LE DOMAINE BLEU

Citation :Ex-Idols score major-label duets deal: Sabrina Sloan and Sundance Head are recording a disc for Universal Motown

American Idol's Sabrina Sloan has signed a recording contract with Universal Motown, and her first project will be a CD of duets with fellow season 6 semifinalist Sundance Head, the singer confirmed in an exclusive interview with EW.com. ''The feel will be soulful songs with a contemporary twist — kind of Al Green meets OutKast,'' said Sloan, noting that she and Head will hit the studio in August, with the hopes of making a late November release date.

Jolene Cherry, senior VP of A&R at Universal Motown, said the album will be produced by Peter Collins (Bon Jovi, Rush) and include a mix of new and classic material. ''I usually am not so much in sync with things that are on American Idol,'' Cherry noted, ''but both [Sloan and Head] really caught my attention. I was really impressed by the quality of their vocals.''

Sloan, the last female semifinalist voted off Idol before the season 6 finals began, said that an executive from Universal Motown tracked her down via a member of her mother's Arizona church congregation in the days after her ouster.

And despite some initial reservations about the duets concept, Sloan said she hopes the combined power of hers and Head's fan bases will help them get noticed in a music scene increasingly crowded with Idol alumni. ''We had a fear of having a whole From Justin to Kelly thing. We didn't want to make anything cheeseball,'' Sloan explained. ''But Jolene and the [people at the] label said, 'It cannot be that.' We're putting it out at the same time as [season 6 winner and runner-up] Jordin [Sparks] and Blake [Lewis]. It's got to be killer.''

Still, Sloan added, in the long-term, both she and Head consider themselves solo artists. ''It's not going to be a long-term [partnership], like Peaches & Herb,'' she said with a laugh.

Aside from Mario Vazquez, who chose to drop out of Idol just prior to the season 4 finals, and novelty act William Hung, Sloan and Head appear to be the first Idol contestants to score major label deals without reaching the top 12.


http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20048906,00.html

Je suis tellement content pour elle ! Elle a tellement été éliminée injustement... Par contre Suncrap... J'espère qu'elle aura quelques solos sur cet album et qu'elle arrivera assez à se démarquer pour avoir un album solo

Citation :http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment ... uff-really


Friday, August 3, 2007
'American Idol' contestant Sabrina Sloan talks about her recording deal
First album will be a collection of duets with fellow contestant Sundance Head.
By PETER LARSEN
The Orange County Register

Sabrina Sloan made the final 16 on "American Idol" this year before she was eliminated – sooner than the judges and many fans had expected.

But there's nothing like a major-label record contract to ease the sting of that defeat.

Sloan, a 1997 graduate of Mission Viejo High School, now has a freshly signed two-album deal with Universal Records Motown, with the first album slated for release in November.

She'll debut with a collection of duets with fellow "American Idol" contestant Sundance Head – eliminated the same night she was, and like her, a singer who initially looked like he'd go deeper into the competition than he ultimately did.

The album will be produced by Peter Collins, whose credits include Bon Jovi and Rush, and will include both new songs and covers of classic tunes. After that album is finished Sloan will start work on a solo album.

To find out how it all came together and how she's preparing for the recording session that starts in a week or so, we put in a call to Sabrina.

Q. When and how did you find out about the record contract?

A.Right after I got voted off in March, a couple of days after that, they sent an e-mail thru my mom. Somebody had found someone from my mom's church, something like that. She called me and forwarded me the e-mail – "Universal wants to talk to you!"

At that point, the glass was looking more half empty than half full – after just coming off the show – so I kind of thought, "Ah, it probably won't be anything." But I called and they set up a meeting. I went and met with Jolene (Cherry, a Universal executive) and she kind of told me her idea.

You walk in and see the records on the wall, you start to get really excited. But it was a long process of getting out of the "Idol" contract.

Q. What's it like to all of a sudden be on a major label? Part of Motown at that?

A.It's incredible. This isn't an indie label – you can have success either way – but there's nothing like the machine of Universal Motown to promote your CD. And the legends that have been there, the people who are on the label now, it's a dream come true.

Q. What's Sundance like? You guys get along?

A.Absolutely. He's a genuinely sweet, thoughtful guy. Both of us are married, he even has a little baby boy, so we're kind of on the same page of life. He cracks me up because he's from Texas, and coming out here to Hollywood is kind of a new thing for him. He's very endearing. Even on the show he was the guy who was crying when people got voted off.

Q. How were the songs picked for the duets album?

A.So far we've been able to submit some of our own stuff, and name what songs we like best, and what ones we don't think will work from the list. It's been a real group effort. We were really a part of the creative process.

Q. Can you name a few of the covers that might be on it?

A. It's still kind of up in the air. We have solidified the list we're picking from, but we're still not totally sure. It's a lot of soulful stuff, stuff people will definitely recognize. But some stuff is not things that were even duets before. There could be some Isley Brothers in there. That's probably the first one.

Q. What kind of solo album do want to make after this one?

A.I'm working on my music, and writing my music to prepare for that project. I want it to be very funky with a kind of hip-hop edge to it, but still sort of poppy. It might be along a Justin (Timberlake) kind of line.

Q. Being on "American Idol," I'm assuming it was worth it?

A.Oh, absolutely. I would have done it again in a heartbeat. I have no regrets, and I went in with my eyes wide open about what the show was, and what could happen.

You still get caught up in it, so to leave that early is disappointing. But I still feel like everyone is able to walk away with more opportunities than you'd have been able to have going in. So I feel really fortunate and really blessed to have had the exposure.