The 2012 Olympic Games in London will no doubt be one of the year’s most exciting events, but the journey to the games as an athlete is no walk in the park. In their new video for “The Fighter”, their new Ryan Tedder-featuring single from The Papercut Chronicles II, Gym Class Heroes showcase the physical and emotional struggle and quest for glory of 19-year-old athlete John Orozco as he trains for the games.

In the inspirational clip, the hip-pop group performs inside a gymnasium as we see the Bronx-born, Puerto Rican gymnast train for the Olympics — as he’s been doing his entire life. The video offers professionally-shot footage of Orozco working out, doing backflips and soaring through the air, cut together with actual home video of the incredible gymnast perfecting his craft from a very young age. Go for the gold, John!

Now this is a story all about how British boy band One Direction‘s US invasion has turned upside down, with the fivesome kicking off their first stateside tour Tuesday night (May 22) at Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, CT. To eardrum-bursting shrieks, 1D knocked out the singles from their eponymous debut album, including “What Makes You Beautiful,” then padded the show with a few unexpected covers — notably Will Smith‘s Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme rap, a little ditty that predates One Direction’s oldest member (Louis Tomlinson) by almost two years.

Jump below to see the boys do a roundtable singalong of The Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feelin”, Gym Class Heroes‘ “Stereo Hearts”, Amy Winehouse‘s “Valerie” and Natalie Imbruglia‘s “Torn”.

If One Direction are taking requests on tour, what songs do you want to see them cover live? Tell us in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

On Monday night (Apr. 2), the 12 contestants that made up Teams Blake and Christina took the stage to sing for America’s votes in the first of The Voice‘s live episodes this season. And last night each team bid farewell to two as the results of the first round of voting were revealed.

But before we get to that, Travie McCoy and his Gym Class Heroes performed “Ass Back Home,” joined by seductress Neon Hitch, fresh off her SXSW gigs. Team Adam ended up on stage and sang along with their mics turned off. We can’t wait until they turn their mics on next week.

First up, Team Blake went to Go Country radio station to show the world that there’s nothing that compares to the power of radio — well, except the Internet — and to announce an acoustic performance in Los Angeles. Except one-third of the team is about to go home. Team Christina, on the other hand, paid a visit to Jay Leno to talk about getting America to like you. Jay tells them not to buy any cars, and save as much as they can. They get to perform duets on the show while Christina is the guest, which blows Blake’s radio trip out of the water. Then it’s on to the voting results.

MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ROUND
Team Blake:
Erin Willett
Jermaine Paul
Raelynn

Team Christina:
Jesse Campbell
Lindsey
Chris Mann

SINGING FOR THEIR LIVES
Team Blake:
Jordis Unga
Charlotte Sometimes
Naia Keta

Team Christina:
Moses Stone
Sera Hill
Ashley De La Rosa

Naia is up first with “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé. The performance was too whispery and breathy, with real pitch problems in the chorus — not the way to get saved. Blake commented that he wished she’d sung reggae. Charlotte Sometimes sings “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, letting her obvious anger at her position seep into the performance. Jordis Unga finishes with “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones, the best vocal of the three and the one that Blake chooses to save. As much potential as Naia and Charlotte had, this is the right selection in this round.

Jordis Unga, “Wild Horses”

Team Christina took the stage next, with Ashley De La Rosa singing “Paris Ooh la la” by Grace Potter. She put a lot of energy into, which is exactly what you need to do in a last chance situation. Sera Hill put it all on the line, pulling out Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love.” Her confidence and stage presence are not where they were Monday night, even though her vocal was clean and beautiful. Moses Stone finished off with “Break Even, Falling to Pieces” by The Script, deviating from rap and the rap-adjacent style he’s been focused on. We guess he’s trying to show himself as a singer and not just a rapper, but in this situation he needed to play to his strengths and not go cray. Christina goes with her gut and heart and saved Ashley De La Rosa.

