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Day in Pop Report for 01/23/2015


Ariana Grande To Play NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show
Ariana Grande has been named as the halftime headliner for the 64th NBA All-Star Game, which will be taking place on February 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Fans will be able to watch the performance and the game on the TNT network that will be kicking off their broadcast at 8 p.m. ET. And this won't be the only chance for fans to see Grande on TV.

The popstar is also scheduled to appear at this year's Grammy Awards where she has been nominated in two categories; Best Pop Vocal Album for My Everything and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Bang Bang," her collaborative track with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj.

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Jason Derulo Becomes Reality TV Judge
Jason Derulo will be the latest music star to pull double duty as a judge on a reality competition television show as he has signed on for the upcoming 12th season of So You Think You Can Dance along with veteran TV talent show judge Paula Abdul.

Derulo had the following to say about his new gig, "I am truly excited, and eagerly look forward to joining the cast of So You Think You Can Dance. It is one of the most respected and longest-tenured shows on network television, and I hope to be a part of new growth and continued success."

The new season will air this summer on the Fox television network and the auditions for the season will kick off this Saturday, January 24, in New York with Derulo, Abdul and Nigel Lythgoe acting as this year's judges and Cat Deeley as host.

Abdul released this statement about joining the show, "I have dedicated a large part of my career as a choreographer to discovering and mentoring some of the most iconic artists and performers from all over the world.

"So You Think You Can Dance has a long-standing history of launching brilliant careers for young choreographers and dancers in the industry. It's going to be a true honor and pleasure joining this panel with Jason and Nigel, and I'm looking forward to an exciting new season!"

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Shania Twain Releasing Las Vegas Show On CD and DVD
Country music star Shania Twain is bringing her Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas residency into fans living rooms with the release of a new live album and DVD.

Twain has teamed with Walmart to release "Shania: Still the One Live from Vegas," on March 3rd in two formats; a stand-alone CD and a DVD that includes behind the scenes bonus features.

Shania had this to say about the releases, "This show has been my labor of love for over three years. It has meant so much to me and was such a privilege to live out my visions on that stage, and it is so exciting to now get to share the whole experience with the fans all over the world!" Check out the tracklistings.

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Chris Brown and Tyga Release 'Ayo' Lyric Video
Chris Brown and Tyga have released a lyric video for the new single, "Ayo," which comes from their joint album, Fan of a Fan 2, the follow-up to their 2010 mixtape.

The lyric video, aside from spotlighting the new single, also comes ahead of the official video which will be directed by Colin Tiley (Enrique Iglesias, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake), according to ABC.

The new clip also comes ahead of the "Between The Sheets" Tour featuring Brown, Tyga and Trey Songs. The North American tour will be launching on January 28th in Hampton, VA.

Watch the new lyric video here.

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Adele and Lady Gaga Spark Speculation With Intagram Photo
(Radio.com) The Little Monsters and fans of Adele who require no shared name are in a tizzy trying to figure out what a photo of the pair together, apparently in Los Angeles, posted to Lady Gaga's Instagram means.

First of all, if the photo is from Wednesday night (Jan. 21) as the caption indicates, Gaga has left brunette hair behind and returned to her usual platinum blonde. It's not impossible but it is suspect considering she was still brown-haired in photos posted to her account earlier in the same day.

That said, a slew of her previous Instagrams have shown her in the process of songwriting with producer RedOne or had captions talking about writing new material. So it's not too much of a stretch to think perhaps she's been working on music with Adele--it certainly seems to be what Gaga wants us to think. See the photo here.

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New Kids On The Block Help Kickstart TLC's Final Album
(Extra) "Extra's" special correspondent Angie Martinez caught up with New Kids on the Block and TLC to discuss their "The Main Event" summer tour with Nelly.

Donnie Wahlberg explained how the tour came to be. "We did a show together a couple of years ago and we are standing on the side of the stage watching them perform and we are like, 'This is a no-brainer.'"

TLC recently announced they are raising funds via Kickstarter for their final album. T-Boz said, "We're excited because we've always liked to do things that are different and a lot of the fans have been asking us for more music. We were like, 'Hey, we like to do things out of the box!' This is an innovative, different, creative and freeform record, so we were like, 'Let's try this and incorporate the fans and have them involved like they've always been.'"

