Mix 104.1 » Music

Cody Simpson On What To Expect From His New Album ‘Surfers Paradise’

mreal197 — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:37:04 +0000

Less than a year after releasing his debut full-length pop album, Paradise, 16-year-old Cody Simpson just announced new music is on the way. Paradise reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and produced Simpson’s catchy breakthrough single “Wish U Were Here,” which helped him garner a tour with Justin Bieber and a legion of zealous fans. While Simpson has much in common with Bieber–they both got their start posting YouTube videos of themselves performing cover songs–he had a hand in writing many of the tracks on his albums.

For the sophomore album, titled Surfers Paradise (out July 16), Simpson said he knew exactly how he wanted it to sound and the type of music he wanted to represent him as an artist. He describes it as a “classic summer album” and said to expect a few pop songs like his latest single, “Pretty Brown Eyes,” a light-hearted club track which introduces his rap skills, along with a few quieter acoustic tracks.

“I grew up playing the acoustic guitar and I decided I really wanted to go back to my roots on this album,” he told Radio.com. “I grew up listening to Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, and John Mayer so they definitely inspired a lot of the album too. There’s a really mellow, acoustic sound to it.”

Along with writing his own songs, Simpson also produced a number of tracks on Surfers Paradise, including “Awake All Night,” which he recently released online.

Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull ‘Live It Up’ In Sultry New Video

mreal197 — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:19:26 +0000

Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull have teamed up again for their latest party anthem, “Live It Up,” the lead single off Lopez’s yet-to-be-announced eighth studio album. In the new music video, the duo joins forces from the fashion runways in Paris to the beautiful beaches of St. Tropez.

J.Lo and Pitbull, two of the biggest Latin stars working in the mainstream pop world, are far from strangers. Their first collaboration came about during Lopez’s 2009 promotional single “Fresh Out the Oven.” Drawing attention to her upcoming seventh album, which would come to be 2011′s Love?, the track was written by Amanda Ghost, Lopez, Pitbull and Pharell Williams. The track charted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart and thus began the duo’s working relationship.

Next up was 2011′s catchy “On the Floor,” which topped more than 18 singles charts and became the most successful single of Lopez’s career. The next year followed with the sexy “Dance Again.” Then-judge Lopez performed the track on American Idol, at which point her racy grinding had some questioning its presence on the family-friendly show. Perhaps taking this criticism to heart, J.Lo toned down her set when performed “Live It Up” last week on the season finale of American Idol.

Miley Cyrus Announces New Single, Keeps Quiet About Justin Bieber Collabo

mreal197 — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:05:02 +0000

For the past year, Miley Cyrus has been hard at work on her latest album, giving out a few details here and there, but never letting fans get a listen. That is until now.

At the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night (May 19) Cyrus announced that her new single, “We Can’t Stop,” drops on June 3. She isn’t giving much away about the sound of her latest song–produced by Mike Will, who has worked with Rihanna, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Kelly Rowland–but she did tell E! News that she’s been done with the song for “about a year.”

“I’ve had to keep my lips sealed and just not saying anything,” she explained. “So you’ll see.”

Cyrus did however reveal that the song is dedicated to her fans, the people who have never stopped believing in her.

“I feel like this song really is for them and how I feel—that I can’t stop and I’m going to be who I am and they should be who they are and that they can’t stop and no one can stop us,” she said.

Adding, “It really is an inspiring song for my fans. We don’t care, we can do what we want.”

Cyrus later tweeted the single’s album art: a black and white photo of her in a a risqué deep-V bathing suit that shows off her wild side and a whole lot of cleavage.

Thank you guys so much for tonight! CAN’T WAIT TILL JUNE 3rd ❤💋💣 twitter.com/MileyCyrus/sta…

— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) May 20, 2013

Rumors are also swirling that Cyrus is recording with Justin Bieber after she was spotted leaving the singer’s studio last week. But she’s staying mum about that too.

“I know pictures are flying around,” she told E!. “You guys will have to wait and see. I’m the biggest at top secrets.”

No official release date has been announced for her upcoming record–her first since 2010’s Can’t Be Tamed.

Miguel Lands On Fan, Bieber Booed, Swift Wins Big At Billboard Music Awards

mreal197 — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:56:33 +0000

Chris Brown mimicked some fighting moves while Miguel actually (kind of) used some during the 2013 iteration of the Billboard Music Awards Sunday night (May 20).

The telecast featured a number of performance mixed in with various awards for the past year. Taylor Swift was a big winner, scoring eight awards including the night’s highest honor, Artist of the Year, as well as accolades for Top Female Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist and Top Country Artist.

Gotye, for major hit “Somebody I Used to Know,” and Rihanna were other major winners, the latter winning in the major R&B categories.

But the talk of the night ended up being Miguel’s performance of “Adorn.” Throughout much of the song, the R&B singer performed behind a screen that allowed images and words to be projected upon it, giving the performance an astral, otherworldly feel. Once the screen was lifted, Miguel trounced to the front of the stage, twirling and whirling before deciding to leap from one part of the stage to another outcrop, which involved traversing over a group of attendees.

But as Oregon Trail has shown us time and time again, you’re not to the end until you’ve hit the shoreline, and the singer just missed getting his whole body onto the stage, landing partly on two females in the audience, injuring one who reportedly walked away with minimal injuries.

i cant stop watching this vine.co/v/b9q1DJrUFMa

— dıpןo (@diplo) May 20, 2013

Miguel wasn’t the only one who had a rough evening. Justin Bieber, who went the edgy route with his performance and leather attire, was honored as the Top Male Artist and scored the Milestone Artist award, a fan-voted accolade. But during his acceptance speech, Bieber took to some of his detractors.

Get An Exclusive Download of Stone Temple Pilots With Chester Bennington

mreal197 — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:10:17 +0000

KROQ’s Weenie Roast always brings a surprise guest and Saturday’s (May 18) show was no exception. The concert put together two huge names for an unexpected performance: Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington. The group premiered their new single, “Out of Time” on stage.

A download of the song is available exclusively on Radio.com.

During the show the group opened with “Vasoline” and went on to perform hits including “Big Bang Baby,” “Wicked Garden,” “Sex Type Thing,” “Interstate Love Song,” and “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart,” as well as the b-side “Dead and Bloated.”

Bennington, the singer of Linkin Park, previously performed with the STP on the single “Wonderful,” circa 2001.

Report: Beyonce And Jay-Z Expecting Second Child

mreal197 — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:35:04 +0000

Beyonce and Jay-Z are expecting their second child, according to an E! Online report. The entertainment network claims that “multiple sources exclusively confirm[ed]” the story earlier. All sources in the story are unnamed.

A pregnancy might explain the singer’s recent cancellation of a show in Antwerp, Belgium on Tuesday due to “dehydration and exhaustion.” This came after fans and pundits spotted what they believed was a baby bump in photos of her appearance earlier this month at the Met Gala.

If this news proves to be true, the future of Beyonce’s North American leg of her current Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, which comes stateside on June 28 in Los Angeles and wraps August 5 in Brooklyn, might be in question.

Candice Glover Crowned New ‘American Idol’ As Finale Ratings Hit All-Time Low

mreal197 — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:31:11 +0000

Last night’s two-hour American Idol finale brought out the star power, but in the end it was Candice Glover’s night. The first all-female AI finale in nine years and first female winner in six years, Candice Glover (as well as her competitor Kree Harrison) alternated performances with some of the biggest stars in music before Glover closed the show with her powerful vocals as she held back tears to sing her new single “I Am Beautiful.”

“Persistence, determination and a lot of talent. You deserve it,” Ryan Seacrest told Glover, who auditioned for AI twice before her win this season.

Meanwhile, the judges showed off their powerhouse singing with former contestants. Keith Urban‘s new single “Little Bit of Everything” made its television premiere, while Mariah Carey brought us back to the ’90s with a montage of her hits, complete with a wind-blown look. Even former AI judge Jennifer Lopez took the stage with Pitbull for their clubtastic summer jam “Live It Up.” Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, PSY, Jessie J, Travis Barker, The Band Perry, Aretha Franklin, and Frankie Valli also took the Idol stage.

