As we reported here, this Fall will see Mary J. Blige release a brand new studio album named ‘The London Sessions’, her first body of work since 2013’s Holiday effort ‘A Mary Christmas.’

Today, the singer releases a brand new bop project! This, being first being the Sam Smith penned piece ‘Therapy‘, which precedes the arrival of the Urban jam that is ‘Whole Damn Year.’

Hit play to hear Mary’s new mainstream effort below…

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Lady GaGa is hot on the promo trail for new album ‘Cheek To Cheek’, her collaborative album with Jazz legend Tony Bennett.

However, a hot topic in the Pop sphere continues to be the performance of the singer’s last solo release ‘ARTPOP’.

Unleashed last November, the set has had respectable sales, yet didn’t deliver the numbers hoped by fans and expected by commentators. The end result? Various mean-spirited re-naming’s of the LP – with the likes of ‘ARTFLOP’ being one of the most notable.

And while we could go on about the irony of such statements given that the project is one of the best-selling of the big Pop releases over the last year, GaGa herself took a moment to address the controversy in a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning.

When questioned squarely about the project’s success or the perceived lack-thereof, the 28-year-old offered a response that was particularly potent…

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R&B royal Mary J. Blige is back!

The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul is readying her new album ‘The London Sessions’ for release this Fall and stopped by The Breakfast Club today to promote the project and its lead single ‘A Whole Damn Year’.

Watch below as the diva dishes on her new music, folk’s opinion on “happy Mary”, and much more…

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HBO‘s airing of Beyonce & Jay Z‘s ‘On the Run Tour‘ delivered the gift that awaits fans below today, uploaded to Mrs.Carter’s official YouTube page shortly after it aired.

What fans should sign after unwrapping its packaging? The pair’s performance of the singles ‘Young Forever‘ and ‘Halo’ performed on the tour, featuring never before seen footage shot of Beyonce minutes after she delivered their two year old daughter Blue Ivy.

An unforgettable show below…

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Pop force Fergie is looking to spread that California love worldwide next week when her long-awaited single ‘L.A Love (La La)’ impacts iTunes.

So as to build on the already boisterous buzz, the Black Eyed Peas front woman has flung the curtain back on the song’s official cover.

It sure is…interesting.

Anyway, the DJ Mustard production arrives on September 29th. Excited?

Your thoughts?

With recent single ‘Bang Bang’ still a staple on the charts, Brit belter Jessie J has today unwrapped its follow-up ‘Burnin’ Up’.

The 2 Chainz assisted number serves as the second official single be lifted from J’s third studio album ‘Sweet Talker’, which arrives on October 13th (and a day earlier in the UK).

Can the Pop powerhouse sustain her booming buzz? You be the judge below…

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A trio of backing dancers have filed a lawsuit against ‘Dark Lady‘ singer Cher this month, after they claim the singer claimed there were too many “dark-skinned” dancers on her “Dressed to Kill” tour.

What happened next? An incident which led to the firing of the aforementioned trio…two of them being black.

Full story below… (more…)

Details on the case below…

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And there’s another one.

Megan Good is the newest name to join the growing list of actresses who have fallen victim to the nude scandal that has been rocking Hollywood of late.

Today saw topless snaps from the married star’s iPhone “leak” onto the net – much to her horror. The unfortunate episode follows a similar chain of events for her ‘Think Like A Man’ co-star Gabrielle Union, who also saw naked pics surface.

Good’s response…

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Queen.

The hunt for the next “queen” of the many genre’s has become routine for Pop enthusiasts nowadays.

Yet, amidst all the heated conversations and strong disagreements that some acts’ fan bases get into, one diva has yet to find a suitable successor: the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul herself, Ms. Mary J. Blige.

This week, From The Vault celebrates the artist’s eternal relevancy with one of her biggest hits, ’Be Without You’.

Released at the end of Summer of 2005 as the first offering from the artist’s seventh album ‘The Breakthrough’, ‘Without You’ is a beat-driven ballad produced by Bryan-Michael Cox and written by Johntà Austin (alongside Blige). Interestingly, the pair are particularly notable for their popularisation of the “beat ballad” that year – as evidenced by their work with a certain Mariah Carey – whose comeback with the ‘Emancipation’ was largely attributed to that sound.

But we digress…

The trio of titans came up with was a gem that helped put Mary back on top after the so-so performance of the underrated ‘Love & Life’ LP.

Peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the record was the most successful song on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop spending 15 consecutive weeks at #1 up until 2013 (it has since been surpassed by Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ last year). In 2006 it was #11 on the US Year-End chart.

Matthew Rolston was brought on board to translate the emotional track in a visual capacity and we’re sure you’d concur that he did a stellar job. Featuring Academy Award-nominated actor Terrence Howard as Mary’s love interest, the clip mirrors the message relayed in the song’s lyrics. More specifically,  the notion that one should never give up on pure and real love (pun intended) despite all the hardships that come along the way.

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With this gem, Mary delivered yet another heartfelt song that is so emotive that it almost  makes one want to lived the lyrics, whether good, bad, or otherwise. Perhaps that’s the reason why she remains untouchable to this day; the passion she embeds in her music is somehow contagious and is the epitome of “feel” music. Case in point, THAT haunting climax on ”Without You’ – it’s both a vocal exclamation mark and, in one belted note, embodies all that the song is about. It’s a skill so many of today’s acts likely wish for and, no doubt, could benefit from.

With new album ‘The London Sessions’ due this Fall, Mary J. continues to amaze us 23 years in her career and quite frankly we can’t really see it stoping anytime soon.

All Hail The Queen!

Thoughts?

Power.

It’s something music’s first Mr & Mrs, Jay Z and Beyonce, command in earnest.

For, having dominated the social media scape with the premiere of their ‘On The Run Tour’ special on HBO last night, the potent pair look to extend their run on the network in the most all-out way.

Details below…

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If viewers thought ‘Being Mary Jane’ was difficult, it’s exceptionally tough being Gabrielle Union right now.

The respected actress is the latest name to be become entangled in the now infamous iPhone/nude pictures scandal. For, yesterday, topless snaps of the newly married star hit the net. This follows similar episodes for actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst.

Incensed, the ‘Think Like A Man Too’ staple released a joint statement with husband Dwyane Wade confirming the authenticity of the pics, her disappointment, and her intended actions.

Gabby’s words after the jump…

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