Natasha Bedingfield

Nicki Minaj's 'Last Chance' Gave Natasha Bedingfield 'Goose Bumps'

24 Nov 2010 15:04:40 EST

British singer talks about her Pink Friday collabo with the Queens MC.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Very few MCs are touching Nicki Minaj when it comes to stacking collabos in 2010. However, the pink-tressed raptress recently scored a team-up that was unexpected, even for her: a track with British songstress Natasha Bedingfield.

The singer explained to Billboard.com that although she may be known Stateside as the crooner behind the delicate pop anthem "Unwritten," she's well-versed in the hip-hop game. (Incidentally, the pop song became the theme of MTV's "The Hills," a show that counted Minaj among its fans. "With Nicki, I come from London and we've got a heavy influence in hip-hop," Bedingfield said. "She called me and was like, 'I'd love for you to sing on this. I'm a huge fan,' and I was instantly like, 'I'll do this.' "

Bedingfield gushed that the lyrics Minaj penned made an instant impression on her. In another ironic twist of fate, the songbird laid down her "Last Chance" contribution in the lab of another Minaj collaborator, Eminem, while on the road in Detroit. Bedingfield added that she picked up on the Motor City luminary's energy.

"I heard the song she'd written and it gave me goose bumps. I was like, 'I've got to be on that,' " she recalled. "I was in Detroit, doing some promotion, so I went into Eminem's studio and it was amazing, really catching off Eminem's vibe. He wasn't there, but his studio is great."

Fans can check out Minaj and Bedingfield's collaboration on the lyricist's recently released Pink Friday album, while the songbird's forthcoming album, Strip Me, will be available on December 7.

What do you think of Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday debut? Let us know in the comments!

Open the floodgates! It's Mega-Release Week, with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and Lloyd Banks all dropping new albums. Stick with MTV News for everything you need to know about the brand-new music.

Don't miss the documentary "Nicki Minaj: My Time Now," premiering Sunday, November 28, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV!

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Lady Gaga, Chelsea Handler Have VMA Fan In Natasha Bedingfield

11 Sep 2010 16:18:07 EDT

Bedingfield sings the praises of friend Handler and former tourmate Gaga.
By Jocelyn Vena

When the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards kick off on Sunday, "Unwritten," singer Natasha Bedingfield will be rooting for two of her pals, nominee Lady Gaga and VMA host Chelsea Handler.

Bedingfield isn't placing any bets on how many Moonmen the 13-time nominated Gaga will take home, but she says her former tourmate deserves her latest accolades.

"I was on tour with Lady Gaga two years ago, and I got to know her a bit, and she's just fantastic. So, I hope that she wins for one of them, at least, 'cause that's cool," Bedingfield told MTV News at the VMA Radio Forum on Friday. "She was opening for me and New Kids on the Block on the road. It was awesome! We were just two girls going around going to different states in America."

While Gaga will certainly have everyone talking by the water cooler on Monday, Bedingfield thinks that Handler will have everyone hoping for a return performance at next year's show.

"[Chelsea] will have to have a lot of outfits too! I love her so much. She's going to be amazing. She'll probably be the best one you guys have ever had I think," Bedingfield said. "She's just amazing. I love her, and she's always very honest, and I appreciate that, because there's always a lot of people who kiss your ass all the time in this business. And it's just nice to be with someone you just feel comfortable with and you know they're not going to blow smoke."

So, what is it like to be friends with the sassy comedian? "She's funny. She lets other people be funny. I think that's how you can tell someone is, like, comfortable with themselves," she said. "They don't mind people being funny and them being quiet, and sometimes she'll be the funny one."

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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'The Hills' Musical Legacy: Natasha Bedingfield, Lady Gaga And More

13 Jul 2010 13:54:12 EDT

Artists from Hilary Duff to Journey owe a debt to 'Laguna Beach' and its spin-off.
By Kyle Anderson

Tuesday night (July 13) represents a huge moment in the history of MTV programming and reality television in general. After six seasons, "The Hills" is coming to a close with a two-hour grand-finale event, beginning at 8 p.m. on MTV. It has been a watershed program, as it first established the sort of hyper-real aesthetic that many reality shows (and a handful of fictional dramas) copied. But "The Hills" and its predecessor, "Laguna Beach," also left their mark in the music world.

Each of the shows had theme songs that helped spark massive career moves for the artists behind them. The theme song to "Laguna Beach" was Hilary Duff's "Come Clean," co-written by Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks. Though it originally appeared on Duff's 2003 album, Metamorphosis, and was released as a single in early 2004, it really picked up steam once it accompanied the premiere of "Laguna Beach" in September of that year. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart and earned Duff a shortlist recommendation (though no actual nomination) for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards.

