Phil Spector turned “Unchained Melody” into a 20th century classic with his Wall of Sound Righteous Brothers production. But on a Triple J radio session, Lykke Li takes all of that away on an intimated acoustic cover. The singer teased the audience about the song’s prominent placement in the movie “Ghost” before performing her version. All I have to say is – amazing! This rendition really impresses me. There’s so much soul in her voice and her vocal range really shines as the guitarist delicately strums along. This is true talent guys. You can’t simply take any classic and turn it into such a work of art and Lykke Li did it beautifully.
Lana Del Rey has made her TV debut by performing her song “Video Games” on the UK show “Later… with Jools Holland”. The 24-year old internet sensation, whose real name is Lizzy Grant, recently sold out her first UK show in about 30 seconds and has already racked up more than 2 million views on YouTube. I’m not surprised at all considering how talented she is. I love her unique and sultry vocals. And I love that she’s singing in the jazz/soul genre. Her performance was captivating simply because of her voice. But I just have to ask, is anyone else seeing a resemblance between her and Natalie Portman?
Agnes, aka the Leona Lewis of Sweden, has recently unveiled the full version of her brand new single, the disco ballad “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. I actually don’t think the track is good. It doesn’t have that instant impact like her song “Release Me”. I guess I’ll just wait until remixes come out to say whether or not it can gain some legs. However, Agnes does great vocals on top of the techno beat within a ballad. Leona can learn something from her. With this new single, the pop singer gears up for the upcoming release of her fourth studio album which will hit European stores in early 2012.
Skylar Grey recently premiered the music video for her song “Invisible” via VEVO. The track is the official lead single from the singer/songwriter’s debut album “Invinsible”, set for release in January 2012. In the clip, we see Skylar wandering through a huge city, singing from the heights, walking with random people, risking her life by crossing heavy traffic and catching on fire. I really like the visual. I think it goes well with the song’s story and mood. Sadly, I don’t really think that a clip this great can save a single that’s likely to flop. Her label should have convinced her to release something that was more in line with her collaborative work as her first single.
Nick Jonas is set to join the cast of “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”. The 18-year old pop singer will begin his run as J. Pierrepont Finch on Broadway beginning on January 24, 2012. Daniel Radcliffe is currently playing the role. Once the “Harry Potter” actor finishes his run, “Glee” star Darren Criss will take over for just under a month. How do you think Nick will fair on the show after following Daniel and Darren? Sure he has some experience but compared to Daniel and Darren, he’s a novice. Who’s planning to see the show?
Adele has been forced to postpone two UK concert dates after falling ill to a nasty chest infection. The singer withdrew from her performances at the Plymouth Pavillions and at the Bournemouth International Centre. Adele released a statement on her official website, saying “hi guys, sorry about the first 2 shows. im as useless as a slug right now, ive had a rotten cold since i got home earlier this week and was hoping it wouldnt make its way onto my chest. but unfortunately it has and its leaving me breathless and i cant hold any of my notes when i sing.” Get well soon!
It looks like things are going good for Joe Jonas. Not only has he set off with a solo music career but he’s also going to get a chance to be a real Hollywood movie star. If anyone knows anything about Hollywood, you can work on a film all you want but if you don’t have financing, you have a problem. That’s apparently been the struggle Joe was facing for a while but good news came recently. The pop singer said “I was in Mexico City last week and my manager called me and said, ‘The movie’s financed!’ I was, like, in tears. [It's about a] young man who is finding himself. The storyline is still bare bones, but I will say he has a specific dream that he wants to accomplish, and it’s the good and the bad he has to go through to get there. It’s going to be an older-feeling kind of movie. It’s a little bit of everything. One of my favorite movies is The Four Feathers, and that has everything. It has funny, romantic, passionate. I want to do something like that.”
If she had not followed a career in the music industry, American singer Britney Spears would have wanted to be a teacher.
