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Saturday 28 July 2012

Madonna

Madonna Download
has reportedly been booed by French fans at a Paris gig after launching into a political rant.
According to The Mirror, the audience at the exclusive gig began to boo, throw bottles and call for a refund after the queen of pop sang for just 30 minutes of the 45-minute show.
The paper claims the 2,000 fans at the gig at Olympia on Thursday were unimpressed when Madge stopped singing to address the controversy surrounding her use of a Swastika on the MDNA tour.
She said: "I know that I have made a certain Marine Le Pen very angry with me.
"The enemy is not out there, there is no such thing as an external enemy. The enemy is within. It's not my intention to make enemies.MTV
"It's my intention to promote tolerance."
Madonna went on to say she thought of herself "as a revolutionary".
But as the 45-minute performance drew to a close and Madge failed to return for an encore, the crown began chanting for a refund.

Thursday 26 July 2012

Sixpence None the Richer'

Sixpence None the Richer
Download past releases on labels such as Reprise and Nettwerk (which released Sixpence's 2008 Christmas album, "The Dawn of Grace"), the duo's now learning to navigate into the independent path.

"It's maybe even a state of mind, the independent route, and we're just really trying to get into that state of mind. For us, the opportunities we had at a certain time didn't put us in that vein and so we didn't get used to it," she says.

Despite the band's long journey to "Lost in Transition," the charm that made "Kiss Me" and their covers of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" and the La's' "There She Goes" hits hasn't faded. The group recorded the new album with producer Jim Scott, who helped Sixpence stick to an uncluttered, melody-driven palette.Billboard

"We wanted it to be really about the songs and voice and focus on that," Nash says.

While Slocum has been the group's primary songwriter, Nash herself penned a number of tracks on the new set, including "Sooner Than Later," a song about the loss of her father.

"I show up as a writer a little bit more than I have in the past," she says. "So we tried to make it kind of conversational in the layout of it, one song potentially being a response to the other, even if they weren't written that way."

And working with Scott was also an opportunity to hear stories about recording with Crowded House - though the producer did the band one better.

"Oh man, don't think we didn't ask him," Nash says. "We got to go with him to see… [the documentary "Seven Worlds Collide"] and Neil Finn was there. We got to meet him and take a picture with him, which was kind of a big deal for us."

The band's musical delays in recent years weren't wasted: Nash recorded an album of hymns, "Hymns & Sacred Songs," which was released in November 2011. With Sixpence's indie status in mind, she's also balanced family life with catching up on the latest digital trends.

Netsky

 Download his sophomore studio album which is aptly (also boringly) titled “2“. We have already received two singles from “2″ in the form of “Give & Take” and “Come Alive“, but there are several other tracks that I cannot wait to hear in their full glory.
The first of which is “Love Has Gone“, which cleverly utilises a vocal sample from L.T.D.‘s classic “Love Ballad” to great effect. The second is “The Whistle Song“, which thankfully is of absolutely no relation to DJ Alligator.

Little Mix

Having listened to 'Wings' several times on the trot, we're happy to confirm that the answer is a resounding 'yes'. "Mama told me not to waste my life/ She said spread your wings my little butterfly," they chant over minimal beats slicker than a schoolyard jump rope final as they deliver a words-won't-bring-us-down message sans the usual heavy-handed balladry. The result won't be the saviour everyone was hoping for, but given the job on their hands, it's a seriously promising start.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj 
Download was left shocked during her Pink Friday Reloaded tour show in Miami, Florida after a fan stormed the stage
The Beez In The Trap singer was performing at the James L. Knight International Center when the man, who had dreadlocks and wore a black t-shirt, grabbed Nicki around the waist, The Sun reports.
A clip of the incident has since emerged online and shows security pulling the man away from Minaj as she pushes him.MTV
 He is then seen being put into a headlock, while being punched and kicked as he is dragged off stage.
After the incident, the 29-year old awkwardly smiles at her audience before stating: "I wanna say thank you for the love Florida", before carrying on her performance.
Two people who Nicki didn't mind sharing the stage with was Young Money co-stars Lil Wayne and Birdman, who later joined the Super Bass hitmaker to perform Take It To The Head, Pop That and Always Strapped.

