Nike Women Blog

My Music RX

DevanCook — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:10:00 GMT

You know that feeling you get after hearing a new song that inspires you and you can't wait to share it with everyone you know? Music serves as a universal language, communicating ideas and feelings that we can’t always express through conversation. Using this globally shared passion as a platform, the Children’s Cancer Association, with the help of Nike Women and several other volunteers recently launched an interactive website, MyMusicRx. On the site music lovers can download songs from iTunes and simultaneously support a good cause; 5 percent of each purchase is donated to CCA to help children with critical illnesses. I recently had the pleasure of meeting the founder of CCA, Regina Ellis, to find out more about this unique program.

“Kids need more than medicine,” Regina told me when I asked her how the idea for MusicRx came about. “And one of the most universally healing things in the world is music.”

Fifteen years before the MyMusicRx site was launched, the MusicRx program was started when CCA teamed up with volunteers from Nike to create a live music cart that brought music straight to the hospital rooms of the children. The cart, which Regina describes as being like “a musical ice cream truck,” carries instruments and other interactive tools including recording software and a karaoke machine through the halls of the hospital. The kids are given the opportunity to participate in making music, which has been a very therapeutic experience for them and their families.

As athletes know, music is one of the best things we can use to fuel our motivation. It’s what gets our blood pumping, and what keeps us moving during our training sessions. Which is what makes the MyMusicRx website such a great opportunity for our Nike Women community. Not only can you download songs for your workout playlists at no additional cost and have a portion of the proceeds go to a good cause, but the website also provides the opportunity to prescribe songs to the kids. When you hear that inspirational song that you want to share with your friends, why not take the opportunity to share it with a kid in the MyMusicRx program? Individual songs or complete playlists can be shared with the kids: your own personal prescription to brighten their day.

Regina also informed me CCA is in the process of working with specific artists to conduct live performances and have their personal messages featured on the site. Several up and coming musical acts performed at the MyMusicRx launch party at South By Southwest in Austin earlier this year, and Regina hopes to do more events like the major music festival.

“Music is our platform,” Regina says. “I’m passionate about music lovers being able to prescribe their favorite songs.”

After speaking with Regina and seeing how much hard work, commitment, and love has been put into this flagship program—the only kind like it in the world—I’m feeling pretty passionate about it too. I can’t wait to go download a new workout mix, and share some handpicked motivational tunes with these kids!

Next time you need some new music, be sure to check out mymusicrx.org.

-Devan Cook

NikeWomen.com Featured Artist: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

DevanCook — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:15:52 GMT

They’re named after a racecar driver and hail from Motor City, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s swirling synths and breezy melodies are more comparable to a morning drive on a coastal highway than a high-speed lap around the racetrack. The Detroit duo of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott make cheery, electro-pop songs that are perfect for carefree summer days.

Xylophones, electronic beats, and well-placed whistling make you want to dance and clap your hands at the same time. Along with working on some new tunes, the duo cites upcoming plans of “hang gliding, jump kicks, and high fives” in their future. Which is to say, these guys have as much fun outside of the studio as they do in it!

On the effortlessly catchy track “Nothing But Our Love,” from their dynamic Horse Power EP, Josh and Danny harmonize on the lyrics “Don’t try so hard/Our love is easy.” And indeed, their atmospheric electronic beats and serene vocal loops are all too easy to love.

-Devan Cook

Nikewomen.com Featured Artist: Little Dragon

DevanCook — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:15:35 GMT

Yukimi Nagano, the singer of Swedish electro-pop group Little Dragon, recently told us that her favorite thing about being a woman is “trying to break out of clichés.” For her, “being strong, brave, and courageous is what it means to be a woman.”

Yukimi practices what she preaches. The group’s sound is so eclectic it’s almost indefinable: It’s a mixture of electro beats with tropical textures, traditional Japanese music, and ethereal synths. Her voice is powerful yet soothing; a tone and individual style that is very distinct. Yukimi cites 90s R&B and 80s synth pop as being influential to her, and you can definitely hear this mix-matching of genres and decades in Little Dragon’s music.

Little Dragon’s live shows are known to be total knockouts as well. Their dynamic stage presence has sold out shows across the globe and always gets the sweaty crowd’s adrenaline pumping, and has them moving their feet.

