The music doesn't stop for pop icon Madonna, and neither does the controversy, as the 53-year-old 'Queen of Pop' returns to the spotlight with her latest album "MDNA".
The uptempo record "MDNA" sees Madonna continue her love affair with dance music in an album dedicated to club-friendly tracks.
And Madonna has lost none of her ability to push boundaries, just as she did 25 years ago with themes of sexuality and youth rebellion.
The title, "MDNA" -- an allusion to the drug MDMA or ecstasy -- has caused a stir, while the music video for the second single, "Girl Gone Wild", has been slapped with an age restriction after YouTube deemed it too raunchy for under 18 year-olds.
The video, shot in black and white, sees the singer writhing and grinding with scantily dressed men, in a style similar to her "Erotica" days, when the video for her song "Justify My Love," was banned by MTV in 1990.
Madonna has said that the title meaning of her 12th studio album is threefold -- a reduction of her name, an abbreviation for "Madonna DNA," and a reference to ecstasy and the euphoria often experienced by its users.
But some music critics haven't exactly been blown away despite Madonna recruiting a bevy of top dance music producers, including house music DJ Benny Benassi, electro-pop duo LMFAO and her Grammy-winning "Ray of Light" album producer William Orbit.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
RTW winner Uta goes to Hollywood
In late September, 'Rock The Web’ winner, Uta, will be travelling to Hollywood to produce her new single. The most active fans of season one of the reality contest will get the opportunity to go with Uta to the US, sharing the experience of glamorous Hollywood with her.
Superstar Avril Lavigne’s producer Scott Spock is going to work with Uta on the track.
Uta told reporters that she is incredibly excited to work with Spock and she has been listening to all types of music for inspiration. She hopes that this single will be unique, and represent her own music style.
"One thing is for sure, the style of the song is going to be very cool with electronic elements," Uta revealed.
Uta won the competition on July 14 with an adaption of a classic Chinese song, "The Olive Tree". After working with Seth Riggs, the late Michael Jackson’s vocal coach, Uta’s music style developed and now has more personality. She believes this competition has changed the way she thinks about music and will have a great impact on her career.
Uta says the RTW competition meant a lot to her as an artist, saying that she still would have learned a lot "even if I did not win".
"This whole experience has made me think that folk music is not enough for me, and now I can make my music more lively and powerful. I even dream that one day, my music could embody one of Chinese styles and I can show it to the world." She developed different music styles and got new ideas from the experience.
Due to the similarity in music style, a lot of media tend to compare her with Chinese singer Sa Ding Ding, but Uta marks a contrast between herself and the famous Sa.
Superstar Avril Lavigne’s producer Scott Spock is going to work with Uta on the track.
Uta told reporters that she is incredibly excited to work with Spock and she has been listening to all types of music for inspiration. She hopes that this single will be unique, and represent her own music style.
"One thing is for sure, the style of the song is going to be very cool with electronic elements," Uta revealed.
Uta won the competition on July 14 with an adaption of a classic Chinese song, "The Olive Tree". After working with Seth Riggs, the late Michael Jackson’s vocal coach, Uta’s music style developed and now has more personality. She believes this competition has changed the way she thinks about music and will have a great impact on her career.
Uta says the RTW competition meant a lot to her as an artist, saying that she still would have learned a lot "even if I did not win".
"This whole experience has made me think that folk music is not enough for me, and now I can make my music more lively and powerful. I even dream that one day, my music could embody one of Chinese styles and I can show it to the world." She developed different music styles and got new ideas from the experience.
Due to the similarity in music style, a lot of media tend to compare her with Chinese singer Sa Ding Ding, but Uta marks a contrast between herself and the famous Sa.
Richards apologizes to fellow Rolling Stone Jagger
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has apologized to Mick Jagger for derogatory comments he made about the lead singer in his 2010 memoir "Life", which caused a rift within the band.
In comments reported by Rolling Stone magazine, the two rock'n'roll veterans agreed it was time to move on.
Fans will be relieved to see them burying the hatchet, as the row had threatened to undermine plans to celebrate the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary this year and to go on another world tour.
"Looking back at any career you are bound to recall both the highs and the lows," Jagger was quoted as saying. "In the 1980s for instance Keith and I were not communicating very well.
"I got very involved with the business side of the Stones, mainly because I felt no one else was interested, but it's plain now from the book that Keith felt excluded, which is a pity. Time I reckon to move on."
Richards added: "Mick's right. He and I have had conversations over the last year of a kind we have not had for an extremely long time and that has been incredibly important to me.
"As far as the book goes, it was my story and it was very raw, as I meant it to be, but I know that some parts of it and some of the publicity really offended Mick and I regret that."
An eagerly anticipated world tour by one of the world's biggest music acts is now not expected to happen until 2013 at the earliest, according to the same magazine.
