RIHANNA UNLEASHES NEW SINGLE
The wait is over! Rihanna just premiered a new single called “Only Girl (In The World)” from her upcoming fifth studio album. The project has been titled Loud, and Ri Ri promised on RihannaDaily.com that the effort will include material that’s “sassy, fun, flirty, energetic.” She added, “I didn’t want to go backward and remake [the 2008 album] Good Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna.” You can check out the song on her official website and expect Loud to drop sometime in November.
BUMMER! Even though she’s nominated, Rihanna will not be able to attend the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater this Sunday due to scheduling conflicts.
She is currently filming her new movie, Battleship, in Hawaii.
DIZZEE RASCAL HONORED TO WORK WITH SHAKIRA
U-K rap star Dizzee Rascal recently teamed up with Shakira for her new single, “Loca,” off her forthcoming album, Sale el Sol. Dizzee told Billboard.com that he only joined the Colombian pop star in her studio for about an hour to work on the track, but that he was “honored” to contribute to her new album. Shakira’s bilingual record Sale el Sol (The Sun Comes Out) is set to arrive in stores on October 19th.
KANYE WEST AND TAYLOR SWIFT’S VMA MOMENT
Everyone remembers the most-talked about and controversial moment of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye West stormed the stage while Taylor Swift was accepting an award. Kanye said that Beyonce should have won because she had “one of the best videos of all time.” We previously reported over the weekend that West took to Twitter to finally apologize to Swift for his rude interruption.
KATY PERRY SCORES NUMBER ONE ALBUM IN UK
Katy Perry has scored her first U-K number one album with Teenage Dream, which has sold over 54-thousand copies. Her debut album, One of the Boys, debuted and peaked at number 11 in the U-K, back in October 2008, according to Billboard.com. Perry’s Teenage Dream is the number one album in the States as well, selling over 192-thousand copies here.
LADY GAGA BUYS BEYONCE DIAMONDS FOR BDAY!
According to SingersRoom.com, Lady Gaga spent “thousands” on an elaborate gift for Beyonce’s recent 29th birthday. The “Poker Face” singer reportedly gave Knowles “a custom-made leather diamond-studded whip.” A source revealed, “When Beyonce received it, she squealed with excitement. The dressing room was decorated with balloons and banners and a lot of champagne had been put on too.” If that’s not enough, Gaga also sang “Happy Birthday” to the diva last week backstage at Jay-Z’s joint concert with Eminem in Detroit, Michigan. The “Telephone” collaborators are up for numerous nominations during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Tune in to the show this Sunday at 9 PM Eastern!
BIEBER’S BIG YEAR
2010 has been a big year for 16-year-old Justin Bieber. The singer released his My World 2.0 album and launched a massive world tour that will keep him out on the road through December. PerezHilton.com is reporting that Justin Bieber has sold over 3.2-million copies of My World and My World 2.0 this year and the teen singer has also sold over 7.7-million digital copies of his songs. After the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Bieber will take his My World Tour to Winnipeg, Manitoba for a show at the MTS Centre on Tuesday.
JUSTIN BIEBER TO LEAVE POP IMAGE BEHIND ON CSI
As we previously reported, Justin Bieber will leave his pop image behind to tackle some darker territory when he makes his small-screen acting debut on CSI later this month. CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn told MTV News that Bieber’s character, “Jason McCann,” is a troubled young man who was raised in the foster-care system. His hard luck life has left him scared and angry. She continued by saying it is an explosive story. Beiber’s CSI episode premieres on September 23rd.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWs-ZteBqcY
IT’S P!NK’S BIRTHDAY!
Today, P!nk turns 31 years old. In her three-plus decades on Earth, the pop star has done much more than make hit songs — she’s one of the most vocal activists around, especially when it comes to animal rights. She told us a little story about someone she met while out trying to make a difference (See Related Cut #4). Check out Twitter.com/Pink to see what she did to celebrate turning 31.
RUNNER RUNNER ON THE LATE SHOW
Runner Runner will perform their debut single “So Obvious” on The Late Show With David Letterman on September 29th. Fans can enter the “Run Away With Runner Runner To NYC” contest now through September 15th to win a trip to see the guys perform on the talk show and have dinner with the band. “So Obvious” is the first single from their self-titled debut, which will be released on December 7th.
IT’S SEPTEMBER, SO DAUGHTRY TALKS “SEPTEMBER”
It’s September, which also happens to be the name of Daughtry’s current single. To celebrate this, in honor of the tune’s “emotional and nostalgic video,” the band wants their website members to change their profile picture to a “treasured baby or family photo that means something” to them. Learn more at DaughtryOfficial.com.
RELATED AUDIO! “September” is off of Daughtry’s album Leave This Town, which features a few tracks co-written by frontman Chris Daughtry and Nickelback lead singer Chad Kroeger. Chris spoke about the two of them working together (See Related Cut #5).
JAY-Z BUYS BEYONCE AN ISLAND!
Jay-Z really knows how to show how much he appreciates Beyonce. The rap star reportedly purchased a 20-million dollar private island located in the Florida Keys for Mrs. Carter’s 29th birthday. A source explained to MediaTakeOut.com, “The island is 12.5 acres and about 2.5 miles offshore . . . it’s a tropical paradise.” The insider continued, “[Jay Z and] Beyonce had been looking at the island in the past, and now [Jay Z] decided to buy it.” Must be nice!
KATY PERRY ON SNL
Katy Perry will make her Saturday Night Live debut on the season premiere of the show on September 25th. SNL alumna Amy Poehler will host the show. Catch it on the 25th at 11:35 PM on NBC.
JOJO DROPS NEW MIXTAPE FOR FREE!
JoJo has teamed with Rap-Up.com to release an exclusive mixtape called Can’t Take That Away From Me. The 11-track offering includes her new single, “In the Dark,” as well as noted contributions from Chad Hugo of The Neptunes and others. The singer said of the project, “I was just able to take more of a risk. It is all over the place, just like me.” Be sure to download it today!
DOWNLOAD: http://rap-up.bandcamp.com/album/cant-take-that-away-from-me
1. “Can’t Take That Away From Me”
2. “Running on Empty”
3. “Pretty Please”
4. “Why Didn’t You Call”
5. “Just a Dream”
6. “When Does It Go Away” featuring Travis Garland
7. “My Time Is Money”
8. “What You Like” featuring Jordan Gatsby
9. “In the Dark”
10. “Boy Without a Heart”
11. “All I Want Is Everything”
NEW MARK RONSON AND THE BUSINESS INTL. ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 28TH!
We reported last week that Mark Ronson’s new album, Record Collection, comes out in early October. Lucky for fans everywhere, we were incorrect and you can get your hands on the album sooner than that when Mark Ronson and The Business Intl. release Record Collection on September 28th. Learn more now at MarkRonson.co.uk.
NEW UPDATES ON ASHER’S NEXT ALBUM
Asher Roth is looking to recapture the success he experienced with his debut album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle. The “I Love College” emcee has linked up with producers including DJ Khalil, Ryan Leslie and Don Cannon for his sophomore effort, The Spaghetti Tree. According to XXLMag.com, Roth said of the project that “the sound is esoteric. It’s spacey. It’s dope, though. But it also has this really earthy, organic sound. So, if that even makes any sense, it’s kind of the air and the earth.” Fans can expect the disc, led by the first single, “G.R.I.N.D.,” to drop later this year.
SARA BAREILLES’ CELEBRATES WITH DEXTER
Sara Bareilles’ new album, Kaleidoscope Heart, is in stores now, but what did the singer-songwriter do in anticipation of the day of her record release? According to her Twitter account, she went to bed early because she had been watching “waaay too much” of the Showtime series Dexter. Not quite the crazy party that you all imagined right?
