Tag Archives: extended-play

Jennifer Hudson Says R. Kelly, Alicia Keys ‘Gave Me My Sound’ For I Remember Me

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer calls Kelly’s ability to channel her ‘kind of creepy.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi Jennifer Hudson Photo: MTV News On Tuesday, Jennifer Hudson drops her new album, I Remember Me , and it seems the artists she worked with on the record also remembered her. For the release, she hooked up with Alicia Keys and R. Kelly, who seemed to channel the singer perfectly — almost too perfectly. “R. Kelly was writing for me at the time, and I didn’t even know it, and they just sent me this song,” she recalled to MTV News about the track “Where You At.” “You don’t want to get your hopes up too high of being able to work with someone like R. Kelly, and when they sent the song, they told me, ‘Kelly put up a shrine of pictures of you to channel you, and he created this song.’ ” Whatever he was doing seemed to really work, as Hudson explained: “It was kind of creepy to me, because when I heard the song, I was like, ‘Oh my god! … He’s, like, giving me me! This is what I would do! This is something I would say.’ And I hadn’t even met him until after … and I’m like, ‘This is bizarre.’ ” Crediting Kelly and Keys, Hudson notes that “they gave me my sound.” And it seems whatever otherworldly bond she had with Kelly, she had a more-grounded one with Keys, with whom she worked on the songs “Angel,” “Everybody Needs Love” and “Don’t Look Down.” “I must say that working with Alicia was my favorite sessions in the recording studio ever, and I think it was partly because … it was a learning experience,” she said about Keys, who gave birth days after their sessions. “She’s just amazing to work with. We had such a good time together. … It was an amazing, fun experience.” Which I Remember Me collaboration are you most looking forward to hearing? Tell us in the comments below! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Jennifer Hudson

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Selena Gomez Says New Album Has ‘A Lot More Depth’

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Toby Gad and Pixie Lott are contributing to album, coming this summer. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi Selena Gomez Photo: MTV News This summer, Selena Gomez will release her new album, which will feature the lead single “Who Says.” And, in the short time since she released her previous album, A Year Without Rain , in September, she’s managed to live a bit of life. When MTV News caught up with her, Gomez said those experiences will end up on the record. “The third record is really fun, and there’s a song called ‘Hit the Lights’ that I love, and it’s basically about every missed opportunity that you’ve had,” she said. “But it’s also a dance track. There’s a lot more depth [on this album].” Gomez took on a bigger role this time around as a writer. “I am writing, very excited,” she said, teasing that her life experiences will serve as inspiration for the lyrics. “There’s one song that I co-wrote with Toby Gad: It’s kind of like a compliment song slash dig,” she explained. “It’s really fun. It’s basically saying, ‘I had a few people who weren’t treating me right, but now I have wonderful people.’ So it’s like I’m thanking my friends while saying goodbye to the other people. It’s very therapeutic.” In addition to working with the “If I Were a Boy” hitmaker, Gomez also worked with a British pop starlet. “There is one [song] that I’m completely in love with, and it was written by Pixie Lott, who I am obsessed with,” she said. “And it’s my mom’s favorite song. It’s very sweet. It’s kind of a ballad, but not really. It’s basically about living in the moment; it’s about enjoying right now. I’m very much enjoying right now. I’m in a good place.” Are you looking forward to Selena Gomez’s new album? Tell us below! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Selena Gomez Related Artists Selena Gomez

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Selena Gomez ‘Inspired’ By Latest Single, ‘Who Says’

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Every time I sing this song, I’m like, ‘I feel better already!’ ‘ she tells MTV News. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi Selena Gomez Photo: MTV News On her latest single, “Who Says,” Selena Gomez sings, “Who says you’re not perfect?/ Who says you’re not worth it?” And, as Gomez told MTV News recently, those words come from a very personal place. “The original layout of my album was, I wasn’t going to release one for a while,” she said; Gomez released her last album, A Year Without Rain, in September. “But I heard ‘Who Says,’ and I thought it was amazing, and it completely inspired me.”

