International Music News - SHOUTcast Blog

Civil tension has been high in Israel for musicians such as Elton John and the Pixies, who are scheduled to perform in Israel over the coming months. Bands and musicians have been receiving letters from various local peace organizations asking them not to perform in this "apartheid state."

"As much as some of us are huge fans and would love to hear your show, we won't cross the international picket line," states one open letter to the Pixies. "Are you prepared to perform in Tel-Aviv while just under your noses millions of human beings are suffering under a cruel Israeli military regime?"

Other artists that have been targeted by various organizations, albeit for varying reasons, include Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, Roger Waters and Carlos Santana.

Asia Economy has reported that 9-member KPOP girl group SNSD, who also go by Girls' Generation, released their music video on the 18th for 'Run Devil Run,' the title track for their new album. They transformed from cheerful teenage confection (remember their 2nd album, 'Oh!'?) to sleek, chic femme fatales. Their latest evolution of new hairdos and the black and white costume swap jazz up the video visually--the latter evoking Kara's 'Lupin.' But back to the music, a highlight of the new single is that it is not saturated with autotune, which has been the trend among recent KPOP hits. Fans have differing opinions on whether this electronic technology strengthens or weakens KPOP. The team who scored the single include Bushee, Alex James of Blur and Kalle Engstrom, among others.

Check out SNSD's new music video after the jump.

Speaking at a SXSW panel yesterday, French director Michel Gondry revealed more details about the project that he and Icelandic star Björk are collaborating on. Calling it "very ambitious," Gondry described the endeavor as a "40-minute IMAX project in 3D." According to The Guardian, the project will be a "scientific musical" film, to be screened in museums.

Gondry and Björk, of course, have a pretty lengthy artistic history together. The director best known for his imaginative and visually stunning music video productions, has already directed seven videos for Björk's music, including spots for her singles 'Army of Me,' and 'Joga.' While casting for his 2006 feature length film 'The Science of Sleep,' Gondry initially offered the starring role to the Icelandic singer, who turned it down (ultimately, the role went to Charlotte Gainsbourg). According to HitFix, Björk is also currently working on an orchestral piece of her own, although it's not yet clear whether or not it's part of her collaboration with Gondry.

Latin America's current top pop stars Juanes and Shakira have been officially announced as performers at the forthcoming FIFA World Cup 2010 opening concert. The two Colombian singers will join Alicia Keys, John Legend, Angélique Kidjo, The Black Eyed Peas and Amadou & Miriam as the first line of performers at the event to be celebrated in South Africa on June 10. The kick-off ceremony will take place at the Orlando Stadium in front of 30,000 attendees.

The concert will be televised to the world and is known for its sky-scraping ratings, something obvious considering Soccer is the world's most popular sport. Although the Colombian team didn't qualify for the competition, Shakira and Juanes will serve as the Latino representatives that will contribute to the effort of unifying the world through music and the sport. It will be a new experience for Juanes, but not so much for Shakira. She actually performed her hit 'Hips Don't Lie' featuring Wyclef Jean four years ago at 2006's Germany World Cup finale.

Japanese rock band Dazzle Vision will be releasing their fourth CD, 'To The Next,' at next month's Sakura-Con convention in Seattle, Washington. This release accompanies this five piece band's first U.S. performance since their 2003 debut. Their concert will also be located at the April 2-4 event.

The 8-song CD will first be on sale at the JapanFiles booth, and will also be available at the concert and autograph sessions.

The U.S. release of 'To The Next' actually comes one month before the Japanese release.

ALLKPOP has reported that on March 16, the prosecutors dropped charges against KPOP artist G-Dragon's performance of a sex skit with a female dancer at his December 2009 concert, largely attended by tweens. The investigation questioned two things: First, did his performance violate the child protection law? Second, was he guilty of performing banned songs, 'Korean Dream,' 'She's Gone,' and a banned album, 'Heartbreaker?'

Authorities decided that the steamy bedroom skit that took place during the song, 'Breathe,' was dramatizing the song's content accurately. Plus, G-Dragon was only following the management agency's plans. And it was only a two-minute scene in a 2 hour performance. As for the second issue of the banned songs, since his concert was not rated to begin with, G-Dragon was technically allowed to include them and even push the envelope, or in this case, the bedpost some more.

G-Dragon was almost in the clear, as he still owed a fine of 3 million won, which is $2,600 US dollars. YG Entertainment assured the public, "[The issue] didn't go to court or anything so we consider it basically a pre-trial disposition." The unedited version of his concert in DVD will be sold to customers over 18-years-old.

If you are not a minor, don't forget to browse the concert clip that caused all of the ruckus in the first place after the jump.

Renowned Tropical star Fonseca has released a special edition of 'Gratitud,' the second album in his career. The Colombian singer reached fame with his hit 'Te Mando Flores,' for which he was awarded the Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Song in 2006. He is known as one of the artists that have popularized Tropipop, a subgenre that has quickly become the second most popular Tropical sound just after Bachata.

Fonseca is profoundly influenced by fellow Colombian artists Juanes and Carlos Vives, and while he has yet to reach that level of recognition,one of his dreams is now a reality; collaborating with the legendary singer-trombonist Willie Colón. They have teamed up in 'Estar Lejos,' one of the two unreleased songs in 'Gratitud''s special edition.

This edition also includes three acoustic versions of his singles 'Arroyito,' 'Gratitud' and 'Sabre Olvidar.' Although 'Estar Lejos' was only designed to hit Colombian radio stations, the collaboration has sparked international attention causing his label to plan a possible U.S. release. The duo teamed up recently to shoot the video in Colón's native New York.

Watch the video 'Estar Lejos' after the jump.