Bruno Mars scores the first single from the soundtrack of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1”. The powerful ballad “It Will Rain”, which was co-written and produced by The Smeezingtons, was released officially on iTunes on September 27th, while the soundtrack disc hit stores on November 8th, 2011. The R&B/pop singer described the new song as “think of the darker side of love”. I think this is perfection. I love the melody, the lyrics and the passion in Bruno’s voice. I think this is the highlight for me from the entire Twilight soundtrack. It’ll be hard to top Bruno but if Robert Pattinson has something up his sleeve…
Kevin McCall and Chris Brown just love working together. The two R&B singers have made some hot records together. They managed to score a top 20 US hit with “Deuces” so it shouldn’t be a surprise to find out that they were putting out a new collaboration to continue with the winning streak. A new track called “Hard to Get” appears on the recently released deluxe edition of Kevin’s latest mix tape “The Eargazm”. In my opinion, this might be the end of their streak. The song just sounds okay to me. I don’t like that it sounds so pop when I was looking forward to a hot R&B track.
Lil Wayne teams up with R&B/pop singer Bruno Mars in a track called “Mirror”. The song is a bonus track included on the deluxe version of the rapper’s latest album “Tha Carter IV”. This thing came out of nowhere! If you didn’t have enough reasons to buy this album, now you do. “Mirror” is an absolute smash, in my opinion. And if Lil Wayne is smart, he’ll release this as a single ASAP. Bruno is a pretty hot thing in the music industry and everybody just loves the guy. Featuring him on a track is a guarantee that radios will eat this up.
Lil Wayne featuring Bruno Mars – Mirror – New Song
Chris Brown showed off some acrobatic moves while performing during the 2011 MTV VMAs at Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles this past Sunday. The 22-year old R&B singer started off the dance medley with “Yeah 3x” and ended with “Beautiful People”. He did all this while he soared in the air with two of his backup dancers. It was a spectacular performance and I wasn’t at all surprised when he got a standing ovation, including ones from Kanye West and Justin Bieber. Chris later took to his Twitter, saying “Thx to all my fans who showed support tonight! Had a blast! Congrats to all the winners!!!! Be safe tonight! Love you!”
Chris Brown – Dance Medley – Performance Video
If you feel like it’s been years since Taio Cruz released any new music, you’re in luck. After slaying the charts worldwide with the undying “Dynamite”, the British R&B singer is about to kick off a new era. His third studio album called “Troublemaker” will hit stores later this year. The record will be preceded by the first single, also called “Troublemaker”, which should hit radio and iTunes pretty soon. I’m thinking that it may be for early September. The music video for the song was reportedly shot earlier this summer so we may end up seeing a double release. Taio also recently revealed the official artwork for the single. Check it out.
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.
The soulful singer from Stratford, Javier Colon, was recently crowned as the first ever champion of the NBC hit reality TV talent show The Voice. Javier’s first official single is the song he performed on the finale performance night, “Stitch by Stitch”. The song was especially written for him by Dave Hodges, Dave Bassett and Lindy Robbins, and produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. I have high hopes for Javier’s music career and with the industry being high on R&B singers as of late, there’s a really good chance for him to gain success. Again, congratulations to Javier and good luck!
Javier Colon – Stitch by Stitch – New Song
It has been confirmed that Justin Bieber is scheduled to make an appearance at the BET Awards. How could the most popular act in the music business not make an appearance at the annual hip hop and R&B award show anyway? Note my sarcasm. The 17-year old pop, I reiterate, pop singer joins a list of other artists including Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Kelly Rowland, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Drake, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Rick Ross, Ace Hood, DJ Khaled and Jill Scott. If Chris Brown is performing, I’m willing to bet that Justin will perform alongside him with their collaboration “Next 2 You”.
Not because of her personality, mind you, but it looks like there were other factors that were beyond Beyonce’s control in making friends. This is what the singer said on the matter: ”Socially I did miss out. I left school at 14 and had a tutor. I was never exposed to people long enough to make friends so my family became my friends.” Well, she does indeed have her family now and given her success, Beyonce probably has a lot more friends than she can handle and even more on the way. Everybody probably wants to be friends with her now.
Rihanna has reportedly signed a 3-year partnership with The Barbados Tourism Authority to exclusively promote the island destination as a tourist spot, starting August 5th with a performance of her “Loud” concert in Bridgetown. The R&B singer will also exclusively do promotional work through ad campaigns and appearances, specifically during the Brazilian leg of her tour. Rihanna said “Barbados is a place like no other and one of the reasons for this is the spirit and national pride of our people. I want each and every visitor to this beautiful island to experience what makes this destination different from all others and that is the spirit and warmth of my fellow Barbadians.”
