November 19, 2024

Review Category : TMZ Music News

How Is Katy Perry Channeling Rocky Balboa?

Katy Perry just might be channeling famed cinema underdog, boxer Rocky Balboa, on her new single, That's according to songwriter Bonnie McKee, who co-wrote the track with Perry.

"It was just kind of a natural progression for her. She's grown up and she's been through a lot and it seemed like the right thing to do," McKee explained to MTV News on Monday (August 12).

Perry has certainly made it clear she is no longer a candy-coated California Gurl in the lead-up to the song's release, having burned her blue wig and also buried that persona in the ground.

But, McKee notes, "It wasn't like a conscious decision, like 'Hey, let's not do something cutesy.' It is very 'Rocky.' Like I said she's been through a lot, so it makes sense."

McKee, who has called Perry her "soul mate," recalled the circumstances in which the two wrote the track. "We wrote it, I think, it was the spring up in [Perry's hometown of] Santa Barbara [California]. It was a blast; it's always fun to go up there," she said. "We go up there and we camp out in her hometown and kind of get into the vibe."

The fierce females then headed to the studio and enlisted super-producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Cirkut. And, as soon as they laid it down, they knew they had made pop music gold. "It was just one of those moments where there was magic in the studio," she said. "I think it's a really unique feeling when you ...

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Katy Perry Rides Jay Z-Style To Brooklyn

Katy Perry is on the prowl, and she's headed straight to the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

After dropping her "perform the feisty song at the VMAs, joining Kanye West and Lady Gaga on August 25's itinerary.

So how will the Prism singer get to Brooklyn's Barclays Center for the 9 o'clock show?

In a new TV promo, she takes a cue from Miley Cyrus, who got dirty slinking through the tunnels of New York City. Perry descends into the subway, her loyal Katy Cats at her back. Leopard-print and tiger stripes are in abundance, on crop tops, muscle tanks and high-waisted skirts. Before she catches the D train with her growlin' gang, Katy turns heads on the streets with her fashionable crew, wearing creepers, knee-highs, a plaid skirt and pitch-black hair.

7 Reasons Katy Perry's 'Roar' Rules!

Granted, she has more luxurious transportation at hand; she came to NYC in her gold semi Monday morning.

But in the promo, Katy made her entrance into the graffiti'd neighborhood by crawling out of a manhole. But how did she get underground? Well, you know, she's been channeling a darker persona lately, burning her candy-colored wig and burying her California Gurl, so maybe that's just how she rolls. In manholes with the cool kids.

So off to Brooklyn Katy Perry goes &#8212 Jay Z-style. We'll see you there!

Don't miss Katy's performance and the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards on August 25 at 9 p.m. ET.

...

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Lady Gaga’s ‘Applause’: What Mother Monster Wants From You

In case you didn't already know, Lady Gaga doesn't give an eff what the critics think of her. Gaga solidified that assertion on Monday (August 12) by releasing "Applause," the first single off of her upcoming record, ARTPOP — and a self-affirmation of the most epic proportions.

The title should be self-evident, but the jam is essentially about Mother Monster's intense need for her fans' adoration in the form of good old-fashioned claps. In a sense, the song is a readymade rebuttal to anything negative critics might lob her way — and a rallying call for her Little Monsters to dole out that life force that sustains her: applause.

MTV News took a close look at the official lyrics below. Once you peruse Gaga's musical mission statements, let us know: Do you give the track a standing "O," or a chorus of "Boos"?

Lady Gaga Is Over Critics.
The reviews have started to pour in for Gaga's new track, but — good or bad — Mother Monster won't be hearing any of that.

As she stated on Twitter Sunday (August 11), Lady Gaga does not truck with music critics: "Dont focus on ANY blogger criticism. I have been a producer/songwriter/musician for over 10 years. Trust the artist bloggers are not critics."

Gaga reiterated that assertion at the very beginning of "Applause," growling: "I stand here waiting/for you to bang the gong/to crash the critic saying: is it right or is it wrong?"

We're guessing her loyal band of monsters is currently at the ready, primed to strike down any detractors. Gong!

Lady Gaga Wants To ...

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Big Sean Backs Up Naya Rivera’s ‘Sorry’ Anthem

When "Glee" star Naya Rivera isn't baking pound cakes for her beau, Big Sean, the twosome are cooking up R&B anthems, like Rivera's new single,

Rivera enlisted the Detroit MC to spit some lines about his feelings for her on her single, set to appear on her debut album. "It's a fresh song, right? It's like a ladies' anthem," Sean told MTV News Sunday night at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards, where he graced the red carpet with Naya.

