Tag Archives: pop

The Village People’s Iconic Cowboy Randy Jones Brings His Vocal Machismo To New Single ‘Hard Times’

Posted by Ayhan Sahin on
 
Tough times certainly come and go, but with the will to win, empowered individuals always land “on the right line.” That’s the overwhelming lyrical theme of “Hard Times,” the latest single from New York City-based indie label Young Pals Music. 
 
 
Leading the vocal charge on “Hard Times” is multi-platinum recording artist and American Music Award Winner Randy Jones, who is beloved as the iconic Original Cowboy from Village People. Jones, through a career spanning five decades, has sold more than 100 million singles/albums and garnered in excess of a quarter billion views on YouTube, thanks to “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” “Go West“, “YMCA”, and his solo efforts.  Add to that the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, alongside countless appearances in movies, TV and documentaries.
Randy Jones not only remains a fixture among New York City’s entertainment illuminati, but he is a gifted solo artist. Contributing to songwriter/producer Ayhan Sahin’s joyous full-length album “Pop,” Jones and his vocal machismo saddle up and stride atop an irresistible uptempo, tribal-world music inspired track, driven by an ultimately skillful chemistry of tasty acoustic guitars, complex pounding percussion and a chorus of saucy angelic voices. The song’s positive message is about being in the right place at the right time—to cross life’s finish line.
Jones sings, “Hard times, they happen all the time, we go on and on, gotta land on the right line/Hard times, they can destroy your mind, you must endure the grind, till you get on the right line.”
“Hard Times” is the unprecedented seventh release from “Pop.” Previous single “Another Bad Mistake” featured lead vocals which hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100, Disco, and Soul Singles charts in 1979.

from beloved disco act Anita Ward, renowned for her seminal No. 1 “Ring My Bell,”

In April, “Pop” was awarded The Akademia Music Award for Best Rock Song for previous single “Drink.” It offers 12+ diverse vocalists & musicians across a myriad of styles, including R&B & soul, dance, jazz, country and of course… pop.  All songs are co-written and co-produced by Sahin with hit songwriter Bernadette O’Reilly, who has also worked for three decades in artist relations, management and song placement.
Jones—presently working the success of his newly-released solo cd, MISTER RIGHT—says, “Ayhan has been an ally of mine and a fellow New York City musician for more than a decade. I’m a upbeat kind of guy and so is he. When he reached out to me to contribute to ‘Pop,’ come on, man… I smiled, he smiled and we were creating more than a little magic in the studio. Singing and co-writing “Hard Times” is definitely a meeting of the minds with its message about the struggle to be your best.”
Sahin adds, “I have so many great memories attending Randy’s weekly hosted events at Splash NYC, which drew thousands of fans, old and new. His energy continues to ignite generations. Then there’s that constant smile. Randy is such a perfect fit for ‘Hard Times.’ Yes, I am thrilled to have him on board.”
As a songwriter and producer, Sahin has achieved notoriety in pop, rock, dance and musical theater, while working with Olivia Newton-John, Melba Moore, Phoebe Snow, Broadway actress Bianca Marroquín, Turkish superstars Sezen Aksu and Sertab Erener, Sandra Bernhard and five “American Idol” finalists. He has appeared live on Telemundo, while Sahin’s music has been featured on CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Playbill, MTV, Yahoo! Music and “The Wendy Williams Show”; and heralded by USA Today, New York magazine, MTV and The New York Daily News.
Contact Info:
Mike at 917-693 2688
info@YoungPalsMusic.com

 

YoungPalsMusic.com

Summer In The City Gets A Little Hotter With Uptempo Pop Romp ‘L.A. Nights’

Posted by Ayhan Sahin on
NEW SINGLE FROM YOUNG PALS MUSIC!!
It has been celebrated by artists as varied as The Mamas & The Papas, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Kinks and Guns N’ Roses. And now the city of Los Angeles has a brand new sonic love letter, thanks to Ayhan Sahin’s “L.A. Nights,” released by independent label Young Pals Music.
 
Guided by a manifold of strings, the joyous, uptempo “L.A. Nights” opens with the revelry of classical guitars—a bow to R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” (courtesy of the acclaimed Rafael Cintron). The song then unleashes a cascade of plucky acoustic guitars and then a wondrous blur of electric guitars (from Dan DelVecchio). The latter two mesh in the song’s midsection into a kaleidoscopic force field that is ultimately part of the song’s defining calling card. 
 

Even so, it’s just as likely that the anthem’s maddeningly catchy chorus will live long in listeners’ heads—and speakers. Written by Sahin with Bernadette O’Reilly, he sings, “In the starry twilight, west of ‘cannot do it,’ Southern California stands/Facing towards the ocean, bonding with the people, urging everyone to dance/L.A. Nights, the city of lights will zap you right between the eyes, one little slice is like a never-ending ride, open your mind and find the secrets that unfold.”


Joining in the rollicking roister is a festive choir of background vocals from the likes of Broadway household David Keeley, renowned vocalists Keith Fluitt (Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Ashford & Simpson) and Jerri Bocchino (Phil Spector, John Lennon, Cher) and award-winning New York singer/songwriter Lina Koutrakos, alongside the instrumental finesse of Mike Sorrentino on drums, Carras Paton on bass and saxophone, Rafael Cintron and Dan DelVecchio on guitars, Rob Preuss on keyboard and Tom Gallaher on piano.
 
“I wrote this song as a tribute to my time living in Los Angeles in a different era,” songwriter and co-producer O’Reilly says. “I was just starting out as a songwriter in the ‘80s music industry and all things were possible. That inspired the lines, ‘Nothing’s in the way of the imagination, Letting every dreamer have a clearer picture of what’s inside the heart.’ For sure, once you’ve lived in Southern California, it never leaves your heart.”
 
Sahin adds, “I’m originally from Turkey—a long way from L.A.—but I spent summers on the warm and dreamy Aegean coast of Bodrum, where it is much like the U.S. West Coast. I loved bringing my memories of a similar land into singing Bernadette’s words.”
 
“L.A. Nights” is the sixth single release from “Pop,” the first full-length namesake collection from Young Pals Music founder Sahin—and one of the rare tracks featuring him as lead vocalist. The album was awarded two Akademia Music Awards for previous singles “Since You’ve Been Gone” and “Love Everybody” and Global Music Awards for “Drink.” The collection offers 12+ diverse vocalists & musicians across a myriad of styles, including R&B & soul, dance, rock, country and of course… pop. 
 
As a songwriter and producer, Sahin has achieved notoriety in pop, rock, dance and musical theater, while working with Olivia Newton-John, Anita Ward, Melba Moore, Phoebe Snow, Broadway star Bianca Marroquín, Turkish superstars Sezen Aksu and Sertab Erener, Sandra Bernhard and five “American Idol” finalists. He appeared live on Univision, MTV and on CNN, while Sahin’s music has been featured on and in CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Playbill, Broadway.com, Yahoo! Music and “The Wendy Williams Show”; and heralded by USA Today, New York magazine, MTV and The New York Daily News.
 
PREVIOUS SINGLES RELEASED FROM THE ALBUM POP

Iconic Platinum-Selling Vocalist Anita Ward Returns To Celebrate Pride 2016 With Empowering Dance Anthem “Another Bad Mistake”

Posted by Ayhan Sahin on
Issued by indie label Young Pals Music, the joyous disco single welcomes the summer of 2016

Alongside the global celebration of June as Gay Pride Month, the LGBT community’s momentous strides have a potent new party anthem from a voice that has been there since the beginning. As equality continues to become the undeniable law of the land, beloved platinum-selling dance artist Anita Ward is back with the single release of “Another Bad Mistake.” 
Her maddeningly catchy uptempo confection—which playfully acknowledges a relationship that might have betanter been left unrequited—is the latest release from New York City-based independent label Young Pals Music. The song was co-written and co-produced by Sahin with hit songwriter Bernadette O’Reilly, who has also worked for three decades in artist relations, management and song placement. Canadian singer/songwriter Karine Hannah is also a co-writer.
Opening with a force field of percolating, nervous and cleverly dissonant rhythms, “Another Bad Mistake” roars into a raucous frenzy of mad beats in the chorus, as Ward exclaims, “She turned my star-filled sky into rain, as the blood froze up in my veins, Cause she’s aimless and brainless… It’s dangerous how shameless you are/She was a bad, bad, bad mistake.”
Ward is, of course, renowned for her seminal No. 1 single “Ring My Bell,” which roared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, Disco, and Soul Singles charts in 1979. It also reached No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart, while striking the top 5 in a dozen other countries. And since, demonstrating the enduring appeal of her treasured hit, in 2002, Ward performed “Ring My Bell” in New York City’s Times Square as part of its official New Year’s Eve celebration. In 2005, she headlined New Year’s Eve on Beale Street in Memphis. She has also toured the world, including a heralded 2006 turn with comrades Chic, Village People, Thelma Houston and Rose Royce for the FIS World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia.

“Another Bad Mistake” is the fifth single release from “Pop,” the first full-length namesake collection from Young Pals Music founder Ayhan Sahin. In April, the album was awarded by The Akademia Music Awards as well as The Global Music Awards for Best Rock Song for previous single “Drink.” The album offers 12+ diverse vocalists & musicians across a myriad of styles, including R&B & soul, dance, jazz, country and of course… pop. 

