Calvin Harris - Motion

[The Upper Hand]

"Pray To God" has grown on me. Love it!

[maine]

I thought the album was okay through first listen, but now it has grown on me a lot. Really getting into "Pray to God", "Outside" and "Open Wide". Probably going to wait till it gets discounted on iTunes to buy it. I bought 3 songs beforehand, but for whatever reason "Under Control" doesn't go towards the Complete My Album feature... bs.

[Juan Carlos]

Accolades for Calvin and "Blame"

http://instagram.com/p/xLe9QAt3OU

[Juan Carlos]

Dec 27, 2014 12:58:02 GMT -5 maine said:

Probably going to wait till it gets discounted on iTunes to buy it. I bought 3 songs beforehand, but for whatever reason "Under Control" doesn't go towards the Complete My Album feature... bs.

I'm not sure about this, but I think "Under Control" isn't part of the Complete My Album feature since this is the only single from Motion with a standalone release that wasn't taken off from iTunes. I mean, while "Summer" and "Blame" standalone singles were deleted from iTunes, this wasn't.

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Dancing Astronaut revealed their 50 biggest tracks of 2014 and Calvin made the list twice with "Summer" at #4 and "Blame" at #17. They said the following about the tracks:

• "Summer": Dance music's version of a king of pop has made it loud and clear that he's ready to ring in a warmer season. After an incredibly successful and record-breaking 2013, Calvin Harris released his first single of the year from his fourth studio album currently in progress. Entitled "Summer," the esteemed Scotsman's distinguished, deep and rich voice tells a tale of love, deception and heartbreak. His signature progressive, poppy style shines through with an uplifting central melody and catchy, groovy verses. Out now, this upcoming album glimpse is a strong statement that Calvin Harris isn't breaking from the honest sound that has defined his success. Cheers to summer.

• "Blame": The reigning highest-paid DJ in the world for a second straight year, Calvin Harris has been busy at work undertaking his fourth studio album scheduled to release this fall. Debuting his year with the poppy seasonal smash "Summer," followed by the exotic big-room energy of "C.U.B.A.," the accomplished dance-pop icon continued to strike with "Blame." John Newman's vocal hook accompanied by a vibrant acoustic guitar progression that captures a warm, pop vibe with which Harris has excelled throughout his career.

Also, they revealed their Top 10 albums of 2014 and Motion landed at #10. The following was said:

Matching sex appeal with outright selling success, 2014 was exceedingly good to Calvin Harris. It was also the year Motion turned an agenda we thought we had sussed sideways. The follow-up to 18 Months was less about pandering to the radio-friendly market, but more showing just how many creative avenues are available to producers with the right industry collateral. Said collateral is only available to a certain level of producer. Whether you dug the risqué lyrics of Big Sean or were totally convinced by James Newman's crooning on "Blame," Motion was an unapologetically accessible album that showed you don't need to rely on two solid hits to blow up a dance music album anymore.

[Albie]

Slaaaay Calvin! And get that Oscar while you're at it.

And "Pray To God" is life.

[Juan Carlos]

http://instagram.com/p/xNOXfRN3If

FYI: The text written above in the pic is in caps, so I changed that and added some punctuation marks

That's me smiling because it's been an unbelievable year, maybe the best year of my life. The success of "Summer", "I Will Never Let You Down", "Blame" and "Outside" blows me away and the Motion album I got to work with some absolute superstars and make some incredible music videos, so this is me saying thank you to anybody who bought a song, came to a show, streamed a song or even just liked a pic on Instagram. I appreciate all of you and this life so much. Thank you and God bless.

Aww. He's so sweet and he deserves all the success he has right now.

[Juan Carlos]

The Official Charts revealed today the Top 100 biggest songs of 2014 in the UK and Calvin made it three times with "Summer" (#19), "Blame" (#28) and "Outside" (#84), plus "I Will Never Let You Down", the song he wrote and produced for Rita Ora, landed at #36. Also, he claimed two of the 14 dance chart-toppers with "Summer" and "Blame".

Besides that, Capital FM made a list of his eight best moments he had this year.

[Albie]

What a successful 2014 for Godvin! I'm so happy to see him just go higher and higher each year. I hope he has just as much success in 2015. His photo shoot and movie appearances can't hurt, I'm sure. Most importantly though, I hope he stays on top musically. "Pray to God(vin)" in 2015!

