Akon's hard-edged hip-hop and catchy dance floor hits are on the menu for his first Chinese mainland tour, on Nov 4 at Beijing's Mastercard Center, Nov 5 at Shanghai's Mercedes Benz Arena and Nov 7 at Guangzhou Stadium.
The multi-platinum superstar, who is the boss and broker of Lady Gaga, will bring his hit songs including Mr Lonely, Right Now, Beautiful and Oh Africa, which he sang for the World Cup in South Africa 2010.
"We had a show set up a few years ago and had to cancel for some reasons, but I am excited to finally get the chance to visit China and be able to perform. I hope that I have time to explore," the 38-year-old singer-songwriter says in an e-mail interview.
As a songwriter and producer with his own record label, Akon has influenced the music industry behind the scenes by working with many of the world's biggest names, from Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber and Eminem.
He is credited with 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs since he first rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of Locked Up and has six Grammy nominations, an American Music Award for favorite male R&B artist and four World Music Awards. The prolific artist also made it onto Forbes' 2011 list of hip-hop top earners.
Akon says that balancing his roles as a boss and a singer is the core to win in the market. In order to stay fresh, he listens to "everything but what I do". Traveling also has given him plenty of inspiration.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Escapades in sound from DJ Spooky
He should know. The Washington DC-born Renaissance man is a universally renowned storyteller who first created a splash in the mid-1990s with influential work on Illbient music - an experimental form of hip hop that fuses digital media and soundscapes. The DJ, VJ, composer, multimedia artist, writer, scholar and music professor has collaborated with diverse personalities including Yoko Ono, Kronos Quartet and Steve Reich, as well as Chinese musicians DJ Wordy, Min Xiaofen and Jing Zhou.
In 2004, he unveiled DJ Spooky: Rebirth of a Nation, commissioned by New York City's Lincoln Center Festival; after acclaimed performances, it was released as a film in 2009. The seminal work is DJ mix applied to cinema with D. W. Griffith's 1915 black and white film Birth of a Nation providing thought-provoking imagery for a multisensory experience.
Rebirth of a Nation has previously performed at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Athen's Acropolis and London's Tate Modern. The two shows in Hong Kong follow a DJ workshop, seminar and master class held in late September and early October.
"Film is a tool which is an extension of economic and political processes," says DJ Spooky. "Film speaks to all people. We respond to images in a different way than sound. With Rebirth of a Nation, I wanted to figure out some ways to get people thinking about DJ'ing images and figuring out the ways in which stories have evolved over the past 100 years. My motto for this project is director as DJ.
In 2004, he unveiled DJ Spooky: Rebirth of a Nation, commissioned by New York City's Lincoln Center Festival; after acclaimed performances, it was released as a film in 2009. The seminal work is DJ mix applied to cinema with D. W. Griffith's 1915 black and white film Birth of a Nation providing thought-provoking imagery for a multisensory experience.
Rebirth of a Nation has previously performed at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Athen's Acropolis and London's Tate Modern. The two shows in Hong Kong follow a DJ workshop, seminar and master class held in late September and early October.
"Film is a tool which is an extension of economic and political processes," says DJ Spooky. "Film speaks to all people. We respond to images in a different way than sound. With Rebirth of a Nation, I wanted to figure out some ways to get people thinking about DJ'ing images and figuring out the ways in which stories have evolved over the past 100 years. My motto for this project is director as DJ.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Capturing sounds of yesterday
An era came to the end for post '70s and '80s in China when Sony announced it would stop producing Walkman audio cassettes last year. With little memory of the long-playing record, that generation's initial memory of music was connected with this little black cassette tape.
With over 2,500 of them, a special exhibition held inside a shopping mall is full of nostalgia. At one corner of the mall, a 35-year-old father surnamed Lou is teaching his 6-year-old boy Lou Zeyu how to use the old-fashioned cassette player.
"He has never seen a cassette tape or its player before," says Lou. "They're so exposed to the digital. I especially brought him here to see what was my way of enjoying music before.
"I refer it as 'the memory of nine yuan and 80 cents', as it cost that much to get a cassette tape when I was my son's age," says Lou. "Without any prejudice or discrimination, I simply think because of digital devices' convenience, the excitement and fun of getting the music have been lost. Now people can download songs from the Internet without paying a penny - when I was little, I had to save pocket money for weeks for one tape."