As a songwriter and producer, Sahin has achieved notoriety in pop, rock, dance and musical theater, while working with Olivia Newton-John, Melba Moore, Phoebe Snow, Broadway star Bianca Marroquín, Turkish superstars Sezen Aksu and Sertab Erener, Sandra Bernhard and five “American Idol” finalists. He has appeared live on Telemundo, while Sahin’s music has been featured on CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Playbill, MTV, Yahoo! Music and “The Wendy Williams Show”; and heralded by USA Today, New York magazine, MTV and The New York Daily News.

OTHER RECORDS BY YOUNG PALS MUSIC RECENTLY RELEASED

Fourth Single ‘Love Everybody’ from Award-Winning Album ‘Pop’

Posted by Ayhan Sahin on

Issued by indie label Young Pals Music, the joyous pop anthem celebrates unity and diversity. 

To acknowledge National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in Turkey—an annual celebration that takes place each April 23—Young Pals Music has released the new single “Love Everybody.” This marks the fourth release from the upcoming album “Pop,” the first full-length namesake collection from Turkish-born, New York City-based songwriter & producer Ayhan Sahin.

The album “Pop” features 12+ diverse vocalists and musicians across a myriad of styles, including R&B & soul, dance, jazz, country and of course… pop. All songs are co-written and co-produced by Sahin with hit songwriter Bernadette O’Reilly, who has also worked for three decades in artist relations, management and song placement. She delivers the lead vocal for “Love Everybody,” with an upbeat rap from King James.

“This is a joyous pure pop anthem that unites all colors, all religions and all cultures in a world that remains too divided and saddled with discrimination.” Sahin says. “My partner Bernadette and I wanted to celebrate all the good things in life… our friends, family, pets and beloved places… for 4 fun-filled minutes.”

The production for “Love Everybody” revolves around a children’s choir that delivers the message of “L.O.V.E.” in each chorus: “Well you can love many people, doesn’t really matter how many people you love/Cause you can love everybody, every single body/Cause every single body needs love.” The track is an ideal accompaniment for elementary school instruction as well as a call for unity in what is a contentious election year in the United States. And adding to its delicious pure pop template, it’s no secret that the madcap song also draws inspiration from “Does Your Mother Know” by Swedish supergroup ABBA.

“Love Everybody” follows three previous singles from “Pop”: First, in December, was “New Year’s Eve At Home,” celebrating the joy of cozying up with loved ones, with full-on country flavor, courtesy of vocalist Christi Bauerlee. In February, rowdy break-up song “Since You’ve Been Gone” was issued, sung by award-winning rock singer/songwriter and film/Broadway actor David Keeley. And in March came “Drink,” about celebrating with a glass raised to the joys of life, love, family and all good things. Lead vocals for “Drink” are from veteran New York City-based singer and musician Denny Blake, whose credits include the Broadway musical “Movin’ Out.” All songs are available for purchase on iTunes.

The album “Pop” is the first namesake project for award-winning Turkish-born songwriter and producer Sahin. In April, he was awarded The Akademia Music Award as well as The Global Music Awards for Best Rock Song for “Pop” single “Drink.” Another single from “Pop” — “Since You’ve Been Gone” sung by David Keeley was awarded for Best Rock Ballad by The Akademia. Meanwhile, he has achieved notoriety in a range of musical genres, from pop, rock and dance to musical theater, while working with Olivia Newton-John, Mexican superstar & Broadway actress Bianca Marroquín, Melba Moore, Phoebe Snow, Turkish superstars Sezen Aksu and Sertab Erener, Sandra Bernhard and five “American Idol” finalists. He has appeared on Univision, while his music has been featured on CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Playbill, MTV, Yahoo! Music and “The Wendy Williams Show”; and heralded by USA Today, New York magazine, MTV and The New York Daily News.

In 2007, Sahin founded independent label Young Pals Music, through which he has released a dozen albums in less than a decade, including projects for Universal Records’ Karine Hannah, Chilean-American singer/songwriter Promis, MTV “Making the Band” finalist Adam Shenk, acclaimed Georgian singer/songwriter Tinatin, and Sony Turkey singer/songwriter/guitarist Emre Yilmaz.

All instrumentation for “Pop” was recorded live with renowned New York musicians, including Gene Blank on guitars, synth & keyboards from Rob Preuss, Mike Sorrentino on drums, and bassist Carras Paton. It was mastered at the legendary Sterling Sound.

For information, contact:

Ayhan Sahin at ayhan@YoungPalsMusic.com

917-693 2688