Ones to Watch: Gamu

Good things certainly do come to those who wait, at least in the case of rising pop talent Gamu.  Fans of the X-Factor probably remember early favorite, Gamu Nhengu, who's family was nearly sent back to its native Zimbabwe due to Visa issues following her untimely elimination from the show.  While the, then 18 year old, failed to make it to the X-Factor live shows, Gamu managed to leave a very big impression on the hearts, minds AND ears of Britain.  Three years after X-Factor, Gamu is back and ready to unleash her very special brand of soul-pop on the the UK, starting with infectious debut single, "Shake The Room."

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[Hot Video Alert] Olly Murs feat. Flo-Rida - Troublemaker

Perpetually ADORABLE Olly Murs has done it again, folks. The charming UK singer/songwriter has dropped YET ANOTHER infectious pop single and I can't stop listening to it! It's been on repeat for the past hour or so...LORD help me.  "Troublemaker" was produced by Steve Robson (Lily Allen, Take That, Busted, Blue) and written by Murs, Robson alongside Claude Kelly (Christina Aguilera, The Wanted, Jessie J) and Flo-Rida.  While it might sound a bit like a cut off of the new Maroon 5 album, it's not! It's Olly "Heart Skips a Beat" Murs!  "Troublemaker" is the lead single taken from Murs' forthcoming third UK studio album, Right Place Right Time, and is due out November 18th via Epic Records.

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[Hot Video Alert] Matt Cardle - It's Only Love

"It's Only Love" is the latest single from X-Factor, Series 7 winner Matt Cardle.  Taken from his sophomore album, The Fire, "It's Only Love" was co-written by the 29 year old Cardle, alongside Paul Statham.  Back in May, Cardle announced that he had parted ways with his X-Factor label, Columbia Records, explaining that it was in fact HIS choice.  In the end, the label left him feeling unimportant and low priority, with Columbia instead choosing (wisely, in the end) to put more money and promo behind the now, internationally successful super-group One Direction.  Fair enough.

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UK Girl Group The Saturdays Set to Take America by Storm; Announce 2013 E! Reality Series

Arguably the best UK-based girl group to emerge since Girls Aloud, The Saturdays have their sites set on an a U.S. takeover.  With eleven top 10 singles and three top 10 albums, The Saturdays are already bonafied superstars in their native Great Britain  but here in America success has been elusive, mainly due to the fact that they've been focusing their energies at maintaining a successful career back at home.  That being said, the girls haven't gone COMPLETELY unnoticed here in the U.S., receiving lots of coverage on various pop music blogs, even earning the love and adoration of the notoriously critical Perez Hilton.  It was recently announced that the five-some consisting of Mollie, Una, Rochelle, Vanessa and Frankie, would be starring in their own reality series on the E! Network (home to Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Chelsea Lately), fittingly called Chasing The Saturdays.  Premiering January 20th at 10 PM, each 30 minute episode follows the girls as they attempt to duplicate their success back home here in America, signing with Mercury/Island Def Jam Records all the while dealing with their own complicated personal lives.  Sounds like the type of RIVETING television that only E! could bring us. Count me in!

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Olly Murs To Release Debut U.S. Album September 25th on Columbia Records

Just because I've been sitting on this, now OLD news, doesn't make it any less exciting. Olly Murs, the handsome and talented UK singer/songwriter who just finished up a successful opening slot on the One Direction U.S. tour is prepping for the release of his debut album here in America! FINALLY!  Olly's album, In Case You Didn't Know, featuring lead single "Heart Skips A Beat," assisted by Chiddy Bang will drop September 25th on Columbia Records. Pre-order it on iTunes or Amazon.

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[Hot Video Alert] Olly Murs feat. Chiddy Bang - Heart Skips a Beat

Last week, UK singing sensation Olly Murs dropped his debut American single, "Heart Skips a Beat," featuring hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang.  Murs originally released "Heart Skips a Beat" last August as the lead single from his sophomore UK album, In Case You Didn't Know.  The UK version of the single featured the popular English rap duo, Rizzle Kicks and went on to debut at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Olly Murs' second #1 hit single.

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It's Official, Olly Murs Signs with Columbia Records, 'Heart Skips A Beat' Out May 22nd

A couple months after making the announcement via his own personal Twitter, UK singer/songwriter Olly Murs' U.S. label, Columbia Records confirmed the news by way of an official press release.  The label proceeded to confirm both Murs' signing as well as announcing his first U.S. single, a new version of the UK #1, "Heart Skips A Beat," featuring American hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang, due May 22nd (iTunes U.S.), and debut album due out in the Fall.  Listen to "Heart Skips A Beat" BELOW.

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[Hot Video Alert] Cher Lloyd - Want U Back

Releasing "Want U Back" as Cher Lloyd's official first U.S. single was a smart move on the part of her U.S. label, Epic Records.  Releasing it without X-Factor's resident rapper Astro was also a smart move. Astro's addition to the UK version of the single always seemed contrived to me. Hell, it certainly didn't add anything valuable. The song's strengths lie completely in Lloyd's sassy delivery, Shellback's spunky production and Savan Kotecha's punchy, fresh lyrics.  Astro, as talented as he is, was always an after thought, a gimmick thought up by his X-Factor mentor (and chairman/CEO of Epic Records) L.A. Reid.

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Ones to Watch in 2012: Aiden Grimshaw

Nearly two years after gracing television screens all over the UK as a contestant on The X-Factor: Series 7, Aiden Grimshaw has (finally) unveiled his debut single and it's a wonder to behold.  "Is This Love," due June 3rd via RCA Records, was written by the 20-year old Grimshaw, and serves as the first single off his debut album, Misty Eye, out August 13th in the UK.  Listen to the single BELOW.

At first listen, Aiden appears to be he heading in the right direction, musically speaking, following the lead of other more established "folktronica" artists like Alex Clare and Ellie Goulding.  This song is an exercise of both subtlety and strength, complete with a big, soaring chorus and booming drum & bass beats, utilizing Grimshaw's beautiful falsetto to absolute perfection.  This combination showcases, not only Grimshaw's vulnerability, but his impressive vocal chops as well.  Aiden's vocals rise triumphantly above the sleek, futuristic-sounding production, immediately slaying all those who listen.  What a debut!  Grimshaw's songwriting skills are also worth noting.  Gone, are the days when reality show contestants are thrust into the arms of a team of songwriters.  I love that this latest crop of burgeoning artists are allowed the opportunity to showcase their own skills as storytellers. 

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Olly Murs Set to Crack America, Opening for One Direction

Oh My Goodness! Olly Murs has confirmed that he is indeed the opening act for a good portion of One Direction's American tour this summer. This is FANTASTIC news and should provide Murs with some excellent exposure Stateside.  I'm sure American One Direction fans will just eat him alive, considering their fanbase here mainly consists of teenage girls and gay men (myself included in the latter demographic).

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Hot Video Alert: One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful

Last month the lovely boys of One Direction (Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson) released the video for their debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful," and I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed. I'm not just disappointed in the video, but the song as well. It's all just a bit...expected? Written by Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha and Rami Yacoub, "What Makes You Beautiful" was unveiled to English radio listeners on August 10th when it made it's BBC Radio 1 debut. Upon making the single available for pre-order, One Direction broke records for Sony Music, with "What Makes You Beautiful" earning the most pre-release downloads of any Sony Music act. If this is any indication of the success to come for the boys of One Direction, I think X-Factor may have another JLS-type of success story on their hands.

While my feelings towards One Direction might be a bit of a mixed bag at present, I have to give them props for sticking together throughout the crazy ride that was X-Factor. If you consider the fact that these boys are a documented example of a MANUFACTURED BOY BAND - literally pieced together by Simon Cowell after they proved not worthy of competing as individuals - the fact that they are still together, are still getting along and still making music together is pretty outstanding. Now I'm just starting to wonder how much creative control these boys actually have. Being placed together by show producers for the sake of a reality show, one could easily assume that One Direction are just so excited to have a record deal with Syco Music and the opportunity to become stars, that they'd do anything they were told. Work with these people! Put out this type of album! Do this! Do that! Now I'm not saying this is what's going on, but I'm just a bit hesitant about how this will all turn out. "What Makes You Beautiful" doesn't give me enough to go on, so I'm going to need to hear some more before I make a final judgement.

 In an interview with Digital Spy, Sonny Takhar (Simon Cowell's right-hand) described the boys' forthcoming as yet untitled debut album as "one of the best pop records" to be made by the label. That's a pretty bold statement to make. From what it sounds like, One Direction to have a lot of elements working in their favor, including a talented roster of songwriters including Savan Kotecha, Ed Sheeran and Matt Squire (Good Charlotte, All Time Low). I'm dismissing the boys outright, just for me, they all sound a bit like a poppier version of 2000s boy band Busted right now.  Check out the John Urbano (Alexi Murdoch)-directed video for "What Makes You Beautiful" below and pre-order the single, due out in the UK September 11th, by clicking HERE.

 

  

Check out One Direction on the web: 

Official Site//Facebook//Twitter//VEVO

This & That: Musical Morsels For You To Chew, Swallow or Spit Out

Thank GOD for Twitter. It's a great way to keep up with the latest happenings and news in the music world. It does get harder to pin down news the more people you are following (I am following over 1,500 people) but you learn how to sift through all of the fluff and pick out the bits that are important to you. 'This & That' is something new I'm trying on the blog, an excuse to not let all of these little tidbits and musical morsels go to waste. Some of them come from Twitter, some from other music blogs I follow, all of them juicy (not always good juicy). Enjoy a little bit of 'This & That.' 

Rebecca Ferguson, runner up on the last season of X-Factor has landed a deal with Epic Records.  The talented singer from Liverpool may have come in 2nd but she was first in my book. New label mate Paloma Faith congratulated Ferguson via Twitter: "@beccaxferguson should I be officially welcoming you? Tell me tell me? I'm so excited!" Ferguson replied: @Palomafaith hi I'm really excited! , couldn't have asked for better people to work with ill probably c u soon ;) xxx"

Cher Lloyd has been spotted meeting with mega-producer and hitmaker RedOne (Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias, Sugababes) in America.  It's assumed that they were discussing plans for the young pop star's forthcoming debut album.  While it's uncertain at this point which record label signed Lloyd, she did sign a contract with Syco (along with Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction). RedOne + Cher Lloyd? Yes please. {SOURCE}             

Speaking of One Direction, the third-place finishing boy band from last season of the X-Factor appears to be moving in the right direction as far as their burgeoning pop careers are concerned. The first step? A proper band logo.  The logo is fairly straight forward, featuring a black background with a white number "1" and a D with an arrow inside.  Next to the "1 D" is "One Direction" spelled out in red letters.  So are they "One Direction" or "1 Direction?" A bit confusing, no? {SOURCE}

Katrina Darrell (AKA 'Bikini Girl' from American Idol Season 8) has released a TERRIBLE version of "Big Spender." In the accompanying video, Darrell frolics around the beach, on a boat and in the club with a bevvy of half naked men and women.  While the vocals are weak, the video is actually pretty slick.  "Big Spender" was originally written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity.  The song has been covered by many but most famously by Peggy Lee and Dame Shirley Bassey.{SOURCE}

R&B singer JoJo is reportedly hard at work on her long-delayed 3rd studio album for Da Family/Blackground/Interscope Records.  While the New York Post reports that the songs for the new album are all "mastered & ready to go," JoJo Tweeted on Friday about a forthcoming collaboration with R&B megaproducer Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins (Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez), saying: "Grateful 4the wisdom, talent, spirituality + humbleness that makes @ONLY1DARKCHILD the brilliant mind he is . Loving what we're cookin up...." Hmm. Interesting. In September JoJo released her first mix-tape exclusively to Rap-Up.com and if that material is any indication of what JoJo is working on then we have a lot to look forward to.

14-year old Dionne Bromfield is getting to release a new single.  The British singer, who is signed to Godmother Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records, released her debut album in 2009.  The album peaked at #33 on the UK Album Charts and her debut single, a cover of The Shirelles' "Mama Said" peaked at #43. While her first album was a compilation of Motown cover songs, the new record features original material.  First single,  "Yeah Right" features Atlantic Recording Artist Rapper (and son of of Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons, one of the founding members of influential hip hop group Run–D.M.C.)  Diggy Simmons.  According to Bromfield (via Twitter) they shot the video for the single last Friday. Expect it to premiere before the single is released on March 20th.

Anyone remember the boy band O-Town?  Here's a quick refresher...the band released two albums in the early 2000s (the first of which reached #5 on the Billboard 200) and 2 top ten singles ("Liquid Dreams" and "All Or Nothing"). After their second album failed to make an impression on the charts they were dropped by J Records and the boys went their separate ways. Ashley Parker Angel went on to have a semi successful solo career, while the other band members faded into relative obscurity...until now.  According to TMZ 4 of the 5 original O-Town members (minus Parker Angel) have gotten back together and are in the process of recording the first new O-Town album since 2002's O2.  Hey I think they have a shot.  Take That did alright without Robbie Williams right? {SOURCE}

I love Mashups, especially when done well. Case in point, check out one of my favorites featuring La Roux, Robyn, Whitney Houston and Taylor Swift. Now for my latest obsession.  Leave it to Perez Hilton to find a brilliant bit of pop fun like this.  Not sure who created this Mashup but it's awesome. The mashup uses Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me," Kat Graham's "Sassy" and Adele's "Rolling In The Deep." In one word...Amazing. {SOURCE}

I have always loved me some Blake Lewis and this new video featuring Lewis with buddy and collaborator BT further solidifies his place in my list of favorite Idol Alums.  To hear Lewis in his beatboxin' element, check out this new video for his original song, "She Loves The Way," produced by BT.  Lewis first performed "She Loves The Way" on the American Idols Live! Tour back in 2007 becoming the first Idol alum to sing an original song on the Idol tour.  This video is set to the Beatbox Stutter Edit Mix of the song and was made using a MacBook Pro, "the iSight, BT's Stutter Edit plugin, Loop Pedals, a Kaoss Pad and KJ Sawka on drums." Brilliant! According to Lewis on his YouTube channel, "3 live takes at London Bridge studios in Seattle, Washington is all it took for BT to take my song and make a kickass example of how Stutter Edit can be used with video." Watch the video HERE.

