Bark + Bite

Starshell is ready to be spoiled on "Birthday Girl"

After making a splash in 2010 with her Fernando Garibay-produced single "SuperLuva," Mary J. Blige protege Starshell is back on the scene with a fresh new single for the masses.

Starshell has been hard at work on her debut album, Liberation, for most of 2011. "Birthday Girl," is the latest offering from the set and it's an '80s-inspired, discofied, breezy tune.

"It's my party, I'll get fly if I want to / Cry if I want to, kiss who I want to / I'm the birthday girl," the singer boasts.

Listen to the new single from Starshell below

Lana Del Rey redeems herself with Letterman performance

First impressions are unfortunately impossible to do over. And Lana Del Rey, who gave one of the drier, more awkward performances in SNL history, probably wanted to redo her poorly received performances from that night.

That unfortunately won't work, because NASA hasn't released the time machine technology that everyone knows they're hoarding. So Lana will have to settle for redemption, which is something American audiences are quite fond of anyway.

Lana took to David Letterman's late night show to perform her viral hit "Video Games," accompanied by a piano and a delicate string quartet. It was everything the SNL performance wasn't. While she's still a bit of a pussycat instead of a tiger on stage, like Adele, for example, Lana proved she could gather herself together well enough to find a key and sing on pitch. She also managed to look appropriately wounded rather than terrified-deer-in-headlights like she did on SNL.

By the end of the whole thing, Letterman was quite smitten with her and implored the rising star to come back to the show tomorrow. And the day after. Yeah, it was kinda creepy.

Watch Lana Del Rey's late night show performance below

Ed Sheeran makes his trek across the pond with nothing but his voice and his guitar

Acoustic soul. It's a boldly single-flavor proposition in a top 40 landscape that rewards decadent synth lasagnas and electro pop layer cakes. But then again, given the recent success of Adele, a singer who has racked up eye-popping record sales with nothing but good ol' fashioned soul, it's clear there's a market out there for music fans who'd like to feast their ears on much simpler aural dishes.

Ed Sheeran has leveraged his unique brand of acoustic soul to wild success in the UK. His debut album + debuted at #1 in the UK, earning him the highest UK sales for a debut artist ever. He's also up for numerous awards at the Brits this year, including Best Album, and he has the support of a few showbiz VIPs like Elton John and Jamie Foxx.

We had the chance to catch up with the British wunderkind as he prepares for an extended campaign of the US. Will he be able to cast a spell on the US as he's done in his home, the UK?

Kayla Brianna delivers sweet R&B ear candy in "If You Love Me"

There's no doubt about it: Kayla Brianna is a fresh face. But she's bringing back a really old style. And that's meant as a compliment.

If you were a child of the '90s, Brianna's sound will ring more than a few bells. The beat on her debut single, "If You Love Me," samples Bob James' "Take Me to the Mardi Gras." This is the same sample that helped shape numerous hip hop records and one Diddy used for his all-white girl group Dream for their "This Is Me" (Remix). And the chorus is borrowed from one-hit wonder R&B girl group Brownstone's "If You Love Me."

Whoever is guiding the young singer's career clearly meant "If You Love Me" as a '90s R&B love letter. Which is refreshing in a music landscape overwashed with new millenium generic dance-pop derivatives.

Watch and listen to Kayla Brianna bring that old thing back in this sweet tale of puppy love

Meet A$AP Rocky and A$AP Worldwide

Some people might have been scratching their heads as A$AP Rocky, New York's next big thing, inked a $3 Million dollar deal with RCA Records recently for his solo project and to start his label A$AP worldwide. His crew's name, A$AP, stands for 'Always Strive and Prosper' and it is the motto that he lives by. The striving part may or not be over, but prosperity seems to be right around the corner for Rocky and his gang./p>

The week after his deal with RCA was announced, A$AP Rocky dropped his critically acclaimed mixtape LiveLoveA$ap . A$AP Rocky was also announced as an opening act for Drake's Club Paradise tour alongside Kendrick Lamar.

Rocky's seemingly overnight ascent is a remarkable testament to the lightning speed distribution powers of the Internet. And while he's signed with a major label, take a closer look at the 23-year-old's talent and his crew and you'll find that like Odd Future, this is a group that wants to play by its own rules.

Get to know A$AP Rocky and his A$AP mob below

Amber Rose dumps autotuned, whiny drivel on her debut single "Fame"

Don't blame Wiz Khalifa for lending his voice and talents to this otherwise, tepid, artificial, waste of hard drive space otherwise known as Amber Rose's debut single. He's the boyfriend, he has to be supportive or risk many lonely nights with no one to comfort him beside Rosy Palm. Britney Spears made the same sacrifice for K-Fed too. Remember "Crazy"? Of course you don't.

Over an imitation RedOne beat, Amber Rose warbles about the complexities and inherent unfairness of being a Media Takeout/Bossip celebrity. Complaints about the media/press aren't new territory for pop stars and it's an overplayed card, but at least it's more tolerable when it comes from a legit celebrity like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears or Rihanna. Amber's biggest claim to fame is still the fact that she once dated Kanye West.

So excuse us for not being interested in hearing about the plights and woes of a C-list, club party hosting star chaser. The half-Cape Verdean woman is a stunning beauty, but Amber can keep this music career back there with the Kim Kardashians and Paris Hilton records collecting dust.

We won't even waste time taking apart Rose's "singing." You knew she couldn't sing before she ever even opened her mouth.

Listen to Amber's new single featuring Wiz Khalifa below

Karmin crashes the music industry with playful "Crash Your Party" single

Back when we spoke with Karmin in May of this year, the duo were in the midst of record deal negotiations that they weren't ready to reveal to the world. Well now, the cat is out of the bag. The YouTube duo has signed a deal with Epic Records, whose new head honcho is none other than former Def Jam executive and X Factor judge L.A. Reid.

After blowing up overnight from the viral success of their cover of Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now," Amy and Nick have managed to produce a first single, "Crash Your Party," that marries the two elements that made them famous: Acoustic production and hip hop.

Amy is an admitted Rihanna fan, and there are twinges of an island sound in the pre-chorus of the song and even a light Jafakin' accent. "You're gonna huff and puff and blow the whole house down / Don't they know you're the king of the castle? / The nerve of some people / To think we're all equal," Amy quips sarcastically.

There are also glimpses of Pink and Gwen Stefani in Amy as well, but that tornado rhyming section is all Amy. White girl rapper on deck! Prepare to have your party and your world crashed by the infectious talents of Karmin.

Listen to Karmin's first major-label single below

Prince Royce shares the behind the scenes in "Addicted" video

While Prince Royce told us in our interview with him that "Addicted" wasn't his official single, he has dropped a visual for the angelic R&B ballad anyway.

The video isn't a high-concept affair; it's largely a behind the scenes look at the rising singer recording the song in the studio with shots of him walking the beach thrown in for good measure. Nothing says I'm alone and looking for love like walking on the beach by yourself, right? The orchestra that he calls in toward the end is pretty epic though. Nothing sells a dramatic climax quite like a full orchestra.

Watch the video for Prince Royce's first English-language song below