Newcomer Tynisha Keli describes her sound as "very melodic" R&B/pop, and we totally agree! Tynisha is the type of girl who loves sitting down with her fans -- she posts frequent YouTube updates, even answering fan questions online, and makes sure everyone knows what's going on with her music. The down-to-earth girl isn't afraid to speak her mind or share stories, so we were psyched to sit down with the singer when she stopped by the J-14 offices.

J-14: How do you think MySpace and making YouTube videos has helped you?
Tynisha Keli: It is the reason why I'm sitting right here, so thank you, MySpace, and thank you, YouTube! The power of the Internet!

J-14: Do you have a song that's closest to your heart?
Tynisha: "Misunderstood." I talk about being misunderstood -- the way I am and how I act. I'm an extrovert, I'm very bright, but I have a very dark side to me, like all girls do, but it's at the cost of being taken away from home. [I wasn't] literally taken, but I moved from home at a young age in pursuit of my career. The song is talking about how I lost my father at a young age and not having my mom around. When she was around, she was abusive. The effects of it were me being misunderstood by my actions, so it's a very personal song.

J-14: What made you want to write about your ex-boyfriend in the song "My Everything?"
Tynisha: He was actually my first boyfriend, my first everything. I was with him for almost five years. It was a really long relationship, but I based my life around him and built my world around him because he literally was my everything.

J-14: What advice would you give to girls who might be in the same situation?
Tynisha: Don't make him your everything. Make him a love and someone who you genuinely care about. Love everything about him but have your own life. Do things separately from him so if the situation does happen to end, you'll have what you've made without him. It's definitely a harder situation when you don't have your own life and you make him everything. It's okay to love somebody and still do whatever it is you love to do on the side.

J-14: Who would you like to work with in the future?
Tynisha: Usher. That's an easy one!

J-14: What advice would you give to girls who would want to be in the music business?
Tynisha: I say the same thing every time because I really, truly, genuinely believe in this: if it's not passion of yours, do not step foot in pursuit of it, because you will get chewed up and spit out in two seconds. It took me six years from when I signed to even be doing this. It takes sacrifice. I compromised my childhood, my life, and I sacrificed being with my family and having memories with my family in order to do this, but I knew that ultimately if I didn't have this in my life, I would not be satisfied. I would not be complete, I would not be happy and I would not be who I am. So, if you don't really love it, and you're not willing to sacrifice it all for it, then don't do it. If you are, I wish you the best of luck and definitely stay strong.

J-14: Have you ever had a crazy fan encounter?
Tynisha: After I did the [KMEL House of Soul] show, I walked out into the crowd to go hang out with people and just mingle. I was behind the VIP line and a fan is standing outside the VIP jumping, [saying] "Oh my God! Oh my God! Will you please just come touch me? Just touch me!" He's flipping out like crazy. I said, "Oh, honey!" As soon as I hugged him, he was jumping with me in his arms. I will never forget -- it was the funniest thing in the world, but I love him! He was like 42-years-old. It was really funny.

The video for Tynisha's first single, "I Wish You Loved Me," is up on her MySpace page and look for her debut album to in February 2009!

If you can't stop singing "T-Shirt," don't worry--Shontelle's debut album will be out in just one month! In the mean time, J-14 caught up with the 23-year-old singer/songwriter to talk Barbados, flirting and her pal Rihanna!

J-14: How would you describe your sound?
Shontelle: My music is generally pop/R&B, but I am from Barbados, so you're going to hear some elements of reggae and other music from home.

J-14: What's your fave song off the album?
Shontelle: Of course I love "T-Shirt," but one of my favorite songs is called "Battle Cry"--to me it's like a world anthem. I really love that song because it's about getting people to come together and be strong together, no matter what's going on in your life. I love that song and the message in it.

J-14: Was there ever an experience you had like "T-Shirt?"
Shontelle: Every girl relates to "T-Shirt." We all know what it's like. A lot of people ask me, "Is it a break up song?" It's not even about being broken up. Sometimes I get e-mails from people telling me, "I love your song because my boyfriend just had to go to Iraq," or someone's in the hospital--just for whatever reason, you can't be close with the person that you want to be with. You just want to have a T-shirt from that person so you can wear it or curl up with it. Usually the T-shirt is the best thing you have because you can smell the person. All girls know what that's like.

J-14: What was your favorite part of filming the "T-Shirt" video?
Shontelle: The wardrobe! The first thing I saw as soon as I got on set was boxes of Jimmy Choos, and I'm like, "Yes! A girl's dream!" I just saw all these Jimmy Choos and I went nuts! I'm like, "Oh my gosh. I'm loving this." Then it was exciting seeing how it happens--seeing the crew and how they do all the stuff that goes into it, because you never really know that until you do it. You take one scene over and over until it's perfect, and yet the lighting has to be perfect, too. I really enjoyed being on the other side for the first time. That was really cool.

J-14: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Shontelle: I have so many musical influences because growing up my house was always full of music--from Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Sting and Bob Marley, all the way to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Then as I grew up, I started to get into Lauryn Hill and the Fugees. I became a Jay-Z fanatic. Now I love Rihanna, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Lil Wayne. I love music so much, and all that stuff continues to inspire me. One of my favorite artists right now is Katy Perry. I love her. She's so cool. I was really lucky, too, because I did a show at Six Flags New England recently, and I got to perform with her and Estelle. It was so much fun.

J-14: What was your favorite part about performing and meeting Katy?
Shontelle: She is really fun. It was just a quick hi and bye because everybody's preparing to go on stage, but all the artists were really cool. Then I did a show at Clemson University in South Carolina, and that was really big. We had Colby O'Donis and Jesse McCartney, so the girls were going nuts at that show. We the Kings were there, too. It was a real cool show.

J-14: How weird is it to be the girl with all those guys performing?
Shontelle: That's always fun because the guys are always like, "Yeah, we're going to pick on you because you're the only girl." It's the guys against the girls, but it's always fun. You know the girls in the audience are going to be screaming for the guys, but you know that they still want to see a girl that they can relate to. They're like, "That's our home girl. She's down with us." At the same time, you're going to be flirting with the guys, so I got the best of both worlds. It's fun.

J-14: Do you have a fave song to perform?
Shontelle: At this point in time, my favorite song to perform is "T-Shirt" because that's the one that everyone knows. I love performing that because everyone helps me sing it. It's the best thing when you can interact with the audience and vibe off of them, so I love that.

J-14: You've been getting a lot of comparisons to your friend Rihanna. What do you think when you hear things like that?
Shontelle: I think it's cute. It's expected because there's not that many artists from Barbados in mainstream music. A lot of people ask her a lot of questions about me, too. We're fans of each other's music. We love each other, so it's really cool.

Shontelle's album, Shontelligence, drops November 18. Check out the deets on her MySpace page.

Photo courtesy of Universal Motown

If you've been missing the independent women of Destiny's Child, look no further! Michelle Williams, one third of the chart-topping girl-group, is breaking out with her third solo album Unexpected. She chatted exclusively with J-14 about heartbreak, Broadway and working with Flo Rida.

J-14: Where did the title Unexpected come from?
Michelle: My manager asked me one day, "If you could sum up the album in one word, what would it be?" I said Unexpected. The turn out of the album was a shock, and I was like, "This is unexpected." Nobody knows what to expect. Nobody expected me to do gospel, nobody expected me to do Broadway. So everything that I find myself doing is unexpected. My life these past eight years has been an unexpected journey.

J-14: What was your favorite song to record?
Michelle: "Hello Heartbreak." I heard the track, and then I heard what the writer, Rico Love, was doing. Every time I would go into the studio, I would be ready to jump in the booth. I love vocals and putting one harmony on top of the next. Put a lot together and you just get one beautiful song!

J-14: Was there anything from your personal life that made you connect with that song?
Michelle: Absolutely. Have you ever been in a relationship and thought, "Oh my goodness. It's too good to be true?" And then you walk around the corner and say hello to heartbreak, and you're like, "Oh! Hey there sadness, I knew I would meet you. I was sure you were on the way." That's exactly what the song is saying. I thought that it was a cleverly written song.

