shayne ward

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Shayne’s “Gotta Be”…

Posted by John on September 24, 2010
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: . 4 Comments

…a remake?

Digital Spy has the exclusive preview of Shayne Ward’s new single, and normally that would be a cause for celebration. However, the initial internet reaction has been less than receptive.

Let’s be honest…Nickelback doesn’t exactly spell credibility with the folks that are rooting for Shayne to succeed, let alone a Nickelback song that has recently been a hit. It would be one thing if he covered a song by another artist that didn’t make it big (see Joe McElderry’s “Ambitions” or Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying“), but unless Shayne’s bringing something so earth-shattering to the song that it’s basically a new song, the record-buying public probably won’t respond too enthusiastically. Part of the excitement in relaunching an artist is hearing NEW music, and that’s not what Shayne’s team has brought to the table, despite all of the promising leaks we’ve heard the past few months.

So here’s the deal…we are judging 60 seconds of a song that we haven’t heard in full, and feeling let down. And by “we”, I mean the folks who have already posted their opinions on forums like Digital Spy and Popjustice. Sex sells, and so the pics that have come out recently, combined with reports of a sexy video being shot next week, are taking Shayne in that direction. Who am I to complain about that? But at the end of all this, it’s a music career, not a modeling career. Unless he’s planning to be the new Calvin Klein model (which he’s very qualified to do), all of this is for naught if the music doesn’t deliver. Let’s just hope that happens.

[Update: The full version has now surfaced, and if you didn’t know the Nickelback version of the song, you might not be as jaded. It’s definitely a more contemporary arrangement, and not nearly as bad as the moaners would have you believe. In fact, it fits his voice pretty well.]

“Gotta Be Something” comes out November 7th in the UK, followed by the full-length Obsession on November 15th.

We Have a Date with Shayne

Posted by John on August 30, 2010
Posted in: upcoming. Tagged: . 5 Comments

“We” meaning you and I, because Shayne put out a simple tweet today:

#ShayneWardNov28th RT RT RT Guys

Is our (inter)national nightmare over with? Here’s what Shayne posted on August 25th via his own website blog:

I was in the Label on Monday where I listened to my whole album for the first time! I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I’ve worked so hard on it and it’s been a long process but now it’s almost here and it’s soon to be released. I can’t wait for you to hear it! More news to follow soon.

So everything is aligning here. More details to follow, but in his own words from that blog post, “things are moving”. It appears that also includes his workouts:

Shayne Drives It Home

Posted by John on June 29, 2010
Posted in: upcoming. Tagged: , . 5 Comments

So just on a whim, I swung by shayne-ward.com yesterday, and was rewarded with a new blog entry. Lots of sun, blah blah blah…depressing World Cup result, blah blah blah…and then the good stuff:

My recording sessions are coming to a close and the next step is to choose the first single..exciting! Once the first single has been decided things will fall into place very soon! That’s when all systems are go. There’s a real buzz from myself and the label and we’re very excited about my return to the stage. Seeing all of you again is a huge deal for me. I miss you all like crazy and I’m really looking forward to this.

Post goes on to mention training, Temper Trap, and Glastonbury. If you got back a bit on Twitter, Shayne told a fan over the weekend that he will probably be playing a gig in London in September or October, which seems about right to get a project off the ground that has just been finished up. In the meantime, we will just have to listen to the new Maroon 5 track “Misery” over and over. I’m convinced that if the song had come out earlier, Katy Perry would not be #1 on the charts right now. Consolation comes with a pic of Shayne at the driving range, showing off the results of his training.

Springing A Leak

Posted by John on April 24, 2010
Posted in: commentary, music industry, new releases. Tagged: , . 16 Comments

I woke up this morning to a tweet from @shayneTward (well, not PERSONALLY to me):

I find it disgusting that yet another 1 of my songs have been leaked. I ask all of u to not download or even listen 2 it in respect of me.!

Now there’s a conundrum for the Shayne Ward fan in your life. (Full disclosure if you didn’t already know it: I’m a fan). On one hand, a fan of an artist wants to help that person out and support whatever efforts will allow them to be successful. However, the flip side is that said fan wants to hear that leaked music as soon as possible. So what way do you go?

Leaks have become a completely different beast in the age of the Internet than they ever were in more analog times. My first “leak” was a vinyl copy of the Black Album in the late-80s that I got from a person who worked for a distributor. At the time, I thought I was being all rebellious and connected at the same time, but now I know that the bootleg was actually a promo copy of the aborted (at the time) album. It came as a fully packaged album, with a two-toned black cover, so I should have recognized the effort that went into the packaging. The Black Album was finally released in 1994, although by that time not nearly as many people cared.

