MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Monica

Welcome to Buzzworthy's The Week In Pop, where we round up new album releases, talk show musical guests and appearances, TV appearances by your favorite pop stars and more (so you don't have to).

While the Grammys gave us plenty to discuss around the ol' watercooler to start the week (Nicki Minaj's pope friend, Adele winning EVERYTHING, etc.), but there's a lot to look forward to in musical happenings this week, y'all. The Kills release their "The Last Goodbye" single with The Velvet Underground, Patsy Cline and Marilyn Monroe covers, "Glee" pays homage to the late Whitney Houston on their Valentine's Day episode Tuesday, Sleigh Bells are gonna kick the "Saturday Night Live" stage's ass, and Hollywood Week continues on "American Idol."

Check out this week's album releases and talk show music guests below.

NEW ALBUM RELEASES
Tuesday, Feb. 14
+ The Kills, "The Last Goodbye" four-song single release: Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince package their lovely "The Last Goodbye" waltz single with three covers.

+ Johnny Cash, Live From Austin TX: The Man in Black lives on through his immeasurable body of work. The 180-gram vinyl release comes with a DVD of the performance.

+ Band Of Skulls, Sweet Sour: The English trio return with a sophomore album wrapped in delicious female-male vocal interplay indie rock with a bluesy stomp. Check out their single "Bruises."

Check out more new album releases and upcoming TV appearances and performances after the jump.

Read more...

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy on Twitter

Tags Adele, Band Of Skulls, Bon Iver, Brandy, Cake, Christina Aguilera, Christina Perri, Dierks Bentley, Erykah Badu, Foo Fighters, Heartless Bastards, Jason Mraz, Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Cash, Kasabian, Kid Rock, Lana Del Rey, Lenny Kravitz, Marc Anthony, Marilyn Monroe, Mark Ronson, Monica, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, Patsy Cline, Richard Marx, Ricky Martin, Rihanna, Robin Thicke, Shearwater, Sinead O'Connor, Sleigh Bells, Tennis, The Civil Wars, The Cranberries, The Dap-Kings, The Fray, The Kills, The Velvet Underground, Wale, Yelawolf, Young Jeezy

Brandy and Monica together in the studio for "It All Belongs To Me".

I can't even begin to describe the wave of emotion that's coming over me right now. Finally, one of the world's most painful girl-on-girl beefs is getting a resolution! Fourteen years after releasing "The Boy Is Mine" (!!!), Brandy and Monica have settled the score and joined together to release "It All Belongs To Me." Produced by Rico Love, "It All Belongs To Me" is a classic midtempo R&B jam that finally places these two gals on the same side of the fence. Instead of bickering over some idiot DB who two-timed them in '90s, Brandy and Monica have grown into adult women who are both grossed out by their current beaus' effed up behavior.

+ Listen to Monica and Brandy's "It All Belongs To Me" after the jump.

Read more...

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy On Twitter

Tags Brandy, Monica

Credit: @monicabrown

Whoa. Whoa. WHOA. I'm feeling so many feelings right now! R&B singer Monica tweeted a photo of her and Brandy in the studio recently saying, "We have Both Been Blessed Beyond Measure..14years later.. #TURNTHELIGHTSON ❤Love @4everBrandy." Then our heads exploded.

First thing's first: How THE HELL has it been 14 years since one of the greatest duets of all time, 1998's "The Boy Is Mine"? (I need to call AARP.) Second, these two look so effing good. They literally do not look like they've aged a day -- lemme get at yo skin care regimens! Third (and most important), is a "The Boy Is Mine, Pt. 2" headed our way? I. WILL. DIE.

For those who don't know, "The Boy Is Mine" was an epic duet about two women duking it out over a boy. In the video Brandy and Monica (decked in some seriously '90s pastels) both sang to each other from different rooms, "I'm sorry that you seem to be confused/He belongs to me, the boy is mine." At the end, the two meet face-to-face, and if you've seen as many episodes of "Maury" as I have, you would know that's never a good situation.

BRB, watching "The Boy Is Mine" video on repeat/refreshing Monica's Twitter endlessly until she shares her and Brandy's new duet!

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy On Twitter

Tags Beyonce, Monica

Credit: Getty Images

I knew Brandy and I were soul sisters ever since she had a total face-off with Monica in "The Boy Is Mine." I was having an intense middle school boy crisis at the time and really identified with Brandy's desire to scare the crap out of Monica pain.

It's been a while since Brandy's tiff with Monica so you can imagine my excitement to learn of the existence of a brand-new Brandy tune! Cowritten by Rihanna's "Cheers (Drink To That)" songsmith Corey "Chorus" Gibson Brandy's new tune is called "Silent Night," and no, it's not an attempt to dethrone Justin Bieber's "Under The Mistletoe" from the Billboard Hot 200 a Christmas cover, but rather a much-needed dose of classic R&B goodness. In her gorgeous and rich tone, Brandy sings of a love turned sour: "It was a silent night/Another lonely night/I can’t believe you left me." UHH pause--I'm confused about what kind of real-life male with normal blood pumping through his veins is gonna up and leave Brandy? Girl has some mad pipes and she also basically looks like a model is really pretty. Brandy goes on to sing of even more pain this total DB has caused her: "Tell me where did we go wrong/Is there a bigger picture/That my eyes didn't capture?"

Even though Brandy is singing of heartache, it seems she's no longer down in the dumps. The singer recently tweeted: "Now y'all know I don't toot my own horn, but a b**** SLAYED "silent night" #cockymoment !! Lol." Good for you, girl. Turning that pain into a hit record is the best revenge you could ever get.

+ Listen to Brandy, "Silent Night."

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy On Twitter

Tags Brandy, justin bieber, Monica, Rihanna

Today we shared our favorite fall albums in Buzzworthy's Fall Music 2011 Preview. The lineup of 29 new albums includes heavy hitters -- Drake's Take Care album, Britney's B In The Mix: The Remixes 2 remix album and Rihanna's untitled sixth studio album, due out this November -- solo efforts from Patrick Stump and Joe Jonas, and small-but-strong up-and-comers like I Fight Dragons and Allstar Weekend.

And now we wanna hear from you! Which new fall album are you most excited about?

Lovatics already sent Demi Lovato's Unbroken to No. 1. Rihanna's personal military will surely rally the troops for her upcoming sixth studio album. Meanwhile Britney Stans are breathing heavy in anticipation of Britney's B In The Mix: The Remixes 2 album. And artists like YelaWolf and J. Cole are releasing their debut albums but already attracted legions of die-hard fans.

Gym Class Heroes fans have been waiting three years for a new album after 2008's The Quilt, and Evanescence fans have been waiting HALF A DECADE for the band's third studio album. Blink-182 fans might've thought they'd never see the day that Travis Barker, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge would reunite for their Neighborhoods album, eight years after releasing Blink-182.

So which fall album will you have on repeat all season long? Vote in our fall 2011 album poll. We'll announce the album with the most votes on Tuesday, Oct. 4!

+ VOTE AFTER THE JUMP!
Read more...

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy On Twitter

Tags Allstar Weekend, Bjork, Blink-182, Britney Spears, Cody Simpson, Coldplay, Demi Lovato, Dev, Drake, Evanescence, Fall Music 2011 Preview, Florence and the Machine, Gym Class Heroes, I Fight Dragons, J. Cole, Jason DeRulo, Joe Jonas, Kelly Clarkson, lou reed, Mayday Parade, Metallica, Monica, New Found Glory, Nicole Scherzinger, Patrick-Stump, Poll, Rihanna, Saves The Day, The Ready Set, Travie McCoy, Yelawolf

It's officially fall, y'all. Which means pumpkin lattes (unnecessary yet impossible to resist), bowls of free candy (dooon't mind if I do) and a superabundant stream of new albums vying for any remaining space on your iPod. So here at Buzzworthy, our music writers -- Tamar Anitai, Nicole James, Jason Newman, Jenna Rubenstein and Brad Stern -- harvested 29 of our favorite new and upcoming albums into a fall-friendly guide that's easier to digest than those weird brown candy corns.

The fall music forecast calls for dance floor fillers such as Jason Derulo's Future History, Patrick Stump's Soul Punk and Joe Jonas' Fast Life (two highly anticipated solo missions!), with high chances of comebacks like Blink-182's Neighborhoods, Evanescence's self-titled album, Gym Class Heroes' The Papercut Chronicles II and Demi Lovato's Unbroken. Expect new music by overachievers too: Britney released Femme Fatale six month ago, but that's not stopping her from dropping her remix album next month. And Rihanna will debut her sixth studio album almost a year to the day she released her Loud album, which is still riding high on the charts.

