Column will focus on art and fashion. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Pop star, entrepreneur, philanthropist: Is there anything Lady Gaga doesn’t find the time to do? Well, it seems that she’s made room in her schedule to add a new job to her ever-growing r
‘I grew up watching Britney Spears,’ pop newcomer tells MTV News about landing a feature on ‘(Drop Dead) Beautiful.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Audrey Kim Sabi Photo: MTV News There are three collaborations on Britney Spears’ brand-new Femme Fatale. Black Eyed Peas leading man will.i.am produced and appears on “Big Fat Bass,” Travis Barker lends his drumming skills to the bonus track “Don’t Keep Me Waiting,” and the club track “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” features a newcomer: singer/rapper Sabi. MTV News caught up with Sabi a few weeks before Britney’s album dropped on Tuesday and, at the time, the pop newbie was still pretty floored about her appearance on the album, which is the focus of “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale,” a special airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. on MTV. “The way I understand is that Britney Spears is constantly looking for [new stuff and] had an ear out for new talent and fresh music,” she explained. “Somehow, she stumbled upon me in my old group days. I was in a group called the Bangz. “And it’s just pretty crazy, I mean, I grew up watching Britney Spears,” she added. “All my friends watched Britney Spears and we even had a routine to ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ that we were gonna perform, like, for a middle-school talent show. So it’s a dream come true. Never did I ever think that I’d be in the mix with Britney. I’m just lucky.” In fact, the opportunity to work with the pop star was so surreal that Sabi refused to believe her luck until the ink was dry. “I was like, ‘Absolutely not,’ ” she joked about her initial response to the collaboration offer. “Duh! I was like, ‘Yeah!’ I don’t know, it was crazy. I was like, ‘This is surreal.’ I’m the kind of person that’s like, once I hear good news, until it’s solidified and I see the actual proof it’s a done deal, I [don’t] get excited. I was like, ‘This is great, but so many things can happen in between the time I’m supposed to record it.’ But when it was solidified, I was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ It’s dope.” What do you think of Britney’s collabo with Sabi? Tell us in the comments! Don’t miss “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” on Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Exclusive Preview Clips Of ‘Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale’ Related Artists Britney Spears
Leading pop critics praise the ‘craftsmanship’ on the singer’s ‘great dance pop’ release. By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Christina Garibaldi Britney Spears Photo: Jive On Tuesday (March 29), Britney Spears released her latest album, Femme Fatale , to much fanfare and critical praise. Femme Fatale is a dark, churning, cohesive 12-track record that will have fans on the dance floor from beginning to end. From the opening track and current single, the Ke$ha-penned “Till the World Ends,” to the last, the slower “Criminal,” the momentum never stops.
‘It’s totally exhilarating to see kids lined up outside,’ MC marvels on the day of his debut album’s release. By Steven Roberts Wiz Khalifa Photo: MTV News NEW YORK — A year ago, Wiz Khalifa was a relative unknown. Sure, Wiz was selling out shows, but outside his loyal Taylor Gang fanbase, he wasn’t a household name. That all changed with the release of his breakout mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice, and the anthemic single “Black and Yellow.” Fast-forward 10 months, and Khalifa’s major-label debut, Rolling Papers, is in a battle for the week’s #1 release against Snoop Dogg and Britney Spears. MTV News caught up with Khalifa on Tuesday afternoon (March 29) for his in-store at Best Buy in Union Square, and even he was shocked to see fans lined up around the block. “It’s totally exhilarating to see kids lined up outside, screaming, wanting the album and purchasing the album,” Khalifa marveled. “It was actually like a year ago that I first started working on the album. “I didn’t really know where I was going, but I knew I was going somewhere,” he continued. “To have it done and to see the full vision and for people to be excited about it and the entire buildup, it’s just really magnificent.” Plenty of excited — but also laid-back, of course — Wiz fans waited outside Best Buy for a chance to meet Khalifa and get his autograph. Many of them came out on Monday night to buy the album at midnight and receive a wristband to meet Wiz on Tuesday. “I love that kid, no lie. I don’t know that kid personally, but when I greeted him, I was in the zone,” fan Daniel Candelairo told MTV News. “I’ve been listening to him since ’07, so unlike most people out here claiming Taylor Gang — I’m not into all of that. I just listen to his music and I promote him.” Candelairo recalled catching flak for being a Wiz fan back in the day, but he’s enjoyed the turnaround. “He’s blowing. Everybody loves this kid,” he said. “It’s awesome. I’m proud of him.” Have you checked out Wiz’s debut album yet? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Wiz Khalifa
30 Seconds to Mars, Tokio Hotel, Panic! at the Disco also locked in tight matchups in the final hours of the Sweet 16. By James Montgomery Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty When MTV’s Musical March Madness tournament moved on to the Sweet 16 on Monday, we warned that the challenge for bands and their fans would only get tougher from here on out. And we weren’t kidding. Check out our MMM Bracket right here!
