Friday, August 30, 2013

Taylor Swift pens "Sweeter Than Fiction" for film One Chance




Quote:
Taylor Swift was so moved when she saw a film that charts Paul Potts’s journey from amateur opera singer to unlikely maestro of a TV reality show that she decided to write a song for it.

The number, Sweeter Than Fiction, will be unveiled next Friday when the movie One Chance, starring James Corden as Potts, has its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The song — which Taylor wrote with Jack Antonoff, guitarist for the band Fun — plays during the movie’s final credits, but Taylor might be persuaded to give a live rendering following the gala screening in Toronto.
James Corden might even do a duet with her.


Actually, it’s a good, poppy song that makes the point that ‘life is sweeter than fiction’.

That’s certainly true of Potts’s rise from obscurity to national attention on Britain’s Got Talent.

Movie impresario Harvey Weinstein graciously credited Simon Cowell for getting Taylor involved in the soundtrack.

"Simon knows her through the One Direction connection and he thought she’d be touched by the film, and he was right because she was," Weinstein said when I bumped into him in New York. I gather Taylor’s looking at screenplays because she has hopes of making her big-screen debut.

There are certainly one or two musical films being developed that would suit her down to the ground.
I’m sure she’ll be bombarded by producers and studio executives when she joins James and actress Alexandra Roach on the red carpet in Toronto.

Taylor’s last involvement in a movie soundtrack was Safe & Sound on The Hunger Games.


Source

Sara Bareilles Defends "Roar"

Sara Bareilles has a message for all those people who think Katy Perry‘s song “Roar” sounds way too much like her hit “Brave”: stop the drama.

While Bareilles hears some “similarities” between the two singles, she told ABC News Radio that she and Perry are “on great terms and there’s no issue there.”

“Katy’s a friend of mine and we’ve known each other a really long time, so she even texted me about it and we went back and forth,” Bareilles said.

“The shame that I feel that’s happened is that it’s become a drama. It’s putting this negative spin on two artists that are choosing to share positive messages,” she added.

Bareilles pointed out, laughing, “If I’m not mad I don’t know why anybody else is upset. I’m like, ‘Relax, let’s just celebrate that we can be out there and encouraging people to, like, feel strong and empowered.’”


The 33-year-old singer has more important things to focus on right now: she’s kicking off a co-headlining tour with OneRepublic on Thursday night in Colorado.

“The whole thing sort of just made sense to me,” Bareilles told ABC News Radio about teaming up with Ryan Tedder’s band. “We’ve done a very limited amount of touring with them in the past, but we already know we get along great. And then I think just, musically speaking, it’s going to be a great crossover. I know my fans. If they’re not already familiar with them, they’re just going to love what they do.”

Bareilles predicted that there “probably” will be some sort of collaboration onstage between the two acts during the tour, and backstage, she said she’d love the chance to write some songs with Tedder during the tour.

“Ryan and I have done a little bit of back and forth in the past, and nothing has come totally to fruition,” Bareilles revealed. “I dunno — I think we probably have really compatible writing styles and I think he’s such a brilliant writer. … So, yeah, I would be really open to that.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/08/sara-bareilles-on-brave-vs-katy-perrys-roar/

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Katy Perry: "There's No Darkness on New Album"

K-Pez says she "found the light" in her forthcoming music...

Katy Perry has said that her new album Prism will not contain any darkness.

The singer took back previous claims that her new music would be "fucking dark", instead revealing that she reflected on her material to find a brighter tone.

Speaking to MTV News US, K-Pez explained: "The reason why I called this record Prism is because I actually finally let the light in and then I was able to create all these songs that were inspired by letting the light in and doing some self-reflection and just kind of working on myself."

"There's totally not really any darkness on the record. There's definitely some textures and colours but I think I was saying that I was going through a different phase, but I really let that light in."

Perry - who has been dating on/off beau John Mayer for the past year - also said she was "look forward" to sharing her forthcoming LP with fans.

She noted: "I felt very prismatic because of that. I feel like now I get to show these songs off and share these songs with the listeners and it's almost like I get to beam the colours that I've experienced out from me."

Her new single Roar is due for release in the UK on September 8th and is currently sitting pretty and No.2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart.


Source

VMA's get 10.4 million viewers

http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/vma-awards-bounce-back-in-the-ratings-with-10-1-million-viewers-1200589195/

Quote:
Sunday’s telecast of the “MTV Video Music Awards” drew more than 10 million viewers in its first airing, as Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars helped show bounced back from its low tallies of last year.

