Sporty Spice Interview

One of 2008’s most anticipated new album releases, I AM… SASHA FIERCE is Beyoncé’s first new studio collection since her Grammy-winning multi-platinum-selling B’DAY debuted at #1 on charts around the world shortly after its international release on September 4, 2006 (in celebration of Beyoncé’s 25th birthday).

Each of the discs on Beyoncé’s new double album reveals a distinctly different side of her personality, character and sensibility, a forum for the yin-and-yang of her developing artistry.

One of the discs, titled I AM…, provides Beyoncé with a musical showcase for a group of intimate heartfelt ballads while the SASHA FIERCE disc gives voice to Beyoncé’s up-tempo dance-oriented other side.

“SASHA FIERCE is my alter ego,” says Beyoncé, “and now she has a last name. I have someone else that takes over when it’s time for me to work and when I’m on stage, this alter ego that I’ve created that kind of protects me and who I really am. That’s why half the record, I AM…, is about who I am underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights, and underneath all the exciting star drama. And SASHA FIERCE is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people only know me see.”

With I AM…, Beyoncé reveals a variety of musical aspects and interests that may take her fans by surprise. Citing a range of influences including “folk songs and alternative songs and acoustic guitar…stuff that’s different from what I sing,” Beyoncé has produced, written, recorded and performed a finely crafted selection of contemporary ballads that combine the best elements of pop and soul music while expanding the possibilities of both genres.

“You can hear with ‘If I Were A Boy,’ (one of the album’s first singles), it’s not a traditional R&B song,” she offers. “It’s difficult to grow and to break out and do new things because people have strong expectations. I feel like at this point, I wanted people to hear songs with stronger lyrics and songs that made you feel. I love singing ballads because I feel like the music and the emotion in the story is told so much better. It’s a better connection because you can hear it and it’s not all these other distractions. I really wanted people to hear my voice and hear what I had to say.”

For her I AM… collection, Beyoncé collaborated with some “writers and producers that I normally hadn’t worked with” including producer Toby Gad on “If I Were A Boy” and UK songwriter Amanda Ghost on “Disappear,” which reminds Beyoncé “of the Beatles a tad bit,” “Satellites” and “Ave Maria,” in which Beyoncé re-imagines a classic aria in a new and original musical setting. “When I knew that certain things I wanted to say, I couldn’t say myself, I invited other writers to come in,” she says. “Lyrically, it’s the best album I’ve ever had. If a song didn’t say anything or mean anything to me, I didn’t put it on the record.”

According to Beyoncé, “SASHA FIERCE is kind of the opposite, she’s more the other side because sometimes you don’t want to think; sometimes you just want to feel good. She’s the party girl, she’s Bootylicious. She is but I’m not. She’s my alter ego. I’m finally revealing who I am.”

The lead-in track on the SASHA FIERCE disc is “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Beyoncé’s scorching anthem of personal empowerment. “That song is all about: ‘I’ve been with you all this time, you’re taking too long and now I’m looking hot and you see it and you gotta suffer because you shoulda put a ring on it,’” Beyoncé explains. “In my life, when I put on the stilettos, it’s all about being confident, sometimes overly confident, and hearing all the things that women need to hear to boost themselves and go out and to move on.”

“SASHA FIERCE is fun. There’s an up-tempo song called ‘Radio’ that basically talks about my childhood. It just seems like a feel-good record but when you really listen to the lyrics, it’s about me growing up. In my household, I didn’t go to all of the parties and I didn’t do all the things that a lot of the other teenage girls did because I was so in love with my radio and my music. I was so in love with this radio and my parents were happy that I was into something positive. I try to make up-tempo records that feel good but underneath they’re still saying something. SASHA FIERCE is a collection of the kinds of songs that I’m usually known for and I love just as much as the more intimate side of me.”

Songs on Beyoncé’s I AM… include “If I Were A Boy,” “Halo,” “Disappear,” “Broken Hearted Girl,” “Ave Maria,” and “Satellites.” Beyoncé’s SASHA FIERCE records include “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” “Radio,” “Diva,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Video Phone.”

Producers and writers collaborating with Beyoncé on I AM… SASHA FIERCE include Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Stargate, C. “Tricky” Stewart & Terius “The Dream” Nash, Rodney “DarkChild” Jerkins, Sean “The Pen” Garrett, Solange, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love and Ryan Tedder.

I AM… SASHA FIERCE is Executive Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Mathew Knowles for Music World Productions, Inc.

In addition to the multiple artistic achievements on I AM… SASHA FIERCE, Beyoncé has recently completed work on a pair of high profile movie projects including her role as R&B legend Etta James in Darnell James’ “Cadillac Records.” According to Beyoncé, becoming Etta James on-screen, “was a challenge for me emotionally because Etta had a lot of challenges in her life, things that I’ve never experienced. I had to really dig deep so that I could have the right performance and represent her well. One thing she taught me is her fearlessness; she was Etta all the time. She was bold and she did not try to change who she was for anyone. She was one of the queens. If it weren’t for her crossing over -she was the first African-American woman to cross over on the radio, I wouldn’t have the opportunities that I have. It was the best performance I think I’ve done on screen. It gave me the strength and the confidence to step out of my comfort zone even more.”

“American Carnage” will kick off on January 18 in Seattle, WA for a 26-date trek across North America that will include the six Canadian dates postponed earlier this month. Tickets for most shows go on sale this Friday, November 20. Ticketmaster is offering a special presage for most shows from Wednesday, November 18 at 10AM until Thursday, November 19 at 10PM.

“American Carnage” is the first time that Slayer and Megadeth will have toured the U.S. together since 1991’s epic “Clash of the Titans” tour. To celebrate that, and in recognition of the tough economic times that many of their fans are having, Megadeth and Slayer have decided to roll back the price of a chunk of tickets at every U.S. show to the “1991 price” of $10.00. These specially-priced tickets will be limited and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Megadeth has also teamed with iloveallaccess.com to provide an Ultimate Fan Package including premium seats, meet and greets, pre-show parties and more.

In addition, Testament, who was also on the ‘91 “Clash of the Titans” bill, will be Special Guests on the entire tour, marking the first time that all three bands have shared a stage together in more than 18 years, and making this a “must see” metal event.

Both Megadeth and Slayer will hit the road supporting new albums: Megadeth’s 2009 album, ENDGAME, and Slayer’s World Painted Blood, the band’s 10th studio venture, which hit stores November 3. Testament’s The Formation of Damnation: Special Tour Edition, will be released on February 23, 2010 with special unreleased bonus tracks.

Slayer and Megadeth have already massacred territories together outside of the U.S., first with four explosive dates in June 2009 across Western Canada – “Canadian Carnage” – marking the first time the bands had shared a stage anywhere in 18 years; and then six co-headlining “Carnage” dates in Australia followed in October.

According to various Canadian press outlets last summer: “It was a night of thrash impossible to trash…” “Tales about war, death, destruction, Satan, aliens and serial killers have never been so much fun…” “The two heavy metal heavyweights…went head-to-head on a level playing field. Both bands brought their ‘A’ game. And the results were anything but pretty – unless you include pretty freakin’ loud and pretty freakin’ awesome.”

Slayer. Few bands come close to matching the intensity that Slayer – guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo – bring to its live shows, having been named “Best Live Band” by numerous media outlets including Revolver, SPIN, and Metal Hammer. World Painted Blood offers a Slayer-ized point of view of our world – God’s terrifying global genocide, the chaos of our broken political system, the way-too-close proximity of world horrors that technology has brought us, and a chilling hypothesis of how the rest of the world might view America. The album was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. World Painted Blood was produced by Greg Fidelman who has spent time in the studio with Metallica, the Gossip, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Slipknot and others, and executive produced by long-time Slayer colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project. One reviewer called the album “the heaviest, bloodiest and best album in almost two decades.” Fans got a couple of early morsels of the brutal new Slayer material — “Psychopathy Red,” a Hanneman song inspired by the heinous Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who confessed to savagely murdering 56 children, was recorded last October and then leaked online. Then, the King-penned track, “Hate Worldwide,” was made available in July as a limited-edition single through Hot Topic. For “American Carnage,” Slayer’s Tom Araya promises, “no ballads, no acoustic numbers, no slow tempos.”

Megadeth. 2009 saw the release of ENDGAME, which has been heralded as Megadeth’s best album in years. It’s the record where it all comes full circle in a career that has not only set standards in hard rock and metal, but defined them. Megadeth’s signature shredding and rousing lyrics are the hallmarks of ENDGAME, with vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine once musing and making declarations about the world we live in, having named the album after a government document that should strike fear in the hearts of Americans! But that’s Mustaine and Megadeth, using the vehicle of music to shake things up, to make a point and to rattle your brain, literally, figuratively and sonically. Revolver magazine said of ENDGAME, “One of their best albums.” VH1’s ‘That Metal Show’ deemed it “One of the metal albums of the year,” and Popmatters said, “the record positively scorches with an intensity not heard since Rust in Peace.”

Legendary thrash metal titans Testament, whose latest award-winning release (2008 Album of the Year, Metal Hammer’s Golden God Award) The Formation of Damnation, displays them as the quintessential modern heavy metal band, whose experience and accumulated skill allows them to attack with reserves of anger, energy and finesse that make them more powerful than ever. Lead singer Chuck Billy says, “Uniting these bands is the heavy metal event of generations. We are so proud to be a part of it.”

Slayer and Megadeth are also rescheduling the east coast leg of the “Canadian Carnage tour, postponed from this fall.

Confirmed dates for “American Carnage” are as follows:

JANUARY

18 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA

19 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR

21 Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA

22 Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA

23 Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

25 Magness Arena, Denver, C

26 Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM

27 El Paso Coliseum, El Paso, TX

29 Verizon Wireless, Houston, TX

31 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN

FEBRUARY

1 Gwinnett Arena, Duluth, GA

2 Broadbent Arena, Louisville, KY

4 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN

5 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL

6 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI

9 Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford, CT

11 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ

13 Susquehanna Center, Camden, NJ

14 Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA

16 Pavillon de la Jeunesse, Quebec City, QC

18 John Labatt Centre, London, ON

19 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

20 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

22 Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, NB

23 Metro Centre, Halifax, NS

Shakira

She also began singing and, from the start, displayed a unique voice that stood out among her peers. Because of her already developed strong vibrato, she could only sing the solos in school because her voice overpowered her class mates. Some of her school pals would laugh at her singing and called her sound “animal-like.” But Shakira was undeterred by the criticism. Early on she decided to embrace her individuality and cultivate her unique voice and dance moves.