In comments reported by Rolling Stone magazine, the two rock'n'roll veterans agreed it was time to move on.
Fans will be relieved to see them burying the hatchet, as the row had threatened to undermine plans to celebrate the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary this year and to go on another world tour.
"Looking back at any career you are bound to recall both the highs and the lows," Jagger was quoted as saying. "In the 1980s for instance Keith and I were not communicating very well.
"I got very involved with the business side of the Stones, mainly because I felt no one else was interested, but it's plain now from the book that Keith felt excluded, which is a pity. Time I reckon to move on."
Richards added: "Mick's right. He and I have had conversations over the last year of a kind we have not had for an extremely long time and that has been incredibly important to me.
"As far as the book goes, it was my story and it was very raw, as I meant it to be, but I know that some parts of it and some of the publicity really offended Mick and I regret that."
An eagerly anticipated world tour by one of the world's biggest music acts is now not expected to happen until 2013 at the earliest, according to the same magazine.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Dynamic duo's pop that won't stop
Pop groups from around the world know that if they can make it Stateside, they can conquer any corner of the globe.
Swedish pop-rock duo Roxette - comprising vocalist Marie Fredriksson, and singer and guitarist Per Gessle - easily penetrated the US market in the 1980s. The band's sound is contemporary and blends rock guitar flourishes with synthesizer-driven dance beats. But its sense of melody is what enabled it to usurp a top spot in the music world.
Roxette's vast popularity brought its music to China at a time when the country had scant inkling of the Western world's music.
The group became the second pop outfit after Wham! to perform in China with its 1995 Beijing show.
Decades later, Roxette is staging its grand return with appearances in Beijing and Shanghai, where they will perform classics and new singles, appealing to both nostalgia and the desire for fresh tunes.
These concerts provide an opportunity to witness firsthand how the group has changed in the past 20 years - and how it hasn't.
8 pm March 12. MasterCard Center, Fuxing Lu, Haidian district, Beijing.
Swedish pop-rock duo Roxette - comprising vocalist Marie Fredriksson, and singer and guitarist Per Gessle - easily penetrated the US market in the 1980s. The band's sound is contemporary and blends rock guitar flourishes with synthesizer-driven dance beats. But its sense of melody is what enabled it to usurp a top spot in the music world.
Roxette's vast popularity brought its music to China at a time when the country had scant inkling of the Western world's music.
The group became the second pop outfit after Wham! to perform in China with its 1995 Beijing show.
Decades later, Roxette is staging its grand return with appearances in Beijing and Shanghai, where they will perform classics and new singles, appealing to both nostalgia and the desire for fresh tunes.
These concerts provide an opportunity to witness firsthand how the group has changed in the past 20 years - and how it hasn't.
8 pm March 12. MasterCard Center, Fuxing Lu, Haidian district, Beijing.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Chris Brown earns redemption from Rihanna
R&B singer Chris Brown has earned a measure of musical redemption and forgiveness from ex-girlfriend Rihanna by collaborating on new music together, three years after Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting the pop star.
Brown, 22, and Rihanna, 24, were openly tweeting each other and promoting their collaboration on each others' singles over the weekend as the Barbadian "We Found Love" singer celebrated her 24th birthday.
"@chrisbrown Turn up the music remix #RihannaNavy #Teambreezy enjoy!!!" the birthday girl tweeted on Sunday with a link to her collaboration on Brown's single, "Turn Up the Music," before posting another tweet with a link to her duet with Brown on a remix of her single "Birthday Cake."
Rihanna provided vocals on a remix of Brown's new uptempo dance song "Turn Up The Music" while Brown lent his voice to Rihanna's sexually-charged song "Birthday Cake."
Their reconciliation, which has been the topic of much speculation in the media after the two were spotted together numerous times, comes after Brown made his official return to the Grammys on February 12 and won one award, prompting him to lash out at critics saying, "HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now!" on his Twitter.
The singer almost derailed his career three years ago on the night before the Grammys, after he was arrested for beating up his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, and since then, Brown has been working to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of fans.
His musical reunion with Rihanna had social networks abuzz through the weekend and into Tuesday, as critics and fans were split on the newly released duets, with some making cynical puns, others calling it a publicity stunt and the rest embracing the new songs.
Brown, 22, and Rihanna, 24, were openly tweeting each other and promoting their collaboration on each others' singles over the weekend as the Barbadian "We Found Love" singer celebrated her 24th birthday.
"@chrisbrown Turn up the music remix #RihannaNavy #Teambreezy enjoy!!!" the birthday girl tweeted on Sunday with a link to her collaboration on Brown's single, "Turn Up the Music," before posting another tweet with a link to her duet with Brown on a remix of her single "Birthday Cake."
Rihanna provided vocals on a remix of Brown's new uptempo dance song "Turn Up The Music" while Brown lent his voice to Rihanna's sexually-charged song "Birthday Cake."
