SAMANTHA NEWARK

Thursday, November 3, 2011Samantha Newark - Something Good
Most people won't have a clue who Samantha Newark is because you've never really seen her face. Her voice, however spoke to millions of children growing up in the 80s and for me; it's a voice that brings back so many memories of simpler days and much more of a carefree attitude. A time when you would wake up at 6 AM on a Saturday morning with a bowl of your favorite cereal and sit in front of the television until noon and then you were kicked outside to go play. During that time, one of the greatest of things in the world was Jem. I am going to make my one obligatory, "Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous" because she was. The cartoon was so far ahead of it's time and it had something for everyone. It was full of amazing music, action and adventure, love and romance and most importantly friendship. The stories were actually pretty mature without being preachy and they were just fun. To this day, I consider myself a Jem Boy and I will be until I die. Samantha Newark was the speaking voice of Jem and her civilian alter ego, Jerica. If you aren't familiar with Jem, you can find her all over the web so I won't go into it. I'll post some links at the end of this post to give you head start if you need it.





2011 marked the release of Sam's new album Something Good. which is the first album off her own label but it is not her first foray into the music industry. She has been compared to Sophie Ellis Bexor, Traci Lords and Goldfrapp and I can easily see where those comparisons have been made but I think she has so much more to offer than just being considered a replica of existing artists. Her music is approachable and is filled with so much passion it is exuded through every beat and every carefully placed lyric. There is a retro-ish vibe (and I hate saying that but it's the easiest way to describe it) to the album that allows the album to take you a very familiar place but then you quickly learn that Sam doesn't want you to get too comfortable there because she's about to shake things up and take you on a journey with her.



The album comes blasting out of the gates with the heavily danceable track, "I Got Everything". The staccato rhythm and pounding bass drive this song forward with a steady intention to get you off your ass and get you moving. There is no way possible for you to not want to move when this track comes on. The pre-chorus is so sharp and decisive that it pushes you with full force through the song. From there we move into the synth heavy love affair and super sexy track, "Hands on Me" that takes you to the mile high club without ever leaving the ground. "Blue Sea" is haunting and her vocals are filled with such longing it just draws you in. Her voice takes on a very sensual quality on the super sexy "Lover" and it has such a distinct quality to it. Each track proves more than the last that Sam's experience in the music industry has been put to good use. Her voice is so strong and has so much character that you just want to be there with her and at no time do you feel like you are being pandered to.

Even though this is her journey that she has invited us on, I never felt out of place or like an intruder in something too personal. I think that is something that is amazing about musicians, they let us into their world and we get to know them more and more as they open up. If you have read my blog at all, you know how important music is to me and how quality music makes life so much better. There are moments when her voice reminds me of the group Betty, who I am a HUGE fan of, and there is just so much texture to it and when it's layered on top of amazingly crafted tracks there is a depth of experience you aren't going to get anywhere else.

She could have easily parlayed her experience as Jem into this album and gone the easy route but she didn't and that is probably one of the most amazing decisions she could have made. There is enough separation in this work and Jem/Jerica that it easily stands on it's own two feet and dares you to think other wise, but it pays enough homage to her history that fans of her as the iconic singer are going to love her much more. She has also made a very wise decision to have the perfect balance of amped up BPMs to slower tracks that give the album a ton of body and isn't just cotton candy fluff.

I'd like to say I'm not biased but that would be a lie. As a fan of her voice over work, I hoped like hell that I would fall deeply in love with this album and I was not disappointed. My only disappointment was not getting to GMX in Nashville and getting to meet her in person but now that I have this album under my belt, I can thank her for that at the next convention.

Buy the album. Don't be a dick and steal it. It's $9.99 on her website and other reputable music outlets, like Amazon and iTunes. Support the independent artists because they are going to represent more of what you want than the multi-million dollart artists that are singing someone elses songs. And for the record, this album is Truly, truly, truly outrageous!

- Verse Chorus Verse, tripping my way throught Pop music by: Wes LuAllen

It was a truly, truly, truly outrageous moment a year ago when, even though they've been connected for more than 25 years, Samantha Newark finally met Britta Phillips.


Shout Factory/Hasbro
Jem and the Holograms live again in a new DVD box set of the 1980s cartoon series.
EnlargeCloseShout Factory/Hasbro
Jem and the Holograms live again in a new DVD box set of the 1980s cartoon series.
To some, those two names might not mean anything unless they're really into female indie musicians. Yet, to fans of the rockin', glittery 1980s cartoon Jem and the Holograms, they're stars of the highest order.

