Selah Sue Announces Support Slot on Ed Sheeran's U.S. Tour; Self-Titled Debut Album Out August 21st

Belgian singer/songwriter (and Music Is My King Size Bed 'One to Watch') Selah Sue is about to EXPLODE stateside! Mark my words!  In addition to releasing her self-titled debut album on August 21st via Columbia Records, the talented songstress has been announced as the opener for Ed Sheeran's forthcoming VH1 You Oughta Know Tour, kicking off September 17th in Toronto!  Now, that's what I call an extreme vote of confidence!

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[Review] Parade - Light Me Up

The last time I blogged about UK girlband Parade was back in January 2011 then they released their Emil Nava-directed music video for debut single, "Louder."  I believe I called Parade "just what I've been craving," and at the time that was true.  Well since then the girls released a second repetitive single, "Perfume" as well as their self titled debut album but neither one really made any kind of a connection.  Well, now it's been over a year and the girls ready to make a comeback with a HOT new single, "Light Me Up," which Popjustice has already labeled as "brilliant."  After listening to it on repeat for the past two days, I'm inclined to agree.

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[Hot Video Alert] Emeli Sandé - My Kind Of Love

While Emeli Sandé is busy taking over America, her fans in the UK are getting amped up for her the release of her fourth single, the sensational "My Kind Of Love," due May 7th via Virgin Records.  Written by Sandé, Emile Haynie (Kid Cudi, Tinie Tempah) and Danny Keyz (Dr. Dre, Eminem), with the latter two also serving as co-producers alongside Craze & Hoax (Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder), "My Kind Of Love" is another straight up stunner off Sandé's brilliant debut album, Our Version of Events.  

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Emeli Sandé Set to Make American Television Debut April 19th on Conan, Album Out June 5th

As you know by now, Scottish-born singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé is one of my 'Ones to Watch in 2012,' and for good reason - she's BLOODY AMAZING! After playing a small string of dates this past February and March, Sandé returns to the U.S. this Spring where she will be playing two special shows; an April 18th gig at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles, followed by a performance April 24th at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.  Not quite the large scale U.S. club tour I was hoping for but hey, it's exposure nonetheless.  In addition, Sandé has the incredible honor of opening for Coldplay during their North American tour this summer (tour dates BELOW). 

As if a major tour wasn't enough exposure, Sandé will be promoting her debut album, entitled Our Version of Events, with a couple of high profile TV appearances, starting with her American television debut April 19th on TBS's Conan show, where she;'ll perform her first U.S. single, the incredibly amazing "Next To Me."  Sandé will then appear on the Rachael Ray show during the week of May 14th.  Emeli will also be taking over radio with a performance and interview on NPR's World Café. Now that's a lot of promo!  Things are certainly heating up and I'm thrilled to see Capitol Records working their butts off to make Sandé the star here in America that she deserves to be.

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Ones to Watch in 2012: Emeli Sandé

I love it when America discovers someone talented that the rest of the world has known about for months, even years! Today, the talent I'm referring to is Scottish singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé.  Sandé is due to release her debut album, Our Version of Events on June 5th via Capitol Records.  This is HUGE! I'm envisioning lots of promotion, performances on The Tonight Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (except I think Ellen is on hiatus in the summer), it's going to massive. Capitol better promote the hell out of this supreme being. She deserves some Stateside recognition, for sure!

Sandé is already off to a promising start in her native UK, releasing debut single "Heaven" last August and having it debut in the #2 spot on the UK Singles Chart.  Aside from garnering the adoration of some of her musical contemporaries like Adele and Alicia Keys, Sandé has already won the prestigious BRIT Critics' Choice award (won in the past by Adele and Florence + The Machine), and was nominated for the Breakthrough British Artist award.  We'll have to wait until February 21st to see if she wins.  As if these accolades aren't enough, Sandé was also hand picked by Coldplay to open for the band on their European tour.  Follow up single "Daddy" (featuring Naughty Boy), which came out at the end of November, wasn't as fortunate, only coming in at #21.  We've all seen this before - first single is a top 5 hit, second single just barely outside of the top 20, third single 40+ and BAM. Dropped. I am hoping and praying that this does not become Emeli Sandé's fate.  The third single, entitled "Next To Me" is scheduled for release on February 12th, followed by the album's UK release the next day.

