Search Results for: Avril Lavigne

In the hierarchy of awards shows, the U.K.’s Brit Awards are the funnest, craziest and, generally, drunkest of the bunch. The champagne-happy show will take place on February 9 this year, celebrating its 25th anniversary with Franz Ferdinand heading up nominations. With nominations being released today, the Scot-rock band are up for five possible awards, including British Group, Album, Breakthrough Act, Rock Act and Live Act. Muse came in second, with four nods, while American bands Maroon 5 and Scissor Sisters were each nominated three times. Since the Brits organizers don’t divide up their genres quite as much as the… Read more »

Paris – Hip-hop rhymers, classical orchestras, church choirs, punk bands and creamy-voiced crooners from Paris to Hong Kong are taking up the fund-raising theme for victims of the Asian tsunami, holding money-raising concerts and singing special songs. Ever since the 1980s African famine relief hit “We Are the World” and its Band Aid predecessor “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” support from musicians has been part of charity fund-raising. But the response to the tsunami has been huge. In Norway alone, dozens of benefit concerts are planned. In its oil capital, Stavanger, groups scheduled a free show Thursday, with cash to… Read more »

Washington – Some people can’t understand why Butch Walker would give Avril Lavigne a hit like “My Happy Ending” instead of keeping it for his own album, but the songwriter-musician says it’s all part of his plan. Known for penning Lavigne’s recent single, as well as “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” by Bowling for Soup, Walker says he wants to be known for more than a throwaway hit song. “There’s a difference between a hit song and your best song and a lot of people don’t get that,” he recently told AP Radio. “The same people saying that are… Read more »

Where Evanescence were once propelled solely by a pair of songwriters, the creative process has become a lot more democratic since the departure of guitarist Ben Moody. And yet Amy Lee continues to get the ball rolling the way she always has: behind closed doors. “I write by myself initially,” the band’s singer explained. “That’s the way I’ve always written, just working on pure thought by myself. Then I bring it to the table with whoever I’m collaborating with.” After Moody split in late 2003, he was replaced on tour by former Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo, who permanently joined the… Read more »

America Online, Inc. the world’s leading interactive services company, will celebrate its landmark 100th AOL® Music First View by unveiling the exclusive world premiere of the new video by U2. The video for the band’s hit song, “Vertigo,” will be available for 24 hours beginning Wednesday, October 27, at 12:01am ET for all AOL members and those on the web, at aolmusic.com. “Vertigo” is the first single off of U2’s hotly anticipated new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, scheduled for release by Interscope Records on November 23. The video, the band’s first in four years, will mark the… Read more »

Since Simple Plan’s new album Still Not Getting Any… showed up in stores last week a single question has been plaguing the collective hearts and sad poetry of teenage girls across the country: what exactly isn’t this Montreal-based, pop-punk five-piece getting? Respect? Rock credibility? Happiness? Special friends of the vaginal persuasion? It’s hard to tell since you’d think they’d be on cloud nine after their debut album was certified platinum and shot them into the realm of disenchanted youth superstars. Well, it’s no secret that the band’s unrelenting flow of bouncing, pop melodies, which include just enough angst to pass… Read more »

In Britain, Busted are headlining stadiums. In America, the pop-punk trio are playing parking lots outside stadiums. So which do they prefer? Prepare to be surprised. “It’s awesome at gigs here, because you kind of have to win the crowd over,” bassist Matt Jay said recently. “Like in England, it’s awesome and stuff, but we could just go ‘Bugger!’ and they would go ‘Yeah!’ Which is awesome, but here, you really have to work hard.” “It’s nice to kind of see the first-time reaction of the crowds again,” guitarist James Bourne added. “It’s like it’s a little déjà vu of… Read more »

Universal Music maintained its status as the world’s market leader in 2003, but a combined Sony/BMG would have challenged its dominance. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), a music industry trade group, released market share figures that show BMG and Sony had an aggregate share of 25.1% in 2003. Universal posted a 23.5% share, down from 25.4% in 2002. The Sony-BMG merger plan cleared a major hurdle June 17 when European competition commissioner Mario Monti gave his approval of the deal. BMG was among the companies posting a share gain in 2003, increasing to 11.9% from 9.6% in… Read more »

Lava Recording artist Cherie is on track to having a huge summer hit with her debut single “I’m Ready.” The song, which recently was the #2 most added song at the Top 40 radio format, entered the Top 40 chart this week at #37 and is currently being spun by key stations across the country, including KIIS FM/ Los Angeles, WXKS/Boston, WIOQ/ Philly, Y100/ Miami and Star/ Atlanta. The single is available commercially beginning today, Tuesday, May 4th, as an enhanced CD that will feature special bonus material, including remixes of “I’m Ready,” the track “Fool,” from her upcoming album… Read more »

Sometimes, the heaviest rock can coexist with the purest pop. When garage-rock band the Mooney Suzuki started out in 1997, all they wanted to be was an ass-kicking group that paid homage to the Stooges, the Stones, the MC5 and the Nuggets box set. Then, in 2002, they got a taste of success with their roaring sophomore record, Electric Sweat, and suddenly they wanted more – way more. So the New York band hooked up with the Matrix – the production team that has worked with Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera and Hilary Duff. The move was a risky one: Diehard… Read more »