Chris Brown will perform at this Sunday's Grammy Awards for the first time since beating his then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 on the eve of the music industry's biggest night, which threatened to derail his music career.
Rihanna also is among the stars performing live at the event, and rumors have flown among fans and celebrity watchers in recent weeks that the pair may be secretly dating again -- speculation Brown's representatives have dismissed.
Grammy organizers said on Tuesday that Brown, who has three nominations including best R&B singer for his album "F.A.M.E.", had been added to the line-up for the February 12 awards show in Los Angeles.
They said Brown will join Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne, David Guetta and deadmau 5 for a performance highlighting dance and electronica music for the first time on the Grammy Awards show stage.
Organizers said last month that Rihanna, who has four nominations including album of the year for "Loud", will sing with Coldplay on the Grammy stage.
Brown, 22, has skipped the Grammys since launching a violent attack on Rihanna in 2009, leaving her battered and bruised and Brown in the custody of police.
Brown publicly apologized, admitted to criminal assault in court. A judge sentenced him to five years probation, six months community service and anger management counseling. But his clean-cut image took a major blow.
Rihanna's career on the other hand soared, and she scored hits with songs like "Man Down" and "Love the Way You Lie", which dealt with violence against women.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
LL Cool J to host Grammys
Rapper and "NCIS: Los Angeles" actor LL Cool J will be the first official host of the Grammy Awards in seven years, the Recording Academy said on Wednesday.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of music's biggest night," said the two-time Grammy award winning host.
"I will always have fond memories of my first Grammy Awards and to now be hosting the Grammy show, in the company of so many other incredible artists, is a dream come true."
LL Cool J, who has been the host of the Grammy nominations concert since its first live broadcast in 2008, is the first emcee of the awards program since 2005 when Queen Latifah headlined. Since then, music's biggest night has foregone a host.
The "Mama Said Knock You Out" rapper will lead a star-studded line-up of performances, including country singers Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift, pop singer Kelly Clarkson, rockers The Foo Fighters, R&B singer Bruno Mars and first-time performer, rapper Nicki Minaj.
Kanye West is currently leading the nominations with seven nods, followed by the Foo Fighters, Mars and British singer Adele, who all have six nominations.
The 54th annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12 in Los Angeles, and broadcast live on CBS.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of music's biggest night," said the two-time Grammy award winning host.
"I will always have fond memories of my first Grammy Awards and to now be hosting the Grammy show, in the company of so many other incredible artists, is a dream come true."
LL Cool J, who has been the host of the Grammy nominations concert since its first live broadcast in 2008, is the first emcee of the awards program since 2005 when Queen Latifah headlined. Since then, music's biggest night has foregone a host.
The "Mama Said Knock You Out" rapper will lead a star-studded line-up of performances, including country singers Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift, pop singer Kelly Clarkson, rockers The Foo Fighters, R&B singer Bruno Mars and first-time performer, rapper Nicki Minaj.
Kanye West is currently leading the nominations with seven nods, followed by the Foo Fighters, Mars and British singer Adele, who all have six nominations.
The 54th annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12 in Los Angeles, and broadcast live on CBS.
We Found Love tops chart in milestone for Rihanna
Rihanna's single "We Found Love" on Thursday held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the eighth straight week, making it the singer's longest-running No. 1 single of her career.
The Barbadian chanteuse's single overtook Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which stayed at No. 1 for seven weeks earlier this year, and beat her previous top-selling singles, 2007's "Umbrella" and 2010's "Love The Way You Lie" featuring Eminem.
"We Found Love" is the lead single from Rihanna's sixth studio album "Talk That Talk," and the singer will wrap her last concert on her "Loud" tour in London on Thursday.
LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," notched a seventh week at No. 2 on the singles chart, while Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain" held steady at No. 3, Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" climbed to No. 4 and Katy Perry's "One That Got Away" rounded out the top five.
The Barbadian chanteuse's single overtook Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which stayed at No. 1 for seven weeks earlier this year, and beat her previous top-selling singles, 2007's "Umbrella" and 2010's "Love The Way You Lie" featuring Eminem.
"We Found Love" is the lead single from Rihanna's sixth studio album "Talk That Talk," and the singer will wrap her last concert on her "Loud" tour in London on Thursday.
LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," notched a seventh week at No. 2 on the singles chart, while Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain" held steady at No. 3, Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" climbed to No. 4 and Katy Perry's "One That Got Away" rounded out the top five.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Lady Gaga crushes rivals in 2011 music earnings
Lady Gaga towered over other female musicians in 2011, heading a list of top earning women with an estimated $90 million in income, according to a Forbes.com survey released on Wednesday.
