Thorne Releases Debut Single “Call It Whatever”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne is ready to drop it like it’s pop…

16-year-old half-Cuban American actress and former Disney Channel recently unveiled her debut single, “Call It Whatever.”

The former Shake It Up star’s bubblegum track has earned more than 153,000 views on YouTube since its May 13 release, and previews a debut album that Thorne says won’t follow in the path of the network’s other former stars like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.

“I don’t think about anything close to that,” Thorne tells Billboard when asked about the inevitable comparisons. “I don’t think, ‘Well, Miley went this way, and Selena went that way, so I have to go in the middle.’ That’s not it. I’m just being me. My song is called ‘Call It Whatever.’ You can call me whatever, if you like me or not like me. I really don’t care.”

The release of “Call It Whatever” — which was produced by Paro and co-written by Par Westerland, Rickard Goransson and Skyler Stonestreet — comes roughly a year and a half after Thorne signed to Hollywood Records, the home of Gomez as well as young female stars like Lucy Hale and Demi Lovato.

When the deal was finalized, Thorne was already starring on the network’s hit sitcom Shake It Up along with Zendaya. Thorne released the song “TTYLXOX” on the Shake It Up: Live 2 Dance soundtrack in 2012, but for the Florida native, a full-fledged pop career was always going to take a bit longer to kick-start.

“I really wanted to work on my voice,” says Thorne. “I never sang before, and I didn’t want to put an album out that I wasn’t proud of, or that was Auto-tuned or anything like that. I waited so that I could take a lot of vocal classes, so that I could work on my voice every day.”

The music video for “Call It Whatever” will premiere on May 29, and was filmed in Los Angeles — at the same location, Thorne points out, that Kelis filmed her “Milkshake” video. Thorne’s debut album is due out later in the summer, and won’t necessarily feature the kid-friendly vibe of its lead single.

“‘Call It Whatever’ is my youngest-sounding song,” she says. “This song is definitely for my younger audience. I don’t want to eliminate them, but my album is geared a little bit older. I have some more indie type of songs, some hip-hop, some with an 80s feel, and I have dance music on there.”

While Thorne hopes to tour extensively behind her first album, she has a handful of other projects to promote: she co-stars in the new Adam Sandler comedy Blended and the upcoming film adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day, among several other film projects. Her first book, Autumn Falls, is due out in November, and is featured in a Neutrogena beauty campaign.

“I want to try everything,” says Thorne. “And I want to be great at everything, if it’s the last thing I do.”

Gomez’s “Stars Dance” Sells Nearly 100,000 Copies to Come in First

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Selena Gomez has her first No. 1 album.

The 21-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress’ Stars Dance has bumped Jay Z’s “Magna Carta” from the top spot to earn her first No. 1 title on the Billboard 200 with the arrival of “Stars Dance.”

The Hollywood Records release sold 97,000 copies in its first week — a career-high frame for the singer.

Each of her four albums has steadily grown larger in their debut weeks, bowing with successively bigger sums and placing higher on the chart.

Her 2009 debut, Kiss and Tell, opened at No. 9 with nearly 66,000. It was followed by the No. 4-ranking A Year Without Rain in 2010 (which slightly exceeded 66,000) and then 2011’s When the Sun Goes Down (No. 3 peak, a week after it launched at No. 4 with 78,000).

Gomez has been red hot this year, scoring her biggest hit single yet with the lead track from “Stars Dance” “Come & Get It.” The cut sailed to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 (her first top 10) and No. 2 on the Pop Songs airplay chart.

Gomez, who just turned 21 last week, is also the youngest solo female artist to hit No. 1 since her friend Taylor Swift in 2010. On the chart dated Nov. 13 of that year, the then-20-year old Swift debuted at the top with her second leader, Speak Now.

Thorne’s Disney Channel Series “Shake It Up” Drawing to an End

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne’s star-making days at the Disney Channel are coming to an end.

The network has announced that its original series Shake It Up, which stars the 15-year-old half-Cuban American actress, will wrap up its run after 78 episodes. The final round of shows will air this summer.

The move to wrap production on Shake It Up while it remains strong – it’s the No. 1 TV series year-to-date in the kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14 demos – is not uncommon of the network, which tends to cap its original series after a set time.

