NEW YORK, NY (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) Elektra recording artist
Bruno Mars and Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy/Atlantic recording artist
Janelle Monae have announced plans for a major North American co-headlining tour, "Hooligans in Wondaland," this May and June. Atlantic recording artist
Plan B will also join the tour on select dates. Full tour dates, locations and lineups will be announced soon.
What's more, fans will get a chance to purchase presale tickets and presale ticket bundles that come with a meet & greet with Bruno or early entry into the venue along with a membership in the official Bruno Mars fan club launching later this spring. Fans of Janelle will also be able to purchase presale tickets and presale ticket bundles that come with a meet & greet with Janelle, a Best of Janelle digital EP, signed poster and commemorative laminate. Complete presale information for both artists will be available beginning Wednesday, February 16th at www.brunomars.com and www.jmonae.com.
Both Mars and Monae were among the top stars at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, performing a medley of their hits alongside Rebel Rock Entertainment/Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist B.o.B. Their critically acclaimed performance received a rousing standing ovation. Additionally, singer/songwriter/producer Bruno Mars was one of the night's big winners, taking home the "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" trophy for his 3x RIAA platinum certified debut single, "Just The Way You Are."
Pre-production is currently underway on the companion video for Mars' next single, "The Lazy Song." The clip will be filmed in Los Angeles later this week.
Mars - who will be among the stars performing at next weekend's 2011 NBA All-Star Pregame Show, slated to air live on TNT on Sunday, February 20th at 7PM ET (check local listings) - has received an array of rapturous press coverage in recent weeks, including a cover appearance on the February/March issue of Vibe as well as key features in The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times.
A charming and charismatic live performer, Mars will get ready for the "Hooligans In Wondaland Tour" with a hugely anticipated European itinerary. Set to begin in early March, the trek features sold out shows in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, where his breakthrough debut album, "DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS," has just received platinum certification.
Along with Sunday night's Grammys triumph, Mars has just been nominated for a 2011 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for "Favorite Male Singer." The nod joins a long list of recent honors, including a 2011 BRIT Award nomination as "Best International Male" and a pair of nominations for the upcoming 42nd NAACP Image Awards. Bruno was named in the "Best New Artist" category, while fellow Elektra artist Cee Lo Green's "Forget You" (penned and produced by Mars' in-demand production team, The Smeezingtons) was nominated for "Outstanding Song." The 42nd NAACP Image Awards will be presented during a live telecast airing on Friday, March 4th on FOX at 8PM ET.
"Grenade," Mars' second consecutive No 1 hit single following "Just The Way You Are," remains a worldwide smash hit, currently standing at No 1 on Billboard's "Pop Songs" chart as well as at No 2 on the overall "Hot 100." The 3x platinum certified track - which is, of course, featured on "DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS" - is also included on the new digital EP, "THE GRENADE SESSIONS," a four-track collection compiling rare remixes by Passion Pit and The Hooligans, as well as an exclusive acoustic rendition. The EP is available at all leading DSPs, including Bruno's own official webstore, located at brunomars.hasawebstore.com.
Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy/Atlantic recording artist Janelle Monae is without question one of the most celebrated new artists in recent memory, a fact made clear by a pair of impressive Grammy Awards nominations. Her acclaimed single, "Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi)," was named in the "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" category, while her genre-bending debut album, "THE ARCHANDROID" received a nod as "Best Contemporary R&B Album."
In addition, "THE ARCHANDROID" earned universal critical applause around the world. The album - which includes the hit single, "Cold War" - was named among 2010's best by a wide range of national outlets, including Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Spin, New York, NPR, Paste, Vibe, and Pitchfork, with PopMatters, the Associated Press, and the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot all declaring it to be the year's finest work bar none. What's more, a Grammy Awards preview in last Friday's edition of the Wall Street Journal openly decreed that "THE ARCHANDROID" "is superior to any disc up for the 'Album of the Year' award."
Across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom's The Guardian also named "THE ARCHANDROID" as its top album of 2010, declaring that Monae "belongs to the tradition of OutKast, Prince, David Bowie and Funkadelic - artists who command so many genres that they become one themselves...No other album this year seems so alive with possibility. Monae is young and fearless enough to try anything, gifted enough to pull almost all of it off, and large-hearted enough to make it feel like a communal experience."
A truly worldwide artist in her approach, Monae is currently poised to begin a hugely anticipated European tour, set to kick off later this month. The itinerary, which includes shows in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom, follows Monae's recent visit to South America as part of the annual Summer Soul Festival Tour, not to mention her supporting role on Prince's recent "Welcome 2 America" trek.
In addition to her Grammy success, Monae was celebrated at last week's 2nd Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Music event in Los Angeles. The evening featured an exclusive performance by Monae and her band, who thrilled the invitation-only crowd with four songs, including a stellar rendition of "Tightrope" alongside longtime friend and collaborator, Big Boi.
For up-to-the-minute news and tour information on both Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae, please visit www.brunomars.com, www.jmonae.com, www.atlanticrecords.com, and www.elektra.com.
