Allgemein, Concerts

Jason Derulo brought a piece of his heart to Zurich

Thanks to abc Production I got see Jason Derulo last night. I saw his Isle of Malta show on MTV and I knew that he’d be putting up a great show. But I was surprised at how personal he made the show. Of course there was dancing but there was also quite good singing and a lot of nice and quick talks. What I loved too is how the atmosphere was super laid back and everyone seemed to have a great time!

Marcus & Martinus


The night started with the newest teenie crush Marcus & Martinus. The two very young and very sweet twins are the next Justin Bieber. The two gathered quite an audience who came just for them. The girls were partying already. It was super cute to watch and of course you could hear lots of screaming because good old clapping is out 😀 I have to say I was quite sceptical at first but they did a pretty good job warming up the crowd with their pop music. Most girls already had the time of their life!

DJ Jae Murphy

Due to the support act there was a very funny mixture in the audience. You had the kids and teenies, the peeps who were into dancing, couples and women in their twenties and thirties who knew Jason Derulo songs from their night out. For the next 20 minutes Jason Derulo’s DJ Jae Murphy took the stage and turned the Hallenstadion into a Club. He set the perfect mood for the following 90 mins with Jason Derulo.

Jasoooon Deruuuloooo


At 9 a very long intro video showed Jason Derulo in Africa explaining to us why the tour is called 2 Sides. Jason is half human half lion. And that’s how he came on stage – like a lion king with “Watcha Say”. After a very old song he threw in his newest song “Tip Toe” and he literally was on his tip toes and of course almost all clothes had to go so he could show off his abs. With “Don’t wanna go home / Shots” we definitely got turned into a club and lots of people were already dancing on front of their seats. Because of the laid back atmosphere people didn’t feel like they had to be afraid of standing up.

One of my personal favourites “Wiggle” was next. However I didn’t really like the way they performed it live. I felt like the wiggles weren’t too clear, it was kinda too rocky. What we also noticed is that – were we sat – the mix wasn’t too good. The music was louder than Jason Derulo’s voice. A beautiful ballade called “Trumpets” was next where we could get out our phone lights. Derulo now said that he is doing something special he wants to try out new music for his family: “Make Up” – a very cool uptempo song with his typical style. You can be looking forward to hearing it!
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“In my Head”, “Get Ugly”, “Let me be the one” (Yes, he brought out the treadmills on stage for that and I cannot tell you how much I love that effect) and “Marry Me” followed. Of course lots of girls wished that Jason Derulo would asked that question to them LOL And the romantic atmosphere continued. Derulo asked his back ground singer who was in beautiful dress to join him up front. Together they sang the Little Mix duet “Secret Love Song”. And let me tell you wow her voice blew us away!

Up next was “IT-GIRL” and the girls put their signs up “Can I be your it-girl?”. After the first few chords he interrupted the song and said “Hold Up, Hold up I cannot sing this song without an IT-Girl”. His bodyguard picked a girl from the front row and she was brought on stage to be serenaded by Jason Derulo. She couldn’t believe it and for us it was great fun to watch!

Where are my single ladies at?

With that he introduced his next song “Ridin’ solo”. This hit was followed by “If I’m lucky” and “Cheyenne” where his dancing was supported by a haunted house in the background. “Swalla” with Nicki Minaj was next and it was time to shimmy 😀 Before we had to be “Breathing” 😉 It is amazing how many songs you actually know just from going out and listening on the radio. Jason Derulo has so many hits and knows how to put them together in show! “Goodbye” started and I already thought oh oh it’s time to say Goodbye. What a great song to finish! But he wasn’t finished yet 🙂


Normally the artists go off stage and we start “Oh Oh Oh” to the bass line of Seven Nation Army but this time we did it together! 🙂 And finally Jason Derulo talked dirty to us! At this point I was a bit worried about the kids singing this song because I mean I hope they don’t know what “Talk dirty 2 me” is 😀 Jason closed the show with “Want to Want me” and all I could think of was why isn’t Luke Bryan popping up with some headphones on? If you don’t know what I’m talking about here’s the link:

Amazing right??!! And sooo funny haha
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But what came next I really didn’t expect at all and it was my absolute highlight of last night. Jason Derulo walked into the middle of the stage into the crowd and said:

Thank you for coming out tonight. I hope you saw that every piece of this show is a piece of my heart. My crew is like my family and you are now part of it too.
I do not take this for granted. You are the reason why I am able to live my dream. And you can live you dream too. I don’t care how old you are, what you religion is or the colour of your skin. I want you to have what you desire so go after it! I don’t care how long it takes. Make it happen! ‘Cause I believe in you and you should believe in you too!
I love y’all! God Bless you and Good night!

What a way to finish this amazing 90 mins show! Again thank you abc production and thank you Jason Derulo!
Have you seen a show on the 2 sides tour? Share your memories below or on my Instagram account!

Check out my latest gigs: Country Night Gstaad, Max Giesinger, Walking Papers
Allgemein, Interviews

Following his dreams from Basel to Hollywood

Benjamin Keys contacted me a few weeks ago. His e-mail immediately touched my heart and I knew I had to know more about this guy and support him in his dream: Living in Hollywood and tour the world with other fellow musicians. So of course I went on a little internet search including his homepage: benjaminkeysmusic.com
Obviously we couldn’t meet in person so we schedule a Skype interview even though the time difference was super difficult to overcome 😀 So here it is:
You’ve been on big tours with artists like Ira May. So what would be your favourite or most special venue you still want to play in or have played in?
When I lived in Switzerland I went to the Openair Frauenfeld every year. I must have gone about 9 times in my life. If I ever play there with an American artist, that would definitely be a dream come true and very special for me. Other venues I would love to play are the Hallenstadion in Zürich or Madison Square Garden in New York.
I understand. Lots of artists would love to play in the latter one. So speaking about venues I read that you’ll be touring with Ollie Gabriel next year. Who would be your favourite artist to tour with?
When people ask me, I always used to say my favorite artist to play for is Justin Timberlake. Bruno Mars recently took his spot though and is now definitely my dream tour. My dream tour of all time would be Michael Jackson, no doubt.
Why did Bruno Mars take JT’s spot?
Timberlake’s Futuresex/lovesound tour was just the ultimate modern pop tour for me personally. But then came Bruno Mars with his 24K Magic tour and topped it! Plus I don’t really like JT’s new record.
What’s your favourite thing about touring?
The idea of traveling to different places in the world and at the same making music is an incredible thought to me. Also getting paid for it instead of paying for it. 😉
Haha I totally understand that! So we spoke about Bruno Mars, JT and Michael Jackson. Who are your musical influences?
I had many different phases of heros and inpirations. My first album was “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles. Later I got into Rock and Punk and went from Blink 182 to Limp Bizkit to Rage Againt The Machine. And then one day I discovered hip hop and fell deeply in love with it. My favorite rapper of all time would be Nas. My favorite album of all time “Voodoo” by D’Angelo. And my favorite artist hands down Michael Jackson. Today I mostly listen to R’n’B influenced music and love to dig out old Prince records or see what Anderson Paak is up to.
Hollywood
 Wow that’s a pretty big range. Just like me 🙂 Now let’s fast forward 5 years where do you want to be? Sorry I know it sounds like an interview question haha
I want to be a respected and in-demand keyboard player and tour the world. Also be healthy and live a happy life in Los Angeles.
We spoke about where you want to be but not where you’ve came from. After graduating did you just pack up and leave without any job offer or did you organize everything from Switzerland?
Yes, after graduating my jazz studies in Luzern I basically packed up and left to go to Musicians Institute in Hollywood. I started planning my move around two years earlier though and had to apply for many scholarships and foundations to get the financial side of studying in the US covered.
Last question: What needs to happen that you would say „Yup I made it with my music!“ Or did this already happen?
Oh I absolutely didn’t “make it” yet. I might have a slight feeling of making it, when I’ll embark on a world tour with a famous artist. But even then, the hustle obviously doesn’t stop. You have to always be on your toes to survive this fast-paced and crazy music business. And there is always a next step, so you must consistently find new ways to “make it”.
Well that was really interesting. Thank you for speaking to me and I wish you all the best for the future!
Do you want to book Benjamin Keys for your next tour? Contact him on his website: Benjamin Keys or on his IG: Benjamin Keys