Bruno Mars is at # 1 on i-tunes. He'll probably take the top spot next week.

I'd make pretty good sense to put Before It Explodes on the Overcome re-release now (maybe even as another single in the New Year, while she's touring). It's a fortunate coincedence that Bruno Mars has suddenly blown up, when nobody knew who he was when Alex recorded the song.

Heck, with Bruno on the track, Radio 1 might even decide Alex is worthy of their precious playlist

If don't mind if they have plans for that song (maybe it'll even end up on album #2), as long as it's not the next single. It can be the single after next, for all I care. Ballad next, please.

Bruno Mars as part of the Smeezingtons wrote and produced Perfect. So Perfect for next single please. I need to stop stanning for this song now.

Bruno is a dead cert for number 1 next week. I don't care now though. 2 weeks at the top is more than I dared to hope for.

Perfect is a fine choice for the next single. I just thought Before It Explodes would now have more appeal to the bean counters at Syco at some point, because Bruno actually features on the song. Perfect may be partially produced or written by Bruno, but it still an Alexandra solo song. They've now got a Bruno Mars featured song, probably quite cheaply....now that he's becoming quite big, his rates would probably be much higher to do something similar again, so they lucked out by getting him as a relative unknown (for both songs really). So they may end up having plans for the song now, imho. It could be a sure thing #1, considering the two names on it.

It would be a sure-fire hit, but the last thing Alex needs is to release another collaboration so soon. We need a big, solo ballad from her. I think they should hold back Before it Explodes for album 2.

My thoughts as well.

But it's hard to say when album 2 is coming. And I do think they want to keep Alex's momentum up by having more singles in the meantime. I do think a big solo ballad will be the next single, but I expect we'll get 1 or 2 more singles from the Overcome re-release after that, and Before It Explodes may be that. Bruno Mars may well be "over" by the time the 2nd album is out.

One thing I think Alex should start doing in betwen albums, is featuring on other artists tracks. It's a brilliant way for artists to maintain momentum, when they have nothing of their own to currently put out yet, or are waiting on their next album. Justin Timberlake does it all the time. I thought Katy Perry's 2 featured collabos, before her own album (with Timbaland and 3OH!3) helped pave the way for the success of her 2nd album and her own singles enormously.

Any ideas on who you wouldn't mind Alex playing feature artist for?

I know people don't like him much but perhaps Usher, or Jason Derulo. Even Flo Rida who tends to have big hit singles in the US - there was a rumour that she was going to feature on 'Club Can't Handle Me' but it turned out to be just that. Flo Rida is responsible for launching Kesha in the US as well. She's friends with Tinchy Stryder so that's not out of the question. Taio Cruz is doing well in the US with singles.

And I also like Good Night Good Morning. I think her voice works well with Ne Yo.

^^^^

Good suggestions. It'd be amazing if Jay-Z called up with a song like "Empire State Of Mind", and asked Alex to sing the chorus/hook as a featured artist. It'd take her to another level internationally, imho.

Though no more Flo-Rida collabos. Along with Pitbull, he's become a feature whore, selling himself to whomever cuts a check (seriously, The Saturdays). It's no longer that special. Working with someone as revered and respected as Jay-Z is still a huge deal.

**New Member Alert** - I like all of you am a die-hard Alex fan, and like neonali have lurked the thread for ages, (mainly for updates/news etc) but decided that the birth of a new part to the thread was an appropriate time to start posting on here So HEY!

Great news that Alex has managed to hold on to number 1 for two weeks; I (like most) was nervous about the release because of the messy handling and disappointing video, even though I LOVE the song. So I am glad the material alone has done itself justice, especially since a lot of number ones haven’t managed to stay there for longer than a week this year.

Also enthusiastic about the news regarding her signing to IMG – very good move (although I’ll be happier once it’s been confirmed by a more reliable source than the Daily Star). I’m not sure if most of you are aware but a lot of modelling agencies (IMG included) have a special celebrity division, which, while requiring you to be an influential member of the entertainment industry, doesn’t necessarily confine you to ‘model’ limitations (height, physique etc) so to speak. It acts as the agency that handles your bookings for commercial ventures/magazine spreads etc, and hopefully we should expect to see Alex in more high end magazines (as opposed to Look and More) soon because of IMG’s name alone. However, it doesn’t mean Alex will have to go to castings or go-sees because she will book appointments based on the fact that people will already know who she is and thus be aware of her limitations, so don’t be surprised if she does end up on the catwalk for someone that decides they like her I imagine this is the division she will be signed under: http://www.imgmodels.com/results.asp...D=3&subid=5565 If you notice the high profile of the clients, this is undoubtedly an exciting venture for Alex! And it gives you an indication of the type of work IMG will hook her up with . [Sorry if this is obvious info btw, just thought I’d make a point of sharing it]

Wow, long first post. I have a lot of Alex opinions so expect more of this!
xxx

Fascinating post, and from someone that seems to know what they're talking about. Welcome by the way, please post more.

