Chris Martin & co. are back with their latest video off their fifth studio album, “Mylo Xyloto”.

This Mat Whitecross-directed video features the chaps performing in a mysterious small venue before a lucky group of fans covered in glow in the dark paint. The fast-paced video features “Misfits” star Antonia Thomas and Elliott Tittensor from “Shameless”.

Coldplay look like they had a lot of fun on the set of “Charlie Brown”. This is probably their most cheerful music video to date. It’s nice to actually see a smile on Chris Martin’s face when he’s singing.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

There’s so much you can do with Lego. One man by the name of Aaron Savage has taken famous albums and recreated them using only Lego pieces.

Pet Shop Boys – “Yes”

Coldplay – “X & Y”

Pink Floyd – “The Dark Side of the Moon”

Michael Jackson – “Thriller”

Bruce Springsteen – “Born in the U.S.A.”

You can find more Lego magic on his Flickr page.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

There’s a fine line between sampling a song and straight ripping off someone else’s artistic integrity. Imitation is recognized as the highest form of flattery – but at what point does it go too far?

Most recently, Madonna finally spoke out about her insane influence of Lady Gaga, with focus on ‘Born This Way‘ and it’s similarity with Madge’s 1989 hit ‘Express Yourself’. And in the spirit of that buzz – we’re delighted to bring you a little sampling, thirteen songs that famously ripped off others (and were pretty successful in their own right). Some of which dealt with court settlements and others were able to slip through the legal cracks. For those arguing that the likes of Hammer and Vanilla Ice had the right to sample – both were busted by the predecessors for their use. Ice even argued in an episode of VH1′s ‘Behind the Music’ that it was completely original and the sampling accusations were bogus.

Tell us what you think! Below are thirteen examples, first being the song that ripped off the following song:

Jennifer Lopez “On The Floor (Ft. Pitbull)” VS. Los Kjarkas “Lloranda se fue”

MC Hammer “U Can’t Touch This” VS. Rick James “Superfreak”

Sean Kingston “Me Love” VS. Led Zeppelin “D’yer Mak’er”

Sum 41 “Pieces” VS. Coldplay “The Scientist”

Ray Parker Jr. “Ghostbusters” VS. Huey Lewis “I Want A New Drug”

Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California” VS. Tom Petty “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”

Flo Rida “Right Round” VS. Dead Or Alive “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)”

The Offspring “Why Don’t You Get A Job” VS. The Beatles “Ob La Di Ob La Da”

Vanilla Ice “Ice Ice Baby” VS. Queen & David Bowie “Under Pressure”

Avril Lavigne “Girlfriend” VS. The Rubinoos “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”

Coldplay “Viva La Vida” VS. Joe Satriani “If I Could Fly”

Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” VS. Oasis “Wonderwall”

Fergie “Fergalicious” VS. J.J. Fad “Supersonic”

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Even since repeatedly pestering that poor DJ to  turn the record up in 2005, Robyn Rihanna Fenty has been a chart-topping powerhouse representative of Def Jam Records. With her collaborations dominating the charts as of late, it seems that the recipe to Billboard success is a Rihanna hook. After all, she has the most digital number-one hits with eleven and counting.

That’s more number-one’s than Stevie Wonder or Janet Jackson. That’s two away from Michael Jackson and nine away from the untouchable Beatles. Are we talking quantity, not quality? It’s up for debate. How does she compare to the Gaga’s, Perry’s and Beyonce’s?

Turn on the radio. Open a music magazine. And if they’re on a break from their teen-preganancy programming, watch MTV. From Maroon 5 to Eminem to Coldplay to Lonely Island, there is that familiar sultry croon of the official ambassador of youth and culture for Barbados. She is considerably the most-featured female singer of this millennium. She’s no Fitzgerald, or Goulding for that matter, but it’s either she has a remarkable talent or impeccable timing. OK, maybe Jay-Z has a little something to do with it.

