Dior’s first ever black spokeswoman...
Rihanna's new album may be missing in action right now (much to Navy's frustration). But she's good at diverting.
And she shows she's a real Queen of darkness in the fourth installment of Dior’s 'Secret Garden' series. The four-minute clip was shot at the Palace of Versailles by famed photographer Steven Klein. Her campaign comes before others such as Beyoncé for Givenchy
and Ciara for Roberto Cavalli. Doncha just love some pop rivalry?
Picture of elegance and beauty...
With the way her music career is headed, Ciara is smart to venture more into fashion territory.
She should have done this the moment her albums stopped selling, because a major ressurrection of sorts seems unlikely at this point. She's just become the new face of Roberto Cavalli, starring in
the designer’s Fall/Winter 2015-16 ad campaign. The stunning photoshoot was shot by
Francesco Carrozzini in L.A.
Continues to flourish...
Must suck when your label boss unwittingly implies your music is destined to fail, but Mariah Carey is rising above it.
She gets more confident with every performance and though it's not perfect, she's progressing. It would be nice if she performed other songs off the album though because 'Vision of Love' is not a favourite of mine, and I don't care for 'Infinity' at all.
Burnin' up the stage...
I'm actually surprised Jessie J got this gig because her album 'Sweet Talker' didn't sell very well, and she stopped promoting it after 'Bang Bang.'
She was most likely pitching for 'Flashlight' off the 'Pitch Perfect 2' soundtrack and threw in 'Bang Bang' and 'Burnin' Up' for good measure. Her pert little ass looked so good in those tight sparkly pants and she delivered a dynamic vocal. Sexy performance with loadsa charisma!
Sizzles in bikini shoot...
I saw some pics of Jennifer Lopez the other day, looking every bit of 45-years-old.
I know it was down to harsh lighting capturing every wrinkle, pore and zit. However, I found it refreshing seeing the normally picture perfect J.Lo looking not so perfect. And even when she's not touched up to the nines, like her bikini-clad cover shoot for Us Weekly's 'Best Bodies' issue, Jen probably still looks better than most on her worst day.
Due late summer...
As well as finalising the tracklist, and working on a deluxe edition, Leona Lewis confirms September 11th for the release of her new album 'I Am.'
That means fans will get at least one more single before the album drops.
This is good, because it leaves time for her latest song to enjoy some momentum. After just 8 days, the music video for 'Fire Under My Feet' has passed 1 million views, which is progress for Leona.
Facts spoken about MC's career...
In a new Billboard interview with LA Reid, it was noted that it's been six years since former No1's Queen Mariah Carey scored a top 10 song.
Reid thinks that getting radio play at this point in her career is a huge accomplishment, because radio doesn’t cater to veteran artists or legends. He speaks real truth when he said that radio caters to in-the-moment stars and not icons that have been in the game for 25 years.
Sweet & sugary 80s pop...
Little Mix's retro new single 'Black Magic' has taken a leak today.
The uplifting tune is very 80s, very girly and has that cookie cutter pop sound in the sugary sense. Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' comes to mind on first listen. The chanting is what identifies the song as a Little Mix single. Seems like they are chasing international success, which is why they have opted for the safe route and went for a more commercial lead single.
Broadway musical 'Finding Neverland...'
Christina Aguilera, who is preparing to serve us "caviar ratchet" on her next album, gives Gary Barlow and Elliot Kennedy’s 'Anywhere But Here' a beautiful make-over.
The soaring ballad sees Aggy delivering a subtle restrained vocal over a sweeping string section and piano. She's now mastered the art of not over-singing, proving she can sing with depth and conviction without sounding like a tortured cat. Bravo!
Produced by Polow Da Don...
Monica's new song ‘Just Right for Me’ has finally arrived, and it's not bad at all.
The booming club track introduces a very average verse from Weezy, and Monica's vocal kind of gets lost in the heavy production. It's not lead single material, but it's cute for what it is. Monica is singing her husband some serious praises on the track, which is lifted off her upcoming new album 'Code Red.' Check it out.
