Get Fit for London 2012

The music and fitness plan for a stronger, healthier you.

Get Fit is the title designed and timed to help inspire and motivate you for the New Year as thoughts turn to getting fit and losing those excess pounds acquired over the Christmas period.

In association with London 2012, Get Fit is full of music that has been specifically chosen by the brains behind The Workout Mix. The music sequencing ensures a steady pace of training, quickening as it progresses, and then finishing with a wind down period at the end.

Inside, an informative fold out poster booklet gives you useful training tips!

Get Fit: the music & fitness plan for a stronger, healthier you

1. Taio Cruz – Dynamite – Radio Edit
2. Noisettes – Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go) – Radio Edit
3. Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game – K Klassik Radio Mix
4. CeCe Peniston – Finally Album Version
5. Brothers In Rhythm – Such A Good Feeling – Radio Mix
6. Yazz, The Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up
7. Sugababes – Hole In The Head – Clean Radio Edit
8. Bodyrockers – I Like The Way – Radio Edit
9. Pixie Lott Boys And Girls – Album Version
10. The Hughes Corporation – What A Feeling – Radio Edit
11. Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now – Album Version
12. The Saturdays – Just Can’t Get Enough – Radio Mix
13. Sonique – It Feels So Good – Radio Edit
14. Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta Get Thru This – Radio Edit
15. Girls Aloud – Jump
16. Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money – Edited Single Version
17. Michael Sembello – Maniac
18. Lighthouse Family – Lifted

Get Fit: the music & fitness plan for a stronger, healthier you is out now released by Universal Music.

Eliza Doolittle

UK charity Bottletop is proud to announce the release of the new single from their star-studded musical collective The Bottletop Band.

‘One In a Million’ featuring Eliza Doolittle (released on June 27) is the second track to be released from their upcoming debut album Dream Service (to be released on August 8 2011).

The release follows 2010’s hugely successful free download ‘Fall of Rome’, featuring the talents of Carl Barat, Drew McConnell and Andy Nicholson.

‘One in a Million’ is every inch the eclectic fusion you’d expect of an international collaboration recorded across studio sessions in London, Brazil and America. Eliza Doolittle’s mellow vocals slide across an elastic bassline, and neo-Tropicalia organ fills permeate a groove as taunt as it is hazy.

As with the entirety of Dream Service, the single is mixed by Mario Caldato Junior- the man known as the fourth Beastie Boy, having produced most of the group’s back catalogue- who has spearheaded the Bottletop Band project.

The Bottletop Band is a cross-pollination of the sounds and stars of Brazilian music with a host of like-minded British musicians. As such, artists involved in the record include the likes of Carl Barât, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Money Mark, VV Brown, Babyshambles, Sam Sparro, Fink, Reverend and The Makers, Eliza Doolittle and Tim Burgess. All have worked with a range of Brazil’s finest musicians and producers over a two year period between London, Rio and LA.

The Bottletop charity supports grass roots education projects, empowering young people to take control of their lives. It supports initiatives in Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Mozambique and the UK, addressing key issues such as sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and gender equality. Bottletop also designs and produces ethically sourced and environmentally friendly fashion products, generating employment in Salvador, Brazil, where they produce products which are retailed across Europe. Well-known fans of Bottletop accessories include Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Annie Lennox and Rachel Weisz.

The album will launch with the exclusive Bottletop Festival at Selfridges Oxford Street store on June 30th, set to include live in-store performances from the collaborating artists. This event will be followed by two afternoons of live music programmed specially by Bottletop on the subsequent Saturdays of 9th & 16th July.

With a limited edition Bottletop Band guitar strap and t-shirt set to accompany the album, the band themselves are planning to take the album into the live arena.

Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor - Deluxe and Collector's 10th anniversary editions

Originally released in June 2001, Songs in A Minor sold more than 11 million albums worldwide and earned Alicia Keys win her first five, of 14 total, Grammy® Awards including Best New Artist, Best Song of the Year for “Fallin,” and Best R&B Album.

