Backstreet Boys
Photo: MTV News

The Backstreet Boys are in sync again.

"It's been like three years since we've all been in the studio together, so it's like the fire was rekindled," is how Nick Carter described the reunion during a recent break from recording. "We're in there experimenting and really cool stuff's coming out. It's not gonna be the same Backstreet. I mean, you're always gonna have Backstreet Boys, but the music's gonna change."

The group plans to update the teen-pop sound it mastered in the late '90s with a more mature approach to production and songwriting (see "Backstreet Boys Inspired By Oprah To Hit Studio Again").

"We're just not doing it like we did before, with the same sound we've always had," A.J. McLean said of the band's first LP since 2000's Black & Blue. "The vocals and harmonies are obviously gonna stay the same. That's us, we'll never change when it comes to that. But productionwise, we're definitely experimenting with different writers, different producers, and we're kinda going in there and just not limiting ourselves this time."

So far, the Boys have been recording with the Underdogs, a production team that's recently logged studio time with Ruben Studdard and Stacie Orrico. Other producers will follow.

"We've got a list of producers we're gonna work with," Howie Dorough said. "We're accepting new material, seeing what we gravitate to and going forward."

"We're writing, too," Carter added.

Their album is due in late summer, with the first single arriving a month or so earlier and a tour to follow.

The Backstreeters would like to hit the road with another reunited group.

"Are Destiny's Child doing another album?" asked Kevin Richardson.

"Yeah, somebody like that," Carter answered.

"Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men and the Jackson 5 — that'd be a ticket," Richardson dreamed.

The as-yet-untitled new Backstreet Boys album marks both the group's reinvention and an important step for McLean.

"It's good to be doing my first record sober with the boys," he said. "That's a cool thing and I'm enjoying it. We're men now, you know? So life is good. I definitely appreciate all the support from our fans and can't wait to get back onstage and see all those smiling faces."

While the Backstreet Boys are recording, Carter will also be filming his first feature film, the horror movie "Brew."

"It's just some twisted stuff, the way I like horror movies," he explained, adding that no other actors have yet been cast.

Carter's bandmates will also keep busy when not in the studio. Richardson, for one, will be promoting "Krumped," video director David LaChapelle's new documentary featuring music from Richardson's production company.

"It just got an honorable mention at Sundance," he said proudly. "It's about a dance movement in South Central L.A. It's a really interesting, beautiful story."

Dorough, meanwhile, has turned into quite the businessman.

"I bought five hotels already and a condo I'm very proud of," he said. "I'm workin' it like Donald Trump."

Life has not been quite so glamorous for new father Brian Littrell. "I'm still changin' diapers," he said. "It's all good."

• Backstreet Boys
• Ruben Studdard
• Stacie Orrico

Don't expect to see what happens inside the courtroom for the next hearing in the Michael Jackson case, set for Friday. Judge Rodney Melville rejected a bid to place cameras in the courtroom this past Friday, on the same day prosecutors filed court papers saying they had changed their minds on the subject and now objected to cameras for pretrial hearings. The judge offered no reason for turning down the request, while news organizations had argued in court papers that images of orderly proceedings would counter any images of a circus outside the courthouse. ...

Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Mathers, was sent to jail without bail on Friday after she admitted to her probation officer that she had recently used cocaine. Mathers, who was sentenced to two years' probation on January 21 for cocaine possession and driving without a license, tested positive for the drug in a January 29 urine test. She faces up to five years in prison for violating her probation. ... The Distillers will launch an 18-city spring tour of North America in support of their latest album, Coral Fang. The five-week trek begins March 12 in Anaheim, California. ...

