Five pop stars still waiting for their first #1
When their 13th single ’30 Days’ bombed out of the charts after approximately 30 seconds, it looked like The Saturdays were forever doomed to girl-group bridesmaid status. But with the help of a TV series, a cameo from Sean Paul and their catchiest release in a long while, they’ve finally broken the curse and can now stand proudly alongside the likes of The Spice Girls, Girls Aloud and Sugababes as bona-fide chart toppers. About time too!
So, who does that leave still on the waiting list for entry into the Number One club? Here are a few of the most high-profile residents of planet pop who haven’t quite gone the distance yet…
- He may be the biggest teen pop icon on the planet, but Justin Bieber's highest-charting UK hit, Boyfriend, was held off the top spot by his own support act Carly Rae Jepsen.
- Still, at least Justin can say he's done better than ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. She's only cracked the UK top 40 once so far – when Naturally rose to #7 back in 2010.
- Taylor Swift has had two singles peak at #2 so far – Love Song and I Knew You Were Trouble. But she's still waiting on that elusive first number one.
- Ellie Goulding's cover of Your Song was a massive Christmas hit in 2010, but it couldn't quite sneak past the X Factor Finalists annual charity single 'Heroes'. She's had plenty of hits since, but never come so close to hitting the top.
- The 14-single wait for a Number One might have felt like a lifetime for The Saturdays, but pop diva Janet Jackson racked up an amazing 34 hit singles between 1986 and 2006 without ever getting higher than #2. So take heart Bieber & co. You're in pretty good company…
Christina Aguilera says Justin Bieber should take time off. POP BITS.
POP BITS. Christina Aguilera would not be alone in noticing that Justin Bieber had rather a hard time whilst in touring the UK earlier this month. She is alone (or in a small club) in being qualified to give Justin advice on how to cope as a teenage superstar. She suggests that Justin take a little time away from music and his beloved Beliebers. “You learn as you get older to take moments for yourself, step away from the camera, re-inspire yourself as an artist, rejuvenate and refresh”.
After his antics in London many were quick to declare that Justin had become a bit of a diva, a far cry from the sweet, innocent boy we first met three years ago. But Christina thinks time away will keep Justin grounded, “I would tell Bieber, don’t let anything morph you or push you around or have you be something you’re not. I’ve always been really honest and true to my own roots and been really grounded, not letting myself stray too much.”
This may mean Biebz taking a much-deserved break after the conclusion of his ‘Believe’ world tour (which isn’t til August). But could we wait two years for a new album? POP BITS OUT.
Selena Gomez admits she made Justin Bieber cry. POP BITS.
POP BITS. We now know that Jelena is definitely over. And hold on tight, it’s about to get exciting. Various shots have been fired between Team Taylor and Team Styles post-Haylor-break-up but it looks like that skirmish will be nothing in comparison to the all-out war between Justin and Selena that’s about to break out.
Last night Selena went on the David Letterman show to talk about her new film ‘Spring Breakers’ which is out in the UK on April 5th. Talk turned to Selena’s love life with Selena announcing that she’s “so single and so good”. Letterman then declared that the last time Selena’s ex-boyfriend, one Justin Drew Bieber was on his show, David had made Justin cry to which Selena retorted, “That makes two of us”, with a laugh.
Wow. That’s fightin’ talk. It’s on. POP BITS OUT.
Will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber – ‘#thatPOWER’ – Download or Ditch?
We have been waiting eagerly for Will.i.am to release his new album ‘#willpower’ since we first heard ‘This Is Love’ and we were even more excited when ‘Scream and Shout’ dominated the charts. Imagine our delight when we heard that the Voice mentor’s newest album will be massaging our eardrums next month. And if that wasn’t enough, his latest twitter ready single ‘#thatPOWER’, with lead vocals supplied by the Biebs himself, has debuted online over the weekend. It’s safe to say we need a new pair of pants.
As any belieber (or even non belieber) knows, it’s been a tough few weeks for the 19-year-old pop prince so it’s good to see him back where he belongs – on our iPods.
The collaboration was recorded less than a month ago, February 20th to be exact. Mr. I.Am (or is it, He.Is?) and Justin decided to record the track before the Brits whilst shoe-shopping, which sounds like a pretty busy day to us. But has all the chaos of that day resulted in a bit of a rushed job?
‘#thatPower’ is geared towards dancefloors and clubs across the nation and that is something the former BEP frontman does best. The song starts with a sample of Daft Punk’s ‘Harder’ and the ‘Beauty and the Beat’ singer delivers some captivating “Oh I’m alive“s in a pretty promising opening. The track has heavy electronic beats served with a catchy tune and Justin’s sweet vocals trickled all over it, like some form of delicious pop ice-cream sundae.
