GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT® Presents the Second Season of 'RISING ICONS' Premiering This August on BET and Centric Networks

MIAMI, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT® proudly presents the second season of the acclaimed RISING ICONS, a television series recognizing eight of the most influential artists currently taking the music scene by storm.  Premiering this August on BET and Centric Networks, each episode takes viewers behind the scenes with modern day pop stars, musical revolutionaries, sexy soulful singers and emerging hip hop artists. RISING ICONS chronicles the artists' lives both on and off the stage, at home and on the road, giving an inside glimpse into their roads to stardom.  Talent for this season includes: B.o.B, ELEW, Estelle, J. Cole, Jay Sean, Jeremih, Laura Izibor, and Melanie Fiona.  The presentation of this series on BET and Centric Networks also completes a multi-platform execution with further visibility on BET.com.  

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Created by GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT, the show highlights some of the world's best and brightest performers. RISING ICONS allows viewers to join the artists on their personal journeys featuring candid commentary on their passions, motivation and inspiration.

"Just as GREY GOOSE is considered at the forefront of style, sophistication and success, so too are the artists chosen for this season's line-up of RISING ICONS," said Chauncey Hamlett, brand manager for GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT and executive producer for RISING ICONS. "We are extremely proud to create a platform designed to support and celebrate the success of these unbelievably talented, innovative new artists who truly embody the GREY GOOSE sensibility."

"These multi-talented artists possess wide global appeal and embody the essence of what it takes to be considered best-in-class in their industry. Viewers will be inspired as they witness the seminal moments we capture that change these artists' lives forever," said Robert Friedman, president of media and entertainment @radical.media.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to spotlight the exceptionally talented artists profiled in the second season of RISING ICONS," said Alvin Bowles, Senior Vice President, Brand Solutions for BET Networks.  "Our relationship with GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT in this endeavor is an integral one that reflects BET's commitment to branded entertainment initiatives that bring our viewers closer to the new wave of emerging talent in the music industry."

The TV series will run concurrent with the "GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT presents RISING ICONS Concert Tour," which spotlights the talent in twelve cities across America, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Washington D.C.  The combination of the tour and the RISING ICONS TV series gives fans and consumers an opportunity to watch the success stories of today's hottest artists and then experience their live concert performances on a local level. Concert information can be found at http://uptownmagazine.com, the digital and print media partner for the RISING ICONS Tour. The tour and local activation will be managed by BoulevardOne Marketing.

RISING ICONS is created and executive produced by Chauncey Hamlett and Shane M. Graber for GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT and executive produced by Jon Kamen, Robert Friedman and Justin Wilkes for @radical.media.  Lauren Lazin (MTV's True Life, Diary and Tupac: Resurrection) serves as the series co-executive producer and director.  Jon Doran (Iconoclasts, Beastie Boys: Awesome, I Shot That!) is the series producer.

For more information, visit www.BET.com/risingicons for air times and http://uptownmagazine.com for tour dates, artist downloads and more.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

B.o.B

B.o.B is an American hip hop performer, singer/songwriter and producer hailing from Decatur, Georgia. His music is a blend of alternative rock, hip hop, techno, funk and doo wop. Born Bobby Ray Simmons, the Atlanta-based artist was signed to rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle/ Atlantic Records label in 2007 after achieving local success through his mixtapes "Eastside" and "The 12th Dimension" with his single "Haterz Everywhere." His debut album "The Adventures of Bobby Ray," with his radio hit "Nothing on You" featuring Bruno Mars, continues to build the momentum for his commercial success. He is nominated for three 2010 B.E.T. Awards including Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Best Collaboration and Video of the Year.

ELEW

ELEW, born Eric Lewis, is an American jazz musician making a substantial impression on the music world with a thunderous new style of playing: an inspired melding of ragtime, rock and pop that he calls Rockjazz. He is a 5th generation classically trained pianist who won a full scholarship to Manhattan School of Music. The piano iconoclast ELEW has toured with jazz luminaries like Cassandra Wilson, Wynton Marsalis and performed for President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama. On his summer tour of 2009, ELEW recorded his debut album entitled ELEW Rockjazz: Vol. 1 which was released in March 2010. He continues to gain notoriety with his blistering renditions of infectious rock and pop anthems by Coldplay, The Killers, Nirvana, and more.

Estelle

Estelle is an R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer from England. In 2008, Estelle rose to fame with her collaboration with rapper Kanye West titled "American Boy."  In 2009, she won a Grammy Award for "American Boy" in the category for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration as well receiving the MOBO for Best Newcomer.  She also received three consecutive Best Female Artist trophies from the UK Hip-Hop Awards.

Laura Izibor

Laura Izibor is an Irish R&B singer, songwriter and producer whose sound is a combination of classic R&B and modern sensibility. Affectionately known as "The Soul of Ireland," she has opened for acts such as James Brown, The Roots, Angie Stone and John Legend. In 2007, she released "Live from Crawdaddy EP," and her single "Shine" was used on the soundtrack for The Nanny Diaries. In 2009, she released her solo debut LP "Let the Truth Be Told" with her smash hit single "From My Heart to Yours." The Atlantic Records recording artist was nominated for a MOBO for Best UK Newcomer and a Soul Train Music Award for Soul Approved/Underground Artist.

Melanie Fiona

Melanie Fiona is a Canadian singer/songwriter whose music is a melodic fusion of pop and neo-soul. The Grammy Award nominee is returning to the RISING ICONS line-up after the success of her debut album "The Bridge," featuring her breakout singles "Give it to Me Right" and "It Kills Me," peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 R&B Charts. She has had two successful tours opening for Kanye West's European leg in 2009 and Alicia Key's "The Freedom Tour" in 2010.  She is nominated for four 2010 B.E.T. Awards including Best Female R&B Artist, Best New Artist, B.E.T. Centric Award and Video of the Year.

J. Cole

Roc Nation's J. Cole is an American rapper and producer. After graduating magna cum laude in 2007 from St. John's University, he released the critically-acclaimed mixtapes "The Come Up" and "The Warm Up."  Following these, he contributed a stellar verse on the track "A Star Is Born" on JAY-Z's Blueprint 3 album, and joined him on tour in 2009.  This year after being featured on the covers of XXL and The Source and receiving rave live reviews in the NY Times, he released his first single, "Who Dat" from his upcoming album, due out this fall.

Jay Sean

Jay Sean is a British Pop and R&B singer, songwriter, and producer whose crossover and international success is making an imprint on R&B and pop history. The multi-platinum-selling recording artist's career started in 2004 when he achieved notoriety in the UK with two platinum selling albums and two top ten singles. After landing his first major record deal with Virgin Records, he dropped out of medical school to release his debut album "Me Against Myself" accompanied by his two hit singles "Eyes on You" and "Stolen." His sophomore album "My Own Way" peaked at #6 in the UK. In 2008, Sean signed a multi-album deal with Cash Money Records. In 2009 he released "All or Nothing" with his Single "Down" featuring Lil Wayne that peaked to number one on Billboard's Top 100, making Sean the first artist of South Asian decent to top the U.S. music charts. Currently, he is working on his next solo project set for release later this year.  

Jeremih

Jeremih, an American R&B singer/songwriter, is Island Def Jam's latest musical sensation. Growing up on Chicago's infamous Southside, he achieved nationwide success with his breakout hit "Birthday Sex" which peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B Charts and #4 on the Billboard's Hot 100 in 2009. His self-titled debut album Jeremih debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200. In 2009 he was the opening act on the "America's Most Wanted Tour" with Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne. Later that year, he was nominated for an American Music Award for Soul/R&B Breakthrough Artist.

About GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT®

Founded in April 2005, GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT is dedicated to producing original and unique content for television, music and film.  Each innovative project reflects the spirit of GREY GOOSE Vodka and celebrates the interests of its consumers.  ICONOCLASTS was the first production from GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT. GREY GOOSE ENTERTAINMENT also supports THE ARTISTS DEN, an innovative enterprise that curates the best new music from around the globe, as well as RISING ICONS, a television program and national concert tour celebrating some of the most influential new artists on their journey to stardom.

About GREY GOOSE® Vodka

Blended and bottled in the celebrated Cognac region of Western France, GREY GOOSE Vodka is truly a unique offering.  Every element that goes into its production ensures that GREY GOOSE Vodka stands alone as the "World's Best Tasting Vodka." The 80 proof super-premium spirit is packaged in beautiful frosted glass bottles, with a clear window in the shape of a Grey Goose silhouette that allows a peek at the flight of the Grey Goose across the majestic Massif Central Mountains.  Each bottle is sealed with a cork stopper and an elegant foil closure. The GREY GOOSE portfolio is comprised of GREY GOOSE Vodka, GREY GOOSE La Poire, GREY GOOSE L'Orange and GREY GOOSE Le Citron flavored vodkas.

About Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.

Bacardi U.S.A.,  Inc. is the import, sales and marketing arm of one of the world's  leading  wine and spirits producers. Bacardi U.S.A. boasts a brand portfolio  of  some  of  the most recognized and top-selling spirits in the United   States   including:   BACARDI®   rum,  the  world's  favorite and best-selling  premium  rum,  as  well as the world's most awarded rum; GREY GOOSE®  vodka,  the  world-leader  in  super-premium vodka; DEWAR'S® Blended Scotch whisky,  the number-one selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY  SAPPHIRE®  gin, the top-valued premium gin in the world; CAZADORES® blue  agave  tequila,  the  top-selling premium tequila worldwide; MARTINI® vermouth,  the  world-leader  in  vermouth;  and other leading and emerging brands.

About @radical.media    

@radical.media is a global transmedia company that creates some of the world's most innovative content. The company produces and distributes television, feature films, commercials, music programming, digital content and design. @radical.media has produced award-winning projects, including the Academy Award®-winning documentary The Fog of War; the Grammy Award®-winning Concert for George;  the Independent Spirit Award-winning Metallica: Some Kind of Monster; the pilot episode of the Emmy® and Golden Globe winning series Mad Men; the Emmy-winning 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America for the History Channel; the critically acclaimed series Iconoclasts for the Sundance Channel and more recently, the documentary Summit on the Summit and Drake: Better Than Good Enough for MTV. The company is currently in production on programs for HBO, Sundance Channel, MTV, Discovery and OWN.

About BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

About CENTRIC

Centric is a 24-hour music and entertainment channel that reflects the lifestyle and sophistication of today's African-American and multicultural adult viewer.  With a finger on the pulse of an ever-changing beat, its compelling music content fuses Soul, R&B, Neo-Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, Jazz, Old School, New School and everything in between with today's hottest artists. It is a unique of mix of music, culture and lifestyle programming that embodies the lives, tastes and aspirations of the CENTRIC viewer: All you. All day. All night.

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