So back to the leak at hand. I’ve already talked about two Shayne leaks last month, and as we get closer to the release of his third record, I am sure we will see more. While you want to think that the actions of someone you respect are on the up and up, I can’t help think that bringing attention to a track continues the conversation about the artist started by the first two leaks. Leaks have worked very well in building buzz for artists over the past few years (think Britney’s last two projects), so it isn’t a reach to wonder if the protest is to bring attention to the leak, because I didn’t know another track had leaked until Shayne told me so. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, I suppose.

So here’s the question: given the circumstance, would you check out the leak, or would you leave it alone? I promise that I will share which way I went with it, but I’d like to see some of the feedback first.

Crash and Swag

Posted by John on March 14, 2010
Posted in: singles, upcoming. Tagged: , . 11 Comments

Let the leaks begin! With a hat tip to Paul over at FizzyPop, yesterday marked the first song to leak out onto the Internet from Shayne Ward’s third album in the form of “Crash“. It is a slow-burning ballad that sounds great, but definitely doesn’t scream “first single”. That honor is supposed to go to “Tonight”, and according to @shaynetward on Twitter yesterday, the record label is gearing up for the promotional push on his upcoming releases. Speculation is that “Crash”, reportedly produced by Stargate, and Darkchild-produced “The Way You Are” are just hype leaks designed to get the masses talking about Shayne again, and it appears that it worked. Not that some of us ever stopped talking about him, but you get the picture.

While we are talking about upcoming projects, another album that is supposed to drop later this year is the fourth release from Jesse McCartney. Rap-Up.com posted an interview with “How Do You Sleep” producer Sean Garrett, where he described hooking Jesse up with some “swag”:

“I wanted to give him real songs, but also give him some shit that has some real swag to it. Girls will be like, ‘Damn, I need to call up Jesse. He’s somebody I need in my life.’ And not just from a corny pop perspective, the Mr. Cool song, but more so like, ‘Damn, I need to see dude.’”

Jesse himself has been a bit tight-lipped about subject matter, but he’s lived a lot since Departure first hit, including weathering a nude photo scandal back in January. Who knows what direction it will go, but while he’s writing material for himself, is he also writing for an American Idol? Here’s his thoughts on season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert:

“I think he’s so talented. I would like to work with him one-on-one and find a focus for him, ’cause he’s dope,” McCartney offered. “I feel like he tried to make a statement with what he did. I would really like to write something for Adam.”

Random Notes – 02-05-10

Posted by John on February 5, 2010
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . 6 Comments

– There are moments where I love Twitter, and there are times where it annoys me immensely, like when you get suckered by a phony account for a celebrity you want to follow. Here is one of those times where I love it:

@shayneTward: FINISHEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So maybe we WILL see a new Shayne Ward album this year. I want this to be massive, but I don’t know that he can get a fair shake while under the Syco umbrella. If Shayne can’t get on a charity record being produced by his management company, how much of a priority can he be? It would have been a great way to get his name out to other territories, setting him up for an international push. Oh, and the pic? Another one of those times where Twitter wins…Shayne posted it a couple of weeks ago.

– To those who feel that the attacks on Taylor Swift regarding her Grammy performance are too harsh, I say “whatever”. Seriously, why is this sparking such passion? Didn’t you all get your passionate defense time in with the whole VMA controversy, which seriously got out of hand in itself? You would have sworn that Kanye jumped up on stage and physically violated her from some of the reactions. Here’s the deal…if you have your heart set on chart domination, and you put yourself out there, people are going to react. It might not be objective, and it might not be polite, but it is fair. And for her record label president to go on the offense and trash American Idols in the process is very telling. Why couldn’t he just say “she had the biggest-selling album of 2009, so why shouldn’t she win Album of the Year?” End of story.

– How awesome is it that K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” is at #11 on the Canadian Top 40 airplay chart right now? Any exposure that K’Naan can get is well-deserved (as I know Mel will attest to), but to have this song adopted for the World Cup will take his music to places that would have otherwise not heard it. I saw him perform this live last summer opening for Jason Mraz, and it was the highlight of his set. Okay, America…get on board!

Shayne Bares His…Chest

Posted by John on December 1, 2009
Posted in: news, videos. Tagged: . 10 Comments

So with the holidays here in the US, I have been a bit out of the loop with my normal updates and blogs, but I got a little surprise this morning in the form of new video blogs from Shayne Ward over at his website. Turns out that he’s been a busy guy recently, even though he’s been flying under the radar. Being the literary sacrificial lamb that I am, I put myself through the arduous task of watching these videos to pull out bits of information for you. In no particular order:

– Shayne expects that the album will be done in December, but is still looking at material to add into the mix.
– Shayne is sporting a full-fledged beard.
– Shayne aspires to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.
– Shayne lists the Bee Gees, the Stylistics, Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Kings of Leon in his musical top 5.
– Shayne seems hell-bent on sharing his chest hair with the camera, even in heavy clothing.
– Shayne hasn’t been to the dance studio recently, but will as the album release gets closer.
– Shayne will definitely have an album to release in 2010.

This is all promising, but it’s all stuff that we’ve heard before. Hopefully Shayne’s management are committed to making release #3 a success, and possibly bringing some of that success over to the US. He’s not going to make the cover of Rolling Stone without it!

Random Notes – 06/28/09

Posted by John on June 28, 2009
Posted in: american idol, personal, plug. Tagged: , , , . 15 Comments

fathrson– First off, if you haven’t already done so, head on over Olga Loves Yuri to check out the chat I had with my blogger brother this week regarding the passing of Michael Jackson. I think it came out pretty well, and if all goes as planned, we will do some type of dialogue like this every week. There is so much going on in the pop music world, but sometimes it just doesn’t call for a full post. And it’s a good excuse for me to give Yuri hell. Simple pleasures…

– At Yuri’s prompting, I have become a fan of Popdose, which really does a great job of capturing pop culture at its finest. Their tributes to Michael Jackson have been outstanding, but I have been caught up in the posted series by Tom Werman, who signed and produced groups like Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, and Molly Hatchet. Me being a music industry junkie like I am, it is difficult to walk away from the computer when there’s another entry of his waiting to be read. Also, it’s a great antidote to read about a decent A&R guy after having read Kill Your Friends while I was in London.

– Review of the David Cook show coming later today or first thing tomorrow morning. I got some great pics and video, along with ringing ears. You would think by now I would remember that this happens, but I’m so giddy when I get to a show that I don’t even think about it.

– Not sure what posts will look like this week with the holiday coming up. I’ve got a four-day weekend ahead, and between school work and threats of being kidnapped (details later), posting may be a bit light. In the meantime, I have homework to do! (I sound 12 saying that…need to work on the delivery.)

– Let me leave you with a bit of Shayne Ward goodness. Not sure how I missed this, but after having been obsessed with the Cadbury eyebrows commercial, this just cracks me up. Happy Sunday!

Shayne Gives Gets a Show?

Posted by John on June 3, 2009
Posted in: news. Tagged: . 2 Comments

shayne-ward-streetNew update today from our favorite X Factor winner, with a new piece of info that I hadn’t heard before:

But back to work now as usual and I’m in Syco Music getting groomed for a new TV music show which will hopefully get commissioned before Christmas, exciting. Well that’s what I thought. Instead I was being set up for a Punk’d style hidden camera show by none other than Louis Walsh, ejit LOL!

Classic! Not sure where this will be aired, but I’m looking forward to it. Shayne goes on to say that the album is still coming along, and he’s staying fit in advance of the new record’s release. Which means a couple of new photo shoots, right?

Video Notables – Elliott Yamin

Posted by John on May 2, 2009
Posted in: american idol, new releases, upcoming, videos, youtube. Tagged: , . 7 Comments

Elliott Yamin Fight For LoveI know I’ve done a few of these video entries lately, but this one goes a little deeper than “oooh, check out this video”. Elliott was my pick all through American Idol Season 5, going all the way back to his Hollywood Week performance of “A Song For You”. This is an example of what can happen when the Idol producers stay out of the mix, letting the music and the performers speak for themselves. While Elliott was eliminated during the Top 3 week, it was the closest margin in the history of the show, with all three (Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee being the other two) receiving just over 33% of the vote.

I don’t want to call it revenge, but sometimes life corrects itself. Elliott ended up with the biggest record of the top 3 that season (“Wait For You”), his debut has already been certified Gold, and he still has his original record deal, which the other two don’t. His second full-length is called “Fight For Love”, and it drops this coming Tuesday. The title song hasn’t exactly set the world on fire yet, but I am really liking this new video. Maybe I’m crazy, but I see Elliott and Shayne Ward going in the same direction, and could easily see Shayne singing this song as well. Judge for yourselves…