Rihanna hit the stage at the 2010 ‘Kids Choice Awards’ just moments ago. The self-proclaimed role model for young girls performed a medley of her biggest hits including ‘Hard’, ‘Rude Boy’ and ‘Please Don’t Stop The Music’. Check out the performances below:

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Ke$ha hit the stage on the ‘American Idol’ results show with the 3Oh!3 last evening. The Pop sensation performed the second single from her ‘Animal’ LP, ‘Blah Blah Blah’. To date, the track has peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Check out the performance below:

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Rihanna performance of new single ‘Rude Boy’ on The Ellen Degeneres Show aired a few moments ago. Check it out above…

While, Ms. Fenty’s stage presence is improving (stiff whining and all), her live vocals are still not the business. I was a little baffled as to why she was holding the mic to her mouth instead of her nose, as her vocals were extra nasal today.

Still, as the age old saying goes, people will only believe in you, once you start belieivng in yourself; and, judging by this performance and some of her more recent showings, she’s starting to believe in her performance capabilities. Now, if only her talent would catch up with her self-belief, then we may be onto something.

What do you think of the performance?

The video for Rihanna’s latest single ‘Rude Boy’ premiered literally moments ago. Check it out above…

Directed by Melina, the clip, if I’m to be entirely honest, is  both a hit and miss affair. Unfortunately, for the Bajan model, it’s more the latter. Getting the ‘good’ out of the way first, the Pop Art look and feel of the video works exceptionally well, and Ms. Fenty certainly gives what is perhaps her most animated performance in any of her videos yet. Despite this, the vid still manages to be distinctly underwhelming. The 21 year old promised much in the way of choreography for the up-tempo cut, yet served up little more than stiff whining and the usual model-esque poses. Overall, not a bad effort, simply one which leaves much to be desired. Oh RiRi….

Your thoughts?

The music industry is on the brink of oblivion. With album sales reaching all-time lows in recent years and  established artists struggling to remain commercially viable, it is evident that the music market is in disarray. What is the root cause of this sudden collapse in sales? The answer is simple: illegal downloads.

At the break of the new millennium, record sales soared to new heights with artists such as Britney Spears, Eminem and N’Sync debuting on the charts with album sales easily surpassing the 1 million mark. Indeed, labels enjoyed their booming profits while continuing to charge exorbitant prices for their products. However, even the most astute industry pundits could not have foreseen the almost catastrophic decline that was perched on the horizon.

The advent of file sharing services including Kazaa, Limewire and, of course, Napster, ignited a shift in the balance of power. Consumers were now the bearers of discretion; allowed the freedom to download their favourite tracks without cost. This increased audience power has since broken the monopolistic grip of  labels on the music industry thus leading to a substantial decline in sales. In fact, the last album to be certified diamond in the US was Usher’s ‘Confessions’ LP of 2004. Undeniably,  artists now find themselves struggling to sell records; incapable of matching the successes of their predecessors.

Coincidentally, this chaos has led to the revival of quality. As acts face stiff competition from not only the contemporaries but also music pirates, they have been forced to fight for their stake on the charts. Performers such as Beyonce and Kanye West are being pushed to continuously evolve in an effort to remain relevant. Indeed, Usher himself has felt this pressure with his ‘Here I Stand’ album selling substantially less than his preceding release. Therefore, it has become increasingly apparent that there is absolutely no room for error.

Hence, with an embattled music market and the incessant demand for new material that was created by the arrival of the ‘Digital Age’, artists are being mobilised to improve their crafts. As Susan Boyle and Taylor Swift have recently demonstrated, consumers are indeed willing to purchase albums. However, the presence of several mass media outlets (most notably the Internet) has increased their demand for not just quantity, but also quality.

Do you think that any good has come out of the

illegal downloading phenomenon?

Following Rihanna‘s comments about wanting to “switch off” R&B singer Tiffany Evans (regarding Evans’ comments on RiRi and the Illumnati), Evans has taken to her Twitter page to respond. Here’s what she said:

I just wanna say that I personally do not have beef with Rihanna. Why would I have any beef with someone I don’t even know? It’s stupid. Whatever statements I made about the industry was not geared towards Rihanna in any type of way. What I said about RussianR was blown way out.

So to Rihanna as young woman with total respect I apologize for the huge misunderstanding.

