For San Cisco, there has been very little waiting around. The four-piece have followed their own path since emerging from Fremantle, Western Australia a few years ago. From humble beginnings of weekend jams to being nominated for a 2011 Unearthed J Award, the band have a natural chemistry, growing organically into their own mold to create their sophomore EP, Awkward.

Lead single “Awkward” is an unmistakable pop gem featuring the vocal talents of both Jordi Davieson and drummer, Scarlett Stevens. Penned in the studio one afternoon, the song has since risen to become a triple j favorite in Australia, embedding itself in the head and hearts of listeners as they respond to the band by voting it in for a week as the number one most requested song.

“Awkward” – San Cisco by PlanetaryOnlinePR

Following on from their success of their debut EP, Golden Revolver, San Cisco returned to the recording studio with Steven Schram (Little Red, Little Birdy and Cat Empire) in Melbourne to delve further into the songs they had perfected on stage and in the backyard shed. The finished product is their sophomore EP, Awkward, featuring five tracks of indie pop goodness, showcasing Jordi’s turn of phrase and Josh Biondillo’s varied influences in his music writing. In its entirety it is an eclectic mix of indie pop with dashes of rock and slashes of synth. Each member of the band brings a different influence to the table from their diverse and eclectic palate of indie, rap, hip-hop and jazz.

The Awkward EP is slated for a digital release in the U.S. on February 7th through their own record label Island City Records independently through MGM.

-Producer, composer and songwriter who has teamed with numerous recording artists, filmmakers and film composers including Usher, Nicki Minaj, Mick Jagger, Britney Spears and Hans Zimmer. will.i.am is a seven-time Grammy winner.

-Executive Producer/Creator, “i.am FIRST: Science is Rock and Roll”, a back-to-school primetime TV special that aired on ABC August 14, 2011 designed to get students excited about learning STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills in, and beyond the classroom.

-Directed and produced two TV spots for Chatter.com (salesforce.com) featuring the animated Baby Peas characters and Chatty the Cloud, February, 2011. Spots debuted during the Super Bowl bookending live performance by The Black Eyed Peas, a Super Bowl, advertising industry and artistic first.

-Selected by “Advertising Age” as a top digital creative executive in the magazine’s annual Digital Innovators Issue (February 28, 2011). Guest columnist in “Advertising Age’s” annual Consumer Issue about “communiting”, will.i.am’s approach to engage consumers and transform communities through conversations vs. traditional advertising campaigns. (October, 2011)

-Director of Creative Innovation for Intel Corporation (appointed January, 2011)

-Actor: “Rio”, “Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

-OWN TV, guest star/self in “Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind” that was filmed after hours in the Musee du Louvre, Paris, France. Show premieres November 6 at 8PM ET/PT.

-Discovery Channel, guest star/self in “The Curiosity Project – The Robot Episode”, premieres Sunday, November 13 at 9 PM ET/PT.

-Founder, Dipdive Inc., a digital lifestyle online community and digital creative agency (traditional, animation, online and mobile content).

Philanthropy & Civic Service -Founder of i.am.angel foundation focused on activities that transform communities incorporating:

A) the will.i.am scholarship fund for deserving high school students to stay in school and then fund four year college tuition, launched in 2009. To date, 15 students have been awarded scholarships for the entirety of their post-secondary education;

B) i.am College Track Center, an after-school support center designed to keep at-risk high school students on a strong academic track through graduation via mentoring, home work assistance, and college application guidance. Mentoring and assistance continues as students enter and attend college;

C) i.am.home, a non-profit that helps people who are in danger of losing their homes by providing monetary assistance and financial literacy, launched in 2010.

-Co-founder, Peapod Foundation, a non-profit organization supported by The Black Eyed Peas band members to mentor and foster young musicians and performers. The Peapod Foundation, a Charitable Service Fund administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation encourages social change by uniting people, especially children, through the universal language of music. In 2008, the foundation opened the first Peapod Music & Arts Academy, a state-of-the-art music and educational center and recording facility serving foster care youth and other at-risk teens, at the Watts/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club. The Peapod Foundation currently serves more than 1,000 students at 5 sites across the United States (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, New York City).