The video for whimsical pop single “Runabout” was filmed by Yukimi while touring in Hong Kong, and the clip, which is reversed time-lapse footage filmed from a tram, perfectly captures the feel of the song. Its fast-paced tempo; multi-instrumental loops; and light, airy vocals embody the experience of a whirlwind day traveling around a new city. Yukimi told us that she hopes that when people listen to the track, they feel “like moving, dancing, and letting go,” as well as “free, light, and happy.” I would agree with this description, while adding another verb: “Invigorated.”

-Devan Cook

NikeWomen.com Featured Artist: MNDR

DevanCook — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:50:57 GMT

She might be a techie—and her personal style, which includes her trademark oversized glasses, could be described as “nerd chic”—but there’s nothing geeky about Amanda Warner, one-half of electro-pop duo MNDR. With its sleek synths and infectious beats, MNDR’s unique sound has evolved over the past few years, and big names in the business are taking notice. Last year, Amanda contributed vocals to the now-smash hit “Bang Bang Bang,” a song that was heard in every club across the globe last summer.

While techno seems like the generic go-to genre when trying to describe MNDR’s music, that description is simply too broad—and their sound too intricate—to be labeled so carelessly. Which is why Amanda put it best when she told us:

“My album has many different types of music, influences, and inspirations. . .I am more interested in creating my own world for people to enjoy. I will incorporate any sounds that elevate the experience. Genres are sort of irrelevant in music these days.”

The song “Caligula” is a perfect example of that mixture of sound; the spacey track will get your blood pumping with its pulsating beats and textured sound effects. An avid bike rider herself, Amanda has a knack for making music that’s perfect for listening to while working up a sweat.

-Devan Cook

NikeWomen.com Featured Artists: Smith Westerns

DevanCook — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:05:26 GMT

Smith Westerns’ songs are growing up faster than they are. The trio (all under 21 years old) has graduated from its cult-favorite, self-recorded, lo-fi debut in 2009 to the cleanly polished sophomore album Dye It Blonde. Despite having life experience that barely cracks two decades, these guys dig deep for their influences and create a modern spin on a classic glam-rock sound.

After maturing the production of their new album, the group plans to continue to expand musically, telling Nike Women that they’ve even toyed with the idea of doing a hip hop collaboration in the future. Now that’s a genre mash-up we’re dying to hear!

The track “Weekend” from Dye It Blonde is the lush, tug-at-the-heartstrings kind of song that makes you wish you were dating one of the boys in this band and they were singing it to you. It is rich with charm and windswept harmonies, and has a sweetness to it that makes you feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time.

-Devan Cook

Nikewomen.com Featured Artist: Robyn

DevanCook — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:45:59 GMT

If I could muster the same kind of energy Swedish pop star Robyn puts towards making music for my training regimens, I’d have abs of steel and would be benching 150 right now!

This electro-dance diva is a highly driven music machine, so much so that she released three albums last year: Body Talk in parts one, two, and three. If merely penning and recording that many tunes in a matter of months wasn’t impressive enough, she’s been (rightfully) lauded with across-the-board critical acclaim, accepting Grammy nominations and landing on a multitude of music publications’ “Best Of 2010” lists.

Her combination of pop vocals and electronic beats, make for a sound that is fresh, new, and entirely her own. Working with various producers allows her albums to transition seamlessly through genres, be they sweeping ballads like “Dancing On My Own,” high-energy techno anthems such as “Indestructible,” quirky rap jams like the catchy club track “U Should Know Better,” and even a reggae/dancehall tribute on “Dancehall Queen.”

One of my friends put it best when he said, “Robyn is my favorite pop voice for unrequited love.” On the single “Get Myself Together,” Robyn delivers bittersweet lyrics with a softer melancholy. Yet, combined with an infectiously catchy disco hook and powerful message of hope, the song is both tearjerking and motivating.

“I got, got to get/Get my head back on/I got, got to get myself together/When this hurt is gone,” she sings. And her emotional plea to herself also serves as the perfect pep talk while working out. Whenever I feel a dip in my energy during my training regimen, I play this track to help me get my second wind.

