03.25.08
VH1.com & MTV.com To World Premiere Duffy’s Single, “Mercy”
On Wednesday, March 26
NEW YORK, NY, March 25, 2008 – VH1 and MTV are joining forces in their support of U.K. artist Duffy. Both networks are pulling out all the stops for the May 13 U.S. album launch of Duffy’s album Rockferry (Mercury). Duffy’s video for the single “Mercy” will make its debut exclusively on VH1.com, VH1Soul.com and MTV.com on Wednesday, March 26 starting at 10am ET. MTV Hits and mtvU will also premiere the video throughout the day. “Mercy” will then premiere on VH1’s “Top 20 Video Countdown” on Saturday, March 29.
In addition, fans visiting VH1.com and MTV.com can access Duffy news and interviews, music, photos and can also watch the video for “Mercy.” Beginning in April, Duffy will be named an MTV “Discover & Download” artist and a VH1 “You Oughta Know” artist. “Discover & Download” is the place where MTV gives fans totally free, no-strings-attached music downloads from the hottest new artists—from underground rappers to basement indie rock bands and emerging acts just breaking onto the scene including recent artists Tokio Hotel, Leona Lewis, All Time Low and We The Kings. VH1’s “You Oughta Know” franchise, launched originally on VH1.com in late 2004 introduces artists on the rise to the channel’s adult music-lover base via VH1, VH1.com and off-air marketing campaigns. This highly acclaimed franchise has helped break many artists such as James Blunt, Amy Winehouse, The Fray, KT Tunstall and Corinne Bailey Rae and has proven to have an impact on their record sales. Current YOK artists include Leona Lewis, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles.
Duffy will also have a focused role in two inaugural VH1 on-air promo campaigns. “On The Road With” is VH1’s new sponsored promo campaign that focuses on one artist on tour. Running from April 14 to June 22, VH1 will roll out 3 separate 30-second vignettes that take viewers behind-the-scenes with Duffy to reveal life on the road. Throughout the month of May, Duffy will take part in VH1’s “Listen & Discuss” campaign. Listen And Discuss is VH1’s new umbrella music campaign designed to deeply engage our audience with a designated artist through a multi-faceted blitz of on-air interstitials and promos. The final promo campaign will begin in June where Duffy will be featured in the “Celebreality Spin” promo. 30-second and 20-second promos featuring her album artwork and a fully chyroned video will appear once an hour inside all Celebreality programming throughout the week.
Guileless and beguiling, and blessed with effortless Motown and Stax chops, 23-year old Duffy has blown away London’s hype-driven music machinery like a gust of fresh air. She was born and raised in the tiny Welsh village of Nefyn (population 2,550 at last census), a place so remote that the nearest record store was a bus ride away and only stocked the Top 40. Isolated, her muse was immaculately conceived and soulfully nurtured. Opting out of college, she worked as a waitress, sang in a bar, and cobbled out some demo recordings, some of which found their way to Jeanette Lee, noted founder and partner of the Rough Trade record label and management company. She encouraged Duffy to write her own material, put her in the studio with like-minded co-writers/producers, and signed her to A&M/Polydor UK.
Rockferry was recorded in England with ex-Suede guitarist turned record producer Bernard Butler, Jimmy Hogarth and Steve Booker. “It’s hard for cynical music industry types to get their heads around just how far removed she was from our world,” said Butler, “geographically and in every other way. What you’ve got as a result is someone who acts and sings utterly unselfconsciously and from the heart, a most rare and magical thing.”
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 90 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.
MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries—giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24 hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched 15 dynamic online communities and eight new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space – delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV’s successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in… http://www.mtvpress.com
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Contact: Lori Bogin/VH1
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