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I’m still what you would call a “starving artist”, so I work Saturday night’s down in AC at my parents bar, bartending. Well it was a typical Saturday afternoon, I’m getting ready for work when my mom calls me. She tells me that my music video was selected as a top 5 finalist in a competition for the Florida Music Festival. First place gets a chance to perform on the main stage at this years festival as well as $1000 in travel expenses. I was pumped and ready to take on my competition.  The way you win this competition however is through getting “your” fans, family, and friends to “like” your music video, which is listed on FMF’s fanpage.

So I sat at work that night with the iPad in hand and started promoting and going nuts on FB asking all of my fans, friends, and family to ‘like” my video for my chance to win. Everyone on my side of the field was absolutely amazing btw. I am so thankful and so blessed to have had generated the amount of “likes” that I did.  1,400 in 3 days its beyond words! The support system I had on my side was something else. J So I’m sitting at work watching, refreshing, and anticipating who would be a real threat in this competition. I see that the only two musicans who are really generating likes are myself and June Divided. This is when I knew it was going to be a neck and neck race, and that’s where the real fun/drama began.

Now its Sunday, I’ve surpassed June Divided but not by much, Im only up about 60 votes. I literally sat on my couch from the time I go up that day, till I went to bed doing nothing but social networking my ass off!. It was a continuous watching game as the race continued to build in anticipation of what would happen next. In the middle of the mayhem June Divided’s fans decide to make some very opinionated comments reguarding why they felt in their eyes my music as well as my music video wasnt worthy to be entered into this competition. Here are some of the comments

June Divided Fan -“Allyou people who like this video over June Divided are lunatics! Another so called “singer” who can’t sing so, she gets half naked and dances around.”

June Divided Fan -“couldnt agree with you more John (as many others do too) and sad part is the latter would require sex appeal and dance skills, which this broad exhibits neither of. This contest should be saved for REAL artists and musicians like June Divided and if lunatics makes it im taking bets she’ll be booed off stage.”

Me in response to such ignorance- “I wish nothing but the best for June Divided from one artist to another. We’re both obviously independents trying to put ourselves out their and sharing a dream. Different in style, but its still the same dream. Im sorry you feel the way you do, but its not right for you to start trashing and judging my art form, or talking trash to my fans that are voting for me. Please keep your comments to yourself, Im sure we’ve all learned by now, if you have anything nice to say then say nothing at all. Thank you, I appreciate it.”

And here are some of the comments that my fans, family and friends had to say in my defense J

“haha tyler stephens she has talent asshole that’s why she winning duh do the math and the dance you probably couldn’t choreograph and the pop industry is about sex appeal so you sound real ignorant”

“First of all she is not a slut! You know nothing about her whatsoever other than than the fact she is beautiful and has a nice body. And like she said if you have nothing nice to say do not say anything at all. She can dance her ass off like no one I know. She has style and class which is why she refuses to stoop to your level and call names. Let’s all just grow up and keep our negative opinions to ourselves. You get it candi gurl 8 years in the making.”

“Candy is probably one of the classiest people I know…her and her competetion have 2 different styles of music so there is no comparison in the video style. AND yes sex sells and she looks GREAT. Brittany Spears is HOT and TALENTED and makes millions and Candy exceeds her in class by a million and has the talent to go along with it You should never judge a book by its cover!!!”

“when you have haters that’s when you know you’re on you’re way to the top:)”

I particularly like the last comment, ya no the one that says “when you have haters that’s when you know your on your way to the top.” This just says it all in a nutshell. People are always going to hate, that’s just the way of the world. Its sad because people where judging me based off of my video. They didn’t take the time and really look into the ART and primarily at the end of the day this is what being an independent ARTist is about. They didn’t look into the guts of my hard work and dedication. They didn’t take the time out to see that I wrote the lyrics, sat and worked with director Rob Schwartz on the treatment and direction of the video, took the time out to work my with my bestfriends/dancers to come up with the outfits and cheoreography. Instead I got bashed for being different, called a slut, and was told I don’t have talent.