"The Hills" theme song did even better by its artist. When Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" debuted as the tune that introduced the world to "The Hills" in May 2006, it stormed up the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #5. In fact, because of its crossover appeal, "Unwritten" became the most-played song on the radio in the United States in 2006. Not bad for a track that was originally released in 2004 on Bedingfield's debut album of the same name.

"The Hills" also gave the world some early exposure to Lady Gaga. Before Gaga's debut album, The Fame, took over the airwaves, she performed at a fashion show where Conrad and friend Whitney Port styled her. Gaga was even the subject of a minor plot in that episode, as the zipper of her catsuit broke, forcing Conrad to repair it and save the day.

But perhaps the most lasting musical legacy of "The Hills" is actually a moment from "Laguna Beach." The second-season premiere of "Laguna Beach" (which aired in July 2005) featured a scene wherein castmember Stephen Colletti picks Conrad up for a date. The song playing in Stephen's car during the scene? Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," which had yet to receive its second renaissance thanks to the series finale of "The Sopranos" (which didn't air until two years later). Exposure on "Laguna Beach" (along with its appearance on a "Family Guy" episode the same week) sent the track skyrocketing into the iTunes Top 10, an amazing feat for a song that was nearly 25 years old.

What was your favorite musical moment from "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills"? Let us know in the comments!

Join MTVNews.com on Tuesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET for a live stream from the red carpet of Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel, where the stars will gather for "The Hills Live: A Hollywood Ending." Then tune in for the series finale at 10 p.m. ET on MTV and "The Hills Live: A Hollywood Ending After Show" at 11.

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Natasha Bedingfield Weds Fiance In Outdoor Ceremony

23 Mar 2009 11:14:00 EDT

Singer says the wedding was 'everything we'd hoped it would be.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Natasha Bedingfield married her beau, California businessman Matthew Robinson, this weekend in California, People.com reports.

Bedingfield, whose songs include "Unwritten," the theme song for MTV reality show "The Hills," married Robinson in an outdoor ceremony at the Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California, on Saturday. The wedding was attended by 150 guests, and the bride wore a white, strapless Vera Wang gown. The 30-minute ceremony took place around 5:30 p.m. at the vineyard's château overlooking the ocean. There were four bridesmaids and one flower girl, and Bedingfield walked down an aisle strewn with rose petals to Mendelssohn's "Wedding March."

The singer told USmagazine.com that the big day was "everything we'd hoped it would be. It was simple, beautiful and natural," she said. "Free from trappings or formalities, it was more about expressing our love for one another in front of those we hold dearest to us than anything else."

She added, "We are now very much looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together. Love is hard to find, so when you do find it, hang on to it!"

When Bedingfield announced her engagement back in September 2008, she told People, "I'm the luckiest girl in the world," adding in a subsequent interview, "My fiancé Matt is hotter to me than David Beckham! He is honest, funny, charming and hot."

She also offered advice to other couples about the inner workings of a relationship: "In reality, relationships have ups and downs. If someone is worth enough to you, then you both fight to stay true through the tough times."

Bedingfield also shared what she thinks is the key to any great relationship. "Advice to guys: Keep the romance alive. Simple things like giving flowers or remembering special dates may sound cheesy but they do work," she said, adding, "Romance is female Viagra!"

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'Juno' Soundtrack Cruises Past Alicia Keys To Become Billboard #1

30 Jan 2008 12:10:00 EST

Natasha Bedingfield, Cat Power among chart's 13 newcomers.
By Chris Harris, with additional reporting by John Norris

If you think about it, the soundtrack to "Juno" — the sleeper film that's now been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar — has no business being Billboard's best-selling album. After all, it is a collection of songs from a number of relatively unknown and largely underground artists, musicians like Kimya Dawson, Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian and the Moldy Peaches.

"I never looked at charts in my life," Dawson told MTV News earlier this month. "I'm not interested in being with a major label, I just make music and play shows. And I live in Washington State, which I like because there, people play music because they like music. [The attention from 'Juno' is] "All just weird," she continued. "I'm mainly happy about it because I love the movie 'Juno' and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Yet, somehow, the record has managed to surpass a mega-star like Alicia Keys and assume the chart's peak position with a mere 64,800 copies. Released seven weeks ago, the LP failed to chart initially, selling just 4,700 units. But in truth, it was only a matter of time before "Juno" reached the top. Four weeks ago, the soundtrack came from out of nowhere, entering the top 200 for the first time at #8 with sales reported at 38,000. The week after that, it climbed to #3 and then, the following week, to #2. It's been a slow and steady ascension for the soundtrack, which bumps Keys' As I Am, which scanned 59,800 copies, to #2, making "Juno" the nation's new chart-topper, according to the latest SoundScan totals.

