After a murky period of uncertainty, things are finally on the up for soulful songbird Melanie Fiona. 

The new Grammy winner is gearing up for the release sophomore set ‘The MF Life’ this March. And so as to give the album an added boost, Fiona follows up its lead single ‘4am’ with the B.O.B assisted ‘Change The Record’.

Take a listen after the jump…

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Alexandra Burke‘s new Fabulous magazine shoot sees her pose it up with a bed of roses. And yet, conversely, the last 12 months have been anything but that for the talented songstress.

Characterised by family drama, a departure from longtime label SyCo, and a polarizing X Factor guest judging spot, the 23 year old is rising above the taxing time with the release of new single ‘Elephant’ and her sophomore album.

Peep excerpts from the insightful interview after the jump, where more pics from the shoot also await.

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As the world comes to terms with the passing of Whitney Houston, friends and family of the late legend were snapped filing into the Whigham Funeral Home for the singer’s Wake yesterday.

Mother Cissy Houston, daughter Bobbi Kristina, and Clive Davis, were among those in attendance at the solemn ceremony, which served as the final viewing of Houston’s body.

The singer’s funeral is scheduled to take place in New Jersey this afternoon. Stay tuned to That Grape Juice for the latest.

More pics below…

Your thoughts?

The last week has seen rumours of  a supposed Rihanna and Chris Brown collaboration swirl into quite the media hurricane. And, while neither have confirmed if we’ll be tasting the ‘Birthday Cake (Remix)’ featured them both, Brown has taken to Twitter, offering insightful words.

Check out what the talented of the two had to say after the jump…

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Tonight saw the airing of the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards.  With a moving tribute to Whitney Houston from gospel singer Yolanda Adams to Jill Scott and Jennifer Hudson, tonight’s showing saw some powerhouse voices hit the stage.

Get into all the action after the jump:

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The world may be presently mourning the passing of one pop icon, but another R&B/pop starlet is still being sorely missed.  Over 10 years may have passed since the passing of R&B beauty Aaliyah, but the once touted ‘Sparkle’ star’s shine is still bright as she is regularly mentioned in comparison with today’s chart topping contemporaries.  Like most fallen stars, especially after the success of hit 2009 film ‘Notorious’, chatter spread across the industry about a movie depicting the starlet’s life and – most importantly – who would be tapped to play her.

With rumors swirling that ‘Dreamgirls’ (2006) director Bill Condon had signed on to direct the movie, Canadian songstress Keshia Chante had long been rumored to be depicting the ‘Hot Like Fire’ hitmaker in the film.  Sharing an uncanny resemblance to Haughton, Chante was once thought to be the perfect fit.

Now, the Canadian chanteuse, speaking with Chris Yandek, tells a different story.  Will there ever be an ‘Aaliyah’ movie?  Find her thoughts below:

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Due greatly in part to the passing of pop icon Whitney Houston, this week’s 54th Annual Grammy Awards drew in its second largest audience ever.  In such, stars slated to perform, namely Adele, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, and Nicki Minaj, have seen the showing give them considerable boosts in their own individual endeavors.  Adele, the long running Billboard champion, saw her triumphant stage return encourage album sales of 500k in the week following the show and now reports indicate her songs ‘Rolling In the Deep’, ‘Set Fire To the Rain’, and ‘Someone Like You’ are on track to sell 250k, 220k, and 170k downloads respectively.

Also, following reports of Houston’s untimely passing, the pop starlet moved over 1 million singles and albums in less than 5 days and landed her signature hit ‘I Will Always Love You’ back in the top 10. Next week will see the full download sales realized and are expected to land in the 250,000 to 300,000 range of this song alone.

Unlike Adele and Houston, Minaj, Perry, and Brown all unveiled new music this week to spearhead promotions of their forthcoming ventures.  Perry, who has already clocked 5 #1s from her ‘Teenage Dream’ album, is readying its follow-up, ‘Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection” (March 26th), and may be on the road to notching her 6th!  While fans were disheartened with news, due to new Billboard ruling, that number 1s from the re-released set won’t be included in her ‘Dream’ tally, it certainly hasn’t stopped their support…

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As the world prepares to memorialize fallen pop Icon Whitney Houston, news of her recently finished (and unfinished) ventures has increased circulation in media headlines.  Much like her recently completed ‘Sparkle’ remake, opposite Jordin Sparks (now in theatres August 17th), fans were highly expecting Whitney’s return to the big screen as another beloved character – Savannah Jackson (of ‘Waiting To Exhale’).

With Houston, as well as co-stars Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine, very vocal about interest in rebooting the classic film, creator Terry McMillan and FOX studios were certainly on the fast track toward making it happen.  Unfortunately, with last week’s news of Houston’s untimely passing, she marks the second of the film’s beloved cast to pass (Gregory Hines, 2003).

With saddened fans bittersweet about reports the movie’s sequel, ‘Getting To Happy’, will go forward in honor of both lost stars, rumors of recast and film plans have only increased chatter about long awaited movie.  Speaking with our friends at HipHollywood, some of its cast members talk about the future of the film:

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Earlier today, Chris Brown released the clip for his latest single, ‘Turn Up The Music’.

In support of his upcoming ‘Fortune‘ LP, the jam received an impromptu promo boost hours ago when Brown hinted at a possible collaborator for its remix.

This, following the controversy he is currently facing after allegedly teaming up with ex girlfriend Rihanna for her ‘Birthday Cake’ remix, years after they split.

His suggestive tweet below….

Who do you think his mystery collaborator  is?

Much to our horror, this week saw reports of a Chris Brown and Rihanna duet emerge online, three years after their explosive split.

Said to have lent his vocals to Fenty’s ‘Birthday Cake (Remix)‘, their alleged reunion has led many to question the star’s motives for teaming up with the oft ridiculed singer.

Now, our friends over at Billboard have weighed in, warning Rihanna against the collab.

Excerpts from their open letter below…

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As one of Whitney Houston‘s closest friends, the world has waited to see how R&B star Ray J would respond to her untimely passing now.

Today, he has released an official statement with pertains to her passing.

Get into it below…

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On Saturday night, those on their way to Clive Davis‘ pre-Grammy party learned of Whitney Houston‘s death upon reaching the event.

Quizzed on her death while on the  Beverly Hilton red carpet, Britney Spears shared her thoughts on the tragic news, revealing how much of an influence the late star was on her own career.

Watch below…

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