MTV Buzzworthy Blog – Interviews

MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: Wale

Posted 10/31/11 6:02 am EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, MTV Featured Artist, Music, PUSH, Videos

Rapper Wale may be one of the longest "overnight successes" in the history of hip-hop. The 27-year-old released "Paint A Picture," his first of seven mixtapes, in 2005 and aligned himself with the resurgence of go-go music, a regional funk subgenre popular in his native D.C. After teaming up with Mark Ronson and Lily Allen in 2007, releasing his Seinfeld-obsessed Mixtape About Nothing in 2008 and only then releasing debut album Attention Deficit in 2009, the rapper joined up with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group earlier this year. Later this week, Wale is set to release Ambition, his disparate follow-up featuring "Lotus Flower Bomb" and "Slight Work," and melding dark, ominous synths, R&B hooks and club-friendly anthems.

We've been big Wale fans for years, and this week we've got no lack of Wale interviews and videos with the MTV PUSH artist that'll make you an instant Wale expert. In the first video, the rapper discusses what he learned from the marketing and promotion of 2009's Attention Deficit that he hopes to avoid for Ambition. As the subsequent videos show, the mixtape veteran born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin has always been confident about his abilities, stating, "I could always steal the show with music," before listing what hip-hop albums influenced him growing up.

Thanks to Sucker Free, we also get to hear about the importance of touring -- "You never really know how hot or not hot you are until you go on tour," Wale says -- and how the experience helps the rapper decide on his next single (democracy in action!). Finally, learn about all the guest spots on Ambition -- think Wale's Maybach Music peers for a start -- and check out the video for mixtape standout "Bait" to get hyped for the official album.

Ambition is out Nov. 1 on Maybach Music/Warner.

+ WALE ON WHAT HE LEARNED FROM HIS FIRST ALBUM:

+ WALE ON HIS CONFIDENCE IN MUSIC:

+ WALE ON HIS MUSICAL INFLUENCES:

Watch more Wale videos and interviews after the jump.

Tags MTV Push, MTV PUSH: Wale, PUSH, PUSH: Wale, video, Wale

| Permalink

POSTED: Joe Jonas Does His Best Will Ferrell Impression

Posted 10/27/11 4:23 pm EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, Music, Posted, Videos

MTV.com's POSTED Artist of the Month Joe Jonas has already shared the meaning of his upcoming debut album, Fastlife, and his hopeful collaboration with Britney Spears. Now we got him back in the chair to discuss movies and hanging out with his equally busy brothers Nick and Kevin.

In the first clip, the 22-year-old singer outs himself as a major Will Ferrell fan, delivering his favorite quotes from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It's OK to start Googling other quotes once you see this. It's like a snowball once you hear the first one.

We also try to casually start some familial beef by asking Jonas which brother he talks to the most, but he diplomatically deflected our efforts. "It's kind of 50/50," Jonas told us. "[Nick] was going to try and come out on the road with me for a little bit, but he started his tour in South America. Kevin was with me yesterday. I get to see him quite a bit." Well played, sir.

Get your Joe Jonas fill all this month at Posted.MTV.com.

+ Check out more videos of Joe Jonas after the jump!

Tags Joe Jonas, Posted, video

| Permalink

Submit Your Fan Questions For Kelly Clarkson!

Posted 10/25/11 3:44 pm EST by Nicole James in Celebrity, Interviews, Music

Sometimes (read: very often), pretty cool things go down here at MTV HQ. Most recent case in point: Kelly Clarkson will be stopping by MTV very soon! And we need your help!

The "Mr. Know It All" singer herself, who just released her brand-new album, Stronger, will be on hand answering fan questions, and we need you to step in for the "fan" part of that equation. That's easy because you're already a Kelly Clarkson fan. What have you always wanted to ask Kelly Clarkson? What are you dying to know? You could leave it up to just us to interview Kelly, but we will not-at-all humbly remind you that we care enough to open the floor up to you too.

