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Jordin Sparks' 'I Am Woman' Joins Other Coming-Of-Age Songs

Posted 5/10/11 5:39 pm EST by in Music

By James Dinh

Jordin Sparks may have taken home the "American Idol" crown at the tender age of 17, but just a few years later, the big-voiced singer is sporting a new physique and singing a brand-new tune. On her new single "I Am Woman," the songbird belts about her newfound womanhood and independence over a commanding Ryan Tedder-produced beat.

As a teen-to-adult star, Sparks has taken to her music as a venue to rejoice in her coming-of-age growth and maturity, but she's far from the first diva to do so. In light of Jordan's new tune, MTV News has decided to take a look back at other female-empowerment tunes.

Janet Jackson, "Control"
Janet has always been one to deliver a feisty attitude over her songs, and that was just the case on her 1986 hit single "Control." After a soft-spoken intro, Miss Jackson gets straight to the point in this dance track, where she sings about finally taking responsibility for her own life decisions. "Got my own mind/ I wanna make my own decisions/ When it has to do with my life, my life/ I wanna be the one in control," she sings on the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced song.

Britney Spears, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"
Unlike the "Idol" alum, Britney used a ballad to tell the world that she was growing up and no longer that cutesy schoolgirl we met in 1999. On the second single from 2001's Britney, the pop princess declared her middle-ground transition to womanhood over a breezy piano melody. The tune accompanied Spears' debut film "Crossroads," in which the singer played a high school graduate embarking on a road trip with friends.

TLC, "My Life"
R&B's beloved trio weren't listening to anybody besides themselves on "My Life." Tired of hearing other people dictate their moves, TLC declared their independence on this 1999 Fanmail cut. "Sometimes I might get a little crazy/ And sometimes I might seem/ Out of hand, but I'm sayin/ Life's too short for me to let you dictate," Chilli croons on the midtempo number.

What's your favorite coming-of-age pop song? Tell us in the comments!

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From Wanda To Rihanna: Artifacts From 'Women Who Rock' At The Rock Hall Of Fame

Posted 5/10/11 3:50 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music

By Zach Swickey

This weekend, the Cleveland-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is opening a new exhibit devoted solely to the female powerhouses of rock. Dubbed "Women Who Rock: Vision, Power, and Passion," the exhibit will cover over 60 artists — from Wanda Jackson to Rihanna — with two entire floors featuring artifacts, video and listening stations.

The various sections of the exhibit will focus on the different genres and eras of music in which females left their mark. While this generation may be more acquainted with the likes of the Spice Girls and the Pussycat Dolls, bands the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes paved the way for our modern-day pop groups, and consequently there is a section of the new exhibit focused on girl groups of the early '60s. There are also displays looking at '60s counterculture, the disco-flavored '70s, the punk and pop explosion of the '80s, and the female-empowering '90s. We got a little sneak peek at some of the artifacts, and here are a few we're stoked for everyone to see:

Chrissie Hynde's jacket from the Pretenders' debut album cover:
Everyone is familiar with Michael Jackson's can't-miss-it red zipper jacket from the "Thriller" video, but he wasn't the first to make this iconic fashion statement. Chrissie Hynde rocked the getup in 1980, three years before the King of Pop did.

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Oh Land Gets Artistic, We Get Spongy On 'First Date'

Posted 5/10/11 1:51 pm EST by in Hot Stuff, Music

A year ago, MTV News production assistants Rya Backer and Steven Roberts realized that their devotion to chasing stories was seriously getting in the way of their love lives. That's why they dreamed up "First Date," a regular feature that allows them to get up close and personal to some of our favorite hot new artists.

By Steven Roberts

My First Date with Oh Land was one of my favorites. Not because she was a drop-dead gorgeous Danish songstress, but because we got to make art. Our date was at Color Me Mine in Tribeca, and I was immediately overwhelmed with joy. The shelves were loaded with stuff you can paint ... from dog bowls to dinner plates, and everything in between. What can I say? My apartment was sorely lacking in "painted bulls---."

Anyway, my producer Rya, was adamant that I pick something that both Oh Land and I could paint together. Naturally I picked the Tyrannosaurs Rex, but she was totally against that. She wanted us to paint a bowl, but I thought that was lame. After throwing some shade at each other for the next 10 minutes, we decided that Oh Land and I would paint coffee mugs. They were nice and small and I could use my mug for my morning vodka.

Oh Land showed up a little late, but beautiful people can do that (I'm late all the time.) She was a bit of an artistic soul, so she loved the idea of painting the coffee mugs. We chose our colors (I chose a few shades of orange and chocolate, while she grabbed some pink, yellow, silver and black), and got down to business.