And while 13 new releases make their debuts on next week's chart, only one of them cracked the coveted top 10: English songstress Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine, which opens at #3 with 49,800 copies sold.

Other than that, the chart remained relatively unchanged. Following Bedingfield at #4 with 45,000 copies sold is Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains, just in front of Radiohead's In Rainbows at #5, which sold 35,000 units. Taylor Swift's self-titled debut holds at #6, scanning another 34,600 units, with Chris Brown's Exclusive finishing at #7 after selling another 31,600 copies. Keyshia Cole's Just Like You climbs four spots to #8, scanning 31,000 units, while Garth Brooks' Ultimate Hits follows at #9 with 30,300 sold. Rounding things out at #10 is "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus," selling just under 30,000 copies during its 31st week of commercial release.

Elsewhere on the chart, Cat Power's Jukebox bows at #12, racking up week-one sales of 29,400. Other newcomers to next week's chart include Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 10, a two-disc set boasting contributions from the Jonas Brothers, Aly & AJ, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff and the Plain White T's, which enters at #18 with 21,000 sold, and alt-country act Drive-By Truckers' Brighter Than Creation's Dark, which claims the chart's #36 opening with 16,000 scans. Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces follows at #59, selling 11,000 copies.

Singer/songwriter Kate Voegele's Don't Look Away debuts at #63 with 10,000 copies sold, while Ultra Dance, Vol. 9, a compilation featuring artists like Daft Punk, Rihanna, Ciara and Seal, enters at #77, selling 8,200. Indie rockers Black Mountain's In the Future opens at #101 with 6,500 scans, while Moe's Sticks and Stones follows at #119 with 5,600 sold. Lastly, the Audition's latest, Champion, makes its chart debut at #157, having sold 4,000 and change.

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Cat Power, Matt Costa, Natasha Bedingfield And More Storm The Stores, In New Releases

22 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST

Also due Tuesday: Backyardigans, Drive-By Truckers, North Mississippi Allstars, Buzzcocks, MGMT.
By Kurt Orzeck

The Northeast and many other parts of the country are locked in the dreary winter blues at the moment, with the denizens nipping at their frostbitten fingertips and gnawing on their chapped lips in anticipation of sunnier days and warmer nights. But lucky for the music fans among them, a magical spring awaits inside your local CD store! Grab a light jacket and a pair of binoculars, and take a stroll with us as we check out this week's New Releases ...

It's 9 a.m., and what better way to start the day than with a Pocketful of Sunshine courtesy Natasha Bedingfield. We trot out the back door, and through the yard as the British songstress — who you know from "The Hills"; the theme song, "Unwritten," was all her doing — coaxes Sean Kingston out of the woods for a rendition of her sophomore effort's first single, "Love Like This." Super-producers J.R. Rotem, Rodney Jerkins and Danjahandz materialize, hammering away on the ones and twos as she continues to perform. "I've been dating, searching for a partner, looking for Mr. Right," she says (um, in a statement). "This album reflects those feelings and that journey."

Our journey continues as we head out the door and see some Unfamiliar Faces in the neighborhood. Matt Costa — who, like Bedingfield, is giddy about his own second album — coaxes us away from the strangers and lulls us with the pop, country, folk and rock sounds of his latest effort for Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records. The 25-year-old troubadour tells us tales of working again with mentor Tom Dumont of No Doubt — "One of the first things he told me to do was to stop practicing and just let it come out — it was like the light went on in my head," he imparts.

Speaking of light, now that it's almost noon, it's pretty bright outside — and with the sun beating mercilessly, it's hard to Watch the Sky, as much as Patty Larkin might want us to. The folk-pop vet plays us her new opus — which she wrote, produced, engineered and edited all on her own — fusing modern technology with acoustic instruments like the "slapsteel," a detuned lap-steel guitar that is played with a drumstick and hand.

The sweet sounds coax a household pet out of a nearby home — a feline who refers to herself as "Cat Power." The critter reveals that she was named Chan Marshall before she was reincarnated, and shares with us a new creation of her own, Jukebox, which sparks memories of her 2000 release, The Covers Record. She regales us with homages to Bob Dylan, Hank Williams and even Billie Holiday, before letting us know that the limited edition of her release has a bonus disc with five bonus covers, and that the iTunes version also has a bunch of extra tunes.

With that, we head through the backyard again — and encounter, naturally, the Backyardigans! As the Nickelodeon sensations burst into song — arena rock, hip-hop, zydeco, what have you — a few of their neighbors join in on the fun. Alicia Keys chimes in on "Almost Everything Is Boinga," while Cyndi Lauper jazzes up "Lady in Pink." Before we go, the Backyardigans remind us that their CD comes in eco-friendly recycled packaging but that, if we want to be even more Earth-friendly, we should ditch the physical release and go for the iTunes one instead — after all, it also has four extra songs.

