BEAT BLOG

HIATUS

2008-11-20T11:22:00.001-08:00

We're re-surfacing the dance floor.

DIVA DIVO will relaunch with a new look and format, January 2009. In the meanwhile, continue to enjoy the weekly DIVA DIVO column in "OUT AT NIGHT" magazine!

A new year, a new approach, and a new way to bring you the news, interviews, and reviews of your favorite dance music artists!!

Kylie, Dannii and ABBA

2008-10-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

A double dose of Divas! Kylie and Danni cover the ABBA classic, The Winner Takes It All. This is the sisters first recorded duet. The track will appear of the soundtrack for the British TV series Beautiful People

Kristine W is back...and so are we!

2008-10-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting. We have been busy, and so has one of our favorite Divas!

Kristine W is releasing a new track called "Never" from her upcoming album The Power of Music. Check out the HOT new cover image below as well as a snippet of the track. The song has a great disco club vibe and we are sure it will be Kristine's next #1... The track is release on November 8th!

Never_Sample.mp3

GIOIA BRUNO debuting new Obama single

2008-09-10T18:59:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest on dance-pop diva Gioia Bruno's work to throw her hat into the political ring; she's getting a bit of media coverage for "Change the World," her free single promoting Senator Barack Obama for prez. It even samples Obama's voice in there from a speech.

You can read an article on MSNBC about the slew of songs out there, and listen to Gioia's "Change the World" here.

Gioia also appeared on CBS to promote the song. Check out the video snippet here.

And here's the video Gioia has posted on her YouTube channel:

Yikes.

I'm all for celebs sharing their political opinions, but the whole Obama thing has gone to another level. It's freakin' scary, man! The presidency - hell, the future of our country - is bigger than any one person, and the level of Christ-like hero worship people are throwing at this dude... You know, there have been other countries and eras where people have started chanting their leaders' name like this. And uh, last I checked... they tended not to work out so well.

Whatevs. Figured I'd share.

JADE

McCain vs. Madonna: "Vogue"

2008-09-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Tooooooo funny!! Dance classic reimagined with a GOP twist ;)

JADE

New ULTRA NATE video: Twisted!

2008-09-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Lord... Ultra Nate and Karl Giant are a match made in fabulous HEAVEN!

Here's the video for the diva's latest, "Twisted." It's directed by Giant, who also helmed her clips for "Automatic," and "Give it All You Got."

More technicolor genius. Got to love how it evokes both sides of Ultra that are represented on her two-disc set Alchemy/G.S.T. Reloaded: the colorful club diva and the cool, laid back DJ.

Brilliant!

JADE

AMBER & ZELMA DAVIS "Enough is Enough" video

2008-09-03T21:11:00.001-07:00

Here it is kids! We love it!!

Sorry for the shortage of updates the last few days - we were on vacay but back on the regular schedule!

JADE

COLETTE shooting new video this weekend!

2008-08-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

This just in!

Colette, our lovely DJ/vocalist who placed #3 in the 2007 reader poll for DIVA OF THE YEAR 2007, is shooting a new video in Venice, California this weekend!

It's for the song "Think You Want It," from Colette's album Push. The song is about to be featured in the movie "The House Bunny" released on Friday. That flick, starring Anna Farris of "Scary Movie," is written by the minds behind "Legally Blond" and is about an ousted Playboy Bunny (Farris) who makes over a group of bookish sorority girls.

According to the video's directors, the Colette's clip will be themed as an '80s house party (is it just me, or are the '80s making a comeback everywhere?!). They've even been forwarding this link to potential extras for the video, to brief them on the kinds of fashions they should wear to the shoot (no lie):

Click here to see the costume ideas!

We'll keep you posted on how it comes together!
JADE

Lady Gaga is taking over!

2008-08-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga was on TRL last week and she talked it up about fashion, music, and working with Britney Spears. Check out the clip here:

And just in case that isn't enough, take a look at Samantha Maloney's All Access Interview with Lady Gaga. Here she explains how her monster-smash single, "Just Dance", took her from dive bars to Lollapalooza:

Lady GaGa Just Dance on All Access

DIVO to watch: WILL W!

2008-08-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing a dance-pop artist needs, it's ambition. The world is not kind to those who like to get a groove on, and radio, media, and the general public sometimes needs a kick in the pants to get over itself and get into a good, upbeat dance track. :)

With that in mind, we present Will W. He's definitely a DIVO to watch, because he's shown that he has the kind of ambition you need to work it out in the business. This Canadian singer financed the production of his debut album - Bodytalk, dropping September 27 - entirely on cash advances from his credit cards! He also dipped into savings from his day job in public relations (a day job which will likely serve him well in getting the word out about his music).

