Michelle Williams Opens Up About Broken Engagement In the latest issue of Sister 2 Sister, Michelle Williams reveals for the first time the heartache of her broken engagement in 2004. Check out the report via Contact Music below:

Former DESTINY’S CHILD star MICHELLE WILLIAMS is keen to make sure her next romance is for real – after a broken engagement left her upset about the time and money she’d spent on it.

The singer picked up last-minute plane flights so she could be with her unnamed fiance during breaks in her Destiny’s Child schedule and, at one point, racked up a $10,000 (GBP5,000) cell phone bill just chatting to her man while she was on tour.

Williams also spent a lot of time planning a dream wedding and moving house only for her romance dreams to be left in tatters when her fiance began to get cold feet.

Eventually, the singer called off the engagement and she and her one-time fiance mutually agreed to split, leaving her to pick up the pieces of a broken dream and counting the emotional and financial cost of her failed romance.

She says, “Relationships get very expensive… You try to fly on the red-eye (overnight plane) home, you try to spend time (with him).

“When I was overseas, I racked up a $10,000 cell phone bill.”But Williams insists the experience won’t put her off getting married: “I’m not weary of it at all. I do believe there is a particular gentleman out there for me who will come when I least expect it.”

It really goes to show that one can never be too sure of what’s happening behind all the glitz and glamor this industry propagates. I mean, if my time-line serves me correct, Michelle’s (broken) engagement would have fallen within Destiny’s Child’s last stint and most of us were nonethewiser. Interesting…

Your thoughts?

Mariah Carey’s 1997 smash ‘Honey’ serves as this week’s From The Vault video. As the the first single to be lifted from the diva’s ‘Butterfly’ LP, the track and its accompanying video ushered in what was then considered a very ‘different’ Mariah. Newly divorced and musically embracing an edgier, Urban sound, Mariah shed her conservative ‘girl next door’ image with this racy Paul Hunter directed clip. Random tidbit: here, also saw the debut of the ‘Mariah Whine’ LMAO. Check it out:

Great song, even better video.

Your thoughts?

Whitney Houston - 'Like I Never Left (ft. Akon)' With the release of Whitney Houston’s much anticipated ‘comeback’ album drawing ever-nearer (due November), a new Akon produced and featuring track, presumed to be from the LP has surfaced titled ‘Like I Never Left.
Though it’s great to finally hear a sample of the fruit of Whitney’s more recent studio time, I can’t say the airy mid-tempo track strikes me as chart-topping material. Still, a decent album cut. I’m hoping Whitney comes with her ‘A’ game as far as the first single and the album more generally. {Thanks Andy, Terrence, Bryan; you’re all stars!!}

Hit or Miss?

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Hip-Hop veteran LL Cool J performed his brand new single ‘Baby’ along with The Dream on So You Think You Can Dance this week. Great song, great performance.

‘Baby’ is featured on LL’s 12th studio album ‘Exit 13 – due September 9th.

What do you think of the performance?

Ne-Yo Covers 'Take A Bow' Ne-Yo stopped by the UK’s top Urban radio station 1Xtra earlier today to promote his upcoming ‘Year of The Gentleman’ LP. The talented singer/songwriter also performed a rendition of Rihanna’s #1 smash ‘Take A Bow’. I’m really liking his take, on the otherwise, so-so track.

Hit or Miss?

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With Bow Wow set to release his seventh studio album ‘Pedigree’ in the coming months, the video for the LP’s first single ‘Marco Polo’ made its debut today. Featuring Soulja Boy, both the song and video get the ‘blah’ treatment from me; Bow’s gonna have to up his game if he’s looking for any notable kind of success with this record. Yawn…

What do you think of the song / video?

Some 6 months after ‘Damaged’ dropped, Danity Kane finally premiered the video for their second single ‘Bad Girl’ on FN’MTV just a few moments ago. Undeniably, the ladies’ biggest budget effort to date, the video is their best IMO. That said, something still feels kinda lacking with this one…not sure what it is, but it’s something. Anyway, feature artist Missy Elliott as well as Day26’s Qwanell make cameos.

What do you think of the video?

