Usher Comes Back For His Crown: A VMA Cheat Sheet
The 'OMG' singer overcame personal drama and proved his staying power on the charts over the past year.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Usher
Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images
Usher has reigned as Pop & B royalty since he hit the scene as a teen crooner in the '90s. Back when his 16-year-old protégé, Justin Bieber, was still a toddler, the ATL singer was making the ladies faint with hits like "You Make Me Wanna" and "Nice & Slow." But his early success was just a prelude to the music-world domination he's achieved with club bangers and deeply personal slow jams in the years since.
Usher's divorce from Tameka Foster was the latest personal development to fueled his 2010 chart-topping album Raymond v. Raymond. Now the singer is set to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, and his smash "OMG" will battle it out for a Moonman in three categories: Best Male Video, Best Dance Video and Best Choreography. Here's a look at how the singer's recent success has steered him toward VMA accolades:
Following the release of the divorce-themed "Papers," his more upbeat video "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" premiered in January 2010. The clip followed the romantic superstar as he tried to juggle the demands of his professional and personal life.
In March, Usher talked to MTV News about incorporating that balance into Raymond Vs. Raymond. "I think this is the one time where I'm able to put it all in, emotionally and the good times — super-freaky and then also super-emotional."
So, it wasn't a big surprise that when Raymond Vs. Raymond finally landed on shelves after several delays, it landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 300,000 scans during its first week.
He went from romantic to racy, busting out his signature, fluid, hip-swiveling moves in the video for "Lil Freak," featuring Nicki Minaj. The star didn't hold back in the visuals or the lyrics, which both detail a freaky rendezvous with some very game ladies. Usher revealed that this track, like many of his other hits, was inspired by real-life experiences.
The club anthem "OMG" featured Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am and revealed the R&B kingpin's more club-friendly side. The accompanying video showcased Usher's easy swagger and ever-sharp dance skills.
Raymond was such a hit that in August the singer released Versus, an extension of the smash album featuring songs like the Jay-Z collabo "Hot Tottie."
Usher, who has a history of tearing up the VMA stage, will return to the main event this year. He recently reminded his fans that live television paired with his onstage wizardry can result in some seriously unforgettable moments. "You never know what's gonna happen on an MTV VMA stage," he said. "I look forward to making it a night to remember."
The star has also made one of the most savvy moves in recent pop music history by signing teen phenom Bieber, who has gone on to induce global tween hysteria and set YouTube records.
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through September 12.
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Pink Says 'Love Is Louder Than Fear'
Outspoken pop star tells bullies: 'Come find me.'
By James Montgomery
Pink in her "Love Is Louder" video
Photo: MTV News
Pink has never been one to keep her opinions to herself, so it should come as no surprise that she's just recorded a message for Love is Louder, the viral campaign launched by MTV, actress Brittany Snow and the Jed Foundation (with support from DoSomething.org, the Trevor Project, Reach Out, Active Minds and the Ad Council).
And it should also come as no surprise that she comes out swinging in her video, reaching out to not only teens who are bullied, but the bullies themselves too.
"Love is louder than fear; love is louder than ignorance; love is louder than pain; love is louder than anything," Pink says. "If there's any bullies out there that really need to take their anger out on someone, come find me."
Pink is just the latest in an ever-growing list of stars that have lent their support to Love Is Louder. In recent weeks, everyone from "Twilight's" Kellan Lutz to the "Jersey Shore's" Snooki and JWoww have filmed videos for the campaign, started in the wake of the suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who took his own life after his roommate posted footage of a sexual encounter between him and another man online.
Of course, her Love Is Louder message isn't the only reason Pink is making headlines these days. She's just announced that the video for "Raise Your Glass" — a single off her upcoming Greatest Hits ... So Far!!! album — will take place at a gay wedding, an idea inspired by a real-life experience.
"I threw my best friend's wedding in my backyard. [She] is gay, and she married her wife, and it was absolutely beautiful," she told InDemand.fm. "At the end of it, her mom said, 'Why can't this be legal?' and started crying. It was just the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen, so that's why I'm doing it in my video."
For more information on Love Is Louder, check out the project's Facebook page for more information. You can also upload videos to Your.MTV.com, just like Snow did. You can also keep the conversation going on Twitter by using the hashtag #loveislouder.
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Linkin Park's 'Waiting For The End' Video: House Of Cards
Latest A Thousand Suns clip requires a few viewings to appreciate.
By James Montgomery
Mike Shinoda in Linkin Park's video for "Waiting for the End"
Photo: Warner Bros.
About a month ago, I decided to compare Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns album to Radiohead's venerable Kid A, a move which earned me some new fans (Hi, Mike Shinoda!) and more than a few detractors too (Hi, Internet!).
But regardless of what you thought of my assessment, you have to admit it's pretty apt, especially given the premiere of LP's brand-new video for "Waiting for the End."
Because "End" — which debuted Friday morning (October 8) on MTV.com — is a spiritual successor to Radiohead's "House of Cards" clip, the much-ballyhooed thing that premiered two years ago and was most notable for the fact that it was made without a camera, instead relying on stuff like "Geometric Informatics" to create images of Thom Yorke looking very Thom Yorke-y. I'm pretty sure Linkin Park at least used a camera to make their video, but stylistically, "Cards" is definitely the touchstone.
Of course, that's pretty much where the similarities end. Because while "House of Cards" went to great lengths to be as icy and inhuman as possible, "Waiting for the End" positively teems with living energy. Sure, director (and LP DJ) Joe Hahn may distort his bandmates with all manner of tech detritus — stretching their skin, compacting their faces, covering their bodies in fractal grids — but unlike Yorke, they are not ghosts inside a machine. They are alive.
And that wasn't just an aesthetic choice. After all, one of the central themes of A Thousand Suns is the uneasy coexistence between man and machine — where one begins, the other ends and the two intersect. "Waiting for the End" is mostly about that last idea — human beings becoming machines — and the struggle to keep living in spite of it. In a way, it's the central dilemma of our times: How do we continue to be human in an increasingly information-driven age.
At least, that's how I see it. You could also look at "End" as just another really cool video or a final farewell to LP's past — it's probably the least Linkin Park song and video they've ever released — but that's probably selling the clip short. Like A Thousand Suns itself, "End" is the kind of thing that only gets better with repeated consumption and deeper diggings. The complexity is there if you're willing to work for it. Then again, what do I know? After all, I'm the dude who compared them to Radiohead.
Share your reviews of the video in the comments!
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Usher - Lil Freak
- Artist: Usher
- Label: LaFace Records, JLG
- Director: Anthony Mandler
- Album: Raymond V Raymond
Padma Lakshmi Paige Butcher Pamela Anderson Paris Hilton Patricia Velásquez
Beyoncé - Ego (Remix)
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Music World Music
- Director: Beyonce, Frank Gatson
Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian Christina Ricci Chyler Leigh
Beyonce Says She's 'A Feminist, In A Way'
Singer also talks about retiring alter ego Sasha Fierce and starting a family, in You magazine.
By James Dinh
Beyoncé
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ Getty Images
Whether it's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" or the Destiny's Child classic "Independent Women," most of Beyoncé's catalog consists of strong female-empowerment anthems. So it's no surprise that the singer considers herself to be a feminist.
In an interview with the U.K.'s You magazine, the pop star opens up about the importance of female companionship, not needing to hide behind Sasha Fierce and her much-talked-about baby plans.
"I think I am a feminist, in a way. It's not something I consciously decided I was going to be; perhaps it's because I grew up in a singing group with other women, and that was so helpful to me," she told the magazine. "It kept me out of so much trouble and out of bad relationships. My friendships with my girls are just so much a part of me that there are things I am never going to do that would upset that bond. I never want to betray that friendship, because I love being a woman and I love being a friend to other women."
Most recently, Beyoncé has certainly made her share of female friends in the industry. In the past year, the singer has collaborated with Lady Gaga ("Video Phone" and "Telephone") and Alicia Keys ("Put It in a Love Song").
While the singer might always have female besties, there's one thing she's cut out of the picture: alter ego Sasha Fierce. Earlier this year, the pop star revealed that she "killed" Sasha, and now she said the alter-ego absence is due to her newfound self-awareness.
"I don't need Sasha so much anymore, because these days, I know who I am. It takes time to figure out who you are, and I am still discovering different things about myself. As I am exposed to different experiences, I think, 'Oh, I like this. I didn't know I liked this,' " she explained. "That's the journey of life that is so exciting. More and more, I know who I am, I know what I like, I know what I want, and that makes me feel so free."
In fact, B already has her eye on some personal life goals. "My ambition is to continue to learn about the world and to eventually have a family," she said. And while Beyoncé remained coy about when she and husband Jay-Z will expand the Carter family, she hinted that there's really "no dates, no times" to motherhood. "It will happen when I am ready."
What is your favorite Beyoncé female-empowerment anthem? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Ke$ha - Your Love Is My Drug
- Artist: Ke$ha
- Label: RCA
- Director: Honey
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