Artist Spotlight: t.A.T.u

Two girls, dozens of hit songs, plenty of controversy and the undeniable title as the biggest Russian band EVER. We can only be talking about the electronica pop group t.A.T.u.

This is Russian Pop

The duo came together in 1999 after their producer Ivan Shapovalov and his associate Alexander Voitinskyi held auditions in Moscow to form a new Russian musical group. Both Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova stood out, but ultimately Lena was the one chosen. After some demos were made, however, the decision was made to bring 14-year-old Yulia back on board and the name t.A.T.u was chosen. It was written in such a way so as to distinguish it from an Australian band of the same name.

In the year 2000 the girls completed their first single Ya Soshla Uma, which means "I've Lost My Mind"; later it was released in English as All The Things She Said. On May 21, 2001 their first full length album 200 Po Vstrechony was released followed by Nas Ne Dagoniat and 30 Minut as the second and third singles respectively. The English version of the album was released in 2002 under the name 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane. All the Things She Said and Not Gonna Get Us were the two singles released off this album along with 30 Minutes.

Beautiful and Dangerous

A DVD compilation of t.A.T.u's music videos and more entitled Screaming For More was released in November 2003. The documentary Anatomy of t.A.T.u aired on Russian TV the next month and revealed that, despite the image and controversy, Yulia and Lena were not lesbians. Early in 2004 both girls broke ties with their producer Ivan Shapovalov saying that he was more interested in creating scandals then focusing on their music.

In 2004 the girls went back to the studio backed by their label Universal Music International to record their second English and Russian albums. All About Us and Lyudi Invalidy were to be the first singles from each record. Dangerous and Moving was released in October 2004 with the Russian counterpart Lyudi Invalidy following a few days later.

Add some music and few sparks for one amazing combination

Late 2007 the single Beliy Plaschik was released followed a couple months later by 220 in May 2008. Both were highly favored songs and were supposed to released on a special EP, but the EP was delayed and then canceled due to Yulia becoming seriously ill. The third single You And I was released and then the full length album entitled Vesyolye Ulybki/Happy Smiles was finally released in October 2008 and the songs were also made available on itunes.

A statement released in May 2009 stated that t.A.T.u would no longer be a full time project and both girls were working on solo projects. Although the singles and videos for Snegopady (RU), Snowfalls (EN), White Robe (the English counterpart to Beliy Plaschik), and Sparks (the English counterpart to 220) the band was officially announced as disbanded in 2011.

Both Yulia and Lena are now pursuing solo careers as they have wanted to do for some time. A double remix album was released at the end of March 2011 and is also available on itunes, but there are no definite plans for t.A.T.u to reform any time soon if at all.

It has been 12 years of music and still fans old and new continue to discover the amazing Russian group known as t.A.T.u. They are unquestionably the most popular Russian group there has ever been and they look to be the most popular and best selling band there ever will be.

While t.A.T.u is over Yulia and Lena most certainly are not. Here's to more great songs and more years of great music in the months to come.

New Releases of the Year Part 2

This is a year of some big releases in the music world and this is a follow up to the last post.

While 2011 may be a year of comebacks and music releases it has also been one marked by drama. Case in point being Paramore who lost two of its members.


We are (still) a band!

While Hayley Williams, Jeremy Davis, and Taylor York handled the matter with calm and kind professionalism, brothers Josh and Zac took a less savory route and slammed their former band with numerous accusations. The remaining three members addressed and confirmed some of these issues in an interview with MTV.

Paramore fans, however, were not swayed and have loudly proclaimed that they (still) love their band. Now that the tour is over the band is back in the studio working on their next album and will be recording a batch of songs this summer. The next full length album is set to be released later this year or in 2012 and fans of Paramore will be there every step of the way to support their band.

Another band marked by the loss of a few band members is Evanescence.



Never listen to rumors.


