Usher brought the campaign for his new album to a screeching halt in 2014 after a number of the singles it spurned failed to produce fireworks on the charts.

And after sitting out much of 2015, it seems as though the New Year will finally bring fresh material from the 37-year-old superstar.

While performing at a Samsung event recently, the crooner previewed a selection of tracks from the LP (which previously had a working title of ‘UR’).

Check ’em out below….

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Once America’s sweetheart, some will argue it was Ariana Grande‘s sweet tooth (see:  donut licking incident) that left a sour taste in music lovers’ mouths.  If so, it’s this very distaste that has seen itself reflected in the chart performance of ‘Focus’ – the official first single from the singer’s third studio effort ‘Moonlight.’

Barely giving time for the heat from her donut disaster to cool, Grande quickly tried to shift the public focus back to her music when she announced the single’s arrival in September 2015.  By October, the horn-heavy tune was blaring from the speakers of her faithful #Arianators, many of whom praised the songstress for the rhythmic bop and the increased intensity of its accompany music video’s choreography.  Outside of the fan group, however, some critics were none-too-impressed and quickly noted the number’s similarity to her last album’s inaugural single – the Iggy Azalea-assisted ‘Problem.’

But, that’s just where the problem began…

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Almost four years after the release of her last album ‘Unapologetic’ Rihanna gears up to release her new LP ‘ANTI’ this year.

Alas, her fans are unhappy with the campaign built to support it as they feel it has been scarred by several false starts.

Today they take matters into their own hands.

Find out how below…

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Weeks may separate her from the first date of her ‘ANTI World Tour’ but that hasn’t stopped Rihanna from returning to the studio to record more material for its supporting album of the same name.

Full story below…

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The People’s Choice Awards 2016 aired live last night from Los Angeles.

As its banner title relays, the show is notable for being voted for entirely by the public, a fact which arguably helps gauge who is most “popular” at this point in time.

Spanning a wide variety of categories, the full list of music winners awaits below.

With the likes of Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Janet Jackson up for honors, did your “fave” nab an award?

Find out below…

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Andre 3000 has found a friend in television.

Much to the delight of his fans the ‘Hey Ya’ artist has joined the cast of ‘American Crime‘ to make his first foray into the world of the small screen.

Only right that he celebrates the exciting new chapter in his life with an interview with ‘Billboard’ where he speaks openly about his new role and how he feels his ex-lover Erykah Badu following their reunion on her latest body of work.

Read below…

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BET is on a roll!

After scoring a win with Brandy‘s ‘Zoe Ever After,’ the network announced ‘Being Mary Jane’ fans are in for a treat as the Gabrielle Union-led series is set to return for yet another season.

Details below:

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Fans apparently couldn’t wait to get their eyes and ears back on Tyler Perry‘s delectable soap opera, ‘The Haves and the Have Nots’!

Picking up where season 3’s jaw dropper left off, the Tika Sumpter-led series came back with a serious bang as its return to screens clocked the highest viewership on cable TV last night.

Talk about winning!  Tuck in below to see how many faithful viewers tuned in for OWN’s flagship series:

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It appears ‘All For You’ singer Janet Jackson has had all she can take of rumors circulating around the status of her health.

As fans know, the pop diva caused alarm when she announced postponement of her top-selling ‘Unbreakable’ tour due to a mandatory surgical procedure.  Providing little more detail than that, fans and media outlets immediately began to speculate on the nature of the surgery, with some even reporting the songstress was suffering from throat cancer ( as reported here).

Usually mum to rumors, Jackson took to social media to set the record straight on her recovery and give fans even more reason to rejoice:

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Nearly 15 years after bidding her character ‘Moesha’ adieu, fans of multi-talented diva Brandy welcomed her return to sitcoms with open eyes, ears, and arms last night for the premiere of BET’s ‘Zoe Ever After.’

A romantic comedy centered around Zoe Moon (Brandy), a single mother/businesswoman juggling the pressures of a recent divorce, new love, and more, the show won rave reviews from viewers given a sneak peek days before its January 5th debut.

Now, as preliminary figures roll in, BET have every reason to rejoice as the series is off to quite the promising start. Going head to head with the likes of ratings juggernaut ‘The Haves & The Have Nots’ and more, see how B-Rocka’s return to “leading lady” fared against the competition:

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Grammy winning diva Adele stays perched atop the Hot 100 for an impressive 10th week with her comeback hit ‘Hello.’  

Fending off competition from fellow hitmaker Justin Bieber, the songstress may be well on her way to replacing herself at the tally’s summit as her album’s second single, ‘When We Were Young,’ is making some serious advances up the charts.

As reported last week, the 10-week tenure at the top not only comes as her career best, but also penciled her in history books for the longest running stay atop the Hot 100 for a #1-debuting song by a solo female (say that three times fast why don’tcha).

Like we do every week, check out this week’s top performers on the singles’ charts in TGJ Chart Check:

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Janet Jackson‘s name has been etched in headlines following the Christmas Eve reveal that her ‘Unbreakable World Tour’ had to be postponed due to urgent surgery.

In the weeks since, rumours have been swirling as to the  specifics of the procedure and the state of the singer’s health more broadly.

True to trademark form, though, the 49-year-old has remained silent.

However, new news should silence the speculation.

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