Promoted greatest hits compilation...
Kudos where kudos is due, this was a very stellar performance from Mariah Carey.
Although that whistle note was clearly lipped, she gave live vocals and delivered a more polished showing than what we saw at the Billboard Music Awards a couple of days ago. This is probably one of her best televised performances in years, and she's had many a disaster. Her greatest hits compilation '#1 to Infinity' is now out in stores.
First offering from new Wondaland imprint...
This ladies and gentlemen, is what LIVE singing and dancing should look like.
Janelle totally rocked the stage with her new single 'Yoga,' alongside in house band The Roots and her collaborator Jidenna. If booty popping isn't your thing, it might be the only thing you do after catching a glimpse of Janelle's body rolling set. ‘Yoga’ is featured on her upcoming EP ‘Wondaland Presents The Eephus.’
Zebra bit very Rihanna's 'Rude Boy'...
I think the fella's will like this one. All you see is a big artificial ass more manufactured than anything seen on Nicki Minaj.
K. Michelle isn't just mingling with flamingos by the tub, she is twerking for zebras (that bit looks familiar), and dapples with lesbian sex in the mud. Sound like every man's wet dream, thanks to director Child Basquiat. ‘Hard to Do’ serves as the fourth single off latest album 'Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'
'TRIGGA Reloaded' due June 23rd...
For his new tune 'About You,' Trey Songz samples Janet Jackson's 'Son Of A Gun', which also samples Carly Simon's 'You’re So Vain.'
On closer inspection, the sample is closer to the Janet version than it is to the Carly version, and comprises tinkering synths over laidback R&B production. It sees vibrato boy showering his woman with lots of praises, and while it's not bad, he could still do so much better.
Diva's pose it up at BBMA's red carpet...
Minus the cut-out and Rita Ora's dress would have been right up my street.
Britney's dress was like a fuller variation of Mariah Carey's performance outfit, but it did nothing for her shape whatsoever. Mariah Carey's Tom Ford mini dress is too short, while J.Lo's style of sheer dress is becoming too predictable. If I'm totally honest, I feel she's way too old to be trying to pull it off. Not saying to dress frumpy, but you can still look sexy and age appropriate at the same time.
Unmasks racy artwork...
We get it, Miguel.
You like pussy. The ethereal artwork for 'Wildheart' (due June 30th) is beautiful but at the same time, it pisses me right off. This era seems so forced. He's put so much focus into marketing the hell out of his sexuality, and it just makes him come across as really insecure. If you know you're straight and you've been with the same woman for almost a decade, you wouldn't give two shits or try too hard to convince us of the fact.
Another TIDAL exclusive...
Nicki Minaj drops some really fun visuals for 'Feeling Myself' featuring Beyoncé.
Bey, who is featured on Drake's new tune 'Can I,' has certainly been doing the rounds with these Young Money artists. Beyoncé was all the way turnt up in the video. It was like she transported that persona from '7/11' and brought it over to this one. I'm not a fan of the song, but I dig the message and no woman should apologise for feeling liberated. Get it, bitches!
First BBMA performance in 17 Years!
Could be the bronchitis but Mariah Carey's vocals were sounding very strained and tired last night.
She will always be the people's legendary diva but let's be honest, she used to hit notes so effortlessly. She did find strength to hit that last note, although I'm not convinced it was completely live. During that last note, editing showed the camera panning out to a wide shot where you could barely see her. Not terrible, but she's had better days.
Atrocious camera work...
"She's doing a lot of dancing. Britney's back to her old form."
Well, Iggy must not have seen Britney's award show performances from back in the early 2000's because if she thinks that was oldschool Britney, she is fricking delusional. Though I will admit, despite her usual lipsyncing, this is the most energy I have seen from her in years. She looked lively and very much in the moment.
Ri forgot it's Saturday Night "LIVE"...
