Bonnie McKee - Hot City (aka Epic Album)

[BraveNewSeth]

It pisses me off to no end that she refuses to do anything with the Epic material. She could easily drop… say, a 5 track EP with some of the most requested songs from the Epic sessions and call it a day. Forever 21, SLAY, Hot City and two other songs of her choosing. She could easily make it happen and yet she won’t do it. Infuriating.

[reflection]

I think the issue is way more complicated, buying back the masters form her label took until 2020 (unluckily coinciding with the pandemic), and that’s aside from the release and production costs. Max Martin really isn’t cheap, even for one song by a millionaire. What 100k per song? Payable by a label, way different through just one person. Although I doubt oligee and josh Abraham are that expensive, none of it is really change for a indie artist. Plus she loves to go all out high budget crafty music videos. Probably wants loads of visuals fully fleshed out CD. I totally sympathize with Bonnie aside from if you can’t guarantee or you don’t have the base rights to release then don’t promise anything

[BraveNewSeth]

2 hours ago, reflection said:

I think the issue is way more complicated, buying back the masters form her label took until 2020 (unluckily coinciding with the pandemic), and that’s aside from the release and production costs. Max Martin really isn’t cheap, even for one song by a millionaire. What 100k per song? Payable by a label, way different through just one person. Although I doubt oligee and josh Abraham are that expensive, none of it is really change for a indie artist. Plus she loves to go all out high budget crafty music videos. Probably wants loads of visuals fully fleshed out CD. I totally sympathize with Bonnie aside from if you can’t guarantee or you don’t have the base rights to release then don’t promise anything

You bring up some great points. My problem is, with the final version of Everything But You leaking, that tells me that most of the Epic album tracks that have leaked over the past few months have been mastered and finalized for release. Would it really cost that much to throw a few of them together and put them on BandCamp? (Genuinely asking this btw, I have no idea how this side of the music industry works). Unless she really wants to re-produce them so they sound more “modern”, which would be one of the stupidest things she could do. 

I hope this doesn't come across as too crass, but I find it very hard to sympathize with Bonnie, and it all comes down to her actions over the past few years. How many times have we heard “the album is coming this year, guys!” or “SLAY music video coming soon!” only for nothing to ever happen? I don’t even stan Bonnie, but I couldn’t imagine how they must feel being gaslit and lied to so many times over the years.

I would have a lot more respect for Bonnie if she was just honest with her stans. Like if she made an Instagram post and said something like “hey guys, I’ve moved on emotionally from my Epic material and see no point in releasing it” or at least have some explanation for why it hasn’t come out yet, that would at least give us some sort of closure. But the way she’s going about it right now is completely wrong. Literally at the beginning of the year she promised the album’s coming AGAIN. Do you honestly believe that?

[cocomong]

43 minutes ago, BraveNewSeth said:

You bring up some great points. My problem is, with the final version of Everything But You leaking, that tells me that most of the Epic album tracks that have leaked over the past few months have been mastered and finalized for release. Would it really cost that much to throw a few of them together and put them on BandCamp? (Genuinely asking this btw, I have no idea how this side of the music industry works). Unless she really wants to re-produce them so they sound more “modern”, which would be one of the stupidest things she could do. 

I hope this doesn't come across as too crass, but I find it very hard to sympathize with Bonnie, and it all comes down to her actions over the past few years. How many times have we heard “the album is coming this year, guys!” or “SLAY music video coming soon!” only for nothing to ever happen? I don’t even stan Bonnie, but I couldn’t imagine how they must feel being gaslit and lied to so many times over the years.

I would have a lot more respect for Bonnie if she was just honest with her stans. Like if she made an Instagram post and said something like “hey guys, I’ve moved on emotionally from my Epic material and see no point in releasing it” or at least have some explanation for why it hasn’t come out yet, that would at least give us some sort of closure. But the way she’s going about it right now is completely wrong. Literally at the beginning of the year she promised the album’s coming AGAIN. Do you honestly believe that?

Not at all. I don’t believe it.

i do agree about her being blunt if she’s not planning on releasing it. One of my old favorite bands disbanded & the lead singer told us on her Instagram live after 6/7? Years of waiting to stop asking for the album cuz it was never going to happen, they won’t leak it & to never ask about it or the band again. I understand her frustration about being asked for the album but she can easily address it & not pretend she doesn’t see her comments or anything & when she feels like it lie to us that it’s coming.

[Bambi101]

I wish none of us had to speculate so much because she'd address all these burning questions as y'all have suggested she should do. Personally, I don't think she's moved on and/or can't relate to the Epic songs--she has stated on that one podcast she wants people to hear them as she already performed them live and is aware there's a lot of demand for them. Also, if you look at the comments under her YouTube/TikTok/Instagram content, the majority of them are praising Bonnie for or associating her with American Girl. Even if that song "underperformed" at the time it was released, it was a hit in the sense that it gave many people a strong idea of Bonnie as an artist, her brand, and sound. People rarely mention Thorns, Mad Mad World, or Bad Girls Go to Heaven, they keep coming back to American Girl as a point of reference, and her hard-core fans keep asking for songs from that era. So from a business standpoint, it'd make no sense to abandon all of that material when releasing it is literally the safest and most foolproof path toward profit, and as an indie artist that hasn't had a strong single in years--she could really use songs that she knows the fans want and are hungry for. 

Btw, regarding the scenario she had to buy her masters back from Epic one-by-one over the years.... I'm really confused about that. Has she ever claimed to be doing that? The only time she mentioned her Epic masters was in a podcast last year and she said:

Quote

Luckily my manager was able to negotiate for me to leave and be able to take my masters. So I still have all the masters from that album.

The way I understand/interpret this is that she left Epic with those masters under her ownership. I could be wrong though. I don't know the exact specifics of the "negotiations" between her and Epic.
 

16 hours ago, low kii savage said:

I'm starting to believe that she left Epic because she was told to release the album 

Haha this really had be wheezing 🤣

In all honesty, the contrast between her now and back then is like night & day.

Epic Bonnie (while she was allegedly stifled creatively by the label and had next to no support from them):

In spite of American Girl underperforming, she was hard at work finishing the album, put out a high-budget Sleepwalker music video in 2013 as an 'inbetweengle' that was to bridge the gap between AG and the next official second single. Payed for + embarked on a promotional tour for the album in 2014 in spite of the label's lack of support/enthusiasm. The same year: wrote, finished, and started playing S.L.A.Y. for radio stations around the US, and was most likely already planning the music video for it. Around this time, she also shot the marvelous Stars in Your Heart and California Winter music videos which I'm sure would be used as future inbetweengles.

Bonnie now (full artistic freedom, independent, is able to release anything she wants)

Put out the Bombastic EP in 2015, a cute compilation of four songs and made great music videos for each song over a span of 2 years. Then suffered from a burnout but came back with Thorns in 2017 and promised a new album. The album never materializes. 2018 - Mad Mad World single release, shot a music video for it which she said was coming out, and then never mentions it ever again. Her most recent release was THREE. YEARS. AGO. (and it was a cover of a Billie Eilish song). Crickets, endless promises, and odd TikTok/Instagram videos follow. As well as a short film she's milking to death and wants to turn into a Netflix series. How to kill your music career 101. 

[Animal]

1 minute ago, Bambi101 said:

I wish none of us had to speculate so much because she'd address all these burning questions as y'all have suggested she should do. Personally, I don't think she's moved on and/or can't relate to the Epic songs--she has stated on that one podcast she wants people to hear them as she already performed them live and is aware there's a lot of demand for them. Also, if you look at the comments under her YouTube/TikTok/Instagram content, the majority of them are praising Bonnie for or associating her with American Girl. Even if that song "underperformed" at the time it was released, it was a hit in the sense that it gave many people a strong idea of Bonnie as an artist, her brand, and sound. People rarely mention Thorns, Mad Mad World, or Bad Girls Go to Heaven, they keep coming back to American Girl as a point of reference, and her hard-core fans keep asking for songs from that era. So from a business standpoint, it'd make no sense to abandon all of that material when releasing it is literally the safest and most foolproof path toward profit, and as an indie artist that hasn't had a strong single in years--she could really use songs that she knows the fans want and are hungry for. 

Btw, regarding the scenario she had to buy her masters back from Epic one-by-one over the years.... I'm really confused about that. Has she ever claimed to be doing that? The only time she mentioned her Epic masters was in a podcast last year and she said:

The way I understand/interpret this is that she left Epic with those masters under her ownership. I could be wrong though. I don't know the exact specifics of the "negotiations" between her and Epic

yep! she´s owned them for YEARS. she just hasn´t put them out. 😭

[reflection]

9 hours ago, BraveNewSeth said:

You bring up some great points. My problem is, with the final version of Everything But You leaking, that tells me that most of the Epic album tracks that have leaked over the past few months have been mastered and finalized for release. Would it really cost that much to throw a few of them together and put them on BandCamp? (Genuinely asking this btw, I have no idea how this side of the music industry works). Unless she really wants to re-produce them so they sound more “modern”, which would be one of the stupidest things she could do. 

I hope this doesn't come across as too crass, but I find it very hard to sympathize with Bonnie, and it all comes down to her actions over the past few years. How many times have we heard “the album is coming this year, guys!” or “SLAY music video coming soon!” only for nothing to ever happen? I don’t even stan Bonnie, but I couldn’t imagine how they must feel being gaslit and lied to so many times over the years.

I would have a lot more respect for Bonnie if she was just honest with her stans. Like if she made an Instagram post and said something like “hey guys, I’ve moved on emotionally from my Epic material and see no point in releasing it” or at least have some explanation for why it hasn’t come out yet, that would at least give us some sort of closure. But the way she’s going about it right now is completely wrong. Literally at the beginning of the year she promised the album’s coming AGAIN. Do you honestly believe that?

I really dont think any of these are final versions or masters, just demo versions. And yeah it would cost a lot she would have to clear all the writers and producers. Some easier than others, oligee and josh Abraham wouldn’t be a issue for her  (I assume atleast) but max Martin asks 50k-100k in royalties for the release of one of his songs apparently and that’s aside from aside from anything she had to put get back from epic in the first place. it’s why it isn’t as simple as just dropping songs, especially for a indie artist.
 

14 minutes ago, Bambi101 said:

The way I understand/interpret this is that she left Epic with those masters under her ownership. I could be wrong though. I don't know the exact specifics of the "negotiations" between her and Epic.

This wouldn’t make sense, she said in a live video she was trying to get her masters back from epic around 2015-2016 or something. If this was last year she mentioned she actually had the rights to the masters back for the first time it would make sense with the 2020 date I was given. 
 

all in all I said if Bonnie said get over it we should, she’s literally promised us she still wants to release everything multiple times even after it basically all leaked. It shows dedication and persistence and that there are probably more factors than she’s just lazy and can’t be bothered

Edited March 30, 2022 by reflection

[low kii savage]

18 minutes ago, Bambi101 said:

In all honesty, the contrast between her now and back then is like night & day.

Epic Bonnie (while she was allegedly stifled creatively by the label and had next to no support from them):

In spite of American Girl underperforming, she was hard at work finishing the album, put out a high-budget Sleepwalker music video in 2013 as an 'inbetweengle' that was to bridge the gap between AG and the next official second single. Payed for + embarked on a promotional tour for the album in 2014 in spite of the label's lack of support/enthusiasm. The same year: wrote, finished, and started playing S.L.A.Y. for radio stations around the US, and was most likely already planning the music video for it. Around this time, she also shot the marvelous Stars in Your Heart and California Winter music videos which I'm sure would be used as future inbetweengles.

Bonnie now (full artistic freedom, independent, is able to release anything she wants)

Put out the Bombastic EP in 2015, a cute compilation of four songs and made great music videos for each song over a span of 2 years. Then suffered from a burnout but came back with Thorns in 2017 and promised a new album. The album never materializes. 2018 - Mad Mad World single release, shot a music video for it which she said was coming out, and then never mentions it ever again. Her most recent release was THREE. YEARS. AGO. (and it was a cover of a Billie Eilish song). Crickets, endless promises, and odd TikTok/Instagram videos follow. As well as a short film she's milking to death and wants to turn into a Netflix series. How to kill your music career 101. 

