Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Gives Her 'Mass Appeal,' Experts Say

Radio programming directors say new song is getting 'mad love' already.
By Gil Kaufman


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

Given the months of anticipation, it's hard to believe that Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" would live up to expectations when it premiered. The towering, club-remix-ready anthem in support of outliers, outcasts and proud freaks of all stripes debuted on radio early Friday morning (February 11), and as with just about all things Gaga, the response was immediate.

After hearing it very early Friday morning, Julie Pilat, the assistant program director and music director at Los Angeles' KIIS FM dubbed the song a "one-listen record." In an e-mail sent soon after the song debuted on her station (hours before the scheduled 6 a.m. ET debut on the East Coast), Pilat wrote that the song, "sounds incredible on KIIS. It was exciting to have the Gaga drop and it be a HUGE event as it world-premiered on radio."

Pilat said that just after spinning it for the first time, she started monitoring fan reaction on Facebook and Twitter. "It was fun seeing so many people stay up for the premiere," she said of the anticipation for the song, which had the feel of a major movie franchise opening or the first day of iPad sales.

"As soon as it hit the air, monsters were posting and giving Gaga mad love," she said. "I saw everything from 'awesome,' to 'best song ever' and 'Dying — think I need to go to the emergency room!' It's out, people love it, next stop Grammys!"

Kid Kelly, vice president of pop programming for Sirius/XM satellite radio, echoed Pilat's excitement, saying the song has been in rotation every 70 minutes since it debuted on SiriusXM Hits 1 on Friday morning. "When I first heard it this morning, I thought it was more mainstream and not the same Lady Gaga we first heard when she hit the scene," he said. "I thought it was definitely her mainstream, uptempo, pop-dance song that will make her a mass-appeal artist."

While Gaga is already a worldwide star, with album sales in the millions, Kelly said unlike other Gaga tunes that started out at pop radio and eventually migrated over to the Hot AC (adult contemporary) format, he predicted that "Born This Way" is likely to live on the latter even longer than on pop radio thanks to its wider appeal. "It's just a bit dancier, with a big, fat hook."

For now, the song is an "event" type of tune for the satellite network's pop station, but Kelly said he could see it crossing over to other stations such as The Blend (described as "Lite pop hits") and several other stations on the network over time.

MTV was also flooded with comments about the song, including one from Darren, who wrote, "I love my life, I love this record, and mi amore vole fe yah!," while Alex wrote "AMAZING!!!!!!!!" But not everyone felt it lived up to the hype, as commenter Journey put it, "Do I think it's her best? No, but it delivers a powerful message and in the meantime still happens to be very fun."

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Justin Bieber's Grammy Performance Will Be 'A Crossover,' Usher Says

The 'O.M.G.' singer looks forward to sharing the stage with his protégé on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery


Usher
Photo: Amanda Edwards/ Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD — At Sunday's 53rd Grammy Awards, Usher will be pulling double duty as both a nominee and a performer. Of course, given the massive year he just completed — with the success of his smash single "O.M.G." and as a mentor to rising phenom Justin Bieber — Ush's Grammy plans seem rather fitting.

Especially since he'll be performing with Bieber (and Bieber's pal Jaden Smith), a move that's just as much about celebrating Usher's successes as it is the successes of his young protégé.

"Having been through [the Grammys] so many times, you couldn't want for anything more than for your young protégé to have the opportunity to have one, so, in support of him having his moment, I wanted to be here," Usher told MTV News on Thursday, hours before his performance at the (Belvedere) RED launch party in Hollywood. "And also to be there to perform, to kind of tell the story of how we came together. This music business has definitely been good to both of us, and this year we have a lot to be happy for."

And just how will the dynamic duo tell that story? Well, Usher wasn't about to reveal all the details, but he did say that he's hoping their performance will show another side of Bieber ... a side most tend to overlook.

"The performance will be fun," Usher explained. "We want to get up there and just do what we do. Be comfortable, and have a great time. ... This is kind of a crossover for Justin. Having performed on so many different stages, this is the way that I wanted him to be seen and an opportunity to show the industry — a lot of the industry, that didn't believe [in him] — some of his other talents. He's going to play acoustically, and also, we'll get down a little bit."

And though Ush is up for a pair of Grammy awards on Sunday — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Album for Raymond v. Raymond — he's most looking forward to sharing the stage with Bieber and giving fans a look at where the young artist will be heading next.

"I'm very proud, man. I definitely saw it from the beginning, but thanks to the team that we have around us, it was made to happen. And that story has only just begun," Usher said. "The story of Justin Bieber doesn't stop with screaming girls; we need screaming fans all around the world ... a cultural experience that's much more than just fanfare. And that's what this is. That's what the Grammys will be; that's what my next phase for Justin is. This is the way I found him: I found him with a guitar in his hand, so I want him to be seen that way."

Don't miss "Snooki & Sway: Live From the Grammys," a red-carpet live stream kicking off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all Grammy night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!

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Lady Gaga's Grammy Performance: How Will She Top Herself?

MTV News takes a guess at what Lady Gaga will do Sunday during her 'Born This Way' performance.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga performs at the 2010 Grammy Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

On Sunday, days after debuting "Born This Way," a splashy dance track about accepting who you are, Lady Gaga is set to take the stage and perform the song for the first time at the Grammys (if you don't count the time she sang part of the chorus at the VMAs back in September).

Gaga's live performances are typically gory, over-the-top spectacles. She died a bloody death onstage during the 2009 VMAs, she played with fire that same year at the American Music Awards and paid tribute to her late pal, Alexander McQueen, at the Brit Awards in 2010.

