Is Robyn Fenty‘s new opus Unapologetic up in here? No, hunty. I am not part of that circle jerk committee.
I know I promised this post would drop, like, last Tuesday or something but let’s face it – the five of us that read this countdown could probably wait until now. I had all sorts of things going on this week that kept me occupied, which didn’t involve drinking, strangely enough (I’m making for that right now as we speak).
Let’s get on with the countdown.
“Oppa gangnam style!” *drops the beat*
You know when your parents start to recognise a internet viral music video that it’s well and truly time for everyone else to move on.
It has been a tremendous week for K-pop sensation PSY‘s ‘Gangnam Style’, not only is it officially the most ‘liked’ video in the history of the internet – the track has also successfully topped the Australian and UK charts to become the first Korean pop single to do so.
Its crossover chart success in the Western market is just mind-blowing, no doubt bringing a whole lot of national pride for South Koreans everywhere.
Elsewhere, it has also been a great week for Pink, Mumford and Sons, Conor Maynard, Brandy and Christina “I think you already know my weight!” Aguilera.
We’ve seen the charts light up like it was Christmas this month, thanks to the heavy flow of new albums taking over the shelves.
For only the second time in history, the entire top six spots on the US Billboard 200 are filled with debut entries. Here in Australia, we have eight new albums scaling our ARIA Top 20, while over in the UK, they have six.
Y’all can obviously expect for it to get even more competitive in the coming months as all the strong sellers come out to play for your seasonal spendings.
This has been a good week for Pink, The Killers, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kanye West and – definitely more than ever – PSY, the K-pop icon responsible for ‘Gangnam Style’.
No need to front like you haven’t been doing the ‘Gangnam Style’ routine down the supermarket aisle.
This has been a good week for K-pop icon PSY, Amelia Lily, Taylor Swift and Pet Shop Boys.
More flash in the pan sellers falling off the charts just as quickly as they came. You really come to appreciate what Adele‘s 21 achieved last year in anchoring the music industry, don’t you?
This week the sun shines on K-pop star PSY and his incredible viral single ‘Gangnam Style’. Guy Sebastian, Matchbox Twenty, Flo Rida, Ne-Yo and TobyMac also come through with the goods.
Taylor Swift‘s somewhat alright new single ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ pretty much ripped the internet a new one yesterday, and now Billboard is predicting that it’ll set a new record for biggest sales debut for a digital track by a female artist.
‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ – written by Swift and One Direction hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback - is the lead single from the country pop superstar’s fourth album Red, which is set for a global release on 22 October.
The flash uptake across multiple US radio formats meant that ‘Never’ has already reached an audience of 30 million in less than 24 hours. The song was swiftly – fuck yeah, puns – released digitally and has since gone #1 on the US and Canada iTunes stores.
Current sales projections are pitching ‘Never’ to sell somewhere between 450,000 to 500,000 downloads in the States by Sunday 19 August.
If ‘Never’ can get them download sales past 448,000 copies by the end of the week, then she would have trumped Gaga‘s ‘Born This Way’ record of biggest debut sales for a digital track by a female artist. But hold on a minute, ’Born This Way’ racked up 448,000 copies in just three days - Taylor has a whole week and immediate radio backing. You do the math.
Listen to Taylor Swift‘s new single ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’:
I’m struggling to get it up for this.
The Brit Awards simply hasn’t had the same summer sheen since Girls Aloud graced us with their last glorious peformance and claimed one for ‘The Promise’.
In any case, this year’s list of nominees should be of some chin-stroking interest to you pop music observers.
Get ready for a full blown bonanza with Take That, Rihanna, Tinie Tempah and Plan B confirmed to perform at the awards show on 15 February.
The Brits will go live a mere two days after the Grammy’s which will feature performances from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Eminem and Cee Lo Green (who pulled out of his Aussie Good Vibrations festival appearance in favour of this understandably cooler gig).
Here’s the list of 2011 Brit Awards nominees:
British Female Solo Artist
Cheryl Cole
Ellie Goulding
Paloma Faith
Rumer
Laura Marling
British Male Solo Artist
Tinie Tempah
Mark Ronson
Plan B
Robert Plant
Paul Weller
British Group
Take That
Gorillaz
Mumford & Sons
The xx
Biffy Clyro
British Breakthrough Act
Tinie Tempah
Ellie Goulding
Mumford & Sons
Rumer
The xx
British Single
Alexandra Burke feat. Pitbull ‘All Night Long’
Cheryl Cole ‘Parachute’
Matt Cardle ‘When We Collide’
Olly Murs ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’
Florence + The Machine ‘You’ve Got The Love’
Taio Cruz ‘Dynamite’
Plan B ‘She Said’
Tinie Tempah ‘Pass Out’
The Wanted ‘All Time Low’
Scouting For Girls ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’
British Album
Take That Progress
Plan B The Defamation of Strickland Banks
Tinie Tempah Disc-Overy
The xx xx
Mumford & Sons Sigh No More
International Female Solo Artist
Robyn
Kylie Minogue
Rihanna
Katy Perry
Alicia Keys
International Male Solo Artist
Kanye West
David Guetta
Eminem
Cee Lo Green
Bruce Springsteen
International Group
Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
Arcade Fire
The Script
Vampire Weekend
International Album
Katy Perry Teenage Dream
Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown
Eminem Recovery
Cee Lo Green The Lady Killer
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
British Producer
Stuart Price (Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Take That)
John Leckie (Radiohead, The Corals)
Markus Dravs (Mumford & Sons, Arcade Fire)
Mike Pela (Maxwell)
Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Rufus Wainwright)
Footnotes:
The 2011 Brit Awards will be held at London’s O2 arena on 15 February and it will be hosted by young actor James Corden.
Who are your picks to take the cake?
