International star Leona Lewis is set to release her sophomore LP this November. Today it has been revealed that the record will be titled ‘Echo’:
Simon Cowell protégée Leona Lewis has decided on a title and release date for her new album. Echo, the follow-up to Lewis’ platinum-plus 2008 debut, Spirit, is due Nov. 17.
“An echo describes a big, organic sound,” Lewis says of her choice.
Lewis is recording in various cities, including New York and Los Angeles. Though one track called Don’t Let Me Down has
leaked online, neither the lineup of songs nor the list of contributors has been finalized. “I’m working with incredible songwriters and producers, and my music has really evolved,” Lewis says.
Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote and produced Lewis’ chart-topping breakthrough hit, Bleeding Love, is one confirmed collaborator, and a number of top artists have joined her in the studio, including Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo and producer Timbaland. {Source}
I’m definitely a supporter of legitimate talent, so I’m very proud of Leona’s success – particularly with her UK roots. However, saying that, I wasn’t too big on her debut album, which sans ‘Bleeding Love’ and a few other select cuts was kinda ‘blah’. The roster of writers and producers on this new album look quite impressive, I just hope the material measures up too.
R&B star Ne-Yo suddenly fled the stage during his show at the Machester Evening New Arena here in England last night, citing illness. Check out the report below:
There are doubts about whether Ne-Yo will be able to perform at his three remaining UK shows after he was taken ill and left the stage in tears during a gig in Manchester.
The R&B singer, who was performing at the MEN Arena in Manchester on Thursday, was crying after struggling to sing on stage for over half an hour.
He told fans he had never not completed a show before but couldn’t continue with his performance.
Ne-Yo is meant to be performing in Liverpool tonight ( Friday ) and in Newcastle and London over the weekend.
BBC Manchester presenter Karen Gabay was at the concert and said Ne-Yo looked like he had a “really bad fever”.
She says Ne-Yo started his gig 30 minutes late and announced that he wasn’t feeling well quite early on.
“Even after the second song, for a man who is normally so cool, he was sweating.
“He was doing a Michael Jackson tribute and you could see that he was actually struggling to finish every musical phrase. He kept asking the audience to bear with him.
“Then he actually was crying – I thought it was because he had done a couple of Michael Jackson tributes and he was getting a little bit overcome, but it did seem a bit strange – he was very emotional.
‘Floods of tears’
“Then he did a slow song, he was really struggling to move, he was absolutely pouring with sweat, and he went over to a table. He was actually hanging on for dear life and he looked as if he was about to drop then, he looked so ill.
“My friend also noticed that his songs had been shortened.”
Gabay says Ne-Yo then went off for a “very long break” before he came back on stage in “floods of tears”.
“He absolutely couldn’t hold tears back – the crowd were applauding him and he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“Then he said he’d never had to do this before – he’d never not been able to finish a show – he said it though tears, it was unbelievable.
“He looked like he had a really bad fever.
“Then he went off stage crying.”
Although most of the crowd cheered, Gabay says some people booed.
“Then they announced the show wasn’t going to be cancelled, it was postponed – so in effect saying he will do the show again.” {Source}
I actually feel for Shaffer. Of all the performers out now, I’d definitely put him up there as one of the most professional, one who places a lot of emphasis on the intricate aspects of his performances. So understandable is his frustration at not being able to continue with the show. We wish Ne-Yo a speedy recovery.
The new Sugababes single ‘Get Sexy’, their first under their new deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, premiered yesterday. Produced by Red One, the vivacious uptempo sees the ‘Babes venture into new territory musical territory. Big, bold, and banging, the ladies have managed to serve up a fresh new sound, without deviating from their top 40 mainstay (evidenced by the many hooks which pervade this song). Listening to this definitely has me anticipating more new material from the ladies, who worked with Ne-Yo, Stargate, among others during their time in the US.
Kelly Rowland is doing the promotional rounds here in Europe for her collaboration with David Guetta – ‘When Love Takes Over’. Their most recent stop being in Guetta’s native France on popular show Le Grand Journal last night, where they performed the single. Check it out above.
Loved it! Ms. Kelly really is taking it to the next level with the vocals, the confidence, the look (she looked stunning, right?)…everything. I’m itching now more so than ever for that 3rd album of hers.
In other Kelly news, ‘When Love Takes Over’ is way ahead of the pack in the mid-week chart over here in the UK, which means it’s pretty much a cert that it will be #1 come Sunday on the Official UK Singles Chart. Go Kelly!