Soon we find ourselves in a meadow, which just so happens to be inhabited by ... Japanese post-rock experimentalists Mono! "The Sky Remains the Same as Ever," they murmur into our ears, letting us know that their first-ever DVD is a packed two-hour set with 12 concert performances, documentary material and various in-the-"field" clips.

Good thing we remembered to bring our binoculars, because there are a ton of feathered creatures flying around in this meadow. Biirdie — who have a nest in Glendale, California — flutter their wings to the country-infused orchestral sounds of their Catherine Avenue album. Giving us a Hitchcockian scare, the Birds of Prey swoop down. The flock — which includes members of Baroness, Municipal Waste and Alabama Thunderpussy — peck away at us with their metal-icious second album, Sulfur & Semen. Philadelphia's Birds of Maya start biting into us too, with their loud new Holy Mountain release, Vol. 1. "Those Birds Are Bats," our friends Mahjongg tell us, before busting out some dance moves and enigmatically adding, "Kontpab."

Where there are birds, there are bees, and both are as one on Birds by Collections of Colonies of Bees. The flock and the swarm commingle, shooing away their previous bluegrass and folk sounds in favor of all-out, boisterous pop. Is that an analog synthesizer we hear in the distance? Indeed, it is.

Chasing the sound, we enter into the woods and come across some Super Furry Animals. We saw these critters recently — they introduced us to their new album, Hey Venus!, in the summer, although you could only get it if you had a computer. This time around, they present us with the physical version of their eighth album, which has a CD of extra material, as well as some colorful, 'toony new artwork by Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami.

More furry creatures hop into our lap — a herd of animals who call themselves "Foxy Shazam" and purr to us with voices inflected by soul and rock. Hailing from Cincinnati, the feel-good Foxies tell us they picked up a musical tip or two from Chiodos producer Casey Bates, who put the shine on their Introducing LP. Some "Cuddling Raccoons" try to get some love to — they say they're from a city called "Sex Death Cassette" that was made by Rafter, a psychedelic-disco junkie.

The Foxies and raccoons climb off our lap, and it's time to get some exercise. Luckily we remembered to bring our kites ... Kites for Charity, that is. We borrowed them from moody Swedish pop-sters Jettie, and as we fly them, we fittingly hear songs like "#3 Nest and the Wind," "The Sky Over Santa Rosa" and "Letter Carrier."

As we're looking up in the sky, we see planes crisscrossing overhead. As they go back and forth, Steve Aoki's Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles begins ringing in our ears — the founder of the Dim Mak label blended together everything from Peaches to Bloc Party on his mix CD. If we look hard enough at the airplane, we can even see a few familiar faces singing and rapping along: Spank Rock, Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat, Santogold, Mickey Avalon, the Faint's Todd Fink and Har Mar Superstar.

Our necks are starting to hurt, so we turn our heads downward and say, "Hello, Blue Roses," to lovely flowers that were grown by Dan Bejar of Destroyer and his girlfriend, Sydney Vermont. Tattooed on the roses is a poetic phrase, The Portrait Is Finished and I Have Failed to Capture Your Beauty ..., and if we listen closely enough, we can hear what sounds like a cross between '60s femme folk and '80s AOR.

We're getting antsy again, so we go deep into the woods, where we trample over small piles of Sticks and Stones. Moe. remind us that if some of the twigs and rocks get lodged in our sneakers, "it's all good" — after all, the jam band can always mellow us out with its endless noodling. The guys tell us that they actually brought the Sticks and Stones from somewhere else: an old church they rented in mountains in New England.

Mountains ... they are indeed within our view. First we trudge up Black Mountain, which looks as scary as it sounds ("Tyrants," "Evil Ways," "Stormy High"). The Mountains are expansive In the Future, filled with folk-pop, and it takes us a whole 17 minutes to traverse one ridge, nicknamed "Bright Lights."

Once we descend that peak, we're faced with another range: Mtn. High. As we scale the cliffs, we're assaulted by a punk-rock onslaught of triple-drumming, quad-guitars and multiple basses — but we, the collective Wicked Wanderer, come out alive. It feels like we've gone Into Abaddon, that sludgy "place of destruction" where you can only be rescued by Saviours.

We're dirty from all the hiking, so we head down to C Unseen Sea — a place our good friend Dillon suggested — for a quick swim. As we splash around, we try to pull off some of our old-school hip-hop dance moves underwater, but soon remember we're just as much into ghetto tech these days.

We swim out a bit into the sea and discover Monster Island. It's inhabited by the Dream Tiger, which uses instruments as varied as the sitar, harmonium and water harp to relay its eclectic ethnic-folk blend. Behind the beast are members of His Name Is Alive, Outrageous Cherry and Destroy All Monsters the latter of which deserve a little attention of their own in light of a reissue of their Live in Tokyo album.

We finish our swim and lay out on the beach, where we draw a Line in the Sand with Zox, a gang of reggae-rockers from Providence, Rhode Island. They whisper sweet nothings into our ears, like "I Miss You," "Goodnight" and "Don't Believe in Love."

As we head home, we spot more Bodies of Water, and our head begins to twitter. Then we remember that a Los Angeles band warned us this would happen — "Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink," the guys told us, and we should have trusted their word, seeing as how they've toured in the past with the Go! Team and Phospho

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Christina Talked Private Parts? Who Was Sick? Grammy Moments You Didn't See

12 Feb 2007 02:59:00 EST

MTV News went where cameras didn't to get backstage scoop.
By Corey Moss and Shaheem Reid

Word on the street was that Justin Timberlake was sick, but MTV News found out another one of the night's big performers was also under the weather. So who used to perform Lionel Richie songs at talent contests, and what exactly did Christina Aguilera say about private parts?
Check out what we discovered by poking around backstage where the cameras didn't go at the Grammys:
· The night before the big show (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"), Justin Timberlake was feeling chatty during Grammy rehearsals and sat down at the piano to treat everyone in the room to an impromptu, slowed-down rendition of "Di-- in a Box."
· Quentin Tarantino walked the red carpet with fellow martial-arts enthusiast RZA. The two were making inside jokes and cracking each other up.
· Just after Black Eyed Peas finished interviews on the red carpet, Will.I.Am broke loose and chatted with everyone in sight, including Chris Brown, who checked out Will's diamond-encrusted ear cover and asked, "Where did you get that? I have to get one" (see "Justin And T.I.'s Suits Show Up Ladies' Sequins On Grammy Red Carpet").
· Beyoncé hit the press room early and revealed that she was suffering from the stomach flu. But B wasn't fazed until her publicist cut her off just as she was starting an interview to change the look of the shot. Beyoncé said, "Now I feel all self-conscious!"
· When a reporter told John Legend some people say he's the next Marvin Gaye, Legend smiled and responded, "Some people need to slow down. He's an idol of mine. If you hear some of him [in me], I stole it from him." Legend also said he keeps his Grammys "on my piano in my apartment in New York." Later, Legend watched Lionel Richie perform "Hello" and remarked that he used to perform that song at talent contests. Someone asked, "Did you win?" Legend replied, "Of course."
· Christina Aguilera talked backstage about her tour, possibly getting into acting and, of course, performing James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." "I was thrilled, completely flattered that they would think I could pull off a James Brown song," she said, adding that she researched her performance by watching old Brown DVDs. "I saw his spins — I didn't do the spins. I didn't want to trip on my heels or something." When one reporter noted that Aguilera has always managed to enter and exit limos without incident, she laughed, "Are you setting me up to say, 'Keep your legs closed?' There's a way to make sure privates are kept private."
· Carrie Underwood walked around backstage with two Grammys in her arms and said she felt a little bit more relaxed about taking the stage at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party after she saw a few people perform and realized no one was going to throw anything at her when she got up to sing (see "Aguilera, Hudson Play For Clive Davis; FOB Rock Roots' Grammys Eve Jam").
· At least she's not label crazy. In the press room, Natasha Bedingfield drew a blank, telling a reporter she was wearing, "A red dress ... a red dress which I can't remember [who designed it] because I threw it on when I got offstage."
· Chamillionaire pranced around the hallways, super-hyped about his win for "Ridin," while Krayzie Bone announced to those gathered in the press room that the victory was a great jump-start for the return of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. "This is a perfect kickoff. Last time we got a Grammy was, like, '97." Krayzie also said "Ridin" attained a level of success "way beyond" what he and Chamillionaire had expected.
· Ludacris held onto his two Grammys and told reporters he performed "Runaway Love" during the show because "it was time for change, time to start talking about different things." "This is pretty much the best day of my life," he gushed. "No words can explain how I feel. This is my fifth studio LP and I've been nominated every year — this is my first time winning. Earth, Wind & Fire (he and Mary J. Blige performed with them at the show) were just as big of fans of mine as I was of theirs." He also said he's cleared his schedule for Monday (February 12) because he's going to party all night.
· "My Grammy Moment" winner Robyn Troup revealed backstage that it's her birthday. She added that she looked at Blige the entire time she was performing with Timberlake because Blige's face was warm and welcoming, and she feared looking elsewhere would make her nervous.
· Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said this was by far the most amazing awards-show experience she'd ever had, adding, "But it's funny, I'm not that angry," in response to talk that the band's album was defiant.

