Turn On the Bright Lights is the debut studio album by American post-punk revival band Interpol, released in August 2002. The album was recorded in November 2001 at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut, and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Katis and Gareth Jones. It was released on August 19, 2002 in the United Kingdom and August 20 in the United States, through independent record label Matador Records. Upon release, the record peaked at number 101 on the UK Albums Chart. It reached number 158 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, as well as spending 73 weeks in the Billboard Independent Albums, peaking at number five.

"PDA," "NYC," "Obstacle 1" and "Say Hello to the Angels" were the singles from Turn On the Bright Lights, and a video was shot for each with the exception of "Say Hello to the Angels."

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 29, 2011 for shipments of 500,000 copies.^[2]

Promotion and release[link]

The release of Turn On the Bright Lights was preceded by the marketing of the band's self-titled Interpol EP in June 2002, their first release for Matador. The EP contained three tracks: radio single "PDA", future single "NYC", and "Specialist". All three tracks later appeared on the album, with "Specialist" included as a bonus track in Australian and Japanese editions. Further promotion continued at the beginning of the following year, when the band played the 2003 NME Awards Tour alongside The Datsuns, The Polyphonic Spree and The Thrills.^[3]

Track listing[link]

All tracks written by Interpol.

1. "Untitled" – 3:56
2. "Obstacle 1" – 4:11
3. "NYC" – 4:20
4. "PDA" – 4:59
5. "Say Hello to the Angels" – 4:28
6. "Hands Away" – 3:05
7. "Obstacle 2" – 3:47
8. "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down" – 6:28
9. "Roland" – 3:35
10. "The New" – 6:07
11. "Leif Erikson" – 4:00

Bonus tracks on Australian edition[link]

• "Specialist" – 6:39

Bonus tracks on Japanese edition[link]

Two different versions exist. One version has the following bonus tracks:

• "Interlude" – 1:02
• "Specialist" – 6:39

The other version has the following bonus tracks:

• "Hands Away" (Peel session)
• "Obstacle 2" (Peel session)
• "PDA" (video)
• "NYC" (video)
• "Obstacle 1" (video)

Bonus tracks on Mexican edition[link]

• "Interlude" – 1:02
• "Specialist" – 6:39
• "PDA" (video)
• "NYC" (video)
• "Obstacle 1" (video)

Critical reception[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
Drowned in Sound	(9/10)[5]
NME	(8/10)[6]
Pitchfork Media	(9.5/10)[7]
PopMatters	(9/10)[8]
Q	[9]
Robert Christgau	C+[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]

Interpol's debut album gained so much critical success that not only was it hailed as one of best debuts of 2002, but is considered by some to be one of the best records of the decade. Turn On the Bright Lights made several critics' Top 10 lists of 2002.

• Thee-O – #1
• Michael Azerrad – #1
• Chris Baldwin – #10
• Greg Beets – #2
• Eric Broome – #8
• Dana Buoniconti – #5
• Nick Catucci – #6
• Paul Clements – #4
• Dave Clifford – #4
• Ethan Covey – #8
• Corey du Browa – #8
• Cyndi Elliott – #7
• Norm Elrod – #3
• John Elsasser – #7

The rest of the list is located at The Village Voice.

Awards[link]

• #1 – Pitchfork Media: Top 50 Albums of 2002
• #3 – Pitchfork: Top 100 Albums of 2000–2004
• #20 – Pitchfork: Top 200 Albums of 2000s
• #5 – Stylus: Top 20 Albums of 2002
• #6 – Stylus: Top 50 Albums 2000–2005
• #13 – Stylus: Top 100 Albums of 2000s
• #10 – NME: Albums of 2002
• #8 – NME: Top Albums of the 00s
• #59 – Rolling Stone: 100 Best Albums of the Decade

Personnel[link]

• Paul Banks – lead vocals, guitar
• Daniel Kessler – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Carlos D – bass, keyboards
• Samuel Fogarino – drums, percussion

Chart performance[link]

Certifications[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Turn on the Bright Lights at Metacritic

Olly Murs
Murs performing on the X Factor live tour
Background information
Birth name	Oliver Stanley Murs
Born	(1984-05-14) 14 May 1984 (age 28) Witham, Essex, England
Genres	Pop, reggae fusion, ska, dance, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, presenter, choreographer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Epic (2009–present) Syco (2009–present)
Associated acts	The X Factor 2009 finalists
Website	ollymurs.com

Oliver "Olly" Stanley Murs^[1] (born 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, England)^[2] is an English singer-songwriter, musician and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor. He is currently signed to Epic Records and Syco Music.

In late August 2010, Murs released his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Charts, becoming Murs' second number one single after releasing "You Are Not Alone" with the other series 6 finalists. "Please Don't Let Me Go" received a Silver certification by the BPI. He released his second single from his debut album "Thinking of Me" which charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts, however the single also got a Silver certification by the BPI. "Heart Skips a Beat" was released and became his third number-one hit. Murs' second single from his follow up album In Case You Didn't Know, "Dance with Me Tonight", became his fourth to reach number one.

In November 2010, Murs released his self-titled debut album, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies, and was certificated double platinum by the BPI. In November 2011, Murs released his second album, In Case You Didn't Know. The album entered the charts at number one, and has spawned two number one singles. In May 2011, it was announced that Murs would return to The X Factor to co-present spin-off show The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack. It was also confirmed that Murs would present a Celebrity Club Classic show on Heart FM. He also has an active Twitter account with over 2 million followers as of May 2012.

Biography[link]

Oliver Stanley Murs was born to Vicki-Lynn Murs and Pete Murs.^[3][4] He has a twin brother, Ben Murs (Olly is the older twin) and a sister, Fay Murs and is of Latvian descent.^[3] He attended Howbridge Junior School in Witham and Notley High School in Braintree, Essex^[5] where he was a striker in the school's football team. He is a supporter of Manchester United,^[6] and played semi-professionally for Witham Town. He gave up his football career following an injury.^[7] Prior to The X Factor, Murs worked as a recruitment consultant at Prime Appointments in Witham. He also appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal where he won £10. He later appeared on a celebrity special of Deal or No Deal in 2012, and he won 50p for the charity he is a patron of, Brainwave.^[8] Murs has played in Soccer Aid for charity early in 2010, and is going to play again in May 2012, before heading off to the US to support One Direction on their US tour.^[9][10]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2009–2010: The X Factor

In 2009 he performed "Superstition" in his first audition and Simon Cowell said it was "the easiest yes I've ever given". On the first live show he sang "She's the One" and on the second, "A Fool in Love", a performance which Cowell described as being "in a different league." For week three he took on "Bewitched". Walsh commented that he was the "dark horse of the competition," and Cole said he was "coming into his own each week." He frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle."^[11] In week 4 he sang "Come Together" and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, "I think you're in the final three," and Cowell saying he was "progressing better than just about everybody."^[12] In week 5 he performed "Twist and Shout" and in week 6 "Don't Stop Me Now", after which he was labelled by Minogue as, "absolutely the best performer we have on the show by far."^[13]

After a performance of "Fastlove", he was in the bottom two in week 7, with John & Edward. Cowell and Cheryl Cole decided to send John & Edward home, but Louis Walsh voted against Murs. Dannii Minogue then decided against taking the judges' vote to deadlock and sent home John & Edward. When the voting statistics were later released on itv.com, they revealed that if Minogue had voted to save John & Edward and taken it to deadlock, Murs would have been sent home on popular vote, as John & Edward gained 10.7% of the popular vote against just 9.8% to Murs. In the semi-finals Murs had to miss the wedding of his brother. The ceremony took place just 16 miles from the show's studio, but mentor Cowell was against letting him off for a few hours on the crucial semi-final day.^[14] He sang "Can You Feel It" and "We Can Work It Out" in the semi-final and ended up as one of the three finalists, breaking down in tears upon hearing the result.^[15]