But is the track a little too similar to ‘Scream and Shout’? Or is it up there with “I gotta feeling”? Are Justin’s vocals and fan base enough to push the track up to the club classic status of Will’s past hits? Is this love? Or does it have you screaming “Baby, baby. baby, no”? We’re putting it up for the Download or Ditch vote. Closes Friday 5pm.
Justin Bieber takes to Instagram to hit back at the media. POP BITS.
POP BITS. Poor Justin. He really did have the week from hell last week. Whilst his Beliebers have been vocal in defence of their hero, Justin himself has remained quiet. Until now. Justin took to Instagram and blasted the media for the pressure they’ve put on him whilst he’s trying to grow up in the spotlight and develop as a singer.
Justin said, “I’m a good person with a big heart. And don’t think I deserve all of this negative press I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am and my hard work doesn’t stop here” before declaring that considering the pressure he’s under, “i think im doing pretty damn good”.
We think so too. Don’t let ‘em get to you Biebs. POP BITS OUT.
Justin Bieber’s London woes continue
Justin Bieber may regret ever getting on that plane to the UK. Ever since he turned 19 in London last Friday Bieber has had the week from hell. There’s been inappropriate nakedness, there’s been a gas mask, there have been (alleged) 14 year-olds in night clubs, there’s been the ‘worst birthday’ and there has been the now infamous two-hour delay on Monday night at the O2. We addressed some of these issues on Tuesday in an open letter to Mr. Bieber. Nothing has seemed to have run smoothly for Justin since he began his residency in London.
Last night it got even worse. Justin made it onto stage – hurrah! – but not long after he had to leave the stage for twenty minutes with breathing problems. They may or may not have been caused by the dodgy vintage gas mask he’s been donning. Justin is reported to have fainted backstage before receiving oxygen. His manager Scooter Braun took to the stage and told London’s Beliebers that Justin had complained of lightness of breath throughout the show. Justin then returned to the stage against doctor’s orders and finished the show. He received further treatment at hospital overnight.
Ever the shy and retiring type, Justin posted this shirtless picture on Instagram of himself in a hospital bed.
He took time to thank his Beliebers for helping him through the show. He is “figuring out what happened” before his final London show tonight. Provided he gets through this one without any drama, we’re certain that he’ll be on the first plane out of the country.
But thank you Justin for bringing a little bit of drama and excitement to this boring, rainy March week. Bon voyage!
Much love, the people of Britain.
Justin Bieber: an open letter
Dear Justin Drew ‘Swaggie’ Bieber,
It has come to our attention that you have been getting yourself into rather a lot of bother whilst you’re over here in the UK. Your behaviour has been erratic and unpredictable. You left your concert in Birmingham on Thursday night without meeting any fans afterwards and came straight to London, where you walked shirtless in the streets in the early hours. Whilst, yes, we did appreciate your shirtlessness – it is lovely, no doubt about that – it isn’t very normal to be half-naked in London in March. It’s quite cold, even today, when the sun is out there’s still a crispness in the air. Maybe in comparison to London, Ontario the temperatures of London, England are positively tropical? But we doubt it. What’s wrong Justin?
Then there was the debacle with your birthday party on Friday night. We’re not certain what happened but we are certain that you can’t take a 14 year old into a nightclub, even if he is Will Smith’s son. Sorry about that. As for your “worst birthday” ever in London, again, we apologise that your massive circus-themed 19th birthday party was ruined. We think maybe we all just got a little over-excited. Because you see, those of us in England love you. Quite a lot.
You said you loved us too. But last night you broke a lot of hearts. For many of your young Beliebers this was their first chance to meet you, their idol, and see you in the flesh. Some had waited years for the opportunity, and some will have to wait a little longer. We’re not sure why you turned up late, but if you are angry about your birthday party being ruined, it wasn’t fair of you to take it out on your Beliebers. Turning up two hours late, on a school night, is not really acceptable and you compromised the safety of your beloved Beliebers, many of whom would’ve missed the last train home if they stayed til the end of your show. To your Beliebers, you mean the world, but this morning it seems as if they mean very little to you.
What can we, the English Beliebers, do to put right this fractious relationship we have Justin? What have we done wrong? We want an end to these countless tantrums and all these shenanigans. Whether you like it or not, you’re an idol and a role model to millions of youngsters around the world. They (and we) look up to you, so please don’t let us down. We’ll forgive you, probably, this time. But we want a prompt start, and an apology, tonight please.
Yours sincerely,
Maximumpop!
Justin Bieber celebrates his 19th birthday in London. POP BITS.
POP BITS. It’s all been a bit low-key and you might not have heard about it but Justin Bieber is celebrating his 19th birthday today. After finishing his show in Birmingham Justin hit London and partied til 6:30am ending the night with a kebab. For some unfathomable reason that will baffle all freezing Londoners, Justin decided to return to his hotel without a shirt before hitting the town. That’s not necessarily a complaint, we appreciate Justin’s dedication to nakedness. But it is very cold here.
