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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[Review] Melanie Amaro - Don't Fail Me Now

20 year old burgeoning pop star (and winner of the U.S. X-Factor's inaugural season) Melanie Amaro is prepping for the release of her bangin' new OFFICIAL debut single, "Don't Fail Me Now."  The Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (Destiny's Child, Aaliyah)-produced, Livvi Franc (Cheryl Cole, Britney Spears)-penned  track premiered exclusively on US Weekly's website yesterday and is the first cut taken from Amaro's upcoming debut album, due out on Epic Records later this year.  Listen to "Don't Fail Me Now" BELOW.

 

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Rachel Crow Announces New EP & Tour; Drops 'Mean Girls' Music Video

(PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records/Syco Music)

14-year old Rachel Crow will release her debut, self-titled EP on June 26th via Columbia Records/Syco Music.  The EP was produced by top hit makers including Toby Gad (Beyonce, Fergie) and Jonas Jeberg (The Wanted, Pussycat Dolls) and features lead single, "Mean Girls," an inspirational song co-written by Rachel and Toby Gad.  Sounding a bit like Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)", the single has young Rachel taking a stand against bullying, showing how important it is to celebrate one's individuality.  While I was hoping Rachel would dazzle us with something a little SPUNKIER, props to her for tackling the big issues right out the box.

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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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Hot Video Alert: Chris Rene - Young Homie

For those of you unfamiliar with Chris Rene, he's is the inspirational X-Factor USA contestant (and father of an adorable little boy, Ryan) who's troubled past and now bright future was chronicled during the reality show's first season.  A recovering drug and alcohol addict, Rene had been clean and sober for just 10 weeks at the time of his audition for the popular series.  First performed during his audition and released digitally worldwide on March 13th, "Young Homie" is Rene's first single from his forthcoming debut album, due out later this year on Epic Records.  While never considered one of the competition's true contenders vocally, Chris Rene's spirit and heart warming story carried him to the finals, where he came in third place. 

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Hot Video Alert: Demi Lovato - Give Your Heart a Break

Here is the video for Demi Lovato's newest single, "Give Your Heart a Break," taken from her third studio album Unbroken. Maybe my age is to blame for this one, but I keep getting Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez confused.  Am I crazy?  There are so many similarities between the two girls, how can you not get them confused?  Let's see; they are both signed to Hollywood Records; they are both 19 years old; they both starred in Disney Channel series (Selena - Wizards of Waverly Place; Demi - Sonny with a Chance). Are they not the same person?  I'm still a bit confused.

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Hot Video Alert: John Legend featuring Ludacris - Tonight (Best You Ever Had)

Sometimes, all it takes for a music video to hook me is a toned body.  In the case of John Legend's video for his Ludacris-assisted "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)", John Legend's toned body was a bonus. While the song starts out slow and steady, it wasn't long before the sexy beat came in and I was sold. Let me emphasize that it was absolutely the beat that sucked me in and not John Legend sitting on the bed shirtless, singing into the camera. No - it was definitely the beat. I swear to God.

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Hot Video Alert: Cher Lloyd feat. Astro - Want U Back

Cher Lloyd's latest single, "Want U Back" is hands down my favorite Cher Lloyd single released to date.  In fact, it might even be her best single released to date...granted, she's only released a total of 3 singles, but never mind that. I can also definitively say that my reasons for liking "Want U Back" so much have absolutely nothing to do with the last minute addition of U.S. X-Factor contestant Astro onto track. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!  On the contrary, what I like about this single has everything to do with Cher Lloyd.  "Want You Back" is a lot of fun, especially when you throw in remixes from Cahill and Pete Phantom.  Delicious! In the corresponding Parris-directed video, Cher's personality and quirky sense of humor both come bubbling to the surface. How refreshing.

This mid-tempo pure pop gem was produced by Shellback (P!nk, Britney Spears) and co-written by Shellback, Savan Kotecha (Adam Lambert, Leona Lewis) and The Astronomical Kid (AKA Astro).  Set to be released February 19th, "Want U Back" is the third single lifted off of Lloyd's debut Top 5 album, Sticks & Stones which came out last November via Syco/Epic Records.  Preceding the album's release was the release of Cher's first single, the incessantly irritating "Swagger Jagger," which surprisingly was a #1 hit.  The song was voted the "Most Annoying Song" in all of 2011 by the BBC's 'Most Annoying of 2011' list.  Not exactly the honor Lloyd was looking for.

Follow up single, "With Ur Love" featured Lloyd alongside U.S. hip-pop star Mike Posner and rose all the way to #4 on the UK Singles Chart. Now that the album has been out for a while, I'm hoping that Lloyd can maintain her Top 5 status with "Want U Back."  Things are looking promising, given the fact that the song entered the UK Singles Chart shortly after the premiere of the music video, peaking at #26.  My guess is that the actual release of the single propels it into at least the Top 10.  Fingers crossed.  For her debut album, Lloyd really brought out all of the stops, collaborating with the likes of hit songwriter Autumn Rowe, mega-producer RedOne, Busta Rhymes, Mike Posner, Ghetts, Mic Righteous and Dot Rotten.  Quite an impressive lineup for a newcomer like Lloyd. 

Back in December, it was announced that Cher Lloyd had been signed to Epic Records in the U.S., which helps explain why her label would add a no-name U.S. rapper to the radio version of her single.  Chairman and CEO of Epic Records (and X-Factor USA judge), L.A. Reid signed Cher Lloyd to his label.  He's also responsible for "discovering" and ultimately signing Brian "Astro" Bradley to his label as well, alongside fellow contestants Marcus Canty and Chris Rene. Connection made.  Turns out they're hoping that "Want U Back" is the vehicle in which Lloyd launches her U.S. career, or at least that's the plan anyway. Lloyd is keeping things real with regards to her future as a U.S. pop star, telling Metro:

"It's a bit crazy because I don't expect anyone to know who I am because I live in the UK. I'm from The X Factor and I came fourth. It's crazy and it gives me a lot of hope. With the USA, I'm not going to run before I can walk but you never know what’s going to happen."

"Want U Back" is a solid pop song that you can't help but shake-it to. There's no real reason why it shouldn't do well in the States, and with mainstream publications like The New York Times already dubbing her "the future," it's a good sign. At this point...it's all about promotion. Here's hoping L.A. Reid does his job and promotes the hell out of this girl!  U.S. fans can download "Swagger Jagger" on U.S. iTunes HERE.

Check out Cher Lloyd on the web:

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

'Bigger & Better Than Anything You've Seen Before' - X-Factor USA Coming This Fall

The X-Factor is coming this Fall...to America! Yes, we all knew this was coming but this is the first bit of SERIOUS promo we've seen to date, other than the city promos the surfaced earlier this winter. In this video we have Simon Cowell talking about the concept behind the show, who's eligible to audtion, blah-di-blah-blah-blah. Everything anyone who's ever watched the UK version already knows. What we REALLY want to know - who are the judges? Who's the host? No word on either just yet.

What we do know - auditions commence in Los Angeles on March 27th, traveling across America to New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago and Seattle. The grand prize? A $5 million recording contract with Sony Music. That's pretty huge. Having watched this past season of the UK version, I have to say I'm really excited. It's completely different from American Idol and I think that's what we need right now. Check out Simon's video below and make sure you follow X-Factor USA on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and for more information on how to audition. Are you excited for The X-Factor?

Check out X-Factor USA on the web:

Official Site//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube