Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift get CMT Nods, Jason Aldean leads

The CMT Awards are on their way and the nominations have been revealed. The nominees were revealed on NBC's Today on Wednesday morning and the online fan voting in all 10 of the awards categories is open until June 7. The show will be taking place in Nashville, Tennessee, the heart and soul of country music, on June 8.

Leading the pack is Jason Aldean, with four nominations to his name. Other nominations include The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and Zac Brown Band who earned themselves three nominations apiece. Kenny Chesney, Sugarland and Carrie Underwood earned two nominations. All of these seven artists are in the running in the top category for video of the year.

Surprisingly, Justin Bieber seems to be at every award show as he has landed a CMT Award nod for his reworked version of “That Should Be Me” featuring country duo Rascal Flatts. He faces though competition against Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson for their Billboard top 40 hit "Don't You Wanna Stay," Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow for "Collide," Aaron Lewis featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels for "Country Boy" and Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow for "Coal Miner's Daughter" in the Collaborative Video of the Year category.

Taylor Swift also gets three nods for her “Mine” video, which includes Bes Web Video of the Year (which is for her Speak Now album release party), Female Video of the Year and Video of the Year. Carrie Underwood is also nominated for two awards, facing off against Swift in the Female Video of the Year and Video of the Year categories with her video for "Undo It." This should really be interesting to see who gets the awards; we all know how huge Taylor’s fan base is.

Interesting enough, Adele, Train and John Mayer are also up for CMT Performance of the Year for their collaborations with Darius Rucker, Martina McBride and Keith Urban. They're up against Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett and Reba.  

All the artists in the Best Video Category is  Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party, Kenny Chesney's The Boys of Fall, Lady Antebellum's Hello World, Miranda Lambert's The House That Built Me, Rascal Flatts' Why Wait, Sugarland's Stuck Like Glue, Taylor Swift's Mine, the Band Perry's If I Die Young, Carrie Underwood's Undo It and Zac Brown Band's Colder Weather.

Fans can go to the CMT website to vote online for their favourite artist.

Sources: [Sheknows] [MTV.com] [CMT.com]

Lupe Fiasco premieres “Words I Never Said” MV

Fresh from hitting the #1 spot on the Billboard charts, Lupe Fiasco has decided to debut the music video for his new single, “Words I Never Said”. The song is the second single off of his album, ‘Lazers”, and features hook singer Skylar Grey. 

Lupe recently told Rap-Up: “It was more so me being this liberator, undercover agent who was sneaking into this prison to kinda rescue one of my comrades from the clutches of the evil people,” he told Rap-Up TV in an interview. “There’s fight scenes and a whole lotta action. It’s very aggressive, but at the end I get the girl, so that’s all that counts.”

The song tackles Lupe’s thoughts about injustice, war and political conventions all while being incorporated into the video to bring across a powerful message. As we all know, Lupe is and will remain underrated until people finally buy themselves taste with music that has substance. Please watch the video and be prepared to be entertained.

Ke$ha In Studio

Ke$ha In Studio: "Ke$ha talks to JJ about dreaming of Lady Gaga, Britney singing one of her songs, & she does what with glitter?"

Ke$ha talks to z100 about songwriting and praises Britney Spears

Ke$ha is undoubtedly one of the most successful new artists right now. She has had all of her singles reach the Billboard Hot 100 top ten and has a co-written credit on Britney Spears’ new fantastic single “Till The World Ends”. Not to mention, she features on the “Till The World Ends Remix”, which will give her another top ten hit.

The Holy Dolla $ign sat down with z100 to talk to JJ about her songwriting and how honoured, flattered and blown away she is that her song that she wrote for Britney was released as a single. She also goes on to call Britney “One of Pop’s biggest Icon”, declares her love for the song and video and talks about putting her brain in other people’s brain. 

You see people, Ke$ha ain’t going nowhere, so best believe that you haters stay mad. For those who call her the drunk and talentless chick that needs auto tune, look at your faves and see whether they play an instrument, rap circles around your faves and other “rappers” and receive praise from and a collaboration with Andre 3000, wrote hundreds of songs (and multiple hits) without stealing credits and can do cart wheels. Now check the credits and sit yo broke ass down, hoe!