Going back to 2008, she was featured on two of the biggest songs of the year: Maroon5′s  “If I Ever See Your Face Again” and T.I.’s redemption-song  “Live Your Life.” Two opposing ends of the musical spectrum that equally delivered as hits in their respective genres.

Recently, her collaborations haven’t slowed down, they’ve been unescapable on the pop-charts. She duels with Nicki Minaj, harmonizes on Kanye’s  “All of the Lights”and even trades verses with Chris Martin in Coldplay’s  “Princess of China” In response to his appearance on  “What’s My Name?”, Rihanna flourishes in the role of a wounded-love on the  title track of Drake’s upcoming Take Care EP.

Her solo success should not be ignored. In Billboard’s 53-year-history, Rihanna is in a third-place tie with the legendary Whitney Houston for most chart-toppers, behind Mariah Carey and Madonna. That’s a fine line between jaw-dropping and head-scratching. She was also named Digital Song Artist of the Decade in 2009, passing Mr. West, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.

In a recent study, the most popular videos on YouTube are unsurprisingly, music videos that occupy an incredible 86% of the top 60 most-viewed. What’s even more mind-boggling is that a trifecta of pop-artists total a 25% of those 60 videos: Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Bieber impregnates the rest of the pack with 1.664 billion views. Mother Monster rolls in with 842 million views and Rihanna clocks in with 715 million views.

With her new album Talk That Talk on the horizon (due out November 21), critical pop-singles are expected to stampede the airwaves. She took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm that her mentor would appear on the title track: “Yes sir! Jigga man is on the title track #TTT.” What a clubhouse that must be, with Kanye and Jay meeting their female counterparts of Beyonce and Rihanna for an afternoon picnic.

Hova and Ri-Ri previously collaborated on her mega-hit “Umbrella” and he featured her on that Blueprint 3 power-house single, “Run This Town.”

She’s definitely beating Chris Brown’s success to death.

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An artist that goes by the name of Mashup-Germany has compiled a wonderful mashup of the most popular songs of 2011.

From Taio Cruz’s “Hangover” to Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” to Rihanna’s “We Found Love” this DJ mixes the best with nothing but the best. It’s an incredible song to play at your next Christmas or New Year’s Eve party!

What are you waiting for? Polish off your dancing shoes and listen to this song over and over again.

The fun video was produced by PANOS T. Check it out below.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Get your barf bangs out, everybody!

Newlyweds Nikki Reed and American Idol contestant Paul McDonald are so in love they had to record a cheesy song to let it all out.

The couple premiered their song “Now That I Got You” on Ryan Seacreast’s radio show this morning. She told Ryan she attends a lot of open mic nights with her hubby and plans to record more songs with him.

You can listen to the song posted below.

Nikki and Paul aren’t the first couple to record music together but they definitely should be the last. Before you know it, Gwyneth Paltrow can be found on every Coldplay song! The gesture is nice but incredibly cheesy and unnecessary in my opinion. Let’s separate business from pleasure, shall we? Here are some other couples who should never make music together.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel

We all know Justin’s a triple threat. Jessica’s only known for her acting – for now! Let’s hope Justin doesn’t convince her to sing harmonies for his next album.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

She can belt a note like no other, but Nick should stick to making an ass of himself on television. The R&B diva is doing fine on her own.

Fergie and Josh Dumel

Fergie’s one fly babe when she’s on stage with the Black Eyed Peas, but could you imagine Josh Dumel booty-popping with her on stage? That’s an epic fail waiting to happen.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin

Gwyneth have have sang in that Country Strong movie and duetted with Cee Lo Green at award shows, but if she ever summons Chris Martin into a song, all hell will break lose. She should stick to mediocre acting and raving about organic food.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Even since repeatedly pestering that poor DJ to  turn the record up in 2005, Robyn Rihanna Fenty has been a chart-topping powerhouse representative of Def Jam Records. With her collaborations dominating the charts as of late, it seems that the recipe to Billboard success is a Rihanna hook. After all, she has the most digital number-one hits with eleven and counting.