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Jennifer Hudson Calls Her Son ‘A Little Michael Jackson’

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

I Remember Me singer says David Daniel Otunga Jr. is ‘very musical.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi Jennifer Hudson Photo: MTV News As Jennifer Hudson readies the release of her new album, I Remember Me , she revealed that her son, David Daniel Otunga Jr. , got some musical DNA from his mama. When she spoke to MTV News last week, she explained that her little boy loves to rock out when he thinks she’s not looking. “He’s very musical. He just loves music overall, and he’s into it,” she said. “I feel like I had a little Michael Jackson. He’d be in the backseat of the car, [moving] his little shoulder to anything that comes on the radio, and then I turn around like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he laughs like, ‘Ha! What, you didn’t think I had that move?’ ” David Jr. is not just keen to the tunes on the car stereo: His ears also perk up when he hears his Oscar- and Grammy-winning mother’s voice on television and radio. “He knows mommy’s voice,” Hudson shared. “If my commercial is on, he’ll walk out the room, ‘That’s my momma!’ ” This August, her son will turn 2, and she said that for now, one baby is enough for her and her fianc

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Casey Abrams Is Ready To Be A ‘Heartthrob’ On ‘American Idol’

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer was called ‘sexy’ by judge Jennifer Lopez. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Kara Warner Casey Abrams Photo: Getty Images Jennifer Lopez has made a career of knowing what her fans think is sexy. So when she told bearded “American Idol” top 13 finalist Casey Abrams that she thought he had serious sex appeal, the singer took the praise in stride. The 19-year-old upright-bass player and film-camp counselor almost missed out on last week’s show due to an emergency hospitalization for stomach pains, but he’s had a good time with all the talk about his looks on the show. “Am I ready to be a heartthrob? Yes,” he said at last week’s afterparty for the top 13. “I’m ready. We’ll see how it goes.” Given his embrace of sex symbol-dom, he was asked what his plan was to take on magazine cover boy Justin Bieber. “I guess I’m gonna have to start dancing, I have to learn the drums, I’m gonna have to do this with my hair,” he joked, pulling down his unruly ‘fro onto his forehead in an attempt to approximate the Bieber swoop. The good news is that the multi-instrumentalist already plays the drums, so he can check that off his list, and he hinted that he may pull out an electric bass at some point — or even a sitar! On Wednesday night’s show , Abrams joked that he had the right (read: grizzled) look to take on notoriously disheveled rock icon Joe Cocker’s version of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” and on an earlier show, he quipped, “I just want to show the world that guys like me are sexy.” “You’re sexy, Casey,” Lopez assured him last week when Casey performed an unhinged version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” to acclaim from the judges’ panel. “Do you know that? Somebody wants it bad,” she added in a nod to what she said was Abrams’ obvious dedication to remain in the competition. Do you agree with J.Lo that Abrams is sexy? Let us know in comments below! Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘American Idol’ Top 13 Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Top 24 ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances

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Donald Glover Releases Untitled EP

