Quick Hits: Katy Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Green Day, Gotye, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Mumford & Sons, Fiona Apple, R. Kelly, James Iha
June 28, 2012
Katy Perry
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are launching a major media campaign for the documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me, which opens in theaters on Thursday, July 5. As part of the initiative, Katy Perry: Part of Me Radio, will launch on Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio. The custom station highlights the music that inspired and influenced Perry growing up and also features exclusive content by Perry. There also will be integration with the nationally syndicated radio show, On-Air with Ryan Seacrest, featuring exclusive content and interviews with Seacrest and Perry, as well as a national sweepstakes that offers a chance to win a trip to the world premiere of Katy Perry: Part of Me in Los Angeles.
Bruce Springsteen will be honored as the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year at a ceremony to be held on February 8 in Los Angeles, two days before the Grammy Awards. Springsteen is being honored for his creative accomplishments as well as his charitable work over the years. "Bruce Springsteen is a truly gifted and Renaissance artist of our time, a national treasure, and an exemplary humanitarian," MusiCares and Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow said in a statement. "His career is a testament to the power of creative excellence, and his contributions as a philanthropist speak to the tenacity of the human spirit."
Aerosmith has delayed the release date for Music From Another Dimension, their first new album in 11 years. It was due on August 28, but now it will be arriving on November 6. "It's pushed back because too many people are releasing those weeks, and we don't want to step on their release dates," Steven Tyler told WMMS/Cleveland. "So we said, 'You know what, we got the goods, ain't no doubt about [it], we'll wait a couple months.'" The group already debuted the record's first single, "Legendary Child," during the season finale of American Idol last month, and Tyler said that they will release two more singles before the album drops. One of those tracks could be the blues/rocker "Oh Yeah," which the band debuted last week at the Minneapolis kick-off of their Global Warming summer tour.
Green Day has released the third teaser trailer in its series of videos for the band's upcoming set of three releases. The ¡Tré! trailer can be seen below but the album won't be released until January 15. Earlier this week, Green Day announced the complete track list for ¡Uno!. The lead single, "Oh Love," will land at radio on July 16.
Shazam has announced that "Somebody I Used To Know" by Gotye has set new records at the music identification company. Earlier in the year, the song was the first ever to gain over 1 million tags in a week. Now, Shazam says "Somebody I Used To Know" has broken another milestone to become the first ever song to be tagged over 10 million times. In fact, it has reached 11.5 million tags worldwide and is still the most tagged track in the U.S. this week and Top 10 in many European countries.
Rihanna was among 300 people evacuated from the Corinthia Hotel in London Wednesday morning after a blaze started in an elevator shaft, according to Rolling Stone. No one was injured and the singer tweeted a picture of a fire engine outside the hotel following the incident. Rihanna is currently on tour in Europe through July 8.
After all the drama that unfolded between Nicki Minaj and Hot 97/New York when she pulled out of their Summer Jam concert, the rapper now says it's all water under the bridge. "I feel like it happened and there is no animosity, I still love them over there at the station. They've helped me a lot as well," Minaj told U.K. radio personality Tim Westwood. "It's not like we're walking around being angry, we just wanted to prove that one point and that was that."
Mumford & Sons have released a teaser video for their sophomore album, and have set a September 25 release date. According to MTV News, at the end of the video a series of signal flags are show that spell out the word "Babel," which MTV speculates could either be the title of the new album or possible the lead single. You can see the video below:
Fiona Apple has announced more U.S. tour dates behind her new LP, The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw... This new leg follows a string of previously-announced summer tour dates which are currently underway until July 29. The new leg runs from September 9 in San Jose, CA to October 21 in Pittsburgh, PA.
R. Kelly was rushed home to Chicago on Wednesday after becoming ill en route to a press tour. "Initial indications are that he is suffering from complications from surgery he had last year to treat an abscess on his vocal cords," according to a statement released on his behalf. "It is unclear how long Kelly may be sidelined." Kelly canceled a number of appearances in New York. This week he released both a new album, Write Me Back, and his memoir Soulacoaster: The Diary Of Me.
James Iha will release his new solo album, Look To The Sky, on September 18 via The End Records. It was produced by Iha and guitarist Nathan Larson (formerly of indie rockers Shudder to Think). "I wanted this record to be more eclectic and reflect all of my tastes, which is why it took so long," Iha explains. "It was important to me for the record to be multi-dimensional and complex. Being a part of the Smashing Pumpkins, and working with so many other bands and artists since my last album [1998's solo debut Let It Come Down] gave me a fresh perspective on what music could be."