Ashley De La Rosa, “Paris Ooh La La”

ELIMINATED
Naia (Team Blake)
Charlotte Sometimes (Team Blake)
Sera Hill (Team Christina)
Moses Stone (Team Christina)

Next week Team Adam and Team Cee Lo take the stage. Who are you most excited to see? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

KIIS FM’s annual Wango Tango music event is typically jam-packed with (pop) star power, but the 2012 edition seems even bigger than usual. The May 12 event, which will take place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, will include peformances by Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Maroon 5, Foster the People, B.o.B, The Wanted, Gym Class Heroes, J. Cole, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, K’Naan, Chiddy Bang, Wallpaper. and Diggy Simmons. Also on hand will be Justin Bieber, though he won’t be performing — he’ll be introducing his new label signee, Carly Rae Jepsen.We’ll be disappointed if he didn’t sing at least a few lines from his new single “Boyfriend”, though.

If you’re an Aussie, you have a new place to see your favorite performers — Nova’s Red Room in Sydney, which is an intimate performance space that allows fans to get up close and personal with their favorite musicians. Kicking off the launch party for the new venue were Jessie J, Tinie Tempah, and Gym Class Heroes, who each performed some of the hits they’ll reprise as part of the lineup for Australia’s massive Future Music Festival.

Favorites is our recurring video series on the personal preferences of the pop artists who inspire us. Because the artists we love love stuff too.

Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley are from the same small town in Upstate New York. They both have last names that start with “Mc,” and, let’s face it, have logged more than a few hours together touring and recording the group’s top-selling albums, including their latest, The Papercut Chronicles II. (That’s the album that kicked off with the smash “Stereo Hearts”, which we premiered last June). That said, the two couldn’t be further apart when it comes to their personal preferences. From the culinary arts to the best way to spend an evening with a lady-friend, learn how each of these Heroes roll.

Do you share any favorite things with Travie and Matt? Let us know what you think in the comments below, or on Facebook and Twitter!

The NBA All-Star Game will be an event both basketball fans and Top 40 worshipers won’t want to miss. Pitbull and Ne-Yo will perform “Give Me Everything” at the All-Star Game Halftime Show, while Nicki Minaj will perform a medley of her songs (including her new single “Starships”, and hopefully omitting “Roman Holiday”). The following day, Flo Rida and will.i.am will perform during the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events, and Gym Class Heroes and J. Cole will kick off the whole shebang at the NBA All-Star Pregame Show. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough for you, Mary J. Blige will perform the National Anthem, too. [Billboard]

Well, pop music fans, it’s that time again. Time to say goodbye to what’s past and look ahead to something fresh. Maybe you plan to party like it’s 1999, or maybe you’re spending a cozy evening indoors away from the debauchery. If your answer is the latter, thank your lucky (pop) stars that performers like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and Jessie J are painting the town to ensure those of us sitting home when the ball drops still have a magnificent time. You likely have seen the viral video of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”, and if that inquiry is lingering in your mind regarding your favorite musical acts, find your answer below.

The most musical bang for your buck can be found at the ABC holiday mainstay Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (8 PM), co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest, which starts incredibly early yet still goes very late. It will unfortunately not feature any musicians you’ve ever heard of — just Lady Gaga, LMFAO, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Hot Chelle Rae, Gym Class Heroes, Pitbull, will.i.am, Florence + The Machine — and, rumor has it, an appearance from a still-preggers Beyonce. Fergie will also present a segment looking back at the best performances in the show’s history. Rockin’, indeed.

But if all that’s a little too much for you, perhaps NBC’S New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly (10 PM) is more your scene. Carson’s got a rather rockin’ lineup of his own to share, with performances by Drake, Jessie J, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green,and Tony Bennett, along with a look back at the year in music (if you didn’t get quite enough in our coverage of such things).

BET’s 106th & Party (11 PM) naturally features a more hip hop-flavored lineup including Young Jeezy, Yelawolf, Tyga, Waka Flocka Flame, and B.o.B., if that’s your preference.

And if none of that quite does it for you, maybe MTV’s NYE In NYC (11 PM) will capture the frigid excitement of Times Square for you. Co-hosted by Demi Lovato, the broadcast will feature live sets from Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, and J. Cole.