Example

Example 
Download revealed that 'Say Nothing' and 'Perfect Replacement' will receive their live debuts when he performs at V Festival on August 18 and 19. The rapper is currently shooting the video for 'Say Nothing' in the Spanish desert. Linking to an Instagram picture of the set's sunny location, he noted: "It's so hot here you could cook a steak on your own forehead."NME

'Say Nothing' will be the lead single from Example's upcoming fourth album, which he is hoping to release in October or November. Discussing the record in May, the rapper said: "It's going to be a rock album but produced electronically - every track's got huge guitar riffs. I'm pretty much singing and trying to do impressions of Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters."

Amy Winehouse

Download Father has warning Lady Gaga if she wants to play the tragic star in a film it’s going to cost her.
Gaga, 26, previously expressed interest in portraying the legendary Brit, who died a year ago, in a biopic.
But Mitch, 60, isn’t keen on the idea. The former taxi driver told us: “If Gaga gives me £10million I will consider it. “I think it might be advisable to get an English actress, although Gaga has got the look about her. It is something which we might think about.”
For Mitch to consider any film version of his daughter’s life is a turnaround as he had previously disapproved of the prospect. Dailystar
He said in December: “It would hardly be a biopic without the music and we’d never allow the songs to be released.”
Back To Black singer Amy had a huge influence on a young Lady Gaga before she hit the big time.
The Pokerface star admitted everyone used to mistake her for troubled Amy when she had dark hair.
Gaga said: “I loved her so much. I was nobody when she was first coming out.
“I had really dark hair and all the time on the street people would go: ‘Amy!’
“They’d scream at me, thinking that I was really her.”

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Damon Albarn

Click here

Damon Albarn,
Download  Bombay Bicycle Club's Jack Steadman and Amadou & Mariam will tour on the Africa Express train this September.

The Africa Express is a collective of African and Western musicians and DJs co-founded by Damon Albarn. As well as gigs in Middlesbrough, Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol, the group will do pop-up performances at railway stations, schools, factories, offices, shopping centres and people's houses. NME

The train will then finish up at Kings Cross station in London, for a finale concert at London's Granary Square.

Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles,
Download released a woozy, nearly five-minute-long new raver, "Plague," on Wednesday (July 25). The haunting new track may or may not preview the group's forthcoming third album, which the band worked on earlier this year in German.Billboard
Consisting of three movements between calm, ethereal verses and an assault of synthesizers and programmed drums on the refrain, "Plague" obscures Glass' lyrics as her voice tries to overpower an avalanche of noise. Last month, Crystal Castles unveiled the song during a performance at the Parklife festival in Manchester, England, hinting at the darker tone of their upcoming material.

Lady Ga Ga

 Download is reportedly working with Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich on her new album.
According to Digital Spy, GaGa's friend Tamar Braxton teased their collaboration on Twitter after a fan site reported that they had teamed up, as well as claiming that producer DJ White Shadow was present in the studio with the pair.
Braxton tweeted: "@PropaGaga: Whitesnake guitarist, Doug Aldrich, was recording with Gaga today in LA. @DJWS is rumoured to have been in studio, too' Hmmmmm."
Earlier this week, Mother Monster is thought to have played a new song to some lucky fans in New York on Sunday (22nd July), blasting the track from her car stereo.
She previously said her third studio LP will "lack maturity", telling crowds at her Born This Way Ball show in Australia: "Let's just say I feel, I feel that when I wrote Born This Way, I demonstrated a sense of maturity.

Passion Pit

Passion Pit 
Download frontman has spent time in a New York state mental hospital and cancelled six tour dates. Undoubtedly he’s a talented man – he wrote and co-produced all the songs on Gossamer and excellent debut album Manners – but one wonders at what cost does inspiration come?
As with the greatest tunes from the first album, such as The Reeling, there is a sense of joyous mania in the booming hugeness of some of the best songs here. Album opener and single Take a Walk, about the grim effects of the recession on America told from a family man’s point of view, features impressive synths and a chorus so big you can see it from space.BBC
Carried Away is the album’s finest moment. Swedish trio Erato provide lush backing vocals to accompany Angelakos’ falsetto amid pumping synths, while co-producer Chris Zane provides percussive might. Constant Conversations, meanwhile, is completely unexpected: a marvellous, glistening sliver of neo-soul pop, reminiscent of R Kelly’s Ignition, again featuring Erato’s backing vocals.
Further into the album, Cry Like a Ghost is a diversion into modern urban pop territory. The Neptunes would surely appreciate the combination of snappy percussion, bass like a jack-knifed lorry thudding down the motorway, and slick melodies. The quality does dip, though: On My Way recalls Mika in a particularly saccharine mood, while It's Not My Fault, I'm Happy is catchy enough, but lacks pace and veers toward melodrama.
Gossamer ends with the fascinating, but worrying Where We Belong. It’s a moving, unsettling tale, from its opening lines – “It’s gotten cold in here / But a solemn warmth draws near” – to its final verse: “It’s hard to keep on living when your heart weighs about a million pounds.” The song refers to an incident when a 19-year-old Angelakos attempted suicide and leaves listeners hoping that he can defeat whatever demons he’s battling.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber
  Download reduced girlfriend Selena Gomez to tears on her birthday after planning a romantic surprise for the singer.
Amid rumours that their romance is on the rocks, JB spoiled Selena - who turned 20 on Sunday, 22nd July - with a meal at the II Cielo restaurant after the Teen Choice Awards, which left Gomez weeping with joy.
An eyewitness told Hollywood Life: "Justin made sure that everyone at Il Cielo treated Selena like a princess last night.
"He was really adorable about it. You could tell that her birthday dinner party meant a lot to him.”
They continued: "There were rose petals on the tables, which was Justin’s idea. He is quite the romantic. The party was held in the back room and was very intimate. There were about 30 guests."
The website claims that the Boyfriend singer had even prepared a speech for Gomez, with the source revealing: "Justin made a speech which brought tears to Selena.MTV
"It was basically about how wonderful and exceptional Selena is and everyone stood up and applauded. It was very sweet. Justin looked like he is just head over heels in love with Selena.

The Bealtes

The Beatles 
compilation has been released exclusively on iTunes today (July 24).

The 14-track collection, titled 'Tomorrow Never Knows', collects together some of the band's "most powerful rock songs", including 'Paperback Writer', 'Back In The USSR', 'Helter Skelter' and 'Savoy Truffle'.NME

A promo film for the track 'Hey Bulldog', which originally appeared on the 1969 'Yellow Submarine' album, is available to stream for free or download on iTunes.

To accompany the release, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has written a letter explaining the impact that The Beatles have had on him. "If it weren't for The Beatles, I would not be a musician," he writes.
"The Beatles seemed to be capable of anything. They knew no boundaries, and in that freedom they seemed to define what we now know today as 'Rock and Roll.'"

In the letter, Grohl also reveals that his six-year-old daughter, Violet, has recently become a Beatles fan and is particularly taken with the "100% timeless Rock N Roll" of 'Hey Bulldog'. Grohl concludes his letter by stating: "From one generation to the next, The Beatles will remain the most important rock band of all time. Just ask Violet."

Conor Maynard

Conor Maynard 

Download  to be interested in. Then again, we suspect the Brighton local probably doesn't know any different yet when it comes to female form.

"I'll knock you down like you're Keri/ Forget your name like Rihanna," he insists over slick urban-light beats with a voice that will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Justin Timberlake. The obvious clichés are all present and correct ("Roll the dice, I've got your number/ Hit the jackpot underneath the cover"), but he gets away it with, if only for his homage halfway through to Tequila

Angel

Angel
Download UK Pop and R & B industry’s best kept secret, it is no telling that the future for the triple threat artist, Angel is very bright. The singer, songwriter and producer is undeniably talented and has been remarkably consistent with the release of some great songs such as, Go In Go Hard ft North London MC Wretch 32 earlier on in the year, not to mention the recent release of his free mix tape entitled Any Minute Now which features cover songs from Frank Ocean and more.
Now, Angel graces our ears once again with an acoustic version to his latest single Wonderful. Angel provides for an uplifting story within the song Wonderful and this is heightened in this version of the song.
In terms of depth, Wonderful could be seen as having a ‘never give up’ type of message more so an Olympic inspired anthem. “Don’t let them change ya… when you finally find what’s beautiful, it’s so wonderful”.

Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen 
 Download has taken to Twitter to deny any knowledge of an alleged sex tape of her, which is doing the rounds online.
Footage supposedly of the 26-year old performing oral sex emerged on the internet yesterday (23rd July) - with Jepsen quick to state that it is fake.
The Call Me Maybe singer tweeted: "Crazy morning. Discovered that someone put up a sex tape claiming to be me. Ridiculous. Obviously not me."MTV
Despite her denial, Perez Hilton posted a series of screen grabs from the raunchy clip on his blog - which show a girl posing topless and sporting Carly Rae's trademark heavy fringe hair style.
She has previously been forced to deny that a series of naked photos showing a girl with pierced nipples was her.
Amid the sex tape reports, the Canadian songstress - who is signed to Justin Bieber and manager Scooter Braun's label School Boy Records - was snapped on the set of 90210 yesterday as she filmed a cameo role for the show.
According to The Daily Mail, Jepsen - who looked the part in colourful hot pants - was seen looking carefree as she strolled on the LA set with actress Jessica Lowndes.
She later tweeted: "That’s a wrap. 90210 cameo and performance... !!!! How nuts?! Can’t wait to show you the new song."

Monday 23 July 2012

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse
Download  has sold a sum of 855,000 albums since her death in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. Comparatively, she moved 58,000 in all of 2010 and 44,000 in 2011 before she died. (In the eight days following her death, she sold 110,000 albums.)Billboard

In terms of digital song downloads, she has moved 1.15 million in the U.S. since dying. Again, that's an enormous figure when stacked next to what she sold in the time immediately before death: 170,000 downloads in 2011 (pre-death) and 239,000 in all of 2010. (In the eight days after her death, she sold 281,000 songs.)

Her largest-selling download song since she died has been what is arguably her most recognizable hit, "Rehab," with 275,000 downloads. In total, it has shifted 2 million downloads, with 1.72 million sold before she died.

During her lifetime, she notched one top 10 album on the Billboard 200: 2007's "Back to Black," which reached No. 2 on the tally dated March 1, 2008.

The album reentered the chart at No. 9 following her passing, climbing to No. 7 the following week (chart dated Aug. 13, 2011).

Tulisa

Tulisa 
Download  has exclusively addressed rumours of bad blood between herself and her The X Factor co-star Nicole Scherzinger, telling MTV News that Nicole is "sweet as pie."
The N-Dubz star, who famously clashed with former judge Kelly Rowland on last year's show, took to Twitter earlier today (23rd July) to rubbish rumours of a feud, insisting that she "gets on fine" with Scherzinger.
Tulisa tweeted: "P**s off media with all ur me n @NicoleScherzy beef talk. Ur always guna try and make a headline cus uve got nothin good 2 write about."
She added: "We get on fine!Just coz we r different doesnt mean we dont like each other!n if we didnt..believe me,Id let u know #hatebulls**t."
When we caught up with The Female Boss backstage at the Wireless Festival earlier this month, Tulisa was also keen to dispel any rumours of conflict with Nicole, stating that no drama is going to happen on the panel this time around.
Speaking of Scherzinger, Tulisa had nothing but praise for the former Pussycat Dolls singer, telling us: "She is sweet as pie, so you can’t expect any brawls this year as it’s not gonna happen.
"She’s not the argumentative type, she’s just there as a professional. She knows her stuff, she does her job and she is probably a very nice judge. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, it adds a different dynamic to the panel."

Plan B


  Plan B
Download Speaking to the Sunday Times magazine, he said that the Prime Minister has back-tracked on his 2006 statement that blaming young people for anti-social behavior was wrong – dubbed as his "hug a hoodie" speech.NME

"He was right", Plan B said. "That was a genuine, heartfelt statement and if you read it, it's correct. But he never said 'hug a hoodie'; the press came up with that and he got loads of flak for it."

He added: "Cameron's still a dickhead… because he can come out with a speech like that, but when the riots actually happened, he goes, 'Oh, we're going to severly punish them all.' And it's like, well, what happened to 'hug a hoodie' now?"