That’s more number-one’s than Stevie Wonder or Janet Jackson. That’s two away from Michael Jackson and nine away from the untouchable Beatles. Are we talking quantity, not quality? It’s up for debate. How does she compare to the Gaga’s, Perry’s and Beyonce’s?

Turn on the radio. Open a music magazine. And if they’re on a break from their teen-preganancy programming, watch MTV. From Maroon 5 to Eminem to Coldplay to Lonely Island, there is that familiar sultry croon of the official ambassador of youth and culture for Barbados. She is considerably the most-featured female singer of this millennium. She’s no Fitzgerald, or Goulding for that matter, but it’s either she has a remarkable talent or impeccable timing. Ok, maybe Jay-Z has a little something to do with it.

Going back to 2008, she was featured on two of the biggest songs of the year: Maroon 5′s “If I Ever See Your Face Again” and T.I.’s redemption-song  “Live Your Life.” Two opposing ends of the musical spectrum that equally delivered as hits in their respective genres.

In recent weeks, her collaborations haven’t slowed down, they’ve been unescapable on the pop-charts. She duels with Nicki Minaj, harmonizes on Kanye’s  “All of the Lights”and even trades verses with Chris Martin in Coldplay’s  “Princess of China” In response to his appearance on  “What’s My Name?”, Rihanna flourishes in the role of a wounded-love on the  title track of Drake’s upcoming Take Care EP.

Her solo success should not be ignored. In Billboard’s 53-year-history, Rihanna is in a third-place tie with the legendary Whitney Houston for most chart-toppers, behind Mariah Carey and Madonna. That’s a fine line between jaw-dropping and head-scratching. She was also named Digital Song Artist of the Decade in 2009, passing Mr. West, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.

In a recent study, the most popular videos on YouTube are unsurprisingly, music videos that occupy an incredible 86% of the top 60 most-viewed. What’s even more mind-boggling is that a trifecta of pop-artists total a 25% of those 60 videos: Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Bieber impregnates the rest of the pack with 1.664 billion views. Mother Monster rolls in with 842 million views and Rihanna clocks in with 715 million views.

With her new album Talk That Talk on the horizon (due out November 21), critical pop-singles are expected to stampede the airwaves. She took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm that her mentor would appear on the title track: “Yes sir! Jigga man is on the title track #TTT.” What a clubhouse that must be, with Kanye and Jay meeting their female counterparts of Beyonce and Rihanna for an afternoon picnic.

Hova and Ri-Ri previously collaborated on her mega-hit “Umbrella” and he featured her on that Blueprint 3 power-house single, “Run This Town.”

She’s definitely beating Chris Brown’s success to death.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Chris Martin revealed that Rihanna is appearing on the new Coldplay album Mylo Xyloto.

Chris Martin, revealed the epic collaboration during a recent interview: “The album is designed as a whole piece. It has boy and girl lead characters and top of our list for the girl part was Rihanna, but it took a while to pluck up the courage to ask her. We did a show in Las Vegas and I met her and said, ‘Do you think there’s any chance?’ I was very Hugh Grant-like and spluttering about it.”

He added, ”She has such an amazing voice and it’s so different to mine. When the vocal happened I thought ‘Wow, you sound different’ but I think that’s also because she was singing a different song to what we are used to hearing from her and it is written by a bloke from Devon.”

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Coldplay has released their new track, ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall.’

The single can be downloaded on iTunes, and will accompany the summer tour they are beginning in Germany today.

I like the song. It’s a relaxing, summer song that still fits the band’s sound and image. It’s new, without trying too hard. I have a feeling it will be a huge hit.

The band’s latest materiel is from 2008′s ‘Vida La Vida.’

Check out the song below!

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

‘Coldplay’ will be releasing a new single this week, reports MTV News.