At the NBA All-Star game Sunday in Los Angeles, Nona Gaye will sing along to her father Marvin Gaye's famous performance of the national anthem from 1983, the last time the game was played in L.A. Viewers will see Marvin's performance through a digitally enhanced video. ... Metallica have been chosen by the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy to receive a 2004 Governor's Award for Creative Excellence and Outstanding Achievement. The award will be bestowed upon the headbangers at the Governor's Awards Gala, a fund-raiser that will take place March 15 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The event will include a cocktail reception, silent auction, formal dinner and awards presentation, which will also pay tribute to Mickey Hart and Chanticleer. ...

Southern California hardcore vets Bad Religion are planning to drop their next album, The Empire Strikes First, on June 8. The LP follows the quintet's 2002 LP, The Process of Belief. ... Remixes of hits by Stacie Orrico, Gorillaz, Fischerspooner, Dirty Vegas and the Chemical Brothers featuring K-OS will be featured on the double-disc compilation Freq.beats, due February 24. Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, BT, David Gahan and the Postal Service are also included. ...

New York art-rock trio Blonde Redhead will release their sixth album on March 23. The LP, Misery Is a Butterfly, will be their first since 2000's Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. ... The Brides of Destruction, featuring Sunset Strip stars of the 1980s Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns) and Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe), will release their debut album, Here Comes the Brides, March 9. ...

Southern Rock mainstays Lynyrd Skynyrd started a tour Friday in Everett, Washington, and have dates scheduled through August 28 in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The band has a concert album, Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve, scheduled for release in June. ... Von Bondies bassist Carrie Smith needed stitches Sunday night after she fell down and smacked her head during a set by Funeral for a Friend at a show in Cardiff, Wales. Smith was taken to a hospital for treatment and was released the same night. Earlier in the night Von Bondies, the Rapture and Franz Ferdinand all performed. ...

02.06.2004

He'll still be in the house, but 50 Cent will not be performing at Sunday night's Grammy Awards. He had been announced as a performer several weeks ago. … One of 50's bodyguards has been charged in a shooting that occurred outside a Jersey City, New Jersey, hotel in September. Shots were fired outside the hotel's lobby in what was initially believed to be a gunfight involving the rapper. But Hudson County prosecutors say that so far the evidence they have implicates only one gunman, William Floyd, who fired warning shots in the air. He's being charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon with unlawful intent. ...

Following guitarist Terry Balsamo's defection to Evanescence, Cold have tapped Eddie Rendini, formerly of Darwin's Waiting Room, as his replacement. The band plans to begin work on its fourth album later this year. ... Linkin Park canceled Friday's (February 6) concert with P.O.D. and Hoobastank in Inglewood, California, after singer Chester Bennington was diagnosed with bronchitis and acute laryngitis and was advised by his doctor not to perform. The show has been rescheduled for March 15. Tuesday's show in West Valley City, Utah, is still on. ...

Hilary Duff, Ashanti, Usher, Will Smith and Fefe Dobson will join pro hoopsters LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and others for the NBA's "Read to Achieve" special. The one-hour program will premiere February 14 at noon ET and will be simulcast on ABC, TNT, BET, Nick GAS, and NBA TV, as well as several online outlets. ... Missy Elliott has signed on to be one of the new spokespeople for M.A.C. cosmetics. For the company's upcoming Viva Glam campaign, Elliott joins Christina Aguilera, actress Chloë Sevigny, supermodel Linda Evangelista and pop icon Boy George. All proceeds from the cosmetic line's Viva Glam V pink lipstick and lip gloss go to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund, which raises money for people living with HIV and AIDS. ...

First comes Love, then comes marriage, or so Courtney Love figures, as she's offering to perform a marriage ceremony for a lucky radio contest winner. Fourteen alternative rock stations throughout the country are participating, including WHFS-FM in Washington, D.C., and K-ROCK (WXRK-FM) in New York, according to the singer's Web site. ... The first two artists from crunkmaster Lil Jon's new record label, Black Market Entertainment, are joining forces for the label's first album release. The LP, due February 24, has the unwieldy title The King of Crunk & BME Recordings Present Trillville & Lil Scrappy. ...

