Pop Bites: Ed Sheeran, Janelle Monae, Shakira and more
The frizzy-haired Brit exchanged his folk-pop for some Top 40 funk with his new tune, “Sing.” The Pharrell Williams-produced tune sounds like Sheeran is making a strong bid for Justin Timberlake-worthy pop prowess. With his sweet falsetto, weirdly slick rapping skills and Williams’ perfectly produced beat, we’ll certainly bite. Simply put, the song is a serious jam. Who knew spending so much time with Taylor Swift would give him so much swagger? (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Dishing what’s sweet, and sour, from the week in music. By Gerrick D. Kennedy
M.I.A. and Janelle Monae popped up during each other’s concerts on the same night, despite being on opposite coasts. How, you ask? The two performers were beamed in as holograms. As Tupac, Eazy-E and OLD have taught us, hologram performances are less creepy when you aren’t raising the performers from the dead. But Monae and M.I.A.’s digital turns were still pretty uncool, given that the performances were to promote a new luxury car. ( Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
The Jennifer Lopez-backed NUVOtv cable channel inked a deal to acquire Madison Square Garden’s Fuse network, outbidding Lopez’s ex, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Diddy was making a bid for the cable network to convert it over to his recently launched music channel, Revolt TV. Love doesn’t cost a thing, but TV ownership does. (Neville Hopwood / Getty Images)
In a very generous few days, Drake has offered up two free singles for fans: the Lauryn Hill-sampling muscle flex “Draft Day” and “Days in the East,” a smoldering ode to Rihanna. The pair have gotten pretty cozy in Europe, offering endless fodder to gossip blogs and offering us hopeless romantics a bit of merriment. Drake is at his best when he’s deep in his feelings, but we can’t help but be skeptical about their rekindled romance. Will it end up in flames like it has before? Or will she take Chris Brown back for the millionth time? Who knows. Either way the result will be an angst-ridden album that we can’t wait to drop $9.99 on (we’re also saving an extra $10 to see what Rihanna has to say). (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Shakira has understandably logged plenty of time with her cohorts on “The Voice.” But despite having pop-rocker Adam Levine and heartthrob Usher at the ready, she turned to country stalwart Blake Shelton for a duet on her new album. The single, “Medicine,” is a tepid country-pop tune that surprisingly lacks any heat. Further proof of the ill pairing came with their live debut of the tune at the recent ACM Awards. Apparently, two hot singers can actually have zero chemistry together. Didn’t Christina Aguilera teach her that teaming with Shelton doesn’t automatically yield a hit? (Chris Pizzello/Invision/Associated Press)
