MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Amerie

(Credit: John Parra/Getty Images for Bubble Rock)

Seems to be a minor trend going on these days of female R&B singers embracing elements of dance and electronic music in their sound. Not that this a particularly new phenomenon--from the disco days of Diana Ross to the electro-funk of Missy Elliott, the two genres have always mixed well. But there seems to be a real uptick in the stylistic cross-pollination these days. We've seen Kelly Rowland's recent foray into house music, Amerie's new techno sound, and now, Mya, embracing an '80s freestyle/electro-pop sound with her new single, "Fabulous Life."

"Fabulous Life" has been described in some circles as a J-Pop song. She released in Japan first, and she worked with acclaimed J-Pop producer Jeff Miyahara on the track. But to our ears, this jam is ready for the roller-skating rink. Whether it's in Tokyo or New York City, it's an addictive piece of dance pop stuffed with melodies.

Let's hope Mya continues in this dance-centric direction when her new album finally drops. The singer has recently been working with legendary dance producer Junior Sanchez on the album. We can't wait to hear the results.

+ Listen to Mya's "Fabulous Life."

Tags Amerie, Diana Ross, Kelly Rowland, Missy Elliott, Mya

(Credit: Splash News)

Along with producer Rich Harrison, Amerie's been responsible for concocting a potent form of modern R&B, with songs like "Dangerous" and "Gotta Work," along with "1 Thing," creating some of the best R&B/soul tracks of the last 10 years.

Now, with her new song, "Outside Your Body" and her forthcoming Cymatika Vol. 1 album (due out next year), Amerie is taking a trip to the dance floor, with a sound that references house and trance. Anyone who's ever been clubbing knows that dancing is an international language. And with that in mind, Amerie tacks a huge chorus onto this track, one that reads like a travelogue: "Let me take you to London town and Paris, yeah. Tokyo and Seoul" (big it up to her Korean roots!)

Take a spin with this new Amerie track, "Outside Your Body." Cymatika Vol. 1 is due out next year.

+ Listen to Amerie's "Outside Your Body."

Tags Amerie, Song You Need To Know

+ Katy Perry and Pink are auctioning off pairs of shoes to benefit the Mines Advisory Group, a charity that helps people affected by land mines. (Mail Online)

+ Amerie has changed her name. She will now be going by Ameriie, with the extra "i" reflecting positive energy. (Rap-Up)

+ Weezer's new album, due out in September, will feature more "raw rock energy," according to Rivers Cuomo. (MTV News)

+ Even though she's still touring for Rated R, Rihanna made a late-night visit to a Los Angeles studio last night. (JustJared)

+ Miley Cyrus apparently gets compared to Britney Spears "all the time." (LimeLife)

Tags Amerie, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pink, Rihanna, Rivers Cuomo, Weezer

If you're wondering what it takes to be Amerie's lover (which is a totes normal thing to mull over on a Friday afternoon) then first you gotta be her drummer. I'm not making that up; she says it herself in her new single, "Overcome." In this video for her new single "Heard 'Em All" Amerie says it exactly that. And it figures; with her classic "1 Thing," Amerie established herself as queen of the R&B drums. If the lyric sounds confrontational, it's supposed to. "Heard 'Em All" is from her forthcoming In Love & War, an album about the highs and lows of a relationship in flux. Can't wait.  As for the video? Enjoy the dancing gaggle of Gaga-looking blondes in Lone Ranger masks! For more on Amerie, check out her edition of "The 5."