Before Hannah Montana borrowed its double-identity conceit, Jem featured Newark as the speaking voice of Jerrica Benton, fashionable philanthropist and owner of Starlight Music, and Phillips as the singing voice of her pink-haired alter ego Jem, the secret persona Jerrica inhabits on stage thanks to a holographic computer named Synergy.

From 1985 to 1988, Jerrica/Jem fronted her rock band, the Holograms, to raise money for her late father's foster program for girls but mainly tried to keep her identity secret from her boyfriend Rio and a whole mess of antagonists: diabolical music mogul Eric Raymond, Pizzazz and her mean-girl band the Misfits, and cocky rocker Riot and the Stingers.

Like with other franchises of the time such as G.I. Joe and Transformers, Jem has stood the test of time with its fans. They championed getting the last season on DVD, which is included in the new Jem and the Holograms complete-series DVD box set out today from Shout Factory with new documentary featurettes, original toy commercials and much more.

They wanted it back on the air, and they got that, too: The Hub, the cable venture from Discovery and toy company Hasbro, shows original episodes every day, and they've proven a hit for the fledgling network. Since The Hub's launch a year ago this month, Jem and the Holograms has been one of the top five highest-rated programs on the network for girls ages 2-11.

Newark sees these new fans visiting her merch table at JemCon, the annual mecca for all things Holograms, and at other various events.

"They draw me pictures of Jem and they want me to autograph things. It's so cool," she says. "They're obsessed with Jem just like the kids were when it first came on.

"It seems to have stood the test of time in its translating because they are hooked and loving it."

The fact that Jem was played by both Newark and Phillips still confuses some — "It was meant to be an illusion so you assumed it was the same person," the British-born Newark says — but that's how it had to be back in the day, when the voice acting was done in Los Angeles and all the songs were recorded in New York City.

Phillips was the first person cast for the animated series, and it was the first real gig for the then-22-year-old, whose father was a musician and jingle writer. While she wasn't a regular viewer of the actual show — "I was always out late and not up very early on Saturday morning," she says, laughing — Phillips would get the lowdown on each episode's story before singing the songs, and tunes such as Maybe She's Got the Power and Music is Magic were fun but also challenging for her.

"I could sing pretty high, but this really stretched me as far as singing different styles," says Phillips, adding that all the time spent in the studio helped her musicianship, as well.

"You can sing at home in the shower or in your car and it's great, but when you get into a studio and put on headphones, it's a whole different environment and experience. The fact I did 150 Jem songs in a studio made me comfortable with that, which definitely helped with all the other stuff I've done since then."

Phillips never found the tunes "cheesy" — she has even been known to bust some out at Jem-flavored karaoke nights — but in 1990 when she was in an indie "shoe-gaze" band with her now ex-husband, he let it be known that he didn't like her "commercial" pursuits such as Jem and her appearance in the musical movie Satisfaction.

Just from being around, she was slightly embarrassed about her Jem years. "I was young — I didn't know any better. I think it's kind of foolish now," says Phillips, who travels the world with her current husband Dean Wareham as the music duo Dean & Britta.

Every so often at a show, Phillips says she runs into the occasional Jem fans as well as the ones who are surprised with her involvement. "Often I have people bringing Jem stuff in for me to sign or they'll mention it or ask me, 'Is this true?!' They think it's some strange urban legend."

Newark is a musician, too, living in Nashville — her synth-pop album Somethin' Good comes out Oct. 21 — but she was a teenager who had spent much of her childhood in show business when she won the part as Jem's speaking voice. It was her first gig in the voiceover world and she loved it, from the snappy dialogue — and Pizzazz's digs at Jem's colored coif — to the important themes inherent in the show.

"At one point, they had a suicide hotline number and they got tremendous response from kids who called it and asked for help," Newark recalls. "They had no idea that they were reaching people in the way that they were, and they really took that seriously and kept presenting these episodes that touched on drug abuse and all kinds of stuff."

She moved on from voiceover acting to music full time, and about eight years ago, Newark randomly Googled "Jem" and found a slew of Web rings and fan sites dedicated to the cartoon.

"People were flipping out," she says. "I didn't get the gravity of it until I really started to connect with the fans and really understood the impact the show had on their lives."

One of those is Rachael Prins, who loved Jem so much that she started the website Jemgirl.com in Melbourne, Australia, so fans like her can buy rare Jem toys, custom dolls and accessories, and also have their old dolls restored by Prins.

She became enraptured by Jem in 1986 growing up in Tasmania. On her favorite Saturday morning cartoon show, the host announced an upcoming cartoon that featured a rock star with pink hair, bad girls and lots of music — all of 8-year-old Prins' favorite things in one half-hour.

"In Australia, people who grew up around the same time as me remember Jem well and are so happy to hear of other people who still love the show," Prins says. "Then I meet some people who have sort of forgotten about Jem and say it sounds familiar, and then a quick showing of the cartoon, the logo, or a picture of a doll, and instantly they say, 'Oh, Jem! I used to love Jem, how did I forget?!' And Jem instantly makes them feel excited, as if a child-like passion comes right back to them."

Prins makes limited-edition doll fashion accessories for JemCon every year, and in 2010, Newark and Phillips were finally able to meet in New Hampshire as guests of honor at the event.

"People took a lot of photos of us together," Phillips says with a laugh. "We were both just really tickled and we talked a lot. We both have acting/singing sides. We're like doppelgangers."

Both relish the experiences they've had with the main demographics of Jem fans. Last year, Newark was having dinner with her parents, and when a new bride in her 30s found out Newark was in the same restaurant, she asked the Jem star to sign her wedding dress. And Phillips recalls fondly a fun night at a nightclub during JemCon once with two gay male fans, even though she had forgotten her ID. (The bar manager turned out to be a Jem aficionado, too.)

But fans really run the gamut, Newark says, from people in their 40s to straight men and little boys who like a little Jem in their cartoon diet. Because of that, she wouldn't be surprised to see Jem get a modern reimagining sooner than later, although she has no idea what kind of truly outrageous presence Hasbro will have for the franchise at New York Comic-Con later this week.

"My parents tell me stuff, and I'm like, 'Really? I didn't know that!'" Newark says, laughing. "I swear to God, Jem is the last to know."

- 10/11/2011 By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

'Jem and The Holograms' Hits DVD: Get Your 80s Retro Sing On (Exclusive Video)For the first time, the complete series will be available on DVD on Tuesday.
October
76:01 PM PDT 10/7/2011 by Jethro Nededog
shareComments 138
Shout! FactoryKids of the 80s know that before Lady Gaga and Kei$ha, there was Jem, the pink-haired rock star with the hologram-generating computer, Synergy. A whole new generation of fans are getting acquainted with the awesome that is Jem and the Holograms on the cable channel, The Hub, but the whole series is about to be released on DVD.

On Tuesday, Jem and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series box set and the Jem and The Holograms: Season One set will be available from Shout! Factory. And The Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive sneak peek at one of the special features.

The complete series set includes 65 original episodes and a full disc of bonus features including new interviews with the cast, series creative team and crew, original toy commercials, video jukebox, animated storyboards, and the original writer’s bible.

Watch THR’s exclusive clip below with Samantha Newark who voiced Jerrica/Jem as she describes how the actors worked.

For more information on the Jem and The Holograms DVD sets, visit the Shout! Factory website.

- 10/7/2011 by Jethro Nededog - HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

I should start off by saying I am a Huge Jem fan. I watched it as a kid, usually before school at 7:30am. Now, it is back with all the glitter, glamour, fashion and fame you can handle, and The Misfits and The Stingers too. The cartoon has quite the following. There are numerous fan pages, message boards, and did you know there is a convention dedicated to Jem? Check out Jemcon.org for more info.

I recently had the truly outrageous opportunity to interview Samantha Newark; the woman behind the speaking voice of Jem/Jerrica. Not only is she the voice of an iconic cartoon but she is also a recording artist who is set to release her new album "Somethin' Good" on October 21st! There is also the forthcoming October 10th release of the COMPLETE Jem and The Holograms DVD Collection she will be promoting. Samantha graciously took the time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about the music business, her status as Cartoon Royalty and of course, staying outrageous. So without further ado...

Showtime Synergy!

Hello Samantha!


Congrats on the new album!

Tell me about the new album: What were your influences? Is there a theme?

Hi Xavier, thanks for the invite to chat with you and your readers. My new album is long distance collaboration with a longtime friend in Los Angeles, Keyboard programmer, producer, songwriter Dave Polich. Dave and I have written songs together for film, TV, and we had often talked about doing a record. I guess it all comes down to timing and the time was finally right.

I was writing songs like crazy in Nashvillewhere I currently live and would send Dave the ones I thought were possible good fits for the record. Once we had chosen 10, I flew to Los Angelesto record the vocals to pretty bare bone tracks and then Dave embarked on his production magic. Files were flying back and forth between us for months, it was a crazy way to do a record, but we made it work and are really excited about this album.

