Who is Taio Cruz?

Had someone asked me who Taio Cruz was a week ago, I can’t say that I would have known. With his smash hit single “Break Your Heart,” Taio is joining the likes of Kanye West and Ne-Yo as a behind-the-scenes writer/producer turned mainstream artist. At only 26, Taio has already written and produced music for A-list stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, and is prepping for the U.S. May 18th release of his sophomore album Rokstarr.

Seeing as though Taio is British, it does make some sense that his name is not yet “big” in the U.S. However, “Break Your Heart” is all over the radio, and his single “Dirty Picture” featuring Ke$ha has already been heard in the American party/club scene. For anyone who is into the Lady Gaga-Jay Sean-electronic-pop-dance mix, Rokstarr is definitely for you. The feel-good album will have you dancing around your room and singing to your mirror for sure (not that I do any that….lol).

On another note, Taio Cruz’s increasing popularity in the states marks a wave of British artists conquering the U.S. charts with catchy dance songs. While Jay Sean’s “Down” continues to blow up every car radio,  Natasha Bedingfield’s  “Pocket Full of Sunshine” can still be heard blasting from college dorm windows. True, British artists have always had a strong presence in the U.S. market (i.e. The Beatles, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, etc.). Nonetheless, this year has seen an unforgettable British influence on the U.S., and is showing that Americans want to listen to some bloody funky and fun songs. And, with all this emphasis placed on danceable tracks, better music videos, and little Justin Biebers, I’m starting to sense a return to an era of POP music. Isn’t it about time for another wave of Bubble Gum entertainment anyways???

**Check Taio’s single “Dirty Picture” below!**

Snap! I love it 😉

Usher Back On Top

Surprise. Surprise. After pushing back his album a few months, Usher secured the number one spot on the Billboard 200 with his latest LP Raymond v. Raymond with 329,000 copies sold. Originally, Raymond v. Raymond was scheduled to be released last December, but after much debate Usher’s record label felt a later date would be best, and thus far, it looks like they were right. In addition to having the number one album in the country, Usher’s newest single “OMG” debuted at #14 on the top 100 singles, and is predicted to continue its climb up the charts.  As mentioned in an earlier post, “OMG” was not my favorite song, but lately I’ve been watching its music video almost every morning. I guess you can say I like it now. As for the rest of the album, I’d say it’s definitely worth a listen. *It’s been a while since Usher’s been on top, and I’m glad to see things are working out well for him. 🙂

Here’s a clip of Usher performing “OMG” on American Idol last week –

Justin Bieber is so precious its sickening. Not to mention just last week Bieber held the number one and five spots on the Billboard 200 with My World 2.0 and My World respectively. Get it! I wish I had that much success at 16…Can we say mini white Usher or is that too bold? lol

And, speaking of mini white Ushers, where is Justin Timberlake??? After the return of seasoned performers like Britney, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and now Usher, I feel like JT needs to drop something soon.