One Direction album tops half a million sales while Cher gains on Matt

January 23, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

One Direction’s Up All Night is set to pass the 500,000 sales barrier this week, as they become the first X Factor 2010 graduates to pass the half-million mark.

Up All Night had sold 499,850 copies as of midnight on Saturday, but is still awaiting an official Platinum Award from the BPI. Rebecca Ferguson’s Heaven, which has also passed 400,000 sales, was given the honour just before Christmas.

This week could also see Cher Lloyd pass 200,000 units, as her new single ‘Want U Back’ picks up momentum and her album Sticks + Stones gains on Matt Cardle’s debut Letters.

Letters has performed significantly better than it’s being given credit for, having not left the UK Top 40 since its release in September.

However its third single ‘Starlight’ was a total flop, charting only at No. 185 despite garnering enough radio support to make No. 23 on the airplay chart.

The X Factor season 7 finalists’ albums rank as follows.

X Factor 2010 Finalists: Album sales up to 21/1/12:
1. One Direction – Up All Night 499,850 (released 28/11)
2. Rebecca Ferguson – Heaven 405,932 (released 5/12)
3. Matt Cardle – Letters 245,271 (released 14/10)
4. Cher Lloyd – Sticks + Stones 198,199 (released 14/11)
Source: Music Week

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It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for: Lucien Laviscount announces début single

January 23, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

Waterloo Road actor and one-time Kerry Katona romancer Lucien Laviscount has announced details of his foray into pop music.

No, really.

The Celebrity Big Brother alumnus will release his début single, the boundary-breakingly-titled ‘Dance With You’, as the first signing to Blue member Simon Webbe’s new label SK Records.

He said: ”This is an amazing new adventure for me, which has been a long time coming.

“I’m grateful to have a good solid team around me and I’m now looking forward to working hard and making good music with great vibes, which people can relate to and party to!”

Webbe added: “Lucien’s a triple-threat artist. His single is an infectious dance track with an R&B vocal and we’re really looking forward to see how it does in the charts.”

The track will feature rapper Mann, and the video is thought to feature Matt D’Angelo, Ashley Walters and Geoff Bell.

The track is due for release in April.

It’ll have to go some to top Nadia Almada’s ‘A Little Bit Of Action’ as Best Big Brother single, is all I’m gonna say…

Watch out, Adele! Hilary Duff is recording new material

January 22, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

“Wake up, wake up on a Saturday night” warbler Hilary Duff is recording a follow-up to her 2007 album Dignity.

The pre-Miley Cyrus equivalent of, erm, Miley Cyrus released three studio albums and what felt like 96 Best Of collections ‘back in the day’, spawning the hits ‘So Yesterday’, ‘Wake Up’, ‘Fly’, and ‘With Love’.

She took to Twitter to declare: “ooooooo excitement ensuing …now! recording all day! (sic)”.

Matt Squire, her producer, said: “Such an amazing session with @HilaryDuff yesterday!! Xcited!!!!!”

Duff ditched the bubblegum pop-rock of her first two albums, Metamorphosis and Hilary Duff, in favour of maturer electro-pop for Dignity, which remains her lowest-selling effort to date.

Her last hurrah before going on hiatus was the absolutely diabolical ‘Reach Out’ in 2008, which sampled Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’ and reached the giddy heights of No. 193 in the UK singles charts.

The former Lizzie Maguire was one of those teen-targeted singers who seemed like jolly good fun at the time but, this side of age 16, actually has one of the most horrendous back catalogues of any one-time Disney hotshot. And that’s saying something, right Ashley Tisdale?

Still, Dignity at least had glimmers of brilliance, so let’s see where the mum-to-be is going with her fourth LP.

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This week’s new releases: Lana Del Rey, Cover Drive, more

January 22, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

Here’s our weekly guide to new music releases in the UK, for singles week commencing Sunday 22nd January and albums week commencing Monday 23rd January 2012.

NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK
Lana Del Rey – ‘Born To Die’ (Single)
She may have taken a bit of a step backwards with that fateful Saturday Night Live performance last weekend, but Lana Del Rey still has all the makings of 2012′s best import. The title track from her forthcoming debut album is out this week, and has all the beauty and restraint of ‘Video Games’ with an added dollop of emotive strings. The video’s managed 13 million views on YouTube and hopefully this track can be a safe bet for Top 20 next Sunday.

Also out this week
Cover Drive release what could quite possibly be next week’s No. 1, as ‘Twilight’ finally hits online stores. It’s not an instant classic but its catchy chorus has no doubt endeared it to legions of teenage record buyers. Professor Green‘s new single ‘Never Be A Right Time’ also gets a full release, and without the publicity or, let’s face it, quality of ‘Read All About It’ it’s pretty unlikely to do anything exciting with the charts. Look out also for Big Time Rush, billed as America’s One Direction equivalent and the boyband who our own lads will be supporting on tour in the forseeable future. Finally, there’s new tuneage from Redlight out this week that could potentially make a minor dent in the Top 40 next Sunday.