She’s 29 years old, mother of two boys, and said she likes to meet with her younger fans and he would have liked to pursue a career involving working with children, announces Female First.
When asked what she would have done if she had not experienced success in music, Britney said, ‘I took care of my family. I would have been a mother .[...] In terms of career, I think I would have been a teacher. ”
Also, Britney admitted that she would like it if the boys would have a career in showbiz, but added she would be “very protective”. ‘Certainly I would be watching them, but if that’s what they would like to do, then I would let them follow their dream. But I would be very protective, ” the artist said for the website Popjustice.
Lady Gaga stopped by the MTV offices in Times Square yesterday to announce her big surprise regarding the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. I had initially thought that the princess of pop was going to be the host of this year’s show, with there still not being one announced. It wasn’t what the singer announced but her news was still a doozey. Lady Gaga has been confirmed to kick off the show, which will air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on August 28. How the rest of the show can live up to an epic opening number by Lady Gaga, I don’t know.
The lawsuit involving David LaChapelle claiming Rihanna ripped off his work for her “S&M” video has survived its first test and is moving forward. A New York federal judge found the themes in her video non-copyright material while the “angles, poses, and lighting” in David’s photos are completely protected. The judge also heard evidence that the storyboards used for the R&B singer’s video actually contained some of David’s photos. With legal matters not looking to be in her favor, Rihanna has decided to get a new lawyer. She fired her legal team from New York’s Pryor Cashman and replaced them with Paul Kilmer from Holland & Knight. It doesn’t look like it’s going to go much further though as talks of a settlement is hot.
Although it’s not definite yet, I’m encouraged to find out that Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh recently revealed in an interview that the British pop band will in fact reunite in 2012 for a new 10-year anniversary tour. Kimberley said “I’d like to do more acting, but, to be honest, being in the band has surpassed everything I ever dreamed of doing with my life. The girls will have been together for ten years next year and that’s definitely going to be celebrated with a tour. I can’t say any more until next year – but I’m really looking forward to it.” If that isn’t salivating information, I don’t know what is.
Mel B, former band mate of Victoria Beckham in Spice Girls, will give birth to her future child in the same salon where her girlfriend brought the world Seven Harper Beckham in July.
The former Spice Girls band component said she reserved the same salon where Victoria Beckham gave birth a month ago at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, announces Female First. In an interview with the British magazine Hello!, Mel B – who will give birth in a few days – has revealed the fact that she wrote an invitation to Victoria to the party in honor of her future child, but she could not make it.
Later, she mentioned that she’ll give birth in the same salon as the new mother. “The funniest thing is that I will give birth in the same room at Cedars-Sinai in which Victoria has brought to the world Harper,” said the British artist.
Mel B married Stephen Belafonte and has two children from previous relationships: Phoenix Chi (12), and Angel Iris (4).
X Factor-formed boy band One Direction have chosen the track “What Makes You Beautiful” as their official debut single. The song was produced by Savan Kotecha, and written by Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub, who worked with Britney Spears on her hit “Baby One More Time”. I like this song. It’s catchy and has a huge potential to be a hit in the UK. I’m so glad that One Direction decided to go for a pop/rock sound. I think it suits them well and it will be something refreshing in nowadays’ music scene. “What Makes You Beautiful” is set to be released on September 12th.
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful – New Song
Pia Toscano recently premiered the music video for her debut single “This Time”. The American Idol album looks absolutely graceful and slightly angelic in the clip for the Ester Dean-written track. I love Pia and I love the song to death but the clip could’ve been something better. Nevertheless, all the beauty shots and pretty landscapes really go well with the song’s vibe. The performance shots in the city I could have done without. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of the video. I can forgive Pia and her camp though. The singer is very busy with the American Idol tour so I actually take my hat off to her for finding some time off to work on the video.