Related Content Amerie

Tags Amerie, video

+ Miley Cyrus had quite the party at last night's Teen Choice Awards. Not only did she get to present Britney Spears with a lifetime achievement award, but she also closed out the show with her new single, "Party In The U.S.A.," which featured a stripper pole routine that was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek throwback to her hometown roots. Daddy must be so proud!! (MTV News)

+ The Disney Channel, however (home to her popular <children's>show Hannah Montana), wanted no part of the step-and-twirl and chose to distance itself from the performance. (MTV News)

+ Congrats to Jennifer Hudson for having a baby boy late Monday, who weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs, 14 oz. (E! Online)

+ America's "pocket K-Fed" Aaron Carter is going to be on Dancing With The Stars! You can even watch the workout video he's posted to his Facebook page as he's gearing up for the show. i think I just threw up a little bit. (Zack Taylor)

+ Amerie is looking mighty fine in these latest promo pics for her forthcoming album "In Love & War." (Rap-Up)

+ And in case you missed Victoria's Secret "Angel" Marisa Miller (with fellow halo-hottie Alessandra Ambrosio) on today's episode of It's On With Alexa Chung being as hot as God made them and also being completely likeable, here's Marisa wearing a LOT of jewelry and not much else. Of course it's from CollegeHumor.

Tags Aaron Carter, Alessandra Ambrosio, Alexa Chung, Amerie, Britney Spears, Jennifer-Hudson, K-Fed, Kevin Federline, Marisa Miller, Miley Cyrus

Amerie just schooled me: I did not have her pegged for a quantum physics buff. (!?!?) Up until now, my go-to image of the R&B-pop singer was the pants-less booty shaking of "1 Thing," but Amerie definitely educated my ish in her brand-new Buzzworthy The 5 interview.

This half-Black, half-Korean knock-out is a "closet nerd," as her idea of a little light reading is... just a little Stephen Hawking. No big deal. How many people come home and unwind by contemplating the possibilities of time travel? Not many, and certainly not many Grammy-nominated recording artists. I just don't see Chris Brown cracking open A Brief History Of Time on any given Tuesday night. So this news makes Amerie at least 10 gauges cooler to me. Poor Mama, though -- with a Georgetown degree in English and Fine Arts, Amerie also reveals her mom holds out hope her daughter will become a professor. Hmm... I think I like her where she is.

But after subdued, eloquent Amerie, how about checking her wild side with her new "Why R U?" video -- directed by Ray Kay, from her new album, In Love and War.

Tags Amerie, the five, video

Your weekend's about to get lit up, four hours early. Grammy-nominee mami Amerie just dropped her new burner, "Why R U?," it's an all-attitude R&B firebomb. In other words, get your neck loose because that thing's about to be poppin' all over the place.

The first single to surface from her upcoming August release, Love and War, Amerie's "Why R U?" brings enough heat to carry us all the way through summer.

I tell you what, if the rest of Love and War hits this hard, they're gonna have to change August's name to Amerie.

Tags Amerie, video

+ Former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken will NOT throw a Strawberry Shortcake-themed pity party for this year's runner-up Adam Lambert, or any of his fans for that matter. Never one to put things "gingerly,"
the red-headed heartthrob went on to say that his ears bled at the sound of Lambert's voice. Seems a bit harsh, no? (E! Online)

+While we're on the subject of our little "Lam," check out this video of Adam singing at his graduation ceremony, and how everyone starts clapping (around the 2:55 mark) in fear for their lives. (Towleroad)

+ And now, calling all Twitter "Lambs!" In case you missed Mariah Carey's tweet last night, here's the name of her new album. (Pink Is The New Blog)

+ As we were crumbling the last bits of our "Flake" bar into our ice cream, British rock band Blur announced that they may possibly add some U.S. dates to their upcoming world tour. Are you ready 'Girls & Boys?" (The Tripwire)

+ Amerie (remember her?) returns with a new single "Just Tell Me U Love Me," but the record sounds dated and just too similar to her first single from back in the day, "One Thing." What do you think? Do u love it? (Neon Limelight)

+ In what must have been perfect weather here in NYC, Fall Out Boy performed "Dance, Dance" live on the TODAY show. Today. (Bitten & Bound)

Tags Adam Lambert, American Idol, Amerie, Blur, Clay Aiken, Fall Out Boy, Mariah Carey