On Monday, 27th June, MBK/J Records/Legacy Recordings will release new Deluxe and Collector’s 10th anniversary editions of Alicia Keys’ Songs in A Minor, the groundbreaking debut album masterpiece that propelled a then-teen-aged Keys into international stardom in 2001.

Available in a 2-CD Deluxe Edition and a 2-CD/1-DVD Collector’s Edition, the 10th Anniversary sets include songs in A minor era bonus tracks, demos, live performances and more, hand-picked by Alicia for her fans for these editions.

The two disc Deluxe Edition will include the original songs in A minor in its entirety in addition to a second disc featuring two previously unreleased recordings: the original funky blues demo for “If I Was Your Woman” and an early version of “Typewriter,” recorded in Alicia’s Harlem apartment in 1997.  The second disc also features hard-to-find rarities from the era including “A Woman’s Worth” (Remix) featuring Nas, “Juiciest” (Mixtape version), “Fallin’” (“Ali” Soundtrack Version) and “Butterflyz” (The Drumline Mix).

The enhanced second CD in the Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition of Songs in A Minor includes “A Harlem Love Story,” the story behind the inspiration for the “Fallin’”/”A Woman’s Worth” videos, featuring new narration by Alicia Keys.  The original videos and new edit are directed by Chris Robinson.  (“A Harlem Love Story” may also be found on the Collector’s Edition DVD.)

The three disc 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of Songs in A Minor contains the complete original album and a second CD featuring a treasure trove of album-era collectibles including the previously unreleased tracks “Ghetto Man” (featuring Poet muMs da Schemer), “I Won’t (Crazy World)” (an original song from Alicia’s first demo) and “Girlfriend” (Krucial Keys Sista Girl Mix – The UK Video Remix Edit).

The second CD in the Collector’s Edition showcases three previously unreleased live performances — “I Got A Little Something,” “Piano Mashup,” and a cover of the Doors’ “Light My Life” — recorded in Seattle on August 10, 2002.

The Collector’s Edition of Songs in A Minor also includes an exclusive bonus DVD premiering a revelatory Songs in A Minor documentary offering an up-close account behind the making of the album.  Family, friends and close collaborators share their perspectives on the struggles and triumphs encountered in the making of Alicia’s first record.

The film combines archival footage from the road, television appearances, music videos from Songs in A Minor, rare photographs and more to reveal the intimate and compelling story behind a legendary album.  This documentary is an up-close and behind the scenes account on the making of Alicia Keys’ first album with interviews with family members, friends, J Records executive Clive Davis, original manager Jeff Robinson, longtime collaborator and producing partner Kerry “Krucial” Brothers and many others.

Regarded by many as the stand-out track on their current album, their 11th studio release in their seventeen year career, “Turbulence” is a soaring ballad that reminds the listener that everyone goes through tough times, but things can get better if we can ride through life’s trials and tribulations.

“I have always been a “life is short” guy, so anytime I have the chance to convey that everything is going to be alright – without actually saying it as that’s way overdone – I take it”,  says vocalist and songwriter Jaret Reddick.

The song’s theme was inspired be a conversation Jaret Reddick had with his neighbour, an airline pilot.

“I asked him if he got scared when he was going through a storm and all the passengers were freaking out.  He said it was just like driving a car and turbulence was just like the bumps in the road.”

The metaphor stayed with him and months later, during a ballad writing session with producer Linus of Hollywood, his collaborator mentioned a similar story.

“He said he’d been thinking about how cool it is that everyone on a plane feels turbulence at the same time and it’s something they all go through together, then they all go off and live their own lives when they land.   I said I’d been wanting to write that song for years!”

The track is already receiving praise from fans and music press alike, as well as keen interest in the band from BBC Radio 1 and mainstream media.

“Turbulence is a song you can imagine being sung in great big fields…..the band make a big impact when they are taking themselves more seriously” - Kerrang

After a hugely successful acoustic tour in April, the band return to the UK in June for Download Festival.    Already veterans of the legendary rock and metal festival, Bowling For Soup have become firm favourites with the festival crowd, and proved time and time again that their perennial and ever-growing appeal reaches from teenage pop-punk fans through to hardened metal afficionados as well as mainstream music fans.

Bowling For Soup’s popularity has earned them regular appearances on the main-stage since 2003 and this year they will be one of only a handful of acts playing sets on two stages over the weekend.   In addition to their main-stage set on Sunday June 12th, Jaret and Erik will be headlining the Jagermeister Acoustic Stage on Saturday June 11th.

Inna - Europe’s latest dance-pop sensation

Meet 24 year-old Romanian, Inna – Europe’s latest dance-pop sensation. While you may not know her name already, you will certainly have heard her chart-topping club anthems ‘Amazing’, ‘Hot’ and current UK top 20 single ‘Sun Is Up’.

The past year has seen Inna notch up an impressive list of stats. With an astonishing 150 million+ views on You Tube and 2.1 million Facebook friends, over 1 million records sold (including 350,000+ downloads in the UK), 21 music awards, and a US Billboard chart no. 1 to her name, Inna is gearing up for a promising UK debut album release with her first studio album, ‘Hot’.

Inna, otherwise known as Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu was born and raised in Neptun, one of Romania’s small costal resorts on the Black sea. Having sung from the tender age of eight and been inspired by the likes of Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Shakira, Inna had ambitions for a career in music from a very early age. After a period of dividing her time between getting a good education, (she studied Philosophical Science at University post scoring high grades at high school), and trying to get ahead in the music industry (she entered numerous talent contests, including Romania’s answer to Pop Idol, The Raining Stars, and the Eurovision song contest, to no avail), Inna released her first single ‘Hot’ produced by Romanian dance music producers Play & Win in November 2008.

After topping the airplay charts in Inna’s home country, ‘Hot’ went on to become a huge hit across Europe, going platinum and topping both radio and sales charts in Russia, France, Poland, Greece, Belgium and Netherlands to name a few, while also garnering heat across the Atlantic when it successfully knocked Ke$ha’s ‘Tick Tock’ off the number one spot on US Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay Chart. Within a short space of time, Inna became a household name in numerous European countries, and her music and live performances a firm fixture in clubs worldwide.

Fast forward to 2011 and Inna has notched up three more international hit singles, (with ‘Amazing’, ‘Déjà vu’  ‘Sun Is Up’), a no. 1 album in France and countless awards, (including the 2010 MTV European Music Award for Best Romanian Act), in addition to becoming a press favourite and sex symbol across Europe. Setting a new standard for dance music, Inna has achieved more than any other artist in this field and evolved into nothing short of a dance-pop sensation, in spite of the fact that she has hailed from a country that still has no sales charts or i-Tunes.

Debut UK album “Hot” boasts a collective of infectious floor-filling tracks including previous chart hits and future ones too that have an irresistible party sound perfect for the summer ahead both here and abroad.

Hot by Inna will be released by 3 Beat records on 13th June 2011.

Lady Gaga's New Album, Born This Way

UK fans of Lady Gaga will be able to listen to her new album, Born This Way, from tomorrow, one week before its official release exclusively from Metro.co.uk.

Fans will be able to enjoy Lady Gaga’s much-hyped second album by visiting metro.co.uk/gaga, where the tracks will be streamed on a specially-developed microsite.

Metro.co.uk will be the only place UK residents will be able to listen to the album in full before its official release.

Lady Gaga – Born This Way will be officially released on Tuesday 25th May, 2011.

Armiger has since released two further albums, both of which earned impressive chart positions and further growing the appeal of the young artist across the USA.

She is set to release her latest album Confessions of a Nice Girl on 6th June in the UK, hoping it has the same impression on the Brits as it has on her fellow American countrymen.

