Positive Review From That Grape Juice

"British breakout star Taio Cruz is set to follow-up the chart-topping success of his US debut ‘Break Your Heart’ with new single ‘Dynamite’. Expectedly Electro-Pop (Cruz’s musical mainstay), the song is a winner if another chart smash is what Cruz is on the hunt for. With its infectious hook,  80’s party nod, with a modern twist, this one looks poised for the top. Great track…"

Working on New Website

So, I really like the blog format, but I have a bigger idea for TaioCruzNews. Please checkout this website that I am designing and let me know what you think by commenting on this blog post. If I can, I am going to integrate this blog into the website.

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New Billboard Top 10 Rankings

 Taio Cruz rises 1 from 5 to 4 which is great considering he slid to 5 just last week. Let's see if it can climb up another spot next week to number 3. Keep requesting to hear it on the radio! Soon up, however, is Dirty Picture. Do you think Dirty Picture can hit number 1?

Full Top 10 Results:

Usher remains king of Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. His “OMG” comes in at No. 1 for its third non-consecutive week. Last week’s No. 2, Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” featuring Snoop Dogg, falls to No. 3. While B.o.B’s “Airplanes” featuring Hayley Williams rises from No. 3 to No. 2. Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart,” featuring Ludacris, moves up one from No. 5 to No. 4.

Ke$ha‘s “Your Love Is My Drug” stays at No. 7. Lady Gaga is creeping up to her seventh straight top five hit. Her “Alejandro” moves up two spots to No. 6. Miley Cyrus bursts on to the chart with her latest single, “Can’t Be Tamed.” It debuts at No. 8. Two former No. 1s round out the top 10. Eminem‘s “Not Afraid” drops three to No. 9. And “Rude Boy” by Rihanna goes from No. 9 to No. 10.

La Roux‘s “Bulletproof,” an infectious track that has slowly been burning up the chart, landed at No. 14 this week. Drake closes out the top 20. His “Over” and “Find Your Love” are No. 19 and 20 respectively.

10 Questions Answered By Taio Cruz

Ludacris fans know the rapper doesn’t just jump on anyone’s record. After turning on the radio and hearing Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart” incessantly, it was apparent Luda made a wise choice on the collaboration. The British-born singer’s song topped the Billboard Hot 100, making him quite the busy guy as of late. He’s jumping from one city to the next on a daily basis to promote his sophomore album, Rokstarr, available June 1.

But Taio’s grateful for the grueling schedule and the extreme love he’s received. “It’s always been loads of screaming fans,” he reveals. And witnessing his sudden success, it’s interesting to see what Taio’s got up his sleeve next. “If you like ‘Break Your Heart,’ the album is very much in that place,” he explains. “Very electronic-pop influenced, as well as a little bit of pop-rock. I always try to tell people that I make across-the-boards pop music.” As someone who has written songs for the likes of Ke$ha and is rumored to be working on Rihanna’s forthcoming album, it’s definitely Taio’s turn in the spotlight.

Right before he jetted off to Las Vegas, Rap-Up.com caught up with Taio Cruz to discuss his fondness for Avril Lavigne, the video girl of his dreams, and his guilty pleasure, which comes in the form of a libation.

1. What was it like working with Ke$ha on your second single “Dirty Picture”?
She was awesome. I actually finally got to meet her at the video shoot. We actually did the studio sessions in two different countries, but it still managed to work out and sound great. When I met her to work on the video, she was just a lovely person. We had a great time. We haven’t had the chance to party together; I was invited but couldn’t make it on that day. But I’m sure it would’ve been a mad party.

2. What did you do when you found out that “Break Your Heart” had hit No. 1?
My manager and I were kind of hanging out in L.A. and we decided to have a nice English cup of tea. I’m not really much of a partier, not really. I’m always in the studio, making music, so that’s my rock ‘n’ roll side.

3. The song itself, and especially the video, portray you as quite the player. Do you consider yourself a heartbreaker in real life?
No, not really. I suppose maybe 20%. It was more of just playing a character and having fun, just going out there and making a real cool, fun, cocky video. Not everyone has seen the whole plot of the video, but it’s actually myself and my girlfriend both going out with the intention of breaking everyone’s hearts.

4. You’ve done a lot of writing for other successful artists. Why did you decide to start putting out your own music rather than focusing on writing for others?
I just felt like it would be cool to see how well my music would be received if I put it out there, ’cause a lot of the times when I was in the studio people would ask me whether or not I was releasing a record. When I’d be writing a song for someone, I’d sing on the demo, they’d hear my voice on the song, and be like, “Oh my God, this is cool. When is this coming out?” And I would just be like, “Well, it’s not coming out. It’s a demo for Britney Spears,” or something. So I just decided to put a song out, to see how it would be received, and it was received so well. So I created an album, and then from there created a second album, Rokstarr, which is what you guys are listening to now.

5. If you could pick the perfect female co-star for a video, who would it be?
There’s too many beautiful women to pick from, to be honest! I’d be missing out on too many girls. It could be a combination of Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, Cassie, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Zoë Saldana, Stacey Dash, or Jennifer Lopez—a combination of those women [laughs].

6. On that note, what do you look for in a woman, besides beauty?
Just someone who’s fun, knows how to have a good time. The most important thing is how they treat other people. I don’t like people who treat other people badly. I like people who are kind through and through.

7. You’re a really busy guy. If you could have a day off, what would you do?
Absolutely nothing! And that concept is so alien to me. Doing nothing—wouldn’t have to do anything, wouldn’t have to go anywhere, wouldn’t have to think about business, don’t have to think about anything. That would be unbelievable. But I never do that, even when I’m on holiday, I’m still thinking of stuff or sorting things out, or I’m on the phone or email. So it would be good for a day to do absolutely nothing.

8. Your new album is titled Rokstarr. Who are some of your favorite rock stars?
Wow. That’s the first time I’ve been asked that question, which is cool. Queen, David Bowie, Coldplay, obviously. Oasis rocks. Lenny Kravitz. I like pop-rock. I like Nickelback! [Laughs] I like Avril Lavigne, she’s more pop I suppose, but she’s great.

9. If you could collaborate with any non-living artist, who would it be?
Michael Jackson, ’cause he’s the greatest.

10. What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?
Sprite. I try not to drink too much of it, ’cause I know it’s bad for you, but I love Sprite.

Article From: http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/26/10-questions-for-taio-cruz/

Say What!? Perez Hilton...

Ok, so Perez Hilton is quoted as saying the following "Travis has that special star quality that a lot of these other contemporary males don't have. He has what Jason Derulo lacks. Travis has what Jay Sean and Iyaz and Taio Cruz don't -- he's a superstar. Justin Bieber has it, that’s why he's been able to connect in a much bigger way. I do think that Travis kind of does fill that void that Justin Timberlake has left because he's not that much older, but he is 20 years old so he can appeal to an older broader fan base that’s just not tween girls."

Full article @USNews

Now, I am no expert, but Taio Cruz has been around this business for a long time writing songs for other people and even releasing his first album in 2008 which was a large hit in his home country the UK. In my opinion those people who are not at first an instant hit are the ones that have a lasting effect on people and therefore it is a little early to say Taio Cruz will not be a SuperStar. Thoughts??

Pictures Wanted

Well, Taio Cruz just finished another big concert so I want to see some of your pictures. Please send them into me and I will post them, feel free to write the caption, or I will write a clever one myself:) Send pictures here.

Thanks in advance.

NY Times Article: "Why You Should Get to Know Jay Sean, Tinchy Stryder and Taio Cruz"

We hold these truths to be self-evident: America leads the world in technology, commercial cinema and, most certainly, R&B.

Lately, though, that final truism has gotten a violent shake. Over the last half year, young British (!!!!) singers, like Jay Sean and Taio Cruz, have been getting just as much play on American R&B/pop radio as homegrown genre stars like Ne-Yo and Jason Derulo.

Last fall, Jay Sean's debut U.S. single, "Down," shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making him the first urban U.K. act ever to achieve that feat. The song went on to become the seventh-best-selling single of 2009, moving more than 3 million digital copies stateside.