+ Leave your questions for Kelly Clarkson in the comments section of this post!

Related Content Kelly Clarkson Photos, Follow Buzzworthy On Twitter

Tags Kelly Clarkson, video

| Permalink

Tony Bennett On Recording His Chart-Topping 'Duets II' Album, Fame & Lady Gaga

Posted 10/21/11 4:49 pm EST by Tamar Anitai in Celebrity, Interviews, Must See, Videos

In his decades-long career, Tony Bennett has released more than 70 albums. Considering he just turned 85 in August, that works out to almost one album for each year of his life. But it wasn't until he released his Duets II album, featuring his greatest hits performed with marquee names such as Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban and more that he earned his first-ever No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, becoming the oldest living act to reach No. 1. Happy birthday, indeed.

Last month before the release of Duets II, I had the extraordinary opportunity to sit down with Tony Bennett in his art studio overlooking Central Park, where we discussed his experience recording "Body And Soul" with the late Amy Winehouse in the Abbey Road Studios in London just four months before her untimely death.

She was "someone who knows how to intuitively improvise and make it believable and sing with humanity and soul and honesty, no compromising... Amy had that gift," he said. "She was the only one of all of the contemporary artists that I've met through the years... She's the only one that was able to do it."

Sadly, poignantly, "Body And Soul" became a tribute to Amy instead of a tribute to an unabiding jazz torch song. But the 16 other duets on Duets II are a masterful, otherwise celebratory collection of jazz duets once considered pop songs, made timeless by Tony's unparalleled old-school bel canto, made new paired with artists such as Norah Jones and John Mayer.

Knowing that the days of big band recording sessions are gone, and today much contemporary music is recorded piecemeal, saved onto laptops, emailed and pieced together, enabling artists to record duets without even being in the same city, much less the same recording studio, I asked Tony about the recording process.

Read more and watch Tony Bennett's interview videos after the jump.

Tags Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, video

| Permalink

POSTED: Joe Jonas Divulges Bucket List And Meaning Of 'Fastlife'

Posted 10/21/11 2:00 pm EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, Music, Posted, Videos

You already know that Joe Jonas is MTV.com's POSTED artist for October, right? Which means we have tons of info, interviews and videos surrounding the release of the singer's debut album, Fastlife. So check out new videos below that show Jonas detailing what's on his "bucket list" and explaining the meaning behind the phrase "Fastlife."

While "going on vacation" seems like a strange "bucket list" answer, Joe redeems himself with a list of extreme sports such as skydiving and bungee jumping. There's also a Machu Picchu request, which, if fulfilled, should be accompanied by a MTV Buzzworthy film crew and reporter (cough, cough).

Jonas also details the meaning behind his album title, noting, "It explains my crazy busy life. I don't even know where I'll be tomorrow. That's mostly my schedule. It all depends on realizing that this is a blessing having fun. There's so many people that don't have this opportunity, and I'm lucky enough to be doing this for a living."

Get your Joe Jonas fill all this month at Posted.MTV.com.

+ Watch more Joe Jonas videos after the jump.
Read More...

Tags Joe Jonas, Posted, video

| Permalink

MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: We Are The In Crowd

Posted 10/17/11 6:00 am EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, MTV Featured Artist, Music, PUSH, Videos

Remember a few weeks back when we debuted Best Intentions, the first album from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. punk-pop quintet We Are The In Crowd? Well, we've raised the stakes by making them our MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week and bringing you tons of exclusive content below. The Warped Tour alum had some bad luck in 2009 when a hacker deleted all of their music. But the band persevered to record Intentions, which blends crunchy, yet radio-friendly, guitars with earnest love songs.

In the first video, we asked each member about their "best intentions" moment, which leads to answers ranging from weight bands to the existential vagaries of life. "I feel like we try to do everything with the best intentions, but our band has really bad luck and we just end up in really weird situations at the most inconvenient times," admits co-vocalist Taylor Jardine.

You can also watch the band discuss the recording process for Best Intentions before going behind the scenes of their latest video, "Rumor Mill," shot in an abandoned hospital and involving mud splashes and hobo standoffs. (We threw in a 30-second sneak peek, too, just 'cause we're nice like that.)

Finally, take a peek at the band's live performance of "Never Be What You Want" followed by the official video to "Both Sides of the Story." And stay away from abandoned hospitals if you know what's good for you.

++ WE ARE THE IN CROWD ON THEIR BEST INTENTIONS

Watch more videos from We Are The In Crowd after the jump. Read More...

Tags MTV Push, MTV PUSH: We Are The In Crowd, PUSH, PUSH: We Are The In Crowd, video, We Are The In Crowd

| Permalink

MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: Cody Simpson

Posted 10/10/11 6:00 am EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, MTV Featured Artist, Music, PUSH, Videos

Two years ago, 14-year-old pop singer Cody Simpson was recording covers of Jason Mraz and Justin Timberlake in his Australian bedroom. Now he's our MTV PUSH Artist of the Week, and ready to dominate stateside and beyond. Last year's "iYiYi," his debut single, featured Flo Rida and was an immediate hit with more than 18 million YouTube views. That's 18. Million. Since then, the pop star has signed with Justin Bieber's manager, recorded two EPs and has been featured in nearly every mall in America.

We've got interviews and live performances to give you the complete story on our Australian friend. First, check out live performances of Simpson hits "Not Just You" and "On My Mind." After the jump, Cody reveals how Australian slang keeps him grounded to his home country and how his voice has matured since his earlier days. As a singer who started out recording covers in his bedroom, Cody Simpson also discusses his love of cover songs and the artists he still enjoys covering (can you guess?).

Of course more popularity breeds more fans, as Cody Simpson shares crazy fan stories -- a group of dedicated fans followed him back to his house. Not cool, guys. "A mall was something that I just used to hang out in as a kid," says Simpson on his numerous mall shows. "And then you go there, and there's 4,000 people waiting for you to perform. It's a big difference."

Cody also teamed up with MTV Act for a special video on bullying. Simpson says he understands the effects of bullying firsthand and offers his own tips on how to handle bullying and what to do if you're a victim.

Whew! Lots of Cody Simpson to pack in to your week, but we're pretty sure you're not complaining.

+ Watch exclusive Cody Simpson interviews, videos and live performances:

++ CODY SIMPSON, "NOT JUST YOU (LIVE)"

Watch more videos after the jump!

Tags Cody Simpson, MTV Push, MTV PUSH: Cody Simpson, PUSH, PUSH: Cody Simpson, video

| Permalink

A Tribe Called Quest Reunites To Discuss 20th Anniversary Of 'The Low End Theory'

Posted 10/3/11 1:24 pm EST by Althea Legaspi in Celebrity, Interviews, Music

Credit: Getty Images

Twenty years ago, A Tribe Called Quest dropped their groundbreaking sophomore album The Low End Theory. To mark the anniversary, the four members of Tribe -– Kamaal "Q-Tip" Ibn John Fareed, Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor, Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Jarobi White –- gave an exclusive interview to VH1 for its two part "VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20." It's the first time since 1998 that all four members have granted a joint interview.

From discussing the making of the album at Battery Studios to addressing recent controversies that stemmed from the documentary "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which touched on a scuffle between MCs Phife and Q-Tip, the interview is a definitive peek into the album that helped shape hip-hop's landscape. And if there was any recent beef, it now seems their rapport is as strong off-album as on.

When reflecting on time spent at the studio, there's friendly banter: “The snares used to spank so hard in Battery, it used to hurt my teeth,” confesses Shaheed. “The bass was just so aggressive.” Interjecting with laughter, Tip agrees: “Ali definitely blew some speakers in there, a lot!"

