Sting had some choice words for Simon Cowell and his show The X Factor, including the “appalling”, “bland” and “soulless”. The singer said “It’s a preposterous show, and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion. Basically I was looking at televised karaoke where they conform to stereotypes. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music.” Simon shot back with a jab of his own followed by a joking invitation for the singer to appear on the show. Sting couldn’t take a joke and replied with “I wouldn’t get on The X Factor because I don’t sound like anyone they’re after. I sound like myself. I think they are basically aping pre-existing stereotypes of what singers should do and they’re not being themselves.”
After only including releases from the previous 18 months to calculate the best selling albums on the Billboard chart, Billboard will now be incorporating catalog releases due to the massive sales of both Michael Jackson and The Beatles. The sales chart on November 25 will be the first tally of the comprehensive chart. In digital music news, 4 artists have already broken Rihanna’s track sales record of 9.9 million digital songs in 2008, including the late King of Pop, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift. The biggest news is probably that the country singer is the only artist that outsold Michael’s album this year in sales. Congratulations!
Bruce Springsteen is looking to add “author” to his resume. The rock star is reportedly working on his autobiography which is allegedly composed of voluminous journals that the singer has meticulously kept over the years. Although the Boss has yet to sell the rights to them, insiders are saying that his life story has the potential to be the biggest rock music autobiography of all time and get up to $10 million for world rights. Who knew? Bruce is also said to be looking to hire a research assistant to help him compose the rock autobiography. I thought he kept journals, why would he need help getting things straight?
Robbie Williams has decided to pull out of his performance at the MTV European Music Awards, citing scheduling conflicts. Well there goes his comeback. What? Is the singer too busy relapsing? I doubt he has much else going on anyway. Not only is he nominated for an award but he needs to do something to counteract his insane X Factor performance. Snap out of it man! Or was he too embarrassed to go back on stage because of that? And I thought that he was serious about getting his music career back on track. The only thing that could probably save him now is a Take That reunion and that’s saying a lot.
Despite Nick Jonas having some solo ambition, the Jonas Brothers have no intention of breaking up. In a letter to their fans, the band of brothers said “We plan to make music together for as long as we can.” Nick also wrote “We’ve said from the beginning of our career as the Jonas Brothers that anything we do outside of the group is a side project because you can’t break up brothers. My brothers are my biggest supporters, and were on the phone with me everyday while I was in the studio asking how it was going, and telling me they couldn’t wait to hear the record.” Joe and Kevin replied to that, saying “We are so proud of our brother Nick. We know that we will be doing music together for the rest of our lives. But we are thrilled for you to hear these songs that were on his heart.” Aww.
Jay-Z won 4 times
Winners List 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards:
Verizon People’s Champ Award – Fabulous Ft. The Dream – Throw it in the Bag
Best Hip Hop Collabo – T.I. FT Rihanna – Live Your Life
Lyricist of the Year – Jay-Z
Producer of the Year – Kanye West
CD of the Year – T.I. – Paper Trail
Best Hip Hop Video – T.I. FT Rihanna – Live Your Life
DJ of the Year – DJ AM
Made-You-Look Award – Kanye West
Best Live Performer – Jay-Z
Video Director – Hype Williams
Track of the Year – Young Money – Every Girl
Rookie of the Year – Drake
MVP of the Year – Jay-Z
Hustler of the Year – Jay-Z
Best Hip Hop Blog Site – All Hip Hop.com
After a big fight with his brother Liam Gallagher, former Oasis member Noel Gallagher is going to embark on a solo project. The musician said “I’m looking forward to doing my own thing, bringing out my own music. I’m glad that’s what people want to hear. I am not thinking about much else, Oasis or Liam, I’m just having a good time.” Noel left Oasis back in August after his brother made some inappropriate comments about the paternity of his daughter, Anais. I wish him the best of luck, though I doubt that he’ll be able to replicate the success of Oasis.
John Mayer’s first single ‘Who Says’ off of his upcoming album doesn’t do much for me but the rumored second single is so much better. The song has recently surfaced and I really like it. Unlike the sparse and cutesy first single, ‘Heartbreak Warfare’ takes music lovers on much more of a sonic and emotional journey. The song may sound like a U2 rip off to most people but, let’s face it, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What is it going on and going wrong with singers releasing duds for first singles these days? Shakira, Rihanna, John Mayer – who will be next?
Christina Aguilera recently had an interview with UK’s Cosmopolitan magazine that she finds the female body more attractive than the male body. The singer said “I think women are such sensual beings. And, I mean, I’m attracted to men ultimately – I’m married (to music marketing executive Jordan Bratman) and I love my husband and I love what we do together. But honestly? If I had the choice between viewing a naked man or a naked woman, I’d choose the woman. We’re just naturally sexier and more beautiful to look at.” I wonder if her husband ever gets worried that Christina’s eyes are wandering.