Lastly, in a recent interview Kelly confirmed that she worked with Ne-Yo for the first time recently in a collaboration between herself, the ‘Closer’ singer, and David Guetta for the latter’s album. Fingers crossed they Kelly and Ne-Yo work together on her record; for, I think they’d conjure up something great. {Source}
LeToya’s brand new Ne-Yo penned single ‘Not Anymore’ premiered literally moments ago over at LeToyaOnline.com (shout out to Ced!). Keeping it entirely real, I can’t say I’m particularly keen on this one, having given it a few listens. The mid-tempo cut does sound like it has grower potential, yet lacks the spark of first single material and lyrically is kinda ‘been there, done that’ territory for the former Destiny’s Child star. Vocally, she sounds great, I must say.
I still hail her 2006 debut as one of the most solid R&B efforts in recent years, so I’m remaining optimistic about what her sophomore set ‘Lady Love’ (due in April 7th – same day as Ciara’s new LP) will be serving up. For her sake (particularly after hearing this), it needs to be the hotness. Anyway, you can listen to ‘Not Anymore’ below
With it being almost 3 years (yes 3 years!) since the release of LeToya’s debut album, it’s great to hear that things are finally coming together with her sophomore project. Now that her label Capital/EMI have ironed put their internal issues, it appears all systems are go for the release of Toya’s ‘Lady Love’ LP, which is tentatively scheduled for a March 24th release.
What’s more it has now ben confirmed that the set’s lead single, the Ne-Yo penned ‘Not Anymore’ will be impacting Rhythmic/Crossover radio in the US on February 3rd – meaning, in less complicated terms, we should be hearing it *very* soon LOL. In the meanwhile, you can listen to Ne-Yo’s demo version of the song, which is produced by Bei Maejor (Trey Songz, Mike Jones). I must say, I’m really feeling this one – especially the hook (“Stop, stop…”).
Though R&B star Usher is out on the road supporting his latest effort ‘Here I Stand’, Ne-Yo who he is currently working with on the follow-up (due 2009), has gone on record to express his feelings of a lack of direction with the lukewarmly received album. Here’s what he had to say to MTV:
I really couldn’t agree more. Usher is undeniably very talented – possibly one of the best in this New-Post-Michael Jackson-Era. However he seemed a little out of touch musically on this recent effort. What’s more over he turned a lot of folk off with his insistence on shoving his personal life down our throats, something which only served to heighten the media circus surrounding it all, as well as the negativity. I’m hopeful that he gets it together for the next album and delivers what we all know he can.
Earlier this summer, That Grape Juice was fortunate enough to sit down with Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Ne-Yo in a swanky London hotel. With his third studio album ‘Year of The Gentleman’ nearing release at the time, he spoke openly with That Grape Juice about the record – which since went on to debut at #1, ‘beef’ with Chris Brown, his love life and much more. Though limited time made for the interview to come to a halt, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a great read all the same. Enjoy
Ne-Yo Shouts-Out That Grape Juice
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Sam: Having burst onto the scene little over 2 years ago, this singer/songwriter has quickly gone on to establish himself as one of the premier talents on today’s music scene. Of course I’m talking about Grammy winner Ne-Yo.
How are you, man? It’s great to finally be able to meet with you.
Ne-Yo: Thank you
Sam: You just landed in the UK a few days back, how has your stay been thus far?
Pretty good, pretty good – I like it out here. I haven’t really been able to do any of the ‘touristy’ stuff yet. It’s crazy as this is like my 10th time coming out here and I still don’t know anywhere outside of the area right here (referring to hotel locality). This is the hotel we always stay at; so it goes airport, hotel, (show) venue and hotel, venue, home.
Sam: This August sees the release your third studio album, ‘Year of The Gentleman’….
Ne-Yo: Uh uh…September.
Sam: Has it been pushed back?
Ne-Yo: September 15th.
Sam: Any particular reason for the pushback?
Ne-Yo: I was not going to put out an album that was not 100% right; and I wanted the record to be 100% right – so that’s pretty much it.
Sam: What exactly is the meaning of the album’s title?
Ne-Yo: ‘Year of The Gentleman’. That basically comes from me personally feeling that what it means to be a gentleman is a little lacking nowadays. From the way we view and treat our women, to outward appearance. All that stuff. It’s a little lacking these days. The guys that takes the time to make sure he looks at least half-way decent before he walks out of the house are few and far between nowadays. The guy that will pull out a woman’s chair for her, open the car door for her. That’s a little lacking nowadays. That effortless ‘cool’ that you used to see back in the day with the likes of Nat King Cole and the Rat Pack, stuff like that. Not this, what we have today, where it’s like ‘Hey, everybody look here, I got diamonds and money and girls…look at me’. It wasn’t like that back in the day. Back in the day it was about being charming, about being charismatic, about suave, about swagger back then. You didn’t have to try so hard to get someone’s attention; they’d just give it to you anyway because you were ‘that guy’. This album is basically me trying to lead by example and showcase what it is to be a gentleman.
With that being said, I am not a perfect gentleman – yet! I am a gentleman in training. So there are still some aspects of being a gentleman that I have to learn; but I’m willing to learn, which I guess puts me a little ahead of the curve.