-National board member, Grammy Foundation, including support of Grammy Camp, a music camp for high school students.

-Advisor and advocate for FIRST, a teen robotics and science competition founded by inventor Dean Kamen designed to foster interest in math/science curriculum among high school students.

-Advisor, The White House Office of Public Engagement, including The First Lady’s “Joining Forces” military family support initiative, launched in April, 2011.

-Good Will Ambassador, President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative that aims to dramatically increase the number, and diversify the composition of American students studying in China. will.i.am is directing and performing in a fund raising concert in Beijing on December 17, 2011 to benefit the Initiative.

-Leadership Council Member, Opportunity Nation, a bipartisan organization focused on restoring the American Dream through economic mobility through better skills, better jobs and better communities.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter’s debut solo album for her own Nuke Town Records—a nod to Call of Duty, naturally—shows off a unique ability to take the stage and make it her own, transforming from the self-described “shy, polite” girl next door into a larger-than-life pop icon—like Clark Kent rushing into a phone booth to turn into Superman, or woman as the case may be—mixing her beloved classic rock with the most up-to-date dance-floor beats. Her first single, “Crazy Crazy,” was produced by Cirkut [futureusgalleryKe$ha, Britney, Taio Cruz, Jessie J], while “I Don’t Believe in Love” was a collaboration with The Smeezington’s Ari Levine, Bruno Mars’ partner who helped co-write the hit songs “Grenade” and “The Lazy Song” as well as Cee Lo’s “Fuck You” and Bad Meets Evil’s “Lighters.”

“I was definitely born in the wrong era,” explains the real-life Gwendolyn Lewis, who made her performing debut at a second grade talent show singing the Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl,” getting turned on to Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Black Sabbath and her idol Stevie Nicks by her dad growing up. “Music has always been in my life. I keep gravitating to it, and there’s no avoiding it now.”

After leaving business school (“I was absolutely bored to death”), she made a deal with her parents to give a recording career a shot. She fronted a short-lived rock band called Get Rebel, which lasted for a little more than a year, but drew the attention of Crash Karma bassist/ songwriter/producer Amir Epstein, who became her manager and collaborator. Veteran artist manager Sherry Kondor, who has worked with the likes of the legendary Carole King and Jesse McCartney, joined the team shortly afterward. Guinevere recorded the new album with Epstein in both Toronto and L.A., working with a veritable all-star team of top producers like Cirkut and The Smeezingtons, as well as Illangelo [futureusgalleryThe Weeknd, Snoop Dogg], Arthur McArthur [futureusgalleryBig Sean, Dr. Dre, Drake], Pilzbury [futureusgalleryMia Martina, Alyssa Reid] and Brian West [futureusgalleryK’Naan, Nelly Furtado].

The new album features her in-your-face attitude on songs like the first two singles, “Crazy Crazy” and “I Don’t Believe in Love.”

“’Crazy Crazy’ is about saying I love you and I’m going to show you I love you,” laughs Guinevere. “It’s about everything a person might be thinking in the back of their head, but are too afraid to say. I tend to lose all my inhibitions on-stage. What do you say, a lady in the street, but a freak in bed? I wanted to express that feeling of abandon you have with somebody you really love.”

She explains the sarcastic “I Don’t Believe in Love,” may sound bubbly and feel-good, “but the message is the opposite. It’s about a friend of mine who’s very picky when she meets guys, has trust issues and isn’t open to ‘love’. It’s about a girl who truly doesn’t think she’ll find anything like that, but decides to take the risk, and does end up believing in the end.” Other songs on Guinevere’s debut include “Liar” (“It’s about finding the love of your life is cheating on you and telling them what you really think- no holds barred I suppose”), “Go” (“That moment you realize it’s time to move on from a relationship”), “Beautiful,” (“a song about our own immaturity, narcissism and ostentatiousness- being at a club and dancing with someone who looks hot until the lights turn on”) and a spirited cover of Bon Jovi’s arena-rock anthem, “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

It’s all part of Guinevere’s no-holds-barred approach to letting loose. You never know what she’s going to do next.

