97 BHT did it again – another priceless experience with your favorite artists!
Train performed on Friday, March 26 at The Lackawanna County Electric City Trolley Station & Museum located on the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, powered by Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union, Columbia Records, and 97 BHT!
Forget pimpin’… tweetin’ ain’t easy these days – even if you’re an international superstar with over 20,000 followers on the social networking site.
Shontelle Layne found that out the hard way – as imposter after imposter created accounts on Twitter claiming that they were the real Shontelle. But, there’s only one (@Shontelle_Layne), and now that is undisputable, as Layne’s account is “Verified.”
Twitter Verification is the process by which Twitter puts its official stamp of approval on an account’s claim that he/she/it represents what the user claims. A baby blue and white “check mark” along with the words “Verified Account” appears in the upper right hand corner of the profile. There’s only one form of verification, yet a number of methods to obtaining it. Layne broke it down during an interview on “The Ralphie Radio Show,” prefacing the story by admitting the processes can be both complicated and frustrating.
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“There’s two ways you can do it – if you know people on the inside, like you can contact Caroline or whoever that are on the inside,” Shontelle revealed, with a quick name-drop in the process. “Or you can just do what everyone else has to do, which is go to (Twitter’s) support on-line, and submit one of those verification request forms.”
Layne admits her management took care of the process, although she has a hunch that her “twarmy” – passionate stable of fans on Twitter – played a role in the outcome.
“My management had been on it for a minute, and then suddenly my followers got really annoyed ‘cause of all the imposters,” she recalled. “They literally did this thing called a ‘twitition.’ I don’t know what that is, but it spams everyone out.”
Shontelle said that the Twitter petition spread quickly, and soon her followers were “at replying” the artist, requesting that she check her profile to see the change. Layne finally received her blue and white check mark, and suddenly tweetin’ became a little easier for the Barbados-born singer.
The artist is currently finishing up her sophomore LP, No Gravity. “Impossible” is gaining airplay on mainstream stations across the country.
I ran in to FeFe Dobson in December of 2007. Dobson randomly appeared inside The Mall At Steamtown in downtown Scranton, an apparent guest of Drake Bell. We chatted for a few minutes (we met previously in Buffalo during the spring of ’04), and before we parted, she gave me a note to pass to Bell. Dobson also assured me that we’d be speaking again in the near future.
“You’ll be hearing new stuff from me real soon,” she revealed during our chance encounter. “Real soon.”
Perhaps it depends on your definition of “real soon” – but fast forward over two years later. Dobson is back – performing, recording on a major label, and releasing new songs for Top 40 radio. Her latest offering is “I Want You,” the first single from Joy.
“It’s full circle,” she remarked on her reunion with Island Def Jam Music Group. “I mean, (IDJMG) have been my family since I was 17, yunno? So, it’s great to be back.”
Back in 2003, Dobson released “Take Me Away,” followed by “Everything” in 2004, from her debut, self-titled LP. Both cracked the top 40 on mainstream radio airplay charts. The immediate success brought a whirlwind of media appearances, tour dates, and sales.
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Photo Credit: Vibe
Part 1: Performing at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductions, Career coming full circle
Part 2: The chance encounter at The Mall at Steamtown back in December 2007.
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Considered a future superstar by her label, Dobson ventured back in to the studio to work on her sophomore LP, Sunday Love. After the album’s first single, “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” didn’t chart, Island dropped Dobson, just days before the scheduled release of the album.
But, still, it’s now March 2010. What has she been up to?
“I had made some music for other artists, or, had music on other artists’ albums,” said Dobson, who brought up working with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Jordin Sparks. “That was different for me, I’ve really never done that before – had (my) songs sung by other artists. And then I was just writing, and growing up, and doing my thing, and (laughing) having experiences.”
And of course, one of those experiences led her to downtown Scranton one blustery winter day in ’07. Dobson said she came out to support Bell, who she still talks with and considers a good friend.
“He’s someone I still think is amazing and I think he’s just so talented,” Dobson gushed, while admitting she was a little embarrassed about the whole mall situation. “I can’t wait for his new record to come out.”
But in the meantime, Dobson will prepare for her own record’s release, which is dropping May 4. Real soon. For real this time.
FeFe checked in to “The RRS” to chat about her return and her debut single from Joy, which hits stores on May 4.
Btw, Dear DMCA Police: I host a syndicated radio show. I have permission from IDJMG to use the single cover and make my interview available for download. The segment is called “The Daily Download” on my show, and the song is not for download. THANKS.
Kat DeLuna insists, Inside Out, her sophomore LP, will be released this year.
“No, no, no, not hopefully, it is!” she quickly replied, correcting my statement that she’d “hopefully” release the album later this year. “We haven’t picked the precise date yet, but looking toward around the summer.”
