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Album: Kelly Rowland - 'Here I Am'
Member Since: 1/8/2011
Posts: 27,650
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found this artcel from Billboard, it was a nice read:
http://www.billboard.com/#/news/kell...05289582.story
Quote:
Kelly Rowland Steps Out With 'Motivation' On New Album
With 18 weeks on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, Kelly Rowland's breathless pillow-talk ballad "Motivation," featuring Lil Wayne, is undeniably one of the summer's best songs and biggest hits. Beyond the track's pervasive sensuality and deceptively simple melody, though, half the impact is hearing a new side to the former Destiny's Child singer, who'd released woman-power anthems in the past but had never emerged quite so strong, so visceral and so present.
Kelly Rowland Live Q&A: July 25 at 4:30pm ET!
Her breakout performance at June's BET Awards -- a steamy set with Trey Songz while wearing a much-commented-upon body suit and wide-brimmed hat -- reflected a new confidence and mystery. That performance showcased a longtime performer who'd finally settled into herself-a quality evident on her third album, "Here I Am," arriving July 22 on Universal Motown.
"I'm 30 now," Rowland says, "and there's something with being on your own and having your business together and having a good team -- all of that is so incredibly rewarding. For me, [this album] was just about growth. I remember watching 'Motivation' grow [at radio], and being like, 'Oh, my God, that station has never played a Kelly Rowland record.' It's incredibly humbling, because I started in this game when I was 15, 16 years old, and here I am 30 and I'm still here."
Video: Kelly Rowland feat. Lil Wayne, "Motivation"
Despite the song's promise of longevity, a year-and-a-half ago Rowland was at a crossroads, her next step unclear. Though she was experiencing success on TV with her stint on Bravo's sartorial series "The Fashion Show," she was label-less, having been dropped by Columbia Records in 2009 for poor album sales following 2007's "Ms. Kelly." (The project has sold 222,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.) She had also decided to sever ties with Mathew Knowles, who'd managed her career since her Destiny's Child days, a decision that stemmed from, she says, "just a feeling in my gut about changing. It was a simple conversation I had with him, and he was very understanding and it moved from there. I am just grateful that I'm at the age where I'm making decisions for myself. And that I'm not afraid, above everything, because that was not easy at all. At all."
Undeterred, Rowland began recording the songs that would eventually make up Here I Am. She explored different styles-including the dance music that helped her score the No. 1 Dance Club Songs hit of 2009, "When Love Takes Over," with French DJ/producer David Guetta -- and cut tracks with more traditional urban producers like Tricky Stewart, Ester Dean, Rico Love (who produced "Motivation") and longtime collaborator Rodney "Darkchild" Jenkins. "I recorded the same whether it was with or without a label, to be honest," she says. "For me, it was just about the creativity."
Kelly Rowland's 'Here I Am' Track Listing Revealed
Serendipitously, it was the strobe light club thump of dance music that eventually landed her a deal with Universal Motown, when the label's then-president Sylvia Rhone visited her in a Miami studio after hearing "Commander," Rowland's second single with Guetta. "She came in with the finished product of 'Commander,' and she was playfully like, 'What is this?'" Rowland recalls. "I was like, 'That's dance music.' She was like, 'That's hot!' Next thing we know we're meeting in New York and working on the record."
Rowland hasn't abandoned her signature styles -- Here I Am is still very much about hip-hop and pop-informed R&B, and the Hit-Boy-produced second single, "Lay It on Me," is an infectious, uptempo love-maker, featuring rapper Big Sean. But the album does reflect Rowland's growing appeal in the global market, which should receive a bump from her forthcoming role as a judge on Simon Cowell's British music competition show "The X Factor" and the internationally released trance and dubstep-influenced single "Down for Whatever," produced by RedOne.
Kelly Rowland Recruits Big Sean for Second Single, 'Lay It on Me'
"We're going to attack Kelly from a global standpoint because her presence is forever expanding," says co-manager Marcus Grant, of Collective Music Group, which took Rowland on as a client shortly after hearing "Motivation." "With her track record over the last few years, she has a built-in audience out there. Certain records are instant like 'Motivation,' but two is always better than one." Or, as Rowland's other manager Tim Weatherspoon, who started working with Rowland shortly after she severed ties with Knowles, puts it, "Hit records don't alter plans, [they] only enhance the strategy."
Rowland will appear on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on July 29, and she's hoping to play a smattering of domestic dates this summer. International tour plans are postponed until the top of 2012, after the upcoming season of "X Factor" has concluded.
Meanwhile, Rowland attributes her heretofore unseen solo success as much to those around her as to her own talents. "This came from having a good support system behind me," she says. "Everything has just panned out really well, and that's a blessing, period."
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Member Since: 10/13/2010
Posts: 6,733
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I just found out the album won't be released in my country I can't even support her 
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Member Since: 4/7/2009
Posts: 34,961
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My Rankings so far: - Motivation
- All Of The Night
- Turn It Up
- Feeling Me Right Now
- Keep It Between Us
- Commander
- Down For Whatever (On The Floor and Papi...
 like literally. But I like the instrumental better on this song)
- Lay It On Me
- Work It Man
- I’m Dat Chick
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Member Since: 5/30/2010
Posts: 2,776
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Quote:
Originally posted by sbenci
I just found out the album won't be released in my country I can't even support her |
You will probably get the other already amazing INTERNATIONAL edition
But you can get the album as an import 
The album is growing on me.
All of the Night>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Member Since: 1/8/2011
Posts: 27,650
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saw a Kelly Rowland commercial for Here I Am on BET. Maybe there is promo after all
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Member Since: 9/20/2008
Posts: 2,290
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Quote:
Originally posted by iamvladd
saw a Kelly Rowland commercial for Here I Am on BET. Maybe there is promo after all
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They invested their money especially on tv adverts! It has been on BET, VH1 and MTV.
She is right now in rehearsal! Just posted a pic on her website.
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Member Since: 9/20/2008
Posts: 2,290
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Quote:
Originally posted by sbenci
I just found out the album won't be released in my country I can't even support her |
You are being such a drama mama! Of course it will be not released in your country. There wont be a physical release in my country either but I pre-ordered an import, you can do that too.
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Member Since: 9/20/2008
Posts: 2,290
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Member Since: 5/15/2006
Posts: 5,247
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^ That is AMAZING! 
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Member Since: 4/7/2009
Posts: 34,961
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Quote:
Originally posted by Dereon
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Member Since: 7/21/2007
Posts: 13,822
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Quote:
Originally posted by Dereon
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nice.  This should go in every thread about Kelly. 
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Member Since: 10/13/2010
Posts: 6,733
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deluxe is out in the UK too
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Member Since: 7/16/2010
Posts: 43,593
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Quote:
Originally posted by sbenci
deluxe is out in the UK too
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and the deluxe tracks have still not appeared online
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Member Since: 10/8/2009
Posts: 35,527
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Member Since: 11/2/2010
Posts: 20,295
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Quote:
Originally posted by PopBoi
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Might aswell get a few extra sales.  No idea, they're gonna make a loss shipping it here.
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Member Since: 7/12/2009
Posts: 15,281
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Wasn't she gonna go dance in UK? 
I'm here for dance Kelly. But it's still nice
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Member Since: 12/17/2010
Posts: 10,073
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Do we even know if she's still doing the EU version?
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Member Since: 7/16/2010
Posts: 43,593
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Quote:
Originally posted by Venus
Do we even know if she's still doing the EU version?
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I think she will, since I don't see much tracks doing great worldwide from the US edition
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Member Since: 12/17/2010
Posts: 10,073
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Well the last time the International edition was brought up was when "Grown Woman" and "Rose Colored Glasses" were lead singles.
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Member Since: 4/12/2011
Posts: 6,718
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Is "Forever and a Day" on the album ?
I Am Here for Dance Kelly !
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