The first awards show to be broadcast live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the VMA Awards averaged an estimated 10.1 million viewers in its premiere from 9 to 11 p.m. — up from the 16-year low of 6.13 million it drew a year ago when the VMAs were shifted to Thursday night and an earlier start time.

Despite the bounce-back, the VMA Awards came in below its viewership of 2011 and 2012, according to Nielsen. But it was higher than any year from 2006-2010.

A second airing of the VMA Awards late Sunday drew 2.8 million viewers, bringing the cume audience for the night to 12.9 million.

Timberlake was the big winner of the night, taking home the top prize for video of the year for “Mirrors” and a special achievement honor, and also led an onstage reunion of boy band ‘N Sync. Hip-hop artists Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars were among other top winners, with Macklemore & Lewis taking home three awards, including best hip-hop video.

The 2013 “MTV Video Music Awards” also was a huge player across MTV’s Web, mobile and social channels, with Sunday ranking as the biggest VMA day in history. More than 4 million fans visited VMA content on MTV.com, mobile Web and MTV app, generating more than 15 million total streams — five times higher than last year’s show day.

Hilary Duff talks music

http://idolator.com/7479655/hilary-duff-new-music-interview

Quote:
I caught up with Hilary Duff for a lengthy conversation about her 2003 album Metamorphosis — which turns 10 today — but I couldn’t resist firing a few questions about her return to pop, for which the singer-songwriter has been gearing up.

In fairness, it’s still early days — she’s just begun recording again — and there wasn’t much solid info that she could reveal, but here’s what she could say:

Expect dance. “I’m super into EDM,” she says. “I have a big long list of people I want to work with and a pretty clear direction or where I want to go.” Given that Duff’s Dignity was a pioneering effort in the late-00s dance boom, that predicted the movement away from urban-pop into a house-inflected radio sound, it’s already established that she does it better than the rest.

As ever, lyrics are key. “My music has always been very lyrically driven,” she says. “I care so much about that. So that’s my only thing. There are so many artists that I love but I’m like, ‘I can’t connect to that, so I don’t really know what it means.’ It’s too abstract for me to follow. I can still sing along and love it, but I’m not totally stuck on it, because I’m really attracted to lyrics. I want to keep that in the back of my mind.”

This is good to hear: Frankly, has anyone ever topped “You always dress in yellow, but you wanna dress in gold”? (No, but seriously, “Where’s your dignity / I think you left it in the Hollywood Hills” is one of the most withering pop lyrics of the decade.)

Don’t expect her earlier studio sessions to make the cut. Last summer, fans were excited to learn that Duff was back in the studio with a few collaborators — Martin Johnson (Avril Lavigne, Victoria Justice), Matt Squire (Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato) and Ali Tamposi (Kelly Clarkson, Ciara) among them — but she says she’s taking a new direction. “That was over a year back when I was just not talking about it, but wanting to flex my muscles again in the studio,” she explains. “That sound isn’t really where I want to go.”

It might kinda sound like “Come Clean,” though. When reminiscing about her beloved 2003 single “Come Clean,” she said it’s one of the touchstones that she’s been returning to as she hits the studio again. “With ‘Come Clean,’ even now as I start to make music again,” she says, “it’s something that I’ll take and say, ‘Like this, but let’s make it more current.’ It’s such a great song.”

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Anna Kendrick in GQ Magazine

Spoiler: (Close)









Quote:
In her upcoming comedy "Drinking Buddies," actress Anna Kendrick plays half of a couple that's fond of quaffing various cocktails. But Kendrick herself prefers beer, she told the September issue of GQ.

"Every single Belgian-style beer," in fact, Kendrick admitted.

Kendrick also talked about being asked for her autograph while out underwear shopping, an awkward occurrence that she navigated on a couple occasions.

"There's something deeply embarrassing about being approached when you're holding knickers," Kendrick said. "And it's happened twice!"

Still, its perhaps appropriate that Kendrick appears in the magazine in creative lingerie.

Countdown at Britney Spears official website



Quote:

All Eyes On Me
http://www.britneyspears.com

Sunday, August 18, 2013

JLO working with SIA




Quote:
@Sia: Worked with jenny from the block yesterday. (@JLo !) what a charming, sweet, funny person. And she can really SING! Anyhoo. Super fun.

I can't wait for this.

VH1's 25 Most Scandalously Sexy Music Videos Of All Time

Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines” is on everyone everyone’s lips these days. The ubiquitous tune is catchy as hell and features musical help from fellow super-talents T.I. and Pharrell Williams. As if that’s not enough to earn it some serious column inches, let’s not forget the controversially racy (and very ****) music video! The vid has raised some red flags with fans, and even got yanked off of YouTube for a spell. #Thicke and Co insist that the over the top clip was merely meant as a joke, but we’re pretty sure he’s laughing all the way to the bank. A little controversy never hurt record sales, did it? Just read on to see 25 scandalously sexy music vids that were too hot to handle when they first dropped!

25. “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga (2010)



Pretty much any Mother Monster video could fit here. They’re all sexy, and all of them seem to have drawn criticism for one reason or another. But the pairing of Gaga’s sexiness with the religious iconography in her “Alejandro” clip earned the most heat to date, drawing fire from both the Catholic church and (even scarier) Madonna fans accusing her of ripping off the iconic “Like A Prayer” video by dovetailing blasphemy and sexy so seamlessly.[YOUTUBE]25. “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga (2010) Pretty much any Mother Monster video could fit here. They’re all sexy, and all of them seem to have drawn criticism for one reason or another. But the pairing of Gaga’s sexiness with the religious iconography in her “Alejandro” clip earned the most heat to date, drawing fire from both the Catholic church and (even scarier) Madonna fans accusing her of ripping off the iconic “Like A Prayer” video by dovetailing blasphemy and sexy so seamlessly.

24. “Body Language” by Queen (1982)



Taking place in a sauna, the skin and sweat earned this video the distinction of being the first clip banned by the fledgling MTV station!

23. “Crazy” by Aerosmith (1994)



Alicia Silverstone stars in her third Aerosmith video, this time playing a rebellious Catholic school girl. The hotness of the scene is offset by the creepiness factor when you realize that the vid also features Steven Tyler‘s teenage daughter, Liv. Interesting. Apparently the casting agent had seen her in a shampoo commercial and had no idea she was related to the band’s front-man…But still, we feel like it would have been OK for Steven to say he didn’t want to sing about his own daughter “not wearing nothin’ under that overcoat,” pole dancing, and driving him “crazy”. So we’ll pretend he’s only singing about Alicia.

22. “Cherry Pie” by Warrant (1990)



It’s not terribly subtle, but then again rock doesn’t always have to be. This early MTV vid’s primary draw is model Bobbie Brown dancing and occasionally being sprayed with a fire hose. Canadian cable networks refused to broadcast the clip due to it’s overtly sexist nature, but apparently Bobbie didn’t have a problem with it. She got involved with lead singer Jani Lane soon after the shoot wrapped, and married him a year later. How romantic!

21. "Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1983)



The song itself was banned by the BBC for it’s over-the-top sexual lyrics, so it stands to reason that the video never stood a chance. The first version featured the band being accosted by leather-wearing men at a gay nightclub. The video was promptly banned from not only the Beeb, but also MTV as well. We’re guessing it may have had something to do with the implied “golden-shower” by the dude dressed up as a Roman emperor.

20. "Reach Out” by Hilary Duff (2007)



What’s the quickest way to shed your Disney princess image and jumpstart your flagging singing career at the same time? Release a ridiculously sexy music video, of course! No, literally, the clip for Duff’s rethinking of ” Depeche Mode‘s “Personal Jesus” is actually pretty absurd. So in the end a censored version of the video was recut for television broadcast.

19. “Girls On Film” by Duran Duran (1981)



The title is pretty suggestive, and the video delivers. Filmed just before MTV revolutionized the industry by playing videos in regular rotation, the New Wave group made the clip to be shown at discotheques and on Playboy-esque pay-per-view channels. However, the video caused an uproar in the mainstream media, getting banned by the BBC. MTV only agreed to play a heavily edited version, limiting the scantily clad pillow fights, sumo-wrestling, mud-wrestling, nudity and other debauchery. However the full shoot was later made available on VHS, and earned a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video.

18. "I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” by The White Stripes (2003)



There was absolutely nothing controversial about the White Stripes’ cover of this Burt Bacharach classic until Sofia Coppola decided to make the music video center completely around supermodel Kate Moss doing a pole dance. VH1′s very own Pop Up Video has all sorts of priceless details for this sultry shoot.

17. "Rock DJ” by Robbie Williams (2000)



The British pop legend presents stripping gone horribly horribly wrong. Don’t spoil the surprise for those who haven’t seen it! Despite being grossly hilarious, the twist ending resulted in the video being band across many European music television stations.


16. "Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot (1992)



Apparently MTV doesn’t like big butts. The network actually banned the video for this ’90s classic for packin’ a little too much heat. He is rapping while standing on a giant donk, after all. Obviously the banning helped take the song to legendary status, and soon enough MTV put the song back into rotation. Hey, it could be worse…at least Sir Mix is endorsing natural body types, right?

15. “Lapdance” by N*E*R*D (2001)



When you record a song as a tribute to strip-clubs, chances are pretty high that the video is gonna catch some flack. Viewers were mortified by the explicit sexual displays and the offensive objectification of women, so the original version was heavily censored when it was first released.

14. "Miserable” by Lit (1999)



That’s the great thing about being in a rock band, even just a marginally successful one: You can request that your next video take place on Pamela Anderson‘s bikini-clad body, and no one bats an eye! Although it’s not total cheesecake. In the end, giantess Pam gets the last laugh by eating the band members alive one by one.

13. "Sad Eyes” by Enrique Iglesias (2000)



Director Dave LaChapelle chose a unique scenario for Enrique’s cover of the Bruce Springsteen song: A man in his hotel room fantasizing about a woman he sees in a phone-sex commercial. Did we say “unique”? We meant “the most painfully realistic sex scenario on this list”. But music execs decided that it didn’t exactly portray their hunk in the best light, and the vid was shelved. Even when LaChapelle uploaded his work to his personal website in 2009, the record company insisted that he remove it. But as we all know, nothing can ever be truly removed from the internet…so we tracked it down.

12. "Satisfaction” by Benny Benassi (2003)



Although there actually are Playboy versions of this iconic video floating around the internet, we highly doubt Benny had anything to do with them. The actual clip merges a Victoria’s Secret catalog with a Home Depot flyer, with vivid results. Many saw the video as offensive and sexist upon first release, and some networks would only play a different, animated version.

11. "I'm A Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears (2001)



Choosing the sexiest Britney Spears video is undeniably tough (“Womanizer” almost made it), but the clip for this Pharrell Williams tune might have to top our list. It showcased her graduation from Disney teen to Mature Diva (she turned 20 a few months after the video came out) and ruffed a lot of feathers. She’d been seductive before, but purring “Kitty kitty,” while dancing in a non-shirt to the hypnotic beat that, yes, she’s a slave 4? No contest. In case it wasn’t hot enough for you, the video appears to take place in a world that is on fire.

10. "Me So Horny” by 2 Live Crew (1989)



The Crew got into some seriously hot water just for the lyrical nature of their song. A Florida prosecutor had them tried for obscenity, and merchants who were caught selling their record were arrested. So this video featuring G-string wearing dancers really just added fuel to the flames. Luckily the obscene ruling was reversed on appeal, but the song still had to undergo some lyrical changes (and the dancers had to put on bike shorts) before it could be shown on MTV.

9. "Untitled (How Does It Feel)” by D’Angelo (2000)



Some videos require millions of dollars with of special FX bells and whistles. But in this case, D’Angelo’s ridiculously sculpted body was more than enough to hold our attention. The video turned D’Angelo into a sex symbol, but the constant screams of women demanding he remove his shirt during live performances gave the singer body issues for years to come. Awww, good thing The Situation didn’t meet the same fate.

8. "Girls, Girls, Girls” by Motley Crue (1987)



Remember what we said about “Lapdance”? Same rule applies here, y’all. The first version of this one was yanked from MTV for (surprise!) nudity.

7. “S&M” by Rihanna (2010)



“When I go out to make something, I kind of go out with the intention to get it banned ,” Riri told MTV News when she learned that her latest video for “S&M” was, indeed, banned in eleven countries and red flagged on YouTube. “Well not to get it banned, but to make something provocative … it’s making an effect and people are having a dialogue about it. So, to me, that’s successful.” If that’s true, Rihanna succeeded beyond her wildest dreams on this clip, which featured a candy-colored view of a whole host of sexual kinks. She even faced a lawsuit from film director David LaChapelle, who claimed that the video ripped off eight of his photographs that had been published in various international magazine publications. The case was settled out of court in 2011.