In the final on 12 December, he repeated his audition song, "Superstition", following which Cowell said putting him in the final 12 was "the best risk I have ever taken in my life". Murs then sang with Robbie Williams on a duet of "Angels", in which Williams fluffed his lines as he walked on stage to join Murs and came in at the wrong time, singing the second line of the song, but was helped by Murs to find the right spot.^[16] There was then a repeat performance of his week 2 song "Fool in Love". Murs qualified for the final two and first sang a repeat performance of "Twist and Shout", following which Walsh commented, "You're a born, born showman and no matter what happens tonight you're going to have a great career in music." In his final performance on the show he performed the winner's song, "The Climb", finishing it in tears.^[17] He was told by Cole, "You absolutely tore it from your soul. I've never heard you sing like that. I thought it was a beautiful version of the song."^[18] He lost the final to Joe McElderry the next day and finished as the runner-up.^[19]

On 15 December, two days after the final, it was reported that Cowell was going to offer Murs a record deal in early 2010.^[20] Following his defeat, Murs was reportedly texted by duet partner Robbie Williams and invited to visit him in his Los Angeles mansion and participate in the forthcoming Soccer Aid, organised by Williams.^[6] Olly performed in the X Factor tour, alongside Joe McElderry, John & Edward, Stacey Soloman Lucie Jones and several other finalists. It was later revealed on The Xtra Factor that Murs was predicted by all the judges and presenters (except Minogue who said Nicole Jackson and Cole who said Miss Frank as a second choice) as the favourite to win the series at the Boot Camp stage.^[21][22] As with all other finalists save the winner, Murs began gigging around the country following the end of the show.^[23] A fight broke out at one New Year's Eve gig in London prompted by enthusiastic fans.^[24] He was also booked to appear at the engagement party of model Danielle Lloyd.^[25] Footage of Murs appearing on Deal or No Deal was later featured in an edition of the BBC's Almost Famous on 2 January 2010.^[26]

[edit] 2010–2011: Major label success and Olly Murs

Rumours began that Murs would record a debut album almost immediately after the final, where he finished in second place to Joe McElderry. After the rumours broke out, Murs announced he signed a joint record deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in February 2010.^[27] It was announced that Murs began working with John Shanks and Eg White.^[28] It was later confirmed that Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector and Matty Benbrook would have involvement on the album which he collaborated with to make the "best possible songs".^[29] More writers and producers were confirmed to be working with Murs in the studio including; Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Samuel Preston, Mark Taylor.^[30] and Chris Difford^[30] Professor Green was due to appear on the album, however, the duet fell through before recording was completed. "Heart on My Sleeve" is a cover of the song originally recorded by American Idol finalist Michael Johns.

Murs confirmed the first single from the album to be titled "Please Don't Let Me Go", which was released on 27 August 2010 following the circulation of the accompanying music video.^[31] The song was written by Murs himself and with other songwriters, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson; the single was also produced by Future Cut.^[28] The song is about a minor relationship Murs was in where he ended up feeling something for the other person. Murs commented: "Sadly she kept giving me the impression that she didn't like me as much, and ultimately it didn't work out, so that's where the idea of me singing 'Please Don't Let Me Go' came from."^[32] The song was described as "a lovely summery reggae-tinged pop tune that bobs along in a thoroughly hummable and not un-Will Young-like fashion" and said that the music video "is just as quintessentially pleasant".^[33] During the release, Murs was told not to get his hopes up for a number-one due to Katy Perry releasing "Teenage Dream" the same day. On 5 September 2010, the single entered the UK Singles Charts at number 1 beating Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". The song was released with the B-side track, entitled "This One's for the Girls" also entered the UK Singles Charts, debuting at number 69, was written for all of his female fans.

His debut album was released in November 2010;^[34] which was a self-titled album, Olly Murs. The album's tracking list was revealed on 15 October 2010.^[35] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold.^[36] The album also charted on the Irish Albums Chart where it found itself peaking at number eleven. The second single was "Thinking of Me",^[37] written by Murs, Steve Robson and Hector, and co-produced by Future Cut and Steve Robson.^[38] It was released on 19 November 2010,^[37] prior to the album's release.^[30] It was reported that Professor Green would feature on the single,^[39] however, the duet fell through before it was completed.^[40] The single was added to BBC Radio 1's C Playlist on 3 November 2010. Murs performed the single for the first time on The X Factor. Upon the release the single charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts and thirteen on the Irish Singles Charts. On 13 November Murs turned the Christmas lights on in Paisley and he also turned on the Christmas lights near his hometown in Chelmsford, Essex. Renfrew Council was criticised in the media for the £15,000 fee that Murs was paid to turn on the lights, after announcing that they were axing 500 jobs.^[41] Olly has now started his 2011 UK Tour starting in Rhyl, Wales on the 26th April.

[edit] 2011–2012: In Case You Didn't Know

It was rumoured in June 2011 that Murs had started working on his second studio album, which he later confirmed. Murs claimed that he would "take the album from a different approach", and claimed he would like to record a rap track, stating, "I'm secretly not a bad rapper, I really like to do a bit of beat boxing, Eminem is always a favourite, or maybe Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby" is a classic."^[42] Murs revealed that he will attempt to build himself a more of a "soulful" sound through writing the second album, and also expressed interest in recording with Robbie Williams after the two met on The X Factor Live Final.^[43] Murs confirmed in July 2011 that the lead single from the album would be called "Heart Skips a Beat", and it would feature up-and-coming Brithop Rap duo Rizzle Kicks.^[44] He described it as a "parallel" to the remainder of the album, calling it a "summer party song".^[43] The song premiered on The Chris Moyles Show on 7 July 2011 and has since been well received by fans.^[45] The video for the track was later released via Murs' official YouTube channel. Murs said that the song is one of his favourite tracks from the new album, stating, "I'm loving the tune at the moment. It's going down really, really well."^[44] "Heart Skips a Beat" later peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking his second number one. It later went on to peak at number one in Germany and Switzerland, also reaching top ten in numerous countries in Europe. In September 2011, Murs announced via Twitter that the second album would be entitled 'In Case You Didn't Know', taken from a song of the same name which appears on the album.^[46] On 14 October 2011, Murs released the audio of "Dance With Me Tonight", the album's second single, via his YouTube Channel. The track was released on 21 November 2011, again peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, In Case You Didn't Know was released a week later on 28 November 2011. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart, two on the Irish Charts, and in the top ten in Germany, Switzerland and Poland. Murs confirmed via his Twitter account in February 2012 that the album's third single would be "Oh My Goodness", and that it would be released on April 2. It peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart. The single is due for release across Europe in July. "I'm OK" will be released as the album's fourth and final single on 2 July 2012. A video for the track will be filmed during May, and will premiere on the first week in June.^[47]

2012-present: Third album[link]

In April 2012, it was revealed that Murs is in the process of writing his third studio album, which is slated for release in November 2012. Murs will once again be writing with Steve Robson and Claude Kelly, as well once again collaborating with Rizzle Kicks.^[48] A demo from the album sessions, "Stolen", leaked online on April 23. Murs will be embarking on a second arena tour in March 2013, touring in support of the album. Murs will be opening for British-Irish boy band One Direction on the North American leg of their Up All Night Tour, starting on May 29th in Toronto.^[49]

Other work[link]

