Literally moments ago, Covergirl model Rihanna debuted the video for her new single, ‘Hard’. The clip was directed by Melina and features rapper Young Jeezy. To date, the song has peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This is quite a spectacle! The outfits, the glamour, the guns and the swagger, all tied together with on point editing, created one of the best videos put forward by the aspiring singer. The concept behind the flick suits the lyrics well and Rihanna certainly brought the fire to the set. This is certainly a great look for her to kick off the new year.

Thoughts?

Young singer Alexandra Burke appeared on ‘The Paul O’Grady Show’ earlier today. The entertainer performed ‘Broken Heels’ from her ‘Overcome’ album. The LP has thus far been certified platinum in the UK since its October 19th release.

Alexandra has certainly done better performances. With her over-reliance on the backing track and her somewhat sluggish movements across the stage, I felt rather underwhelmed by the entire production. Nonetheless, given her generally consistent showings throughout her rigorous promotional campaign, I attribute this one to possible exhaustion.

Thoughts?

Continuing along the promotional trail for her new LP ‘The Element of Freedom’, Alicia Keys appeared on The Today Show this morning to perform her solo rendition of ‘Empire State of Mind’. Ever-consistent, Ms. Keys turned in yet another stellar performance – one which further solidifies my like for her solo version of the song over the Jay-Z collabo – though I seem to be somewhat alone in that sentiment (??)

What do you think of the performance?

Voting for the 3rd annual That Grape Juice: End of Year Awards is now open!

After reviewing your suggestions on the provisional nominee list, a few tweaks, additions and omissions have been made, so as to make the whole sha-bang a more fair affair. All in the name of fun, these awards will allow you to vote as many times as you want and vote simultaneously for as many choices as you want too! Voting ends December 24th

Winners will be announced on Christmas Day – December 25th!

So what are you waiting for?!…………….

Click here to vote!!!

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Diva Mariah Carey stopped TBS’ Lopez Tonight show last night to promote her current project ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’, performing her hit ‘Obsessed’, as well as sitting down for a chat with the comedian. You can watch the performance above, while the interview is after the ‘read more’ link.

About the performance; Ms. Carey-Cannon was clearly having a bit of an off-day vocally with this one. While she moved somewhat more lucidly across the stage, the vocals were really lacking – made worse by the fact she mixed the sub-par vocals with pre-recorded ones (which is sadly becoming a trademark of hers these days). On the plus side, she looked great!

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Jennifer Lopez appeared on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ this evening. Demonstrating what seems to be a complete 180 in the label’s decision to scrap the struggling record, Lopez performed the struggling ‘Louboutins’, which has yet to debut on the Billboard charts. The singer’s ‘Love?’ album hits stores in March 2010.

Although clearly lip-syncing, Lopez delivered an electrifying performance. By including an element of entropy and changing the previous choreography, she captured my attention from beginning to end. Furthermore, the fact that she was able to do most of the moves in those Louboutin heels is quite a feat in itself. Good stuff.

Sam Edit: Lip-sync or not, she KILLED IT!

Thoughts?

The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul, Mary J. Blige, took the stage on ‘So you Think You Can Dance‘ a few minutes ago. The singer performed ‘I Am‘, the second single from her upcoming album, ‘Stronger With Each Tear’. Blige’s new LP hits stores on December 21st.

Ever time Blige takes the stage to perform this song, she brings new life to the lyrics. This was certainly a strong performance and she demonstrated excellent control over her instrument. Well done Mary.

Thoughts?

Vocalist Leona Lewis performed on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ moments ago. The singer did a rendition of her Golden Globe-nominated ‘I See You’ which was released in support of the ‘Avatar’ film. The soundtrack for the project was released on December 15th.

This was a magical performance. Leona’s voice soared through the scales and she sounded almost exactly like the recorded track. Her voice has such a unique quality to it that takes this song to a completely different place. For once, Leona gave me a thrill both sonically and emotionally. Excellent work.

Thoughts?

Although she has made a string of high profile appearances over the last few weeks, R&B singer Alicia Keys’ new album, ‘The Element of Freedom‘, is projected to sell 330, 000 to 350, 000 units in its first week. The figures were tallied by HitsDailyDouble based on the first day sales of the LP. This represents a significant drop in sales from the 742, 000 units that Key’s last project, ‘As I Am’, sold in it’s debut week.

Granted that many would attribute these figures to a tumultuous economy and a struggling record industry, it is clear that higher numbers were expected from this album. In addition to performing on almost every major television junket, Keys released the album in the fruitful Christmas season; the time of year when sales are more substantial than any other period as a ramification of the annual shopping frenzy.

In fact, with Susan Boyle selling over 500, 000 copies of her LP ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ for the past 3 weeks (a first for any female act since 1990), many projected that ‘The Element of Freedom’ would have at least broken the 500, 000 mark. It seems that nothing is guaranteed in this current industry, no matter how much promotion or popularity that the artist commands. Nonetheless, Keys has nothing to be ashamed about, as these numbers are significantly higher than those of many of her counterparts.

Thoughts?

The Royal Variety Performance 2009 has literally just came off the air here in the UK. Burgeoning diva Alexandra Burke was one of many acts who graced the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall to perform in front of the Queen. Burke, 20, performed her new single ‘Broken Heels‘, which you can watch above (Tidbit: she’s not miming, the video lags a lil bit. I’ll update when a better one becomes available).

It appears my prayers and fasting have gone a long way, as Alex has FINALLY started performing another song other than ‘Bad Boys’! Thank flipping-goodness for that. About the actual performance, Ms. Burke continues to tear down the house each and every time she performs. I’m particularly impressed with her ability to ‘sell’ what she’s performing. Regardless of how sub-par the material she’s performing starts out, I find myself feeling the track that much better after seeing her perform it live (see: this, and ‘Bad Boys’). A feat only world-class performers are capable of.  It really is so exciting seeing Alex deliver such calibre of performance. I mean if this is what she’s dishing up now (first album campaign), one can only wonder what we’re in store for as she continues to hone her craft. Gwan!!!

What do you think of the performance?

As reported earlier, musical chameleon Lady GaGa performed for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance 2009, which took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall a few weeks back. The singer did a rendition of ‘Speechless’ from her ‘The Fame Monster’ album, from which ‘Bad Romance’ hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

Once again, Lady GaGa demonstrates why she is one of the most versatile entertainers in the game today. Although I am not quite fond of the track, she delivered a solid performance with controlled vocals and raw emotion. It seems that every time Lady GaGa touches the stage, she finds a new way for people to say “wow”. Great stuff.

Sidebar: I bet the Queen thought that Lady GaGa stole that outfit from her closet. I kid, I kid.

Thoughts?

R&B hit-maker Ne-Yo made an appearance on ‘Live with Regis & Kelly’ recently. The singer/songwriter performed ‘Never Knew I Needed’ from the soundtrack of Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’. The LP was released in stores on November 23rd.

This is a very pleasant song. However, there is something about Ne-Yo’s voice that does’t deliver the material in the way that leaves an impact on the casual listener. Whether it is his lack of power or just a natural ‘grit’, I felt that the performance came up wanting. Either way, it’s hard to deny that Ne-Yo is an immensely talented writer and one of the best dressed men in the game right now. It’s certainly refreshing to see him on stage without his pants sagging down to his knees like many of his contemporaries.

Thoughts?