Here's the thing: unlike other indie releases, Will put his mind where his limited money was, and enlisted the help of top people to get the album together. That includes producer Adrian Eccleston (Nelly Furtado, Kylie Minogue) and sound engineering by George Graves, who helmed no less than U2's seminal "Joshua Tree" album.

Hot!

But best of all, Will is actually quite talented! His music is a dance-pop blend of Justin Timberlake, Madonna, a little George Michael. The guy is genuinely talented, and we're happy to see someone with guts and ambition on the scene (not much left of that out there!).

Click the cover art below to be redirected to Will W's website, where you can sample snippets from the album!

Definitely one to watch... look for more of him on the site soon!

JOHNNY

Hot Summer Track! Loveless feat. Amanda Wilson "Found a Miracle"

2008-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

If I may be so bold as to suggest this stomping summer track... check it out!

Even if you don't know Amanda Wilson by name, you know her pipes. She's the singer for Freemasons, and did vocals for their huge hit "Love On My Mind."

Am I crazy, or does her voice sound totally different on this track? I think I like it better here!

JOHNNY

Lady GaGa stars in "The Fame: Part One"

2008-08-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Between her dance-pop ditty "Just Dance," her intriguing attitude and her seeming love of shoulder pads, a lot of people have been confused by what, exactly, Lady GaGa is all about.

Luckily, she's made a short experimental film that is bound to confuse you even more! ;)

THE FAME : PART ONE - Lady Gaga

I'm really starting to like this broad ;)

JOHNNY

AMBER and ZELMA DAVIS go postal!

2008-08-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Gotta love sensational headlines, huh?

Haha. We're not saying that these two threw a diva fit. No no, we mean they went postal literally! With their new single "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" now officially out as of yesterday, the ladies released a video of them autographing, packaging, stamping and shipping the loads of pre-ordered copy orders they received from fans.

It's not only a fun glimpse at these two ladies' fun sense of humor, but at the "nuts and bolts" business that goes into being an indie artist this day and age. Check it out!

Part One

Part Two

JADE

AMBER and ZELMA DAVIS: Behind the scenes of the new video!

2008-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hey kids!

Hope you're all as pumped as we are for the upcoming release of the new Amber and Zelma Davis duet, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)." (Head back a few blog entries to read more about it, if you haven't heard the full deal yet...)

The single drops on Tuesday, and at the same time we'll be able to see the music video that was shot, too! But in the meanwhile, here's some behind the scenes clips that should give you a pretty good idea of what the video is about... looks like there's some fierce female empowerment in this one! :)

Double the diva... double the fun ;)

JADE

KASKADE fan wins t-shirt contest

2008-08-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

With a name like "Fat Mouse," you wouldn't think of someone as being a real winner ;)

But apparently that's the moniker for one art-inclined Kaskade fan, who won a recent online contest, sponsored by Artcotic, to design the DJ (and our June '08 DIVO OF THE MONTH) a t-shirt.

Check out the winning look below!

You can view all the fan-inspired fashions by visiting the link below. There are some pretty hot ones!
http://www.artcotic.com/approved_submissions.asp

Sorry, only a limited number of t-shirts were printed and sold, so you may want to rev up your Photoshop and start working on your own design ;) But congrats to "Fat Mouse" for SQUEAKING by with the victory - yuk yuk!

JADE

KRISTINE W rocks at charity fashion show

2008-08-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Gotta love Kristine W... always up for a good cause!

She co-hosted and performed at a Perfectly Pink fashion show event in San Diego a few weeks ago, in support of the Breast Cancer Society.

Kristine with the Perfectly Pink crowd at Lei Restaurant & Lounge in San Diego

Of course, being the former Miss America contestant that she is, Kristine couldn't help but work the runway herself, too ;) Check out the video below for some performance and fashion show footage!

Love her!
JADE

LADY GAGA on "So You Think You Can Dance," plus album cover

2008-08-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Damn... Interscope is really pushing her!

Just a couple weeks ago she performed at the Miss Universe Pageant, no Lady Gaga scores another high-profile TV gig... on the Fox reality hit, "So You Think You Can Dance."

Amazing performance, though! The wail at the end is suh-weet!

It's amazing to see a dance artist get this kind of exposure thanks to mainstream label support. Must be soooo frustrating for artists who have been working for years to bring their club hits mainstream. Still, if one succeeds, whatever the means... at least it may open the door for more.

A return to the '90s perhaps? (We should be so lucky ;) )

Oh, and here's the cover art for Lady Gaga's full length debut album, The Fame, dropping this fall.

And if you haven't had your fill of Gaga related reality, check out her regularly updated web-isodes following her road to (duh) "the fame."

JADE

DANNII MINOGUE final performance at G-A-Y

2008-08-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

Another one bites the dust!

With super-clubs around the world folding like a house of card's, London's G-A-Y was a real nightclub legend. It began as a UK gay night in 1976 and moved to the London Astoria venue in 1993.

There have been seriously way too many performers to name throughout all those years, but it's dance diva Dannii Minogue who closed the curtains as the final performer on the G-A-Y stage. Last Saturday night, she wrapped things up with performances of her 1997 hit "All I Wanna Do" and "Xanadu," a track from her latest album Club Disco.

Check out the videos below!

A lot of people thought Kylie was goinng to perform on the final night, but she was off doing a concert.

Confession: I like Dannii better! ;)

Haha. Regardless, so sad to see another legendary club closing. :(

JADE

GIOIA BRUNO recording pro-Obama single

2008-07-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hey lovelies!!

Oh, you know I try to steer clear of politics here, but sometimes there's just no avoiding it ;)

Check out our NOVEMBER '07 DIVA OF THE MONTH, Gioia Bruno, hitting the recording studio to work on a track for the trendiest of American Idols... oops, I mean Presidential candidates... Barack Obama!

The new dance-pop/hip-hop single, titled "Yes We Can" is the brainchild of Andy Fraser of the British rock group Free.

Apparently the original title, "Yes We Can... Well, I think we can... I'm kind of new at this... Hillary, What Do I Do?!?" was taken.

Where were these divas when there was a female candidate out there... you know, someone who was both groundbreaking and qualified?

See, this is why I don't go political. Whatever, it's my blog and I'll bitch if I want to! ;)

Peace, love and fuck-you-DNC ;),
JADE

New COLTON FORD video: "Tug of War"

2008-07-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Enjoy ladies (and gents!). It's the new video from February '08 DIVO OF THE MONTH, Colton Ford.

It's the title track from his debut album, "Tug of War."

JADE

ULTRA NATE releases new double-disc album!

2008-07-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Check it out, April '07 DIVA OF THE MONTH, Ultra Nate, is releasing a new double-disc album: Alchemy/G.S.T. Reloaded. And of course, that means a hot new Karl Giant photo-shoot to go with it! Here are the pics below.... ;)

Alchemy/G.S.T. Reloaded drops on August 5. The first disc features all new remixes of tracks from Ultra Nate's last (and, IMHO, best!) album, 2007's Grime, Silk & Thunder. That disc already yielded the #2 hit "Love's the Only Drug," and back-to-back #1s "Automatic" and "Give it All You Got." Plus there's "Twisted," the single she recorded earlier this year. In other words, these brand spanking new remixes of those hits and other GST tracks should be too hot to handle. Here's the disc 1 track list:

DISC 1: The Remixes
01. "Love's The Only Drug" (Morgan Page Mix)
02. "Falling" (Mark & Shark Mix)
03. "Automatic" (Tikaro, J. Louis and Ferran Remix)
04. "Give It All You Got" featuring Chris Willis (Bimbo Jones Mix)
05. "Freak On" (Ferry Corsten Mix)
06. "Getaway" featuring Dajae (Craig C Master Mix)
07. "Twisted (Got Me Goin Round)" (Lost Daze Club Mix)
08. "Star (It's Showtime)" (Funky Junction and SplashFunk Extended Mix)
09. "Scandal" (Zoned Out Remix)
10. "Lethal Shot" (Mood II Swing Extended Mix)

The second disc is Ultra's first EVER commercially released DJ mix! That's right, the diva is a DJ, too! Normally she spins at SUGAR, her party down in Baltimore, MD... but now, you can sate your sweet tooth with your very own Ultra set. ;) Here's the disc 2 track list:

DJ mix - DISC 2: Sugar Sessions 01
01. "Twisted (Got Me Goin' Round)" (Kenny Dope Mix)
02. "Getaway"featuring Dajae (Quentin Harris Mix)
03. "Love's The Only Drug" (Adam Rios Shelter Mix)
04. "Love's The Only Drug (Thommy Davis Tribal Mix)
05. "Scandal" (Craig C. Album Mix)
06. "This House" (DJ Pope's POJI House)
07. "It's Over Now" (Quentin Harris G.S.T. Mix)
08. "Getaway" featuring Dajae (Spen and Irv's Breakaway Mix)
09. "Automatic" (Spen and Thommy Code Red Mix)
10. "Feel Love" (Ron Carroll BMC Remix)
11. "Falling (DJ Oji POJI Mix)
12. "Falling" (DFA Mix)

Can't wait!!

Ultra is always inspiring in her music, but DIVA DIVO also took a few to chat with photographer Karl Giant about the amazing shots he took to promote this release. As always, Giant did fabulous work and here's what he said about the vision behind it:

Karl Giant: "The concept was my version of Anime mixed with hyper color and action figures. Ultra is my muse, she is fearless when it comes to trying new looks. I appreciate that she trusts me."

Umm... wouldn't you?? He always makes her look amazing!!

Ah, and Giant also confirmed that he just finished shooting the video for "Twisted" with Ultra and DJ Louie Vega. We're sure those visuals will be just as fantastic ;)

JADE

AMBER and ZELMA DAVIS to duet on classic disco remake!

2008-07-23T17:16:00.001-07:00

You heard right, all! Amber has announced the identity of her long anticipated duet partner, and the upcoming single they're preparing to release... it's a good one!

Amber has collaborated with Zelma Davis, former lead vocalist for the hugely influential dance group C+C Music Factory! If you lived through the '90s, you lived through Davis' hot hit singles: "Things That Make You Go Hmm..." "Here We Go, Let's Rock & Roll," and "Do You Wanna Get Funky," to name a few.

But wait... there's more!

Here's the single cover for their duet, which hits on August 12...

Oh yes, that's right! Amber and Zelma have taken on a remake of the classic disco hit, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" the ode to female self empowerment (you go, girl!) made famous by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand.

By the way, here's the cover for the original 1979 single... look familiar? :)

For the record, Amber tells DIVA DIVO that it was pure coincidence, and that she had no idea what the original single cover looked like. Amber told us...

"I thought, 'Let's keep it simple. Keep it Diva. Barebacked, black and white, side by side, looking diva-like to the camera."

Well, great minds think alike!

Okay, one last thing... if you're ready to hear some snippets from the single, learn how you can pre-order personally autographed copies, and even get a glimpse at rehearsals... check out the behind-the-scenes footage with the girls below!

Umm... one question: how ADORABLE is Zelma!

You're going to hear lots more from these ladies on the site soon, so check back often :) But for now, enjoy the big news!!

Love,
JADE

Lady GaGa performs at Miss Universe 2008!

2008-07-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

How did I miss this???

Last week, our MAY '08 DIVA OF THE MONTH, Lady GaGa, performed live at the Miss Universe 2008 pageant! She kicked off the swimsuit competition with her club hit, "Just Dance." Check it out (and by the way, watch the whole thing... she interrupts the catwalk struts with her song a few times ;)):

Love the "Golden Girl" esque shoulder pads, girl. Love 'em ;)

Haha. Seriously, though, great to see a dance act getting some serious TV airtime! Of course, probably no coincidence that GaGa is signed to a major label like Interscope. (As Meja would say, "It's all about the money, it's all about the dim-dim-diddy-dum-dum...")

Still, GaGa's pretty freaking cool (hence her DIVA status), and if this means dance-pop might have a chance to ingratiating itself on to the public again (hello 1990s!) we're all for it.

Gaga for GaGa,
JADE

Spotted! RACHEL PANAY and DJ RANNY in Boston

2008-07-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a little paparazzi surprise ;) Haha. Look who we spotted wandering the streets of Boston... it's RACHEL PANAY (June '07 Diva) and DJ RANNY!

Okay, okay, they weren't exactly wandering... just in seek of a cocktail, and popped into Sonsie on Boston's trendy Newbury Street.

Careful divas and divos... you're not safe from our prying eyes off the dance floor, you know ;)

By the way, be sure to send us any candid pics you have of run-ins with your favorite DJs and performers. Email 'em to jade@divadivodance.com!

Byeee.
JADE

From Porn to True Colors

2008-07-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

February Divo Colton Ford was invited by Cyndi Lauper to perform at her True Colors Tour. Check out this great clip from CBS News on LOGO!

Click here for Video

-Johnny-