The X Factor has birthed many a major act and 5 After Midnight are hoping to be latest.
Finalists on the 2016 season of the UK show, the group were subsequently scooped up by Simon Cowell‘s Syco Music (via Sony) and are being tipped for huge success.
The trio, comprised of Kieron, Jordan, and Nathan, have recruited MNEK (Beyonce’s ‘Hold Up’) for their first swing of the bat and oh do they score a home-run.
Listen below…
A bop.
Slick production, a catchy chorus, and delicious use of the DMX sample, this has all the makings of a summer smash.
The boyband arena has been sparse in recent years, but it’s clear 5AM are aiming to making a major splash.
Could they be joining label-mates Little Mix and Fifth Harmony as the flag-flyers for top-tier groups? Let us know…
Digital missiles aimed at the fashion house Gucci have forced them to thank the African-American designer Dapper Dan for inspiring one of their latest “creations”.
Slammed after introducing the image on the left as part of their ‘Gucci Cruise’ collection, the company were accused of stealing the artists work to do so when members of the digital community pointed out that it was identical to his work (which appears on the right).
After multiple teasers to whet appetites, Fifth Harmony‘s first single as a quartet – ‘Down’ (featuring Gucci Mane) – has finally arrived for your listening pleasure.
It may have earned a raised eyebrow or two from fans and family upon its announcement, but if ratings are anything to judge by, it appears a number of those claiming to be opposed to Lifetime’s unauthorized biographical film of King of Pop Michael Jackson still found time to tune in.
The made-for-TV-movie, titled ‘Searching for Neverland,’ aired on Memorial Day (May 29th) and was the highest rated scripted programming for its timeslot. In fact, for its timeslot, it came in second overall – blocked from the top spot by WWE Entertainment.
Curious to see just how many viewers the film raked in? Look below:
It looks like ‘Switch’ rapper Iggy Azalea found out her label home has hit the off switch on her serially delayed sophomore album, ‘Digital Distortion.’
The set – kicked off by three nonperforming singles ‘Team,’ ‘Switch,’ and ‘Mo Bounce’ – is no longer on Def Jam’s priority list, Azalea revealed on a recent Snapchat. This, reportedly thanks in part to a recent leak that saw the album’s content hit the net in full an entire month before its previously announced June 30th release date.
Iggy didn’t say what the exact cause was, but she did reach out to her fans to give them an update. Hear it from her lips:
June 2nd Was The Pre-order Link & June 30th The actual Release date
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But the label is doing a messy a job and Iggy is being ignored
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Ouch! This is a bonafide mess. Keep in mind, after the nonperformance of ‘Team’ last year the rapper reportedly scrapped the original version of ‘Digital Distortion’ to create an entirely new body of work. If the label has opted not to go forward with June 30th release of the project, this means she literally would have two albums’ (worth of material) shelved in just a year’s time.
Here’s hoping this is sorted out quickly as time is of the essence for Miss Azalea.
Wasting no time, the 37-year-old has hit the promotional pavement – making a notable stop at The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1.
Ever candid, R&B’s leading gentleman opened up about his two-year hiatus from music, new album ‘Good Man,’ and ageing in a youth-obsessed industry.
Mr Smith was also quizzed about Tank‘s much-talked about performance at DC Pride and was asked squarely whether he’d have performed too. His answer was definitely insightful.
Peep the chit-chat below…
Ne-Yo always brings great conversation and makes for refreshing interviewee given how much he isn’t governed by the boring bravado that many of his peers imprison themselves in. Put simply, this was a great interview.
Jennifer Lopez continues to prove a winning force for NBC.
The media maven saw her new show ‘World Of Dance’ debut Tuesday night on the network – and it performed well out of the gate.
Benefiting from an ‘America’s Got Talent’ lead-in, the show – which awards the eventual winner $1 million – drew 9.75 millionviewers. It also generated a2.4 rating in the key18-49 demographic.
The figure makes the show the highest rated premiere for a summer alternative series in five years and the most watched in nine.
