Erik Grönwall Commands Both Singles and Album Chart in Sweden

In Sweden, Idol winner Erik Grönwall remains atop of the singles chart for a second week with “Higher.” The final chart of the year shows little change as Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Darin’s “Viva la vida” remain at No.2 and No.3. Coincidentally, Pet Shop Boys enters the chart at No.32 with another cover of the Coldplay hit. The track is included on the duo’s Christmas EP, headed by the track “It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas.” On PSB’s new version, “Viva la vida” is mixed with “Domino Dancing.”

The Black Eyed Peas spends its 20th week on the chart with “I Gotta Feeling.” Spotify recently announced that this was the most streamed track in 2008. Idol runner-up Calle Kristiansson won an album deal as well, and his live cover version of the Marc Cohn classic “Walking in Memphis” moves 7-5.

Alicia Keys has three tracks on the singles chart this week. The Jay-Z duet “Empire State of Mind” falls 10-11, while “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” vaults 32-19.  “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” enters the chart at No.59.

As expected, Erik Grönwall’s debut album Erik Grönwall immediately enters the No.1 position. The Priests are pushed back 1-3, while Melody Gardot remains at No.2 with My One and Only Thrill.  Peter Jöback’s Xmas set Jag kommer hem igen till jul tops the midprice chart, followed by Il Divo’s The Christmas Collection.

Lady Gaga Remains in the Top 5 in the UK

Lady Gaga remains at No.3 with “Bad Romance” adding her ninth week on the UK singles chart. She’s trailed by Cheryl Cole who’s back with a follow-up to this fall’s No.1 “Fight for this Love.” Her new single features will.i.am on vocals and is titled “3 Words.” The Black Eyed Peas rise 10-6 with “Meet Me Halfway.” The highest new entry comes from Jay-Z who’s teamed up with Mr. Hudson on the Alphaville rendition “Young Forever.” Similar to recent success by T.I. and Flo Rida, the track is based on a well-known hit, this time “Forever Young.”

Michael Bublé’s Crazy Love denies Susan Boyle another week atop of the album chart. Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream is still the Billboard 200 album No.1. Lady Gaga remains at No.4 with The Fame, a set that almost celebrates its first anniversary on the chart. The follow-up, The Fame Monster, has already fallen out of the top 40.

Another Facebook Campaign Fuels Journey’s Success

American rock band Journey has also been favored by a Facebook campaign closely linked to X-Factor. Even if the intention wasn’t to fend off Joe McElderry, many believed that he would cover Journey’s 1982 hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” would be chosen as the single. The track reached No.62 back in 1982, but re-entered the charts this February based on digital downloads. Due to the recent Facebook campaign, UK students promoted the track with success, propelling it to No.7 on this week’s chart. One of the group’s most successful songs is “Open Arms.” The track reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. In 1995, a Mariah Carey cover of the song peaked at No.4 in the UK. The song was included on her album Daydream.

Joe McElderry Finally Made “The Climb”

It took a bit longer, but Joe McElderry finally made the climb to the top of the UK singles chart. “The Climb” knocks Rage Against the Machine from the top spot, but it’s quite a feat that “Killing in the Name Of” only falls to the runner-up spot. Usually, seasonal hits fall heavy once the novelty wears off. This time, it was the Facebook campaign initiated to fend off the X-Factor winner.

Amanda Jenssen is in Happyland

The Swedish Grammy Awards are always up for discussion. When the nominees were announced earlier this month, it was also clear that it will not be broadcasted on TV. This means, that we won’t see any scandalous behavior live – even though any incidents will be reported by the tabloids.

Back in 1993, the indie pop group Popsicle wished for the dance orchestra act Arvingarna to die in a bus crash. This year, producer Kleerup left the awards ceremony halfway through despite picking up three awards for his eponymous debut album including the UK No.1 “With Every Heartbeat,” featuring Robyn.
This year, Amanda Jenssen and Thåström earned most nominations. Amanda Jenssen broke through in Idol 2007, where she ended up as the runner-up behind Marie Picasso. Her album Happyland has so far one hit single – the title track. A Grammy Award is a surefire way of extending the length of an album’s life. The set follows her 2008 debut Killing My Darlings, including hits such as “Do You Love Me” and “Amarula Tree.”

The Grammy Awards premiered in 1969 and is arranged by the industry body Ifpi. Awards are based on the general public votes as well as a professional jury. Approximately 30,000 people have voted this year. The ceremony will be held on Jan.15, 2010.

Artist of the Year: Amanda Jenssen, Kent, Lars Winnerbäck, Mando Diao and Thåström.
Album of the Year: Colonia (A Camp), Happyland (Amanda Jenssen), Röd (Kent), Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen (Lars Winnerbäck) and Be-bop-a-lula hela jävla dan (Thåström).
Song of the Year: “Release Me,” Agnes, “Så gör jag det igen,” Caroline af Ugglas, “Me and Simon,” Laleh, “Säg ingenting till mig,” Melissa Horn and “Dancing the Whole Way Home,” Miss Li. 

R. Kelly Looked to Whitney Houston

“I Look to You” marked Whitney Houston’s comeback this summer. WelcheMusic found this clip on YouTube which has circulated for a while. It shows R. Kelly in an MTV interview about writing the track. He says it’s for Whitney Houston, but this was shot before her comeback was announced.

To date, the song has been issued almost all around the world. It premiered in North America at the end of July, where it peaked at No.19 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It also peaked at No.70 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was, however, issued as a double A-side single with “Million Dollar Bill” in Germany, where it peaked at No.41.

For some reason, the single release of “I Look to You” was delayed until Dec.14 in the UK. Instead, “Million Dollar Bill” reached No.5 back in October. The singer even performed a dance remix of the track live on X-Factor. “I Look to You” only managed to reach No.115 on the singles track on the back of the December release.

The Perfect Xmas Gift for R’n’B Lovers

 

She’s back – Mary J. Blige delivers the perfect Xmas gift to us all. Her ninth studio album is titled Stronger withEach Tear and was issued on Dec.21. WelcheMusic’s already picked up the two preceding singles “The One” and “I Am.” The singer also appeared on the soundtrack to More than a Game with “Stronger” this fall. That cut didn’t make the album.

Another soundtrack cut is, however, included and this just might be an Academy Award contender. “I Can See in Color” is taken from the new movie Precious

Mr Blobby, It was your week back in ‘93

The WelcheMusic team wishes you a Merry Xmas! So, to honor the season in question, let’s re-visit a guy that probably won’t top the singles chart any time soon. Remember Mr Blobby? Well, for those residing in the UK chances are that you hated the Xmas No.1 back in 1993. The catcy nursery rhyme-ish “Mr Blobby” was a novelty song performed by a character that appeared on the TV show Noel’s House Party. The track replaced Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That,” following a seven week-reign. Take That knocked him Mr Blobby off the top, but he returned and spent another two weeks there.

Ke$ha Claims the Top Spot in the States

The Rage Against the Machine Facebook campaign didn’t reach the States, which meant that Ke$ha could claim the Billboard Hot 100 top spot without controversy. This means that Jay-Z and Alicia Keys moves 1-2 this week with “Empire State of Mind.”

Last week, Ke$ha only marginally beat Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” As “TiK ToK” now reigns atop, this means that she’s the first female artist to reach the top with a debut single since Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.”  To be totally fair, Ke$ha did already top the charts earlier this year, but her appearance on Flo Rida’s “Right Round” was non-credited. Expect her album Animal to reach stores in January 2010.

As WelcheMusic reported a few days back, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the acoustic version of “Empire State of Mind” would reach the charts. As it turns out, this version does debut at No.55. The highest new entry comes from Eminem, whose “Hell Breaks Loose” comes in at No.29. It features Dr. Dre and was added to the release of Relapse:Refill, a re-issue with bonus tracks. It’s worth mentioning that Usher enters at No.94 with “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home).” It’s the second track lifted from the forthcoming album Raymond vs. Raymond. The first one, “Papers,” peaked at a disappointing No.31. Usher hasn’t reached the upper reaches since “Love in this Club” topped the charts in the beginning of 2008. Maybe he should record a duet it with Alicia Keys – remember “My Boo” in 2004…

Holland’s Own Eva Simons Too Good to Miss Out On

WelcheMusic  just discovered this pop gem through Spotify. “Silly Boy” is the title track of Dutch singer Eva Simons debut set. Issued back in August this year, the track peaked at No.14 in her home country. The style is very poppy, and please don’t miss out on the fantastic David Aude remix.

• Eva Simons – Silly Boy (Dave Aude’s Radio Version)