Bruno Mars has scored nothing but perfection with his music this past year and now, the R&B singer has made history. Bruno’s smash hit “Just the Way You Are” just reached its 20th week at the number 1 spot on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. He has beaten out Colbie Caillat and Daniel Powter, and now has the longest-reigning debut single in the list’s almost 50-year history. I think that it’s very well deserved. It’s been months since the song has been released and I still haven’t gotten sick of it. Heck, I’m listening to it right now. Congratulations to Bruno on the achievement!
And it all happened on the Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart. Not the most prestigious of charts, to be sure, but it is still quite an accomplishment that Bruno Mars’ single, “Just the Way You Are”, apparently has no less than 20 weeks on board for the #1 spot which means that it has broken all previous records and it is the longest reigning single on this chart for the past 50 years. Not a bad day’s work for Bruno Mars. The man has probably achieved what could be called nothing less than pop immortality with this achievement. Let’s see Lady GaGa topping off this one.
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:
Beyonce is featured on the cover of the July issue of Dazed & Confused magazine. The summer music special features the 29-year old R&B singer/actress in what the magazine calls “a scorching hot trailer park fantasy”. When asked about taking her little time away from the music industry, Beyonce said “I needed some time to live. I’ve been signed to the same label since I was 12 years old and never had more than a month and a half off since I was 13. I’ve worked so hard for so many years and just felt like, ‘Well, why not?’” She definitely deserved that break but it’s also great to see and hear her new music.
Beyonce – Dazed & Confused Cover – Photo
Rihanna kicked off her “Loud” world tour this past Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland. Among her exciting and lengthy set list, the R&B singer performed her brand new and controversial single “Man Down”. After the premiere of the music video for the song, the US Parents Television Council immediately went out to accuse Rihanna that the video was “an apparent enticement to young women to turn to violence”. She has since addressed the issue on BET’s 106 & Park and on Twitter. And to shut it all out, Rihanna did a killer performance of “Man Down” during her concert. Work it!
Rihanna – Man Down – Performance Video
It seems that the singer’s upcoming single was written by none other than Diane Warren. However, not only does Beyonce’s new song have such a prolific writer, but Diane Warren considers it her best to date. This is what she had to say about her newest creation: “I just wrote something a week and a half ago that Beyoncé recorded and I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written. She sang it amazingly. I think it’s a career song and probably my favorite thing I’ve ever written … right now. I think it’s really, really going to touch people.” Well this is certainly good news, especially considering the fact that most of Beyonce’s latest releases haven’t exactly brought much pleasing feedback.
The singer has finally managed to release a new music video, this time for her single “Man Down”. The music video begins pretty harshly with the murder of someone, but this basically just sets the mood for the song itself which is actually a reggae/R&B murder ballad. The imagery that follows is reasonably interesting and it is mainly focused on Rihanna… and of course there’s no lack of the very common eye candy. The music video isn’t a bad piece of work, and the song is a pretty steady piece for anyone who likes reggae and the sound of Rihanna’s voice. This one will probably garner itself a reasonable following and for a reasonably long amount of time.
The singer has apparently received some rather disconcerting news regarding her drinking habits and the fact that she really has no choice but to quit or quit on life. Amy Winehouse’s doctors apparently took her for a harsh ride in explaining this, as a source relates: ”It’s the last chance saloon for Amy. Doctors have come down hard on her because of the severity of her situation. It’s a harsh reality but she had to hear it.” Rumors say that Amy Winehouse is aware of the seriousness of her situation this time around… after all, she did check herself into the clinic. Maybe this time around Amy Winehouse will actually manage to stay away from the alcohol and learn her lesson.
Next to take the American Idol stage was James Durbin, dressed in all black with lots of spikes and studs, performing with rock and roll legends Judas Priest on “Breaking the Law”. James was clearly having the time of his life. This whole performance screamed so much of an actual concert for me. There were some serious pyro going on and just an all out amazing performance. James even got a standing ovation from the judges. Why couldn’t he have been part of the top 2? It would have been a more exciting finale night if he was. Do you have something against pure rock stars America?