"She's like a great musician. Obviously, everybody knows she can sing real good, so I really don't know anything too much about singing like that. I just know what I know about music and what she knows about music and when we combine them we help each other out, so it's cool," he continued.

Well, he knew enough about "singing like that" for Rivera to ask him for some advice while making the track. "A lot of influence. He's been doing this a lot longer than I have professionally, so his advice is priceless," she said. "I'll play him stuff and he'll give me little tweaks. He gave me tweaks on 'Sorry.' "

The song is pretty feisty, with Rivera announcing to the world — and Sean's ex-girlfriends — that she's the woman in his life now. Oh, and by the way, she's actually not sorry about it at all.

"Well when I went on hiatus, I just got in the room with some of my friends that are really good producers and we just sat and listened to tracks and ...

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Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ Has Fans Purring With Delight: Watch!

NEW YORKKaty Perry didn't just purr, but roared back onto the radio on Monday (August 12), when she officially unleashed her new single,

The one-time teenage dream touched down in NYC, clad in crushed velvet, to meet with fans outside of radio station Z100's offices in Tribeca and celebrate the release of her lead track off her October 22 album, Prism.

Before taking selfies with her fans, Perry stepped out of the gold-plated semi-truck that has been making its way across the country. Aside from gushing about the chance to meet Perry, her Katy Cats also dished about Perry's latest single and what the empowerment tune means to them.

Fellow Santa Barbara native Jennifer Rezek told MTV News, "I think it means that you should just be you and not let anyone hold you down. People change and grow and she's becoming a different artist and who she really is and I like that."

Rachel Stuckey added, "I think it's all about having fun and staying strong and showing who you really are."

With lyrics like "I am the champion/ And you're gonna hear me roar," Perry isn't holding back, taking on anyone who might doubt her. That's a message that super-fan Carlos appreciates. "You have ups and downs, so you can't give up. You have to always keep trying," he said. "So Katy's songs always have this lesson, this meaning so that's why I love her."

Other fans also are feeling Perry's artistic evolution, leaving her candy-coated days behind her. And to really let it be known that ...

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Drake Says Rich Homie Quan’s ‘Type Of Way’ Is ‘The Song Of The Summer’

It would be a shame to have every song out there sounding like "Drake featuring Drake," so the Toronto rapper is selective about who receives his prized verses. Migos got an extra boost with his addition to but Drizzy admits that he regrets not hopping on Rich Home Quan's "Type of Way" as well.

The single was bubbling in Atlanta for a few months before it finally made its way into clubs from coast to coast, but Drake was a fan from the very beginning.

"I was sitting with DJ Drama and a bunch of people in the studio just debating about Atlanta records and when I heard 'Versace,' right away [I liked it]," Drake told MTV News. "Shout out to Rich Homie Quan too, he's killing it on his own, but it was a toss-up between Migos and Rich Home Quan as far as records I loved and wanted to get on. I was supposed to do 'Type of Way' [also] and I probably should've done them both but I've just been trying to finish this album."

"That record is the song of the summer, I regret not getting on it, but I feel like now if I get on it, people are gonna be like 'ah man you waited too long,'" he added. "I like to have the jump on it. I wish I would've written that record. That's Toronto talk — you feel a type of way, that's our lingo, so I should've probably been involved in that."

Drake added that his rule for features, in general, ...

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Katy Perry Roaring Back To The VMAs!

Get ready to show your claws at this year's VMAs! Katy Perry has just been added to the superstar lineup of performers for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, which will touchdown at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on August 25 at 9 p.m. ET.

Four-time VMA winner Perry will perform her new single, for the first time live during the show. In celebration of the TV debut of the uplifting first track
from her upcoming Prism album, MTV Hits will feature an hour block of Katy performances and music videos from 2-3 p.m. ET on Tuesday (August 13).

No stranger to the VMA stage, Perry has won four MTV Video Music Awards, including the highly-coveted, "Video of the Year" for her #1 worldwide smash-hit, "Firework." She also performed her hit "I Kissed a Girl" at the 2008 show as well as a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" with Aerosmith's Joe Perry in 2009.

"Roar" leaked early on Saturday and was quickly offered for sale on iTunes and was, of course, an immediate hit with Perry's fans.

Many took to Twitter to gush about the tune, including Joseph Ang, who wrote, 'ROAR, I'M CLAWING FOR IT!," and Mairi, who shouted, "IT'S NOT ON MY ITUNES YET, BUT I'M SO EXCITED THO OMG."

Perry joins an already impressive VMA performance roster that includes seven-timer Kanye West and Lady Gaga, who will perform a new single from her upcoming ARTPOP album.

The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards air live on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, from ...

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