Now that achievement has been matched by another Brit: Taio Cruz (who pronounces his first name "Tie-oh"). In the last month, Cruz's debut single, "Break Your Heart," not only got to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, it did so in an especially splashy way. "Heart" made the largest one-week jump to the top position by any new artist in history — vaulting 52 places at once.

Cruz managed his bolt by selling more than 300,000 downloads of the song in a seven-day burst.
Next week, the 27-year-old's U.S. debut CD, the cockily titled "Rokstarr," arrives here. The week after, it should become the nation's top seller.

The fact that both these Brit singers sound entirely American couldn't have hurt their cause. If you just heard them sing — and never heard them speak — you'd never guess their country of origin. "The majority of our audience had no idea either artist was from the U.K. until they were told," says Sharon Dastur, program director for Z-100, which heavily features both artists.

Still, there are other factors behind the ability of U.K. R&B artists to crack the hard nut of U.S. radio. Over the last year, R&B/pop stations have changed their format, downplaying conventional, midtempo, hip-hop-inflected R&B in favor of faster, dance-oriented pop. "R&B and hip hop have been usurped by rhythmic pop," explains Sean Ross, author of the industry newsletter Ross on Radio.
That shift has resulted in the rapid rise of dance stars like Lady Gaga and Ke. It has also benefited hip-hoppers who've switched to a more club-oriented sound, like Pitbull.

Craig McLean, who writes for Billboard from the U.K., traces the trend back to the Black Eyed Peas and producer/artist David Guetta. "Their success opened up radio, and the American consumer, to dance music," he says.

That, in turn, greased the way for U.K. stars, who've always embraced dance records, even when they went out of fashion in the U.S. after the '90s.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/05/23/2010-05-23_uk_stars_seize_american_rb_why_you_should_get_to_know_jay_sean_tinchy_stryder_an.html#ixzz0om4CdiAF

Hot Concert in Boston

JAMN 94.5 SUMMER JAM This multi-artist hip-hop and R&B festival is usually chock full of the au courant, but this year the station landed the hottest property of the moment: Canadian rapper Drake. Also on the bill are hit-makers like Ludacris, B.o.B., Taio Cruz, and Nicki Minaj. 4 p.m. June 5. $25-$125.50. Comcast Center, Mansfield. 877-598-8689.

Newest Billboard Top Ten List

Usher's "OMG" is No. 1 on the U.S. record chart this week, Billboard.com reported Thursday.

Coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 is Katy Perry's "California Gurls" featuring Snoop Dogg, followed by B.o.B's "Airplanes" featuring Hayley Williams at No. 3, B.o.B's "Nothin' On You" featuring Bruno Mars at No. 4 and Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart" featuring Ludacris at No. 5.

Rounding out the top tier are Eminem's "Not Afraid" at No. 6, Ke$ha's "Your Love is My Drug" at No. 7, Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" at No. 8, Rihanna's "Rude Boy" at No. 9 and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" at No. 10.

Thus, Taio Cruz "Break Your Heart" is down 1 this week from last week's number 4 position.

Perhaps soon Dirty Picture will be in the top 10, or Dynamite. What are your thoughts? Which song do you like better?

Winner Announced for Taio Cruz’s Next Video

Taio Cruz who parterned with Talenthouse has choose their winner in part based on votes from the public. The winner is Renata De Oliveira who is a political science student and model from Brazil. Currently she lives in Vancouver, Canada and has been for the past two years.

The competition asked aspiring models or dancers to create a sexy and tasteful video of themselves dancing or walking to Taio’s hit song “Break Your Heart.”

Renata will appear in Taio’s next video and also receive flight and hotel accommodations to Los Angeles this May.

Renata said  “I'm so excited and proud to have won this contest. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. I never thought I'd be the one going to LA and being a part of Taio's music video. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to Talenthouse, Taio's producers, and all those people who supported and believed in me” says winning model De Oliveira.

Watch her video here: http://www.talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/preview/renatadeoliveira/117