Which new artists will light up the music scene in 2007? It’s a hard thing to predict, but Billboard magazine’s upcoming January issue features nine potential breakthrough artists.
And one of the acts on the magazine’s annual Faces to Watch list is Chicago-based band The Ponys.
While being a “face to watch” doesn’t guarantee The Ponys success, last year’s Billboard list included singer Ne-Yo and British rockers the Arctic Monkeys–both of whom sizzled in 2006.
Meet a few of the acts on Billboard’s Faces to Watch list for ’07.
Ledisi (above)
She mixes R&B, jazz, gospel, pop and rock with vocals that Billboard describes as “sassy.” Ledisi is from Oakland, Calif.
Naomi Striemer
Striemer’s debut album “Images” dropped in December. The home-schooled Canadian pop singer was discovered as a teen and later signed to a record label after a live performance in Toronto.
Rich Boy
The Alabama-raised rapper’s single “Throw Some D’s” already is getting radio play. MTV profiled him on “You Hear It First.”
Young Love
Young Love, a.k.a. Dan Keyes, said Daft Punk’s album “Discovery” made him ditch rock and dabble in “electronic stuff.” That “stuff” caught Jay-Z’s attention, and Young Love now is signed to Island Def Jam.
The biggest snoozer
Britney Spears finally appears to be acting like a new mom.
The pop princess, who has made headlines for less-than-motherly hard partying, fell asleep in a Las Vegas nightclub early Monday shortly after leading the New Year’s Eve countdown, her manager said.
“By about 1 o’clock, she was just done, so we took her out,” Spears’ manager, Larry Rudolph, told The Associated Press on Monday. “She was not drunk. She was just tired and falling asleep.”
Rudolph denied reports circulating on gossip Web sites that Spears, 25, collapsed shortly after midnight and was carried out by bodyguards. The star was hired to host the festivities at Caesars Palace’s PURE nightclub.
Rudolph said Spears walked out of the club and did not seek medical attention.
Wedding bells
Comedian Jay Mohr exchanged wedding vows with “Las Vegas” actress Nikki Cox in a ceremony in L.A., People magazine reported. The couple was married Friday night, according to the magazine. Mohr first met Cox when he guest-starred on her show.
School’s in
The $40 million-dollar Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is at last set to open in South Africa. Nelson Mandela and John Travolta are among the big names scheduled to attend the opening, according to Newsweek magazine. The school includes huge fireplaces in every building, a yoga studio, indoor and outdoor theaters and a beauty salon.
It’s final
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush can legally move on with their lives–and so can “One Tree Hill” fans. The divorce between the CW co-stars is final, reports People magazine. According to court documents, both sides waived spousal support. They married in April 2005 but split after five months together.