The "Born This Way" singer and performance artist made more than double her nearest rival -- country/pop artist Taylor Swift -- thanks to multiple endorsement deals and an estimated $1.3 million nightly gross ticket sales from her concert tour.
Swift earned about $45 million, thanks to her hit album "Speak Now", perfume line, and other deals, just ahead of "Teenage Dream" singer Katy Perry with $44 million.
Forbes.com drew up its list from data on pre-tax income compiled through record sales, touring data and interviews with music lawyers, managers and concert promoters.
Beyonce's 2011 income dipped to an estimated $35 million, mostly because of her relatively small amount of touring this year, but her new album "4", fashion line, and two fragrances helped to put her in 4th place.
Rihanna rounded out the top 5, earning an estimated $29 million from sales of her album "Loud", and endorsements from cosmetics company CoverGirl.
The "Born This Way" singer and performance artist made more than double her nearest rival -- country/pop artist Taylor Swift -- thanks to multiple endorsement deals and an estimated $1.3 million nightly gross ticket sales from her concert tour.
Swift earned about $45 million, thanks to her hit album "Speak Now", perfume line, and other deals, just ahead of "Teenage Dream" singer Katy Perry with $44 million.
Forbes.com drew up its list from data on pre-tax income compiled through record sales, touring data and interviews with music lawyers, managers and concert promoters.
Beyonce's 2011 income dipped to an estimated $35 million, mostly because of her relatively small amount of touring this year, but her new album "4", fashion line, and two fragrances helped to put her in 4th place.
Rihanna rounded out the top 5, earning an estimated $29 million from sales of her album "Loud", and endorsements from cosmetics company CoverGirl.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Breaking the sound barriers
Chinese rockers are increasingly breaking the sound barriers of the country's cultural geography. Rock 'n' roll has been a particularly location-centric genre. The chillier northern half of the country warmly welcomes rock shows, which often get a cold shoulder in the hotter southern regions. Indie band Miserable Faith is a case in point. The hardcore pioneers' heavy beats and furious lyrics are today well received nationwide. But in the early days following their 1999 formation, they were shrugged at throughout the southern leg of their national tour, which was inspired by the band's adoration of Jack Kerouac's novel, On the Road.
The crowds sizzled for them in Beijing, Tianjin and Shaanxi's provincial capital Xi'an. But audiences were cool toward them in Shanghai, Guangdong province's capital Guangzhou and Fujian province, the band recalls.
Sometimes, they even had to cancel shows because of tepid turnouts in the South.
"It's so sad to have just a few people there when you stand on the stage, especially for rock 'n' roll," the band's vocalist and songwriter Gao Hu says.
"The audience's emotion is very important for us to unleash ourselves. We usually write songs when we are on the road, turning our feelings about different cities into lyrics. We expected the audiences to have the same emotions toward us, but we were wrong."
When they released their second album, Don't Stop My Music, in 2009 and toured the South again, they were surprised to find the song On the Road was the best received at their shows. They even named their tour after their namesake song, Heading to the South Later.
"Heading to the South, heading to the South, and my dream is in front of me; the light of dawn comes," Gao sings.
The song is softer and more poetic than their others.
"In our earlier music, we preferred to express our attitude sharply and directly," Gao says.
"With the second album, we came to see the world with an open and forgiving attitude. The album is warm but still powerful. We didn't do that intentionally but felt it was right. I think the change helped us feel closer to audiences in the South, who like expressing themselves in a gentler way."
The crowds sizzled for them in Beijing, Tianjin and Shaanxi's provincial capital Xi'an. But audiences were cool toward them in Shanghai, Guangdong province's capital Guangzhou and Fujian province, the band recalls.
Sometimes, they even had to cancel shows because of tepid turnouts in the South.
"It's so sad to have just a few people there when you stand on the stage, especially for rock 'n' roll," the band's vocalist and songwriter Gao Hu says.
"The audience's emotion is very important for us to unleash ourselves. We usually write songs when we are on the road, turning our feelings about different cities into lyrics. We expected the audiences to have the same emotions toward us, but we were wrong."
When they released their second album, Don't Stop My Music, in 2009 and toured the South again, they were surprised to find the song On the Road was the best received at their shows. They even named their tour after their namesake song, Heading to the South Later.
"Heading to the South, heading to the South, and my dream is in front of me; the light of dawn comes," Gao sings.
The song is softer and more poetic than their others.
"In our earlier music, we preferred to express our attitude sharply and directly," Gao says.