Speaking about his new album, 'Ill Manors', which is released today, he said: "It's a mirror, a reflection of today. And of the problems that have been swept under the carpet since the riots put them on the front pages. That's why I made it so visceral, to get under people's skin. I wanted people to misunderstand it, and to start debating it again".

Sunday 22 July 2012

Elton John



Sir Elton John
 Download one of the world’s most successful solo artists decided that he wanted to team up with hip electro younglings on an album, few predicted that those lucky two would be Aussie duo Pnau. It’s a leftfield choice for a legend that could have had his pick of rent-a-Guettas, or chosen to work with Pnau frontman Nick Littlemore’s infinitely more recognisable band, Empire of the Sun.
Still, the story goes that John heard Pnau’s Ed Banger-aping electro assault, Wild Strawberries, while stuck in Sydney traffic in 2007. He thought it was the best thing he’d heard in 10 years, and swiftly signed them to his management company where stardom awaited.
Except that it didn’t. Pnau released their fourth album, Soft Universe, earlier this year to the sound of crushing indifference. But such a superfan is Elton that they’ve been given free rein to shape his expansive back catalogue between 1970 and 1976 into shiny new models.BBC
The results are dazzling. New remixes of golden oldies rarely succeed in balancing the classic’s magic with modern context, but Pnau have produced eight surprisingly original and sublimely brilliant pop nuggets with a Balearic and cosmic disco sheen. They’ve steered away from his biggest hits and instead use up to nine Elton micro-samples in one song, blurring them almost out of recognition.
The title track is already a club hit; a simple and uplifting reimagination of Elton’s Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters which recalls Modjo’s millennium smash, Lady. Black Icy Stare, meanwhile, plays with the funky brass of John’s Caribou album and could be a remix by Scandinavian re-edit prince Todd Terje.
Experimental still, Foreign Fields and Telegraph to the Afterlife stray into psychedelic slow-motion house territory. Only the cinematic Karmatron is out of place, with its Mark Ronson-does-a-Bond-theme shtick.
It’s surely a vanity project for John, an opportunity to flirt with the sound of Ibiza’s youth-soaked terraces before he gears up to release his next solo album. But when daring collaborations are as fruitful as this, we wonder just what eargasms could happen should the likes of Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and – whisper it – Prince take a chance on an electro underdog, too.