Amy Lee is the only original member still with the band and there has been a total of 10 musicians so far since the group released its first album Fallen in 2003. Rumors of Amy Lee being an "iron fisted" diva started to swirl after the messy departure of Ben Moody in 2003 followed by drummer Rocky Gray and guitarist John LeComp in 2007.

After The Open Door which was released in 2006 and sold 5 million albums the problems started again as Amy Lee reported in Spin Magazine. She had done a lot of writing without the band while producer Steve Lillywhite had them working on some experimental songs with more of an electro lean to them. The sessions were stopped, but music will find a way. Amy Lee and the new members moved in together and started re-working her songs and also creating some new material as well. Now functioning as a real band things started to come together and now Evanescence is back in the studio this April and is looking to release their new album sometime this year.

A band with less drama but certainly not less talent is the Black Veil Brides.

Rock and roll is back to Set The World on Fire!


After releasing their first independent album We Stitch These Wounds on July 20th 2010 the glam rock band has skyrocketed in popularity due entirely to their devoted fans the BVB Army. Now well into the AP Tour they have, or have almost, completed their next album entitled Set The World on Fire. The title track for this album was chosen by popular demand to be in the movie Scream 4 which is now in theatres. However, the first single off this album Fallen Angels will be released soon with the full length CD coming out in this summer on June 14th.

This is a great year for old pros and new faces. Whether you like pop, rock, or metal. English, Korean, or Japanese the language of music is universal and this year is shaping up to be one for the record books.

New Releases of the Year Part 1

It would seem that this is the year of the music. Tons of artists around the world either have or are preparing to release new songs, singles, or full length albums. From the United States all the way over to South Korea the music charts are being dominated by talented young stars.

First up is Lady Gaga.


Lady Gaga is the new Queen of Pop


Her real name is Stefani Germanotta, but now legions of "Little Monsters" know her as Lady Gaga, or just Gaga as she prefers to be called. After joining Streamline Records and writing songs for fellow label artists, she was signed to Akon's label Kon Live Distribution. It was in 2008 that Lady Gaga released a record her own titled The Fame and emerged on the scene with her first smash hit Just Dance. The rest as they say is history.

Following up with The Fame Monster in 2009, Gaga then went on another worldwide tour. When it finishes up this May it will have run for over one and a half years. Now we have the latest single of her new album called Born This Way which sold 1 million copies in just 5 days making it the fastest selling single in iTunes history. Today her fans were surprised with an early release of the next single Judas and Gaga's next full length album is scheduled for a May 23rd release.

Continuing the pop line up is are some girls that have shown us all what it really means to be a fan. Naturally we're talking about fans of the Korean girl group f(x) who nearly started a revolution when one of the members, Amber, disappeared off the radar due to a sprained ankle.



These five girls are gonna rock the kpop scene all over again!

After months of agonizing wait, fans around the world will finally get the comeback they have been dying for. While a teaser video for their new single Danger has been released the full video will be posted to the official SM Entertainment YouTube page on April 18th followed by the album release on April 20th.

The alternating rapping style of Amber combined with the sweet pop vocals of the other girls Luna, Krystal, Sulli, and Victoria provides a unique twist on the all too familiar girl group that idea that is currently overflowing in the Korean pop market.

Already the teaser is generating tons of interest and fans are more excited then ever to see their girls back in action with the same strong pop sound and fashion sense that made them popular in the first place. If fan dedication and parodies are anything to go by then the girls of f(x) are on their way to even greater stardom and popularity.

Now lets move on to Japan.

Electropop rock doesn't come in any flavor other then LM.C

Another upcoming single release is by the Japanese visual kei group known as LM.C. Playing a mix of rock and electronic pop, all you have to do is listen to any of their songs to see just what it is that sets them apart from all the other bands. Its hard to define their style exactly but Maya and Aiji, the main part of the group, have labeled themselves New Century Electrorock

After posting the video for Super Duper Galaxy to their Facebook page for several days the video was taken down leaving fans eager to get their hands on the new song. Originally set for a March 30th release, the next single Super Duper Galaxy was pushed back to May 18th after the massive earthquake in Japan.

