Amerie has signed to Def Jam Records, according to label reps. The R&B singer parted ways with former label Columbia earlier this year.
While there, Amerie released two albums, 2002's "All I Have" and 2005's "Touch," which have sold 657,000 and 404,000 copies in the United States respectively, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Another album, 2007's "Because I Love It," was never officially released in the U.S., although it did appear internationally. It is unclear whether "Because I Love It" will see the light of day via Def Jam, as Amerie is already at work on a new studio project.
In related news, fellow Universal label Island Urban has inked R&B singer Dondria, aka, Phatfffat. The 21 year-old Texas native's first single, "Can't Stop," hits radio next week and her debut album, "Dondria Vs. Phatffat," is slated for July 29.
Dondria has amassed a YouTube fanbase of almost 27,000 subscribers and touts more than 1.3 million channel views. One of YouTube's 10 most popular artists of all time, she was discovered by Dupri, who asked her to document her creative process for the last six months by uploading covers of songs like Chrisette Michele's "Love Is You."
"I have never witnessed an Internet-driven phenomenon that even comes close to this in my entire career," says Dupri.
Dondria marks another attempt by Dupri to manufacture organic online marketing and monetize YouTube's popularity. Island's first online-driven artist was Harlem, N.Y.'s Jason Fox. Signed to a singles deal on the heels of Soulja Boy's popularity in 2007, Fox's single "Aunt Jackie" has gone on to sell 15,000 digital copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
While there, Amerie released two albums, 2002's "All I Have" and 2005's "Touch," which have sold 657,000 and 404,000 copies in the United States respectively, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Another album, 2007's "Because I Love It," was never officially released in the U.S., although it did appear internationally. It is unclear whether "Because I Love It" will see the light of day via Def Jam, as Amerie is already at work on a new studio project.
In related news, fellow Universal label Island Urban has inked R&B singer Dondria, aka, Phatfffat. The 21 year-old Texas native's first single, "Can't Stop," hits radio next week and her debut album, "Dondria Vs. Phatffat," is slated for July 29.
Dondria has amassed a YouTube fanbase of almost 27,000 subscribers and touts more than 1.3 million channel views. One of YouTube's 10 most popular artists of all time, she was discovered by Dupri, who asked her to document her creative process for the last six months by uploading covers of songs like Chrisette Michele's "Love Is You."
"I have never witnessed an Internet-driven phenomenon that even comes close to this in my entire career," says Dupri.
Dondria marks another attempt by Dupri to manufacture organic online marketing and monetize YouTube's popularity. Island's first online-driven artist was Harlem, N.Y.'s Jason Fox. Signed to a singles deal on the heels of Soulja Boy's popularity in 2007, Fox's single "Aunt Jackie" has gone on to sell 15,000 digital copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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