Tag Archives: Columbia Records

Mariah Carey Reveals Secret ’90s Alt-Rock Album

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Mariah Carey has exposed her inner rocker persona…

The 50-year-old half-Venezuelan American songstress revealed in an excerpt from her recently release memoir that she secretly made an alternative rock album during the sessions for her 1995 LP Daydream.

Mariah Carey

“Fun fact: I did an alternative album while I was making Daydream,” Carey tweeted Sunday. “Just for laughs, but it got me through some dark days.”

In The Meaning of Mariah Carey excerpt the singer posted, she wrote of the secret LP, “I’d bring my little alt-rock song to the band and hum a silly guitar riff. They would pick it up and we would record it immediately. It was irreverent, raw, and urgent, and the band got into it. I actually started to love some of the songs. I would fully commit to my character.”

She continued, “I was playing with the style of the breezy-grunge, punk-light white female singers who were popular at the time. You know the ones who seemed to be so carefree with their feelings and their image. They could be angry, angsty, and messy, with old shoes, wrinkled slips, and unruly eyebrows, while every movie I made was so calculated and manicured. I wanted to break free, let loose, and express my misery — but I also wanted to laugh. I totally looked forward to doing my alter-ego band sessions after Daydream each night.”

The excerpt also features a 40-second snippet of music as well as the artwork for Chick’s Someone’s Ugly Daughter, an actual album released in 1995 on 550 Music, which operated under the Sony/Columbia umbrella (Carey’s label at the time).

“S/O to my friend Clarissa who performs the lead w/ me as a hidden layer,” Carey tweeted.

https://twitter.com/MariahCarey/status/1310242761908588544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1310242761908588544%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollingstone.com%2Fmusic%2Fmusic-news%2Fmariah-carey-secret-alternative-album-daydream-chick-1067279%2F

While Carey is uncredited on the Chick album, the Someone’s Ugly Daughter liner notes, according to AllMusic, list Jay Healy and Dana Jon Chapelle as the album’s engineers; Healy is a frequent Carey collaborator, serving as engineer on both Daydream (which Carey recorded at the same time) and its 1997 follow-up Fantasy.

Following the one album, Chick never released any further music, although the band did shoot some Carey-less music videos.

Rosalía Makes First Chart Visit on Billboard Hot 100 with Travis Scott Collaboration, “TKN”

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It’s a special first for Rosalía…

The 26-year-old Grammy-winning Spanish singer has notched her first chart visit on the Billboard Hot 100, as her Travis Scott collaboration “TKN” arrives at No. 66 on the all-genre chart dated June 13.

Rosalia

Additionally, Rosalia and Scott’s new single debuts at No. 2 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.

The dembow-infused tune with a trap beat was co-produced by both acts with El Guincho, Sky Rompiendo, Tainy and Teo Halm. It was released May 28 via Columbia Records.

“TKN” lands on both charts mostly on the strength of streaming activity. The bilingual track collected 7.3 million U.S. clicks in the week ending June 4, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, which yields a No. 1 debut on the Latin Streaming Songs chart.

“TKN” also registered 5,000 downloads in the week ending May 4, and debuts at No. 1 on the Latin Digital Song Sales chart. It’s the second No. 1 for Rosalia on that list, and first for Scott.

“TKN” marks the highest charting title for Rosalia on Hot Latin Songs. She previously ranked as high as No. 12 with “Yo X Ti, Tú x Mi” with Ozuna (January 11-dated tally), and with her first chart entry, “Con Altura” with J Balvin and El Guincho (chart dated June 29, 2019). 

“TKN” is the pair’s second team-up. Their first collaboration arrived through the remix of Scott’s Hot 100 No. 1 “Highest in the Room,” which also features Lil Baby.

Andy Cohen’s Book Imprint to Publish Mariah Carey Memoir

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Mariah Carey is getting her word out…

A memoir by the 49-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer is on the list of titles from Andy Cohen Books.

Mariah Carey

Henry Holt and Company announced this week that Cohen’s self-named imprint will launch in 2020. It says the imprint will feature three non-fiction works by women.

Carey’s memoir will be about her journey to superstar status.

She rose to fame in the early 1990s after signing to Columbia Records and releasing her eponymous debut album, which topped the U.S. Billboard 200 for eleven consecutive weeks. Soon after, Carey became the only artist ever to have their first five singles reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, from “Vision of Love” to “Emotions“.

Following her marriage to Sony Music head Tommy Mottola, Carey achieved worldwide success with follow-up albums Music Box, Merry Christmas, and Daydream.

The other works are The Queen V, by Dr. Jacqueline Waters, a cast member on Bravo’s Married to Medicine, and Bodacious Dreamsand Bevelations, by Bevy Smith, a former co-host of Page Six TV.

Cohen is the TV producer behind the Real Housewives Bravo franchise and host of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Holt is the publisher of Cohen’s three best sellers: Most Talkative, The Andy Cohen Diaries and Superficial.

The imprint was announced in 2016.

Velazquez Appears on “Empire: Original Soundtrack, Season 2 Volume 2”

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Jamila Velazquez is lending her voice to an Empire…

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican, Dominican and Ecuadorian actress and singer, who portrays Laura Calleros on Fox’s hip-hop drama Empire, appears on the show’s newest soundtrack: Empire: Original Soundtrack, Season 2 Volume 2.

Jamila Velazquez

Velazquez, a breakout star on the show, appears on the tracks “Crown,” with Raquel Castro and Yani Marin, as well as the song “All Nite” with Yazz and Serayah and the “All Nite” Yo Gotti remix.

Meanwhile, the show’s star Jussie Smollett appears on twelve of the 20 tracks on the new album, including his urgent anthem with on-screen brother Yazz “Never Let It Die,” which they debuted earlier this month on American Idol.

The soundtrack will be released by Columbia Records on April 29.

Here’s the complete track list for Empire: Original Soundtrack, Season 2 Volume 2 (digital deluxe edition):

  1. Freedom (feat. Jussie Smollett)
  2. Crown (feat. Jamila Velazquez, Raquel Castro, Yani Marin)
  3. Look But Don’t Touch (featuring Serayah)
  4. Good People (featuring Jussie Smollett, Yazz)
  5. Like My Daddy (featuring Jussie Smollett)
  6. Shine On Me (featuring Jussie Smollett, Bre-Z)
  7. All Nite (featuring Yazz, Serayah, Jamila Velazquez)
  8. Body Speak (featuring Serayah)
  9. Last Night (featuring Jussie Smollett, Bre-Z)
  10. Get It Started (featuring Jussie Smollett, Kelli Wakili)
  11. Got That Work (featuring Yazz)
  12. Good Enough (Negrito Remix featuring Jussie Smollett)
  13. Chasing The Sky (featuring Terrence Howard, Jussie Smollett, Yazz)
  14. No Competition (featuring Yazz, Serayah, Jussie Smollett)
  15. Hemingway (featuring Jussie Smollett)
  16. My Own Thang (featuring Jussie Smollett, Bre-Z)
  17. Turn Around (featuring Bre-Z)
  18. Fabulous (featuring DMK)
  19. Never Let It Die (featuring Jussie Smollett, Yazz)
  20. All Nite (Yo Gotti Remix) (featuring Yazz, Yo Gotti, Serayah and Jamila Velazquez)

Carey Reveals Track List for Her Greatest Hits Album “#1 To Infinity”

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Mariah Carey will have you feeling emotions and more in the near future…

After releasing the album artwork for Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity, a comprehensive greatest-hits package consisting of all 18 of her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, the 45-year-old half-Venezuelan-American singer has confirmed its release date.

Mariah Carey
Due May 18 on Epic Records/Columbia Records/Sony Legacy, Infinity reunites Carey with Epic chairman-CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who helped spearhead Carey’s mid-2000’s comeback with The Emancipation of Mimi as then-chairman of Island Def Jam Records. In addition to Carey’s 15 Sony No. 1’s and three Universal No. 1’s, the album will include one brand-new selection, title track “Infinity.” The song will premiere globally on April 27 via all digital services, as well as a video directed by Carey’s longtime collaborator Brett Ratner. Carey is also expected to host a kick-off event for her upcoming Caesars Palace residency in Las Vegas on April 27, with more details to be announced shortly.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back together again with Mariah,” says Reid in a statement. “There is really no one who comes close to Mariah as both a songwriter and a singer, and as the world knows, her vocal range is legendary and truly incomparable.  Her music is indelibly etched into our culture, and she’s shattered so many chart records that she’s now firmly entrenched in the history books.  With a fierce and loyal fan base that covers every corner of the globe, I have no doubt Mariah will do it again.”

Infinity is the first release in a multi-album deal with Epic, which Carey signed earlier this year. Carey will perform all 18 No. 1s for the first time ever as part of her residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, and is expected to pepper fan-favorite album cuts and previously never-performed tracks into each set as well. The first 18 confirmed 2015 performances are May 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 23, 24; and July 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26. Tickets are available at thecolosseum.com or axs.com.

Here’s the complete Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity Tracklist:
(Includes weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100)

1.  “Vision of Love” (4 weeks, 1990)
2.  “Love Takes Time” (3 weeks, 1990)
3.  “Someday” (MTV Unplugged version) (2 weeks, 1991)
4.  “I Don’t Wanna Cry” (2 weeks, 1991)
5.  “Emotions” (3 weeks, 1991)
6.  “I’ll Be There” (featuring Trey Lorenz) (2 weeks, 1992)
7.  “Dreamlover” (8 weeks, 1993)
8.  “Hero” (4 weeks, 1993)
9.  “Fantasy” (Bad Boy Fantasy featuring O.D.B.) (8 weeks, 1995)
10.  “One Sweet Day” (featuring Boyz II Men) (16 weeks,1995-1996)
11.  “Always Be My Baby” (2 weeks, 1996)
12.  “Honey” (3 weeks, 1997)
13.  “My All” (1 week, 1998)
14.  “Heartbreaker” (featuring Jay-Z) (2 weeks, 1999)
15.  “Thank God I Found You” (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees) (1 week, 2000)
16.  “We Belong Together” (14 weeks, 2005)
17.  “Don’t Forget About Us” (2 weeks, 2005)
18.  “Touch My Body” (2 weeks, 2008)
19.  “Infinity” (2015)

Smollet’s “Empire” Soundtrack Reaches No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart

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Jussie Smollett is a chart-topper…

The 31-year-old Brazilian actor/singer and the stars of Fox‘s Empire have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the breakout hit series’ soundtrack debuts atop the list.

Jussie Smollett

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

The Empire soundtrack was released March 10 through Columbia Records and bows at the top spot with 130,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 15, according to Nielsen Music.

Empire Soundtrack

It’s the first television soundtrack to debut at No. 1 since 2010, when three different Glee albums arrived atop the list.

Empire features contributions from its newcomer cast, like Smollett, as well as hitmakers like Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Rita Ora, Juicy J and Courtney Love (all of which have guest-starred on the show).

Empire earned 17,000 units from track equivalent albums (thanks to the strong performance of the set’s multiple Billboard Hot 100 hit singles like “You’re So Beautiful” and “Conqueror“), while it tallied another 3,000 units from streaming equivalent albums.

Also helping matters: During release week, Smollett performed on TV’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show (March 9) and on Fox’s American Idol three days later (joined by fellow cast member Yazz).

Smollett Signs Recording Contract with Columbia Records

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Jussie Smollett is ready to create his own music empire…

The 31-year-old Brazilian actor/singer, one of the stars of Fox’s breakout hit series Empire, has reportedly landed a recording contract at Columbia Records.

Jussie Smollett

Smollett revealed the good news to Entertainment Weekly.

“There will be a Jussie Smollett album. I signed to Columbia,” he said when asked about future music plans. “So darling [Laughs] I’m label mates with Beyoncé and Adele and Barbra Streisand.”

Smollett has seen much success with his role on Fox’s smash hit, Empire, which continues to see new additions to its 13.8 million viewers with each episode.

News of the record deal comes as little surprise…

Throughout Empire’s freshman season, Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, has showcased some applaudable pipes. And his songs from the show has repeatedly performed well on iTunes.

Blacc Appears in the Yahoo! Screen Web Series “Culinary Beats”

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Aloe Blacc’s career is heating up…

The 35-year-old Panamanian-American singer is taking a stab at cooking as one of the stars of Culinary Beats, a six-part web series that returned for its second season on Friday on Yahoo! Screen and Citibank’s YouTube channel.

Aloe Blacc

The series is sponsored by Citi’s Thank You Preferred card and produced in partnership with Columbia Records and Backroads Entertainment.

New two-part, 12-to-14 minute episodes will premiere throughout the month of September, featuring musicians and chefs discussing their shared creative inspirations over cooking demos and intimate performances filmed on-location at some of the hottest restaurants on both coasts.

‘Culinary Beats demonstrates the perfect symbiosis between food and music,” said Elyssa Gray, Citi’s director of creative and media, North American Consumer Marketing. “The new episodes are immensely entertaining and artfully showcase the dining and entertainment elements our ThankYou Preferred cardmembers have a strong affinity for.”

For his episode, which was made available on Monday, Blacc and his lifelong friends were reunited when clandestine supper club, Stag Dining, brought their innovative dining experience to Los Angeles. Over a meal inspired by Blacc’s Panamanian roots, they catch up and talk shop before treating guests to a stellar performance.

Other parings include Alex & Sierra with chef Hung Hunyh at New York’s Catch; Walk Off The Earth and Eric Greenspan at Los Angeles’ The Roof; Ella Henderson and chef Jessica Koslow at Hollywood’s SQIRL; Foster The People and chef Josef Centeno at downtown L.A.’s Baco Mercat and Magic Man and chef Ivan Orkin at New York’s Ivan Ramen.

Last December’s first season featured St. Lucia, MKTO, Passion Pit and DJ Cassidy as well as Gavin DeGraw and The Fray.

Rivera to Perform “Valerie” on the 100th Episode of “Glee”

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Naya Rivera is preparing to reinterpret one of her most memorable Glee performances…

The 27-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer will offer a new take on her acclaimed performance of Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s version of “Valerie” for the Fox musical dramedy’s 100th episode.

Naya Rivera

In the second season episode entitled “Special Education,” Rivera sang lead on the track by The Zutons during the New Directions’ performance at the 2010 Western Ohio Sectional Championship.

Rivera also performed the track in the Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which was released in 2011.

This time around, she’ll perform the song alongside Heather Morris (Brittany).

In addition, Rivera will also perform Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with Morris and Diana Agron (Quinn), and “Be Okay” with Lea Michele.

The music in the two-part episode was chosen by the show’s fans, who were asked to pick 10 of the show’s 30 most beloved performances to be remixed and featured on the series’ landmark episode.

Set to air on March 18 and 25 at 8 p.m., the 100th episode will center on Jane Lynch‘s principal Sue Sylvester, who after years of disdain for the New Directions and Matthew Morrison‘s Will Schuester, finally succeeds in ending the glee club in Lima.

Many original castmembers — Morris (Brittany), Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), Mark Salling (Puck), Dancing With the Stars winner Amber Riley (Mercedes), Agron (Quinn) as well as Kristin Chenoweth (April) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holliday) — will return to say their final goodbyes to Will and each other in the emotional episode.

To honor the milestone, Columbia Records will release Glee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes, which will include brand-new versions of Glee favorites from the original cast — including Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Pink‘s “Raise Your Glass” and the original song “Loser Like Me.”

The album will be released on March 25.

Here’s the complete 100th Glee tracklist:

1. “Keep Holding On”* featuring Mark Salling (Puck)
2. “Valerie”* featuring Naya Rivera (Santana) and Morris (Brittany)
3. “Defying Gravity”* featuring Lea Michele( Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Riley (Mercedes)
4. “Raise Your Glass”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
5. “Toxic”* featuring Rivera (Santana), Morris (Brittany) and Agron (Quinn)
6. “Happy” featuring Paltrow (Holly), Chenoweth (April), Morrison (Will), Darren Criss(Blaine) and Riley (Mercedes)
7. “Party All the Time” featuring Paltrow (Holly)
8. “Total Eclipse of the Heart”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
9. “Loser Like Me”* featuring Criss (Blaine), Kevin McHale (Artie), Chord Overstreet(Sam) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina)
10. “Be Okay” featuring Michele (Rachel) and Rivera (Santana)
11. “I Am Changing” featuring Riley (Mercedes) and Colfer (Kurt)
12. “Just Give Me a Reason” featuring Agron (Quinn) and Salling (Puck)
13. “Don’t Stop Believin’”* featuring Michele (Rachel), Criss (Blaine), Colfer (Kurt), Morrison (Will), McHale (Artie) and Ushkowitz (Tina)

* Season-five version

Glee returns from its midseason break on February 25 in its new night and time on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Mars Announces Dates for the Second Leg of His “Moonshine Jungle” Tour

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Bruno Mars is ready for a little more Moonshine…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer, who will be performing at this year’s Super Bowl with the Red Hot Chili Peppers as his special guest, has announced plans to launch the next leg of his popular Moonshine Jungle tour — and on select dates, he’ll be joined by fellow hitmaker Pharrell Williams.

Bruno Mars

Mars will kick off the newest set of concerts this May, following two April shows in Mars’ hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. Pharrell, a music producer and featured artist on two of 2013’s biggest songs, Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk‘s “Get Lucky,” will join Mars in five cities — Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal — while appearing behind his upcoming solo release with Columbia Records.

Panamanian American soul singer Aloe Blacc, best known in U.S. as the vocalist on Avicii‘s “Wake Me Up,” will open for Mars for majority of dates where Pharrell will not perform.

The Moonshine Jungle tour’s next leg will begin May 27 at Fresno, California’s Save Mart Center, running over 40 total dates before concluding Aug. 17 in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre.

Mars, Billboard’s Artist of the Year in 2013, is touring in support of his sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, which was released in December 2012. The album has spawned two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Locked Out of Heaven” and “If I Was Your Man,” as well as the No. 5-peaking “Treasure” and “Gorilla,” which hit No. 22.

He’s also received multiple nominations at the Grammys later this month, including nods for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Locked Out of Heaven.”

See the full list of tour dates at Mars’ official site.