Hollywood Life » Kuk Harrell

'X Factor' Winner Melanie Amaro Will Be The Next Whitney Houston, Says Justin Bieber's Producer

Hollywood Life Staff — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:36:49 +0000

Melanie is busy recording her new album with Justin’s Grammy Award-winning vocal producer, and HollywoodLife.com has all of the EXCLUSIVE details!

The X-Factor‘s Melanie Amaro has teamed up with Kuk Harrell in the studio and Kuk, who has worked with Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, compares the young singer to Whitney Houston!

In addition to working with Justin on his new album Believe, Kuk has been recording new songs with Melanie, who he describes as “a massive talent and complete joy to be around.”

Kuk tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY,”We have cut two songs so far. Melanie’s team is really smart. They are just picking great records for her. She’s a great spirit and a great singer. She’s just a joy to be around. Melanie has what it takes to be the next Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston. She’s a massive talent.“

Will Melanie ever do a duet with Justin?

“Who knows,” says Kuk. “They are both incredible talents and genuine people. They would be magical in the studio together.”

– Sandra Clark

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Revealed: The One Place Where Justin Bieber Doesn't Want Selena Gomez

Hollywood Life Staff — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:23:33 +0000

You know how there are times when you don’t want your boyfriend in the same place as you and it has nothing to do with how much you love him? Well, Justin Bieber feels the same way about Selena Gomez sometimes, his vocal producer tells HollywoodLife.com!

We all know Justin Bieber is madly in love with Selena Gomez, but when it comes to his work on his new album, Believe, he doesn’t like to be distracted. We caught up with the 18-year-old pop star’s vocal producer, Kuk Harrell, who gave us an exclusive look inside Justin’s strict — but fun — studio routine.

“Selena does not hang out at the studio,” Kuk tells us. “When Justin is in the studio, he’s all about business.”

Even though Justin likes to keep his love and work lives separate, he still manages to have a blast during studio sessions, which he usually starts around 6 or 7 p.m. and goes until 1 or 2 a.m. Kuk says Justin warms up on the way to the studio, so the fun really begins when he walks in the door.

“We play ping-pong for about an hour,” he reveals. “We play to connect and create a nice, relaxed atmosphere where Justin can feel like himself. It’s important to have a fun atmosphere where he can record.”

Adds Kuk, “It was actually Justin’s idea to have a ping-pong table and he can beat everyone!”

Justin may not have Selena inside the studio when he’s working, but that doesn’t mean she’s not on his mind. In fact, his first single is called “Boyfriend,” so we know she’ll definitely play a theme in Believe. “Boyfriend” drops March 26 and we can’t wait!

Are YOU excited to hear Justin’s new stuff?

Reporting by Sandra Clark

Follow @kirstinbenson

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Justin Bieber's Next Album Will Be More Grown Up

William Earl — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:48:22 +0000

The superstar isn’t ready to compete with the Justin Timberlakes of the world, but he’s definitely more mature than his ‘Baby’ days!

Everyone is SO excited for Believe, Justin Bieber‘s upcoming album. Although we’ll have to wait until summer to hear it, we now have a good idea of how it will show his growth as an artist!

Justin, 17, will be shifting his persona on the new disc, producer Kuk Harrell tells Billboard.com.

“The only conversation we’ve had about Justin’s album that we’re about to do is it’s really important that it’s the proper transition because we’ve seen him [with] ‘Baby,’ now we’re watching him grow up,” he said. “There’s a record in between.”

Kuk also said that Under The Mistletoe is a great example of the more mature sound.

“It gave everybody the opportunity to hear him, see him and get used to his voice changing,” he said. “That was a huge thing going into this album. We were able to get a running start on where he’s at vocally ’cause it’s a natural thing. When his proper album comes out, everybody’s going to really be looking at that.”

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers — will you buy Justin’s album in summer?

– William Earl

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Rihanna Pulls All-Nighters While Working On New Album, Says Producer!

Hollywood Life Staff — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:10:50 +0000

HollywoodLife.com chatted with producer Kuk Harrell about Rihanna’s upcoming sixth studio album, ‘Talk That Talk,’ which comes out Nov. 21!

Rihanna was just named sexiest woman, but is she also the music industries’ hardest working woman? According to her vocal producer Kuk Harrell, who is currently on tour with her in Europe, the answer is YES!

Kuk, who co-wrote Rihanna’s hit song “Umbrella” tells HollywoodLife.com in an exclusive interview, “In addition to touring, we are recording Rihanna’s new album. We have a portable studio that we set up at the different hotels that we are staying at. We set up shop anywhere in the hotel. Rihanna is an amazing talent. She’s smart. She’s so on point. She knows great songs and most importantly she knows what’s a great song for her!”

He adds, “Before we went on the European leg of Rihanna’s Loud tour, we started recording the album in Los Angeles. Rihanna likes to work late hours, so she would come into the studio at 9:00 p.m. and work until 6:00 a.m.”

Now that’s dedication!

Kuk says, “If I could produce Rihanna singing a duet with anyone it would be with Justin Bieber. That would be a blast. It would be so much fun because both of them are such great personalities.”

Rihanna’s sixth album titles Talk That Talk is due on Nov. 21, 2011. Are YOU excited to hear it?

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Justin Bieber Was 'Dedicated' To Making 'Under The Mistletoe' Amazing For Fans!

William Earl — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:30:17 +0000

Producer Kuk Harrell says Justin put his all into the holiday album to make sure it would thrill Beliebers!

Justin Bieber‘s new seasonal record Under The Mistletoe comes out Nov. 1, and HollywoodLife.com spoke with producer Kuk Harrell EXCLUSIVELY about Justin’s commitment to making it an amazing experience for fans!

Justin, 17, worked tirelessly to create a soulful record, Kuk says.

“I don’t think people realize just how much of a serious talent Justin is and just how dedicated he is,” he said. “When I was working with him on this album, this is how our work schedule went: Justin would arrive to the L.A. studio at 2 p.m. and stay until 7 p.m. While driving to the studio, Justin does his vocal warm-ups — stretching his vocal chords like an athlete stretching his muscles. He then drinks Throat Coat, a tea made with licorice that basically coats his throat.”

What do you think, HollywoodLifers — are you so happy that Justin worked tirelessly to make the album great?

Click here to view the embedded video.

– Reporting By Sandra Clark, Written By William Earl

Get More Justin Bieber Here!

Justin Bieber Will Play Drums On 'Under The Mistletoe' — Yay!

William Earl — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:44:38 +0000

Justin’s producer confirms that the superstar will thrill fans by picking up the sticks for ‘Little Drummer Boy!’

Justin Bieber‘s new seasonal record Under The Mistletoe is coming out soon, and HollywoodLife.com has EXCLUSIVE confirmation that Justin will be playing drums on his rendition of the classic “Little Drummer Boy!”

Justin, 17, will release the album on Nov. 1, and producer Kuk Harrell tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY that Justin’s keeping rhythm on one of the record’s central tracks!

“There are a couple of songs that really stand out on the album, and one in particular is ‘Little Drummer Boy,’” he said. “Justin’s a drummer so it makes perfect sense to have him play the drums on this song. I asked him to pound out a tempo and we recorded that. Another song that will be played a lot well after Christmas is a song called ‘Christmas Eve.’ It’s just a beautiful song. Justin really sings his heart out. It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas or not, it carries on.”

What do you think, HollywoodLifers — are you so excited to hear Justin drum on the new album?

Click here to view the embedded video.

– Reporting By Sandra Clark, Written By William Earl

Justin Bieber Was ‘Dedicated’ To Making ‘Under The Mistletoe’ Amazing For Fans!

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