My producer would later say that Oh's technique was very refined and delicate, while I just took a sponge and proceeded to stamp paint all over my coffee mug. Either way, we were really into it. Rya had to repeatedly ask us to look up when we talked to each other. Oh was a gentle soul and it was a nice laid-back date, so I was cool just listening to her sweet and serene Danish accent as I sponged away. Everyone agreed that Oh had the better mug at the end (it was vaguely circus themed) but I was proud of my "Clockwork Orange," post-constructionist, I-don't-even-know-what-I-was-doing cup, too.

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A Drake Performance For $250K? That's A Steal!

Posted 5/9/11 4:33 pm EST by in Music

By Zachary Swickey
Over the weekend, former NBC/Universal honcho Jeff Zucker dished out $250,000 to have Drake perform at his son's bar mitzvah. Sounds like a lot of cash, but it’s a deal compared to the $1,000,000 Kanye West was reportedly asking for a performance. Sometimes controversial, private performances have long been the industry's dirty little secret: the performer gets paid a ton of cash, and, usually, no one ever knows about it. And, if you ever caught an episode of "My Super Sweet 16," then you know just how lavish some of these parties can be (read: great buffets). So, if you're looking to book some top-notch talent for your next shindig, here's a quick run down of how much it'll cost you. Hopefully, you've got a rich Aunt or something.

Rihanna: $500,000
What better time to have your favorite pop star serenade you than New Year’s Eve? Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska paid a cool half million for Rihanna to do just that for him and some buddies. You’ll soon notice Russian billionaires seem to be the main customers for the private concert business.

Miley Cyrus: $1,000,000
In 2008 a high-powered attorney from Texas hired Miley Cyrus to perform a private concert for the Lanier Law Firm's "Christmas Cheers and Charity" holiday party. The $1,000,000 bash went down on a ranch in Houston and included a barbeque for 7,000 guests. Hope they got to bring their kids.

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Yuck Cap Off U.S. Tour With Swoons And Slumps

Posted 5/9/11 11:25 am EST by in Music

By Jett Wells

NEW YORK — If entire bands were singular people, then much-buzzed newcomers Yuck would probably be the dude at the party who's standing alone in a dark corner, awkwardly staring into his drink and sorta creeping everyone out.

In other words, they'd be J Mascis. If J Mascis ever got invited to parties. And much like the frumpy Dinosaur Jr. mastermind, Yuck don't win you over with their showmanship; they do it with their slouched charisma. And that anti-appeal was on display Saturday night at the Bowery Ballroom, as the band put the finishing touches on their U.S. tour, and won pretty much everyone over in the process. Bad posture notwithstanding.

Lead singer Daniel Blumberg with his best friend Max Bloom, Yuck hit the stage like they always do, hunched over their instruments, faces stoic except for the unmistakable grin (and sizeable 'fro) of drummer Jonny Rogoff. And while they certainly don't look the part — their lineup consists of two Brits, a Japanese bassist and some guy from Jersey — Yuck are, at their sludgy, slumping core, a pure pop band ... they love melodies (even if they're distorted), and they do them really well.

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How Does Lady Gaga's HBO Special Stack Up Against The Live Show?

Posted 5/8/11 9:00 am EST by in Music, Television

It's hard to capture the electricity of a Lady Gaga show. The audience itself is a wealth of energy. Fans are cheering, dressed up in costumes, buzzing about what Gaga will say, how she will say it and wondering if she will play any new songs.

For her two shows at Madison Square Garden earlier this year, Gaga didn't have many surprises. She kept to the script, only playing the Born This Way tracks she had already played in her previous stops on the Monster Ball tour. These shows served as the concerts used in her HBO special "Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden."

Those nights were pretty magical, regardless. I had seen Gaga once before at Lollapalooza the previous summer, but it was hot and there were mosquitoes and I generally hate the outdoors, so the experience was less than pleasant. But that HBO MSG show had a certain cosmic energy. Gaga turned it up to 1,000 (not that she usually doesn't). She knew the cameras were rolling. She knew these shows meant something.

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The Kentucky Derby And Our Favorite Musical Mint Juleps

Posted 5/6/11 2:33 pm EST by in Music

By Aly Semigran
When it comes to Kentucky, it's hard not to associate it with anything other than the world-famous Run for the Roses, the Kentucky Derby (and sure, for some, a certain fast food chain.)

And with the 137th Kentucky Derby set to take place this weekend, we here at MTV wanted to pay homage to some other winners from the state, namely the eclectic variety of musicians and bands that hail from there. In addition to the many bluegrass and country artists that call the great state their old Kentucky home, there's also been boy bands (Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys hail from the state), chart-topping rockers and hip-hoppers. Here are some of our favorites ... a Musical Mint Julep to enjoy before the big race.

