MetroLyrics Blog

So, Christina Aguilera’s big acting break is coming. A trailer for the film “Burlesque” danced its way onto the interweb today. The film stars two of the world’s finest divas, Christina Aguilera and the incomparable Cher, in what appears to be some sort of cross between The Devil Wears Prada and Chicago. We’ll see how big a hit this one is with audiences after its release date of November 24th. For now, you’ll have to get your fix by peeping the trailer below. Oh, and try not to wince at all the painfully unnatural zinger one-liners they pack into it.

“Burlesque” Film Trailer

Janelle Monae is one of the brightest lights in music today. In a music industry where pop stars with, at best, mediocre abilities are manufactured and molded in the name of a quick buck, Janelle Monae’s talent stands above and beyond. Have a quick browse through any video of a live performance for instant justification.

Earlier this year, Janelle released her latest album, “The Archandroid,” to massive critical appeal, and a sure spot on year end best album lists everywhere. There’s now a music video for the track “Cold War,” undoubtedly one of the album’s biggest standouts. It’s shot in a single take, and, unlike the dance happy video before it for “Tightrope,” consists only of a close up of Janelle’s face. Somehow I’m still very much entertained. Check it out below.

Janelle Monae – Cold War

I’ve also included the video for “Tightrope” ft. Big Boi below, which is awesome.

AND if you’re still itching for more, here’s the video for the Wondamix version of “Tightrope,” that features B.o.B. and Lupe Fiasco, for even more awesomeness.

Now, I know that this blog has had a number of Katy Perry posts recently, but this one simply couldn’t go unpublished. Rolling Stone has posted some photos online from a recent shoot with Katy Perry, and as you may have suspected, they feature one very scantily clad pop star. Oh, the humanity!

Before you check them out, I’m going to take this occasion to speak on behalf of guys everywhere: Thank you, Rolling Stone!

See the shots via RollingStone.com here.

Update: Here’s a bit of a behind the scenes video of the shoot from the folks at Rolling Stone.

Update 2: So, the autoplay was really starting to bug me on the embedded video, so I changed it to a direct link to the Rolling Stone site. Click the image to watch the video and read an excerpt of the magazine feature on her.

If you’ve been living in a cave, then you’re currently unaware that the unstoppably prolific Lil’ Wayne has been in jail for the last bunch of  months on weapons charges. He’s scheduled to be released some time in November, yet he couldn’t help but drop a single from his upcoming EP, I’m Not A Human Being, due September 27th. The song is called “Right Above It” and it showed up on New York’s Power 105 radio station. The track features Drake, and it’s a beauty. Check out the embed below for the radio rip of the track.

Lil Wayne featuring Drake – Right Above It (Radio Rip)

Wayne also recently chatted with superstar radio DJ, Funkmaster Flex, on his Hot 97 show. It was the first interview he’s given from his stint in Riker’s Island Prison, and it sounds like he’s itchin’ to get out. As much as I’m a Wayne fan, does anybody else find it a little strange that someone serving a felony sentence is so damn admired? Anyways, I digress. Check out the interview below, if ya like.

Part 1

Part 2

Saw this video hit the net the other day. Apparently it’s the lead single off of Sean Kingston’s next, soon-to-be-titled, upcoming album. Personally, I think we’ve all had enough of this style of auto-tuned trash, but the fact that the INCREDIBLY HOT Nicki Minaj makes an appearance definitely helps the cause. It seems everything that she touches these days turns to gold, so I figured I’d better post it.

In other Nicki news, she announced that the title of her debut album that drops on November 23rd will be “Pink Friday.” Needless to say, I’m pretty hyped on that. If you didn’t see it when I posted it a while back, check out the video for the debut single from Pink Friday, entitled “Your Love,” here. But ya, check out the “Letting Go” video below.

Sean Kingston ft. Nicki Minaj – “Letting Go (Dutty Love)”

If you follow this blog with any regularity, you’ll remember that I revealed my guilty pleasure for hip-hop dancing to you guys a lil while back. Well, the reviews for my upcoming must-see flick “Step Up 3D” are starting to come in, and things are looking really promising. Here’s a sample of some of the early reviews:

Robbie Collin from News of the World had this to say:

Mamta Bhatt from Film Ink Magazine wrote:

Uh huh. It’s official: I’m pumped!!!

Check out the official movie preview below, and head to our microsite for more exclusive content.

Fresh on the heels of debuting the title track “Teenage Dream” from her upcoming album, Katy Perry has dropped another pop gem on the masses. In a change of pace, she’s gone in the opposite direction of her first two tracks. The song, “Not Like The Movies,” is a beautiful piano ballad, that really shows Katy in a way that we haven’t seen her before. I have to admit, this kind of versatility is something I never expected to see out of her, and, needless to say, I’m very impressed. It may be a little early to say, but, with what is sure to be a blistering run of 3 straight pop tracks, the name Katy Perry could be mentioned more than a few times come Grammy season.

Head on over to iTunes to pick it up. And if you wanna see the lyrics in full, check them out here.

