Music Notes with Jess

Kelly Clarkson has been busy lately. As she celebrates her birthday on 4/24, I discuss her experience as a coach on The Voice, successful daytime talk show, postponement schedule, and 3 of her new songs. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Used: "Dark Side", "Catch My Breath" (2012), "Born to Die" (Trolls World Tour), "I Dare You" (2020) - Kelly Clarkson "Skyfall (Live)...

In 2019, NBC debuted a new music competition show for songwriters: Songland. Find out who created Songland's concept, the show's format, and the celebrity artists appearing in season 2. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Used: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" - Eurythmics (1984) "Apologize" - Timbaland feat. OneRepublic (2007) "All the Right Moves" (2009) & "Good...

iHeartRadio DJ Bobby Bones, turned 40 on 4/2/20. Within the last decade, he's accomplished amazing media achievements in radio, podcasts, books, music, TV, and comedy. In this episode, I cover his media career. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Used: "Radio" - Darius Rucker (2013) "American Idol Theme" - Julian Gingell, Barry Stone, & Cathy Dennis (2002) "Somebody...

"Sweet Caroline" is a classic Neil Diamond song from 1969. He changed the lyrics in a recent video about washing hands due to the Coronavirus. In this episode, I share how Neil Diamond pursued the music industry as a songwriter, and the pop culture references "Sweet Caroline" has been used throughout decades. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Used: "Sweet Caroline" (1...

Springtime is my favorite season. Whether you're spring cleaning, working from home, or observing the weather, here's 10 songs I chose for springtime's themes. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Spotify Mentioned: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4sPltaqc9oGpqbnnW4oneC?si=uSeCrKxwSxe_kTIZS90fIA 10. “That’s All” - Rod Stewart (2002) 9. “Rainbow” - Kacey Musgraves (2018-2019)...

Maren Morris is a modern country/pop singer, who recently made Billboard history with her song "The Bones." In this episode, I flashback her music career, discuss what inspired "The Bones'" lyrics, and how significant its recent chart history is. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Used: Maren Morris: "My Church", "80s Mercedes" (2016), "I Could Use a Love Song", "Rich"...

Katy Perry revealed she's pregnant at the end of her new music video "Never Worn White", and will release a new album this summer. To celebrate both, I countdown 15 songs I like from her career. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Spotify Countdown Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ErqOJsOnTihyumUiHQBLW?si=Ur5e7-wyTvOM6doRFcQ2Rw 15. “Chained to the Rhythm” (feat. S...

Nick Jonas joined America's syndication of The Voice as a coach. In this episode, I explain the show's format, and recap all 14 singers that have been a coach in its 9 year run. Songs Used: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena "What a Man Gotta Do" (2020) & "Cool" (2019) - Jonas Brothers "The Voice Theme Song" - Martijn Schimmer (2011) "Lost Stars" - Adam Levine (2014) "Memories" - Ma...

My favorite singer Janet Jackson, announced a "Black Diamond" tour and new album. Let's flashback her discography from 1982-2018. Songs Used: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena, "Rhythm of the Night" - DeBarge Janet Jackson (1982 album): “Young Love”, “Say You Do” Dream Street (1984) : “Don’t Stand Another Chance”, “Two to the Power of Love” (with Cliff Richard), “Fast Girls” Control (1...

Love it or hate it, it's Valentine's Day. I countdown 14 specific songs that I lyrically relate to. 14 Songs for Valentine's Day Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3SIzur0LJI6MKTjDRJHM5R?si=aHaIHUXlRzy2_oT5jd2oiA Theme Song: “Dance Track”, composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Used: "Teenage Dream" - Katy Perry (2010) "Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)" - Fergie (2006-2007) 14. “Sittin’ Up in...

After seeing friends and family do a Facebook Challenge about concerts, I decided to share my answers in this podcast episode. Superlatives: First Concert, Last Concert, Best Concert, Next Concert, Loudest Concert, Seen the Most, Most Surprising, Most Disappointing, Wish I Could Have Seen. Songs Used: Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena American Idol Top 12 (Season 7): "Freed...

Football fans look forward to the Super Bowl every year, but what do you know about its halftime shows? In this episode, you'll learn the history behind halftime shows, hear clips of memorable performances, and the marketing decisions that get made for it nowadays. Songs Used: "Gym Track", "Jammin'", "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena "Hello Dolly (Live)" - Pearl Bailey & Carol Chan...

For the 62nd Grammy Awards, I made predictions of 10 categories: Best New Artist, Best Pop/Duo Group Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best R&B Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Country Album, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Grammys 2020 Predications Ballot: https://www.facebook.com/m...

Learn about James Bond, its movie titles, actors who've played him, my 7 favorite Bond songs, and the singer chosen to sing the new theme song. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Mentioned: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/01kqhoGQazcdPXtVvB4QBT?si=e2b286c831be4bd1 7. "Writing's on the Wall" - Sam Smith (2015) 6. "Goldfinger" - Shirley Bassey (1964) 5. "Skyfall" - ADE...

Learn about late R&B singer Aaliyah's family, relationships, singing career, tragic death, and tributes. Songs Used: Aaliyah: "Journey to the Past" (1997), "At Your Best (You Are Love) (Remix)" (1994), "My Funny Valentine (Live at Star Search, 1990)", "Back & Forth", "At Your Best (You Are Love)", "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" (1994), "If Your Girl Only Knew", "One in a Million", "4 Pag...

Happy New Year! Time to finish our countdown from Episode 12. Here's a playlist of the countdown: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3cW2mjBhhpEKdShgzONa5a?si=YQea3LbeQGWbCTwC_iGAzg Songs Used: 40. “Lose You to Love Me” - Selena Gomez 39. “I Was Wrong” - BAILEN 38. “The Game” - Mayer Hawthorne 37. “Good Thing” - Zedd feat. Kehlani 36. “Call You Mine” - The Chainsmokers feat. Bebe Rexha 35. “Good Vi...

Year-end countdowns have been a huge trend this month; not only to recap 2019, but also because entering a new decade! To follow the tradition that radio stations and music programs do, I rank 40 of my favorite songs of 2019. In this episode, I countdown 40-21, and do 20-1 in episode 13. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena Songs Mentioned: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3c...

This week, Mariah Carey's 1994 hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You" became #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart! Find out why and how this happened, its historical significance for Billboard, and what influenced this song's creation. Songs Used: "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Joy to the World (Celebration Mix)" (1994), "Vision of Love" (1990), "Emotions" (1992), "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)...

On 12/13/19, Taylor Swift turned 30! I countdown 20 songs I admire from her career, and tell you how she spent her 30th birthday. iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball 2019 aired on The CW Network and their app on 12/19/19. Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena. Taylor Swift Songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7k7L27tpuUNt8kN8EjlQz8?si=9qDFeuKLRxSAMiiGSEBmiA 20. “Highway Don’t Care” -...

🎶It's the holiday season🎶, and I picked 25 obscure holiday songs to get you in the mood. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3OJG0UFzH5fQQ5UyP0dl2x 1. "Something About December" - Christina Perri (2012) 2. "She's Right On Time" - Billy Joel (1982) 3. "What Christmas Means to Me" - Stevie Wonder (1967) 4. "Christmas in New York" - Joe (2012) 5. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"...

In this episode, I discuss snubs, celebs nominated in special themed categories, and which popular and indie musicians were nominated in specific genre categories. Grammys 2020 Awards: Sunday, January 26th: 8pm/e on CBS. Songs Used: Theme Song: "Dance Track"; "Gym Track", "Ambient Piece", "Jammin'", "Hip-Hop Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena "Cinema" - Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go Grammys 2020...

American Music Awards are voted by fans. In this episode, you'll find out how the AMAs debuted, and my predictions for this year's show. The AMAs aired 11/24 on ABC, ABC's streaming platforms the day after broadcast. AMAs 2019 Predictions Ballot: https://www.facebook.com/musicnoteswithjess/posts/137996257614703 Follow us on Facebook , Twitter, Instagram , and Spotify playlists.  

I "announce" my predictions for the 53rd CMA (Country Music Association) Awards. Categories: Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Best New Artist, Musical Event of the Year (Collaborations), Vocal Group of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year. The 53rd CMA Awards aired 11/13 on...

I interview my mom's history with Queen, talk about the biopic’s long creation process, and the success it has received. Queen Songs Used: "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) "White Queen (As It Began)" (1974) "Cool Cat" (1981) "All Dead, All Dead" (1977) "These Are the Days of Our Lives (Live)" - George Michael & Lisa Stansfield (Freddie Mercury's Tribute Concert, 1993) "C-lebrity" - Queen + Paul Rodg...

Halloween and Halloweekend are always fun with music. I'm known for curating playlists for trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood using creepy sound effects, thrilling TV themes, scary movie soundtracks, and pick Halloween themed songs sharing that same spooky vibe. Sound effects taken from Soundscape's Pottery Barn Halloween CD (2001) SongsMentioned: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1pyaEwHT1ecTCr...