American Idol Winner Performances Video
American Idol Top 13 – Born This Way – Performance Video
James Durbin and Judas Priest – Breaking the Law – Performance Video
Jacob Lusk, Kirk Franklin and Gladys Knight – I Smile – Performance Video
Casey Abrams and Jack Black – Fat Bottomed Girls – Performance Video
American Idol Girls and Beyonce – Beyonce Medley – Performance Video
Haley Reinhart and Tony Bennett – Steppin’ Out with My Baby – Performance Video
TLC and American Idol Girls – No Scrubs/Waterfalls – Performance Video
Scotty McCreery and Tim McGraw – Live like You were Dying – Performance Video
Marc Anthony – Aguanile – Performance Video
American Idol Guys – Tom Jones Medley – Performance Video
Tom Jones and American Idol Guys – It’s Not Unusual – Performance Video
More AI Performances:
Bono, The Edge, Reeve Carney – Rise Above – Performance Video
Beyonce – 1 + 1 – Performance Video
Lady Gaga – The Edge of Glory – Performance Video
Lauren Alaina and Carrie Underwood – Before He Cheats – Performance Video
Steven Tyler – Dream On – Performance Video
The singer who has recently revealed that she was working on a musical based on her own music and life is apparently going to actually be releasing it as soon as next year. This is what Kylie Minogue’s long time collaborator and stylist, William Baker, had to say on the matter: “We’re both working on the Kylie musical, using all her songs, which will hopefully be done next year some time. I can’t wait!” So Kylie Minogue is going to be doing a musical of her own, eh? Perhaps she’ll manage to do a little better than Cher and Christina Aguilera. After all, she does have a whole year to make it as good as possible.
Bruno Mars performed his latest single “The Lazy Song” on American Idol’s results show this past Thursday. The reggae-sounding Smeezingtons production serves as the third single from the R&B/pop singer’s debut album “Doo-Wops & Hooligans”. As usual, Bruno’s vocals were flawless. I was actually half expecting him to come out with dancers in gorilla masks and perform like in the music video for the song. However, I was sorely disappointed with the AI crew though. It was made obvious that the performance wasn’t live when they decided to put a dog in the shot. One second the dog is up and about, the next it’s sound asleep. From technical difficulties to bad camera shots, someone in the technical department really needs to step up their game.
American Idol Top 6 – Results Show 2011
Bruno Mars – American idol – The Lazy Song – Top 6 Results Show – 04/28/11
Top 6 Group Performance – American Idol 2011 – Results Show – 04/28/11
Crystal Bowersox – Ridin With The Radio (LIVE) – American Idol 2011 Top 6 Results Show – 04/28/11
Final Song & Elimination – Casey Abrams – Spell On You – American Idol Top 6 Results – 04/28/11
Rihanna’s “S&M” has officially hit the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This achievement marks the R&B/pop singer’s 10th number 1 hit on the chart, and given the fact that her 1st #1 hit on the chart was May 2006’s “SOS”, Rihanna has achieved a record of having “the shortest span between a solo artist’s first and 10th No. 1s in the chart’s 52-year history.” The only artists who have gained 10 Hot 100 number 1’s faster than her are the Beatles and the Supremes. That’s not bad at all. If that’s not enough of an achievement, Rihanna has also become the youngest artist to land 10 number 1’s in the Hot 100 chart. Wow! Congratulations Rihanna!
It seems that the pop singer didn’t quite get off to a good start with Katy Perry’s husband, Russell Brand. This is what Rihanna related about the first time she ever met the British comedian: “I first met him when he was interviewing me on TV. I was sick and it was the worst interview I’ve ever done. I was throwing up in a bucket and a doctor gave me a shot in my butt. Nothing was funny to me. I thought it was the most stupid fucking interview I ever did in my fucking life. Why am I talking to this idiot? He made me want to throw up again.” Supposedly afterwards Rihanna realized that she might have been a bit harsh to judge Russell Brand, especially given the unpleasant circumstances. Rihanna admitted that after a second interview her impression of the British comedian did improve significantly. Still, why would she even agree to an interview if she was that sick? Questions, questions…
The voice of the millennium was the artist that had the distinct pleasure of closing the fabulously large Coachella Festival this year. And Kanye West apparently decided not to disappoint his fans so he went for something rather unexpected: he showed up in a signature Celine shirt from the Spring 2011 Womenswear Collection. Indeed it probably isn’t something Kanye West would wear too often, but it seems to have done wonders. The rumor goes that he put on quite the show. Who knows, maybe next time, he’ll try something even more courageous and original. It is terribly dark in the closet, but surely Kanye West will find his way out if he keeps trying.