Lopez, who executive produces the show, also stars on it as a judge alongside Ne-Yo and Derek Hough.
The 47-year-old presently anchors ‘Shades Of Blue’ for NBC too.
Slaying all round.
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Congrats to all involved. We enjoyed the first episode. Did you?
Major Lazer sprung a major surprise on fans moments ago with the unannounced release of their new EP ‘Know No Better.’
Accompanying the six-track set is the lyric video for its title song, which features an increasingly omnipresent Camila Cabello, Migos star Quavo, and Travis Scott.
Clearly cooked up with summer domination in mind, the flavorsome cut sounds like it may very well achieve its goal.
As dance floor jams go, it’s not as commanding as – say – an ‘On The Floor,’ but it’s cute, catchy, and current. All ingredients for success this season.
Jamaican hitmaker Sean Paul is credited with leading the charge of popularizing dancehall music upon its arrival to American shores in the early 2000s. With a wave of hits such as ‘Gimme Da Light,’‘Get Busy,’ and later ‘Temperature’ and ‘We Be Burning,’ the noughties saw Paul burn up Billboard charts with some its hottest hits.
While most of the 2010s had the genre taking a back seat to EDM and later trap music, 2015-17 has seen a resurgence of sorts in island-influenced music. Thanks to the likes of Tory Lanez (‘Luv’), Justin Bieber (‘What Do You Mean’ & ‘Sorry’), and Drake‘s massive hits ‘One Dance’ and ‘Controlla,’ the Hot 100 has been set alight again with dancehall-tinged offerings.
Because of this, Paul thinks today’s artists – especially Drizzy – should give more credit to the genre. Taking to Metro UK, the ‘I’m Still In Love With You’ crooner lent the Canadian rapper and some other big named stars a little advice about using dancehall music without paying proper respects.
“I think at the time when it was popping off, it would have been good for him [Drake] to actually put accolades towards the whole culture. [Drake is] friendly with a few people in the business in Jamaica and that’s good, I love it,” he continues. “But if he had given more accolades when he was actually making it and said ‘this is the music I love,’ it would have been cool.”
Paul, reflecting on 2017’s biggest hit so far (Ed Sheeran‘s ‘Shape of You’), also notes its island influence.
“Ed Sheeran has done one song that is huge and it’s dancehall reminiscent,” he explains. “But that is one song, [Drake] had an album full of dancehall, so I think he should have paid a bit of an accolade and told people in the press ‘that is where I’m coming from, I have a love for that music.’”
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Longtime fans of Paul know this isn’t the first time he’s called out Drake. Just last Fall the ‘We Be Burnin’ beau took to The Guardian to call out Drizzy, Bieber, Major Lazer and Kanye West.
“A lot of people get upset, they get sour,” he said of the frustrations of dancehall fans. “And I know artists back in Jamaica that don’t like Major Lazer because they think they do the same thing that Drake and Kanye did – they take and take and don’t credit.” [source]
With her third studio album, ‘Back 2 Life,’ in stores now, Letoya Luckett is still hitting her heels hard on the promo trail in its support.
Already taking to multiple print, radio, and television outlets to spread awareness of the critically acclaimed project, now fans can see Lady Luck a-front next month’s issue of Kontrol magazine.
Helping the Urban publication celebrate its 8th anniversary, tuck in below to see the sultry behind the scenes shoot:
While things haven’t exactly gotten nasty (yet) between pop icon Janet Jackson and soon-to-be-ex-husband Wissam Al Mana, the diva is reportedly in talks with Netflix to do a documentary series about her life as a newly single woman, new mother, and so much more.
Jackson, the fiercely private performer who’s been fairly mum since the separation announcement (other than her short, but telling video announcing the reboot of her postponed tour and confirming the separation rumors), will reportedly also use the streaming special as a vehicle to push new music.
“The show will run as a ten-part documentary and will feature recording sessions in the studio, co-parenting her child with Wissam and preparing for the European and Asian legs of her tour. Netflix [is] negotiating a big sum for the rights to the show as they expect it to perform well…”
