Janet Jackson wasn’t the only major act to rock the Essence Music Festival on the evening of July 2nd. R&B songstress Monica also took the stage and performed a series of her biggest hits including her new song, ‘Love All Over Me’. In addition to her own material, Monica once again performed a tribute to her close friend and mentor Whitney Houston by reportedly singing renditions of ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘You Give Good Love’.

What do you think of the pic?

Shakira sat down for in interview with Youtube to discuss her upcoming new album which hits stores in September. The world class performer spoke about the record at length and revealed that it will entail a mixture of elements – Rock, Latin and Caribbean music – from her 15 year career. Check out what Shakira had to say about the project below:

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Following the appalling sales of 50 Cent‘s ‘Before I Self-Destruct’ LP (which was certified Triple Foil), it is now being reported that the G-Unit General was quietly released from longtime label Interscope (at his “request”) last summer, and is now with Capitol/EMI.

Full story below…

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Though Drake has taken the music scene by storm with his undeniable lyrical prowess, the same can not be said for his more R&B flavoured vocals. Despite scoring a hit with the singing-only ‘Find Your Love’, the Canadian native caught a heavy dose of critique over his live performance of the song on the Jay Leno Show recently.

Quite interestingly, the 23 year readily admits his lack of vocal skills. Check out what he had to say (via VIBE) below…

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Kelly Rowland appears to be leaving no stone unturned in the UK in her promotional push for new single ‘Commander’. Indeed, the Destiny’s Child alum has seemingly been everywhere here this week; with her most recently stopping by BBC Radio 2’s ‘Sessions’ to perform another acoustic set.

Check out Ms. Kelly’s stripped-down renditions of of ‘When Love Takes Over’ and ‘Commander’ below…

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As earlier reported, Pop superstar Janet Jackson rocked the 2010 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans last night, treating the audience to a world class spectacle. Video’s from her set have now surfaced, which you can check out below…

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Following on the multi-Platinum success of her solo debut, ‘3 Words’, Cheryl Cole is reportedly set to release its follow-up before the year is out.

Full story after the jump…

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Pop icon Janet Jackson tore the house down at the 2010 Essence Music Festival last night (July 2nd), which took place at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Jackson’s headlining set comprised all her biggest hits including ‘Nasty’ and ‘If”, as well as her more recent material.

Tidbit: Great to see Ms. Jackson sticking with the short do’. She looks great!

Your thoughts?

This week’s Cover Star is Jordan Tyler. The London-based singer serves up his own rendition of Alexandra Burke’s take on Leonard Cohen’s classic ‘Hallelujah’. Check it out below:

Though this song has been covered within an inch of its life, Jordan’s rendition still proved refreshing. A male take on Alexandra’s  version (which featured many a riff and adlib), this Londoner certainly held his own and then some. Great performance!

For more on Jordan, check out his Youtube page

Your thoughts?

Peep Lady GaGa posing up with a large polaroid photo of herself at the MIT Art Museum in Cambridge. The pic is to be featured in the Museum’s Polaroid archive, it was announced at the press conference.

Your thoughts?

Kelly Rowland stopped by the ‘5 O’Clock Show’ in the UK yesterday. The singer performed ‘Commander’ – the 1st international single from her upcoming self-titled album which will hit stores on September 21st. Peep the performance below:

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Ciara has decided to release her ‘Basic Instinct’ album a week ahead of schedule. The record, which was originally carded for an August 24th debut, has been moved up to August 17th. Check out what Ciara had to say about the change below:

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