This is just a small sample of some groups that are releasing music this year. We have plenty more bands to cover so look for Part 2 and possibly a Part 3 coming this weekend.

The New Face of Rock and Roll: Black Veil Brides

They have legions of fans who call themselves the BVB Army. They have raging guitars that will leave your jaws on the floor and drum beats that will rattle your windows. They have song lyrics that will lift you up and have you singing along at the top of your voice.

And they have looks and hair that put Kiss themselves to shame.

The Black Veil Brides are the true face of rock and roll.

But are they really the next Motley Crue? The next Kiss even? No.

They're even better.

That's what singer Andy Six is aiming for as part of the band Black Veil Brides. As he said in an interview with Billboard they are a "larger-than-life image" and no one will deny that this theatrical presentation is sure to capture attention. In fact it already has.

Their album We Stitch These Wounds debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #36 overall followed by a #10 spot on the Rock Albums chart, #1 for Independent Albums, and finally #3 for Hard Rock Albums on August 7, 2010.

The first single off their debut album We Stitch These Wounds is called Perfect Weapon and is a follow up to their song Knives and Pens which was written earlier and with a different band lineup.

After some changes though, the Black Veil Brides were ready to take the world by storm and what a storm it has been!


Suit up in your leather and war paint boys and girls. BVB is here to ROCK!

Metal, metal core, glam, goth, rock it doesn't matter what you call them or what genre you want to place them in. Black Veil Brides is more concerned with the music and the powerful message of acceptance and standing up for yourself that you gain from it.

If they've spent months honing their look then they've spent years perfecting their music. The deep vocals of Andy Six followed by his screaming passion is something that must be heard to believe.

The legions of people that turn out to their concerts didn't just show up overnight though and its thanks to the major investments in live shows, social networking, and autograph sessions that they have become so hugely popular in a rather short period of time. Before and/or after each concert they take the time to hang out and talk with their fans. Taking pictures, giving out hugs, signing autographs and more is just part of the territory for this band and they love every minute of it.

While their drummer, Sandra Alvarenga, may have left and joined the band Modern Day Escape that isn't going to slow down the Black Veil Brides any. At the moment their girl Sandra is playing like the Goddess of Rock that she is for MDE and gearing up for a new album. Meanwhile, the guys of BVB have a new drummer by the name of Christian Coma or just "CC" and a new album in the works for themselves as well. 



Line up left to right: Jinxx, Christian "CC" Coma, Andy Six, Jake Pitts, Ashley Purdy

 
A vision, a mission, and song lyrics that will stay stuck in your head for days. This band has put a lot of thought into their image and music and its certainly paying off. After touring around the USA they made their way to Europe and then even to Japan before a massive 9.0 earthquake put an unfortunate halt to their plans.

But even that couldn't stop them from playing their hearts out for the 40 or so brave souls who came out that very night to see them perform in Tokyo, Japan. Bass player Ashley Purdy even had an interview with the Huffington Post about the experience which you can read right here.


The very night of the Japan earthquake BVB is still ready to play!

Whether they are meeting with fans, putting on an unforgettable concert, doing interviews or just playing a couple songs like Heaven's Calling, We Stitch These Wounds, or Perfect Weapon they are always available to their fans that that is a key ingredient to their booming popularity among both male and female teenagers and young adults.

Raging, roaring metal songs or a softer ballad like The Mortician's Daughter there is bound to be a song by the Black Veil Brides that you will enjoy.

Andy Six in the studio

With plenty more tour dates to come this year and a new album this summer there is plenty to keep fans excited and hungering for more of their favorite glam band. Their fans are truly an army set on propelling their guys straight to the top of the charts and to rock and roll infamy.

So download their songs off itunes or buy the album from Hot Topic because these guys are going to be around for a long time to come and you're going to want to be there for every pulse pounding second of it.