By Corrie MacLaggan
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Depeche Mode has come a long way since its 1980s debut as part of Britain's New Wave scene, and as it prepares to tour behind its 13th album, no one appears more surprised at the group's longevity than the band members themselves.
The British synthpop pioneers - singer Dave Gahan, guitarist-keyboardist Martin Gore and keyboardist Andy Fletcher - are marking their fourth decade in the music industry with the release of 'Delta Machine' on March 26.
'We've always been pessimists at heart, so we never think further ahead than whatever's coming next,' Gore, 51, told Reuters at the South by Southwest Music Conference this week.
The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide since its 1981 debut album 'Speak & Spell,' thanks to hits along the way like 1984's 'People are People' and 1989's 'Personal Jesus.'
Depeche Mode's textured sound and moody lyrics made it one of the biggest bands to emerge from the British New Wave in the early 1980s, alongside groups such as The Boomtown Rats.
The title 'Delta Machine' reflects the musicians' contradictory sounds - they're influenced by the Delta blues, but they also use technology like computers and synthesizers.
'We feel like our music is a blend of organic and inorganic,' Gore said.
NEW TOUR, NEW APPROACH
The band's appearance at the SXSW conference is unusual, as was its performance on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' this week. Depeche Mode has typically gone straight from rehearsal to tour without leaving time to properly promote a new album, Gore said.
'You'd think that we would have done that at some point in this career, but we haven't,' he said, referring to promoting albums prior to release.
Depeche Mode will embark on its 17th tour in Tel Aviv on May 7, with the North American leg scheduled to begin in Detroit on August 22.
Gore, having spent a significant part of the last three decades on the road and given up drinking seven years ago, said touring these days is different.
'The last tour I really enjoyed because it was the first one that I'd really been lucid enough to take in everything and enjoy the concerts and then enjoy the cities the next day,' he said. 'So I'm really looking forward to this one.'
Life has also improved for Gahan, 50, a former heroin addict who attempted suicide in 1995, almost died after an overdose in 1996 and got sober about two years later.
'My life has just progressively got better,' Gahan told an audience at conference. 'I feel like I participate in it in a very different way.'
Asked how he manages to remain so active on stage, Gahan replied that when he gets up in front of people who have bought tickets, he does his best to entertain them.
There's nothing worse, he said, than performers on stage staring at their shoes while wearing 'camping clothes.'
'This is rock and roll,' Gahan said.
(Reporting By Corrie MacLaggan, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Xavier Briand)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
"Psy Style" scores as Gangnam rapper readies new song
By Narae Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - As South Korean rapper Psy readies what he hopes will be his next hit song, aiming for a repeat of the viral 'Gangnam Style', retailers are keeping a close eye on what he wears, hoping another blockbuster will send sales surging.
From the tortoiseshell sunglasses to the two-toned Oxfords the chubby singer sported for his YouTube megahit, a wide range of brands - and Seoul's Gangnam district itself - have reaped rich rewards from the Psy effect.
Psy's stylist will say only that the 35-year-old will once more be clad in a suit for the new song, whose title also remains a secret. It will be released at an April 13 concert.
'The basic concept for his upcoming song is again a formal suit but with a humorous twist. I plan to add an unexpected twist of fun,' Hong Hye-won told Reuters in an interview.
'I made a point with a bow tie back in the Gangnam look. There is something like that for the new song.'
Psy's slicked hair and tuxedo jacket, in a broad range of electric colors, paired with a pleated white dress shirt and a black bow tie, run counter to the carefully manicured and primped young women and men typical of the K-Pop industry.
Much of what Psy wears is from his personal closet, since it is hard for him to find a suit that fits, Hong was quoted in a local newspaper as saying last year.
Both the Vivienne Westwood white shirt and the Thierry Lasry sunglasses he sports in the video, which made YouTube history by being the first to gain more than 1 billion views, are items he bought for himself some time ago, she was quoted as saying.
French eyewear designer Thierry Lasry has been besieged with questions about the two kinds of shades - the tortoiseshell, and black with gold temples, both called 'The Variety'.
'We have had a lot of requests from our customers who saw and loved his music video,' said Clara Mercier, marketing manager for Thierry Lasry, who said the tortoiseshell version was a limited edition. The black ones go for 335 euros ($430).
'We obviously could have sold thousands had it not been a limited edition,' Mercier added.
NOT SO TALL, NOT SO HANDSOME
Gabor, a German-based shoe maker, has also benefited. Psy's footwear was actually Christian Louboutin, but similar enough to one of Gabor's styles to send Korean sales shooting up 100 percent in September 2012 from a year before.
