you oughta know

March 21st, 2011 | 6:06 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

You Oughta Know Live: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Perform “White Rabbit”

One of the many perks of working here at VH1 is that there always seems to be incredible musicians and gorgeous celebrities roaming the hallways here in Times Square. Take You Oughta Know artist and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, for example. A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to be treated to a short set from the breakout stars of the most recent VH1 Divas show, right here in our lobby. They played an intimate yet rocking three song set, including their big single “Paris (Ooh La La)” and this smokin’ cover of Jefferson Airplane’s trippy, late sixties psychadelic anthem, “White Rabbit.”

The band first performed this song for last year’s Alice In Wonderland soundtrack. As you’ll see, Grace Potter delivers her vocals with the same sort of passion and intensity that Grace Slick did way back in the Summer of Love. Rather than keep this awesomeness all to ourselves, we figured we’d share this entire You Oughta Know Live performance with you guys, too. Enjoy!

February 14th, 2011 | 10:00 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Two Door Cinema Club Is VH1′s Latest “You Oughta Know” Artist

If you’re the kind of pop music fan who finds yourself a bit dismayed when you turn on the radio and rarely hear songs that sounded like they were created using real, live instruments rather than bleeps, blips and bloops from some super producer’s laptop, we’ve got exciting news for you. Say hello to Two Door Cinema Club, a young Irish trio that are VH1′s latest You Oughta Know artist. Their highly danceable sound pays homage to the slinky basslines and jangly guitars of the late 70s and early 80s New Wave movement, but with a modern twist: Their drummer is a MacBook Pro.

January 3rd, 2011 | 9:00 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Sia Is VH1′s Latest “You Oughta Know” Artist

Sia is one of those artists who, even if you don’t initially recognize their name, you immediately recognize their voice. Her sultry vocals were prominent in a handful of the European downtempo electronica group Zero 7‘s songs during the 2000s, and her song, “Breathe Me,” rose to international acclaim when it was used during the emotional final scene of the Six Feet Under series. And if you’ve been paying attention to the words that you see here on the VH1 Blog, you’ll no doubt remember that she stopped by for a tremendous Live At VH1 set back in September of 2010.

So, after hanging around the fringes of the music scene for the better part of the last decade, it looks like 2011 is shaping up to be Sia’s year: Sia was just named VH1′s latest You Oughta Know artist, an illustrious list that includes the likes of Bruno Mars, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and the Kings of Leon. Be sure and check out the video for her latest single, “I’m In Here,” above, and let us know what you think of her work!

November 16th, 2010 | 12:01 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Christina Perri “Daydream” Music Video Premiere

If you’ve been paying attention to this blog for the last few months — you HAVE been paying attention, right? — you will no doubt recognize the name Christina Perri. Not only is this new artist one of VH1′s You Oughta Know artists, but she just played a stunning, acoustic version of “Jar of Hearts” in our elevator lobby just a few weeks ago.

November 9th, 2010 | 12:01 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Bono’s Daughter Stars In The Script’s New Video, “For The First Time”

Seeing as how The Script hail from Ireland and perform majestic pop-rock songs with soaring melodies, it makes perfect sense that many have compared the VH1 You Oughta Know band’s sound to U2. While only time will tell if The Script will be able to match the career longevity of Dublin’s favorite sons, the band clearly seems happy with the comparison. So much so, in fact, that they cast Bono’s daughter, Eve Hewson, as the lead in the video for “For The First Time,” the first single off the group’s second LP, Science & Faith. The song went to #1 in Ireland when it was released overseas back in August, but it’s just arriving on these shores now. The video will make its on-air this weekend on the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown, but thanks to the magic of streaming technology, you can watch it on your computer monitor ’til your heart’s content starting right this very second. Enjoy!

November 2nd, 2010 | 3:25 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Christina Perri Brings Her “Jar Of Hearts” To VH1

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Christina Perri, our latest You Oughta Know artist. Luckily for us, she was in town recently and carved some time out of her schedule to perform in our glamorous elevator lobby as part of our ongoing Live At VH1 series. Since we are nothing if not generous, we figured we would share her entire three-song performance with you, the VH1 Blog reader. Above, we’ve got her performing her hit single, “Jar Of Hearts,” and below, her take on “Arms” and “Bang Bang Bang.” Enjoy!

October 5th, 2010 | 11:48 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Christina Perri Is VH1′s Latest “You Oughta Know” Artist

It’s not everyday that an unknown and unsigned musician is on the receiving end of a big break from a multi-billion dollar television network, you know, but that’s exactly what happened to VH1′s latest You Oughta Know artist, Christina Perri. Earlier this summer, Perri’s powerful ballad “Jar Of Hearts” was used to score a moving dance routine on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, which led thousands of viewers to seek out the song in the iTunes store. Realizing that they had struck a chord with their viewers, the producers of the show invited Perri to perform the haunting, piano-driven ballad live on the show a few weeks later and, as they say, a star was born.

With that in mind, we here at VH1 are very excited to introduce Christina Perri as our latest You Oughta Know artist, a club that includes the likes of Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon and Bruno Mars. She’s currently hard at work on her first album for Atlantic Records, the details of which are still being kept under wraps. Of course, we’ll keep you up-to-date on its progress and will be sure to let you know as soon as we hear about its release date. But for now, check out her video above and, surely, on our weekly Top 20 Video Countdown. Be sure to let us know what you think!

September 8th, 2010 | 12:01 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Bruno Mars Is VH1′s Latest “You Oughta Know” Artist

After helping to pen three of this year’s biggest hit singles — “Billionare” for Travie McCoy, “Nothin On You” for B.o.B. and “F*ck You” for Cee-Lo Green — the time has finally come for R&B crooner Bruno Mars to step into the spotlight as a solo performer. He is hoping to follow in the footsteps of legendary artists like Carole King and Neil Diamond, both of whom were able to achieve widespread recognition first as songwriters, then as singers. The 23 year-old’s debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, doesn’t drop until next month, but if the lead single “Just The Way You Are” is any indicator, the record is going to be a smash and Mars will be an ongoing fixture on our weekly VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown for months to come.

We’ve got such high hopes for Bruno Mars that we’ve put him alongside the likes of Mumford & Sons, Daniel Merriweather, The Script, Alpha Rev and Angel Taylor as members of the elite group of VH1 “You Oughta Know” artists. Be sure to let us know your thoughts about his first solo song in the comments below!

February 11th, 2009 | 3:36 pm by Jim Macnie

Adele Chats Us Up After Her Grammy Triumph

Adele had plenty to say when she won the Grammy for Best New Artist Sunday night. “If my life got any better, I would overdose on the amazingness,” she told our News team. See what else the young British singer had on her mind.

Watch Adele Videos

Watch Adele discuss her favorite videos and artists

Watch by You Oughta Know Grammy nominees.

Watch videos by Grammy winners.

Check photos of all the Grammys action

November 7th, 2008 | 4:06 pm by Jim Macnie

Eric Hutchinson’s Music Is Beloved The World ‘Round (or something like that)

When we chose Eric Hutchinson to be one of our “You Oughta Know” artists a few weeks ago, we knew that we were knocked out by the craft that drives his tunes and the verve that he puts into his performances. You can hear what we heard on Rhapsody’s Hutchinson page (download or stream his songs).

What we didn’t know was how deeply the young pup’s music has touched people around the world. That’s why we were thrilled to come across the infomercial clip above. It pretty much explains Hutchinson’s position in the pop firmament. As he says, it’s “an exciting time for music.” Enjoy, and may God bless…