Last year at the Grammy Awards, the singer didn't miss a beat. She appeared, donning a sparkly getup by Armani Privé from a toxic waste container, singing her "Poker Face." Soon, she was discarded by one of her dancers, leaving the audience completely unsure as to what was happening next.

Then she was back, completely covered in ashes, this time joined by Elton John, who had been Gaga-fied (thanks to ashes, Gaga's sparkly sunglasses and a glittering, galactic earring). The two sat, facing one another, at pianos, playing her piano ballad "Speechless" and his iconic track "Your Song."

With nothing known about what Gaga will do at this year's broadcast, she has been vocal about why she chooses to go dark and usually die during her live shows, versus keeping it light and fun.

"That's what everyone wants to know, right? What is she going to look like when she dies ... when she's overdosed on whatever they think I'm overdosing on?" Gaga said of the choice to get gory onstage. "Everybody wants to see the decay of the superstar. ... They want to see me fail. They want to see me fall onstage. They want to see me vomiting out of a nightclub. ... Isn't that the age we live in? That we want to see people who have it all lose it all?"

What are you expecting from Gaga's performance? Let us know in the comments!

Don't miss "Snooki & Sway: Live From the Grammys," a red-carpet live stream kicking off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all Grammy night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Gives Her 'Mass Appeal,' Experts Say

Radio programming directors say new song is getting 'mad love' already.
By Gil Kaufman


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

Given the months of anticipation, it's hard to believe that Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" would live up to expectations when it premiered. The towering, club-remix-ready anthem in support of outliers, outcasts and proud freaks of all stripes debuted on radio early Friday morning (February 11), and as with just about all things Gaga, the response was immediate.

After hearing it very early Friday morning, Julie Pilat, the assistant program director and music director at Los Angeles' KIIS FM dubbed the song a "one-listen record." In an e-mail sent soon after the song debuted on her station (hours before the scheduled 6 a.m. ET debut on the East Coast), Pilat wrote that the song, "sounds incredible on KIIS. It was exciting to have the Gaga drop and it be a HUGE event as it world-premiered on radio."

Pilat said that just after spinning it for the first time, she started monitoring fan reaction on Facebook and Twitter. "It was fun seeing so many people stay up for the premiere," she said of the anticipation for the song, which had the feel of a major movie franchise opening or the first day of iPad sales.

"As soon as it hit the air, monsters were posting and giving Gaga mad love," she said. "I saw everything from 'awesome,' to 'best song ever' and 'Dying — think I need to go to the emergency room!' It's out, people love it, next stop Grammys!"

Kid Kelly, vice president of pop programming for Sirius/XM satellite radio, echoed Pilat's excitement, saying the song has been in rotation every 70 minutes since it debuted on SiriusXM Hits 1 on Friday morning. "When I first heard it this morning, I thought it was more mainstream and not the same Lady Gaga we first heard when she hit the scene," he said. "I thought it was definitely her mainstream, uptempo, pop-dance song that will make her a mass-appeal artist."

While Gaga is already a worldwide star, with album sales in the millions, Kelly said unlike other Gaga tunes that started out at pop radio and eventually migrated over to the Hot AC (adult contemporary) format, he predicted that "Born This Way" is likely to live on the latter even longer than on pop radio thanks to its wider appeal. "It's just a bit dancier, with a big, fat hook."

For now, the song is an "event" type of tune for the satellite network's pop station, but Kelly said he could see it crossing over to other stations such as The Blend (described as "Lite pop hits") and several other stations on the network over time.

MTV was also flooded with comments about the song, including one from Darren, who wrote, "I love my life, I love this record, and mi amore vole fe yah!," while Alex wrote "AMAZING!!!!!!!!" But not everyone felt it lived up to the hype, as commenter Journey put it, "Do I think it's her best? No, but it delivers a powerful message and in the meantime still happens to be very fun."

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Shows 'Depth Of Gaga As A Songwriter,' Akon Says

'Unfortunately, people pay more attention to what she is wearing,' adds Gaga's label boss.
By Jocelyn Vena


Akon
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

It's here, little monsters. On Friday morning (February 11), Lady Gaga debuted her highly anticipated new single, "Born This Way," a funky, fun dance tune about loving yourself for who you are. Akon, who signed Gaga to his Kon Live Distribution label in 2008, opened up about the pop star's latest dance opus, admitting that he thinks it will finally show off Gaga's full capacities as a musician and songwriter, and not just a pop ingenue.

"I think 'Born This Way' is the kind of record that if you are really paying attention you will get the full depth of Gaga as a songwriter. Sometimes the creative image hides the element of her lyrical content," he told PopEater.com. "That's why she wanted to give people a better idea of what she was saying outside of her image when she dropped those lyrics."

The track has a clear message: Everyone should be treated equally no matter who they are or what they believe in. "Gaga says a lot of stuff in her records," Akon added. "But I know these parents and critics are not really listening to her lyrics. I know that for a fact. She's singing about a lot of adult subject matter. She's not just making dance records. Unfortunately, people pay more attention to what she is wearing."

The song is the lead single off the album of the same name, which will drop in May. Akon revealed that there are a few more touches that need to be added before they reach their deadline. "We are finishing up the album now," he said. "She's about to go back on tour later this year. There's a lot going on."

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Kylie Johnson: Playboy?s Playmate of the Month February Interview

The oh so beautiful and super nice Kylie Johnson is Playboy?s Playmate of the Month February. I actually had the chance to interview the former cheerleader the other day and you can read all about our chat below which includes some amazing pictures of Kylie, trust me you will want to see them. Each month Playboy [...]

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