Bruno Mars – Sida 2 – WelcheMusic.com

Lena Is Taken By a Stranger

CHART REFLECTION. While Sweden let 32 artists compete in different heats, Germany chose another path. Last year’s winner Lena sang all the entries, so it didn’t come as a surprise that she will compete in Dusseldorf. “Taken By a Stranger” bows at No.2 on the German singles chart, unable to dethrone Bruno Mars’ “Grenade.” On the other hand, Swedish duo Roxette falls off the No.1 position on the album chart as Lena’s album Good News finally ascends to the top.

Lena’s winning entry in Oslo last year – “Satellite” – became a pan-European hit, even managing to chart in the UK. It was certified 2x platinum in Germany, platinum in Switzerland and gold in Sweden.

The follow-up single “Touch a New Day” was lifted off the debut album My Cassette Player and released after the summer. So far, it has peaked at No.13 in Germany and No.26 in Austria.

Lady Gaga Claims Swedish Top Spot

CHART SPOTLIGHT. According to a recent tweet, the next single to be lifted off the Born This Way set by Lady Gaga will be the RedOne production “Judas.” Currently sitting at No.1 in the US, Gaga manages to dethrone Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” in Sweden this week.

“Born This Way” becomes the singer’s third No.1 hit following “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance.” Issued on Feb.11, the track has managed to also reach the top in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, South Korea, Scotland, Netherlands and Belgium. The track peaked at No.3 in the UK, while only managing to reach No.43 in the Czech Republic. WelcheMusic will follow the Czech chart run.

The track was produced by Gaga, DJ White Shadow and Fernando Garibay. The latter has previously worked with the singer on tracks such as “Dance in the Dark” and the SNL version of “Paparazzi.” Earlier this year, “Bad Romance” and The Fame Monster rendered Lady Gaga several Grammies.

Rihanna Goes NBA with Drake

CHART REFLECTION. Rihanna celebrated her 23^rd birthday performing at the halftime show at the NBA All-Star Game. According to Billboard, Drake worked “happy birthday” into the lyrics of their massive hit “What’s My Name?”. Rihanna performed several tracks, including “Only Girl” and “Umbrella.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkNriIBaPtM

There were plenty of big names attending the games, and WelcheMusic doesn’t think about the sports men on the court. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Diddy, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and Ne-Yo were there.

The November release Loud has resulted in no less than four hit singles for Rihanna. Her latest hit “S&M” has caused some heavy reactions. Photographer David LaChapelle has accused the singer of plagiarism as the video is said to be heavily inspired by the shoots published in Vogue Italia between 1995-2002. The video has been labeled “inappropriate” by YouTube and BBC Radio 1 has renamed the track “Come On” in a re-edit.

Both “Only Girl” and “What’s My Name?” have become worldwide hits, while the third single – “Raining Men” (featuring Nicki Minaj) – only charted on the US R&B chart, peaking at No.48 last December.

Far East Movement Goes Rocketeer with Ryan Tedder

CHART REFLECTION. The L.A. based Asian American electro hop quartet Far East Movement is set follow-up the UK No.4 hit “Like a G6.” Featuring Ryan Tedder as guest vocalist, “Rocketeer” has already managed to peak at No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The track is lifted off the debut set Free Wired (which peaked at No.24 in the US) and is produced by the two teams The Smeezingtons and Stereotypes. It so happens that the track was later sampled by Justin Bieber on “Somebody to Love” which was also produced by Stereotypes.

Although Bruno Mars actually co-wrote the track, it’s Ryan Tedder who sings the vocals. He’s the frontman of OneRepublic (most famous for “Apologize” w/Timbaland), but also a prolific songwriter. In 2008, he wrote “Bleeding Love” for Leona Lewis.

Far East Movement has also burnt the dancefloors in the UK with Roger Sanchez with “2Gether.” Sampling B-52s “Love Shack,” the track is also set for digital release later this spring.

Listen to the single – Far*east Movement – Rocketeer – via Spotify (UK)
Listen to the album Far*east Movement – Free Wired – via Spotify (Sweden)
Learn the lyrics to “Rocketeer” via Direct Lyrics.
See the performance on Lopez Tonight.
Read more about Far East Movement on the blog.

In Sweden, Far East Movement peaked at No.7 with “Like a G6.” The track featured DEV and The Cataracs. “Rocketeer” is currently sitting at No.14 in the US. According to Last.FM, one of the most popular tracks is “Girls on the Dance Floor” (featuring the Stereotypes). WelcheMusic wouldn’t be surprised if this will be the next single.

Update 02-21: Far East Movement’s “Rocketeer” bowed at No.14 on Sunday’s UK singles tally.