'Before Psy, Oxfords were not exactly popular,' said Lee Hyung-joo, Gabor marketing manager. 'But now everyone, man or woman, old or young, fashionable or not, wants to try the Oxfords Psy wears.'
Psy's broad appeal appears to be the key. The YouTube video has now been viewed more than 1.4 billion times.
'He is not a typical model type of person - quite chubby, not so tall and not so handsome. But it does not matter,' said shoe designer Jimmy Choo, in Seoul for a recent awards ceremony. 'We feel he is like us, like the guy next door.'
Gangnam, the upmarket Seoul suburb that has become a byword for affluence and consumption if not always good taste, has also seen a spillover effect that has kept its streets crowded - and the cash tills of its high-end stores ringing.
Tourist numbers have shot up 50 percent to 320,000 in January this year, compared with the same period in 2012, according to government data. Chinese tourists stand out although locals also spend more time in the area, especially Garosil-gil, the trendiest part.
'We think that Psy has brought 'Gangnam' closer to ordinary people, who were often uncomfortable with its luxurious, well-to-do image,' said Jeong You-sook, an official at the Tourism Promotion Division of the Gangnam District office.
Choo agreed that Psy's appeal was infectious.
'Everyone, including myself, wants to try not just his dance moves but his fashion and his hairdo. Just like everyone was going as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson in their heydays,' he said.
(Reporting By Narae Kim; Editing by David Chance and Elaine Lies)
SEOUL (Reuters) - As South Korean rapper Psy readies what he hopes will be his next hit song, aiming for a repeat of the viral 'Gangnam Style', retailers are keeping a close eye on what he wears, hoping another blockbuster will send sales surging.
From the tortoiseshell sunglasses to the two-toned Oxfords the chubby singer sported for his YouTube megahit, a wide range of brands - and Seoul's Gangnam district itself - have reaped rich rewards from the Psy effect.
Psy's stylist will say only that the 35-year-old will once more be clad in a suit for the new song, whose title also remains a secret. It will be released at an April 13 concert.
'The basic concept for his upcoming song is again a formal suit but with a humorous twist. I plan to add an unexpected twist of fun,' Hong Hye-won told Reuters in an interview.
'I made a point with a bow tie back in the Gangnam look. There is something like that for the new song.'
Psy's slicked hair and tuxedo jacket, in a broad range of electric colors, paired with a pleated white dress shirt and a black bow tie, run counter to the carefully manicured and primped young women and men typical of the K-Pop industry.
Much of what Psy wears is from his personal closet, since it is hard for him to find a suit that fits, Hong was quoted in a local newspaper as saying last year.
Both the Vivienne Westwood white shirt and the Thierry Lasry sunglasses he sports in the video, which made YouTube history by being the first to gain more than 1 billion views, are items he bought for himself some time ago, she was quoted as saying.
French eyewear designer Thierry Lasry has been besieged with questions about the two kinds of shades - the tortoiseshell, and black with gold temples, both called 'The Variety'.
'We have had a lot of requests from our customers who saw and loved his music video,' said Clara Mercier, marketing manager for Thierry Lasry, who said the tortoiseshell version was a limited edition. The black ones go for 335 euros ($430).
'We obviously could have sold thousands had it not been a limited edition,' Mercier added.
NOT SO TALL, NOT SO HANDSOME
Gabor, a German-based shoe maker, has also benefited. Psy's footwear was actually Christian Louboutin, but similar enough to one of Gabor's styles to send Korean sales shooting up 100 percent in September 2012 from a year before.
'Before Psy, Oxfords were not exactly popular,' said Lee Hyung-joo, Gabor marketing manager. 'But now everyone, man or woman, old or young, fashionable or not, wants to try the Oxfords Psy wears.'
Psy's broad appeal appears to be the key. The YouTube video has now been viewed more than 1.4 billion times.
'He is not a typical model type of person - quite chubby, not so tall and not so handsome. But it does not matter,' said shoe designer Jimmy Choo, in Seoul for a recent awards ceremony. 'We feel he is like us, like the guy next door.'
Gangnam, the upmarket Seoul suburb that has become a byword for affluence and consumption if not always good taste, has also seen a spillover effect that has kept its streets crowded - and the cash tills of its high-end stores ringing.
Tourist numbers have shot up 50 percent to 320,000 in January this year, compared with the same period in 2012, according to government data. Chinese tourists stand out although locals also spend more time in the area, especially Garosil-gil, the trendiest part.
'We think that Psy has brought 'Gangnam' closer to ordinary people, who were often uncomfortable with its luxurious, well-to-do image,' said Jeong You-sook, an official at the Tourism Promotion Division of the Gangnam District office.
