RedOne – Sida 3 – WelcheMusic.com

Swede Rescues Alexey from Fiasco

CHART SPOTLIGHT. According to the leading Swedish news daily Aftonbladet, the song coach Kishti Tomita rescues Russia from fiasco in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The 23 year-old Alexey Vorobyov or Sparrow is a well-known movie star and artist in his native Russia. To WelcheMusic readers, he’s best known for being a potent threat to our own Eric Saade.

As, we’ve previously reported that the Vorobyov entry is written and produced by RedOne of Lady Gaga fame.

Alexey Vorobyov’s Team Nervous

Kishti Tomita, a previous juror on Idol in Sweden, will replace the backing singer Britta Bergström who unfortunately got urgent back pains only days before the contest. Kishti Tomita quickly needed to learn the routine and was able to attend rehearsals yesterday. Referred internally as “the heroine,” Kishti might well be the reason for Russia making the finals tomorrow evening.

The blog Music is the Door to the Soul refers to Vorobyov as the “Russian counterpart to Justin Bieber,” adding that his vocal abilities are far from impressive. Oikotimes published an interview with the Russian ESC star earlier this year.

Alex Sparrow Vs. Eric Saade – The Fight Continues

CHART SPOTLIGHT. The Russian ESC star Alex Vorobyov, or Alex Sparrow which he calls himself continues to heavily criticize Eric Saade. Pointing out that Saade sang playback at the show, Sparrow compares it to hara-kiri, according to leading news daily Aftonbladet.

Super producer RedOne co-wrote “Get You,” and Alex Sparrow’s manager is Peter Swartling. His song coach is Kishti Tomita. Both of them were part of the Swedish Idol jury a while back and is part of the team behind this year’s Russian entry.

Eric Saade’s Scandalous Russian Visit

“When I’m on stage at the Eurovision, I will be the only Russian at the stage. The dancers, background singers, everyone’s from Sweden,” Alex Sparrow says.

The Russian singer is quick to point out that he would never sing playback. Saade’s manager Tomas Lingman says:

“We were introduced, that’s it. After that, we went back to the dressing room. Singing playback was the Russian record label’s decision. 35 to 40 artists performed on the show. It was the first time Eric sang playback, he usually don’t.”

RedOne Will Represent Russia with Alex Vorobyov

On the Russian entry, Lingman simply says “Eric doesn’t need to pay RedOne and Swartling millions to be part of the Eurovision. [Eric] has the support from the people,” referring to the fact that “Get You” was chosen to represent Russia and did not win compete for the victory.

Eric Saade’s Scandalous Russian Visit

CHART SPOTLIGHT. According to the Swedish news daily Aftonbladet, Russian ESC entry Alexey Vorobyov accuses Eric Saade of plagiarism. An appearance on a Russian TV show was also cancelled. The 20-year old Swede is currently in Russia to promote “Popular.” The single returns to No.1 on the Swedish singles tally this week, knocking Jennifer Lopez off the top.

Lopez tops Swedish singles tally as Melodifestivalen fever fades

The 23-year old Alexey Vorobyov will compete with the RedOne production “Get You” in the ESC this May. Russian fans claim that Saade stole both dance steps and the glass cage from Vorobyov’s appearance on the MTV Music Awards 2007.

Eric Saade claims that many artists uses glass on stage and rather admits being influenced by Michael Jackson rather than the Russian ESC singer. The TV show in question was Star Academy, an Idol-esque reality series. The producer felt that it was unpatriotic to feature Vorobyov’s rival on the show and cancelled Saade’s appearance.

Saade’s manager, Tomas Lingman, means that the Russians wanted to create a scandal, saying:

“This has turned to Eric’s advantage as most Russians didn’t even know about him. Cancelling the appearance has certainly made people aware of Eric Saade,” Lingman says.

WelcheMusic notes that only two of the Swedish Melodifestivalen entries remain in the top ten. Swingfly’s “Me and My Drum” sits at No.6.

Nicole Scherzinger Returns to the Charts with Mohombi

CHART SPOTLIGHT. The new hit single “Coconut Tree” leapfrogs the Swedish singles tally moving 44-10 in its second week. Performed by Swedish-Congolese R&B singer-songwriter Mohombi, the track features Nicole Scherzinger on guest vocals.

Scherzinger recently topped the UK singles chart with “Don’t Hold Your Breath,” which is yet to chart in this country. Her biggest hit to date is the 2007 hit “Scream” together with Timbaland.

Mohombi is the first artist to be signed to producer RedOne’s own label, the singer has already released three singles. The debut hit “Bumpy Ride” charted across Europe, topping the Dutch singles chart. The track peaked at No.6. “Miss Me” featured US rapper Nelly, while Mohombi collaborated with Akon on “Dirty Situation.” The four singles are all included on the debut album MoveMeant.