Some may have been wondering if DeLuna would ever release her second album: the project has gone through multiple years of work, multiple singles… even multiple record labels. The “Whine Up” singer left Epic Records in 2008 for Universal Motown. Since landing at the label, she’s collaborated with label mates Lil Wayne (“Unstoppable”) and Akon (“Push Push”).
DeLuna says the latter track is the official debut single for Inside Out. Produced by David Guetta, Kat created her own “Push Push” dance, which she already taught to Akon. The artist plans on uploading a tutorial to YouTube.
“I love to dance,” she gushed. “It’s funny, when I wake up and I’m getting ready in the morning, like I’m just dancing (while) looking at myself in the mirror.”
Dances have been a common theme in Kat’s singles. The “Whine Up” rose in popularity as the corresponding song shot up the charts. Of course, who could forget Perez Hilton dancing like a fool to “Dance Bailalo” last summer?
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Kat & Ralphie back in Summer ’07
Spring ’08
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Hilton, real name Mario Lavandeira, shares Latino heritage with Deluna – he’s Cuban, she’s Dominican. The celebrity blogger jumped on the bandwagon of critics in September 2008 after DeLuna received a chorus of boos following her rendition of the “The Star Spangled Banner” on “Monday Night Football.” But, he loved “Dance Bailalo”, and apparently is a fan of her new work.
“He actually heard it a couple of days ago, and he said ‘Smash,’” DeLuna reported of Hilton’s reaction to the song. “He’s been a really good, amazing friend… you know, we can be friends today and I’ll still love him if tomorrow he goes on the other side.”
Hey, in entertainment, you never know – things change quickly and can turn inside out in no time. But don’t bother telling that to Kat – no pun intended – you’d be preaching to the choir.
“It’s a blessing to be able to do what you love every day,” DeLuna said. “With this second album, I’m so excited for my fans… people are going to discover me, again.”
Next time you complain about a friend inviting themselves to one of your parties, think of how Kardinal Offishall ended up on Estelle’s new single, “Freak”.
“He heard the song, and was like, ‘Gimme that,’” recalled Darlings, who played the track from her house for Kardi. “He literally like took the song, looped up the beginning of the instrumental and did his verse and sent it back like, ‘There ya go, I’m on the track now.’”
Estelle didn’t mind – she cites Offishall as a good friend and one of the few that she’d grant that privilege to. Plus – she thinks he added a lot to the single.
“He killed it,” she stated. “He came on it and lifted the energy up completely.”
The singer did clarify one issue: Kardinal’s path of entry to the record is not the reason she made him wear skinny jeans for the song’s music video.
“(Laughing) He knows me. Whenever he’s around me there’s a lot of skinny jeans,” Estelle joked. “I’m sorry. I’m British. It’s what happens.”
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Of course, before Offishall declared himself a contributor to the record, Estelle linked up with French producer/DJ David Guetta. The man behind “I Gotta Feeling” and “Sexy Bitch” only reached out to one artist other than Chris Willis for a contribution to “One Love” – Estelle.
“I was like, ‘Hell yeah, will you do a track for me?’” Darlings said. She and Guetta recorded “One Love” – which the producer would later use as the title track for his August 2009 LP, an honor that Estelle admitted is “really cool.”
“After we did ‘One Love’, we were just both sitting there and I was like, ‘Play me some more stuff,’” she said. “He played ‘Freak’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God… trust me, give me that record!’”
Estelle decided that she’d bring it back to the 80’s on the hook – paying homage to the British pop group Soul II Soul by singing the chorus of the group’s smash single, “Back To Life”.
“He lost his mind,” Darlings said of Guetta’s reaction to the impromptu tribute. “I’m a child of the 80’s from London. Soul II Soul is what I grew up on.”
“Freak” is the first single from Estelle’s third studio LP – All Of Me – which she plans to release this fall. Other confirmed contributors include Swizz Beats, Gym Class Heroes’ Travie McCoy, and John Legend. Darlings revealed that the album will probably not include another collaboration with KanYe West. She did note that a recent duet with Mr. Hudson would more than likely be included on an extended version of the LP.
Someone does her hair, someone does her makeup – and the British-born artist admits her total prep-time can ring in as long as two hours. She’s a Grammy-award winner, and is probably coming to a red carpet near you soon, if she hasn’t graced it already. But despite all the commotion, it seems singer/fashionista Estelle Darlings is still pretty modest.
“I think it will happen,” the “American Boy” songstress said on the prospects of one day creating a fashion line. “I just don’t want it to be like, because I’m me. I want it to actually be a good line, yunno, something great. So, I think I’m going to have to go and do a real internship.”
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For more on Estelle, click here.
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Perhaps she could intern at People’s Revolution? She did appear for a few seconds in an episode of Kell On Earth. Somewhere in the lower 48, Ryan Seacrest and MTV are scrambling for the production credits on this one.