On its American release Confessions of a Nice Girl debuted at number11 in the iTunes Album Chart, CosmoGirl featured Katie as their ‘Next Big Thing’ and the media buzz earned her a guest spot on CBS’ Morning Show.

Confessions of a Nice Girl sees Armiger on top form opening with the irrepressibly positive Best Song Ever a song easily capable of standing toe-to-toe with genre big-hitters Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne’s finest efforts. Then Armiger steps things up with the coming-of-age, made-for-radio stomper that is Kiss Me Now.

A song that not only features huge riffs, an irresistible chorus (featuring a brazen Armiger really getting down to business) but also highlights just how much Armiger has grown up since she broke onto the scene five years ago: ‘Put on my high heels / My little red dress…and I don’t care if / You know I’m trying… Let me show you tonight that it’s time we stop messing around / Kiss me now.’

In producer Chad Carlson (Taylor Swift) Armiger’s found the perfect foil for her country-inspired pop rock and it’s his production that catapults this record into position as her best yet. Carlson moves from lush instrumentation through classic arrangements recalling classic Shania Twain and even finds space to combine the traditional and the contemporary (see the dueling mandolin/synthesizer in “Best Song Ever”) to make something truly original.

On Ain’t Gonna Happen Armiger takes the opportunity to show something of her fiercely independent soul with a wry assertion of being “so over” a previous partner. Here is a young woman unafraid to say what she feels, means and wants. With Best Song Ever Katie displays a lyrical talent that belies her youth. Offering up an intelligent and ever-so-slightly ironic commentary on the almost magical nature of hit pop songs in the very format she’s working in. Armiger transcends the throwaway, gears into folk, pop and country and hints at the classic.

Katie Armiger – Best Song Ever

Confessions Of A Nice Girl is the new album from Katie Armiger released on June 6th through Cold River Records.

right said fred

Right Said Fred are back with a flurry of activity, announcing the release of a new single and album both entitled Stop The World, as well as a UK tour and Live DVD.

The brothers Richard and Fred Fairbrass are also popping up all over the place on TV this month having featured on both ITV’s Daybreak and Vanessa Feltz tv show. They will also be making an appearance on this Thursday’s edition of Celebrity Juice.

The band who back in 1992 were the first act since the Beatles to reach No.1 in the USA with a debut single, have decided to take a break from their usual European stadium circuit in order to get back to their roots and connect with their fans on a more intimate basis.

To this end the brothers will be enjoying a Q & A with their audience as well as performing some of their greatest hits, and some newer, more poignant, lovelorn ditties (firmly allaying themselves with English bedfellows like Madness and the Kinks), on the following dates:

April 25th Birmingham O2 Academy3

April 27th London Islington O2 Academy2

April 28th Sheffield O2 Academy2

April 29th Liverpool Guild Of Students, Stanley Theatre

April 30th York Fibbers

May 6th Stockton On Tees The Arc

May 7th Cleethorpes Pleasure Island

May 13th  Huddersfield The Warehouse

May 14th Hull The Piper Club

The boys will be releasing a new DVD and album (both distributed by Universal) as part of a double-pack on April 11th 2011. The DVD, Night Of The Living Fred (An Evening With Right Said Fred), was recently filmed before a packed audience at the Leicester Square Theatre and features the Freds letting their hair down and spilling the beans on sibling rivalry, debauchery at the home of one of the world’s greatest porn-stars and what really happened to that Toblerone bar in the American Hotel in Amsterdam.

The new album Stop The World features twelve new tracks including Stop The World, Trouble With Love, Julianne, Waiting For A Train, Two White Boys, Obvious, Happily Ever After, I Ain’t Your Guy, Feels Like Love, We’re All Criminals, Come Dancing, Raining In England.

Check out the Right Said Fred website to obtain a free copy of Stop The World as well as access to exclusive copies of the Night Of The Living Fred DVD.

