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Christina Aguilera Says Next Album Is 'Honest And Raw'

Posted 1/18/12 12:58 pm EST by in Christina Aguilera


As fans of "The Voice" amp up for a new season of the hit singing reality competition series, the show's resident big-voiced judge, Christina Aguilera, is getting ready to work on her next album, a follow-up to 2010's coolly received Bionic.

In a new promo for the show, which kicks off on February 5, Xtina opens up about what she's looking forward to on this next LP. "I'm recording my next album right now, and I'm really excited because I find myself in a very introspective stage of my life," she said. "I've learned so much, have experienced so much, in leaps and bounds, and it's a journey of growth for me, continuously throughout my career. I'm excited to put it all down on paper through my lyrics and my voice. And come from a very, very truthful and honest and raw place."

At this point, Christina's done a bit of it all musically. She's never been one to let genre define her, always keeping fans guessing what the next phase of her musical evolution will involve. Her 2006 release Back to Basics was a retro-leaning homage to pin-up girls and the boys they love, while Bionic looked forward with a futuristic, sonic flair (and even harked back to her "Dirrty" days thanks to sexy, naughty references).

Maybe the best next move for Aguilera would be to get back to basics, strip down all the futuristic pomp and circumstance and play with her voice over sultry ballads and light-hearted pop ides. But who knows what she might be cooking up. Regardless, we're excited to hear it.

What are you hoping for on Christina's next album? Leave your comments below!

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Katy Perry Gets Sim-ed, Goes Acoustic

Posted 1/17/12 1:37 pm EST by in Katy Perry


Katy Perry has always been the best sort of pop star cartoon and now she’s officially getting animated. The pop star has hooked up with Electronic Arts for what is being billed as an “extensive and exclusive creative collaboration" between her and The Sims.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that through multiple games (including March’s The Sims 3 Showtime) the singer will appear through content themed after her, including clothing, hairstyles, furniture and props. She’ll also appear in marketing and advertising campaigns for the games.

"I love how you're able to play out different stories through your Sims characters – giving them different careers and watching them succeed,” she said in a statement. “It's cool to see the Sims' stage performances in The Sims 3 Showtime decked out just like my California Dreams Tour – even my cotton candy video screens are in there! I always like to think of myself as a cartoon, and now I'm a Sim!"

Pop star/video game collabos are hardly new. Last year, Lady Gaga hooked up with FarmVille to launch her album, , giving fans exclusive content leading up to the album’s release. Read More...

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Jordan Knight Solo Tour: 'The Fans Really Cheered Me On To Do It'

Posted 1/13/12 2:41 pm EST by in NKOTB, tour, Tour Dates


Earlier this week, the world’s collective boo, Jordan Knight, announced his plans to hit the road for a solo tour. The jaunt kicks off later this month, and in anticipation of what we are sure will be the greatest night of your life, the New Kid himself hopped on the phone with us to preview his tour plans.

“I have a full band; I have two dancers, so they’ll be some good choreography. It’ll be a real show. It’s not me just kind of going around taking up my time,” he teased. “And, it’s a real deal thing: a band, dancers, full-length show, a lot of excitement, a lot of crowd participation, singing a bunch of songs from the album Unfinished and also other solo songs as well from the past.”

Given the fact that Jordan has been busy touring with his boys in the New Kids On The Block and the Backstreet Boys, it would seem like he might want to chill out for a bit, but that’s not the case. At all. “I think I had to do it because I did an album and I never got the chance to go out and actually perform the songs. I did it at after parties, but that was just off-the-cuff,” he said. “I wanted to do a real show because I put so much into the album and the songs I believe are so great and I got such a great response from the fans, so it's the fans [who] really kind of cheered me on to do it. They really wanted me to do it.” Read More...