Pia Toscano – This Time – New Video
The official second single to come off of Selena Gomez’s upcoming third album “When the Sun Goes Down”, which is out on June 28th, has been revealed to be “Love You Like a Love Song”. The Rock Mafia-produced track sees the 18-year old pop singer/actress return to her dance influenced ways from “A Year Without Rain”. If you loved the track “Round and Round” from that album, you’ll love “Love You Like a Love Song”. It’s catchy, sassy, well-produced and will make you bop around. Selena is bringing her A-game with this new album of hers. I’m not the biggest fan of hers but even I can admit that.
Selena Gomez – Love You Like a Love Song – New Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXH554k6A0k
Selena Gomez – Love You Like a Love Song – New Song
Selena Gomez – Whiplash – New Song
Check out another cut from Pitbull’s upcoming sixth studio album “Planet Pit”, which is due out on June 21st. The track is called “Come N Go”, was produced by Dr Luke, Benny Blanco and Max Martin, and features pop singer Enrique Iglesias. Pitbull once again kills it in the verses while an auto-tuned Enrique jumps into the infectious hooks. The production is so hot! But it’s not like you can expect anything less considering who produced it. With a smash like this, Pitbull will certainly have the party album of 2011. I wonder if this will be another single for the rapper. I think it should be.
Pitbull – Come N Go – New Song
The singer has recently released a new music video for his song “Like This, Like That”. Jay Sean’s song is a basic Pop/R&B piece with nothing too amazing in it, reasonably catchy, but not as much as any other of his earlier hits. The music video isn’t too special either since it’s basically just Jay Sean interacting with his female companion in some pretty abstract environments. There is also an intervention by rapper Birdman, but that goes pretty unnoticed as well. Still, the song is not too hard on the ears so it may have some sort of lifespan. The music video however will most likely be very soon forgotten.
Jay Sean ft. Birdman – Like This, Like That – Music Video:
Gym Class Heroes has a new song out called “Stereo Hearts”. The Benny Blanco-produced and Adam Levine-assisted track is the lead single from the hip hop band’s much-anticipated fifth album “The Papercut Chronicles II”, which is due in stores this year. The song has an uplifting and summery vibe, and is overall a good track. The lyrics are really cool with loads of metaphors that are very consistent throughout the entire song. I actually like the verses more than the chorus – it’s all about Travie McCoy! If you want to grab hold of this single, it will be released on iTunes on June 14th.
Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine – Stereo Hearts – New Song
Gym Class Heroes – Stereo Hearts – Lyrics
[Adam Levine]
My heart’s a stereo
It beats for your, so listen close
Hear my thoughts in every note
Make me your radio
Turn me up when you feel low
This melody was meant for you
Just sing along to my stereo
[Travie McCoy]
If I was just another dusty record on the shelve
Will you blow me off and play me like everybody else
If I ask you to scratch my back, could you manage that
Like it read well, check it Travie, I can handle that
Furthermore, I apologize for any skipping tracks
This the last girl that play me left a couple cracks
I used to used to used to used to, now I’m over that
Cause holding grudges over love is ancient artifacts
If I could only find a note to make you understand
I sing a song and the image grab me by the hands
Keep myself inside your head, like your favorite tune
And know my heart is a stereo that only plays for you
[Chorus]
My heart’s a stereo
It beats for your, so listen close
Hear my thoughts in every note
Make me your radio
Turn me up when you feel low
This melody was meant for you
Just sing along to my stereo
Oh oh oh oh To my stereo
Oh oh oh oh So sing along to my stereo
[Travie McCoy]
If I wasn’t old school, fifty pound boombox
Would you hold me on your shoulder, wherever you walk
Would you turn my volume up before of the cops
And crank it higher everytime they told you to stop
And all I ask is that you don’t get mad at me
When you have to purchase mad D batteries
Appreciate every mixtape your friends make
You never know we come and go like we’re on the interstate