Rihanna returned as musical guest for the fifth time on SNL to perform latest singles 'Bitch Better Have My Money' and 'American Oxygen.'
Cool set with car prop but I have a couple of questions. Was Mary J. Blige her choreographer? Did she lip sync her 'Bitch' performance? If so, she didn't do a very convincing job. It's like she wasn't even trying, but perhaps that's because she knows deep down that both songs are a lost cause.
Prayers have been answered...
On the eve of her 49th birthday, Janet Jackson announced last night that she will be debuting new music and embarking on a world tour in 2015!
She made the announcement in a special video message, which featured new music playing in the background. On top of that, she also joined instagram. The last time Janet released an album was with 'Discipline' in 2008. Seven years too long. Can you believe it? New album! New world tour! I fucking can't!
Rest in peace...
The remainder of Ciara's fans must want to slap LA Reid's face... with a hot wet leather belt.
How do you explain the poppiest song on her album getting sent to urban formats? Her next 'Jackie' single 'Give Me Love' is scheduled to impact Urban on June 9th. Urban won't touch it with a barge pole. 'Dance Like We're Making Love' would have suited Urban and Pop formats so much better. Kiss goodbye to the 'Jackie' era. It is well and truly over.
Revisited memory lane...
Jennifer Lopez gave fans a sneak preview of what to expect from her upcoming Vegas residency.
She killed the stage with a dance medley of her greatest
hits on 'Ellen' earlier today. As far as age goes, J.Lo has 10-15 years on her younger peers. She delivered more dance and energy in a five minute performance than what you see in an entire concert from some of these younger pop chicks. Her residency is going to be one hot slay.
Another remix...
Rihanna and Diplo may have had their differences in the studio, which is what resulted in him saying some stuff.
Therefore, an official collaboration between these two may never come to fruition. The closest Diplo might ever come to creatively liasing with Rihanna is through remixing one of her songs. ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ was given a beat, albeit a grittier one, to the originally minimalist production. This is something the clubs will swallow up.
Not IT!
This is about as basic as EDM-pop goes. Rita Ora's brand new single 'Poison' probably sounds like a million other pop songs right now.
The anti-ex track, which is rumoured to be about Rob Kardashian and Calvin Harris, has some electro-dub elements thrown in, and while she sounds great, this just doesn't scream lead single at all. 'I Will Never Let You Down' was far more superior.
Shines bright like a diamond...
The good thing about Jennifer Lopez covering Rihanna's 'Diamonds' is that it highlights how amazing Rihanna sounded on that song.
Not saying J.Lo's vocals were terrible, as I think she's come a long way but sometimes an artist unintentionally tells on themselves. Her fellow co-stars Keith Urban served on guitar, while Harry Connick Jr. played piano, before they all performed a rocking rendition of Bruno Mars’ 'Locked Out of Heaven.'
Throws some serious shade at ex...
When speaking about new single 'Poison,' Rita Ora previously told Clash magazine, “This is about my bad luck with love.”
In the song, she compares her ex-boyfriend to the devil. It is believed the song serves as a personal attack on Calvin Harris who boycotted her album several months ago. He took back all the songs he wrote for the project and then banned her from performing their hit single 'I Will Never Let You Down.'
Horrible outcome...
This week, Ciara's new album 'Jackie' sold 19,900 units in sales. 19,900. 19,900. 19,900.
With streaming, the overall number stands at 25,000 units sold in the first week. Massive contrast to the 59,000 sold with her last album 'Ciara.' Her sales have never been extremely high, but this is an all time low for Ciara. It marks the lowest first-week sales in her 10+ year career.
Captured like a true goddess...
Navy were super excited when Rihanna was announced as the new face of Dior. Now we have the first official photos from the shoot.
As expected, Ri looks so stunning. This serves as her first ever Dior campaign, shot by Steven Klein on location at Versailles. The movie 'Secret Garden' starring Rihanna and directed by Klein should debut later this week on Dior.com. You can see a behind the scenes video here.