So let’s hear it — what are you doing New Year’s Eve?

We’ve had the honor of Patrick Stump, Ellie Goulding, Skylar Grey and Oh Land treating us with their picks for the year’s best music, and now Travie McCoy and Matt McGinley of Gym Class Heroes tell us which albums made their 2011 totally rock. It goes without saying that this year was a big one for Gym Class Heroes — after taking a break so that McCoy could drop his solo LP, Lazarus, the hip-pop-rap group returned to release The Papercut Chronicles II, scoring a Top 10 hit with their single “Stereo Hearts”, which has a permanent spot on our stereo.

So what killer tunes did Travie and Matt love the most from the past 12 months? Jump below to find out.

Matt kept it in the Fueled By Ramen family when picking his favorite album — The Swellers’ Good For Me. “It feels like a genuine reproduction of a band I would have loved in high school,” he tells us. “Right now, they’re one of the bands that’s interesting me the most.”

As for Travie, he was a huge fan of Submarine, an EP from Arctic Monkeys member Alex Turner —  particularly the track “Stuck On A Puzzle”. “From a lyricist standpoint, he’s just so straightforward with his lyrics,” he says. “There’s no tricks — everything is so relatable.”

Did you also get caught up with The Swellers’ and Alex Turner’s tunes? And did Gym Class Heroes’ latest LP make your year spin? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Twitter and Facebook!

Gym Class Heroes’ The Papercut Chronicles II is out now on Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen. Purchase it on eMusic.

Life on the road is tough for a musician, and in Gym Class Heroes’ new video for their single “Ass Back Home”, the pop-rock group shows how a hectic touring schedule can really do a number on a relationship. Travie McCoy takes off away from his on-screen lady love Neon Hitch (who also provides the hook), and luckily for them, absence only makes the heart grow fonder. If you’re far from the one you love, you’ll probably be able to relate to the video, which you can watch below.

“‘Ass Back Home’ is all about trying to keep a relationship going while we’re all out on the road all the time,” McCoy told RyanSeacrest.com about the Benny Blanco-produced single from The Papercut Chronicles II. “The song was actually inspired by Matt’s [drummer] relationship with his girlfriend and realizing why he is so Zen on the road.”

Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”

It must be the holidays — otherwise, how could we account for the gift of having so many of our favorite acts in one room? Z100′s Jingle Ball pulled out all the stops at Madison Square Garden last night, including a Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato duet and Lady Gaga singing “White Christmas” perched atop a motorcycle with sunglasses on (it’s true, a white Christmas can be very bright). In addition to these marvelous ladies, the bash featured Foster The People, Travie McCoy, David Guetta, Hot Chelle Rae, Pitbull, and LMFAO. We weren’t on hand to see it for ourselves, but reliving it via these photographs, it sure looks like spirits were bright.

Gym Class Heroes headed back to their home state to perform on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night, and the group was joined by Neon Hitch (wearing some bizarre style of kimono casual) for their single “Ass Back Home”. Catch their late-night performance of the Benny Blanco-produced tune, off GCH’s current LP The Papercut Chronicles II, below.

2111291356 by YardieGoals

Taylor Swift, Adele, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez were the big winners at the 2011 American Music Awards Sunday night, a performance-heavy evening dominated by onstage collaborations by the year’s highest charting artists. Read our full recap and get the complete list of winners after the jump.

Taylor Swift picked up three of the biggest awards of the night, including Artist of the Year, Favorite Country Music Album for her third full-length release Speak Now and Favorite Country Female Artist for the fourth straight year. Likewise, Adele, who wasn’t present due to her recent throat surgery, nabbed three awards, for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.

Lopez, who nabbed the award for Favorite Latin Music Artist, broke out her Billboard chart-topping RedOne ode-to-love “Papi” in a rhinestone-covered nude body suit before being joined on stage by fellow Favorite Latin Music Artist nominee Pitbull for their banger “On The Floor.” Later, Lopez lent her voice to the hook of will.I.am’s new solo track “THE (The Hardest Ever)” in a futuristic black-light dance number that featured video of Mick Jagger performing a portion of the song.

