Submit Original Music Now at Vans.com/MusiciansWanted
APAC Submission Open: Sep 2nd to Sep 30th
Americas and EMEA Submissions Open: Sept 28th to Oct 11th

Vans, the popular apparel or the original action sports brand and global advocate for creative expression announces the worldwide expansion of the brand’s celebrated music platform, Vans Musicians Wanted. Originally launched in Vans’ Asia-Pacific region in 2015, the competition is a global music platform that provides undiscovered musicians a chance for their original music to be heard by a global audience. This year’s competition has evolved into a seamless digital experience, and one grand prize winner will be awarded the opportunity to share the stage with Vans Ambassador and Grammy award winning artist Anderson .Paak.

Launching in partnership with the trailblazing talent from Vans’ final chapter of the ‘THIS IS OFF THE WALL’ brand campaign released yesterday, Vans shares the compelling journey of two artists: Atlanta-based rapper, J.I.D and Chinese-born and American-raised artist, Bohan Phoenix, who express their personal identities through music.

Born in Hubei, China and moved to Massachusetts, Bohan Phoenix was introduced to hip hop when his mother used popular movies and television as a tool to teach him English. One movie in particular sparked a love for music and culture that would go on to define his life moving forward. This introduction to hip hop led Bohan down a path of discovery and personal exploration that brought him to create his own music. By embracing his upbringing and dual cultural identity, he began to make music that blended two languages and cultures together to create something uniquely personal, pushing hip hop in new places. Watch Bohan Phoenix’s journey to self-discovery and how his multicultural upbringing has come to influence his identity as an artist at Vans.com/Bohan Phoenix.

Born and raised in East Atlanta, Destin Choice Route, better known by his stage name J.I.D, has carved out a unique space for himself through his raw talent and unwavering desire for greatness. While creativity was a constant throughout J.I.D’s life, he originally pursued professional sports, but through injuries and uncertainty, he embraced music. Driven by his magnanimous work ethic, J.I.D’s focus on writing and dense wordplay has helped to establish him as a leader in a new wave of hip hop that values craft over hype, defining a new sound that is unmatched. Hear J.I.D’s origin story and the path he has taken in order to hone his craft at Vans.com/JID.

Vans has partnered with J.I.D and Bohan Phoenix to serve as guest judges for the global competition. The stories of these two young artists within the hip hop industry serves as a catalyst for the next generation of musicians looking to come up from their bedrooms to main stage.

Vans’ ‘THIS IS OFF THE WALL’ campaign stories celebrate creative expression through the pursuit of artists making their own way forward in hip hop. The genre has become a distinct language of choice for young voices who continue to work to forge their own path by any means necessary.

Joining J.I.D and Bohan Phoenix as special guest judges, European based singer-songwriter NilüferYanya, and Grammy award-winning artist, Anderson .Paak will review the top-5 artists from each region. Top-5 artists from APAC will perform at the Vans Musicians Wanted Virtual Concert this December, they will also receive free album distribution through Spinnup, Universal Music Group’s distribution service for independent artists. One grand prize winner will be selected to receive Vans product, Fender Gear,Vans Spotify and Apple Music play listing, music video produced by Universal Music Group and one year of free and unlimited global music distribution from Spinnup (APAC exclusive), and the opportunity to share the stage with Anderson . Paak as the opening act in 2021.

To celebrate the partnership, Vans has teamed up with Bohan Phoenix to release his customized Vans shoes on Vans.com/Customs .

The rock legend’s upcoming album features E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen, the rock legend will release new album “Letter to You” and recorded live in his New Jersey home studio with the E Street Band on October 23, 2020 (Friday) via Columbia Records. Fueled by the band’s heart-stopping, house-rocking signature sound, the 12-track Letter To You is Springsteen’s 20th studio album.

Springsteen said, “I love the emotional nature of ‘Letter To You’. And I love the sound of the E Street Band playing completely live in the studio, in a way we’ve never done before, and with no overdubs. We made the album in only five days, and it turned out to be one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.”