The singer has just released a new music video for his song “The Lazy Song”. The song and the video are about as simple as simple can be: it’s a rather commonplace pop/R&B piece with a video of Bruno Mars and five dudes with monkey masks doing a few dance routines in an empty room. The choreography is not really that complex and it’s mainly meant to be funny and simple… like the song and its message. The fact of the matter is that it works, it’s pretty catchy and of course very fun to watch. This is how music videos should be done: all it takes is a good and simple idea. And Bruno Mars really nailed it with this one.
As promised Rihanna has released her new and highly anticipated remix of “S&M” which features Britney Spears. Apart from a little more electro in the beginning, the song is basically the same… except of course for Britney Spears doing a duet with Rihanna. It doesn’t really sound half bad, but hearing Britney Spears sing the refrain to Rihanna’s “S&M” is a bit strange at first… but everybody will probably get used to it over time. Not a bad remix really… especially given the theme of the song and the fact that it’s sung by Rihanna and Britney Spears which might send a few minds wandering into some directions.
Rihanna and Britney Spears – S&M (Remix) – New Song
This one might actually be true since it’s her mother that believes Willow Smith was born a rebel… and who could know more about this than the girl’s mother? Jada Pinkett Smith had this to say about all of the gifts that she passed down to Willow Smith: “I was the girl hanging out with drug dealers, drinking, messing around. Whatever you think I did, I did worse. My daughter is a born rebel like me – Willow is so me it’s not true. But being a rebel isn’t a problem, as long as you have someone to guide you, and we are with our kids all the time. We see it as our mission to use that energy, to help them express who they are.” Had there been someone to help Jada Pinkett Smith exploit her own potential of being a pop star when she was young, Willow Smith might have had the chance to opt for a different career… tisk, tisk.
Here’s another bonus track from Chris Brown’s latest album “FAME”. The Timbaland-produced “Talk Ya Ear Off” is an exclusive on the Japanese edition of the R&B singer’s fourth studio album, which was released two weeks later than other countries, earlier this week. I have yet to come across a Timbaland production that I didn’t like or grow to like. This is one hot production. Grab your headphones and bop along. However, I do think Chris’ voice sounds a bit funny in this one. In any case, it’s an overall good track. I actually think it should have made the US cut.
Chris Brown – Talk Ya Ear Off – New Song
Rihanna’s tour may not be doing so well in the US but she’s doing great in the UK. It has just been announced that the R&B singer will play a ninth concert at the O2 Arena in London , scheduled for December 22. The tickets have gone on sale today so make sure you snatch them up. If her ticket sales for the UK are anything to go by, they’re going to get sold out pretty quickly. If you’re one to keep count, Rihanna has now beat out pop star Britney Spears who managed to do eight shows at the O2 on her Circus tour.
Jennifer Hudson returned to the show that opened the doors of stardom for her. The now Oscar-winning actress and Grammy-winning R&B singer performed her single “Where You At” on American Idol’s results show last night. The girl has been everywhere in support of her “I Remember Me” album but the constant travels and performances seems to not affect her as Jennifer sounded stunning on the show. And if you thought that her male backup singer looked familiar, it’s actually George Huff. He was also a former AI contestant, appearing on the same season as Jennifer. He may not have made it big but he’s still singing with the best of them.
Jennifer Hudson – Where You At – AI Performance Video
Here are all performances from the two nights ago. Casey Abrams sang “I Heard it through the Grapevine”. Thia Megia performed “Heat Wave”. Jacob Lusk sang “You’re All I Need to Get By”. Lauren Alaina took on “You Keep Me Hanging On”. Stefano Langone sang “Hello”. Haley did “You’re Really Got a Hold on Me”. Scott McCreery sang “For Once in My Life”. Pia Toscano did “All in Love is Fair”. Paul McDonald did “Tracks of My Tears”. Naima sang “Dancing in the Street”. And finally, James Durbin did “Living for the City”
American Idol “Motown Week” Top 11
Casey Abrams: I Heard It Through The Grapevine American Idol – “Motown Week” Top 11
Thia Megia Heat Wave – American Idol – “Motown Week” Top 11
Jacob Lusk – You’re All I Need to Get By – American Idol – “Motown Week” Top 11
Lauren Alaina – You Keep Me Hanging On – American Idol – “Motown Week” Top 11
