Now, ultimate pop sensation Alexandra Burke returns with a brand new single ‘Elephant’ featuring Erick Morillo, is due for release via RCA Records on March 12th.

Watch the the new video.

Radio 1's The Official Chart Show with Reggie Yates

Music fans will be able to watch live top ten countdown as BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart Show with Reggie Yates to be available in vision.

The format of BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart with Reggie Yates is set to be transformed next month as the top ten best-selling singles in The Official Chart will be visualised via the Radio 1 website for the first time ever.

From Sunday 26th February Radio 1 listeners will be able to watch the final hour of The Official Chart with Reggie Yates (6-7pm) online, as Reggie counts down the Top 10 singles in The Official Chart. As well as watching Reggie live in the studio, listeners will be able to see the music videos of those artists in the top 10, previous Live Lounge performances and exclusive interviews with artists that are featured in the chart. In addition, listeners will be able to interact visually with the show via Facebook, Twitter and text.

This is the first time the Top 10 has been visualised weekly at the BBC since 2006, when long running weekly music chart show Top of the Pops ceased, having entertained audiences since 1964.

The Official Chart with Reggie Yates on BBC Radio 1 counts down the 40 best-selling singles in the UK and is broadcast every Sunday between 4-7pm.

Ben Cooper, Controller of BBC Radio 1, says:

“This is the Chart Show for the 21st century. I’m very excited about this innovation. Young people will be logging on to listen, watch and take part in the show. I hope that this will be to our young listeners what listening to the chart and waiting to record your favourite pop songs was for another generation.”

Reggie Yates, Radio 1 DJ, comments:

“It’s so exciting that Chart Show listeners can now become Chart Show viewers. For the first time fans will be able to see all the antics and interviews that take place each week on the show in the run up to announcing the No.1 single as well as being able to watch the music videos from the Top 10 artists.”

Martin Talbot, Managing Director of the Official Charts Company, says:

“It feels completely appropriate that Radio 1 should choose to reinvent the concept of the radio show in the year that the Official Singles Chart marks its 60th anniversary. The Official Singles Chart has always reflected changing musical tastes and the evolving ways music fans have bought and enjoyed their music. And Radio 1’s innovation will change the way music and chart fans engage with the weekly Official Chart Show.”

You can watch The Official Chart with Reggie Yates live online from 26th February 2012 at 6pm at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1.

One of the last songs to be produced by the legendary Martin Rushent (The Stranglers, Shirley Bassey, Altered Images, The Buzzcocks and, most famously, the Human League’s ‘Dare’) before his untimely death earlier this year, Boo Shuffle fizzes with energy and is sure to put the band right back in the hit parade where they belong.

With their sassy songs and their referencing of the girl groups of the late fifties The Pipettes had remarkable success. A top ten album in Japan where the single ‘Pull Shapes’ was only kept off the number one spot by J-Lo, top ten radio positions all across Europe, two Top Forty hits in the UK and a Top Ten in the US billboard indies. They played on the main stages at Reading and Glastonbury, blazed a British trail across the states, conquered the world and sold a heap of records. Their second album of ‘Earth Vs The Pipettes‘ saw a move towards the sounds of Chic-inspired seventies disco and eighties chart music, but “Boo Shuffle” sees a return to the fifties / sixties retro vibe of the material that made their name.

Singer and songwriter Ani Saunders says, “The song’s named after my shuffling hamster Boo (RIP) and more or less represents exactly what The Pipettes are about (the song that is, not the hamster). We like to sing pop songs, we like to dance, and we like to have a good time. It’s got dance moves and directions, and it’s the perfect opportunity for everyone to have fun and let go a little. Let’s face it, it’s pretty gloomy out there at the moment and this song always lightens the mood.”

The B-side is a remix by Martin Rushent, who the band are devastated to have lost, having grown close to him and his family during the recording of their album at his home studio. Famed for the album ‘Love And Dancing‘, a remix reinterpretation album of the Human League’s ‘Dare‘ which changed dance music forever, this remix was to have been the start of his second such project, an album of remixes of ‘Earth Vs The Pipettes‘. As Ani says, “It was an honour and a privilege to have worked with Martin. This single is a tribute to him and a big thank you to the whole Rushent family.”

Already a huge live favourite with the band’s fans, “Boo Shuffle” comes complete with a dance moves video made with London’s all girl 60s dance troupe The Actionettes and is odds on to be the number one dance song at parties across the land this Christmas. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to do the boo shuffle!

The Pipettes return with Boo Shuffle tracklisting:
1. Boo Shuffle (Radio Edit) 3.33
2. Boo Shuffle 4.00
3. Stop the Music (Martin Rushent Remix) 3.46

The Pipettes release Boo Shuffle on Fortuna POP! as a 7” vinyl & digital download on 14 November 2011.

For more information visit The Pipettes Website.