As far as influences, I’ve always loved Electronica music like Goldfrapp, Imogen Heap, Everything but the girl, Madonna, Massive Attack. I’ve had so many musical influences along the way and it took me a while of exploring many genre’s with my songwriting and playing live in and out of bands to find where I fit and what I want to write and sing. As far as a theme for the album, it’s funny how a project kind of unfolds and tells you what it wants to be. The title track “Somethin’ Good” was one of the first songs I wrote for the record. It’s kind of got that anthem like quality and in an organic way I followed through with that theme just writing more up tempo positive material and the result is a pretty feel good record.

What was the inspiration for your single, “I got everything”?

“I got everything” started on my Mac in Garageband where all these songs started. I found this awesome vibe and tempo and then with melody and lyrics, I knew it just needed to be in your face very hooky aggressive kind of song. It’s the most up-tempo track on the album so we thought it would be fun as the single.

How would you describe your style of music?

I’d say it’s definitely a straight ahead Pop record with a lot of Synth programming and Loops and atmospheric elements. It’s got Dance influences and also throwback vibes it’s kind of hard to pin down. I just hope that my fans will find something on this record that speaks to them and makes them wanna turn it up.

Are you touring? I can’t wait to tour; I would love to put a really cool live band together. I am in the process of figuring that all out. I can’t wait to start performing this record live.

What is the most challenging part of the recording process? Generally, it’s a really fun process for me especially because I am usually working with people I really like. I’m confident in the studio having done so much session work and so much recording over the years. The only thing that can be tricky sometimes is not speaking the programming language. I definitely know what I like and what I don’t like but get frustrated when I can’t just name the synth sound I’m looking for or why the low end of a track and the groove is just not making me wanna rock out. I’m learning so much all the time about all the different elements that go into the production side of things. I’ve been blessed to work with people like Dave who’s done a lot of stuff for Michael Jackson and David Foster.

So how does Nashville compare to Los Angeles?

Nashvilleis a cool city and is the prettiest place I’ve ever lived. The trees and the beauty are not reserved for the high-end neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, It’s just everywhere. There is also a great songwriting community here but it’s definitely a Country town for the most part. I’ve yet to meet a lot of Pop writers here, I’m sure they’re here somewhere but I guess it takes a while to get in the loop. There are lots of things I miss about LA as I pretty much grew up there. I know all the driving shortcuts, my favorite hangs, and I have some really amazing friends that I miss. I’ve never been afraid to “Shake the tree” and try and different venue – so who knows where I’ll be next, as long as I have computer and internet and an International airport nearby “Have voice, will travel.”

Do you miss the West Coast?

I do miss being close to the ocean, funny how I wouldn’t go very often when I lived in CA but Oh how you miss it when it’s really far away. Nashvilleis a gentler place to live, create, and then go back and forth for work to Los Angelesand New York. As far as touring Nashvilleis close to so many more cities. The whole world has really opened up with the internet. You can do so much now on-line and have your base pretty much anywhere you want.

I was watching Jem recently and thought how did kids in the 80’s (me being one of them) understand what this cartoon was about? There are so many adult themes in the cartoon. Do you think Jem could be made today?

I get asked that question quite a bit and I think if they had Christy Marx and some of the other wonderful writers on board, I think they would champion the original integrity and tone of the show. In my opinion, it’s stood the test of time because of its wonderful values that teach good wholesome messages to kids.

What is your favorite Jem episode?

I haven’t decided yet, I’m still catching up watching episodes on “The Hub” haven’t picked a favorite yet. I did just see an episode the other morning called “One Jem too many” and I had totally forgotten that I got to play an imposter Jem who was this horrible spoiled, self-entitled version of Jem, very fun to get to play that and to see the episode again after all this time.

You are the voice of a Cartoon Icon, what is that like? Advantages/disadvantages?

It’s weird to hear you say that as I just feel really grateful to have gotten to be a part of such a special show that has meant so much to so many people. To see the show back on TV again reaching out to a whole new generation of little kids is even more amazing. I never would have expected I would be here today talking to you and your readers about my voice work on Jem. One of the best parts is getting to meet the fans in person at these Pop Culture fan conventions all over the country and hear firsthand their love for this cartoon. Disadvantages, can’t come up with any it’s all been great.

What does being brave mean to you?

