[Hot Video Alert] Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa - Payphone

And just when I thought Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine couldn't get any hotter, he goes ahead and gets all sweaty and sooty in his new music video. In the Samuel Bayer (Justin Timberlake, Green Day)-directed video for Maroon 5's latest single, "Payphone," released last Thursday, Levine plays a lowly bank worker in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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The Noisettes Tease Upcoming Third Album, New Single, 'Winner' Released July 9th

This is the moment I've (and hopefully you've) been waiting for!  English indie rock darlings, the Noisettes have a new single coming out this summer!  It's been nearly three years since we've heard a peep of new music from the talented London-based threesome, consisting of the ever ravishing singer/bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith and drummer Jamie Morrison, and I don't know about you but my mouth has been salivating with anticipation!  Well, it's safe to say that the wait is finally ALMOST over.  Due July 9th, the aptly titled "Winner," offers music lovers a small sampling of what's to come off of the band's upcoming third album, and boy are we in for a treat.  Two weeks ago, the band uploaded a 1:29 clip of the new single onto their SoundCloud page, so feast your ears folks...

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Maroon 5 Breaks Digital Sales Record for a Group, Besting Black Eyed Peas; New Album Out June 26th

Released on iTunes April 17th (June 18th in the UK) "Payphone" is the new Wiz Khalifa-assisted Maroon 5 single.  The LA-based fivesome debuted the song live on the hit NBC reality series The Voice prior to the single release the next day.  Following the song's release, "Payphone" debuted at #1 on the Digital Songs chart.  With nearly 500,000 downloads, "Payphone" broke the Black Eyed Peas previous record for digital sales by a group.  In addition to landing a #1 on Billboard's Digital Songs Chart, the single also managed a #3 debut on the Hot 100 chart. That's INSANE!

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DJ/Producer David Guetta Racks Up 5 Grammy Nominations

Major congratulations go out to superstar French DJ/Producer David Guetta, who received five Grammy Nominations this year. Very impressive! As if the honor of actually receiving five nods wasn't enough, Guetta had the pleasure of playing during the live nominations telecast in Los Angeles. This is Guetta's first time being nominated so to pick up five in one go is nothing to shake a fist at.

Guetta is nominated in the Album of the Year & Record of the Year categories as as producer of the Black Eyed Peas hit single "I Gotta Feeling." Guetta's album One Love was nominated for three awards, including Best Dance/Electronic Album (along with previously mentioned Pet Shop Boys, whose album "Yes" was nominated in the same category). Guetta's Kelly Rowland collaboration, "When Love Takes Over" was also nominated for Best Remixed Recording. As if this Grammy news wasn't enough, "Sexy Bitch," featuring Akon went platinum in the U.S. with over 1 million downloads. That's huge! Guetta is thrilled at the nominations, saying

"It's fantastic that the Academy have recognized the impact dance music has had in America this year. My mission was for this music to be heard by and touch millions. By bringing together the best urban artists and electronic music, I feel the barriers are coming down and we are together."

Guetta also recently collaborated with global superstar Madonna on a remix of "Revolver," a new song off of her greatest hits compilation Celebration, out now. Guetta's current third single and the album's title track, features a guest vocal by UK R&B artist Estelle. The single is currently climbing the European charts and impacting dance floors all over the world, featuring an impressive remix package with mixes by Calvin Harris and DJ Chuckie. Guetta, who just finished up his biggest U.S. tour, will be back in LA on December 31st to celebrate New Years Eve, followed by an appearance at the Grammy Awards on January 31st. It's looking like 2009 and 2010 are both going to be huge for Guetta. Here's hoping there's lots more to come!

Check out David Guetta on the Web:

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

Hot Music News & Snippets: Adam Lambert, Gabriella Cilmi, Grammy Nominations & More

In the wake of negative press that Adam Lambert's controversial American Music Awards Performance left behind, the talented young singer is now just focusing on the music. Lambert sang his heart out on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (airing December 1st), singing a powerful rendition of the album track, "Whataya Want From Me," which was co-written by singer and P!nkMax Martin. Perfection. This is exactly the kind of performance that Adam needs to be doing going forward. I'm not saying that all of this flack that he's been getting is completely justified, in fact I do agree that there's a certain double standard in play here - but this was just a smart move on the part of Adam and his management. Just Adam, a microphone and his fabulous rock-star voice. No theatrics or spectacle. Hopefully this is the kind of performance we can expect when Adam Lambert joins Barbara Walters, Whoopie Goldberg and the the other ladies of The View on December 10th.

