This week’s From The Vault comes courtesy of Michelle Williams and her 2008 debut secular solo single ‘We Break The Dawn.’

After the end of Destiny’s Child, the ladies went on with their respective careers: Beyonce pursued acting and of course music; Kelly Rowland serviced her sophomore effort ‘Ms. Kelly; and, to everyone’s surprise, Michelle released her first non-gospel project, the aptly-titled ‘Unexpected’. The electro-tinged ‘Dawn’ served as its lead single.

Penned by Solange Knowles and produced by Wayne Wilkins and Adam Frampton, Michelle’s first solo foray into the mainstream arena saw her score a US Hot Dance Airplay chart-topper. The song also managed a Top 50 placing on the Official UK Singles Chart. It never charted inside the US Billboard Hot 100 and wasn’t exploited the way it could have been overseas. Occurrences some cite politics and a lack of adequate promotion to explain.

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Directed by Phil Griffin, the track’s visual saw Williams and her dancer friends turn up on empty night streets. Sporting a new look and a refreshed image, the songstress looked like a million bucks in the visual which reached #1 on the MTV Base video countdown chart.

After returning to faith based music with her fourth effort ‘Journey To Freedom’, it seems Williams secular days are gone. Arguably prematurely, as ‘Unexpected’ makes for a compelling listen; one that showcases the singer’s versatility and viability  as a solo star.

Still, we’d like to know, would YOU be up for an ‘Unexpected’ follow up? Or is Michelle strutting her destined lane already?

Your thoughts?

Beyonce‘s ‘Formation World Tour’ pulled into St. Louis last night and brought with it a seismic surprise for dancer Ashley Everett.

Well-known as one of the captains of choreography in Team Bey, Everett saw the spotlight shone on her even more.

Because, during a performance of ‘Single Ladies’ (which had long been omitted from the trek’s setlist), her boyfriend John Silver took to the stage.

Watched on by Bey, Silver – who regularly performs with Ne-Yo and Chris Brown – got down on one knee and proposed.

We won’t pre-empt too much of the moment, but let’s just say someone had “a ring on it” by the night’s end.

Watch the moment below…

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Lady Gaga lit up London in support of her brand new single ‘Perfect Illusion.’

The 30-year-old singer hit up The Moth nightclub with the song’s producer Mark Ronson and performed for a select group of fans.

A no-frills affair, the showing skewed more raw than the usual pomp and pageantry that defines Gaga’s trademark performances.

Head below to watch…

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Monica has continued reason to smile (all the way to the bank) after the net was swept by the #SoGoneChallenge – a viral challenge ignited by Chance the Rapper that saw hundreds of social media users spitting their best rhymes over the singer’s 2003 R&B hit ‘So Gone.’

The feat not only reignited interest in the tune, helping its recent sales increase over 400 percent, but also saw some of that interest spill over into increased sales of the tune’s parent album, ‘After the Storm.’  But, as many celebrated renewed interest in the Missy Elliott-produced, one – namely Mo’s longtime reported “frienemy”/‘Boy is Mine’ co-star Brandy – was allegedly not aboard the celebratory train.

Bran did little to cool the rumors when she quickly dismissed a fan’s invitation to record her own freestyle over the ‘So Gone’ beat.  When quizzed on her thought’s about Brandy’s seemingly salty response, Monica took to ‘The Real’ to say:

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At 74-years-old, music legend Barbra Streisand continues to prove herself a force to be reckoned within the music industry.

Thanks to some high profile promotional spots and ticket/album bundling, as we reported here, the powerhouse diva’s latest album, ‘Encore,’ was set to block Britney Spears’ highly anticipated comeback album, ‘Glory,’ from the top spot.  The prediction not only rang true, but also saw Babs collect a few other distinct honors along the way.

Billboard reports, with her latest #1 (the 11th chart-topper of her career), Streisand extends her reign of “most #1 albums of any female in Billboard history” (Madonna trails with 8).  In addition, ‘Encore’ cements her previously achieved honor of being the only act – male or female – to nab a #1 album in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, and ’10s.  As if that’s not enough, the new project – which features appearances from Jamie Foxx, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and many more – has notched the highest first week sales tally of any album released this year (not to be mistaken with sales equivalence).

