Country phenomenon Taylor Swift released her 23rd music video for the single “I Knew You Were Trouble.” today, which conveniently happens to be her 23rd birthday. The video portrays a grittier, rougher version of the Taylor that Swift fans have come to expect from her, documenting a turbulent relationship over the dubstep track. As an obvious fan of indie-darling Lana Del Rey, it’s clear to me that Swift’s latest desert-themed video draws heavy comparisons to Del Rey’s “Ride,” which I drooled heavily over this summer. Despite the comparisons, and without picking one over the other, the darker Taylor is a welcomed change. Watch Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.”…

It would be silly for me to try to introduce you to Tyler Ward because, with over 1 million subscribers and almost 315 million views, you’re more than likely familiar with at least one of the many covers he’s featured on his popular YouTube channel. If you’re a regular reader of Tragic Kingdom, you know that I grew up in a small suburban town outside of Denver, only recently transplanting myself to Nashville. If you’re one of the millions of Tyler Ward fans, you know he too hails from Denver; a fact that brought us together in the halls of our Highlands Ranch school long before his first video hit the…

Nickelback may not be the object of many true music fans affection, but for Avril Lavigne the band’s frontman Chad Kroeger can do no wrong. The pair announced their engagement in August and have been working together on Lavigne’s new record, which is expected to drop in 2013. In a tribute to her soon-to-be hubby, Lavigne covered the band’s biggest hit “How You Remind Me” for a Japanese animé film, which turns the rock anthem, from the band’s 2001 Silver Side Up, into a sugary piano ballad. Listen to the cover below and download music from Avril Lavigne now on iTunes.

Bruno Mars, the R&B crooner that brought us the massive smash singles “Grenade”, “Just the Way You Are”, “Marry You” and from the Twilight soundtrack “It Will Rain“, drops his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox today. Judging by the album’s successful lead single “Locked Out of Heaven” it seems Mars isn’t facing the dreaded sophomore slump with his new release. The album -a riskier, grittier take on his signature sound- offers 10 sexually charged and perfectly selected tracks. Since his debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Mars has impressed critics and a growing loyal audience with his genius blend of vintage and modern. Delivering his tracks with throwback choreography and production, then mixing it with…

Congratulations go out to Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott and her husband, drummer Chris Tyrrell, who announced that they are expecting their first child later next year. The pair made the announcement exactly 11-months after their January 7th wedding in upstate New York. Hillary posted the new on the band’s website, saying: Chris & I are excited to announce that our Christmas gift has arrived a little early this year! We are having a BABY! We feel so blessed!!! – Hillary I’m sure this will be an exciting new adventure for Hillary, her husband and her bandmates. Get Lady Antebellum’s Christmas record On This Winter’s Night now on iTunes.

You may remember the sweet-voiced songstress Marié Digby from the acoustic version of Rihanna‘s hit single “Umbrella” that was featured on MTV’s The Hills or her sugary-sweet single “Say It Again” from the 2008 release Unfold. Since then, Digby has continued to fill the ears of her fans with her musical gift and has spent a significant amount of time touring in Asia. Early this week, Digby delivered her new video for the single “First Picture of Earth”, an emotional and spiritual clip that was shot in Yosemite National Park. The video beautifully illustrates the gorgeous track. Whether Marié is covering a massive R&B hit or delivering a soaring vocal…

If you anxiously awaited the “Exclusive World Premiere” of the new video from will.i.am and Britney Spears during last night’s episode of ‘The X Factor‘, I’m guessing you were probably pretty disappointed to find that the clip had been edited down to a one-chorus version of the party anthem and Spears looks none to pleased to be showing it off. I mean I suppose it’s understandable, right? The show is called The X Factor and is packed full of talentless wannabes -with the exception of Carly Rose Sonenclar and Simon Cowell’s groups- so why dedicate a full 5 minutes (of the 2 hour show) to two of the industry’s actual…

Josiah Leming is no stranger to the Tragic Kingdom. Over the summer, I featured the prodigy-like talent’s release of a series of singles, including the radio-worthy “Love Me Or Not” and catchy-chorused “High“. And with the release of his latest, “Twenty Twelve Eleven“, the put-it-all-out-there songwriter strips it down and delivers a raw performance of a track that’s much more personal than the previously mentioned summer jams. As the singer works on the follow up to his one-year old Another Life LP, Leming will hit the road in 2013 to spend time with the people he cares most about: his fans. Watch the video, which was shot at the House Of Rock…