A year after Esquire printed a story about the Flaming Lips, in which Beck was called "a di--," the musician has responded with a sarcastic letter to the magazine. The letter, printed in the February issue, states, "Your insights really brought to light the depths of my character and showed all the world who I truly am. ... I have been given cause to reflect on what may be important in my life and what may be irrelevant. Like last week, when, during my shopping spree at Louis Vuitton, I started thinking about how cool it was when I was broke and drove that old Chevy with the brakes that didn't work and had no money for food. ... I am really going to turn things around and do something meaningful with my life now, like publish a magazine with Britney Spears' butt on the cover. That would probably be 'keeping it real' and leaving something noble behind for posterity. ... Thanks, Esquire, for changing my life for the better." ...

The remixes are in for Madonna's next single, "Love Profusion." The maxi single, out in March, will include six remixes, including a bonus mix of "Nothing Fails" by Peter Rauhofer, who has also left his touch on Madge's most recent entries — her collabo with Britney, "Me Against the Music," "American Life," and her Gap commercial jingle with Missy Elliott, "Get Into the Hollywood Groove." ... Dido helped shut down a white power Web site after learning it was using two of her songs to promote its hateful messages. Owners of the site had misinterpreted the tracks "White Flag" and "This Land Is Mine" as racist and thought they represented their views. When she discovered this, Dido contacted her label, which called the British Photographic Industry. The site was then closed down. Dido is currently working on material for her next album. ...

The Chemical Brothers, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Sasha and John Digweed are headlining the sixth annual Ultra Music Festival, scheduled for March 6 at Bayfront Park in Miami. Perry Farrell, Goldie, Tiesto, Erick Morillo and Richie Hawtin are also among the big names DJing, while the Rapture, Junkie XL and Miss Kittin are among several acts performing live sets. ... Billy Talent singer Ben Kowalewicz is likely to look twice before tossing another broken mic stand with wild abandon. After he did just that at a show Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta, while performing the single "Try Honesty," the stand conked drummer Aaron Solowoniuk in the head, leaving him unconscious and in need of 18 stitches. The show was stopped and Solowoniuk was taken to a hospital. Billy Talent's two-week trek with MxPx and Simple Plan, beginning February 13 in St. Petersburg, Florida, has not been affected by the accident. ...

After being photographed by a British newspaper walking along a train track in Cornwall, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has been questioned by British Transport police for trespassing on a railway line. Gallagher admitted breaking the law and officials are deciding whether or not to prosecute. Oasis are currently in Cornwall working on their next studio album. ... The parent company of record chain Tower Records will likely file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, reported the San Diego Union Tribune. The move would involve a debt-for-equity trade in which the current owners of the company, the Solomon family, would give up the chain to the company's bondholders, Reuters reported. ...

• Michael Jackson
• Eminem
• Metallica
• Stacie Orrico
• Marvin Gaye

Crystal Method's <i>Legion of Boom</i>
Photo: V2 Records

The Crystal Method's Legion of Boom features ex-Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland on "Weapons of Mass Distortion." Other guests such as Milla Jovovich ("I Know It's You") and the Roots' human beatbox, Rahzel ("American Way"), appear on the album as well.

Oh! From the Girls is a compilation from the Oxygen network that features songs by Avril Lavigne, Dido, Tori Amos, Macy Gray, Aimee Mann, Sarah McLachlan, Stacie Orrico and the Pretenders.

Lou Reed's Bataclan 72 is a live album from a show with John Cale and Nico recorded in Paris in 1972.

Finally, WWE Originals includes such classics as "Where's the Beer?" by Stone Cold Steve Austin, "I Don't Suck (Really)" by Kurt Angle and "Put a Little Ass on It" by Rikishi.

Out Tuesday, January 13:

• Ahvak - Ahvak (Cuneiform)
• Chava Alberstein - End of the Holiday (Rounder)
• Amici Forever - The Opera Band (RCA Victor)
• Bingo - The Cicada and Other Stories (Cravedog)
• Brian Bromberg - Choices (A440)
• Jimmy Buffett - Live in Cincinnati (Mailboat)
• Barbara Carr - Talk to Me (Mardi Gras)
• Claudia Quintet - I, Claudia (Cuneiform)
• The Crystal Method - Legion of Boom (V2)
• Joey DeFrancesco - Plays Sinatra His Way (HighNote)
• Joel Frahm with Brad Mehldau - Don't Explain (Palmetto)
• Achille Gajo Trio - Blue Sand (Piadrum)
• Guapo - Five Suns (Cuneiform)
• Holmes Brothers - Simple Truths (Alligator)
• The Honorary Title - The Honorary Title (EP)
• Jamie Hoover & Bill Lloyd - Paparazzi (Paisley Pop)
• Keren - Gone (Big Pea & a Dime)
• Habib Koité & Bamada - Fôly! Live Around the World (World Village)
• Laika and the Cosmonauts - Local Warming (Yep Roc)
• Brennen Leigh - Lonesome, Wild & Blue (Barking Dog)
• Lucky Dube - The Other Side (Heartbeat)
• Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Bremen to Bridgwater (Cuneiform)
• Mr. T Experience - Yesterday Rules (Lookout!)
• Kenny Neal and Billy Branch - Double Take (Alligator)
• Nerissa & Katryna Nields - This Town Is Wrong (Rounder)
• The New Original Sonic Sound - The New Original Sonic Sound (Book)
• David Newman - Song for the New Man (HighNote)
• Shane Nicholson - It's a Movie (Virt)
• Peligro - Sum of Our Surroundings (Dirrty)
• Richard Pinhas - Tranzition (Cuneiform)
• Lou Reed - Bataclan 72 (Pilot)
• Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana - Spirit Dome (Projekt)
• Kate Rusby - Underneath the Stars (Compass)
• Skrape - Up the Dose (RCA)
• Sons of Champlin - Secret (Sons of Champlin)
• Eddie Spaghetti - The Sauce (Mid-Fi)
• Mike Stern - These Times (ESC)
• Tanglefoot - Captured Alive (Borealis)
• Volebeats - Country Favorites (Turquoise Mountain/Rainbow Quartz)
• Matthew West - Happy (Universal South)
• Zao - Legendary (Solid State)
• Miguel Zenón - Ceremonial (Rounder/Marsalis Music)
• Various artists - Drum Nation, Volume 1 (Magna Carta)
• Various artists - Oh! From the Girls (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - "Pixel Perfect" soundtrack (Walt Disney)
• Various artists - "Teacher's Pet" (Walt Disney)
• Various artists - This Is Trance! (Water Music)
• Various artists - WWE Originals (DMZ/Soundtrax)
• DVD: Rammstein - Lichtspielhaus (Republic/Universal)

January 20:

• Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine (Arista)
• Ani DiFranco - Educated Guess (Righteous Babe)

January 27:

• Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse (Elektra)

• The Crystal Method
• Lou Reed
• Jimmy Buffett
• Tori Amos
• Avril Lavigne

Stacie Orrico (file)
Photo: Virgin Records

BEVERLY HILLS, California — After tackling several characters for her "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life" video, Stacie Orrico was anxious to make a simple performance video.

Director Antti J., who has worked with Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson, had other ideas.

"It's basically I'm sitting in my apartment, watching old Carey Grant movies and just kind of daydreaming and singing the song," Orrico said, the song being the Diane Warren-penned "I Promise" (see "Stacie Orrico Commits Herself To Third Single"). "All of a sudden water starts running down the television, starts running out of my phone, starts running out of my stereo and the room starts to flood. The whole apartment starts to flood and it's raining inside and it's really cool."

Not exactly simple, but still quite different than "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life" (see "Stacie Orrico Goes Looking For More In All The Wrong Places") and her first video, the teen-movie parody "Stuck."

"They were very conceptual, almost like mini movies, there was so much story going on," Orrico said. "So I wanted this video to be less of a story and more performance, artistic, just kind of visual and cool to watch."

Antti J. achieved the cool visuals using few special effects. "They actually built the set of an apartment inside of a swimming pool, and there were cameras and lights and everything inside the water," Orrico revealed. "They had to do all this special grounding so we didn't die of electrocution and all that, but it was pretty cool."

The "I Promise" video will hit outlets in early January, after the 16-year-old songstress takes a holiday vacation. She's been busy lately promoting her 2001 EP, Christmas Wish, along with the title track, which was re-released on a Target sampler.

The album includes the standards "O Holy Night," "White Christmas" and "What Child Is This?"

"I'm not a big fan of artists remaking old songs and trying to make them too contemporary," she said. "I think it's really important to keep the classic Christmas in the Christmas songs. So I really definitely tried to do that, to keep it something that people actually want to listen to around their Christmas tree."

Orrico hopes to hit the road in the new year but will be keeping February 8 open so she can attend the Grammys in Los Angeles, where she's up for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (see "Jay-Z, Beyonce, Outkast, Pharrell Nab Most Grammy Nominations").

"It's very exciting," Orrico said. "I would consider myself the type of artist who definitely tries to keep my focus on the kids that I'm trying to reach and the people I'm striving to communicate with, so being recognized ... it's a huge honor."

There is one artist she will be particularly cheering on come Grammy night.

"Beyoncé, of course," said Orrico, who toured with Destiny's Child early in her career. "I'm really glad for her. She's a good friend of mine. She was a huge part of how I ended up in the mainstream industry, and so of course I'm proud of her."

• Stacie Orrico

One hundred signed copies of Jay-Z's The Black Album, which dropped Friday, are being auctioned off on eBay. In one of the copies will be tickets to Jay's November 25 benefit concert in New York. ...

Though Scott Weiland was due to have his arraignment on a DUI charge on Monday (November 17), the case was continued until December 3. The former Stone Temple Pilots frontman/current Velvet Revolver singer is completing his court-ordered stay at a residential rehab facility, and will not have to appear at the next court hearing, as his lawyer can enter a plea for him since it's a misdemeanor charge. Meanwhile, Weiland's former STP bandmates confirmed in an interview with Guitar One that the band is officially over. Lead guitarist Dean DeLeo told the magazine, "Along with the beauty of STP there was a dark trail that went right along with it ... There's not much I can look back on and say I really enjoyed, without wondering if the floor was going to drop from under us." The DeLeo brothers, having just produced Alien Ant Farm, are now focusing on producing the new band Monterey. ...

Ashanti will join country star Kenny Chesney, soul singer Joss Stone and operatic soprano Renée Fleming for "Christmas in Washington," a TNT television special scheduled to air December 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. President Bush and the first lady are expected to be among the guests for the holiday concert, now in its 22nd year. ... Stacie Orrico will perform her song "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life" at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 27, which will also feature appearances by Clay Aiken, Aaron Carter, Hilary Duff and Ruben Studdard. Then on December 3, Orrico will continue to spread holiday cheer through New York by helping to light the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. ...

Archetype, Fear Factory's follow-up to 2001's Digimortal, will feature a cover of Nirvana's "School," off their 1989 album, Bleach, as a bonus track. Archetype is due in April. ... New York public-school students will get first crack at the final cinematic chapter in the "Lord of the Rings" saga. Contest winners from 17 participating schools who penned 200-word essays on the theme of the wizard Gandalf's quote, "All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you," get to attend advance screenings of "The Return of the King" on December 1. Meanwhile, New Line is donating a grant to be divided amongst the participating schools, to be applied to the purchase of new books for the schools' libraries. ...

