Weekly music agenda: Taylor Swift launches 'Speak Now' tour

(AFP/JEWEL SAMAD)

American country music singer Taylor Swift is set to launch her massive Speak Now tour in Singapore on February 9. Also coming up next month, the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles and teen idol Justin Bieber's 3D biopic.

Taylor Swift Tour
February 9-21/March 6-30/May 27 - October 29
Asia/Europe/North America

Country music star Taylor Swift's Speak Now tour kicks off in Singapore on February 9 and includes 90 shows in 19 countries throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. In March, she plans to play 11 concerts in Europe, including stops in Paris, Madrid, London, and Oslo, before launching her North American tour in May. Her first stop will be in Omaha, Nebraska, for two dates on May 27 and 28. From there the tour will criss-cross the country through October 29, when she performs a final show Lexington, Kansas. Tickets for nine of her US shows sold out in five minutes. Swift is the youngest artist in history, and the first female solo country artist ever, to win a Grammy for Album of the Year - an honor she received in 2009 for her sophomore album Fearless. Speak Now reached number one in five countries.
http://www.taylorswift.com


53rd Annual Grammy Awards
February 13
Los Angeles, CA, US/worldwide coverage

The Recording Academy's 53rd Annual Grammy Awards takes place live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 13, 2011, at 8 p.m. ET. Current nominees Arcade Fire, Eminem, Cee Lo Green, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, Muse, and Katy Perry are set to perform on the telecast. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be handed out to Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton and The Ramones. The UK's version of America's Grammy Awards, the 2011 Brit Awards, is on February 15 at London's O2 arena. Canada's equivalent, the Juno Awards, celebrates its 40th anniversary on March 27 in Toronto. The Grammy Awards will air on CBS Television and will be supported on radio worldwide via Westwood One, and covered online on Grammy.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For coverage, updates and breaking news, visit Twitter and Facebook: http://www.twitter.com/thegrammys, http://www.facebook.com/thegrammys.
http://www.grammy.com


Janet Jackson Tour
February 8 - April 23
Asia/North America/more dates to be announced

While originally American pop star Janet Jackson planned to launching her world tour on February 14 in Hong Kong, she is now kicking off the tour on February 8 in Singapore, followed by stops in Hong Kong, Taipei, and Manila. She plans to hit 35 cities in a tour dubbed "Number Ones: Up Close and Personal," supporting her 2009 best-of collection, Number Ones, a double-album featuring her 35 number-one US hits. Outside of the US, Number Ones is entitled Janet Jackson: The Number Ones, and the album marks Jackson's second hits album, following 1995's Design of a Decade 1986/1996. While international tour dates have yet to be set, she is touring North America March 7 through April 23. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Jackson has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Stay tuned to Jackson's website as more cities are announced and to purchase tickets.
http://www.janetjackson.com


'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never' opens in theaters
February 11/February 18
US/UK

Tween fans of the US pop star Justin Bieber can flock to the theaters in February to see his 3D biopic, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. The film is directed by Jon Chu ( Step Up 2 and Step Up 3D), and features Miley Cyrus, Jaden Smith, Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, and the boy wonder himself. His first full studio LP, My World 2.0, was released on March 23, 2010 and reached No. 1 in seven countries.
http://www.justinbieberneversaynever.com/

Eric Clapton
February 11/Feburary 14-20/February 25 - March 8 / May 9 - June 1
Middle East/Asia/North America/Ireland/UK

In support of his 2010 studio album Clapton, Eric Clapton will play a gig at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi on February 11, followed by a four-city tour of Asia. He begins his North American tour on February 25 in Vancouver with a final stop in Los Angeles on March 8. On May 9, he heads to Dublin, continuing on to Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, and London, where he'll perform a six-night run at the Royal Albert Hall. Clapton, with 20 studio albums under his belt, was inducted three times into the US-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo performer as well as a bandmember of The Yardbirds and Cream. He ranks fourth in Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. 
http://www.ericclapton.com


