Artists Estelle, David Banner and Daley with BLAG Magazine Create “Benz” Inspired by Janis Joplin
The classic and historical 1971 Janis Joplin lyrics “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me…” has led to a collaborative effort between singer and songwriter Estelle, rapper and producer David Banner and the soul singer artist Daley. Led by British based international style magazine BLAG, the collaboration results in a new song releasing on April 18, 2011.
The track, titled “Benz” by Grammy award winning producer David Banner, was recorded at Record Plant in Los Angeles in February 2011. A new melody and lyrics inspired by Joplin’s famous song are brought to life by the three artists and their different musical styles to create a harmonious and upbeat flow inspired by Banner’s Mississippi roots.
BLAG is internationally releasing the new track and video on April 18, 2011 via iTunes along with the debut of its BLAG Deluxe App for iPad and coffee table magazine featuring the making of the Benz video, photos, and interviews with Estelle, David Banner and Daley.
The original Janis Joplin track was created before any of the artists were born, however, according to Sally A. Edwards, who co-owns BLAG with her twin sister Sarah J. Edwards, “The song still resonates with all of us and when we came together on the meaning for the new version, we thought it should be about ambition and triumph. The fact it’s the 125th anniversary of the car is symbolic and the perfect tie-in,” said Sally Edwards, who loves bringing people together and felt Estelle, David Banner and Daley, could pull together something just as meaningful as the original lyrics given their different musical styles and backgrounds.
“We were honored that these creative artists chose to record a song about the Mercedes-Benz brand and after hearing about their project it was an easy decision to work with BLAG magazine to lend our support,” said Christoph Horn, Director Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars.
About BLAG and the participating artists
BLAG is a high-end British music, fashion, art, film, culture and design magazine and iPad App with global distribution, created entirely by founders Sally A. Edwards and Sarah J. Edwards. They possess excellent contacts in the cultural, music and art scenes.
David Banner a Grammy Award winning producer, rapper, actor and philanthropist achieved his musical breakthrough with the 2003 single “Like a Pimp” and the album “Mississippi – The Album”. He has since released 5 albums including “The Greatest Story Ever Told” in 2008 which featured several guest appearances by the likes of Yung Joc, Snoop Dogg, Akon and Chris Brown. His most recent album “Death Of A Popstar” is a joint effort with 9th Wonder, and in stores now. His past production credits include: Lil Wayne, Kanye West, T.I., Nelly, Maroon 5, Snoop Dogg, Quincy Jones, Jamie Foxx, Anthony Hamilton, Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes and Zac Brown.
Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Estelle released her first studio album “The 18th Day” in 2004 from which three singles (“1980,” “Free,” and “Go Gone”), made the UK Top 40 charts. In 2008 Estelle landed at the top of the UK and US charts with ‘American Boy’ featuring Kanye West. The single took a Grammy Award for Best collaboration and was Song of the Year nominee. ‘American Boy’ received a huge amount of airplay in Europe, the US and Canada and made history as the third ever number one UK single to be certified platinum by the RIAA for digital sales alone exceeding one million. The single was taken from Estelle’s second album, ‘Shine’ where she also collaborated with Cee-Lo Green, Will.I.Am, Kardinal Offishall and John Legend. Estelle has since worked with David Guetta on ‘Freak’ for her third album, ‘All of Me’ which will be released in 2011. Besides music, Estelle is heavily involved in philanthropy and set up the ‘All of Me Foundation’ with a mission to educate, enlighten and expand the horizons of young people.
British soul singer Daley is considered an exceptional talent. His unique and extraordinarily expressive voice led to his discovery by the BBC in 2009 and in 2010 he was named in the “BBC’s Sound of 2011”. He collaborated with the British band Gorillaz as lead vocalist on their latest single “Doncamatic” in November 2010.
Information and facts on production of the video and song “Benz”
| Initiator and Publisher: | BLAG Magazine – Sally A. Edwards & Sarah J. Edwards |
| Music: | David Banner |
| Lyrics and Vocals: | David Banner, Estelle and Daly |
| Producer: | David Banner |
| Executive Producers Song: | Sally A. Edwards, Sarah J. Edwards and Corey Smyth |
| Video Directors and Producers: | Sally A. Edwards & Sarah J. Edwards |
| Video Producers: | Matt Goldberg and Brandon Carroll, Herzog and Company, Los Angeles |
| DP: | David Robert Jones |
| Production Designer: | Melanie Jones |
| Video Editor: | Jared Varava |
| Car in Video: | Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Convertible (Model W111, built in 1971) |
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