Good news! The increasingly elusive Diana Vickers second album campaign has received a huge boost in the form of an Olly Murs tour support slot.
The obvious downside is that you’d have to actually go to an Olly Murs gig to catch her (joke… kinda), but this is very positive news for the amazing DiVi, whose recent covers and freebie originals have all been amazing.
Whether or not Diana Vickers’ second album actually exists remains to be seen – it’s been “forthcoming” for about eighty-eight years now – but when (if) it does ever rock up, this song will not be on it.
It’s called ‘Low’, it was recorded last summer, and obviously it’s relatively good.
The YouTube description says “it’s not going to get a proper release from DV’s label”, which is interesting because the last update was that ‘DV’ doesn’t actually have a label. Has she signed a new deal? DOES THIS MEAN WE’RE GETTING AN ALBUM?
The wait for Diana Vickers’ second album is becoming more and more agaonising, particularly seeing as every teaser she’s put out so far has been 100% amazing.
It sounds at the moment like, of all the songs on Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree, it’s possibly the incrediballs ‘Chasing You’ that’s, sonically*, the best indicator of what’s to come.
Take a listen at this beautiful cover she’s uploaded of Tom Petty’s ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’. It’s a few days old now but it hasn’t got any less good so it warrants a mention.
(* Don’t think sonically has been used on TL before. This is a big day)
If you’ve missed anything in the poposphere over the past week then you need our 3-minute TLTV round-up.
It’s your essential round-up of all things pop from the last seven days, from Jessica Sanchez’s dramatic near-elimination on American Idol to Emeli Sande’s confirmation as the first guest performer on The Voice.
We also had the exciting news that Joe McElderry is planning his fourth album (and that he wants a duet with the not-so-exciting Dappy), the announcement of Alexandra Burke’s second album title, the chart success of Justin Bieber, Rebecca Ferguson’s international chart invasion, and new videos from Paloma Faith, Jessie J and Lawson. Oh, and a lovely new Diana Vickers cover.
Diana Vickers dropped two fantastic new songs at the back end of 2011, and now she’s back with another new demo.
‘Boy In Paris’ was made with David Gamson of 80s outfit Scritti Politti, and Diana has unveiled it in 1m 33s snippet form.
Says she: “What I love about it is that it reminds me of a kind of early Eurythmics sound with all the dark synyths but as a package is also a big pop song. I’ve worked with David Gamson on a lot of the album and I think this song gives a real flavour of where I’ve gone sonically with my new music.
“The song has a big connection with me, as I wrote it on true events. Paris has been a big part of my year this year on a lot of levels and I can say that I have truly fallen head over heels for the place. In fact, I just came back from Paris last week shooting the album and single shots, and I can honestly say it was the best shoot I ever done on every level.”
‘Kiss Of A Bullet’ is considerably darker and dirtier than last week’s newbie, with lashings of movie metaphor and an addictive “Shoot me down” hook after the chorus.
DiVi is also going to be playing a couple of live dates in the New Year, the tickets for which go on sale at 9am tomorrow morning. Catch her at Manchester Ruby Lounge and London Cargo on February 8th and 9th respectively.
Diana Vickers has revealed a new song, and I’m not being melodramatic when I say, in capital letters, that it is FUCKING BRILLIANT.
‘Music To Make The Boys Cry’ was produced by Donkeyboy (AMAZING) and is available now as a free download.
The star’s career took a bit of a hit earlier in the year when she split with RCA for “creative reasons”, but if the whole of Album No. 2 sounds anywhere near as good as this, we’re on for another 5-star corker.
Kelly Rowland arguably had the toughest choice on last weekend’s X Factor, having to narrow 8 talented 16-24 year-old girls to a final 4. With Jade the shock loser, she took Janet Devlin, Misha Bryan, Amelia Lily and underdog Sophie Habibis through. As everyone gets geared up for the first live show this weekend, will any of them manage to better these ultimate 10 X Factor females? (N.B. Girls who were entered into the Over 25s category aren’t counted here – separate list to follow…)
10. Chenai Zinyuku (Season 2)
Here is the girl who beat Alexandra Burke to a spot in the live shows back in 2005′s second season. The rendition below of ‘Closest Thing To Crazy’ may not be among the greats, but her performance of Elvis Presley’s ‘Always On My Mind’ was spine-tingling. She was the only girl chosen by Louis Walsh for the 16-24s category.
9. Cassie Compton (Season 1)
Cassie’s gone on to have a successful musical theatre career since coming 5th in the very first season in 2004, including a role as Nessarose in ‘Wicked’. Mentored by Sharon Osbourne, she won hearts with performances of ‘All By Myself’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Alfie’; and though the big notes sounded a bit better at the time, she was a young developing singer with a big heart. Look how innocent the show looks in this clip!! AND WATCH SHARON OSBOURNE GO IN THE JUDGES’ COMMENTS!