“I like using extreme measures to get my point across. It’s all about the heartbreak and raw emotion,” she says of her songwriting. “Those moments of truth, when you honestly feel like killing somebody and don’t care what happens to you. I want to tell a story on-stage people can relate to.

“When I’m performing, it’s a lot easier to express how I feel because I can become the person I’m too afraid to be in real life. This is how I work out my issues. It’s my way of expressing myself.”

Putting her career first, Guinevere is intent on making the most of her opportunities. “If I don’t take this chance and pursue what I’ve always wanted to do, well you know, regret never sleeps,” she says. “I take it day by day. We’re working with some amazing people. I’m going to shoot for the stars, but at the same time, be realistic and make smart business decisions.”

Her current team is ready to take “Crazy Crazy” to Top 40 radio, which is pretty crazy, admits Guinevere, but she’s convinced her DIY approach, along with a great team, will still be a big challenge since I’m not signed to a major label,” she admits. “But I really trust the people I’m working with plus it’s a killer song!”

Pointing to the likes of Joan Jett, Gwen Stefani, and Madonna as role models for women in rock, Guinevere is ready to shoot her arrow and aim for a bull’s eye.

“I want to kick ass and do the best I can,” she says.

Turns out King Arthur got off easy.

The relentless experimentation on Colours reflects the lively imagination of its creators, singer-songwriter Jamie Scott and songwriter-producer Tommy Danvers (who goes by TommyD) — both London-born multi-instrumentalists who began making music together in 2009 and decided to call the resulting collaboration Graffiti6. (A third member, the British artist and illustrator Jimi Crayon, designs all of Graffiti6’s artwork and is responsible for their bold logo and Technicolor visuals.)

Scott grew up enthralled with soul and folk music, thanks to his father’s love for Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin Gaye, and his mother’s predilection toward James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Carole King, and Joni Mitchell. Upon hearing Mitchell’s Blue at the age of seven, Scott picked up a guitar and taught himself to play. “At school, friends would be talking about bands like Bon Jovi and I didn’t have a clue who they were talking about as I didn’t start to listen to pop radio till I was 15,” he says. Scott began writing songs, and, by 17, had left school to focus on a career as a musician. He signed his first publishing deal at 20, followed by a record deal with Sony Music in the U.K., and began working with Jamiroquai keyboardist Toby Smith, but his album was never released due to the merger between Sony and BMG. After signing with Polydor in 2006, Scott released his solo debut album, Park Bench Theories, under the name Jamie Scott and the Town. The album was a folky, acoustic-based affair on which Scott was backed by members of the Scottish band Travis. Jamie Scott and the Town toured for two years (including opening for Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, and Take That) and built up a sizable following in Europe and Asia.

Scott was considering working with new collaborators as a way to repackage the album when an A&R executive at Polydor suggested he meet Danvers, who had remixed tracks by Michael Jackson and Björk, and arranged and orchestrated concerts and recordings, along with his wife, for Kanye West, Jay-Z, Adele, Beyoncé, and Noel Gallagher, among others. A multi-instrumentalist, Danvers grew up listening to psychedelic rock, punk, and blues music before falling in love with hip-hop at age 17. “Public Enemy, Run-DMC, LL Cool J — it was that era,” he says. “I used to fly to New York City just to buy records and sneakers.” Danvers played guitar, keyboards, drums, and sang in a number of bands around South London, worked as a tape op in a commercial studio, and sold musical and studio equipment before he began DJ’ing at a local club at age 18. Over the next 13 years, Danvers made a name for himself as a DJ. He was a resident at Ministry of Sound and a regular at Cream and Back to Basics in the U.K., as well as Danceteria, Twilo, and DV8 in the U.S. Influenced by the sound of New York’s Paradise Garage and the rise of House music, Danvers formed a production duo with musician/DJ Jeremy Healy under the name Ezee Posse. Around that time, Danvers was asked to produce a track by an unsigned band called Right Said Fred. The song, “I’m Too Sexy,” debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. and hit the Top 10 in nine countries. Although it propelled his remix career, Danvers was more interested in writing, which led to his penning several songs for KT Tunstall, Corinne Bailey Rae, Janet Jackson, and Kylie Minogue. “Jamie came along soon after that,” Danvers says.