There was more Mick to be had, at least in spirit, when Maroon 5 — who took home the first award of the night, Favorite Rock/Pop Band, Duo or Group — took the stage alongside Christina Aguilera to perform the undisputed song of summer (and Mom favorite) “Moves Like Jagger.” Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine then crossed the stage to meet Travie McCoy and Gym Class Heroes, who launched into their Benny Blanco/RoboPop single, “Stereo Hearts.”

But GCH wasn’t the only artist to make use of a stereo last night. To open the show, Nicki Minaj showed off her most famous, uh, assets in a pair of silver boombox pants. The Young Money femcee plugged herself into David Guetta’s turntable stage for a tech-savvy performance of “Turn Me On” and “Super Bass” as Swift and Selena Gomez rapped along from their seats. Soon after, Nicki won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist (thanking superfan Swift in her acceptance speech) and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for her debut Pink Friday.

Justin Bieber took the stage early and alone in a white leather motorcycle outfit  for his ska-inflected holiday hit “Mistletoe” but failed to score any big trophies over the course of the evening, despite a virtual legion of Beliebers.

Following an all-pink acoustic version of her tearjerker “The One That Got Away,” Katy Perry, otherwise winless for the night, was presented a special American Music Achievement Award for racking up five No. 1 hits on a single album. Michael Jackson and Prince have also received the award, but Perry is the first female artist to earn the accolade.

Rihanna and Beyonce, though not in attendance, both picked up awards: Rihanna took home Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Loud — a vote of confidence on the eve of Talk That Talk‘s debut — and Beyoncé was named Favorite Soul/R&B Female artist.

Notable presenters included a very healthy-looking Sean Kingston, recently recovered from a jet-ski accident, and Adam Lambert who hadn’t made an AMAs appearance since his controversial 2009 AMAs performance.

American Music Awards 2011 List Of Winners

ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Taylor Swift
POP ROCK BAND, DUO OR GROUP: Maroon 5
POP/ROCK MALE ARTIST:  Bruno Mars
POP/ROCK FEMALE ARTIST: Adele
POP/ROCK ALBUM: Adele, 21
SPRINT NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Hot Chelle Rae
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT: Katy Perry, for five #1s from one album
RAP/HIP HOP ARTIST: Nicki Minaj
RAP/HIP HOP ALBUM: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
SOUL/R&B MALE ARTIST: Usher
SOUL/R&B FEMALE ARTIST: Beyonce
SOUL/R&B ALBUM: Rihanna, Loud
COUNTRY BAND, DUO OR GROUP: Lady Antebellum
COUNTRY MALE ARTIST: Blake Shelton
COUNTRY FEMALE ARTIST: Taylor Swift
COUNTRY ALBUM: Taylor Swift, Speak Now
LATIN MUSIC ARTIST: Jennifer Lopez
ALTERNATIVE ARTIST: Foo Fighters
ADULT CONTEMPORARY ARTIST: Adele
CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST: Casting Crowns

The 2011 American Awards got a kickstart this evening via a bootylicious performance from a robot-suited Nicki Minaj and French beat master David Guetta. Others to take center stage at the star-studded Los Angeles event include The Band Perry, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson and Enrique Iglesias. Head below to take in the spectacle — and don’t forget to read our recap of the musical mayhem and full list of AMA winners.

Of course, not all the big artists were on stage. Taking in the performances was an audience that included the ravishing Katy Perry and the sleek Selena Gomez. (What do you think her favorite performance was?)