Despite the A-list performers, the Season 12 finale didn’t rack up the numbers. According to Deadline, the two-hour finale last night was down 47 percent from last season’s finale. Idol pulled in 13.61 million viewers last night — 8 million less than the 21.5 million who watched last season’s finale. Season 12 is the first Idol finale to have less than 20 million viewers.

Additionally, the New York Daily News reports that Idol season 12 ratings suffered a 20 percent drop overall compared to season 11 ratings. “While Idol drew a staggering 30 million viewers during its peak in 2006 and ’07, that number withered this year to roughly 12 million,” the paper notes.

With Randy Jackson jumping ship after 12 seasons and the continuous judge changes, nothing seems to be able to revive the ratings.

Justin Bieber Owes Germany Thousands For Monkey Day Care

mreal197 — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:36:42 +0000

Day care don’t come cheap for Justin Bieber, who reportedly owes a German animal shelter thousands for watching his monkey, OG Mally.

Last month, Bieber was forced to leave his pet capuchin monkey, OG Mally, at the Munich airport because he didn’t have the correct documentation to allow the pet in the country. Bieber was given 30 days to come up with the papers, and he ultimately decided to give up the monkey.

However, it seems he didn’t tell that to the Munich animal shelter where Mally has been held since being taken away from Bieber. The shelter is now billing Bieber for the cost of care for his monkey. Between general care, food and vet visits for OG Mally, Bieber’s bill is several thousand dollars, according to the Munich customs office.

Furthermore, the shelter is still waiting for a response regarding next actions for Mally. He has a deadline of today to come up with papers with legally reclaim OG Mally, otherwise the monkey will be moved permanently to a German zoo or animal park.

Bono Talks Poverty and New U2 Music

mreal197 — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:50:30 +0000

Bono appeared on CBS This Morning Thursday (May 16) to talk to host Charlie Rose about activism and music. Bono’s appearance comes on the heels of a new biography, The Frontman: Bono (In the Name of Power) that denounces the U2 frontman’s anti-poverty campaigning (among other things). Though Rose and Bono never mentioned the book, written by Dublin-based writer Harry Browne, the singer’s appearance could be seen as a counter-argument to the unflattering biography.

In the interview, the man born Paul Hewson said that he follows Nelson Mandela’s belief that “poverty is not a natural condition,” and that it is “manmade.” Bono made the point that his activism isn’t about “charity.” “I’ve always been on a justice tip,” he said, “rather than a charity one.”

On the topic of AIDS, he called the United States a “heroic story.” “You are way out in front in the fight against AIDS,” he told Rose, claiming that most of the 8 million worldwide on medication for the disease are alive because of the efforts of the U.S. “Do Americans know that? Do they know that they’re part of this incredible story? To me, this is as heroic as your intervention in the Second World War.”

Also discussed: Bono’s messianic complex, something Bono fully accepts, noting that “anyone who finds their way to the front of a rock band… has definitely got a messianic complex.”

Other revelations in the interview included the frontman’s thoughts on songwriting, saying “[Songs are] like your parents. They tell you what to do, they tell you how to behave, they tell you how to misbehave, how to dress. Everything you do is directed by the songs.” He also discussed his motivation behind a new U2 album, saying that he doesn’t want to make a new record “unless it’s great.”

Read more at Radio.com

Radio.com Essentials: Vampire Weekend Plays The Game Of LIFE

mreal197 — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:44 +0000

What better way to explore the nature of life than by playing the game of LIFE? And who better to put on the hot seat about the philosophies of life than Vampire Weekend, on the occasion of the release of their third album Modern Vampires of the City?

Much too early one morning in New York City, Radio.com asked Vampire Weekend to play a round of LIFE while they answered questions of the great philosophical thinkers. They revealed their thoughts on the biological imperative that causes parenthood, God and the unmoved mover, the nature of good and evil in man and why they’re so into making album covers out of found art.

Watch as they navigate through choosing a college and career, adopting pets and embracing Marxism in a quick game of LIFE.

Catch the band playing KROQ’s Weenie Roast Saturday May 18 at noon PT. If you can’t make it to L.A. you can watch the webcast from your couch.

Vampire Weekend on Mix1041.com: