There’s no escaping the phenomenon known as Justin Bieber. At age 15, this small town boy from Canada is practically everywhere! With Usher backing him all the way, Justin has charmed his way in millions of prepubescent hearts. We managed to grab a hold of Mr. Teenage Hot Stuff for some quick fire questions. Brace yourself and here goes!

“It’s important to fight sometimes so you can be free,” Jared Leto tells me in all seriousness. Fresh from attending the Sundance Film Festival 2010 and back in Los Angeles, the 30 Seconds to Mars (30STM) frontman was taking time out for a chat over the phone with MTV Asia.

Putting things into context, Jared was referring to the band’s uphill struggle in 2008 and 2009, especially with the grim prospect of the infamous $30 million Virgin label lawsuit hanging over their heads. It was a period where 30STM declared war, shed past baggage, enlisted an army of fans to leave their imprints on the new album, and basically marched on in a new creative direction.

Jared talks more about the album, coveting the elusive Obama album cover, turning the camera on Los Angeles for music video “Kings and Queens”, and wanting to tour Asia sometime this year.

Perhaps the most revealing insight into the nature of Adam Young (who records under the moniker Owl City) comes from a line in “Dental Care”, a track taken off his major label debut album, Ocean Eyes (2009). “I’d rather pick flowers, instead of fights,” he sings over a bouncy, upbeat melody. And that pretty much sets the tone for Owl City’s sound – a pure slab of dreamy electro-pop, slathered with an extra helping of rainbow sprinkles.

With sold-out live gigs across the US, Asia, and more touring on the cards, it’s a far cry from loading trucks in warehouses for Coca-Cola and working the graveyard shift for UPS, all of which Adam has done before. Adam takes time out from daydreaming about beaches, fireflies and hot air balloons to speak with MTV Asia via email on snowy owls, “XXL” gym shorts, and the ocean deep.

Surrounded by journalists at the Klapsons Hotel where she was in town (read Kerrie’s blog for more shenanigans) for a show last December, Lenka spoke freely about how she grew up in the Bush (it’s the Australian landscape, not where one actually came to the world, mind!), having her songs used in TV and films and so much more. Here are some of the highlights from the round-table interview!

Meeting Rachel Liang Wen Yin gets me slightly nervous. My Mandarin, while exceptional for conversational stuff, isn’t exactly fluent in a formal interview setting. And most importantly, Mandarin love ballads aren’t my cup of tea either. But I take on this assignment with aplomb because like Rachel, I love a good challenge myself.

Buzzcocks live at Zirca, November 27, 2009 (Photo by: Jonathan Fong)

Right before Buzzcocks play their second show in Singapore (their first was “17 and a half years ago,” says Pete Shelley who still remembers his first Singapore show in “snapshots”), gig promoter John Robinson took us backstage for a short chat with the lead singer and guitarist of the band that’s widely heralded as the godfathers of pop-punk!

Boyzone Perform At The O2 Arena in June 22, 2009 (Photo by: Mark Westwood/Redferns)

Of course, time passes and tides change. The White Stripes came and changed my life in 2001 and everything isn’t quite the same. But I still hold my youth dear to my heart and find it both beguiling and amusing that kids today won’t understand the impact that The Spice Girls had on the world back in the late ’90s. Just last year at the MTV Asia Awards, I caught up with Danny O’Donoghue. Formerly from the Irish boyband MyTown, Danny and Mark Sheehan had reinvented themselves as The Script. Reminiscing over our common boybands days, Danny laughed and said, “But you are okay now! Same like me!”

I guess we all are. But nostalgia does flood the memory gates, once in a while. Especially a news like this that hits home particularly hard: Boyzone Star Stephen Gately Found Dead. He was 33.

Meeting Zee Avi in person, you can’t help but notice two things. First, she is really tiny! Second, she really does emit an air of artistry. Zee is definitely someone who treats her craft seriously and has a sense of heritage that defines her music way beyond those commercialized pop goods. It’s all good, you know? Music with soul and warmth will always have more longevity in the long run.