The Script is an Irish trio whose music boasts a whole new brand of Celtic Soul, blending hip-hop lyrical flow with pop melodiousness, state-of-the-art R&B production with anthemic rock dynamics, classic song construction with gritty contemporary narratives. Think U2 versus Timbaland, Van Morrison remixed by Teddy Riley.
Danny O'Donaghue and Mark Sheehan met in their early teens, gravitating to each other through a shared obsession with music, and in particular a love of American black music. Striking up a songwriting and production partnership, Danny and Mark's exceptional talent was recognised early, and they found themselves invited to the US to collaborate with some of their production heroes, including such legends of modern R'n'B as Dallas Austin, Teddy Riley, The Neptunes and Rodney Jerkins.
Danny and Mark started as a backroom team, making demos for other artists, but when they met fellow Dublin drummer Glen Power, the dynamic shifted. Although they had never actually heard him play, such was the connection they made that Mark invited Glen on a working holiday to LA. Something of a prodigy on the Dublin scene, Glen had been playing sessions from fifteen years old, using the money to work on a solo project in his home studio. But that went on hold when his collaboration with Mark and Danny produced three songs in one week.
Mraz came to the decision after a remarkable four years where he had seen his major label debut, Waiting for My Rocket to Come explode off the success of hits like “Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” “You & I Both” and “Curbside Prophet.” Shortly thereafter, he returned with his Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed Mr. A-Z, which continued his chart success with “Wordplay.” Throughout, his reputation as a tremendous live act soared.
But when he took a well-earned break, something unexpected happened: he rediscovered himself. “I suddenly woke up and real songs started coming out of me,” Mraz recalls. “Songs that I didn’t plan on writing. But that just became a reflection of how I feel and the mood that I was in and these awakenings that I was having,” he says.
The result is We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., his most self-assured effort to date. In true Mraz style, the 12 tunes are wrapped in clever, observant lyrics and strong, engaging pop melodies, but this time they are inspired “by these moments of self realization, self empowerment and self improvement.”
Favourite Music Artist Awards from Asia:
Favorite Artist of China: Lee Yu Chun
Favorite Artist of Hong Kong: Leo Ku
Favorite Artist of Indonesia: Yovie & Nuno
Favorite Artist of Korea: Super Junior
Favorite Artist of Malaysia: Nicholas Teo
Favorite Artist of Philippines: Chicosci
Favorite Artist of Singapore: Stefanie Sun
Favorite Artist of Taiwan: Show Lo
Favorite Artist of Thailand: TOR+ Saksit
International Music Awards:
Favorite International Artist of Asia: Linkin Park
Best Hook-up: Timbaland feat. OneRepublic - “Apologize”
The Innovation Award: Radio Head
Breakthrough Artist: Leona Lewis
Video Star: 30 Seconds to Mars - “A Beautiful Lie”
Bring Da House Down: Muse – Muse Asia Tour
edc Style Award: Panic at the Disco
Knockout Award: The Click Five
Inspiration Award: Karen Mok
Congrats to all the winners!!
Project E.A.R. (East Asian Revolution) is a collective of like-minded musicians from Southeast Asia who had taken the opportunity to showcase their very first collaboration on MTV. Their debut performance at the MTV Asia Awards will feature a medley of songs performed in five different languages from the region (Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, English, Tagalog and Thai), fusing various genres of music. The super group is made up of members from Ahli Fiqir (Singapore), Pop Shuvit (Malaysia), Saint Loco (Indonesia), Slapshock (Philippines), Silksounds (Thailand) and Thaitanium (Thailand).
“MTV is about music, creativity and youth culture. Besides popular international artists, we are always committed to showcase the best in Asian music. With the MTV Asia Awards, we are pleased to provide a platform for Asian artists to work together and are thrilled to contribute to the formation of Project E.A.R. This collaboration marks a new chapter in the Asian music scene and we will continue to look at new platforms to promote Asian music to the rest of the world,” said Silvia Goh, Executive Producer of MTV Asia Awards/Vice President, Multiplatform Content, MTV Networks Asia.
“The main focus of this performance and of Project E.A.R is to showcase artists from the region working together as one with the goal of taking Asian music onto the global stage regardless of cultural and religious boundaries. Project E.A.R is not something new as all of us have worked together in some capacity be it musically or through onstage collaborations. As such, what better platform could there be than the MTV Asia Awards to officially launch the collective. August 2 2008 is ground zero people! The revolution has has begun!” said Moots! from Pop Shuvit, one of the founding bands behind Project E.A.R
Rocking hot performers revealed.
Jabbawockeez, Leona Lewis, OneRepublic, Panic at the Disco, Super Junior, The Click Five and The Script to bring the house down on August 2. MTV fans can enjoy a night of phenomenal performances, with some coming from the nominees themselves. It has been a ground-breaking year for Breakthrough Artist nominees, Leona Lewis and OneRepublic. English songstress Leona Lewis has been on a roll since her debut, having received raving reviews from international critics for her album Spirit and topping the U.K. and U.S charts. OneRepublic has outdone themselves in the past year with their second single “Stop and Stare” crossing the 2 million copy mark.
Video Star nominee, Panic at the Disco will certainly be visually stimulating to watch, having previously won the video of the year at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards with the video “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. They will be joined by Favourite Artist Korea nominee Super Junior, a diverse boy band whose forte lies not only in singing but also in dancing.
Other than the nominees, The Click Five—who have just completed their first headline concert tour in South East Asia and also in Hong Kong, Taipei and Japan— will be bringing audience their catchy pop tunes while Jabbawockeez, America's best dance crew, will wow the crowd with their signature style and unforgettable movement. The Script, who has brought us soulful anthems like their hit single “We Cry” will also be joining the star-studded line-up. With practically all music genres covered from hip hop to rock to pop and R&B, the MTV Asia Awards 2008 is definitely going to be a show to remember.