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Taylor Swift Joins The Civil Wars For First Live Performance Of 'Safe & Sound'

Posted 1/13/12 10:54 am EST by in Music, Taylor Swift


Wearing a sunny yellow dress and pearls, Taylor Swift joined the Civil Wars on stage during their sold-out performance at the Ryman in Nashville to perform, for first time, their “Hunger Games” soundtrack song, “Safe & Sound.”

After some witty banter about the packed-to-capacity crowd and how she almost wore the band’s T-shirt on stage to perform with them, the trio launched into the ballad about trying to hold on to good in the face of lots and lots of terrible events (well that certainly does fit the themes of Suzanne Collins’s novel).

Post-performance, the twosome of the Civil Wars took to Twitter to thank the singer for hitting the stage with them. “An unforgettable night @TheRyman. Thanks to @taylorswift13 for debuting 'Safe & Sound' with us,” they gushed. “And thanks to all of YOU for being there.”

The T-Bone Burnett and Danny Elfman-curated soundtrack will also feature Arcade Fire, The Decemberists and even some vocals from its female lead, Jennifer Lawrence. Read More...

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Justin Bieber Talks Singing Songs About Sex, Drugs And Rock’n’Roll

Posted 1/10/12 3:04 pm EST by in Justin Bieber


Get More: Music News

In the new issue of V magazine, Justin Bieber not only opens up about his views on God and religion but also talks a bit about the image he hopes to portray in his music.

"I'm not going to try to conform to what people want me to be or go out there and start partying, have people see me with alcohol. I want to do it at my own pace," Bieber says in the issue, which he also graces the cover of (via Usmagazine.com). "I don't want to start singing about things like sex, drugs and swearing. I'm into love, and maybe I'll get more into making love when I'm older. But I want to be someone who is respected by everybody."

Bieber goes on to wax philosophical a bit more about his career and thankfully less about “making love.” (He is like a little brother to us!) "I want to be successful and be great at what I do. But eventually, I want to become the best at what I do," Bieber tells V. "I want to be better than anybody who's ever done it. And in order to do that, I need to strive to be the best, be good to people and treat people with respect, and work as hard as I can. Because for me, I work so hard and this consumes my life – it's not worth it if I'm not the best." Read More...

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Jordan Knight Announces Solo Tour

Posted 1/10/12 1:36 pm EST by in NKOTB, tour


Get More: Music News

Consider our tickets bought! Jordan Knight has announced plans for a solo tour this month.

The New Kid on the Block will kick off the 10-date excursion on January 26 in Minneapolis before taking the act to such lucky cities as Atlanta, Nashville and Toronto, to name a few. Billed as “Jordan Knight: Live & Unfinished,” the singer opened up about the trek in a statement.

“I am very proud and excited to tell you that Jordan Knight Live & Unfinished will be hitting hand-picked cities across North America for an intimate evening of Music, Fun, and More! After the amazing NKOTBSB Arena Tour this past year, I feel truly blessed that I now have the time to get up close and personal with you, my fans, and sing these songs that mean so much to me!” he said. “You've all played such a big part in making this album a success so I can't think of a better way of saying THANK YOU, than to give you what you have asked for - Jordan Knight: Live & Unfinished!!”

Last year, the falsetto-loving Jordan released his solo album, Unfinished, and later this spring he’ll hit the road again with all his pals in NKOTBSB for all those lucky folks who live abroad. Did we mention we’ve also bought our plane tickets so that we can hit up the guys’ European tour? Read More...

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Justin Timberlake's Newest Pet Project: Myspace TV

Posted 1/10/12 10:45 am EST by in Justin Timberlake, myspace


By Zachary Swickey

MySpace got off to an early start at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) yesterday in Las Vegas with co-owner Justin Timberlake announcing the company’s latest attempt at staying relevant, MySpace TV.

"We’re ready to take television and entertainment to the next step by upgrading it to the social networking experience. Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?” he stated in his presentation. (How about watching television with your friends in-person? Whatever happened to that?)

Apparently, the service will allow you to essentially watch a program and share or comment with your friends online about it, whilst viewing the content in real-time. You can also invite your friends to watch a program with you and join online fan communities.