In a twist that seems like something out of a made-for-TV movie, a local theater producer whom Shakira had befriended met a Sony Music executive on a flight and convinced him to audition Shakira in a motel lobby. He liked what he heard, but his Sony colleagues in Bogotá felt her voice was too unusual. In a sneaky, yet clever move, the label executive arranged an in-person audition for Shakira, but told his record company staffers they were seeing someone else since they had only heard Shakira and never met her. Her talent won over any doubters and the label signed her to a three-album deal. But she was hardly an overnight sensation. Her first album, “Magia,” recorded when she was only 14 in 1991, failed to find an audience. She returned to the studio to record “Peligro”, which came out in 1993 and although the album began to build an audience for her, she felt distant from the songs, feeling the project was more a reflection of her producer’s taste than her own.

Although she was barely known outside of Colombia, Shakira was invited to appear at Chile’s Viña del Mar International Song Festival in February 1993. The Festival featured aspiring Latin American singers performing in front of a huge audience and such well-known judges as soon-to-be fellow Latin superstar Ricky Martin. Shakira’s emotional performance of powerful ballad “Eres” (You Are) landed her in third place and began to build her profile outside of Colombia. After taking time to finish high school, Shakira returned to the studio to make her third album, which reflected her various eclectic influences. The 1995 “Pies Descalzos” album brought her great popularity in Latin America bolstered by the hit singles “Estoy Aquí,” “Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos” and “Dónde Estás Corazón.” The album sold more than 4 million copies and prompted the release of a remix album, which sold another 500,000 copies.

Shakira then turned to renowned producer Emilio Estefan, also known as Gloria Estefan’s husband, to executive produce her fourth album, 1998’s “¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?.” The album drew the attention of not only her loyal and ever-expanding Latin American audience, but Shakira gained fans in non-Spanish-speaking countries like France, Switzerland, Canada and especially the United States. An impressive eight of the album’s 11 tracks were singles, including “Ciega, Sordomuda,” “Moscas En La Casa,” “No Creo,” “Inevitable,” “Tú,” “Si Te Vas,” “Octavo Día” and fan favorite “Ojos Así.” To solidify further Shakira’s growing popularity in America, she performed on MTV’s first Spanish-language edition of “MTV Unplugged.” The subsequent album release of the concert program earned Shakira her first Grammy Award. She was later named favorite international artist at the August 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony that same year, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of “Ojos Así” and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal (”Ojos Así”) and Best Female Rock Vocal (”Octavo Dia”).

After laying down tremendous groundwork in the English-speaking market and being welcomed with open arms, Shakira knew now was the time to reach out to a broader audience. She and Gloria Estefan created English versions of many of the tunes from “Dónde,” but Shakira decided instead to learn English and write the new album herself. As always, eager to continue to explore her roots, she included new Spanish songs. “Laundry Service” contained the mega-smashes “Whenever, Wherever” and ballad “Underneath Your Clothes.” By airing her musical “Laundry” before her adoring public, Shakira went from a Latin American superstar to a global superstar loved by people all over the world. The 2001 album went on to sell more than 13 million albums.

Not surprisingly, by 2002 Shakira had plenty of material for a Spanish greatest hits set. The year was also memorable for her continued mutual admiration society with MTV. She won another MTV Award, as well as five MTV Latin America Video Music Awards. She followed the greatest hits with 2004’s “Live and Off the Record,” a DVD of her Tour of the Mongoose. But even greater things lay ahead as Shakira continued to challenge herself artistically.

In an innovative move, Shakira decided to issue a new project, two albums –one in Spanish and one in English—a few months apart. She wrote 60 songs and then divvied them up for the two projects. Her instincts, once again, proved right on target. “Fijación Oral Vol. 1” came out in June 2005 and landed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., making it the highest debut ever for a Spanish language album in the SoundScan era. It topped the Billboard Latin Album chart upon release, as well as charts in nine other countries. Lead single, “La Tortura,” which featured Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz, shot to #1 on the Hot Latin Tracks Billboard chart where it stayed for a staggering, record-setting 25 weeks. The video for “La Tortura” was the first Spanish-language video added into regular rotation at MTV and VH1.

The album was also an instant sensation closer to home, selling out across South America. It was certified platinum based on first-day sales in Venezuela and triple platinum in her native Colombia. Three days after its release, it had already sold a remarkable one million copies. It has since gone onto sell close to four million units.

The English version, “Oral Fixation Vol. 2,” came out in November 2005. Like its predecessor, it set a few records of its own. The single “Hips Don’t Lie,” featuring Wyclef Jean, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the most played song in the history of pop radio as her fans could not get enough of the sexy tune. The trip to the top made Shakira the only Colombian artist to land at No. 1.

In another sign of Shakira’s now- realized status as both a Spanish and Anglo superstar, “Hips Don’t Lie” landed at #1 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart and No. #1 on the Latin song chart in the same week, marking the first time a song hit the top of both charts simultaneously.
The song was also a digital phenomenon, selling a record-breaking 266,500 downloads in its first week. It hit the million downloads mark faster than any other tune and, to date, has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. “Hips Don’t Lie” also proved to be an extremely popular ringtone worldwide.
“Fijacion Oral Vol. 1” proved as popular with critics as with fans: in February 2006, Shakira won the Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. The album also captured a slew of Latin Grammys, including album of the year. In April 2006, Shakira also received six Billboard Latin Music Awards for the album. Last year, she was additionally honored with the Spirit of Hope Award for her 12-year-old Fundación Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet Foundation), which aids child victims of violence in Colombia by providing education, emotional, nutritional, psychological and medical support.