Their reconciliation, which has been the topic of much speculation in the media after the two were spotted together numerous times, comes after Brown made his official return to the Grammys on February 12 and won one award, prompting him to lash out at critics saying, "HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now!" on his Twitter.
The singer almost derailed his career three years ago on the night before the Grammys, after he was arrested for beating up his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, and since then, Brown has been working to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of fans.
His musical reunion with Rihanna had social networks abuzz through the weekend and into Tuesday, as critics and fans were split on the newly released duets, with some making cynical puns, others calling it a publicity stunt and the rest embracing the new songs.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Adele set to steal show at BRIT Awards
Ed Sheeran may have been the surprise package of the BRIT Award nominations last month, bagging more than anyone else, but the show itself looks set to follow a more predictable script on Tuesday - another Adele triumph.
Sheeran, who just turned 21, was nominated in four categories - best album for "+," single ("The A Team"), breakthrough act and male solo artist.
He is up against Adele, the world's biggest selling singer last year and fresh from a record-equaling six Grammy awards earlier this month, in the album and song categories.
Bookmaker Ladbroke's makes the 23-year-old Londoner favorite to win the female category and the big prize on the night, best album, for "21," which has sold more than six million copies in the United States alone.
It did not offer odds on the best single, but few would be surprised to see her take home the statuette for "Someone Like You."
As well as the awards there are the performances, with both Sheeran and Adele set to take the stage at the O2 venue in London where the televised event will be held.
Adele chose the Grammys to make her comeback after undergoing surgery on her vocal cords late last year, but the BRITs will be a homecoming of sorts.
Also due to sing on the night are Rihanna, Coldplay, Noel Gallagher, Florence & The Machine, Bruno Mars and Blur, who will receive an outstanding contribution award.
Sheeran, who just turned 21, was nominated in four categories - best album for "+," single ("The A Team"), breakthrough act and male solo artist.
He is up against Adele, the world's biggest selling singer last year and fresh from a record-equaling six Grammy awards earlier this month, in the album and song categories.
Bookmaker Ladbroke's makes the 23-year-old Londoner favorite to win the female category and the big prize on the night, best album, for "21," which has sold more than six million copies in the United States alone.
It did not offer odds on the best single, but few would be surprised to see her take home the statuette for "Someone Like You."
As well as the awards there are the performances, with both Sheeran and Adele set to take the stage at the O2 venue in London where the televised event will be held.
Adele chose the Grammys to make her comeback after undergoing surgery on her vocal cords late last year, but the BRITs will be a homecoming of sorts.
Also due to sing on the night are Rihanna, Coldplay, Noel Gallagher, Florence & The Machine, Bruno Mars and Blur, who will receive an outstanding contribution award.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Adele back bigger than ever
The performer who had to take a career break for four months won six gongs at the Grammys and was given a standing ovation after singing. Michael Thurston reports from Los Angeles.
British soul diva Adele made a storming comeback at the Grammys on Sunday (Monday, Beijing time), performing live for the first time in four months and winning a clean sweep of six prizes at the United States music awards.
The 23-year-old, who canceled all her shows in October to undergo throat surgery, was given a standing ovation after singing Rolling in the Deep to a star-studded audience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The tune won the best song Grammy, to go along with wins in the five other categories in which she was nominated - best record, best album for her breakthrough 21, best short video, best pop album and best pop artist.
Speaking afterwards, she admitted she had been scared when told she had to have the surgery - but that ultimately it was good to be forced to silence her usual "mouthy" manner.
"It was a bit traumatic having to have the surgery ... being silent in such a noisy world - everything's so noisy in my world - it was actually a bit of a blessing in disguise," she told reporters, backstage.
"Thank god my voice healed, and I stuck to all the rules that they gave me. And I've actually never been happier I really enjoyed having to be quiet. I'm so mouthy, it was quite nice to be forced to be quiet."
British soul diva Adele made a storming comeback at the Grammys on Sunday (Monday, Beijing time), performing live for the first time in four months and winning a clean sweep of six prizes at the United States music awards.
The 23-year-old, who canceled all her shows in October to undergo throat surgery, was given a standing ovation after singing Rolling in the Deep to a star-studded audience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The tune won the best song Grammy, to go along with wins in the five other categories in which she was nominated - best record, best album for her breakthrough 21, best short video, best pop album and best pop artist.
Speaking afterwards, she admitted she had been scared when told she had to have the surgery - but that ultimately it was good to be forced to silence her usual "mouthy" manner.
"It was a bit traumatic having to have the surgery ... being silent in such a noisy world - everything's so noisy in my world - it was actually a bit of a blessing in disguise," she told reporters, backstage.
"Thank god my voice healed, and I stuck to all the rules that they gave me. And I've actually never been happier I really enjoyed having to be quiet. I'm so mouthy, it was quite nice to be forced to be quiet."
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