It's been a minute since Kesha updated us on the
status of her next album, but she made up for it this week with a
provocative Instagram post that has her fans wildly speculating. "Making
a F--K OFF song with a casual Grammy award winning secret person," she
wrote alongside a serious-looking selfie. "Got a good feeling about this
one."
A spokesperson for the singer could not be reached at press time to
answer Billboard's question about who the mystery collaborator might be,
but that didn't stop fans from emphatically weighing in. Among their
guesses: Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande, with Swift getting the most nods
thanks to a number of fans' observation that Kesha put 13 emojis into
her comment, a number that just happens to be Tay's favorite.
"emojis omg 13 - taylor's lucky number taylor - grammy award winner
------------ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤," read one of the more than 2,600 comments. A
spokesperson for Swift had not returned requests for comment at press
time.
Kesha is working on music for her first album of new material since
2012's Warrior, reportedly delivering 28 new songs to her label earlier
this summer. No information is available yet on the music, which has
been a long time coming in light of the singer's ongoing lawsuit against
former mentor/producer and label boss, Dr. Luke (born Lukasz Sebastian
Gottwald) over allegations that he drugged and raped her and
psychologically abused her from the time she moved to Los Angeles in
2005 to pursue a music career through her breakthrough five years later;
Luke has denied the charges and in August Kesha dropped her sexual
assault claims in New York after earlier dropping them in California.
Swift has supported Kesha in her battle with Luke, donating $250,000 to
the cause in February, to "help with any of her financial needs during
this trying time." Demi Lovato and Lady Gaga have also stood up for
Kesha, who went on a seven-date mini tour this summer during which she
promised to play songs "you've never heard me play before, and songs I
may never play again" with her new band, the Creepies.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
JT Says He's "Absolutely" Down to Collab With Britney Spears
We have a strong feeling that this news is going to be music to your ears.
For anyone who grew up in the ‘90s and early 2000s, chances are you have fond memories of the bond shared between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
So perhaps it wasn't a surprise that when the "Piece of Me" singer recently said that she would like to collaborate with J.T., the Internet and pop culture fans alike freaked out. If you are curious to know what Justin thought of the comment, wonder no more. Ladies and gentlemen, he's totally interested.
"She did? Sure! Absolutely, absolutely," he told E! News' Marc Malkin exclusively at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his Netflix concert documentary film Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids. "I have a 17 month old so I don't get the headline news."
He added, "I apologize for not being in the know…I'm accessible, give us a call!"
Just last month, Britney participated in a fan Q&A for Most Requested Live with Romeo where she was asked to reveal her dream collaborators.
As it turns out, the guy who wrote the breakup ballad "Cry Me A River" was on her list.
"Aerosmith seems really good and bright. He's a genius I think. He's very rock n' roll. He sings from his soul," Britney explained. "Gwen Stefani, I think she's great."
And then she added the most important name (drumroll, please), "Justin Timberlake is very good."
For anyone who grew up in the ‘90s and early 2000s, chances are you have fond memories of the bond shared between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
So perhaps it wasn't a surprise that when the "Piece of Me" singer recently said that she would like to collaborate with J.T., the Internet and pop culture fans alike freaked out. If you are curious to know what Justin thought of the comment, wonder no more. Ladies and gentlemen, he's totally interested.
"She did? Sure! Absolutely, absolutely," he told E! News' Marc Malkin exclusively at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his Netflix concert documentary film Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids. "I have a 17 month old so I don't get the headline news."
He added, "I apologize for not being in the know…I'm accessible, give us a call!"
Just last month, Britney participated in a fan Q&A for Most Requested Live with Romeo where she was asked to reveal her dream collaborators.
As it turns out, the guy who wrote the breakup ballad "Cry Me A River" was on her list.
"Aerosmith seems really good and bright. He's a genius I think. He's very rock n' roll. He sings from his soul," Britney explained. "Gwen Stefani, I think she's great."
And then she added the most important name (drumroll, please), "Justin Timberlake is very good."
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Calvin Harris: 'Not Trying to Put Out an Album, Just Songs'
At the very beginning of 2016, Grammy-winning
producer/DJ Calvin Harris promised fans via social media he had several
new singles on the way this year, and so far ... he's delivered.
Following the success of his collaboration with Rihanna "This Is What
You Came For," which went #1 on charts in Australia, Canada and Ireland
along with reaching multi-platinum status in five countries, Calvin
released his song "Hype" with Dizzee Rascal (who he has worked with in
the past). Now, the 32-year-old Scottish songwriter just released
another new song "My Way," which he has been teasing all week on social
media. But instead of any of the talented artists he's worked with over
the years, his new song features his own vocals, something he's done
before on songs like "Feels So Close" and "Summer."
Calvin opened up about his new single when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ for an exclusive interview. He told us the meaning behind the song, what he's been up to in the studio, and what fans can expect from him for the rest of the year.
On the meaning behind the lyrics for "My Way"
"[The] song's kind of about breaking out of a situation that you thought was a good thing. Then, you're way more comfortable out of it. And it could be anything. It could be a job, or it could be a relationship. I had kind of the idea for the concept for a few years, but I didn't know how to work out how it sounded."