You can watch the rest of the interview over at z100.com .

Right about now, I'm blowin' ya faves off of the charts, along with their raggedy wigs

Introducing Disco Alley; featuring Rudi Smit

Fellow readers, I want to introduce something new to my blog, inspired by the Ciara’s “Fantasy Ride” era. It is called Disco Alley, which comprises of all the best dancing cities, where all the best dancers come together to have dance battles that happen underground and strays from the knowledge of the outside world. It consists of the infectious Crunktown, the lustful Groove City and the speaker-banging sounds from Kingdom of Dance. Since the brilliant concept was scrapped from her album, I decided to incorporate it into my blog. As soon as I upgrade my blog, I’ll make sure that each concept gets its own page with a complimentary background.  

Crunktown will consist of ATL-style dancing and street dancing, while Groove City will be more sensual, voluptuous and laidback. Kingdom of Dance will deal with high-energy choreography, tours, music videos and dance battles.

Each week, or whenever I have time, I’ll look for some videos consisting of high-energy or smooth/seductive dancing and post them. I’ll also allow readers to send me videos of them showing the world their powerful moves.

Today I wanted to introduce you to Rudi Smit. He is a dancer/choreographer for Primitive Dance Crew and Untamed Dance Crew and I’ve been meaning to do a post about him for some time. This young talented man comes from Cape Town he basically breathes dancing, thus he has a collage of videos.

Watch below and witness the beauty of dancing.

I felt as if I was watching the opening clip to a movie. The choreography is on point and consists of hard-hitting arm thrusts, popping and silky smooth grinding. Being a dancer myself, I love how he incorporates feminine moves into his choreography and transforms in into his own style, thus making it seem more masculine. Well done Rudi and I’m glad that your going places.

You can check out more videos of Rudi Smit on his Youtube channel and follow him on Twitter.

http://www.vimeo.com/21818091

www.youtube.com/RuBo014 

www.twitter.com/Rubo014

www.twitter.com/Untamed_Crew

Lil Wayne delays release of ‘The Carter IV”

Seems like Lil Wayne fans are about to receive some bad news. Wayne’s new album, “Tha Carter IV” was supposed to be released on May 16 but has been pushed back to June 21.

The delay was done in order for Wayne to add the finishing touches. Young Money boss Mack Maine told MTV that “He's [Wayne] still perfecting a few things, he's a perfectionist ... changing a few lines," Mack explained to MTV. "We also have a huge record that wasn't done yet. We're in LA right now – we have a little studio time and it should be done probably by Monday."

The boss also confirms that the album’s contributors slowed down the recording process, as they had to wait for the material to be sent to them. "If you calculate all of that, by the time we would've finished mixing, we wouldn't have met the [original] due date to turn in the album," Mack continued. "So we had to push it back."

Mack Maine also confirmed that the previously rumoured album cover that leaked is real. "The same day it leaked out, we had just approved the cover that morning. Soon as we approved it, it leaked out within two hours," Maine said.

Well, I know that Lil Wayne will sell and this is a risky move since “John” is slipping down the charts and “6 Foot 7 Foot” peaked at #9 in January on the charts. With his recent touring, I’m sure he’ll have a packed promotional schedule before the album’s released. Let’s hope that his next single is just as radio-friendly as his first. I really love "6 Foot 7 Foot" and I'm anticipating this album. 

Check out the two singles below.

Random girl out dances Ciara to her own song...

It is a fact that Ciara is one of the best performers and one of the underrated artists of our decade. She has sold millions and put many artists to shame. However, after a string of flop albums, she has failed to reach superstar status.

When someone who can outperform their competitors flops, its bad; when that person flops and is outperformed by another lesser human being, its time to send your resume to McDonalds. However, Ciara heard about this lesser trying to take her ATL crown and immediately sent her resume in as soon as she could. Now wonder Ciara has been off of our radars for sometime now. Here we thought that she was looking for a new label...

Watch below as the lesser girl shows the world her living-room thrusting.

With hip thrusts strong enough to blow Beyonce’s weave off and grinding smooth enough to make any raccoon hard, this mysterious girl proved that performances like this are even better than most at award shows. Precious was really getting it IN and should really pursue a career in dancing. I’m sure Katy Perry or Rihanna could learn a few moves…

Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga scheduled for “SNL” Season Finale

While radio continues to plunder our audibility with mundane, generic, electro-pop songs, the world and music heaven longs for the announcement of a new Justin Timberlake album. Sadly, we’ll have to wait much longer. According to PopWrap, he has just been booked to host the May 21 episode of “Saturday Night Live”.

Hoping to be touched by pop royalty and cause nuns to give birth from shock, Lady Gaga will be planning on sparking some controversy before “Born This Way” is released, which is released two days after “SNL”. This shall be a show to watch and will boost her sales. I’m wondering if Gaga will be able to hit first-week sales of 500,000 to 1 million.

This will be Timberlake’s fourth time hosting and Gaga’s second appearance on the late night show since 2009, which is where she performed a snippet of Bad Romance. Let’s hope that her album truly stands as the “greatest album of the decade” as the world quivers in fear of never being given the privilege to receive and listen to another pop classic from Timberlegend.

[Rap-Up] [PopWrap]

New Harry Potter Deathly Hollows Part 2 featurette leaks

While Potter heads patiently wait for the release of “Deathly Hollows Part 2”, a new featurette has leaked onto the internet, bound to cause epilepsy fits among Mugglebloods.

The anticipation for this movie is sky-high and we have to wait until July 15 to finally witness the final battle between good and evil, between Harry Potter and Lord “He Who Must Not Be Named” Voldemort.

Please watch the featurette below, as I am to busy shaking and crying from the intensity of the clips…  

Go over to Ace showbiz to get a clearer preview

Sugarland premiere "Tonight" music video, Jennifer gets seductive

One of my new favourite country bands Sugarland premiered the video for their new single “Tonight”, off their latest #1 album, “The Incredible Machine”. The video was filmed at the historic Woolworth mansion on New York City's Upper East Side and shows "Jennifer Nettles at her most glamorous" side as she “sprawls out on the couch wearing a ravishing red dress, and frolics on the bed sporting an off-shoulder sweater.” 

Member Kristian Bush told The Boot "This song is an event every night we play it.”When Jennifer gets to the first big 'Always' and holds it forever, and the band finally kicks in, and the electric guitars rumble to life under her note, it really turns the room into a stadium. I love how the audience start to cheer and scream, and how that energy carries us and the song to a new place." 

While talking about the concept and theme of the music video, Jennifer claimed, "We wanted to play with the romance and longing of this song. Hopefully that translates." Kristian interrupted, "I am so excited for our fans to see the glamorous side of Sugarland." 

I really loved the video and the glittery used to enhance the video, and I love the song even more. The listener actually hears how rich in tone Jennifer’s voice is and she’s not doing any of those amazing playful vocal runs she loves doing. I’m really glad that there achieving the success that they are right now.

Check out the video and let me know what you think. You can listen to the song below.

Rihanna and Britney claim the top spot on Billboard, Slays “American Idol”

In a last minute attempt to allow Rihanna to lead the number 1 singles race against Katy Perry, Britney Spears was added to the “S&M” Rihmix, which has chained its way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

The single increased in sales by 108% shifting 293,000 copies and beating out Lady Gaga’s “Judas” which sold only 163,000 and debuted at #10, which is excellent after only 2-and-a-half days on sale. This is Rihanna’s tenth number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, and third consecutive number one from her fifth studio album “Loud”. This is also Britney’s fifth number 1 overall, following her record-breaking number one-debuting single, “Hold It Against Me”.

Not only has it become Rihanna’s 10 th #1, but Rihanna has made history by being the solo artist to log the shortest span between a first and 10th number one in the chart's 52-year history. It took Mariah Carey five years and four months to land the feat and Rihanna did it in four years, 11 months and two weeks. Only The Beatles and The Supremes have better chart records - the Fab Four landed their first 10 number ones in a one year, eight month span, while Diana Ross' Motown trio achieved the feat in two years, eight months. Rihanna is only the ninth artist to total at least 10 Hot 100 number ones.