Thank you - ever since America's Next Top Model I've always taken an interest in modelling agencies and their clients so it's nice to be able to put some of that knowledge to use! And don't worry, I'll definitely be posting more frequently .


All of Alex's collaborations thus far have been with male artists, and for that reason I'd love to see her duet with a female artist. I know that Jennifer Hudson and Melanie Fiona are recording their new albums so if Alex were to feature with either of them that would be AMAZING, especially given the vocal ability of both ladies. I actually think that a song with Alex and JHud would be a lot more interesting that the duet Leona did with here ('Love is Your Color - SATC2 Sountrack) because I think their belting voices would work better together to produce an amazing power ballad; in my opinion, Leona and JHud's song was a disappointment because I don't think the production did much to compliment the distinctions in their vocal range. In turn, Melanie Fiona's sound is very soulful and different to Alex's so it would be interesting to see how they mesh. I am also keen for Alex to do something with Jordin Sparks; I am inclined to believe that it would be special!

Welcome JigsawMystery! You are now my joining buddy

Alex and Jordin would probably work well given their similar ranges. Though I guess at the same time that could be a con, too!

I'd love her to do something with Nicki Minaj, since the Bad Boys rumour made me look into her and it would definitely bring something fresh and new image wise, and to the charts. It could potentially be really iconic. And we still need that Beyoncé duet!

SWY down to #4 on iTunes. Oh well, it still did amazingly, especially as compared to our expectations!

Howdy! Yes we will always have the connection being the new members initiated into the thread in part 4 - loves it!

I do think Alex and Jordin would be able to compliment each other vocally as Jordin can hit the soprano notes, while Alex (as everyone has said) nails the mid range. Doing a duet with Nicki Minaj wouldn't go against her as Nicki is definitely starting to blow up and it would make a difference to have a female rapper rather than a male. Still, I don't know how much I would appreciate her contribution, mainly because I just don't like her. But if they were to do something it shouldn't be a re-vamped version of Bad Boys because Flo-Rida's presence on the song is enough and I don't think Minaj would compliment it as well. If anything, Nicki's debut album is (I think) still in progress so Alex could feature on one of her songs. I just wish someone like Eve/Missy Elliott was still relevant - that would be fire!

Sadly I'm not holding out hope for the Beyoncé duet, although she too is recording her new album so you never know, it could happen to tie in with Alex's release in the US.

Ouch, now down to #5. However it's held up well being #1 for 2 weeks straight (on itunes as well as the main charts) so at least it can't be said that it's turn at the top was a fluke or solely dependent on her core fan base. It's done enough to shame Radio 1 and prove them wrong which makes me smile .

I concur!

This is very true! Hopefully when Capital go national Radio 1 will lose its significance, which is most likely will anyway. Plus SWY is actually still selling well to be in the top 5 - it's only because there are two new big songs in there which have just been released, so obviously they'll sell more quickly. And the other two were always decent competition, guess they deserve to do well too. #3-5 are very close anyway, especially #4 and #5, which look near enough the same to me.

And yeah, I don't really like Nicki herself from what I've seen but her style is unique. But you're right, Missy Elliot! If only she was still around. She'd be better than Nicki too! Well, I think so anyway

I'm just listening to Charice ft Iyaz - Pyramid. Don't know if you know the song, but it really makes me think Alexandra should collab with Iyaz! His style isn't too rappy nor too conventional poppy (I'm making up words here, but oh well)! He's got a good melody to his voice and I think it'd really compliment Alex well.

I'm not holding out hope either for Beyoncé, but I can pray! It'd really help her profile for her US launch, and given her run of awesome luck lately, you never know...!? /wish

Welcome Jigsaw! Thanks for the information about modelling.

The only worries I have about the US campaign are lack of radio support and/or the lack of follow up singles. I'm confident that All Night Long will be a top 10 hit over there with radio support. I showed it to an American friend of mine and she tried to download it from iTunes. It doesn't prove anything, but it does show me that SyCo need to hurry up with this. Although now we're approaching Q4 so next year looks like the best time.

The lack of follow up hits is worrying. I can only think of Bad Boys that should be released. But even then there's the lack of solo singles. Hopefully there's no leaks on the re-release and just strong solo tracks. But then there's the confirmed duet and Perfect, which has also been semi confirmed.