8. Cher Lloyd (Season 7)
Earmarked as a potential winner after her initial ‘Turn My Swag On’ audition (“You are riiiight up my street,” cooed Cheryl Cole), Cher’s popularity nose-dived come the live shows, particularly once original hate figure Katie Waissel was shown the door. But she’s a performer, and she certainly stood out – something that can’t be said for a lot of acts. No-one ever touched Matt Cardle in the public voting figures from Week 2 onwards, but Cher came 2nd in Week 4 with this performance:
7. Lucie Jones (Season 6)
Simon Cowell was not a very popular man when he took Lucie Jones and Jedward’s sing-off to deadlock, resulting in the Welsh lass being sent packing prematurely. Lucie had an impressive set of pipes that rookie Cheryl Cole didn’t quite make the most of in the live shows (a Leona song? REALLY?), and now she’s putting them to good use by earning oodles of acclaim in the musical theatre world.
6. Laura White (Season 5)
There was a media storm when Laura White was sent packing in Week 5, when many expected to see her in the final. Her impressive range and delicious tone made her an early favourite, but the judges weren’t the ones to blame for the public not bothering to vote. Since leaving the show Laura has released an infectious Top 40 single and promised an album is “coming soon”.
5. Stacey Solomon (Season 6)
Essex mum Stacey won the hearts of pretty much every single viewer when she took part in the show’s 2009 run. Losing to Joe McElderry and Olly Murs in the final, she has since gone on to win ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’ and has finally (FINALLY!) signed a record deal. Her album is expected at some point in 2012.
4. Diana Vickers (Season 5)
Before Katie Waissel and Janet Devlin there was the original X Factor ‘Quirky Girl’, Diana Vickers. Many viewers weren’t fans, and her absence in Mariah Carey week due to illness made unfair “IT’S A FIX!” claims far too easy, but D-Vix had the last laugh when she landed an award-winning West End role, and saw her debut single and album hit the No1 spot.
3. Rebecca Ferguson (Season 7)
OK, so Rebecca didn’t exactly mix it up week after week. But seeing her jump around shouting about “the club” would have been a total waste of talent – she was brilliant at what she did and her rendition of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ is one of the best in the show’s history. She signed a record deal after coming 2nd, and will release her first single and album next month. EXCITING.
2. Alexandra Burke (Season 5)
Alex failed in Season 2 to reach the live finals (see No10), but she bought it home three years later by taking the top spot from JLS and, uh, Eoghan Quigg. She may be taking her sweet time with Album No2, but she’s already notched up 3 UK No1 singles and a No1 album. What’s more, ‘Hallelujah’ is the most listenable winner’s single to date.
1. Leona Lewis (Season 3)
Who else?! Leona is the earliest X Factor winner still in posession of a record deal, and her second single Bleeding Love’ is considered one of the best (if not THE best) in the history of the show’s alumni. Leona was also the first – and, still, only – winner to go global, enjoying a fair amount of success in the USA as well as on home turf. Will anyone ever match her success?
Diana Vickers has parted company with record label RCA, despite achieving a chart-topping single (‘Once’) and album (‘Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree‘) with them this time last year.
Posting on her Tumblr blog, Vickers said: ”I just want to let you know what the crack is at the moment down in the Vickers camp. Myself and RCA have decided to part company, purely based on a creative level. I will always be really thankful for the time we’ve spent together and the support they’ve given me.
“But, I’ve grown up a lot since the first album and whilst the past couple years have been a lot of fun and a great success, I’m now ready to take a wander down a different, very exciting path! In order to grow, this change has to be made.”
“I’m so proud of where the second album is right now and I’m counting down the minutes until it’s all ready and you guys can finally hear it. I’ve been having the best time over the past six months – being creative, working with so many inspirational people, falling in love with LA and growing as an artist.”
As a fourth-placed ‘X Factor’ contestant, Diana’s double whammy of chart-toppers was certainly an achievement against the odds, so her decision to leave her major record deal is definitely an interesting one. Still, a source has told The Sun that, because RCA have allowed her to take her unreleased new material with her, she’s in a “strong position” to start hunting down a new deal.
Alexandra Burke meanwhile, who won Diana’s series of ‘X Factor’, has recently joined RCA in time for her own second album.
The votes are in, we’ve had lots more than last year, they’ve been counted and verified etc etc… here are your best and worst pop bits of the past twelve months:
Single of the Year Winner: Katy Perry – ‘Teenage Dream’ 2nd: Cheryl Cole – ‘Promise This’ 3rd: Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – ‘California Gurls’ Hurrah! Last week we named ‘Teenage Dream’ our own single of the year and it appears you agree as well. ‘California Gurls’ was completely neglected by our Top 50 but it’s good to see it get a look-in here in bronze position. And Cheryl.
