Josh Groban to Host ABC's RISING STAR; Kesha, Ludacris to Judge

Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter Josh Groban, country music superstar Brad Paisley, pop music sensation Kesha, and hip hop artist and actor Ludacris have signed on to ABC's "Rising Star," which premieres SUNDAY, JUNE 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT). "Rising Star" completely reinvents the traditional singing competition as--for the first time ever--the audience has the final say in real time. The show follows a group of aspiring singers as they perform live. During the performances, viewers vote in real time via an App to determine if the singer will advance in the competition. If the voting reaches a certain threshold, the performer moves on. In addition, the performer can see how the voting is going throughout the performance, so the feedback is immediate and dramatic.

Groban, Paisley, Kesha and Ludacris will appear together for the first time on The 2014 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, May 18th at 8:00 pm on ABC, with Ludacris hosting the BBMA festivities.

ABOUT JOSH GROBAN

Possessing one of the most outstanding and instantly recognizable voices in music, singer, songwriter, and actor Josh Groban has entertained fans across the globe with his multi-platinum albums and DVDs (25 million sold worldwide), electrifying live performances, and comedic film and television appearances. The 32-year-old Los Angeles native is the only artist who has had two albums appear on the Top 20 Best-Selling Albums list of the past decade, according to Billboard. He has appeared in the feature film "Crazy, Stupid, Love," as well as on NBC's "The Office" and CBS' "The Crazy Ones", and in 2011 completed a sold-out world tour. In February of last year, Josh released his 6th studio album entitled "All That Echoes" which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. In October of 2013, Groban kicked off the North American leg of his "In The Round" tour, which brings the intimate feel of a theater to an arena setting with its one-of-a-kind, 360-degree, interactive concert experience. The tour is Groban's best-reviewed one to date. An active arts education philanthropist and advocate, Groban is a member of Americans for the Arts Artists Committee and Groban's Find Your Light Foundation helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.

ABOUT BRAD PAISLEY

Brad Paisley is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer, which has earned him numerous awards including three GRAMMYs, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), as well as three awards from ASCAP as Country Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year. He is also a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry, having been inducted in 2001. Since his first #1 single in 1999, Paisley has placed 22 singles at the top of the charts including "Mud on the Tires," "I'm Gonna- Miss Her," "Waitin' On A Woman," and "Then" among others. His current single, "River Bank," is from his forthcoming album, Moonshine In The Trunk, to be released on August 26. Paisley's concert tours draw over a million fans a year and his Country Nation World Tour presented by KRAFT Cheese kicks off May 16 in Philadelphia, PA.

ABOUT KESHA

On the heels of her smash hits, "Die Young" and "C'Mon," Kesha recently released "Crazy Kids," the third single from her sophomore album, Warrior (Kemosabe/RCA Records.) The single is currently available at all digital music providers. Kesha has taken the world by storm since the release of her debut album Animal in 2010. That year, she was declared Billboard's Hot 100 Artist and her smash debut single "TiK ToK" was named Billboard's #1 Hot 100 Song, was the most played song of that year, and was the biggest-selling digital track in the world. Kesha has had eight consecutive Top 10 hits including four #1 singles: "TiK ToK," "Your Love Is My Drug," "We R Who We R" and most recently "Timber." Kesha has more than 30 million Facebook likes, more than 3.5 million Twitter followers, and close to a billion views on YouTube. Between her debut album "Animal" and her last release "Warrior," Kesha has sold over 4 million units worldwide. Kesha has toured the world, playing over 250 live shows in support of "Animal" and its companion album "Cannibal," and an additional 47 shows in support of her latest release, "Warrior." She took home the MTV EMA for Best New Act in November 2010 and was nominated for 2 American Music Awards, 4 MTV VMA Awards and 6 Billboard Awards. She has sold over 35 million combined tracks and ringtones in the U.S alone and over 59 million worldwide to date. Kesha is an international powerhouse, "Animal" has been certified Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum in 16 markets (including Platinum in the United States and Double Platinum in Australia & Canada) and was the biggest selling debut album from an international female in 2010 in the UK. In the Fall of 2012, Kesha released an illustrated photo journal and scrapbook entitled "My Crazy Beautiful Life" with Touchstone. The book was a huge fan hit and was a precursor to her wildly successful MTV Show "Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life" which was the #1 series across all TV in the time period with P12-34. In August 2013 Kesha launched her own jewelry line, Kesha Rose by Charles Albert. The line, which is entirely designed by Kesha, is based upon her love of nature and classic rock & roll style.

ABOUT LUDACRIS

Multi-Platinum-selling, Grammy Award(r)-winning artist and actor Ludacris has been a mainstay on the Billboard Music Charts since 2000, when he released the hit single "What's Your Fantasy?" off his debut album "Back for the Fantasy." He has since released a string of hits that have included Billboard Hot 100 number ones ("Stand Up," "Money Maker") and Top Tens ("Move Bitch," "Splash Waterfalls," "Pimpin' All Over the World," "Runaway Love"), as well as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Top Tens ("Southern Hospitality," "Area Codes," "Rollout [My Business]," "Saturday [Oooh Oooh!]," "Get Back," "Number One Spot"). Ludacris has also been a reliable featured guest on Top Tens for Missy Elliott ("One Minute Man," "Gossip Folks"),Mariah Carey ("Loverboy"), LL Cool J ("Fatty Girl"), Chingy ("Holidae In"), Usher ("Yeah!"), Ciara ("Oh"), Jamie Foxx("Unpredictable"), Fergie ("Glamorous"), and others.

Ludacris is currently filming "Fast and the Furious 7" for Universal Pictures, which has proven to be one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. As an actor, he has received critical acclaim for his role in the film "Crash" for which he won both SAG and Critics' Choice Award.

Ludacris is also a dedicated philanthropist, whose passion for giving back to the community inspired him to establish the Ludacris Foundation in 2001, a non-profit organization which seeks to inspire youth through education and memorable experiences and to live their dreams by uplifting families, communities and fostering economic development.

"Rising Star" is executive produced in the U.S. by Ken Warwick ("American Idol") and Nicolle Yaron ("The Voice"). The series is from Keshet DCP, the joint venture between Keshet International (KI), the global distribution and production arm of Keshet Media Group, and DC Media, the parent company of dick clark productions (dcp).

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