On 28 October 2011, Murs was the first artist to be confirmed to play at Capital FM's Jinglebell Ball 2011.^[50] In November 2011, Murs won the award for "Best Male Artist" at the BT Digital Music Awards and the award for "Best Album" for "Olly Murs" at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards. On 10 November 2011, Murs turned on the Christmas Lights at the Bristol Shopping Mall. 7,000 fans attended, and Murs concluded his appearance with a performance of "Dance With Me Tonight", the first time he had performed the song live. On 2 December 2011, Murs appeared on The Late Late Toy Show with Ryan Tubridy, a popular television show in Ireland.^[51][52] On December 5 and 6, Murs supported Gary Barlow at Barlow's Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.^[53] On 1 February 2012, Murs began his twenty-two date arena tour, starting with an audience of 20,000 in Cardiff. In March 2012, it was confirmed that Murs would return to The X Factor to present the spin-off show, The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack, for a second year running. ^[54] In March 2012, Murs performed at the 'Big Gig' event in Birmingham. On March 24, In aid of Sport Relief, Murs performed alongside Rizzle Kicks, Vida and JLS at a special charity concert, held at the 02 Arena in London. On April 16, Murs won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for "Favourite British Male Artist". On April 19, a three-part documentary trailing Murs throughout his UK Arena Tour, entitled Life on Murs, premiered on ITV2. It drew over half a million viewers. On April 22, he appeared on a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal, where he won 50p for his chosen charity, Brainwave.^[55] He will return for a third appearance on the show in October 2012, when he will present the programme's 2000th edition, as regular host Noel Edmonds will be playing the game instead of hosting it.

Other work[link]

In February 2011 it was announced that Murs would participate in the BT Charity Trek, with other celebrities, as part of the 2011 Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering 100 kilometres (62 mi) in temperatures up to 40°C.^[56] On 2 April 2011, Murs appeared in a celebrity version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and won £10,000 for charity.^[57][58] On 4 April 2011 for one week, Murs stood in for Comedy Dave Vitty on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 while Vitty was rehearsing for Dancing on Ice.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Murs appeared on CBBC's children's hidden camera show Remote Control Star.^{[citation needed]} At the end of May 2011, Murs presented a Celebrity Club Classics show on Heart FM. He went on to present a Celebrity Special over the Christmas Period in 2011.^{[citation needed]} On 31 May 2011 it was confirmed Olly would be co presenting the eighth series of The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack.^[59] On Sunday 27th May 2012, Murs played for England in a charity match for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford. He represented England however was taken off in the first half due to a hamstring injury. England ended up winning the match in a 3-1 victory against the rest of the world.

Discography[link]

• Olly Murs (2010)
• In Case You Didn't Know (2011)

References[link]

Flo Rida
Flo Rida on the set of "Sugar" in 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Tramar Dillard
Born	(1979-12-16) December 16, 1979 (age 32) Carol City, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, actor
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Atlantic, Poe Boy, International Music Group, Strong Arm
Associated acts	Akon, Brisco, Lady Gaga, Timbaland, David Guetta, Kesha, T-Pain, Nicki Minaj , Taio Cruz, Sia Furler, Ne-Yo, Avicii
Website	officialflo.com

Tramar Dillard (born December 16, 1979) better known by his stage name Flo Rida (pronounced  /floʊ ˈraɪdə/), is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a No. 1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from Mail on Sunday: "Elevator" and "In the Ayer". In 2009, his second album R.O.O.T.S. was released; its most successful single "Right Round" was at the top of the Hot 100 for six weeks. Since then, he has released his third studio album titled Only One Flo (Part 1), which will see a sequel titled Wild Ones.

Biography[link]

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Tramar Dillard was born in the 187th Street projects of Carol City, Florida.^[1] His mother raised him and his seven sisters, some of whom sang in a local gospel group.^[2] Dillard's brother-in-law was a hypeman for local rap group 2 Live Crew, and while in ninth grade, Dillard formed his own amateur group with some friends called the GroundHoggz.^[3] Born and raised in Miami, the GroundHoggz formed in the 187 apartments in Carol City. Similar to Goodie Mob, they were making music for the love of the art and to feed their souls. With only three members, 1Bred, Key Lime, and Fist, they found their missing link when Flo Rida, who lived in the same apartments, spit a verse for them. They were instantly impressed. Together for eight years, they started recording at underground studios in Carver Ranches.^[4] His work with 2 Live Crew member Fresh Kid Ice attracted the attention of DeVante Swing, a member of the band Jodeci. However, he was rejected by several of the major labels, so he sought many other jobs outside of music.^[5] After graduating from high school in 1998, he studied international business management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for two years and attended Barry University for two months.^[5][6] He returned to Florida to continue pursuing his music career after receiving a phone call from a representative of the independent label Poe Boy Entertainment.^[5] Dillard signed with Poe Boy in 2006, and as Flo Rida he began affiliating with other artists, such as Rick Ross, Trina, T-Pain, and Trick Daddy. A promotional street single entitled "Birthday", featuring Rick Ross, was his first significant release. He made his debut guest appearance with the song "Bitch I'm from Dade County" on DJ Khaled's album We the Best, which featured Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Brisco, C-Ride, and Dre.^[7]

[edit] 2007–08: Mail on Sunday

Rehearsing for the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto.

Flo Rida's first single was "Low", featuring T-Pain. It was his first official single from his debut album Mail On Sunday and the soundtrack to the movie Step Up 2: The Streets. "Low" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[7] "Elevator", featuring Timbaland, "In the Ayer" featuring will.i.am, and "Roll" featuring Sean Kingston followed and all charted on the Hot 100 and other charts.^[8]

T-Pain, who laced the first single, is only one of the many featured guests throughout the album. Timbaland, who produced the second single "Elevator", is also featured on the track. Rick Ross, and Trey Songz made appearances as well.^[9] Lil Wayne has also been added to the list^[9] with assistance on the "American Superstar" track while Sean Kingston appears on the J. R. Rotem-produced "Roll" the concept was created, and co-written by Compton rapper Spitfiya, from The Bullets Production Team, Various other guests include Birdman, Brisco, and Yung Joc. The third single is "In the Ayer" featuring Will.i.am. The fourth single was scheduled to be "Money Right" featuring Brisco, and Rick Ross, but was canceled due to the release of his upcoming second studio album R.O.O.T.S. His second collaboration with T-Pain, "I Bet", as well as his collaboration with Trina, named "Bout It", both didn't make the final tracklist, but were recorded. As for production, J. R. Rotem, DJ Montay, and Timbaland all provided tracks for Mail on Sunday, among others.

After the success of Mail on Sunday, Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, including "Move Shake Drop" by DJ Laz, "We Break the Dawn" by Michelle Williams, the remix of "4 Minutes" by Madonna, "Running Back" by Australian R&B singer Jessica Mauboy, "Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel, and the remix of "Speedin'" by Rick Ross. During the summer of 2008, he did live performances on the Fox dance competition program So You Think You Can Dance in the US^[10] and 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Canada.^[11] He appeared on the albums We Global by DJ Khaled, Gutta by Ace Hood, and The Fame by Lady Gaga, among others.

[edit] 2009–10: R.O.O.T.S.

Flo Rida performing "Right Round" at the Circus Club in Finland on July 9, 2009.

According to Billboard magazine, Flo Rida began recording his sophomore nine months after Mail On Sunday. The album is titled R.O.O.T.S. and was released on March 31, 2009.^[12] The first single "Right Round" featured Ke$ha and was released for airplay in January 2009. "Right Round" jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the U.S., with 636,000, beating the previous record he had set himself with "Low".^[13] "Right Round" sampled "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", a 1985 hit by Dead or Alive.^[14] The second official single was "Sugar", which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon. The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Jump" is the third official single and was released on July 27, 2009 in the UK, and July 28, 2009 worldwide.^[15] The song features Canadian singer Nelly Furtado. As of August 13, 2009 it has peaked at number fifty-four in the US, number twenty-seven in Canada, number twenty-one in the UK, and number eighteen in Australia. "Be on You" has been confirmed as the album's fourth official single for a release on October 6, 2009. The song features American singer Ne-Yo. When the album was released the single debuted at number ninety in the US. The song has received airplay since the albums release, and has since peaked at number nineteen in the US, and number fifty-one in the UK. "Available" was going to be released on iTunes but was cancelled. It charted at number 120 in Ireland. The song features Akon. A music video was also shot in mid-2009.^[16] R.O.O.T.S. debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 55,000 copies in its first week.^[17] As of August, 2009, the album has sold 223,000 copies in the United States, and 536,000 worldwide. By the end of 2009, the album sold 247,000 copies becoming the eighth best selling rap album of 2009.^[18]

