Big Time Rush fans hold on to your hats because their new album 24/Seven is dropping on June 11! Fans can pre-order the album now and they’ll have the choice between the regular 10 track album or the deluxe version which offers 5 bonus songs. With most of the songs on the album written by the guys themselves, this album will surely show the growth and more personal side of Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan.
The album release also comes at the heels of the announcement of their “Summer Break” tour which kicks off on June 21. Vitoria Justice is scheduled to open for Big Time Rush.
And if that’s not enough BTR news for you, the fourth season of their hit Nickelodeon show Big Time Rush premieres Thursday, May 2nd. Yay!
This may be the first time I’ve listened to “I Knew You Were Trouble” without having the urge to scream like a goat-yelling-like-a-human. It’s all thanks to violinists Rhett Price and Josh Knowles who performed their Taylor Swift cover in a Boston subway stop.
ANDPOP and Union Events are giving away TWO PAIRS of tickets to see RYAN BEATTY LIVE at the VIRGIN MOBILE MOD CLUB on Saturday April 13, 2013!
Here’s how to ENTER:
1. Follow ANDPOP on Facebook
2. Hit the SHARE button AND MAKE SURE TO CHANGE THE POST’S PRIVACY SETTINGS TO PUBLIC! If you don’t, we won’t know you entered.
3. You have until FRIDAY APRIL 5th to share the photo!
*The contest is only open to residents of Canada, excluding Québec. We will not be providing transportation.*
CLICK HERE TO READ ANDPOP’S ARTIST OF THE WEEK PROFILE ON RYAN BEATTY
People are becoming so good at Photoshop these days that I feel like I need to expect them like I do with designer purses. I mean, yeah sometimes there are photos that are just obviously photoshopped that it’d be silly to think they’re real at all (i.e. sharks swimming in a flooded subway station). But then, there are those clever Photoshop jobs that make it sometimes difficult to distinguish it’s authenticity.
Whether or not this photo of Pete Wentz is real or not, just take a look at Bruno Mars in the background obviously fangirling over the Fall Out Boy bassist. He’s just like, “OHMYGERD. LOOK! A REAL FAMOUS PERSON WALKING DOWN THE STREET. NOOOO, REALLY?” while his friend doesn’t seem to care as much.
But will his fangirling skills ever top our queen Jennifer Lawrence’s own freakout over Jack Nicholson? I think not.
Remember back in the days when Aaron Carter was the “Justin Bieber” of our generation? Fine, that might be pushing it a little bit but he was still a big enough star to get basketball star Shaquille O’Neal to star in his music video, “How I Beat Shaq.”
HERE’S THE VIDEO IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT:
That must’ve been embarrassing for Shaq on so many levels. Lucky for him, the 7 foot 1 former NBA player finally gets his revenge.
He might’ve been terrible at free throws (and he knows it), but the funniest guy ever to play in the NBA is no match for the minuscule AC. Just watch as Shaq just pushes Aaron around the court while he yells, “I am Kazaam!”
Yes, yes you are.
WATCH SHAQ GET HIS REVENGE HERE:
UPDATE: ENTER TO WIN TWO PAIRS OF TICKETS TO SEE OLLY MURS LIVE IN TORONTO ON MAY 1ST. SEE CONTEST DETAILS HERE!
I’m crouched in an office, mid-morning, with my cellphone cradled between my arm and shoulder talking to Olly Murs about the CIA-drama Homeland. The UK singer and X-Factor runner-up, who’s making his North American debut this April, says he often throws the show on to help him relax before gigs — tonight he’s taking Nottingham.
“I’ve never seen Homeland,” I tell him.
“It’s soo good, you should watch it!” he raves.
I ask him what he loves about it but I’m met with an awkward lapse of silence. Before I mistake it for apathy on his part I realize the call was dropped.
I silently curse the Canadian blizzard raging outside my window (with no regard for my cell service) and wait for him to call back. FOR THE SECOND TIME. So far, our 10-minute call has been interrupted twice by poor weather, and he’s been nothing but kind about it.
“It’s okay, I completely understand!” he keeps saying.
Olly’s got a soft spot for Canada because Toronto was his first pit stop when he opened for One Direction during their “Up All Night Tour.” The guys were pretty busy most of the time so pranking was kept to a minimum, though there was that time Niall surprised him by doing his soundcheck.
After having already dominated the U.K. pop music scene, British girl group The Saturdays have decided to try their luck at making it big in North America.
To help them make their mark on Hollywood with their own E! reality show, Chasing The Saturdays, which document their life as they record their fourth studio album in America. The girls have also recently released their latest single, “What About Us,” featuring Grammy-award winning artist, Sean Paul.
ANDPOP caught up with The Saturdays’ Vanessa White to talk about the show, charities, and life on the road.
The Saturdays’ American Dreams
According to White, it was just a matter of perfect timing before the band tried to release music in the US. “It’s definitely something we wanted to do straight away since the beginning but it was finding the time to actually go and do it,” she said. White adds that the band wanted to make sure they were well established in the UK before releasing music anywhere else. Now just seemed like the perfect time to move to the U.S.
Girl Groups in the U.S. VS. the U.K.
White says she has no idea why girl groups seem to be bigger in the U.K. than in North America.
“I feel like all of a sudden there’s this whole British feel that everyone’s loving [in North America] but there has been no girl bands,” White says. “I guess that’s one of our reasons for going over there because we feel like there should be!”
On having cameras on them 24/7 for Chasing The Saturdays
White says the band wanted to make the show as authentic as possible. “It’s definitely something we were nervous about but we felt like if we were going to do a reality show we had to give them everything,” White says. “There’s a lot of personal stuff in there as well and we just wanted it to be relatable to young girls.”
Sisterly Love
Even though the band was put together separately through auditions, they hit it off straight away and had great chemistry, says White. “We are completely different five girls and it’s really weird that all of us really do get on but we’re just like sisters,” she White. “When you watch the show there’s no hiding that.”
Charity Work
White had just finished a photo shoot for U.K. charity Comic Relief before getting on the phone with us all the way from London. “[Charity] is really, really important and whenever we can, we always get involved because we’re really lucky and privileged to be in the position we are,” she said.
Watch Chasing The Saturdays every Sunday at 10 p.m. on E!
Watch the video for The Saturdays’ “What About Us (feat. Sean Paul)” BELOW:
Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Emeli Sandé soulful songstress from Scotland.
Emeli Sandé is a brilliant songwriter with a beautiful voice who writes the kind of soulful pop ballads that make you feel better on your worst days and provides excellent mood music. Although she is another in a long line-up of UK songstresses to take over North American airwaves, Emeli has carved out a space all her own.
Origins: Alford, Scotland
Full name: Adele Emeli Sandé
Known for: She is known for her phenomenal songwriting abilities.
Used in a sentence: Soulful and beautiful, Emeli Sandé makes the kind of music that goes best with lit candles and a bubble bath.
File next to: Leona Lewis
Download now: “Clown”
Five fun facts:
1.She studied medicine at the University of Glasgow, but dropped out in her fourth year.
2.She has a tattoo of artist Frida Kahlo
Australian singer/songwriter Sia has become a familiar voice on the North American airwaves, with Flo Rida’s “Wild Ones” and David Guetta’s “Titanium.”
It’s no secret that she wrote Rihanna’s hit song “Diamonds.” And while Princess Riri definitely does the song justice with her distinctive voice, Sia’s rendition at the Norwegian-American Achievement Awards is pretty boss as well.
Watch Sia own it here
Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Ryan Beatty, the next teen heartthrob from Clovis, California.
In about a year Ryan Beatty went from being a regular high school student in Clovis, California, to the newest teen pop sensation adorning the bedroom walls of girls everywhere. With all the makings of a heartthrob, this 17 year old gained notoriety by posting videos on YouTube. Since then he has gotten the co-sign from the original baby-faced boy wonder Justin Bieber, as well as had The Biebs cover his song “Every Little Thing.” Seems every little thing is going just right for Mr. Beatty.
Origins: Clovis, California
Known for: Ryan is known for his excellent acoustic tracks.
Used in a sentence: Ryan Beatty has the type of dreamy hair that teen girls imagine running their fingers through, which I am pretty sure is one of the top criteria for pop stardom.
File next to: Justin Bieber, Jason Mraz
Download now: “Hey L.A.”
Five fun facts:
1. He loves cooking and watching Top Chef.
2. Cherry Laffy Taffy is one of his favourite candies. Read more…
Madonna’s new track ‘I F**ked Up’ has been released.
Featured in her upcoming album called MDNA, the song begins with everyone’s sorriest excuse and has her singing more self-pitying words.
Set to be released on March 26, MDNA is set to be the 53-year-old pop icon’s return to music made for the dance floor.
Personally, I don’t think I’m a fan of the song.
But I have to admit that it’s very revealing. That itself deserves many respect points from me to the pop superstar.
What do you think?
Grammy award winning singer and actress Whitney Houston, who has sold over 170 million albums worldwide, died today at age 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Though her publicist Kristen Foster confirmed the death, she did not reveal the cause. She was pronounced dead at 6:55 pm E.T. despite resuscitation efforts. A police spokesperson said there appears to be no obvious signs of criminal intent, though it will still be investigated. Her death comes on the eve before the Grammy Awards, where she dominated as one of the top pop/R&B singers for decades, starting in the mid 1980s.
Houston’s private life was often made public. She battled a drug addiction for years and had a tumultuous marriage with ex-husband Bobby Brown, with whom she has a daughter. She staged a comeback in 2009, though she didn’t achieve the success she experienced at her peak.
She recently filmed Sparkle with Jordin Sparks, which is set to arrive in theatres on Aug. 10. The film is a remake of the 1976 hit.
The social media world erupted with reactions to her death. Music producer Russell Simmons wrote he was “deeply saddened by the death of Whitney Houston.” Quincy Jones, said he was “absolutely heartbroken” and that “she was a true original and a talent beyond compare.”
Over the span of her career, the music legend won six Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music awards. She also claims the first female album to debut at #1 on Billboard.