Choo agreed that Psy's appeal was infectious.
'Everyone, including myself, wants to try not just his dance moves but his fashion and his hairdo. Just like everyone was going as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson in their heydays,' he said.
(Reporting By Narae Kim; Editing by David Chance and Elaine Lies)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A Minute With: R&B singer Miguel in the spotlight after Grammys
By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With two critically acclaimed albums and a Grammy award under his belt, American R&B singer/songwriter Miguel is starting to hit the mainstream.
The Los Angeles native, born Miguel Jontel Pimentel to a Mexican father and African-American mother, was thrust into the spotlight at the Grammy awards last month, delivering a soulful rendition of his hit single 'Adorn,' which won Best R&B song.
His second album 'Kaleidoscope Dream' debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart last October and he kicked off his tour supporting Alicia Keys on her North American dates last week.
Miguel, 27, told Reuters about his Grammy moment, his love for throwback R&B, and gearing up to perform on 'Saturday Night Live' next month.
Q: The Grammy awards was a big moment for you. How was the experience of performing on the Grammy stage?
A: As a kid you imagine those moments, something that you always aspire to be a part of. You want to be on the stage, but I think at that moment, it was really surreal as I was setting up keys and making sure everything sounded great, looking out amongst the crowd ... and seeing all of my favorite musicians (that) I grew up listening to, mimicking and admired, and have been musical mentors in some way. It definitely was surreal but at that moment, it was about having a good time.
Q: 'Adorn' has been a big hit for you. What does the song mean to you and why has it resonated so well with audiences?
A: The song was written really because I missed my girl. That was all it was at the time. I suppose when you love someone so much, you wear their love with pride, and you want them to wear yours with pride, and I think that's where the whole concept comes together. I think it resonates with people because we all want that kind of pride in our relationship and when it is real like that, that's how I think two people treat each other.
Q: Your music has been described as throwback R&B, but why do you think it plays so well in current pop charts?
A: I think the one thing that is common between every song, what holds the album together, is that it's personal. The sound is personal, the expression is personal, and hopefully what people mean (by 'throwback') is that it feels less about how to make everyone else happy or how to please them or trying to chase what is the status quo for R&B right now. It's more about my perspective. That's what throwback R&B is to me.
There was a time when rhythm and blues music was diverse. It was adventurous and experimental. I think somehow we've gotten away from discovering our unique perspective in exchange for commercial success, or what we perceive to be commercial success. I also think it also has a lot to do with time. As a fan of R&B music, I'm tired of this superficial music that I've been hearing especially from R&B so maybe it's timing, it's just the right time.
Q: You've co-written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys, Usher and Asher Roth, but 'Kaleidoscope Dream' was all you. What's the biggest difference in writing for yourself and for others?
A: The biggest difference is the position I'm playing. When I'm a part of someone else's creative process, it's all about facilitating their ideas and hopefully bringing their perspective and making it a part of a song ... I like that I can just fill in where I need to be when it comes to co-writing. But when it comes to writing and producing and making music for myself, it's really all about what do I believe, or how do I feel, and what is true and what is not.
Q: You're making your 'Saturday Night Live' debut as musical guest with host Vince Vaughn on April 13. That show has launched careers but has also crushed careers, especially if something goes wrong. Do you have any worries about performing?
A: There won't be any miming! Every moment we get to play on stage is defining. It's classic. 'SNL' is probably one of the premiere outlets that a musician can perform on that isn't obviously a music outlet. It's a legendary stage where legendary artists have played, but like you said, some have made their careers, some have hurt them. I just go out there and have fun, that's the whole spirit, to go out there and have fun.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With two critically acclaimed albums and a Grammy award under his belt, American R&B singer/songwriter Miguel is starting to hit the mainstream.
The Los Angeles native, born Miguel Jontel Pimentel to a Mexican father and African-American mother, was thrust into the spotlight at the Grammy awards last month, delivering a soulful rendition of his hit single 'Adorn,' which won Best R&B song.
His second album 'Kaleidoscope Dream' debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart last October and he kicked off his tour supporting Alicia Keys on her North American dates last week.
Miguel, 27, told Reuters about his Grammy moment, his love for throwback R&B, and gearing up to perform on 'Saturday Night Live' next month.
Q: The Grammy awards was a big moment for you. How was the experience of performing on the Grammy stage?
A: As a kid you imagine those moments, something that you always aspire to be a part of. You want to be on the stage, but I think at that moment, it was really surreal as I was setting up keys and making sure everything sounded great, looking out amongst the crowd ... and seeing all of my favorite musicians (that) I grew up listening to, mimicking and admired, and have been musical mentors in some way. It definitely was surreal but at that moment, it was about having a good time.
Q: 'Adorn' has been a big hit for you. What does the song mean to you and why has it resonated so well with audiences?
A: The song was written really because I missed my girl. That was all it was at the time. I suppose when you love someone so much, you wear their love with pride, and you want them to wear yours with pride, and I think that's where the whole concept comes together. I think it resonates with people because we all want that kind of pride in our relationship and when it is real like that, that's how I think two people treat each other.
Q: Your music has been described as throwback R&B, but why do you think it plays so well in current pop charts?
A: I think the one thing that is common between every song, what holds the album together, is that it's personal. The sound is personal, the expression is personal, and hopefully what people mean (by 'throwback') is that it feels less about how to make everyone else happy or how to please them or trying to chase what is the status quo for R&B right now. It's more about my perspective. That's what throwback R&B is to me.
There was a time when rhythm and blues music was diverse. It was adventurous and experimental. I think somehow we've gotten away from discovering our unique perspective in exchange for commercial success, or what we perceive to be commercial success. I also think it also has a lot to do with time. As a fan of R&B music, I'm tired of this superficial music that I've been hearing especially from R&B so maybe it's timing, it's just the right time.
Q: You've co-written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys, Usher and Asher Roth, but 'Kaleidoscope Dream' was all you. What's the biggest difference in writing for yourself and for others?
A: The biggest difference is the position I'm playing. When I'm a part of someone else's creative process, it's all about facilitating their ideas and hopefully bringing their perspective and making it a part of a song ... I like that I can just fill in where I need to be when it comes to co-writing. But when it comes to writing and producing and making music for myself, it's really all about what do I believe, or how do I feel, and what is true and what is not.
Q: You're making your 'Saturday Night Live' debut as musical guest with host Vince Vaughn on April 13. That show has launched careers but has also crushed careers, especially if something goes wrong. Do you have any worries about performing?
A: There won't be any miming! Every moment we get to play on stage is defining. It's classic. 'SNL' is probably one of the premiere outlets that a musician can perform on that isn't obviously a music outlet. It's a legendary stage where legendary artists have played, but like you said, some have made their careers, some have hurt them. I just go out there and have fun, that's the whole spirit, to go out there and have fun.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
Monday, March 11, 2013
Olivia Newton-John: sweetheart, sex idol, rock chick, radio star
By Mike Collett-White
LONDON (Reuters) - With a range spanning the cardigan-clad sweetheart in the hit musical 'Grease' and the leotarded gym instructor in the raunchy single 'Physical', no one could accuse Olivia Newton-John of playing it safe in 40 years of singing country, pop and rock.
The Australian, who was born in England and is touring there for the first time in 35 years, admits to being terrified at some of the choices she made in a career boasting four Grammy awards and a lead role in the biggest musical movie hit in U.S. history.
'I like a challenge,' Newton-John, 64, told Reuters in an interview before starting a six-concert tour that ends on March 17 in Manchester.
'I was always afraid of these changes but I did them anyway, kind of 'face your fears' ... because I felt you also had to challenge yourself a little bit. But I was terrified.'
The 1981 release of 'Physical', a song from the album of the same name, was banned by some radio stations in the United States banned for raunchy lyrics such as 'There's nothing left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally.'
'I remember calling (manager) Roger Davies right after I'd finished it ... and going 'Oh, I'm not sure we should put this out, it's a little too risqué'. He said: 'It's too late, love, it's gone to radio'.'
Adding to the controversy was the video, in which Newton-John played a gym instructor in a tight leotard surrounded by oiled body-builders portrayed as gay in a twist ending.
FROM NICE TO NAUGHTY
'I look back now and it's hilarious, because that was so naughty in its time,' she recalled. 'That was another challenge that worked, thank goodness. It was either going to be a big success or nothing. There was no in-between with that song.
'It was banned in Utah and I did my television special for the Physical Tour in Utah. I remember I was probably so terrified I got sick right before the shoot.'
In fact, 'Physical' proved to be the pinnacle of Newton-John's solo career, topping the U.S. pop charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles of the decade.
By then, Newton-John had already left her comfort zone more than once. She recalled pursuing a career as a performer despite resistance from her parents, who wanted her to finish school.
She comes from an academic background - her grandfather was Max Born, a German-British Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist.
'My grandfather apparently used to play music with Einstein, they used to play chamber music together, so it (the musical gene) goes back,' Newton-John said.
She left Australia for Britain in the 60s to make it as a pop star. By the early 70s, she had featured in the charts and on television before representing the United Kingdom at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth behind winners ABBA.