Subscribers to the website will be able to enter into a uniquely interactive relationship with Richard and Fred themselves, a process that involves genuine meet and greets as well as exclusive access to the brother’s exclusive photo archive. Richard comments: “We love being connected with our fans and this new website will bring that connection even closer. We plan to use the site to become even more intimately involved than we are at present, both of us will be online and directly in contact with our audience.” Fred adds: “The thing that this enables us to do is keep in touch with fans wherever they are and wherever we are in the world, all the time. We are lucky to be able to perform all over the world, but we can only be in one country at a time. Now we can do a show in Germany and share the experience with the USA, Japan and back home…it’s really exciting.”

The new album Stop The World and DVD Night of the Living Fred are available now, while the single is set for release om May 9th.

The bands debut Happiness entered the UK album charts at number 4 with over 25,000 sales making Hurts the UK’s fastest selling new band of 2010. They have now sold over 500,000 albums worldwide and in the UK, the album has been officially certified Gold.

Throughout Europe, Hurts also earned 14 top 10 iTunes positions including number one’s in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland and Luxembourg, and the album is now gold in the UK, Germany Russia, and Switzerland and Platinum in Poland.

Better Than Love was released as the bands first major single in May last year and has fast become a live favourite. Stated by Hurts as “dance music for depression”, Better Than Love is an upbeat yet dark single which will be released as a Double A Side alongside Illuminated. In stark contrast to Better Than Love, Illuminated is a slow and soft song that leads into a dramatic, emotive chorus.

Hurts – Better Than Love

Their single Wonderful Life has already had over 14 million online plays and in Europe has had great success with a number 1 airplay record in 5 countries to date including Germany, where the single has now sold over 400,000 copies and is certified Gold. Their success has also been matched in Poland where ‘Wonderful Life’ is also a Gold selling single.

Hurts ended 2010 with a bang after winning awards both in the UK and internationally. In Germany, they scooped the prestigious award for ‘Best International Newcomer’ at the Bambi’s (the German BAFTAs) and in the UK, The Sun awarded them the award for ‘Best Bizarre Session of 2010’. They also recently won the award for ‘Best New Band’ at the NME Awards and are nominated for Best International Newcomer at the Echo Awards in Germany next week.

Hurts are currently on a sell-out European tour following their sold out shows in the UK in February. They will be performing their first ever US show at Coachella next month followed by tour dates across Asia, before heading home for a busy summer of festival performances including V Festival, Isle of Wight, T in the Park, Oxegen and Dot To Dot.

The double A side single Illuminated/ Better Than Love is released by Hurts on May 2nd

In addition to classic Sade songs, the must-have album will include three new, never-before heard songs, including Moon & The Sky (featuring Jay-Z). Here for the first time, fans can find all of their favourite Sade classics from all six of their studio albums, including songs from the Best Of collection and the greatest hits taken from Lover’s Rock and Soldier Of Love.

The final tracklisting for The Ultimate Collection will be announced shortly and in the meantime Sade have announced that they will support the album with a tour, opening in Nice, France in April and arriving in the UK at Manchester on May 27th.

The accomplishments of Soldier Of Love so far are astounding. The single, Soldier of Love – which Sade co-produced with Mike Pela, and was written by Sade along with longtime collaborators Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman, and Paul Spencer Denman debuted at number one for three weeks in America and made radio history.

Known for their one of a kind timeless sound, Sade have enjoyed phenomenal success both internationally and stateside throughout the span of their twenty-seven year career. Since the release of their debut album, Diamond Life in 1984 the band has seen all five of their studio albums land in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart selling a total of more than 50 million albums worldwide to date.

They’ve been nominated for American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and have won four Grammy Awards – first in 1986 for Best New Artist, then in 1994 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group for No Ordinary Love, again in 2002 for Best Pop Vocal Album with Lovers Rock and most recently in 2011 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group for Soldier Of Love.

SADE’S UK TOUR DATES:

MAY 2011
Friday 27th – M.E.N Arena Manchester
Sunday 29th – LG Arena Birmingham
Tuesday 31st – The O2 arena London