International Music News - SHOUTcast Blog

Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, aka Jay Sean, is back home resting in the U.K., but according to his Facebook page, that's only temporary. The British-born Punjabi performer will be spending quite an ample amount of time in the US over the coming months. While new shows are being added daily, Jay is quickly filling up his itinerary.

You can see his scheduled U.S. tour dates, after the jump.

Somalian/Canadian rapper K'Naan has released the official video for his 'Wavin' Flag' track, the Coca-Cola-sponsored song for FIFA's 2010 World Cup in South Africa, directed by Nabil Elderkin. First off, this song is vastly better than Akon's Pepsi-funded 'Oh Africa' track, also funded for the World Cup. Secondly, get used to hearing this in every commercial break in every country fielding a soccer/football team, for the next three months.

It's for a good cause: the proceeds for the single benefit relief efforts in Haiti.

Cue the mutl-culti kids playing soccer after the jump.

The release date of Damian Marley and Nas' collaboration album 'Distant Relatives' is now set (tentatively) for May 25th, after months of delays and speculation. After putting up with a seemingly endless array of fake tracks and rumored cancellations, frustrated fans can now take solace in the fact that the hip hop legend and reggae royal have at least released a full tracklist for their debut.

As Exclaim reports, the album will feature contributions from Joss Stone, K'NAAN, Dennis Brown, and, most notably, the recently jailed Lil Wayne. It'll still be a while until we can actually listen to the CD, and given the album's turbulent history, it may very well be released after May 25th. But at least we have a tracklist, which implies that there is, in fact, an actual album on the way. Check out the full tracklist after the jump.

The talented KPOP girl group 2NE1 released the high definition music video of their new song, 'Try to Follow Me.' For the shoot, 2NE1 reunited with music video director Suh Hyun Seung who directed their debut video, 'Fire.'

2NE1 presents a side that is rarely seen in girl groups. Intense expressions, mischevious acessories and their own African dance-inspired choreography render a charismatic performance. This rhythm-based hip hop song that makes your body want to shake involuntarily, has already served as ad music. Newsen calls the whole production unconventional and even radical. Another unusual aspect about this music video is that it is only available as a HG download, as YG Entertainment wanted to heighten the quality of the viewing experience.

Check out their new music video after the jump.

Graphic designer and producer Jorge Verdin, of multimedia, electro-norteño alliance Nortec Collective, will release his long-awaited, debut solo album 'Corridos Urbanos' (Nacional Records) on April 13. Verdin, who's known by his artistic name, Clorofila, collaborated with a variety of Tijuana-based tambora and norteño musicians on tuba, accordion, clarinet and horn parts. He favored a more organic approach to songwriting this time around, eschewing the prevalent synth of past works in favor of bass and guitar-based compositions.

The album, which features special guest vocals by David J (Bauhaus, Love And Rockets) and Australian singer Supina Bytol, is an introspective look at the past, as well as a more heart-wrenching exploration of the universal feeling of loss. Inspired by fragments of his idilic childhood in Tijuana, Verdin waxes nostalgic on the places that left an impression on him: the record store where he bought his first 45's on the track 'Discoteca Nacional,' the now defunct radio station that specialized in Norteño music on 'Radio 80,' and a popular late 80s nocturnal hotspot that was considered something of a Tijuana rite of passage on 'BabyRock Rock.' The disc's B side takes a darker turn with songs like 'Babai,' '4:15,' 'El General,' and 'Nicole Ya No Baila Aquí' ('Nicole No Longer Dances Here), lamenting Tijuana's downfall.

Verdin, who had been working in Los Angeles as a graphic designer when Nortec originally coalesced in the late 90s, first became involved as a visual artist with the loosely assembled collective. He was recognized last year with a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package for his work on the cover art for Nortec's most recent release, 'Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3.'

To most people, Vanessa Paradis is best known as the French wife of Johnny Depp. To French music aficionados, though, she's always been a bona fide pop star since the age of 14. And when she's not busy being the spouse of one of the most famous actors alive, she finds time to perform some of her classic pop hits. After holding a brief string of concerts toward the end of 2009, Paradis, according to MusicActu, has decided to add a few more live shows to her calendar this year.

From June 28 to July 2, Paradis will perform a live acoustic set at La Cigale in Paris, including her hits 'Marilyn & John,' as well as 'Il y a.' Shortly afterwards, she'll head off to the Francofolies de la Rochelle festival, where she'll be performing on July 14th.

On April 8, the organization Musicians for Harmony present its 2010 Spring 'Concert for Peace,' at the Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center in New York City. The night will feature a world premiere commission of 'Furia' by Palestinian composer Mohammed Fairouz, as well as works by composers Halim El-Dabh, Tobias Picker, Yehudi Wyner and Richard Danielpour. The performers will include Imani Winds, Randall Scarlata and The Borromeo Quartet.

Designed to continue dialogue between Arab and Jewish artists, as well as cultures, the night will include El-Dabh's 'String Quartet: Metamorphoses and Fugue on Egyptian Folklore,' originally written in the 1950s, which explores the Arabic maqam and western fugue. Tobias Picker's chamber work was written alongside 'Schubert's Trout Quintet,' while Yehudi Wyner presents 'Tanz and Maissele.' Richard Danielpour's Holocaust commemoration, 'Third String Quartet,' begins the second half of the program, followed by Fairouz's epic piece, which incorporates Arabic, Hebrew and English poetic traditions.

Musicians for Harmony (M4H) was founded by Allegra Klein shortly after 9/11 to pay tribute to the rich folk traditions of many cultures through their "peace through music" initiative. Outside of musical performances, the organization offers educational classes and other events aimed at cross-cultural exchange.