Then came a move to the United States, where Newton-John broke into the country music scene despite being considered an outsider. Her hit 'Let Me Be There' won her a country vocal Grammy.
SANDY IN SPANDEX
The next gamble came with 'Grease', the hit 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical that would turn her into a household name.
'Grease itself was a bold enough move - playing the second character in Grease, and for that to be so successful, I mean, who knew?'
Her character's transformation from clean-cut 'Sandy 1' to spandex-clad 'Sandy 2', out to snare John Travolta's Danny, was one that she took into real life, ditching the safety of soft pop and country for an edgier image and sound.
The name of her next album? 'Totally Hot'.
'The raunchy kind of image that Sandy 2 had, it gave an opportunity to change my direction a little bit and do something a little more fun,' she said.
'I did country, and then it was pop, and then 'Grease' kind of went into rock and so I got to change a little bit. Everyone does it now, but then it probably wasn't so common.'
Newton-John, now based on the west coast of the United States along with her family including daughter Chloe, said she would continue to record new music but may cut back on touring.
'I have so many ... other things I'm passionate about and involved in and I love singing and I love recording, but touring takes a toll and you're away from home a lot,' she explained.
Newton-John, who survived breast cancer in 1992, has set up a cancer centre in Australia and has campaigned on issues including deforestation, dolphin culling and fracking.
Why does she take on so many issues outside music?
'I think it's really for my mum,' she said. 'My mum was always writing letters to the council about problems, and so I think I owe that to her.'
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
LONDON (Reuters) - With a range spanning the cardigan-clad sweetheart in the hit musical 'Grease' and the leotarded gym instructor in the raunchy single 'Physical', no one could accuse Olivia Newton-John of playing it safe in 40 years of singing country, pop and rock.
The Australian, who was born in England and is touring there for the first time in 35 years, admits to being terrified at some of the choices she made in a career boasting four Grammy awards and a lead role in the biggest musical movie hit in U.S. history.
'I like a challenge,' Newton-John, 64, told Reuters in an interview before starting a six-concert tour that ends on March 17 in Manchester.
'I was always afraid of these changes but I did them anyway, kind of 'face your fears' ... because I felt you also had to challenge yourself a little bit. But I was terrified.'
The 1981 release of 'Physical', a song from the album of the same name, was banned by some radio stations in the United States banned for raunchy lyrics such as 'There's nothing left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally.'
'I remember calling (manager) Roger Davies right after I'd finished it ... and going 'Oh, I'm not sure we should put this out, it's a little too risqué'. He said: 'It's too late, love, it's gone to radio'.'
Adding to the controversy was the video, in which Newton-John played a gym instructor in a tight leotard surrounded by oiled body-builders portrayed as gay in a twist ending.
FROM NICE TO NAUGHTY
'I look back now and it's hilarious, because that was so naughty in its time,' she recalled. 'That was another challenge that worked, thank goodness. It was either going to be a big success or nothing. There was no in-between with that song.
'It was banned in Utah and I did my television special for the Physical Tour in Utah. I remember I was probably so terrified I got sick right before the shoot.'
In fact, 'Physical' proved to be the pinnacle of Newton-John's solo career, topping the U.S. pop charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles of the decade.
By then, Newton-John had already left her comfort zone more than once. She recalled pursuing a career as a performer despite resistance from her parents, who wanted her to finish school.
She comes from an academic background - her grandfather was Max Born, a German-British Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist.
'My grandfather apparently used to play music with Einstein, they used to play chamber music together, so it (the musical gene) goes back,' Newton-John said.
She left Australia for Britain in the 60s to make it as a pop star. By the early 70s, she had featured in the charts and on television before representing the United Kingdom at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth behind winners ABBA.
Then came a move to the United States, where Newton-John broke into the country music scene despite being considered an outsider. Her hit 'Let Me Be There' won her a country vocal Grammy.
SANDY IN SPANDEX
The next gamble came with 'Grease', the hit 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical that would turn her into a household name.
'Grease itself was a bold enough move - playing the second character in Grease, and for that to be so successful, I mean, who knew?'
Her character's transformation from clean-cut 'Sandy 1' to spandex-clad 'Sandy 2', out to snare John Travolta's Danny, was one that she took into real life, ditching the safety of soft pop and country for an edgier image and sound.
The name of her next album? 'Totally Hot'.
'The raunchy kind of image that Sandy 2 had, it gave an opportunity to change my direction a little bit and do something a little more fun,' she said.
'I did country, and then it was pop, and then 'Grease' kind of went into rock and so I got to change a little bit. Everyone does it now, but then it probably wasn't so common.'