The English version also captured its share of accolades. “Hips Don’t Lie” snared a Grammy nomination for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2007. She was the most nominated artist for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home the statue for best choreography. “Oral Fixation” has sold more than 8 million copies.

With both the English and Spanish versions whetting her fans’ appetites around the world for the real thing, the Colombian star took to the road on her biggest world tour yet in June 2006. The 140-date outing touched fans in North America, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America and sold out 98% of the shows, including concerts at New York’s prestigious Madison Square Garden, Miami’s American Airlines Arena and Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Shakira once again made history when she performed in front of more than 200,000 fans at Mexico City’s Plaza del Zocalo, the largest crowd in Mexican history. She also played in front of the pyramids in Egypt and for the first time in Dubai.
Shakira proved equally popular with her fellow superstars as with her fans. She became the go-to girl they sought out to sing with. Shakira duetted with Alejandro Sanz on “Te lo Agradezco, Pero No.” In 2007, she teamed with Beyonce for their international hit “Beautiful Liar” from the deluxe edition of Beyonce’s “B’Day” album. In addition to topping the chart in 12 territories, the song set the record for the largest jump ever on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. by soaring 91 positions from No. 94 to No. 3 in one week. It also debuted at No. 1 on both the Hot Digital Tracks and Hot Digital Songs charts. Shakira also appeared on Miguel Bose’s “Si Tu No Vuelves,” from his career-spanning collection “Papito.”

Never known to sit still or rest on her laurels, Shakira is now trying her hand at writing music for films. She has co-written and recorded two songs for November’s “Love in the Time of Cholera,” the movie version of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s international bestseller starring Javier Bardem. She also plans to continue her education by studying both history and art. In addition to Fundación Pies Descalzos, she launched a new charity, ALAS (Latin America in Solidary Action) . The foundation, funded by private donations and non-governmental organizations, endeavors to contribute to building a prosperous Latin America that can provide health care for its children. Shakira and many of her fellow artists, including Juanes, Sanz, Bose, Ricky Martin, Maná and others, also committed to performing regular benefits to raise funds for ALAS.

Regardless of which direction her interests take her, Shakira will always return to music and to her fans but her place in music history is already secure. According to the United World Chart, with three years to go, she is already the fourth most successful artist of the 2000s. From the Grammys, the Latin Grammys and the MTV Video Music Awards to her role as an ambassador for the UNICEF to her foundations Pies Descalzos and ALAS, Shakira’s contributions have been ambitious and yet, at the same time, she makes them, somehow, appear effortless. Just like you’d expect from someone full of grace.

Together, the duo formed their first band together, Wicked Lester, who borrowed heavily from their heroes, the Beatles, and just about any other hip musical style at the moment. The band recorded an album that never saw the light of day, but while in the band, the two first came up with the idea of putting on a real show for the audience: makeup, costumes, and a grand stage show. They eventually hooked up with two other New Yorkers, Peter Criscoula and Paul Frehley. All the members changed their names (Eisen became Paul Stanley; Criscoula to Peter Criss; Frehley to Ace Frehley; and Klein was re-christened Gene Simmons), and assumed identities relating to their personalities. Kiss then became one of the top hard rock acts of the 70s and beyond.

While Kiss’ fame was sky-rocketing, Simmons tried his hand at another facet of the music biz: scouting up-and-coming talent. He tried to convince Kiss’ manager to sign a young California band called Mammoth in the mid-’70s, who eventually renamed themselves Van Halen. Simmons’ pleas fell on deaf ears, but the event sowed the seeds for Simmons launching his own record company (albeit short-lived) in the ’80s, Simmons Records, as well as briefly managing Liza Minnelli. In addition to his work with Kiss, Simmons has tried his hand at acting on the big screen with varying degrees of success; Runaway, Trick Or Treat, Wanted: Dead Or Alive, and Never Too Young to Die are just some of the films he’s appeared in. Simmons is also a shrewd businessman, often credited as the main force behind turning Kiss into a mega-dollar-generating, merchandising machine (look no further than Kiss’ top-grossing 1996-1997 reunion tour).

With Kiss announcing their Farewell Tour in 2000, some assumed that it would be the last the public would hear from Simmons and company. But this proved hardly to be the case, as the band toured the world (off and on) for the next few years. Meanwhile, Simmons became involved in numerous projects: including penning an autobiography (2001’s Kiss & Make-Up), creating his own magazine (Gene Simmons’ Tongue), developing his own clothing line (”Gene Simmons’ Dragonfly”), hosting the TV show Hit Men, and was in discussions for re-launching his Simmons Records label, his acting career, and starting up his own TV talk show (The Gene Simmons Show). Simmons took a break from farewell tours in 2004 and released his second solo album, ***HOLE, on the Sanctuary label. ~ Gene Prato, Allmusic.com

Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958, in Gary, IN. The fifth son of steelworker Joe Jackson, Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His childhood was strictly regimented; from the start, he was to an extent sheltered from the outside world by his mother’s Jehovah’s Witness faith, and his father was by all accounts an often ill-tempered disciplinarian. Joe began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962, and Michael joined them the following year, quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. His dead-on mastery of James Brown’s dance moves and soulful, mature-beyond-his-years vocals made him a natural focal point, especially given his incredibly young age. Dubbed the Jackson 5, the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969, when Michael was just 11 years old. “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” all hit number one in 1970, making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Motown began priming Michael for a solo career in 1971, and his first single, “Got to Be There,” was issued toward the end of the year; it hit the Top Five, as did the follow-up, a cover of Bobby Day’s “Rockin’ Robin.” Later in 1972, Jackson had his first number one solo single, “Ben,” the title song from a children’s thriller about a young boy who befriends Ben, the highly intelligent leader of a gang of homicidal rats. Given the subject matter, the song was surprisingly sincere and sentimental, and even earned an Oscar nomination. However, the momentum of Jackson’s solo career (much like that of the Jackson 5) soon stalled. He released his fourth and final album on Motown in 1975, and the following year, he and his brothers (save Jermaine) signed to Epic and became the Jacksons.

In 1977, Jackson landed a starring role alongside Diana Ross in the all-black film musical The Wiz, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz; here he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. Encouraged by the success of the Jacksons’ self-produced, mostly self-written 1978 album Destiny, Jackson elected to resume his solo career when his management contract with his father expired shortly thereafter. With Jones producing, Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult, Off the Wall. An immaculately crafted set of funky disco-pop, smooth soul, and lush, sentimental pop ballads, Off the Wall made Jackson a star all over again. It produced four Top Ten singles, including the number one hits “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You,” and went platinum (it went on to sell over seven million copies); even so, Jackson remained loyal to his brothers and stayed with the group.

No group could have contained Jackson’s rapidly rising star for long; however, there was still no sign (if there ever could be) that his next album would become the biggest in history. Released in 1982, the Quincy Jones-produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall; the dance and rock tracks were more driving, the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful, and all of it was recognizably Michael. Jackson brought in Paul McCartney for a duet, guitarist Eddie Van Halen for a jaw-dropping solo, and Vincent Price for a creepy recitation. It was no surprise that Thriller was a hit; what was a surprise was its staying power. Jackson’s duet with McCartney, “The Girl Is Mine,” was a natural single choice, and it peaked at number two; then “Billie Jean” and the Van Halen track “Beat It” both hit number one, for seven and three weeks respectively. Those latter two songs, as well as the future Top Five title track, had one important feature in common: Jackson supported them with elaborately conceived video clips that revolutionized the way music videos were made. Jackson treated them as song-length movies with structured narratives: “Billie Jean” set the song’s tale of a paternity suit in a nightmarish dream world where Jackson was a solitary, sometimes invisible presence; the anti-gang-violence “Beat It” became an homage to West Side Story; and the ten-minute-plus clip for “Thriller” (routinely selected as the best video of all time) featured Jackson leading a dance troupe of rotting zombies, with loads of horror-film makeup and effects. Having never really accepted black artists in the past, MTV played the clips to death, garnering massive publicity for Jackson and droves of viewers for the fledgling cable network. Jackson sealed his own phenomenon by debuting his signature “moonwalk” dance step on May 16, 1983, on Motown’s televised 25th anniversary special; though he didn’t invent the moonwalk (as he himself was quick to point out), it became as much of a Jackson signature as his vocal hiccups or single white-sequined glove.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Thriller just kept spinning off singles, including “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” the airy ballad “Human Nature,” and “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”; in all, seven of its nine tracks wound up in the Top Ten, obliterating conventional ideas of how many singles could be released from an album before it ran its course. Thriller stayed on the charts for over two years, spent 37 nonconsecutive weeks at number one, and became the best-selling album of all time; it went on to sell 25 million copies in the U.S. alone, and around another 20 million overseas. Naturally, Jackson won a slew of awards, including a record eight Grammys in one night, and snagged the largest endorsement deal ever when he became a spokesman for Pepsi (he would later be burned in an accident while filming a commercial). At the end of 1983, Jackson was again on top of the singles charts, this time as part of a second duet with McCartney, “Say Say Say.” In 1984, Jackson rejoined his brothers one last time for the album Victory, whose supporting tour was one of the biggest (and priciest) of the year. The following year, he and Lionel Richie co-wrote the anthemic “We Are the World” for the all-star famine-relief effort USA for Africa; it became one of the fastest-selling singles ever.

Even at this early stage, wild rumors about Jackson’s private life were swirling. His shyness and reluctance to grant interviews (ironically, due in part to his concerns about being misrepresented) only encouraged more speculation. Some pointed to his soft-spoken, still girlish voice as evidence that he’d undergone hormone treatments to preserve the high, flexible range of his youth; stories were told about Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber to slow the aging process, and purchasing the skeleton of John Merrick, the Elephant Man (Jackson did view the bones in the London Hospital, but did not buy them). Jackson bought a large ranch in California which he dubbed Neverland, and filled it with amusement park rides and animals (including the notorious pet chimpanzee Bubbles), which only fueled the public’s perception of him as a somewhat bizarre eccentric obsessed with recapturing his childhood. He also underwent cosmetic surgery several times, which led to accusations from the black community that his gradually lightening skin tone was the result of an intentional effort to become whiter; a few years later, Jackson revealed that he had a disorder called vitiligo, in which pigment disappears from the skin, leaving large white blotches and making direct sunlight dangerous. One of the rumors that was definitely true was that Jackson owned the rights to the Beatles’ catalog; in 1985, he acquired ATV Publishing, the firm that controlled all the Lennon-McCartney copyrights (among others), which wound up costing him his friendship with McCartney.