Posted by Sam on 12th October 2009 in R&B, R. Kelly
Did you guys know that R Kelly is illiterate? According to a speech that the singer gave at the Midwest Music Festival in Chicago, the R&B star says he barely graduated from elementary school. R Kelly said “I don’t even read really and I’m not afraid to say that. The only reason I graduated from grammar school is because I had a great jump shot. I went to high school and [my teacher] told me, ‘You will be one of the greatest writers of all time. I believed. You [have to] believe it. You can’t believe [anything] if you’re hating.”
Introducing Orianthi, the guitar phenomenon who is featured prominently in the upcoming Michael Jackson concert documentary, This Is It. Already a renowned musician, Orianthi has been playing guitar since the age of eleven and was discovered by legend Carlos Santana. After playing with artists like Carrie Underwood, ZZ Top, and Prince, she received a MySpace message from Michael Jackson’s musical director asking her to audition for his comeback tour. Following a test run with the King of Pop himself, she was selected as his lead guitarist for his O2 arena dates in London – a crowning acheivement for the 24 year old from Adelaide, Australia.
Now Orianthi is preparing to release her solo debut album, Believe, on October 27th. In addition to her talent at guitar, Orianthi has a gorgeous voice and even sang at Michael Jackson’s Staples Center memorial service. Even before starting rehearsals for his tour though, she was hard at work writing and recording the album with her band. Believe is full of anthemic rock tracks with a sound reminiscent of Paramore or Evanescence, but entirely Orianthi thanks to her signature shreds and thunderous hooks. Her first single, “According to You” is a catchy tale of an ungrateful boyfriend, featuring a killer guitar solo.
To hear the story in her own words, watch Orianthi in this segment from Australia’s Today show. Visit Orianthi.com for updates on this rising star, and be sure to check her out in This Is It out on October 28th.
Orianthi Panagaris Interview On Today Show:
For some time now, rumors have been going around that the Pussycat Dolls were breaking up. Well, the time has come for the music group to talk of a much needed break. Band member Melody Thornton confirmed that they were taking some time off from each other but assures fans that they will get back together soon. The singer said “Yeah, we’re taking a break. No, [we're not broken up] … everybody keeps saying that, but it’s like, let me see who took a break? Dave Chappelle. Remember when Dave Chappelle took that break? OK, maybe Dave Chappelle’s a bad example. What about, like, Hootie and the Blowfish?” Someone needs to get more familiar with pop culture during her break.
Watch KSM’s brand new webisode backstage at a Jonas Brothers concert in Los Angeles! Kevin, Nick and Joe give the girls some tour advice about life on the road. KSM’s debut album Read Between The Lines is available on iTunes
KSM Backstage At Jonas Brothers Concert
While performing at the V Festival at Hylands Park in the UK last weekend, second wave ska legends The Specials introduced a very special surprise guest to the crowd – Amy Winehouse. The singer’s performance with the group was less than impressive but it’s still great to see Wino back on the stage while staying steady on her own two feet. Wino wiggled along to ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘You’re Wondering Now’ before bidding the crowd goodbye and shouting “Give it up for the fucking Specials!” Here’s to hoping that once she’s back with her own music, she’ll be as great as when she first debuted.
Legendary country music duo Brooks & Dunn are said to be over and done. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have recently announced that it’s the time for them to leave the country music scene and that they will be calling it quits after a 2010 farewell tour. The duo said in a statement “After 20 years of making music and riding this trail together, we have agreed as a duo that it’s time to call it a day. This ride has been everything and more than we could ever have dreamed…. We owe it all to you, the fans. If you hear rumors, don’t believe them, it’s just time.” Brooks & Dunn are now preparing for their final tour, The Last Rodeo Tour, and the release of their greatest hits collection ‘#1… and Then Some’.
Ashley Tisdale recently talked to Us Weekly about her new album ‘Edgy’. The actress and singer talked about how she found her new sound for her latest CD, saying “My music was more inspired by my hair color! After 5 years of blonde, I went back to my original color. It made my music edgier.” That’s probably the most shallow reason I’ve ever heard. And what is with singer’s changing hair colors for the new albums anyway? Ashley, Katherine McPhee – who’s next? And really, it’s not such a positive message that you’re changing your image to present something else that may not really be who you are.
With the ultimate diva Whitney Houston making her comeback, it’s time for another diva to make a comeback too. Ricky Martin has reportedly begun recording his next album. And yes, I did go there. It will be the Latino singer’s first studio album since 2005’s English-language ‘Life’ and since becoming a single father to twin boys. His new album is being produced by Lester Mendez and contains both English and Spanish songs. Ricky’s comeback album is expected to drop under Sony next spring. I wonder if his music style will have changed or has been influenced by his being a father.