6. "Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak (1989)



For years whenever this video came on, we assumed it was a Calvin Klein ad and just changed the channel. But it wasn’t until recently that we actually watched the whole thing and realized just exactly why this beach romp got everybody hot and bothered back in the glory days of MTV.

5. "I Want Your Sex” by George Michael (1987)



Even though David Fincher‘s supermodel-filled vid for “Freedom ’90″ is wayyyyyyy better, this earlier post-Wham! single generated more headlines for this scando clip starring Michael and his then-girlfriend Kathy Jeung. It’s almost kind of cute to watch ol’ George gush about the wonders of monogamy…by writing the word “monogamy” on her bare back with lipstick. The lyrics don’t exactly help matters, featuring eternal lines like “I’m not your father/I’m not your brother/Talk to your sister/I am a lover” and of course “It’s natural/It’s chemical/It’s logical/Habitual.”

4. “Call On Me” by Eric Prydz (2004)



This video almost made us actually want to go to the gym! Almost…The video for this Euro-dance hit had to be recut for the daylight hours, for obvious reasons.

3."Justify My Love” by Madonna(1990)



The always image-conscious Madge did her very best to cause a scandalous splash with this infamous video, which actually isn’t terribly shocking when you get down the nuts (pun!) and bolts (not pun) of it. Shot in grainy black and white, the video aimed to resembled a ’60s art-house film of Paris, where the scenes were shot in an upscale hotel. But still, the scarcely covered dominatrix made things too hot for MTV, who subsequently banned the video for being overly sexual (and maybe also for not being a very good song). Thus, the track became Madonna’s first “video single”, available for purchase on VHS in plain black packaging meant to resemble, essentially, ****. Sure she achieved higher levels of drama and scandal with “Like A Prayer” a year earlier, but it’s nowhere near as hot as this.

2. "Dirrty” by Christina Aguilera (2002)



Like her former Mickey Mouse Club mate Britney Spears did a year before with “I’m A Slave 4 U,” her 4th album Stripped heralded her move from squeaky clean pop starlet to Xtina: her wild and raunchy alter ego decked out with tattoos, piercings and (most scarily) omber hair. The transition was jarring for some fans, who didn’t know what to make of the David LaChapelle directed video, which he described as ”a post-apocalyptic orgy.” The sex fetishes, mud wrestling, suggestive dance moves, revealing clothing and all-around dirrrrrrrrrrtiness of the video alienated record buyers and networks alike, and the single stalled at Number 48 on Billboard. But on the upside, it did introduce the dance-move known as “the ****drop” to the world (really).

The video was banned in Thailand due to Thai-language postersoin the set apparently promoting sex tourism (which the director claimed to be unaware of). Many criticized Christina for allowing sex to get in the way of the music, and her new image was widely ridiculed by critics. However, it went on to receive great acclaim on MTV, who proclaimed it the sexiest music video ever made and inducted it into the TRL Hall-Of-Fame.

1. "Hooked On A Feeling” by David Hasselhoff (1996)



Hey, we like what we like, ok? Don’t judge.
 
 
 
Personally I don't agree with most of this list but whatever.

Billboard Takes A Look at Ariana Grande's Debut Album




Quote:
Two huge singles have propelled the singer to an audience beyond her TV fans.

Ariana Grande was a star before she released her single "The Way" last spring. The co-star of Nickelodeon's hit series "Victorious" had accrued 5.4 million Twitter followers and 2.6 million Facebook fans by the time the Mac Miller-assisted single hit iTunes on March 26. After that fan base helped the fluttering R&B track score a surprising No. 10 debut on the Billboard Hot 100, however, the 20-year-old singer's Nickelodeon success has morphed into mainstream stardom ahead of her debut album, "Yours Truly," due Sept. 3.

"I never realized until now how many more people I could reach with music," says Grande, who now boasts 8.3 million Twitter followers and 4.2 million Facebook fans. "I've been so lucky to be on television for such a long time and to make kids and their families so happy, but this is something different. I can't really go anywhere without being stopped for a photo anymore, but now, it's not just little kids."
Since joining the cast of "Victorious" in 2010, Grande has tried to follow Nickelodeon stars like Miranda Cosgrove, Big Time Rush and co-star Victoria Justice in fashioning a viable music career (Grande's 2011 single "Put Your Hearts Up" has sold 170,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan). While those artists have issued pop material that could be served to their pre-established fan bases, Grande's "Yours Truly" strives for a more mature R&B sound. The singer lists Whitney Houston, India.Arie and Destiny's Child among her biggest musical influences, and "The Way," which has sold 1.6 million downloads, has invited comparisons to Mariah Carey's oeuvre thanks to Harmony Samuels' feathery production and the sky-reaching melismas at its conclusion.

