Beyonce is certainly making her magazine rounds. While fans can catch the diva on the cover of the new ‘Harper’s Bazaar’, she can also be spotted in the latest issue of Marie Claire. Dishing with the mag on her ‘must-haves’, the ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ singer listed her ‘favorite things’ on topics ranging from books to movies.
See what made the list after the jump:
Lately the ladies of DC3 have been making quite the (collective and separate) splash across charts and headlines alike. And, with former members Kelly Rowland and Beyonce both currently riding Billboard 200’s top 10, Michelle Williams is said to be readying her own return to the charts. In an in depth interview with our friends over at The BoomBox the ‘We Break the Dawn’ singer broke news about her upcoming album – sounds, guests, and much more.
Check after the jump for more on Ms. Williams:
Any doubts surrounding Beyonce‘s hard-working nature were further quelled last night when the superstar was spotted on the set of yet another video. This time it’s ‘4’ fan favourite ‘Party’ which received the visual treatment in a trailer park in New Jersey last night.
Joining the 29 year old on the colourful set were sister Solange and bandmate Kelly Rowland.
The work doesn’t stop there, either. For, industry outlet Video Static has confirmed that a clip for ‘Countdown’ has been commissioned and will be directed by Adria Petty – who took the helm of King B’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ video. If there’s any justice in the world, it’ll be better than that dollar-store effort.
Regardless, it’s great to see Ms. Knowles shooting clips for all the ‘right’ songs (word has it ‘End of Time’ has or will be shot too). Begging the question: just what is she cooking up behind the scenes? Whatever the case, it looks like ‘4’ has much mileage to go.
More pics below…
With fellow Destiny’s Child alums Kelly Rowland and Beyonce both making splashes on the charts this summer, Michelle Williams has been eyeing a return of her own. While the recent buzz single ‘Love Gun’ has been making its rounds on the net, the singer recently sat down with our friends over at The BoomBox to reveal a few of her other loves – including gospel music.
Said to be near completion of her untitled 4th studio album, the ‘Hello Heartbreak’ singer has revealed its tone will be similar to that of its 2008 predecessor ‘Unexpected’. But, is Williams also expecting a return to gospel charts? Find out after the jump:
R&B is on a respirator. Once a celebrated genre that has given the music industry some of its most praised acts (see: Luther, Whitney, Aretha, Marvin), the musical styling has unquestionably lost its identity to Hip-Hop and now Electro-Pop.
The question at hand: is R&B (as a commercially viable force) on its last breath or is revival in its future? In a three part series, That Grape Juice will analyze three sectors of the fallen genre: ladies (songstresses), males (crooners), and groups (both male and female) to determine if resurrection is in its future or if it will find permanent rest in the history books.
As always, ladies first…
Turning the dial (or Youtube search engine) back 20 years to see the plethora of female R&B acts dominating the radios and Pop charts is a stinging reminder of a time when the industry thrived on variety. From crossover acts such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson, to up-and-comers Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton (just to name a few), there was no shortage of R&B estrogen on the airwaves or charts. Not to mention such classic, yet then-active artists like Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight.
However, as Hip-Hop/R&B fusions became more of a constant (which some attribute to artists like Carey and Mary J. Blige), the junior generation of R&B diva emerged in the form of the Aaliyah’s, Brandy’s, Monica’s, and eventually Ashanti’s. Then, of course, you had that brand of 90s R&B diva (Faith Evans, Tamia, Deborah Cox and Kelly Price) who lacked crossover appeal, yet were still relevant – even if just appealing to a small niche.
But, as the 2000s rolled on and Hip-Hop was becoming the driving force of the music industry, ballads and slow jams were losing steam on the charts, and Hip-Hop was surely killing the R&B star. And while many of the time period marked Alicia Keys as a ‘savior of R&B’, she was one of very few pure R&B females who was granted relevancy in an increasingly convoluted music world. Interestingly, though Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey (who by 2005 were considered veterans) were seeing some of the best numbers of their careers, the genre’s overall shortcomings were inescapable.
Then, as the Beyonce’s and the Rihanna’s of the music world began to dominate charts by willingly trading in their R&B humbling’s for Pop’ier hits, the 90s divas of yester-year who refused to succumb to the change found themselves succumbing to irrelevancy. Even those who once showed promise in the early 2000s (Amerie, Tweet, and co) were finding themselves lost in the fray. Suffice it to say, the industry at large began to suffer (see: illegal downloading, cd leaks), yet R&B’s former leading ladies seemed to fall victim most (Brandy, Monica, Mya, and eventually Ashanti).
Fast forward to 2011. Where is R&B female? Even with hints of recent reigniting of public interest (i.e. Fantasia’s ‘Back To Me’, Monica’s ‘Still Standing’), they alone are not enough to indicate a resurgence. And, even with notable record sales (given the current musical climate), those sales are marginal at best comparatively.
Record sales aside, the presence of R&B females on the Hot 100 chart recently is rarely without rapper accompaniment. There is a new class of R&B divas, however. While not reporting record-breaking numbers, the Keri Hilson’s, Kelly Rowland’s, Jennifer Hudson’s, and co. are definitely making noise. But, is it enough to resurrect the fallen genre? Or will R&B eventually rest in peace?
In continuing to our quest to delve beyond the spectacle of te industry, we sat down with hitmaker Bryan Michael Cox here in London recently. The candid interview saw us chat it up with the renown songwriter/producer about his storied career, songwriting process, Kelly Rowland‘s new found solo success, Beyonce‘s ‘4’ and more!
As ever, we ask the questions others won’t. Questions Cox answers readily and willingly.
An insightful watch, we must say!
The BET Awards 2011 will be airing live from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium this Sunday – and That Grape Juice are happy to announce that we will be flying out to cover it!
An action packed bill, the show will feature performances from the industry’s brightest stars including Beyonce, Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland, Lil’ Wayne, Trey Songz, Mary J. Blige, and more. Also the legendary Patti Labelle, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement award for her musical efforts over the last 4 decades!
Want to keep up with it all?
Not to worry because, That Grape Juice will be providing live on-the-minute updates from the event including news, commentary and, of course, all of the performances! All LIVE from the event itself! Expect four main areas:
Continuously uploaded images of all the red carpet arrival.
Here you’ll be able to express your thoughts on everything related to the Billboard Awards from rumours to spoliers and, of course, the actual show as they occur. Anything and everything goes; randomness, observations, ‘WTF!’ moments and all that jazz. A live stream also be available!
All the show’s performances minutes after they’ve aired. Visitors who’ve observed our coverage of previous award shows will know what we mean!
Be sure to follow That Grape Juice on Twitter for our commentary on the show. As ever, we will be -for one night only- be sharing our uncensored thoughts throughout the event.
So for ‘net’s most thorough live coverage of Urban music’s biggest night be sure to keep it locked on
Ever keen to spotlight fresh new talent, That Grape Juice introduces you to Gail Scott.
Signed in a joint venture between Universal Motown and Jeep Boys Ent, the 19 year old Bronx native is making quite the buzz behind the scenes. Indeed, one look and listen makes the reasoning for such attention immediately apparent. For, not only is the singer-songwriter stunning, she – most importantly – is immensely talented. A fact folk get a taste of on her sassy new teaser single ‘Jack N Jill’.
The hotter than hot cut was produced by Soundz (Rihanna, Ciara, Kelly Rowland) and is but a sample of what to expect from her debut album. Tentatively titled ‘Tuff’ (Scott’s nickname), the set is expected to arrive in stores later this year and boasts production from the likes of Tricky Stewart, Infinity, Soundz, Drumma Boy, among others. Put simply Ms. Scott is poised to make a splash. A big one at that.
Take a listen to ‘Jack N Jill’ below and let us know what you think…
[polldaddy poll=4724211]
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For more on Gail Scott, check out her Official Youtube page. And be sure to follow her on Twitter
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Pretty Face, No Talent, otherwise known as Rihanna is readying not one but two new singles. The fashionista recently paused the promotional push for her ‘Loud’ LP to rap up filming of her new movie ‘Battleship’. However, the 22 year old is set to open the door of her infamous microwave, to unleash a duo of new fast food hits.
Find out what ‘The Voice’ will be serving up in a matter of weeks after the jump…
After an intense week of heated discussion and voting, the time has finally come for the winners of the 2010 That Grape Juice End of Year Awards to be announced! Chris Brown, Ciara and Fantasia dominated the winners’ list, taking top honors in 3 categories each.
However, the most surprising result of all emerged from the most popular poll, ‘Most Anticipated Comeback for 2011’. So who do most people want to see return to the charts next year? Check out the full list of winners below (in bold):
Word of our interview with Soundz has reverberated across the industry. Now, after facing severe backlash from some of Beyonce’s crazed fans regarding his statements about her songwriting, the ‘Gimme Dat’ producer has issued an apology.
Read what Soundz had to say about the situation below:
2010 is quickly winding down but the energy here are That Grape Juice is higher than ever! In our continued effort to bring you the latest exclusive information about your favourite artists, we caught up with none other than one of the industry’s hottest producers Kenneth ‘Soundz’ Coby.
Having worked a wide range of artists including Rihanna, Usher, Brandy and others, Soundz is quickly establishing himself as one of the game’s key power players. During our discussion the ‘Gimme Dat’ producer spoke openly about how he got started in the industry, his experiences working with Ciara as well as her followup to ‘Basic Instinct’ and his thoughts on Rihanna’s vocal ability.
Soundz even surprised us by giving us the title of Kelly’ Rowlands highly anticipated new single and answered the burning question of whether Beyonce actually writes her own songs. If there was ever an interview that you had to read then this is it!
Check out all the action below:
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Interviewer: Trent // Questions by: Trent // Edited by: Trent
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