Sam: Good stuff. Congratulations on hitting #1 with the record’s lead single ‘Closer’
Ne-Yo: Thank you very much…
Sam: The song has performed significantly better here than back home in the States. Why you think this has been?
Ne-Yo: Well, the song is inspired by the UK and going out here in London. I remember that night, we went to a couple of different clubs. Two clubs were very American R&B/Hip-Hop based and I remember saying to my people “I can get this back at home. I want to know what goes on here”. So they took me to another spot – I guess it was like a Techno/House club – real small venue, yet filled to the capacity. It had the whole green lasers; people had their hands in the air, eyes closed and in a trance from this music. I mean, I’ve never really been a fan of dance music, it’s just never really been my thing, but the common ground I found with that music, is that I like to make music that makes you feel something. That’s the whole M-O of the music I create – I try to evoke some kind of emotion – happy, sad, whatever. That music (Techno/House) is strictly about how the music makes you feel, to the point where the lyrics don’t even matter (laughs). There was one I heard that had but 3 words in the damn song (laughs). It’s all about the feel and what the music does to you. So I tried to capture that vibe, put the little ‘Ne-Yo’ spin on it and do my own interpretation of what I heard and felt that night.
Sam: Having served up R&B/Pop smashes with your previous releases, ‘Closer’ is somewhat left-field for you musically, with its Euro-Dance sound. Is this something we can expect to hear more of on the album?
Ne-Yo: To a degree. I did a lot of things on this new album that I haven’t done before. I think that one of the reasons ‘Closer’ has performed much better over here is that over here you guys are a little more susceptible to change, a little more open. Whereas back home in the States, people kinda get programmed into one thing and one thing only. If it ain’t 50 Cent or doesn’t sound like this, then we don’t want to know about it. That’s one of the reasons I like it out here – outside America in general because people are open to more things out here.
Sam: Ok, in general, what can we expect from the album in terms of producers, features etc.
Ne-Yo: No features. This is my first studio album with no features whatsoever. I kinda wanted to leave it like that, as I’m doing a lot of experimenting with different sounds and genres of music. So if something –touch wood (laughs) – went bad, I didn’t want to have anyone else to blame but me.
Producers, I used everyone that I normally use. My production company, Compound, Stargate and more.
As far as the sound of this album, I’ve been basically been calling the album a buffet, as there is literally a little something there for everybody. There’s something there for the cats that are strictly Urban, for the cats that are strictly Pop, for the cats that are into Alternative that don’t even know my damn name yet! A little bit of everything for everybody on this record.
Sam: Awesome. What do you hope to accomplish with this album?
Ne-Yo: I hope to help blur some of these lines, knock down some of these walls and barricades that have been put up in music. (I want it to be) Not Pop, Rock, Urban, but simply to come down to two categories of music – good music and bad music. I pray that my music is always in the good music category.
Sam: Amen.
Ne-Yo: Thank you, sir.
Sam: Next single?
Ne-Yo: A track called ‘Miss Independent’. (Coyly) You heard that one?
Sam: Uh huh (Sidenote: I’m not sure I’m supposed to have nodded as the track wasn’t supposed to have ‘surfaced’ at the time LOL).
Ne-Yo: …the track sees me pay homage to a woman that’s got her own. There’s something very sexy about that to me. Nothing worse than a chick you’ve got to (completely) take care of.
Sam: Ok. Like many, you recently put your own spin on Lil’ Wayne’s ‘A Milli’ track. However, your version in particular has garnered more attention than others, with many questioning who exactly you’re taking aim at…
Ne-Yo: (Laughs!)
Sam: For the record then, Mr Ne-Yo, what was the deal with that?
Ne-Yo: There was no deal (laughs)! Everybody swears I was talking about Chris (Brown). It wasn’t about Chris; Chris is my homeboy – why would I shoot at him? I actually said in the line “To anyone in general, this is not //But if you claim A Milli you ain’t got, this red dot is on your forehead”. That’s basically me saying, don’t think I’m talking about anyone in particular, I’m just talking shit. It’s one of those records you get on and basically talk shit. Everyone was talking about how much money they got, I was like ‘Hold on!!! Lemme talk about how much money I got!’ (laughs)…
Sam: As I’m sure that ‘Irreplaceable’ cheque guarantees (laughs)…
Ne-Yo: There you go (laughs)…
Sam: Your performance at this year’s BET Awards had many people talking, as you were largely considered to have stolen the show, so to speak, in comparison to more established acts. That said, do you feel you are in competition with the Usher’s, the Chris Brown’s and whatnot?
Ne-Yo: Yes, but it is a friendly competition – it’s not competition that’s based on animosity. We don’t do what the Hip-Hop cats do, where it filters into the music, then goes beyond the music. There is no such thing as “R&B Beef”. I mean, come on, we sing for girls, take our shirts off and shit. We don’t fight, no, that’s stupid.