During his long layoff between records, Jackson indulged his interest in film and video by working with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 3-D short film Captain Eo. The special-effects extravaganza was shown at the enormous widescreen IMAX theaters in Disney’s amusement parks for 12 years, beginning in 1986. Finally, Jackson re-entered the studio with Quincy Jones to begin the near-impossible task of crafting a follow-up to Thriller. Bad was released to enormous public anticipation in 1987, and was accompanied by equally enormous publicity. It debuted at number one, and the first single, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” with vocal accompaniment by Siedah Garrett, also shot up the charts to number one. Like Thriller, Bad continued to spin off singles for well over a year after its release, and became the first album ever to produce five number one hits; the others were “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Dirty Diana.” Jackson supported the album with a lengthy world tour that featured a typically spectacular, elaborate stage show; it became the highest-grossing tour of all time. Although Jackson’s success was still staggering, there were faint undercurrents of disappointment, partly because of the unparalleled phenomenon of Thriller (Bad “only” sold eight million copies), and partly because the album itself didn’t seem quite as exuberant or uniformly consistent when compared to its predecessors.

Jackson took another long hiatus between albums, giving the media little to focus on besides his numerous eccentricities; by this time, the British tabloids delighted in calling him “Wacko Jacko,” a name he detested. When Jackson returned in with a new album in late 1991, he’d come up with a different moniker: “the King of Pop.” Dangerous found Jackson ending his collaboration with Quincy Jones in an effort to update his sound; accordingly, many of the tracks were helmed by the groundbreaking new jack swing producer Teddy Riley. As expected, the album debuted at number one, and its lead single, “Black or White,” shot to the top as well. Jackson courted controversy with the song’s video, however; after the song itself ended, there was a long dance sequence in which Jackson shouted, grabbed his crotch, and smashed car windows in a bizarre display that seemed at odds with the song’s harmonious message. With the video given a high-profile, prime-time network premiere, Jackson was criticized for the inappropriate violence and the message it might send to his younger fans. However, Jackson would not be the biggest story in popular music for long. In early 1992, Nirvana’s Nevermind symbolically knocked Dangerous out of the number one spot; after the alternative rock revolution, the pop charts would never be quite the same. Jackson scored several more hits off the album, including the Top Tens “Remember the Time” and “In the Closet,” but the aggressive “Jam” and the saccharine “Heal the World” both performed disappointingly.

Jackson had long preferred the company of children over other adults, and befriended quite a few, inviting them to stay at his Neverland Ranch and enjoy the massive playground he’d assembled over the years. In 1993, Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who’d become a frequent guest at Neverland. Predictably, there was a tabloid feeding frenzy, and a mainstream media circus as well. In the court of public opinion, the charges seemed all too plausible: Jackson was near-universally perceived as a weirdo, and here was a handy explanation for his heretofore asexual persona and distaste for adult companions. Additionally, Jackson entered rehab for a short time, seeking treatment for an addiction to pain killers. Investigations were unsuccessful in turning up any other boys who echoed the allegations, and Jackson countersued his accusers for attempting extortion; however, in spite of the fact that no criminal charges were ever filed against Jackson, he settled the boy’s family’s suit out of court in early 1995, paying an estimated 18 to 20 million dollars. Many felt the settlement was tantamount to an admission of guilt, and when Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, the move was perceived as a desperate ploy to rehabilitate his image; the marriage broke up just 19 months later, seemingly lending credence to the charge.

In 1995, Jackson attempted to put the focus back on his music by preparing HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1, a two-CD set featuring one disc of new material and one of his greatest hits. The album debuted at number one, but the format backfired on Jackson: his fans already owned the hits, and the new album simply wasn’t strong enough to offset the added cost of the extra disc for many more casual listeners. There were some encouraging signs — the lead single “Scream,” a duet with sister Janet, debuted at number five, setting a new American chart record that was broken when the follow-up, “You Are Not Alone,” became the first single ever to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number one. But on the whole, HIStory was something of a disappointment. Additionally, Jackson collapsed during rehearsals for an awards show later that year, and had to be rushed to the hospital; what was more, the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was threatening to catch Thriller’s American sales record (it eventually did, and the two continued to run neck and neck). There were signs that Jackson was grasping at his self-proclaimed King of Pop status; the cover of HIStory depicted an enormous statue of Jackson, and he performed at the 1996 BRIT Awards dressed as a Messiah, with children and a rabbi surrounding him worshipfully (Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker stormed the stage to protest Jackson’s hubris during the middle of the song). The 1997 remix album Blood on the Dance Floor failed to even go platinum, although remix albums historically don’t perform nearly as well as new material.

In late 1996, Jackson remarried, to nurse Debbie Rowe; over the next two years, the couple had two children, son Prince Michael Jackson, Jr. and daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. However, Jackson and Rowe divorced in late 1999. In 2001, Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and later held a massive concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating the 30th anniversary of his first solo record. Among many other celebrity guests, the show featured the first on-stage reunion of the Jacksons since the Victory tour. In the wake of September 11, Jackson put together an all-star charity benefit single, “What More Can I Give.” His new album, Invincible, was released late in the year, marking the first time he’d issued a collection of entirely new material since Dangerous; it found him working heavily with urban soul production wizard Rodney Jerkins. Invincible debuted at number one and quickly went double platinum; however, its initial singles, “You Rock My World” and “Butterflies,” had rather disappointing showings on the charts, with the latter not even reaching the Top Ten. To compound matters, the expensive “What More Can I Give” single and video were canceled by Sony when executive producer Marc Schaffel was revealed to work in pornography. Jackson’s camp tried to distance the singer from Schaffel, and the various corporations that were attached to it (McDonalds, Sony) claimed they had minimal involvement if any with the song. Sony and Jackson began a press war in the summer of 2002, starting with Jackson’s claims that the label asked for 200 million dollars to pay them back for marketing costs. Although they had spent 55 million on his disappointing comeback, Sony released a statement saying that no such request had ever been made. Jackson stewed for a few weeks before launching a press attack on Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola, calling him “devilish” and making claims that he used racist language and held down black artists. Many Sony artists, including Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin, defended Mottola, but Jackson and his family maintained that racism ended their professional relationship.