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Woodie Awards host is surprised by positive response to his transition from comedy to rap. By Steven Roberts Donald Glover Photo: Gustavo Caballero/WireImage Woodie Awards host Donald Glover has been making a name for himself as an actor on NBC’s “Community,” as a member of the comedy group Derrick Comedy and as a writer on another NBC property, “30 Rock,” for quite some time. However, Glover has also been working on his rap skills, under the alias Childish Gambino. Tuesday morning (March 8), Glover released his latest Childish Gambino EP, which oddly enough he left untitled, via his blog . “I didn’t feel like it needed a name. I was trying not to give it a name, but a lot of people named it [anyway],” Glover said. “I just wanted it to be. But I like the fact that people are naming it.” Glover had been making a splash as of late thanks to his recent single and video for “Freaks and Geeks,” as well as his scene-stealing verse on Jamie XX’s remix of Adele’s phenomenal “Rolling in the Deep.” Each helped to build anticipation for the release of his EP, which he said people started calling “Be Alone,” “Freaks and Geeks” and then simply “EP.” Glover said he released his first project as a sophomore in college — the untitled EP is his seventh. He started making music for fun, but he wasn’t sure how people would receive Childish’s work at first. He thought he’d be dismissed as a rapper, but he has grown more confident as his skills have progressed. “I wouldn’t put out ‘Sick Boy’ now or ‘I Am Just a Rapper’ now. I would be like, ‘I can do much better than that.’ I guess I was just afraid for a long time because I didn’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, he’s a comedian, he can’t do that. He’s going to Eddie Murphy himself.’ But I was like, you know, I’m just having fun. If people want to just have fun with me, that’s fine. I’ve just been really amazed by the response.” A larger part of the response saw the New York leg of Glover’s I Am Donald Tour sell out in five hours and the D.C. leg sell out in three. He said he was thankful for the reaction, but he still found it very strange. “I’m very happy, and it’s very cool that people are willing to do that, because I know personally, it would be hard for me if Dane Cook just started playing the piccolo. That’s weird. I don’t know if I want to pay to see Dane Cook play the piccolo.”

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Donald Glover Releases Untitled EP

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Woodie Awards host is surprised by positive response to his transition from comedy to rap. By Steven Roberts Donald Glover Photo: Gustavo Caballero/WireImage Woodie Awards host Donald Glover has been making a name for himself as an actor on NBC’s “Community,” as a member of the comedy group Derrick Comedy and as a writer on another NBC property, “30 Rock,” for quite some time. However, Glover has also been working on his rap skills, under the alias Childish Gambino. Tuesday morning (March 8), Glover released his latest Childish Gambino EP, which oddly enough he left untitled, via his blog . “I didn’t feel like it needed a name. I was trying not to give it a name, but a lot of people named it [anyway],” Glover said. “I just wanted it to be. But I like the fact that people are naming it.” Glover had been making a splash as of late thanks to his recent single and video for “Freaks and Geeks,” as well as his scene-stealing verse on Jamie XX’s remix of Adele’s phenomenal “Rolling in the Deep.” Each helped to build anticipation for the release of his EP, which he said people started calling “Be Alone,” “Freaks and Geeks” and then simply “EP.” Glover said he released his first project as a sophomore in college — the untitled EP is his seventh. He started making music for fun, but he wasn’t sure how people would receive Childish’s work at first. He thought he’d be dismissed as a rapper, but he has grown more confident as his skills have progressed. “I wouldn’t put out ‘Sick Boy’ now or ‘I Am Just a Rapper’ now. I would be like, ‘I can do much better than that.’ I guess I was just afraid for a long time because I didn’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, he’s a comedian, he can’t do that. He’s going to Eddie Murphy himself.’ But I was like, you know, I’m just having fun. If people want to just have fun with me, that’s fine. I’ve just been really amazed by the response.” A larger part of the response saw the New York leg of Glover’s I Am Donald Tour sell out in five hours and the D.C. leg sell out in three. He said he was thankful for the reaction, but he still found it very strange. “I’m very happy, and it’s very cool that people are willing to do that, because I know personally, it would be hard for me if Dane Cook just started playing the piccolo. That’s weird. I don’t know if I want to pay to see Dane Cook play the piccolo.”

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Avril Lavigne Describes The ‘Magic’ Of Working With Max Martin