[maine]

$6.99 on iTunes! *runs to computer*

[George]

I'm hearing "Pray to God" a lot more on the radio now!

[die Lotterie]

I adore this album. "Love Now", "Pray To God", "Blame", "Slow Acid", "Ecstasy" and "Outside" are all insanely good.

Hope we'll get more goodies from him in 2015.

[Juan Carlos]

Although it hasn't been properly announced, Calvin Harris and HAIM are shooting the music video for "Pray to God", so it means that this will be the fifth overall single from Motion. Definitely, this is the best and obvious choice because it's already taking off in Australia.

http://instagram.com/p/xiFbOoM3ou

The Instagram pic embed above is from Emil Nava, who is going to be the director of the music video. He already filmed all the Motion videos so far, as well as "I Need Your Love". Also, Calvin has tweeted two pictures from the videoshoot.

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As you may know, Calvin has a residency with Hakkasan Las Vegas, but the latter announced their EDM line-up for 2015 and Calvin isn't there, despite early reports that he will extend his contract for the next two years. Don't be sad yet because of the information below.

From Las Vegas Sun:

WHERE'S CALVIN? When Hakkasan Nightclub at MGM Grand revealed its 2015 EDM DJ lineup today, it featured several returning, renowned artists and new, exciting talent. But the list didn't include Calvin Harris.

That seems to confirm our earlier report that he will wind up instead being named the resident DJ at Hakkasan's new Omnia nightclub in the former Pure at Caesars Palace.

Looks like Calvin will move to the Omnia Nightclub in the Spring this year and he has signed a new two-year agreement as a resident headliner. Yay! All you see is dollar signs, Calvin!

[maine]

Now that I have bought the album, I now realize how great it is! Really liking a lot of tracks.

Getting really into "Faith" and "Pray to God" at the moment.

Also love "Outside", "Blame", "Under Control", "Open Wide", and "Dollar Signs".

[Albie]

Jan 7, 2015 22:59:13 GMT -5 Juan Carlos said:

Although it hasn't been properly announced, Calvin Harris and HAIM are shooting the music video for "Pray to God", so it means that this will be the fifth overall single from Motion. Definitely, this is the best and obvious choice because it's already taking off in Australia.

Looks like Calvin will move to the Omnia Nightclub in the Spring this year and he has signed a new two-year agreement as a resident headliner. Yay! All you see is dollar signs, Calvin!

Ok, yeah I jumped for joy when I saw the pics of the video shoot and I'm really super excited that "Pray To God" will be a single. However, it has been getting such early plays and I'm so sad for "Outside".  Locally anyway, only one station is playing "Outside" and the other two have "Pray To God" on medium rotation. I want both songs to succeed!

Also, I about had a heart attack because the Hakkasan brand is opening up an Omnia club both in Vegas and San Diego. So, when I saw the note about his moving to Omnia I was ecstatic - but of course he'll be at Vegas not SD. BUT hopefully that means he can do more guest sets out here since we'll have the same brand. :)

[surfy]

Did Calvin just SnapChat him watching porn???

[Albie]

^Lol. I can't even deal with his snaps sometimes!

[Juan Carlos]

Wait, what?!? *go to Snapchat*

LMAO! I don't know if this is one of the reasons why I really like him because of how weird/random he is. Also, I didn't realize that there was a guy, who turned out to be Burns, behind the emoticon because I couldn't stop staring my eyes watching the scene from the TV. Having said that, I need a Calvin and Burns collaboration ASAP. As a side topic, his latest tweets are gold!

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Jan 9, 2015 20:06:43 GMT -5 Albie said:

Ok, yeah I jumped for joy when I saw the pics of the video shoot and I'm really super excited that "Pray To God" will be a single. However, it has been getting such early plays and I'm so sad for "Outside". Locally anyway, only one station is playing "Outside" and the other two have "Pray To God" on medium rotation. I want both songs to succeed!

I think there's not going to be a problem because "Outside" received 28 adds a week before its official impact date this week, so it's a good sign that it will be spinned. Also, it's showing a great progress so far.

