It is now widely known that Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” is mainly consisted of songs that Swift wrote about the guys who she fell in love in the past but it is just surprising that “Enchanted” is about Owl City’s Adam Young, who remade “Enchanted” on the Valentine’s Day. With the direct message to Swift, Young even added some direct lyrics, such as “Taylor, it was so enchanting to meet you too.”

So, it’s very sweet that Taylor Swift was Adam Young’s valentine and such. However, what can we say while witnessing they are publicly flirting even though this guy has been saying he is extremely shy? How are we supposed to react?

Owl City’s second album “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is going to be released on May 24, by the way.

NEW YORK — Hot Chelle Rae, a new band from Nashville, suddenly appeared in the music industry, out of nowhere. After releasing their debut album “Lovesick Electric” last year, they started touring in the United States. As they are actively working, their songs are often used on several TV shows. They are currently touring with Parachute. When they were about to perform in NYC, Blast got a chance to ask the Nashville boys, Ryan “RK” Follese (lead vocals, guitar), Nash Overstreet (lead guitar, vocals), Ian Keaggy (bass, vocals), and Jamie Follese (drums), what Hot Chelle Rae was all about.

BLAST: What does “Hot Chelle Rae” mean? How did you guys come up with the band name?

NASH OVERSTREET: We came up with the band name from one of our fans on MySpace when we first started the group, who was a crazy insane stalker, and her name was “Chelle Rae,” and she looked at half of my pictures, and she gave us lots of drama and problems. And we kind of gave it to her and dedicated the name to her.

BLAST: So, you guys now appreciate her?

NO: She was a lot of entertainment, yeah. (Laughs)

RYAN FOLLESE: She was interesting.

BLAST: How did you guys get to know each other and form a band?

JAMIE FOLLESE: Well, me and RK are brothers, and Nash and Ian have been friends for about 15 years now and RK met Ryan met at a music store and,

NO: RK and “Nash” met a music store.

JF: Sorry. (It was) the wrong version.

NO: Yeah, RK and I met at a music store and we started writing songs together, and Ian and I were hanging out. It had been for, you know, as long as we’ve been growing up. We were kind of like “Sally Rob two sides in” and it all clicked.

BLAST: Lead singer Ryan and drummer Jamie are real brothers. How is it like to be working with an actual family member in the same band?

JF: Um, it’s awesome. We are best friends anyways.

RF: We were best friends before the band so. Having been in the band makes a much more enjoyable experience. If he wasn’t out on the road, I would miss him like crazy anyway so.

JF: I’d probably be just on general principles.

RF: Yeah.

BLAST: Could you guys share about your lives before getting a major deal?

RF: Yeah, our lives consisted of holding up in a studio and recording nothing but a demo after a demo after a demo. But we played a lot of shows around the town as much as we could to totalize. But we just focused on writing songs, we were songwriters when forever being in the band.

NO: Yeah. We averaged about, I mean, before we got signed, we were writing a song every 1 or 2 days just whether it’s good or not. For the matter of good or bad, I think that was pretty good.

BLAST: Who were your biggest supporters in Nashville?

IAN KEAGGY: Definitely, I mean, we have families. They have supported us until today, from the beginning.

RF: Families are definitely number 1, I think. I think number 2 would be, there is a band in Nashville called “Enjoy the Zoo.” And they are probably our biggest supporters.

IK:: And our local radio stations.

RF: Yeah, and one of them was “The River.”

IK:: One of them was “The River.”

BLAST: What was the main music influence on the band?

RF: We all have different influences. It’s anything from classic Beatles stuff to, you know, Prince, Michael Jackson, Queen, any, all the way to, you know, Radiohead, Metric,,,we like everything. Just kind of,,, anything.

BLAST: What’s your usual songwriting process?

NO: Well, it’s different every single day. We can, you know, get together and start from a complete scratch and have nothing going or maybe RK will come in with a lyric idea or come in with a bass part. Today we were driving all the way to New York and I made up 2 song ideas on the computer. So, it’s really like “no rules.” It’s just, it could be completely random like it’s different every time.

RF: I could be something you say to us tonight. If you say something and sounds like a good song title, we could write a song from that.

BLAST: The band released a debut album “Lovesick Electric” in October last year. What was the main theme of the album?

RF: Well, I would say, like, as far as the themes go, I don’t even know if it’s called a theme but the title of the record, we knew it’s gonna be the name of our first album long before we had a record deal. We kind of shaped our sound and our songs around the idea of “Lovesick Electric”, so it kind of came this, um, you know, consistent reminder of what we wanted to be.

NO: I think we wanted to write great songs and have people to be able to relate to them, be touched by them, but at the same time, it’s a very “feel good” record as far as, like, there’s a lot of dance beat songs.

JF: It’s fun.

NO: And if it’s a slow song, hopefully you can move to it.

BLAST: What was the inspiration for the single “Bleed,” which is a great love song?

RF: Thank you! The inspiration of that song, as most ballads go, definitely a lady and a relationship that I was in, it was just, you know, something that we thought everybody, people could relate to. It’s, you know, people have tough time conveying their emotions. There’s no better way of writing it down sometimes. That’s exactly what the songs was to us.

BLAST: Our favorite song is “The Distance.” When you like someone, there might be some physical/mental distance between two people, which might cause something painful at times. That was the message that I got when listening to the song. Can you share what experiences that you had behind the song?

RF: Well, that song for us was, it was written, um, it’s kind of self-explanatory but it’s kind of taking new shapes as we’ve been playing it out and performing. We definitely wrote that song about being away from, you know, family, loved ones, we wrote it about, just you know, being on the road and, you know, kind of being lonely and missing the people you care about. And, you know, as time went on the lyric, it could for anyone, it could a loved one that has passed away or something like that. So It’s really kind of,

IK:: Universal.

RF: Yeah, it’s universal and it’s really grown and even deeper meaning for us as we go.

NO: When we first wrote that, it was right when we had started touring, started leaving home, and started going on the road, and playing shows and not singing for family for a little while. And so, you know, kind of coming back in time, like, sing for friends and [we] tried [to keep] the relationships that you have to maintain or the distance. It’s really inspiring and that’s what we were feeling at that time.

BLAST: “The Hills” member, Stephanie Pratt was in the “I like to Dance” video. How did that happen?

RF: Ah, she liked the song! It was really natural. It happened very fast. And, we were originally going a lot to LA to shoot the video, and we heard that she was a fan and liked the song and it was a really easy thing to do. She showed up and we hung out and she was really like a rookie cool person.

BLAST: Did you guys just run into each other and she said that she wanted to be in the video?

RF: Ah, she, I think, she got to know when we were gonna be shooting it in LA and she heard the music and,

JF: Contacted the right people.

RF: Contacted the right people so, you know, she got a hold of us.

BLAST: Did you guys follow “The Hills”?

NO: We definitely had [followed] at times.

RF: I don’t watch the show!

NO: I think we are kind of a little bit biased, and we switch to whatever show plays our songs.(Laughs) So, it’s gotta be “The Hills” and “Hellcats” and you know “So You Think You Can Dance.” But whatever the show plays our songs at the moment, we are like kind of fans, right?

IK:: Always.

JF: We are royal for a day.

BLAST: So you guys are watching the shows only when they are playing your songs.

RF: Usually somebody with a TV watches. I don’t have a TV that I go back and watch the stuff that’s on, so.

The Boston House of Blues was packed with a sold out crowd on Friday night. It was a mixed crowd of late twenty somethings to early tweens with their parents — a surprising gap in demographic for an Owl City show. Nonetheless the floor in front of the stage was packed with bodies and onlookers peered over the side railings of the second and third floors.

The night kicked off promptly at 6:55 with Paper Route. The quintet from Nashville had an As Tall As Lions and just slightly peppier Death Cab For Cutie sound that made them a bit of a surprising opener for the ultimate of peppy headliner. From a distance, the lead singer had a striking resemblance to Brand New’s Jesse Lacey, which was only encouraged by his intense mope-stare to the crowd. Their synthesized groove sound was just the ticket to get the crowd going — at one point they had three drummers on stage for an incredible build up. I’m not entirely sure Owl City was the best fit for them but they were extremely impressive and hey, being first up on a sold out tour can’t hurt, right? Definitely keep your eyes, and ears, out for them soon.

Next in the lineup came Toronto’s newest shining star — Lights. When Blast last talked to her, Lights was fresh in the rush of releasing her second album "The Listening". Now she’s making a crowd pleaser out of songs like "Lions!" and wooing the audience with soft ballads like "Pretend." Though her set is decorated with two synthesized pianos and keytar, Lights’s voice is really the showstopper. When she steps on stage she looks pint sized in jeans, white tank top and leather jacket, but she opens her mouth and that out of this world soprano range really elevates the set. It’s adorable to see her bouncing around the stage, getting the entire crowd to fist pump with her, but I think a phenomenal show is in the works when Lights gets to officially call the shots.

At nine o’clock the main event began. It started with the lights, three "waves" lit up with blues and greens to resemble the ocean. The drums next, then a mini orchestra — two violins and a cello — then glockenspiel and finally Adam Young, Owl City himself, as the crowd erupts. It was the same visceral reaction to every song, which made it strange to think that Owl City was a relatively unknown until last summer when "Fireflies" became so massive, even Nick Jonas covered it. "Fireflies" came in the middle of the set though, to obviously the most applause. When the band departed the stage for their encore, I wondered if they’d come back and just do the song again, you always end with your biggest hit right? It was an excellent surprise to hear the first digital beats of "Hello, Seattle," — his biggest pre-"Fireflies" song. The crowd didn’t disappoint either, showing they knew every word to his songs even before "Ocean Eyes" came out last July.

• Taylor Swift: Best grace under fire
• Beyonce: Diva with the best video of all time!
• Lady Gaga: Most original resurger of pop music
• Kings of Leon: Best job at making a straight up rock and roll band with no gimmick cool again
• Miley Cyrus: Tween queen 2009
• Owl City: Best “what the fuck is this but we kind of like it”
• Cobra Starship: Best use of a cameo and catchy hook to make you famous
• Blink 182: Best reunion
• Drake: Most awesome transition from shitty teen drama to rap star ever
• Lil Wayne: Most money for being on songs that aren’t his (surpassing Lil Jon)
• Justin Bieber: Best “this would be adorable except you’re 12 so it makes me feel like a creep”
• Glee soundtrack: Best way to make covers totally awesome yet completely nerdy all at the same time
• Jay Sean: Best introduction of Bollywood flavor into American main stream
• Michael Jackson: Best comeback, it just sucks he had to die to do it

Universal Records and its affiliate labels are reaching out to educate listeners about new and upcoming artists. By visiting this website. The site gives you listening samples of artists like Parachute, Shwayze, Owl City, Mika and many more.

Besides getting a free peek at some of music’s hottest upcoming artists, Universal and co. are giving away an autographed guitar, an autographed skateboard, backpacks and the like. Anyone who registers at the bottom of the website has a chance to win signed stuff from some of their favorite artists! Also, if you’re currently in school make sure you add which you are attending.

The site hopes to promote upcoming artists on Universal and their affiliate labels as well as connect to fans of their music.

Who says shy kids from small towns can’t make it big?

Owl City/Adam Young has made an impression on the airwaves and the internet, recently making his way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, and a number one single score on iTunes for the single “Fireflies.” The 80s synthpop and electronic sound of Owl City has also found its way to the Top 40 and Hot AC formats on the radio, along with various other formats.

Let’s not forget the #1 song in North America, a sold out tour and huge record sales (Universal Republic Records) — that’s 200,000 digital singles and a jump from #20 to #8 in the Top Ten Nielsen Soundscan Top 200 Albums Tally for the album Ocean Eyes.

Young has stated that he started writing music in the small town of Owatonna, Minnesota in his parents’ basement, which can be seen depicted in the video for “Fireflies.” The video can be seen widely on Youtube and on rotation on VH-1.

Owl City is currently winding town the sold out door and will be in Houston on Halloween night.

While the exact formula for success hasn’t been figured out yet, millions of artists flock daily to Myspace, post their demos that were recorded in some adjacent room in their house and hope to somehow strike gold when “the right people” stumble across them.

Of course with the staggering amount of musical artists on Myspace, it could be considered impossible for anyone to really make a name for themselves amongst the masses. Apparently Adam Young “" known more widely to his followers as Owl City “" didn’t get that memo and went for it anyway. Over 20,000 digital albums and more than 200,000 tracks later, Owl City is set to embark on their first headlining tour across the US (even though his first live gigs were this past February “" both sold out).

The new tour includes stops at Bamboozle, Sasquatch and Summerfest and even a few dates with Christian rockers Relient K.

The time spent on the road is to help promote Owl City’s upcoming release “Ocean Eyes” which will hit iTunes on September 1. It kicks off on today in Boston where Owl City will be playing at Cafƒ© 939.

Young took a little time out on his way to Bamboozle this weekend to discuss internet popularity, the tour and “Ocean Eyes”.

“I honestly have no idea how I account for this kind of success. I did really poorly in the accounting class I took in high school, and none of my friends are licensed accountants so I guess I don’t really have a good answer” Young said in his e-mail reply, “Regardless, I’m excited beyond reason about this. It’s a truly wonderful feeling to fall asleep at night knowing there are a few people out there who appreciate the art I pour so much of myself into. It’s an incredible feeling to say the least.”

Owl City has charted multiple times on the iTunes top ten electronic charts alongside Daft Punk, M.I.A. and The Postal Service. His most popular single is “Hello Seattle,” even though it turns out Young had never been able to visit the Emerald City until last month.

“Seattle was enchanting. It certainly lived up to my expectations… and then some. I had never tried tartar sauce with french fries until I visited the Emerald City. [The experience] makes me want to live there and eat tartar sauce and fries like it’s my job” explained Young.

Young only began playing music a few years ago but soon got into using his computer to create a more electro-pop kind of sound which has attracted the attention of more than six million visitors to his Myspace.

“I started playing music a few years ago. It was pretty fun so I started programming music a few months ago. That was even more fun. In terms of genre, electronic music just happened to get in the way so I started tapping my toes. I’m still having fun” Young said.

All of the Owl City albums have been recorded in Young’s basement in the small town of Owatonna, Minn. Initially, Young recorded a few songs and put them online and a few devoted fans carried it from there.

“I recorded some songs, put them up online and kids spread the word. I didn’t do a thing. I really owe it all to my fans because they’ve done all the work” said Young.

Even the planned fall release of “Ocean Eyes” was done in Young’s house but, as he explains, with more of a process: “Recording this album was the same process as recording the others, but with a bit more purpose. I also know much more now — about programming/producing/engineering, than I did while recording the first two records. ‘Ocean Eyes’ was different also because I holed up in the studio for a month, put in 12 hour days and hammered everything out all in one fell swoop.”

Young also spent some time recording four extra tracks which will be used as promotional tools for the new album.

On the first Tuesday of every month leading up to the “Ocean Eyes” release, fans will be able to purchase a new Owl City song from iTunes which will also include a chance to see him live on the summer tour. The first song, “Hot Air Balloon” will be available May 5th for downloading.

“We thought it would be a sneaky idea to start building buzz for the release of the record in September. All four songs are picked out. They will not be featured on ‘Ocean Eyes,’ but rather iTunes-only releases” Young said.

You can check out the new single this Tuesday or go catch Owl City on any of the stops along the tour this summer. The dates are listed below.

May 5th — Cafƒ© 939, Boston, MA

May 6th — North Star Bar, Philadelphia, PA

May 7th — Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

May 9th — Jammin’ Java, Vienna, VA

May 11th — Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH

May 12th — The Pike Room @ Crofoot, Pontiac, MI

May 14th — Subterranean, Chicago, IL

May 15th — Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN

May 23rd — Gorge Amphitheatre/Sasquatch Festival, George, WA

May 26th — Glass House, Pomona, CA*

May 27th — The Dome, Bakersfield, CA*

May 28th — The Boardwalk, Orangevale, CA*

May 29th — Indigo District, Eugene, OR*

May 30th — Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR*

May 31st — Neumo’s, Seattle, WA*

June 2nd — Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA*

June 3rd — Knitting Factory, Boise, ID*

June 4th — Murray Theatre, Salt Lake City, UT*

June 19th — Rocketown, Nashville, TN

June 20th — Vinyl, Atlanta, GA

June 22nd — The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC

June 23rd — Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC

June 25th — Sonar, Baltimore, MD

June 26th — Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, NY

June 27th — The Basement, Columbus, OH

June 29th — Riverside Ballroom, Green Bay, WI

June 30th — Grandma’s Sports Garden Bar & Grill, Duluth, MN

July 1st — Cornerstone Farm, Marietta, IL

July 2nd — Granada Theatre, Lawrence, KS

July 3rd — Slowdown, Omaha, NE

July 5th — Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI

*- with Relient K