• Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine plays a guest vocal role (alongside Eminem, no less) on the new single from rapper 50 Cent entitled ‘My Life’. The track, serviced to media yesterday, is lifted from ‘Fiddy’s new album ‘Street King Immortal’, which is due for release “in early 2013”.
• Also serviced to radio this week are the new Chiddy Bang single ‘Happening’, new Hungry Kids Of Hungary (‘Twin Cities’) and the new Mia Dyson track ‘Jesse’. Keep your eyes peeled on our FACEBOOK page shortly for a more comprehensive list of the tracks serviced this week.
• Sony Music has inked a new long-term deal with music rights management company Alberts. Of the new contract, Sony CEO Denis Handlin said, “Alberts’ contribution to the Australian music industry cannot be overstated. They really are pioneers of the industry and we are delighted that the new deal coincides with the release of Live At River Plate and the launch of AC/DC’s catalogue on iTunes. All of us at Sony Music are incredibly excited to continue our outstanding partnership with David and his team and taking it to new levels of success.”
• Aussie pop songstress Kate Alexa has been named as the support act on the forthcoming Jennifer Lopez tour. Kate, whose new single ‘I Deny’ will be sent to radio on Monday, will perform tracks from her latest album ‘Infatuation’ on all dates, which kick off in Perth next Thursday (December 06).
• Also announcing a tour support this week is Canadian superstar Bryan Adams. He’s confirmed that Scottish songstress Amy Macdonald will accompany him on each of his Australian dates, which kick off with a show in Wollongong on April 18.
• Adelaide outfit Lowrider has announced the upcoming release of their new album ‘Black Stones’. Due to drop on February 15, the first single from the record is called ‘Days Of Boredom’ and it was serviced to media this week. The band will kick off celebrations for the album with a not-so-secret sold out show at Adelaide’s Higher Ground this Saturday.
• Fellow Adelaide natives The Superjesus will reform in their hometown for one very special show early next year. The original line-up will play the Governor Hindmarsh on February 01, with lead singer Sarah McLeod saying, “It’s something we’ve always wanted to do but with Paul living in Washington all these past years it never seemed possible, but once he returned, the energy came flooding back within the four of us and it was clear that it was ON!” Tickets for the one-off show are on sale this Friday.
• With a massive buzz surrounding them (and for good reason – they’re sublime), former Sydney band High Highs have revealed Sydney and Melbourne sideshows while they’re home to perform at the national Laneway Festivals. The New York-based band, whose debut album will be released on January 25, will play Melbourne’s Toff In Town on January 30 and Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory on January 31. Tickets for both shows are on sale tomorrow at 9am.
• Triple J has awarded their annual J Award (their album of the year prize) to Western Australian outfit Tame Impala. The band accepted the award (for their most recent album ‘Lonerism’) via a video link from London, where they’d just played on Jules Holland’s BBC TV show ‘Later…With Jools’.
• The International Space Time Concerto Competition, which is being held later this week in Newcastle, will be streamed live to a global audience. Punters across the world will be able to catch the shows HERE from 7:30pm this Friday and 6pm this Sunday (both Australian daylight savings time), as the artists compete for $50,000 in prize money. The first-of-its-kind event will see competitors re-inventing the concerto via “cutting edge creativity, technology and global communication”.
• Olly Murs has debuted in the top spot on the UK singles chart with his new track ‘Troublemaker’. The single is the first to be lifted from his new album ‘Right Place, Right Time’, which is due at retail here in Australia this Friday. Olly held off the challenge from Girls Aloud, whose new single ‘Something New’ had to settle for a No.2 debut. Alicia Keys’ track ‘Girl On Fire’ debuted at No.5 and the AC/DC catalogue’s release on iTunes sees a number of the band’s greatest hits hit the top 100, much as they did here on the weekend.
• On the UK albums chart, Rihanna hits the top spot with her new album ‘Unapologetic’. One Direction’s reign is over after just the one week, while Little Mix’ debut album ‘DNA’ debuts in the No.3 position. Led Zeppelin’s ‘Celebration Day’ is in at No.4, while the repackaged Michael Buble Christmas album comes in at No.5. Susan Boyle’s new album ‘Standing Ovation’ is in at No.7.
Australia's first stop for pop!