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Britney Spears' 'Till The World Ends' The Latest Track Written By A Fellow Pop Star

Posted 3/4/11 2:30 pm EST by in Music


On Friday morning (March 4), Ryan Seacrest woke up after a big night of "American Idol" madness to host his daily radio show, which featured an extra-special guest in the studio. Britney Spears stopped in to chat about her upcoming album Femme Fatale and to premiere the full version of the new song "Till the World Ends," another top-shelf dance track from the album. After staying out of the spotlight for a while, Spears now seems to be ready to come back in to the universe, as she did this interview, premiered the video for "Hold It Against Me" and appeared on the cover of V magazine all in about a 10 day span.

"Till the World Ends" is a great addition to the album, and it's an interesting track because it was written by fellow pop star Ke$ha. While it may seem odd that a radio staple would create a new song for somebody who is ostensibly a competitor, it happens all the time (especially lately). Here are some other stars who have no trouble crafting tunes for fellow stars.

Katy Perry
Perry is currently tearing up the charts with her album Teenage Dream (fourth single "E.T." just shot up the Billboard Hot 100 and is about to see its video premiere), but she has also lent her skills out to other singers — specifically to Kelly Clarkson, whose "I Do Not Hook Up" (from 2009's All I Ever Wanted) was co-written by Perry.

Keri Hilson
Hilson has scored hits for herself in tracks like "Knock You Down" and "Pretty Girl Rock," but her fingerprints are all over a lot of other singers' tracks. Her writing credits include songs for Britney Spears ("Gimme More"), Pussycat Dolls ("Wait a Minute") and Ciara ("Like a Boy").

Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo's voice has been on a number of big hits (including 2006's chart-topping "So Sick"), but his pen has lent magic to songs like Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" and Rihanna's "Take a Bow," as well as tracks for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Enrique Iglesias.

Taylor Swift
Swift's songs are so personal that it seems like they wouldn't function outside of her own universe, but that didn't stop Swift from co-writing "Best Days of Your Life" with Pickler for her self-titled 2008 album.

The Jonas Brothers
Between their own band and their various solo projects, Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas are pretty prolific. They also lent a hand to friend Demi Lovato, co-writing the bulk of her debut album Don't Forget (and Nick Jonas also co-wrote a tune on Lovato's 2009 follow-up Here We Go Again).

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Happy Birthday, Ne-Yo!

Posted 10/18/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music


A very happy birthday to Shaffer Chimere Smith, who you know better as R&B sensation Ne-Yo. The sexy crooner turns 28 years old today, and he has no shortage of accomplishments to celebrate. Since the world first heard his voice back in 2006, Ne-Yo has put five singles in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and has claimed the number one spot on the album chart with two different releases.

Born in Camden, Arkansas, Ne-Yo grew up around music (both of his parents were musicians). When his parents broke up, his mother moved him to Las Vegas, where Ne-Yo found himself an R&B group and a stage persona named GoGo. His skills as a songwriter and a performer earned him a record deal, though his first album was scrapped and he was dropped from the label before he ever saw a release date. Luckily, Marques Houston heard one of the songs from Ne-Yo's debut and adopted it for one of his albums, earning Ne-Yo a reputation as an ace songwriter and a top-shelf gun for hire.

In his new capacity as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned hit tracks for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Christina Milian and Mario (with the latter's "Let Me Love You" representing his first big chart breakthrough). Along the way, he earned the nickname Ne-Yo because people often referred to him as "Neo," Keanu Reeves' character from "The Matrix" (the idea being that Ne-Yo saw music the way Neo was able to perceive the fake world created by the machines in the movie). The nickname stuck, and it was under that name that he released his solo debut In My Own Words, which delivered the instant classic "So Sick." At the same time, he became a go-to collaborator, and his hooks on tracks like Ghostface Killah's "Back Like That" and Fabolous' "Make Me Better" made him into a superstar.

More solo hits followed, including huge hits like "Closer" and "Miss Independent." He is two weeks away from dropping his fourth album Libra Scale, which features "Beautiful Monster," a staggeringly great dance track that recalls Michael Jackson's most disco moments.