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Hot Video Alert: Emeli Sandé feat. Naughty Boy - Daddy

Scottish soul singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé could very well be one of my favorite new artists of the past year.  While Sandé first came to the attention of UK music fans after a feature on English rapper Chipmunk's debut single, "Diamond Rings" I first heard her sultry sounds with the release last year of Wiley's "Never Be Your Woman", a catchy dubstep jam.  The song featured a hearty dose of one of my favorite songs, White Town's "Your Woman," sung by none other than Emeli Sandé.  As talented a songwriter as she is a solo singer, Sandé has written for a bevvy of UK artists including Cher Lloyd, Susan Boyle, Preeya Kalidas, Leona Lewis, Cheryl Cole, Tinie Tempah and more.  Since featuring with Wiley, Sandé has emerged on her own as a soulful R&B artist with a fantastic voice and plenty of style to match.

After signing a lucrative publishing deal with EMI Music Publishing back in 2010, it was announced that Virgin Records had given the songstress a record deal of her own which produced the hit single, "Heaven" (peaking at #2 on the Official UK Singles Chart) back in August of 2011.  New single, "Daddy" was released November 27th and debuted at a respectable #21.  The two songs serve as the first taste of what's to come on Sandé's forthcoming debut album, Our Version of Events, which is due out February 6th.  In addition to doing her own music, Sandé recently featured on Professor Green's # hit UK single "Read All About It," and turned out a stunning live performance of the track on the UK's X-Factor.  This lady is far too talented for the UK to keep her all to themselves. Here's hoping she gets some love in America at some point in 2012.  In the meantime, download "Daddy" on UK iTunes HERE with remixes by Fred V & Grafix, Disclosure, Third Party, Cyantific and Ifan Dafydd and check out the video below.

Check out Emeli Sandé on the web:  

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

Hot Video Alert: The Saturdays - My Heart Takes Over

I love me some Saturdays, so after "Notorious" failed to have the chart impact everyone was hoping for, it was on to single #2.  While I thought that the first single had a NOTORIOUSLY catchy dance beat, the UK-music buying public didn't see it my way.  While a #8 debut isn't bad (in fact, their debut single "If This Is Love" debuted at #8), it's a better chart position three or four singles in to an album campaign.  The lead single for Wordshaker, "Forever Is Over" came out the box with a #2 debut so I'm sure the girl's were hoping for at least that, if not the elusive #1 that they've been missing out on.  

As the their second single, The Saturdays released another up-tempo club track, the Xenomania, Space Cowboy and MNEK-produced "All Fired Up."  While I think "Notorious" is a hotter song, it clearly resonated more with fans as it peaked at #3 on the UK Singles chart.  For me, the song was a bit too noisy. I just wasn't feeling it like I was "Notorious." Oh well!

Now we're on single #3, the last single before the girls release On Your Radar, their third full length studio album on Fascination Records on November 21st.  The single in question is...a ballad called "My Heart Takes Over."  Just from the title alone you can tell that it's going to be a sappy, sweet love song...and it is. You know how I feel about ballads...especially girl group ballads. That being said, "My Heart Takes Over" could be a lot worse.  The song does showcase the girls' five part harmonies nicely and while traditionally, their live performances are hit or miss, The Saturdays' have been hitting them out of the park recently, so I'd love to see them tackle their new single live during their promotional circuit.

While ballads are a big question mark for me generally speaking, there's nothing I like more than a good remix of a ballad and per usual, The Saturdays have lined up an impressive list of UK remixers to reinvent their new song for the night clubs.  On the remix this time around we have Digital Dog, Soul Seekerz, and Steve More.  AMAZING.  Due November 14th (a week before their album drops) "My Heart Takes Over" could do one of two things on the charts...impress or disappoint (OBVIOUSLY) but I have to be honest, I'm kind of expecting a disappointment here.  I just fear that the girls have already peaked with this latest batch of singles.

As negative as I'm coming across, I am holding out hope that the girls deliver a hit with "My Heart Takes Over," because from the looks of it, their forthcoming album could be their best yet.  Working with the likes of Labrinth, Alphabeat, Taio Cruz, Space Cowboy, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Steve Mac, David Eriksen, Brian Higgins, Travie McCoy and Emeli Sandé. What a lineup! And with word that the girls have signed up to do a U.S. reality show on E! next year, not to mention a lucrative U.S. record deal (the aforementioned label has yet to be announced) this could be the one that breaks them in Stateside.  My fingers are crossed and if you're a fan of pop music, your fingers should be crossed as well.

Pre-order "My Heart Takes Over" on UK iTunes HERE and check out the beautiful video, directed by Elisha Smith-Leverock, below.

Check out The Saturdays on the web:

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