Hip Hop star Jay Z performed the track on his recent appearance on the BBC’s Jonathan Ross Show, in case you may not have seen it here is the video ;

Jay Z – On To The Next One

If you missed Jay Z chatting with Ross, the interview itself was quite amusing, here it is in two parts;

Less is more as they say, but in this case, the phrase can only be applied to the amount of clothing worn in the clip – everything else is excessive bordering on obscene.

The super-stylized, Warhol-esque video begins with a scantly-clad Rihanna playing air-drums on a less than responsive kit, while the background drum machine lets a dance-hall beat rip and shake. One of the next shots comprises multipe Rihannas, shaking in a bright kaleidoscope of African colors, stylized with comic book style Pop Art layering and animated lions, before moving onto the super-ripped object of her desire, whose pants she soon pulls back to check for sufficiency.

The style is impressive, and the overt sexuality of Rihanna herlyricsand video itselfhaveensured the song’smega-hit status. Speaking of which, the video has received over 8.4 million hits on Youtube as of March 4th.

In a kind of backwards victory for women’sequality, the lyrics of the song, both, advocate male teasing and mockery, and a love of rough sex – a wise and winning combination in anyone’sbooks, and a surefire way to win over millions of young, sexually-frustrated fans. Lyrics include:

“Come here rude boy, boy
Can you get it up
Come here rude boy, boy
Is your big enough
Take it, take it Baby, baby
Take it, take it Love me, love me.”

and:

“I like the way you touch me there
I like the way you pull my hair
Babe, if I don’t feel it, I ain’t faking
No, no.”

Whatever you think about the lyrics, or the apparent direction of today’s youth, the sound, technique and style are undeniable. Both, Rihanna and the object of her desire, are super-fit, clad in designer clothes, and edited at a super-stylized and perhaps seizure-inducing pace.

It seems that Rihanna’s superstardom will continue its upward trajectory at a seemingly unlimited velocity, or at least, as far as censorship is willing to allow

r kelly

One of the biggest names from the nineties onslaught of R&B music, R Kelly has continued to make music and is still mixing it with the current top names in the genre, writing, performing and producing the music that he loves and again topping the R&B charts last year with his album Untitled, which is generally being hailed as a classic.

Now among the host of R&B/Urban/Soulstars from those early days who are back out on the road, R Kelly is heading into Europe for a series of shows that will see him performing his own sultry style of music in Germany, Netherlands France and Brussels, before hitting the UK for four shows in April.

Twenty years on and R Kelly has sold a staggering 50 million albums around the world and in the UK he has chalked up an unbelievable 30 hit singles throughout his career. At the same time he has managed to write and produce for some of the most legendary names in the business, working with stars like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Ciara and The Isley Brothers. He also wrote the international comeback song I Look To You, for Whitney Houston.

But it his fantastic personal back catalogue that fans will be eager to hear him perform at his 2010 concerts, songs like Bump & Grind, Shes Got That Vibe, I Believe I Can Fly and If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time, will have the fans moving in the aisles.

The full list of R Kelly European dates is;

Tuesday
23 March 2010
19:30
Palladium Köln
Köln Germany

Sunday
28 March 2010
19:30
Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt
Frankfurt/Main Germany

Monday
29 March 2010
19:30
Tempodrom
Berlin Germany

Tuesday
30 March 2010
20:00
Heineken Music Hall
Amsterdam Zuid-Oost Holland

Thursday
01 April 2010
20:00
Zenith de Paris
Paris France

Friday
02 April 2010
20:00
Galaxie
Amneville France

Saturday
03 April 2010
20:00
Messe Basel, Grosser Saal
Basel Switzerland

Monday
05 April 2010
19:00
Manchester Apollo
Manchester United Kingdom

Friday
09 April 2010
19:00
Hammersmith Apollo
London United Kingdom

Saturday
10 April 2010
19:00
Hammersmith Apollo
London United Kingdom

Sunday
11 April 2010
19:00
Civic Hall
Wolverhampton United Kingdom

R Kelly tickets are available through Viagogo, your online ticket exchange for concert tickets, sports tickets and arts and theatre tickets.

Scouting For Girls release new single This Ain’t A Love Song on 29 March. It precedes the release of sophomore album Everybody Wants To Be On TV on 12 April.

In 2008 Scouting For Girls became the biggest selling new British band of the year. Having toiled for ten years unsigned, the boys sold over 900,000 records of their eponymous number 1 debut album, and were nominated for three Brit Awards (British Breakthrough Act, British Single and British Live Act) to become the UK’s most successful new pop band.

Fronted by exuberant showman Roy Stride, Scouting For Girls quickly became renowned for their contagious piano-led pop songs (She’s So Lovely, Heartbeat, It’s Not About You), that connected with a huge audience and reaped multiple sell-out tours.

Those live shows grew as Scouting For Girls mania gripped, buoyed on by huge radio support, and venues were upsized across the country and sold out just as quickly. By the end of 2008, they had performed to hundreds of thousands of fans, and outsold bands twice their size in the live arena.

The initial recordings of their forthcoming second album Everybody Wants To Be On TV were ruthlessly scrapped after the Brit Awards in 2008, when the band decided it needed re-writing and re-shaping.

Whole tracks were dropped in Roy Stride’s mission for a collection of perfect pop songs. The resulting album, produced by Andy Green at Helioscentric Studios in East Sussex, is unshakeably bold and confident, a genuine step up in sound that loses none of the band’s early charm but builds and expands upon it as infectiously as only they know how to be.

This Ain’t A Love Song is a telling introduction to the new record. It is a hugely powerful, soaring song and a strong example of Scouting For Girls’ ambitious new sound, sculpted by Roy’s unflagging confidence and songwriting prowess.

It is a welcome return by this everyday trio, writing a bright new chapter of British pop for 2010.

For more information visit www.scoutingforgirls.co.uk

Here’s a ‘behind the scenes’ video of how the new promo video was made:

the dirty disco

Sista! is the latest single from The Dirty Disco, an electro pop band with a glam fetish, who are attracting plenty of attention from their live shows despite being currently unsigned and unpublished.

The single is released through the bands own label Stuck In My Head Records and was mixed by Dylan 3D Dresdow who has worked with Black Eyed Peas/ Will.i.am.

The digital release is already riding high in the iTunes Dance Chart and has peaked at number one on the Juno Records indie rock chart.

The Dirty Disco have attracted the attention of BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson amongst many others and have been described as ‘An unhealthy dose of Glam! Sleazy and above all irresistibly catchy pop.’

The Dirty Disco will be appearing in London at the Death Disco on March 31st, where entry is free.

Here is the video, The Dirty Disco – Sista!

For more information visit The Dirty Disco MySpace site.

monster ball tour

Love or loathe her it is impossible to ignore Lady Gaga and as her recent triple award at the Brits suggests that she is going to be around for a long time to come.

Having picked up Brit Awards for Best International Female Solo Artist, Best International Album and Best International Breakthrough Act, Lady Gaga entertained both the live audience and millions at home watching on TV with a spectacular live set.

Her original inspiration came from the Glam Rock era, particularly through the likes of the most outrageously camp acts of that period, David Bowie and later Freddie Mercury. She has also said that fashion is an important part of her life and those inspirations are evident for all to see in her incredible live concert performances.

It is no surprise that she has been compared with  Madonna who courted controversy and oozed sexiness particularly in her breakthrough years, but with an outrageous wardrobe that would attract admiring glances from Elton John, Lady Gaga has already shown that she is no copy cat performer but really does have her very own style and her fans absolutely adore just that.

The Monster Ball Tour started out in Canada back in November and reached the UK shores earlier this month on February 18th. Having already sold out arena dates in Manchester, Belfast and Dublin, The Monster Ball Tour arrives in Liverpool on the 24th and continues in the UK until the final date in Nottingham on March 8th.

Given her huge popularity it may be a surprise to learn that Lady Gaga tickets for the remaining UK dates can still be obtained for all venues.

Lady Gaga – Monster Ball Tour Dates:

February 24, 2010     Liverpool Echo Arena
February 26, 2010     London The O2 Arena
February 27, 2010     London The O2 Arena
March 1,     2010        Glasgow Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
March 3,     2010         Cardiff Cardiff International Arena
March 4,     2010       Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
March 5,     2010      Birmingham LG Arena
March 7,     2010        Sheffield Sheffield Arena
March 8,     2010        Nottingham Trent FM Arena

Viagogo is a reputable online ticket exchange for concert tickets, sports tickets, and arts and theatre tickets.

beverley knight soul survivor

The latest track to be released by the UK’s own soul diva Beverley Knight will be the excellent Soul Survivor, featuring none other than the legendary Chaka Khan.

The single will be released on March 8th through Bevereley’s own record label Hurricane Records and is the third track to be taken from her sixth studio album 100%.

The single is the lead track from The Soul Survivor EP, which will also contain ‘Turned To Stone’ as well as live tracks from Beverley’s hugely successful 100% tour from the  Autumn of 2009.

Beverley Knight says of the defiant old skool stomper Soul Survivor;

“When me and Guy (Chambers) first wrote this song I recorded it alone initially, but I knew there was another dimension to it – and Chaka was that dimension! She’s incredible. Everyone knows there are ebbs and flows in a career in the music industry. That’s what this song is about. People fall in and out of favour all the time. The thing that gets you through is the love of what you do.”

While Knight herself has experienced the ups and downs of a career in music, her live performances have always been nothing short of  brilliant as this recording of Soul Survivor from her recent UK tour shows.

If you get the chance, be sure to see her live this April at the following venues:

Thursday 1st April – Hull City Hall (£22.50)
Friday 2nd April – Rhyl Pavilion (£18.50)
Sunday 4th April – York Opera House (£25.00/£21.50)
Monday 5th April – Manchester Lowry (£25.00/£21.50)
Wednesday 7th April – London Royal Albert Hall (£32.50/£27.50/£25.00/£22.50/£20.00)
Thursday 8th April – Leamington Spa Assembly Rooms (£22.50)

Tickets available from www.gigsandtours.com

JLS - new single 'One Shot' & UK Arena Tour

The unstoppable JLS, release their new single ‘One Shot’ on February 22 through Epic Records.