Flo Rida made guest performances on "Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel, "Starstruck" by Lady Gaga, and "Feel It" by Three 6 Mafia. "Bad Boys", the first single by winner of British reality show The X Factor Alexandra Burke that featured Flo Rida, debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October.^[19]

[edit] 2010–11: Only One Flo (Part 1)

Flo Rida's third album Only One Flo (Part 1) was released on November 24, 2010. In March 2010, Flo Rida announced on Twitter that the album would be titled The Only One.^[20] Billboard reported that The Only One was to be a double album.^[21] A promo single, titled "Zoosk Girl", which features T-Pain, was released on the internet, though the song is not featured on the album, the single does have its own music video. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song "Club Can't Handle Me" featuring David Guetta, which was stated to be the official first single for the album. The song was also featured in the Step Up 3D soundtrack.^[22] On November 2, 2010, "Come with Me" was released as the first promo single for the album, along with "Puzzle", produced, and featuring by Electrixx, which isn't featured on the album. On November 16, 2010, "Turn Around (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" was released as the second official promo single for the album via the iTunes Store.^[23] It debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number thirty-four on November 29, 2010.^[24] After the release of the album in the UK, "Who Dat Girl" started to receive a strong amount of downloads, thus causing it to debut at number 136^[25] on the UK Singles Chart and chart at a current peak of number thirty-one on the UK R&B Chart.^[26] "Why You Up In Here" was released as the fourth single, and third promo single, on May 11, 2011. The song features Ludacris, Gucci Mane, and Git Fresh.

Flo Rida also made guest appearances on "iYiYi", a song by Australian teen singer Cody Simpson, and on the song "Out My Video" by Bulgarian singer LiLana. Flo Rida collaborated with UK girl group The Saturdays, recording a new version of the girl's single, "Higher".^[27] In December 2010, the Associated Press reported that Flo Rida had created his own label, International Music Group, inspired by Nicki Minaj's signing with Lil Wayne's. He has signed an 18 year-old rapper, Brianna^[28] and Git Fresh^[29] to International. Lately, Flo Rida has teamed up with the Malaysian singer, Mizz Nina, on a song called Take Over.

Driving issues[link]

On June 9, 2011, Flo Rida was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida for DUI and driving with a suspended license.^[30][31] Flo Rida was released from jail after he posted $2,000 bail and obtained a signed court order allowing him to travel to Asia for a series of previously scheduled concerts in Bangkok over the weekend.^[32]

[edit] 2011–present: Wild Ones

Flo Rida performing live in 2012.

The first single from Rida's upcoming album, Wild Ones, originally Only One Rida (Part 2), is "Good Feeling", released on August 29, 2011.^[33] The songs samples "Levels" by Avicii, which samples Etta James' 1962 song, "Something's Got a Hold on Me". Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory.^[34] The song has peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100,^[35] topped the charts in Austria,^[36] Germany,^[37] Scotland,^[38] and the UK. It has also reached the top five in nine different countries worldwide.

On April 1, Flo Rida made an appearance at WrestleMania XXVIII and have a segment with Heath Slater, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks where Heath calls Flo Rida "Florida" and Flo Rida shoves him into a wall; making Tyler and Curt come out laughing at Heath. Later that night Flo Rida performed "Wild Ones" and "Good Feeling" before Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson came out to battle John Cena. On April 6, 2012 and exclusive Australian EP entitled Good Feeling was released in Australia which contains six of his biggest hits and two remixes.^[39] It debuted at No. 21 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart^[40] On May 22, 2012, Flo Rida performed and closed the show at the first Q102 Springle Ball Concert, the following day he performed "Goin' In" with Jennifer Lopez on the America Idol finale.

Discography[link]

• Mail on Sunday (2008)
• R.O.O.T.S. (2009)
• Only One Flo (Part 1) (2010)
• Wild Ones (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website