I think finally found a note to make you understand
If you can hear it, sing along and take me by the hands
Keep myself inside your head, like your favorite tune
And know my heart is a stereo that only plays for you
[Chorus]
My heart’s a stereo
It beats for your, so listen close
Hear my thoughts in every note
Make me your radio
Turn me up when you feel low
This melody was meant for you
Just sing along to my stereo
Oh oh oh oh To my stereo
Oh oh oh oh So sing along to my stereo
[Bridge]
I only pray you never leave me behind
Because good music can be so hard to find
I take your hand and pull it closer to mine
Thought love was dead, but now you’re changing my mind
[Chorus]
My heart’s a stereo
It beats for your, so listen close
Hear my thoughts in every note
Make me your radio
Turn me up when you feel low
This melody was meant for you
Just sing along to my stereo
Oh oh oh oh To my stereo
Oh oh oh oh So sing along to my stereo
Eminem and Royce da 5’9 have a new song out called “Lighters”. The rappers, who together form the hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, have this track on their upcoming album “Hell: The Sequel” out on June 14th. “Lighters” was one of the most anticipated tracks from the album as it sees the first collaboration between two of the music industry’s biggest players today – Eminem and Bruno Mars. In the song, Bruno shows off his wide vocal range and vulnerable side on the chorus and bridge. I really think this track should eventually be a single. Eminem is capable of having a top 10 hit on his own, same with Bruno. The two of them together, as well as Royce da 5’9 – smash hit!
Eminem & Royce Da 5’9 – Lighters ft. Bruno Mars – New Song
I would say it was pretty good night for AI contestants, all of them were equally good, and they had a Lady Gaga for a Mentor
For the first round, James Durbin sang “Don’t Stop Believin’”; Haley Reinhart took on “Earth Song”; Scotty McCreery performed “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning”; and Lauren Alaina sang “Anyway”. For the second round, Haley took on “I Who Have Nothing”; Scotty sang “Young Blood”; Lauren performed “Trouble”; and James sang “Love Potion No. 9”
Check all songs below from the last night AI top 4 episode
American Idol 2011 Top 4 Performances Video
James Durbin – Don’t Stop Believing – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Haley Reinhart – Earth Song – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Lauren Alaina – Anyway – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Scotty McCreery – Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Haley Reinhart – I Who Have Nothing – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Scotty McCreery – Young Blood – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Lauren Alaina – Trouble – American Idol 2011 Top 4
James Durbin – Love Potion No. 9 – American Idol 2011 Top 4
Last night on AI was one of the best I ever seen for a very long time, Performances were outstanding!
See it for your self!
American Idol Top 5 Performance Videos:
Haley Reinhart : House Of The Rising Sun – Animals : American Idol Top 5
James Durbin : Closer To The Edge – 30 Seconds To Mars : American Idol Top 5
Jacob Lusk : No Air – Jordin Sparks : American Idol Top 5
Scotty McCreery : Gone – Montgomery Gentry : American Idol Top 5
American Idol – Lauren Alaina – Flat On The Floor – Carrie Underwood: American Idol Top 5
Haley Reinhart : You And I – Lady Gaga : American Idol Top 5
James Durbin : Without You – Harry Nillson : American Idol Top 5
Jacob Lusk : Love Hurts – Nazareth : American Idol Top 5
Lauren Alaina : Unchained Melody – Leann Rimes : American Idol Top 5
Scotty McCreery : You Were Always On My Mind – Willie Nelson : American Idol Top 5
Amber Riley recently took to her webcam to cover Adele’s new single “Someone Like You”. The “Glee” actress also took to her Twitter to express her thoughts on the British singer and her song, saying “I don’t care who sings it, NO ONE can sing an Adele song like ADELE, she is perfect but I’m glad you guys liked my version too….” Amber isn’t the only “Glee” star to cover the likes of Adele though. Last night’s episode of the hit TV show saw Gwyneth Paltrow take on “Turning Tables”. Both of them did stellar jobs on their covers but I agree with Amber, no one can sing an Adele song like Adele.Check the Season 2 Episode 17 of Glee episode titled “Night of Neglect.”