-Devan Cook

NikeWomen.com Featured Artist: Oh Land

DevanCook — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:00:59 GMT

When Nanna Øland Fabricius was growing up, she wanted to be a ballerina. At age 16 she left her home in Copenhagen to pursuit a career in ballet in Sweden, but when she injured her back, her dreams of professional dance came to a sudden halt. However, instead of taking a break, Fabricius, better known by the moniker Oh Land, decided to transition her passion for dance into the drive to make music. With an opera singer mother and a classical composer for a father, Oh Land already had creative genetics. But her music makes a grand leap from her classical upbringing—her songs are rich with dreamlike textures, electric, danceable beats, and vocals.

She’s already taken the music world by storm, with national television appearances, upcoming performances at huge music festivals like SXSW, and recently dropping her first American-released album, the self-titled Oh Land.

Her single “White Nights (Twin Shadow Remix)” has a smoky darkness to it, but through shadows there’s an optimism that shines through. The vocals are ethereal yet poppy, and the steady tempo and swirling instrumental loops create a dynamic energy that fits perfect with the message of the song, which is essentially to never give up. Oh Land sings: “there’s a restlessness in me/keeps me up ‘til the dawn/there is no silence/I will keep following the sirens,” lyrics that sound poignant and believable when you remember that this ballerina-turned-singer did exactly that.

-Devan Cook

The Quiet Leader

DevanCook — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 23:39:55 GMT

When you were younger and imagined being in a band,did you imagine yourself being the singer? What about soccer; if you played on a soccer team, were you or did you want to play the forward position?

Generally, we associate leadership with being upfront. Most think of the singers as the bandleaders. In basketball, the strongest sounding title is “Power Forward”. And often these assumptions are true. The type of personality that doesn’t shy away from attention often makes for a strong leader.

But I believe there are other ways to lead as well. When I was young, I wanted to be a drummer. In a typical stage set up, the drummer is tucked away in the back, which is hardly where you would think of a leader being. But the drummer IS a leader, for they control the beat, the tempo of the song. The rest of the musicians play off of that beat. I always wanted to work in film, but not as an actor; instead as a screenwriter or director. They might not be in front of the camera, but they lead behind the scenes. The writer creates the foundation that the rest of the crew builds off of.

Take the example of the Point Guard in basketball. If they weren’t setting up the perfect assist to ensure the ball gets into the right hands, then those tall, flashy superstars in the Center and Forward positions would not be getting those high-profile buckets.

So when you think of leaders, remember the answer isn’t always what seems obvious. You don’t have to be loud to lead, just lead with your actions; set the example. If you, like me, have been labeled an introvert, know that you can still lead quietly.

-Devan Cook

Music As A Motivator

DevanCook — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:37:22 GMT

My life essentially revolves around a series of playlists. On my iTunes I have a “Wake Up!” playlist. There’s one titled “Sleepytime,” there’s “Summer Days” and “Winter Nights.” Long before I had a computer I was a master mix tape maker. I had mixes for breakups, graduations, weddings (my own fake future wedding and real-life weddings of others). Basically, my daily routine, my entire life, revolves around music.

And my workouts are no exception. I have mixes for hitting the gym, and mixes for hitting the pavement on my weekly jogs. The gym and running workouts have some similarities, but are actually pretty different. Since my jogs are one continuous workout, I like to create mixes for it that are generally evenly paced, but that start slow and build up momentum when I need a boost, then cool off at the end. I like to find longer pieces of music, or tracks that blend well together so that it feels like one fluid piece instead of the stops and starts of compilation songs.

When I hit the gym however, I just like to keep a mix of upbeat, fun, dance electronic or pop artists. This can have pauses in between because I move around a lot in the gym, heading from one workout machine to another. It doesn’t have to have the same fluidity of the running mixes, it just has to have an upbeat tempo.

It’s also important to constantly update my workout mixes, because when the music gets stagnant so does my motivation. Fresh new tunes is what keeps me energized.

What about you? What do you listen to the most when you workout?

-Devo

Nikewomen.com Featured Artist: MNDR

AudreySchnur — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:00:08 GMT

I will put both of my hands in the air for MNDR. Girls who make beats are so dope.

MNDR is Amanda Warner’s alter ego, her stage name, a play on one of the many nicknames given to Amandas (see: salamander, commander, etc.) as well as the brainchild of the girl herself and Peter Wade. But to keep it straight, just call her MNDR.

Like any super-talented, young musician, MNDR was raised in an environment where she was immersed in music. She grew up with a recording studio in her house, started piano when she was 5 years old and even got her string bass degree. But it wasn’t until she thought, “Oh, it’d be cool to make music with computers,” that she finally fell into this beautiful spell she’s stuck in now.