Everclear

Everclear 
Import was way back in 2006 with to the Drama Club, a record that was stylistically removed from the pop-rock meets alternative sound the group had been so well known for in the late 1990s. There's a good reason for this, of course--the sole remaining member of the classic Everclear line-up on that album was Art Alexakis, and Welcome to the Drama Club was, for all intents and purposes, a solo outing for the the singer/guitarist/songwriter/band-mastermind. It was a great album in its own little roots-rocky way, but left many a fan wanting a little more, well, Everclear-ness.
A lot can happen in six years, though, and such events are bound to influence anyone's musical direction. Three compilation albums and three sets of band members later, we now have Invisible Stars, easily the best album Alexakis has put out under the Everclear moniker since 1995's Sparkle and Fade. The subject matter is just so potent; the musicianship so ripe. The best material Alexakis has written evokes a particular set of emotions from listening hearts--ranging from nostalgic warmth to prickly resignation of present reality--and the twelve tracks that make up Invisible Stars does so in droves. Songs like "Be Careful What You Ask For," which has Alexakis singing "I'm sorry we are living in the car, this isn't what you asked for when you gave me your heart," warns against inflated expectations, while "Santa Ana Wind" seems to act as an apology to the Pacific Northwest for the band's geographical relocation to California. It's not a regretful apology, though, and Alexakis details his Cali-bound motives as a form of explanation--it's a sort of like "sorry, Portland, you were great and all, but I'm back home now." It's sad to see musical artists escape the gray Portland overcast, but hey, if they're happy, they're happy.
Given this unabashedly honest lyricism alongside the album's tight and punchy presentation, it's tempting to label Invisible Stars as a needed return to form for Everclear, but simply suggesting echoes of efforts past does the record no justice. There's actually a bit of musical evolution at play here, and those familiar with the group's back catalog will instantly recognize a tonal connection with 2003's Slowmotion Daydream. Like Daydream, Invisible Stars is an extremely polished affair sprinkled with distorted powerchords and hints of synth-driven ambiance, but it takes the concept one step further with better songwriting, consistent melodic continuation and nary a weak moment. It also rocks quite a bit harder, and songs like "Aces" and "Promenade" have elements reminiscent of punk-ier bits from So Much For the Afterglow. There's even some Sparkle and Fade-esque quirkiness in "The Golden Rule." These are all, of course, references to preceding Everclear albums, but evolution cannot exist without foundation, and Invisible Stars seemingly takes on everything Alexakis has learned from his twenty plus years in the popular music business and simply perfects it. Longtime fans really do have much to celebrate.
Though an excellent collection of songs, it should be noted that nothing on Invisible Stars is instant top-40 material. This may sound like a mark against the album, but it's really not. Sparkle and Fade didn't really have any obvious hit-material either ("Santa Monica" as the lone exception), and that album is largely considered Alexakis' best effort by fans and critics alike. Invisible Stars works well as a cohesive effort, and given its short 36-minute running time, is an easy album to listen to in its entirety--and that really is the highest praise any reviewer can give a studio release. This approach may be prove slightly inaccessible to casual listeners, but honestly, Alexakis hasn't catered to the mass non-fan crowd since 2000's Songs From an American Movie Pt 1, and that's perfectly fine. Producing records for the full album-centric crowd is a noble effort, and an appreciated gesture for those of us who know that collecting singles and "greatest hits" collections just isn't the way to go.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey
Download much-anticipated return to the music scene has officially been confirmed, with the star posting details of her new single on Twitter.
Yesterday, the singer posted: “So I can finally announce to you that my new single is coming out in early August! It’s called TRIUMPHANT (Get ‘Em) ft. Rick Ross & Meek Mill.”
She then posted: "I wrote TRIUMPHANT when I was going through a difficult time & it helped me get through it. When u hear it, pay attention 2 the lyrics #WIN (sic).”MTV
This will be Mimi’s first new material since her 2009 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
We told you yesterday how the Touch My Body hitmaker is reportedly on the verge of signing a deal to become the next American Idol judge – if they can afford her.
The diva, aged 42, is claimed by Deadline to be negotiating a deal worth £10.8m to appear on the show - but Mimi's hubby Nick Cannon later told TMZ: "I don't know if they can afford Mariah Carey, that's a lot of money."

Madonna

Download Daily Record: "Madonna and her dancers using replica guns was always in bad taste but given what happened in Colorado it is even worse. She should know better."

In an unconventional show, Madonna walked on stage at 5.10pm to run through a quick rehearsal. During the soundcheck, the singer apologised to the early arrivals and told them that the main show would begin at 8.30pm – half an hour earlier than scheduled.NME

The 'Girl Gone Wild' singer even made reference to Bruce Spirngsteen's Hyde Park gig, which had the plug pulled by organisers for breaking curfew. She said: "I'm just running through some songs early. It's great to be here in Scotland. Due to your laws here they might pull the plug on me so if they cut us off suddenly, write to your local MP."

This isn't the first time Madonna has caused controversy on her 'MDNA' tour, after she flashed a nipple in Istanbul and placed an image of a swastika on a picture of French National Front leader Marine Le Pen during a show in Tel Aviv.

Saturday 21 July 2012

Phil Vassar


Phil Vassar
Download is currently on the airwaves across America with the touching "Don't Miss Your Life." Like the bulk of his singles, Vassar penned the song, and told Billboard that it comes from a deeply personal place -- about his family, and some of the times he has had to be away from them. He says in spite of that, his relationship with his children is his number one priority.
"It's the most important thing," he stresses. "When it's all said and done, that's what you have. That's your life. My kids, if I could be with them every minute of every day I would. My job carries me away so much. Talk about a song that I wrote from my heart, that's one of them."

The single -- currently at No. 32 on the Country Songs chart -- is also his first record for his very own label, Rodeowave Entertainment, which he started less than two years ago.

"We're having a good time doing it ourselves," he said. "With our promotion team, a lot of them are people that I worked with at Sony, Arista, and Universal. So, it's cool to have such a great team around me that I've worked with for so many years."