T-Boz and NKOTB member Joey McIntyre laughed that Wahlberg proposed that NKOTB donate $10,000, much to the other band members' surprise.

Wahlberg smiled, "I'll make up for it now. This is an exclusive. The New Kids are [contributing $10,000] that I put them on the spot for, and I'll [donate] my own extra $10,000. That's $20,000 for TLC."

Regarding the generous donation, Donnie did have a few requests. "I'm going to be in the video. I'm going to lip sync in the video. I want to play bongos during their concert."

Read more here.

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Fifth Harmony Fire Back At The Vamps Over Controversial Comments
(Radio.com) The price of high profile romance is that everyone gets to have an opinion on it. And sometimes, those opinions can come from within your own band, as has been seen in the recent back-and-forth between members of Fifth Harmony and members of The Vamps.

It all began in a recent interview, when Brad Simpson of The Vamps was asked whether or not he was still involved with Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui.

Billboard points out that the good thing to do here would either answer the question simply or to decline to answer, but what happened was much different. Instead, members of The Vamps made cracks about all having dated Jauregui, bro-ing out in the process and making themselves look pretty badly.

Well, the ladies of Fifth Harmony are having the last laugh, as Jauregui has kept her composure through the events, seeing her group mates standing up for her via tweets.

Camila Cabello tweeted, "the amount of sexism and immaturity is astounding. a man will treat a woman with respect and stick up for her when she's being disrespected."

Check out the series of tweets here.

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Tyga's New Album Delayed Again
(Radio.com) Tyga fans, the wait continues. The term "bumpy" doesn't really do justice to the chasmic and fragmented road traveled by the rapper's forthcoming The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty; originally slated for last year, The Gold Album was delayed until 2015 after Tyga tried to leave his contract with Cash Money.

In October, he tweeted that "Gold album been done. my label holding me hostage so i can't release nothing. might just leak it for my fans then let them make $ off it."

He hoped to release the album on his own Last Kings label, and announced previously that it would come out on Jan. 27, next Tuesday. Now it looks like that won't be happening, either.

On Wednesday he tweeted that further debates with the label have held up the release date. He wrote, "The gold album won't be released the 27th still fightin with Label on my release. But will keep u guys updated.- T-Raww (@Tyga) January 21, 2015"

Read more here.

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Brad Paisley To Jam With Fan That Posted YouTube Tribute
(Radio.com) Have you ever heard of a guitar player named Blaze? We hadn't either. But after Blaze posted his video tribute to Brad Paisley--titled, appropriately, "Brad Paisley"--he has caught our attention.

And he's also caught the attention of Paisley himself. A young guitar whiz based in Las Vegas, Blaze got his first guitar at age 5 and started playing professional at 12.

He is described on his website as "a classic perfectionist" with with "jaw dropping" proficiency on the fretboard--keep in mind this is his own promotional copy talking, though if you check out his music, you'll see there is more than a ring of truth to those words. The guy is a substantial shredder.

His bio goes on to say that, while he's been a KISS fan since he was a kid, it was the guitar playing of country superstar Paisley that grabbed his attention more recently.

"One day I was flippin' around on the car stereo/And some cat was just tearin' it up on country radio," Blaze sings in his song "Brad Paisley." He goes on to say how Paisley has is now a favorite, while his "headbanger friends" think he's "crazy."

The good-natured video has Blaze singing and shredding in various Las Vegas locations, alongside showgirls, tourists and other local characters--including a recurring guy in an oversized Paisley mask. The lyrics tell about how he came to dig country music, and what he'd do to land a chance to jam with the "Perfect Storm" singer--including mowing his lawn. Read more here.

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Ellie Golding Steps Into Fifty Shades Of Grey Role In New Video
(Radio.com) Can you imagine how Anastasia Steele, the female protagonist in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, must have felt the first time she met her soulmate, the titular Christian Grey? How about what she felt the first time they danced?