Welcome JigsawMystery.

That was a very interesting post about the modelling. A member on her OS posted that they had tweeted Syco's PR to ask if it was true and she replied 'yes'. I checked it out and she has confirmed it.

Hopefully this will open some doors for Alex. And like has been said provide her with financial security for the future.

Alex has been nominated for an MTV EMA Best 'Push' Act! You can start voting straight away!

http://ema.mtv.co.uk/vote

Thanks for that, have voted. But she's up against Justin Bieber, so I don't think she has much chance of winning.

My friend just pointed out to me that Bad Boys is on American iTunes! It's part of an album called "Kids Top 20 Summer Edition" and appears to be a european album (I only recognise three names - Black Eyed Peas, Kesha and Alex). I just thought it was quite interesting. I wonder if SyCo/Epic are aware of this?

Haha I make up words all the time, expect to notice that sometime soon! Capital seem to be doing more favours for Alex so them going national will help with her consistency in the charts. I’ve just listened to the Charice/Iyaz song, and it is cute. It does sound like a slower tempo Replay, or is that just me? The only thing I have with Iyaz is that even though he is finely balanced between reggae/pop/r&b, Alex has already jumped on that bandwagon with SWY. But it would be nice for her to feature on his material. And we can pray for the Beyoncé duet!


Hello! No problem with the modelling information.

If I’m being honest, I think they’re over-complicating things with the US release. I don’t know why Alex couldn’t go over with Bad Boys after she did her European stint. She could have even done it at the time she did her Australian promo as All Night Long was a very good follow up; even though it is arguably the stronger release, I see Bad Boys as better lead single material as there is something about it that screams 'BAM, I've arrived!' (maybe the sirens?!). I know that there is a prejudice with their radio stations who are reluctant to play pop music by black artists which could have been detrimental to her success, but Taio Cruz managed to break through with Break Your Heart, albeit because of Ludacris who, in all fairness, doesn’t guarantee you a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Even still, he’s had a solid follow up with Dynamite. Alex had the advantage of Flo-Rida on the track who is an accomplished enough artist to make an impact on the charts, alongside the fact that she can perform the hell out of the song, and, as Leona has proven, American’s cannot deny a good live performer/singer. I’m not saying that she would have leaped straight to number one, but it’s more important to develop relevance within the market/their entertainment culture, and that isn't always justified with a number one record. People keep commenting that Alex is too cheesy for America, yet, I’ll be damned to say that Break Your Heart and Dynamite are sophisticated alternatives.

Hopefully Syco's scepticism was necessary as I am hoping for the best when she does eventually break the states – after all, in order to cement your status in musical history, it's preferable if you are appreciated globally, and that includes being relevant in America.


Hey to you too! And thanks, I’m starting to accept this as a truth rather than a rumour, especially since MTV.com have exposed it as well. So YAY! It will definitely open doors, and broaden her audience to the fashion world as well. A huge accomplishment would be for one of her songs to be played down some amazing person’s runway. I could imagine Broken Heels going down a storm at a Victoria’s Secret show *Fingers crossed*.

I've voted too but you're right, Bieber's probably got this. It's a shame she wasn't up for any of the New Act awards (especially UK & Ireland). But at this stage, I don't think winning is that important because she still has more to achieve - baby steps are a good thing. Now, if she were to PERFORM at the awards, that would be fantastic at giving her some global recognition.


Hmm... interesting. In all fairness, Bad Boys was supposed to be released to US radio in March this year so maybe that was intended to build up some buzz? We'll see what they have planned for the US release soon enough.

I think they've done absolutely the right thing in delaying Alex's US release and promo. When she came back last year the material she released could not be more different to the way she was marketed on the show, so she lost a lot of the fans who voted for 'Listen' Alexandra. One year on and with dedication and hard work she has slowly but surely started to win over the public again. This latest endorsement shows that a top modelling agency have faith in her ability to connect with all types of women. They mentioned her 'universal appeal'.

Also, I think that they are going to market Alex as an all round performer in the US as opposed to a vocalist like Leona, and she has come a long way in the last year with regards her skill in working the crowd and putting on a great live performance. You just need to compare her first performance of Bad Boys on the x-factor last year with recent ones and it is night and day. And whilst her performance on x-factor was great, no way was it up to US standards. She has her tour to further hone her skills and then can think about launching in the States.

I think overall the fact that they have not rushed her over there and are allowing her time to develop and cement her fanbase in the UK shows that they are looking at her as a long-term investment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/promotion...to-be-won.html

The modelling gig has already begun! Can also win a signed CD of Overcome.

I'd love that too but wont hold my breath what with people like Alicia Keys featuring on his tracks.