So, without further adieu or belaboring, check out Buzzworthy's Fall Music Preview 2011 -- 29 new fall albums on our radar that need to be on yours too! And vote for the fall album you're most excited about!

SAVES THE DAY, Daybreak: Saves The Day's been playing a serious game of musical chairs and contending with a constantly shifting lineup. Case in point? The band's latest album, Daybreak (featuring the title track, which is an 11-minute rock opera), is the first without longtime guitarist David Soloway and their first (and last) with temporary drummer Spencer Peterson. But Daybreak leaves no room for skeptics. There's "1984," an homage to old-school garage rock, and "O," an unassuming ballad that features lead vocalist Chris Conley literally begging to be with his woman (we'll pause for the collective "Awww"). Instant classic. -- Jenna Rubenstein
Standout songs: "1984," "O," "Undress Me"
Release date: Sept. 13

CODY SIMPSON, Coast To Coast: Perhaps best known as Australia's answer to Justin Bieber (start screaming now!), 14-year-old heartthrob Cody Simpson's about to set dozens of young hearts ablaze with the release of his second stateside EP, Coast to Coast, on Sept. 20. Channeling all the best young blond crooners -- from Jesse McCartney to Aaron Carter -- Cody Simpson's bringing straight-up R&B-pop on his latest EP, including his swoon-y springtime single "On My Mind" and his most recent release, the breakup ballad "Not Just You." With album production credits that include Danja, The Messengers and Adele hitmaker Fraser T. Smith, his musical team is more top talent than teenybopper. -- Brad Stern
Standout songs: "On My Mind," "Angel," "Not Just You"
Release date: Sept. 20

DEMI LOVATO, Unbroken: On Unbroken, her third album, Demi Lovato comes clean, inspires and experiments with something totally healthy: musical styles. Though Unbroken reflects her time getting sober and getting healthy after entering rehab in late 2010, Unbroken's both confessional and cathartic. Pulling in Timbaland, Missy Elliott and Iyaz, Demi goes dance-pop on party tracks such as "All Night Long" and "Who's That Boy" (featuring Dev) while going beneath the surface into personal territory, like on her revelatory, Phoenix-rising redemption song, "Skyscraper." Demi's definitely on the right track: Unbroken went to No. 1 within the first HOUR it was released. -- Tamar Anitai
Standout songs: "Skyscraper," "Give Your Heart A Break," "Who's That Boy"
Release date: Sept. 20

++ READ THE REST OF BUZZWORTHY'S FALL MUSIC PREVIEW 2011 AFTER THE JUMP! ++

Read more...

Related Content Follow Buzzworthy On Twitter

Tags Adam Levine, Allstar Weekend, Bjork, Blink-182, Britney Spears, Cody Simpson, Coldplay, Demi Lovato, Dev, Drake, Evanescence, Fall Music 2011 Preview, Florence and the Machine, Gym Class Heroes, I Fight Dragons, J. Cole, Jason DeRulo, Joe Jonas, Kelly Clarkson, lou reed, Mayday Parade, Metallica, Monica, New Found Glory, Nicole Scherzinger, Patrick-Stump, Rihanna, Saves The Day, The Ready Set, Travie McCoy, Yelawolf

When it comes to girl-on-girl catfights in music videos, we've already seen Brandy and Monica square off over an apartment-hopping player; Avril Lavigne pluck a boy toy off another girl's arm; and Mariah Carey kick her own a** in a movie theater bathroom. And now making her official entry into the canon -- and raising the stakes in the process -- is Black Barbie herself, Nicki Minaj, with her new video for "Your Love."

Decked out in gorgeous silk robes, Nicki and a competitive classmate go all "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," crossing samurai swords over their hunky martial arts instructor. Occasionally, the camera cuts to Ms. Young Money soloing in front of billowing 1-million-thread-count satin sheets, just to remind us how damn FINE she is. But then back to the fighting: Blood is shed, and someone doesn't make it out alive. We'll leave it to you to find out which lady reigns supreme.

