International Music News - SHOUTcast Blog

Gramps Morgan may be coming off a supremely busy year, but he's showing no signs of slowing down. Not long after his album 'Two Sides of My Heart Vol. 1' won Album of the Year honors at this year's EME Awards in Jamaica, Morgan is reportedly back in the studio, hard at work on a new album, tentatively titled '2 Sides of My Heart Vol. 2.' The album, which the Jamaica Observer describes as having a distinctly "Country and R&B" sound, isn't due out until later this year, but judging by the all-star lineup that Morgan has assembled for the CD, it'll definitely be intriguing. According to the Observer, Gramps has enlisted both Ziggy Marley and Musiq (Soulchild) to collaborate on a few tracks, as well as Willie Lat and Shannon Sanders, who will help produce the album.

Gramps' solo album isn't the only thing on his plate, though. He's also working with his siblings on a new Morgan Heritage album, as well as collaborating with his father, Denroy Morgan, on a soon to be released autobiography. Apparently, he's also cooking up a film project of some sort, as he revealed to the Observer. Said Morgan, "Right now I am multi-tasking on various projects which is something I am completely at home with. I am working on a special project for Disney and looking forward to doing some stuff on the big screen which will be coming soon."

The Wonder Girls are the first successful Korean female idol group to break into the U.S. Market. So it only makes sense that after watching the phenomenal success of their brainchild, JYP Entertainment has announced this past January that they will be debuting a new girl group. This time the group will be a mix of Chinese and Korean members--basically a Chinese version of the Wonder Girls--who will tour the Chinese-speaking world. ALLKPOP reported that the last member of the Chinese Wonder Girls will be chosen from an open audition online. Starting the yesterday (March 10), they began receiving video auditions from women born between 1987 to 1996 on Daum tvPot. Those who make the cut from this online pool will be invited to audition in person at the JYP Center on April 4. This online selection process was first used in 2006, when JYPE found YeEun, who later became the 5th member of the original Wonder Girls.

Thirty-six year old Sasha Dimititijevic will always remember being pulled over by Wagga patrol officers last January on the Hume Highway in Australia. The officers noticed stacks of pirated CDs in his car and arrested him on the spot. The speeding ticket turned into six counts each of manufacturing and possession of pirated music.

Dimititijevic later admitted to receiving the music from his parents in Serbia and that he had not paid royalties on the burned CDs. After pleading not guilty to the initial charges, believing that Serbian composers were not protected by Australian copyright laws, this notion was refuted by the Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI), claiming that Serbian artists were indeed covered. Wagga magistrate Geoff Hiatt then handed Dimititijevic a $12,000 fine, a fraction of the severest penalty for copyright infringements in Australia: up to $60,500 and five years imprisonment for individuals, and nearly five times that, $302,500 for corporations.

The 'Watagatapitusberry' 2009 phenomenom will finally spread across the globe thanks to an official remix by Pitbull and Lil' Jon. This strange upbeat song has become a YouTube sensation and has quickly become the night club DJ's ultimate friend. The catchy track is already a hit across Latin America and has brought a spotlight on Caribbean newcomers Black Point and Del Patio.

Recently, the renowned Mexican DJ Toy Selectah remixed the song, giving it a big boost on the Internet, but it's enjoying heavy rotation across U.S. radio stations thanks to a little help from Pitbull and long-time pal Lil' Jon. The single could end up in huge success a la 'I Know You Want Me,' and it also marks the Latin Urban shift to a more electronic sound, moving away from the Reggaeton that dominated Latin music a few years ago.

The song is extremely likeable, but what does 'Watagatapitusberry' mean? Well, it has double meaning. One on side it's a nice bubbly song about the effects of the Blackberry, on the other side, it's an extremely sexual song. Although, we could refer to it as a result of Spanglish culture, specifically the clash between Dominican and Americans.

Watch the video for 'Watagatapitusberry' after the jump.

While much of the U.S. spent Sunday evening glued to the Oscars, in France, most of the TV viewing population was caught up with the 25th edition of the Victoires de la Musique, France's version of the Grammys. With French legend Charles Aznavour presiding over the Parisian ceremony, the best in contemporary French music were all honored for their work throughout the past year, while one legendary American was honored for a lifetime of groundbreaking creativity.

As MusicActu reports, Benjamin Biolay was the big winner on the men's side, taking home honors for male artist of the year, as well as album of the year for his appropriately titled 'La Superbe.' Meanwhile, Olivia Ruiz stole the show for the women, winning both female artist of the year and video of the year awards. The honoree of the night, though, was unquestionably Stevie Wonder, who was on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award, known as the 'Victoire d'honneur.' Wonder also performed a medley of some of his best known hits onstage, proving once more that however legendary his career may be, it's far from over.

Roberto Carlos, a popular Brazilian singer since the 1960s, is celebrating his 50th anniversary in music with a series of concert dates in the United States. Carlos will perform in Miami on April 10, then follow up with dates in Boston, New York, Rosemont, IL, and, in late May, a single date in San Diego.

Born in Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, Brazil in 1941, the Latin Grammy-winning Carlos has sold over 120 million albums to date. He released his first recordings in Brazil in 1961 and his fame grew during that decade, when he also starred in films. Later on in his career his style shifted from rock-oriented to a more adult pop sound, and he began singing in English and French in addition to Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. Last year he performed to an estimated 70,000 people in Brazil's Maracanã Stadium.

Tour dates follow the jump.

There's no better place to celebrate world music at a crossroads than at the annual Heineken TransAtlantic Festival in Miami Beach. Created by the Rhythm Foundation, Miami's leading world music presenter, and now in its eighth year, the festival has put Miami on the map as a venerable world music epicenter. This year's lineup drives that message home, featuring acts that reflect a city that has gone from being the gateway to Latin America to being at the center of a whole new generation of global music and sonic cross-pollination. For two days, April 9 and 24, the North Beach Bandshell will become a microcosm of music that reflects the city's eclectic soul and cultural cross-currents. One of Nacional Records' most explosive live acts, Colombian outfit Bomba Estéreo will take the stage this year, as will Brazil's Orquestra Contemporanea de Olinda, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, and Miami's locally-bred Locos Por Juana.

Bomba Estéreo processes cumbia and champeta through a dance-fusion filter of electronic dub and hip-hop. From Brazil's northeastern state of Pernambuco, the Orquestra Contemporanea de Olinda, nominated for a Latin Grammy for best tropical Brazilian roots album in 2009, make their U.S. tour debut this spring, with stops in Austin's SXSW and the Lincoln Center. Comprised of young musicians who are carrying the torch of the late, great mangue beat master Chico Science, OCO's musical mayhem is a groove-fueled fusion of frevo and forro with drum-n-bass, rock and world rhythms. Vieux Farka Touré, the son of the late, great Malian desert blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré, presents his own unconventional brew; a musical landscape where everything from jam band music to Jamaican dub is anchored by western Saharan roots. For their part, the two-time, Latin Grammy-nominated Locos Por Juana embody the polyrhythmic hybridity of the city that's nurtured them. There's is a funky, pan-Latin amalgam of rock-steady beats, laid-back reggae grooves punctuated by biting social commentary and spitfire raps backed by brass-fueled solos.