The single written and produced by hitmakers Soulshock and Karlin coincides with the boys first headline tour in February.

JLS got their career off to a phenomenal start last year with two #1 singles [‘Beat Again’ and ‘Everybody In Love’] and a #1 album. Both singles topped the radio airplay charts and their videos were rarely off music channels. JLS became one of the breakthrough success stories of the year. Since their self-titled album was released two months ago they have sold over 1,000,000 copies, with the album already certified triple platinum.

They have become the country’s favourite new band and picked up a few celebrity fans along the way from Beyonce to Rihanna.

2010 is set to kick off in fine style for the boys with their first ever headline tour. The February tour, which sold out in hours, kicks off on 1st at Ipswich Regent and ends at Glasgow Clyde Auditorium on February 21st. You can expect show-stopping performances from the boys. They have spent the past few months wowing crowds at concerts ranging from T4’s Stars of 2009 to 1Xtra Live but are now ready for their own headline show.

And the year is set to get even bigger for Oritse, Marvin, JB and Aston as they recently announced an arena tour for December 2010.

JLS UK Arena Tour

Friday 3rd December
Liverpool Echo Arena

Saturday 4th  December
Cardiff International Arena

Monday 6th  December
Bournemouth International Centre

Tuesday 7th  December
Birmingham LG Arena

Thursday 9th  December
London The O2

Friday 10th  December
London The O2

Saturday 11th  December
Nottingham Trent FM Arena

Monday 13th  December
Glasgow SECC

Tuesday 14th  December
Aberdeen AECC

Thursday 16th  December
Manchester MEN Arena

Friday 17th  December
Sheffield Arena

Saturday 18th  December
Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

Monday 20th  December
Manchester MEN Arena

Tuesday 21st  December
Birmingham LG Arena

Wednesday 22nd  December
London Wembley Arena

Viagogo is your online ticket exchange for concert tickets, sports tickets and arts and theatre tickets.

Lemar - 'The Hits' Greatest Hits album

New Single ‘The Way Love Goes’ – Sunday 14th February
Greatest Hits Album ‘The Hits’ – Monday 1st March

Soul superstar Lemar returns in 2010 with a brand new single, ‘The Way Love Goes’, on Valentine’s Day, Sunday 14th February. The single will be followed by a collection of Lemar’s greatest hits, ‘The Hits’, on 1st March.

‘The Hits’ is Lemar’s fifth album since 2003.  Over the years he has proved himself to be an enduring talent, one of Britain’s best loved voices, and a true pioneer of the UK Urban scene, paving the way for the current crop of artists who are ruling the charts and airwaves.

‘The Hits’ gathers together all of Lemar’s unforgettable smash hits on one record, including Top 10 tracks, ‘Dance (With U)’, ‘50/50’, ‘If There’s Any Justice’, ‘It’s Not That Easy’ and ‘Time To Grow’. The album will feature Lemar’s much anticipated forthcoming single ‘The Way Love Goes,’ as well as another three brand new recordings; ‘Counting The Days,’ ‘You Don’t Love Me,’ and an exciting exclusive recording of ‘What About Love’ from 2003’s ‘Dedicated’ album, featuring JLS.

It is an impressive collection from a two times BRIT Award winner and four time MOBO winner who continues to be one of the most naturally gifted and innovative artists in the UK.

LEMUR – THE HITS

01 DANCE (WITH YOU)
02 50/50
03 ANOTHER DAY
04 LULLABY
05 IF THERE’S ANY JUSTICE
06 TIME TO GROW
07 IT’S NOT THAT EASY
08 SOMEONE SHOULD TELL YOU
09 ALL I EVER DO
10 WHAT ABOUT LOVE? (FEATURING JLS)
11 IF SHE KNEW
12 WEIGHT OF THE WORLD
13 THE WAY LOVE GOES
14 YOU DON’T LOVE ME
15 COUNTING THE DAYS

Taken from the #1 album ‘Ready For The Weekend’, it follows in the footsteps of his previous chart topping & dancefloor smashing singles ‘I’m Not Alone’, ‘Ready For The Weekend’ & ‘Flashback’.

‘You Used To Hold Me’ is backed by a series of huge club mixes courtesy of Laidback Luke & Nero, and an explosive video packed full of monster truck action.

2009 was a break out year for Calvin Harris that saw him sell in excess of 1 million singles & 150,000 albums in the UK,  write & produce several #1 hit singles for both himself & others, sell out his entire tour ( with over 50,000 + tickets sold in advance), crowd winning performances across all of the UK’s major summer festivals,  Calvin also completed several high profile DJ tours and residencies across the globe and saw him truly step out of the shadows into becoming one of the UK most unique and engaging pop stars on every level.

He ended 2009 with a triumphant appearance at London’s 02 Arena on New Year’s Eve and begins 2010 as he left off; with an Australian tour, further studio work & lots more DJing & shows in the pipeline.

A connoisseur of the true art of dance music, Calvin Harris looks set to lead the genre well into the next decade.