It may not be the Blues Brothers, but Dan Aykroyd is working on a blues album. The "Saturday Night Live" vet showed up at New York's La Rambla to pay his respects — and talk up his new musical venture — at the "SNL" afterparty on Saturday. He was joined by the likes of show host Alec Baldwin, conservative pundit Ann Coulter, Coulter's political nemesis Al Franken, and current "SNL" players Tina Fey and Will Forte. ... Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, keyboardist in '70s funk-rock outfit Funkadelic, is in the final stages of recording a new solo album, to be released in January. Waltz of the Ghetto Fly features songs written with Raphael Saddiq, Jay Dee and former bandmate George Clinton. ...

Two major manufacturing sites for CD bootlegs were busted last week after a year-and-a-half-long investigation by the RIAA and the New York Police Department. Nearly 56,100 counterfeit CDs were taken from one location in midtown Manhattan and one in the Bronx, where 34 CD-R burners and 20 DVD burners were also discovered. ... SoundScan isn't just for record stores anymore — the sales tracking system, which added iTunes and other digital-download services this summer, has expanded to include Napster, BuyMusic, Musicmatch and Musicnow. Last week, SoundScan reported more than 1 million tracks downloaded for the first time since it began tracking downloads in June. The main authority for retail music-sales information, SoundScan's data provides the basis of the weekly Billboard music charts. …

11.14.03

Britney Spears is often accused of lip-synching, but for her performance at this weekend's American Music Awards, she's planning to prove everyone wrong — by singing live. "I think the reason why people say that [I lip-synch] is because I am dancing a lot," the singer said in a phone press conference on Wednesday. "Janet [Jackson], when she does her shows, she dances a lot. And you know, there's parts where the background vocals and the chorus has definitely come up, but that doesn't mean I'm not singing." The American Music Awards air live from Los Angeles on ABC Sunday at 8 p.m. ET ...

Maureen Marder, the former welder/dancer whose life was the inspiration for "Flashdance," is suing Jennifer Lopez for copyright infringement over her "I'm Glad" video, which pays homage to the 1983 movie. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges Lopez needed Marder's permission to make the video because she refused to grant sequel rights or to permit any further use of her story after "Flashdance" was released. ... Clive Davis threw a party in honor of Alicia Keys Thursday night at New York's Industria to kick off the festivities in promotion of her upcoming self-titled album. Pink and Tommy Lee were among the celebs who showed up. ...

Courtney Love did not appear in a Los Angeles court on Friday (November 14) but entered a plea of not guilty via her attorney in her misdemeanor drug case. Whereas Wednesday's arraignment was for possession during her overdose on October 2, Friday's arraignment was for being under the influence of opiates and/or cocaine during her arrest earlier that night. Love is due back in court December 12. ...

On November 23 soccer fans can get their kicks watching Michelle Branch performing live during the halftime ceremonies of the 2003 Major League Soccer Cup. The singer/songwriter's performance in Carson, California, will be broadcast on ABC. ... The Donnas confirmed that they will not be appearing on Australia's Big Day Out festival in January, due to the wrist injury suffered by Torry Castellano (Donna C.). On the bright side, the drummer is recovering nicely after surgery and will hopefully soon join her bandmates in rehearsals as they begin work on the follow-up to last year's major-label debut, Spend the Night. ...

Ozzy Osbourne has rescheduled three of the European tour dates that were postponed last month due to his treatment for the body tremors that have plagued him for years. The heavy metal godfather will perform in London on February 22 and two shows in Birmingham on February 24 and 26. ... Believe it or not, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is a fan of over-the-top glam-metallers the Darkness. Besides the big-haired, spandex-sporting rockers, Blair also favors U2 and Foo Fighters. ... Indiana University students taking Professor Glenn Gass' rock music history class got a surprise when John Mellencamp showed up as a guest lecturer Tuesday. The rocker offered inspiration and his views on topics ranging from politics to MTV. ...

• Jay-Z
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Ashanti
• Stacie Orrico
• Fear Factory

Stacie Orrico
Photo: Virgin Records

If ever Stacie Orrico felt like a kid in a candy store, it was on the day she spent with human hit factory Diane Warren.