Over the course of his career, Calvin has worked with an impressive list of singers and producers in addition to Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal, including Ellie Goulding, Florence Welch, Ne-Yo, Gwen Stefani, Tinashe, Alesso, Haim, John Newman, Hurts, and more. But he explains that for "My Way," he chose to sing on the song because "the time [was] right." He tells us, "I like to sing on a song every two or three years, or so." He adds, "I just kind of thought it was a bit of a curve ball. I kind of like the idea of just tracking something out without a celebrity guest feature, and I think the vocal works, so why not."
If you've been paying attention to Calvin's social media, then you already know the producer has been in the studio a lot this year. But although he's spending a lot of time there, he tells us, "I've been in the studio a lot. But it doesn't necessarily mean I've been working. I just kind of mess around. Just trying to let the ideas come to me. Just trying to figure out what's going on."
Since these "ideas" are resulting in songs like "This Is What You Came For" and "My Way," we can't wait to hear what else Calvin Harris has up his sleeve. As for what fans can expect for the rest of the year, the DJ says that he's not trying to put an album together, and that he's concentrating on one song at a time.
However, the fandom can expect another collab with Big Sean. Calvin previously teamed up with Big Sean on a track called "Open Wide" from his 2014 album Motion. Now, it looks like the two have collaborated again, and we may just hear this song (hopefully) before the end of the year.
On what new music fans can expect
"This ['My Way'] is probably the last thing I'll put out this year. I did something with Big Sean for him, which he said might be out this year -- which I really hope it is, because I love that. Apart from that, that's it. One song at a time. That's my new mantra. Try to make each song as good as it can possibly be. I'm not trying to do an album. I'm just trying to do good music."
Calvin opened up about his new single when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ for an exclusive interview. He told us the meaning behind the song, what he's been up to in the studio, and what fans can expect from him for the rest of the year.
On the meaning behind the lyrics for "My Way"
"[The] song's kind of about breaking out of a situation that you thought was a good thing. Then, you're way more comfortable out of it. And it could be anything. It could be a job, or it could be a relationship. I had kind of the idea for the concept for a few years, but I didn't know how to work out how it sounded."
Over the course of his career, Calvin has worked with an impressive list of singers and producers in addition to Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal, including Ellie Goulding, Florence Welch, Ne-Yo, Gwen Stefani, Tinashe, Alesso, Haim, John Newman, Hurts, and more. But he explains that for "My Way," he chose to sing on the song because "the time [was] right." He tells us, "I like to sing on a song every two or three years, or so." He adds, "I just kind of thought it was a bit of a curve ball. I kind of like the idea of just tracking something out without a celebrity guest feature, and I think the vocal works, so why not."
If you've been paying attention to Calvin's social media, then you already know the producer has been in the studio a lot this year. But although he's spending a lot of time there, he tells us, "I've been in the studio a lot. But it doesn't necessarily mean I've been working. I just kind of mess around. Just trying to let the ideas come to me. Just trying to figure out what's going on."
Since these "ideas" are resulting in songs like "This Is What You Came For" and "My Way," we can't wait to hear what else Calvin Harris has up his sleeve. As for what fans can expect for the rest of the year, the DJ says that he's not trying to put an album together, and that he's concentrating on one song at a time.
However, the fandom can expect another collab with Big Sean. Calvin previously teamed up with Big Sean on a track called "Open Wide" from his 2014 album Motion. Now, it looks like the two have collaborated again, and we may just hear this song (hopefully) before the end of the year.
On what new music fans can expect
"This ['My Way'] is probably the last thing I'll put out this year. I did something with Big Sean for him, which he said might be out this year -- which I really hope it is, because I love that. Apart from that, that's it. One song at a time. That's my new mantra. Try to make each song as good as it can possibly be. I'm not trying to do an album. I'm just trying to do good music."
Friday, September 23, 2016
Zara,JT,Drake,Calvin,Charlie, 5H & More Reach Platinum Sales
Quote: |
Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling” secured a platinum US certification exactly one month after its release.
It officially attained triple platinum status just over four months from release day. The song, which arrived on May 6, 2016, ascended to triple platinum on September 9, 2016. The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 3 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “Can’t Stop The Feeling” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. |
Quote: |
Zara Larsson & MNEK's "Never Forget You" attains double platinum status in the United States. "Lush Life" reaches gold.
September 6, 2016 brought new US certifications for Zara Larsson’s international hits “Never Forget You” and “Lush Life.” The former, which jointly credits MNEK as a lead artist, earned a double platinum honor. The latter received a gold award. The certifications respectively confirm US unit totals of 2 million and 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. |
Quote: |
The RIAA certifies Drake's "One Dance" up to quadruple platinum.
Through the end of August, Drake’s smash “One Dance” had not officially received a digital singles certification from the RIAA. That changed on September 1, when the RIAA certified Drake’s hit all the way up to quadruple platinum. The quadruple platinum honor confirms a US unit total of at least 4 million. Under the terms of the RIAA’s digital singles program, each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. Drake’s “One Dane” achieves the impression distinction despite not having an official music video. Video streams, as a reminder, do count toward RIAA certifications. |
Quote: |
Calvin
Harris' "This Is What You Came For," which features Rihanna and was
co-written by the infamous Nils Sjoberg, earns a double platinum award.
