Monday, December 24, 2012

ROD STEWART's "Merry Christmas Baby" Peaks at No. 1 on iTunes Philippines!

December 21, 2012 --- Two-time Hall of Famer ROD STEWART peaks at No. 1 on iTunes Philippines with new album "Merry Christmas, Baby" beating Michael Buble!

"A Very Special Christmas 25th Anniversary (Various Artists)" jumps to No. 7 on iTunes' Top 10 Albums!

Meanwhile, Maroon 5's "Overexposed" album breezes back to the charts at No. 9!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY -- an album of standards and traditional songs produced by David Foster, finds Rod Stewart joined by a number of A-list guests, starting with Michael BublĂ©, who duets with Rod on “Winter Wonderland.” “We Three Kings” is a duet with Mary J. Blige; and the title tune “Merry Christmas, Baby” is a duet with Cee-Lo Green featuring New Orleans’ favorite son, Trombone Shorty. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” features Dave Koz on saxophone and “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” is a very special ‘virtual’ duet with Ella Fitzgerald featuring Chris Botti.

Friday, December 21, 2012

LAWSON POISED TO BECOME 2013'2 BAND TO WATCH

Filipino fans of rising UK band Lawson can look forward to some exciting times come 2013 as the boys from Britain is reportedly visiting Manila in the coming months ahead. Date and venue are not yet finalized. But the quartet already expressed their high anticipation of going to a place they can only describe as "beautiful."

In a chat with MCA Music which locally distributes their recorded material, Lawson members Joel Peat and Ryan Fletcher showed their good feeling about the high possibility of reaching the Philippine shores and perform in front of their fast-growing fan base here.


Brown recently harmonized with rock icon Sir Paul McCartney and another British giant Robbie Williams for the charity single "He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother’ which is dedicated to Liverpool supporters and families still looking for justice after the Hillsborough disaster.
"I think the band is working under a perfect system where we got individual roles to fulfill and we're not bothered by it. It's cool that Andy is our singer-songwriter and he is the eldest," stated Fletcher who made note of the bass grooves from Guns N Roses and Bon Jovi as being personal influences.

In 2011 the band was recognized by mainstream audiences after supporting "The Wanted" for the latter's first two extensive tours. By September of that year, the band was signed to Polydor Records with a lucrative two-album deal. With that came the privilege of opening for other big-name acts like Will Young and Avril Lavigne.

Completing Lawson's roster is drummer Adam Pitts who sketched the 'Lawson' logo freehand on an envelope sometime after the 18-hour successful operation of one Dr. Lawson that removed Brown's brain tumor. Shortly after they began recording materials and here they are now, pop rocking their way to global stardom.
"It shall be a dream come true to do a couple of shows there. We want to go to as many places as we can and we heard Philippines is a very good scene music-wise," said the 22-year old Peat who plays lead guitar and has been jamming with the bass-playing Fletcher since they were 14.

Lawson, its name paying tribute to a real-life doctor who saved the life of vocalist Andy Brown from death scare, scored hit singles this year, namely, "When She Was Mine," (which immediately became high-rated on YouTube in just a week after being posted) "Taking Over Me," and "Standing In The Dark." Their album "Chapman Square" was released last October and seated comfortably high on the UK album charts, current climbing the iTunes charts too in UK and Asia.

"Taking Over Me” reached the Number 1 on Philippine FM station Magic 89.9 as the VEVO Lift campaign for the "Standing In The Dark" video now hit the 3 million views mark worldwide.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey OST



Featuring Neil Finn’s “Song of the Lonely Mountain”
Now Available on iTunes and MyMusicStore!



Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey part one in a trilogy has just premiered in local theaters last week. The epic adventure movie gets an appropriately epic ballad with Neil Finn's "Song of the Lonely Mountain." With angelic vocals, swooning strings and a slow, determined build, the tune captures the feel of an arduous trek across a rocky, perilous landscape. Metal crashes invoke blacksmiths hard at work forging weapons in the fire while the classical guitar floats between the chants and clattering percussion.

"'The Song of the Lonely Mountain' was developed from a dark and mysterious theme which the dwarves sing early in the movie," Finn tells Rolling Stone. He says Jackson and his team suggested he get in a "dwarven state of mind" as he shaped the song to play over the end credits. "After some days of mining underground (actually, in Peter’s office) I emerged with the song, then set about recording it with my sons Elroy and Liam. Dave Fridmann came in at the end with a bold mix. He seemed to respond well to my demands for 'more anvil!' Pop music needs more anvil!"


Listen to NEIL FINN’s “SONG OF THE LONELY MOUNTAIN” on YouTube:

Get NEIL FINN’s “SONG OF THE LONELY MOUNTAIN” on iTunes:

Get “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY” OST on iTunes:

Get “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY” OST on MyMusicStore:


The soundtrack for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is now available via digital download on iTunes and www.MyMusicStore.com.ph

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Malasimbo 2013 tickets are now on sale!



Tickets for the third Malasimbo Music & Arts Festival, taking place from March 1-3, 2013, at Mt. Malasimbo on Puerto Galera, are now available for sale on Ticketworld! The passes will guarantee entry into the festival grounds for the main program (6pm to 6am) and are available at one, two and three day passes. Leading the musical pack this year is reggae giant Jimmy Cliff, following in the footsteps of the 2012 headliner Joe Bataan, proving the Malasimbo can and will get better each and every year.

March 1-3, 2013, marks the third installment of the DOT-certified festival. Malasimbo has gained popularity since its first effort in 2011, reaching full capacity last March 2012, boasting a mountaintop filled with around 3,000 people enjoying nonstop good vibes and a unified party spirit. In the words of many a festival-goer: “It’s life changing!” The event seeks to promote adventure, ecotourism and harmony, all to the tunes of some spectacular local and international musical acts.

Make sure you grab your tickets now before you run out! If you grab your passes this early, you’ll avail of a discounted early bird promo rate. For inquiries, like Malasimbo on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Malasimbofestival

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Phonoblogs Features Kimpoy

Little do I know about Kimpoy Feliciano before I got to meet him in person. During our exclusive blog con, I learn that there is more to Kimpoy than just a singer of love songs like Ikaw lang. This New Zealand based artist is still taking up collegiate studies and spends his time in the Philippines whenever on a school break.

Not only that he is active online and provides advises to his fans that he was entrusted the task as youth ambassador. He is known as a fan of Superman that he also uses a Superman font on his name. He also got to made his own music video in one of his songs which is included in his album.

Follow @kimpoyfeliciano on Twitter. For more news about music, concerts, album releases and more, LIKE the L.E.N.S blogs on Facebook.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Introducing UK’s Most Sought After Pop Rock Band ... LAWSON!

Lawson is a four-piece British band which consists of truly talented and gifted musicians: Andy Brown (acoustic guitar and lead vocals), Ryan Fletcher (bass guitar and backing vocals), Joel Peat (lead guitar and backing vocals) and Adam Pitts (drums). The band members who are originally Liverpool, Chesterfield, Mansfield and Brighton respectively are now currently based in London.

In 2011, the band made their mainstream breakthrough after becoming the support act for one of Britain’s biggest pop bands, The Wanted, on their first ever theatre tour, The Behind Bars Tour. The band made a great impression on the audience, and received good reviews from fans and critics alike. Having developed a friendship with The Wanted, they returned as the support act for The Wanted's second tour, #TheCode Tour also known as TWAT (The Wanted Arena Tour). And the rest is history…

This is coupled with the huge impact of the VEVO Lift campaign for the Standing In The Dark video which has now hit 3 million views worldwide, vaulting over the play counts of ‘Taking Over Me’ and ‘When She Was Mine’.   Their weekly ‘what’s hot’ e-mail blast alongside new Christina Aguilera, David Guetta and No Doubt videos


On September 8, 2011, it was announced that the band had been signed to Polydor Records, with a lucrative two-album deal on the cards. After signing to a major label, Lawson was tasked with opening for other acts such as Will Young, Avril Lavigne, and again for The Wanted.

Their debut album, Chapman Square which is sitting comfortably at No. 3 on the UK album midweek charts and steadily climbing the charts of  iTunes UK and Asia,  boasts of potential hit singles like “When She Was Mine", “Standing In The Dark” and the carrier  track "Taking Over Me'’. “Taking Over Me” is now positioned at Number 1 on Magic 89.9 and # 12 on Monster Radio RX 93.1.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Robbie Williams dare you to be "Different" in 2013

Just before his Royal Variety Performance of ‘Different’ aired in the UK, Robbie Williams launched this campaign.

Taking on the powerful meaning of the song Robbie is asking people to make their pledge on how they will be 'different' in 2013.

Be Different In 2013

Celebrate Robbie's new single with your own promise to someone you care about.

Robbie's next single, Different, is released in the UK on the 17th of this month and to celebrate, we're inviting everyone to make their own promise to be different in the new year. Robbie's anthemic pledge to change for the better rings true with many people at this time of year, so now's the time to share your love for the single and voice your good intentions at the same time!

Watch the video below and follow Robbie's lead by writing your own promise as a note, photographing it and posting it to Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with the hashtag #Different2013. Your note can be as earnest or as light-hearted as you like... it can be to someone, or anonymous - all your promises are welcome, even if you don't have time to write it by hand!


Please encourage artists, contacts, celebrites , friends and family to participate!


Check out Robbie Williams’ music video “DIFFERENT” on Vevo:
Get Robbie Williams’ single “DIFFERENT” on iTunes:
Get Robbie Williams’ single “DIFFERENT” on MyMusicStore:
Order Robbie Williams’ brand new album “TAKE THE CROWN” on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/ph/preorder/take-the-crown-deluxe-edition/id557595150

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 Achieve Career Highlights in 2012



Three of MCA Music's more celebrated international acts Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 can look forward to a lucky 2013 since the closing year gave them career highlights that may very well serve as defining moments of their colorful journey as global stars.

Rihanna's latest single "Diamonds" became her fastest-rising single ever, in the process achieving a record-breaking 12th Billboard Hot 100 No.1. She reached the peak significantly at the end of her headline-grabbing "777 Tour" where she toured to seven cities in seven days highlighted by a concert in each stop -- all for the purpose of promoting her seventh album "Unapologetic."

She brought with her more than 150 journalists from all over the planet to cover the week-long promo extravaganza, including Filipino eventologist Tim Yap.

Country star Taylor Swift, on the other hand, reached a new height by scoring her first ever Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper with her single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", off her fourth album "Red" released in the Philippines last November. The track topped the iTunes charts all over the world and sold 623,000 copies in just its first week of release.

"Red", now beefed up with follow-up singles "Begin Again" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" sold about three million copies after mere three weeks in the market. It debuted as the highest first-week album sales in over a decade and topped the sales charts in 42 countries worldwide,

The year ends with Taylor having a worldwide career record sale of more than 26 million albums and 75 million song downloads. Her Filipino fans flocked at Trinoma in a recent fan gathering event where they purchased merchandise items related to the well-loved singer-songwriter while signing in for CD copy requests.

Maroon 5, who performed at a packed Smart Araneta Coliseum last September, hit their longest-running number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single "One More Night". The song, off their fourth album called "Overexposed", stayed in the top spot for 9 consecutive weeks.

Guitarist James Valentine shared to Filipino reporters, in response to questions regarding the album's title, "That title came about when we realized that Adam's face is already everywhere. You couldn't get away from his face."

"Overexposed" lead single "Payphone", featuring rapper Wiz Khalifa, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and then moved up to number two on the chart. Yet the most recognized track included in the album is "Moves like Jagger", featuring Christina Aguilera, which sold over 8 million copies worldwide as of June this year, their biggest hit yet no doubt.

UNAPOLOGETIC by RIHANNA, RED by TAYLOR SWIFT and OVEREXPOSED by MAROON 5 are now available in CDs at Astroplus and Odyssey Music & Video or online via iTunes or www.MyMusicStore.com.ph