With a scarf loosely covering a fancy television hairstyle, Latifa Azizi raised her arms in victory after surviving another elimination round on the hit talent show, “Afghan Star”.

But the victory pales into insignificance when compared with the larger battle 17-year-old Azizi is fighting – to pursue her dream of becoming a famous singer despite the censure of ultra-conservative Afghan society.

“Whether I win or lose, my family can’t go back home, it’s too dangerous,” Azizi, from the relatively liberal northern capital of Mazar-e-Sharif, told Reuters in the show’s dressing room.

Azizi and her family fled Mazar for the Afghan capital, Kabul, soon after she appeared on the show in November. Her community was angry with her appearance, saying it was un-Islamic for a woman to sing and appear on television. The family began to receive death threats. Read more

Buzz Track: Ashes of My Paradise

Electro-pop singer Kelly Sweet is creating a buzz. MTV “The Hive” premiered her video Ashes of My Paradise and she has received coverage in Seventeen Magazine and Elle. Fans of Ellie Goulding and Florence and The Machine need to give Sweet a try. She is performing at Club Moscow in Hollywood tonight at 10:30.
Contact: mikesavage123@gmail.com

News Update: Kings favorite City of Lions recently opened for Relient K and Switchfoot on the main stage at Joshuafest. Worldwide JCTV Network is using cuts from the album on their programming and the band is currently working on new material.
Check out the track Shining Star featuring Caitlyn. The band will be posting show dates shortly.
Contact: cityoflionsband@gmail.com

The long awaited new single Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake is already fading off the charts. After 10 days it’s almost off the top 10 on iTunes and down to number 13 on amazon.com.

Showbiz 411 reports:

What does this say for “20/20?? A couple of things. First of all, “Suit and Tie” is just about ruined by Jay Z’s rap plopped into the middle of the song for no reason. Jay Z is fine if you like him, but Timberlake fans don’t want him popping up on records willy-nilly. I hope there’s a version of “Suit and Tie” without him, much like Alicia Keys released her own “Empire State of Mind” sans the entrepreneur rapper.
Second, six years may have been too long to stay away. “Suit and Tie” is behaving like a single from a ‘legacy artist’ like the Rolling Stones– and not like a contemporary artist. Timberlake is 31 years old, which is ancient in the world set up by record labels in 2013. The other Justin, who is frightful, is 18. Pop music has become the domain of prepubescents. “Suit and Tie” is already too sophisticated for the dumbed down audience of today. I hope someone’s thought about that. You think of JT as a kid, but Lady Gaga and Adele are six years younger than him.

Buzz Track: Heart Ache featuring J. Spears

Eric Lucas aka “Elu” was born in Bronx, NY and raised in Charlotte, NC. No stranger to the road, he has opened for artists such as Young LA, Paris Bennett, Gypsy Stokes, and Wu-Tang Clan. Producers on his upcoming album (“Outta Here”) include Grammy nominated Doug Rasheed, Tim “K Figgs” Wall, and veteran David Sparks. Check out the track Heart Ache featuring J. Spears with has been played on 70+ internet radio stations.
Contact: elumuzik@gmail.com