David Guetta & Nicki Minaj — ”Turn Me On” / “Super Bass”

Justin Bieber — ”Mistletoe”

The Band Perry — ”If I Die Young”

Chris Brown — ”All Back” / “Say It With Me”

Kelly Clarkson — ”Mr. Know It All”

Enrique Iglesias & Ludacris — ”I Like How If Feels” / “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You”)

Jennifer Lopez — ”Papi” / “On The Floor”

OneRepublic — ”Good Life”

Pitbull & Marc Anthony — ”Give Me Everything” / “Rain Over Me”

Katy Perry — ”The One That Got Away”

Mary J. Blige — ”Mr. Wrong”

Drake — ”Headlines”

Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera — ”Moves Like Jagger”

Gym Class Heroes & Adam Levine — “Stereo Hearts”

Will.i.am & Jennifer Lopez — ”T.H.E.”

Daughtry — ”Crawling Back To You”

LMFAO — ”Party Rock Anthem” / “Sexy And I Know It”

Who stole the show? Let us know your favorite (or least favorite) performance on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Both Gym Class Heroes and Maroon 5 were in attendance at yesterday’s Google Music launch party, but M5 frontman Adam Levine must have had other obligations when it came time for Travie McCoy and the gang to hit up the Tonight Show to perform “Stereo Hearts”. Instead, GCH turned to “Thank You” songstress Estelle for some assistance with the chorus of their current Top 10 single. Watch this new musical pair-up below.

Though Gym Class Heroes have canceled the remaining dates on their Fall tour due to frontman Travie McCoy’s “illness” (why so vague, guys?), McCoy was still able to perform the group’s single “Stereo Hearts” on Saturday Night Live with Maroon 5. Looks like Travie’s claim that he’s one tough cookie in new song “The Fighter” is pretty accurate. The uplifting tune, off The Papercut Chronicles II, features OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder on the hook as well as the production. Listen below.

Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder – “The Fighter”

The Papercut Chronicles II drops November 15.

Gym Class Heroes’ “Stereo Hearts” is still making an impact in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 as the hip-pop group continues to roll out new singles. Today comes the lyric video for their Papercut Chronicles II track “Ass Back Home”, produced by Benny Blanco and featuring our About To Pop performer Neon Hitch on the hook. Check out the song’s lyrics in the video below, and prepare to add the word “bogusness” into your everyday vocabulary.

Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home” (Lyric Video)

This afternoon, the band released a statement on their website, announcing that they need to cancel the remainder of their tour dates:

“Due to Travie’s illness, we regrettably have to cancel our remaining tour dates with The Dirty Heads.  Our day-to-day schedule on tour has been grueling, and he really hasn’t had a chance to properly recover.  He should be out of the hospital any day now, and we hope by staying in one place and resting, he’ll be back in action soon.”

We had no idea Travie was in the hospital or what he was admitted for, but we hope he gets back on his feet soon.

Gym Class Heroes’ new album The Papercut Chronicles II drops November 15.

Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato are the three leading ladies of pop to perform at Z100′s annual Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden on December 9. Also on the bill are party masters LMFAO, Gym Class Heroes, Pitbull and David Guetta, as well as rising rock outfits Foster The People and Hot Chelle Rae. Tickets for ZVIPs go on sale November 1, while the general public can snatch up tix on November 2.

Gym Class Heroes is readying its forthcoming LP, The Papercut Chronicles II (out November 15), and today the hip-pop group soars to new heights on their breezy, melodic new tune “Life Goes On”, featuring dreamy Danish songstress Oh Land on the hook. The rhythmic and euphonious song encourages you to “live it up til it’s gone, we won’t be around too long”. So seize the day, Idolators, and head below to hear their collaboration.

Gym Class Heroes feat. Oh Land – “Life Goes On”

[Via PureVolume]

Gym Class Heroes’ collab with Maroon 5′s Adam Levine – the loveable, super catchy “Stereo Hearts” – was pure sunshine on pop radio. This new cut from the group’s The Papercut Chronicles II, the harder, darker “Martyrial Girl$”, is pretty much the opposite. Frontman Travie McCoy growls out complaints that “this type of scene just ain’t my thing, everybody too cool for school, somehow I never felt so alone.” Make way for some angry despair, as well as references to Adam Sandler, Christopher Walen and Brad Pitt, in GCH’s new jam below.

Gym Class Heroes – “Martyrial Girl$”

The Papercut Chronicles II drops November 15. Pre-order the album now.