The presentation mentioned that initial channels will be music-focused and get some good use out of the website’s library of 100,000 music videos and over 42 million songs. Although, it is noted that they will eventually go beyond the world of music and work “to encompass movies, news, sports and reality channels, with a growing lineup of today’s most popular broadcast and on-demand content.”

Of course, an app of the service will soon be available on tablets and smartphones. Read More...

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Downton Abbey: A Playlist From Mary To Matthew

Posted 1/9/12 2:56 pm EST by in Playlists


Last night, season two of PBS’ zeitgeisty, soapy, addictive “Downton Abbey” premiered and we had to tune in to see what kind of dramz would go down now that WWI has broken out. And while we adore that there’s so much love on the show, we wish there was more love between Lady Mary and Downton Abbey heir Matthew Crawley. Without giving away too much about last night’s premiere, it seems that, for now, Mary and Matthew won’t get together for a while.

So, while Matthew goes off to war and Lady Mary’s left behind to hope that things can work out, we imagined a modern playlist for her to listen to while she pines away for good ol’ Matty (played by last week’s Hump Day Hottie Dan Stevens). And, yes, there’s LOTS of Brandy on there. Deal. With. It. (Ed note: We were careful to make sure these songs were released in the same century that “Abbey” takes place in: the 20th century. Also, deal with that.) Read More...

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Monica And Brandy Team Up For Follow-Up Duet To 'The Boy Is Mine'

Posted 1/9/12 1:56 pm EST by in Brandy


Brandy and Monica

Back in 1998, Monica and Brandy fought over Mekhi Pfifer on their diva-licious track “The Boy Is Mine.” The chart-topping single not only became a ubiquitous summer jam that year, but still serves as a choice karaoke tune for frenemies everywhere.

Fourteen years later (yes, 14!!! You read that right), the ladies are back in the studio cooking up another track with one another. They confirmed the highly-anticipated duet on Twitter. “We have Both Been Blessed Beyond Measure..14years later.. #TURNTHELIGHTSON,” Monica wrote. “Love @4everBrandy.”

It seems that whatever rivalry existed on that song never seeped into the real world as Brandy sent back lots of love. She answered, “I love you so much Mo thank u!” Both singers are currently working on new music and little else is known about this particular track or when anyone might get the chance to hear it.

For those who may not have lived through “The Boy Is Mine” zeitgeist, it was next level. The song was everywhere. The video was everywhere. It was inescapable. Not that anyone really wanted to escape it. It was produced by some of the biggest names in music at the time, including Dallas Austin and the still-in-demand Rodney Jerkins.

With a new song in-the-works, we have to say that it doesn’t matter who the boy actually belonged to as long as this new track is just as pitch-perfect as their last collabo. Check out their classic "The Boy is Mine" after the jump. Read More...

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Rihanna's Next Talk That Talk Single Is 'Talk That Talk'?

Posted 1/6/12 1:02 pm EST by in Rihanna


Rihanna and Jay-Z made some crazy magic on the ubiquitous and still catchy “Umbrella” many, many ages ago. Now, it seems, the two might be up to their old tricks again. If the rumors are true, Rihanna’s next Talk That Talk single just might be … its title track, which happens to feature her longtime pal and mentor.

According to Perez Hilton, the song was just added to "cool new music" section of AllAccess.com. So what, you ask, does that mean exactly? Well, apparently the site dubs itself “the web's largest radio and music industry community,” which just might mean that it could be the track that Rihanna will release next. While the report has gone unconfirmed, Rihanna did confirm that she has picked her next single.

After asking her fans what they might want to hear, she tweeted that she settled on … something, noting, “Ok DONE!!!! I like what I see...and decisions are MADE!!! #NEXTSINGLE.”

For those of you who may not have heard it, the Stargate-produced track is a flirty, sassy dance song about that special someone in Rihanna’s life. Read More...

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