I can’t imagine what some people have to endure as far as bravery. For me thankfully I’ve never gone hungry or gone without shelter or worse. For me it’s always been emotional bravery a theme I write often about in my music. Daring to dream really big and keeping the faith when you can’t see the forest for the trees and you have no cheerleaders. I think living a life of kindness and integrity is brave too when the world would shut you down and tempt you not to be that way.

What’s your dream project?

My dream project right now is to have a really amazing live band so I can tour and play this record the right way I’ve also got so many new songs since writing and recording the record that I just can’t wait to get out and work it all out live with a great band. I would say that is number one Dream project right now. But there is always guesting on a Massive Attack record, doing a track with William Orbit, writing with Lady Gaga, playing festivals, touring the world, and doing some really cool animated voice over work in film and TV and the list goes on.

I asked my Facebook Friends to come up with a question for you, and here’s one that stood out to me:

How does it feel having a doll made after a character you portray?

It is kind of lovely and the fans have been so kind and gifted me Jem dolls so I’m getting a little collection going. Apparently, there is also a pink robot “Ariel” doll, the character I played from the Transformers cartoon but I’ve yet to actually see Ariel’s doll in person.

What’s next for you in 2011 and beyond?

I will of course be promoting my record and also anticipating the release of “Jem and the holograms” DVDbox set by “Shout!factory” an 11 disk set that I’m interviewed on as well as other cast members crew and fans due out October 11th . I’ve got two fan convention appearances in Nashville in October to do meet and greets and autographs with the Jem fans and I’m also involved in this amazing all female driven project called “Womanthology”. It’s an entire hardback book (release date pending) championing young female comic book writers and illustrators and their mentors. I was asked to contribute my song “BlueSea” off my new album to be adapted into comic book form for the book. All the proceeds from Womanthology are going to a wonderful charity and they raised over 109,000 on their kickstarter page for the project. I don’t know what Hasbro has in store for the “Jem and the holograms” franchise in 2012 and beyond but I do know that these fans have become a very special part of my life and I hope I can be a part of whatever truly outrageousness is to come.

Where can my readers find you online?

www.samanthanewark.com

Thank you!

Thanks Xavier





- LA Examiner / October 2011 by Francis Xavier

Music Review: Somethin’ Wonderful
By Johnny M
October 22, 2011 at 8:21AM EDT
Most people know Samantha Newark as the speaking voice of Jem, the iconic 80s animated character. What most people don’t know is that Ms. Newark is a seasoned singer in her own right. Her self-titled album in 2008 was a collection of original, vibrant alt-rock songs including “Jemboy,” a sincere shout-out to her longtime fans. For her new album, Somethin’ Good, Newark goes in an entirely different direction and creates a shimmering, electric piece of dance/pop perfection.

Something Good combines a number of electronic styles into a coherent whole, stocked top to bottom with melodic hooks, jumping synths and a sly, winking humor. Retro harmonies mesh effortlessly with a future-forward attitude that practically leaps from the speakers. More than anything, the album sounds sincere, the product of an artist who knows what she wants.

Newark’s voice is consistently strong and confident, blessedly free of Auto-Tune. Her voice proves to be highly elastic, and Newark seems to adopt a number of personas that seem more like facets of her being than masks used for a show. She’s a slinky vixen in “Hands On Me,” a wistful urbanite in “Please Tell Me” and a neo-disco diva on “Lover.” The versatility of her delivery is part of the enjoyment of the album, as each song seems to reveal a different side to Newark’s personality.

The songs often contain a directness and honesty that’s endearing and refreshing. This shows up most clearly in two of the album’s most beautiful vocals: the cool and shuffling “Take Me As I Am” and the exquisitely clear and tranquil “Blue Sea.” In the same way, the much funkier and aggressive “I Got Everything” is assured without feeling false, while the title track is bright and hopeful without being simplistic.

There’s hardly a misstep in the album’s running time, even if that running time seems far too brief. Some of the songs run a bit short and sound like they could have been even stronger if they had been slightly longer and had more time to breathe. It’s a very minor complaint, however, considering how strong the album is and how compulsively listenable the songs are.

Combining Goldfrapp’s neon synth/pop, Sophie Ellis Bextor’s retro cunning, the eccentricity of Traci Lords’ 1000 Fire and her own magnetic voice, Samantha Newark has created an album all her own. It is, of course, truly outrageous, but it’s also the work of a serious, dedicated artist following her own muse with amazing results. Jem would be proud.

- www.fanboysoftheuniverse.com