The british band’s newest material is from three years ago, when they released ‘Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’ in 2008. But now, a new single is set to drop on Friday.

The new single, titled ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,’ will debut this Friday, which coincidentally, is also the same day they kick off their summer  tour in Germany.

The band’s drummer, Will Champion, released a statement on the band’s official site, saying:

“Dear Friends, We’re about to play a bunch of summer festivals so it’s as good a time as any to put out a new song. “Evert Teardrop is a Waterfall” will be available digitally on Friday June 3rd at 12pm (BST), except in the UK where it’ll come out on the stroke of midnight between Satruday 4th and Sunday 5th June. We’ll also stream it here on Friday and give it a run out at Rock Im park. Love, Will”.

It’s been so long since they released new music, so I know many are excited about this. I find making fans wait that long is modern-day torture, I mean, three years is a long time. Gaga releases a new single every day. Hopefully they’ve spent their time perfecting the new album, though.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

From a YouTube clip last April to the Ellen DeGenerous Show to co-headlining an North American Tour – and Greyson Chance is only 13-years-old.

Before you pin him off as another “Bieber”, check out the famous YouTube video that showcases Chance transformation of Gaga’s “Paparazzi” pop hooks into a heart-felt ballad as he accompanies himself on piano.

After a few weeks and over 30 million views, the video exploded and became one of the most watched on YouTube and in turn Greyson Chance became a sensation. Ellen DeGeneres received a letter from Greyson’s brother Tanner suggesting that she should watch the video. After two performances on her show, Ellen announced that she had signed Chance to her new label: eleveneleven. He has since signed a major-label deal with Geffen Records and Maverick Records.

“I think it’s an honour to be compared to Justin. I mean, he’s this big pop act,” says Chance. “But, my music is definitely more of a pop-rock sound.”

Chance is currently undergoing work on his debut album with a team of top-notch songwriters, including The Matrix (Jason Mraz, Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne) and Danielle Brisebois (Natasha Bedingfeld, Kylie Monogue, Leona Lewis).

“The story or the concept is really about heartbreak,” Chance says of the new album’s theme. “Starts with going through a relationship, you’re so in love and you’re so happy. She breaks up with you, she breaks your heart. You hate her but you still love her. And in the end it turns into this dark story about heartbreak and how you deal with it and how painful it can really be.”

His first single, ‘Waiting Outside the Lines’,  combines a faint Snow Patrol sound with a punchy Kelly Clarkson back-beat has a music video and is now available on iTunes.

“I’m currently listening to a lot of Journey. I think they’re such an amazing group. I mean, Steve Perry’s voice speaks for itself,” Chance also cited Coldplay, One Republic and Taylor Swift as major influences.”One of my big role models would have to be Chris Martin [of Coldplay], I would love to collaborate with him.”

“I can be inspired by lots of things. Sometimes by listening to other music, like the music I’m listening to today I have different song ideas. Watching music videos or going to their shows, I learn lots from artists around me. From their music to their their videos. I come up with ideas on my own.”

‘Waiting Outside The Lines’ has already received strong reviews and is a possible prelude of what’s to come. It helped place Chance ninth spot on Billboard’s Top 20 Under 20.

“It felt incredible,” Chance recalls finding out the news. “I was surrounded by big powerhouse names and it felt incredible to be there. I love Billboard, they’ve been very supportive of my projects.”

He has already started to use his celebrity status for charity, appearing at Free The Children’s We Day in Toronto alongside the Jonas Brothers, Hedley and K’naan where he performed a cover of Augustana’s ‘Fire’.

“It was a blast, I had so much fun there. I met the founders of We Day [Craig & Marc Kielburger]and what they’re doing is just so incredible. I had a blast performing, that was my first trip to Canada and I loved it.” Chance is also involved with another Children’s Miracle Network. “I actually did a show for them back in my hometown of Alabama and they’re just so incredible. They’re fighting for these kids, giving so much money every day, every minute of the day. It’s a cause I’m very supportive of.”