Twenty-nine-year-old Jin Mingchen is a super fan of collecting vintage cassette tapes.
With over 2,500 of them, a special exhibition held inside a shopping mall is full of nostalgia. At one corner of the mall, a 35-year-old father surnamed Lou is teaching his 6-year-old boy Lou Zeyu how to use the old-fashioned cassette player.
"He has never seen a cassette tape or its player before," says Lou. "They're so exposed to the digital. I especially brought him here to see what was my way of enjoying music before.
"I refer it as 'the memory of nine yuan and 80 cents', as it cost that much to get a cassette tape when I was my son's age," says Lou. "Without any prejudice or discrimination, I simply think because of digital devices' convenience, the excitement and fun of getting the music have been lost. Now people can download songs from the Internet without paying a penny - when I was little, I had to save pocket money for weeks for one tape."
Twenty-nine-year-old Jin Mingchen is a super fan of collecting vintage cassette tapes.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Sting can not wait to turn 60
The musician reaches the landmark age on Oct 2, 2011 and rather than be worried about reaching his seventh decade he can't wait.
Sting - who is married to 57-year-old producer Trudie Styler, with whom he has four children - said: "I had the most fun in the previous decade, between 50 and 60. So I'm anticipating that the next one will be even better. I mean, why not?"
The Police star insists he isn't worried about his own mortality and has learnt to appreciate since accepting it is "finite".
He explained: "When you reach a certain age, you realise that life is finite. You can be depressed by that, or you can say, 'I'm going to appreciate every minute to its maximum potential.' "
The 'Message In A Bottle' singer's parents both died from cancer in their 50s and he accepts this had a profound effect on his opinion of death.
He added in an interview with the USA Today newspaper: "I've always been a bit saturnine, a serious person. An older person than I was in years. Perhaps that's why I'm not feeling particularly strange about reaching 60."
Sting - who is married to 57-year-old producer Trudie Styler, with whom he has four children - said: "I had the most fun in the previous decade, between 50 and 60. So I'm anticipating that the next one will be even better. I mean, why not?"
The Police star insists he isn't worried about his own mortality and has learnt to appreciate since accepting it is "finite".
He explained: "When you reach a certain age, you realise that life is finite. You can be depressed by that, or you can say, 'I'm going to appreciate every minute to its maximum potential.' "
The 'Message In A Bottle' singer's parents both died from cancer in their 50s and he accepts this had a profound effect on his opinion of death.
He added in an interview with the USA Today newspaper: "I've always been a bit saturnine, a serious person. An older person than I was in years. Perhaps that's why I'm not feeling particularly strange about reaching 60."
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Rock and Roll Hall unveils nominees for 2012
Trailblazing women in rock such as Joan Jett and Heart's Wilson sisters, as well as iconic rappers the Beastie Boys were among 15 music acts nominated on Tuesday for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
"From vocal groups to hip-hop, from singer-songwriters to hard rocking artists, this group represents the spirit of what we celebrate at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," president and chief executive Joel Peresman, said in a statement.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose "I Love Rock N' Roll" became an anthem of the musical genre fame, and "Crazy on You" singers Heart, led by Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy Wilson, are both first-time nominees.
They are joined by rockers Guns N' Roses, The Cure, The Small Faces/The Faces and R&B artists The Spinners, Rufus with Chaka Khan, bluesman Freddie King and 1980s rappers Eric B. & Rakim among those nominated to the Hall for the first time.
Repeat nominees who failed to make it into the institution in previous years were the Beastie Boys, funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and War, as well as disco-era songstress Donna Summer and 1960s artists Donovan and Laura Nyro.
The 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 14.
"From vocal groups to hip-hop, from singer-songwriters to hard rocking artists, this group represents the spirit of what we celebrate at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," president and chief executive Joel Peresman, said in a statement.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose "I Love Rock N' Roll" became an anthem of the musical genre fame, and "Crazy on You" singers Heart, led by Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy Wilson, are both first-time nominees.
