British Band The Kooks Try to Find American Success

The British band The Kooks are finishing up their U.S. tour this week, hoping to score a major hit in America with new music soon to come.

The indie rock band will play the historic Fillmore in San Francisco on Tuesday in support of their third album “Junk of the Heart,” then head back to Great Britain.

Their latest single, “How’d You Like That,” hit U.S. airwaves last week, and the band has made the rounds of clubs and other venues and last month appeared on popular late-night talk program, “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Yet, even as they depart from this round of touring, the Kooks want more from the United States.

“I have a fire in my belly to write the best songs, and I still love doing it,” lead singer Luke Pritchard said. “I hope we have a tune that connects really big here in the U.S., and I want to work with some American musicians and have collaborations happening,” he said.

Adele’s “21″ Named Top UK Album of 21st Century

Well-loved songstress Adele made another record on Monday, when the Official Charts Company (OCC) confirmed that her second album “21″ had become the highest selling album in Britain of this century.

The record passed sales of 3.4 million copies, surpassing the late Amy Winehouse’s 2006 LP “Back To Black” which sold 3.3 million.

According to the OCC, the album has never left the British top 10 since its release in January, and on Sunday it rose from 9th to 5th in it’s 45th week on the charts, a jump mostly likely due to her 6 recent Grammy nominations.

Adele’s great success in her native Britain is met in the US, where 21 passed the four-million copy mark in October.

Country Superstar Keith Urban Recovering from Throat Surgery

Country singing sensation Keith Urban had a successful throat surgery this past week to remove a polyp from his vocal cord and is reportedly doing fine, according to the singer’s spokesman.

Urban’s spokesman Paul Freundlich said that the singer had the procedure last Tuesday, and he will not be able to speak or sing for about three weeks, and is now recovering at an undisclosed location.

The day before the procedure, Urban posted a video on his website thanking his fans for their support.

He expressed, “I want to thank you for sending such good wishes for my upcoming surgery. I can’t express enough my gratitude to you guys; it feels like family.”

The polyp developed during his recent “Get Closer World Tour 2011,” and in last Monday’s video Urban took note of the fans who had turned out to see him perform during what he called his “crazy great phenomenal year.”

Urban is not the only singer to encounter problems with his vocal cords. In the past month, British pop singer Adele had similar surgery as did Kiss frontman Paul Stanley.

NEW MUSIC VIDEO: JLS ‘The Club Is Alive’

Do you know who JLS are? Chances are, if you’re a fan of Simon Cowell’s The X-Factor, you’ll remember that JLS were the runners-up on the fifth season of the show, coming in second to Alexandra Burke.

Now, after becoming one of the most successful acts to come off of the British reality show, JLS are set to take over the US with their current single ‘The Club Is Alive‘.

Check out the music video for JLS’ current single ‘The Club Is Alive’ –

Taio Cruz Makes Billboard History: Hits #1 On Hot 100

British import Taio Cruz made Billboard history this week when his single ‘Break Your Heart’ jumped from #53 to #1 on the Hot 100. The previous record for the largest jump to #1 was held by the original Idol, Kelly Clarkson’s single ‘A Moment Like This’.

Check out the video for his chart-topping single ‘Break Your Heart’ -

Is Ke$ha Going Country?

Could it be that Ke$ha’s heading back to her roots for her next album?

“Coming from Nashville, I love Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, and want to make those records too. But right now, it’s my ‘f**k off’, fun period and I’m gonna enjoy it,” she told Q magazine.

Check out her performance from The 5:19 Show –

Susan Boyle’s Album On Track To Beat Lambert, Gaga, And Rihanna

Susan Boyle’s new album, I Dreamed a Dream, is making a huge debut.

She has already sold two to three times the estimated pre-release total for retailers and set the highest pre-order record of all-time at Amazon.

She’s expected to move over 500,000 copies of her debut album and outsell Rihanna, Adam Lambert and even Lady GaGa.

Boyle is expected to have one of the biggest debut of any artist in the US this year.

Congratulations!

Spice Girls To Perform at 2012 London Olympics

It’s been reported that the Spice Girls, including Posh, will be performing at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics in London.

The Girls’ manager, Simon Fuller, says the quintet (Posh, Scary, Sporty, Ginger and Baby) could possibly schedule their reunion/final tour to coincide with the Olympic Games.

“They stand for so much in British music history and I can’t think of a better time for them to get back together for another performance,” says Fuller. “The demand for them as a band is as strong as ever.”

Fuller believes the girls will be ready to retire their Spice personalities come the 2012 Games, as the group “will not want to be performing hits like Wannabe in their 40′s.”

Jay Sean Performs ‘Down’ Live On Ellen

Jay Sean is quickly becoming a household name with the success of his hit ‘Down’, which is currently at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart.

Check out Jay Sean’s performance of his smash hit ‘Down’ on the Ellen DeGeneres show –

Robbie Williams Performs Live For BBC’s Electric Proms Concert Series

Robbie Williams made a triumphant live comeback in London last night (Oct. 21), as part of the BBC’s Electric Proms series of concerts.

Appearing at the London Roundhouse with a 38-piece band, including string and brass sections — led by Trevor Horn, who produced Williams’ new album “Reality Killed the Video Star” — Williams was in confident, relaxed form from the start. He made his entrance down a white staircase to current single “Bodies,” which entered the U.K. charts at No. 2 on Oct. 18.

Williams premiered seven songs from the new album, due Nov. 9 in the United Kingdom on Virgin Records. As well as “Bodies,” he aired what he said would be the album’s second single, “You Know Me,” alongside “Morning Sun,” “Blasphemy,” “Starstruck,” “Deceptacon” and “Won’t Do That.” Most of the new material harks back to Williams’ trademark adult pop sound, with little of the experimentation that marked his last album “Rudebox,” which proved a critical and commercial flop.

Stephen Davies, director of audio and music at BBC Worldwide said: ”We knew that there would be significant interest in this concert, but the public reaction has exceeded all of our expectations.”

UPDATE: Robbie Williams set a world record yesterday by having the most screenings of a live concert in theaters.The BBC’s live show “Electric Proms” was broadcast simultaneously in venues all over the world in 23 countries.Extra screenings are planned in the coming weeks for countries a bit further from Williams’ native England including Australia and South Africa.

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