Hot on the heels of his performance at the Brits, Jay Z is in discussions with a number of Uk acts about signing them to his US label. At the top of his wish list is Cheryl Cole who is said to have ‘blown him away’ by her performance at the Brits. Other acts that Jay Z has taken a shining to, include Dizzie Rascal and Chipmunk, both of which he is in advanced talks with. The lucky acts will join both the Sugababes and The Ting Tings who go through his label in the US. One act he is not going to sign though is JLS, who already have a record deal in the US, however Jay is a huge fan and believes that they will be as big as N*Sync in the US.
Jay Z has also said that he plans to stop Lily Allen going into retirement by bringing her on as one of the main acts at his headline performance at the Wireless Festival in June.
Having just reached the top of the album charts with the first volume of the Glee soundtrack, here comes Volume 2 hot on its heels and if possible it actually surpasses the first soundtrack. From their cover of Proud Mary and True Colours, to their truly moving rendition of Imagine, these album will undoubtedly surpass the sales of its predecessor.
This years most talked about artist within the music industry, Ellie Goulding releases her debut album Lights on March 1st and it is a corker of an album. Mixing both acoustic pop with dance beats, this album is wide and eclectic from the lead single ‘Starry Eyed’ to the funkadelic ‘Under The Sheets’ this is definitely an album worth getting and will undoubtedly be this years biggest selling female artist.
Having spanned the majority of the last decade and proving that real talent can emerge from a talent show, Lemar comes with this album, showcasing all of his hits so far. When listening through to all of the singles it is amazing not how many that you know, but also how great a body of work Lemar has. The Seal of our generation, this guy has many years ahead of him and will undoubtedly knock out many more hits over the coming years.
Here is the debut single for Sabrina Washington, the former lead singer of Misteeq. In recent years she has been overshadowed by Alesha Dixon, who has managed to carve out a successful career after Misteeq. However Alesha is now going to have to share the limelight as the debut solo single from Sabrina is a corker and is getting a lot of attention from both here and the US.
The first single from this rapper has already been a massive hit in the clubs around Europe and looks like it will repeat its success in the charts. With it’s pulsating beats and infectious hook, this song is reminiscent of something the Black Eyed Peas would put out. No doubt when you are out and about this weekend you will hear this in the bar or club.
Though she may have walked home empty handed after failing to win any of her 3 Brit Award nominations Pixie Lott definitely wins here with her 4th single ‘Gravity’ from her debut album ‘Turn It Up’. An infectious mid-tempo ballad about a relationship that you can’t pull away from ‘Gravity’ looks set to secure Pixie Lott another Top 10 hit.
It seems at the moment that the UK just can’t get enough of Lady Gaga and after storming the Brits winning all 3 awards she was nominated for, as well as having 3 No.1 singles and a million selling album in 2010, Lady Gaga seems like she has no intention of slowing down.
Currently in the middle of a sell-out UK arena tour, she has professed her love for the UK and in between dates, is already working on the follow up to ‘The Fame” which is scheduled to be released in October this year.
One thing is for certain, with two more singles planned, festival appearances over the summer and a new album dropping this fall, the UK looks set to remain Gaga for her for many more months (if not years to come).
After almost 10 years since the release of their last album, Sade return with new album ‘Soldier of Love’ which has debuted at No.1 in the US selling 502,000 copies in its first week alone! Following on in Susan Boyle’s footsteps who at the end of last year spent 5 weeks at No.1 with ‘I Dreamed A Dream’; which to date has sold nearly 4 million in the US alone, it shows that not only does music still sell by the bucket load, but that there could be another wave of UK acts dominating the US charts in 2010, with the likes of JLS, Sugababes, Pixie Lott all trying to break into the market and current acts Jay Sean and The Script storming up the singles charts.
With the release of the video for new single ‘Rock That Body/Imma Be’, it looks as though Fergie is taking the title track seriously. Having recently been in the studio working on Slash’s new solo album (from Guns and Roses), Fergie has expressed the desire for her next solo album to be more rock orientated. The album, scheduled for late 2010/early 2011 will be a big departure from what we’re used to hearing from Fergie, so it will be interesting to see what the results are.
This month sees the music industry celebrate the achievements of the past year on both sides of the pond with the Grammies and the Brits both taking place within a couple of weeks of each other.
The Grammies actually happened overnight in Los Angeles (January 31st) so we are too late in bringing you the winners by time of publication, but we are hearing big rumblings this year of great collaborations. Beyonce and Lady Gaga will team up for their first ever performance together and many other surprise performances are in store from the likes of Pink, Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift
The big winners of the night we predict to be are Beyonce, Kings Of Leon and Taylor Swift. Kings of Leon should win Record of The Year for “Use Somebody” whilst Beyonce should just name Song Of The Year with “Single Ladies” from Lady Gaga. Album of the Year will likely go to Dave Matthews but may be a surprise winner with Taylor Swift.
