Because We Want To!

Let's take a walk back in time, back to 1998. When the world of pop music was simple and Billie Piper became the youngest artist ever to debut at number 1 in the uk with her debut single "Because We Want To."


Recently the Uk singles chart changed its charting rules to allow a song to chart based on downloads alone. That means that songs end up charting before the physical single is even released.

It also means that technically a song that isn't even a single could end up on the official singles chart! Or that in theory one artist could have every song on their cd on the singles chart if it had enough downloads!





I don't know about you but this sounds insane! Why would any chart company allow something like that to happen?!


Well in the Uk radio DJ Chris Moyles started a campaign to test the new chart rules and see how they favour download sales. His question... Could he get enough people to download Billie Pipers 1998 single "Honey To The Bee" to get it to chart again 8 years later based on downloads alone?


Well the chart was released and sure enough... he did it! Billie Piper hit the Uk singles chart this week for the first time in 6 years with a single that is 8 years old! Honey To The Bee charted at #17 this week based on downloads alone. At one point 'Honey To The Bee' was the 7th most downloaded single on iTunes this week!





I wonder what Billie Piper thinks about all this!? I say we start a campaign to get all kinds of songs back on the chart! Let's start with correcting some errors of the past. The only Spice Girls single not to hit number 1 was 'Stop' in 1998. Lets get 'Stop' to number 1!

Download the song below!
Billie Piper - Honey To The Bee

You Have Yet To See Me Shining...

Kristian Leontiou

After scoring a meeting with the record label 'Polydor' they decided that Kristian would be better suited to sing rap music based on his looks. It took some time but the label finally decided to sign Kristian with his own music in 2003.

Kristian, who has dyslexia, saw initial success as his first single 'Story of my Life' went to #9 and his second single "Shining" hit #12 in the charts. 'Shining' also became the #32nd most played song of the year in 2004. His debut album went gold selling over 100'000 Copies when released in June 2004.

This success didn't last long as his 3rd single 'Some Day' missed the top 40 hitting #57. His album was re-released to minimal success and his final single 'Fast Car' was released as a download only.

The good news is that his debut album is STUNNING. Every track is brilliant in its own right. Kristian is still signed to Polydor records and is working on a 2nd album. Kristian has one of the best voices i've ever heard, listen to the songs from his debut album and you will agree.

Kristian Leontiou - Shining

It took me a little while to get into this song but when i finally gave it a chance it became my personal anthem in 2005. The lyrics are perfect - "I will not be beaten... you have yet to see me shining. I won't take this lying down."

Kristian Leontiou - Love Is All I Need

Kristian Leontiou - The Years Move On

This track was destined to be a single and is just begging to hit the top ten.

Kristian Leontiou - Fast Car

His final single released as download only. I didn't feel like this added anything different from the original Tracey Chapman version. The song itself is amazing and it's nice to ehar a fresh voice singing it and actually pulling it off.

Below is his debut video for 'Story of My Life'

Everybody Needs to Know...

The music industry can be a harsh place and it seems that bargain bins are always full of cd's from artists that deserved to do so much better or at the bottom of the singles chart you'll find a song that should have been top ten and will never make it.

There are a lot of reasons why this happens and often times has a lot to do with poor management and lack of support from radio and record labels.

Meet 'Zoo,' Irelands answer to bands like '5ive' & 'Point Break.' Zoo is a great example of what happens when bad things happen to a great band. Below is their story.

January 05 - Zoo are launched in Ireland. Their first song 'Wanted' is given away as a promo with an Irish teen magazine.

April 05 - After their initial launch in January Zoo finally release their single. Their debut single 'Poison' immediately hit number 1 and went on to become the best selling single in Ireland in 2005.

July 05 - Their 2nd single "I Wanna Be Your Lover' stormed to #3 in the singles chart.

June - July 05 - Zoo spend the summer in the Uk opening for Brian McFadden on his solo tour.

August 05 - Zoo become the first band ever to perform 2 sets at the O2 festival in August where they debut their new single 'Pour Some Sugar On Me.' They receive an amazing reception and become the highlight of the entire festival.

November 05 - Zoo are nominated for best Pop act at the Meteor Awards. The band continues to talk about their next single "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and perform it at concerts across Ireland. It is announced that 'Poison' will be released in the Uk in January 2006.

December 05 - In December there are rumours in the Irish press that the band is about to split. An official announcement is made that the band are not splitting and are working on their debut album and looking forward to the next single.

January 06 - January comes and goes... All information about a Uk release is taken off the official Zoo website. 'Poison' is never released in the Uk. The band shows up at the Meteor Awards where they fail to win best Pop act.

February 06 - Zoo perform at a benefit concert alongside other acts like Liberty X & Lee Ryan. Their official website announced that they have started to work on an album again and would be recording songs in Sweden, Denmark & the Uk.

March 06 - Band member Barry leaves the band.

