dacada Summer’s 10-song “Fourth And First,” chronicling the artist’s coming of age in the big city versus his Midwestern upbringing.
A month before, singer/songwriter Michael Gastaldi released five-song debut solo EP “I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You,” a true-to-life snapshot about love, faith, fate and life in the moment. The two acts frequently showcase their album tracks with live performances in various NYC venues, building up their fan base.
Another highlight of 2013—demonstrating Young Pals’ ongoing versatility—was the September release of “Casino Music” by The Swing Set with Alex Cook, featuring a nine-piece jazz big band, alongside the Rat Pack-inspired musings of its lead singer. Included with a regimen of standards are reimagings of modern pop songs, including Duran Duran’s synth-pop “Rio” as a bluesy piano-tinkling refrain befitting New York’s Rainbow Room, George Michael’s “Faith” originating from a 1920s speakeasy, and a Bacharach-inspired reworking of “More than Words” from rock band Extreme. The album has been doing very well on You Tube — over 200.000 hits since its release.
In the fall of 2013, Young Pals was notified that it was winner of a Best Of Manhattan Award in the Independent Label category for Music Licensing & Royalties. The annual contest is sponsored by the Manhattan Award Program, which showcases companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in the local community, while enhancing the positive image of small businesses.
Another highlight of the year gone by is the signing of an exclusive deal for Young Pals to produce, record and release the debut solo album from award-winning Mexican musical theater and TV actress Bianca Marroquin. The beloved superstar is the first Mexican actress ever cast in a leading Broadway role, as Roxie Hart in “Chicago.” Marroquin also serves as a judge for the Univision reality dance competition series “Mira Quien Baila” (the Spanish-language franchise of “Dancing With the Stars”).
And finally, in December 2013, Young Pals launched a new location for its 2C Recording Studios, relocating from Manhattan’s East Village to Tribeca.
Since its 2008 launch, Young Pals Music has released 100+ albums, singles and theatrical soundtracks, and four full-length original stage musicals. With its accompanying 2C Recording Studios in Manhattan, the label was born out of a theatrical troupe in Sahin’s native Turkey, evolving into a bona fide record label when Sahin relocated to New York at the dawn of the millennium.
Award-Winning Mexican Musical Theater & TV Actress Bianca Marroquin To Release Her First-Ever Solo Album
Celine Dion in NYC
Young Pals Music Receives 2013 Best of Manhattan Award
Manhattan Award Program Honors the Achievement
MANHATTAN October 4, 2013 — Young Pals Music has been selected for the 2013 Best of Manhattan Award in the Music Licensing and Royalties category by the Manhattan Award Program.
Each year, the Manhattan Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Manhattan area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2013 Manhattan Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Manhattan Award Program and data provided by third parties.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YoungPalsMusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/2CRecording
LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ayhan-sahin/19/893/4b1
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/youngpals
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/young-pals-music
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/ayhansahin2
Studio Blog: http://twocrecording.blogspot.com/
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/youngpals?feature=results_main
About Manhattan Award Program
The Manhattan Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Manhattan area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Manhattan Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: Manhattan Award Program
CONTACT: Manhattan Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@awardprogram.org
Music Video for Erica Jacob’s Single Release “Run” On Young Pals Music Is Launched On YouTube
Following the successful August 2013 launch of Erica Jacob’s debut album “Extraordinary Woman” on Young Pals Music, the New York-based singer/songwriter’s music video for first single “Run” is now featured on YouTube.
The uptempo kiss-off song “Run,” produced by Ayhan Sahin (Olivia Newton-John, Sandra Bernhard, Chaka Khan) was shot on location in Long Island City’s famed 5 Pointz, the world’s premiere outdoor “graffiti Mecca.” The site has become an immense canvas for sanctioned street artists from around the world, who have painted vivid works across the walls of a marquis 200,000-square-foot factory building and dozens of surrounding warehouses.
Making Jacob’s colorful videoclip all the more timely, 5 Pointz owner David Wolkoff announced that the beloved destination will be demolished at year-end 2013.
