Saturday, June 6, 2009

She Plays Music

She Plays Music
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Demi Lovato Releasing Album, Preparing for Summer Tour

Posted: 06 Jun 2009 02:05 AM PDT

Demi Lovato will be releasing her new album, Here We Go Again, on July 21, 2009 but, for now, the Camp Rock star is focusing on delivering a great summer tour for her fans.

demi lovato here we go again While some people seem determined to put together one show-stopping number after another in concert (indeed, some acts can't come to my city because our venue isn't set up to support their "technology" and I live in a major city!), Demi is focusing on the quality of her music and performance instead.

The 16-year-old Disney star told Billboard: "I’m not really one to have a lot of, like, crazy stuff on stage.  I feel like it’s more about the music, so I don’t want to take away from that."

The tour, which kicks off in Hartford, Connecticut on June 21, will mostly feature songs from her 2008 debut album Don't Forget which, she explains, is a lot different from her new material.  "I think Don’t Forget was a lot more Jonas sounding.  It had a little more of their feel on it. But this album is just me."  She said that Here We Go Again is "a lot more soulful and personal" so I'm looking forward to seeing how she's grown since her days of writing songs with the Jonas Brothers (although, one track called "Can't Stop the World" was co-written with Nick Jonas).  I'm really intrigued by the two songs that were penned by John Mayer ("World of Chances" and "Shut Up and Love Me") since he really is one of my favorite songwriters and I believe he possesses the tenderness needed to write with a young woman like Demi.

She definitely sounds like she coming into her own: "I felt a little more confident this time, but I also felt like it was a little more pressure.  I feel like, for me, this is definitely a step forward. I was really, really nervous making the album, but I feel like it’s come together. I’m really, really, really excited about it."

image: Total Assault

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Alicia Keys To Receive ASCAP’s Golden Note Award

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 10:36 AM PDT

Variety is reporting that Alicia Keys will be awarded the "Golden Note" which "is presented to songwriters, composers and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones."  71118a1_keys_a_b_gr_02

The presentation will take place during ASCAP’s 22nd annual Rhythm & Soul Awards which will be held on June 26, 2009 at the Beverly Hilton.  R&B, hip-hop and gospel songwriters and publishers will be recognized for the most-performed songs from 2008.   The Smokey Robinson will be presented with the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award which is given to "members who have had a major impact on the legacy of Rhythm and Soul music."

I am absolutely thrilled for Alicia because I think she is an incredible artist.  From the first time she burst on the scene with her single "Fallin'" from her 2001 album Songs in A Minor, I knew she was going to be a huge star.  That album ended up selling over 11 million copies worldwide, making her  the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001.  To further solidify the success, she won five Grammy Awards in 2002, including "Best New Artist" and "Song of the Year" for "Fallin’."  As of 2005, she became the female R&B artist to have three #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 chart in as many releases. 

Her album, As I Am (2007), entered the charts at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week.  She is now tied with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number one albums.  The biggest single from the album, "No One," earned her the "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song" prizes at the 2008 Grammy Awards as well as the one for "Best Female R&B Artist."

Along with Wyclef Jean (formerly of The Fugees), Alicia will also be given BET’s 2009 Humanitarian Award at the Shrine Auditorium on June 28, 2009.  It's going to be a big summer for her!

image: Bauer-Griffin

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