Newton-John, now based on the west coast of the United States along with her family including daughter Chloe, said she would continue to record new music but may cut back on touring.
'I have so many ... other things I'm passionate about and involved in and I love singing and I love recording, but touring takes a toll and you're away from home a lot,' she explained.
Newton-John, who survived breast cancer in 1992, has set up a cancer centre in Australia and has campaigned on issues including deforestation, dolphin culling and fracking.
Why does she take on so many issues outside music?
'I think it's really for my mum,' she said. 'My mum was always writing letters to the council about problems, and so I think I owe that to her.'
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Justin Bieber concert in Portugal canceled
LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian singer Justin Bieber has canceled one of two concerts scheduled for this week in Portugal, the venue in Lisbon said on its website on Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether the cancellation was linked to his collapse on-stage in London last week which forced the teen sensation to take a 20-minute break to receive oxygen and then to stay overnight in hospital.
'Due to unforeseen circumstances, Justin Bieber was forced to cancel the second performance in Portugal, March 12,' a statement said on the website of the Pavilhao Atlantico.
'The Canadian singer is eager to play for the Portuguese fans on March 11,' it added. Ticket holders for the canceled gig were entitled to a refund if they claimed it within a month.
His U.S.-based representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Bieber described his visit to London as a 'rough week'.
As well as the collapse, the 19-year-old was caught on film in an expletive-filled altercation with a photographer, showed up nearly two hours late for a show leading to widespread anger and was labeled a 'pop brat' by a leading tabloid.
Discovered on YouTube in 2008, Bieber has built an online following of tens of millions of fans and is one of the pop world's biggest stars. In February, he became the youngest artist to land five chart-topping albums in the key U.S. market.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Jon Hemming)
It was not immediately clear whether the cancellation was linked to his collapse on-stage in London last week which forced the teen sensation to take a 20-minute break to receive oxygen and then to stay overnight in hospital.
'Due to unforeseen circumstances, Justin Bieber was forced to cancel the second performance in Portugal, March 12,' a statement said on the website of the Pavilhao Atlantico.
'The Canadian singer is eager to play for the Portuguese fans on March 11,' it added. Ticket holders for the canceled gig were entitled to a refund if they claimed it within a month.
His U.S.-based representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Bieber described his visit to London as a 'rough week'.
As well as the collapse, the 19-year-old was caught on film in an expletive-filled altercation with a photographer, showed up nearly two hours late for a show leading to widespread anger and was labeled a 'pop brat' by a leading tabloid.
Discovered on YouTube in 2008, Bieber has built an online following of tens of millions of fans and is one of the pop world's biggest stars. In February, he became the youngest artist to land five chart-topping albums in the key U.S. market.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Jon Hemming)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Beatles' secretary, "Good Ol' Freda," breaks silence in film
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - For Freda Kelly, secretary to the Beatles and head of the band's fan club, work sometimes involved trailing the Fab Four to the barber shop, sweeping their locks from the floor and mailing strands of hair to adoring female fans.
Kelly, one of the Beatles' longest-serving employees, worked for the British band for more than a decade but had never shared her stories publicly until now.
She breaks her silence in a new documentary, 'Good Ol' Freda,' which had its world premiere on Saturday on the second day of the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin.
'It's such a classic Cinderella story: Girl picks the job of a lifetime,' director Ryan White told Reuters.
The tale is sure to delight fans of the Beatles, but White seeks to tell a story that transcends that audience, a story about an amazing decade in an otherwise ordinary life.
The film features four Beatles songs, which required the permission of many people, including the two surviving Beatles. It also includes never-before-seen photos of the band.
The documentary's title comes from the Beatles' 1963 Christmas recording, in which George Harrison thanks their secretary in Liverpool, and they all yell, 'Good Ol' Freda!'
A mutual friend and a family connection to the 1960s' Liverpool music scene brought Kelly to the attention of White, who took the opportunity to tell her story.
The Los Angeles filmmaker, 31, who co-directed and produced the 2010 soccer documentary 'Pelada,' grew up knowing Kelly as a family friend who was a secretary. In fact, she is still a secretary, for a Liverpool law firm.
'I didn't know that she had a crazy back story,' White said, adding he only discovered it when a friend put them in touch two years ago.
Kelly, now in her late 60s, says in the film that she wanted to record her stories for her 2-year-old grandson - stories that in many cases she never got around to telling her family.
Kelly, described by White as shy and humble, insists in the documentary that no one would be interested in hearing her story.
'I WAS A FAN MYSELF'
The loyal secretary, who was 17 when she started working for the band, has no intention of dishing dirt about her former famous employers, so White focused instead on her compelling personal narrative and interactions with the Beatles.
