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| 3/5/04 |
DanceStar USA TV broadcast
being finalized Elliott Stares of Dancestar tells us that the TV broadcast of March 9th's DanceStar USA, the American Dance Music Awards, is still being finalized and will be announced shortly. As previously announced, JC will be performing at the March 9 event. Justin is nominated for Best Chart Act and Best Remix ("Rock Your Body (Sander Kleinenberg Remix)"). BT is nominated for Best Video and Best Single for "Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist)", for which JC did background vocals. Basement Jaxx is nominated for Best Album (Kish Kash) which features JC on "Plug It In". The event takes place at Lummus Park, Ocean Drive & 8th, South Beach, Miami at 7pm and is filmed for worldwide television broadcast. Tickets are available at the website. 21+ only. Keep checking the Dancestar website for more info.
Spring tune-up ...JC Chasez faces the serious challenge of making people forget about his work with N*SYNC while avoiding comparisons to fellow band mate Justin Timberlake. But the battle between JC and JT appears to benefit listeners who get a refreshing new pop sound on Chasez’ solo debut, “Schizophrenic.” The singer includes sexy rhythms, ‘80s electro synths and groovy hip-hop textures...
All things music: USA TODAY's Elysa Gardner ...Atlanta, GA: Hi Elysa. With the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync heading back to the studio this year, do you think the days of boy bands are over? Or should they stay down for the count? Elysa Gardner: That's the question we've been asking forever, isn't it? I don't know; with N Sync's most prominent members, Justin and JC, getting recognized as mature solo artists, I don't know that 'N Sync will be able to do their thing full force. As for Backstreet, people were writing their obituary two years ago, so who knows?...
Right in Sync WHILE Justin Timberlake spent the last year promoting his Grammy-
winning solo album, his *NSYNC bandmate JC Chasez struggled in the
studio, writing and recording his own collection - knowing full
well that when it was released, it would have to stand in the shadow
of Timberlake's critically acclaimed R&B redux, "Justified."
"The day Justin told us he was going to do a solo record, we all knew it was going to be a monster. When I told them I was going to do this record, they just said to me, 'It's about freaking time.' It felt good that they were behind it, and when I was done and played the record for them, they dug it." Since its release last week, the album, "Schizophrenic," has reached only No. 17 on the charts, but its sexy single, "Some Girls (Dance With Women)," is in steady rotation on MTV and radio. *NSYNC fans won't finde much that's familiar on Chasez's disc. All it shares with the boy-band's releases, says Chasez, are "the work ethic I put into making the record and the energy you hear in the tracks." Despite rumors, Chasez says he and his *NSYNC bandmates are in no danger of breaking up, and adds they're about to being work on an untitled pre-Christmas album release. They'll also be touring together this summer - and Chasez can't wait. "You have to think of it as a cycle. I love being in the studio alone working, but after being there for months on end, you start feeling burnt and you need to get out. That's where the road comes in. The crowd recharges you, but eventually, after you sing that same set every night, you want to be alone again in the studio." Post: You've said you wrote all the tracks on your album by getting away from the money and fame. You have loads of both. How do you get away from it? Chasez: It's no big deal. I go to the grocery store every day. People think that being a celebrity means going out every night and being seen. I don't do that. When I was making this album, I concentrated on it. I went to the studio, and after work I went home. Post: Just like a regular Joe? Chasez: I didn't even answer my phone at home. It was like I cut everybody off. Some people want to be seen at parties with someone. I want to be known for my music - not for whom I'm dating. Post: How did being left alone help the music? Chasez: It gave me time to think. I was able to get a clear head. This business is all about opinions. People are always saying to me that I should be doing this or that. I just wanted to get away from everybody telling me what I needed to do. That let me do what I felt. Post: On the album, there's a song "Some Girls (Dance With Women)." You say they do it to get attention. Were you inspired by the Britney/Madonna kiss when you wrote that? Chasez: I wrote that one before The Kiss, so no. The song is based on my experiences. It's about going out to a club. Whenever I go out, there's always a spot in the club where I see a group of girls dancing together. That's all it's about. Post: You show a lot of influences on this album. Some are pretty far apart, like Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley. Chasez: I listen to everything, and it works its way into the music. Post: The album seems focused on sex. Chasez: I don't know about that. There are songs about sex, but the whole record isn't about sex. From what people say to me, the sex songs are the ones they gravitate to. People can't help but get drawn to sex. Post: One of the catchiest tunes is "All Day Long I Dream About Sex." That one begs the question: Who are you dating these days? Chasez: No one. I'm single. You know, this is the kind of song it takes a single guy to write. From what I know, married men, they can't write songs like that one. I'm not looking for a girl. I'm just taking everything as it comes. Being in a relationship doesn't overly concern me right now. Post: You were affected by the Justin/Janet breast-baring, Your performance was canceled at the Pro Bowl half-time show in Hawaii a week after the Super Bowl. Chasez: Yeah. It wasn't fair. I know it was a sensitive situation, and I understand why they did it. What (Janet and Justin) did was a big deal, but it wasn't as big a deal as everyone made out. Some people claimed emotional distress because of it. Give me a break. Compared to the average news broadcast, with reports about terrorist bombings, war and death, how harmful is one naked breast? It's really comes off as hypocritical to me. Did that boob harm anyone? No. Post: What do you think is more important than Janet Jackson's nipple? Chasez: Well, we're in a year when we are electing a new president. How about that? We're in the middle of a war. There isn't enough money for schools. The list of what's important is really long, and America was worried about a nipple. Our priorities are all out of whack. Post: What is your top priority? Chasez: Quality time with my close friends. When I'm with them, I feel safe to be myself. That's the best feeling in the world. That kind of real time is pretty rare for anyone.
