"Gangnam Style" takes top song prize at "K-pop Grammys"

n">(Reuters) - South Korean rapper Psy's quirky viral hit "Gangnam Style" took the prize for top song on Wednesday at the 27th annual Golden Disk Awards, a Korean pop event dubbed the "Korean Grammys."

The two-day celebration of all things K-pop, including performances by superstars such as the boy band Super Junior, was held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur before hordes of screaming fans, a testimony to the soaring popularity of Korean pop music around the world.

Nowhere has that been more apparent than with "Gangnam Style," an infectious hit that made history last month when it became the first ever video on YouTube to reach 1 billion views, the latest record on the song's surge into mainstream pop.

The tune won the Song of the Year award, the final prize.

The awards were only the latest accolades for Psy, 35, in what has been a whirlwind year for the chubby rapper, the first K-pop artist to achieve mainstream success in the United States as a result of "Gangnam Style."

Decked out in a bow tie and suit jackets varying from pink to baby blue, and only a towel for one sequence set in a sauna, Psy raps in Korean and busts funky moves based on horse-riding in venues ranging from playgrounds to subways.

The song, released in July, was meant as a commentary on the rampant materialism of today's South Korea - particularly in relation to the Gangnam section of the city, which Psy has termed Seoul's Beverly Hills.

"My goal in this music video was to look uncool until the end. I achieved it," Psy told Reuters in August.

The popularity of the song, which has prompted many copycat and parody videos, has added fuel to growing international interest in Asian pop music, especially the K-pop industry, which now aims to follow Psy into mainstream Western pop music.

Thanks to their youth, glowing image and the style of their songs and dances, K-pop fans have grown rapidly in Southeast Asia, formerly dominated by stars from the West as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

A Malaysian fan who queued for three days to get into the first night of the awards ceremony said she loved how the K-pop stars strived for perfection.

"K-pop stars have been working very hard, even before they make their first debut. They spend a lot of time practicing to become a perfect artist," said the 20-something Tay Ching Ee. "This is what other artists should learn from them."

The Golden Disk Awards began in 1986, with winners chosen based on album sales and digital downloads. The ceremony first ventured overseas in 2012, when it was held in Japan.

On Tuesday, the first night, Super Junior again won the best album award with their album "Sexy, Free & Single." Boy band Shinee scooped the Most Popular Star prize.

(Additional reporting by Angie Teo and Belinda Goldsmith; writing by Elaine Lies; editing by Patricia Reaney)

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Hank Williams, Jr.'s new music takes on Obama

Musician Hank Williams Jr. is pictured in this publicity photo released to Reuters July 12, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Blaster Entertainment/Handout

By Vernell Hackett

NASHVILLE | Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:13pm EDT

NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Hank Williams, Jr. is a country singer, record executive and political pundit, and he wears all those hats on his new CD, "Old School, New Rules". He picks up on politics where he left off last year with some more fighting words for President Barack Obama.

Williams calls himself "an executive hillbilly," but he's more than that. The second son in a line of country stars - legend Hank Williams is his dad and country/punk/metal singer Hank III his son - Williams is known for such standards as "Family Tradition" and "A Country Boy Can Survive." He runs his own label and scouts for up-and-coming talent.

He speaks his mind, too, and has become a voice for some Americans who are discontent with Obama. Last year, cable TV network ESPN pulled his song from its "Monday Night Football" telecast after he publicly compared Obama to Adolf Hitler.

But the singer turned the backlash to his advantage by gaining some new fans for his outspokenness, and he continues to voice his political with the new CD released this week.

The opening track, "Take Back Our Country," includes lyrics like "...I'll go find a network wants to treat me right, y'all can take the change and stick it out of sight" and "Hey Barack pack your bags, head to Chicago, take your teleprompter with you so you'll know where to go..."

Love him or not, Williams and his music always bears his unique take on life, whether he's mixing country with southern rock or throwing in the blues. He writes most of his songs, and those on "Old School, New Rules" are no exception.

"I got pretty motivated on this," Williams told Reuters. "The people, the fans, have inspired me and I guess that's why I wrote 10 and a half songs for the album. We have sold several hundred thousand dollars-worth of t-shirts that say ‘Take Back Our Country.' It's snowballing."

"Who knew Mickey Mouse and ESPN would put me in the forefront? I'm the mouthpiece for grandmothers who lost everything," he said, referring to the cable TV network's parent, The Walt Disney Co.

