Sampling Coldplay’s “Paradise”, rapper Brenton Brown really blew me away with his version which will appear on “The Brenton Brown Affair”, tentatively scheduled for release in March. Stay tuned for the music video to be revealed later this month.

Kimbra will be supporting Gotye on his US spring tour. The nationwide run kicks off March 22nd in Washington, DC and will continue through April 12th in San Francisco, CA. Prior to joining the tour, the 21 year-old singer and songwriter will be performing at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, TX.

Originally from Hamilton, New Zealand, Kimbra has been performing her jazz-inflected pop since she was 14. Her Australian debut, Vows, spawned three hit singles, is certified platinum, earned her a “one to watch” rave from Rolling Stone Australia and won Kimbra the ARIA (Australian Grammy) for Best Female Artist. Several of the songs on Vows are included on her current US EP Settle Down, which was released in October 2011. The title track is already getting airplay on KCRW and the video, which has almost 5.5 million views, was recently selected as iTunes Video of the Week.

Kimbra’s haunting vocals and impassioned delivery on the Gotye track “Somebody That I Used to Know” have helped propel it towards becoming an international hit: the video for the song has over 54 million views and it is climbing the US radio charts. Kimbra will join Gotye onstage for the US television debut of “Somebody That I Used to Know” on Jimmy Kimmel Live February 1st.

Kimbra is currently working on her debut album for Warner Bros. Records with such producers and songwriters as Mike Elizondo, Greg Wells, Greg Kurstin, and John Hill. The release is set for summer 2012.

Kimbra tour dates are as follows:
March 13 – 17 – SXSW Music Conference – Austin, TX
With Gotye:
March 22 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
March 23 – TLA – Philadelphia, PA
March 27 – Webster Hall – New York, NY
March 29 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
March 30 – Corona Theatre – Montreal, QC
March 31 – Kool Haus – Toronto, ON
April 2 – Pease Auditorium – Ypsilanti, MI
April 3 – Park West – Chicago, IL
April 4 – Varsity Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
April 6 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
April 8 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
April 10 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA
April 11 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
April 12 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA

21-year-old pop songstress JoJo will be appearing in a commercial for a new Clearasil product called PerfectaWash. The TV spot, set to run in February, was directed by Jeff Cronenweths, who was recently nominated for an Oscar as the cinematographer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Clearasil has shared a behind the scenes clip for the shoot, featuring interviews with the crew, the Clearasil team, and JoJo herself.

Check out the brandnew vidoe for Lil Wayne’s epic collaboration with Bruno Mars. “Mirror” was featured on the deluxe version of Weezy’s “Tha Carter IV”.

Anyone watching the Lakers vs. Heat game last night might be wondering who provided the soundtrack for the NBA halftime spot featuring Kobe vs Lebron. Meet Kayla Brianna, Interscope Records’ latest signee, who premiered her video for “If You Love Me” intercut with highlights from the game’s biggest stars. Kayla, a rising R&B star, can already call celebrities like Keri Hilson, George Lopez, Chris Rock, Ice Cube, and Kobe Bryant fans. The stars have been tweeting their support for months now, and “If You Love Me” was even a trending topic last night on Twitter.

With the video’s premiere, the talented young singer is gearing up for the release of her debut single “If You Love Me,” which is inspired by influences like Brandy and Aaliyah. Kayla, the daughter of basketball legend and NBA commentator Kenny Smith, hopes that her music will speak to young girls around the world who are transitioning to adulthood. “It’s about growing up, succeeding, experiencing heartbreak and self-identity simultaneously,” says Kayla. “When you add those messages to undeniable tracks, it becomes a message that you can move to!”

Los Angeles electro-hip hop group, Far East Movement, have just released the official music video for their new single, “Jello” featuring Rye Rye. The video, directed by Matt Alonzo (Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy), shows the group crashing a political event with Tiger Woods, Oprah, and others.
“Jello” comes from the group’s upcoming album, Dirty Bass , slated for a 2012 release.

Check out Nicki Minaj’s visuals for “Stupid Hoe”.

JoJo and Cambio, the online destination for teens and young adults, have teamed up with AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign to help combat the texting while driving epidemic. According to Car and Driver, texting while driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence and those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.

Throughout the month of January, Cambio will release three videos about the risks of texting and driving narrated by the twenty-one- year-old-platinum-selling songstress, JoJo, through Cambio Impact — Cambio’s new social causes platform.  In these compelling vignettes, JoJo reminds her peers that text messages can and should wait until after driving. The first video is available to watch here.

JoJo and Cambio encourage their collective fan base to take AT&T’s “It Can Wait” pledge to not text and drive on Facebook. To help drive pledges, JoJo has agreed to do a Cambio Live Chat with her fans when the total number of pledges exceeds 50,000.  To take the pledge, visit https://apps.facebook.com/itcanwait/.

Dev released her new video for “Dancing Shoes”. So you might as well find your dancing shoes or simply watch the cute video now.

Dev – Dancing Shoes

will.i.am kicked off 2012 with an energetic performance of his new single “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week. The Black Eyed Peas frontman performed with backup dancers and iPads projecting his face, then later sat down with Leno to discuss his new car company and being a judge on the upcoming British version of The Voice.

The Voice UK, which is set to air in May, will also feature Jessie J, Tom Jones and Danny O’Donoghue of The Script as judges. “I’m proud to be doing The Voice UK because the UK was the first place I saw success, “says will.i.am, “It’s the place I’m the most creative outside of home.”
Be sure to also catch will.i.am interviewed backstage on The Tonight Show’s Backstage with Bryan segment, and keep a look out for his solo album, #willpower, due in early 2012.

“T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” on The Tonight Show:

will.i.am backstage with Bryan: