Justin Bieber Announces Next Single, 'Never Let You Go'
mtv.com
With about a month until the release of My World 2.0, (due March 23), Justin Bieber took to his Twitter to announce the second single off the album. He plans to follow-up "Baby" with the track "Never Let You Go." The pop singer, who will celebrate his Sweet 16 on Monday, will release the new song on Tuesday.
"It's only 5 days until my bday, but now it's only six days until I release a new song off of My World 2.0 on ITUNES!! Wanna know which song??" he tweeted on Wednesday night. "Next Tuesday after my birthday I will release 'Never Let You Go' finally on iTunes from My World 2.0!!!"
Bieber also posted a link to a video of him performing the love song, on which he sings, "It's like an angel came by, and took me to heaven/ It's like you took me to heaven girl/ 'Cause when I stare in your eyes/ It couldn't be better/ I don't want you to go."
"Everyone spread the word," he told his extremely loyal Twitter followers.
Bieber, who will promote his album by performing on "Saturday Night Live" and the Kids' Choice Awards, recently released his music video for "Baby." The video has cameos from Drake and Ludacris and even shows off some of Bieber's smooth Michael Jackson-inspired dance moves.
"It starts off, I really like this girl, but we didn't [get] along; we couldn't be together," Bieber explained. "Basically, I want her back and [I'm] kind of going through the whole thing. I'm chasing her around, trying to get her, and she's kind of playing hard to get, but I'm persistent. I keep going."
Back To Top
Black Eyed Peas Turn Up The Energy
mtv.com
Earlier this month, Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am told MTV News the collective's The E.N.D. world tour would deliver "things flying and the stage transforming." Well, the Grammy-winning group's show came through New York's Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night (February 24), and the futuristic performance lived up to the hype.
From the onset, when the four-person crew entered via platforms underneath the stage, to midway through the set when Will.I.Am freestyled rhymes based on text messages, the Peas put on a concert that was every bit as energetic as their pulsing tracks.
As the booming bass of "Let's Get It Started" drummed up, Apl.de.Ap was the first Black Eyed Peas member to pop up onstage. He was soon followed by Taboo and Fergie. A billowing cloud of smoke enshrouded the stage as Will.I.Am joined his mates, complete with a "Phantom of the Opera"-like mask.
"Let's get it started," Fergie sang, as lights radiated from the stage into the crowd. "Let's get it started in here."
The onetime Eazy-E protégés (before Fergie joined the group) returned to their original lyrical pedigree halfway through their performance. Will urged fans to send text messages, and the words later appeared on gigantic screens in the arena. The producer then freestyled and incorporated the messages into his boasts.
Fergie took a brief moment during the Peas' set to detour into a mini solo set of her own. She strutted down the runway that extended into the audience in blinged-out boots and an impossibly short metallic minidress. But Fergie was a part of the BEP family on this night and quickly returned to the set; the guys rejoined her onstage as they performed an encore to "I Gotta Feeling."
Just before the group performed, David Guetta stirred things up as a surprise guest. The DJ announced to the crowd that he arrived from Paris to make it to the concert. He cued up his Kelly Rowland-assisted song "When Love Takes Over" and walked off, still on his turntables, as a crew collected his equipment and pulled Guetta offstage while the music was still playing.
Ludacris and LMFAO helped kick things off prior to that. The rowdy "I'm in Miami, Trick" party rockers did a brief set, including their hit "Shots."
Ludacris pulled out a number of hits throughout his set, from "Move" to "Stand Up." The Atlanta MC was sporting black jeans, sneakers, a leather jacket and a thermal shirt, but Ludacris' mood didn't match his dark outfit; he was easygoing and jovial throughout.
"I think this side over here is the livest one tonight," Luda said.
Back To Top
The Top 100!
The Black Eyed Peas become the first duo or group in 19 years to plate three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles from one album, as "Imma Be," from the act's "The E.N.D.," beelines 3-1.
The quartet set a record last year withh 26 successive weeks at No. 1 when "Boom Boom Pow" (12 weeks) was followed by "I Gotta Feeling" (14 weeks) atop the chart. The Peas' third single from "The E.N.D.," "Meet Me Halfway" peaked at No. 7 in November.
Wilson Phillips was the last duo or group to score three No. 1s from an album, when its self-titled debut spawned "Hold On," "Release Me" and "You're In Love" in 1990-91.
After nine weeks at No. 1, Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" tumbles to No. 2, one week shy of matching Debby Boone's 1977 hit "You Light Up My Life" for most weeks at No. 1 by a female's debut single.
