Linkin Park to Play the VMAs

Linkin Park will perform their new single "The Catalyst" on this year's MTV Video Music Awards, broadcasting live from Los Angeles, September 12th, with Chelsea Handler as host. "After two years of working on our new album, we're looking forward to sharing our first live performance of new music with our fans," singer Chester Bennington says in a statement. "The Catalyst" is the first single off the band's fourth album A Thousand Suns, due out two days after the VMAs, on September 14th. Linkin Park previously performed at 2001 VMAs ("One Step Closer") and the 2007 VMAs in Las Vegas ("Bleed It Out").

Linkin Park join a roster of performers that includes Eminen, Kanye West, Drake, Justin Bieber, B.o.B, Paramore, Usher and Florence + The Machine. Robyn, Travie McCoy and Jason Derulo will perform in combination with Deadmau5, the DJ. Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Trey Songz and Ne-Yo will be among the artists presenting awards. For more on host Chelsea Handler, be sure to check out the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands tomorrow.

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Song Stories

“Too Close”

Next | 1998

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'" 

More Song Stories entries »

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