Here’s the story: boy performs in talent show, posts videos of performance on YouTube. What comes next is like a dream come true. This is how Justin Bieber got himself noticed by not one, but two music superstars and powerhouses, Justin Timberlake and Usher. A bidding war resulted in Bieber becoming Usher’s protégé. And to think, he accomplished all this by age 15. In this video, WatchMojo.com sits down with the young star to find out more about his time with Usher, as well as how he plans to stay grounded as he grows up in the spotlight. For more information click Here
A mere two years ago, Esmée Denters was just a pancake house waitress with a webcam and a dream. An aspiring singer who fell in love with her father’s Stevie Wonder albums as a child, Esmée was 17 when she began posting videos of herself on YouTube singing her favorite hits by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, P!ink, and Natasha Bedingfield.”I had seen all these videos of amateur singers, which gave me the idea,” she says. “I was just interested in what other people thought of my voice.” Within nine months, Esmée’s videos had racked up 21 million views, and she became the number one most-subscribed musician in the history of the popular video-sharing website.
Esmée’s clips soon caught the attention of Justin Timberlake - one of her musical idols - who was drawn to her silky, soulful voice, natural charisma and songwriting talent. He then signed her to his label Tenman Records, an imprint of Interscope, and began executive producing and co-producing the majority of her debut album. They lined up an impressive list of noted songwriters and producers to collaborate on the project including Polow Da Don (Usher, Ciara), Stargate (Rihanna, Ne-Yo), OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis, Natasha Bedingfield), and Toby Gad (Beyoncé, Fergie). The result is an edgy, soulful pop-R&B set that Esmée says truly reflects who she is as a person.
Listen to “Outta Here”
Relatability was something that was important to Esmée on her debut outing, which is why she was thrilled for the opportunity to co-write the majority of the songs. Her first single, “Outta Here,” sends a message of female empowerment through a hybrid of urban beats, pop lyrics and rock attitude. Sneak a peek into the studio to learn more about the Dutch beauty when she recorded the track with Justin Timberlake and Polow Da Don.
Check out Esmee in the studio:
Further proof of Kanye West’s unbelievable humility - He now says he is “the voice of this generation.” Kanye concedes that Justin Timberlake could have stolen this role from him, but cites Timberlake’s comparably small body of work as the reason he has not. Read more…
TALIB KWELI RELEASES SIXTH ALBUM, EARDRUM
ON WARNER BROS. RECORDS/BLACKSMITH MUSIC
IN STORES AUGUST 21st
New Album Features Guest Appearances by Norah Jones, Justin Timberlake, KRS-ONE, and UGK Production By Kanye West, will.i.am, Madlib, and Hi-Tek
Talib kicks the summer into high gear with The Rock the Bells Festival and Summer Tour
New York, NY (July 11, 2007) – Talib Kweli, the Brooklyn wordsmith, returns with his eagerly awaited sixth album EARDRUM, in stores on August 21st, 2007 on Kweli’s own label, Blacksmith Music and Warner Bros. Records. With this career defining new album, Kweli mixes hard hitting beats with inventive rhymes that serve to not only entertain, but also to educate.
Hailed by USA Today as “Hip-Hops most inventive lyricist” the MC’s penchant for being a lyrical mastermind is reflected in his album title, aptly called EARDRUM. Talib explains, “The image of the ear and of the drum are powerful enough by themselves, but when you put them together, it’s an instrument that’s in your body that helps you hear. They’re also two very simple, yet powerful words.”
From start to finish EARDRUM delivers career-defining work from Kweli that showcases his advanced lyricism and knack for picking beats that resonate long after the song ends. EARDRUM shows Kweli’s versatility ranging from his new single, “Hot Thing” produced by will.i.am to the alluring strings of “Soon the New Day” featuring the sultry vocals of Grammy Award winning jazz artist, Norah Jones to the brassy horns of “Country Cousins” which feature the underground kings of the south, UGK. Other guests on the album include: Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, KRS-ONE, Blacksmith artist Jean Grae and Musiq Soulchild.
EARDRUM boasts innovative production work by such vanguard artists as Kanye West, who worked on Kweli’s 2002’s gold-certified Quality and 2004’s The Beautiful Struggle; Black-Eyed Peas founder will.i.am; and Black Star producer Hi-Tek, who also collaborated with Kweli on the gold-certified 2000 album Reflection Eternal. Additional production highlights include New York rapper Kwame and multi-instrumentalist/producer Madlib, whose previous collaboration delivered the free digital –only EP, Liberation (2007).
The talented wordsmith is preparing to hit the road for the Rock the Bells Festival and his own summer tour. As one of the most toured Hip-Hop artists (at least 250 dates a year) fans can expect to hear Kweli perform new tracks from EARDRUM including “Listen” and “More or Less” as well as classics from past albums.
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Talib Kweli Online:
Myspace - Official Site
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