“Tommy and I hit it off straight away,” Scott says. “I brought in an idea I had for a folk thing I was doing and he said, ‘Let’s go for it,’ so we wrote it on acoustic guitar.” The track was “Stare Into The Sun.” Scott left to go on holiday for two weeks and received an email from Danvers when he returned saying he’d done a bit of work on the track and what did Jamie think? “When I first heard it, I was like, ‘What the f**k has he done to my song?’” Scott says with a laugh. “I was literally fuming. I had been expecting it to sound like my solo album. But then after listening to it a few times, I thought, ‘That’s not going on Park Bench Theories, but I love it.’”

“I was already a fan of Jamie’s music,” Danvers says. “He was playing in this intricate style with amazing lyrics, and I just said, ‘Look, you’ve got to let rip on this, mate.’ We both love a lot of the same music, so I think I awakened the Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye in him. He has a truly unique voice. It doesn’t sound like anyone else and that’s what I love about it.”

Rather than repackage Scott’s solo album and have Danvers produce it, the two decided to start writing original material together. “I didn’t want it to be a producer producing a solo artist,” Scott says. “It was a collaboration. The sound was just too strong to be anything else.” “Basically we just thought, ‘This is really good, there’s something happening here between us,’” Danvers says. “A musical relationship is very much like a personal relationship in the sense that you’ve got to just see where the road takes you, so we put our heads down, shut the doors, and kept working.” Over the next year and a half, the songs began to pour out. “It opened a door to a whole new way I could start thinking about some of the songs, with all these big harmonies,” Scott says. Indeed every song on Colourscan be stripped down and performed on acoustic guitars and sound just as exciting. Check YouTube for Graffiti6’s stellar versions of “Annie You Save Me,” “Stone In My Heart,” “Calm The Storm,” and “Lay Me Down,” as well as covers of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” and Black Eyed Peas’ “I Got A Feeling.” Graffiti6’s live shows have also earned them a growing devoted fanbase around the world. “We really are just two musicians enjoying the sound we make,” Danvers says. “It’s a sound that neither of us could make without the other.”

Graffiti6 released Colours on their own NWFree Music label in the U.K. in October 2010 and in April 2011 signed to Capitol Records, which will release a digital EP in June, followed by Colours later this year. Their songs have already been heard on such shows as Grey’s Anatomy, Covert Affairs, CSI: NY, One Tree Hill, and in the new MTV series Teen Wolf. Scott has relocated from London to Los Angeles and is looking forward to spending much of his time Stateside. “I’ve been signed to record labels for nine years and I’ve always wanted to come to America,” he says. “It was the one place where we got a load of love right away from the industry, so the minute my manager said, ‘Let’s do it, let’s move,’ I said, ‘I’ve got my bags packed, man. I’ve had them packed for nine years.’”

“So I made a list to myself of all the things I wanted to do in that time,” she says, in a Downtown Manhattan loft, looking as effervescently recharged as she should after 12 months downtime. She wanted to go to the ballet, to learn to cook, to master the Final Cut Pro edit suite she’d bought herself, to pick her nephew up from school, to see Broadway shows, to sleep in her own bed and not in a hotel. “I wanted to live my life,” she explains.”

“For the first time in my life I was able to travel the world and hear different influences,” she says, “To see different kinds of dance and choreography and taste different types of food and just be able to relax and have great conversations.” Previously, Beyoncé: The Artist had taken priority. It was time for Beyoncé: The Person to step forward. “I felt like I had worked so hard all my life that it was important that I was just able to be inspired and to digest everything I have been doing for so long.”