Skepta, aka ‘The New King Of Grime’

Skepta, aka ‘The New King Of Grime’, returns this Autumn with his new single ‘Hold On’, the first offering to be taken from his forthcoming album due to be released in Spring 2012.

2011 so far has seen Skepta release his third studio album ‘Doin’ It Again’ and the DJ Whoo Kid hosted mixtape ‘Community Payback’, complete a nationwide headline UK tour, play a number of European festivals over the summer including Glastonbury, be nominated for his 2nd BET Award for ‘Best International Artist’, and perform with P Diddy at his recent Wembley Arena show.

Otherwise known as Joseph Junior Adenuga, the Tottenham born and raised DJ producer and MC, Skepta has played a key role in the elevation of grime to the mainstream masses. With a string of club anthems (such as ‘Duppy’ and ‘Too Many Men’) alongside chart hits  (such as ‘Rescue Me’ and ‘So Alive’) to his name, in addition to a staggering YouTube presence, Skepta’s ability to crossover and provide material for both the underground and more commercial audiences is clear.

Still maintaining a key role in the collective Boy Better Know that includes his brother JME, Skepta has not just continued to produce mixtapes and albums on the scene but further helped to create tracks and provide lyrics for fellow peers such as Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz and most recently Chipmunk, when featuring on the track ‘Decorations on my Body’ taken from Chipmunk’s recently released mixtape ‘Spazzz.com’.

Combining an infectious chorus with Skepta’s signature lyrical prowess over a dirty bass line, ‘Hold On’ is not only a dynamic club track with huge anthemic potential, but is arguably his most radio-friendly release to date. The video to ‘Hold On’ favours an Olympic theme showing Skepta in preparation for the 2012 Olympics and featuring cameos from Olympic medallist Darren Campbell and UK actor Richie Campbell, (Anuvahood).

‘Hold On’ will be released on 28th November 2011 by 3 Beat/ All Around The World. In the run up to the release, Skepta is set to embark ‘The Wedding Bells Tour’ – his second headline nationwide UK tour this year. Dates as follows:

Skepta UK Tour Dates

Fri 7th OCT: GLASGOW ABC
Sat 8th OCT: NEWCASTLE ACADEMY
Mon 10th OCT: LEEDS STYLUS
Tues 11th OCT: MANCHESTER ACADEMY
Thurs 13th OCT: SHEFFIELD ACADEMY
Fri 14th OCT: LEICESTER ACADEMY
Sat 15th OCT: NORWICH WATERFRONT
Sun 16th OCT: BRIGHTON CONCORDE
Mon 17th OCT: BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE
Tues 18th OCT: LIVERPOOL ACADEMY
Wed 19th OCT: BRISTOL THEKLA
Thurs 20th OCT: LONDON ISLINGTON ACADEMY

Skepta schedules new single, Hold On for release on 28th November 2011 by 3 Beat/ All Around The World.

Through the Rain by SenitThrough the Rain by Senit

Senit, the 2011 female pop singer who represented San Marino in the recent Eurovision 2011 finals in Dusseldorf with the soft rock Euro pop song, Stand By which came 16th with 34 points, has released a new single from her forthcoming new album.  The Euro Pop Music single is called Through the Rain and is taken from her fourth album which is due to be released at the end of 2011.

Through the Rain by Senit

The Italian pop star was born in Bologna of Eritrean origin.

Her first two albums were sung in Italian but with her third album Senit decided to sing all the songs in English, something she has continued on her fourth album.

Through the Rain is a Euro Dance Pop crossover with vocal similarities to a 1980’s Bonnie Tyler power ballad and Billie Ray Martin and the 1990’s dance pop sound of Electribe 101.

Though not well known in the UK, Senit performed in musical theatre productions such as Fame, The Lion King, Hair and Rent, before she decided to concentrate on a career as a pop singer.

Senit is currently putting together a 2011 European Tour that will include concerts in many European countries in order to promote the new album.

For more information visit Senit’s official website, or follow her on Facebook.

Through the Rain by Senit is now available to download from the iTunes Store and other digital download outlets.

For more information about Senit visit Believe Digital.

Sponsored Post

Combining efforts with the musical force behind such big names as Lady Gaga, Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Lopez, super-producer Red One, She Makes Me Wanna is a pop-dance smash hit. Synergising the boy’s signature smooth harmonies with the electro ‘sing-talk’ vocals of Dev, who featured on Billboard 100 number one Like a G6 this catchy number is a banger from the radio to the dance floor.

The collaboration came about at Alicia Key’s Black charity Ball last year when they bid £30,000 to win a session with the super-slick multi-Grammy Award-winning producer and this floor-filler is the result.

Ahead of the single release, Marvin, JB, Aston and Oritsé will be opening the Capital Summertime Ball with the inaugural performance of She Makes Me Wanna on June 12th.