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Lady Gaga May Pull Ne-Yo Into Her World: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 9/23/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"We've been talking to Gaga's people about some stuff. Gaga's very difficult to get a hold of as of late, for obvious reasons. She's very busy. We've been talking to her people about doing some stuff. That's kind of the intriguing thing that I have no idea what that song would sound like. Like, would I jump into her world? Would I pull her into mine? I don't know, but I feel like it would be interesting to see. Maybe we should get a camera crew over when that happens."

-R&B singing and songwriting sensation Ne-Yo, discussing a potential collaboration with art-pop superstar Lady Gaga. Ne-Yo, who has applied his skills to collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna, told MTV News' Tim Kash that he is excited about the prospect of working with Gaga but is not sure if it can come together or not.

Meanwhile, Ne-Yo also let MTV News know that he is at work on new music with Beyoncé, who he deeply respects as an artist and a collaborator. "The thing about working with Beyoncé is that she definitely has her own agenda," he explained. "She's an artist that knows exactly what she wants to do. She's going to give you directions [like] 'Here's where I'm going, so here's where I need you to be.' And, you know, I'm a person that follows direction well. [And she'll be like], 'So this is the sound, this is the vibe; make it happen.' And I write and she likes it or she doesn't. And in this case she did, and there you have it."

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Nathan Fillion Is Scared Of Bears, Sharks: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 3/2/10 4:00 pm EST by in Television


"I would say I'm more fun. I'm steeped in fear. Sharks. Sharks, heights and bears. I would be afraid to be on a bear-filled island in a tall tree overhanging a shark-filled ocean."

-"Castle" star Nathan Fillion, explaining to MTV News' Jocelyn Vena that he is more "fun" than "fearless" on the red carpet at Cosmopolitan magazine's 2010 Fun Fearless Males party. Though Fillion regularly brushes up against dangerous criminals on "Castle" and has battled space dangers on "Firefly," he rejects the idea of adventuring any place where he might come in contact with heights, bears or sharks.

Fillion joined over a dozen other stars honored at the party, including Ne-Yo, "Twilight" star Kellan Lutz, "True Blood" leading man Stephen Moyer, "Gossip Girl" and "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz and NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens. Schwartz had a similar take on the "Fun or Fearless?" question. I would say I'm equal measures of both ... because I'm the first one to lie to you," he joked. "Reading it in the magazine, [those aren't] the first two [words] I would think of to describe myself, but I'm happy to be labeled that way. 'Neurotic' and 'anxious,' but they're not going to award you for that in Cosmo."

Meanwhile, Moyer sat on the fence. "I think that sometimes I'm fearless and sometimes I'm fun, but it's very rare to be able to be fun and fearless together. I think fearless can be quite scary," he said. But Paul Wesley, star of "The Vampire Diaries," hopped on the same train as Fillion. "I'm gonna go with fun, because I get terrified pretty easily," he explained. "For example, on the series, they put some vampire makeup on me sometimes, and then I'll go to lunch and I'll forget that it's on. Then I'll look in the mirror and have a mini heart attack."

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The Super Bowl Experience: Music, Stars And Also A Football Game

Posted 2/8/10 10:30 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


By Deanna Caligiuri

When my best friend asked me to be her plus-one to this year's Super Bowl in Miami, I quickly agreed. When I told her I would fly down the day before, she quickly opposed that idea. "Honey, you need to get here sooner," she told me. "It's not just the Super Bowl, it's all about the Super Bowl experience."

I quickly found out exactly what those "experiences" were. They included ESPN parties with performances by Keri Hilson and Ne-Yo and attended by everyone from Black Eyed Peas to Nick Lachey and Vanessa Manillo. Jermaine Dupri and Will.I.Am got on the mic for some impromptu performances at the after parties while Rihanna looked on from VIP.

"The Hills" stars Brody Jenner, Audrina Patridge and Kristen Cavallari traipsed all over in skimpy bathing suits and oversized shades. There were photo ops with athletes I knew (like Hines Ward; go Steelers!) and ones I didn't (Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow).

