Celebrity highlights 26.06.08
American Idol Blake Lewis start to earn money!
| ‘I guess in the world of radio, selling 300,000 is not a success. I beg to differ,’ beatboxing singer says. As far as Blake Lewis is concerned, selling close to 300,000 copies of his debut LP, A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream), was a “huge success” - at least on a personal level. |
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The atypical “American Idol” alumnus (he was the season-six runner-up, ultimately losing out to Jordin Sparks) told MTV News that he parted ways with Arista just seven months after his record landed in stores. That makes his the shortest of all the relationships forged between former “Idol” contenders and their various record labels. But the beatboxer would like to clarify one point: He wasn’t dropped by the label - the relationship merely dissolved. “My contract with Arista is up, and they didn’t option me, so I’m with 19 Recordings and we’re working on booking a tour,” he explained. “Arista went through a lot of changes. The person who was working on my record was fired. … I guess in the world of radio, selling 300,000 is not a success. I beg to differ. I couldn’t be happier, and my fans are amazing and super-supportive.”
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Ne-Yo increases his music skills
‘It feels like you’re complimenting me,’ King of Pop says of Ne-Yo’s ‘Nobody.’
By Jennifer Vineyard, with additional reporting by Tim Kash Ne-Yo Photo: MTV News Ne-Yo is only on his third album, but already he has established a couple of themes that run through all his work. The R&B singer/songwriter has decided that each album has to have at least one tribute to his first love and one song that pays homage to his musical icon, Michael Jackson.While “Closer” is about a dancefloor hookup between two strangers, “Nobody” presents a different scenario.
“Say she didn’t give you anything, but instead she just started dancing, and it was the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen,” Ne-Yo said. “It’s like she’s untouchable, like it would be a sin to touch her or dance with her, with what’s going on with her right now.”
When Ne-Yo played the track for Jackson, with whom he’s currently working, he got a positive response. “He told me that he likes the way I do Michael Jackson,” Ne-Yo beamed. “I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, ‘When you do that, it doesn’t feel like you’re trying to copy me or trying to be me. It feels like you’re complimenting me.’ And that’s what I’m doing. It means the world that he liked it.”