Rivera to Perform “Valerie” on the 100th Episode of “Glee”

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Naya Rivera is preparing to reinterpret one of her most memorable Glee performances…

The 27-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer will offer a new take on her acclaimed performance of Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s version of “Valerie” for the Fox musical dramedy’s 100th episode.

In the second season episode entitled “Special Education,” Rivera sang lead on the track by The Zutons during the New Directions’ performance at the 2010 Western Ohio Sectional Championship.

Rivera also performed the track in the Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which was released in 2011.

This time around, she’ll perform the song alongside Heather Morris (Brittany).

In addition, Rivera will also perform Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with Morris and Diana Agron (Quinn), and “Be Okay” with Lea Michele.

The music in the two-part episode was chosen by the show’s fans, who were asked to pick 10 of the show’s 30 most beloved performances to be remixed and featured on the series’ landmark episode.

Set to air on March 18 and 25 at 8 p.m., the 100th episode will center on Jane Lynch‘s principal Sue Sylvester, who after years of disdain for the New Directions and Matthew Morrison‘s Will Schuester, finally succeeds in ending the glee club in Lima.

Many original castmembers — Morris (Brittany), Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), Mark Salling (Puck), Dancing With the Stars winner Amber Riley (Mercedes), Agron (Quinn) as well as Kristin Chenoweth (April) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holliday) — will return to say their final goodbyes to Will and each other in the emotional episode.

To honor the milestone, Columbia Records will release Glee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes, which will include brand-new versions of Glee favorites from the original cast — including Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Pink‘s “Raise Your Glass” and the original song “Loser Like Me.”

The album will be released on March 25.

Here’s the complete 100th Glee tracklist:

1. “Keep Holding On”* featuring Mark Salling (Puck)
2. “Valerie”* featuring Naya Rivera (Santana) and Morris (Brittany)
3. “Defying Gravity”* featuring Lea Michele( Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Riley (Mercedes)
4. “Raise Your Glass”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
5. “Toxic”* featuring Rivera (Santana), Morris (Brittany) and Agron (Quinn)
6. “Happy” featuring Paltrow (Holly), Chenoweth (April), Morrison (Will), Darren Criss(Blaine) and Riley (Mercedes)
7. “Party All the Time” featuring Paltrow (Holly)
8. “Total Eclipse of the Heart”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
9. “Loser Like Me”* featuring Criss (Blaine), Kevin McHale (Artie), Chord Overstreet(Sam) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina)
10. “Be Okay” featuring Michele (Rachel) and Rivera (Santana)
11. “I Am Changing” featuring Riley (Mercedes) and Colfer (Kurt)
12. “Just Give Me a Reason” featuring Agron (Quinn) and Salling (Puck)
13. “Don’t Stop Believin’”* featuring Michele (Rachel), Criss (Blaine), Colfer (Kurt), Morrison (Will), McHale (Artie) and Ushkowitz (Tina)

* Season-five version

Glee returns from its midseason break on February 25 in its new night and time on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” Breaks Spotify Record

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is the Spotify king…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s latest single, “Locked Out of Heaven,” has set a Spotify record as the first single to be streamed more than one million times in a one-week period. The song also became the most-streamed in Spotify history as of December 16. During the same week, it was also the most downloaded song in the country with sales of 226,000.

Produced by Mark Ronson and written by Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, “Locked Out of Heaven” is the lead single from Mars’ sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox. The song has been sitting in the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, supported in part by Spotify’s on-demand streams. It’s currently in the Top 10 in more than 20 countries.

Meanwhile, Mars’ sophomore album, via Atlantic Records, has sold more than a half-million copies since its release on December 11.

Music critics and fans have compared the sound of “Locked Out of Heaven” to that of English rock band The Police. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone has said that the song’s “jittery Police-esque rock-reggae verses that erupt, amid thunder-boom synths, into a steamrolling four-on-the-floor chorus.” Paste Magazine‘s Ryan Reed calls it “a driving pop anthem that moves from a punchy, ‘Roxanne‘-esque new-wave groove to a soulful, synth-driven chorus.”

Speaking about the comparisons to The Police, Mars told MTV News, “Hell yeah! You try to write a Police song! I grew up listening to The Police, I grew up performing in bars, singing Police songs. I remember performing a song like ‘Roxanne.’ ”

Bruno’s next single is the soulful ballad “When I Was Your Man.”

Mars Unveils “Unorthodox Jukebox” Cover Art

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It may not feature him front-and-center, but the cover art for Bruno Mars’s sophomore album is still b-a-n-a-n-a-s…

The 26-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer has unveiled the new cover art for Unorthodox Jukebox, as well as the 10-track listing for the album.

The album cover features a gorilla up against a retro jukebox, seemingly in awe of the machine in front of hime.

The album art has been getting a mixed reaction from fans that are trying to figure out what the artwork’s all about. The track list does include a song entitled “Gorilla,” which has led to speculation that it could relate to the cover.

Meanwhile, the album’s first track “Locked Out of Heaven,” which Mars performed while pulling double duty as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live, currently stands at No 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its third week on the charts.

Mars’ collaborators on his second studio album include producers Mark Ronson, Diplo, Supa Dups, and The Smeezingtons, Mars’ three-man songwriting and production team.

“This is me going into the studio and recording and writing whatever I want. This album represents my freedom,” said Mars during an interview with Billboard.

Here’s a look at the track listing for Mars’ new album:

1. “Young Girls”
2. “Locked Out of Heaven”
3. “Gorilla”
4. “Treasure”
5. “Moonshine”
6. “When I Was Your Man”
7. “Natalie”
8. “Show Me”
9. “Money Make Her Smile”
10. “If I Knew”

Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox album will be released on December 11.

Mars Releases “Locked Out of Heaven” Music Video

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is going retro…

The 26-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has just released the music video for his latest single “Locked Out of Heaven.”

In the nostalgic clip with its ‘70s Betamax feel, Mars rocks out with his band at an intimate venue while wearing only a t-shirt and chains.

When not working up a sweat on stage, Mars is just being an everyday man, horsing around with his friends, rolling dice in the alley and taking swigs of Jack Daniels.

“Locked Out Of Heaven” is the lead single from Mars’ sophomore set, Unorthodox Jukebox, due December 11.

The Mark Ronson and The Smeezingtons (Mars’ production group)-produced single premiered on October 1.

This week, the song debuts on Billboard’s Hot 100 at number 34.

Mars Discusses Sophomore Album in Billboard Cover Story

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars will be locked out of Heaven next week… And, he’ll live to sing about it.

In this week’s Billboard magazine cover story, the 26-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter discusses his highly anticipated sophomore album, which will be titled Unorthodox Jukebox, as well as the album’s energetic first single, “Locked Out of Heaven,” which debuts digitally and on the radio on October 1.

“This is me going into the studio and recording and writing whatever I want,” Mars says confidently. “This album represents my freedom.”

The follow-up to Mars’ Grammy-winning Doo-Wops & Hooligans is an eclectic set that includes production from Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Jeff Bhasker (Beyonce), Emile Haynie (Eminem), Diplo (M.I.A., Usher) and Supa Dups (John Legend, Doo-Woops & Hooligans) as well as the Smeezingtons, Mars’ songwriting and production team. The talented trio executive-produced and co-wrote Unorthodox Jukebox, an album Mars says doesn’t “pick a lane.”

“I’ve had big record label presidents look me in the face and say, ‘Your music sucks, you don’t know who you are, your music is all over the place, and we don’t know how to market this stuff. Pick a lane and come back to us,'” he says. “That was disgusting to me, because I’m not trying to be a circus act.”

Mars says he refused to let himself get boxed in to a specific genre during the recoding process.

“I listen to a lot of music,” says Mars, who recently showed his comedic chops in a hilarious FunnyorDie.com video, “and I want to have the freedom and luxury to walk into a studio and say, ‘Today I want to do a hip-hop, R&B, soul or rock record.'”

Mars’ debut album, released in October 2010, debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four Hot 100 hits: the Grammy-winning “Just the Way You Are” (No. 1), “Grenade” (No. 1), “The Lazy Song” (No. 4) and “Marry You” (No. 85). The album has sold 1.7 million in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

His other top 10s include “It Will Rain” (No. 4) from the Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 soundtrack, and he was a featured artist on B.o.B‘s “Nothin’ On You” (No. 1), Travie McCoy‘s “Billionaire” (No. 4), Bad Meets Evil‘s “Lighters” (No. 4) and Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa‘s “Young, Wild & Free” (No. 7).

Unorthodox Jukebox is set for a December 11 release on Atlantic Records, according to Billboard.

Here’s a look at the albums track list (in no particular order):

“Locked Out of Heaven”
“Young Girls”
“Gorilla”
“When I Was Your Man”
“Natalie”
“Treasure”
“Moonshine”
“Money Makes Her Smile”
“Show Me”
“If I Knew”

MTV VMAs: Mars’ Stellar Tribute to Winehouse

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

He may not have taken home a Moonman at the MTV Video Music Awards, but Bruno Mars stole the show with his high-energy performance during the special tribute to the late Amy Winehouse.

Flanked by a full band, including a horn and string section, the 25-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer performed a no holds barred rendition of Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s cover of “Valerie,” originally sung by The Zutons.

Sporting a stylish turquoise blazer, Mars showcased his stellar dance moves and outstanding vocals during the 1960s Blues-themed performance. The truly passionate tribute was one of the award show’s high points.

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Bruno Mars

In addition to Mars’ performance, the special dedication to the gone-too-soon “Back to Black” singer included a touching speech by Winehouse’s friend Russell Brand, as well as an exclusive look at her recent collaboration with legendary singer Tony Bennett for his upcoming album of duets.

So what did you think of the VMA tribute to Amy Winehouse?

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