There's additional video interviews from MTV's Sway, author Nelson George and journalist Boss Lady, who all give context to Tribe Called Quests' influence and game-changing album. "I think Tribe Called Quest was always what hip-hop was meant to be -- the ability to just be yourself unapologetically," says Sway. He adds, "At the time hip-hop was regionalized and everybody was pigeonholed, which hurt rap... They expressed themselves in a way that had no regional boundaries, no geographic boundaries."

+ Check out VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20 Part 1 and VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20 Part 2.

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy on Twitter

Tags A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip

| Permalink

MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: Romeo

Posted 10/3/11 6:01 am EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, MTV Featured Artist, Music, PUSH, Videos

For Latin music fans, it doesn't get much bigger than MTV Push Artist of the Week Anthony "Romeo" Santos. The former lead singer of Aventura, the New York quartet that popularized the Dominican folk-pop genre bachata for a new generation, is set for Stateside solo success with the upcoming release of his debut solo album, Formula.

On Formula, the 30-year-old singer fuses his bachata roots with modern R&B and hip-hop, enlisting Lil Wayne, Pitbull and Usher to lend a hand on the album, which features the lead single "Promise." The "Promise" video, which we're premiering below, was directed by longtime Usher collaborator Anthony Mandler. And it may have taken 26 hours to shoot, but it was worth it for Romeo. "He takes your story to another level visually," says Romeo of Mandler. "I experimented in genres and styles that I've never really messed with in the past," says the singer in an interview below.

If Romeo's "Promise" video isn't enough, check out more interviews to learn more about Romeo's roots as a writer growing up in The Bronx, New York. "I try to transmit emotion and soul in my voice, but my true passion has always been writing," says Romeo. "I feel more like a writer than anything else." After writing poems at 13, Romeo began writing songs with other singers in mind, until friends encouraged him to sing for himself. Thankfully for us, the former Billboard Composer of the Year and White House performer got his confidence up and is now ready for the solo spotlight.

+ Watch Romeo's "Promise" video featuring Usher, watch a live performance of "You" and watch Romeo interviews after the jump!

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy on Twitter

Tags MTV Push, MTV PUSH: Romeo, PUSH, PUSH: Romeo, Romeo, video

| Permalink

MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: J. Cole

Posted 9/26/11 6:00 am EST by Jason Newman in Celebrity, Interviews, MTV Featured Artist, Music, PUSH, Videos

New York-via-North Carolina rapper and MTV Push Artist of the Week J. Cole had already had his name on hip-hop fans' lips when he became the first signee to Jay-Z's fledgling Roc Nation label. While the Hov's co-sign expanded Cole's stature, the rapper had already built up his name through a series of independently released mixtapes, including 2007's "The Come Up." With next week's release of Cole's official debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, we've got a mess of videos detailing the past, present and future of the buzzed-about rapper.

In the first video, Cole tells us how he got started in music at just 12 years old through an older cousin, but quickly realized he was better than most 18-year-olds and wanted to pursue a career in hip-hop. The rapper reveals the only reason he applied to St. John's University was to live in New York and land a record deal. We've also got videos on Cole's reaction to getting signed to Roc Nation -- "I can't even say it was a dream come true because I never thought it was possible," admits the rapper -- and a brief history of his less-than-stellar encounters as a battle rapper.

Cole also talks about finding the balance between "flash" and "real life" by "staying connected to real-life stories" and reveals to MTV's Sucker Free all the guest appearances on the album, including Drake, Trey Songz, Missy Elliott and his boss Jay-Z. "If it was up to me, I'd live in the studio all the time," admits the rapper. We wouldn't have a problem with that.

Finally, watch Cole's "Can't Get Enough" and "Work Out" videos below.

Cole World: The Sideline Story is out Sept. 27 on Roc Nation.

+ Watch J. Cole interviews and performances after the jump.

Tags J. Cole, MTV Push, MTV PUSH: J. Cole, PUSH, PUSH: J. Cole, video

| Permalink

‹ Previous 6 7 8 91011 12 13 14 15 Next ›

MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Interviews

Search Posts

Top Categories

Latest Video Posts