FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!

Will.i.am Scores Justin Bieber, LMFAO For Solo Album

June 19, 2012

Will.i.am

Will.i.am's new solo album, #willpower, has been a long time coming. The record is now apparently due in the fall, and while it will feature special guests like Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Ne-Yo and Nicole Scherzinger, the final cut probably will not include recent singles "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)" with Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez and "Check It Out" with Nicki Minaj and Cheryl Cole.

"I just always want to put out songs. They don't necessarily have to be part of an album," the rapper told Billboard.com. "Those are just songs to let people know along the way what I'm working on. That's me having an audio, musical conversation with the public."

Will added that the new effort will be pretty artsy and eclectic, as he experimented with many different sounds. "There's classical shit, like just me and a guitar and an orchestra or me with just an orchestra and a kid's choir," he explained. "There's some ghetto, ugly, dirty stuff. And then there's dance stuff, global world stuff and, like, avant garde, left-of-center, for-art's-sake music that has nothing to do with getting played on the radio. I'm just art-ing out. It's pretty diverse."

Will's main band, The Black Eyed Peas, will remain on hiatus, as the other members wish to take a break from touring and recording. However, Will said that the group "definitely" will put out another album at some point. He also stated that he'll only tour in support of #willpower if he can find a way for his solo show to be as good as a Peas show.

"What I have going against me is everybody saying, 'Where the other three people at?' I can't just go out with a bunch of background dancers to make up for the fact Fergie, Ap and Taboo aren't there," he conceded. "So I have to come up with a different idea and invent something to make people say, 'Dang, that was better than what you were doing with the Peas!' That won't be easy, but if I can't do that, I'm staying home."

Music News
	Josh Homme Talks New QOTSA Album, Elton John
	Quick Hits: Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Teen Choice Awards, Paul McCartney, MuchMusic Video Awards, CBGB Music & Film Festival
	Vampire Weekend Notches Best Sales Week Yet
	Metallica Writing New Tunes, But Focused On Film
	Quick Hits: One Direction, Daft Punk, Trevor Bolder, Interlocken Music Festival
	Doors Keyboardist Ray Manzarek Passes Away
	Johnny Marr: Don’t Shoot The Messenger
	Quick Hits: Prince, Cee-Lo Green, Thirty Seconds To Mars, The X Factor, The Transplants, Sick Puppies, Cage The Elephant, First City Festival, The Clash
	Taylor Swift Dominates Billboard Music Awards
	Kanye West Unveils New Songs On SNL
	Chester Bennington Joins STP At KROQ Weenie Roast, Release Single Together
	Quick Hits: Beyonce/Jay-Z, The Voice, Ed Sheeran, Coachella, Interlocken Music Festival, The Beatles
	Britney Spears To Hit The Studio Next Week
	The Week In Review: 5/13-5/17
	Quick Hits: American Idol / Candice Glover, Madonna, Emeli Sandé, PSY, Cody Simpson, Nine Inch Nails, Summerfest, The Pogues

Breaking News
	More Delays, Frustrations For Apple's iRadio Service
	Pandora Reports Record Revenue In Fiscal Q1
	Latest "Infinite Dial" Data Released Focuses On Urban P1s
	Industry Vet Jimmy de Castro Named President/GM Of WGN-AM
	CMG Stations Aid In Oklahoma Tornado Relief
	ATO Records Signs Distribution Deal With Caroline
	In Brief - May 23, 2013
	FMQB FYI... Links You Should Know About
	May 22, 2013
	Mat Mitchell Named PD For KZZP & KYOT/Phoenix
	Kirdis Postelle Named SVP Of Marketing For Capitol Music Group
	Cox Enterprises Donates $1 Million For Oklahoma Relief
	SiriusXM CEO Meyer Touts "Superior Revenue Model"
	Monte & Avery Lipman Deliver Commencement Speech At University Of Albany
	In Brief - May 22, 2013
	May 21, 2013
	Arbitron & Edison Release More Infinite Dial Data On AC P1s
	Rob Wells Joins Universal Music Group's Executive Board
	Spotify Launching Top 50 Charts
	Pandora To Preview New Releases With "Pandora Premieres"
	Bill Pugh Named PD Of KFOG & KSAN/San Francisco, Dennis Constantine Exits
	Jacobs Media Releases Techsurvey 9 Data On News/Talk Format
	Duke Professor Connolly Rumored As Next FCC Nominee
	NAB Commends Broadcasters On Oklahoma Tornado Coverage
	In Brief - May 21, 2013
	May 20, 2013
	Clyburn Takes Over As Acting FCC Chairwoman
	Report: "Song Skipping" Option Holding Back Apple's iRadio
	Dave & Chuck The Freak Named New WRIF/Detroit Morning Team
	In Brief - May 20, 2013