From that point, Jackson’s career took an extreme turn toward the bizarre, starting with MTV’s annual Video Awards. When Britney Spears presented him with a birthday cake, an offhand remark about being the artist of the millennium inspired a rambling Jackson to accept a meaningless trophy (which everyone presenting on-stage received) as an actual Artist of the Millennium award. Next came accusations from a promotional company over his promises of a tour and several appearances that he then canceled. Jackson arrived in court late, gave a drowsy testimony, and inspired gasps when he removed a surgical mask to reveal his nose had caved in from a botched cosmetic surgery. Only days later, German fans were horrified when Jackson came to the balcony of his hotel suite and briefly dangled his 11-month old baby Prince Michael II (nicknamed “Blanket” by Jackson) over the edge with one arm. Although he apologized the next day, claiming he had gotten caught up in the moment, this only did more to cement the King of Pop’s public image as an out-of-control millionaire. 2003 turned out to not be Jackson’s year as in November his Neverland Ranch was extensively searched by police, whereby he was subsequently arrested on charges of child molestation. That same month the single disc retrospective Number Ones hit the stands with one new song, “One More Chance”. A year later – nearly to the day – the four CD and one DVD box set The Ultimate Collection appeared with numerous rarities including the original demo for “We Are the World”. In January 2005 his child molestation trial began and by May he was acquitted on all counts. Jackson soon relocated to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain and began working on new music including a charity single that would benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The single never appeared but the two disc The Essential Michael Jackson did and in 2006 the strange box set Visionary was released featuring 20 DualDiscs replicating 20 big hit singles with their videos included on the DVD side. In early 2007 it was announced that a comeback album was planned for late in the year; the album never materialized.

While in the middle of rehearsing for a series of 50 comeback concerts scheduled for the summer of 2009, Michael Jackson collapsed from a cardiac arrest on the afternoon of June 25, 2009. He was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at the age of 50. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Simon Cowell

During his time at BMG, Simon has sold over 150 million records and has had over 70 No. 1 records in America and the UK. His artists include Westlife – whose first seven singles all went to UK No. 1, opera quartet Il Divo, whose first two albums have collectively sold 20 million copies worldwide and Leona Lewis whose album ‘Spirit’ became biggest selling debut album of all time in 2007. His music label SyCo Music has also sold over 50 million American Idol themed albums including those of Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood.

Simon Cowell’s trademark candor and eye for talent on “American Idol” has made him a household name both in the United States and in the UK on “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent”.

Cowell was recently ranked 3rd on the Forbes “TV Faces” list and 21st on the 2007 Forbes “Celebrity 100 Power List.” In 2006, Cowell was named “UK Personality of the Year” by Variety, and in 2004 was named one of the Top Entertainers of the Year by Entertainment Weekly.

ODB’s solo career began in 1995, making him the third member of the Wu-Tang Clan to release a solo album, following GZA’s 1991 debut, Words from the Genius, and Method Man’s 1994 effort Tical. Released in 1995,
Return to Chambers: The Dirty Version spawned the hit singles “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”, which helped propel the album to gold status. The album’s sound was as raw and gritty as 36 Chambers, producer RZA creating beats even more minimalist and stripped-down than on the group’s debut. When ODB died in 2004 he left behind a growing fan base and a legacy as the most talented and unique of the entire Wu-Tang Clan. This record recently uncovered deep in the vaults of the Wu-Tang chambers is a record that will satisfy his fans and is an offi cial ODB album and not a tribute album. This is ODB’s music raw and to the point.

“Message to the Other Side – Osiris Part 1” has 21 tracks. Executive produced by Allah and featuring Wu Tang Clan’s ODB, The RZA and affiliates 4th Disciple, Brooklyn Zu, Allah, Masta Killah, Free Murder and others. This record has Dirty’s family and the entire Wu-Tang Clan behind him. A bonus to this package is a DVD a 20 minute excerpt of the soon to be released film “Dirty,” a Rapumentary about ODB.

Wah-Lay

Twenty-four-year old Wale Folarin first broke out and broke ground in 2005, appearing in the Source magazine’s vaunted Unsigned Hype column—the same column that launched the careers of the Notorious B.I.G., Common, and Mobb Deep. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Wale was exposed to all sorts of music growing up. His father, a city cab driver, would field radio requests day and night from his wide-ranging clientele. He’d then bring these different sounds into his own family’s home. “His musical tastes were all over the place,” Wale grins. “By the time I was born, I got all of them. Of course, in D.C. we have the go-go influence; that’s the sound of my niche so to speak. Then my father loved African music; then I would hear records from Thriller to the Beatles to LL Cool J to Jay-Z to Camp Lo to everything from down South. I was listening to all that stuff.”