As promotional attention turns to his new single “My Way,” Calvin Harris can celebrate a multi-platinum certification for his “This Is What You Came For.” The song, which features Rihanna, officially went double platinum on August 31, 2016. The RIAA announced the certification Monday afternoon. The double platinum honor confirms a US unit total of at least 2 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “TIWYCF” peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. |
Quote: |
"Blue Neighbourhood" attains gold status in the United States.
The album responsible for Troye Sivan’s platinum-certified single “Youth” now has a Recording Industry Association of America certification of its own. Sivan’s album “Blue Neighbourhood” is now gold in the United States. “Blue Neighbourhood” received the RIAA gold award on September 16, 2016. The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Under the terms of the RIAA’s albums program, each unit is equal to 1 album sale, 10 track sales or 1500 track streams. |
Quote: |
The
Chainsmokers' "Closer (featuring Halsey)" quickly reaches double
platinum status. Halsey also earns new certifications for four of her
own songs -- and her album.
The Chainsmokers’ “Closer (featuring Halsey)” was released on July 29. On September 14, 2016, it attained double platinum status in the United States. The certification confirms a US unit total of at least 2 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “Closer” was one of several Halsey releases to earn a new certification in the past few weeks. Her radio single “New Americana” officially went platinum (1 million) on August 26, while songs “Hold Me Down,” “Ghost,” “Colors,” and “Gasoline” all earned gold honors (500,000). Her album “Badlands” ascended to platinum status on September 7, confirming 1 million in album units. An album unit is equal to 1 album sale, 10 track sales or 1500 track streams. |
Quote: |
Charlie Puth's current radio single, which features Selena Gomez, goes gold in the United States.
Here is something about which Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez can talk: their collaboration “We Don’t Talk Anymore” is now gold in the United States. The single, which appears on Puth’s “Nine Track Mind,” went gold on August 31, 2016. Under the terms of the RIAA’s digital singles program, the gold certification confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. |
Quote: |
Fifth Harmony's "Work From Home (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)" reaches triple platinum in the United States.
As of September 6, 2016, Fifth Harmony has two triple platinum singles in the United States. Following in the footsteps of “Worth It (featuring Kid Ink),” the group’s “Work From Home (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)” recently earned a triple platinum certification. The certification confirms a US unit total of at least 3 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “Work From Home,” which marked the group’s first Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, appears on the gold-certified “7/27.” |
Quote: |
Melanie Martinez receives another gold certification -- this time for "Carousel."
On September 1, 2016, a third Melanie Martinez song earned gold status in the United States. Following in the footsteps of “Dollhouse” and “Pity Party,” Martinez’ “Carousel” earned the relevant certification from the RIAA. The certification confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. All three gold-certified Melanie Martinez songs appear on her gold-certified album “Cry Baby.” |
Quote: |
Fifth Harmony's "7/27" album earns a gold certification. Single "All In My Head (Flex)" also goes gold.
In addition to a triple platinum honor for “Work From Home,” September 6 brought a pair of gold certifications for Fifth Harmony. The group’s “7/27” went gold under the RIAA’s album program, while “All In My Head (Flex) (featuring Fetty Wap)” went gold as a single. Both confirm US unit totals of at least 500,000. Album units are equal to 1 album sale, 10 track sales or 1500 track streams. Single units are equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “7/27” is Fifth Harmony’s second straight gold album. |
Quote: |
Selena Gomez' "Kill Em With Kindess" earns a gold certification under the RIAA's digital singles program.
“Kill Em With Kindness” has officially earned a certification from the RIAA. The Selena Gomez single attained gold status on August 26, 2016. Under the terms of the RIAA’s digital singles program, the gold certification confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “KEWK” appears on Gomez’ platinum-certified album “Revival.” |
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" Goes Platinum
Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” which
recently hit #1 on the Mediabase pop and hot adult contemporary airplay
charts, is officially platinum in the United States.
“Send My Love” earned the RIAA certification on September 14.
The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 1 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams.
“Send My Love” appears on Adele’s blockbuster album “25.” The RIAA currently labels the album as 8x platinum, but Columbia Records says it is actually diamond (10x platinum) in the United States.
“Hello,” the lead single from “25,” is certified up to 6x platinum.
“Send My Love” earned the RIAA certification on September 14.
The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 1 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams.
“Send My Love” appears on Adele’s blockbuster album “25.” The RIAA currently labels the album as 8x platinum, but Columbia Records says it is actually diamond (10x platinum) in the United States.
“Hello,” the lead single from “25,” is certified up to 6x platinum.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Hilary Duff’s Next Record Will Sound “Darker”
Hilary Duff is working on her Breathe In. Breathe Out. followup, and it will sound “darker” and “heavier.”
Duff let a lot of us down when she abruptly stopped promoting her last record because, according to her, she didn’t have the energy to be a pop star. “I’m not going to be on a world tour and be the top of the charts because I don’t have the time to put in and that’s not what’s important to me,” she said back in February. “Also, I didn’t have time to really give it the push that it needed with press and going around and promoting it.”
It appears Duff found the inspiration she needed to get back out there. She aligned herself with Scooter Braun, who manages Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Tori Kelly and many more, and confirmed new music is in the works.
“I was in the studio a few weeks ago, and I tend to do this a few weeks before filming… Just during the season it kind of helps me get excited for the possibility of making a new record or having something to play people,” she told E! News, adding there’s no set date of when she’ll release the new stuff (sidenote: by now the quote is old, but slipped through the cracks and, well… it deserves your undivided attention).
