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Starting tomorrow, Perez Hilton will step out from behind his keyboard and into a crowd of screaming fans. Not his fans, necessarily, but lovers of Norwegian singer Ida Maria, New Zealand chanteuse Ladyhawke and New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons. The artists — plus four Sliimy, Julian Perretta, FrankMusik and Eric Hutchinson — are on the bill for Perez Hilton Presents, the first-ever tour that the blogger has curated. “It’s taking the concept of a mini-festival and opening it up to everyone,” says Hilton, who has hosted invite-only showcases at SXSW and CMJ. (The 17-date trek kicks off September 10th in Atlanta and wraps October 3rd in Los Angeles.) “It’s a dream of mine to expose the masses to music I love.”
Selecting the lineup was simple: Hilton just went after artists he digs. “Ida Maria is such a ferocious, raw performer,” he says of the indie rocker, who’s been known to bust out stripteases onstage while singing her cheeky punk-rock tune “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked.” “Live, she kind of scares me,” he admits. (Watch Ida Maria’s exclusive RS acoustic set here.)
Hilton — who grew up blasting Madonna and Gloria Estefan songs — picked Ladyhawke for her “dancier, bit more nostalgic vibe” (she’s one of the indie-electro stars collaborating with Christina Aguilera on her forthcoming disc). Semi Precious Weapons got points for being Lady Gaga’s favorite band. “They have one of the best lyrics of all time: ‘I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous,’ ” he says. “I can’t wait to take them to middle America.” (The tour — which mostly rolls through blue states — hits Kansas City, Missouri and Salt Lake City, Utah.)
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily