januari 2011 – Sida 7 – WelcheMusic.com

Extras Rage Against Roxette

CHART SPOTLIGHT. Roxette’s next album will be called Charm School. A first step on the way would be to charm the hundreds of extras who rage against the group in the Swedish evening paper Aftonbladet. Roxette recently shot the video to the upcoming single “She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio)” and reportedly extras had to content with no pay.

According to Aftonbladet, the extras had been promised food but had to content with nothing but coffee and white bread. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle hasn’t issued new material since 2007 and will head off on a world tour, starting this March in Russia.

A spokesperson for the production company apologizes explaining that “it was a difficult location, but there was heat and no more than 30 people in the room. I would like to call these people and apologize as that we did not intend them to feel this way.”

Charm School will be released in February and include twelve new tracks. The iTunes version will include a live version of “It Must Have Been Love.” Roxette’s last single “Reveal” peaked at No.59 in Sweden in 2007, spending a sole week on chart.

UPDATE. So far, Roxette’s “She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio)” has only appeared on the Hungarian radio airplay chart, peaking at No.15.

Britney’s New Single Leaks

CHART SPOTLIGHT. No, we won’t hold it against you Brit. A demo of Britney Spears’s latest single “Hold It Against Me” featuring the singer/songwriter Bonnie McKee was leaked online earlier today. Picked up by the mainstream media and the blogosphere, WelcheMusic thinks the song is nothing short of phenomenal.

Or, in our ears it sounds a lot like ‘90s euro techno pop à la Sweden – think Da Buzz and E-Type. Pair that with contemporary dance techno such as Tim Berg. Back to Spears – “Hold It Against Me” is produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin and written by McKee herself.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdKpWhVwIWY&

Bonnie McKee has recently collaborated on compositions such as Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream” as well as Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.”

James Blunt Is So Far Gone with Latest Single

CHART REWIND. Almost six years have passed since James Blunt got his 2005 breakthrough with the debut album Back to Bedlam. Released in June of that year, the set was an incredible success including four singles. The first single was actually “High” which was released in October 2004. It peaked at No.16 in the UK, unable to match its No.3 peak in Italy. “High” was followed by “Wisemen” which bombed – it only reached No.44 in the UK upon its release in March 2005.

All this changed with “You’re Beautiful.” Released a month ahead of the release of Back to Bedlam, this was the track that would put James Blunt on the map. While “You’re Beautiful” actually was the third single off the debut album, it was the first single to be issued in Canada and the U.S.

“You’re Beautiful” is the biggest James Blunt hit to date. It was followed by the UK No.9 hit “Goodbye My Lover.” In total, Back to Bedlam sold more than 12m copies worldwide, becoming the biggest-selling album in 2005 in the UK. Eight of the ten songs included on the set has been licensed for use in TV shows, ads and promo/trailer spots.

James Blunt returned in 2007 with All the Lost Souls which was preceded by “1973.” The track topped several charts across Europe, peaking at No.4 in the UK and No.73 in the US. It was also the biggest hit single off the set, which spawned five singles.

In November 2010, James Blunt returned with his third album Some Kind of Trouble. The lead single – “Stay the Night” was issued in October last year. Not one for the record books, the single went rather un-noticed in the UK as it only managed to reach No.26. It topped the Swiss chart and reached the top ten in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.

Look out for “So Far Gone” – the third single which is expected to bow on the UK singles tally this Sunday. It has already been released in advance in Austria. The track was produced by Steve Robson, whose biggest hit to date is “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts.

Will Kylie or Travie McCoy Take Taio Cruz ‘Higher’

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2010 CHART REWIND. We’re definitely sure that Taio Cruz doesn’t look back on 2010 in anger. Few UK artists have earned such great success in the US as Cruz. His hit single “Break Your Heart” topped both the UK and US singles charts, while “Dynamite” reached No.2 Stateside while topping the tallies in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand.

As Swedes, WelcheMusic is particularly pleased about “Dynamite” being co-written by pop genius Max Martin. Another interesting note is that “Break Your Heart” was written for Cheryl Cole.

So, what is waiting in the wings for Cruz in 2011? In February his next single “Higher” will be released in the UK. The track has already charted internationally, peaking at No.10 in Austria, No.7 in Germany and No.5 in Switzerland. The track was co-written by Taio Cruz and the French song-writer Sandy Vee and has actually been released in four different versions.

Most territories will chant to Kylie Minogue, while Travie McCoy (of “Millionaire” fame) was chosen for the US market – the track has yet reached No.41. A third version is available with vocals from the local girl band K3, while a fourth is a solo version.

“Higher” follows the recent hit single “Shine a Light” which was released last November as a collaboration with British boy band McFly. The track peaked at No.4 in the UK, charting in France, Portugal and Scotland as well. It was McFly’s 15th top ten hit in the UK.