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer talks about recording Goodbye Lullaby with Swedish pop producer. By Jocelyn Vena Avril Lavigne Photo: MTV News Avril Lavigne asked “What the Hell” on her Goodbye Lullaby lead single, and she had a little help from a pretty impressive music-industry vet. For her fourth studio album, out Tuesday (March 8), Lavigne jetted off to Sweden to work with legendary pop producer Max Martin. “What was really great about working with Max was, I flew out to Sweden for a couple weeks, sat down, played him my record, got to know each other, wrote some songs together, and then I was out,” she told MTV News. “It switched it up for me. It was a new creative space, a new relationship, and we got a lot done. He’s very talented.” Martin, who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson to Katy Perry, really seemed to click with the pop/punk princess. “He said some really kind things that really meant a lot to me,” she said. “He worked with so many people and he’s an artist, he’s very sensitive. We wrote a couple really special songs together.” In the process of writing those tracks, it seems that Martin and Lavigne forged quite a bond. “It’s kind of hard to work with someone new, and when I went in and did vocals on ‘Wish You Were Here,’ I did my first take, and then Max stood up and was like, ‘I’m so honored that you’re here.’ “And it was a really special moment, where he understood me and I understood him,” she continued. “We connected and had a really great time. And it was really magic my first trip there. He’s sweet.” What do you think of Avril Lavigne’s new music? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Extended Play: Avril Lavigne’s ‘Goodbye Lullaby’ Related Artists Avril Lavigne

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Avril Lavigne Describes The ‘Magic’ Of Working With Max Martin

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer talks about recording Goodbye Lullaby with Swedish pop producer. By Jocelyn Vena Avril Lavigne Photo: MTV News Avril Lavigne asked “What the Hell” on her Goodbye Lullaby lead single, and she had a little help from a pretty impressive music-industry vet. For her fourth studio album, out Tuesday (March 8), Lavigne jetted off to Sweden to work with legendary pop producer Max Martin. “What was really great about working with Max was, I flew out to Sweden for a couple weeks, sat down, played him my record, got to know each other, wrote some songs together, and then I was out,” she told MTV News. “It switched it up for me. It was a new creative space, a new relationship, and we got a lot done. He’s very talented.” Martin, who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson to Katy Perry, really seemed to click with the pop/punk princess. “He said some really kind things that really meant a lot to me,” she said. “He worked with so many people and he’s an artist, he’s very sensitive. We wrote a couple really special songs together.” In the process of writing those tracks, it seems that Martin and Lavigne forged quite a bond. “It’s kind of hard to work with someone new, and when I went in and did vocals on ‘Wish You Were Here,’ I did my first take, and then Max stood up and was like, ‘I’m so honored that you’re here.’ “And it was a really special moment, where he understood me and I understood him,” she continued. “We connected and had a really great time. And it was really magic my first trip there. He’s sweet.” What do you think of Avril Lavigne’s new music? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Extended Play: Avril Lavigne’s ‘Goodbye Lullaby’ Related Artists Avril Lavigne

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Avril Lavigne Describes The ‘Magic’ Of Working With Max Martin

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer talks about recording Goodbye Lullaby with Swedish pop producer. By Jocelyn Vena Avril Lavigne Photo: MTV News Avril Lavigne asked “What the Hell” on her Goodbye Lullaby lead single, and she had a little help from a pretty impressive music-industry vet. For her fourth studio album, out Tuesday (March 8), Lavigne jetted off to Sweden to work with legendary pop producer Max Martin. “What was really great about working with Max was, I flew out to Sweden for a couple weeks, sat down, played him my record, got to know each other, wrote some songs together, and then I was out,” she told MTV News. “It switched it up for me. It was a new creative space, a new relationship, and we got a lot done. He’s very talented.” Martin, who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson to Katy Perry, really seemed to click with the pop/punk princess. “He said some really kind things that really meant a lot to me,” she said. “He worked with so many people and he’s an artist, he’s very sensitive. We wrote a couple really special songs together.” In the process of writing those tracks, it seems that Martin and Lavigne forged quite a bond. “It’s kind of hard to work with someone new, and when I went in and did vocals on ‘Wish You Were Here,’ I did my first take, and then Max stood up and was like, ‘I’m so honored that you’re here.’ “And it was a really special moment, where he understood me and I understood him,” she continued. “We connected and had a really great time. And it was really magic my first trip there. He’s sweet.” What do you think of Avril Lavigne’s new music? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Extended Play: Avril Lavigne’s ‘Goodbye Lullaby’ Related Artists Avril Lavigne

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