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This being Beyoncé, the rest period started to slowly metamorphose into the new record, 4. She could turn off the schedule, but she could not turn off her intuitive feeling for creating dynamic music. It was time to set a new bar. For the first time ever, she made a record not because the label had penciled one in on the marketing wall-chart but because she wanted to make one for herself. “It was a labor of love. It was done because I love what I do and not because I was trying to make a certain type of album. Because it was my playground, it was real.”

The result is a shape-shifting piece of musical work for Beyoncé . Opening with three platinum-plated ballads to mid-tempos, 4 sets out its vision as a radical sidestep from the era-defining club and pop hits of Destiny’s Child. For the first half of the album, before she jumps off into the street-smart 90s New Jack bounce of “Party”, a collaboration with Kanye West and Andre 3000, you might even call it her rock record. ‘Other people have said that,’ she says, looking delighted with the note. Touring the world along with her husband and his entourage had opened her up to the possibilities of new genres and the magnitude of the festival experience. She had started looking beyond stadiums, watching Linkin Park and Muse and Rage Against The Machine whip up their adoring fans in different ways than pop music intuits. She liked what she saw. Beyoncé started thinking about the possibility of re-writing her place in musical history:

“It’s bolder than the music on my previous albums because I’m bolder,” she notes. “The more mature I become and the more life experiences I have, the more I have to talk about. I really focused on songs being classics. I really focused on songs being classics, songs that would last, songs that I could sing when I’m 40 and when I’m 60. I feel like it’s important I start shaping my legacy. Doing things that have a little more substance. I really want people to think when they listen to my music. I want them to feel more than ‘OK, I’m at a party, I’m dancing’. I want it to be a conversation. I wanted to help them through their painful memories and their most happy moments.”

With long-term co-writer The-Dream in the second chair, a record started to emerge. “I feel like it’s important to have a personal connection and a natural chemistry with people who are writing songs with you because it’s you at your most vulnerable moments, saying your deepest thoughts. I felt like he’s almost like a brother to me.” An extended list of collaborators began filtering through studio time she booked herself, for love. An audacious musicality had started to emerge with The-Dream. The venerated songwriter Diane Warren scripted “I Was Here” specifically for Beyoncé and told the press unequivocally “It is the best song I’ve ever written.”

New collaborators were discovered in new ways. “I am always anxious to find someone new just because I believe it brings out something in me and it keeps me really honest,” she says. She first heard new soul voice Frank Ocean in her husband’s car. “After one song I said ‘OK, who is that? because I want them on a flight tonight.’ And Jay told me it was Frank Ocean and I immediately reached out and he came in the next day. He’s an artist and I can’t wait for everyone to hear him because he is just the truth. He is refreshing to the industry.” She says she can “spend hours and hours on the internet and I love to click on the artists that are recommended to me, and I’ve found some great artists that I would never find any other way.”

The new names were complemented by bona fide legends. “I worked with Babyface,” continues Beyoncé, “because I feel like he’s one of the best R&B songwriters ever, in history. He is one of the songwriters that opened the doors up for all of the writers that are great and wonderful right now.” They crafted the timeless rock/funk workout “Best Thing I Never Had” together.

“I was really listening to a lot of Boys II Men for the harmonies and Etta James and Aretha Franklin and Prince and Michael (Jackson) and I just wanted to do a gumbo of all the things that I loved, and I wanted to create things that just didn’t typically go together.” Echoes of Michael can be heard on the booty-shaking summer joint “Love on Top,” “and Purple Rain” is an influence on the heartrending opening ballad “1+1″. “I mixed the baritone sax with the synth. The synth is very electronic and the baritone sax is so full and warm and real and when you put them together playing the same thing it was just something so new. It was so much fun putting bridges back into songs and twelve part harmonies back into songs and huge choruses and breakdowns and guitar solos and drum solos and all the things that I love in music that I feel like I just want to hear again.”

Still shy of her 30th birthday, Beyoncé’s musical maturation is almost complete. “Progression as an artist is the most important thing to me. That is what success is for me. I feel like if I stay in one spot then I am not doing my job, I’m not growing as a human being and I’m wasting time. I always want to challenge myself. I always want to have that nervous ball in my stomach before I go on the stage. That’s how I know that I’m doing the right job.”
Her personal ethics and work methodology stretch even further. “I always want to challenge the music industry. I feel like it’s kind of my job to create the new up-tempos. It’s kind of my job to set the tone and be the example. So it’s sometimes risky but it’s the only reason I’ve been able to last for as long as I have in this industry. Because it’s really short-lived and I feel like if people can predict your next move then it’s just not interesting.”

Few people would have predicted 4. Few people, that is, other than Beyoncé. In her award winning Hollywood roles, Beyoncé found a new release for her artistry outside of the music industry. Later this year she will begin filming for director Clint Eastwood on his remake of the evergreen classic A Star Is Born. But it was her turn as a locum Supreme in Dreamgirls and Etta James in the story of Cadillac Records that really released something in the singer, that ushered her down a new pathway for her artistry:

“I fell in love with doing films when I did Dreamgirls. That was the first time that I really felt like I acted. I felt like I became a better person and learnt something about myself in that role. But I’ve taken it steps further when I played Etta James. It’s the most I’d learned about myself until the recording of this album, 4. Playing that character and going to a deeper place, completely losing all ego. Completely losing all insecurities and almost being naked and vulnerable and not thinking about what anybody else is thinking about me. Just being completely me. To have that private moment and be able to share it with the world was something really difficult. To express myself and express the imperfections in my voice. The raspiness and the pain. Everything I’ve been through in my life I put into that film and I learnt that I can make my job so much more than music. It can almost be therapy for me. When I went into the studio for this album I used that same passion, honesty, and approach with my vocals that I channeled as Etta James. It’s a lot rawer. It comes from a deep place. I only sang things once. I wanted it to be really emotional and sincere and I learnt that from doing the movies. I feel like when I play the right character it makes me so much better as a musician and a performer.”

Next year, 2012, will mark the 15th anniversary of Beyoncé as a pre-eminent member of the musical fraternity. In a fickle entertainment world, where pop icons come and go within three-year cycles, it’s a moment worth celebrating. “I can’t believe that I’ve achieved all that I’ve achieved. I never, ever would imagine all the things that I’ve done.”

Unsurprisingly her forthcoming 30th birthday is not a cause of trepidation but one of celebration. “I am so excited about turning 30. It actually is mind-boggling to me that people get, you know, scared or frightened or ‘Oh my God, I’m 30!’ it’s so old. That’s ridiculous. I don’t know whether it’s because a lot of my friends are a lot older than I am and I always feel young and I can’t wait to grow older and wiser and be more comfortable in my skin but 30 is like the best age you can ever be. You’re a woman but you’re still young and you know, I’m so looking forward to it.”

It’s just another benchmark in the life of this incredible performer, pop star and woman.

4 is in stores and online June 27 in the UK and June 28 in the US.

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An old soul is the last thing you would expect to find inside Justin Bieber. But all it takes is one listen to the 15 year-old soul-singing phenomenon to realize that he is light years ahead of his manufactured pop peers.

After posting dozens of homemade videos on YouTube in 2007, where the multi-talented Bieber put his impeccable spin on songs from artists like Usher, Ne-Yo and Stevie Wonder, Justin racked up over 10,000,000 views purely from word of mouth.

“I started singing about three years ago,” says the Canadian native who grew up an only child in Stratford, Ontario. “I entered a local singing competition called Stratford Idol. The other people in the competition had been taking singing lessons and had vocal coaches. I wasn’t taking it too seriously at the time, I would just sing around the house. I was only 12 and I got second place.”

In an effort to share his victory with his loved ones, Justin began posting his performance footage online. “I put my singing videos from the competition on YouTube so that my friends and family could watch them,” he says. “But it turned out that other people liked them and they started subscribing to them. That’s how my manager found me. He saw me on YouTube and contacted my family and now I’m signed!”

Seven months after Justin started posting his videos online, former So So Def marketing executive Scooter Braun flew the then 13-year old singer to Atlanta, GA to meet with his elite colleagues. As if Justin’s natural singing talent wasn’t enough to impress Scooter’s inner circle, Braun knew Bieber was also a self-taught musician who plays the drums, guitar, piano and trumpet.

“Right when we flew into Atlanta, Scooter drove us to the studio and Usher was there in the parking lot,” remembers Bieber. “That was my first time ever being out of Canada so I went up to him and was like, ‘Hey Usher, I love your songs, do you want me to sing you one?’ He was like, ‘No little buddy, just come inside, it’s cold out.’”

All it took was a short time online for Usher to realize he was in the company of a future superstar. “A week later Usher flew me back to Atlanta,” says Bieber. “I sang for him and his people and he really wanted to sign me then and there but I still had a meeting with Justin Timberlake who also wanted to sign me. It turned out Usher’s deal was way better. He had L.A. Reid backing him up and Scooter had a lot of really good connections in Atlanta. I always tease Usher now and remind him he how he blew me off the first time we met.”

In October of 2008, Justin Bieber officially signed to Island Records. His debut album, My World is an intimate look into the mind of a budding young renaissance man. With production from star hit men like The Dream and Tricky Stewart who produced “Umbrella” for Rihanna and Beyonce’s latest smash, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Justin has everything he needs to achieve pop supremacy.

His first single, “One Time” produced by Tricky, is about one of Justin’s favorite topics, puppy love. Usher joins Justin on “First Dance” where the two share verses on a song that Bieber describes as, “A slow groovy song that people can dance to.” On the Midi-Mafia produced “Down to Earth” Justin digs deep to talk about growing up. “Bigger” finds the teenaged singer maturing at a steady rate, while motivating his listeners to strive for their goals.

“I’m looking forward to influencing others in a positive way,” says Justin. “My message is you can do anything if you just put your mind to it. I grew up below the poverty line; I didn’t have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a person it built my character. Now I have a 4.0 grade point average and I want to go to college and just become a better person.”

A virtually untapped well of natural artistic talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force in music for many years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my music because I really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,” he says. “I think I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with me.” And just think, he’s just getting started.

Across the album, the singer and songwriter infuses his sultry and soulful melodies into a danceable sound that’s equally ready for the clubs and arenas. The music bounces from Euro electro chic into propulsive modern pop, generating tunes that’ll get everyone dancing. First single, “100,” transforms from slick, sexy synths into an unforgettable hook as Howie’s voice takes hold. Set for a November release in Japan with worldwide release immediately following, Back To Me sees him shining like never before.

Incorporating a myriad of styles, Howie slides outside of the box. About Back To Me’s sound, he explains, “The whole objective was to show people my individual personality. When we come together in Backstreet Boys, our individual sounds create an unbelievable group sound. At the same time, we’ve all had aspirations of doing solo projects for many years. This is finally my chance to get out there, step up to the plate, and show everyone what I got.”

Howie certainly shows everyone what he’s got and so much more on Back To Me. Like everything he puts his stamp on, he took his time with each nuance, beginning to formally toy with the idea of a solo album in 2006. However, in 2010 he buckled down and cranked out the record by the end of the year in a Los Angeles studio. “Music is what makes me move,” declares Howie. “I love to dance and have a good time so I wanted to make up-tempo music that felt right in the moment and moved me.”

The album’s first single, “100,” will definitely move anyone that hears it. Produced by Canadian duo The Kuya Brothers, the track is a vibrant anthem that can proudly stand alongside his catchiest cuts. It officially hits radio and video outlets in May, and it’s the perfect prelude to the album. “For me, the song is about giving one-hundred percent,” reveals Howie. “When I work on anything, a project or a relationship, I have to give it my all. People can relate to that in many different ways.”

On the other end of the musical spectrum, “Lie To Me” sees Howie reaching new heights as a vocalist, while showcasing his balladeer heart. “It’s one of those infectious ballads that sticks in your head,” adds the singer. “I’m a very heartfelt guy, and the song explores wanting someone who’s not right for you. It was a fun challenge for me to try different styles of delivery and add new dynamics.” Then there’s “Pure” another entrancing and engaging cut. Howie actually wrote the song with Backstreet Boys cohort Nick Carter, and it brightly illuminates their chemistry together. “It was a lot of fun to work with Nick,” exclaims Howie. “He and I both bonded over the song, and it fit Back To Me perfectly. It’s another track that I’m extremely excited about.”

Outside of music, Howie continues to lend a helping hand wherever he can, especially with the Dorough Lupus Foundation. Founded in memory of Howie’s sister Caroline, the Dorough Lupus Foundation raises awareness and money towards research for the disease with A-list benefit concerts and charity events. The subject is extremely close to his heart. “I’m very proud to work towards finding a cure for Lupus and simultaneously celebrate my sister’s memory,” he continues. “We do as much as we can to collaborate with other foundations worldwide. I’m all about giving back.”

He also gives back with his management company, guiding and overseeing the careers of budding artists such as George Nozuka, Neverest, and Dan Talevski. “It’s another outlet for me to try to help. I know I was given help, and I love to share what I’ve learned. I deeply enjoy being involved in all aspects of the entertainment industry.”

Just like “100″ says, Howie never stops giving his all, whether he’s making music in the studio, performing on stage, shaping young artists, working with charities, or even taking care of his family. As a result of that work ethic, Back To Me is some of the purest and most powerful music he’s recorded.

“This is a chance for me to show the full range of my voice and who I am creatively,” declares Howie. “I’m 25 percent of the Backstreet Boys, but Back To Me is one-hundred percent me. I’ve been blessed to be in the group I am in, and my experiences have made me who I am. I was able to make this record because of all that, and it’s a dream come true.” Fans worldwide have clamored for a solo offering from Howie for years, and he promises that Back To Me is for them. “I really just wanted to go out there and give the fans something they’ve wanted from me for a long time,” he concludes. “We’ve built up enough of a rapport that fans have gotten to know us as a group. At the same time, they’ve always wanted to know us individually. This is a way of me giving back to the people who made me and showing them my appreciation for all the loyal support they give. I’m finally providing them with the chance to hear me. I’m hoping they feel a part of me that they haven’t had a chance to feel before.” Just like with everything he does, everyone who hears Back To Me will undoubtedly feel Howie forever.

She is also the only artist in the digital era to top the 5 million sales mark with her first two hits. Gaga broke the record when her single “Poker Face” reached 5 million in sales after her debut single “Just Dance” accomplished the same feat the year before. She has over 1.3 billion combined views of all her videos online. She is also a staple in the social networking world – she’s one of the biggest living people on Facebook with over 44 million ‘likes’ and is #1 on Twitter with over 9.5 million followers.

Her third studio album, Born This Way, was released on May 23, 2011. The first single from the album, title track “Born This Way”, set a music industry record by becoming the fastest single in history to reach sales of 1,000,000 copies (five days after its February 11th release). Only the 19th single to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (issue date February 26, 2011), the recording was Lady Gaga’s third #1 on the chart. On iTunes, the song debuted at the top spot in 14 countries, including the U.S., and hit #1 in all 23 iTunes stores worldwide its first week out. “Born This Way” was Gaga’s 7th single to hit #1 at top 40. The second single from the album, “Judas” has eclipsed 500,000 in sales and Lady Gaga’s latest single, “The Edge of Glory,” went straight to #1 on iTunes in its first day of release and stayed there for 3 days.

Gaga is well-recognized for her outré sense of style as a recording artist, in fashion, in performance and in her music videos. Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements including five Grammy awards amongst twelve nominations, two Guinness World Records and the estimated sale of 15 million albums and 51 million singles worldwide. Billboard named her both the “2010 Artist of the Year” and the top selling artist of 2010, ranking her as the 73rd artist of the 2000s decade. Gaga has been included in Time’s annual “The 2010 Time 100″ list of the most influential people in the world as well as Forbes’ list of the “The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities” in the world. Forbes also placed her at number seven on their annual list of the world’s “100 Most Powerful Women.”