Australian pop singer Gabriella Cilmi (whom I absolutely love) is readying new material for her follow up to 2008's Lessons To Be Learned. Gabriella has been keeping her fans posted via her official blog and Twitter. According to a recent Tweet, Cilimi's apparently met with her label's A&R reps and new material should be premiering very shortly. Going in a decidedly more sexy direction than her last album, Cilmi worked with Xenomania & Greg Kurstin, Dallas Austin and Danger Mouse (one half of Gnarls Barkley). According to Cilmi, "[the album was] inspired by Donna Summer, Flashdance and 80s disco." This sounds potentially HOT! The album is due out early next year, preceded by the first single and video. "The first single is all about unleashing your inner super-hero and it's a big anthem for women." Brilliant! Can't wait to hear Gabriella's new stuff. I always thought she had an interesting voice.

Kelis is one of those rare artists whose entire collection I own. Ever since I took a chance and purchased Kaleidoscope at my local college music shop, I was hooked. Kaleidoscope = brilliant. 2001's Wanderland wasn't so much my cup of tea, but she redeemed herself with 2003's Tasty, known as the album that made Kelis famous here in the U.S. Meanwhile, her 2006 album Kelis Was Here bombed in my book, and on the charts. Not so coincidentally, Kelis Was Here was the first album without her long time collaborators The Neptunes. If this pattern of one brilliant album followed by one not so brilliant album is any indication, her new album is going to be HOT and so far, things are heating up nicely. Newly signed to Will.I.Am Music Group via Interscope/Geffen Kelis will be releasing the David Guetta produced single "Acapella," which has already been getting attention since it premiered online on November 23rd. Entertainment Weekly added "Accapella" to it's Must List in the December 11th issue on newsstands right now. Other collaborators include will.I.Am, Free School, Boyz Noize, Burnze and DJ Ammo.

Yeah, Yeah, I know I'm a bit late here regarding the Grammy Nominations. I can't say I'm too shocked or appalled by any of the results, aside from maybe Whitney Houston snub. When I saw that Whitney wasn't nominated, I assumed that it was because her album wasn't released in time for consideration, but then I read reports that producers rushed the album into release in part to be considered for a Grammy. Other than that, things played out as I expected them to with artists like Beyonce (10 nominations), Taylor Swift (8 nominations), The Black Eyed Peas (6 nominations) and Kanye West (6 nominations). Included amongst this years Album of the Year nominees are Lady Gaga's The Fame as well as albums from Beyonce, Taylor Swift, The Black Eyed Peas and Dave Matthews Band. As for record of the year, we have Beyonce's "Halo," "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, Kings Of Leon's hit single "Use Somebody," "Poker Face" and Swift's "You Belong With Me." Up for Song of the Year this year we have "Poker Face," "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," "Use Somebody," Maxwell's "Pretty Wings" and "You Belong With Me." Best new artists include the Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, The Ting Tings, MGMT and the Silversun Pickups. Check out a full list of nominees at Grammy.com.

Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart - August 20, 2009

Congrats to the new princess of dance...Kaci Battaglia (formerly known as Kaci). She moves up one spot into the top spot on the dance chart. She's had some club chart success in the UK but not a WHOLE lot here in the states. I was hoping she'd have a bit more mainstream success but I'll take what I can get. It appears that Sean Kingston has plateaued at # 3 and Simply Red moves down one spot to #5. We also have three new additions to the Top Ten...Black Eyed Peas ("I Gotta Feeling"), Deadmau5 & Melleefresh ("Attention Whore") and my personal fav, La Roux ("Bulletproof"). Outside of the top 10 we have Madonna with "Celebration" at #16, the Noisettes moving up 4 spots to #18, passing by the Jonas Brothers who now sit pretty at # 19. Good things to come!

Thursday August 20, 2009

Crazy Possessive (Kaci Battaglia)

#1 (Last Week - #2)

Be Alright (Kristine W.)

#2 (Last Week - #5)

Fire Burning (Sean Kingston)

#3 (Last Week - #3)

Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé)

#4 (Last Week - #6)

Money's Too Tight To Mention (Simply Red)

#5 (Last Week - #4)

Goodbye (Kristinia DeBarge)

#6 (Last Week - #7)

Bulletproof (La Roux)

#7 (Last Week - #11)

Waking Up In Vegas (Katy Perry)

#8 (Last Week - #1)

I Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)

#9 (Last Week - #12)

Attention Whore (deadmau5 & Melleefresh)

#10 (Last Week - #14)

Most Anticipated Summer Albums

Here it goes, my most anticipated albums of the next couple of months. If there's an album that I've missed or if you have a suggestion, feel free to leave me a comment! I'm always up for hearing new music.

