katy perry-thatgrapejuice-beyonce-superbowl

“She’s like five notches above me, and those levels are compounded in difficulty.”

The quote above was pulled from Billboard’s recent sit down with pop sex kitten Katy Perry as she readies her highly anticipated Super Bowl showing (February 1st) by studying the 2013 outing of Beyonce.

Following in the top-rated, show-stopping footsteps of Madonna, Bey, and Bruno Mars, the ‘Dark Horse’ diva knows that pressure is riding high for her to match or surpass their epic performances.  To at least put her best foot forward, Katy shared that she’s consulted (in one way or the other) her most recent halftime show predecessors and is using a number of tricks to prepare for this Sunday.

Check out some of them below:

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lady gaga-ariana-usher-thatgrapejuice

Some of pop and R&B’s biggest names will be on hand to tribute the legendary Stevie Wonder in a forthcoming special created in his honor.

With an all-star line-up announced today, Grammy winners John Legend, Usher, and Lady Gaga are among headliners tapped to lead the event, set for taping just two days after the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Get the details inside:

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katy perry thatgrapejuice

The countdown is officially on to Katy Perry‘s “must-see” Super Bowl halftime show.

Coming to a screen near you Sunday night live from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, all eyes will be on the diva and her kooky antics to see if they live up to Superbowl showings past (i.e. Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Janet Jackson).

Sending anticipation into overdrive with the announcement that rocker Lenny Kravitz will be among guests joining her on the mega-outing, Perry teased her newly revealed guest in a recent interview:

“Q: Are you planning on inviting any guest performers?

A: Yes, of course. There were a couple of names I tossed around and this one really stuck. I thought OK, it’s time for this person to have their shine again.

Q: Is it someone who’s on one of your records?

A: Hmmm. That’s funny should ask. Let’s just say I’ve been familiar with them before in a roundabout way.”

Just as her Billboard magazine feature makes its way to shelves, the Associated Press has revealed who surprise guest #2 will be.  Tuck in below for the spoiler:

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thatgrapejuice-ciara

As previewed here, Ciara shows off her vulnerable side in a touching acoustic performance of her newest single ‘I Bet.’  

The first lifted from her sixth album, ‘Jackie’ (named in honor of her mother), the Harmony Samuels-produced tune is currently riding its way to the upper rankings of digital charts as we speak.

To give it a boost along its way, Ci offers a stripped version of the tune which, let us tell it, seems to pack more of an emotional punch than its recorded version.  Get into it below and tell us if you agree:

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Nicki Minaj and Drake may be in the middle of an epic game of tug and war between label bosses Lil Wayne and Birdman, but that hasn’t stopped the pair from signing onto headline this year’s Wireless Festival in the UK.

Full story below…

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jagged edge thatgrapejuice

Jagged Edge star Kyle L. Norman was arrested today after allegedly beating and choking his fiancee, leaving her with several welts and a “golf ball-sized knot on her forehead.”

Read more about the shocking incident below:

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kanye-west-north-west-only-one-thatgrapejuice

Fresh from surprising the masses with Rihanna collaboration ‘FourFiveSeconds’ over the weekend, Kanye West has offered up the first visual from his new LP.

The video, which is for recently released single ‘Only One’, features the rapper in father-mode with daughter North West.

Peep the clip for the Paul McCartney assisted track below…

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jackee harry thatgrapejuice

 

She may have risen to fame 30 years ago as ‘227’s sassy Sandra Clark, but 2015 is proving that actress Jackee Harry is still just as sassy with or without a script.  Case in point? The Emmy winner’s recent comments on ‘Fallen’ singer Mya.

Ruffling a few feathers this morning after she took to Twitter to urge fans to “save Mya from the pole,” Harry’s comments follow weeks of speculation that the R&B stage blazer has resorted to previewing new music at strip clubs.

See her comments below:

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rihanna- id magazine-thatgrapejuice

With her new album set to drop any day now, ‘Music of the Sun’ stunner Rihanna makes an impression on the cover of ‘i-D’ magazine this month, hitting the publication to rock ‘The Music Issue.

Her cover comes as her latest single ‘FourFiveSeconds‘ is set to rise on US radio after impacting the market’s iTunes Top 5 following its release.

Like what you see?

Weigh in below!

alicia keys-thatgrapejuice

Welcome, once again, to TGJ Replay.

Designed much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ features, ‘Replay’ is That Grape Juice‘s newest retrospective segment – a written quest, if you will, to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday.

Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase entire albums (and eras) from a library of pop and Urban pop music hits.  As this week brought with it the 34th birthday of Grammy-winning R&B superstar Alicia Keys, we thought it time to add her ‘Diary of Alicia Keys’ album to our entries of ‘Replays.’

Get reacquainted with her 2003 sophomore set below:

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adrienne-bailon-2015-thatgrapejuice

After successful stints in both 3LW and The Cheetah Girls, Adrienne Bailon‘s career has enjoyed ample longevity – a trait her spot on the panel of talk-show ‘The Real’ is further proving.

However, one thing thing that continues to elude the star is the launch of her solo career.

As an outlet who’ve followed her narrative, we’ve long been waiting for her emergence as a singular force – something which has yet to materialize years after she signed a deal with Def Jam.

All confusion was cleared this week, though, during an emotional episode of The Real.

With tears in her eyes, Bailon bared her reasons, which may surprise some. Watch below…

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yaya-naomi-thatgrapejuice

After winning hearts with her portrayal of pop icon Whitney Houston in Lifetime’s top-rated biopic ‘Whitney,’ Yaya Da Costa, former ‘America’s Next Top Model’ finalist, continues to take to the camera to tribute her favorite legends.

In a stunning collection of snaps that sees her ode the likes of Meryl Streep, Naomi Campbell, Lucille Ball, Eartha Kitt, and more, the budding actress takes a page from each of the diva’s most memorable shots.

Does she do them justice? You tell us:

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