Justin’s celebrations will continue tonight at London club Cirque Du Soir which has allegedly been decked out like a circus with clowns, goblins, aerial acts and some fire-eaters. So it’ll be very low-key night again. He’d best not party too hard though, as he has a show in Nottingham tomorrow night. POP BITS OUT.
SONG OFF: Ke$ha’s ‘C’mon’ vs Justin Bieber’s ‘All Around The World’
What do Ke$ha and Justin Bieber have in common? Well, they’re both international superstars – obviously. They also share a birthday today; Justin turns 19(!) while Ke$ha will be celebrating her 26th. To think we remember when they were just bright-eyed young pop innocents! (well, not so much Ke$ha…)
They also both have new singles out on Sunday. Justin will be unleashing the dancetastic ‘All Around The World’ from his Believe album, while K-dolla is following up ‘Die Young’ with new party anthem ‘C’mon’. So we thought we’d use the excuse for a good old-fashioned SONG OFF:
Who? Ke$ha
D.O.B: 01/03/87
Song: ‘C’Mon’
Out: Sunday 3rd March
About: In a bold change of pace, this is a Ke$ha song about getting drunk and partying.
Most thought-provoking lyric: Feeling like sabretooth tiger/sipping on a warm Budweiser…
Is it a ballad? No
Giant owls in the video: 1
Acoustic guitars in the video: 0
Is there a ‘guest rap’?: No
Hands-in-the-air factor: 8/10
Is it better than the last single?: It’s about the same. You know what you’re getting with Ke$ha.
Should I buy it?: Yes
Would your mum approve?: The video features Ke$ha getting drunk, quitting her job for no reason, getting into cars with strange cats and trashing the local co-op. On reflection, probably not.
Who?: Justin Bieber
D.O.B: 01/03/94
Song: ‘All Around The World’
Out: Sunday 3rd March
About: Beautiful girls from all around the world
Most thought-provoking lyric: All around the world/People want to be loved
Is it a ballad: No, but there is an acoustic version
Giant owls in the video: 0
Acoustic guitars in the video: 1
Is there a ‘guest rap’?: Yes
Hands in the air factor: Original version: 7/10. Acoustic version: 4/10
Is it better than the last single?: Original: Yes, Acoustic: No
Should I buy it?: Yes!
Would your mum approve?: He seems like a nice young man, so yes.
Justin Bieber – Welcome to Britain.
Bieber Fever is set to hit the UK full force this week as the Believe world tour finally rolls onto our shores. Starting in Manchester on Thursday, Justin will be spending a full two weeks trekking up and down the country. He’ll even be here for his birthday next Friday (March 1st) so it’s very important Biebs enjoys himself while he’s here. We’re an accomodating lot at Maximum Pop!, so we thought he might like some advice on what to do while he’s here, and on how to avoid any embarrassing faux pas. To help him to get the best out of his trip, we’re proud to present our ‘Rough Guide to Britain for a Teen Sensation’. Do pass it on to Justin if you happen to run into him…
Remember – London is in the UK, the UK is not in London
Many a foreign superstar has made this mistake – from Britney Spears to Eminem. The Beliebers may be a forgiving bunch, but even their beloved leader could get a frosty reception if he tells a crowd of Mancunians how much he loves “being here in London”.
If you go for a spin, keep to the left-hand side of the road
We know Justin loves nothing better than cruising through Beverley Hills in one of his many expensive sports cars. Should a similar mood take him in, say, Wolverhampton, we hope he remembers the plot of every American-in-England road comedy ever and sticks to the right side of the road. Which is the left side, obviously. Wait a second, now we’re confused…
While you’re in town, why not drop in on some old friends?
Here in Britain we love celebrities from over the water so much we’ve practically adopted a few of them. Nicole Scherzinger – who Justin once admitted to having a huge crush on – practically lives here now, and frankly we can’t seem to get rid of Speidi. Not so many Canadians have set up shop here for some reason, but we hear Bryan Adams might be in town (ask your dad).
Alternatively, why not use the time to work on your accent skills?
Justin claims to love a British accent, but to be honest so far his efforts at imitating us haven’t been too convincing. A few weeks travelling through the country could be the perfect time to brush up. We’d love to hear a Bieberfied take on the Liverpool accent – or maybe he could drop in on his old pal Cheryl Cole and perfect his Georgie brogue?
If somebody called Katie Price invites you for a drink after one of your shows – run far and run fast.
We really can’t stress this one enough.
Good luck Justin. We hope you enjoy your visit.
Are you seeing Justin? Which landmarks in your town should he visit?
