Always wondered what pop stars themselves listen to whenever they are not on stage or writing new music? It’s time to find out! Every week, A Bit of Pop Music will bring you Friday’s Five Tunes, a selection of five favourite songs by a current pop artist. This week Spencer Sutherland talks to us about his all-time most loved songs!
Spencer Sutherland is a pop and R&B singer-songwriter from Pickerington, Ohio. In 2013 he released his first single ‘Heartstrings’ and came back in 2015 with the acoustic EP Unveiled, showing off his diverse musical talent and vocal ability. At the end of last year the single ‘Bad Influence’ saw the light of day, a smooth and sexy mix of pop and R&B with a steamy video. Over the past months he has uploaded a cover of a contemporary pop hit each week. He performed tracks by a broad range of artists from Rihanna to Mike Posner and Sia to Drake. He looks like a star as well, which didn’t go unnoticed by Ford Modelling Company who signed him, working for brands like Timberland and G-star. He is currently working on new material for his debut album, but found some time to chat to A Bit of Pop Music about the tracks he loves to listen to in his free time.
Ginuwine – Pony
“Anybody who knows me, knows that I LOOOOVE R&B music, especially the tracks from the 90s. This song is the quintessential sexy R&B song of the last 30 years, and one of my all-time favourites.”
Katy Perry – California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)
“I always refer to this one as the most PERFECT POP SONG ever written. Honestly it’s not just the composition itself, the production is perfect as well. The lyrics are super colorful and funny. Its anthemic – everyone always sings along when they hear it! I don’t think this song will ever go out of style as long as California is still here haha!”
Drake – Controlla
“Sometimes there’s a super modern song that comes along and grabs my attention. It doesn’t happen that much but ‘Controlla’ is one of those. Everything about the song hits the sweet spot! The unique flow, the drums, and the playful lyrics. My favorite line is “Jodeci, cry for you”. One of my new favs for sure!”
Prince & the Revolution – Kiss
“I love super airy and funky songs and this is definitely the best. My mom used to listen to The Best of Prince in our minivan on the way to the pool and baseball practice so I’ve been hearing this for a long time. What’s up is Prince defines a genre in music now. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the studio and producers and songwriters have said “Let’s do a Prince-y type song.” He will forever live within our music – even songs yet to come…Now that’s legend!”
Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
“I had to close it out with THE legend. Elvis is THE reason I ever started singing and I can’t even begin to explain why and I don’t think I need to. My earliest recollection is when I first heard this song in second grade while practicing addition and subtraction with my mom. I heard my dad playing the cd from the other room and immediately it was like I was in a trance. Math practice over – ha. There will never be another Elvis! But, I do hope to leave that kind of impression on other kids with my music in the future.”
That is a great list with five songs that all became classics in their own right. If you want to find out more about Spencer Sutherland’s eclectic taste in music, follow his YouTube channel to watch his weekly covers of recent tracks. Read more about his career in A Bit of Pop Music’s ‘introducing’ piece. Check out his most recent cover of ‘Too Good’ by Rihanna and Drake and his latest own single ‘Bad Influence’ below!