Citing certain blog sites for fuelling the fire (not us of course, Tiffany is a TGJ fan), Tiffany hilariously rounded off by adding:

Oh one more thing,about her calling me out with remote thing on big boi LOL I thought is was funny. Too bad I can Sang!

LMAO! Tiffany kept it classy, yet got the undeniable in at the end! POW…lol

Tidbit: Reality TV personality Tila Tequila, who Ms. Fenty also called out in the interview, responded…levelling some truly SHOCKING accusations about against her. Click here to read what she had to say. Explosive! (Knowing Tila, it could all just be rubbish, but a fascinating read nonetheless!)

Your thoughts?

Bajan model Rihanna guested on the popular radio spot ‘Big Boi in the Neighborhood’ recently. In the interview, the singer discussed her new album, ‘Rated R’, as well as people in the industry that she dislikes. Among the names that the star named was none other than Tiffany Evans who recently spoke out about the symbolism involved in Rihanna’s hit song ‘Russian Roulette’. Interestingly, Tiffany released an apology almost immediately after Rihanna made her comments, then retorted by slamming her right back.

*Click here to listen to the segment*

This is getting better with every passing moment! Whether or not there is any hidden meaning in Rihanna’s music is besides the point because I staunchly subscribe to the belief that “meaning lies in people, not in words.” What is  interesting, however, is how these two artists are going at it so publicly. In fact, they should take a cue from the rappers and go at it on the stage with a good, old-fashioned vocal battle. We all know who would lose…sorry, I couldn’t help it.

Thoughts?

Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Soshy made a stop on last evening ‘Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian’. The trio performed their new single ‘Morning After Dark’ which will appear on Timbalands highly anticipated ‘Timbaland Presents Shock Value II’. The LP hits stores on December 8th.

Good performance. Nelly looked sexy in that tight outfit and the band was jamming. However, am I the only one who’s noticed how much weight Timbaland has gained? I hope he manages to get himself in gear because with the rigorous schedule that normally defines album promotion, it will be difficult for him to effectively perform on stage. It’s clear that he has some stamina issues already as is evident by his overuse of a backtrack and stiff movements. Get it together Timbaland.

Thoughts?

The video for Britney Spears’ #1 hit ‘3’ premiered today. Unfortunately for those anticipating the Diane Martel directed clip, the video is a real snoozer. All the visual gloss, fancy sets and troop of dancers cannot conceal the fact that – as blunt as it sounds – Ms. Spears has lost ‘it’. In being 200% honest with you, I can’t say I believe she ever got ‘it’ back after her breakdown. Despite the spectacle around her since her media-sanctioned ‘comeback’ last year, I’ve yet to see that spark that had commentators heralding her as the next Janet or Madonna. There is something distinctly run-of-the-mill, stiff and uninspiring about 2009 Britney Spears.

Not to be mistaken for as a dig at her personally, I’m simply of the opinion that her much publicised issues clearly have put a dent into her confidence – hence the so/so calibre of performances we’ve seen from her as of late. Yet in being fair and judging her, in her current state, on the same plateau as her industry rivals, she comes across average at best. I can’t help but think that ‘comeback’ could have waited a few more years, while she fully came into her own again personally.

What do you think of the video?

Big changes are going down with Kelly Rowland, Beyonce’s partner in Destiny’s Child, where the two lifelong friends teamed up to become the top-selling female group of all time. Rowland is out of her own Sony deal, and the planets are lining up for this free-agent diva, who’s the vocalist and co-writer of a single by French star DJ David Guetta that is already a smash in Europe and blowing up in Britain. It’s already #17 in U.K. airplay and the week’s highest climber, while racking up the biggest audience increase, with major adds including Radio One and Capital. The single’s also breaking in the U.S., where it’s on Astralwerks/EMI, with multi-format airplay at Z100, WXRK, WKTU and WNYZ New York, B96 Chicago, KNGY and KMVQ San Francisco and KNHC Seattle.

Rowland has also parted ways with Matthew Knowles, and named Jeff Rabhan new manager while the well-respected Gary Stiffelman takes over her legal representation from Destiny’s Child/Beyonce attorney Ken Hertz. She remains an unsigned artist whose albums have sold tens of millions, so expect plenty of action. {Source}