Her show is a combination of some playback, underneath live sequences and her vocals. The sets also feature an interactive light show that reacts to the music as she plays (haven’t seen it – sounds sick). Though Peter does some of the pre-creativity and sound, he doesn’t go on stage with MNDR/Amanda. Her music is upbeat, hypnotic, driven by series of repetitions and electric sounds that won’t quit.

“I want my music to sound like all the music I’ve ever heard distilled into the sound I like,” is how MNDR explains her production/creative methods. She has been very driven by the communities that she has interacted with – taking on cues from the local music scenes she’s experienced.

MNDR’s plans for the future include compiling her music into a body of works, and she will also be working with Silk Flowers, a band that will be her first production credit, who are due to release an album in July.

Two lessons learned on the music industry via MNDR:

1.“If you don’t hate your songs (when you perform them), you don’t know them very well.

2.“If you’re satisfied with yourself – i.e. ‘I’m the best’ – that’s it. You’re done. You can’t grow.

I’ve been taken by surprise by some of these Nike Featured Artists before, and I’m sure this won’t be the last time. MNDR was an extremely down to earth, inspired being. She was able to form beautiful thoughts around every question posed and she was just coming back from a funeral when we spoke. It’s so apparent by the way she articulates herself that they way her music is formed is both calculated and organic – not lacking thought or originality.

Both hands up.

-Audrey Schnur

For a limited time only download "C.L.U.B" by MNDR for free right here on Nikewomen.com

Turning to Tunes for Motivation

AllisonObrien — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:45:05 GMT

I woke up this morning to a brisk sunny morning. Despite the chilly air, I decided to kick off the day with a run. I started the run and my day with a great attitude. That quickly changed. My iPod ran out of battery less than five minutes into the run. While the sounds of the city were interesting, they couldn’t rival with my play lists. I quickly learned a lesson … charge the iPod when the battery starts to blink. Novel concept, I know! As I struggled to finish the run, I started to think a lot about how I turn to my tunes for motivation during a workout. Most people that workout regularly can probably empathize with this thought. When the tunes pump up, I tend to put a little pep in my step.

This music-less run shaped into just the start of a bad day. You know that feeling of having a case of the Mondays? You just can’t catch a break and things just seem a little more difficult. Shoot, sometimes it’s not even a Monday that you have this feeling! That was the story of my music-less day. In hope to turn things around, I made time to cap my day off with a spin class. Now this was possibly the only good idea I had all day! Much different than my morning run, I can say there was more than enough music for me to enjoy during the spin class.

Again, the spin class got me thinking about the role music plays in our workouts. I started to realize that the music gave me something to turn my attention to and most songs motivated me to continue.

Bob Marley said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain”. I couldn’t agree more with Marley; in fact the music takes my pain away during a hard workout!

What started out as my music-less day, was later capped off with a much better ending. I left spin class with my bad day behind me, full of energy and singing the tunes played during class! How does music motivate you? What’s your go to workout song on your playlist? Share your favorites via email, Allison@nfreporter.com

-Allison O'Brien

Nikewomen.com Featured Artist: Tokyo Police Club

AudreySchnur — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:00:28 GMT

Tokyo Police Club…

Has almost nothing to do with Tokyo. Or with the police. Actually, Greg Alsop (drums), Josh Hook (guitar), David Monks (vocals and bass) and Graham Wright (keys and vocals) are part of the band that hails from Canada.

“Music is a compulsion,” said Graham during his interview with Nike Women. “We try and create a pure, honest expression of ourselves with our music.”

TPC’s lyrics are chock-full of quips, one-liners and metaphors; easy-going criticisms of relationships and life. Their beats and melodies are as applicable as pop music and off stream enough that you won’t get sick of them quickly. Graham let on that David begins the creative and writing process, but as far as talent goes, each songster holds his own in this pack.

Their music is definitely for the un-brooding crowd. It’s hard not to stay upbeat with songs this vigorous. Go ahead. Snap your fingers. I won’t tell!

Though the guys can’t speak on the differences with music in Tokyo and the U.S. (as I said, zilch to do with Tokyo!), Graham comments that the Canada - U.S. doesn’t create much of a division.

“The biggest difference is the East to West split,” said Graham. In that case, I would say these tracks are more in the West Coast tradition - with just a dash of NY humor.