GAGA COMIC DRAMA
We reported that a new Lady Gaga comic book is in the works, but apparently a lawyer representing the pop star isn’t too pleased about it. According to ContactMusic.com, Bluewater Productions is releasing a comic based on her life, and attorney Kenneth Feinswog has threatened to block the publication and to sue if the comic company doesn’t stop production. Bluewater don’t seem to be too worried, because they insist that they are “100-percent” within their First Amendment rights to publish the book even without permission from Gaga. Learn more at ContactMusic.com.
KATY’S PARENTS WARM UP TO RUSSELL
It might have taken a little time for them to get used to the idea that he’s marrying their daughter, but Katy Perry’s parents are now quite fond of Russell Brand. The pop star told Radio Times magazine that her mother “has this idea about Russell that he’s going to be a great man of God and his transition is happening” and that the raunchy comedian has been “very charming with them.”
MIKE POSNER DIDN’T WANT COLLABORATIONS
Mike Posner doesn’t have any collaborations on his album 31 Minutes to Takeoff, but it’s not because he didn’t have the opportunity. According to ContactMusic.com, the “Cooler Than Me” singer felt that it was “important” for this first record to be only him because he didn’t want to “trick” people into liking his music. The pop star did say that there are “a million” people that he’d enjoy working with in the future.
KYLIE MINOGUE’S EUROPEAN TOUR
Kylie Minogue has announced some European tour dates in support of her new album, Aphrodite. The trek kicks off in February and takes her all over Western Europe, the U-K and Ireland. Learn more at Kylie.com.
DRAKE REMAINS HUMBLE, PREPS 2010 VMA’s
Drake has had an amazing year. If achieving platinum status for Thank Me Later wasn’t enough, he’s also expected to hit the big stage during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The stand out emcee explained how surreal everything feels for him these days (See Related Cut #7). Drizzy’s “Find Your Love” clip is up for Best Male Video. Tune in to 2010 VMA’s this Sunday to see if he wins!
AMERIIE GOES PLATINUM!
According to Rap-Up.com, Ameriie has officially gone platinum…blonde, that is. The “1 Thing” songbird explained that she “always” wanted to dye her hair and “finally just went for it!” She addws, “One of the things that inspired me is photos I’ve seen of children in the Solomon Islands. They are very brown-skinned, and a lot of them grow white-blonde hair naturally. The contrast in dark skin tone and extremely light hair is really beautiful to me.” In addition to debuting the new look at a Grey Goose event in Dallas, the newly engaged singer is recording a new album titled Cymatika Vol. 1.
NE-YO RELEASES “ONE IN A MILLION”
Ne-Yo shows off his impressive dancing skills in the visual for his new single, “One In A Million.” The song is lifted from the singer/songwriter’s forthcoming Libra Scale album, which is slated to drop on October 5th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpl9LtkRRw
BON JOVI’S HOUSE PARTY
Jon Bon Jovi threw quite a party at his home in the Hamptons this weekend, in fact, the bash was so raucous that the police had to show up. According to the New York Post, the rocker and his 60 guests, which included actor Jack Nicholson, were partying with live music and fireworks past the 11 PM local sound curfew, so the police showed up to shut down the stage. However, Bon Jovi invited the officers to watch and was able to play one last song for his guests.
MARK DAVID CHAPMAN DENIED PAROLE
Mark David Chapman, the man convicted of killing John Lennon, has been denied parole. According to CNN, Chapman was interviewed by a three-member parole board panel who agreed he should stay in prison, marking the sixth time they’ve come to that conclusion. The board did not cite its reasons for denying parole. Mark will next be eligible for parole in 2012. Chapman is serving a 20 years to life sentence for Lennon’s 1980 murder.
U2’S MANAGER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING
U2’s longtime manager, Paul McGuinness, is once again speaking out against illegal downloading. In an article he wrote for GQ, McGuinness says he thinks legislation is the only way that Internet Service Providers will regulate illegal downloading of music and films. He feels that the answer is services like Spotify, which requires a subscription service, are the way forward in the industry and a way to make sure artists still get paid for their art.