“Rihanna’s tenth #1 single is a monumental accomplishment and a testament to her incredible artistry,” said Steve Bartels, President and COO of the Island Def Jam Music Group. “This was a truly collaborative and creative effort, spearheaded by Rihanna’s tireless work and aided in no small part by the incredible Britney Spears and her team. I am extremely proud of Rihanna, her ongoing dominance on the charts, and the entire IDJ team who worked so diligently to bring this one home.”

Well, we all knew that Rihanna would sit on top of the chart. Let’s just hope it can sustain longevity in the top ten. All I know is that I’m proud of both of them and that Rihanna is slaying, especially after her beautiful redention of “California King Bed” on “American Idol”. Rihallah must really be taking notes about her criticised vocal performances, since she has had TWO consecutive amazing performances.

All together now: That Rihanna reign just won’t let up…

 [Rihanna-Daily] [The Prophet Blog] [Billboard] [Ace Showbiz]

Katy Perry performs "E.T." on American Idol, Next single revealed

There's no stopping Katy Perry. Not only has her album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and has sold more than 2 million worldwide, but has also broken records by amassing four #1 singles off her latest album, "Teenage Dream". Last night she performed her latest single “E.T.” featuring the unnecessary Kanye West addition on ‘American Idol’.

Not famous for her live performances, Katy actually provided us with a decent vocal performance. Dressed in extraterrestrial attire and backed up by alien dancers, the singer actually sounded good. It seems like these pop stars are finally growing and improving their vocal skills.

News about Katy’s new single has also been leaked. The next single to be released will be “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” and could possibly concluded this era for Katy. This is a fantastic single, as it is super catchy and will leave people wishing that Friday comes, before partying the night away and waking up in bed next to some stranger the next morning. The saxophone breakdown still gives me life!

Let’s hope that “Last Night” continues Katy’s streak of #1 hits and makes her break another record.

Park Bom releases new "Don't Cry" music video

Park Bom, also known as Bom from the infectious Korean Pop group 2NE1, has released the music video for her new dance-pop ballad single “Don’t Cry”. We can conclude that this is the warm-up single before 2NE1 drops their new single.

The video for “Don’t Cry” is a sequel to Bom’s amazing hit single “You and I”, which told a story of a young couple coping with illness. Bom played the wife and tried her best to make her partner’s life special before he would pass on. “Don’t Cry” is the sequel to this story, as Bom is now reminiscing about her lost love and enters the afterlife in search of him. They meet for one last time before he makes his departure.

The song was produced by 2NE1 hitmaker Teddy, but does not come close to the brilliance of “You and I”. The song sounds a bit generic and is void of the emotion used on “You and I”. However, the song has been saved by the music video, as Bom has produced a video filled with substance in it. You can’t help but get teary-eyed for her videos, especially for the brilliant “You and I” video.

You can check out both videos below the jump

[The Prophet Blog] [ Turn It Up]

Lady Gaga: “I am not full of sh!t, are you?”

Riding the hype for Gaga’s new album before it starts to dwindle, Lady Gaga is pasted on the cover of NME magazine. Posing with her Woohoo zipped and plastered with a see-through outfit, the eccentric singer addresses those who label her as a manufactured act.

“Let me tell you something. If you f*ckin’ rip my hairbow and my wig off my f*ckin’ head, my shoes, my bra, every single thing on my body, and you throw me on a piano with a microphone, I will f*ckin make you cry. I’m not going to start churning out what you expect. If you want me to be a manufactured act, you can f*ck off”

Well, if she recycles what other artists already did, then she shouldn’t be surprised that people overlook her talent and will know her as “The Controversy”.

Not only does she address her critics, but compares herself to John Lennon, in a sense that she struggles to feel completely happy with her songs: "I am perpetually unhappy with what I create," she said. "Even though I might tell you that 'Edge Of Glory' is a pop masterpiece, when it's all said and finished there will be things I dread, and every time I listen to it I'll hear them." She also adds: “In John Lennon's [1980] Playboy interview he talked about how he hated certain songs because of the way they were finished. And they might be my favourite songs, but Lennon couldn't listen to them."

We are all not happy with the songs you have written so far for this era Gaga, because we know that you can do better. Oh how I miss the fun and mysterious Gaga… 

[Toyaz-world]