After months of rumours, it's official...
Jennifer Lopez has officially announced her Las Vegas headlining residency. The upcoming residency will take place at the AXIS Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
I think a J.Lo show would be quite the spectacle. It will feature a live band and dancers, extravagant costumes, and state-of-the-art special effects. What more could you ask for? Fans would get their money's worth because she dances her ass off and puts on a show.
Cute and silly...
This colourful video, which was inspired by the 1998 cult classic 'Earth Girls Are Easy,' isn't going to make me upgrade my Samsung Galaxy S5 to an S6.
And even if it broke, I still wouldn't want Alien Iggy to convert it either. In fact, this part annoyed me as the video was interrupted for that tragic scripted dialogue alone. It was specifically put in for the lamey product placement. Overall, the video was super cute in a goofy, ditzy Valley girl way.
Happy album slated for June...
Tamia tells Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club that her new album 'Love Life' has a lot of love songs, which is mostly centered on loving life.
It’s a happy album that is not as deep
and dark as some of her past albums. It’s in a better place, she says. I love dark Tamia and I would do anything for another 'Stranger In My House.' That was Tamia at her damned finest. Nonetheless, I am just as excited about this new album too.
Album not dunzo just yet...
During an interview with Philadelphia’s Power 99 RNGMS, Ciara was asked about her low projected album sales for 'Jackie.'
The project is slated to push just 22K in its first week. Ciara says that although she would loved to have sold more, she considers this her best body of work and just appreciates fans showing their support for the new music by attending her shows. She says there's more videos to come and she's just getting started.
Hit or miss?
I don't know about this one. Melanie Fiona's new single 'Bite the Bullet' is going to take some getting use to.
She sounds good and I'm glad she's back, but it's disheartening when you know her independent comeback isn't going to be an eventful one. It's either you come hard, or go home. 'Bullet' serves up a slice of breezy reggae-soul and it has all the right elements to be the perfect summer jam. But lead-worthy it certainly isn't.
Song is losing steam already...
Seems like Britney and Iggy's single is flopping. When 'Pretty Girls' was released to iTunes on May 3rd, it jumped straight in at #2.
This was based on hype and word of mouth. Cue a week later, and the song slides further out of the top 10, out of the top 20 and now it's currently heading out of the top 30. The song now sits at #24 on iTunes US. I don't have a problem with 'Pretty Girls.' In fact, I like the song a lot.
New music is very near...
One thing Ashanti should never do is announce release dates for her albums. By doing this she is kind of jinxing herself. You know the history.
During a visit to Good Day NY on Sunday, she honoured mother's day by performing a special Babyface-penned ballad to her mom. Interestingly, she used the occasion to announce that her sixth studio album will be out later this year, which will be preceded by the set's lead single this summer.
Fox waited long enough...
It’s an end of an era. Fox has confirmed that Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr, as well as host Ryan Seacrest, will return next year for the 15th and final season of American Idol. The once-blockbuster talent show, which launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer
Hudson, has seen its core audience deterioriate.
The show should have ended at season five. Yet, they chose to let it drag on until it just couldn't be milked anymore.
Engagingly catchy...
Leona Lewis is onto a winner with her brand new single 'Fire Under My Feet.' Starting off this new era with an uptempo was a very good move. Everyone knows Leona can belt the hell out of a ballad. Releasing one to kickstart a new album campaign would have been boring and too predictable.
With its thumping beats, clapping chorus, and soaring vocals, 'Fire' will take Leona where she needs to be and hopefully win back her core audience in the UK.
Feeling envious ladies?
As a single woman, Mariah Carey is certainly enjoying the good life. The thrilled diva found herself in a position where she got to stuff dollars down model Tyson Beckford's pants during a sexy lapdance at the Chippendales show in Vegas. I must emphasise, Tyson doesn't age at all.
I remember seeing him for the first time in a Toni Braxton video and even today he looks like he stepped right off that very set 20 years later.
Waiting game continues...
Rihanna didn't sound so enthusiastic when paps asked her when the music video for 'Bitch Better Have My Money' would see a premiere. Instead, she replied with a very unconvincing "soon." It's been well over a month since 'Bitch' premiered and went to iTunes, and there has been no sign of a video.
I don't even like the song. I just want to see something to show her album era for R8 is back on track.
'One more sleep' for new single...
This cover is quite ethereal and earthy, which seems to be the current theme this era. It's almost spiritual until you see her facial expression and it looks like she's about to take that umbrella and smack a bitch. Though I admit I was in fact hoping for something a little more fiery. I guess that might have been asking for way too much since such a reserved and calm persona like hers has always drowned in blandness.
No offence.
Why is Ciara singing live?!
Somebody needs to tell Ciara that live vocals is not the reason people are paying to see her live. Folks just want to see her dance and give minimum vocals. It's probably not what she wants to hear, since lately she's been trying to establish herself as a vocalist.
Unfortunately, Ciara's vocals took quite a battering, while incorporating dance into her high-octane set. The dancing just didn't reflect the lack of solid vocals.
Two divas debuting new songs next week...
Melanie Fiona is finally about to drop some new music, and last night she debuted brand new single 'Bite the Bullet' at Verizon's Big Pay Off event in Los Angeles. The song will be available to download from May 12th via iTunes and all other digital outlets. Listen to a preview inside.
Leona Lewis also unveils a sneak
peek look at her new video for 'Fire (Under My Feet).' The song, lifted off new album 'I Am,' will premiere May 11th.
Did Beyoncé just confirm a new Def Jam game?
She has already fulfilled her five-album contract with Columbia.
Yet, I don't think she's signing with them, but as I say, something is definetely up.
Also, fresh off shooting a brand new Givenchy campaign with head designer Riccardo Tisci in New York City, Beyoncé jumped on social media again to showcase some of her latest looks.
This chick is clearly up to something.
Beyoncé was spotted yesterday looking very fine and Springy in a plunging denim romper by Stella McCartney.
Her chic appearance comes after Tina Knowles Lawson penned a touching Mother's Day letter in honour of her daughters Beyoncé, Solange and Kelly Rowland.
More hot pics inside.
Leona Lewis announces Monday 11th, May for the official radio premiere of her brand new single 'Fire (Under My Feet).'
Chris Brown announces his mini 4-date 'X' tour with Omarion, August Alsina & Sevyn. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster.
Ciara, who celebrates her first Mother’s Day this weekend, shares the sentimental visuals for her Diane Warren-penned ballad 'I Got You.'
Another dope collab!
The night before Rihanna and Drake were spotted clubbing.
She was wearing her Met Gala hair when pictures surfaced of the singer being escorted to her ride by Drake's security.
Looks like they might be back on, meaning her alleged fling with Leonardo DiCaprio was shortlived. At least tabloids will shut up about it now. Not that I ever believed it. He's not really her type, and she's not his either.
Too close for comfort?
Rita Ora has already denied rumours that she fucked Beyoncé's husband Jay Z. However, if she really wanted those rumours to die, she wasn't doing much to hide it at the Met Gala after-party recently.
Ho-hum.
Where is Solange's crazy ass when you need her?
According to Hits Daily Double, Rihanna's forthcoming new album could be released as a Hifi Tidal exclusive. A well cited rumour.
But let's say this were true, Tidal would destroy Rihanna's new album. Ciara's album 'Jackie' would actually be more successful.
It also gives fans the incentive to search for a free illegal download just to avoid having to sign up with Tidal.
Last night, Mariah Carey kicked off the opening night of her Vegas residency ‘Mariah #1 To Infinity.’
She played to a sold-out crowd at Caesars Palace, and made sure her lip synching game was effortless.
At this point, I don't even blame her. It's Vegas. It's all about the spectacle! And judging by these pics, Mariah gave plentry of it.