Regarding "Pray to God", I think KEGY-FM is one of those two radio stations you're referring to, but I see that despite this is currently at #14, "Outside" made its entry and it's at #42, so I guess the former will drop in favour of the latter. Having said that, with its early reception, it's a contender for the next US single to be honest. Also, four Calvin songs inside the Top 50 <3

Jan 9, 2015 20:06:43 GMT -5 Albie said:

Also, I about had a heart attack because the Hakkasan brand is opening up an Omnia club both in Vegas and San Diego. So, when I saw the note about his moving to Omnia I was ecstatic - but of course he'll be at Vegas not SD. BUT hopefully that means he can do more guest sets out here since we'll have the same brand. :)

Lucky you. Actually, kind of, because he may or may not go to San Diego. Anyway, I'm still waiting for him to come back to Peru since he will be in Latin America in March, but looks like he's not coming here because local businessmen/businesswomen don't want to invest too much on international acts the first half of this year

[die Lotterie]

How do I find this snap chat?

[Juan Carlos]

Jan 10, 2015 22:40:48 GMT -5 die Lotterie said:

How do I find this snap chat?

[Albie]

Yeah KEGY is one of them and the other is XHTZ. KAMP was playing it a lot too. Not sure if they still are. Hope you're right. I need both songs to get their full exposure haha.

[Juan Carlos]

Looks like there's going to be a video footage of the Armani's BTS photoshoot after all.

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http://instagram.com/p/x0KI0pN3Jc

[Juan Carlos]

From the infographic:

For $500,000, the Dynastie package got you a Midas (30L of Ace of Spades), a "championship belt," a signed gold disk from (Calvin) Harris, your name in lights onstage and diamond cufflinks and a diamond necklace.

A $500k VIP package?!?

[Juan Carlos]

Nominations for the BRIT Awards were announced and Calvin received two nods for "Summer" in the 'British Single' and 'British Artist - Video of the Year' categories.

[Juan Carlos]

Happy 31st birthday, Adam Richard Wiles (aka. Calvin Harris)!

[Juan Carlos]

"Blame" was featured in this week's Jam Session on NBA stuff inside.



And it reaches the platinum status in the US.

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http://instagram.com/p/yApbm-t3C5

DYING!

[Juan Carlos]

AHHH!!! Zedd + Calvin :'(

[Juan Carlos]

While it was revealed early this week that "Open Wide" will serve as a US single on the Rhythmic formats, looks like it's not going to happen in the UK in the near future unless there will be a (very) clean version of the track.

From BBC News:

Radio station Kiss FM has been found in breach of broadcasting rules for playing an explicit song by superstar DJ Calvin Harris.

Two listeners contacted Ofcom to complain about the song, "Open Wide", which was featured on the Official Kiss Top 40 on 2 November 2014. The broadcasting watchdog said the "sexually suggestive" lyrics were "clearly unsuitable" at 17:45 GMT. It reprimanded the station for not listening to the song in advance.

"Open Wide" features US rapper Big Sean, and is taken from Harris's fourth album, Motion. The chorus features the lines: "I'm taking off her blouses / While she taking off my trousers," and continues to describe a sexual liaison, employing several swear words.

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John Newman was interviewed by Billboard. Although the full one will be in the latest issue of Billboard's magazine, he said that he and Calvin have booked some time to work on his album, as well as for Rihanna. Also, he said the following about Calvin when he was asked about hearing his vocals on an EDM track:

"My songwriting varies depending on who I am working with. And Calvin is not just this EDM producer - he's got a grand piano in his house. He's a real musician. We can step into each other's worlds."

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From Billboard:

Calvin Harris scores a triple-play on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, as "Outside" (No. 7) gathers top Airplay, Digital and Streaming Gainer honors. In another hat trick, Harris continues to hold a pair of other spots in the top 10: "Blame" (No. 3) and "Summer" (No. 10). He remains the only act to place three songs in the top tier simultaneously (dating to the chart's January 2013 inception).

"Outside" sold 23,000 downloads, up 51 percent, in the week ending Jan. 18, according to Nielsen Music, marking its best sales week since its Nov. 8 debut (when it moved 47,000). That's good for a seven-spot surge and a return to the top 10 on Dance/Electronic Digital Songs (11-4). The track, featuring Ellie Goulding on vocals, collected 2 million US streams, up 13 percent (and led by 71 percent from Spotify) and holds at No. 7 on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs. On Dance/Mix Show Airplay, "Outside" moves inside the top 20 (22-14). The song sports 18 million in radio audience (up 32 percent), as it breaks 30-25 in its second week on Pop Songs.

Go Calvin! Also, "Outside" reaches atop in Germany and a remix is coming out soon, which is allegedly from Hardwell!!!

As a side note, Ellie was on Capital FM this week and it was mentioned that she forgot Calvin's birthday. Really, Ellie? smh.

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From Las Vegas Sun:

Las Vegas insiders are agog this morning with rumors that in the continuing war among rival Strip nightclubs, The Hakkasan Group is about to announce that it has locked up 31-year-old superstar DJ Calvin Harris for a new, three-year exclusive deal on the Strip.

The Wicked whisper is that it took a guaranteed $400,000 a night payday for him to continue spinning at Hakkasan in MGM Grand and and the group's new Omnia nightclub opening this Spring in Caesars Palace.

AskMen.com is also reporting that Hakkasan will make the official announcement very shortly. Get that money (and new offer) Calv!

[Juan Carlos]

It's official! Calvin has signed an exclusive three-year partnership with Hakkasan Group and he will hold residencies at three venues of the group, splitting his time between Hakkasan Nightclub and Wet Republic at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which is scheduled to open this spring.

In addition to his residency deals, the collaboration will involve Calvin acting as music consultant for the group's renowned Hakkasan brand, refining and curating its global sound as it moves from restaurants and nightclubs into the hotel space. He will also be working closely with the senior team at Hakkasan Group to develop entirely new experiences and event concepts over the next three years.



Neil Moffitt, CEO of Hakkasan Group, said the following:

"We are excited to continue our partnership with Calvin Harris as he extends his exclusive residencies with Hakkasan Group. He is a truly sensational artist and we look forward to what he will bring to our most acclaimed venues over the next three years."

And Calvin Harris commented:

"Hakkasan Group's heritage in part goes right back to the '90s golden era of dance music and I am excited to be able to play a part in this next chapter of its story. Its venues are some of the best in the world for dance music and the opportunity to be part of the wider group as it develops into other markets and sectors is a really exciting prospect for me as an artist. We have some great ideas up our sleeves."

[Juan Carlos]

http://instagram.com/p/yar5sUt3Pg

Well, Calvin knows that "Pray to God" is receiving airplay in the US (from KAMP-FM), since he posted the video above on Instagram.

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From Billboard:

Also on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Calvin Harris chalks up his 10th top 10 with "Outside," featuring Ellie Goulding (14-8, up 24 percent in plays). Harris' previous collaboration with Goulding, "I Need Your Love," spent eight weeks at No. 2 in summer 2013. "Outside" is also the Streaming Gainer on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (7-6), with a 10 percent lift to 2.2 million U.S. streams (and with more than two-thirds from Spotify). On Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs, where Harris remains the act with the most top 10s (five), "Outside" holds at No. 7.

Yay!

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Nick Jonas was on Capital FM this week and he said that he and Calvin are gym buddies.

"The gym that I go to in LA, there's two guys, one guy and another guy and he works out with the other trainer. So there's only the two of us in there at the same time."

Also, he would like to work with him on a collaboration and try EDM for a change.

"It'd be great! I'd love to, I think he's awesome. He does the best dance music at the moment. The most creative stuff is from him."

Interesting.

[Juan Carlos]

Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has announced its opening date and Calvin will be the first act on the decks on March 12 and March 13. Despite there are some reports, including the one posted below, about the first date (March 12), looks like this is not for the public, since there aren't any tickets for sale for that day.

From Las Vegas Sun:

Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace is set to open its doors Thursday, March 12, with top global and resident DJ Calvin Harris.

Starting at 10 p.m., the new mega-club destination will welcome its first guests in the former space of Pure Nightclub.

The highly anticipated opening weekend also includes 2015 resident DJs Martin Garrix and Chuckie, followed by kick-off events in March and April.

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New outtake from the Emporio Armani photoshoot. That said, someone knows how to make people to vote for him for the BRIT Awards