In June, the Disney Channel said it was ending Good Luck Charlie after four seasons, 100 episodes and a hit TV movie.

But Thorne won’t be out of work…

She has a recording deal with Disney’s Hollywood Records, a three-book deal with Random House, and was just cast in the indie thriller Home Invasion.

Additionally Thorne recently completed shooting on the Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore film Blended.

Gomez’s New Album “Stars Dance” Headed to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is soaring to the top of the Billboard charts…

The half-Mexican American singer/actress, who just celebrated her 21st birthday on July 22, is likely to earn her first No. 1 album next week.

Her latest album, Stars Dance, should debut atop the Billboard 200 with approximately 90,000 to 100,000 copies sold in the week ending Sunday, July 28, according to Industry sources.

The set is Gomez’s fourth studio album, and was released on Tuesday, July 23 via Hollywood Records.

The new Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, July 31.

If Stars Dance records sales of more than 78,000, it will mark Gomez’s largest sales week ever.

Her last album, 2011’s When the Sun Goes Down (credited to Selena Gomez and the Scene), arrived with a career-high week of 78,000 — according to Nielsen SoundScan.

It debuted at No. 4, rising to No. 3 a week later. Since her 2009 debut, Kiss and Tell, Gomez has been steadily improving in terms of chart rank and debut sales frames. Kiss started at No. 9 with just under 66,000. The following year, A Year Without Rain opened at No. 4 with a little over 66,000.

Gomez’s new album is powered by her biggest single yet, “Come & Get It.” It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Pop Songs chart. Gomez has been making the promotion rounds during the album’s release week as well. She played The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Tuesday and then hits both Good Morning America and Live With Kelly and Michael on Friday.

Thorne to Star in the Thriller Film “Home Invasion”

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne is shaking things up for her next project…

The 15-year-old half-Cuban American actress, the star of the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, has landed one of the lead roles in Home Invasion.

Helmed by rookie feature Director Sean Carter, the thriller centers on a family imprisoned by intruders who play a life-and-death game in which the mysterious rules become clear as the night unfolds.

Thorne, who will be penning a series of Young Adult books, will portray Jamie, a disillusioned teenager intensely guarding a personal secret.

Home Invasion was written by first-time scribe Joseph Dembner.

It’s the latest film role for Thorne, whose Shake It Up is in its third season on the Disney Channel. She recently wrapped a role in the Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore comedy Blended.

Thorne is nominated for an Imagen Award in the Best Young Actress, Television category. She’s also signed to Disney’s Hollywood Records.

Gomez Launches Twitter Campaign to Promote New Album “Stars Dance”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez‘s debut solo album isn’t scheduled for release until next week… But she’s already giving fans a taste.

The 20-year-old half-Mexican American singer is using the internet to allow fans to sample the album, Stars Dance, through a Twitter campaign designed to unlock song previews and exclusive video content by using a hashtag on Twitter.

“Who wants to hear previews from my new album RIGHT NOW? Go to http://StarsDancePreview.com and use #StarsDance to begin unlocking!” the pop star posted on Twitter to her 15 million followers this week.

The site, built by Chicago’s Eyes and Ears Entertainment, currently displays a timeline of the album’s 11 songs on top of a progress bar showing how far fans have progressed in unlocking each of the previews. “Tweet #StarsDance to unlock,” a message on the site reads.

Last May, Gomez’s Hollywood Records label mate Demi Lovato launched her fourth studio album Demi online eight days before its official release through a similar time-themed Twitter campaign. Fans could “unlock” full songs by tweeting out various hashtags, which subsequently became worldwide trending topics.

“Come & Get It,” the first single from Stars Dance, currently resides at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Last week, the track “Love Will Remember” — a somber ballad about Gomez’s breakup with fellow pop star Justin Bieber — leaked in full online.

Stars Dance will go on sale on Tuesday, July 23.

Thorne Starring in Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore’s “Blended”

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne is about to shake it up with a big screen movie…

The 15-year-old half-Cuban American actress and Disney Channel star has joined the cast of he Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore comedy Blended.

The Warner Bros. rom-com revolves around a particularly lousy blind date between Sandler and Barrymore — each with their kids from a previous marriage — as they find themselves stuck together in a resort for families.

Despite everything they can do to resist, the attraction grows between them, and their kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship.

Thorne, who recently announced plans to write a Young Adult book series, will play Sandler’s daughter.