"I had an 11-year-old write me, ‘My parents said you were a good role model for me, could you send me a picture?' We're also hearing from military personnel, saying, ‘We're behind you 100 percent.' It's all good; it's really special," he said.

Other politically-charged songs on the album include, "We Don't Apologize for America" and "Who's Taking Care of Number One?" but there are many other songs that avoid the subject.

FAMILY TRADITION

Williams' family tradition calls for a few drinkin' songs, and there are those, too. He partners with Brad Paisley on "I'm Gonna Get Drunk and Play Hank Williams" and with Merle Haggard on his classic "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink."

The tune "Old School" is a song that seems it could only have been written by a member of a country dynasty. The opening lyric is "I remember a young Johnny Cash waiting in the wings, ‘cause he'd hand me his cigarette when he'd go out to sing..."

The singer talks about first meeting Dolly Parton as a teenager - and watching industry folk fall over themselves to meet her - and about hearing Jerry Lee Lewis play rock ‘n roll at his home.

"I never knew who would be there when I woke up," said Williams of his life growing up in Nashville with his mother, Audrey Williams, who promoted the young Hank as a singer of his father's songs. Williams took banjo lessons from Earl Scruggs and learned boogie woogie piano from Lewis.

Williams said he was very passionate about making the new album and agrees that he leaves no room for people to wonder where he stands when it comes to his beliefs about the direction in which the United States is headed.

"I've always been that way. If you like it, fine; if you don't, great ... People everywhere from New York to California can't take it anymore, and they are ready for a change."

"Old School, New Rules" was produced by Williams' company, Bocephus Records.

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Andrew Hay)

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Country Countdown: Eric Church Takes 'Springsteen' to No. 1

Sometimes confident predictions turn out to be more than just cheerleading. When Eric Church surprised the music industry with simultaneous No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 and Country Albums with "Chief" last summer, then-EMI Nashville/Capitol Nashville president Mike Dungan (now in a similar role at Universal Music Group Nashville) predicted a pair of back-to-back No. 1 singles from the album.

"I can comfortably project that our next single will be a No. 1 single at radio, which will be massive for him, because we haven't had anything near that so far. And then we'll follow it up with another No. 1. I feel very comfortable with that," Dungan told Billboard last summer, two weeks after the album's lead single "Homeboy" peaked at No. 13 on the July 30, 2011 Country Songs chart -- then made good on the first half of the projection when second single "Drink in My Hand" capped the January 28 list.

The promise of Dungan's prediction is fully realized this week, as third single "Springsteen" becomes the artist's second No. 1 on Country Songs (2-1).

The new No. 1 reaches the summit four weeks faster (19 weeks) than his first, which needed 23 weeks to ring the top bell. On its way to No. 1 on the radio list, "Springsteen" dominated Country Digital Songs for four weeks, with sales of more than 1.2 million downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It holds at No. 3 this week (78,000 sold). Now at No. 6 in its 46th week on the Country Albums chart -- all but nine of those weeks inside the top 10 -- "Chief" has sold 855,000 so far.

Also noteworthy on Country Songs is the 15th top 10 for Dierks Bentley, noted as "5-1-5-0" advances 11-10. Concurrently, the third single from Bentley's "Home" album -- the artist's second straight top 10 contender on Country Digital Songs -- sells 44,000 downloads, ranking at No. 8. The album's title track became Bentley's first top 10 on the digital tally, peaking at No. 8 in February. The digital tally is led for a third consecutive week by Bentley's label mate Luke Bryan, whose "Drunk on You" sells 109,000 downloads during the Nielsen SoundScan tracking week.

Alan Jackson Has Top Debut on Billboard 200

With Hot Shot Debut honors at No. 27, Zac Brown Band splashes onto Country Songs with the second-highest Nielsen BDS-era debut by a group, as "The Wind" bows with airplay at 85 of the 131 stations monitored for the chart. Among groups during that time frame, Rascal Flatts' "Take Me There" posted the highest arrival when it debuted at No. 24 on the July 21, 2007 chart. Lady Antebellum holds the third-highest start, set when "Just a Kiss" popped onto the May 21, 2011 chart at No. 28. "The Wind" is the lead single from Zac Brown Band's third studio set, "Uncaged," which is scheduled for release July 10.

Meanwhile, Zac Brown's fellow Georgia native Alan Jackson claims his 13th No. 1 on Country Albums with "Thirty Miles West," his 15th non-seasonal studio album and his first for EMI Nashville -- all of his previous sets were issued by Arista Nashville, dating back to 1990. The new album pops on with 73,000 sold, good for a No. 2 start on the Billboard 200. His chart history includes 26 No. 1's on Country Songs, most recently as guest singer on Zac Brown Band's "As She's Walking Away" two years ago. Jackson's new album features Brown's group on a track titled "Dixie Highway."

Jana Kramer Gave Up 'One Tree Hill' for Music Dreams

Singer and "One Tree Hill" actress Jana Kramer's self-titled rookie album opens at No. 5 on Country Albums, marking the highest arrival for a woman's debut set since Lauren Alaina's "Wildflower" entered at No. 2 last fall. Kramer's current single "Why Ya Wanna" rises 18-17 in its 25th week on the radio-driven Country Songs chart.

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New breed of boy bands takes over airwaves

Manager Scooter Braun (3rd L) poses with members of British-Irish boyband The Wanted (from L-R) Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker, Jay McGuiness, Max George and Nathan Sykes for a portrait in Los Angeles, California April 4, 2012. Boy band fever is storming the music scene in the United States, led by the Brits who are breaking away from the slick, squeaky-clean image of old as they battle to become America's newest pin-ups. Picture taken April 4, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:07pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Boy band fever is storming the music scene in the United States, led by the Brits who are breaking away from the slick, squeaky-clean image of old as they battle to become America's newest pin-ups.

The five young men of The Wanted take on their baby-faced rivals One Direction with their self-titled debut EP released this week, following One Direction's No. 1 first album on the U.S. Billboard charts last month.

It's more than 10 years since New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys and N'Sync ruled the U.S. music scene and sent hordes of screaming young girls to record stores.

In Britain, boy bands have never gone out of fashion, although the new breed appears to have grown up.

If One Direction are the co-ordinated, clean-cut, media-savvy boy band, The Wanted are the rebellious antidote, uncensored by their team and left to win over audiences by goofing around with each other, and the media.

"We're different, we all play instruments, we don't dance and we don't dress very well," The Wanted's Tom Parker told Reuters.

The Wanted - Parker, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes, aged between 19 and 23 - were put together after mass auditions in the U.K. in 2009, and are managed by Scooter Braun, the mastermind behind Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber.

"All the acts that I manage are built organically and they all get to be exactly who they are," said Braun, 30, who encourages The Wanted to be open about drinking, partying and dating girls.

"I used to be a party promoter the last time boy bands were huge, and I knew a lot of those guys, and they like to party and drink and do all that stuff too. But they always had to hide it, and I think it's refreshing to see a boy band that doesn't hide it and that doesn't care," Braun added.

LADS HAVING FUN

One Direction - formed of Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, all aged between 18 and 20 - were put together in 2010, and are managed by Simon Cowell.

One Direction's image is more carefully groomed and choreographed in the vein of the boy band stereotype but that didn't stop a controversial romance between Styles and a British TV presenter 15 years his senior, prior to the band making their U.S. debut.

"We don't mind at all being called a boy band, we're just lads in a band. But I think we're trying to do something a little bit different...it's a bit more relaxed, lads having fun, we do what we want," said One Direction's Payne.

Both bands fall squarely into the pop genre, with One Direction embracing innocent, fun love songs such as with their lead single "What Makes You Beautiful," which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Wanted have taken a more adult route, with heavier dance beats and raunchier music videos such as their single "Glad You Came," peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

"Their music is really different to ours and I think anyone can see that, and you can like one or the other or both," said The Wanted's McGuiness.

"A lot of people expect boy bands to cater music exclusively to young girls...we accept that a lot of young girls do like us, but we respect their musical choice as much as we respect a 50-year-old dude," McGuiness added.

DIRECTIONERS VS. TEAM WANTED

The Wanted have received mixed critical reviews for their debut EP in the United States, released this week.

August Brown at the Los Angeles Times said that while The Wanted were "saucier and sleeker" than One Direction, their music wasn't "nearly as fun," while Maura Johnston at Rolling Stone said "their dance pop droops where it should bounce."

Devoted fans, known as "Directioners" and "Team Wanted," compete on Twitter to make the bands a trending topic, and have been a fundamental part in driving sales.