Kelly arranged bookings, cut paychecks and stayed up all night responding to fan mail. At the height of Beatlemania, the band received 2,000 to 3,000 letters a day, she said.
The Beatles - Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr - became the most famous pop band in history. They entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2001 as the world's best-selling group, with more than 1 billion records sold.
'The amount of personal attention and true affection that she served the Beatles' fans with - teenage girls, mostly - will probably go unmatched throughout music history,' White said.
Kelly was briefly fired by Lennon after she arrived late before a show because she had been having drinks with an opening band. The secretary convinced Lennon to get down on his knee and beg her to stay.
'Freda was like part of the family,' Starr says in the film as the closing credits roll.
Kelly closed down the Beatles' fan club offices after the band broke up in 1970, taking with her boxes of autographs, photos and memorabilia. She did not sell them, instead giving them away to fans over the years, White said.
Kelly, who attended Saturday's premiere and answered questions from audience members, says in the film that she did anything she could for club members.
'I was one of them,' Kelly says. 'I was a fan myself.'
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
Kelly, one of the Beatles' longest-serving employees, worked for the British band for more than a decade but had never shared her stories publicly until now.
She breaks her silence in a new documentary, 'Good Ol' Freda,' which had its world premiere on Saturday on the second day of the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin.
'It's such a classic Cinderella story: Girl picks the job of a lifetime,' director Ryan White told Reuters.
The tale is sure to delight fans of the Beatles, but White seeks to tell a story that transcends that audience, a story about an amazing decade in an otherwise ordinary life.
The film features four Beatles songs, which required the permission of many people, including the two surviving Beatles. It also includes never-before-seen photos of the band.
The documentary's title comes from the Beatles' 1963 Christmas recording, in which George Harrison thanks their secretary in Liverpool, and they all yell, 'Good Ol' Freda!'
A mutual friend and a family connection to the 1960s' Liverpool music scene brought Kelly to the attention of White, who took the opportunity to tell her story.
The Los Angeles filmmaker, 31, who co-directed and produced the 2010 soccer documentary 'Pelada,' grew up knowing Kelly as a family friend who was a secretary. In fact, she is still a secretary, for a Liverpool law firm.
'I didn't know that she had a crazy back story,' White said, adding he only discovered it when a friend put them in touch two years ago.
Kelly, now in her late 60s, says in the film that she wanted to record her stories for her 2-year-old grandson - stories that in many cases she never got around to telling her family.
Kelly, described by White as shy and humble, insists in the documentary that no one would be interested in hearing her story.
'I WAS A FAN MYSELF'
The loyal secretary, who was 17 when she started working for the band, has no intention of dishing dirt about her former famous employers, so White focused instead on her compelling personal narrative and interactions with the Beatles.
Kelly arranged bookings, cut paychecks and stayed up all night responding to fan mail. At the height of Beatlemania, the band received 2,000 to 3,000 letters a day, she said.
The Beatles - Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr - became the most famous pop band in history. They entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2001 as the world's best-selling group, with more than 1 billion records sold.
'The amount of personal attention and true affection that she served the Beatles' fans with - teenage girls, mostly - will probably go unmatched throughout music history,' White said.
Kelly was briefly fired by Lennon after she arrived late before a show because she had been having drinks with an opening band. The secretary convinced Lennon to get down on his knee and beg her to stay.
'Freda was like part of the family,' Starr says in the film as the closing credits roll.
Kelly closed down the Beatles' fan club offices after the band broke up in 1970, taking with her boxes of autographs, photos and memorabilia. She did not sell them, instead giving them away to fans over the years, White said.
Kelly, who attended Saturday's premiere and answered questions from audience members, says in the film that she did anything she could for club members.
'I was one of them,' Kelly says. 'I was a fan myself.'
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Bieber ends London gig without hitches after "rough week"
LONDON (Reuters) - Pop star Justin Bieber wrapped up his final London show without hitches on Friday after a week riddled with paparazzi run-ins and a trip to the hospital.
Bieber, 19, sang and danced his way through his fourth night at London's O2 Arena on the European leg of his 'Believe' world tour, back to his normal self after collapsing on stage from shortness of breath on Thursday.
The Canadian-born singer was treated by doctors backstage and given oxygen on the third night of his London shows. He returned to the stage after a 20-minute break and completed his set but was later taken to hospital as a precaution, the singer's representatives told Reuters.
The singer also had an altercation with a UK photographer on Friday, caught on camera by Reuters, which showed Bieber get out of a van, try to move towards the unnamed photographer and threaten him using several swear words.
He was reacting to the man's foul-mouthed criticism of him and his security team after the singer appeared to have made contact with the photographer as they moved towards the vehicle.
The bouncers held Bieber back, but the incident is likely to create more negative headlines for one of the world's biggest pop stars.
'ROUGH WEEK'
Since being discovered on YouTube in 2008, Bieber has built a huge following of mainly teenage girls attracted to his clean-cut image, slick videos and catchy pop songs.
But the intense media spotlight that follows him around the world has clearly unnerved the 'Boyfriend' singer.
Bieber has had several run-ins with paparazzi in recent years and took to Twitter this week to criticize the media for what he called fabricated stories about him during his stay in London, where he is performing his sold-out tour.
After the latest altercation, he returned to the micro-blogging site, where he has more than 35 million followers.
'Ahhhhh! Rough morning. Trying to feel better for this show tonight but let the paps get the best of me...' he wrote.
'Sometimes when people r shoving cameras in your face all day and yelling the worst thing possible at u ... well I'm human. Rough week.'
'POP BRAT'
Thursday's onstage collapse was not the first for Bieber.
He suffered a concussion during a concert in Paris last June after falling into a glass wall.
Bieber's illness came just days after he angered many fans by appearing for his first night at the O2 nearly two hours later than the advertised time.
The singer blamed technical issues for the delay, and said he was only 40 minutes behind schedule, but the media jumped on the story and the popular Sun tabloid referred to him in a March 7 story as 'Pop brat Justin.'
The tabloid attention has not been limited to the late show.
Newspapers described as 'bizarre' his decision to wear a gas mask on a night out.
They also reported that Bieber, who celebrated his 19th birthday in London last week, tried to take 14-year-old Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith, to a club, where Smith was turned away, along with Bieber and his entourage.
Bieber took to Twitter and Instagram to vehemently deny the reports he tried to take the underage Smith to a club, saying instead he was forced to leave the venue when the club's security guards behaved aggressively towards his fans who were lined up outside.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Sophie Hares and Peter Cooney)
Bieber, 19, sang and danced his way through his fourth night at London's O2 Arena on the European leg of his 'Believe' world tour, back to his normal self after collapsing on stage from shortness of breath on Thursday.
The Canadian-born singer was treated by doctors backstage and given oxygen on the third night of his London shows. He returned to the stage after a 20-minute break and completed his set but was later taken to hospital as a precaution, the singer's representatives told Reuters.
The singer also had an altercation with a UK photographer on Friday, caught on camera by Reuters, which showed Bieber get out of a van, try to move towards the unnamed photographer and threaten him using several swear words.
He was reacting to the man's foul-mouthed criticism of him and his security team after the singer appeared to have made contact with the photographer as they moved towards the vehicle.
The bouncers held Bieber back, but the incident is likely to create more negative headlines for one of the world's biggest pop stars.
'ROUGH WEEK'
Since being discovered on YouTube in 2008, Bieber has built a huge following of mainly teenage girls attracted to his clean-cut image, slick videos and catchy pop songs.
But the intense media spotlight that follows him around the world has clearly unnerved the 'Boyfriend' singer.
Bieber has had several run-ins with paparazzi in recent years and took to Twitter this week to criticize the media for what he called fabricated stories about him during his stay in London, where he is performing his sold-out tour.
After the latest altercation, he returned to the micro-blogging site, where he has more than 35 million followers.
'Ahhhhh! Rough morning. Trying to feel better for this show tonight but let the paps get the best of me...' he wrote.
'Sometimes when people r shoving cameras in your face all day and yelling the worst thing possible at u ... well I'm human. Rough week.'
'POP BRAT'
Thursday's onstage collapse was not the first for Bieber.
He suffered a concussion during a concert in Paris last June after falling into a glass wall.
Bieber's illness came just days after he angered many fans by appearing for his first night at the O2 nearly two hours later than the advertised time.
The singer blamed technical issues for the delay, and said he was only 40 minutes behind schedule, but the media jumped on the story and the popular Sun tabloid referred to him in a March 7 story as 'Pop brat Justin.'
The tabloid attention has not been limited to the late show.
Newspapers described as 'bizarre' his decision to wear a gas mask on a night out.
They also reported that Bieber, who celebrated his 19th birthday in London last week, tried to take 14-year-old Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith, to a club, where Smith was turned away, along with Bieber and his entourage.
Bieber took to Twitter and Instagram to vehemently deny the reports he tried to take the underage Smith to a club, saying instead he was forced to leave the venue when the club's security guards behaved aggressively towards his fans who were lined up outside.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Sophie Hares and Peter Cooney)
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