MTV Buzzworthy Blog › The 5

When you watch Taio Cruz in his Ludacris-assisted video for the storming dance/R&B track "Break Your Heart," he's leaving a girl in his wake, rocking stunner shades and generally being a bad boy. On his song "Dirty Picture," (which he intended for Lady Gaga!), Taio and Ke$ha demonstrate their willingness to strip for the camera.

But watch this episode of "The 5," featuring the British vocalist, and you'll meet a whole different character. The real Taio Cruz is intriguingly serene, and he clearly has many other interests outside of breaking hearts and taking lewd snapshots. In this interview, Taio Cruz talks about his burgeoning side gig designing sunglasses under the label Rokstarr, a name he which shares with his debut album.

He also talks about his Nigerian and Brazilian roots, his mini empire of side gigs, the correct pronunciation of Taio (it's like Tay-o) and his affinity for wearing black and white.

Check out the interview below. Taio Cruz's Rokstarr is out now.

Tags Ludacris, Taio Cruz, The 5, video

(Credit: Eric Johnson/MTV)

This week's MTV PUSH Artist of the Week is Jason Derulo. It seems like just yesterday when we first met the smooth, super-talented Derulo. It was last October, and all we knew of the pop-R&B singer was his Imogen-Heap-sampling single, "Whatcha Say."

We thought it might be cool, seeing as how he is our featured artist and all, if we went back in the archives and dug out this episode of "The 5," from that time.

Learn about Jason Derulo's passion for salmon shakes, late night dance-a-thons, and his deep love of tap dancing.

Check out his episode of "The 5," as well as his break-out "Whatcha Say" video below.

Tags Jason DeRulo, PUSH, PUSH: Jason DeRulo, The 5, video

Little is known on these shores about the Euro dance-pop sensation Agnes, aside from the fact that her single "Release Me" is an absolutely storming summer smash. But that's about to change with this episode of "The 5."

In this chat, Agnes talks about winning the 2005 season of "Swedish Idol" at the young age of 17; she talks about the release of "Release Me," the opportunities its success has provided for her and shooting two different versions of the video for the song. She also fills us in on her predilection for gold and her proficiency on the violin.

Check out the interview below.

Tags Agnes, The 5, video

We already know that Jordan Witzigreuter makes catchy electro-emo with hip-hop leanings as The Ready Set. And we already know dude is a licensed reseller of LOLs, with his hilarious viral videos, which occasionally costar his label boss, Pete Wentz. Now it's time to learn even more about the enigmatic young artist.

In this episode of "The 5," we learn about Witzigreuter's DIY aesthetic. He played most of the instruments on The Ready Set's recordings. Both America AND Jordan Witzigreuter got talent.

Things get a little more wistful (and weird) when Witzigreuter recalls the days when he used to want to be a dinosaur. The nostalgia theme continues as he remembers the time when he dyed his hair blue. It was not a good look.

Watching this video (as well as The Ready Set's "Love Like Woe" clip) is, however, a good look. And you may do so below. The Ready Set's Tantrum Castle is out now. I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming is out June 15.

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Tags Jordan Witzigreuter, Pete Wentz, The 5, The Ready Set, video

Fefe Dobson is a pretty spunky rock gal out of Canada who makes spitfire rock singles like "I Want You," which fall somewhere between Joan Jett and the White Stripes.

But this is "The 5," and rarely on "The 5" do we speak of what people sound like or what their recording process is like. "The 5" is where you find out about the little oddities, idiosyncrasies and weird/fun facts that make the artists who they are.

So, in the case of Fefe Dobson we learn that the young singer/songwriter has a love for baking muffins, counts herself as a devoted follower of the Church of Mariah Carey (we also belong!), pledges undying allegiance to her first-generation iPod (the old brick-looking joint) and reveals her nearly legal blindness (true!) and her penchant for pyromania (somewhat exaggerated).

Learn about all these things and more in Fefe's episode of "The 5," plus watch her awesome "I Want You" video and one of her favorite Mariah jams.