New singles released 22nd January 2012
Amadou & Mariam feat Santigold – ‘Dougou Badia’
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Black Treacle (7”)’
Big Time Rush feat Mann – ‘Music Sounds Better With U’
Bon Iver – ‘Towers’ (12”)
Charlotte Gainsbourg – ‘Anna’
Cover Drive – ‘Twilight’
Errors – ‘Pleasure Palaces’ (7”)[Limited]
Lana Del Rey – ‘Born To Die’
Nerina Pallot – ‘All Bets Are Off’
Professor Green – ‘Never Be A Right Time’
Redlight – ‘Get Out Of My Head’
Roll Deep – ‘Picture Perfect’

New albums released 23rd January 2012
Chairlift – Something
Chris Isaak – Beyond The Sun
Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline
Lamb Of God – Resolution
Mull Historical Society – City Awakenings
Pulled Apart By Horses – Tough Love
Rodrigo Y Gabriela – Area 52
Underworld – 1992-2012 Anthology (3CD)
Underworld – Collection
Wiley - Evolve Or Be Extinct
X-Press 2 – The House Of X-Press 2
Zoe Rahman – Kindred Spirits

 

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Watch: Kelly Clarkson performs tribute to Etta James

January 22, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

Kelly Clarkson sailed through her first American Idol audition ten years ago with Etta James’ ‘At Last’ and, in the aftermath of the legendary singer’s sad passing, she paid tribute on the latest leg of her US tour last night.

Before kicking off, she explained: “This isn’t ‘At Last’ because everyone really covers that and so I wanted to do my favourite, actually. My favourite song is ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’. So, this is for Etta.”

In other news, ‘At Last’ has re-entered the official UK charts. The classic tune makes a return at No. 39 this week.

Rest in peace, Etta.

Here is Kelly’s tribute:

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More Coyle than Cole? Heidi Range considering solo career

January 22, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

File this one alongside Nadine Coyle, Natasha Hamilton and Mel B in “doomed solo careers”.

Heidi Range of Sugababes fame seems like one of the nicest people in pop, but her declaration today that she’s thinking about launching a solo career doesn’t exactly set pulses racing.

The Dancing On Ice contestant told the Sunday Mirror that, following her split from Capital FM DJ Dave Berry, she’s looking to explore new avenues.

“The end of last year was awful. Splitting with Dave was horrible and I’m not over it. We’re still great friends and I saw him last week, but it’s hard,” she said.

“Dancing On Ice has got me through it. It’s given me a new lease of life. My life’s been turned upside down and I don’t know what is going to happen. This show has been brilliant. It’s given me confidence and I’ve got my groove back.

“I’m thinking about a solo album, I’m thinking about TV presenting, I’m thinking the world is my oyster right now. For ten years every part of my life has been planned. It’s been in the diary. It’s exciting to be making a fresh start.”

Heidi has also recently admitted that she and fellow current Sugababes Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen haven’t disbanded ‘as such’, but aren’t focussing on new music at the moment.

Wretch 32 admits fury over Brit Awards nominations snub

January 21, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

Wretch 32 is not a happy bunny as far as this year’s Brit Awards are concerned.

The rapper has admitted he was furious when he found out he had not been nominated for any prizes at this year’s ceremony.

Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: “The Brits are such a big deal, it would have been huge to have been nominated. But after an hour of being angry, I just sat back and went, ‘Hey, it wasn’t meant to be’.

“It’s sad not to be nominated, but if you’re not in the running when everybody knows you should have been, then that’s cool. When you get massive love from supporters, none of the other stuff matters.”

Wretch realistically stood the best chance in the British Male and British Breakthrough categories. The artists being recognised for the Male prize this year are Ed Sheeran, James Blake, James Morrison, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Professor Green.

British Breakthrough nominees are Anna Calvi, Sheeran, Emeli Sande, Jessie J and The Vaccines.

Does he have a point?

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Watch: Nicki Minaj borders on annoying in Stupid Hoe video

January 21, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

There’s no denying the talent and intelligence behind the whole Nicki Minaj ‘brand’, but her new single is pushing it a bit.

‘Stupid Hoe’ builds a chorus around the endless repetition of the line “You a stupid hoe, you a, you a stupid hoe”, and the whole thing really is more irritating than entertaining.

It ain’t ‘Super Bass’ or ‘Fly’, that’s for sure.

Check it out below. Oh, and be warned – there are lots of flashing images.

Is it me?!

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LOOK AWAY, INDIE FANS! Marcus Collins to cover White Stripes for debut single

January 21, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

Marcus Collins has been harping on about how excited he is to be writing all of his own material for his debut album – but his first single will be a cover of White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’.

In news that indie fans will undoubtedly LOVE, Marcus will use his rendition of the song as a trailer for his hastily-recorded LP, which is out on March 12.

“I’m a huge fan of the original ‘Seven Nation Army’ and I hope people like my take on it,” he told The Sun.

“I’m so happy to be releasing my debut album and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

Apparently he has written “six or seven” of the songs, and Gary Barlow is the album’s executive producer.

Is this the kind of single he’s going to moan about in a year’s time, when he’s writing his second album and vows to have “more control” and won’t “be a puppet” etc etc? I wouldn’t be surprised.

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Sam Sparro announces ‘long time coming’ new album

January 20, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

‘Black & Gold’ hitmaker Sam Sparro has announced details of his new album.

The Grammy nominee will release his new record Return To Paradise in May through EMI.

Producers include Jesse “Golden Touch” Rogg and Sam himself, as well as the amazing Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Kelly Clarkson), Jono Sloan (Empire of the Sun), Tim Anderson (Ima Robot) and Lester Mendez.

Apparently he also worked with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, Florence and the Machine’s Isabella Summers and Swedish singer/songwriter Erik Hassle on the songwriting.

He says in the press release: “I’m so proud of these songs and can’t wait to share them. It’s been a long time coming.”

Indeed.

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