Whitney Houston was sensationally snubbed at the Grammies this year with her comeback album “I Look To You” even though she made the deadline for eligibility. However she will be honoured at tonights (February 1st) BET Award show, which will soften the blow somewhat.
Over on this side of the pond, the Brits will mark its 30th year with a bang, featuring several high end performances and the outstanding contribution for Robbie Williams (which is set to feature a very special guest appearance when he performs!!!)
Top winners on the night are expected to be Lady Gaga who is likely to win International Breakthrough, International Female and Florence and the Machine who will likely win best breakthrough and best album. Other confirmed performances (aside from Robbie) include Jay Z, JLS and Lady Gaga.
With the music industry in constant decline due to digital piracy, artists are finding it harder to sell their music and an album that fails to deliver is usually chucked in the bargain basement if the first single flops. However if you are a global superstar, you may be given a second chance.
The latest craze that seems to be sweeping the music industry at the moment is remixing/re-recording an album a mere couple of months after its original release in the hopes that it will connect with the audience a second time around.
With budgets for albums coming in anywhere from thousands of pounds to ₤4 million + for the megastars, its no wonder that two of the worlds biggest diva’s are being sent in to rework on their current albums to try and salvage some of the money spent on recording it.
The first act is Mariah Carey, who’s latest album “Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel” failed to follow up in the success of previous albums Emancipation of Mimi and E=MC2. With her album selling barely 500,000 copies worldwide; one twentieth of the sales for Emancipation Of Mimi, she has been sent back into the studio to record with some of the biggest names in the music industry.
The result is a new remix album of Memoirs, titled Angels Advocate, featuring artists from Ne-Yo and Mary J Blige, to R Kelly and Bone Thugs and Harmony. An insider close to the artist said; “the record label were extremely disappointed with the sales of this album and were going to sweep it under the rug, but the idea of a remix album meant that a totally new offering could be made at a minimal additional cost, saving the label millions in recording a brand new studio album.”
The first single from the new release will be a double-A side; Angel’s Cry featuring Ne-Yo and Up Out My Face featuring Nicki Minaj.
The second artist is Leona Lewis, whose sophomore album Echo failed to meet the success of her debut album Spirit. Though achieving moderate success around the globe, expectations were high and lead single “Happy” failed to deliver the monster hit that many expected it to. As a result, Leona is heading back into the studio to record new songs with Robbie Williams and a rumoured duet with Kings Of Leon.
One person at the label said “they are hoping that by attaching big names to the project, the album can hopefully become as successful as Spirit.” Though Bleeding Love was a massive hit that comes along once in a lifetime, we are sure that Leona has what it takes to ensure that Echo matches the success of the debut.
One of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the new millennium, Sade returns with her first studio album in over 10 years. The album delivers and shows that although there has been over a decade between albums and the fact that Sade’s lead singer is in her 50’s, Sade are still at the top of the game and the leader in soul music. Stand out tracks from the album include The Moon and The Sky and Bring Me Home.
Glee – Season One Soundtrack (Part One)
As we rightly predicted back in our November issue, Glee has taken the UK by storm and this month sees the release of the soundtrack to Episode 1-6 of the series.With their takes on classics such as “Don’t Stop Believing” and “No Air”, the album definitely showcases their vocal abilities outside of the shows narrative.The standout track on the album comes in the form of a mash-up “Walking on a Halo’d Sunshine” mixing both Beyonce and K-Ci and The Sunshine Bands song perfectly.
Erik Hassle – Pieces
This debut release from Scandinavian born artist Eric Hassle shows that Sweden are more than capable of producing worldwide talent.Following on from last years Swede sensation Agnes, Erik’s voice is mature far beyond his years with a sound that resonates deep inside you.Mixing electronic sounds with a soulful vocal delivery Erick is definitely an artist to watch out for in 2010, with tracks like Hurtful and Don’t Bring Flowers After I’m Dead, sure to be engrained in your minds for months to come.
As we rightly predicted back in our November issue, Glee has taken the UK by storm and this month sees the release of the soundtrack to Episode 1-6 of the series.With their takes on classics such as “Don’t Stop Believing” and “No Air”, the album definitely showcases their vocal abilities outside of the shows narrative.The standout track on the album comes in the form of a mash-up “Walking on a Halo’d Sunshine” mixing both Beyonce and K-Ci and The Sunshine Bands song perfectly.
Hot on the heels of his performance at the Brits, Jay Z is in discussions with a number of Uk acts about signing them to his US label. At the top of his wish list is Cheryl Cole who is said to have ‘blown him away’ by her performance at the Brits. Other acts that Jay Z has taken a shining to, include Dizzie Rascal and Chipmunk, both of which he is in advanced talks with. The lucky acts will join both the Sugababes and The Ting Tings who go through his label in the US. One act he is not going to sign though is JLS, who already have a record deal in the US, however Jay is a huge fan and believes that they will be as big as N*Sync in the US.
