For his first solo release, the N-Dubz man and unlikely recent cover star of Total Carp magazine, is in a reflective mood. He’s made some mistakes, but he’s going to work through them and become a better person in the process. It’s a surprisingly heartfelt message from someone better known for his bad boy attitude and collection of unusual hats.
With N-Dubz on a break following being dropped by their US label and bandmate Tulisa fronting X-Factor, it’s clear that Dappy isn’t looking at his solo foray as a mere time filler. On the contrary, he’s got his sights set on the top of the charts.
“Wiley’s had a couple of number ones, Tinie Tempah’s had number ones, Tinchy Stryder’s had number ones. I need to make sure I keep up on that level,” he said in an interview with the BBC. “If I’m not anywhere near them in the chart, I feel like I’m bad at that. Big things, that’s what I want to do. I want to try and quickly succeed. I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life and it’s the first three and a half minutes of magic that I’ve made.”
The slick, US-influenced R&B of ‘No Regrets’ should give Dappy a reasonable stab at that number one spot. Full marks too for a number of interesting namechecks, ranging from Chris Brown and Kurt Cobain, to Michael Caine and that notorious urban inspiration Richard Branson.
Camden’s finest, N-Dubz return with their latest single ‘Best Behavior’. The track is the latest chapter in the trio’s, seemingly unstoppable, rise to mega stardom. After two platinum selling albums and a successful TV show, ‘Best Behavior’ marks the first output from the band’s recent deal with influential US Hip-Hop label Def Jam. It’s a real coup for a band who came together on a council estate and earned their craft touring around schools in the back of a van. But that’s not to say N-Dubz appear to be fish out of water. Dappy, Fazer & Tulisia have settled into the limelight with ease, using all the trademarks of an overblown hip hop style – bling, speedboats and private jets – in the video.
‘Best Behavior’ sees N-Dubz in a reflective mood, with Dappy & Co realising that all the trappings of life on the road can’t compare with the affections of their nearest and dearest. Its anthemic chorus will ensure that N-Dubz’s latest effort will continue to please their UK fanbase and could potentially see them crack America. Head here to check out the video.
Fresh from their double win at the UK’s MOBO awards, N-Dubz return with a new single, ‘I Need You’. Musically the record is not a million miles from recent number one singles from Taio Cruz and Tinchy Stryder. However, N-Dubz’s frontman Dappy exudes a love him or hate him swagger which manages to give this single a sense of cheeky fun. Dappy’s lyrics about finding hot girls on Facebook seem completely uncontrived, largely due to the fact that with 38,936 Facebook friends you can imagine this is exactly how Dappy finds his women. The music video for ‘I Need You’ see’s the London group cash in on their recent platinum selling status. Featuring a swish nightclub, stupidly fast Ducati motorbikes and actual real-life helicopters, the video is almost of P. Diddy bling proportions – there was even cash to buy Dappy a new bobble hat! Throw in some pretty catchy vocal exchanges between the male and female members of the group and you have another N-Dubz single that looks like it will be troubling the top end of the UK charts pretty soon.
This week Jason DeRulo pulls off the unprecedented achievement of topping both the UK Shazam Pre-release Tag Chart and the Shazam USA Chart at the same time with ‘Whatcha Say’ – a track that’s looking like it’s going to be one of the most tagged of 2009. New releases come from Leona Lewis, 50 Cent and N-Dubz; who look to follow up their recent success at the MOBO’s with their new single, ‘I Need You’.
Soft Toy Emergency have been bubbling under our radar for a while. We first caught their frantic blend of pop, electro and indie at last year’s inaugural In The City festival in Manchester. Since then they’ve been relentlessly touring with the likes of Friendly Fires and Little Boots , as well as winning plaudits from tastemakers such as Steve Lamacq, Huw Stephens and the NME – who included their debut single ‘I Know U Want It’ as a Track of the Week .
The band have now signed to dance imprint All Around The World, home to the likes of N-Dubz & Cascada. The label has previously shown a successful knack of un-earthing mainstream talent, the platinum selling N-Dubz being a prime example. Released on November 16th ‘Critical’ is a storming, infectious floor filler that will instantly speak to pop fans, whilst simultaneously retaining enough edge to appeal to the indie crowd.
The band are currently on a headline tour up and down the UK before supporting fellow synth rock purveyors Hadouken! For more information head to their MySpace.