When asked about the positives of putting together his own label, Vassar said that artistic freedom was at the top of the list. "I think that's huge because we get to create. As artists, you get put in a box and told what and when you record. Artists need to be able to create when they write songs, and be in charge of their own creativity- not someone who handles thirty-five acts on the roster who sits in an office and has no idea what is happening on the road with them."

He simply feels it's the right move for this time in his career. "It's just a different day now with the onslaught of all this social media, and such a different world," he said. "I think it's going to be good for the people because they are going to be able to get their music, and have access to it instead of the labels telling them when they can buy a record."

That record should be ready for fans this fall, and the Virginia native can't wait for them to hear the new material. "I think it's some of the best songs that we've had out there in some time," he says, adding that the recording process has been enjoyable. "It's been great. I've been writing a bunch of tunes, and I think we've got about thirty to choose from."

Songwriting is something that is very important to Vassar. In addition to his own hits, he has also penned such hits as "Bye Bye" for Jo Dee Messina and "My Next Thirty Years" for Tim McGraw. He says that sometimes an outside artist can bring something totally different to the table than what he might have. "I think that happens all the time," he says. "Take 'Right On The Money' by Alan Jackson. He's one of my favorite writers and artists. He's just great and can write songs with the best of them. So, having him cut your song is awesome, but I will never forget hearing it and thinking 'Holy crap, that is awesome.' It's cool to hear a good version of your song, but sometimes you hear a really bad version. You just got to laugh about it then."

Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware 
Download too, the promising South Londoner considered journalism, law and evening film-making before discovering her love of music.

That spark was struck while on tour with school friend Jack Penate, who introduced Ware to the likes of SBTRKT and Joker, who would eventually thrust Jessie into the limelight with vocal spots on tracks such as Nervous and The Vision.

Since then then singer, who loves Beach House as much as Barbara Streisand, has been blending influences with producers Dave Okumu and Julio Bashmore to craft debut album Devotion.

Jack Bugg

JACK Bugg
 Downloadis undoubtedly the best of the bunch in 2012 when it comes to channeling the great lineage of British pop into his own concoctions. ‘Taste It’ is his finest tune yet, beginning with a fine burst of La’s guitar, bass that’s pure Entwistle, Lennon-esque snarl and finally – triumphantly – a Noely G one-note solo.

Redlight

Redlight
Downloadfiltered visual accompanies Redlight’s track “Lost In Your Love.” Premiered on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show a few weeks ago, the upbeat funky production is sure to be ever-present this summer from within the festival arenas to the radio airwaves. The concept behind the visual is simple, but post-production takes over with multiple grading and filtering that turn it into a hallucinogenic three-minute journey. “Lost In Your Love”

Aiden Grimshaw

Aiden Grimshaw 
 Curtin Call is one of those tracks that instantly sticks in your head when you have heard it. Starting off with gregorian style chants and strings, a pulsating drum beat, the rhythm reminding me of Never Ever by All Saints dropping in for the chorus, with gorgeous female vocals from a singer who I wish I knew who it was.

The song is quite anthemic, when played at a live gig it will go down very well, I can imagine crowds singing along to this one. A very welcome first single from the new album.

Delvlin

 Devlin
Pre-order has teamed up with Lego House star Ed Sheeran on his latest single Watchtower.
The video for the song, which also features actress Jaime Winstone, sees the pair acting as robbers on the run after a job goes badly wrong. And by badly wrong we mean Ed gets shot.
Ed sings the chorus of the Bob Dylan cover which also samples the original version of the track along with the main riff from Jimi Hendrix's .

Shania Twain commercial

Shania Twain
Download has filmed a cameo in a new commercial for the Las Vegas hotel which will host her comeback shows later this year (12).

The You're Still the One hitmaker is scheduled to begin a two-year residency at the Colosseum in Sin City's famed Caesars Palace resort on 1 December (12) and, in a bid to help boost tourism, Twain has volunteered to star in a promotional advert for the lavish resort.Dailystar
During the clip, Twain, wearing a fitted black jacket and oversized sunglasses, enters the shot and flashes a big smile for the camera as she walks into the lobby with her entourage.
The commercial, which follows a bellhop through his daily duties, also features a guest appearance by Celine Dion, who is midway through her three-year residency at the venue.