June

Daniel Merriweather - Love & War (June 1st)

Aussie pop star Daniel Merriweather is poised to release his second solo album (the first of which was never released) on June 1st in the UK. The record contains the UK top 10 hit "Change," as well as his current single, "Red." I first heard Merriweather's vocals on Mark Ronson's fabulous "Stop Me," followed by an appearance on Wiley's single "Cash In My Pocket." I'm glad he's now in the spotlight, as he truly has a fantastic voice and he's super cute to boot.

Check out Daniel Merriweather on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/Bebo/YouTube

Little Boots – Hands (June 8th)

British electropop artist Little Boots releases her debut album on June 8th. I first heard her on a remix of her first single "Meddle" and was instantly intrigued. I then heard her doing an acoustic version of Kid Cudi's "Day 'N' Nite." Brilliant. Her new single "New In Town" is equally amazing, as is the Fred Falke remix. Written in LA with Greg Kurstin and Joe Goddard I'm still hoping this one gets a U.S. release. U.S. TV host Carson Daly did an entire show dedicated to her and she made an appearance at the prestigious SXSW festival in Texas, so hopefully this is a good sign for us U.S. fans.

Check out Little Boots on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/YouTube/Twitter

Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) (June 9th)

I've never been a huge Black Eyed Peas fan, in fact I never really listened to them before Fergie joined the group. Their upcoming album, released Stateside on June 9th (June 8th in the UK) appears to be right up my alley. The electro-infused hip hop beats that make up first single "Boom Boom Pow" marks a new direction for the band. I don't know how die hard fans of the Peas like the new sound, but to me, it's a sound that's very fresh and Euro. Follow up single " I Gotta Feelin'" produced by David Guetta sounds a little bit too pop for my liking, while digital only release "Imma Bee" follow more closely in style to "Boom Boom Pow." "Alive" will be released as another digital-only single on May 26th. We'll see what the E.N.D. result will be. I'm optimistic.

Check out the Black Eyed Peas on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/ILike

Gossip - Music For Men (June 23rd)

This marks the major label debut for the U.S. Indie Rock group Gossip. The group's fourth album comes out in the UK on June 22nd and the next day in the U.S. While they've traditionally had more success in the UK, with some proper promotion, they could do well in the U.S. Backed by a strong gay following, the groups most popular single, "Standing In The Way of Control" was all about gay marriage. On my last trip to the UK I picked up the album of the same name as well as an EP of dance remixes from that album. Good stuff. "Heavy Cross" is the first single off this new album, available on iTunes now.

Check out Gossip on the web: Official Site/MySpace/YouTube

Regina Spektor – Far (June 23rd)

I admittedly only recently joined the Regina Spektor fanclub, namely after her song "Fidelity" became well known here in the states and "On The Radio" appeared on an episode of "Grey's Anatomy." Since then, I purchased her last album Begin To Hope and as a result, have 2 new favorite tracks - "Samson," & "Better." I'm sad that her new album hasn't really received much in the way of promotion as of yet. New single "Laugh With" barely hit iTunes with a whisper and the album is coming out next month! Her new music sounds very similar to songs on her last album, so chances are I'm going to love this new one as well.

Check out Regina Spektor on the web: Official Site/MySpace/YouTube

La Roux – La Roux (June 29th)

La Roux is the next big thing to come out of the UK. This electropop duo is made up of singer Elly Jackson and producer/co-writer Ben Langmaid. With a sound heavily influenced by by 1980s synth pop including Eurythmics, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Yazoo and Prince, La Roux brings a distinctive style to their music and I expect big things from their debut album on Polydor. So far two singles have been released, "Quicksand" and "In For The Kill" which peaked on the UK charts at number 2. Third single, "Bulletproof" is released on June 15th.

Check out La Roux on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/YouTube

July

Dan Black – ((Un)) (July 6th)

Formerly part of English alternative band, The Servant, Dan Black is now a solo entity since the band split up in 2007. Black now is set to release his solo debut, ((Un)) on July 6th in the UK. The first single, "Yours" was released in fall of 2008, while follow up single "Alone" came out this past March. According to a blog post, Black was all set to film the video to his brilliant third single, "Hypnotz" (a loose cover of "Hypnotz" by the late, great Notorious B.I.G. before it was all nixed due to legal issues. Apparently, Biggie's estate wasn't allowing anyone to use Biggie's lyrics. Instead, Black wrote a new song "Symphonies" which will serve as the new single, out on June 29th. This is disappointing to me, as I loved "Hypnotz" so much. We will move forward somehow and Dan Black's album will still no doubt be brilliant.