Check the Season 2 Episode 17 of Glee episode titled “Night of Neglect.”
Ain’t No Way by Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley)
Originally sung by Aretha Franklin
I Follow Rivers by Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz)
Originally sung by Lykke Li
Turning Tables by Holly Holiday (Gwyneth Paltrow)
Originally sung by Adele
All By Myself by Sunshine Corazon (Charice Pempengco)
Originally sung by Celine Dion
Bubble Toes by Mike Chang
Originally sung by Jack Johnson
John Legend has gone ahead and paid tribute to Adele. The Grammy-winning singer has recently unveiled a stunning a cappella cover of the British star’s smash hit “Rolling in the Deep”. Adele’s latest album “21” has reclaimed the top spot of the Billboard 200. Whether John’s cover is an attempt to gain publicity, there’s no denying that he did amazingly on it. Some may say that it sounds too close to the original but the final result was still hot. It’s soulful, powerful and very good. The backup vocals were right on point too. I wonder what Adele thinks of the cover. I actually hope that they record the song as a duet after hearing John sing it.
John Legend – Rolling in the Deep – New Cover
Britney Spears has chosen the Dr. Luke-produced and Ke$ha-written “Till the World Ends” as the official second single from her upcoming studio album “Femme Fatale”, which will hit stores on March 29th. The song’s full version hit the internet last week and it is on fire! It’s a certified club banger for sure. The hook is everything. I’m pretty sure that the pop singer has another hit on her hands with this one. Yay for Ke$ha for doing such a good job writing this and hooray for Britney for doing a fantastic job on the song. What do you guys think?
Britney Spears – Till the World Ends – New Song
From the other side of the fence comes Stefano Langone, one of the three lucky contestants who got into the wild card round and even managed to pass it with his rendition of Smokie Norful’s “I Need You Now”. On passing the wild cards and getting into the Top 13, Stefano Langone had this to say: “Man, it was an honor. It really was. There were 23 of us earlier in the day and there’s only 13 of us now. To get the opportunity to go out there and show what I had and work for it was just a blessing. And I was really happy I got to go out there and give it my all and make it happen.” Well the fact that he’s a wild card means that Stefano Langone is going to have to put in a lot more than he has until now if he wants to make it far.
Here is the “American Idol” Top 13 of Season 10:
Scotty McCreery
Pia Toscano
Lauren Alaina
Karen Rodriguez
Jacob Lusk
Casey Abrams
Thia Megia
Paul McDonald
Haley Reinhart
James Durbin
Ashton Jones
Stefano Langone
Naima Adedapo
This is one big historic week on the Billboard charts. As of this week, the cast of “Glee” has placed an astounding 113 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart. In the two and a half years that the hit TV show has been making amazing remakes, they have already bested Elvis Presley’s record of 108 for most charted songs by an act in the list’s 52 years. With the show seeming to not have any end coming soon, you can be sure that those numbers are still going to rise. As for this week’s charts, the show bested their own record by charting nine songs in a week, including Lea Michele’s rendition of Katy Perry’s “Firework”. Congratulations to “Glee”!
Check all the song from the ‘Glee’ episode titled ‘Comeback’
The singer who snagged an award for “Best Breakthrough Act” apparently couldn’t help but brag about meeting Rihanna and Cheryl Cole at the ceremony. This is what Justin Bieber tweeted on the matter: “I got nervous up there and couldn’t rememeber anything. Lol. I did get to kiss cherylcole and rihanna on my way to the stage.” Well, well… Justin Bieber sure isn’t letting any of that charm of his go to waste. Still he might want to keep in mind that he does have a girlfriend now and such interactions might be frowned upon a bit. But then again, Justin Bieber does seem like the kind of dude who can get any girl he wants.