I would actually like to thank these people.. Id like to thank you because you make me that much stronger, and driven. Id like to thank you because it made me laugh and smile to know that I got to you, you blaintently just had to reach out and tell me how aweful I was. This to me ladies and gentalmen doesn’t ruin my day, this lets me know I am doing something right… I GOT YOUR ATTENTION whether you viewed it negatively or not. I still won your attention and your time.

To me its obvious that I have beyond esquisite fans, family and friends, and I want to just thank them one last time for being there for me through thick and thin, coming to my defense for those that know me personally, and for just being you.

This completion was a nutty one, with a lot of up’s and downs. For instance we didn’t know whether the competition ended Monday night at midnight which would have been Feb.14^th  “ Technically ” going into the next day, or if it ended Feb.14^th Midnight which would really “technically” be Feb.15^th… If it would have ended on the technical Feb.14^Th midnight starting a new day, I would have won the competition. Unfortanetly their were no specifics from FMF reguarding this issue and clearly I wasn’t the only one confused considering June Divided thought the same thing, among everyone else anticipating an answer from FMF that night. Needless to say the competition still went on the whole next day while I was in NYC at Fashion week walking the runway for my friend Indashio,  VH1’s Galm God and Celebrity designer. I still had fans, family, and friends pulling, and promoting their asses off for me. I was in the lead by 200 all day, 11pm rolls around still in the lead by 150, 11:54pm rolls around and I’m up by 20, 11:57pm rolls around and I’m surpassed by 20. Now everyone on both sides erupts with controversy. I personally am not pointing the finger nor will I comment about it. It is what it is, and the competition is done.

As I said earlier I wish nothing but the best for June Diveded. We are both independents from completely two different sides of the track in re-guards to  the music world. I felt It was great to see that two unique and different styles of music generated the crowd of “likes” that it did. All contestants deserve a round of applause. This concludes my thoughts on the FMF contest! See you all in April. ROCK ON!!!

Thank you, I love you, with out you, I am not me J

-CL

So there has been a lot going on lately.. Tomorrow MaMa D and I  leave for Cannes, France for the Midem Music Conference. We both have never been there so it’s a completely new experience all within itself. Im not really sure what to expect besides the French Rivera, a lot of meetings, long hours of concentrating paying attention to all and every detail, as well as enjoying the experience and taking it in as a whole. OH and walking around in heels for days on end! Im great in them, I walk like a damn princess coming out of finishing school in them, they’re just a lot of work sometimes to say the least. I’m an out going person, so turning the charm on shouldn’t be a problem! Haha

 We’re flying to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in hopes of licensing my music, and I mean licensing on all levels you could license and sync music. We’re also looking for the “right deal” with a major label for promotions and marketing. I say “right deal” because major labels will screw the artist any chance they get out of monies that are rightfully owed to the artist, but the artist in this case usually isn’t educated enough and signs a contract which signed there rights away to the label for X amount of years. But that is a whole other conversation that could continuously go back and forth with pro’s and con’s. Anyway, we are also going out there with an open mind, who knows what the universe will present to us while we’re there. We are looking at this like another door opening and another step into my career. So hopefully nothing but good things will come out of Midem for meJ

 Also Tuesday January 31^st 2012, we will be releasing my new single D!RTY off my Sophomore album “Musick Disease” due out late spring early summer through digital release. It’ll be available on Itunes as well as other online stores. Im really excited to release this particular single, I feel it hits home for anyone who has ever been done Dirty by another person. Its been a long time in the works and to have the final product ready to rock and roll is an accomplishment all within itself. When we get back from France Ill be starting the treatment for the music video. Shouldn’t take to long, the story line will actually follow the lyrics in the song. J That’s the only thing Im sayin! Well Im going to leave it here, gotta go finish packing and getting ready for tmrw!

 OH and just to let everyone know my music is back up and running on iTunes! Thank you for your patience and loving support!

 As always I love all my Lunatics <3

 <3 CL

 www.candilynn.com

So0o its Thursday December 8^th 2011. Christmas is right around the corner, cant believe the holidays are almost over, let me rephrase that, I cant believe this year is already over. Anyway I have been in bed all week on vocal rest. As most of you know I had surgery on my voice this past Monday.  I am happy to report that I am doing well and that I am alive. I am on vocal rest until tmrw, so I literally have not spoken to anyone since Monday before going in under the knife. I had a nodule and a cyst removed from my larynx. This was an extremely nerve wracking surgery for me considering my voice is my career. But I have faith in a full recovery. J

I’m not going to lie I actually enjoyed doing nothing but lay in my bed this past week doing absolutely nothing but sleep, read, and watch movies. It was something I really needed, I could have done without the circumstances but then my voice wouldn’t be getting any better anyway I wanted to write this blog to let everyone know I appreciate their thoughts and their prayers for me this past week and the just let everyone know how I am doing. I am truly blessed to have received the messages, tweets, wall posts, ect. That I have this past week from everyone. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I feel so loved and look forward to getting back to work!

SoOo0o0o0… As I said on my FB fanpage the other day… I don’t like to talk about myself… Its difficult for me to write a blog sometimes just because I’m a bold person and I don’t want to come off as an arrogant bitch, because I am the complete opposite of that… Sometimes I actually feel I am TO NICE… Kind of crazy, but true. I feel it is a cocky quality to talk about yourself all the time, but I guess it’s necessary if you are involved in the entertainment industry… Another reason is because I am a skeptic… If I feel I have a great idea, right? Say I was recording a video of me in the studio and posted it on Ustream or something of that nature, I feel like someone would steal or jack my idea… It’s happened before, and it’s happened to me…so call me paranoid or whatever it is you’d like… I learn from my mistakes and my experiences… Ive gained the knowledge of life… This is why I need my own documentary style series non scripted reality show…

One… because my life is chaos, two because I have some original ideas, and three the people I surround myself with are just truly amazing people filled with life…

Something that this world doesn’t know in reality TV anymore… Everything is about drama, and negativity… WTF is that?! The world, the news, the Internet so much of it is already filled with drama and negativity, why put it on reality TV as well? Besides most of reality TV is scripted… I mean I guess people just want to get away from their own drama so they turn on the TV and see that “celebrities” have it the same way… when the reality is… of coarse they do… their humans too…except theirs is scripted for the cameras and eventually they all crash & burn. That’s what American t.v. has come to these days, were addicted to the train wrecks & dysfunction.

Anyway… I’m a philosopher of my life as well as life in general… Soo0o that’s a whole different subject for another place and time… We are here to talk about what I am doing musically and what’s going on right now… Well right now I am listening to my newest song “Worst Nightmare” in my headphones as I write this blog… It helps me write, as well as gain inspiration for “fill ins” of the song… I cant really give you too much information about the song… But I will give you this… GURLSSSSSS YOU”LLLL LOVEEEE ITTT…. Guys you will to, I just have a feeling women will more just bc its from their perspective!!! J

I have a lot of amazing things going on… College radio is adding my record LUNATICS like its going out of style…I’ve had 20 adds in just two weeks, which by the way is absolutely F-IN AMAZING… THANK YOU college radio stations that have added my record!!! You are THE SHIT!!!!

I just got a new Euro style remix of Lunatics by DJ Chris “The Greek” Panaghi who is amazing…Ive had sooooo many DJs emailing the IM Musick team requesting DJ Drops so Ive been bangN them out daily. I still have hundreds more to go. I get so tongue tied saying the same thing over & over lol. I’m back in the studio working on 4 new records, preparing and mixing a couple others that are in my back pocket that very few know about… Im Getting ready to go to Cannes, Paris in January for Midem…The Worlds largest music conference to shop my new records for licensing & possible deals. I have a great feeling about it J I have a great feeling about everything that is currently going on in my life. I am blessed, I am thankful, and I am truly inspired…

I am flying high on life right now…Most of all I have amazing fans that are helping me get there and watching my process unfold! Thank you so much for all your love & support. It means so much to me that my music is being felt by so many in so little time.

I once was told that once you get there, the “HITS” keep pouring out… It’s an energy that wont stop until you do… well I hope that’s true because as I listen to this song in my headphones right now, I feel like all things are possible and are happening… Im going to leave it at that… J Its like the cliffhanger in a story… or… when your reading in bed and cant help but fall asleep… TO BE CONTINUED……

Finally! The Premiere of The Official Music Video for Lunatics!