'Aphrodite' Debuts In Billboard's Top 20, Marking Kylie Minogue's Highest Chart Debut in 8 Years

Congratulations to Ms. Kylie Minogue, whose 11th studio album, Aphrodite, debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200! WOOHOO! What an accomplishment! This makes Aphrodite Minogue's highest charting album here in the states since 2002's Fever! Quite the accomplishment, wouldn't you say? The album went Top 10 in a bunch of the major U.S. markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago AND Boston. As if her U.S. chart success wasn't ENOUGH of a reason for Kylie to a little happy dance, the album also debuted in the Top 10 in thirteen different countries worldwide and went straight to #1 in the UK, ousting Eminem's Recovery from the top spot. THIS makes Kylie the first solo artist in UK chart history to have four #1 albums in four different decades. WOW. Of course, all of this good news means the WORLD to Ms. Minogue.

"I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the reaction to 'Aphrodite' around the world and to hear that the album has got to number 19 in the U.S. is the most amazing news. I am ecstatic!"

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Sky Ferreira Single Gets Remix Love from WAWA, Style Of Eye and More!

Portrait by Rankin (via MySpace)

You heard me RAVING about this brilliantly-amazing song called "One" by the young and talented Sky Ferreira...NOW hear me raving about the upcoming remix package for said song called "One." As Rachel Zoe might say..."I die." EEEEE!  The Rankin-shot video for the single is getting lots of good feedback from bloggers and music fans alike and the song is ALREADY getting played in the UK.  Debuting on Radio 1, presenter Scott Mills went ahead and made "One" his 'Record of the Week.' Quite an honor! Now, if only she'd take off here in the States as well.  The single is being released in the UK on August 23rd, the same day that Alexandra Burke and Alesha Dixon release new singles! Watch out ladies!

"'One' is the first taste of Sky's debut album, due for release later this year, which sees the birth of a new pop superstar; mixing the dark heart of Blondie, the rock'n'roll edge of Courtney Love, the sexiness of a Prince protégé and the knowing sassiness of early Madonna. Not bad for a girl who's just 17."

On the remix we have WAWA, Logistics, Style Of Eye, BAR9 and TEED.  This will be a promo I'll be SEARCHING the far reaches of Ebay to get my hands on.  While we're waiting for these remixes, I think you should watch the video again...and again...and again...



Tracklisting:

1. WAWA Remix
2. Logistics Vocal Remix
3. Logistics Instrumental
4. Style Of Eye Remix
5. Style Of Eye DUB
6. TEED Remix
7. Bar9 Remix

**UPDATE** I can confirm that Sky Ferreira's currently UNTITLED debut album will be released here in the U.S. on January 11th, 2011. That's 1/11/11...one oneone oneone...get it? Good!

Check out Sky Ferreira on the Web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

Russian Rock Star Max Pokrovsky 'Shopping' Around a Career in UK Pop

Photo from podst.ru

As we've established before, I do love me some Russian pop stars.  The next Russian import to try and take the UK by storm is Max Pokrovsky...leader of the Russian rock band Nogu Svelo!, one of Russia's most successful rock outfits. The band's popularity stretched all across Eastern Europe as well as amongst Eastern European communities throughout Europe and the rest of the world.



For his UK debut, singer/songwriter Pokrovsky collaborated with producers Martyn Ware (Heaven 17) and Stephen Hague (Pet Shop Boys, Erasure) and sites influences ranging from Daft Punk and Hot Chip to Pet Shop Boys and Madonna.  His first UK single, "Shopping" was recently released in Russia (see the Russian video above) where it went on to perform VERY well both on the charts and as far as airplay.  The song blends rock with electro and pop beats into an interesting fusion of sorts, which is apparently the sort of thing that we can expect on the album.  According to the press release, "the musical results range from electro to rock, from hard grooves to infectious dance."  Sounds like my kind of music!  "Shopping" has a very retro feel to it which I quite like.  There's definitely a Pet Shop Boys-like vibe going on here and I think it works...at least in Russian.  I know that once translated into English, some songs lose their original luster (take many of the English tracks found on Shakira's Laundry Service album) so here's hoping that the English version of "Shopping" is as fun as the Russian version.  During Pokrovsky's UK recording sessions, the trio recorded "more than a dozen songs plus remixes."  "Shopping" has been remixed by Ripper and StoneBridge.  Check out the promo tracklisting below:

Tracklisting:

1. Ripper Remix
2. Ripper Radio Edit
3. StoneBridge Remix
4. StoneBridge Twisted Vocal Dub
5. StoneBridge Twisted Dub
6. StoneBridge Floor Filler Edit
7. StoneBridge Radio Edit

**EDIT** I seem to have found the English version of the song. I don't know if this is the studio version...it sure doesn't sound like it. But you can at least hear how the song translates into English. Gotta admit...it sounds a bit hokey in English. Perhaps the finalized version sounds better.

Cross Your Fingers: Amy Winehouse To Release New Album As Early As January

Dear GOD let this be true. Amy Winehouse could be back with a new album as early as January! Up until now, there have been conflicting reports about Winehouse's progress on the album, with Mark Ronson recently stating that the two have yet to lay down any tracks. WELL...the UK's Mirror is reporting that Winehouse has enough material for "three separate albums." EEEEEE! She has a lot to live up to, especially after how successful 2006's Grammy-winning Back To Black was. Winehouse also has a lot to prove, given how tumultuous the past 4 years have been for her - both personally AND with relation to her health. The Mirror's source goes on to say that the, as yet unnamed album, will hit stores as early as January.

"It has been a long time coming - and she's been writing songs for what seems an eternity - but finally Amy is satisfied and believes she has an album worthy of a four-year wait. She's held meetings with the record label, Universal, and they are putting everything into promotion. A lot of the material covers her romance with Blake Fielder Civil and their acrimonious split, plus, of course, her battle with the booze and drugs. It is very raw and very personal - it promises to be another classic. She is now narrowing down the material and hopes it'll be on shelves by the new year."

YIKES. Not happy subject matter, but the DARKNESS is part of what made Back To Black so raw and riveting. The darker the better! She's an talented songwriter so I'm sure her experiences over the past four years, both bad AND good, will translate into some pretty powerful and impactful music. It sounds like Amy's new beau, Reg Traviss is playing a pretty big part in her changed life which is great. As if news of a new album isn't enough, we have a potentially-hot-sounding Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse collaboration coming out, hopefully BEFORE the end of the year. As part of a Quincy Jones-curated compilation album, Ronson & Winehouse recorded a cover of Lesley Gore's 60s classic "It's My Party." I'm salivating. So happy about all of this news. Here's to a new Amy Winehouse in 2011!

Check out Amy Winehouse on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//VEVO