I consider Chris Brown to be one of my close and dear friends. He’s like my little brother. Usher, I’ve met him and have the utmost respect for him – he’s done it better than anyone else. He set the bar for everyone else. It is competition, but it’s not angry competition. We can be compared to boxers; we can be friends outside of the ring, but everyone knows there is only one (#1) spot, which means there may come a point where you may have to get in the ring with your homeboy and knock his ass out! Don’t mean you ain’t friends no more, just that there is only room for one #1.
Sam: As we’re pressed for time, quickly, are you currently dating anyone?
Ne-Yo: Nope, unfortunately no.
Sam: Ok, I mean, you’ve been snapped with a few ladies, but I won’t probe…
Ne-Yo: (laughs) I mean I have ‘friends’, but I don’t have a steady girlfriend. The ‘special’ ones know who they are.
Sam: Mhmm…Ok. Moving on; with the success of So Sick, you were catapulted into the limelight and haven’t looked back since.
How have you adjusted to fame, particularly in your personal life? How you deal with the inevitable fair-weather friends and family?
Ne-Yo: Wow. Good question. (I try and deal with them) One at a time. It’s something that is a part of this game, it’s gonna happen. There’s no real way to avoid it; you make a little money and everyone finds out about it. All of a sudden you have 90 new cousins! “I’m your favourite aunty. Don’t you remember I changed your diapers?” “No I don’t and no you cannot have a Mercedez Benz” (laughs). I mean you just deal with it; the rumours, accusations, the invasions of privacy and all that stuff, it’s really just part of the game. You can’t stop it. What are you going to do? Go beat up everyone that has ever said anything negative about you? That will be a lot of beating up you have to do (laughs). So you just kind of roll with the punches. It is what it is.
Sam: Craziest fan encounter, briefly?
Ne-Yo: Craziest fan encounter? This young lady broke into my hotel room and was there waiting for me, when I showed up. It was in New York, during the promotion for my first album.
I must have walked into my room and she was like “Oh my God” and I was like “Oh MY God, what the hell you doing in here?” She replied “I’m your biggest fan, I love ‘So Sick, yada yada yada, can you sign this? Can I have a picture with you?” I was like “Ok, we can do all of that, slow down. How did you get in here” (laughs). She didn’t want to tell me at first, I guess she had a friend that worked at the hotel that told her I was there and gave her the key to my room and she didn’t want to get this person in trouble. I was like ‘Ok, I won’t say anything, but, for future reference, you may not want to be breaking into people’s hotel rooms. Had I called the cops, it could have been a really bad situation for you.” It was all good though; she apologised, (I) took a picture with her, signed her thing and she left. The girl was 15 years old…
Sam: Wow…
Ne-Yo:…that could have been really, really, really bad for me, you know what I mean?
Sam: Yeah!
Ne-Yo: That’s the craziest thing – thus far! Well, that and a chick that got my name tattooed on a (long pause)…region that you just wouldn’t show (laughs). She came to one of my shows and took it upon herself to show it to me while I’m on stage singing (laughs). I was singing ‘Sexy Love’ and I looked at her and she gave me one of these (gestures to his chest) and said to look at the tattoo.
Sam: I’ve just been notified that we’ve run out of time. Thank you very much for your time.
Ne-Yo: No, thank you.
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Ne-Yo’s awesome new album ‘Year of the Gentleman’ is in stores & iTunes now. Do be sure to pick up a copy. ——————————————————-
Ne-Yo recently released ‘She’s Got Her Own Things’ – the official remix of his current smash ‘Miss Independent’. Check out the clip for the song which features both Jamie Foxx and Fabolous:
Can’t say I’m really feeling the remix all that much, yet kudos to Ne-Yo for putting a new spin on the song. The R&B crooner is set to hit #1 with his third studio LP ‘Year of The Gentleman’ this week.
Ne-Yo recently posted a sneak peek of his brand new video ‘Miss Independent’ on his official blog – Year Of The Gentleman(which we are proudly affiliated with lol). The clip, which features cameos from Keri Hilson, Lauren London and Gabrielle Union, premieres on BET Access Granted on August 21st. Good stuff.
R&B star Ne-Yo recently shot the video for new single ‘Miss Independent’ in Santa Monica, California. Featuring cameos from Keri Hilson (she’s everywhere lol), Gabrielle Union, trey Songz and Lauren London, the Chris Robinson directed video will be debuting in the weeks ahead.
Peep Amerie looking fly, as usual, in this new promo pic. The latest addition to the Def Jam roster is currently working on the follow-up to her ‘Because I Love It’ LP, with a bevy of hit-makers including Bryan Michael Cox and Ne-Yo.