They are joined by rockers Guns N' Roses, The Cure, The Small Faces/The Faces and R&B artists The Spinners, Rufus with Chaka Khan, bluesman Freddie King and 1980s rappers Eric B. & Rakim among those nominated to the Hall for the first time.
Repeat nominees who failed to make it into the institution in previous years were the Beastie Boys, funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and War, as well as disco-era songstress Donna Summer and 1960s artists Donovan and Laura Nyro.
The 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 14.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Rolling Stones release new single
Doom and Gloom is one of two new songs on their upcoming greatest hits album "GRRR!", which hits shelves on November 12, and there was a sense of relief among critics that the track sounded like the Stones of old.
"Received music industry wisdom has it that new Rolling Stones material exists purely to flog compilation albums or tour tickets," wrote Dan Silver in the Mirror tabloid.
"It's with some relief that we report it's actually rather good," he added in a three-out-of-five star review.
Neil McCormick of the Daily Telegraph also gave Doom and Gloom three stars, saying it was "business as usual" for the band and drawing comparisons between the song and the "basement rock" of their acclaimed 1972 album "Exile on Main Street".
Both critics argued that the song's weakest point was lead singer Mick Jagger's vocals.
"The best bit is when he stops singing and starts blowing," said McCormick of the harmonica interlude.
Silver praised the "nicotine-stained chords" of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards on guitars and Charlie Watts's "customary magic" on the drums, but added:
"If there's a weak link here then it's actually Jagger, who honks and caterwauls over the track like one of his own tribute artists. His extended enunciation is excruciating - almost to the point of parody in places."
"Received music industry wisdom has it that new Rolling Stones material exists purely to flog compilation albums or tour tickets," wrote Dan Silver in the Mirror tabloid.
"It's with some relief that we report it's actually rather good," he added in a three-out-of-five star review.
Neil McCormick of the Daily Telegraph also gave Doom and Gloom three stars, saying it was "business as usual" for the band and drawing comparisons between the song and the "basement rock" of their acclaimed 1972 album "Exile on Main Street".
Both critics argued that the song's weakest point was lead singer Mick Jagger's vocals.
"The best bit is when he stops singing and starts blowing," said McCormick of the harmonica interlude.
Silver praised the "nicotine-stained chords" of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards on guitars and Charlie Watts's "customary magic" on the drums, but added:
"If there's a weak link here then it's actually Jagger, who honks and caterwauls over the track like one of his own tribute artists. His extended enunciation is excruciating - almost to the point of parody in places."
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Pete Wentz dating mystery brunette
Pete Wentz is dating a mystery brunette.
The former Fall Out Boy rocker – who split from wife Ashlee Simpson in February – stepped out with his two-year-old son Bronx and his leggy new lady to visit a Los Angeles playground.
A source told E! News: "She's a model and it's a new relationship. They're taking things slowly but he obviously thinks highly of her to introduce her to Bronx."
The couple were pictured holding hands in the park and he also took her on a date to Katsuya Hollywood restaurant on Sept 19 where he set about impressing her by ordering the most expensive bottle of sake spirit on the menu.
Pete, 32, also cryptically tweeted earlier this week: "You always get to make the decision to be a bright light in someone's life or enhancing their own darkness. Don't complain when you pick wrong."
Ashlee, 26, has also showed she is moving on from the marriage this week, appearing at the Emmy awards with 'Boardwalk Empire' actor Vincent Piazza, where the couple gave a very public display of affection.
The former Fall Out Boy rocker – who split from wife Ashlee Simpson in February – stepped out with his two-year-old son Bronx and his leggy new lady to visit a Los Angeles playground.
A source told E! News: "She's a model and it's a new relationship. They're taking things slowly but he obviously thinks highly of her to introduce her to Bronx."
The couple were pictured holding hands in the park and he also took her on a date to Katsuya Hollywood restaurant on Sept 19 where he set about impressing her by ordering the most expensive bottle of sake spirit on the menu.
Pete, 32, also cryptically tweeted earlier this week: "You always get to make the decision to be a bright light in someone's life or enhancing their own darkness. Don't complain when you pick wrong."
Ashlee, 26, has also showed she is moving on from the marriage this week, appearing at the Emmy awards with 'Boardwalk Empire' actor Vincent Piazza, where the couple gave a very public display of affection.
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