With the royal wedding finally over, I found it especially neat that the talented U.K. singer Ellie Goulding was the only artist requested by Kate and Prince William to perform at their wedding reception. Goulding is still relatively unknown in the U.S. but has been garnering critical praise for her album debut Lights and has just come off a sold out U.S. tour this spring, to which I had the privilege of attending. It was her cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” that Goulding performed at the royal wedding, and the same song with which she ended her Chicago concert.
Ellie Goulding
Watching Goulding perform was such a treat, and even though she admitted to feeling slightly ill, I would have never known, as she put on a top-notch performance, beautifully singing a capella to what became my favorite song of the night “Wish I Stayed.” Ellie has so many great songs, “Lights” and “The Writer” are just a few of my favorites, and I found myself enjoying the show start to finish. If you missed the chance to catch her spring tour, there will be another opportunity soon to see the artist in the U.S., she’s performing at Lollapalooza.
TOUR NEWS
How many of you guys are already familiar with transsexual multi-instrumentalist performance artist Baby Dee? Her life story is super interesting and I highly encourage you to check out this NPR write-up on the talented artist who got her start performing harp on Antyony Hegarty’s debut album Antony & the Johnsons. In promotion for Baby Dee’s latest LP Regifted Light Baby Dee will be embarking on a string of North American tour dates during the month of May, if she’s coming to your city be sure to hit up a show.
Baby Dee – 2011 Tour Dates
05/04/11 The Strutt Kalamazoo MI
05/05/11 Hideout Chicago IL Loto Ball
05/06/11 Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh PA
05/07/11 The Music Gallery Toronto ON
05/08/11 Casa Del Popolo Montreal QC
05/10/11 Joe’s Pub New York NY
05/11/11 First Unitarian Church – Side Chapel Philadelphia PA
05/13/11 Cliff Bells Detroit MI w/ Raw Truth Ensemble
05/14/11 Nelsonville Music Festival Nelsonville OH
Jessie and The Toy Boys
Britney Spears announced that Jessie and The Toy Boys, Nicki Minaj, and Nervo will be joining her on her highly anticipated Femme Fatale tour hitting North America this summer. Tickets go on sale starting April 30th at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. Don’t miss the touring event of the summer!
Check out the Britney Tour Dates below.
6/16 Power Balance Pavilion – Sacramento, CA
6/18 HP Pavillion – San Jose, CA
6/20 Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
6/24 Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
6/25 MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV
6/28 Rose Garden Arena – Portland, OR
6/29 Tacoma Dome – Tacoma, WA
7/1 Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
7/4 MTS Centre – Winnepeg, MB
7/6 Xcel Center – St. Paul, MN
7/8 United Center – Chicago, IL
7/12 American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
7/13 Toyota Center – Houston, TX
7/15 New Orleans Arena – New Orleans, LA
7/17 Phillips Arena – Atlanta, GA
7/20 Amway Center – Orlando, FL
7/22 American Airlines Arena – Miami, FL
7/26 Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
7/28 The Palace – Detroit, MI
7/30 Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
7/31 Verizon Center – Washington, DC
8/2 Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, NY
8/5 Izod Center – East Rutherford, NJ
8/8 TD Garden – Boston, MA
8/11 Belle Centre – Montreal, QC
8/13 Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON
If you’re not already familiar with Jessie and the Toy Boys or the Australian twin-sister producer duo Nervo then get yourself ready for the show by taking a listen to Jessie’s new single “Push It” and Nervo’s “Irresistible” featuring Ollie James.
Hanni El Khatib with Florence and the Machine
Just this past week it was announced that Florence + the Machine will embark on her North American tour with Hanni El Khatib, and if you’re like me I’m sure you’re wondering who this El Khatib character is? Hanni, the son of Palestinian and Filipino immigrants, is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer whose sound has best described as classic Americana of the 1950s and 60s mixed with a blend of blues, soul, garage rock and doo-wop with heavy Elvis Presley influences. Check out Hanni’s “Dead Wrong” here to get a feel for this sound.
