Well, hello there MTV Featured Artist of the Week, Kristinia DeBarge. How are things? Good, glad to hear it. Why yes, I have enjoyed the 80's-ish sugary pop of your debut album, Exposed! Thanks for asking!
I especially like your take on the Ryan Tedder-penned jam "Future Love." What's that you say? I should check out your live performance of said song in the video below? Great! And I should try not to be alarmed at the slightly creepy guys behind you dressed like a horror movie version of America's Best Dance Crew faves The Jabbawockeez? I will keep that in mind.
Oh and can you repeat that last thing? That while I'm at it I should dig into another live performance of your song "Sabotage"? What an embarrassment of riches. Thanks, Kristinia DeBarge!
Check out Kristinia DeBarge's MTV-exclusive, Halloweened-out video version of "Future Love," and watch exclusive MTV Kristinia interviews and more!
When we last checked in with Kristinia DeBarge, she was just getting used to life on tour, opening up for Britney Spears on the "Circus" tour. Now, let's see what the VMA-nominated artist and "Sabotage" singer is up to on the road, along with Jordin Sparks and One Call.
Hey guys!
I'm in New York City this week and I'm having soooo much fun! Last night was my first show at Madison Square Garden. It was the third show on the tour so far and every night has been getting better and better. Every night before I take the stairs up to the stage I feel a rush! When I go on stage, I'm just like "Wow. This is really happening!
New York is special because I had a lot of people in the house to see me from my record labels Soda Pop / Island Def Jam. I was really excited to perform for the people who work so hard on my project every day.
My dancers told me that they saw Britney actually watching our set last night--so cool! Last night was the first night Jordin Sparks joined the tour, and she is so sweet! Also joining the tour here is the group One Call. They are really nice young guys and they seem as excited as I am to be on the tour 
I love New York City so much! We've been here a lot lately and there are so many things about the city that make visiting fun. I love to get yummy cheesecake with strawberries, and eating Cuban food & salsa dancing at this great little spot near our hotel.
I'm really looking forward to visiting all the cities left on the tour and am so happy to be a part of this experience. I can't wait to see you guys in your hometown, so please come out to the shows!
xo,
Kristinia DeBarge
It's a good year to be Kristinia DeBarge. (And not to toot our own air horn, but Buzzworthy hipped you to Kristinia DeBarge back in JUNE, which is like a million years ago in Internet time!)
Kristinia's debut single, "Goodbye," charted right out the gate. Her debut album, Exposed, sold immediately to reviews like "awesome" (LA Times), and People pondered whether Kristinia might be the next Rihanna. Fluorescently bright reviews were topped by the news she'd open for Britney Spears on her Circus Tour, followed by a live performance on It's On With Alexa Chung, and then came the news that she was nominated for a 2009 MTV VMA for Best Choreography. Going from relative unknown to Britney's Circus and VMA nominee is not a bad way to spend a summer.
Below, check out the tour diary Kristinia DeBarge just sent the MTV Buzzworthy Blog to see how she's handling her newfound fame, and to get a look beneath the big-top at Britney's Circus.
Hey guys!
Last night was my very first night on the Britney Spears show. After all these weeks of getting ready, it was really exciting to finally be in Hamilton, Ontario Canada for the first show! Everyone in my crew is so pumped to start the tour, and we'd been bubbling with energy the whole day
Right before I went on stage, I met Britney for the first time. She was soooo sweet! She told me how much her babies love my song, and she was just so warm and friendly. I thanked her for the amazing opportunity she's given me by having me on tour with her. I still have to pinch myself to remind myself that I'm not dreaming!
(Read more of Kristinia DeBarge's tour diary after the jump!)
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Nineteen-year-old Kristinia DeBarge has been hitting me hard with her tough-girl side. Her "bad girl" takeover is even the subject of her second single, "Sabotage," so it's not just me. And when it came to Kristinia's debut video, "Goodbye" -- which is up for Best Choreography at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards -- I thought she might kick my ass through the screen.
But in her "The 5" Buzzworthy interview, I experienced The Softer Side of Kristinia -- mainly love for her teacup Pomeranian and devotion to her diary (look out for her novel someday). But that tough girl edge still comes through (is it the DeBarge blood?), and not just because she owns a jar of pickles a day. Doesn't she just have a don't-eff-with-me aura to her? Anyway, when Kristinia talks about her rock music fandom... fun's over. You can see it in her face: Kristinia is deadly serious about Led Zeppelin. And I'm not questioning it.
Watch Kristinia DeBarge's brand-new interview, and after the jump, watch her perform "Sabotage" from yesterday's episode of It's On With Alexa Chung.
