Alicia Keys and hitmaker boyfriend Swizz Beats have been renown for shrouding their relationship in secrecy. However, at last night’s Gotham Magazine Annual Gala in new York at Capitale, the couple – for the first time – stepped out together for all to see. Indeed, reports from the event stress that the pair held hands, hugged, and didn’t hold back in showing just how much of a couple they were.

Check out more pics below:

Your thoughts?

R&B star LeToya Luckett performed at the Strictly Divas concert last night at The Grove of Anaheim in California. Interestingly, during her set, the former Destiny’s Child member performed a medley of some of the group’s biggest hits. Check out her spin on ‘No, No, No’ and ‘Say My Name’ above…

For a reason I’m still unable to put my finger on, I kinda gave this a mild side-eye initially. This most likely due to the drama surrounding LeToya’s exit from the group, the fact she never sang anything solo, as well as the fact that their biggest success was without her. In any case, Ms. Luckett is very much a part of the Destiny’s Child legacy, hence in reality she does have a right to put her own spin on their hits. That said, it’s still kinda surreal hearing her sing ‘Say My Name’ etc solo.

Your thoughts?

UK Pop phenomenons JLS continue to garner endorsement after endorsement from music’s biggest stars ahead of their attempt to crack the US market next month – the latest being Rihanna. In a recent interview with The Sun, the Bajan beauty not only revealed that she’s set to work with the group, but also shared her pearls of artistic wisdom in assessing the boy’s chance of worldwide success:

“Working with JLS is something that will happen this year. Jay will make stars out of them. He has been a great mentor to me. He has been around long enough to spot real talent and he knows who will become worldwide stars. They can sing, they can dance, they look good, actually they look very good. But more importantly they look like a group. It doesn’t look like they have been put together. It looks like they are meant to be together.”

A musical masterpiece in the making, no doubt.

Your thoughts?

In the midst of calls for her to slow down her hectic schedule, Lady GaGa has today officially announced the US leg of her ‘Monsters Ball’ tour. Set to kick off this June, the 23 year old will play Stateside arenas, including New York’s famed Madison Squared Garden, right through to the end of September. No rest for GaGa, I guess. Check out the full list of dates below:

»June 28 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
»July 1 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
»July 4 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall
»July 6- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
»July 11 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
»July 14 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
»July 15 – Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
»July 17 – St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
»July 20 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center
»July 22 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
»July 25 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
»July 28 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
»July 31 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
»August 3 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
»August 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
»August 13 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand
»August 16 – San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
»August 19 – Portland, OR @ Rose Garden
»August 21 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
»August 23 – Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
»August 26 – Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
»August 30 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
»September 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center
»September 4 – Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
»September 5 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
»September 7 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
»September 8 – Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena
»September 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
»September 16 – Hartford, CT @ XL Center
»September 18 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena
»September 19 – Raleigh, NC @ RBC Center

Click here for ticket info

Granted it’s definitely a good look for her US ‘monsters’, I can’t help but feel that a substantial period of rest is needed. That said, if she’s raring to go and running her show (which insiders say she is), then who’s to argue otherwise.

Randomness: I guess her touring for the majority of the year will see her avoid over-exposure by being everywhere at once.

Your thoughts?

Eccentric singer Kelis is taking it to the clubs with her forthcoming LP ‘Fleshtones’, hence is doing the club-rounds to build a buzz ahead of the album’s Summer release. Peep the former Ms. Nas performing her single ‘Acapella’ – which hit #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart recently – at New York’s Club 57 over the weekend.

Let’s just say, I never knew she could split like that!

Your thoughts?

The video for Trina‘s brand new single ‘Million Dollar Girl’ surfaced a few moments ago. You can check out the Gil Green directed clip, which features Diddy and Keri Hilson, above…

Pretty standard-fare in that it’s more or less glamour shot after glamour shot. That said, both Trina and Keri looked great. The Diddy feature should garner the song some more interest too. Here’s hoping the song/video does big things for the self-proclaimed Baddest B*tch.

‘Million Dollar Girl’ is lifted from Trina’s forthcoming LP ‘Amazin’, which is due in stores on May 4th.

Your thoughts?

There have today been renewed calls for Pop phenomenon Lady GaGa to take a break from her hectic workload, following a shocking live showing in Auckland, New Zealand last night. While performing the night’s closer ‘Bad Romance’, the 23 year old star appeared ‘out of it’, forced to sit out (and at points lay flat) during the entire performance. Check out the video above…

Though kudos are most certainly due for the budding icon for finishing the performance, there really does come a point when one’s health and safety take pre-eminence over everything else – now being one of those times. Her rapid rise to prominence and dominance has been like no other in recent Pop history, and it appears the intensity of it all is getting to her physically. If GaGa has no ‘stop’ button, then perhaps those around her need to intervene before the situation becomes much more serious. I mean if longevity is what is being aimed for, then I’m sure her ‘monsters’ wouldn’t object to her taking time off – it is clearly needed.

Your thoughts?

This week’s From The Vault clip is Monica‘s 1995 #1 smash ‘Don’t Take It Personal’ – which was lifted from the then teen star’s debut LP ‘Miss Thang’. As I’m sure any R&B lover will know, the song’s reputation proceeds it. Put simply, a classic.

Tidbit: Despite only being 6 or 7 when this dropped, I vividly remember the hype around the then-new talent that was Ms. Monica. To see what a seasoned vocalist and great person she’s grown into before our eyes is a warming feeling.

Your thoughts?

Lady GaGa took the time to further explain her short film for ‘Telephone’ on ‘Big Boy’s Neighborhood’ radio show recently. The rising icon posted the above photo of herself and the video’s co-star, Beyonce, on her Twitter last evening. Check out what GaGa had to say about Beyonce being the “vehicle” that made it all happen:

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During our recent interview with the incomparable Fantasia, the American Idol alumni expressed just how much she wishes to perform here in the UK. Fans of the 24 year old star will be glad to hear that she has today announced her first ever UK date.

For one night only, Fantasia and her live band will take to the stage at London’s indig02 on May 3rd (Bank Holiday). Click here for ticket details!

You already know That Grape Juice will be in the house…will you?

Will you be going to see Fantasia in London?

Seen her live before? Any good?

With Jennifer Lopez’s deal with Island Def Jam almost  finalised, it appears there may be some hope yet for the singer/actress’ serially delayed ‘Love?’ LP after all. Sources close to the project confirm that the mother of two is currently tweaking the record, with there also being the possibility of renaming it for its Def Jam release. In any case, a new cut from the album’s recording sessions has surfaced in the form of the Stargate produced ‘Story of My Life’.

If ever there was a case, point, example of the problems which arise when an artist strays too far from their lane, it would be J.Lo. Put simply, this song is just not cutting it. Everything from her monotonous, disinterested vocals, to the lacking production, make for this one to be a no-no.

Lopez is a ‘performer’ as opposed to a vocalist; hence (much like Janet) her material at this particular stage of her career should focus on her strengths – which is uptempo club-destined tracks (an area vast enough to still experiment within). I say this because this dreary-drivel she’s been trying to serve up as the hotness for a while has, quite frankly, been cold – ‘Story of My Life’ included.

At this junction the only thing able to salvage Ms. Lopez’s musical relevance would be more tracks in the vein of the only solid cut I’ve heard from her ‘Love?’ sessions – ‘Hooked On You’.

Hit or Miss?

If there lay truth in the latest murmurings about Mariah Carey, things appear to be going from bad to worse for the diva. Reliable word has it that, in light of the disappointing performance of its singles, the 39 year old’s ‘Angel’s Advocate’ album has been shelved.

While Carey’s label, Island Def Jam, have yet to confirm or deny the speculation, the LP – which was a Target exclusive – has interestingly vanished from listings on the Target website, as well as Amazon where it was also featured as a download-only release. Additionally, despite being but a few weeks away from its announced release date of March 30th, no album cover nor promotional material for the record has surfaced.

The singer’s latest set-back comes on the heels of the poor performance of her ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’ LP, as well as the so-so success of her ‘Angel’s Advocate Tour’ – the box office scores of which saw particular dates struggle to fill 3000-seat arenas.

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Oh Mimi! What else, honestly, can be said, that hasn’t been said already? Should the album have indeed been shelved, one has to wonder if the drama surrounding her label head L.A Reid has anything to do with it? It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds…

Your thoughts?