Not Single of the Year Winner: Black Eyed Peas – ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’ 2nd: Shout For England feat. James Corden and Dizzee Rascal – ‘Shout’ 3rd: JLS – ‘The Club Is Alive’ Not even close, this one – Black Eyed Peas ran away with it. We do like the guys but we have to admit this was a bit of a misfire. Good value in a club, but when we’re old and looking back on the best songs we’ve ever heard, we’re a hell of a lot more likely to remember ‘I Gotta Feeling’ with fond affection than ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’. But we’ll let you know if we’re wrong.
Album of the Year Winner: Ke$ha – ‘Animal’ 2nd: Diana Vickers – ‘Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree’ 3rd: Kelis – ‘Flesh Tone’ DiVi is runner-up for you as well as for us, with Ke$ha narrowly claiming victory for her party-friendly ‘Animal’ LP. You also had a fondness for Kelis, whose ‘Flesh Tone’ LP we have to admit we didn’t even listen to, and barely noticed being released. “A masterpiece” was one particular voter’s note, and another was “Not all the songs are great but the album as a cohesive whole is AMAZING.” We’ll give it a spin.
Best Newcomer Winner: Tinie Tempah 2nd: Ellie Goulding 3rd: Matt Cardle The behatted ‘X Factor’ winner gets a surprise podium finish (narrowly beating Aiden Grimshaw, bizarrely enough) but doesn’t come close to touching the Ellie/Tinie two-horse race. Both picked up a substantial number of votes in ‘Worst’ categories as well, proving if anything that both have made a successful impression on the market in 2010.
Absolute God-Awful Artist of 2010 Winner: JLS 2nd: Cheryl Cole 3rd: Justin Bieber Poor JLS ran away with this one, with Cheryl and Justin being the two also-rans with the most votes. Also picking up impressive amounts of votes were Lady Gaga, Matt Cardle, Olly Murs, N-Dubz, Wagner, Florence and the Machine and countless others. Cheryl was another who picked up as many ‘Worst’ votes as she did ‘Best’ votes, but that’s a contrast to our 2009 polls when she barely registered on any ‘Worst’ lists.
Best Video Winner: Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – ‘California Gurls’ 2nd: Katy Perry – ‘Firework’ 3rd: Lady GaGa and Beyonce – ‘Telephone’ Katy Perry narrowly beats Katy Perry in this Katy Perry heavy category, with ‘California Gurls’ emerging as a fave. We personally thought it was a bit laborious and awkward when it first came out, but Katy knows how to not take herself seriously and it was an undeniable summer smash. GaGa and Beyonce beat Cheryl’s ‘Promise This’ by a single vote to complete the Top 3.
Worst Video Winner: Alexandra Burke featuring Laza Morgan – ‘Start Without You’ 2nd: Nadine – ‘Insatiable’ 3rd: Matt Cardle – ‘When We Collide’ Picking up more votes than anything or anyone else across the entire poll, Alexandra’s diabolical promo for ‘Start Without You’ is crowned Worst Video by a clear landslide. Fair play to the track – she’s done better, but worse crimes to music have been committed – but the long-delayed video, which was even made twice, failed to meet expectation. Nadine’s self-indulgent ‘Insatiable’ video is the distant runner-up, with the traditional mish-mash of Matt’s ‘X Factor’ journey polling 3rd.
Most Disappointing Musical Release of 2010 Winner: Gorillaz – ‘Plastic Beach’ 2nd: Joe McElderry – ‘Wide Awake’ 3rd: Sugababes – ‘Sweet 7′ A close category as it encompasses both albums and singles, Gorillaz’ latest LP narrowly topped ‘X Factor’ 2009 champ Joe and the disasterous musical re-invention of the Sugababes to be named the year’s most disappointing release. Other artists who picked up their fair chunk of votes included Nadine, Kylie, Gary and Robbie, Christina Aguilara (“Floptina”, as named by one voter) and Black Eyed Peas.
Best Lyric from a 2010 Song Winner: “You’re a Midas in reverse” – from ‘The Boy Who Murdered Love’ by Diana Vickers In a category so diverse that only a handful of votes were needed to win, amazingly enough voters opted for this particular Vickers line, which we agree is suitably epic. Good choice. Other amusing suggestions were for “I like your beard” from Ke$ha’s ‘Your Love Is My Drug’, “I’m only gonna let you kill me once” from Diana’s ‘Once’, “PA PA L’AMERICANO” from ‘We Speak No Americano’ (obv) and “Come here rude boy boy can you get it up” from Rihanna’s ‘Rude Boy’.
Hero of the Year Winner: Joe McElderry 2nd: Katy Perry 3rd: Dannii Minogue Joe is triumphant in this category with a comfortable victory over nearest rival Katy Perry. ‘X Factor’ judge Dannii Minogue was also a popular choice, but despite only picking up one vote we have to give honourable mention to Alesha Dixon, who was voted for “purely for having the sheer balls to believe “I THINK I NEED A BETTER DRUMMAAAAAAAAR” was in any way a sensible idea.”
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