So many stimuli could prove distracting. Indeed, Wale wrestled with incorporating his array of musical influences into a finished product that was cohesive and fluid. “I kept coming back to Jay-Z’s The Black Album, how it was personal and musical,” he reflects. “I wanted to do an album like that because D.C. is musical. But when I sat down to write, I felt different every session. So the album is musical, but it doesn’t have one theme. When I felt something, I put it down. That’s why it’s called Attention: Deficit. I don’t speak on one thing. And I finally got comfortable with that; after all, there’s a lot I wanted to say.”

For years, Wale built his yen to speak. But it wasn’t for inactivity or sitting idly and thinking deep thoughts. Wale was a collegiate athlete when the Source column hit, playing football at Bowie State University. He’d previously played at both Robert Morris College and Virginia State University. In what little free time remained, he toured furiously on the strength of digital mixtapes such as Paint a Picture and Hate is the New Love. In 2007, he independently released the record “Good Girls,” which caught the ear of world-renowned DJ and producer Mark Ronson. The two felt instant creative synergy, and Wale signed to Ronson’s Allido records. That same year, the two performed at the legendary Glastonbury Music Festival and also at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Wale followed the grounds well with a string of successful mixtapes—such as 2008’s superlative Mixtape About Nothing and the recent gem Back to the Feature. Both the underground and the mainstream had taken notice; Wale graced a 2008 XXL Magazine cover, alongside upstart blue chippers Asher Roth, Kid Cudi and Charles Hamilton, as part of the magazine’s yearly Freshman 10 feature. Each year, XXL anoints ten MCs charged with leading hip-hop. Wale is at the very forefront of that movement.

Need another industry cosign? Try Hov himself. Jay-Z opened both his arms and his doors to the D.C. MC, signing Wale to his Roc Nation management company. Wale embraced the opportunity, for himself and his oft-maligned hometown. “When I first met with Jay, I was like: ‘I want to do 100,000 the first week, 50,000 in D.C.,” Wale harkens. “He was like: ‘Don’t think about putting D.C. on the map, don’t put that pressure on yourself because a lot of other people will put it on you,’” Wale reveals. “‘Just concentrate on making the best music you can and hope DC gets the attention it deserves.’ That’s one of the best pieces of advice Jay-Z ever gave me.”

The sage advice has paid off. Wale comes armed with his ambitious yet polished debut album, Attention: Deficit, dropping September 22nd. Released earlier this spring, first single “Chillin’” featuring Lady Gaga and produced by gifted beatsmiths Cool & Dre, has already damaged airwaves and dancefloors worldwide. Wale’s unorthodox delivery interweaves with Lady Gaga’s infectious, rambunctious melody. “I just wanted to do something fun,” he says of “Chillin.’ “It’s totally left from the rest of my album. I wanted to collaborate with somebody who’s never worked with a rapper to get the net as wide as I could— bring everybody into my world. Like, ‘Look dog, this is what these 300,000, 400,000 people have been talking about for years.’ This album will illustrate what people been talking about: creativity, showmanship, lyricism, impeccably written songs, everything that made people follow me from jump.”

Another joint to check for is “Mirror,” produced by Mark Ronson and featuring Bun B. “‘Mirror, tell me I’m the realest/All these other ni–as got gimmicks in their lyrics,’” Wale raps. “I can look at you without having a problem. I know who I am. ‘Mirror’ is all about integrity.” Elsewhere, find the fitting “Artistic Integrity Part 2,” also called “Center of Attention.” “I’m talking about the world from an artist’s point of view,” Wale informs. “There’s a line where I say people are ‘keeping up with Khloe and Kim [Kardashian], not the Obamas though.’ I’m analyzing people keeping with pop culture and America’s fascination with celebrity. When people get obsessed with it, it makes you wonder what are we doing with our lives?” But Attention: Deficit is not about preaching, it’s about sharing. Wale’s many facets are on glittering display. “My goal is to just connect with people,” he explains. “I think my album does that because I have big, unusual ideas. There are songs about insecurities, songs about love but from a dark side of it. Listeners will find something that makes sense to them.”

“No matter what, you keep growing,” he concludes. “It’s like I’ve done 1200-seat shows and sold them out. OK, I want to do 3,000 now. The press picked me to be one of the dudes to blow up in hip-hop; let me do it. But when I do it, don’t praise me too hard, just let me do it again. I might be the best, but the world doesn’t know that yet. Then when I am number one, I will have to prove it every single time. And I will.”

Lifehouse

Smoke & Mirrors started out with a mission to capture the live, rock side of the band; a sound they had perfected after three years of solid touring. Songs like “Smoke & Mirrors,” “Wrecking Ball” and “Had Enough” (with guest vocals by Chris Daughtry) have a very raw and stage driven feel to them. However, after living with the early tracks and experimenting with others, a piece of the puzzle seemed to be missing.

Equal to their enthusiasm for the live sound, they also love to make studio records. After all, one of Lifehouse’s greatest achievements is the tens of millions of radio spins garnered over the span of 4 albums, so to create a record solely focusing on the sound from their show felt off balance.

A trip back into the studio to experiment in more of a ‘record making’ effort produced tracks like “All In,” “Here Tomorrow Gone Today” and the first single “Halfway Gone” co written by Kevin Rudolf (Let it Rock). Songs sure to be heard on radio for years to come.

With this light hearted concept and fitting title, Smoke & Mirrors properly defines the best that Lifehouse has to offer, showcasing a band that not only makes hit records but can rock a stage!