I've never really been a huge Rihanna fan, but Boyce Avenue has always had a way of making me like her songs.
The first time it happened was shortly after I discovered them on YouTube. I came across the video for their acoustic cover of "Disturbia" while browsing their YouTube channel. Then, I found the videos for their covers of "Umbrella" and "Hate That I Love You."
Check these out....this is vintage Boyce Avenue!!
UMBRELLA
HATE THAT I LOVE YOU
DISTURBIA
There's also a mash-up that they did of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around" and Rihanna's "Rehab" that is pure genius:
musicality: (noun) Tastefulness and accomplishment in music
In January of this year, they released a cover of Rihanna's "Only Girl" (a collaboration with the VERY talented Alex Goot.) I have always hated that song. I wanted to like it, because it had an awesome beat, but the lyrics were so raunchy, I couldn't bring myself to like it, let alone love it.
Then it got Boyced.
Alejandro changed the lyrics and turned what I thought was an incredibly shallow song into one of the most romantic covers they've ever done.
Boyce Avenue's cover of "Only Girl" completely changed the way I viewed Alejandro as an artist. I had always been impressed with him, but my admiration and respect reached new heights with his take on "Only Girl." It is one of my favorite Boyce Avenue Covers. I love the lyrics, I love how it picks up when the cajon kicks in on the second verse....I just love everything about it.
I have come to trust that when Boyce Avenue covers a Rihanna song, I'm gonna end up liking it in spite of myself. Their new acoustic cover of "We Found Love" is no exception....with Alejandro on the piano, and Daniel rockin' the cajon, it was bound to happen.
To purchase these and other songs from Boyce Avenue, including their original album All We Have Left, click on the album titles below, or visit www.itunes.com/BoyceAvenue.
Boyce Avenue released the official video for their original song "Dare To Believe" last weekend. The song was written by Alejandro Manzano. Here's what he has to say about "Dare to Believe" and what it means to him:
If you've ever found yourself in a moment in your life where you have to make a life-altering decision, and you just feel like you've hit rock bottom, and deep inside you know something has to change, this song is about that pivotal moment where you try your best to turn it all around for the better. You might fail...you might succeed....that's irrelevant. what's important is that you dared to try."
This is easily my favorite original song by Boyce Avenue, for very personal reasons. I've kinda been going back and forth for the past week, trying to decide how much of it I want to share here on the blog. I finally decided to just sit down and write whatever comes to mind, so please forgive me if this post is a little bit disjointed.
"Dare To Believe" really resonated with me the very first time I heard it. It was a different version of the song, on Boyce Avenue's first album, All You're Meant To Be. At the time, I was married, but my marriage was not happy....in fact, it had just started to really fall apart when I first discovered the guys on YouTube. My husband and I both had people close to us, friends and family, telling us that it wasn't worth it,and that we should just call it quits and go our separate ways. It was so frustrating for me, because I still believed in us....I believed that if we could just forgive each other for all the wrongs we had done and somehow get back to why we fell in love to begin with, that we could somehow heal the wounds in our marriage.
When I heard "Dare to Believe" for the first time, the lyrics seemed to represent everything I was feeling at the time. I listened to it over and over again and held on to the hope that somehow, everything would work out.
Less than a year later, the marriage ended. I returned to Seattle, where I had spent most of my life, and started over. I felt incredibly hopeless and I was so depressed. I had fought so hard to make the marriage work, and I had failed. eight years of my life was just...gone. It was not too long after this that All We Have Left was released. The first time I heard the piano version of "Dare To Believe" I was laying in my room, and as soon as the music started, I began to cry. As I listened, this feeling of peace came over me, and I knew that even though things hadn't turned out the way I had hoped they would, everything was going to be okay.
That was 16 months ago. I am still single. I live in a small one-bedroom apartment with my dog, and I am happier than I have ever been in my life. Sure, it gets lonely, and it still makes me sad to think that the life I had hoped for didn't turn out the way I thought it would. But I knew that something had to change, and I dared to believe that I would somehow find happiness in the wake of a failed marriage. I'm grateful for the time we had together, every minute of it, because it changed me for the better. It helped me to grow into the strong, independent woman I am today. And it taught me a lot about forgiveness.
I love the words in the chorus of this song:
No more, we're gonna lose everything, if we believe all the lies....No more, this world's runnin' on empty, and there's no reason why....
There is far too much negativity, too much hostility, too much anger in the world. We are quick to anger, and slow to forgive. Why do we do that to each other? It's such a sad thing to see so much hurt in the world.
"Dare to Believe" has become a sort of anthem for my life over the last two years, and it means so much more to me than I can put into words, but my interpretation of it is pretty straightforward, and it can be summed up in two words from the second verse:
Embrace forgiveness
I really believe that this is the key to happiness. Love one another. Forgive one another. Don't give in to the anger, the hate, the negativity, the hostility....because if we do, nobody wins.
I am thrilled to share this video. It's a beautiful song, with a simple, yet powerful message.
Please feel free to share your thoughts about the video, and about what the song means to you, in the comments. ♥
In September of 2007, Boyce Avenue began showcasing their emotive, radio-friendly style on YouTube with videos of original material, as well as cover versions of popular songs. The videos began to resonate instantly with YouTube viewers. To date, the band has accumulated over 300 million views on YouTube, and has over a half million subscribers, making their channel one of the most frequented worldwide on YouTube. Their covers have been released in the form of seven digital EPs via their independent record label, 3Peace Records.
In 2008, they released their first full-length album of original music, All You’re Meant to Be.
In 2009, with their sights set on connecting with their online fan base, they turned their attention to touring, playing four headlining shows in the Philippines. Since then, the band has completed four tours in Europe, including shows in Germany, Ireland, France and the UK, and three US/Canada tours, with sold out shows in such major markets as Boston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco and Seattle, and near-capacity shows in many other cities.
In addition to these tours, Boyce Avenue returned to the Phillipines in February 2010 to play two shows with 2009 American Idol Winner Kris Allen and the popular dance group The Jabbawockees, and opened two shows for The Goo Goo Dolls in Florida in August 2010.
In March 2010, the band released their second album of original material, All We Have Left. The album contains re-worked songs from their debut album, as well as new, previously unreleased songs.
Incredibly talented, down to earth and hard-working, keeping their fans at the forefront of everything they do, Boyce Avenue are well on their way to becoming one of the most successful bands in the industry.
