May 30, 2022 - Music Observer

Nick Caster and Dani Felt Join Forces as NC1 Agency

Music Observer Staff on May 30, 2022

Two brilliant minds have come together to create a lasting impact on global brands and the music industry. NC1 Agency founder and CEO Nick Caster is joining forces with celebrity artist coach Dani Felt to add value and elevate the experiences of their clients. Their collaboration also promotes women’s leadership in music, a bold move that is expected to redefine the way things are done in the music business.

Dani Felt has an impressive track record of achievements in the music business. She is the founder of Music Industry Mastery and was a singer-songwriter before she became an artist empowerment coach helping aspiring singers brave the challenges in the industry. At present, she offers a customized artist experience, creating tailor-fit services that will meet the unique needs of her clients. Interestingly, she has the unique ability to combine musician coaching with creative consulting.

With over a decade of unmatched experience in the music industry, Dani is able to easily craft personalized strategies to help up-and-coming achieve growth as they progress in the business. Her distinct and remarkable programs highlight the varied insights of expert consultants and creatives she has had the privilege of working with for the past ten years.

Empowering artists to withstand the pressures and challenges of the music business are some of the things she focuses on. She also makes sure that they are not just about standing out but also about flourishing in a healthy and productive manner. Additionally, she teaches them to value authenticity and to never be afraid to compose and create new songs on their own. “We are there to perfect your performance and manifest your mindset to drive your music career forward,” Dani explained.

While Dani is currently based in Nashville, she was originally from Philadelphia. As an indie-pop artist, she has been recognized for her passion and artistry across the country. Critics are quite fond of her and her creative works, enough to generate high praises from them published in Medium Magazine, Nashville.com, and Girl Boss, among others. They also highlighted how she managed to stand out in an industry that normally looks upon male executives for inspiration and direction.

Over the past few years, she has managed to gain the respect of music executives across the country by simply showing how passionate, committed, and driven she is to succeed. She manages to provide fresh solutions and perspectives concerning problems that seem common in the business. She keeps a keen eye on trends that continue to be relevant to her clients.

Nick is confident that this timely and exciting collaboration with Dani will go a long way for their future clients who aspire to make a name for themselves in the music industry. Dani is an excellent addition to NC1, which is considered the industry leader in creative strategies for the development of emerging markets. The company specializes in artist development, Google PPC, results-driven marketing, branding and identity, video services, content creation, and social media marketing.

With these two powerhouses coming together, nothing can stand in their way. The music industry can expect extraordinary approaches to rise from this exciting partnership.

Elvis Presley Biopic Gathers Praises and Criticisms from Critics

Music Observer Staff on May 30, 2022

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The new biopic on Elvis Presley has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. Many were impressed with Austin Butler’s performance as he portrayed this iconic figure. The film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, was released on Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Wrap stated that Butler “throws himself into the performance,” while Total Film said it expects an Oscar nomination.

On the other hand, Vanity Fair stated that Butler is “the only thing that works,” and IndieWire described the movie as “deliriously awful.”

“Yes, it’s a bright and splashy jukebox epic with an irresistible central performance from Austin Butler,” said The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin, awarding the film four stars. “But in that signature Luhrmann way, it veers in and out of fashion on a scene-by-scene basis: it’s the most impeccably styled and blaringly gaudy thing you’ll see all year, and all the more fun for it.”

Kevin Maher of Time magazine gave the movie four stars, with the journalist saying Elvis is “easily Luhrmann’s best movie since Romeo + Juliet.”

“The power in the musical numbers is drawn from Butler’s turn but also from Luhrmann, who edits with the kind of frenetic rhythms that are almost impossible to resist (feet will tap),” he stated. “They are the spine-tingling highlights that make the entire project a must-see movie.”

For the film casting for Presley, Butler beat out Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller to land a role.

Butler “makes a compelling argument for the power of Elvis, at a time when the musician’s arguably lost a little of his cultural cachet,” said Clarisse Loughrey from The Independent, complimenting the actor’s performance.

“Butler has looks, the voice, the stance, and the wiggle nailed down, but what’s truly impressive is that indescribable, undistillable essence of Elvis-ness – magnetic and gentle and fierce, all at the same time.”

The Wrap’s Steve Pond called the actor’s portrayal “wildly physical but never cartoonish or disrespectful.”

However, he added: “It’s not really [Butler’s] fault that he doesn’t look like Elvis, that his singing voice can’t really get close to Elvis and that the makeup, hair styling, and wardrobe used to get him in the ballpark mostly makes him look like an Elvis impersonator.”

Still, a few reviews were more critical.

“If only this 159-minute eyesore… a sadistically monotonous super-montage in which as weird Flemish guy manipulates some naïve young greaser over and over and over again until they both get sad and die – were gracious to be as short in any other respect,” said David Ehrlich of IndieWire.

“It’s hard to find even ironic enjoyment in something this high on its own supply; something much less interested in how its namesake broke the rules than it is in how its director does, and something tirelessly incapable of finding any meaningful overlap between the two.”

Many media outlets have released their film reviews, a mixture of good and bad.