Month: May 2016

If one pop star performing their hit song is great, being joined onstage by another pop star is even greater! Just announced, the 2016 iHeartRadio MMVAs will debut a first-time performance from Hailee Steinfeld featuring Shawn Hook on her hit track “Rock Bottom.”

Both Steinfeld and Hook appeared at the 2015 MMVAs as presenters and wowed fans with their red carpet looks. Now the two performers are teaming up for an exclusive performance of “Rock Bottom” that will definitely get the party started!

The Academy Award nominated actress first showed off her musical talent in the films Begin Again and Pitch Perfect 2. In 2015, Steinfeld officially became a double threat when she released her debut album Haiz, which featured her break out self-empowerment anthem “Love Myself” as well as “Rock Bottom.”

Hailee Steinfeld featuring Shawn Hook are the latest performers to join the already incredible line up for the 2016 iHeartRadio MMVAs, which includes Nick Jonas, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Alessia Cara! Also just announced today are performers Tegan and Sara and Fifth Harmony, as well as first time presenters Amber Rose and Superwoman herself, Lilly Singh!

Watch the 2016 iHeartRadio MMVAs hosted by Gigi Hadid on Sunday, June 19!

Could you imagine being 13 years old and getting nominated for an Oscar? Actress Hailee Steinfeld doesn’t have to. After her tour-de-force performance in 2010’s True Grit, the California native was embraced by Hollywood greatest in a way that has since been unprecedented. Instant fame followed and so did a few famous friends such as Taylor Swift—who insisted Steinfeld, be cast in her all-star “Bad Blood” video. Now, at 19, its clear as day that Steinfeld wants to be known as more than a mere Swift squad-ette in the music scene as her recently released EP, Haiz, proves. It includes the hit, “Love Myself,” a song that’s been able to crack the Billboard charts, as well as a duet with Joe Jonas’ DNCE group, on her latest single, “Rock Bottom”. During a recent trip to Toronto, Steinfeld—who will be performing at the IHEARTMUSIC Much Music Video Awards this year—opened up on proving herself as singer, actress, fashion lover and music fan.

What was the biggest shock to the system going from making movies to making music?
It’s so fast paced in music. With movies, it can take years. You get into pre-production and then you shoot the film and you hope that people see afterwards—if it even gets distributed! I’m also realizing the struggle of trying to make a relationship with anyone work when I’m on the road. It’s so crazy, you always feeling like you are filling people in. In term of being committed to someone, that seems so difficult but I believe you can do anything if you work hard at it.

When you perform a song like “Rock Bottom,” whom exactly are you thinking about?
So many people! The song came into my life when I was in a situation that so perfectly articulates. The song captures the complication and the roller coaster [feeling] you have when you are going through a relationship that’s complicated. I’ve had people come up to me and talk about how similar their situation was to mine. I love that it’s been able to get them through something that they are dealing with.

What advice would you give to someone who is living through a “Rock Bottom” moment?
Remember who you are when you are in a relationship. You were someone before someone came along and you fell in love with them. That person that you were—before you fell in love—should exist. That’s where “Love Myself” comes in nicely. Hang on to that person that you know that you are…nobody who comes into your life. Continue reading “Hailee Steinfeld on Beyoncé, Gucci and proving herself as a pop star”

There are times in a producer’s life when things just seem to click. Such a moment came for Sam Lassner, known to dance fans as rising DJ/producer Prince Fox, when working on his latest single “Fragile.” From his first touch with the arrangement to the moment he stepped in the studio with singer Hailee Steinfeld, the stars seemed to align.

“I lost my grandfather in November, and right after that is when I started working on ‘Fragile,’” he said. “His birthday is December 11, and so is Hailee’s, and she came into my life right after he passed away … I don’t know if you’re superstitious or not, but something’s gotta be right about it.”

If you focus solely on the piano and vocal lines, “Fragile” is powerful and raw in its simplicity. As a whole, however, it carries Prince Fox’s signature depth of sound and radio-ready accessibility.

“I’m trying to make pop music that has a familiar sound in the sense that its structured like a conventional song but is produced in a way that has aspects of ‘oh, what is this? This is cool, this is new. I haven’t hear this done before,’” Lassner explains. “On the other end of the spectrum, I’m trying to incorporate a lot more instruments int my production. Every record I have slated to come out, ‘Fragile’ included, I’m playing guitar and piano. It feels really good to put that back into the mix”

Lassner was first presented with the bare bones of “Fragile” by songwriter buddy Lil Aaron, and it immediately spoke to him. He re-arranged it, changed some things here and there, and imbued the concept with the production style he calls “future pop.” The reaction all around, from Aaron and his team to Prince Fox’s label was, to use Lassner’s words, “freaking out.” Continue reading “Prince Fox & Hailee Steinfeld Join Forces on New Single ‘Fragile’: Exclusive”

We love Hailee Steinfeld on Twitter for a million reasons. She always tells us when she’s working on new music in the studio, shares her amazing #OOTD’s with us and most importantly makes us LOL on a daily basis — she’s legit the most relatable celebrity in Hollywood. Every time Hailee opens her mouth, it feels like she’s speaking directly to us. Haiz recently did an *epic* Twitter Q & A with the hashtag #AskHailee and her answers are everything. The brunette babe revealed something major about herself by answering the ultimate food-related question. Here’s the super important info that we learned about Hailee.

A fan asked Hailee probably the most important question that any human being can answer. “If you could be any pizza, what pizza would you be?” the fan tweeted. The thought of describing yourself as just *one* type of pizza is SO OVERWHELMING. All slices are amazing in their own way. But Hailee grabbed the question by the crust and totally slayed her answer.

Leave it to Haiz to think of an answer that transcends your typical sauce-and-cheese slice. “There’s a restaurant in LA called Craig’s that has a chocolate pizza on their menu. If I could be any pizza, I would be the chocolate pizza at Craig’s.” Hailee spilled. The singer then brought up a super important point. “But, I don’t know how long I’d last, which is sad to think about. But that’s what I’d be.” This is a totally valid statement considering if we were lucky enough to get our hands on a *chocolate pizza* we’d demolish it within 0.389 seconds.

This answer is classic Haiz — the babe is addicted to chocolate! Her love for cocoa is so strong, that she even sacrificed her Met Gala mani for a box of chocolates. It’s official — Hailee Steinfeld is our celebrity soul sister.