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Old enough to remember 1980s R&B family group DeBarge? Of "Rhythm Of The Night" fame? Pop sensation Kristinia DeBarge is actually the daughter of James DeBarge, and she's already been tapped by Britney Spears, who's already taking her out on her Circus Tour this summer.
Yesterday we gave you a 30-second teaser sneak of her new video, "Sabotage," and today you get a full-on first-look at the full-length video.
"Sabotage" is bangin', and the track, taken from her 2009 debut album Exposed, chronicles the battle between being a good girl and a bad girl and how sometimes we make the wrong choices and sabotage ourselves.
DeBarge might be new, but she's already hitting the scene with a good musical pedigree, plus people are already feeling her: Babyface helped her get a record deal with Def Jam, plus there's that Britney endorsement. Not bad, right? And her first single, "Goodbye" is already up for a Best Choreography Award at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards too. Not too shabby, right? Check the video for "Sabotage."
UPDATE: Watch Kristinia DeBarge's new 'Sabotage' video now!
Is Kristinia DeBarge naughty or nice? The up-and-coming R&B/pop singer is trying to find that out in her new video "Sabotage." This clip, for the second single from her debut album Exposed, shows the 19-year-old torn between playing the "good girl" and the "bad girl."
In the song, Kristinia also croons that she can't hold onto guys she likes. With a opening slot for Britney's Circus Tour this summer, we're sure she won't have a problem from now on.
Take a look at the preview of the video, which premieres August 18 on MTV.
Take heart, adolescent males of the world with Jonas-level aspirations -- especially the ones with great hair and some dance moves -- for your boy band dreams could be just "one call" away... as long as that "one call" comes from managing magnate Johnny Wright. Boy band One Call is Wright's latest assembly/musical endeavor, although the gig wasn't dealt out Prize Patrol-style: The four guys of One Call have performing in their bloodstreams; some are even boy band veterans, but we'll get to that. Here's your five-point debriefing on all things One Call:
They're Joining The Britney Circus
Don't feel too out of the loop if One Call isn't on your radar (so proud of my Britney references -- stick 'em in whenever I can); they've been in pseudo-stealth mode. Wright's phone's been on silent! Get to know them soon, though: The guys will join Ciara and Kristinia DeBarge as openers for the first nine shows of the North American leg of Britney Spears' The Circus tour.
I respect the small venue circuit, but just to give you a sense: From one concert to the next, One Call will go from the Quick Chek Balloon Festival in Jersey to the Copps Coliseum in Ontario (a modest 17,000 seats) and then on to Madison Square Garden. Hmm... Movin' on up!
If Some of Them Look Familiar, It's Because You've Seen Them Before
That's right, you may recognize cute little frosty-tips, a.k.a. Justin Thorne, from the short-lived boy band NLT (who I totally liked, I have to say); two others -- Chris Moy and José Bordonada Collazo -- are vets from the new Menudo (managed by Wright) and, as such, Making Menudo; and wild card AG Gamlieli rounds out the bunch. Overall, it's kind of a boy band all-stars moment Mr. Wright has created.
Experience Plus Major Producers? Looks Promising...
I'm sure this is written in several textbooks, but Rodney “Darkchild” Jenkins makes music magic; and the master has already produced two of One Call's tracks, "Them Girls" and "Symphony." Just a refresher, Darkchild is behind "When I Grow Up," "Lose My Breath" and "Feedback" -- as well as classics "It's Not Right, But It's Okay," "If You Had My Love" and "The Boy Is Mine." Respect!
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A few things you need to know about 19-year-old newcomer Kristinia DeBarge and her new single, "Goodbye," which you may find right at home alongside the likes of Rihanna (you may hear some echoes of "S.O.S" in there) Kat DeLuna, and Danity Kane.
1.) You've heard the song on that Nivea commercial. Trust me, you've heard it.
2.) Kristinia is the daughter of James DeBarge, one of the founding members of '80s R&B pop band DeBarge. (!!!)
3.) "Goodbye" samples the 1969 Steam classic "“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," and it's not the only song right now that's using that cut -- Wale's "Chillin'," featuring Lady Gaga, also samples the same song. (Because perhaps there are not enough original songs out there to sample?)
4.) Speaking of Lady Gaga, Kristinia DeBarge's "Goodbye" video was directed by Ray Kay, who also directed Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" video.
5.) In the video, there's a close-up on Kristinia's watch, which is a hot pink Casio Baby-G ($79, Casio Baby-G). Who else rocks the Baby-G? Lady Gaga in her "LoveGame" video.
+ Watch Kristinia DeBarge's "Goodbye" video, and look for Kristinia DeBarge's debut album later this summer. And, after the jump, watch Wale's "Chillin'" video.
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