Pop star gives fans an intimate look at her life in the special, airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears on the set of “Till the World Ends” Photo: MTV News & Docs This Sunday at 9 p.m., ” Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale ” makes its world premiere on MTV. In the special, the singer offers an intimate peek inside her world, taking fans behind the scenes of her big nightclub show in Las Vegas and chatting with MTV News correspondent Sway about her life and career. The MTV special follows Britney as she makes her way into the studio to listen to “Big Fat Bass,” produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who tells Spears, “I did some tweaking to the ‘Big Fat Bass’; the bass is even bigger.” Spears later explains the difference between recording tracks versus performing them live. “When you’re in the studio, you’re just really focused, you’re really in your head and in your ears and on the notes,” she explains. “And when you’re performing, it’s more a connection on the outside and more of — like a tiger and more in your body.” The pop star says it’s fans who fill the audience at those live shows who get her excited to perform. “When they’re screaming like that, they just hype you up,” she says, “and make you feel larger than life.” Spears has been a public figure since she was on the “Mickey Mouse Club” as a kid, and in 2011, she turns 30 years old. In the special, Spears admits that she wanted to be a famous performer since she sported a schoolgirl uniform in her ” … Baby One More Time” video nearly a decade and a half ago. “I think I hoped I would be [doing this],” she says. “I genuinely love what I do. This is what I love to do.” Don’t miss ” Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale ” on Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Exclusive Preview Clips Of ‘Britney Spears: I Am The Femme Fatale’ Related Photos Britney Spears Brings Down The House In Las Vegas Related Artists Britney Spears
The ‘Young Folks’ hitmakers’ latest album aims to capture their ‘punky and energetic’ live sound. By James Montgomery Peter Bjorn and John Photo: V2 Music Scandinavia On Tuesday, Swedish hookmeisters Peter Bjorn and John return to stores with Gimme Some, their sixth full-length and their third since they became internationally famous (and poster children for whistlers everywhere) with their hit “Young Folks.” Of course, given the rather stiff competition PB&J face here in the states — Gimme Some has the relative misfortune of being released against both Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale and Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers — the guys aren’t optimistic about their album’s chart-topping chances. “Our chances are probably not so good. I don’t know,” Peter Mor
The Chicago rapper’s Las Vegas spring break gig airs Tuesday night on MTV. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Lupe Fiasco Photo: MTV News When you combine spring break and Las Vegas, things are bound to get exciting — or out of control. For the MTV Spring Break 2011 performers — Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Pitbull and Lupe Fiasco — the challenge is to keep the crowds entertained when shots, lost tops and sunny weather threaten to steal their attention. According to Lupe Fiasco, though, it doesn’t matter to him whether he’s performing at a spring break gig or a room of Timberland-wearing concertgoers — the show goes on. “It’s no different,” the Chicago rapper told MTV News recently. “I did a show for the hardcore [fans] yesterday and it was the same thing. The same energy. At the end of the day, it’s about getting in touch with the energy — I don’t want to sound too mystical — but that human energy. It don’t matter if you black, white, Italian, Asian or in a bikini or have a fitted hat on thugged out, everybody wants to hear something and be moved by something, so for us, we want to take it to you as energetic as we possibly can.” On Monday, Wiz Khalifa’s MTV Spring Break 2011 performance aired as the Pittsburgh star hit the stage for his breakout tune “Black and Yellow.” Later in the week, Snoop Dogg and Pitbull’s spring break performances will be shown on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU. Catch Lupe Fiasco performing in Las Vegas during MTV’s Spring Break on Tuesday night (March 29) on MTV at 9:50 p.m. ET. Related Videos Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, More Take Over MTV Spring Break 2011 Related Photos Spring Break 2011 | Live Performances Related Artists Lupe Fiasco
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