As for the upcoming tour, Chance said in his infectious charisma that he’s “really excited to be going on tour with Cody [Simpson]. I think we’re going to but on a really great show.” What he is looking forward to most is for their fans to “have a chance to see two sides of pop music.”

“There are going to be surprises, but I don’t want to give anything away.”

Chance had recently toured North America with iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove and recently dropped by Ellen’s show to join on Cosgrove’s “Dancing Crazy”.

“I learned a lot from being on tour with her. To always keep your energy high on stage. She taught me a lot. I’m going to be using a lot of that advice and experience on this tour.”

What’s next for Greyson?

“Well hopefully I can have a platinum winning album,  and I can be going to the Grammys and accepting a Grammy.”

The “WAITING 4U” kicks off April 11th in Denver, Colorado. For more information on Greyson Chance and the upcoming ‘Waiting 4U’ Tour, check out www.greyson-official.com, www.facebook.com/greysonchance or follow him on Twitter @GreysonChance.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Tired of the same old boring iPhone/iPod cases? Why not try changing it up with a Music Skin of your favourite artist. Simply place the skin on the back of your device and you’ll instantly be cooler (ok we can’t guarantee that). To enter the contest, simply fill in the form below and select which device you have. Here is a list of the skins we have:

iPod Touch 1st Gen – Paramore, Taylor Swift

iPod Touch 2nd Gen – T-Pain

iPhone 2G – Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Paramore

iPhone 3G(S) – L’il Wayne, T-Pain, Paramore

We’ll randomly select winners for each device and send out a random skin. Contest ends August 8th, 2010.

Visit Music Skins to see what else is available and to buy one or two.

This contest has expired.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

We vote that Jane Lynch’s character sings “Viva La Vida.”

While when Glee first hit televisions across the continent in mid-2009 it was nothing more than an odd-ball Fox series trying to take flight, today it is one of the most popular shows on the tube.

Before the show reached its current level of popularity, creators contacted artists whose songs they thought would fit the show. Two such artists turned the offer down: Bryan Adams and Coldplay, MuchMusic.com reports.

“At the beginning a lot of people didn’t know what we were and asked to see pages [in advance], but I refused because I didn’t want to set precedent of them having any involvement,” said Glee creator Ryan Murphy. “My favourite rejection was Bryan Adams. Coldplay and Bryan Adams were really the only rejections. But Coldplay called a week ago and said, ‘We’re sorry,you can have our catalog.’”

A “The Scientist” duet between Rachel and Finn? Brilliant.

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After months of downing excessive amounts of alcohol and chomping on fried food, Gwyneth Paltrow is getting herself back together, says People.com.

Don’t be too alarmed, she wasn’t on a downward spiral like most celebs these days – it was for a movie role, but the lifestyle had real-life repercussions on her body.

“I was so bad with the food and alcohol in Nashville,” the 37-year-old actress tells Harper’s Bazaar in its May issue about her role as an alcoholic country singer in the new film, Love Don’t Let Me Down.

“If you saw me naked [now] compared to what I looked like when I did Iron Man 2, when I was exercising every day – I’ll get it back together, but I’ve never eaten so much fried food and white flour in my life, ever,” said the mother-of-two.

Paltrow didn’t only have to eat and drink unhealthy, but also learn to play the guitar. Keep in mind, she is lucky to be married to Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin as he helped her with learning the new instrument.

“He was so helpful, so sweet and encouraging,” Paltrow says. “I mean, it’s embarrassing to be playing in front of your husband, especially when he’s in one of the world’s most successful bands.”

Not only is he successful, but sounds like a sweetheart, too.

“He is so great because he’s so supportive of me as an artist … I really lucked out with him. He’s deeply lovely and special,” she added.

So, she also has a fabulous family life and after taking time off to focus on her two kids – Apple, who will be 6 in May and Moses, who just turned 4 yesterday. (Thursday), she is back at it with two new movie roles. She said she missed acting, but that home life has its perks.

