Jimmy Fallon has officially replaced Jay Leno as The Tonight Show’s new host. His first episode was a star-studded success, which included surprise appearances from Joan Rivers, Kim Kardashian, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lindsay Lohan and Stephen Colbert. U2 performed outside of the G.E. building and Will Smith joined Jimmy onstage for a dance routine about the evolution of hip hop.
Denny’s engaged with night owls on Twitter through real-time marketing
Famous Night Owls
It was a big event in television history and famous people were watching too. Check out this Storify to see supportive tweets from celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and Michael Moore.
Favourite Songza playlist: That varies based on my context – where I am, what I’m doing, what I’m feeling. A playlist that I discovered recently and played on my way to work is called Sensitive Men of the ’90s.
Professional role model(s): We have a lot of mentors and advisors that are really close to the Songza family. My dad has been a very hard worker and has a very entrepreneurial creative spirit. He’s responsible for my love of music. He’s been incredibly supportive as a father and as a mentor my whole life.
What excites you about working at Songza?
We’re a very small tight-knit team here. Everyone’s got their own quirky personality and is very excited to be working on this product. It’s a real pleasure and honour to work with the Songza team, who are in many cases smarter than me [laughs]. I’m privileged to learn a lot from [them].
What is the culture like at Songza’s headquarters in New York?
We’re a quirky and weird bunch. Our office space is bare bones. We’re not one of those start-up companies that buy lots of expensive furniture or goes into the cool, hip area of town where all the other start-ups are. We’re in our own little place, away from the action, so we can keep our heads down and stay focused.
Why should music lovers download and listen to Songza?
Songza—more than any other service by a mile—is effortless to use. Without you having to give us any information, we’re able to accurately predict what you are doing and feeling and recommend expertly curated content that’s going to make that moment better. No other service is able to deliver that experience for free nor do they have the personality.
How would you describe Songza’s personality?
Songza feels like your much cooler friend who always knows the right thing for every moment.
You’ve previously described Songza as a “lifestyle enhancer.” How has your lifestyle changed since Songza launched?
My life has changed immensely since launching the Songza business because everyone that I know now uses something I’ve created in their daily lives. In addition, I’ve been able to garner the attention and respect of a lot more people in the music and technology industry, as well as celebrities who now use Songza on a regular basis.
In terms of how Songza as an application has enhanced my life, I listen to a lot more music than I ever could have imagined. New moments in my life have been identified as moments that could use a soundtrack.
If Songza could partner with any brand(s), which brand(s) would you pick?
We would be most excited about working with Nike and Lululemon. Both are really great brands that started as athletic wear brands and have established themselves as lifestyle brands. People think of Lululemon and Nike as brands that are great at curating for their life, not just yoga and running. Their clothing and apparel is for athletics and fashion. I think both companies do a really great job at listening to their consumers and serving them with things that will make their life better. That’s very much in line with what we’re trying to do at Songza. Working with brands like that would add value to the user experience on our service.
“The Prismatic World Tour is coming to light up some of my favorite North American cities this summer, as well as some new cities that you introduced me to through your video requests,” said Katy. “This colorful show will bring you all the songs you know as well as ones from my new album, PRISM.” Colourful would be an understatement though. Last time I saw Katy Perry, there were inflatable beach balls tossed around and “colourful” barely begins to describe her wardrobe.
Katy Perry’s coming back to Toronto this summer, so you can bet there will be thousands of fans roaring with excitement at the Air Canada Centre in July. Opening acts will include Capital Cities, Kacey Musgraves and Tegan and Sara, although unfortunately my favourite twins (aside from Mary-Kate & Ashley) will not be joining Katy in Toronto. Instead, local Katycats can watch Capital Cities perform hits like Safe and Sound.
Leandra Medine and I have a few things in common: we’re both brunettes with blogs who love New York. We also celebrate the same holidays, but that’s an inside joke between us.
On Thursday afternoon, I went downtown for a meeting (read: interview) and then created a workspace at Aroma. Meanwhile, Leandra appeared on The Social and chatted with fashion journalists about her new book, Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls.
Eventually my battery drained and instead of finding a new seat with an outlet, I dashed to Holt Renfrew. As for my outfit of the day, my Michael Kors trenchcoat protected me from the rain and helped me look polished and colourful. Have I mentioned that sometimes you can spot me as the girl in the red trenchcoat?
Anyway, FASHION’s online editor Randi Bergman interviewed Leandra and then the book signing began. I was grateful for a fast moving line that still allowed for ample face time with the author. While she wrote a personalized autograph with a gold Sharpie, we talked about Instagram and The Coveteur. It was just another conversation about social media and style. No big deal.
After meeting June and the Bee at Aspetta Cafe in Kensington Market, I was delighted when the band’s lead singer Emma agreed to do a Behind the Band interview.
What makes June and the Bee’s music unique?
We write our music using our lives as a malleable creative substance from which to draw upon. We play from a place of infectious joie de vivre and are utterly unconcerned with being anything other than what we are.
What can you tell readers about your songwriting process?
As a trio we all bring an ingredient. My brother, Eli, is the melody guy. While he plays, words are usually jumping down from the shelves of my mind and arranging themselves into lyrics. Lyric writing happens all the time. My way of processing an experience is turning it into a song. Zoe, our third member writes the wonderful harmonies. Her technical background in classical music grounds the band in an awareness of dynamics and all those elements that may seem miniscule but are responsible for the song being something we love to sing. As we have continued to grow as a band, we have started to share the different roles in the songwriting process.
Professional role model: Carrie Ferguson
When we first entered the folk scene, Carrie took us under her wing, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the essence of pure joy when playing regardless of the stresses and pressures the road ahead could present. We pride ourselves in being able to tend to that creative joy and let it radiate through our music. This joy is detached from the ego and is more about collectively sharing than about individual self-worth.
What is your approach to promoting the band?
I manage the band’s social media, regardless of the fact that I have historically been ‘living under a rock,’ so to speak. We love to keep things as personal as possible. Being from a small town, you know everyone. We want to invite all of our fans to be a part of our musical family. We usually just send out our mailing list via carrier pigeon. so if one morning you hear a tap on your window…you’ll know we are in town. If you are a part of the Facebook world, Like us because we adore you!