Tags Avril Lavigne, Brandy, Mariah Carey, Monica, Nicki Minaj, video

(Credit: Gregg Delman)

We already told you we've been down with Brandy since the days when she was sittin' up in her room, dating B-baller Kobe Bryant and challenging Monica to an angry duet-slash-duel over some playa who was probably out two-timing (three-timing?) them both. And while we seriously regret our self-imposed Brandy hiatus, we've since reformed our ways by giving her new album, Human, a listen -- and FYI, we love, love, LOVED it.

Turns out, Brandy's still got the same ability to rock a mic, the same wispy, little-girl voice and the same ability to get her sticky-as-superglue songs stuck in our head all frickin' day. Head over to MTV.com's The Leak to check out the record Brandy calls "my most personal album to date," and keep your ears peeled for already-released singles like "Right Here (Departed)" and hot new tracks like "Fall," (a collab with Natasha Bedingfield!)

Also? We STILL can't believe Audrina Patridge slipped out in the middle of Brandy's studio sesh on The Hills this season! Hmm, it's almost like she was too busy thinking about Justin Bobby (a.k.a. her commitment-phobic sometimes-boyfriend) to pay attention to "Long Distance" (a.k.a. Brandy's song about totally impossible relationships). Crazy, huh??

Tags Audrina Patridge, Brandy, Justin Bobby, Monica

(Credit: Gregg Delman)

True confession time: I haven't paid a ton of attention to Brandy since the "The Boy Is Mine" -- her 1998 dueling duet with Monica. And allow me to tangent for a second and declare that aside from Elton John and George Michael's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," Warren G and Nate Dogg's "Regulate," and Mariah Carey and Jay-Z's "Heartbreaker," "The Boy Is Mine" is one of the finest duets of the 1990s.

Anyway, shame on me for sleeping on Brandy, because she's hilarious, has a passion for Skittles akin to that of Tokio Hotel's most hardcore fans, and is as addicted to "World of Warcraft" as your ex-boyfriend. For realsies.

Watch this exclusive MTV interview with Brandy to find out more about her upcoming album, Human, out December 9, check out some brand-new photos of the model-turned-singer-turned-gamer -- and watch her latest video, "Right Here (Departed)," after the jump.

Read more...

Tags Brandy, Buzzworthy Obsession, Elton John, George Michael, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Monica, Nate Dogg, Tokio Hotel, Warren G

The news is true. After 10 long, strong years of deafening screaming, live performances, walk-ons, and music videos (VIDEOS!) and celebrities that went on to become pop culture phenomenons (and a few who didn't), the bright lights of TRL -- lights that once lit up the careers of Britney Spears (she appeared on the show 21 times), Mariah Carey (if you don't remember when she busted onto the show in 2001 and stripped, then refresh your memory with the video below), *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly, Diddy, Eminem, Backstreet Boys, Pink, and thousands of other genre-spanning artists who took the stage between 1998 and 2008 -- will go dark. Worst.

The show, originally hosted by Carson Daly, currently co-hosted by Damien Fahey and Lyndsey Rodrigues, will end in November 2008 after a final farewell show and lots of tears.

And not that anything could ever take the place of TRL, and true, maybe we should wait for the blood to dry, but here's some good news to complement the sad stuff -- due to popular demand, FNMTV will be returning to your otherwise crappy Friday nights starting this November. BRAND-new videos! Played in their entirety! The way God intended! And celebrities! Live performances! LOLs! Arguing! More screaming!

Pour some milk out for your favorite fallen show and raise a glass of Quik to the second coming of FNMTV. And below, see who was on the very first TRL countdown ever on September 14, 1998. Plus, check out thousands of TRL photos (including snaps from the iconic backstage photo booth) then close your eyes and let the sentimental sounds of Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, and Diddy (Puffy, hold me down, baby!) help you pay your respects to a decade of MTV's Total Request Live.

TRL 09/14/98
1. Backstreet Boys - I'll Never Break Your Heart
2. NSYNC - Tearin' Up My Heart
3. Aaliyah featuring Timbaland - Are You That Somebody?
4. Aerosmith - I Don't Want to Miss A Thing
5. Will Smith - Just the Two of Us
6. Marilyn Manson - The Dope Show
7. Usher- My Way
8. The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
9. Monica - The First Night
10. Monster Magnet - Space Lord

Tags Aaliyah, Aerosmith, Backstreet-Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Damien Fahey, Diddy, Eminem, FNMTV, Goo Goo Dolls, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Marilyn Manson, Monica, Nelly, NSync, Pink, TRL, Usher, Will Smith