Recently adding movie stars to their list of accolades, selling out cinemas nationwide with Eyes Wide Open, JLS’s success has been nothing short of staggering. Sold-out Arena tour. Three UK number one singles. Two multi-platinum albums.  Four MOBO Awards. Two 2010 BRIT trophies.

Sure-fire hit, She Makes Me Wanna is but a taste of the massive album to come.

For more information on JLS visit www.jlsofficial.com.

Roxanne de Bastion grew up in Berlin where she began her love affair with music and performance at the tender age of ten. She moved over to the UK in 2007, equipped only with a guitar and a one-way ticket, and she’s never looked back. Her previous single One Morning was accompanied by an enchanting video, shot in her hometown of Berlin, and was extremely well received by BBC 6 Music.

This self-titled EP is characterised by its laid back, minimalist guitar and intelligent lyrics shaped by Roxanne de Bastion’s enchanting voice, creating a whimsical landscape littered with video game references, introspection and an underlying current of innocence that allows her to deliver some incredible lyrical barbs. This is an impressive collection of vocally driven compositions and, much like her stylistic influences (Bob Dylan and Regina Spektor), they demand the listener’s undivided attention for Roxanne’s masterful song writing skills to take full effect.

Juan Zelada

‘After leaving Spain with his guitar in tow, Juan Zelada arrived in London looking for stardom. With little more than a tune and a message, he managed to work his way up the ranks in search of fame and fortune. Now he’s finally being given some recognition’

‘Breakfast in Spitalfields‘, the new single from little-known indie artist Juan Zelada, has been added to the B list at Radio 2.

Hot on the heels of being one of an incredible few unsigned artists to be announced as Radio 2’s Record of The Week, Juan Zelada has now been confirmed on the Radio 2 B List with his single ‘Breakfast in Spitalfields’ released July 4th.

You can catch Juan live at the Cornbury Festival this weekend and with more major festivals appearances about to be confirmed plus a live tour- it looks like 2011 is set to be Juan’s year.

Juan is managed by Insomnia Music, which was established five years ago. Juan joined Insomina three years ago and the company have worked hard to develop and nurture Juan’s talent whilst releasing his material on their own label Insomnia Records.

Dionne Bromfield & Tinchy Stryder - Olympic Torch Relay song Spinnin’ For 2012

Dionne Bromfield & Tinchy Stryder have teamed up to record an official Olympic Torch Relay song Spinnin’ For 2012. The lyrics for the song, originally written and recorded by Speech Debelle, have been re-written by Tinchy & Dionne to produce as uplifting and inspirational song as you’re likely to hear all summer.

Spinnin’ For 2012 will create the perfect soundtrack to what will be an epic 8,000 mile journey over 70 days which aims  to take the Olympic Flame within 1 hour’s journey of 95% of the UK population. The music and lyrics, already used as the soundtrack to the London 2012 Torchbearer nomination film, look forward to the summer of 2012, bringing alive the youthful focus of the Relay and the inspirational people that will be celebrated as they carry the Olympic Flame around the UK.

This is the first time these two young Londoners have recorded together and the result is a glorious pop song which looks destined for the top of the charts.

Spinnin’ For 2012 is the first song to be released in association with the London 2012 Games.

Dionne Bromfield came to the attention of the world’s media when she became the first signing to Amy Winehouse’s Lioness Records label.  She debuted at the tender age of 13 with “Introducing Dionne Bromfield”, an album of well known and not so well known soul classics.

Her new album, Good For The Soul, released on July 4th, is without doubt the birth of Dionne Bromfield – the artist. It is a sound that fits perfectly into the catalogue of a new British soul tradition, of artists like Plan B and Paloma Faith. Dionne can also currently be seen presenting the BBC ‘s 13-part youth programme “Friday Download”.

Otherwise known as ‘The Prince of Grime’, 24-year-old Tinchy Stryder, currently riding high in the charts with Spaceship, his single with Dappy from N-Dubz,  is not only a chart topping artist, but also a fashion entrepreneur and music industry mogul. Since Tinchy burst onto the scene in 2009, he has scored 6 top 10 singles, (including 2 number 1s), released two critically acclaimed albums (including ‘Catch 22 which debuted at no. 2), played on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury among a string of festival dates and two headline nationwide tours, and started up a Joint Venture 360 music entertainment company with Jay Z.

Whichever hat Tinchy Stryder wears he moves from strength to strength, proving further that “British Urban music need look no longer jealously at the US” (The Times).

Land’s End will be the start point for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and the Olympic Stadium will be the end point with the lighting of the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony on 27 July 2012 .The  search  for 8,000 inspirational people to carry the Olympic Flame  began  on 18 May 2011. The London 2012 Torchbearer nomination campaign ends 29 June 2011, however the three sponsor Torchbearer nomination campaigns run by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung will continue over the summer.

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.