BRIT Awards Performance Below:
Rihanna BRIT Awards Performance:
Jessie J – performing at the BRITs 2011 Launch
The BRIT Awards 2011 – Adele sings Someone Like You
Brit Awards 2011 HD – Tinie Tempah & Ellie Goulding – Wonderman
Arcade Fire – Ready to Start (at Brit Awards 2011)
2011 BRIT Awards Winners Full List Below:
BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Plan B – Defamation of Strickland Banks **WINNER**
Take That – Progress
Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy
The Xx – XX
BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Tinie Tempah *WINNER*
Ellie Goulding
Mumford & Sons
Rumer
The Xx
BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Laura Marling *WINNER*
Cheryl Cole
Ellie Goulding
Paloma Faith
Rumer
BRITISH GROUP
Take That *WINNER*
Biffy Clyro
Gorillaz
Mumford & Sons
The Xx
BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST
Plan B *WINNER*
Mark Ronson
Paul Weller
Robert Plant
Tinie Tempah
BRITISH PRODUCER
Ethan Johns *WINNER*
John Leckie
Markus Dravs
Mike Pela
Stuart Price
BRITISH SINGLE
Tinie Tempah – Pass Out *WINNER*
Alexandra Burke – All Night Long
Cheryl Cole – Parachute
Florence and the Machine – You’ve Got The Love
Matt Cardle – When We Collide
Olly Murs – Please Don’t Let Me Go
Plan B – She Said
Scouting for Girls – This Aint A Love Song
Taio Cruz – Dynamite
The Wanted – All Time Low
CRITICS’ CHOICE
Jessie J *WINNER*
James Blake
The Vaccines
INTERNATIONAL ALBUM
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs *WINNER*
Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer
Eminem – Recovery
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Justin Bieber *WINNER*
Bruno Mars
Glee
The National
The Temper Trap
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Rihanna *WINNER*
Alicia Keys
Katy Perry
Kylie Minogue
Robyn
INTERNATIONAL GROUP
Arcade Fire *WINNER*
Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
Script
Vampire Weekend
INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST
Cee Lo Green *WINNER*
Bruce Springsteen
David Guetta
Eminem
Kanye West
British boy band The Wanted kick off their 2011 with a brand new single called “Gold Forever”. The new track will serve as this year’s Comic Relief song (charity single) in the UK. “Gold Forever” is a mid tempo ballad with a feel good vibe. It’s also infused with some electronica and dance elements. It’s not the best but it’s not bad either. I actually kind of like it. The Wanted may have their most clear opportunity to score a hit with the Comic Relief support as well as having no big competition for when it’s released. And if you’re wondering when that is, the song will be available in the UK on March 13th.
The Wanted – Gold Forever – New Song
Just when you thought that there was no more that could be done with “Never Say Never”, Justin Bieber has brought on another epic composer for the documentary. Ester Dean, who is apparently behind Rihanna’s “Say my name” and Katy Perry’s “Firework” is the new addition to Justin Bieber’s super-awesome squad. This is what she had to say about working with the teenage singer: “I first met Justin with Usher at an ‘American Idol’ event. He was like, ‘Oh my God … I’m such a fan of your songwriting!’ And I’m like, ‘You’re a fan? I’m a fan of your music!’ He’s a very talented guy. He was very easy to work with and was very nice. We just finished up some music for the new movie he has coming out. I can’t get too much into it. I don’t want to give too much away. But it’s going to be great.” How much more awesomeness could this documentary take? They’d better release it already before it just pops.
but I’m glad you guys liked my version too….” Amber isn’t the only “Glee” star to cover the likes of Adele though. Last night’s episode of the hit TV show saw Gwyneth Paltrow take on “Turning Tables”. Both of them did stellar jobs on their covers but I agree with Amber, no one can sing an Adele song like Adele.Check the Season 2 Episode 17 of Glee episode titled “Night of Neglect.”
