One Direction has already stolen the hearts of millions of girls around the world, and this week it has stolen the tops of the charts, again.

According to Billboard, this week One Direction has broken another record. Their DVD concert special, “Up All Night: The Live Tour”, became the first #1 DVD to outsell a #1 album in the United States. The DVD sold 76,000 copies, the best first sales week for a music video release this year. It outsold the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, John Mayer’s “Born and Raised,” which sold 65,000 copies and all other releases (including singles) for the week.  After only one week in sales, One Direction’s video is already the third largest selling music video for 2012.

In Canada, the DVD is selling twice the amount of copies than the number one album this week and is already the second best selling DVD of the year. In the UK, the DVD is number one on the official charts, becoming the biggest opening selling week of 2012.

The live tour DVD is currently number one in 25 countries, counting the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

The band released statements about their excitement for the success of the DVD. ”We’re blown away by the success of the DVD all around the world and want to thank everyone who has gone out and bought it, the support means so much to us. It was lots of fun filming the concert for the DVD, so we’re chuffed all the fans love it so much,” Niall Horan said.

The British boy band that was founded on the X Factor UK in 2010 has had their debut album, Up All Night, in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart for 12 straight weeks, gaining 12% in sales last week. Their single “What Makes You Beautiful” is spending it’s 16th week on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their album, Up All Night, has sold 739,000 copies in the US so far and became the first British group to debut at number one on the Billboard chart. This current chart topper is their second record breaking achievement, and their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” went double platinum.

The band, who recently won a Brit Award in February for Best British Single, is currently on their first headlining North American tour. They are playing 27 sold-out shows, hitting cities across the US and wrapping up in Fort Lauderdale, FL on July 1. With their second studio album in the works, the band will return to the US in December to play a special show at Madison Square Garden that sold out in less than 10 minutes.

Image Courtesy of  waynehowes / Shutterstock.com

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NEW YORK, U.S.A. – Columbia Records is proud to announce the signing of UK pop sensation Olly Murs. The X Factor UK singer will release his debut single “Heart Skips A Beat” on May 22, 2012 (listen to the track below). Olly will make his US performance debut as the special guest on One Direction’s sold out 2012 US Summer Tour (see below for full dates).

Olly Murs’ rise to fame began after he auditioned for Britain’s top singing competition show The X Factor in 2009 where he performed “Superstition” in his first audition. Simon Cowell said it inspired “the easiest yes I’ve ever given.” In a short amount of time Murs has achieved international success including two double platinum albums & three #1 singles in the UK. The British Superstar to date has sold over 4 million records internationally.

“I can’t wait to come over to the US to tour with the One Direction boys and release my first single there!” said Olly Murs. “‘Heart Skips A Beat’ is a favorite of mine and my fans, and I hope you guys will love it too.”

“Heart Skips A Beat” the debut single featuring hip hop duo Chiddy Bang will be available digitally on May 22. Listen to the single here: http://soundcloud.com/ollymurs/heart-skips-a-beat-feat-chiddy.

Olly Murs’ US debut album will be released FALL 2012.

For more info visit
http://www.ollymurs.com
http://www.columbiarecords.com/

Image Courtesy of   http://www.ollymurs.com

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Syco/Columbia Records is proud to announce the release of Heaven, the first album from British sensation Rebecca Ferguson, on May 29, 2012. Heaven debuted at #3 on the UK album chart with the biggest first week album sales for a debut UK female artist in 2011 and is quickly approaching over 500,000 in sales. The first single from the album, “Nothing’s Real But Love,” hit the top 10 on the British charts in its first week of release and is currently in rotation at various formats in the US including Urban AC, AAA, and Public Radio.

Rebecca debuted “Nothing’s Real But Love” on the finale of this year’s British “X Factor” show in late November and pre-orders for the album on Amazon.com saw a 702% jump following the show, nearly twice that of Rihanna, who sang a song from her new album on the same program. And she has collected a series of celebrity fans, including British music icon Adele. “She’s been such a support and said such lovely things about me,” Rebecca says of the singer.

Initial reviews for her releases have been glowing. “Her gorgeous debut single puts Rebecca Ferguson in the same league as Aretha Franklin,” wrote the pop music critic for the Telegraph, who called “Heaven” ”a gritty collection of soulful, self-penned songs about real emotional issues.” The Daily Mail wrote, “Heaven is an album that touches millions,” and The Times said, ”Ferguson’s voice is the real deal, a delicious blend of husky gorgeousness and bona fide soul power.”

For her first album, “I spilled my soul out. A lot of it comes from writing about relationships I’ve been in, so I think everyone can probably relate to the lyrics – we’ve all been there.” A self-confessed perfectionist, Rebecca, who has always written her own material, wrote a song every day for months.

Joining her in the studio were industry heavyweights Eg White (Adele, James Morrison, Duffy), who co-write ”Nothing’s Real But Love”; Fraser T Smith (N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder, Cee Lo Green) and Claude Kelly in New York (Britney, Whitney Houston, Jessie J).

Rebecca, who had a hardscrabble youth in a single-parent household with five siblings, felt it was her destiny to be a singer from a very young age. She attended a performing arts high school, but that came to an abrupt end when she got pregnant at 17, then again when she was 19.

“People would say to me, ‘Well your life’s ruined now!’ For a while I started to believe it, but you don’t have to get rid of your dreams just because you have kids,” she says. “They’ve just pushed me to succeed, to want to do better for them. And for me.”

Rebecca embarked on her first ever UK and Ireland tour on February 17 and will continue through March 17, 2012. She will be performing tracks from Heaven in intimate venues in 18 cities.

To view Rebecca Ferguson’s EPK please click the link below: http://video.razorandtie.com/rebeccaFergusonEPK_V4_LINK.mov

Image Courtesy of    https://www.facebook.com/rebeccafergusonmusic

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Nickelodeon has signed fourteen-year-old singing sensation Rachel Crow to an overall talent deal, it was announced February 22 by Paula Kaplan, Executive Vice President, Talent Strategy and West Coast Operations. As part of the new pact, Nickelodeon is developing a comedy series for Crow, who is best known for her buzz-worthy performances on Fox’s singing competition series The X Factor.

In addition, Crow has been signed by Columbia Records/Syco, label home to some of the world’s leading recording artists.

“It’s such an honor to be signed to Columbia Records,” said Crow. ”To think that I am signed to the same label as my idols is a dream come true. I can’t wait to get in the studio and start making music.” Added Crow, “And I am so excited to now be a part of the Nickelodeon family.  I grew up watching Nick, and I’m a huge fan.”

Simon Cowell, The X Factor judge and Rachel Crow’s mentor during the show said, “I am incredibly happy for Rachel. This girl has it. We saw her potential at the first audition and Nickelodeon and Columbia are the right homes for her.”

“Rachel is an original,” said Kaplan. ”She’s funny, genuine and has raw talent and a passion for performing.  We’re delighted to be home to her first acting project and think she is poised to join the ranks of our next generation of Nick stars.”

In addition to plans for her to star in a new pilot for the network, Crow is slated to appear in a recurring role in Nickelodeon’s new comedy series FRED: THE SHOW appearing opposite Lucas Cruikshank. Crow will play Starr, an imaginative, confident but awkward teenager.  Like Fred, Starr’s self-perception doesn’t match up with how the world sees her.  To her classmates, she seems a bit eccentric, but in her own mind, Starr is a wildly talented actress and singer and ready to break out of her boring town.  FRED: THE SHOW airs on Friday nights.

From Colorado, Rachel Crow was fostered as a young baby by Barbara and Kelly Crow. Crow sang her first song (Faith Hill’s “Breathe”) at 18 months old and first performed in public at age six as part of her school’s talent show.   Her parents brought her to Los Angeles in 2010 to support her dream of being a performer and she auditioned at age 13 for The X Factor in early 2011.

After being chosen as a contestant out of over 100,000 people who auditioned for season 1 of The X Factor (USA), she wowed audiences with her powerful voice and bubbly personality and placed fifth in the competition for the season.   A fan favorite and darling among the judges, L.A. Reid deemed her a “funky, feisty singer with soul” with Simon Cowell declaring that audiences would be “hearing a lot more about her.”

Rachel is managed by Jared Paul and Joshua Russak for Azoff, Geary, Paul, Smith Management.

Image Courtesy of   Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

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