'Schizophrenic' Chasez leaves 'em guessing JC Chasez gives himself carte blanche to do whatever he wants on his solo debut just by naming it "Schizophrenic." If anyone complains about the disjointed songs ... well, what else could be expected from a release with that title? The ploy gets the singer past the obligation of sticking with one style and one persona -- an all-or-nothing scenario that could have been a total failure. At the same time, Chasez sacrifices the likelihood of complete triumph by going on a 17-track genre spree. So not surprisingly, "Schizophrenic" is a mixed bag. The release bustles with the energy of a man desperate to put behind him the limitations of his bubble-gum history as one-fifth of 'N Sync. And he has to do it in the shadow of fellow 'N Sync-er Justin Timberlake, who beat Chasez to the punch with his own (wildly successful) solo effort, "Justified." But while Timberlake merely refashioned himself as a new Michael Jackson, Chasez is far more bold on "Schizophrenic." Sometimes. Flashing through styles like a chameleon on "strobe," Chasez reaches out to traditional 'N Sync fans with quasi-soulful slow cuts such as "Lose Myself," "Dear Goodbye" and "Build My World." Then he essentially gropes them with lines like, "When I'm all alone/I lie awake and masturbate/I love to hear the sounds you make/Baby here I come" (on the crackling electronic-based teaser "Come to Me") and by repeating the title refrain on the New Wave throwback "All Day Long I Dream About Sex." Plus, he embraces his arousal during the rapid-fire delivery of "Some Girls (Dance With Women)," although he doesn't seem to realize not all women dance with other women just to turn on men. Chasez reels through influences -- Prince comes to mind on "One Night Stand" and "Shake It," while he does his own serviceable Jackson imitation on "She Got Me" -- and styles range from reggae (the philosophical "Everything You Want") to go-go ("100 Ways"). Some diversions are jarring and ill-conceived, including the fuzzy faux-rock of "If You Were My Girl" and the synthesizer-addled "Mercy," though most are modestly effective. "Schizophrenic" is engaging, disengaging and engaging again as Chasez tries on an assortment of masks. Too bad he ultimately leaves his listeners wondering what he's really all about.
JC Chasez tries a solo career with Schizophrenic but struggles to find his own style as the album brings to mind his boy band past and former *NSYNC bandmate Justin Timberlake's Justified. The album should probably be changed from Schizophrenic to "Multiple Personality Disorder," considering "Come to Me" holds the same bass line as the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams," and "Something Special" mimics the acoustic pop of George Michael's "I Want Your Sex." JC's own sexual preoccupation is no secret in the song "All Day Long I Dream About Sex" which borrows from the '80s electric rock of Blondie. Sadly, most of the tracks lapse into repetitiveness, and JC's occasional falsetto is nothing short of a mistake. The album opener "Some Girls (Dance with Women)" and "Right Here (By Your Side)" may be the only signs of his own style. Bonus tracks "Blowin' Me Up" and "Some Girls (Remix)" end the album on a positive note, but JC clearly hasn't found himself. For a first try, it's acceptable. Regardless, the album is more like a mix CD of music we've already heard. Grade: B
Justin's lucky musical break Justin Timberlake has been talking about how he could have ended up in a completely different job because of a lack of music in schools. The star has recently done a job-swap with a journalist to research his role in 'Edison', a movie which also stars LL Cool J, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. But he reckons he's lucky to have ended up as a music star - he has his own charity called the Justin Timberlake Foundation which gives money to music programmes in schools. He says if kids don't get opportunities to learn music in class, they may miss out on a music career: "I grew up in a small town, Millington, Tennessee, and at my school there really was no music programme, and if I hadn't urged my mum to take me to voice lessons privately, and buy me a guitar and get a piano, I wouldn't have learned music. It may have changed the path that I went down. Especially when you're at a young age, anything that occurs can totally change a path." |
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