music

British music taking on a South African flavour

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House music is being described as the biggest thing in South Africa for young people and now it is catching on in Britain and influencing musicians in the UK.

House music is as big as hip hop used to be in South Africa and is very commercial heard in shops, taxis, bars, parties, and on mobile phones. Some of the biggest names include Brothers of Peace, Oskido, Bruce Sebitlo, and Black Coffee.

House music first evolved from the Chicago club scene in the 1980′s, made popular in discotheques catering to black and latino communities before moving to Detroit, New York City, New Jersey, and Miami. It then made its way into Britain but now the music is taking on a different sound – the sound of South Africa.

Soul and funk are major elements but so are percussion, bass drum, synthesizer bassline,electronic drums, electronic effects, pop samples, and reverb.

In Britain the music was first influenced by black dancers doing a move known as “foot shuffling” or “cutting shapes”. It became part of mainstream pop and dance worldwide since the 1990s.

House music is very popular in the Midlands and north of England in Manchester,Birmingham, and Nottingham but has also gained a foothold in London clubs.

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Cowell to give pregnant lover house

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Simon Cowell is to give his pregnant lover Lauren Silverman a house in Los Angeles worth £10 million pounds so she can raise their child near to him.

 

Cowell has several homes around the world but is based in LA while the 36 year old Silverman currently lives in The Hamptons in New York. It is understood that the producer of X Factor,Pop Idol, and American Idol, who is about to become a father for the first time at age 52, will visit the child whenever he can. Silverman is due to give birth in February.

 

Cowell has decided to give Silverman mansion he has on the Trousdale Estate in Beverly Hillsonce she is divorced from husband Andrew. This isn’t the first time that Cowell has given a house to a girlfriend. In fact, it is the method he usually uses to ditch them.

 

The house is said to have four bedrooms with ocean views, a digital screening room, and swimming pool. British musicians Elton John and Ringo Starr are among the neighbours. Silverman has a seven year old son, Adam, and it is expected that she and Andrew will share custody.

 

Andrew Silverman filed for divorce in July and has named Cowell as a co-respondent in his suit. Cowell is reportedly excited about the prospect of becoming a father for the first time.

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Beyonce’s little sister to play Aaliyah

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Rumour has it that Beyonce’s little sister Solange Knowles will play deceased singer Aaliyah in a new biopic about the singer’s life.

Knowles reportedly won the part after auditioning a few weeks ago. The movie will be produced by the producers of the 2012 hit flick “Think Like A Man.”

Solange Knowles has few minor acting roles in movies such as the straight to DVD “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “Johnson Family Vacation.” She also models for the family’s clothing line “Dereon” and also promotes Baby Jamz a hip-hop styled children’s toy-line.

Aaliyah and eight other persons died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25 2001 at age 22. The Grammy Award-winning singer had just wrapped up filming the video for her song “Rock The Boat.”

Although the artist died over a decade ago singers such as Drake and Chris Brown have done digital collaborations with her in recent times.

Aaliyah is estimated to have sold over 24 million albums worldwide and according to Billboard the tenth most successful R&B artist of the last 25 years.

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Google tackles the UK Internet music

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Internet Company Google has decided to tackle the United Kingdom music streaming market.

The company has launched Google Play Music All Access in the UK, entering an already crowded market in an attempt to challenge Spotify, Deezer, Rdio, Xbox Music, Sony’s Music Unlimited, and Rara.

The new service will cost £9.99 per month but new customers will get it for £7.99 until September. The other services have free options while All Access does not.

All Access has already been launched in the USA, New Zealand, and Australia and there are plans to launch the service in other parts of Europe such as Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.

The service will offer a range of features including unlimited “on-demand” access to millions of tracks; Smartphone apps; recommendations for new music, and a personalised radio feature.

The UK is the fastest growing market for streaming music in the world. Over 20 million people paid for subscription music services last year.

People in the UK streamed more than 3 billion tracks in 2012 earning more than £49 million in income for British record labels.

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Coldplay for Prince George

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Britain’s Prince William likes songs from home group Coldplay. The future King of England has revealed that he sings songs by Coldplay as lullabies to put his new son Prince George Alexander Louis to sleep.

It seems the 31-year old William himself is not a fan of the Chris Martin-led group but has found that Coldplay hits such as Yellow and Paradise are what the new baby responds to most and what gets him to sleep at all hours of the night. Insiders say the baby is up as many as six times a night, something for which the Prince was not prepared.

Singing to the third in line to the throne was something the Duke of Cambridge did before Prince George emerged from the womb. He also used to sing to wife Kate Middleton’s pregnant belly. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Go To Sleep My Baby” were the favourite tunes before Prince George’s birth on July 22.

Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, and their new son have been staying in Bucklebury in the county of Berkshire with Middleton’s parents since two days after the baby was born last month. Middleton’s parents Carole and Michael it seems are not fond of the late night singing.

Prince William made his first public appearance since George’s birth at a charity polo match on Sunday.

