Hey Guys,

Auditions are off to a great start!  So far, each city has proven to have a few incredibly strong contestants, and of course the “crazy crazies” (who make the show so much fun to watch).  Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” seems to be a popular song choice for auditions.  I enjoyed hanging with Victoria Beckham and Mary J Blige who each brought something special to the panel based on their experiences as superstars!

Back on the homefront, Cobra Starship’s album Hot Mess debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 last week (www.myspace.com/cobrastarship) and my singles “Good Girls Go Bad” and “Hot Mess” are getting tons of film and television placements so look out for them!  Jessie James’ self titled debut hit the charts at #23 (Billboard 200) (www.myspace.com/jessiejamesmusic.com). 

I’m really excited about the acts I had a hand in signing over at Warner Bros Records.  Check out Jason Derulo’s  “Whatcha Say” (www.myspace.com/jasonderulo) and Iyaz’s “Replay” (www.myspace.com/iyaz) burning up the iTunes charts!

Also, David Hodges (on Warner Bros Records/ Reprise) has been touring with Daughtry all month and his debut EP “The Rising” is now available on iTunes (www.davidhodgesmusic.com).  We went to see David and Chris Daughtry perform in Los Angeles on Wednesday night and they killed it!  David is a great songwriter who co-wrote Evanescence’s “My Immortal,” Kelly Clarkson’s  “Because of You,” and Chris Daughtry’s “What About Now.”  It’s great to see David stepping into the spotlight where he belongs!

There’s some really good new music to listen to … off to dallas now!

xo kara

P.S. Check out the new lyrics section up now in the Kara’s Club section!

Hey guys,

Next week marks the start of American Idol Season 9 and I’m really looking forward to this year’s auditions!  Last year was an incredible learning experience for me, as it was my first time on a television show of such magnitude.  Now that I feel more comfortable in front of the camera and have a better understanding of what being a judge on this great show requires, I’m ready for a new set of exciting new challenges - and to have a blast!  Given the numbers of amazing contestants we met last year, I’m very optimistic about finding great new talent on the road.

Last week I was writing in Nashville with some of Country Music’s best and brightest.  I started the week off with Little Big Town, who nearly knocked my socks off when they sang together.  Next was Rascal Flatts, who, in addition to being incredibly talented, are some of the greatest and funniest guys I have ever worked with!  I finished up the trip with Dierks Bentley, another ridiculously gifted artist/writer, and the Band Perry, a new act who I am 100% sure will be huge in Country.  Another highlight of the trip was doing two songs at the Bluebird Cafe, an intimate, historic venue where many famous singer/songwriters have performed their hits.

Before I leave for Denver, I will be reuniting with Kevin Rudolf (”Let it rock”), with whom I also co-wrote Cobra Starship’s “Good Girls Go Bad.”  We’re working on a song that we think could be big!

I will have a lot to report after the auditions … in the meantime, hope you’ve been having a great summer!

k