There’s an eye popping new video online from eccentric dance duo Chromeo. The track iss called “Don’t Turn The Lights On.” Check it out below. And keep in mind that I really wasn’t kidding about that “eye popping” bit, trust me.

Chromeo – “Don’t Turn The Lights On” video

There’s a brand new track from Dragonette that dropped yesterday. In a fitting salute to the smoldering hot summer, they’ve released the track “Volcano” to the web. It’s off their recently released EP Our Summer Volcano, and you can get it over at iTunes. Have a listen to the track below.

Since the now infamous Taylor Swift incident, Kanye West has been laying pretty low. Up until a couple of months ago, he’d been almost completely silent for 9 months, taking some time to lick his wounds from the fallout. But now, he’s back in a big way, which for those of us who enjoy Kanye doing what he does best — making GREAT hip-hop music — is  excellent news.

Apparently he’s releasing a brand new album sometime this fall. There’s no official date for the album yet, although it’s said to be September 14th and likely titled Good Ass Job (Ye confirmed that’s no longer the title on Twitter this morning). He dropped the first single off it, “Power,” online, and then performed it at the BET awards. Both indicated a triumphant return to form, especially for those who didn’t favor the style of his 808s and Heartbreak album.

News on the web today is that he rapped a bunch of tracks off of the album at the Facebook HQ (huh?), and they’ve made it to YouTube this morning. All the rhymes are rapped Acapella, so there are no beats, but Kanye does some serious spittin’. Check out some of the videos below of a particularly dapper looking Kanye rapping tracks titled, “Lost In The World,” “My Chain Heavy,” and “Mama’s Boyfriend.” They’re all sick, but I’m especially a fan of “Mama’s Boyfriend.”

“Lost In The World” & “My Chain Heavy”

“Mama’s Boyfriend”

Also, it isn’t verified yet, but some sources close to him are claiming that Kanye has now started a Twitter account. It only has 2 Tweets so far, but they mention him attending meetings in Silicon Valley, which sounds about right with his performance at Facebook HQ. It’s pretty simple: @kanyewest.

*Update: The Twitter is really him, ’cause it’s now verified.

** Another Update: Ahhh, he’s at it again. Continuing on the trend of inpromptu social media drop ins, Kanye decided to spit a few more rhymes for the folks at Twitter today. What is with this guy and websites today. Hey, Kanye, if you haven’t had your fix of website HQs today, come on down to MetroLyrics LOL.

Anyways, there’s one low quality video below. Hopefully some better stuff shows up soon.

In Glendale, a deadly swarm of Killer Biebs descended on Segway pilot Justin Bieber. Unable to escape, he’s surrounded and swarmed, in a scene eerily reminiscent of McCauley Culkin’s untimely demise in My Girl.

Originally a contestant and eventual runner up on the UK hit show The X Factor, Olly Murs is stepping out of the reality TV show shadow to what looks like a very promising career in music.

Born and raised in Essex, England, the British crooner has been on a fast track to stardom since the signing of his Epic Records/Syco Music record deal. His debut album is scheduled to be released in September, but the initial single off of the LP, “Please Don’t Let Me Go,” has been floating around the net for a few weeks. It’s a solid debut for the aspiring pop star, and is no doubt going to gain him some fanfare.

Check out the official video below and look for his debut album coming up sometime in September. You’ll also find the video for his original X Factor audition, where it all began for Olly. Watch as he really he gets the crowd and judges on his side with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”

Olly Murs – Please Don’t Let Me Go

2009 X-Factor audition

A few months back, American DJ/Producer Kaskade teamed up with Martina of Dragonette to create the dance gem “Fire In Your New Shoes.” This morning, I stumbled onto the video that was released to accompany the track. Using some pretty tricky camera and editing work, they’ve put together some physics defying effects. Check it out below and let me know what you think of both the song and video.

Kaskade feat. Martina of Dragonette – Fire In Your New Shoes

Also, you can check out the lyrics here.

Last week, I posted Robyn’s newest single, “Hang With Me,” from her upcoming Body Talk Pt 2 album, and she’s now released a video for the track. The clip takes more of a D.I.Y. approach to video shooting, and chronicles the road life of the platinum blonde pop star. Directed by Max Vitali, the video includes shots of Robyn doing everything from performing on stage to riding a roller coaster. The candid camera work is gorgeous, and the clever image cuts and transitions timed to the beat add to the song’s kick.

Check out the video below, and look for this version of “Hang With Me” when it’s released August 16th in Scandnavia, August 17th in North America, and September 5th in the UK and Australia. The album drops September 7th.

The internet is absolutely abuzz today with the premiere of Katy Perry’s brand new single, “Teenage Dream.”

Naturally, it’s a massive pop anthem. Though it’s not quite as danceable as “California Gurls,” if it doesn’t hit #1 on the Hot 100, I’ll be absolutely shocked. With a little bit more rock flair, Katy’s verses build to an anthemic power chorus that will stick in your head all day.

You can snag the single from iTunes. Right now, check out the official song and lyrics video below, and head on over to the MetroLyrics lyrics page to see the “Teenage Dream” lyrics in full.

Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

***Uh Oh Update: It looks like EMI has taken the song down from Katy’s official YouTube channel. I bet those record execs are none too pleased with her. Well, it was good while it lasted, wasn’t it guys. You can still head over to iTunes and pick it up. In the meantime, you might be able to find it somewhere else on YouTube before it gets yanked to get your quick fix ;)

*** Update #2: It looks like Katy has uploaded a new official lyrics video to her YouTube Channel. This one has a slide show preview of the soon to be released video for the track. As usual, it’s full of exceptionally good looking people that, strangely, seem to have trouble finding clothes, Katy included. Check it out below.

Since he was released from prison early this year, T.I. has released two singles. First came the aptly titled “I’m Back,” followed by the release of his upcoming album’s first single, “Got Your Back” featuring Keri Hilson. I’m sure it’ll be hitting the airwaves soon.

Here’s the video he just released for the track.

As a born and bred Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada kid, I hold a deep and passionate bias towards anything that has to do with my dear Van-City. Because of this, you might think that the reason I am posting songs by Dan Mangan is due to the fact that he, too, hails from the city of Vancouver. I can tell you, that isn’t the case. Dan earned his spot on this blog.

As an up and coming folk-rock artist, Dan Mangan has seen his fair share of success recently, but it came from a lot of hard work. Though Dan calls the city of Vancouver home, he’s definitely no stranger to the road. Following the release of his first official LP Postcards & Daydreaming, Dan toured the country, playing more shows than many artists play in a lifetime. It’s the kind of story that used to be typical of a folk musician where you had to earn your success the hard way.

Good thing for Dan, his tireless work ethic and talent didn’t go unnoticed. He recently signed to the distinguished Indie label Arts & Crafts, which is also home to acts like Broken Social Scene and Feist. In 2009, Dan managed to release his sophomore album Nice, Nice, Very Nice under the new label. Since its release, the awards and accolades have been streaming in, not to mention a place at #1 on the iTunes Canada Singer/Songwriter Chart for just under 6 months. In the meantime, he’s been invited to play at some of the world’s most prominent and renowned festivals, including Glastonbury and SXSW.

The future looks promising for Dan if he continues to rely on the talent and work ethic that got him this far.

You’ll find the videos below for his two most successful singles to date, “Robots” and “Road Regrets.” Be sure to check them out. Also, for the next while, Dan sets off on a tour of the US. Head over to his homepage to see if he’s playing at a venue near you.

“Robots”

“Road Regrets”

Nicki Minaj, the hottest female commodity in hip-hop since Lil’ Kim, has released a video for her new single, “Your Love.” Directed by distinguished rap video director Lil X, the video sees Nicki starring as a sultry samurai. In it, Nicki battles for the affection of her sensei — archetypal action star Michael Jai White — against a fierce, sword wielding rival. These ladies must really like the guy.

Check out the video embedded below.

I also couldn’t help but notice the Annie Lennox “No More I Love Yous” sample used by Nicki on her track. I’ve included that original video from way back in 1995 as well for your additional viewing pleasure. Let’s just say, I’m willing to bet that Lady Gaga has seen it more than a few times. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

Enjoy.

Nicki Minaj – Your Love

Annie Lennox – No More I Love Yous

If you aren’t aware, Christina’s latest album, Bionic, has been a pretty big sales disappointment to date. Yet leading up to yesterday, the video for her “You Lost Me” single was getting some pretty good hype.

The video popped up online yesterday, and frankly, I’m not sure this is the saving grace she needed. It’s yet a another solid power ballad from Christina, but, despite her always impressive pipes, it’s forgettable. The video doesn’t help much either as it ends up being a bit too over-dramatic and bland for my tastes. I’m really hoping she finds her stride as she truly is one of the rare pop artists today with undeniable talent.

I’d think about lining up the M.I.A.-esque (she helped co-write the track) and Switch produced track “Elastic Love” as the next single to help pick up the rhythm.

Have a watch of the video below and lemme know if you feel differently.

Since we saw Avatar destroy box office records last year, 3D movies have virtually taken over. Genres from action to animation have been presented in the popular 3D style — some did it well, others not so much.

Well it’s time to add another genre to the list of 3D benefactors: Dance! Step Up 3D will be hitting theaters on August 6th and will be the first ever dance flick shot to be shot in 3D. Last time I checked, none of those blue Avatar creatures had swagger like these kids.

Anyways, make your way over to the Step Up YouTube Channel to see some seriously slick dance moves and movie features. It’s probably one of the most well done promo channels I’ve ever seen on YouTube, so clear your schedule. Be sure to check out the Dance Dub Contest that they have going on, ’cause it’s definitely entertaining. The official movie soundtrack is on there too to check out for some certified club bangers from artists like Flo Rida & David Guetta, Trey Songz, and Roscoe Dash.

Look for the flick at a theatre near you starting August 6th. I’ve included the trailer below to give you a taste. And for all you dance afficionados, see if you can spot the current So You Think You Can Dance All-Star who features in the film.