Favorite track: Wait Up

Buy the album on June 8!

-Audrey Schnur

For a limited time only download "Breakneck Speed" by Tokyo Police Club right here on Nikewomen.com

Nikewomen.com Featured Artist: Temper Trap

AudreySchnur — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:00:35 GMT

Okay, I see you, Australia!

The Melbourne native band, The Temper Trap, is Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, Lorenzo Sillitto and Toby Dundas. With potent lyrics and melodies that make you feel like you’re running, their sound is rock solid. These boys aren’t hard to hear from the states.

Though they’re signed to an indie label, The Temper Trap definitely has the ability to go cross-genre. If I were a rapper, I would be trying to sample a few of their songs right about now.

Dougy describes their music as “a mix bag of everything that we like to listen to. It’s flattering when people say we sound unique but I don't necessarily think we are.”

If I had to parallel them with another group, I’d say they hint at the melodies of Coldplay and bring out an air similar to, one of their favorite bands, Radiohead. Then again, there is an integrity about them that is so intrinsically their own (better just check The Temper Trap out yourself, instead of letting me compare).

To top it all off, these guys seem totally down to earth and not too busy for humor. During the interview, Dougy spoke of his favorite show at Summer Sonic in Japan where the guys dressed up as funny characters during a baseball game and sat across from Beyonce at an after party, whom they deemed their “hero.” Mine too, Dougy. Mine too.

Favorite Track: “Sweet Disposition,” (featured on 500 Days of Summer – chyeah, they’re pretty sweet).

Dance on stage or don’t dance on stage: “Dance…everywhere!”

As far as their future plans go, get ready to see more of The Temper Trap. Another album and more touring is on their “to do” list.

-Audrey Schnur

For a limited time only download "Sweet Disposition" by Temper Trap right here on Nikewomen.com

Nikewomen.com Featured Artist: Nomi Zysblat

AudreySchnur — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:00:40 GMT

There are those who are moved through life by the feelings and thoughts of others, and then there are those who let their own, organic feelings dictate their actions. Nomi Zysblat is the latter.

Everything from living in several countries, studying music in college and even taking improv classes has influenced Nomi’s work. Her intimate take on music touches the audience in a different way and makes one feel very present while listening. Highly metaphorical and soft to the ear; this style is an effort to tell a story in the best, most real way possible - similar to a modern, American novelist.

“I like the close-microphone, almost like I’m in the room, feeling,” says Nomi of her close-to-raw recordings. The way a messy bed looks prettier than a made one, is the way Nomi shines against an ocean of new artists.

“I don’t wake up in the morning and think ‘what’s going to push me to be the next star,’ I wake up and think ‘what’s going to inspire me today.”

True to her eclectic nature, Nomi records music in both Hebrew and English, though she speaks several different languages.

Last bit of info: Nomi admirably notes her sister as a role model. “Women have a mind and soul combination that men don’t have,” says the singer.

Take a listen to Nomi and hear how she has developed her own special way of portraying music on her own terms. And look for her album due to drop later this summer!

-Audrey Schnur

For a limited time only download "Liquid Sunshine" by Nomi Zysblat on Nikewomen.com

Happy Birthday

AudreySchnur — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:00:42 GMT

In my recent experience, the words “happy birthday” may result in the most spam ridden search on the Internet. But, wait! Good news…

Happy Birthday is also a Vermont band formed by Ruthie Garbus, Chris Weisman and Kyle Thomas (not to be mistaken with Cincinnati track athlete, Kyle Thomas).

The band’s self-titled first album dropped on March 16, of this year. With hooks like strapless dresses, undeniably catchy vocals and all the charm of a candy necklace, Happy Birthday is the perfect album to bring out the boom box for. Get yourself a blanket and some SPF.

“Our sound is like broad strokes of colors in a cartoon painting,” says Ruthie, the sole girl and drummer for the three. What I like most about this band is the way their character shows through their music – always unveiled.

The band’s play on tempo and pitch create a nice backdrop for the guitar rifts and figurative language. What’s more to like is that, though, Ruthie, Kyle and Chris come together to form this little super-charged trio, they each have side projects they work on from time to time. Just spreading the love!

What is this, your first time? You know what to do! Get you some free music! Holla!

-Audrey Schnur

Download "Girls FM" by Happy Birthday right here on Nikewomen.com for a limited time only!