Tags Avril Lavigne, Fefe Dobson, Mariah Carey, The 5, video, White Stripes

Massachusetts rapper Sam Adams is a pretty outspoken cat. In his episode of "The 5," which he posted last month, the baby-faced MC behind "I Hate College" openly discussed his music and his love life in a refreshingly candid way. (As in, he told us he kicked a girl out of bed before the interview.) So we were pretty intrigued to hear what Sam Adams might tell us this time around.

Sam Adams touches on a variety of subjects in this new interview. We learn about his pretty famous family history -- he's an actual descendant of John Quincy Adams -- and the benefits of using your birth name as your MC name. He also answers questions about the summertime hot spot of Nantucket and clears up any lingering questions about whether "I Hate College" was a shot at Asher Roth.

Check out the videos below.

Tags Asher Roth, Sam Adams, The 5, video

(Credit: Liza Chrust/MTV)

Earlier this week we introduced you to MTV PUSH featured artist Paper Tongues, the rock-funk-rap fusion band from North Carolina who provided the theme song for the new MTV show "When I Was 17."

With such an excitable sound, the band surely brings the ruckus live, and that's where Paper Tongues gets their reward: from the connection they make with their fans. One look at their tour dates shows a group willing to go anywhere and everywhere there's a calling, crisscrossing the country to spread their gospel.

In the interview below, Paper Tongues discusses their fans and how their reaction spurs them along on their relentless tour schedule. In the second video, the band talk about its predictably eclectic collection of influences, calling the album a "mixtape" of their collective tastes.

Check out those video interviews, as well as the band's episode of "The 5," all below.

Tags Paper Tongues, PUSH, PUSH: Paper Tongues, The 5, video

Alkaline Trio is a hardworking pop-punk band from a blue-collar city (Chicago) who grinds out album after album of gravel-voiced, heartbroken anthems. With the group's latest album, "This Addiction," currently soundtracking countless breakups and makeups, we thought we'd sit down with the veteran band and have a little chat.

In this episode of "The 5," Alkaline Trio talked about going back to their roots, recording "This Addiction" at their old sonic stomping grounds of Atlas Studio in Chicago. Speaking of origins, the boys also talk about where their band name came from. They also chat about their new, self-owned label, Heart & Skull.

Check out the interview below, as well as the group's classic "Help Me" video from its 2008 release, Agony & Irony.

Tags Alkaline Trio, The 5, video

Cage the Elephant makes stomping, punk blues rock that reflects its disaffected youth and Bowling Green, Kentucky, roots. So it only makes sense that the group would be bigger in England than the States, right? Wait, wha?!

Yeah, this Kentucky power trio, which makes rock jams for the skaters, the geeks and the kids on the margins, is actually bigger across the pond than on these shores; a fact they discuss on this episode of "The 5." Their Brit popularity stems from some time they spent over in London, near an area called "Murder Mile."

Members of Cage the Elephant also discuss stuff like crunchy vs. smooth peanut butter, say "true story" many times and discuss the recording of their second album, the follow-up to their 2009 self-titled debut.

Check out the interview, as well as Cage the Elephant's "In One Ear" video below.

Tags Cage The Elephant, The 5, video

Last month we introduced you to the shuffle-pop sound of Vita Chambers. Drawing comparisons to Pink, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, Vita Chambers makes eclectic, exuberant danceable tracks with the passion of a true music lover. And nowhere is that more on display than her Lil Wayne and Friends homage, "Young Money."

So you know about her music, now it's time to get to know the girl. In this episode of "The 5," Vita Chambers talks about her deep fear of spiders and the way romantic films trigger her waterworks (she recently teared up at Miley Cyrus' "The Last Song"). You'll also find her to be an avowed foodie, as she gives up the details on a delicacy of her Barbados homeland: macaroni pie (totally going there now).

Check out Vita Chambers' episode of "The 5" below.  Chambers' The Get Go EP is out now.

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Tags Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Miley Cyrus, Pink, The 5, video, Vita Chambers