“It’s a bit of a darker tone,” she added. “The one I teased [on Snapchat] is called ‘Tied to You.’ It has a little big of a heavier, darker sound. But it changes all the time.”
In June, Duff assured fans she’ll continue to put forth new material when the time is right.
“Music is such a part of my life and my makeup, though, that I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing it,” she said. “I just don’t think it’ll ever be on the scale that it used to be.”
Duff let a lot of us down when she abruptly stopped promoting her last record because, according to her, she didn’t have the energy to be a pop star. “I’m not going to be on a world tour and be the top of the charts because I don’t have the time to put in and that’s not what’s important to me,” she said back in February. “Also, I didn’t have time to really give it the push that it needed with press and going around and promoting it.”
It appears Duff found the inspiration she needed to get back out there. She aligned herself with Scooter Braun, who manages Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Tori Kelly and many more, and confirmed new music is in the works.
“I was in the studio a few weeks ago, and I tend to do this a few weeks before filming… Just during the season it kind of helps me get excited for the possibility of making a new record or having something to play people,” she told E! News, adding there’s no set date of when she’ll release the new stuff (sidenote: by now the quote is old, but slipped through the cracks and, well… it deserves your undivided attention).
“It’s a bit of a darker tone,” she added. “The one I teased [on Snapchat] is called ‘Tied to You.’ It has a little big of a heavier, darker sound. But it changes all the time.”
In June, Duff assured fans she’ll continue to put forth new material when the time is right.
“Music is such a part of my life and my makeup, though, that I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing it,” she said. “I just don’t think it’ll ever be on the scale that it used to be.”
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Ariana Grande Sued over 'One Last Time'
If
the hook in Ariana Grande's hit song, "One Last Time," sounds familiar
that's because she jacked it from a song that came out 2 years earlier
... according to a new lawsuit.
Songwriter Alex Greggs says he wrote, and holds the copyright on the 2012 tune, "Takes All Night" ... an EDM track for Skye Stevens. In the suit, Greggs says Ariana and David Guetta -- who produced "One Last Time" -- duplicated the most memorable part of his song ... the chorus! Greggs is a heavy hitter, who's worked with Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and both Jacksons -- Janet and Michael -- and says Ariana copied his music as well as lyrics, like ... "take(s) [or taking] you home." He's suing for a cut of the profits from AG's track, a top 20 hit in 2014. Go ahead and play juror ... check out both tunes. |
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Jessie J beats copyright appeal over smash hit 'Domino'
The songwriters behind Jessie J's hit "Domino"
didn't steal their melody from a Santa Barbara indie band, according to a
9th Circuit ruling published Friday.
The legal battle began in 2012 when Will Loomis sued Jessica Cornish, known as Jessie J, along with Universal Music Group. He claimed the singer's hit song "Domino" copied a two-measure vocal melody from his song “Bright Red Chords.”
In 2013, the district court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment in its entirety, finding that Loomis didn't put forth sufficient admissible evidence to establish that Jessie and her songwriting team, including embattled producer Dr. Luke, had access to his song.
Now, nearly three years later, the 9th Circuit has upheld that decision.
Loomis had argued that multiple intermediaries could have passed his song on to the "Domino" songwriters. One theory involved his former guitarist Casey Hooper later working with Katy Perry who worked with Dr. Luke. The panel didn't buy it.
"Nothing in the record shows the requisite nexus between Hooper and the Domino songwriters except for Loomis’s own speculation," writes Circuit Judge Richard Clifton.
The panel further found that, despite some attention from MTV, "Bright Red Chords" was never widely disseminated or commercially successful -- noting that "Loomis was able to provide to the district court documentation of only 46 sales of the recording."
The panel found that Loomis' claims, had they been substantiated, might have survived summary judgment. "The problem is that it was not supported by potentially admissible evidence," writes Clifton. "At bottom, the record consists primarily of Loomis’s speculations of access unsupported by personal knowledge. The other evidence did not fill the breach."
As access could not be proven, neither court reached the question of whether the two songs are substantially similar.
Defendants were represented by Jeffrey M. Movit, Christine Lepera and Elaine K. Kim, of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. Loomis was represented by attorney Michael Gross.
The legal battle began in 2012 when Will Loomis sued Jessica Cornish, known as Jessie J, along with Universal Music Group. He claimed the singer's hit song "Domino" copied a two-measure vocal melody from his song “Bright Red Chords.”
In 2013, the district court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment in its entirety, finding that Loomis didn't put forth sufficient admissible evidence to establish that Jessie and her songwriting team, including embattled producer Dr. Luke, had access to his song.
Now, nearly three years later, the 9th Circuit has upheld that decision.
Loomis had argued that multiple intermediaries could have passed his song on to the "Domino" songwriters. One theory involved his former guitarist Casey Hooper later working with Katy Perry who worked with Dr. Luke. The panel didn't buy it.
"Nothing in the record shows the requisite nexus between Hooper and the Domino songwriters except for Loomis’s own speculation," writes Circuit Judge Richard Clifton.
The panel further found that, despite some attention from MTV, "Bright Red Chords" was never widely disseminated or commercially successful -- noting that "Loomis was able to provide to the district court documentation of only 46 sales of the recording."
