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Posted: 01 Apr 2013 05:27 AM PDT

BEIJING - Ageing Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias Monday said he may never be "in" but at least he can still draw a crowd, as he was given an award in Beijing as the world's best-selling male Latin artist.

The 69-year-old, who has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, was in China ahead of a three-show tour of the country, where he remains hugely popular due to his inoffensive, idealistic brand of singing.

"Maybe I am not 'in' in your country, maybe I am not 'in' anywhere in the world. I am not an artist which is 'in'. But I have been singing all of my life," he told AFP after receiving the Guinness World Records award as best-selling male Latin artist.

"Maybe in England I am not playing to 30,000 people that I used to play to 30 years ago, but now I can still play in England. One thing is to be 'in', but it is another to be popular."

Iglesias also received an award as First and Most Popular International Artist in China from his record company Sony, although it was unable to say how many records he has sold in the country. The singer also said he would be happy to play in the isolated, nuclear-armed state of North Korea.

"If they invite me, then why not? I don't believe in frontiers and I don't believe in races or nationalities."

Iglesias is embarking on an age-defying, gruelling world tour, with an Asian leg taking in the Philippines, South Korea, China, Singapore and Taiwan.

He has previously sung in Mandarin at a concert in Shanghai, but ruled out using the native tongue in his China shows on the tour.

"I don't want people in China to kill me," he laughed. - AFP

SHINee lead singer hurt in accident

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 02:13 AM PDT

K-pop boy band SHINee's lead vocal Jonghyun broke his nose in a car accident.

Jonghyun's car hit the guardrail on the Dongho Bridge on Seoul's Han River early on 1 April morning. He broke his nose in the incident, his agency SM Entertainment said Monday.

"He was diagnosed with a broken nose at the hospital. We will find out soon as to how long he will need to stay in the hospital after a thorough examination," a spokeswoman from SM explained.

She went on to say about the group's further activities, "Jonghyun's condition is above everything. We're going to wait and see before deciding on the schedules."

Police said the singer's inexperience as a driver could have led to the accident. Jonghyun was on his way back to the group's Apgujeong house from his parents' house when the incident happened.

(Reuters)

I.S.A Blues

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 01:09 AM PDT

Folk rock band SquareCircles espouses 'a bystander's perspective of politics and politicians'. Its leader and songwriter, who is also News Editor at The Star Online, explains.

GIVEN that SquareCircles was formed in the wake of 2008's "political tsunami", the songwriting road I took was influenced by those events. It seemed natural to me, even as I was going through a phase of "awakening" in my sociopolitical perceptions of the country.

The songs I wrote for the band's debut CD Immediately Seek Attention are my observations (and this is the word I stress) on events in the country, pre- and post-election, peppered with some light-hearted social commentary.

The eight songs on the CD were referred to by a friend as the "Malaysian experience", although I'm of the view that they're also relevant to many countries and societies. They don't all have political inferences and most of the songs have a tongue-in-cheek slant, with a bit of irony for good measure – we do get a laugh or two at gigs when people can actually hear the lyrics.

Take the song When The Robbers Came:

Robbers on the prowl

There's a noise in the hall

Maybe it's all in my head

But I don't want to end up dead

So I called the police station

Explain my situation

Can you please send someone over

Sorry, they say, short on manpower

For me, this song is not political, but reflects concerns over crime, and was influenced by an actual incident and a personal experience.

On a broader level, it is also about gun ownership, about whether or not allowing this would make us feel safer. And importantly, how you or I would react in such a situation.

The songs with political overtones in their theme – The New Dance, Your Call, System Of Lies and I.S.A Blues – reflect the zeitgeist back in 2008-09, when I wrote them. I.S.A Blues is especially topical, and by the time the album came out, the law was in the process of being abolished. But if you remember events surrounding it a few years ago, you would identify with the dark irony of the song. The album title is a play on the acronym.

Other members in the band include multi-instrumentalists like N.R. Lohan, 37 (electric and slide guitars), Kevin Theseira, 30 (bass), Krishna Kumar, 27 (cajon and tabla) and Wong Lip Kee, 30 (keyboards, percussion and harmonica).

Your Call, perhaps, was the most directly influenced by the last election. We've heard the same spiel and speeches from every corner of the political playing field, year after year. The song is about making your choice, about ensuring that you exercise your right as a citizen, and making your voice and vote count.

I think I may have been influenced by the fact that it was the first time I voted – it left me with with an epiphany of my role, however small, in the democratic process. And the democratic concept is what I examine, albeit in a more critical vein, in System Of Lies … it's cynical, perhaps even a bit angry.

I've been a hobbyist musician for decades, and songwriting is a natural outlet to convey sentiments. Some songwriters take the romantic route, others rave and rant … for me, it's about unearthing the irony and humour in situation, and trying to find sense and reason – and that's what Immediately Seek Attention is all about.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 1 April 2013

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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