"With the second album, we came to see the world with an open and forgiving attitude. The album is warm but still powerful. We didn't do that intentionally but felt it was right. I think the change helped us feel closer to audiences in the South, who like expressing themselves in a gentler way."
Korean pop music out to conquer the world
A host of young Korean stars are taking to the stage in London, New York and beyond in a bid to crack one of the final global frontiers for Asian culture -- pop music.
"K-pop," as Korean pop is called, has made major inroads into Japan, the world's second largest music market.
But breaking into key countries further afield like Britain, Germany, France and, most crucially, the United States, has so far eluded acts who may be household names at home but remain virtual unknowns outside Asia.
Korean bands are not the only ones trying to be the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber.
Japanese artists, some of them "J-pop" superstars, have also looked overseas for new audiences, although the size of their own market, only just behind the United States in the world rankings, means they have less incentive.
"It is a pain for a lot of these Japanese bands to make the effort to try and penetrate overseas markets," said Steve McClure, executive editor of McClure's Asia Music News and an authority on the region's music scene.
"Time spent doing that is time not spent here and it's a really fast-paced market and you have to work at it," he told Reuters, speaking from Japan.
Foreign music accounts for around a quarter of Japanese record sales, and the top 10 albums on record are all by local artists. Hikaru Utada holds the record with "First Love" from 1999, while Mariah Carey is the biggest international artist.
"K-pop," as Korean pop is called, has made major inroads into Japan, the world's second largest music market.
But breaking into key countries further afield like Britain, Germany, France and, most crucially, the United States, has so far eluded acts who may be household names at home but remain virtual unknowns outside Asia.
Korean bands are not the only ones trying to be the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber.
Japanese artists, some of them "J-pop" superstars, have also looked overseas for new audiences, although the size of their own market, only just behind the United States in the world rankings, means they have less incentive.
"It is a pain for a lot of these Japanese bands to make the effort to try and penetrate overseas markets," said Steve McClure, executive editor of McClure's Asia Music News and an authority on the region's music scene.
"Time spent doing that is time not spent here and it's a really fast-paced market and you have to work at it," he told Reuters, speaking from Japan.
Foreign music accounts for around a quarter of Japanese record sales, and the top 10 albums on record are all by local artists. Hikaru Utada holds the record with "First Love" from 1999, while Mariah Carey is the biggest international artist.
Monday, December 3, 2012
A key instrument of changing times
Russian pianist Galina Chistiakova says she has never experienced anything like the 16 days she spent in Guangdong province's Shenzhen city earlier this month.
The 24-year-old says it has been a blur of immersing herself in Chinese culture amid a whirl of piano competitions.
"This is the most difficult competition I have taken (part in)," Chistiakova, who took first prize, says.
"I feel like a sportswoman in the Olympic Games, as I have to play two concertos without a break in the final. But my stay in Shenzhen is a perfect experience. I didn't have to worry about anything and could concentrate totally on my performance."
She had never even heard of the metropolis, she says, until she entered the China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition. That's despite Shenzhen's domestic identification as the country's "Piano City".
The contestants stayed with about 30 host families, most of whom are well-to-do and have children studying piano.
Chistiakova's hosts provided her with an independent sleeping room and bathroom, three daily meals, a car to drive her to and from the performance venue, and a Boston piano for practicing.
"I have participated in many competitions around the world, but never in my life there was anything like this," she says.
It was a special experience for her host mother, Deng Lihong, too.
The real estate investor was grateful for the chance to expose her 12-year-old daughter to piano through interactions with Chistiakova. She also met prospective tutors for her daughter through her involvement with the competition.
The 24-year-old says it has been a blur of immersing herself in Chinese culture amid a whirl of piano competitions.
"This is the most difficult competition I have taken (part in)," Chistiakova, who took first prize, says.
"I feel like a sportswoman in the Olympic Games, as I have to play two concertos without a break in the final. But my stay in Shenzhen is a perfect experience. I didn't have to worry about anything and could concentrate totally on my performance."
She had never even heard of the metropolis, she says, until she entered the China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition. That's despite Shenzhen's domestic identification as the country's "Piano City".
The contestants stayed with about 30 host families, most of whom are well-to-do and have children studying piano.
Chistiakova's hosts provided her with an independent sleeping room and bathroom, three daily meals, a car to drive her to and from the performance venue, and a Boston piano for practicing.
"I have participated in many competitions around the world, but never in my life there was anything like this," she says.
It was a special experience for her host mother, Deng Lihong, too.
The real estate investor was grateful for the chance to expose her 12-year-old daughter to piano through interactions with Chistiakova. She also met prospective tutors for her daughter through her involvement with the competition.
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