Method actor/musician Ellie Golding certainly does. In the video for her track from the Fifty Shades soundtrack, "Love Me Like You Do," Goulding steps into the shoes of the female lead, re-enacting her first walk through Grey's opulent offices. Later she does a recreation of their first dance from the film, with the skill level and choreography turned up to 10.

The parallel concept is skillfully done, with Goulding skulking around in a dimly lit shadow world that runs next to clips from the very brightly lit, modern looking film. It's a clever metaphor for the millions of women who have become fanatics of the series by putting themselves in the lead role.

The Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack will be released on Feb. 10, with the movie opening on Feb. 14. Watch the new video here.

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Iggy Azalea Sings Her Own Praises In New Interview
(Radio.com) Say what you will about Iggy Azalea but she doesn't let her haters get her down. The Aussie rapper has no shortage of confidence in the latest issue of GQ, where she gave one of her more pull quote-worthy interviews.

Among the highlights was when interviewer Sarah Ball asked what Azalea wants to be her legacy. In her mind, the worst case scenario is that she's changed hip-hop for the better. To repeat, that is the worst case scenario.

"At the very worst, if I have a short-lived career, at least I could say I sparked a change--that I inspired some leniency in what people accept in hip-hop," Azalea said. "And if I have a very long career and can be gyrating in a leotard at 35, that would be great."

Azealia Banks would definitely disagree with the rapper on that front, but, as Azalea explains, she doesn't care about that kind of beef. "When people choose me as the person they think should be speaking for them, I think, 'Well, I don't really care what someone in the industry or another artist has to say about it,'" she said. "Your opinion is biased anyway, because you want people to listen to your voice." Read more here.

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Chief Keef Releases New Track 'Ain't Nothing'
(Radio.com) When your baby's car collection is more expansive and luxurious than most adults dream of, and you've got a co-sign from Kanye West, it's time to celebrate.

That's exactly what Chief Keef does in his latest track, "Ain't Nothing." Produced by Ace Bankz, the track reads like a mumbled list of Keef's accomplishments. Among them: "Been gettin' money since '08/ been riding hunnids� Made it out the jects now I'm on a jet."


While Keef is flexing his bank status, he also reminisces about slanging drugs out of his grandma's house, with progressively more violent verses. "Grandma house sellin' dope out the back door/ Cops coming, I run out n-a," he raps. "I'm ready I'm finna shoot the f- up and lace my boot/ Now we finna shoot the muthaf--' pistols gettin' loose."

No word on where "Ain't Nothing" will appear on Keef's upcoming releases or if it's a mere one-off. His Bang 3 is expected soon. Listen to it here.

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Jhenc Aiko Releases 'Spotless Mind' Video
(Radio.com) Many experts, self-help books and women scorned would argue that the thing men don't understand about women is their mutable nature. Chaka Khan pretty much nailed what that means with the track "I'm Every Woman" and Jhene Aiko aims to put a period on it with the video for her track "Spotless Mind."

In the vid she takes on multiple personalities through a day on a date, morphing from the low-key beach girl to the spacey hippie girl to the goth gamer girl to the high maintenance neat freak to' well, you get the picture.

In the end, just like in the song, her man still leaves her. It's a bit hard to discern if the message is meant to be that being everything to one person is a waste or if being true to yourself is more important than being in a relationship. It probably doesn't matter though, as she seems nonplussed about the dumping. Watch the video here.

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Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood Lead Faster Horses
(Radio.com) The third annual Faster Horses Festival will return to Brooklyn, Mich., this July. Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will headline the three-day festival.

From July 17-19, country fans will be able to camp out and enjoy live country music in the Irish Hills of Michigan. Additional acts on the bill include Frankie Ballard, Kristian Bush, Mark Chesnutt, Craig Wayne Boyd, Lee Brice, Clare Dunn, Mickey Guyton, Tracy Lawrence, Lonestar, Dustin Lynch, Justin Moore, RaeLynn, The Cadillac Three, Thomas Rhett and Dwight Yoakam. More acts are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Last year's festival saw performances from headliners Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert as well as sets from Little Big Town, Kip Moore, Brett Eldredge, Joe Diffie, Jana Kramer, Ashley Monroe, Parmalee, Cassadee Pope, Dan + Shay, Dee Jay Silver, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell and Austin Webb.