The panel found that Loomis' claims, had they been substantiated, might have survived summary judgment. "The problem is that it was not supported by potentially admissible evidence," writes Clifton. "At bottom, the record consists primarily of Loomis’s speculations of access unsupported by personal knowledge. The other evidence did not fill the breach."
As access could not be proven, neither court reached the question of whether the two songs are substantially similar.
Defendants were represented by Jeffrey M. Movit, Christine Lepera and Elaine K. Kim, of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. Loomis was represented by attorney Michael Gross.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Selena Gomez is taking time off
Selena Gomez needs some time away from the spotlight.
The singer, who recently wrapped up her Revival world tour, released a statement today to explain to fans that she's decided to take some time off to focus on her health and the unfortunate side effects of her lupus diagnosis. "As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," the 24-year-old told People, who first reported the story. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges." She continues, "I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues." The young singer broke her silence on her lupus diagnosis during an interview with Billboard magazine for their October 2015 issue, where she also revealed that she'd been keeping an even bigger secret—she went through chemotherapy. "I was diagnosed with lupus, and I've been through chemotherapy. That's what my break was really about. I could've had a stroke," Gomez tells the magazine of her time spent away last year, which caused a flurry of speculation as to what caused her decision to stay MIA. "I wanted so badly to say, 'You guys have no idea. I'm in chemotherapy. You're assholes.' I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again," she recalled. Kenneth M. Farber, the co-CEO and co-president of the Lupus Research Alliance, tells People, "it is not commonly known that depression, anxiety and panic attacks can be side effects of lupus. We are so proud of Selena for taking care of herself and bringing awareness to this sometimes very misunderstood illness." Furthermore, a source tells the mag that Gomez's time off has nothing to do with "alcohol or substance abuse," and explains that Selena just "hadn't felt like herself" lately. "She feels relieved that she can now make more sense of why she was feeling the way she was and is optimistic about the future." |
source
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Fergie's Paper Interview
"I've never gone viral before!" Fergie exclaims.
“My video has 70 million views -- what the hell is that?!" The video
she's referring to is for “M.I.L.F. $," the sexy, dairy-drenched,
motherhood-celebrating lead single off her ever-so-close-to-
being-released new album, Double Dutchess. It's been a decade since the
release of her cheeky, genre-hopping, multi-platinum solo album, The
Dutchess; seven years since her marriage to actor Josh Duhamel; five
years since her group The Black Eyed Peas, an electro-pop- rap colossus,
went on hiatus; three years since the birth of her son Axl Jack and two
years since she began building the new album. “If everyone's wondering
what the hell's been going on all this time, I'm not sitting drinking
mimosas on some balcony," laughs Fergie, putting it mildly.
When Fergie (née Stacy Ann Ferguson) joined The Black Eyed Peas way back in 2003, she had been living at her mother's house in Los Angeles, with all of her possessions in storage. She had spent the last year in therapy, trying to regroup after overcoming the crystal meth addiction that precipitated the breakup of her first band, Wild Orchid. Ready to begin work on a solo music career, she reached out to group leader will.i.am, whom she met years earlier when Wild Orchid opened for The Black Eyed Peas. She needed a producer, and he needed female vocals for The Peas' nearly completed third album, Elephunk. Their creative chemistry was off the charts, and after she contributed powerhouse lead vocals to “Shut Up," will.i.am., along with fellow members apl.de.ap and Taboo, asked her to become a formal member of the group.
Up to that moment,The Black Eyed Peas had been critically well-regarded for their quirky, socially conscious backpack rap, but the group didn't really find a mainstream audience until Fergie entered the equation. She had the range as a performer and a writer to complement and enhance the band's genre-bending sound, which incorporated hip-hop, pop and proto-EDM. She could go from sex kitten to swagged-out tomboy; she could rap; she could croon like a pop princess and she could wail like Nancy Wilson (the fact that she's gorgeous didn't hurt, either).
By 2011, having won every possible award, broken several chart records, played the Super Bowl and circled the globe countless times with the Peas, Fergie had to get off tour. “My husband and I wanted to start a family -- it's crazy going from city to city like that, and to be honest, I was really burnt out," she recalls. After The Black Eyed Peas announced their hiatus, Fergie bought a home with her husband and began the hard work of acclimating herself to civilian life. “It was like peeling back layers from an onion," she says. “It was relearning how to live." She continues, “I'm living with my husband for the first time as a couple, and all of a sudden I'm not living out of travel bags -- that took a while, because it always felt like I was about to leave at any second. I was like, 'No, I can actually have drawers that look like drawers.' It's such a weird thing to explain to people, but it was just my reality."
In 2013, the couple welcomed their son Axl into the world in the midst of a full home renovation, and after navigating the white-knuckle survival phase that all new parents must endure, Fergie was ready to start adding the layers back. She created a granular schedule to block out time for the important elements of her life, so that when work returned, the life she had built would be protected. Baby time. Alone time. Husband time. Family time. Workouts. Eventually, studio time. “Those are non-negotiable," she says, soberly.“ Everything needs to have a little ebb and flow, but I gotta hold this shit together." She adds, “I thank the Lord for Google Calendar. Mine's color-coordinated and has a category called 'basic human functions,' because otherwise I wouldn't have time to eat!"