Thorne stars on the Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, which is in its third season on the network. She’s also signed to Disney’s Hollywood Records.

Blended is set to open May 23, 2014.

Lovato Releases Cover Art for Fourth Album “Demi”

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato isn’t afraid to channel her inner silver screen goddess…

The 20-year-old part-Mexican American singer released the cover art for her upcoming fourth studio album this week, featuring Lovato covered in silver body paint.

In February, Lovato released “Heart Attack,” the lead single from the album Demi, which will go on sale on May 14 through Hollywood Records. The song, which scored her biggest sales week for a single upon its debut, currently sits at No. 21 on the current Hot 100 chart.

Meanwhile, the official music video for the single will premiere this coming Tuesday night (April 9) on E! News.

Demi is the follow-up to 2011’s Unbroken, which has sold 448,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was led by the ballad “Skyscraper,” which gave Lovato her first Top 10 single, and also spawned the hit “Give Your Heart a Break,” which spent 32 weeks on the Hot 100 in 2012.

The Suspex, Ryan Tedder, Carl Falk, Jonas Jeberg, Matt Rad and Rami Yacoub are among the producers and writers with credits on Demi.

“It’s better than anything I have ever done! I experimented with a variety of different sounds and poured my heart into writing these songs,” said Lovato, who will be returning as a judge on The X Factor, in a statement. “I’m so excited for everyone to finally get the chance to hear them!”

Pre-orders for Demi began on Tuesday in North America, and this coming Tuesday (April 9) for the rest of the world.

Adriana Louise Moving On to the Live Rounds on “The Voice”

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Adriana Louise continues to make an immense impression on the coaches of NBC’s The Voice…

The 22-year-old Latina singer, who knocked out former Hollywood Records recording artist Jordan Pruitt during the show’s Battle Round, returned to the ring to face her fellow Team Christina mate Celica Westbrooke for their Knockout Round clash.

In what Christina Aguilera dubbed a “battle of pop divas,” Adriana Louise performed Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” and Westbrooke sang Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never.”

Following their head-to-head battle, coach Blake Shelton said both singers had pitchy moments, as well as redeeming moments. Meanwhile, fellow coach Adam Levine only raved about Adriana Louise.

“You’ve got a really powerful, incredible, very Team Christina voice,” professed Levine.

Before declaring the winner, Aguilera gave kudos to both singers, saying she was proud of Adriana and Celica. But she had some extra words for the Latina singer.

“This is the strongest I’ve seen you perform that song,” declared Aguilera. “And that was really, really good.”

In the end, Aguilera picked Adriana Louise to advance to the next round.

“I can’t believe it! I’m going to live rounds,” declared Adriana. “I’m so excited, I’m, so excited! I get to come back”

Adriana Louise Takes Down Pruitt to Advance on NBC’s “The Voice”

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Adriana Louise will be putting up her dukes in the next round on The Voice.

During Tuesday night’s episode of NBC’s hit singing competition, Christina Aguilera pitted the 22-year-old Latina singer and New York City waitress against former Hollywood Records recording artist Jordan Pruitt in one the most competitive Battle Round matchups of the season.

From the first note, it was obvious the Team Xtina members were both in fierce fighting form while performing Katy Perry’s dancetastic “Hot n Cold.” Despite Pruitt’s experience as a Disney recording artist, the contestants were quite evenly matched.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a battle that’s so even,” declared Voice coach Adam Levine, who picked Pruitt as the victor of the battle.

Blake Shelton complimented Adriana Louise being “a strong singer,” but also chose Pruitt as the victor.

Meanwhile, Cee Lo Green cast his vote for Adriana Louise.

“You really took the opportunity to take that high note,” said Green. “Oh, you’ve got that feist[iness] about you!”

But it was ultimately Aguilera’s decision to make. And the Grammy-winning songstress was quite impressed with Adriana Louise’s performance.

“You were able to hit some crazy notes,” said Aguilera. “That’s something that you naturally do have, and that’s what I connected with.”

When it came down to the final call, Aguilera picked Adriana.

“She’s a force to be reckoned with as far as a vocalist,” said Aguilera after making her decision. “It’s beautiful to see people like Adriana step it up like true stars.”

Adriana Louise now advances to the Knockout Round on season three of The Voice.

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