The young singer met with the veteran songwriter, whose compositions include 'NSYNC's "Music of My Heart" and Christina Aguilera's "I Turn to You," to choose a song for her major-label debut.

"We listened to 40 or 50 songs," Orrico recalled. "It was really cool; some of the stuff was just incredible."

In the end, Orrico chose "I Promise," which she has selected to be the third single from March's Stacie Orrico, following "Stuck" and current hit "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life" (see "Stacie Orrico Goes Looking For More In All The Wrong Places").

"The biggest thing was, you listen to all the songs and you know they're a #1 hit, so musically I obviously liked it, but lyrically was where I looked for a connection," Orrico said.

Beginning with "Will I always be there for you?," the ballad asks a series of questions in each verse, and answers them in the chorus with, "I promise, I promise, I promise I will."

"It's talking about being able to make a commitment to someone and keep it," Orrico said. "That seems like a simple thing to sing about, but when I think about it, we're living in a time where our commitments and our promises don't mean jack anymore. There's always a way to get out of a commitment we've made, whether it's in our relationships or work or maybe just a personal goal. [It's about] just being able to really learn to make commitments, keep promises and raise the standard for what's expected, and that's why I liked the song so much."

If fans are asking for one, Orrico also already has a fourth single selected, "Instead." Like most of her album (see "Stacie Orrico Won't Be 'Stuck' With Christian Tag"), the song deals with a more serious subject than what is usually tackled in pop songs today. In this case, "Instead" is about seeing homeless people on the street and wondering how they got there.

"For a while music was going to this place where it was all about sexuality and it doesn't matter if you can sing or not as long as we can see your whole body, and now I feel like we've come through that," Orrico said. "Now [it's about] 'Show us you can do something interesting.' "

• Stacie Orrico

Stacie Orrico
Photo: Virgin Records

It's too bad Stacie Orrico has no acting aspirations, because she's already played 10 drastically different characters.

The singer tackles the roles in her upcoming video for "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life," an inspirational mid-tempo tune featuring the chorus "There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me."

"The video plays off the specific lyrics of the song," Orrico said recently from Japan, where she's on a promotional tour. "I'm playing ... everything from a successful businesswoman to a diner waitress to a supermodel, then I'm this athlete who's trying to be the biggest and the best and the strongest — just all these different characters where I'm looking in the wrong places. It's a really interesting video. We had a lot of fun shooting it. There's a lot of very extreme clothes, hair and makeup changes."

Like her breakthrough single, "Stuck" (see "Stacie Orrico Won't Be 'Stuck' With Christian Tag"), "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life" is about being in a bad relationship, among other things.

"I think so many times we feel like we're lacking something in our lives and we try to fill it with the wrong things," Orrico explained. "Sometimes it's drugs, sometimes it's a relationship you shouldn't be in."

Veteran Dave Meyers (Missy Elliott, Pink) directed the video, but Orrico was heavily involved in the shoot, like she is in every other element of her career.

"We had to pick the scenarios, and we brainstormed for a long time trying to come up with the most interesting, unique characters that were different from each other," she said. "I also really like to be hands-on in working with stylists."

Orrico has enjoyed her video experiences as well as her role as Angels singer Peggy Santiglia ("My Boyfriend's Back") on an episode of "American Dreams," but the big screen is out of the question.

"I would love to have a talk show or do something like that, but I've watched so many singers who try to act but have no acting ability whatsoever," she said. "It's like, OK, it's great they let you play that part because you're already famous, but you can't act. I don't think I have any ability."

Instead, Orrico is plotting a fall tour to promote her self-titled album, but because her music includes elements of R&B, pop and rock, she's struggling to find the perfect touring partner.

"We've talked about everyone from 50 Cent to Aerosmith, all over the place," she said. "I'm a huge fan of 50 Cent. Who isn't?"