J-14: Is there one song from the album that you really enjoy performing?
Michelle: I've been in rehearsals, and lately, I've especially enjoyed "Hello Heartbreak" and We" Break the Dawn." I also enjoy performing a song called "Lucky Girl." "Lucky Girl" speaks about this girl who's just head over heals in love. She's excited because she's got a man that understands her. Even when she's not saying a word, he knows what she's feeling.

J-14: Have you had that feeling before?
Michelle: Absolutely. It's one of the best feelings in the world. It just didn't work out.

J-14: What is the meaning behind your single "We Break the Dawn?"
Michelle: It's like we're having so much fun. I don't want the sun to come out--just give me a couple more hours. That's what it means. I feel like it's just telling me to have fun, live my life and do the things I need to do, basically before the sun comes up. Don't let the day go by without doing what you're supposed to do.

J-14: How did Flo Rida get involved with a remix for the song?
Michelle: Max, my A&R for this project, knows his manager very well and thought it would be a great match. I talked to Flo Rida on the phone while he was in the studio, and I said "You know what? Do your thing. I trust you. I know you're going to kill it."

J-14: What do you think of the outcome now that it's done?
Michelle: I like it a lot and I'm happy that the fans liked it. It's a bunch of bologna if artists don't care what the fans think. I do. They're the ones buying the record. I want them to like what it is that they're going to eventually purchase.

J-14: Do you have plans to do Broadway or TV again?
Michelle: Absolutely. Every two years, I want to do a Broadway show.

J-14: Which one would you love to do?
Michelle: I would love to do Beauty and the Beast. I know Dream Girls is coming on Broadway. That would be a fun one, but we'll see. I feel like that might be corny--Beyoncé did the movie, so I probably shouldn't even touch the Broadway one! We try to do everything we can to separate ourselves, individually. I want to make sure that I show that I can stand up on my own. I know I have love and support from my girls, but this album is standing [on its own]. I want people to know me. Instead of them saying, "Oh that's the girl from Destiny's Child," I want people to say, "Ok, that's Michelle."

J-14: Do you hope to get back with them to do another record?
Michelle: Absolutely! You don't have to worry, absolutely.

J-14: So there's plans for Destiny's Child to reunite?
Michelle: Oh, there are no plans. But, you know, if we sit down and say, "Hey listen, let's do it again," we'll do it.

Michelle's album comes out on October 7. Check out all the deets on her MySpace page!

Looking for a future love? You've come to the right place! Varsity Fanclub's Thomas Fiss, Jayk Purdy, Drew Ryan Scott, Bobby Edner and David Lei Brandt stopped by the J-14 office to explain why you should love them and how they're no average boy band.

J-14: Where did the name Varsity Fanclub come from?
Drew: We just needed to figure out a name, so we all sat around at a table and threw around ideas. Varsity sounded really cool, and then we added Fanclub because we wanted to be more connected to the fans.

J-14: The band was formed from a nationwide search. How have you bonded since that experience?
Thomas: Well, we actually live together, so if that doesn't do it, I don't know what will!
David: When we had the first audition, there was a time span because they were still traveling doing auditions. Jayk, Drew and I had met the first day. We all kept in contact, and then when we met up for the final callback, Thomas and Bobby were there. We all seriously clicked that day, and we all just happened to make it. Going into it was pretty cool because we all had at least an established relationship.

J-14: What is it like having five guys in one house?
Thomas: Loud.

J-14: Who's the cleanest?
All: Jayk!
Jayk: I have an OCD thing going on.
David: Jayk also has a bulldog, Winston, so he's cleaning up after him a lot.
Thomas: That dog slobbers, but I love him.

J-14: Who takes the longest to get ready?
All: Drew!
Drew: I'll rearrange the room after I get ready. I don't know! I was the last one out yesterday.