Well this is unexpected.  Swedish electro-pop Goddess Robyn is releasing a new single off of her fabulous, critically acclaimed Body Talk album.  Co-penned by Robyn and Klas Åhlundm, "Call Your Girlfriend" will be released as the follow up to Robyn's last single, "Indestructible," which peaked at #4 on the Swedish singles charts.  According to Robyn, fans can expect the accompanying video will be released in "probably February or March."  Can't wait for some new Robyn!  Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" was nominated for a 'Best Dance Recording' Grammy so look out to see if she wins when the Grammy's air on February 13th. {SOURCE}

You may remember when Travis Garland performed his debut solo single, the Danja-produced "Believe" on American Idol in May of last year.  Prior to his solo debut Garland was the lead singer of NLT, an American boy band that also featured Kevin McHale, now of Glee fame.  The band released 4 singles and were scheduled to release their debut album however it never materialized on the group disbanded. Promoted heavily be Perez Hilton, Garland's Idol performance was supposed to be the catalyst Garland needed to launch him into solo stardom but that never happened.  Signed to Interscope/Geffen Records the singer/songwriter is supposedly working on his debut album, due out sometime this year, although details are sketchy at best.  As of January 11th, fans can download a free 5-track EP called Last Man Standing.  Get that HERE. It's a nice place holder while we await Garland's next move.

Looks like Ke$ha's next single off of Cannibal has been selected.  Fans can expect to hear "Blow" on the radio starting February 8th.  The Dr. Luke/Max Martin/Benny Blanco-produced electro-stomper is typical Ke$ha in that her voice is auto-tuned to shit.  The jury's still out on whether or not this single's any good.  The Prophet appropriately labels it "Take it Off" Part 2 and I can't say that I disagree. Ke$ha's latest release, the mini album Cannibal peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 chart. First single, the infectiously catchy "We R Who We R" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  "Blow" entered  the Billboard Hot 100 at #97 as a result of it's early promotional release.{SOURCE}

Up & coming singer/songwriter/producer/Duke-graduate Mike Posner has announced his third single and it's one of my favorites off of his debut album, 31 Minutes To Takeoff.  Produced by The Smeezingtons (Sugababes, Travie McCoy, Justin Bieber) "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" is the perfect choice for a third single in that it's a sonic departure from previous two singles "Cooler Than Me" and "Please Don't Go."  The closest thing Posner has to a ballad on the album, "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" is a sexy surprise from Posner. Can't wait to see the video for this one.  The single was sent to U.S. radio outlets on January 18th.  Posner's first single, "Cooler Than Me" peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 while follow up "Please Don't Go" fared less successfully, peaking at #16.  "Please Don't Go" will be released as Posner's second UK single on March 13th. {SOURCE 1, 2)

What's this about Joe Jonas going electro for his upcoming solo album? Sounds...interesting? Dare I admit that I'm intrigued?  This could make me start caring about the Jonas Brothers...err...at least about one of the Jonas Brothers.  Jonas, who's working with Danja (Madonna, Usher, Britney Spears) on a new project, revealed to MTV News that he wants his new sound to be reminiscent of Daft Punk.  Looks like Jonas is planning on riding the dance/pop wave straight onto the charts with this new album. I'm interested to see if he can pull it off.  According to Jonas, "I listen to a bunch of stuff you dance to, kind of electro-based."  Also working with Jonas on his debut? None other than Music Is My King Size Bed-favorite Frankmusik. AMAZING. {SOURCE 1, 2}

Another pop star going dance-crazy? How about American R&B singer Mya.  The "Case of the Ex" singer has recorded a single called "Love Is The Answer" and it was produced by Miami-based DJ, Remixer and Producer Cedric Gervais.  Wow. Can't wait for this one!  Mya, who was runner up on the U.S. reality TV series Dancing With The Stars during it's ninth season, promises lots of dancing in the upcoming music video for the song.  According to Mya in an interview with E! Online, "There is a lot of dancing in this video, but it's nothing like what I did on Dancing With The Stars. It's way more Madonna than ballroom." "Love Is The Answer" is out on February 8th. Listen to a clip HERE. {SOURCE 1, 2)