Both One Direction Albums Sell Over A Million In Same Year

The group's debut album, Up All Night, was released in March and has sold 1.51 million copies in the U.S. Read the Billboard report for more details.

Jennifer Lopez Named World's Most Powerful Celebrity

(popmusiclife) Jennifer Lopez has been named the World's Most Powerful Celebrity in a new list published by financial magazine Forbes.

Lopez is "a state-of-the-art celebrity success story," writes Forbes. "With $52 million in earnings over the last 12 months and a massive amount of fame, Lopez lands at No. 1 on our Celebrity 100 list for the first time."

The magazine suggests that Jennifer's career turned around substantially with her judging role on American Idol, which raised her profile and helped land her new product lines and endorsement deals.

Lopez bumped Lady Gaga out of top spot from the 2011 list. more on this story

Glee's Naya Rivera in New 2cellos Video

2cellos new video for their version of Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" features Glee's Naya Rivera on vocals.

The track comes from the forthcoming 2cellos album, IN2ITION (pronounced Intuition), which was produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS), and will be release on January 15, 2013. Watch the video here.

The album also features 2cellos versions of Fleetwood Mac ("Oh, Well" feat. Elton John), The Prodigy ("Voodoo People"), Coldplay ("Clocks" feat. Lang Lang), Rihanna ("We Found Love"), AC/DC ("Highway To Hell" feat. Steve Vai), Muse ("Supermassive Black Hole" feat. Naya Rivera), Cher and Nancy Sinatra ("Bang Bang" feat. Sky Ferreira), The Police ("Every Breath You Take") and Elton John ("Candle In The Wind").

"This album will really put them in the forefront of what's going on, they are unique, there's no one like them out there, says major fan Elton John. "Whenever they play a live show with me, they open the show. I've never heard an opening act get a standing ovation after every song…because no one has seen things like this before." more on this story

Adele Tops 30 Under 30 List

(popmusiclife) Adele tops financial magazine Forbes new list of the 30 brightest music stars under 30.

"In sum they represent the entrepreneurial, creative and intellectual best of their generation," writes the magazine. "Individually, they are surprising, engaging, and hard working."

Adele is highlighted for the 23 million copies she's sold to date of her "21" album, which features hits like "Someone Like You" and "Rolling In The Deep."

Swedish DJ Avicci landed in second spot, with Justin Bieber coming in at number three. See the list

Tim McGraw Takes Fans Behind The Scenes In New Video

Back on November 27, Tim McGraw let his fans in on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch him shoot his brand new video "One Of Those Nights" live on the Internet.

Cameras took fans behind the scenes in the prep for the shoot including makeup, hair, set up, lighting and even the filming of the video. Well, now the final product is here!

While viewers saw McGraw and his band film the song in front of an array of disco balls with soft yellow lighting in a warehouse, the video actually captures the behind the camera feel of the shoot.

"I think that's the great thing about this song… it's one of those making a memory songs. Whether you're 15 or whether you're 85, you sort of had those and you look forward to those," McGraw says of his new single during a behind-the-scenes video on his YouTube channel. "This song just reminded me of being a kid." Watch it here.

The xx Do A Radically Different Version of Wham!'s Last Christmas

The xx has joined the ranks of bands covering classic holiday songs with a new take on Wham!'s 1984 hit single, "Last Christmas."

The xx revealed their version during a live performance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in England.

The band applies their signature sparse, minimalist style to a loose interpretation of the song, with vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim trading verses over Jamie xx's manual drum machine beats.

Heavy on synthesizer melodies and Croft's reverb-thick guitar lines, it bears little resemblance to the George Michael-penned original. Listen to both versions here.

Ed Sheeran Performs On Jimmy Kimmel

(popmusiclife) UK singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran dropped by Jimmy Kimmel's show Tuesday night to perform a couple of tracks from his debut album, "+".

Sheeran played an acoustic version of "The A Team," which earned the singer a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for Song Of The Year.

He also performed "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," another single from the "+" album, which debuted at #1 in the UK upon its release in the fall of 2011. See the performance here.

Carly Rae Jepsen's Family Made The Right Call About Call Me Maybe

When Carly Rae Jepsen was interviewed backstage at Chicago's B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash on Sunday, December 16, she revealed the moment she knew "Call Me Maybe" was more than your average pop song.

"I wrote it with two of my best friends, Josh Ramsay and Tavish Crowe," Jepsen explained. "The three of us, we'd written a few songs beforehand and we continued to write after together."