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Broadway sings Amy Winehouse

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The music of deceased British pop star Amy Winehouse will be brought to Broadway as part of the Broadway Sings series in Broadway Sings Amy Winehouse at le Poisson Rouge on September 9.

Winehouse’s songs will be sung by more than 20 Broadway performers during the show. They will be accompanied by a full band orchestra which will perform new arrangements of the singer’s greatest hits.

Among those will be “Rehab“, “Back to Black“, “You Know I’m No Good” and “Valerie“. The music will be orchestrated and arranged by Joshua Stephen Kartes. The series has previously featured works by British artiste Adele, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder.

Winehouse died from alcohol intoxication at age 27 on July 23, 2011 in her Camden, London flat. A subsequent coroner’s inquest showed that she had four times the legal limit of alcohol in her blood at time of death.

The coroner’s report said that “The unintended consequences of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden death.”

Winehouse’s life is also to be the subject of a documentary to be directed by Asif Kapadia.An exhibit of her personal items is currently on display at the London Jewish Museum until September 13. 

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J-Lo returns to American Idol

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Jennifer Lopez is in talks to return as a judge on the popular FOX network show that displays some of the best of the USA’s rising singing talentAmerican Idol for the upcoming season.

Lopez has apparently reached an agreement to be a judge on the thirteenth season of the programme. She will judge alongside another returnee Australian country crooner Keith Urban, and host Ryan Seacrest on the Simon Cowell production.

A third slot is said to still be unfilled and no word yet on who will fill the position though it is being rumoured that the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am will do the gig.

Other names being suggested are former Idol’s Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood. Former judges Mariah Carey, Nicky MInaj, and Randy Jackson left the show after the last season.

Jackson will be returning next season but not as a judge though he has not yet stated his specific sole.  Lopez first became a judge on American Idol in 2010 and left in May 2012. The show’s ratings have been declining since Cowell left as a judge in 2010. Australia recently cancelled its version of the show.

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Simon Cowell impregnates friends wife

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Simon Cowell is about to become a father for the first time at age 52 but what should be a happy occasion is quickly turning into one of the biggest scandals of the year.

The superstar producer of the X-Factor, Pop Idol, and American Idol has become embroiled in a love triangle involving his friend Andrew Silverman and his wife New York socialite Lauren Silverman.

Cowell is said to have had an affair with Lauren while she and her husband were going through a rough patch in their marriage. The 36 year old Silverman is now pregnant. Her husband has filed for divorce and has cited Cowell in his divorce petition.

He claims that he and his wife had not yet split when she started the affair with Cowell. Lauren was photographed walking in New York recently with a slight baby bump. Meanwhile, Cowell’s ex-girlfriend 80’s singer Sinitta is said to have burst into tears when the news broke. Sinitta is reported to have said “It should have been me.”

Simon Cowell has gained notoriety on both sides of the pond in the last decade. After popularising Britain’s Got Talent, Pop Idol, and X-Factor Cowell moved to the United States where the developed the US version of American Idol as well as the X-Factor.

He also helped develop such talents as Il Divo. Cowell is known for his love of dark-skinned or mixed race women.

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Mariah Carey Not Ready to Let Go

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Mariah Carey hit some bumps in the road and says she isn’t quite ready to release her new album The Art of Letting Go just yet. The 43 year old songstress and mother of twins Munroe and Moroccan was planning to release the new album on July 23 but said that she got so immersed in the creative process that she didn’t think it would do the album justice to release it then.

The singer explained that there were a few songs that she did not want to exclude from the album and so she prefers to wait. No word yet as to when the album will be released. Carey spent time earlier in the summer on the island of Capri shooting a music video for a collaboration she did with Miguel.

The singer was hospitalized in July after she suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken rib while shooting the music video for a remix of her song Beautiful in New York. Sources say the injuries may have happened when the singer took a fall in her heels. The injuries didn’t stop her performing at a Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert in Central Park on July 23.

The multiple Grammy Award-winning Carey has been on a musical and personal high since marrying Nick Cannon in 2008. The pair welcomed their children, one boy, one girl, in April 2011.

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Adele’s Life would make great movie

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Adele is one of the biggest stars in the world. She recently became a mom and this year won her first Academy Award for the song Skyfall from the James Bond movie of the same name.Now director Tony Palmer says her real life would make excellent material for a movie.

Palmer, who directed the film about Liberace and other musicians, would love to be able to do the same about the British super star.

Palmer told Perez Hilton that he missed his chance with the singer whose debut album 19 made her a worldwide name, after he interviewed her and found her fascinating.

Adele has been top of the charts and had enormous international success since her debut. The singer-songwriter, who lives in London, won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance following her debut.

Songs such as “Someone Like You”, “Hometown Glory”, and “Chasing Pavements” have also put her on the map.Adele Adkins, 25, has said she would like to have three sons. She gave birth to her first son in October 2012.The singer owns a house in the Notting Hill community of Londu, on.

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