J-14: Which songs means the most to you?
Jayk: I really like a song called "Bad Habit." It's so hard to pick because it changes constantly. It just depends on what mood I'm in.
Drew: There are so many different genres all put into one, and there are so many different types of songs on there, so I think everybody can connect with something that's on the album.

J-14: You have a song called "Complicated Girl." Who was it written about?
Drew: Actually, I think it should be called Complicated Guy. We're all pretty complex! I think I was talking to someone at the time, and I was the complicated one!

J-14: How do you feel about comparisons to 'NSync and Backstreet Boys?
David: Those groups--in their time--were amazing, so to be compared to them is actually pretty cool. Really, it's an honor and flattering.

J-14: How much training goes into all of this?
David: We've been in serious boy-band boot camp for two years. Dance rehearsals from 10 to 10, recording for the past year. Our days for the past year have been completely jam-packed, whether it's working out, dancing, singing, photo shoots...
Jayk: It takes a lot. Honestly, my perception of boy bands before I came into one was, 'Oh, wow, it's a cake walk! Just stand there and be pretty.' But it is ridiculous! It is a lot of work, and you have to be extremely dedicated and be focused and you really have to know what you want.

J-14: What's the coolest thing about your fans?
Thomas: We haven't gotten too many outrageous gifts, but the coolest thing were these little teddy bears that a girl made for us. They were custom made to fit our personalities! Mine had a little surfboard.
Drew: Mine was green.
Jayk: Mine had a trucker hat on.
David: Mine had a glove and a fedora.
Bobby: [Mine] had a basketball.

J-14 was the only magazine at their first-ever arena show. You can check out all the deets on our MySpace page. Their debut album drops January 13.

You may know him as the loveable Seaweed from the blockbuster musical Hairspray, but 20-year-old Elijah Kelley is ready to be known as just Elijah. The R&B singer is breaking out with his first solo record, Love Letters, and has already been featured on the Sex and the City Volume 2 soundtrack and DisneyMania6. Check out what the Georgia boy had to tell J-14 exclusively about his new album, his life after Hairspray and his friendship with Zac Efron!

J-14: Tell us about the album.
Elijah: The album takes you from like the '70s to the year 2050, all an hour, basically. You get all types of different music. It's exciting. It takes you on a ride. I wrote the whole thing, and it's basically about this one girl--falling in and out of love, the courting process, breaking up, making up and all that good stuff.

J-14: Do you have a favorite song from the album?
E: There's a song I think is my favorite because it's just been around for so long. It's one of the songs that we originally did like two years ago when I was not even that serious about the music, just cutting demos and not even having this big thing in sight. It's called "Tell Me," and it's basically an acoustic song--it's my voice and an acoustic guitar. It's just telling a girl, "You don't have to be that way. You don't have to hate me. You don't have to ever talk to me again. I just need to know if you still love me or not." On the more upbeat side, there's a song called "P's & Q's" that is pretty great.

J-14: What did the girl who you wrote the album say when she read the lyrics and found out the songs were about her?
E: I went home over Christmas, and there were a couple of songs that I played her that she knew it. It's funny, because when you're so close to somebody, it hurts that much when you do stupid stuff. There were some times that I would just be stupid and naïve and prideful, and we wouldn't talk for a week. It got to a point one time where I did something really stupid, and there was a big misunderstanding and we didn't talk for like three months--at all. It happened on senior year spring break and for the duration of the school year, we didn't even talk. We were supposed to go to the prom together! She was supposed to take me to her school's, I was going to take her to my school's and it was just a big misunderstanding. One of the things I regret is that I didn't apologize.

J-14: What made you finally decide to talk to her?
E: This is super dramatic, but the night before I left for California, I went to her parents' house. Her parents knew what was going on--they knew something had happened. And I was like, "I really, really need to talk to her because I'm leaving tomorrow." I was saying I was leaving to go to California since I was like 12, but this time it was for real, so I had get it right before I left. So I sat there, and we talked for hours and we got it right. The next morning, I was on a plane to California.

J-14: How are you two now?
E: She's like my best friend! For a long time I couldn't tell a girl I loved her and be for real about it, but I can tell her how. I'm like, "I love you to death. I don't know if we'll even be together, but I love you."

J-14: What were you like then, during high school?
E: I did everything in high school--I played tennis, I played basketball, I was in chorus, I was in the band, I even did the mascot senior year... I went to the football games and at half-time I went across the field, met all the cheerleaders and got their numbers! The same year, I won prom king!

J-14: Do stay in touch with your Hairspray co-stars?
E: Yeah, I stay in touch with everybody! I text Zac [Efron]. I talk to Amanda [Bynes]. I haven't called Nikki [Blonsky]--I gotta call Nikki because I'm in New York, and she's a couple minutes away! I talk to pretty much everybody.

J-14: What was it like working with Zac?
E: It was the worst. He was a diva. Just kidding! He was the most down-to-earth dude ever. He's my boy. I don't really like befriend a lot of people, but he's one who was like really genuine and down-to-earth. He recognizes real people and real friendships, so we really had a good time. We were like Ebony & Ivory 2008!

You can check out Elijah's first single, "I Got It," on his Myspace page.

The Cab was discovered after Alex Deleon--one of THREE Alexs in the band!--handed Panic at the Disco's Spencer Smith a demo tape after a PATD show. You'd think tons of bands try to get in the biz this way, but Spencer remembered Alex from Panic's very first show and really did listen to his demo! Now, a couple of years later, the boys are signed to Pete Wentz's Decaydence label, hang out on tours with PATD, Metro Station and Paramore, and even got Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and PATD's Brendon Urie to collab with them on their super catchy song, "One of Those Nights." Their debut album, Whisper War, is in stores now! Check them out on Myspace, here. J-14 caught up with the guys to give you the 411.

J14: How did you guys come up with the name, The Cab?
Cash: That was straight out of just me and Singer [Alex D.'s nickname]. We were laying in my room. He was on the floor. I believe I was sitting on a Beavis and Butthead beanbag set that I had gotten at a garage sale two weeks prior. Everything that came to my head--some of it was the dumbest stuff. Except for The Cab, I was literally thinking of stuff in Vegas.
Alex D: After things, like you know, The Strip, The Casino--The Cab was the least dumb.
Ian: We want our music to speak for itself. If the band was called "Your Bloody Romance" you're going to expect that.

J-14: How did you guys get involved?
Alex Johnson: I was in another band and I actually kicked him [Alex D.] out of it, so it's kind of weird. He was very crushed I remember. He was sitting on my street and I was like, 'Dude, I'm sorry it's not going to work out man. I just cant have you on the band, dude. He was like OK.'
Alex D: And you know what I did? I started my own band and then I asked him to be in my band and he probably felt like an idiot.

J-14: What is the inspiration behind Whisper War?
Alex D: It's all about balance. In the world there has to be good to offset evil. There has to be the beautiful and the ugly, the ying and the yang, the black and the white, so to have something like a whisper that is very soft, delicate and fragile, and have war, which is extreme and harsh--they kind of balance each other--Kind of like our different genres, like rock and R&B. Whisper War, two very different things coming together to create something else.

J-14: For the song "One of Those Nights" you collaborated with two of your label mates, how did that come to be?
Alex D: Brendon [Urie] was a friend of ours. Ever since he found us, we were just always like, 'When we make a record you're on it?' He sang with us a few times on stage. That was kind of always a given that he was going to work with us. Then, Patrick [Stump] is extremely picky about music and the fact that he wanted to work with us and was excited about our music was super flattering. I went in the studio with him. We worked on a song and there was just a part of the song that was perfect for him. I was like, 'Dude, you have to', and he was like, 'Alright.' He walked in the vocal booth--one take, it took him like 8 seconds. The take on the record is his first and only take. He didn't warm up. He walked in, headphones on, done, walked out. I was like, 'Alright man, sweet.' He made me look like an idiot, like Pavarotti and William Hung. That's what I felt like. It was awesome though. I learned a lot from Patrick, and it was really cool working with like my idols.

J-14: You're on the label with a lot of the big names--Panic, Fall Out Boy--are you guys all friends?
Cash: We developed a relationship with Panic. We got to know the guys pretty well.
Alex D: It's a big family, so when Paramore comes into town, I'll call like Haley and Josh. We'll hang out on their bus or grab dinner after their show. If we play [the concert festival] Bamboozle with all the other bands, we'll hang out with Panic. If Pete [Wentz] is in Vegas for some event, he'll call us and we'll got to lunch. Everyone's a big family. When we're in the same city it's like a big family reunion, a big party.
Alex D: Everyone from Cobra to Paramore, Panic, Fall Out Boy, the Hushsound. We're on tour with The Hushsound--they're some of our best friends, it's so awesome.

J-14: Is it more fun to go on these tours with your friends?
Cash: It definitely helps.
Alex D: It's like summer camp.
Cash: You look forward to going to the venue rather than dreading going to the venue.

J-14: What's your favorite song off the record to perform live?
Cash: Mine is "Can You Keep a Secret" to perform, just because we all seem to interact and come together. Everyone is really into it energy wise.
Alex D: I like "Bounce" because the verses are kind of chill and then the chorus kind of explodes. The bridge is R&B and I get to mess around with my vocals there, and then it kind of hits again at the end, so that's really fun for me to play live.

J-14: Have you had any crazy fan encounters?
Alex D: A fan tried to suck my soul out of me! She looked like the corpse bride [from Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas]. She walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I think tried to seduce me, but I'm not into the whole Dracula-looking chick. I started talking to her and she asked me if she could make out with me because then she could suck my soul. She was an aspiring musician, but she had no talent. So by kissing me she would steal my voice and I wouldn't be able to sing. She was like, 'Please make out with me so I can follow my dreams,' and she was like, 'If you don't want to, anyone in your band can. I just need someone in the band to make out with me so I can get their soul.' After watching The Little Mermaid one too many times, I just kind of ran off, went over to Flounder, told him the story and just kind of stayed far away from that girl the rest of the night.

If you've been to Patrick Droney's MySpace page and thought you were hearing John Mayer, you wouldn't be far off. The adorable 15-year-old songwriter is a huge fan of John, and it shows in Pat's music--his album, Other Side, is filled with heartfelt lyrics about relationships that he wrote himself. The debut disc drops September 23, but you can find out more about him right now in our exclusive Q & A with the swoonworthy singer.

J-14: What's your favorite song off your upcoming album?
Patrick Droney: They're all pretty cool to me but probably a song called "Save Me." It's about wanting something more and finding help. The music sounds cool.

J-14: Which songs are influenced by your relationships?
PD: There's a couple. "Need Me Now" is one. It's kind of like, you've been in relationships, you've seen how it goes and you've been hurt. The chorus is: "Say you need me now, but I'll let you know." It's asking if you're ready to get back into the relationship. Are you ready to open your heart again? I think that's a question that everybody asks.

J-14: Who would you want to work with in the future?
PD: John Mayer. I love everything about that guy--he's awesome.

J-14: Who did you get to meet when you performed at Bamboozle?
PD: Fall Out Boy and All-American Rejects. I've been really lucky to play some really cool venues and meet some great people. Everybody is pretty cool--they don't really care how old you are. They're just pretty open, which is cool. [At Bamboozle,] you get to play to your own demographics. We do a lot of high school shows which is fun. It's a little different when you're playing at a club, and there's older people who don't really know who you are. But when you're at a high school, you can relate to the crowd and just go for it and be their friends.

J-14: How did you balance high school, performing live shows and making the record?
PD: It's hard, but you have to have your priorities in check. School is very important. Education is very important, so I just get that done, go home, do homework and [then play] music. I go to private school so they're kind of more lenient with me taking off.

J-14: What do you do in your free time?
PD: I'm really busy with music and traveling, so I really like to just chill out, catch up on some TV, hang out with friends and maybe go on a bike ride--something that you wouldn't do on tour.


Partrick with J-14 editors Emily & Ashley