Brit's Record Breaking Week

Brit's done it again!!

This week has been a whirlwind of activity for the queen of pop, starting with the news that her 7th studio album, Femme Fatale, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming her 6th chart topping album.

This puts her in a tie for second place among women for the most #1 albums in history (tied with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson), only behind Madonna (7) and Barbra Streisand (9).

That's pretty good company if you ask me!

Her latest disc sold 276,000 in its first week, a decline from 2008's Circus (which opened at #1 with 505,00), but given that this wasn't her "huge" comeback and the state of the music biz today, that ain't too shabby!!

Britney also becomes the youngest artist ever to have a number one debut album in THREE different decades. She first did it in 1999 with her classic debut album ...Baby One More Time, and then did it 4 more times in the 2000's with Oops...I Did It Again! (2000), Britney (2001), In The Zone (2003), and the aforementioned Circus in 2008.

The only Britney album to not debut at #1 was 2007's Blackout, which had to settle for #2 after Billboard changed its rules about albums being exclusively sold by only one retailer (long story...).

And she's only 29 years old!!!

With her single "Till The World Ends" continuing to ride high on the charts (not to mention a SICK new music video), it looks like Britney is headed for another monster year.

Congrats!!!!

Taylor Swifts Tops 20 Million

It was a big week for country queen Taylor Swift, who was recognized while on tour this week for reaching a huge milestone in her career - surpassing 20 million albums sold worldwide!

Amazing! Considering she has only released 3 albums during her short career, this is a super impressive feat. Not to mention that record sales continue to plummet, this is an amazing achievement!

Swift's 2006 major label debut, appropriately titled Taylor Swift became an smash hit, selling 5 million copies in the U.S. alone and spawning a slew of country and pop hits like "Tim McGraw", and "Teardrops on My Guitar". She followed that up in '08 with the even bigger Fearless which debuted at #1, sold 6 million copies, and won Tay Tay the Grammy for Album of the Year, becoming the youngest winner of the coveted prize EVER.

She continued to dominate the music world when last year she did the unthinkable and sold over 1 million copies of her third disc Speak Now, becoming only the 4th woman in history to do it (Britney Spears has the biggest debut by a female of all time, when she rocketed to the #1 spot in 2000 with her sophomore album Oops...I Did It Again! which scanned over 1.3 million in its first 7 days).

So congratulations Ms. Swift!! Can't wait to see what you have planned next!!

(Image courtesy of EW.com)

It's Britney Spears Tuesday!!!

It's Britney Spears Tuesday Y'all!!

Today marks the release of Brit's SEVENTH studio album (yes, lucky number 7!) and there are she has officially taken over the media world.

Not only did she KILL it on Good Morning America this morning, but MTV is dedicating the entire day to her, and also airing a new mini-documentary about the lead up to the release of Femme Fatale.

Britney has had 5 of her albums debut at #1 (only Blackout, missed the top spot in 2007, coming in a #2 behind some heated controversy), and it Femme is expected to become big numba six!!

I don't want to jinx it, but I predict the album to open in the 375-450K area, but Britney can always surprise us with some BIG numbers.

I bought my album bright and her this morning, DID YOU!!?!

(Image courtesy of girlstalkinsmack.com)

Britney's Femme Fatale Getting Rave Reviews

It hasn't even been released yet, but Britney Spears' new album Femme Fatale is getting rave reviews from BIG publications, particularly Rolling Stone Magazine, which gave the new album 4 stars.

Here's some of what they had to say:

"Britney Spears is pop music's stealth avant-gardist. For years, critics have dismissed her as a cipher with a wisp of a voice. But from the minute she burst on the scene — heralded by the keyboard power chords of ". . . Baby One More Time" — her music has steered bubblegum into weirder, woollier territory. "Toxic" was a mélange of Bollywood and spy-movie guitar; "Piece of Me" was an essay on 21st-century tabloid infamy crooned over 22nd-century club rhythms. Then there's this year's "Hold It Against Me," which dissolves into a furious dubstep breakdown — easily the most assaultive beat on the Hot 100 right now."

SO true!! Britney has been in the forefront of "edgy" pop for over a decade now, and it's about time that everyone realizes the huge impact she's had on pop culture. Rolling Stone goes on to say:

"Femme Fatale may be Britney's best album; certainly it's her strangest. Conceptually it's straightforward: a party record packed with sex and sadness. Max Martin and Dr. Luke, the world's two biggest hitmakers, are responsible for seven of 12 songs: big melodies and bigger Eurodisco thumps. But other producers go nuts, tossing the kitchen sink at Britney. The Bloodshy-helmed "How I Roll" is sputtering, oddly beautiful techno. In "Big Fat Bass," Will.i.am turns Britney into a cyborg obsessed with low-end. ("The bass is getting bigger!" she exults.) On nearly every track, Britney's voice is twisted, shredded, processed, roboticized. Maybe this is because she doesn't have much of a voice; it's certainly because she, more than almost any other pop diva, is simply game. Femme fatale? Not so much. But say this for Britney: She's an adventuress."

All in all, this sounds like a pretty stellar review, and I for one simply cannot WAIT until the album comes out!!

(Image courtesy of http://www.hotnewsonglyrics.com/)

(Image courtesy of http://www.hotnewsonglyrics.com/)

Billboard Hits 1,000th #1 with the Help of Lady Gaga

The Billboard Charts just hit a HUGE milestone, and a lot of thanks are in order to the one and only Lady Gaga.

Her latest single "Born this Way" roared onto the charts this week, debuting at #1 and becoming the chart's 1,000th chart topper in the history of the Billboard 100 Chart.

That's a pretty big honor!

The single also shattered a couple major records while on its way to the coveted 1,000th, becoming just the 19th song in history to debut at the top, (Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" was the 18th just 5 weeks ago), and also beating Spears' record for the biggest digital debut by a female ever. Gaga sold 448,000 digital copies of "Born this Way", besting Spears' 411,000 total HIAM garnered in January.

Hmm...not TOO happy she beat our girl Brit's record, but Gaga still has a long way to go to match her 11+ year career.

"Born this Way" also made a record-breaking start on the airplay charts, surging at #6 on the Radio Charts, besting Janet Jackson's previous best of #7 when she premiered "All for You" in 2001.

Here's a rundown of this week's top 10 singles, and again, congrats to Lady Gaga!!

1. Lady Gaga "Born this Way"

2. Katy Perry "Firework"

3. Bruno Mars "Grenade"

4. Wiz Khalifa "Black and Yellow"

5. Pink "F**kin' Perfect"

6. Enrique Iglesias "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)"

7. Cee-Lo "F**k You"

8. Rihanna "S&M"

9. Black Eyed Peas "The Time (Dirty Bit)"

10. Britney Spears "Hold It Against Me"

(Image courtesy of matters.com)

"Hold It Against Me" Premieres, and it DELIVERS

Ahhh!!

This is CLASSIC Britney!!

The Queen of Pop surprised everyone today by releasing her track to radio a day earlier than she claimed, but no one here is complaining!!

"Hold It Against Me" is a bona fide Dance/Pop SMASH (I mean, it's only a matter of time until it tops the Billboard Charts) and is almost guaranteed to be another smash for Spears.

We heard her demo earlier this week, but Britney's vocals make it all her own - There's no mistaking her nasally delivery, her sexy come-hither's, and the monster chorus that she delivers with ease.

Listen to "Hold It Against Me" NOW and DANCE DANCE DANCE!!

UPDATE: "Hold It Against Me" reached the #1 spot on Itunes in less than 12 hours, and in just 1 day is the 16th most played song on pop radio!!!!! She's got another MONSTER SMASH on her hands! Go Brit!

(Image courtesy of bestweekever.tv)

"Hold it Against Me" Hitting Airwaves on Tuesday!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!

This is going to be HUGE.

Britney Spears has announced that her new single "Hold it Against Me" will hit the U.S. airwaves and Itunes store on 1/11/11, her first new release since "3" last year.

Demos have already leaked of the new track, and people are already saying it's going to be a massive hit, and I have to agree!!

"Hold it Against Me" is a an head banging club anthem, and should dominate radio in the upcoming months.

The artwork for the single has also been released, and Brit Brit looks Sexxiiiii!!!!!

I'm counting down the days until the official single is released, but it's KILLING me. Is it killing you!?!

(Image courtesy of shoppingblog.com)

NEW MJ SONG!

The first posthumous single released after Michael Jackson's death has just been released, and it is one of the best MJ tracks he has ever released in the past 15 years!

"Breaking News" begins with soundbites from various media outlets reporting on Jackson's public debacles, but the track itself is solid, combining vintage MJ beats and vocals with contemporary construction.

The track will be streaming live for a week on his website, but you can also listen to the track at the most trusted source (aka my most trusted source) for music news, billboard.com.

What do you think of the King of Pop's new track??

(Image courtesy of muslimmatters.org)

Check This Off The List

Working in NYC has its benefits, and today I got to meet super-talented singer Charice!!!

More Than Musiq blogged about the 19-year-old belter in January, and she made an appearance at my work today to sing and sign autographs!

Charice was discovered via Youtube and Oprah, and recently saw her debut album hit the top 10. But there's even bigger news surrounding this rising star, because she is the newest cast member for the next season of GLEE!!

Charice will play the foreign exchange student who competes with Lea Michelle's character for who's got the best set of pipes.

CAN'T WAIT

Britney Does Telephone

Before Lady Gaga and Beyonce recorded the top 3 smash "Telephone", Gaga had originally given the song to our very own queen of pop, Britney Spears, for her #1 album Circus.

Brit decided that she didn't want it on her record, so Gaga decided to record it for herself, and now she has her 6th top ten hit.

But NOW, the demo version of Britney singing "Telephone" has leaked on the internet!!! It's a rough cut, but it's definitely Britney! Her signature, nasally growl is all over the track, and if it was finished it definitely would have been a huge single for her!

Take a listen to Britney's version of "Telephone"

In more Britney news, superstar producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jenkins confirms that he's been talking to Brit's people about her 7th studio album!

YESssss!!

I cannot WAIT for Britney to release new music. It's crazy to think that this will be her 7th album; Her last 6 albums have ALL gone to #1 (with the exception of Blackout, which settled for a #2 debut because Billboard changed its sales policy the DAY they released the charts), and she is the 8th best-selling female artist of all time!

GO BRITNEY!

(Image courtesy of britneyspearsblackout.com)

Alice Delivers HUGE Box Office Opener

Crazy stuff! The new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland earned an estimated $116 million this weekend, WAY more than what Avatar pulled in during its opening weekend ($77 million.)

I'm actually shocked that the film was able to bring in such a huge sum; it's been getting only OK reviews, but then again Burton has a devoted following, and the 3-D movie is all the rage nowadays.

Today's a big day for movie because not only did Alice in Wonderland debut big, but the OSCARS ARE ON TONIGHT!!

So don't forget to tune in!!

(Image courtesy of luicedesign.net)