By the next year, the inevitable question arose: another baby, or another album? “My husband was really the one who encouraged me," she beams. “He said, 'It's who you are, and I want to see you onstage again.'" So it began. Re-learning how to dance in heels was added to the calendar. She got into the studio with DJ Mustard in 2014 and put out “L.A. Love (La La)," an utterly infectious slow-tempo hip-pop strut that featured shoutouts to the better part of an atlas and helped recontextualize Fergie's brand of sassy braggadocio for the post-Iggy Azalea landscape.“It was great to reach out and say, 'Hi! I'm here,'" she laughs, “'This is what I do and who I am, and what's up everybody in every fucking country!'" She adds, “Doing the video was good, because I got to put on the Jean Paul Gaultier and feel hot again and feel that part of me." She contemplated releasing her album that same year, but decided she just wasn't ready yet. "I told people back then -- next time I come out, I'm going to have the whole album done."
So she went into what she calls her "creative cave," and began building the new album track by track. In June, she reemerged with two stylish, black-and-white teaser clips for a moody, trunk-rattling track called "Hungry," which depicted the singer chopping her long signature locks into a chic bob and opened with the line,"To say it's complicated / understatement of the year." This uncharacteristically eerie, hard-hitting track, alongside the decidedly sophisticated image makeover, heralded the arrival of Fergie 2.0. The album's release date is still being finalized, but fans got another taste of what's in store when Fergie released her booty-bouncing, matriarchal banger,"M.I.L.F.$."
The video takes place in the candy-colored, '50s-flavored suburban idyll of MILFville (altered for Fergie's purposes from its objectifying original meaning to Moms I'd Like to Follow), and stars a megawatt cast of lingerie-clad celebrity moms like Ciara, Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen as well as a full September issue's worth of supermodels like Alessandra Ambrosio and Amber Valletta. There are milk showers, pimped-out strollers, breastfeeding breaks and gallons of dairy puns. Fergie, clad in latex, struts her way through a variety of sexy, high-camp set pieces ,as she indulges in a luxurious milk bath, pulls a shift as a waitress at a diner that serves “MILF shakes" and reins in a classroom of rowdy teenage boys as a ruler-slapping Betty Page- style professor. Sure, it's a veritable neutron bomb of viral content, but its underlying message is one of empowerment.
“I wanted it to be liberating," she says. “I knew it was going to be campy and with a wink to the audience -- true to my DNA for sure -- but with the underlying message of strength." She continues, "Just because you're a mom doesn't mean that's all that defines you, and so the underlying message is 'Just be who you are.'" It's no small feat to just be who you are when who you are is a wife, a mother and an international pop sensation, but when her son got to see her perform for the very first time at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles this past July, she knew she was in the right place. "That was such a magical moment in my life, seeing Axl in the crowd, waving" she says, her eyes welling with emotion. "The person I've worked so hard to become in my career, my destiny to be an entertainer, was matching up with my destiny to have a family and be a mom.Those two worlds connected in that moment, and I thought to myself, 'We got this.'"
When Fergie (née Stacy Ann Ferguson) joined The Black Eyed Peas way back in 2003, she had been living at her mother's house in Los Angeles, with all of her possessions in storage. She had spent the last year in therapy, trying to regroup after overcoming the crystal meth addiction that precipitated the breakup of her first band, Wild Orchid. Ready to begin work on a solo music career, she reached out to group leader will.i.am, whom she met years earlier when Wild Orchid opened for The Black Eyed Peas. She needed a producer, and he needed female vocals for The Peas' nearly completed third album, Elephunk. Their creative chemistry was off the charts, and after she contributed powerhouse lead vocals to “Shut Up," will.i.am., along with fellow members apl.de.ap and Taboo, asked her to become a formal member of the group.
Up to that moment,The Black Eyed Peas had been critically well-regarded for their quirky, socially conscious backpack rap, but the group didn't really find a mainstream audience until Fergie entered the equation. She had the range as a performer and a writer to complement and enhance the band's genre-bending sound, which incorporated hip-hop, pop and proto-EDM. She could go from sex kitten to swagged-out tomboy; she could rap; she could croon like a pop princess and she could wail like Nancy Wilson (the fact that she's gorgeous didn't hurt, either).
By 2011, having won every possible award, broken several chart records, played the Super Bowl and circled the globe countless times with the Peas, Fergie had to get off tour. “My husband and I wanted to start a family -- it's crazy going from city to city like that, and to be honest, I was really burnt out," she recalls. After The Black Eyed Peas announced their hiatus, Fergie bought a home with her husband and began the hard work of acclimating herself to civilian life. “It was like peeling back layers from an onion," she says. “It was relearning how to live." She continues, “I'm living with my husband for the first time as a couple, and all of a sudden I'm not living out of travel bags -- that took a while, because it always felt like I was about to leave at any second. I was like, 'No, I can actually have drawers that look like drawers.' It's such a weird thing to explain to people, but it was just my reality."
In 2013, the couple welcomed their son Axl into the world in the midst of a full home renovation, and after navigating the white-knuckle survival phase that all new parents must endure, Fergie was ready to start adding the layers back. She created a granular schedule to block out time for the important elements of her life, so that when work returned, the life she had built would be protected. Baby time. Alone time. Husband time. Family time. Workouts. Eventually, studio time. “Those are non-negotiable," she says, soberly.“ Everything needs to have a little ebb and flow, but I gotta hold this shit together." She adds, “I thank the Lord for Google Calendar. Mine's color-coordinated and has a category called 'basic human functions,' because otherwise I wouldn't have time to eat!"