Read more here.

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Will Ferrell 86ed From NBA Game For Smashing Cheerleader?
(Radio.com) Will Ferrell was ejected from Wednesday night's Lakers vs. Pelicans game at New Orleans' Smoothie King Center for nailing a Pelicans cheerleader in the face with a basketball. Well, kind of.

Ferrell was actually filming a scene from his upcoming comedy Daddy's Home, co-starring Mark Wahlberg, who sat nearby with his faux family faking mortified looks.

"They're filming a Will Ferrell movie here at halftime, in which he drills a cheerleader w/a failed halfcourt shot," explained Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell in his Vine. Watch it here.

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Sheppard Making Their Mark With Geronimo
(Radio.com) "Can you feel it?" So it begins, almost a declaration rather than a question, like a storm rising from the west, sounding a little bit like Mumford & Sons--but wait, aren't they on hiatus?--as it careens toward you.

It's "Geronimo," the first internationally reaching single from Australian indie pop act Sheppard, and it's come to take over the world. That's not to say "Geronimo" is all that the six-piece is and ever will be, but it's a heck of a good start. Released in February 2014, the song conquered Australia, then set its sights on the rest of the world, going top 10 in multiple countries, including much of Europe. Next up: America, where the song is already getting spins at KROQ (a CBS Radio station) and just broke into the Billboard Hot 100.

And that's not bad for a song that just sort of happened by accident. According to George Sheppard, frontman and one of three songwriters of the band (as well as one of three Sheppards; his sisters Amy and Emma also populate the group), "Geronimo" started as a spontaneous idea just moments before a gig, courtesy of guitarist Jason Bovino.

"We were literally about two minutes from going on, and Jay had found this little wooden DJ booth at the back of the stage, and he kind of stepped into that," George tells Radio.com. "He was wearing these big, thick boots and started stomping on the wood. It made this big reverberating sound all throughout the backstage. He called Amy and I backstage and he started playing that opening 'Geronimo' riff; I think he had a Mumford & Sons-y type of vibe to it.

"It was like a lightbulb moment; there was something so engaging about that way he was strumming the guitar that we instantly started singing that opening melody, that 'Can you feel it?' I don't know, it was just one of those songs that comes out of nowhere and blindsides you."

Sheppard's story accelerated in 2014, but it started in 2009. George--at the time in acting school--met up with Amy, who he says "wanted to be a musician from an early age." The two collaborated on the harmonies of an unfinished song, and suddenly it all clicked. Later, the band filled out with other members, including younger sister Emma on bass.

But it was no von Trapp children situation, as Sheppard is quick to point out. The sextet's musical attack varies, but it all comes back to the dual-vocal approach with George and Amy, who either trade off lead vocals or harmonize together. Think Of Monsters and Men in a more modern sense, sure, but their main influence goes back a bit further.

"Growing up in Papua New Guinea, we didn't get a lot of access to new music, but we'd listen to a lot of what our parents were listening to--like Eric Clapton, Cat Stevens and Fleetwood Mac," Sheppard says. "Fleetwood Mac is a big one for us, with all the boy-girl harmonies and the style of music they were making. That style of pop music was a huge influence on us. All those old-school pop acts' Even nowadays we have all these different influences and all have different iPods, iPod playlists. I think that is the aspect that sort of makes us who we are."

That approach first found the band success in 2013, when their song "Let Me Down Easy" was a top 20 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart (the Australian music sales charts), scoring a nomination for Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards. A year later, at the 2014 awards, Sheppard was suddenly nominated seven different times, including for Album of the Year for their debut full-length Bombs Away and Song of the Year for "Geronimo." Though they only won once, for Best Group they did beat out the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer.

That big year also included three weeks atop the Australian charts. Who'd they beat? Pharrell, whose "Happy" had been atop the chart for 12 weeks. "I think the fact that it was someone so well-renowned as Pharrell was a pretty awesome moment for a little independent band from Australia," Sheppard says with a laugh. "I don't think Pharrell was too concerned, he was rolling around in his bathtub of money having a good time." Read more here.

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