Akon's been pretty busy lately–touring all over the world (he was in India, Oregon and good old Cali), starting two labels (Konvict Muzic and Kon Live Distribution), collaborating with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Dr. Dre and prepping for his new album in the fall. The Grammy-nominated artist isn't too busy to check in at Sutra on Friday night, however.
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1.) He's releasing his fourth album, Stadium, on September 13. Die-hard Konvict fans have been waiting for this–the drop date was pushed back several times. But this time it's for real!
2.) He's a hitmaker. He found Lady Gaga and T-Pain. He's produced tracks for everyone from Lady Gaga to Colby O'Donis and Leona Lewis. Then, last year, Akon signed Jeffree Star, the OC superstar known for his hit song, “Plastic Surgery Slumber Party” which talks about nose jobs, sexy parties, and fake eyelashes. In an interview with Boss Lady from DrJays.com, Akon stated: “to me, he's like the male version of Gaga. In the aspect of, you have to see it to understand it.”
4.) He wants to star in Bollywood films! According to Zimbio.com, Akon wants to work in the Bollywood film industry and has even created a soundtrack in the works for the Bollywood film, Ra One, featuring the “King Khan” (Shahrukh Khan) set to release on October 26, 2011.
5.) He considers Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop” his inspiration. Akon worked rather closely with Jackson and highly respects and admires his music and talent. When the news of Jackson's death hit Akon, he couldn't believe it.
Akon performs live at Sutra in Costa Mesa this Friday as part of the 5ive + 1 Memorial Day Weekend 2011 kick-off celebration. The six-day celebration includes performances from Dirty South, Atb, Akon with DJ-Eman, Mr. White, Lil John and Above and Beyond.
