The ladies from Danity Kane were personally picked by music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs on MTV's Making The Band 3 to be the next big girl group. Groomed by the best talent coaches in the hip hop and R&B industry, Shannon Bex, Audrea Fimbes, Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard and D. Wood found out quickly that a superstar endorsement and a hit reality TV show does not sell records. It takes hard work, endless performing and very little sleep to make it in the music business. More than they had ever expected. But they take it in stride, because at ...

Last week, I wrote I had planned a hot date with a hot British pop star. I'm excited to reveal that I will be chatting with none other than Amy Winehouse tomorrow. And I need your help! I'd love to include your questions in the interview. Go ahead and leave your questions for Amy in the comment field or email them to me. Her answers will be posted on Arjanwrites.com. While coming up with some questions for Amy, enjoy a guilt-free MP3 download of her helluva good new single "You Know I'm No Good." The song is currently ...

Meet Alice Smith, one of the most talented singers to emerge in 2006. This Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter has a remarkable, four-octave vocal range that perfectly fits her infectious blend of soul, pop and and blues. Growing up in both Washington D.C. and her grandmother's farm in Augusta, GA, Smith combines a heavy dose of urban grit with the warm soul vibe of the South. For the last eleven years, she lived in New York City to pursue a career in music. Her debut album "For Lovers, Dreamers & Me" was released last year and invokes musical memories ranging from the young ...

Bloggers are going ga ga over this new video by British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. I must say that it is quite good. I like the video for the Cathy Dennis-penned "Catch You" more than the song itself, which might grow old faster than you think. There is something slightly surreal about Sophie running frantically as a Spanish flamenca across the smelly canals of Venice. If Sophie was dressed in white it would have been Madonna's "Like A Virgin" all over again. And I must admit that Sophie is quite a stunning beauty in that sort of elusive Coco Chanel kind ...

Here is another hot one for your Disco Friday. Keith Kerr and Drew Cosgrove of The Defence DJ and production team have put together an excellent remix of Prestige's free-spirited underground hit "Sexual Prophecy." Some of you might know The Defence from their song "Frank Sinatra" that was featured on Popjustice's second podcast and legendary Chart Of Truth."Sexual Prophecy" was initially recorded by the now-defunct Kubukidolls that was formed by singer and drag personality Prestige (aka Kurt Trendelenberg). Kurt writes me that he might return with a new line up of the Kubukidolls in the future. Hailing from ...

I love it when you turn on the radio in Europe and all you get is dance music. One of the tracks that struck my interest is a mash up of Mason's "Exceeder" with Princess Superstar's "Perfect." Just like Bodyrox' "Yeah Yeah" it is one of those songs that combines a hard-hitting electro beat with raw, spunky vocals. It is like rock 'n roll for the dance generation. The song will formally be released as a single in Europe on January 22. Mason is a young and upcoming DJ/producer from The Netherlands who was trained in classical music. He ...

According to the Washington Post, Lupe Fiaso is the "in" rapper for 2007. The young Chicago MC has been taking the hip hop world by storm with his debut "Food & Liquor" that was released last September.  Fiasco's appeal reaches beyond the mainstream hip hop audience and the video for his Pharrell-esque single "Kick Push" was even featured on MTV's gay cable network LOGO late last year. Fiasco's latest single is an updated version of the classic "Daydreamin'" that features soul singer Jill Scott. It samples I Monster's "Daydream in Blue" that was originally composed by Gunter ...

Greetings everybody! I am traveling in Europe today so new posts will appear a bit later than usual. I just arrived in Amsterdam and I'm now on my way to Lisbon. Next week before I return to NYC, I have a very hot date with a very hot British pop star. Details to follow soon. Stay tuned! ...

You might remember Skye as the voice of Morcheeba on albums like "Big Calm" that sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Last year, Skye released her first solo album "Mind How You Go" in Europe.  The album turned out to be a very personal affair that featuring a lot of Skye's own songwriting. First single taken from the album is "What's Wrong With Me" that Skye wrote together with Patrick Leonard who is mostly know for his work with Madonna. After being part of Moracheeba for so long, Leonard showed Skye a whole new way of writing music. ...

Check out this cute Mika video to promote his upcoming single "Grace Kelly" and album "Life In Cartoon Motion" that will hit stores on March 27. If you missed the music video for "Grace Kelly," check it out here. Much more about Mika on Arjanwrites.com very soon. In the meantime, you can already get Mika's "Love Today" on iTunes. The song is currently featured in the Motorola RED commerical and several MTV promos. ...

I'm meeting Joel Madden of Good Charlotte later today. The guys have recorded a great new album that drops in March. It is a lot more dancefloor ready than the punk pop of their previous two records. You will be be singing along to their dance rock stomper "Dance Floor Anthem." Guaranteed. (And no. I'm not going to ask him about this.) ...

If Justin Timberlake and Sting could have a baby his name would be Roz Bell, my first hot tip for 2007. With his infectious "rock 'n soul" sound and good looks to boot, Bell is the perfect package to storm the pop charts this year. His album "The First Sunbeams" will be released in March in Canada. No U.S. release date has been scheduled at this time. But this urban troubadour is signed to Universal so with a bit of luck he can be heard around the globe before you know it. Hailing from Toronto, Bell started ...

Andy reports today about the coming out of Bloc Party singer Kele Okoreke. In a candid interview with the Guardian, Okoreke explains that he is ready to publicly discuss his sexuality now that it directly relates to the music on Bloc Party's upcoming new album "A Weekend In The City." "I think I'm going to have to [talk about it]. With the first album I didn't think it was essential to the experience. I didn't want to have to talk about it in a tabloid way," Okoreke says. "It wasn't there in the songs, so why did ...

Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" is getting better and better the more I listen to it. Mark Randon did an amazing job producing a song that fits her Shirley Bassey tone perfectly. Rehab might just what the singer needs right now. PerezHilton.com reports that the singer appeared drunk on stage for her performance at G.A.Y. in London this past weekend. A witness wrote that she sang only one song and than ran off stage. Check out a mix of her hit "Rehab" by hot British electro pop group Hot Chip. Their interpretation of the track is very close to the original so don't ...

Yesterday, Astralwerks formally announced that French electronica duo Air will release their new album "Pocket Symphony" in the U.S. on March 6. "Returning at times to some of the liquid funk and orchestral pop that characterized their very early recordings, the band has also added some far-Eastern flavor and some great guest vocal performances from Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy)," states the label's press release. Head over to Air's MySpace page to preview their new single "Once Upon A Time" that sounds like another slice of their gorgeous electro pop. Air's Nicolas Godin and ...

Eric Prydz became one of the superheroes of the European dance scene with his massive crossover hit "Call On Me" back in 2004. On his new single "Proper Education," the Swedish DJ and producer attempts to revamp one of the greatest rock songs of all time, Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall." Prydz said in an interview with BBC Radio One that he decided to put out this special remix as a single after it became an audience favorite in Ibiza this past summer. However, it took several months for Pink Floyd to provide clearance. I am not ...