The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

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Producer J.R. Rotem Helping 50 Get Soul, Tossing Beats For Dr. Dre

19 Dec 2006 06:01:00 EST

Rotem also working on tracks for Jennifer Lopez, JoJo, Mya, Jesse McCartney.
By Shaheem Reid

Producer J.R. Rotem says he doesn't party. Judging by the schedule he's keeping these days, he probably wouldn't have time for it anyway.
A few years ago, Rotem was your average Joe, sitting at home in his boxer shorts wondering if anybody would actually pay for his tracks one day. Now Rotem has everyone from the Game to Rick Ross to JoJo shelling out top dollar for his beats. He's working with two artists a day, with Britney Spears and 50 Cent being the biggest names on his roster.
"Within a 24-hour time period I was in with 50, then Britney," Rotem said. "Whoever I'm in the studio with, I try to bring the best out of them and let them bring the best out of me. I just try to make the best possible song."
Although he's very secretive when it comes to Spears (see "Britney's New Music Is 'The Next Level,' Producer Says") — including those recently leaked tabloid photos that allegedly captured the two locking lips — he opens up just a little bit about 50's music. Just as 50 told MTV News a few weeks ago, he says the leader of the G-Unit is indeed looking to soul music for inspiration.
"I just sat down with him and we went through tracks," Rotem said. "He's definitely into soulful stuff. He's at a level where he doesn't have to put an album out for money or anything — he's in it for the love of hip-hop. For the next album, he's trying to bring a very powerful new sound. He's an innovator. He puts out a sound and people will copy it. He wants to set a trend. At this point I can't give any more details, but it's definitely going to be a remarkable project."
This year alone, Rotem has worked with Rihanna ("S.O.S."), Rick Ross ("Push It") and the Game ("The Doctor's Advocate," "California Vacation"). His latest projects include new tracks by Jennifer Lopez, JoJo, Mya, Natasha Bedingfield, Ashley Tisdale and Jesse McCartney.
Oh yeah, he's also worked with Dr. Dre on the Detox album (see "Meet Super-Producer J.R. Rotem: The Man Game Calls 'The White Dr. Dre' ").
"He's gotten a few tracks from me for it, and I've heard vocals on some of my tracks," Rotem said. "But with Dr. Dre, he might record 100 tracks and choose his favorite 15 or something. I don't want to jump the gun and say I'm going to be on the album."
Rotem also just inked a deal with Epic Records for his new imprint, Beluga Heights.
"We sat down with everybody," the producer said of the courting process for his label. "I learned that when you get into business with somebody on an exclusive level, you need to really connect with the point people. In this situation, there was no contest as to who we connected to the most. It just felt right to go with them."
First on his roster is 16-year-old Miami rapper Sean Kingston.
"He's incredible," J.R. boasted of his protégé. "I'm giving him his own sound, his own identity. When I work with established people, there's already precedents to their sound, so I have to step it up some and give the J.R. twist to it. With Sean, I'm the one who's actually establishing his sound."

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Never A 'Bad Day' — Adult-Contemporary Radio, Where Pop Hits Live Strong

01 Nov 2006 06:00:00 EST

Months after they become smash singles, songs find new audiences on older-skewing stations.
By Corey Moss