Tuck inside to see why that Barbra reign just won’t let up:

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Britney Spears’ 2016 MTV VMA performance may have been billed the night’s “must-see” performance leading up to the ceremony, but after the 1-2 punch of riveting Rihanna and Beyonce performances, the ‘Radar’ singer was hardly on anyone in the audience’s radar.

Yet, despite being greeted with mixed review and seeing the headlines that followed not exactly singing her praises, the refreshed Billboard Hot 100 is revealing her G-Eazy-assisted showing was not a complete miss.  Indeed, after introducing the tune – ‘Make Me’ (the lead single from her 9th album, ‘Glory’) – to its largest audience yet, Brit has jumped over 40 spots on this week’s single chart!

In addition to herself and Rih, see who else can thank the VMAs for a boost below:

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Celine Dion may be ‘Recovering,’ but her voice is in ever fine form.

The legendary songstress took to the stage on last night’s ‘Stand Up 2 Cancer’ special to perform the Pink penned track.

Dion’s appearance at the event comes on the heels of a testing year – following the back-to-back passings of her husband and brother due to cancer.

Before performing, the songbird told the audience…

“I miss René everyday, and the loss will now be a part of my life. I also lost my father and my brother Daniel to cancer.

A few months ago during my most difficult time of grieving, I received an unexpected gift from an amazing artist that I have always admired, Pink. She offered me a song that expresses power to stand up and stay strong.”

Watch her resonating rendition of the anthem below…

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Over the course of Usher‘s illustrious career, the crooner has proven himself to be the definition of versatile.

It’s a trait he showcased in earnest during his BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge set.

Because, while current single ‘No Limit‘ is renown for being a club banger, the 37-year-old flipped it into a big band jam during his performance.

How did it sound?

Watch Mr Raymond deliver a dynamite answer after the jump…

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The flames of shade continue to rage between Future and Ciara.

Once engaged to be married, the pair these days find themselves engaged in legal tussles and lyrical lashings.

The latest of the latter comes in the form of Future’s new song ‘How It Feel.’

Unleashed today, the fiery track features lines like:

“I made you, b***h. B***h you weren’t nothin’ before me. I gave you fame on the ‘Gram. I put you back on them charts. We gave you b*****s some hits.”

It’s a brazen move by the single rapper, given that his newly married ex has cited his defamatory lyrics in court proceedings.

In any case, take a listen to the song (which was moulded by ‘Body Party’ producer Mike WiLL Made It) below...

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Soulful songbird Emeli Sande is set to take flight with new single ‘Hurts’ next Friday.

It’s the first taste of the Scottish belter’s long-awaited sophomore album and it certainly has high expectations greeting it upon release.

Sande’s debut effort ‘Our Version Of Events’ spawned two UK #1 singles, went 7x Platinum in the region, and amassed worldwide sales of 4.3 million.

Now managed by Roc Nation, can the tower of talent repeat said success with the Jay Z imprint in her corner?

The answer arrives is less than a week.

Pending then, listen to a series of rousing previews after the jump…

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Could Beyonce be heading to the 2016 Emmy Awards?

If producers for the show get their way, the answer could be a favourable one for fans of the superstar singer.

Head below for details…

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Welcome to the latest TGJ Roundtable!

Over the years, That Grape Juice has established a distinguished voice that – whether loved or loathed – sparks discussion, debate, and on occasion drama!

Though comprised of seasoned writers who share a similar outlook on Urban Pop culture, the idiosyncrasies of the TGJ team members often lend for quite heated debates “behind the scenes” about the hottest topics.

Now, we give you a front row seat to the show. In a format similar to ‘The View’ or ‘The Real’, TGJ editors – Sam, David, Rashad, and Joe – get real in a very candid way.

Today’s roundtable topic sees us review…

Lady Gaga’s ‘Perfect Illusion’

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