May 06 - Their official website although it hadn't been updated in almost 2 months is updated with new pictures of the band in a recording studio. It is reported that the band have written and recorded songs with some of the biggest song writers in the industry. The website states it will not be long before Zoo prove that they are here to stay and new material is released.

September 06 - After not being updated for 3 months the official website confirms that Zoo have split up. It is reported that after Barry left the band continued to work on the album but the boys decided something was missing with Barry's absence. The 4 guys decided to remember the band for what it was and move on to other things. Since then 2 of them have formed their own production company while Greg Ryan is continuing on as a solo artist and is releasing his debut single in January 2007. The band finished by posting their unreleased single "Pour Some Sugar On Me" on their website as a free download.

Now you can can discover Zoo for yourself - Download some tracks below.

Zoo - Poision - A boyband with an edge. Their rockin' smash debut single.

Zoo - Wanted - An AMAZING power ballad and the reason I fell in love with Zoo. A very RARE track.

Zoo - Pour Some Sugar On Me - The unreleased Def Leppard cover

Zoo - I Believe - B-side Ballad

*Like what you hear? Be the first to email me at lanocty@hotmail.com to win your own copy of their 2nd single "I Wanna be Your Lover"

Videoclip of the Week: Carola Goes Wild

Hey All...

This is a new feature: "Videoclip of the Week" where I'll post some of the best videos floating around the net.

Todays video is of Swedish Diva Carola. You may have heard of her as she represented Sweden at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.

This video is of her performing her hit "Genom Alt" in Sweden. Watch as Carola storms onto the stage and immedately jumps onto a huge potted plant. It is clear Carola is happy to be peforming today. She is so excited she can't contain herself! She jumps down from the plant, pulls it right up from the pot, roots and all and throws it into the audience! The camera finally shows the poor woman in the audience who has been pelted by Carolas plan cleaning the dirt from her dress.
Oh Carola!

Enjoy!

Evolution Of A Popstar

Jeanette

I'll continue the trend of German Popstars today by examining the evolution of Jeanette Biedermann.

When Jeanette broke onto the music scene in 1999 after winning a singing competition. Her first single wasn't much of a success and she went on to a major acting role on a popular German soap opera from 2000 - 2004. This gave her the chance to try music again. In 2000 she released her first Engligh single 'Go Back.' It wasn't long before Jeanette became known as the German Britney Spears. From this moment on success came easily. 'Go Back' hit the top ten, her debut album went gold and by the end of the next year she won best female national artist at the German Echo Awards.

In 2002 Jeanette released a 3rd album 'Rock My Life' peaking at number 7 in the German albums charts and becoming her 3rd Gold album. All 3 singles from the album hit the top ten. This period saw Jeanette become more confident in herself. She showed more maturity in her performances and public appearaces. She was no longer a little girl. She toured Germany extensively with her 2nd tour - "Rock My Life"

After the innocent young girl grows into a mature young woman what is next? It was time to raise the stakes! In November 2003 Jeanette released her 4th studio album - 'Break On Through.' Her lead single 'Rockin' on Heavens Floor saw Jeanette with a new sexy image in an expensive and polished video. Skin, Leather, Cars & Fire helped push the single to #3 in the singles chart. The album went Platinum and Jeanette launched her biggest your yet. Jeanette has become one of the biggest live Pop acts in Germany. She spent 2004 touring and ended the year by releasing the obligatory Christmas album which contained the new single 'Run With Me.' By far her best video to date which went on to win video clip of the year in 2005's Echo Awards.

Finally in 2006 Jeanette released her 6th album 'Naked Truth.' The album also included a lot of songs produces by her current boyfriend and guitarist Jörg Weissenberg. The album failed to set the charts on fire and peaked at a respectable #14 in the album charts. It seems Jeanette had staryed a little too far from her Pop roots in an effort to become a credible artist. The 3 singles from 'Naked Truth' all failed to enter the top 10.

Jeanette is currently working on a 7th album and we can't wait to see where she goes next! Download some of my favorite Jeanette singles below.

Jeanette - Will You Be There (Peaked at #28 in 2001)

Jeanette - Rock My Life (Peaked at #3 in 2002)

Jeanette - Right Now (Peaked at #4 in 2003)

Jeanette - Rockin' On Heavens Floor (Peaked at #3 2003)

Jeanette - Run With Me (Peaked at #3 in 2004)

Jeanette - Endless Love (Peaked at #22 in 2005)

Buy Jeanette Albums - Here

Watch 'Run With Me' & 'Rockin' On Heavens Floor' Below

Bend It Like Beckham!

The British and American media have gone insane the past week with the annoucement that Victoria and David Beckham are re-locating to L.A.

To celebrate Victoria's arrival in the U.S.A we're taking a look back at the dissapointing solo career of the artist formerly known as 'Posh.'

Victoria was the last Spice Girl to release a solo single after the Spice Girls split. It is interesting to note that all 4 of Victoria's singles hit the top 10 in the Uk but despite the chart placings her musical career is considered a failure.

After her debut album she was dropped by Virgin records. She suprised everyone when she signed a new record deal with Simon Fuller & Telstar records in 2002. After working on a follow-up pop album she decided that she instead wanted to try an R & R influenced sound. As a compromise her record company released a double A-Side with R & B track 'This Groove' & a song from her pop sessions 'Let Your Head Go.' Many of you will remember hearing this track when she performed it on 'World Idol' in December 2003. Although the single hit #3 in the charts the single sold relatively low and a media backlash began. It became clear that Telstar records would never be able to market Victoria as an urban act. Once again Victoria began to work on pop music but when her record label went bust it took her music career with it.

Victoria has since said she will never sing as a solo artist again. In 2006 fans were treated to the leaked pop album that was recorded and never released. Enjoy some of her singles and these unreleased songs below.

Victoria Beckham - Let Your Head Go

Victoria Beckham - Gone

Victoria Beckham - A Mind Of It's Own

Victoria Beckham - Open Your Eyes

I'd also like to give a shout out to my new friend 'PopPosterGirl.' She's a big Gareth Gates & ben Adams fan. She has an amazing and regularly updated blog which you can check out for yourself -Here.

As a shout out to her - here is the Mp3 for Sasha's new single - Coming Home

Sasha - Coming Home

Shout It From The Rooftop!

Sasha is a singer from Germany who's been around now since 1998 and just released a greatest hits album and dvd in December. The guy has racked up 15 top 40 hits in Germany and won a number of awards as well. He's also very cute!

His songs have been really good but he's never managed to match the success of his 2nd and biggest single of his career "If You Believe." Now you can listen to some of my favorite Sasha songs below.

Sasha - Turn It Into Something Special

Sasha - Rooftop

Sasha - This Is My Time

You can watch the video for his new single "Coming Home" below and buy his Greatest Hits - Here

Welcome To Australia!

We now move from Ireland to the land down under. Australia has given the world some of the finest... and some not so fine pop acts. Remember this is the country where Steps - 5,6,7,8 went to number 1!

Human Nature

Human Nature have been around in oneform or another since 1989! Since 1996 the band has had an impressive 17 top 40 singles in Australia and seen some international success. What I find dissapointing is that their last two albums have been collections of Motown cover songs. I'm all for a good cover song once and awhile... but two cover albums in a row is a bit overkill. Nevertheless these two albums have seen huge commercial success in Australia. So enjoy acouple of songs from their biggest pop albums.

Download:

Human Nature - Don't Cry

Human Nature - It's Gonna Be A Long Night

Delta Goodrem

One cannot post about Australian artists and not mention Delta Goodrem. She has become one of Australias biggest stars. She has had a staffering 7 number 1 singles, 2 number one albums and holds a record for winning multiple Female Australian Grammy awards. What makes this success even more remarkable is the fact that in 2004 she successfuly beat cancer; she is only 22 years old.

Download:

Delta Goodrem - Born To Try

Delta Goodrem - Out Of The Blue

Delta Goodrem - Together We Are One (Remix)

Savage Garden

In 1997 Savage Garden hit the international music scene in a huge way when their 3rd single Truly, Madly, Deeply hit number one on almost every chart in the world. The song spent 123 Weeks on the US Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart. The band was nominated for a record breaking 13 Australian Grammy awards of which they won 10! A record that has not been broken to this day. While the band may have called it a day in 2001 after only 2 studio albums Darren Hayes has gone on to achieve some solo succes.

Savage Gargen - I Knew I Loved You (Acoustic Version)

Savage Garden - Affirmation

Bardot

Australias first and most successful "Popstars" band were formed in 2000. In their 2 years together the band had two multiplatinum albums and 6 consecutive top 20 singles in Australia.

Bardot - These Days

Rogue Traders

If you haven't heard of this band in the last year you must have had your head under a rock. Rogue Traders are the latest band in an electro-rock trend that has racked up multiple hit singles across the globe.

Rogue Traders - Voodoo Child

Pretty Scary Silver Fairy

Wow... Sorry It's been so long since my last post, but now that the holidays are over things are slowly getting back to normal. So on with the music and our first post of 2007!





We're launching 2007 by introducing you to Margaret Berger. There's a good chance if you're not from Norway, you've never heard of this young lady. Margaret was the runner up in 2004's Norwegian Idol. After making it to the finals she quickly went on to be come one of the favorites and ended up leaving with 2nd place. This hasn't stopped her from going on to massive success after winning the equivalent of a Grammy in Norway in 2005 for her debut album. Margaret has just released her 2nd album "Pretty Scary Silver Fairy."



I can best describe her as a cross between Rachel Stevens, Kylie Minogie and Annie.

You can download her first 2 singles from her new album below.

Download:
Margaret Berger - Samantha
Margaret Berger - Will You Remember Me Tomorrow