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B.o.B. Says Taylor Swift Made Their Hit 'Both of Us' Collab Happen: 'She Brought Me Out to Dallas'

Posted on Jul 18th 2012 12:15PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Getty | Joseph Cultice

Rapper B.o.B (a.k.a. Bobby Ray Simmons Jr.) and country sweetheart Taylor Swift might sound like a musical match made in focus group heaven, but B.o.B insists that the pairing couldn't have come about more naturally. In fact, he actually considers "Both of Us," his collaboration with the singer, to be one of the most genuine tracks on his Strange Clouds album, a record that also sees B.o.B trading rhymes with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and his long-term colleague T.I.

The pair's musical friendship started with a text out of the blue.

"I got a text one day: 'Hey. I know this is random, but this is Taylor Swift,'" the rapper tells AOL Music Blog as he recreates the stunned look of disbelief he first got when he looked at his phone. "Nobody gets that text message! But it was her."

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

Conor Maynard: Pharrell Williams-Approved British Pop Star Talks YouTube Fame at MMVAs

Posted on Jun 22nd 2012 2:35PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Stuart Wilson, Getty

Rising UK pop star Conor Maynard was only 20 minutes into his first MuchMusic Video Awards experience when he spoke to AOL Music on the MMVA Red Carpet, but he was already excited, and maybe a bit overwhelmed.

"This is my first time, and it's definitely been an amazing experience so far," the 19 year old "Can't Say No" singer managed to shout above the deafening "Conor!" chants coming from the teen girls on the other side of the carpet.

But the burgeoning heartthrob is used to being a little pleasantly overwhelmed these days. It wasn't that long ago that superstar producer Pharrell Williams shocked him by declaring that he was going to change the future of pop music.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

Carly Rae Jepsen's Show Choir Past: Faber Drive Reveal 'Call Me Maybe' Singer's 'Glee' Side at MMVAs

Posted on Jun 19th 2012 5:00PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Canadian Press | Faber Drive

Most Canadians know that Carly Rae Jepsen was a Canadian Idol hopeful before she blossomed into a feel-good-video-generating, MMVA-winning global pop sensation. But long before the "Call Me Maybe" singer first started to win hearts on national television, she was actually our country's answer to Glee character Rachel Berry.

Fellow Mission, BC musicians Dave Faber and Jeremy "Krikit" Liddle of Faber Drive fame revealed to AOL Music on the MuchMusic Video Awards red carpet last night that Jepsen and the alt-rock band share a secret nerdy past.

"Krikit, me and Carly, we all grew up in Mission," said singer Faber. "Actually, Krik went to high school with Carly."

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

MMVA 2012: Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber Are Big Winners at Music Video Award Show

Posted on Jun 18th 2012 2:30AM by Sarah Kurchak
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CP | CP

There was no maybe about it tonight: the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards belonged to Carly Rae Jepsen. The Mission, BC singer conquered the stage, the podium and even the red carpet at the awards show, turning in two showstopping performances, winning three MMVAs, and even earning best-dressed honours for her stylish black dress with a pair of slits to make Angelina Jolie's infamous Oscar leg look unassuming.

Hot on the heels of an over-the-top, prop-laden and clothes-shedding opening number by awards co-hosts LMFAO, Jepsen took over the stage, singing her world dominating hit single "Call Me Maybe" while swinging from a giant telephone receiver (the display was enough to distract the notoriously self-involved gossip blogger Perez Hilton from his time in the press room. "This song is like my first cheat after three months of really healthy eating and I just go on a binge and I can't stop eating!" he cooed.) She returned later in the broadcast to join rapper Flo Rida and sing the chorus for his latest single, "Wild Ones." And when she wasn't busy performing, Carly was busy accepting awards. "Call Me Maybe" earned MuchMusic.com's Most Watched Video Award, Video of the Year, and UR FAVE Video of the Year.

Getting a little teary backstage at the end of the night, Jepsen recounted some of the struggles she faced during the early days of what's evolved into a true Cinderella story.

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Filed under: New Videos, Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

Ben Howard, 'Call Me Maybe': Folk Singer Says Carly Rae Jepsen Cover Was Like Going 'To the Belly of Hell'

Posted on Jun 4th 2012 3:20PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Island | Getty

Carly Rae Jepsen's insidiously catchy "Call Me Maybe" isn't just a number one single. The song has become a full-blown pop-cultural phenomenon, inspiring memes, viral videos starring everyone from Justin Bieber to the Harvard baseball team, and faithful covers by artists like fun..

From this mass of giggles, giddy dance moves and exuberant singalongs, one particular cover has emerged from the crowd. Haunting, pensive and delivered with just a little bit of a smirk, Ben Howard's take is a very different beast. Even the motivation behind the British folk singer's take on "Call Me Maybe" is more like an experiment than straight tribute. Faced with a list of pop songs that they could cover as part of their appearance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, Howard and his band simply picked the least offensive.

"We really didn't have many options," the mostly soft-spoken singer/songwriter tells AOL Music. "It was one of those classic 'choose a song from the playlist things' and there was just so much shit on the playlist. It got whittled down to about three different options and I suppose Carly Rae Jepsen's song was the best one of the three, really. We thought it would be funny. If you're going to look for the devil, you may as well go to the belly of hell."

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

Carrie Underwood Makes Peace With Ottawa: Why Hockey Fans No Longer Consider Her Yoko Ono

Posted on May 29th 2012 2:30PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Frazer Harrison, Getty

Country sweetheart and converted puck bunny Carrie Underwood thought that she understood the passion of hockey fans, but nothing could have prepared her for the backlash that she faced when her husband, pro hockey player Mike Fisher, was traded to the Nashville Predators in February of 2011.

The long-term Ottawa Senator had become a beloved member of the team since debuting with them in the 1999-2000 season and a lot of heartbroken Ottawa fans assumed that it was all some nefarious plot concocted by Underwood to lure her husband to her adopted home. For a brief period of time, she became hockey's Yoko Ono.

"I never really understood how seriously certain regions can be about hockey," Underwood tells AOL Music Blog about the experience.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive, Celebrity Feuds

Carrie Underwood: Country Star's Grunge Rock and Hair Metal Past -- 'I Was All About Pearl Jam'

Posted on May 24th 2012 2:00PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Ethan Miller, Getty


These days, Carrie Underwood is known for her trademark hotpants and her sunny, good old country girl demeanor, but there was a time back in the '90s when the American Idol-winning singer was far more likely to be found in grunge rock-approved plaid shirts -- and be mistaken for a ruffian.

"You know those stupid school pictures that you'd always forget about until you got there?" Underwood confesses to AOL Music Blog. "I wore those wide-legged jeans, like skater wide-legged jeans and a black and white oversized plaid shirt. And I remember when I got my picture back, one of my friends saying I looked like I was going to go rob somebody. Like I was a menace!"

Underwood's not-so-secret grunge past goes a lot deeper than the collection of plaid shirts she still keeps in her closet. As it turns out, the Oklahoman was raised on rock 'n' roll.

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Filed under: Inquiring Minds, Hot Off the Press, New Music Releases, Exclusive
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