The artist was raised in Houston, singing in church and cherishing the gospel & blues of Ella Fitzgerald, along with the diverse talents of Judy Garland, Fiona Apple and Jeff Buckley. Eight years ago, she relocated to New York City, performing at Town Hall’s “Broadway’s Rising Stars”; in “Emma the Red” at the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre; and in numerous musicals, including “Scarlet Takes A Tumble,” “Confessions of a Reality TV Star,” “Angels” and “Dear Mr. Rosan.”
Since the release of “Extraordinary Woman,” Jacob has performed at numerous club spaces throughout Manhattan, as part of an ongoing promotional campaign for the album.
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“Extraordinary Woman” is digitally available on iTunes, physically available on Young Pals Music |
For information contact: Janet Castiel, Redwood Entertainment, Inc. — (212) 543-9998 — info@redwoodentertainment.com
“Extraordinary Woman” Erica Jacob Shows Another Side Of Her Prowess With Acoustic Set At Manhattan’s Hourglass Tavern
Erica Jacob ably demonstrated that every Extraordinary Woman has multiple layers, via her performance at Manhattan’s Hourglass Tavern on Sunday evening, September 15, 2013. On this second stop of her promotional tour—following the August release of debut full-length album “Extraordinary Woman” on Young Pals Music—the singer/songwriter delivered a powerful acoustic set that showcased a stripped-down version of the album’s full-on pop, R&B and dance production.
At Jacob’s album release party in August at the East Village’s Penny Farthing, she captivated a standing-room-only crowd of 150+ followers. On this night, the vibe was a creative change of pace at intimate Midtown performance space Hourglass Tavern—which has been a beloved showcase space for burgeoning talent and Broadway actors & singers for more than 30 years. And once again, she packed the comfy setting to capacity—with an approving roar that was as enthused as the previous venue.
The beauty of Jacob’s set at Hourglass was an opportunity for the singer to demonstrate her god-given vocal prowess unvarnished with the (appreciable) mainstream-driven production on her album. She sang alongside an organic four-piece ensemble— Tom Gallaher on piano, Jade Zabric on guitar, Daniel Jamieson on sax and flute and Nezih Antakli on percussion. How many of today’s commercially successful pop stars would dare to put themselves in such a position, right?
The acoustic set included a spirited new take on first single “Run,” and wondrously emotive re-rubs of ballads “Too Many Reasons” and “Falling”—proving Jacob’s stance as a diva with all the savvy of Jennifer Hudson—along with scintillating new arrangements of album cuts “Lost and Found,” “Kryptonite” and “Look What You’ve Done.” She also delivered a velvet-lined, sirenic version of Chaka Khan’s “Through The Fire” and a lush, easy-flowing reading of Eva Cassidy’s “I Can Only Be Me,” written by Steve Wonder. Two words: Damn, girl!
With each step forward, Erica Jacob proves that she is a talent as immeasurable as the fervor that pervades New York City—with a passionate and demonstrative voice that is as capable of reaching the high heavens as the Empire State Building.
“Extraordinary Woman” is available on iTunes. Physical album can be purchased through YoungPalsMusic.com
Erica Jacob Performing on Sunday, September 15 at the Hourglass Tavern
Accompanied by Tom Gallaher on piano, Jade Zabric on guitar. Daniel Jamieson on sax and flute and Nezih Antakli on percussion, the acoustic set affirms Jacob’s god-given talent as a vocalist, sans the appreciable abundance of pop, R&B and dance production that pervades the recorded version of “Extraordinary Woman,” which music journalist Chuck Taylor deemed “a joyous pageant of sing-along anthems, offering musical mastery akin to the 100-watt persona of Jennifer Hudson, and the vocal chops of Alicia Keys.”
The acoustic set will include her single “Run,” the album title “Extraordinary Woman,” the ballads
“Too Many Reasons” and “Falling” as well as album cuts “Lost and Found,” “Kryptonite” and “Look What You’ve Done” with their newly acoustic arrangements. Jacob will also sing Chaka Khan‘s 1984hit “Through The Fire” and “I Can Only Be Me” written by Steve Wonder and recorded by Eva Cassidy.
The event will take place at Hourglass Tavern in midtown Manhattan (373 W 46th floor 2 New York, NY 10036 – (212) 265-2060) on Sunday, September 15 at 8:00pm.