Has it always been this way? A whole weekend full of events overrun with more reality stars and celebrities than athletes? People pushing athletes out of the way to snag a photo of Drew Lachey? The mayhem of the weekend made me forget that on Sunday there was an actual football game to attend. In the end, Weezy got to witness the Saints take home their first championship and I got to take home a hoarse voice, ton of pics and an incredible "experience."

(Click here for more photos from ESPN the Magazine's NEXT event, featuring the Black Eyed Peas, Jermaine Dupri, Keri Hilson and Ne-Yo!)

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Ne-Yo Played Russian Roulette With Rihanna In His Mind: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 10/22/09 5:22 pm EST by in Music


"I'm listening to the track, and all I can see is Rihanna and some random person sitting across from each other at the table with a gun sitting in the middle of the table and playing Russian roulette. And I just started thinking, 'What would go through your mind if you was in that situation?' It just all started coming together, and Rihanna has never been one to be afraid to take a chance, especially with me. She's always game to do something a little different. I played it for her, and she loved it — went in and knocked it out. The rest is history."

-Singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, explaining what was going on in his head while he was constructing Rihanna's new single "Russian Roulette," which premiered yesterday. He co-wrote and co-produced the song, which is the first single from Rihanna's upcoming album Rated R. "She wanted to be dark, but not just dark for the sake of being dark," Ne-Yo told MTV News. "Dark with kind of a meaning, dark with some kind of thing to it." He added that the dark, mature song is the result of their working relationship, which is based on a complete trust of one another. "I trust Rihanna to be Rihanna, and she trusts me to be me," he said. "That's the coolest thing about our relationship. I don't expect anything more from her. I must say this song is a step in somewhat of a different direction for both of us. We kind of both took a chance."

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Ne-Yo Supports Child Welfare At Compound Foundation Event

Posted 10/6/09 3:55 pm EST by in Music


By Steven Roberts

It's always nice when celebrities give back. Yes, it sounds cliché, but it's true. Last night, Ne-Yo hosted a fundraiser for his Compound Foundation at the Stephen Weiss Studio in New York City. The foundation was founded by Ne-Yo and his manager and business partner, Tango Hay, to increase awareness about the status of children in the child welfare system in America.

"Basically, our main goal is the betterment of child welfare. Be it foster care, be it group homes, you name it, we're there to lend a hand and just improve the system a little," Ne-Yo said.

He said that a lot of people that work for him, as well as many of those in his entourage, were raised in the system. They told him about the shortcomings, and even took him to visit a few group homes. Clearly, it affected Ne-Yo very deeply. "In a lot of cases a group home becomes preparation for another controlled environment in the future if you know what I mean. We want to change that," Ne-Yo said. "We want to make sure these kids are being helped as opposed to just being housed."

He said his foundation, which was started in 2007, was still very much a work in progress. They've been on the ground working their way up, but they've been lending a hand to foundations that are more developed. He said it's refreshing to work with like-minded charities.

"It's just the kudos that we get from other foundations. We work really closely with Ronald McDonald House charities. We do a lot of things with them, and it's just refreshing that our vision for what it should be, and their vision for what it should be are the same."

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Eminem Takes On Kanye West, T.I., Jay-Z And Ne-Yo In The Battle For Best Male: Better Know A VMA Category

Posted 9/8/09 3:39 pm EST by in Music, VMAs


The MTV Video Music Awards are just a few short days away, and though there is all sorts of buzz surrounding the performances, the parties and the New York-centric stunts that will be happening all this week into Sunday's broadcast, it's important to remember that the reason the biggest stars in music will gather in Radio City Music Hall is to see who wins the coveted Moonman in each of the 15 categories. We'll be taking a look at each of the top categories this week, starting today with the Best Male Video award. The nominees are Eminem's "We Made You," Jay-Z's "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," T.I.'s "Live Your Life," Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" and Kanye West's "Love Lockdown."