Check out Dan Black on the web: Official Site/MySpace/YouTube/Twitter

Frankmusik - Complete Me (July 13th)

Yet another UK electropop artist for me to love - Frankmusik releases his hotly anticipated debut album on July 13th in the UK. Previously having opened for such acts as Sam Sparro and Keane and the upcoming Pet Shop Boys tour - Frankmusik is ready to explode onto the scene. Both a remixer and a writer, he's completed remixes for Alphabeat, Pet Shop Boys and Mika. He's also working with Holly Valance. His next single, "Confusion Girl" looks to be a hot one just as previous singles "3 Little Words" and "Better Off As Two" were.

Check out Frankmusik on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube

VV Brown - Travelling Like The Light (July 20th)

I'm so excited for this album, I can hardly contain myself! Everything about VV Brown is just so infectious! Her voice, her sense of style, her pure talent - everything! I wish this album was coming out now! From promotional single "Crying Blood," to her first official release "Leave!" and upcoming single "Shark In The Water" - everything this lady puts out is pure genius. Her music has a little bit of everything - soul, rock, pop, electronica - it's the perfect mix!

Check out VV Brown on the web: Official Site/Blog/Facebook/Bebo/YouTube/Twitter

Jordin Sparks – Battlefield (July 21st)

This American Idol knows how to churn out the hits, as evidenced by all three singles off her last album hitting the top 20 on Billboard's Pop and Hot 100 charts. Her new single co-written by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder is already doing well on the digital charts and is officially released to radio this week. Sparks just announced via Twitter that the album will be released on July 21st and that the video for "Battlefield" is near completion. Her new album features contributions from hitmakers like Stargate, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Claude Kelly, Lucas Secon, Toby Gad, and Jesse McCartney. This album is going to be epic!

Check out Jordin Sparks on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube

Mandy Moore, Black Eyed Peas, Cher & Girls Aloud

Since I started Tweeting last week, I've become relatively obsessed with Twitter! Where else can you "follow" (AKA cyber stalk) Lily Allen, Ashton Kutcher and John Cleese? Insanity...and with BlackBerry it's even easier to Tweet. Anyway, Twitter is fast becoming my source for the latest in music news. For instance, I learned that advanced promos of the new Mandy Moore album (or single?) have been sent out (via ArjanWrites).. This makes sense as Mandy Moore reported on her own blog that the new album has been completed. Can't wait to hear new Mandy! If you haven't joined Twitter yet...DO IT (and "follow me" by clicking on the link on the right hand column).

Photo Via Mandy's Official Site

Here is a bit of music news that learned through Twitter yesterday:

Photo Via Black Eyed Peas' Official Site

Black Eyed Peas: One of my new fav music blogs, We Are Pop Slags posted the new Black Eyed Peas single "Boom Boom Pow," which is way more electropop than I was expecting. Just this past week Billboard reported that the new album, The E.N.D. would be out in June and that the single was soon to be serviced to radio and clubs (remixes?). Billboard also quoted will.i.am as saying that the album has "a lot of dance stuff, real melodic, electronic, soulful...we call it, like, electric static funk...." Interesting. I don't know if I'm feeling the new single yet. It might take a few more listens and a few remixes. Check it out at We Are Pop Slags.

Photo Via Cher's Official Site

Cher: Looks like Cher is leaving her dance pop sound behind with her new album, as well as leaving retirement behind. So much for her multi-year "Farewell Tour." Regardless, I'm excited for new Cher. When asked about her upcoming album in an Associated Press interview (via We Are Pop Slags), Cher said “It’s hard to put a label sometimes on songs, but it’s a little bit more guitar-oriented, a little bit more like “I Found Someone” feeling, and there’s some stuff that’s still sort of guitar-oriented, but it’s got a Southern feeling to it." I'll give anything by Cher a chance so bring it on!

Photo Via Girls Aloud Official Site

Girls Aloud: On their official website, UK Girl Group (and Perez Hilton Favorite) announced that the 3rd single off their current album, Out Of Control will be "Untouchable." Not only is this brilliant track their 3rd single off of the current album, it's their 21st single overall! That's a pretty big accomplishment, although not as big as their recent Brit Award for best single (for the "The Promise"). Congrats Girls Aloud! Looking forward to more brilliance in the future. Oh...and I'm with Perez on this one...come on over to the States! Check out the (long) video for "Untouchable" at PopJustice).