Florence (left) and Hanni El Khatib
ALBUMS
So if you were digging the dubstep sound in Britney Spears’ “Hold it Against Me” single, then odds are you’re going to love Katy B, an artist who is actually accredited as being the first artist to bring the dubstep genre to a mainstream audience with her Benga produced hit “Katy On A Mission.” Katy B is likened to James Blake and Jamie Woon as some of the best talent in a new wave of British artists bringing innovative originality to the dubstep sound. Katy’s latest single “Lights On” is as much influenced by Chicago house to the bass heavy dubstep genre, and the artist has recently been signed to Columbia Records releasing her debut album On A Mission in the UK on April 4th.
Jennifer Lopez will be releasing her seventh studio album Love? on May 3rd. The Island Def Jam recording artist has already had a career filled with stellar hits, and Love? has already produced one of her biggest to date – ‘On the Floor” (featuring Pitbull). The track has reached over 60 Million views on VEVO, hit #1 on iTunes, and The Billboard Dance Radio and Dance Club charts. The video follow-up single “I’m Into You,” written by Taio Cruz and featuring Lil’ Wayne, was released this week. I’m most excited to check out the two tracks that Lady Gaga contributed on, “Hypnotico” and “Invading My Mind.”
SINGLES
Like many before him (Zeb Atlas, Colton Ford) gay Porn Star Carsten Andersson has set his sights on Pop music. Anddersson found fame as the blonde heartthrob in Lucas Entertainment’s “Trapped In The Game,” filmed in Berlin, and in an interview with Frontiersweb.com, Andersson thanks his adult film industry past, “Without my porn past, I’d be just another boy with a song out. Porn has made people take notice. They want to see what this boy can do other than get naked.”
Fortunately for him he’s receiving significant success in Europe with a Top 10 radio hit in his homeland of Denmark and a best seller in Taiwan. The UK Production team Zebra1, who have worked with Sugababes on numerous hits, produced his song “Fun”.
Take a listen to “Fun” and the “Fun” remix.
Beyonce’s back and bigger than ever with her first single “Girls Who Run The World” off her as-yet-untitled fourth album. Set to a marching beat, the track samples heavily from Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor,” (which happens to be the musical project of Diplo and Switch). Take a listen to her latest single here.
To gear up for her hotly anticipated follow up album to 2008’s Overpowered, Irish singer Roisin Murphy has lent her vocals to two amazing dance tracks, “Boadicea” by Dutch dance production team Mason, and “Cherry Picking” by producer Toddla T. Both are awesome in their own way. Take a listen to “Cherry Picking” and “Boadicea”
For fans of Sarah Mclachlan and Joni Mitchell, the hotly-tipped singer from the UK Rumer will certainly be an artist to jump on board for. Her first single “Slow” was released on April 5th and it’s a perfect taste for her debut album Seasons of My Soul due out this summer. I’ve been privileged with an advanced copy of the album and love every song. This woman is my new Adele. Her voice is beautiful and soothing and she will no doubt get big, quick. Take a listen to “Slow.”
Speaking of Adele, of all the covers of her insanely successful hit “Rolling in the Deep,” I’d have to say this upbeat version of John Legend’s is my favorite, by far. Take a listen and you’ll see why.
John Legend – Rolling In The Deep (Prod. By Skeet Skeet & Turbotito) by skeet skeet
VIDEOS
Diamond Rings
Diamond Rings releases the latest video for his single “It’s Not My Party” off his debut LP Special Affections. John’s deep voice and minimilist style is exemplified on this track and I’m becoming more and more of a fan with each new listen. Check it out…
I’m seriously loving Jessie J these days and the super talented UK singer just released the latest single “Nobody’s Perfect” off her awesome debut album Who You Are, out on iTunes now. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter tweeted “It’s my fave video I’ve done so far!” and after watching I can see why… It’s high quality with a great concept and production. Watch here.
SVT, Sweden’s biggest TV-network, recently ran an hour-long interview with my favorite Swedish pop star Robyn, that I felt needed to be shared with the masses. This Music Special Documentary can be viewed on Robyn’s YouTube Channel, and in the doc, the singer discusses everything from the making of her incredible Body Talk album series to her early career as a pop star in the 90s. Watch all four parts and make sure to hit the CC button for English Subtitles.
Robyn
Recently Robyn headlined Palm Springs White Party and took time to discuss her thoughts on her largely gay fan base in an interview with E Online. It’s interesting to hear her take on why the gays love her music. Read here.