“When you’re having dinner with your kids and your husband and someone says something funny or you’re dying laughing because your 3-year-old made a fart joke, it doesn’t matter what else is going on,” she says. “That’s real happiness.”

She also had something to say about the paparazzi when it comes to having a family. She believes that paparazzi pics reinforce negative misconceptions about her as a person. “[The pictures] probably made me look like a really grumpy person,” she says. “But when you’re the person they’re taking the picture of, it’s like, ‘You just followed me and made my kid cry and you’re going to make money off it? You want me to look at you and smile?’ ”

And although her and hubby Chris Martin are in the spotlight frequently, she realizes they aren’t the only ones – and that they don’t have it the worst. She believes her ex Brad Pitt and wife, Angelina Jolie take the cake when it comes to the paparazzi.

“I feel bad for them,” she says. “They have it worse than anybody on the planet. I mean, we get hounded too, but not like that.”

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Despite an article from In Touch this week that Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are breaking up, Paltrow denies these reports.

The article from In Touch claimed this week that the two are “moving into separate homes” and that the distance between them “has been growing for months.”

“They’re ready to split permanently by moving into separate, but adjoining, homes in London,” DJ Jamie Ford told the magazine.

Paltrow’s rep told Gossip Cop that there was no validity to these rumors. “How many times have we seen this rumour come and go?” the rep said.

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U2 is at the top of Billboard’s musician money charts, reports CBC. The band earned $108.9 million in 2009.

The Irish rockers were also the top touring act of the year, selling 1.3 million tickets for the 20 shows on their 360 Degree world tour. The tour – still ongoing – is the most expensive one in history.

The 2009 earnings chart placed Bruce Springsteen in second with $57.6 million and Madonna, who earned $47 million, in third. Also on the list of last year’s top earners were AC/DC, Britney Spears, Pink, Jonas Brothers, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney and Metallica.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Elly Jackson of La Roux sits way in the back of her tour bus. Quiet. Secluded. Curled up. On first glance, seemingly trying to shut out the blistering cold Toronto November day outside, and maybe even the world along with it.

But can you blame her?

As one of the United Kingdom’s most popular new artists in 2009, Jackson finds it hard to trust people these days. Her tendency to be honest and opinionated have often been taken advantage of by media haters. But the singer can’t help it, she’s always been an individual with real thoughts and feelings- a leader rather than a follower. Even back in Elementary school, the 21-year-old London-born says she was a tomboy, and always had a bit of an assertive and free-spirited tendency.

But that ability to not succumb to peer-pressure is one of the main reasons for the raving success of her debut self-titled album last June, her flooding international fan-base, and why she will keep pushing strong past the negative hurdles in her career.

“You really have to be careful in this industry,” Jackson tells andPOP in her tour bus. “Obviously it’s impossible for us to like everything. So when you can get asked your thoughts about something, and say we don’t like or agree with something, it’s like a total shock to the world.”

Maybe the reason for the constant badgering is that people always try to find the worst in the clean-slated successful. Or maybe people just try to find the worst in Jackson’s unorthodox “organic” style of music- like how she chose to decline using a big-shot producer and studio for her debut album La Roux, and instead opted to use the basement of her house in South London.

“I couldn’t see it work any other way,” recalls Jackson, “I can’t understand how people go with big-shot guys and studios who always have to have their input and at the end of the day, their decision. It just fucks it all up.

“We had everything we needed in my house, and we just made it happen. And the only reason I can think of why people would go with big studios, is because they can’t do it themselves.”

Jackson’s Yin to her Yang is 29-year-old producer Ben Langmaid -the other half of La Roux, who the singer has been working with since 2006.  Together, the duo have dominated the music scene back home in the U.K. since their album’s release-  bringing back eighties Synth-Pop, taking the No. 2 spot on the Albums Chart, and having girls look up to Jackson as a role model, mimicking her iconic ginger hair-do.

“I love having the opportunity to affect people like that,” says Jackson. “I think sometimes musicians just forget that they have a responsibility to everyone who looks up to them. I hate it when you idolize somebody, and then find out something terrible- which then diminishes your view of them.

“As a fan, you just don’t wanna hear stuff like that. We all know that when we pursue this profession, one of the strings attached is that you will be looked up to by thousands.”

With that spotlight though comes the inevitability, according to Jackson, to always be stripped of privacy and be classified in a group or trend.  It’s not a surprise then that she’s not a fan of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace- instead praises the days when there was a mysterious separation between the artist and the audience.

“Now its come to a point,” says Jackson, “where someone can find virtually almost anything about artists, actors and celebrities. But it’s not alright, when it comes to a point where fans feel like they have a right to your personal information.”

Later on tonight, Jackson is performing at Toronto’s Club Guvernment, where she would attract a packed house- while on tour to further promote her Platinum-status album in Canadian territories.

Despite it only being her second time here, Jackson enjoys the Canadian scene. Her first time here was actually this past summer for five days- one of which she spent performing at the Montreal Osheaga Music and Arts Festival. On the down-side Jackson says she became a bit homesick -considering it was the furthest she’d ever been away from home on tour- but on the up-side the experience introduced the singer to her growing North American fan-base.

“I was a bit surprised by the outcome at that festival,” says Jackson, “didn’t really expect that. It was a shock because I thought it was going to be like we come all the way to Canada to play in front of nobody- but it was the complete opposite.”

Although the festival’s 30-thousand-person outcome were mostly there too see the headliner Coldplay, Jackson still gathered an impressive crowd turn out.

After her show though, Jackson was told that there was one guy who missed her performance that really wanted to meet her in person.

That guy was none other than Coldplay front-man Chris Martin.

“We we’re so excited,” says Jackson, “but we had to leave immediately to catch a plane.”

“Fortunately we were playing the next day at the same festival as him in New York, so he asked us to meet him there. So the next day, we all went behind the stage to this huge village that he had to himself, and we waited at his cabin, and finally got to meet him. He was just coming back from Yoga, and he was saying how he really liked us and wished he could have seen us perform.

“He’s such a brilliant songwriter and performer,” she adds.

According to Jackson, the sole problem with that first trip to North America, was the act of traveling city-to-city by airplane- it didn’t mesh well with her fear of flying.

But when the singer found out that she would be touring all across the country this fall by tour-bus, she was immediately ecstatic. Not too mention that the set of wheels would also happen to be Barack Obama’s former 2008 Presidency election-campaign bus.

“I was definitely looking forward to it more,” she says with a wide smile, giving a quick look all around the inside of the bus.

Jackson turns beside her. Leaning against the window is Langmaid with big headphones over his ears, busy listening and configuring new beats for the band on his laptop. The duo is scheduled to begin writing material for the second album in their manager’s house, but they haven’t actually sat down to brainstorm anything yet- too much being out n’ about performing around the world.

They do have a small break in January to wind-down though, only to then hit the road again on their 34-show 2010 spring tour. In order to give some more face-time back home, the band decided to include a slew of 11 shows within the main circuit that will be played in the U.K, and dubbed The Gold Tour.

“For all we know it won’t live up to it’s name,” Jackson says laughing about the U.K. tour title. “It sounds like something Prince would use for his final tour. I kind of wanted to save it for when I’m like 50-years-old, but I can’t, I just want to pull it off now.”

The band will begin the spring tour on February 1 with seven North-American shows (three of them Canadian), trek all across Europe starting on February 20, kick off the exclusive U.K. Gold Tour from April 25-May 11, and then finish off the overall circuit on May 13 in Paris, FR.

But despite the epic sounding spring tour, and despite the probability that the band’s eventual follow-up album will cling onto music charts across the globe- someone, somewhere, will still try to bring Elly Jackson down for her choice to find her own way to success, rather than follow industry instructions.

But she’s begun to accept it. She admits that it can’t be avoided, “no matter how hard you try,” Jackson says with a smirk on her face.

The singer takes a peek again outside at the grey skies and blustery winds. At first glance, she’s the girl who’s trying to shut out the world, but look a bit closer and you’ll see that she’s just embracing life to its fullest.

Free-thinking, writing successful music, and rising high above the haters.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Collaborations are the new black, apparently.

The invention of the “supergroup” has caused quite a stir lately. With such bands as Them Crooked Vultures (featuring members from Nirvana/Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin), Monsters of Folk (featuring members from She&Him, My Morning Jacket, and Bright Eyes), and Chickenfoot (featuring members from Van Halen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), it’s no surprise that another clan of musicians is jumping on the collabo-bandwagon.

And as one band breaks up, another blossoms. While A-Ha is soon to be no more, some of its team is conintuing with music.

A-Ha’s Magne Furuholmen and A-Ha producer Martin Terefe have created a new band with Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman and Mew singer Jonas Bjerre, according to CHARTattack. The new group is called Apparatjik.

The project will release their debut album on Monday, Nov. 30. They reportedly e-mailed a song called “Electric Eye” to 30 people this week. The song will be available for download through Apparatjik’s website, apparatjik.com, the day the album is released.

The Coldplay/A-Ha collaboration is no big surprise, since Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has repeatedly said that A-Ha are a major influence of his.

A-Ha have a few more shows on their farewell tour before splitting up for good. They can be seen at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway from Dec. 2 to 4.

Coldplay is on tour here:

Feb. 26 Buenos Aires, Argentina @ River Plate Stadium w/ Bat For Lashes
Feb. 28 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil @ Apoteose Stadium w/ Bat For Lashes
March 2 Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Morumbi Stadium w/ Bat For Lashes
March 4 Bogota, Colombia @ Parque Simon Bolivar w/ Bat For Lashes
March 6-7 Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol w/ Bat For Lashes
March 9 Guadalajara, Mexico @ Estadio Tres De Marzo w/ Bat For Lashes
March 11 Monterrey, Mexico @ Estadio Universitario w/ Bat For Lashes

Mew is also on tour:

Nov. 25 Helsinki, Finland @ Old Ice Hall
Nov. 27 Aarhus, Denark @ Scandinavian Congress Center
Nov. 28 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Kulturbolaget
Nov. 30 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
Dec. 1 Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
Dec. 2 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club & Lounge
Dec. 4 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Dec. 5 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Du Musee Juste Pour Rire
Dec. 6 Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
Dec. 7 Chicago, IL @ Metro
Dec. 10 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Dec. 11 Vancouver, BC @ Venue
Dec. 12 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
Dec. 13 San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
Dec. 14 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
Feb. 20 Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya AX
Feb. 22 Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quattro
Feb. 23 Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Coldplay’s music is about as unconfrontational as a banana. And yet somehow, their entire career has been plagued with criticism and controversy from the music world and beyond.

Aside form vicious accusations of being “soft-rock” and the next U2 (which, I have to point out, aren’t exactly negative qualities when you are raking in millions of dollars and married to Gwenyth Paltrow), Coldplay were accused last year of ripping off said soft-rock from Deep Purple, no less.

The lawsuit was filed in December by none other than guitar god Joe Satriani, who claimed Coldplay padded their massive hit “Viva la Vida” with large parts of his song “If I Could Fly.”

This happened last December and it took until now for the band to settle up with Satriani. Although Coldplay will not have to admit any wrongdoing, according to the confirmed reports on Billboard.com, the judge has settled the case under an undisclosed stipulation. Essentially, this translates to Coldplay handing over a sum of cash in exchange for Satriani’s compliance.

It’s a highly less climatic outcome in one of the more publicized cases of musical theft, so to speak, but this move will likely be more lucrative for Satriani than actually releasing another album.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance