Hollywood Popular Artists

Feb 20th 2013, 16:58

Bimonthly, we'll take an artist on the rise on the MTV Music Meter and, to help you discover them a little more, detail some of their philanthropic tendencies -- from Mika to Ellie Goulding. This week: Phoenix!

French alt band Phoenix has finally premiered the first single off of their upcoming album Bankrupt!. The track, titled "Entertainment," follows the band's usual, unique format of deep, sometimes even dark, lyrics sung over uplifting instrumentation. Did you know that Pheonix's Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz have known each other since childhood?! And although the French have a flair for dramatic, the boys haven't had any public feuds or breakups like many…ahem…American bands we know. Here are a few other interesting facts about Phoenix.

+ They Were Bullied

For years, Phoenix was the butt of many jokes for "abandoning" their native tongue. French law states that 40% of music on the radio must be in French, and the bands' decision to release English music was not widely accepted by their critics and peers. It wasn't until their fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, that the band received national and international praise -- they won Best Alternative Album at the 2009 Grammys! Phoenix's struggle goes to show that if we persevere through hard times and even bullying, people will eventually come to love and accept us for exactly who we are.

+ They Know Their History

Pheonix's hit song "Lisztomania" is about classical pianist and composer Franz Liszt, who was essentially the 19th century Justin Bieber. He was known for driving the ladies crazy…and for his passion for charity. Liszt gave many charity concerts and was also said to only accept payment from his wealthiest pupils. The rest he taught for free!

+ They Inspire Youth

Much like Franz Liszt, Pheonix supports music education, and praised the PS22 Chorus' version of "Lisztonamia." Take action below to join VH1's Save The Music Foundation in keeping music education in American schools so that talented groups of friends can someday grow up to be just like Phoenix.

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