Letter to You includes nine recently written Springsteen songs, as well as new recordings of three of his legendary, but previously unreleased compositions from the 1970s: “Janey Needs a Shooter,” “If I Was the Priest,” and “Song for Orphans.”

Springsteen is joined on Letter To You by Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Charlie Giordano and Jake Clemons. The album was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen, mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig. Letter To You is Springsteen’s first time performing with the E Street Band since The River 2016 tour, which was named the year’s top global tour by both Billboard and Pollstar.

Bruce Springsteen’s recording career spans over 40 years, beginning with 1973’s ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ’ (Columbia Records). He has garnered 20 Grammys, won an Oscar and a Tony, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a Kennedy Center Honor and was MusiCares’ 2013 Person of the Year. Springsteen’s memoir ‘Born to Run’ (Simon & Schuster) and its companion album ‘Chapter and Verse’ were released in September 2016, and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2016. His historic 236-show run of ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ at Jujamcyn’s Walter Kerr Theatre from October 2017 to December 2018 also yielded an accompanying soundtrack album and Netflix special. In 2019, Springsteen released ‘Western Stars,’ his first studio album in five years, and together with longtime collaborator Thom Zimny he co-directed ‘Western Stars,’ a feature film released through Warner Bros.

The Tracklist is as follows:

1. One Minute You’re Here
2. Letter To You
3. Burnin’ Train
4. Janey Needs A Shooter
5. Last Man Standing
6. The Power Of Prayer
7. House Of A Thousand Guitars
8. Rainmaker
9. If I Was The Priest
10. Ghosts
11. Song For Orphans
12. I’ll See You In My Dreams

Watch the video for the album’s title track here: brucespringsteen.lnk.to/LTYSPS/youtube

Pre-order Letter To You here: brucespringsteen.lnk.to/LTY-POPS

Filipino pop rock band, Orange & Lemons have proven time and again, that they’re capable of writing infinitely that maintain a distinct sensibility and effortlessness amidst shifting trends. While listening to their new single, Orange and Lemons really brings out their best in their new indie pop single “You Bring Out My Best” is out today, September 11, 2020 (Friday), on all digital platforms worldwide via Lilystars Records.

Their new single, “You Bring Out My Best” is among their most delightful work to date: a song that finds Clem waxing poetic on the intimate moments that he once shared with a fictional ex-lover. The song was intended as a pitch for a commercial project, but the band decided to release it as a stand-alone single. Clem Castro, Orange & Lemons’ chief songwriter and producer reveals, “We just love how the song turned out, it’s the first time we sat down together working on a concept material, with no relevant inspiration for it. Just a play with words and melodic lines.”

Orange & Lemons

The production packs a punch in a way that is seamlessly understated but compelling—never overdoing the process to gain attention or impress music fans. But it’s the songwriting that remains front and center to this massive release, a distinct mold whose appeal transcends generations of any kind.

“You Bring Out My Best” was written, arranged, and demo-recorded last February 2020 at O&L’s drummer studio from 4pm to 3am. The members of the band had to maximize their time together because they live far from one another, with Clem already having an approximate idea of a verse and chorus lines for the session. After jamming with the band, they brainstormed on adding sections and parts to complete the demo. “The resulting production has that trademark O&L sound, and much, much more because of the contribution of our keyboard player, who after more than a year of being an official member has immersed himself in indie-pop stylings,” the Orange & Lemons frontman adds.

Four months after the demo was shelved, Orange & Lemons finally braved the studioto resume recording of their new single “You Bring Out My Best.”  Armed with disinfectants and face masks, the award-winning band carefully observed health and safety protocols to finish the material. Clem says, “We had to remove our shoes when tracking, and only one person is allowed at a time to record. The rest had to wait outside at the receiving area of Sonic State Audio in Mandaluyong City.”

For more information checkout Orange & Lemons’ Facebook and website, http://orangeandlemons.co