Carly said the process of writing a song is always exciting. "You never really know which song is going to take off and connect with people," she admitted.

"The first time I realized 'Call Me Maybe' maybe had a little something to it was when I played it for my family. My aunt, who is a little bit of tomboy and never dances or anything, got off the couch and started gyrating. I was like…'Okay, it's a good sign.'" Read more and listen to the interview here.

Matt Hires Releases Restless Heart Video

Matt Hires has released a new music video for his latest single "Restless Heart," which comes ahead of his sophomore release that is due out in the Spring of 2013

Shot throughout Northern California, the video was directed by Clay Jeter, with cinematography by Will Basanta.

American landscapes, and small town rural settings serve as the backdrop to the video, which also features a diverse group of local girls, that the singer/songwriter and video crew encountered during filming. Watch it here.

10th Annual Elvis Birthday Bash Details

Organizers of the Elvis Birthday Bash have sent over the details and lineup information for their 10th annual event which is taking place next month.

The 10th Annual Elvis Birthday Bash will be held Saturday, January 12, 2013 at Weston Lanes in Weston, WI, featuring four Elvis tribute artists (ETA), all backed up by "The Ultimate Legends Band."

To accommodate demand, two shows are planned – a "family-friendly" matinee at 2:00 pm and an evening show at 8:00 pm. Both shows will be held in the Mountain Bay Banquet Hall at Weston Lanes.

Leading off for the 10th straight year will be Fred "E" Heidmann performing songs from the early years of Elvis as well as some Hollywood hits. Fred has won the Central Wisconsin Elvis Impersonator Contest, participated in the opening ceremonies of the Wisconsin Special Olympics as well as other fundraisers, and especially enjoys performing at the Birthday Bash since its beginning.

Returning from the 2007 event is Jesse Aron, who will provide his rendition of Elvis in his Hollywood and concert years. A second-generation ETA, Jesse's ambition is to remember and portray Elvis Presley with honor and respect. Residing in south central Wisconsin, Jesse performs nationwide, as well as in areas of Canada. In 2003, he competed extensively, achieving the status of an "International Winner." He is a two-time "Grand Prize Winner" at Milwaukee's Potawanomi Casino as well as a two-time "Lady Luck Music Peoples Choice Winner" in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Next to take the stage will be newcomer Anthony Shore who was born and raised in London, England and has been an Elvis Tribute artist since the age of 16. Traveling to many destinations across Europe's Mediterranean to perform his award-winning Elvis show, including Spain, Tenerife, Cyprus, Germany and France. Anthony honed his skills in Salou, Spain working for an entertainment company (RJP Entertainment), performing over 700 shows a year (yes over 700!!). Anthony has a vocal ability that is second to none in the Elvis world and has a reputation as hardworking and very approachable. His stage demeanor is always respectful to Elvis, yet funny, charismatic and charming; always endeavoring to win the hearts of his audience. As one of a limited number of Elvis Tribute Artists in the world to have be able to sustain a full-time career performing as Elvis, Anthony considers it an honor to be able to do what he does best and to meet all of the fantastic people over the world.

The final performer will be Lee Birchfield, who at the young age of 15, began his musical career paying tribute to Elvis at local Elks, Eagle, and Moose Lodges. At 18, Lee had already worked his way south playing the finest Resorts in Palm Springs, CA including "The Spa Casino" and "Casino Morongo." In 2000, Lee appeared in the motion picture 3000 Miles to Graceland in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2004, after recording his first CD, Lee teamed up with Gary Hansen, a local promoter. The team put together an all-star, eight-piece band, "The Xtroadinairs." The band performed a Vegas-era Elvis Presley Tribute Show over the next 14 months. Lee performed over 200 shows in 60 cities. All the many years of experience, makes Lee Birchfield a great frontman. His friendly professional attitude along with his guitar skills and amazing vocal range are a great example of why he has accomplished so much in such little time. More details

The Kickdrums and Dee Goodz Giving Away New EP

(ZTSG) Alex Fitts a.k.a The Kickdrums has teamed with Dee Goodz to offer "The Higher EP" as a free download. We were sent these details:

If both The Kickdrums and Dee Goodz weren't on their way to mainstream notoriety prior to "The Higher EP", this release will surely set the tone for a breakout 2013 for both artists.

The Higher EP shows the continued maturity for Fitts both as a producer and as a vocalist. With each successive release, The KickDrums have been able to grow leaps and bounds as a production force. The Higher EP, thanks to inspiration from Dee Goodz with whom Alex had tremendous chemistry with in the studio, drives more than earlier production efforts from Fitts. This EP shows Alex's ability to balance hip hop beats and the sort of ethereal synths and guitars usually reserved for the most revered indie rock artists. When the production is combined with Dee Goodz next-level delivery, the result is a release that feels as though it foreshadows the next step in the progression of Hip Hop.

Higher, the first track offered by The KickDrums and Dee Goodz last week was met with tremendous accolades, finding its way on to the pages of some of the most respected taste-makers in both the hip hop and indie rock worlds. The EP's second single Go will not disappoint those who have set their expectations high based on the quality of Higher. Grab the download here.

Christina Perri Even Had Santa Toilet For A Very Merry Perri Christmas

While recording A Very Merry Perri Christmas in Los Angeles over the summer, Christina Perri she knew she was going to have to help set the mood with a few holiday knick knacks.

"I have so much Christmas spirit all year round, so it's fine for me," she told CBS Local. "But to get my band and my crew and the producers in the spirit we had a Christmas tree, lights and fake snow."

The singer, who had a whole budget just for decorations, forced everyone in the studio to wear Santa hats. She also bought a novelty item that she hoped would really get everyone excited to celebrate Christmas in July.

"We had a Santa Claus toilet," she said with a laugh. "We went full out!" Read more from her here.

Tony Bennett's Columbia Records Catalog Added To iTunes

(OP) Tony Bennett's entire Columbia Records catalog including all his singles, outtakes, rarities and more have been released on iTunes.

The newly remastered and digitized Tony Bennett - The Complete Collection album collection spans the entire career of the great American pop vocalist as documented in the albums and singles he's made for Columbia Records (beginning in 1952 through the present).

In addition to all of Tony's original albums, each with its original jacket design and original sequencing and, in many cases, bonus material, fans have access to newly curated collections -- "Rarities, Outtakes And Other Delights" (2 volumes) and "The Columbia Singles" (6 volumes).

"The Columbia Singles" brings together for the first time all of the singles Tony recorded for Columbia Records, the label he signed with in 1950. Most of the songs recorded in the early 1950s, "The Columbia Singles" includes the a-sides and b-sides that were not included on individual albums.

"Rarities, Outtakes And Other Delights" collects rare tracks, previously unreleased outtakes, guest appearances on other artist's albums, soundtrack songs and more beginning with the recently discovered 1946 V-Disc recording of "St. James Infirmary Blues" that "effervescent delight," which was Tony's very first known recording. Nestled among the "Rarities" are two tracks from another fabled concert Tony gave at the Latin Casino in Philadelphia with the Count Basie Orchestra, which was recorded and never released. more on this story

Kendrick Lamar Scores Gold With good kid m.A.A.d. city

Kendrick Lamar has reached a shining moment for a debut artists. The critically acclaimed rapper's first disc, good kid m.A.A.d. city has hit 500,000 in sales.

The album, which was released on October 22 sold more than 230,000 units in its first week and kept up a steady flow since.

"It's crazy to know that it started in my own backyard in Compton," Lamar told Hot 93.7′s DJ Buck before the first-week numbers hit. "I wrote these songs in my momma's kitchen. These people [are] singing them like they were right there in that same kitchen, making noodles with me. It's crazy." more on this story

Hooray For Earth Release Never/Figure Video

Hooray For Earth have released a brand new two-part music video for the songs "Never/Figure".

Directed by Milton Ladd, the two-part music video includes both tracks from the band's single release back in August. Watch it here.

Hooray For Earth will kick off 2013 with a string of dates throughout the Northeast and Midwest, starting January 13th in Washington, followed by the TNK Festival in Chicago on January 16th with Bear in Heaven, The-Drum and Dovecote labelmates Supreme Cuts, and wrapping up with a hometown show at Knitting Factory on January 31st.

The group is fresh out of the studio with producer Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear, Blonde Redhead, etc) recording their follow-up to the acclaimed True Loves (Dovecote Records). more on this story

Geographer Map Out Headlining Tour

(WMG) Geographer have announced plans to launch a 3-week North American headlining tour.

The tour will kick off on January 12 in Portland, OR and will feature direct support from On An On.

Geographer continues to tour in support of their new album MYTH, which was produced by Eli Crews (tUnE-yArDs, Beulah, Why?, Deerhoof) and mixed by Chris Zane (Passion Pit, The Walkmen, Holy Ghost!, Tokyo Police Club). more on this story