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FYI

Countermeasure Shows In Japan & Lincoln Center–All 13 Of Them

The Canadian a cappella ensemble has proven to be a force to reckon, and the sheer size of the vocal group seems to matter not when it comes to finding its voice on the global stage.

Countermeasure Shows In Japan & Lincoln Center–All 13 Of Them

By FYI Staff

Canadian a cappella group, Countermeasure, has Japan and the U.S. in its sights for noteworthy festivals dates.


Formed in 2010 and led by award-winning composer/arranger Aaron Jensen, the 13-strong Toronto vocal ensemble performs original compositions and re-imagined standards that highlight the breadth and capabilities of the human voice.

The Japan tour launched on April 30 in Osaka on a bill with popstar Chikuzen Sato from the band Sing Like Talking, at his annual showcase event Cross Your Fingers, in its 20th year, at Osaka Festival Hall.

Countermeasure goes on to perform multiple concerts in Takatsuki City at the “Takatsuki Jazz Street Festival”, one of the most attended free music shows in Japan that is a highlight of the Golden Week holiday. The festival features over 300 acts, and as many as 3,000 artists performing in 40 different locations in-and-around the central business district of Takatsuki City. On May 5, they appeared at a live-to-air concert on FM Cocolo Radio.

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A featured Canadian artist in the Serenade! Choral Festival in Washington, DC, Countermeasure will give a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 29.

In between international travel, the ensemble will perform two concerts at SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, Canada’s premier a cappella festival: May 30 as part of Art Battle @ SING! Toronto at the Opera House, and June 2 as special guests on SoundCrowd and Friends at Jane Mallett Theatre.

Their two music videos have an aggregate of nearly half a million views. “Life is Fine”, from their latest album release, Made to Measure, is based on a text by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. The second, "Fox in the Field," is adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince."

Website: Countermeasuremusic.com

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Elton John in the video for 1989's "Sacrifice."
YouTube/Alex Keshishian

Elton John in the video for 1989's "Sacrifice."

Pop

Elton John’s First Song to Enter YouTube Billions Club Might Surprise You

The 1989 video stars supermodel Yasmeen Ghauri and singer Chris Isaak.

Sire Elton John‘s video for the maudlin 1989 single “Sacrifice” has joined the YouTube billion-views club. The single from John’s 22nd studio album, 1989’s Sleeping with the Past, chronicles the challenge of remaining faithful in marriage, with a video starring singer/songwriter Chris Isaak and supermodel Yasmeen Ghauri.

The clip directed by Alex Keshishian (Madonna: Truth or Dare, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me) follows Isaak as he and Ghauri struggle to maintain their connection as a married couple while raising their young daughter, with Isaak seeming to take on single parenthood near the end of the video.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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