• Stacie Orrico

Stacie Orrico in the "Stuck" video
Photo: Virgin Records

Stacie Orrico, the latest pop princess to win over "TRL" viewers, is sick of being asked about her crossover from the Christian to the mainstream music market.

"It [shouldn't be] so much about 'the mainstream,' 'the Christian,' whatever. I feel like music is music," Orrico said recently. "I am an artist and yes, I am an artist who is Christian, but I make music about all the things I deal with in life, not only my faith. I sing about my faith, my relationships, the good things I do, the mistakes I make. All those things."

As she likes to point out, "There's not Christian doctors and non-Christian doctors. You do what you do, and some are better than others."

"Stuck," Orrico's breakthrough single, is a relationship song, but it also has the young-woman empowerment message common in Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears tunes.

Orrico co-wrote the hit with the same author behind fellow newcomer Lucy Woodward's "Dumb Girls" — Kevin Kadish, who got the ball rolling by asking the 17-year-old what the biggest problems girls her age face in dating.

"I just said teenage girls end up in these relationships where they're not treated very well and they end up on this emotional roller coaster," Orrico explained. "On one hand, they know they should get out because it's not really good for me. But on the other side of it, they are afraid of being alone, they like the security of having a boyfriend. ... They are stuck. It's kind of sad; most teenagers don't have a healthy relationship to look to to go, 'That's how I'm supposed to treat a guy,' so it ends up being a mess."

"Stuck"'s rock edge has garnered Orrico comparisons to Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton, although her self-titled second album is more R&B-flavored, similar to Lauryn Hill, her favorite artist, or Destiny's Child, whom she toured with in 2001.

Dallas Austin (Pink), the Underdogs (Tyrese) and Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty), the CEO of Orrico's new label, Virgin Records, share production credits on the album. Songwriting mastermind Diane Warren penned a ballad called "I Promise" for the singer, but Orrico had a hand in most of the songs.

"I feel that's very important for an artist," Orrico said. "I want to reach people my age, and the best way to do it is not to have a 40-year-old man write it."

For her second single, Orrico is eyeing "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life," an inspirational mid-tempo number with the chorus "There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me."

"I think so many times we feel like we're lacking something in our lives and we try to fill it with the wrong things," she explained. "Sometimes it's drugs, sometimes it's a relationship you shouldn't be in."

Orrico has yet to shoot a video for the song, but she said she'd like to work again with Diane Martel (Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg), who directed the "Stuck" clip, a subtle parody of teen movies shot at the same school where "Grease" was filmed.

"She said, 'What if we mix "Grease" with "Sixteen Candles" with "She's All That" and bring them all together,'" Orrico said. "So that's why you can't put your finger on the style. The hair is kind of '50s, the clothes are kind of '80s."

The singer had so much fun making the video that she signed on for another small-screen endeavor popular for budding stars — portraying a music legend in "American Dreams," the NBC drama based on "American Bandstand."

Orrico played Peggy Santiglia of '60s girl group the Angels in an episode airing next month. Her song, "My Boyfriend's Back," will be included on the soundtrack (see "Vanessa Carlton Does Dusty, B2K Do Temptations On 'American Dreams' LP").

"It was really cool; the way they produced it was all retro," Orrico said. "We used old microphones, and the handclaps are supposed to sound a little bit off."

Orrico is currently on a promotional tour for her album, which was released in March, but she plans to play some radio station festivals and launch a headlining tour this summer. On the outing, she'll play songs from Stacie Orrico as well as from her debut, Genuine, which set Christian music sales records in 2000.

"I want to take care of the fans who have been around for five years," Orrico said.

• Stacie Orrico

Graduation

• Stacie Orrico
• Simple Plan

Stacie Orrico live at Mix 93.3's Jingle Jam in Kansas City, MO December 2, 2003

• Stacie Orrico

• Joe Budden
• Boomkat
• Justin Guarini
• Kelly Clarkson
• Michelle Branch