"As much as we don't try to be perfect all the time, we knew America had an idea of boy bands...we have to thank them because they welcomed us with open arms, and we could never have expected it," said McGuiness.

One Direction's first album, "Up All Night," sold more than 176,000 copies in its first week, entering the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 1 and making history as the first UK band to debut at the top with their first album.

The Wanted also look set to chart high, currently at No. 7 on iTunes.

One Direction has more than 5 million fans on Facebook and 3.2 million "Directioners" following on Twitter, while The Wanted have more than 1.6 million fans on Facebook and 500,000 Twitter followers.

Parker from The Wanted called the adulation "pretty weird at times" and Horan from One Direction admitted he gets a "bit scared" when their female fan base are driven into a frenzy.

Manager Braun brushes off critics who dismiss boy bands as mere manufactured creations.

"People forget that the Beatles were once a cheesy boy band - that's what America other than the teenage girls thought. But then they kept making great records...when you make great songs, everyone else just shuts up," said Braun.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Dave Matthews takes break from road, not concerts (AP)

NEW YORK – Dave Matthews has just started a telephone interview when the shrieks of a child interrupt his thoughts and he has to go to another room to escape the commotion.

"It's not easy to find a quiet place in my house," quips the leader of the Dave Matthews Band. "There's a lot of action."

But it's that kind of action with his 3-year-old son and two 9-year-old daughters that Matthews was craving when he decided last year, after spending 20 years on the road, to take a hiatus from touring.

However, the 44-year-old rocker's love of music couldn't keep him away from the stage for long, and this summer, the band — which includes Carter Beauford, Boyd Tinsley and Stefan Lessard — is performing in four cities — three nights in each city — in a "caravan" of concerts.

The concerts in Atlantic City, N.J.; Chicago; New York; and George, Wash., features the Dave Matthews Band as headliners and includes acts like the Flaming Lips, Ray LaMontagne, the Roots and Dispatch. The acts will vary in each city.

"I hope that people will go away from it, probably a little exhausted, but feeling like they had a really special experience," Matthews said.

AP: When you ended your tour, people assumed that was it for a while. What made you decide to do the "caravan"?

Matthews: There's some different reasons. A lot of the guys wanted to play and I love playing with this band. I've just been wanting to take a break from being on the road. ... I'm not as up for the crazy tour schedule this year ... but I still love playing music. It does seem like a good way not to live on a bus and go to someplace and see some good musicians play, and then work a little bit.

AP: What have you been doing during your time off?

Matthews: I've just been with my family and nothing else. ... Last year I spent was away from my family a lot. It's hard for me to leave my kids, and it's harder on me than it is on them. It's funny, I get a little quieter with time. I don't want to chase my tail and one day repeat myself and repeat myself and one day have kids going to college and not have memories that I should, because I was too busy doing my thing. ... I'm always playing music and trying to make new sounds, but mainly, it's been trying to hear theirs.

AP: Do you think your break might be a little bit more extended, or do you not want to put a timetable on it?

Matthews: I'd like to get into writing again and I think a lot of it for me is just trying to figure out how I can do both, and a lot of people have done it. ... It's a hard switch, but I'm working on trying to figure out how to do it. I don't want to stop — I don't think I really can stop making music. ... I'm not planning going into the studio for a specific month or anything like that. But I imagine I am going to. I don't see an end to that.

AP: There's a new book, "So Much to Say: Dave Matthews Band — 20 Years on the Road." What are some of the things included in the book that might surprise people?

Matthews: You know what's going to make you laugh? My mother told me there was some book out about us, and that's the first I heard of it. ... I had no idea. I am so in the dark about everything, which is OK. I've always kind of been, I've never really kept up with the culture around me, so it's not surprising that some book came out and I was oblivious about it. ... I have yet to see it. ... I have a pretty good idea of what happened in the last 20 years, and there's a lot of books out there that are about other things that I would much rather read than read a book that has details of my life.

AP: You have talked about trying to do things that might better the world. What are some of the projects you'd like to tackle?

Matthews: I think it's always on my mind and all of our minds, especially when I became a father, about what kind of planet I'm leaving for my children, and so that preoccupies me a little bit, and then opportunities tend to come up because there are people that are more directly focused on more specific ways into improving or sustaining a healthier direction for the planet.

____

Online:

http://www.davematthewsband.com

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