Anyways, Darlings does have a bit of a start on her fashion line – a jewelry line with Rachel Roy. Pieces range from $30 to $195, and can be found at some Macy’s. Estelle was conscience of the retail prices.
“I’m very much in to quality, but I still like my cheapies,” she admitted. “The whole point with (the jewelry line) was to do something with great quality that was quite cheap at the same time.”
Darlings also revealed that she tries not to spend a lot of money on “eye-lashes and product-things,” while noting that she is sent a lot of items based on her look.
Her third studio LP, All Of Me, is scheduled for a fall release. The first single, the David Guetta-produced “Freak”, features Kardinal Offishall and is available online now.
In an interview on “The Ralphie Radio Show,” Iyaz revealed that he recently collaborated with Miley Cyrus in-studio.
“No, that was for her’s,” replied the singer, real name Keidran Jones, when asked if the track would be featured on his forthcoming album. Reprise Records’ Tommy Page confirmed that Iyaz’s debut LP, My Life, will hit stores April 27. The first single, “Replay” – not only topped the charts, but scored the Virgin Islands pop star some free product from Apple.
“They gave me some small little Shuffles that said, ‘Stuck On Replay’ on the back,” Iyaz divulged. On the hook of “Replay”, the crooner likens his unwavering love for a girl to his iPod being stuck on replay. “‘Replay’… all of my songs, if not most of ‘em, are based on true stories.”
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This also holds true with Iyaz’s latest single, “Solo,” – yes, he’s an eligible bachelor. The song samples Janet Jackson’s 1993 smash, “Again.” In a prior interview on “The RRS”, producer J.R. Rotem remarked that he breathed a sigh of relief when the sample cleared, as the song leaked on to YouTube before clearance. Although Iyaz eventually sent the link out to his followers on Twitter, he denies actually posting the track.
“I was in Vegas… I went on my Twitter, and somebody posted, “Man, I just heard ‘Solo’ on the radio,” recalled Iyaz. “So, you know me. I went straight to YouTube, and there it is. I was like, ‘Wow!’ And I didn’t have it (yet).”
The singer said that a similar situation occurred with “Replay.” Surely Iyaz hopes the entire situation will rewind and playback – producing yet another number one hit for the twenty-one year old artist.
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Nat from 3OH!3 explained on “The Ralphie Radio Show that “Hey” is a cut from Lil Jon’s forthcoming LP, and the version obtained by “The RRS” is missing Jon’s verses.
Did Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman need another reason to drink? Eh, probably not. But that doesn’t stop the band from turning March 3 in to an annual party day. Yes, the band 3OH!3 considers 3/03 its personal day of homage.
“You might as well create another drinking holiday for yourself,” Motte said on “The Ralphie Radio Show”, taking some time from the festivities to call in to “The RRS” on the band’s day of celebration. The group also planned a uStream chat with fans later. “There’s all those Hallmark holidays that they created, why can’t we make our own?”
Looking back on the band’s past 365 days, there’s a lot they can drink to. “Don’t Trust Me” hit the top of the radio charts over the summer – as Motte and Foreman toured the country headlining the Vans Warped Tour. Just a year prior, they played the festival in near-obscurity, covered in the shadows of other bands who were receiving mainstream radio love: We The Kings, Gym Class Heroes, and Katy Perry. 3OH!3 befriended the latter artist and received her help to in remixing its second single, “Starstrukk”.
Now, the Colorado natives prepare for a busy spring – a cross-country trek with Cobra Starship and Travie McCoy of the aforementioned Heroes. 3OH!3 is also in the studio finishing Streets of Gold, the follow-up album to Want. While all of this takes place, Ke$ha’s “Blah Blah Blah”, a track they’re featured on, climbs up the charts.
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“It’s cool. Yunno, it’s a different sounding song for a girl,” Nat noted of the Benny Blanco production. “It’s like, real sassy and she raps on it. So, I think it’s great. It bodes well for her… hopefully it’s a good sign for us.”
Working on the forthcoming LP prevented 3OH!3 from making it back to the 303 – Boulder, Colorado – Nat revealed that the group is currently in the studio with hit-maker Dr. Luke. Motte hopes to drop a single to radio right around the tour’s launch date, with an album release tentatively scheduled for late June.
And if you’re holding out for some type of last second surprise – an album release that coincides with Warped Tour dates – well, don’t hold your breath.
“Honestly, I’ve spent my last two summers in parking lots, so I’m a little excited to get out,” Nat admitted, while also crediting the summer shows with building their road experience. “It was a great tour for us man. We’ll miss it a little bit, but yunno, I think we’ll manage to have good shows and hopefully people that go to see ‘Warped’ will come to check us out.”