Best Male Video has been around since the first Video Music Awards in 1984, where David Bowie's "China Girl" beat out Billy Joel, Lionel Richie, Herbie Hancock and Michael Jackson for the prize. Past winners of the award include legends like Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Will Smith and Beck, as well as recent noisemakers Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake.

Two of the men nominated for the award this year have already won it, as Eminem took home the Moonman for Best Male Video at 2000's event for "The Real Slim Shady" and again in 2002 for "Without Me," while Kanye West took home the Best Male Video prize in 2005 for "Jesus Walks." Jay-Z's "99 Problems" snagged a nomination for Best Male Video in 2004 but lost out to Usher (though he still grabbed four awards — including Best Rap Video — that same year). This is the fourth consecutive Best Male nomination for T.I. (who has never won a Moonman in any category) and the second year in a row that Ne-Yo has been nominated for an award (he lost out to Pussycat Dolls in the Best Dancing in a Video category).

Of the five videos, Jay-Z's is the newest and the one with the most buzz. "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" is on The Blueprint 3, which hits the streets today. The next newest comes from Eminem, whose album dropped earlier this year and whose first single "We Made You" announced the return of Slim Shady to the top of the music world. The other three clips all come from 2008 albums (Kanye West's performance of "Love Lockdown" even closed last year's show). So it seems like it will be a showdown between Eminem and Jigga, though the person who has the best chance of scoring a Moonman in this category is director Anthony Mandler, who helmed both "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" and T.I.'s "Live Your Life."

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Taylor Swift, Katy Perry Team Up For Video Music Awards Performance Video

Posted 8/25/09 6:38 pm EST by in VMAs


The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards are less than 20 days away, and anticipation continues to build. More performers will be announced later this week, fleshing out the lineup already overflowing with stars like Jay-Z, Green Day, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Pink and Muse. In honor of the Video Music Awards' return to New York City (after dalliances with Los Angeles and Las Vegas), MTV recruited Swift, Cobra Starship, Ne-Yo, Katy Perry and host Russell Brand to participate in a variation on the classic song "Tonight," from the iconic Broadway musical "West Side Story." In the clip, which is in its full-length form below, the performers each hang out in iconic New York locations (an alley, a subway station, a rooftop garden, the back of a cab) and sing customized verses that drop in portions of their own tunes.

The whole show goes down on Sunday, September 13, at New York City's legendary Radio City Music Hall. For the second straight year, Russell Brand will assume hosting duties for the show, which features Beyoncé and Lady Gaga tied for nine Moonman nominations each. Will Pink and Katy Perry kiss? They might! But you won't know unless you tune in.

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Jay-Z Builds Careers For Rihanna, Kanye West And Ne-Yo

Posted 8/25/09 5:06 pm EST by in Music


By Gigi Abrantes

Since he first dropped his debut album in 1996, Jay-Z became an instant classic on the hip-hop scene. Now that he is about to drop his 11th album The Blueprint 3, MTV News takes a look back at the history of one of the greatest artists in rap history with The J to Z of Jay-Z.

Last week, Jay-Z joined forces with former protégés Kanye West and Rihanna for his new music video "Run This Town." It's a testament to Jigga's reach, as it featured two stars whose careers he helped nurture — something he has done time and again over his career.

21-year-old Barbados native Rihanna first brought her Caribbean flavor to the United States in 2003. She spent over a year shuttling between New York City and her home, shopping her demo, writing songs and making connections. She finally caught the ear of then-CEO of Def Jam Jay-Z, who signed her on the spot. Ne-Yo, the 29-year-old songwriter with lyrics that tug at everyone's heartstrings, has been writing hit ballads since he was a teenager, and before he was a performer, he penned hits for Mary J. Blige, B2K, Faith Evans and Musiq Soulchild. But despite being the name attached to R&B's hits like Mario's "Let Me Love You" and Marques Houston's "That Girl," Ne-Yo failed to receive the attention and fame as a solo artist himself. It wasn't until 2006 when Ne-Yo sparked Jay-Z's interest and was also signed to Def Jam.

Kanye West, the 32-year-old rapper/producer got his first taste of popularity as the architect behind much of Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint. Read More...

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