Loretta Lynn
Perhaps the name most synonymous with Kentucky musicians, Butcher Hollow native Loretta Lynn is a country music pioneer. The Grammy-winning legend, whose life and music was chronicled in the Oscar-winning film "Coal Miner's Daughter," has released some 70 albums and written songs that didn't shy away from tweaking society's standards. While she has earned respect and accolades the world over, the influential singer-songwriter is still the pride of Kentucky. Lynn has been honored by the Kentucky Commission and is part of the Women Remembered exhibit in state's Capitol building.

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Justin Bieber's Australian Egging And The Art Of The Fan Revolt

Posted 5/6/11 1:20 pm EST by in Music

Justin BieberBy Jett Wells
The customer is always right, even at concerts, and sometimes that means a music fan has to open a can of whoop-ass if they don't get the show they paid good money for. Of course, sometimes things get out of control, whether it's the artist's fault or not. While it's kind of funny, Justin Bieber getting pelted with eggs at an Australian concert by a party-crashing teen is a good example of that point: Technically the teenager in question wasn't a fan — since he broke-in to the show specifically to harass Bieber (he was also subsequently arrested for his indiscretions) — but the incident goes to show you that music lovers rebel at shows for all sorts of reasons, and as far as ranking the most violent acts of fans revolting against artists, egg pelting is child's play. Here are some recent examples of their (ovum-free) protests.

Fans Sue Creed
Back in 2002 during a Creed show in Chicago, frontman Scott Stapp got so hammered he could barely remember the words to his own songs. And, granted, rock stars are supposed to be on something while performing, but in this instance, Stapp was so inebriated that four fans literally sued him for putting on a bad show ... to the tune of $2 million. The charges were dismissed, but it sent a warning to all touring musicians: rock my face off or I'll see your ass in court!

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Nicki Minaj's 'Super Bass' Spawns Celeb And Fan Covers

Posted 5/6/11 12:52 pm EST by in Music

By James Dinh

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Nicki Minaj is ready to put her Barbz and Kenz to the test. After dropping her iced-out video for "Super Bass" on Thursday (May 6), the Young Money MC took to her website to announce the rules for her new "Super Bass" Contest, where she's asking Team Minaj to record a video of themselves performing a verse from the bubbly tune and send it to them. The Harajuku Barbie will select five winners, who will score tickets and meet-and-greet passes to her Femme Fatale outing with Britney Spears.

Before grabbing their cameras, fans may want to take note from a few celebrities, whom have already put their own spin on the uptempo Pink Friday cut.

First off, there was Selena Gomez, who uploaded a video of herself rapping to song in her dressing room at the 2011 People's Choice Awards. Decked out in an elegant Paule Ka dress, the Disney starlet flowed through the tune and even imitated some of the rapper's over-the-top faces.

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Schuyler Fisk Talks New Album And New Movie

Posted 5/5/11 9:42 pm EST by in Movies, Music

By Kara Warner

Sometimes the singer/actress hyphenate can come off as a bit forced. This is not the case, however, for legitimate singer and actress Schuyler Fisk, who recently released her sophomore album Blue Ribbon Winner AND has a film opening at the Cannes Film Festival called "Restless."

MTV News caught up with her recently to discuss what inspired her new music and what we can expect from "Restless," directed by Gus Van Sant. Also, we learned that she'd secretly love to be in an action movie someday — leather catsuit, crazy stunts and all.

Speaking to Blue Ribbon Winner, Fisk revealed that a lot of the music was written mainly on a farm in her home state of Virginia.

"It was a blast. I had a ton of my musician friends come stay on the farm where I grew up. We had such a good time," Fisk said. "It was weird that we were working because it was playing music every day on the farm with goats and chickens running around. It was great."

One track, however, was inspired by her work on Van Sant's "Restless."

"I was so inspired," she said of her time shooting the film. "There was a very creative vibe on set, very creative vibe in Portland where we filmed. 'Waterbird' was inspired by the film," she said.

In "Restless," Fisk plays the older sister of Mia Wasikowska. It's a film that she described as having "a beautiful story, and all the characters are beautifully flawed."

"I think it has that kind of slice-of-life feel, like, these people could be real, but at the same time there's another side to it as well," she teased. "It's definitely a serious film, but there is light. For me, it makes you look at life differently and seeing it in this beautiful way. It deals with some heavy things, but it's really about life and how beautiful life is."

The film, which has been described as a unique teen relationship drama, kick off the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Un Certain Regard section next Thursday and is slated to be released by Sony Pictures Classics in the fall.

Although Schuyler is currently busy with her music career, she did reveal that she'd love to tackle a role in an action movie someday.

"I would love to be a part of an action film and have stunts," she said. "Be in some leather catsuit and jump off buildings and such. ... I do pilates," she added with a laugh. You hear that, Hollywood? She's ready for some action!

What do you think of Ms. Fisk? Tell us in the comments!

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