by Jesse Beer-Dietz

Our spotlight this week is on pop-rockers from the U.K. Also, check out my interview with Shy Carter, who wrote Rob Thomas’ hit “Someday” and co-wrote Sugarland’s current single, “Stuck Like Glue,” among a bunch of others. Keep feedin’ my inbox: jesse.beerdietz@hitsmagazine.com

SPOTLIGHT
Eddie the Gun (http://www.myspace.com/eddiethegun): These U.K. rockers are fronted by blonde bombshell Camilla Romestrand. The band has three songs on the soundtrack of Chain Letter, Deon Taylor's upcoming film, for which James Cameron did all of the 3D and special FX, and Nikki Reed stars. The movie premiered this Thursday, and Eddie the Gun not only walked the red carpet, they performed at the film's official after-party. The band's single, "Don't Be Afraid," is the film's theme song—it’s available at the iTunes Store.

BAND UPDATE
Electrolightz: We featured this group awhile back and wanted to update you on everything that’s been going on. The L.A.-based electro-hip-hop group will be releasing their debut album It Happened Over Night on ITunes Oct. 5. Electrolightz is best known for their remixes for Lady Gaga, La Roux and Diddy, in addition to their explosive live show (opening for the likes of LMFAO, Ludacris, Shwazye and Far East Movement). The band's mixtape, Electrolightz Presents Electronightz, has received acclaim from the blogoshpere and fans alike, with over 20k downloads since it hit in March. They hope to capitalize on that momentum and satisfy the fans with an album that is “packed with nonstop ass-shaking hits.” It Happened Overnight, featuring 10 originals, will be accompanied by a video for their first single "The Future."

EMAIL Q&A WITH SINGER/SONGWRITER SHY CARTER
When did you first know you had a passion for writing songs?
I started writing raps and making little amateur beats at about 11. Then, as I started to sing more, I started coming up with my own songs, and I'd say I realized I had a true passion for writing at about 15-16. You just get to speak about something and release your own ideas into the atmosphere. And hopefully people hear it and relate to it. It's a beautiful thing when they do.

Who are some of the artists who you have written for?

Nelly, Sugarland, Rob Thomas, Murphy Lee, Ashanti, Chingy, Mike Jones, Rahzel and a bunch of new artists coming soon!

You’re also a talented artist yourself; which do you enjoy more, performing or writing for other artists?
I've got to say that there is a huge plus to being able to write a song and let everyone else go out and promote your work. But also, there's a spirit in each song that makes it special, and sometimes when you give it to someone else, it ends up being just a song. Some songs are absolutely meant for me to sing myself. And I just trust God to help me to understand which ones those are. I love performing, and I think God has also been establishing a platform for me to do that on a major level. So expect soulful, pimped-out pop songs soon! P.S.: I've been making some bangas (some that I'm sure I'll use for myself) with my guys Ahmed Oliver and Brent Paschke—look out for us. Our unofficial name is BMW (Black Guy, Mixed Guy and a White Guy) and The Beastly Boyz because our tracks are just BEASTLY!!

What advice can you give to aspiring artists and songwriters?
Pray, pray pray—write, write, write. Study and enjoy music. Explore different types of music, but stay true to your originality. Work as hard as you can and as long as you can until you get to where you want to be. Also, understand that when you get into the industry you're going to have to sacrifice big, but it's a chess game, and it's about positioning more than anything. Hold onto your dignity and respect, but be humble and attentive. Find out how you're getting screwed, understand why and learn about what you can do differently next time. Welcome to the real world, baby! The payoff is in the end, after you've almost killed yourself getting there.

Talk about having Sugarland use one of your songs and the impact it’s having on your career. I just saw the video the other day and loved the song.
I wrote “Stuck Like Glue” with Kevin Griffin and Sugarland's Jennifer and Kristian. This song is special because we broke it down to the basics. The track for the song is actually me beating on a guitar and beat-boxing with my mouth—a first for country, maybe? Also a first—I think—is the wicked reggae breakdown where Jennifer just kills it. But the biggest "first" for the song is that it's the first time in history a country group or duo has debuted in the Top 20 on the Hot 100. The song debuted at #20 selling, 93k downloads the first week. Previously the Dixie Chicks held the record at #26. It has also become a Top 5 ringtone already. It's only been out about six weeks and it’s just breaking into the Top 10 at Country radio. So yeah, I think this is a turning point for me in my career. After co-writing Rob Thomas' #1 hit "Someday" (still Top 10 AC ) and now being blessed to write a hit with Sugarland, I've really got more people's attention. I want to do innovative and powerful music. We live in an era of "computer" music, and you can make some great stuff with computers. But don't forget, we're designed to be able to make music anywhere and anyhow with anything. So let's mix it up and get more creative!

Final question, and probably the most important: if you could be a super hero, what would your name be and what would be your powers?
I'd be "Pimped-out Aqua-Man," and I would bring beautiful, delectable, clean drinking water to Africa and everywhere else that so desperately needs it. I think it's important for us in the U.S. to realize how blessed we are instead of complaining all the time. If we would just do a li’l something for someone else, we'd probably feel a lot better.That's a good question! PEACE.