By the next year, the inevitable question arose: another baby, or another album? “My husband was really the one who encouraged me," she beams. “He said, 'It's who you are, and I want to see you onstage again.'" So it began. Re-learning how to dance in heels was added to the calendar. She got into the studio with DJ Mustard in 2014 and put out “L.A. Love (La La)," an utterly infectious slow-tempo hip-pop strut that featured shoutouts to the better part of an atlas and helped recontextualize Fergie's brand of sassy braggadocio for the post-Iggy Azalea landscape.“It was great to reach out and say, 'Hi! I'm here,'" she laughs, “'This is what I do and who I am, and what's up everybody in every fucking country!'" She adds, “Doing the video was good, because I got to put on the Jean Paul Gaultier and feel hot again and feel that part of me." She contemplated releasing her album that same year, but decided she just wasn't ready yet. "I told people back then -- next time I come out, I'm going to have the whole album done."
So she went into what she calls her "creative cave," and began building the new album track by track. In June, she reemerged with two stylish, black-and-white teaser clips for a moody, trunk-rattling track called "Hungry," which depicted the singer chopping her long signature locks into a chic bob and opened with the line,"To say it's complicated / understatement of the year." This uncharacteristically eerie, hard-hitting track, alongside the decidedly sophisticated image makeover, heralded the arrival of Fergie 2.0. The album's release date is still being finalized, but fans got another taste of what's in store when Fergie released her booty-bouncing, matriarchal banger,"M.I.L.F.$."
The video takes place in the candy-colored, '50s-flavored suburban idyll of MILFville (altered for Fergie's purposes from its objectifying original meaning to Moms I'd Like to Follow), and stars a megawatt cast of lingerie-clad celebrity moms like Ciara, Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen as well as a full September issue's worth of supermodels like Alessandra Ambrosio and Amber Valletta. There are milk showers, pimped-out strollers, breastfeeding breaks and gallons of dairy puns. Fergie, clad in latex, struts her way through a variety of sexy, high-camp set pieces ,as she indulges in a luxurious milk bath, pulls a shift as a waitress at a diner that serves “MILF shakes" and reins in a classroom of rowdy teenage boys as a ruler-slapping Betty Page- style professor. Sure, it's a veritable neutron bomb of viral content, but its underlying message is one of empowerment.
“I wanted it to be liberating," she says. “I knew it was going to be campy and with a wink to the audience -- true to my DNA for sure -- but with the underlying message of strength." She continues, "Just because you're a mom doesn't mean that's all that defines you, and so the underlying message is 'Just be who you are.'" It's no small feat to just be who you are when who you are is a wife, a mother and an international pop sensation, but when her son got to see her perform for the very first time at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles this past July, she knew she was in the right place. "That was such a magical moment in my life, seeing Axl in the crowd, waving" she says, her eyes welling with emotion. "The person I've worked so hard to become in my career, my destiny to be an entertainer, was matching up with my destiny to have a family and be a mom.Those two worlds connected in that moment, and I thought to myself, 'We got this.'"
Sunday, September 11, 2016
JT Accused of Using Britney Spears for Publicity/Sympathy
Britney
Spears and Justin Timberlake may have split 14 years ago, but he’s
still being accused of using their past relationship for publicity.
The latest Britney and Justin drama happened after Timberlake appeared to reference his Spears breakup in a new interview with Vogue Italy, where he seemingly accused Spears of making him “suffer” during their 2002 split.
Justin didn’t mention Britney by name in the magazine, though BreatheHeavy.com claimed that Timberlake got seriously candid about the pain that went into writing his 2002 breakup anthem “Cry Me A River,” which has long been rumored to be about his and Spears’ bitter breakup.
The site reported that Justin was asked by the magazine if an artist must be “depressed” and “tormented” to create authentic music, to which Timberlake had a pretty interesting response.
“It depends. In the past, suffering helped me write,” Justin told the magazine according to translation provided by the site, dishing on the “moment of pain” that allowed him to write the Britney breakup track.
“‘Cry Me a River’ was written in a moment of pain,” he said, seemingly confirming reports that Spears influenced the song by adding, “and the whole world knew.”
Justin didn’t explicitly say Britney’s name, though his alluding to their past relationship was enough for Lainey Gossip and a number of other outlets to accuse the star of using Spears and their past relationship to sell his latest project, Trolls.
“As much as [Justin] refuses to admit that he would be nothing without Britney, that hasn’t stopped him from using her, still, after all this time, whenever it’s convenient,” the site said.
The gossip site then pointed out Timberlake’s latest Britney relationship reference in the pages of Vogue Italy, claiming that it came “out of f****** nowhere.”
“[Timberlake] could have answered a thousand different ways… But he chose to go there. He chose to invoke Britney,” the site fired off almost 15 years after the breakup. “You need Britney’s help to sell your movie, boy? Is that what this is?”
BreatheHeavy.com also teased Timberlake about mentioning his relationship with Spears, asking Justin, “Still talking about it, King?”
Britney fans were also quick to take aim at Justin on social media for seemingly heading back more than a decade to his Spears romance.
“He’s such a cry baby,” Spears fan @H85Mak said of Timberlake in lieu of his “suffering” accusations, while @KQEDPop tweeted, “When will Justin Timberlake stop bringing up Britney’s cheating for sympathy? (Never).”
Britney and Justin have had little interaction after they split after five years together in 2002, though Spears did speak about Justin in 2011 with USA Today where she claimed that her ex-boyfriend actually “inspires” her.
“Justin [is so different and fresh],” Britney told the site of how she really feels about Timberlake five years ago. “It’s inspiring for me, and it makes people eager to listen to music, which helps everyone.”
Justin also got candid about his relationship, and breakup, with Spears in a 2011 interview, where he admitted that he and Spears hadn’t spoken since they sensationally split more than a decade ago.
“We were two birds of the same feather — small-town kids, doing the same thing” Timberlake said of Spears in an interview with Vanity Fair. “Then you become adults, and the way you were as kids doesn’t make any sense. We spent way too much time being the biggest thing for teenyboppers.”
Justin also shot down reports suggesting there could have been bad blood between himself and Britney following the split, which was rumored to have been instigated after Spears cheated on the singer.
“I wish her the best — that goes without saying,” Timberlake said of Britney.
What do you think of Justin Timberlake alluding to his 2002 breakup with Britney Spears?
The latest Britney and Justin drama happened after Timberlake appeared to reference his Spears breakup in a new interview with Vogue Italy, where he seemingly accused Spears of making him “suffer” during their 2002 split.
Justin didn’t mention Britney by name in the magazine, though BreatheHeavy.com claimed that Timberlake got seriously candid about the pain that went into writing his 2002 breakup anthem “Cry Me A River,” which has long been rumored to be about his and Spears’ bitter breakup.
The site reported that Justin was asked by the magazine if an artist must be “depressed” and “tormented” to create authentic music, to which Timberlake had a pretty interesting response.
“It depends. In the past, suffering helped me write,” Justin told the magazine according to translation provided by the site, dishing on the “moment of pain” that allowed him to write the Britney breakup track.
“‘Cry Me a River’ was written in a moment of pain,” he said, seemingly confirming reports that Spears influenced the song by adding, “and the whole world knew.”
Justin didn’t explicitly say Britney’s name, though his alluding to their past relationship was enough for Lainey Gossip and a number of other outlets to accuse the star of using Spears and their past relationship to sell his latest project, Trolls.
“As much as [Justin] refuses to admit that he would be nothing without Britney, that hasn’t stopped him from using her, still, after all this time, whenever it’s convenient,” the site said.
The gossip site then pointed out Timberlake’s latest Britney relationship reference in the pages of Vogue Italy, claiming that it came “out of f****** nowhere.”
“[Timberlake] could have answered a thousand different ways… But he chose to go there. He chose to invoke Britney,” the site fired off almost 15 years after the breakup. “You need Britney’s help to sell your movie, boy? Is that what this is?”
BreatheHeavy.com also teased Timberlake about mentioning his relationship with Spears, asking Justin, “Still talking about it, King?”
Britney fans were also quick to take aim at Justin on social media for seemingly heading back more than a decade to his Spears romance.
“He’s such a cry baby,” Spears fan @H85Mak said of Timberlake in lieu of his “suffering” accusations, while @KQEDPop tweeted, “When will Justin Timberlake stop bringing up Britney’s cheating for sympathy? (Never).”
Britney and Justin have had little interaction after they split after five years together in 2002, though Spears did speak about Justin in 2011 with USA Today where she claimed that her ex-boyfriend actually “inspires” her.
“Justin [is so different and fresh],” Britney told the site of how she really feels about Timberlake five years ago. “It’s inspiring for me, and it makes people eager to listen to music, which helps everyone.”
Justin also got candid about his relationship, and breakup, with Spears in a 2011 interview, where he admitted that he and Spears hadn’t spoken since they sensationally split more than a decade ago.
“We were two birds of the same feather — small-town kids, doing the same thing” Timberlake said of Spears in an interview with Vanity Fair. “Then you become adults, and the way you were as kids doesn’t make any sense. We spent way too much time being the biggest thing for teenyboppers.”
Justin also shot down reports suggesting there could have been bad blood between himself and Britney following the split, which was rumored to have been instigated after Spears cheated on the singer.
“I wish her the best — that goes without saying,” Timberlake said of Britney.
What do you think of Justin Timberlake alluding to his 2002 breakup with Britney Spears?
The Killers started recording their new new album Friday
|
Well July turned to September
Sorry about the long ass wait. I have been extremely busy. I was upgraded to 68 hours a week at work for 2 weeks then being on 56 hours a week since last August. Now I have to deal with new hour changes that are not in my favor at all. I seriously about to quit that god forsaken job. It's been so freaking insane and I am still a temp. Anyways I do have a bunch of stuff I do want to post but I am going to have space them out. I WILL be more committed to this blog and the sister blog I have going. I also have a new YouTube channel I'm trying to get going that deals with gaming. However, my #1 Priority is to find a better job than the one I have right now. I should have a handle on things by the end of the month. Lastly I just want to thank every single person who has visited and commented on this blog. It means a lot me.
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