april 2011 – Sida 6 – WelcheMusic.com

When Scouting for Girls Ruled Radio

2010 CHART REWIND. Time flies and exactly one year ago, English indie pop band Scouting for Girls ruled the radio in its native country with “This Ain’t a Love Song.” It was the first single off the sophomore album Everybody Wants to Be on TV, which was followed by another three – “Famous,” “Don’t Want to Leave You” and “Take a Chance.”

“This Ain’t a Love Song” made its initial debut on the singles chart in early April 2010. It topped both /the sales and radio airplay chart in the UK, charting across Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Their eponymous debut was released in 2007 and included no less than seven singles. The biggest hit was “She’s So Lovely” which peaked at No.2.

A year ago, Scouting for Girls fended off competition from Cheryl Cole’s “Parachute” which climbed 3-2 on that week’s airplay chart. The group succeeded Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s “Telephone” as the UK No.1.

The group is yet to chart in Sweden.

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.

When All Saints Reached the Pure Shores

CHART REWIND. Time to take a trip down memory lane. In February 2000, “Pure Shores” was released as the first single off the All Saints sophomore set Saints & Sinners. The track was produced by William Orbit, who recently had worked with Madonna. It was also specifically written for The Beach, the Danny Boyle-directed piece based on the 1996 novel with the same name. The soundtrack included music from Blur, Faithless and Orbital. The film score was composed by Angelo Badalamenti of Twin Peaks fame.

“Pure Shores” topped the UK singles chart, becoming the second biggest selling single of the year. All Saints succeeded Oasis “Go Let It Out,” only to be replaced by Madonna’s “American Pie” (also produced by Orbit). “Pure Shores” was a hit across Europe, topping the tallies in Belgium, Ireland and Italy. The single peaked at No.10 in Sweden.

Formed in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the members were of British and Canadian origin. Their breakthrough came in 1997 as “I Know Where It’s At” reached No.4 in the UK. That hit was succeeded by “Never Ever” – their first chart-topper. Highly successful, the group racked up no less than five UK No.1s throughout the career.