Wasn't Bad Flops Go To Heaven her latest release? Would still mark as "THREE. YEARS. AGO." tho.

Also I feel like we're not mentioning her Halloween songs enough, they're REALLY good and deliver, but what is ruining them for me is simply the fact that she releases them as Evil McDonald or smth and in some is not even credited at all (Looking 4 Trouble...).
If we could find them more easily on her Spotify page, maybe we wouldn't feel the lack of music AS much as we do Right Now.mp3. Also Kick Your Shoes Off isn't appreciated enough

[Bambi101]

1 hour ago, low kii savage said:

Wasn't Bad Flops Go To Heaven her latest release? Would still mark as "THREE. YEARS. AGO." tho.

Also I feel like we're not mentioning her Halloween songs enough, they're REALLY good and deliver, but what is ruining them for me is simply the fact that she releases them as Evil McDonald or smth and in some is not even credited at all (Looking 4 Trouble...).
If we could find them more easily on her Spotify page, maybe we wouldn't feel the lack of music AS much as we do Right Now.mp3. Also Kick Your Shoes Off isn't appreciated enough

Bad Flops Go to Heaven, Evil McDonald 

If I was Wendy Williams, I'd literally ask the audience "clap if you remember what Bonnie's last single was called?" and then go "see, exactly, my point right there" 

But yeah, she didn't come to play with those Halloween songs; likewise, not a fan of her releasing them under the alias because no one even knew those songs existed for a while. Like, WTF. I wish she just put all the songs on an EP, titled it Evil McQueen, but still released it under her real name. Such a mind-boggling marketing/business decision. 
 

1 hour ago, reflection said:

I really dont think any of these are final versions or masters, just demo versions. And yeah it would cost a lot she would have to clear all the writers and producers. Some easier than others, oligee and josh Abraham wouldn’t be a issue for her  (I assume atleast) but max Martin asks 50k-100k in royalties for the release of one of his songs apparently and that’s aside from aside from anything she had to put get back from epic in the first place. it’s why it isn’t as simple as just dropping songs, especially for a indie artist.
 

This wouldn’t make sense, she said in a live video she was trying to get her masters back from epic around 2015-2016 or something. If this was last year she mentioned she actually had the rights to the masters back for the first time it would make sense with the 2020 date I was given. 
 

all in all I said if Bonnie said get over it we should, she’s literally promised us she still wants to release everything multiple times even after it basically all leaked. It shows dedication and persistence and that there are probably more factors than she’s just lazy and can’t be bothered

It's possible there's a bunch of adverse factors none of us account for, but imo, she's just stuck in her head. She said she's figuring things out because she doesn't want new music to "fall on deaf ears," but the way things are going right now, that's exactly what might just happen.

The demand is still here (in spite of the leaks), the FANS are ready, who else is she waiting for? The public? I don't get it. Bonnie needs to make peace with the fact that she's not a major pop girl (and even Katy Perry is struggling nowadays!), and just embrace and cultivate the devoted following she has. Maybe she doesn't want the work of her collaborator friends to go to waste, hence why she keeps giving away her own material to others (Turn Me Up, Hit Me Up, Waking Up Diagonal, Naked) -- I do recall she mentioned 'feeling guilty' when working with people on her own music because there's this connotation it won't really achieve much in the pop music world once released. Regardless, I think it's better to have the songs 'heard,' loved, and appreciated by a small circle of people than having them on your hard drive for 10 years.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Bambi101

[BonnieMcChicken]

me waiting for forever 21 to leak

[low kii savage]

38 minutes ago, BonnieMcChicken said:

me waiting for forever 21 to leak

Bonnie looking for PHF members' IP addresses to put us in jail for begging

[Bambi101]

Bonnie announcing she's making a new album after the previous three shelved ones and then going into hiding for the rest of the year

Edited March 30, 2022 by Bambi101
Lmao

[Animal]

Bonnie privately watching this forum:

 

[Newtooz18]

This site is deader than the Dodos unless a song leaks out of Bonnies vag

[BonnieMcChicken]

it should have been 

american girl 

everything but you

then slay

i've decided and the only thing i accept. everything but you would have been a great 2nd single. 

Spoiler

i'll be allllrrriiiiiggghttt