Young Money's "BedRock" rises a spot 4-3, as does Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (5-4). Lady Antebellum's "Need You Know" returns to the top five with a 6-5 upswing.
After debuting at No. 2 last week, "We Are The World 25: For Haiti" by Artists for Haiti slips 2-6, though it holds at No. 1 on Hot Digital Sales for a second week. After moving 267,000 downloads in just over two days of sales last tracking period, the title sells 208,000 in its first full week of digital availability.
The next three titles in the Hot 100 top 10 all remain in place; Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" (No. 7), Ludacris' "How Low" (No. 8) and Jason Derulo's "In My Head" (No. 9).
Trey Songz reaches the Hot 100 top 10 for the first time with his lucky 13th charting title, "Say Aah" (12-10). His prior best showing had been No. 14 peaks with "Can't Help But Wait" (2007) and as a featured vocalist on Twista's "Girl Tonite" (2005).
Rihanna takes dual Airplay and Digital Gainer awards as "Rude Boy" rockets 64-23. Download sales increase by 152% (to 65,000) for a 70-20 jump on Digital Songs, while listener impressions increase by 63% for 69-36 rise on Radio Songs.
The remaining four Hot 100 debuts come from DJ Khaled, Usher, 3OH!3 and Mariah Carey.
Back To Top
Ke$ha Crushes Men’s Hearts in Blah Blah Blah
billboard.com
In the video for Ke$ha's new single, "Blah Blah Blah," the fiercely hot mess of a pop star shows what happens to men who annoy her in the hopes of gaining her attention: In a nutshell: if they don't shut up, she makes them.
The thoroughly entertaining clip showcases four instances in which men meet Ke$ha's wrath. First, she duct tapes and pants-es the dude she describes as a "douchemaster" for haunting her at a peep show-styled bar. It soon becomes clear that the next guy didn't get the memo, either (he bugs Ke$ha at an arcade while she's busy playing a game), so she shoves him off -- literally. When a third would-be suitor attempts to court Ke$ha via an acoustic serenade, she stuffs his mouth with paper.
Of course, 3OH!3 also makes an appearance -- the duo raps its guest verse as Ke$ha flies up and down, "Hancock" style. The video's final sequence is set in a bowling alley, where the "TiK ToK" singer reveals that the alley attendant is wearing a toupee. If you hadn't predicted her response by now (spoiler alert!), she uses the hairpiece to make him zip his lips, just like all the rest of the men who get on her bad side.
Back To Top
Kris Allen Shares His Trip To Haiti On American Idol
billboard.com
Kris Allen says returning to "American Idol" on Thursday (Feb. 25) will be nerve-wracking, but a good cause makes it worthwhile.
The Season 8 champion will be the special guest on "Idol's" results show, taking a moment away from the elimination of four contestants from the top 24 to sing. Allen also plans to talk about his recent trip to earthquake-ravaged Haiti and get viewers to phone in relief contributions during a mini version of the "Idol Gives Back" concept.
"The thing about it is, it's not about me," says Allen, who had a missionary background before competing on "Idol." "Every time I was on that stage last year it was about me, and for this is not. It feels like a really good thing to come back there for."
Allen -- who visited Port-au-Prince last Friday under the auspices of the United Nations -- will perform the Beatles' "Let It Be" during the episode, which will be sold iTunes with proceeds going to the Foundation. Viewers will also be able to text message contributions. The UN Foundation is in need of funds not only to help rebuild Haiti but also to help the populace survive the coming rainy season which will hamper reconstruction efforts.
While in Haiti, Allen handed out rice bags and visited temporary shelters, including one where he sang "Amazing Grace." He plans to talk about the trip on "Idol" as well as show some footage. "When you see something like that, it definitely affects you," he explains. "It makes you happy for what you have, and it makes you want to do something to help those people. I think it's an innate human kind of thing; when you see people hurting, you definitely want to help them.
The most lasting memory of Haiti, Allen added, was a visit to a tent where mothers were caring for their children. "It felt like a really safe place," he said. "They were taking care of their babies, which were from newborn to two (years old) or something like that...That just seemed so happy. It was a really cool experience."
Back in the music world, meanwhile, Allen is still actively promoting his self-titled post-"Idol" album, which is nearing the 300,000 sales mark. He said there's "definitely some talk" about a follow-up single to 2009's "Live Like We're Dying" but added "we don't have anything set in stone."
Back To Top
