:: arjanwrites music blog ::

The Daily Crunch: Madonna, Lana Del Rey, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars, Glee

New Madonna Single Art and Here's What You Think Of it
Christina Aguilera Tributes Etta James With “At Last” At Her Funeral
Glee Performs Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something"
Madonna Opens Up To Los Angeles Times
Behind The Scenes Of Lana Del Rey's Interview Shoot
Diego Miguel For Scapa Spring Summer Campaign
Kelly Clarkson Releases Countrified "Mr Know It All"
Nicki Minaj To Join Madonna At Superbowl
Lil Wayne Teases Video for Bruno Mars Collabo 'Mirror'
10 Hilarious Animated GIFs that Took the Web by Storm
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A*M*E "City Lights" Produced by MNEK (Single Review)

There are two things very exciting about pop newcomer A*M*E. First of all, she brings a fresh and genuinely cool new energy to the pop scene that is getting saturated with grandiose imagery, larger that life beats and overly saucy lyrics. Secondly, she has been working with none other than uber-talented, super teen producer MNEK who we have covered multiple times on this blog before. Only 17 years old, MNEK is enjoying tremendous success producing tracks for Florrie and The Saturdays, and last week he was in Los Angeles to work with our other fave, My Name Is Kay.

The teaming of A*M*E and MNEK has resulted in A*M*E's debut tune "City Lights" that is stirring up a storm over in the U.K. Echoing the sound of a playful Double Dutch session in a middle school courtyard, "City Lights" is a mighty fresh, hook-laden pop tune that is ruled by swirling retro '90s club beats, choppy vocal samples and A*M*E's striking, soulful vocals that are completely, totally and utterly effortless and filled with a healthy dose of girl power. "City Lights" also includes the punchy rhymes of rapper Bartoven who is none other than MNEK's older brother.

"City Lights" is pretty much A*M*E's definition of great pop. "[Pop] usually starts with a great concept," she explains. "It's not too light-hearted, not too serious. A perfect pop song is a perfect blend of the two. It should grab you from the second you hear it. What I love most about a perfect pop song is that with it you are never alone. That’s what makes me happiest about pop music.

A*M*E's love for pop runs deep. And she knows how pop music can help lift people up in times when they need it most. She was born and raised in Sierra Leone, the war-torn nation in Africa where she lived until the age of 8. It was the timeless pop of groups like Backstreet Boys and *NSync that helped her cope with her dire environment and was the one thing that she could always rely on.

Her family fled to the U.K. where A*M*E started school and quickly thrived. She started her own DIY fanzine, fronted a girl band in high school and sang solos in her school choir that sparked a passion for music. While developing her unique forward style, she also became obsessed with The Beatles and studied their music as the holy scripture of pop.

Last week she finally unveiled "City Lights" and more pop greatness is on the way. Check out for example the amazing "Play The Game Boy" and "Love TKO" that you can stream on Soundcloud. If you want to stay in the know about A*M*E make sure to follow her on Facebook. All the right people are paying attention and I predict things may go really go fast for the young singer from here.

The Daily Crunch: Azealia Banks, Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Rusko, Michael Jackson, Madonna, LMFAO, Wiz Khalifa

 Azealia Banks Performs At Karl Lagerfeld's House
 Rihanna Producing A Fashion Reality TV Show
 Kylie Minogue Emphasizes Her 'Finer Feelings' 
 Loving Rusko's "Somebody To Love" Video 
 Joel & Benji Madden Have A New Band 
 Florence & The Machine Covers Q Magazine 
 Madonna's Superbowl Performance to Include LMFAO
 Ryan Barrett & Gisele Bundchen For Versace 
 Neighborhood Showdown: Paris Versus New York
 Watch Bing Bar Performance With Wiz Khalifa 
 Michael Jackson Set In Legacy 
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K'naan featuring Nelly Furtado "Is Anybody Out There" (Single Review)

It's safe to say that Toronto-based rapper K'naan got a real good taste for pop after his success with "Wavin' Flag" that received a steady push from Coca-Cola. The soda giant used the song in a massive global advertising campaign in support of the 2010 FIFA World Soccer Championship that helped the rapper break into the mainstream. "Wavin' Flag" was followed by the equally radio-friendly "Bang, Bang" that featured none other than Maroon 5's Adam Levine, and collaborations with Keane and Mary J Blige.

With his rising success in the pop world, K'naan decided to take a break from his politically-charged raps, and continue his experiments with a sound prepped for mass consumption that would more easily resonate with a global audience. He been working with a bunch of pop heavy-weights (Ryan Tedder, Bruno Mars) and industry insiders have been buzzing for months about the rapper's new album that is about the get a major push.

The brand-new "Is Anybody Out There" is an excellent example of K'naan's evolving, pop-savvy aesthetic. With lyrics about never giving up, even when you're feeling down, he taps into a feeling that people everywhere can easily relate to and that never gets old. Furtado amplifies that sentiment with her one-of-kind vocals, reaching out to the sky and crying out, "I don't want to be left in this world behind, say you'll run to my side."

It's pretty darn exciting to hear Nelly Furtado resurface again on this new K'naan single. It's been forever since we last heard from her after she won her GRAMMY for "Mi Plan." But rest assured that more Furtado goodness should be unleashed upon soon. She's has been working with Passion Pit and others on her new LP that is scheduled to be released this year.

"Is Anybody Out There" is taken from K'naan brand-new EP, entitled "More Beautiful Than Silence," that also includes the very good and autobiographic "Better" that features hitmaker Ryan Tedder. That track can easily be the next big single for K'naan. Grab the entire new EP on iTunes now.

PopChange: Pop in Politics, and Why Some Do It Better Than Others

By Jose Iniguez (bio)

Super PACs, countless debates, open marriages and Kelly Clarkson? Oh my. It's safe to say the U.S. Presidential election season has heated up. Three separate candidates (Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich) have each won one of the first three contests (Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, respectively) in the Republican race for the nomination. The only candidate still in the race who hasn’t been victorious is Ron Paul, the Representative from Texas. Not good news for Kelly Clarkson, who represented Texas well in another American popular vote, the first season of American Idol.

In December, Miss Clarkson took to Twitter to tell the world she loved Ron Paul. "I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't," she added.

There was talk that the semi-endorsement garnered her a sales boost. While not entirely true (sales of her most recent album, "Stronger," actually declined), figures for her album were stronger than others. According to Billboard, "while [Kelly's "Stronger"] moved from number 39 to number 17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, its upward momentum [the week after Christmas] was caused by it having a less-steep decline in sales as compared to the rest of the titles on the chart (the overall album market was down 49% in the week after Christmas)." In the end, Kelly Clarkson's Presidential pick softened her post-Christmas slump most others didn't enjoy.

Continue reading "PopChange: Pop in Politics, and Why Some Do It Better Than Others"