Kimberley Locke Lets Fans Pick New Dance Single

On May 24th, American Idol season 2 alum Kimberley Locke launched a Facebook campaign which allowed fans to vote on the next single. After two weeks the votes were counted and Locke announced the new single on June 14th. The single, "Finally Free," is an up-tempo club track along the same lines of Locke's last single, 2010's "Strobelight," which was a top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Of the options, "Finally Free" was absolutely a top contender for for me, so I'm beyond thrilled with the outcome. While we don't have a release date just yet for "Finally Free," Locke went straight to work as soon as the results of the vote were in. Given the obvious dance style of the song, and given her past success on the dance charts, I think it's pretty clear that "Finally Free" is going to be served to the clubs with a hot remix package. Can't wait to get my hands on that! Take a listen to the song in the teaser below, as well as the other contenders for Locke's new single. Locke will release the song through her own entertainment company, I Am Entertainment, and will be partnering with industry veterans Bob Catania and Jimmy Fay of Right Way Music Group to promote the single. Do you think "Finally Free" was the best choice?

Kimberley Locke first came into the spotlight as a contestant on season two of American Idol, auditioning in Nashville and making it to the final three, where she ultimately lost out to Clay Aiken (Runner Up) and Ruben Studdard (Winner). Following Idol, Locke signed with Curb Records and released her 2003 debut album, One Love, which featured hit single "8th World Wonder" which peaked at #49 on the Billboard 100. While the album went on to be a top twenty hit for Locke, follow up singles "Wrong," "Coulda Been" and "I Could" were less successful.

In 2007, Locke released her sophomore album, Based On A True Story, which was decidedly more R&B than it's predecessor, which was a little more pop. The album featured the singles "Change," "Band Of Gold," and "Fall," each of which failed to chart on the Hot 100 but did manage to top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In addition to her second album, Locke also released a Christmas album in 2007. Called Christmas, the album spawned three #1 Adult Contemporary Chart hits ("Up on the House Top," "Jingle Bells," "Frosty The Snowman"). Pretty good for a third runner up on American Idol, right?

In addition to her music, Locke can be seen this upcoming winter on a new ABC lifestyle show (tentatively) called The Revolution. This new show, executive produced by JD Roth and 3Ball Productions, will air daily be all about living a healthy lifestyle. The will be hosted by a panel of experts and feature a rotating team of guest contributors, all of whom come together to help viewers transform all areas of their lives including family, food, style, home design, finance and more. Look for The Revolution this upcoming January.  Listen to a clip of "Finally Free" below and get ready for new K-Lo, baby!

Check out Kimberley Locke on the web:

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Hot Video Alert: Alex Gaudino feat. Kelly Rowland - What A Feeling

Kelly Rowland could very well be my favorite Destiny's Child solo star. Sure, Beyonce's great and all but Kelly Rowland is the one that I can't keep my eyes off whenever she releases a new song. While, by and large, I steer clear from her more R&B-leaning material, when she comes out with a dance hit it instantly jives with me. Her latest dance collaboration, "What A Feeling," with Italian house DJ Alex Gaudino is no exception.

Released back in April on UK dance label Ministry of Sound, "What A Feeling" has all the makings of a dance classic. Written by Gaudino, Giuseppe D'Albenzio, Emmanuel Mijares and Jenson Vaughan, the song is taken from Gaudino's second studio album, Magnificent. This up-tempo house jam is a perfect fit for Rowland's voice and she fills it out well.

While the Frank Gatson-directed/choreographed video is nothing ground breaking, it's nice to see Rowland cutting loose and dancing her ass off. Rowland starts out playing all girly and innocent, walking past a Graffiti-covered wall, on the way to an audition (?) or performance of some kind. As soon as Rowland hits the stage, she and her talented troupe of background dancers get crazy on the stage. This choreography doesn't seem too easy either so the fact that Rowland is holding her own is pretty impressive.

Download "What A Feeling" on U.S. iTunes HERE, featuring hot remixes from Hardwell, Nicky Romero, Henry John Morgan, Promise Land, Alex Guesta, Sergio D'Angelo, Simioli & Black and Simon de Jano.

Check out Alex Gaudino on the web:

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

Check out Kelly Rowland on the web:

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