Another key difference between Grande and her fellow actors, who all have recording deals with Sony, is that the Florida native is the only Nick star signed to Republic Records. Sources say the singer requested a "carve out" deal when she joined "Victorious," allowing her to sign with whomever she pleased. And when Charlie Walk started as Republic's executive VP last January, Grande's musical career was fast-tracked.

"You look under the hood of your roster, and you see this girl who has one of the best voices most of us have heard in years," Walk says. "You hear that voice and you say, 'OK, now what?'"

Walk credits senior VP of A&R Wendy Goldstein for helping Grande recruit an impressive list of collaborators for her debut album: Samuels, the Rascals, Tony Dixon and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds led the production work, while the track list includes collaborations with Big Sean, Mika and the Wanted's Nathan Sykes, along with Miller. Following the March release of "The Way," Republic concurrently pushed the single to pop, rhythmic and R&B/hip-hop radio, while a "Spanglish" version has helped the track reach No. 5 on the Latin Pop Songs chart. With "The Way" blasting onto radio, Walk says his team recognized "a thirst for her music" and promptly set an early September release date for Grande's debut.

"Yours Truly" was being finished as Grande was gearing up to star in a new Nickelodeon show, the "Victorious" spinoff "Sam & Cat," which premiered in June. However, Walk says Republic didn't try to integrate "The Way" or any "Yours Truly" promotion with the network.

"She's clearly appealing to way above and beyond the core base that knew her as a Nickelodeon singer," he says. "If you really look at what's going on, many of the people falling in love with Ariana Grande have never seen her on television."

Instead, Republic allowed more music from "Yours Truly" to trickle out at opportune times. A follow-up single, "Baby I," was announced along with Grande's first headlining tour dates, and the song debuted at No. 21 on the Hot 100 upon its July 22 release. "Right Here," a collaboration with Big Sean, was released as an instant download when the Yours Truly pre-order launched in early August. "Almost Is Never Enough," Grande's duet with Sykes, debuted live on Aug. 10 during Grande's brief stint opening for Justin Bieber on his Believe tour, and it will also appear on the "Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" film soundtrack upon its Aug. 20 release.

Grande's first headlining trek, dubbed the Listening Sessions tour, will play nine theaters and run through Aug. 31. "The next venues will be bigger, and eventually she'll be playing arenas," Walk says.

Grande says she's just happy to be playing live shows as herself while leaving her Nickelodeon alter ego, Cat Valentine, on the small screen. "I've been known for the past few years as a character," she says, "and I wanted 'Yours Truly' to be my way of letting people get to know me as Ariana."

Macklemore Covers Rolling Stone




Quote:
Seattle rapper Macklemore makes his first appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone in our next issue. The cover story, by Brian Hiatt, goes in-depth on the life and career of Ben Haggerty, a.k.a. Macklemore, and his musical partner, Ryan Lewis. Haggerty, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, says that at one point he was so worried about being trivialized as "the 'Thrift Shop' guy" that his sobriety was at risk: "I went through a place of not being happy, getting put in the box of 'This is a novelty rap song,' and being like, 'What did I sign up for'?" But the success of the pro-gay-rights track "Same Love" helped him relax. "The legacy that I'm leaving on the world is more than just a song about second-hand clothes,"

Lewis, meanwhile, acknowledges some concerns about being the lesser-known half of the duo. "I think on the mainstream level, nobody knows what the fuck I am. Am I the DJ? Do I make the beats? Do I rap? Am I singing on tracks? I don't think a lot of people know except real fans who have been around. I mean, you guys, Rolling Stone, don't want to put me on the cover. It's like, you're going to sell more copies with Ben's face. Why is that? Because the general public, based on the way this whole thing's been marketed... are going to be more receptive to 'Macklemore.' The public don't care how the song came together. And I can't change that. So if I have jealousy, deriving from that, then that's just stupid."

Look for the issue on stands and in the iTunes App Store this Friday, August 16th.