Teairra Marí Speaks Out On Jay-Z & MoreIn a recent interview with AllHipHop.com, former Princess of The Roc, Teairra Marí spoke out the current status of her relationship with one-time mentor Jay-Z:

AHHA: Is there still a relationship at all with Jay-Z?

Teairra Mari: There is no relationship there at all. I haven’t heard from him since that time. I think I sent him a happy birthday message because his birthday is two days after mine, like two years ago and since then it’s been nothing. And I don’t want it to be – Actually, it’s fine because I was a young girl. If you could come into a young girl’s life and then just throw her on the curb, you put this father presence on and then be like, “I’m done with it.” I don’t want a relationship like that.

Ouch. She seems a lil burned by the way things went down and rightfully so. Label or no label, it wasn’t right the way her so-called ‘father’ dashed her to the side like that. Anyway, she also discussed her dislike of the direction of her first LP:

AHHA: With your first album, Roc-A-Fella Presents Teairra Mari, do you feel that project accurately depicted where you wanted you career to go and what you wanted your sound to be?

Teairra Mari: I was 17 and I had a parental advisory sticker on the album. I was totally against that. I was pre-instructed to do what I did. They wanted me to be that rebellious, young teenager. At the time I was going through a rebellious stage so I guess I could see it, but the curse words I didn’t totally understand it, like a cursing 17-year-old girl. I just did what I was told because I believed in those people.

I always did wonder, what right-minded label exec would have a 17 year old singing about ‘do I need to tell a n***a how to touch me'(on ‘Make A Girl Feel’}. Here’s hoping Teairra’s latest effort brings her the recognition she deserves.

Any thoughts?

The video for ‘Dope Boys’, the official second single to be lifted from The Game’s forthcoming ‘L.A.X’ album premiered today. Though the video is standard-fare, the song -which features Travis Barker- goes harder than hard. IMO, the Compton bred MC is really coming with his ‘A’ game this go round, further silencing the naysayers who believed he couldn’t deliver the goods post G-Unit. Good stuff.

What do you think of the song / video?

'Year of The Gentleman' CoverPeep the official album cover for Ne-Yo’s forthcoming effort ‘Year of The Gentleman’ (due September). Good stuff.
Our recent interview with Ne-Yo will be up mid-next week. apologies about the delay, you’ll know why it’s necessary when it’s posted. In the meanwhile, click here to see Ne-Yo give That Grape Juice a shout-out (also under the spotlight section too)

Your thoughts?

Rowland Wants 'Deeper' & 'More Inspiring' 3rd LP Speaking with the UK’s Daily Star, Kelly Rowland shed some light on the direction of her forthcoming solo LP – her third:

Kelly Rowland has said she would like to collaborate with UK singer-songwriter Kate Nash.

The former Destiny’s Child star also claimed that she is interested in working with Alphabeat, The Script and Guillemots.

“I definitely want a new sound so I am jamming in the studio with amazing musicians who just love music,” she told the Daily Star.

“I’ve asked The Script to do a duet and The Guillemots have given me one of their tracks to listen to.”

She continued: “I would love to do something with them or Alphabeat, and Kate Nash is dope.”

Rowland also revealed that she is hoping her third LP will be “deeper” and more “inspiring” than her first two solo albums. {Source}

Is it bad that, Kate Nash aside, I know nothing of the other names mentioned lol? Anyway, I’m glad Kelly is trying new things this go round. What exactly is meant by ‘deeper’ and ‘more inspiring’ will be interesting to see, however I’m hoping Kelly doesn’t completely turn her back on her inner diva. I’m really looking for Kelly to serve up the same sass, attitude and stage-presence she’s been doing recently and more widely seen during her last Destiny’s Child stint.

Random tidbit: I’ve always hoped Kelly would release something ‘Lose My Breath’-ish on a solo tip…

Your thoughts?
R&B singer Trey Songz recently dropped the video for ‘Missin’ You’, the fourth single to be lifted from his sophomore effort ‘Trey Day’. Check out the vid below:

Though I commend Trey for soldiering it out with this project, both the song and vid are kinda ‘blah’ to me. That said, I hope he starts to garner the praise he deserves as an artist – he’s too underrated IMO.

What do you think of the song / video?
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