Do you want to strangle little James Blunt when you hear "You're Beautiful"? Are you, like, totally over Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten"? Does Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" make yours worse? If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, then you are certainly not tuning in to your local adult-contemporary radio station.
While those songs are cringe-inducing reminders of way back when we feared the bird flu (and the Steelers!) for the typical top-40 fan, they're current hits on the AC radio format, where "current" is a relative term.
"Unwritten" is the #1 single on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks this week, and it's been on the chart 34 weeks. "Bad Day" is #3 after 43 weeks, followed by KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (25 weeks). "You're Beautiful," at #10, has spent 63 weeks on the chart, topped only by the #9 single, Lifehouse's "You and Me," with 70 weeks. (Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You," Nick Lachey's "What's Left of Me" and Rob Thomas' "Ever the Same" are also in the top 10.)
In other words, AC stations are where pop songs go to die a very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life. "Right now I'm starting to look at this Gnarls Barkley record, 'Crazy,' " said Gary Berkowitz, a radio consultant who specializes in the adult-contemporary format. "Pop-radio people are probably sick of it, but to my wife, it's a new song."
For the record, "Crazy" hit the Hot 100 25 weeks ago. "I used to pride myself on picking the hits," Berkowitz said. "Now, I don't do that. I play the hits."
Since the adult-contemporary format was created in the mid '70s to appease advertisers frustrated by the teen-targeted top 40, it's always been a chameleon format, playing what 25- to 54-year-olds would like from a variety of genres.
AC peaked in the mid '90s with Sarah McLachlan and the Lilith Fair acts, but as Berkowitz noted, "The format [has] never been known for making its own hits. As I always say, AC listeners know what they like and they like what they know. Familiarity and comfort-ability is really important in this format, and what we've discovered is new music is not that important to our listeners."
Still, other factors have influenced the staleness of the format in recent years, beginning with the decline of the boy bands at the end of the '90s. While Backstreet Boys and 'NSYNC crossed over, providing AC with dozens of hits, today "pop radio is all about hip-hop and R&B, or hard rock, and none of that is compatible," Berkowitz said.
Clarkson and Lachey are exceptions, but otherwise, there's little competition for adult-leaning acts like Rob Thomas and Lifehouse. "Over the last six years, I don't even know if we've added 10 new records a year in the format," Berkowitz said.
"There's definitely a lack of product being released into adult contemporary," added Steve Hunter, operations manager for several stations in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including the AC format Mix 96. "I do wish the songs would move a little faster, but I also think the record companies sometimes don't release the right singles. I mean 'Bad Day' wasn't supposed to be released and look what happened to that record," he said, referring to the song that shot to popularity after it got its shot on "American Idol" (see " 'Bad Day' Singer Powter Says He Doesn't Watch 'American Idol' "). "Michael McDonald's 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' was released for that format and did well, but there are very few records that are released directly for adult-contemporary radio."
So why don't more record labels go after what seems to be airplay for the taking? Well, apparently a loyal AC listener doesn't translate into a loyal fan. "Let's put it this way," answered Roy Trakin, senior editor at radio trade magazine Hits. "It's a song-based format, it ain't a personality-based format. There's no guarantee that the next James Blunt or Daniel Powter single is going to go on right away. Probably half the people don't even know who the artists are when they're listening. They just know the song, and the songs are fairly indelible."
"A lot of the artists playing on adult contemporary radio right now are one-hit wonders and it's unfortunate," Hunter added. "They're not really building that bond. I don't know if our listeners are going out and buying the album or if they're downloading the single. My guess is that they're downloading the single, but they're not making that connection. Where in country, Toby Keith is going to put out another hit record, and one right after that."
Playlists are getting tighter in all formats, however, and Trakin believes that's just a sign of the times. "No one wants to take a chance on putting new stuff out there," he said. "Programmers feel hamstrung, so they find something that's successful and they beat [you] over the head [with it]. The stakes are that much higher because you have more choices. People will click away in a second. That's the Internet mentality."
AC programmers also back their low turnover with market research, which includes testing for "burnout," the industry term for overplayed. At Mix 96, for instance, the station tested 100 songs and "You're Beautiful" was the most popular.
"We spend a lot of money on research," Hunter said. "And we tested the Fray and Snow Patrol, but it takes so long for those songs to test well. We find out what the listener wants and we give it to them. It's not the music director's favorite songs or the disc jockey's favorite songs."
For artists, there is a silver lining to the AC format, according to Berkowitz: "If your song does make it in AC radio, it's probably going to be there forever."

Related Artists

Gnarls Barkley

Kelly Clarkson

Rob Thomas

Natasha Bedingfield

James Blunt

Beyonce, Ashlee, Chris Brown, More Reveal Their Valentine's Day Mixtape Tips

14 Feb 2006 06:00:00 EST

The leaders — Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Prince — are predictable, but the answers are not!
By Corey Moss, with additional reporting by Larry Carroll and Jennifer Vineyard

Nothing says "I love you" like diamonds. But if times are a little tight (or you're only 90 percent sure you're in love), a mixtape can say almost as much.
Of course, the key is choosing the right songs. And to best serve the hopeful Romeos in our audience, we asked a hodgepodge of stars and music-business types — ranging from Ashlee Simpson and Kelly Clarkson to Paul Stanley of Kiss and J Records head Clive Davis — to help us assemble the perfect Valentine's Day mix CD. Don't miss "Date Movie" actor Eddie Griffin's very, er, scientific approach to the art at the end ...
Chris Brown "Sam Cooke, 'Cupid'! [He sings,] 'Cupid, draw back your bow/ And let your arrow go.' Just bring the old-school feel back, then let her know that you love her."
Ashlee Simpson "Sade, 'No Ordinary Love.' That's always a good one. If you're a guy, Sade always gets the girls."
Beyoncé "[Anything by] Luther Vandross. He was nice, so sweet, and he had great love songs: 'A chair is not a chair, a house is not a home.' What's the best love song I've ever written? 'Dangerously in Love.' "
Farnsworth Bentley "You gotta have [Stevie Wonder's] 'Ribbon in the Sky,' 'cause I think it's probably one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. And then you need to have something really freaky and kinky, just in case it gets too mushy. You gotta stay focused: You just put on anything by Prince where he's screaming a little bit, and that's gonna get her like right where you need her to be. It's all about the balance: Get it mushy and then just go for the freaky."
Chad Hugo of the Neptunes "[Anything by] Marvin Gaye or Al Green, or 'Moments in Love' by the Art of Noise, 'cause it's sexy, man. You gotta throw that on."

Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls"

John Legend's "So High"

Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris"

50 Cent's "21 Questions"

Kelly Clarkson "I'm weird — I'd pick some kind of sexy song to be on it, like, 'Pink' by Aerosmith."
Jamie Foxx " 'Always and Forever' [performed by Heatwave and Luther Vandross, among others]."
Carrie Underwood "You could go, like, really cheesy and play things like 'You Are So Beautiful' [made famous by Joe Cocker]. Or if you wanted to do newer things, there are so many great love songs out there right now." [She did not elaborate.]
Bo Bice "If I made my wife a mix, it would probably start with 'I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song' by Jim Croce and 'Your Song' by Elton John and [the version of the Beatles'] 'Something' by James Taylor. That would be my mix. I like 'Love Song' because the guy kind of opens up and shares a little bit of himself and seems a little bit vulnerable. It's good when women think they're seeing that raw breakdown."
Dido "One of my favorite love songs is Whitney Houston's 'My Love Is Your Love.' It's such a great song, I've just always loved it. If I ever got married — which is far-fetched — then that would be a cool wedding song."
Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver "Anything Prince — 'Diamonds and Pearls' is good. It's very sexy stuff."
Jason Biggs (of "American Pie") " 'Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead,' I think, would be the highlight. Umm, let's see ... 'Who Let the Dogs Out?' and 'The Macarena.' ... Actually, if you gave that to your girlfriend on Valentine's Day, I hope you're planning on being dumped! If you're planning on extricating yourself from a relationship, give her a mixtape that starts with 'Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead," and I'm pretty sure that you'll see yourself right to the door."
DMC of Run-DMC "Anything by Barry White, because he didn't get it twisted. Like Marvin Gaye, he was political and a lover. When you put that on, you know what time it is. I mean, that's what he was put on this earth for."
Joe Simpson (father/manager of Ashlee and Jessica) "My wife is a Barry White fan, so anything Barry White does, I'm a winner."
Anthony Hamilton "Just the sound of my baby breathing next to me, it's the best song I've ever heard in my life [laughs — Hamilton's wife was standing right next to him]. No, our wedding song was great: It's a song I wrote for my wife called 'Beautiful, Wonderful' and it's amazing. It's on the U.K. release of my album [the brand-new Ain't Nobody Worryin'], so it's definitely one of our favorite songs. And 'So High' by John Legend."
Clive Davis (Chairman and CEO, BMG North America/ founder, J Records) "When I grew up, it was Johnny Mathis."
Natasha Bedingfield "There's a song by the Goo Goo Dolls, I can't remember what it's called, [she sings] 'And I don't want the world to see me.' ['Iris'], I love that song. Maybe they can sing it to me personally or maybe I sing it to them, that would be more appropriate."
Jimmy Jam (producer for Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Jessica Simpson) "Janet Jackson's 'Anytime, Anyplace.' I was definitely thinking about that. Oh, I've got an obscure one: We did a remix for [Jackson's] 'Together Again' called 'A Deeper Remix' that was a total ballad. It's dope."
Paul Stanley of Kiss "I would go everywhere from Led Zeppelin to Tony Bennett and stop at the Beatles' 'In My Life.' It's a great song: succinct, not a lot of frills, from the heart and simple."
Kerry "Krucial" Brothers (producer for Alicia Keys, Angie Stone) "I would put the Isley Brothers' 'Voyage to Atlantis.' Just the whole vibe of it — and the ocean. It's just kind of like an imaginary place to be — paradise, old empire or whatever it was — that's unseen now."
Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire "You gotta have a little Barry White 'You're the First, the Last, My Everything,' perhaps a little Marvin Gaye and then you can top it off with a little Earth, Wind & Fire, 'After the Love Has Gone.' "
Eddie Griffin and Sophie Monk from "Date Movie"
Eddie: 50 Cent, Barry White, Jimi Hendrix, Parliament-Funkadelic. 50, most definitely, 'cuz you know females like thugs. See what I mean? You got to get your thug on. Start off aggressive, a'ight, and then Barry White, when he comes on with that voice, it gets the clothes off. You understand me? Then Jimi Hendrix: Her mind is open to receive the game that you're spitting into her subconscious. You understand me? Then P-Funk, 'cuz it's all about the coming together of the masses. If you get what I'm saying to you, holla back!
Sophie: You've done this mixtape before, haven't you?
MTV: Sophie, who would you like to have on your mixtape?
Sophie: Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas is my favorite.
Check out the feature Love Me, Love Me Not for Valentine's Day DVD picks.