Arch MUSIC NEWS for 9/19/12-

Arch Music News is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Shortly after it was announced that Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban will be joining the judges table on American Idol, NBC‘s The Voice announced that it has also landed two new high-profile coaches: Usher and Shakira. The two singers will take over for Cee-Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, who will take a break from the show when it starts its fourth season in the spring.  Don’t worry – The Voice’s other judge/mentors, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, will stay in place!

Colbie Caillat will release Christmas in the Sand on October 23, and as one can tell by the title, the album is geared for people who celebrate Christmas in a warm climate. The set includes five originals and 10 holiday standards, as well as guest appearances by Brad Paisley on “Merry Christmas Baby” and Gavin DeGraw on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” To promote Christmas in the Sand, Caillat is planning a number of TV appearances.

Lady Gaga has announced the dates for the North American leg of her “Born This Way Ball” tour. She’ll bring her show to 25 cities, starting 2013. The St. Louis date is February 2^nd, and tickets go on sale on October 5^th

Justin Bieber‘s mom Pattie Mallette is confronting some of the rumors about her family’s past, particularly the one concerning her son’s father. Mallette appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Tuesday to promote her new book “Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mom.” The book covers Mallette’s difficult past dealing with abuse and addiction as well as how she raised her now-world famous son as a single mother.

AC/DC‘s late frontman Bon Scott is being honored by his first hometown. The UK’s “Daily Record” says the community group DD8 Music in Kirriemuir, Scotland is spearheading an effort to remember the singer with a statue. The organization has tapped sculptor John McKenna for the project. The artist calls it “a great honor” to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Scott in this manner, explaining that the singer is an icon from his teen years. While Scott is remembered as an Australian rocker, he spent his early childhood in Kirriemuir. His family moved to Australia when he was six. Scott has already received a similar honor in his Australian hometown. A statue of the singer was dedicated in Fremantle, Western Australia in February 2008.

Ke$ha’s new single, “Die Young,” is due out later this month, and she’s been teasing the song with a series of video clips. The first, released last week, showed Ke$ha whistling the song’s melody while on a Tokyo subway, and in the latest teaser, Ke$ha is belting out the chorus. She also revealed the single’s cover art via Twitter, which shows her wearing a wreath of flowers, long braids and not much else.
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