BRIT Awards
February 15
London

Begun in 1977, the BRIT Awards are one of the UK's biggest music awards, honoring the best in pop music each year. Leading the 2011 nominees are Tinie Tempah with four nods and Plan B, Mumford & Sons, and Take That with three each. Other nominees include Arcade Fire, Katy Perry, Eminem, The xx, and Ellie Goulding. Designer Vivienne Westwood restyled the coveted statue for this year's event, which will be held at London's O2 Arena. Performing at the event are Mumford & Sons, Adele, Cee Lo Green, and Arcade Fire. Show will air live at 8 p.m. GMT and will broadcast on ITV1.
http://www.brits.co.uk/


Ke$ha Tour
February 15 - May 6
North America/Australia

American pop singer Ke$ha is launching her first worldwide concert tour, dubbed The Get $leazy Tour, with scheduled stops throughout North America and Australia. The tour kicks off February 15 in Portland, Oregon, then travels to Brisbane, Australia, on March 3. She then plays six other Australian cities before returning to North America to continue the tour through April and early May. Her 2009 debut single, "TiK ToK," reached number one in 11 countries and her debut album, Animal, scored three top ten singles. Her 2010 EP, Cannibal, has had mixed reviews, however, and peaked at 15 on Billboard's US chart.
http://www.keshasparty.com


U2 Tour
February 18 - July 29
South Africa/South America/North America

U2 will continue its 360° Tour, rescheduled from 2010 due to Bono's back injury, with a February 18 show in Johannesburg, South Africa. The band will play a show in Cape Town before heading to South America for two shows: Buenos Aires on March 30 and Sao Paulo on April 9. May through July, U2 will tour Mexico, the US, and Canada, wrapping up on July 29 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and has sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
http://www.u2.com


Lady Gaga Tour
February 19 - May 6
North America

Pop-dance music artist Lady Gaga recently added 12 more North American dates to her international The Monster Ball tour. On February 19, she will play Atlantic City, New Jersey, before traveling to New York, Washington DC, Dallas, and Montreal, among others. Her final stop is Mexico City on May 6. Her 2010 The Fame Monster topped charts in 11 countries, and Gaga has sold more than 15 million albums and 51 million singles worldwide.
http://www.ladygaga.com


Katy Perry Tour
February 20 - May 24/October 12 - November 7
Europe/Japan/North America

US pop star Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour launches in Lisbon, Portugal on February 20, and will hit North America by next summer, although official dates have yet to be released. Throughout March and April she will travel Europe and the UK before launching her Japan tour on May 20. There, Perry will play concerts in Osaka and Nagoya, and two shows in Tokyo on May 23 and 24. She returns to the UK for a show in Sheffield on October 12, and then continues to 11 other cities, with a final concert in Dublin on November 7. "California Gurls," the first single from 2010's Teenage Dream, topped charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, with more than four million digital downloads worldwide.
http://www.katyperry.com


NME Awards online voting
Through February 25
Online

Voting is currently underway for the 2011 Shockwave NME Awards, awarded by UK music magazine NME (New Music Express). The awards began in the 1950s, lasted for more than ten years, and then came back in 1994 as an alternative to the pop-focused Brit Awards. The NME Awards are distinguished by their online voting system, which is now open leading up to the February 25 awards ceremony in London. Headliners to perform the show include Foo Fighters, Cee Lo Green, Band of Horses, and No Age. For tickets to the event, go to nme.com/tickets. To vote, visit the NME website.
http://www.nme.com/awardsvote

Rihanna on tour
February 25 - March 12/September 11 - December 2
Australia/Europe

American recording artist Rihanna brings her Last Girl on Earth stadium production in support of Rated R to Australia February 25 through March 12, with stops in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Newcastle. On September 11, she embarks on her Loud Tour, which will start in Arnhem, The Netherlands, followed by eight stops in Ireland and the UK before heading to mainland Europe for a tour throughout the continent, then back to the UK for another round of shows in November. North American dates are forthcoming. A three-time Grammy Award winner, Rihanna has sold more than 15 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide.
http://www.rihannanow.com


Watch Bieber's movie trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9i3pcuQSVY