In what could possibly be a make or break moment in her career, Christina Aguilera is reportedly scheduled to open the 2011 Grammy Awards. The former chart-topper will supposedly team up with fellow vocal powerhouse Jennifer Hudson and 3 other artists at the February 13th event to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

The stakes for this performance could not be any higher. Franklin is one of the most renowned artists of our time so there is not doubt that all eyes will be fixed on that segment.

Regardless of the current condition of her voice and the scathing backlash that she received for her performance at the Super Bowl, Aguilera would still be taking a huge risk by attempting to cover Franklin’s music. In fact, very few singers ever dare to tackle Franklin’s records because of incredible complexity of her arrangements.

If Aguilera thinks that she can get away with screaming her way through the performance like she did with her James Brown tribute in 2007 then she is sorely mistaken. She needs to be careful because this could be all that is needed for the general public to turn their backs on her for good.

Thoughts?

Peep a demure Katy Perry posing it up on the cover of Elle magazine’s March issue.

With colourful wigs and scant clothing defining Perry’s image these days, the cover somewhat gives a nod to her earlier look upon bursting onto the scene in 2008.

What do you think of the cover?

Singer Toni Braxton is joined by her sisters and their mother in new reality show ‘Braxton Family Values’. Ahead of the show’s premiere on the WE network in April, you can check out a teaser of what to expect.

Check out the trailer after the jump…

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Another new song from Nicole Scherzinger has surfaced. Like many of the other tracks emerging from her recent recording sessions, ‘Killer Love’ was produced by RedOne. Give it a listen below:

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Adele has announced the official dates of her upcoming US tour. The Soul singer, whose recently released ’21’ album debuted at #1 on the UK album charts, will launch the venture on May 12th in Washington DC’s 9:30 Club.

Tickets will be available for the venture on February 11th. Look below for the full list of shows:

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Simon Cowell is gearing up for what could possibly be the launch of the most successful US talent show to ever hit the airwaves. In an effort to build buzz for the show, the music mogul has boldly announced that the winner of this fall’s ‘The X-Factor US’ will receive an astounding $5 million recording contract.

Check out more details that Simon revealed about the format of the new programme below:

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As earlier reported, Christina Aguilera‘s performance of the US national anthem at the Super Bowl last night hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Most notably due to her forgetting the lyrics of the iconic song.

Perhaps feeling the strain from the media, the 30 year old singer released a statement regarding the performance.

Check out what she had to say after the jump…

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Dawn Richard, formerly of Danity Kane and current Dirty Money staple, released her debut mixtape today. Titled ‘#ATELLTALEHEART’, the 15 track set marks the first officially released solo material from the singer-songwriter.

Speaking on the project, Richard says “#ATELLTALEHEART is simply a compilation of emotions and feelings that if you were to fall into my heart, this is what my heart would sound like.  It’s about my journey, my pain, my redemption, but above all my strength.  It’s honest yet raw.”

Check out the tracklist and download the mixtape for free after the jump…

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Two and a half years after his Grammy-nominated album, The Way I See It, Raphael Saadiq is back with his fifth studio album, Stone Rollin’ (to be released March 22, 2011 on Columbia Records).

This past Thursday night, That Grape Juice attended Saadiq’s exclusive listening event entitled “Saadiq Sessions” at The Royalton Hotel in New York City. Accompanied by an acoustic trio of guitar, bass, and percussion, Raphael took his audience on a journey of classic R&B inspired from the 60’s and 70’s that he has fused with a futuristic twist.

He treated the audience to song after song after song, including the lead single Radio (available now on iTunes), title song Stone Rollin’, Moving Down the Line, Good Man, Just Don’t, and an encore performance of Heart Attack.

Effortlessly, his visual presence perfectly matched his musical styling. Decked out in black frames, dark blue turtleneck, double breasted blazer, Windsor plaid slacks, and Chelsea boots, Raphael’s style could share the same title of his first solo album, Instant Vintage. Listening to his new body of work, and looking at his sartorial selections, you can easily understand his influence by musical legends such as Chuck Berry, Little Walter, Sly Stone, and Stevie Wonder as well as indie acts that he regularly listens to.

Saadiq said “Both the attraction and the reaction to my music from my listeners has given me all that I need to continue pushing the envelope and making music that waves and rocks the soul of many. It’s ready. I’m ready. And I know the world is ready. Let’s all go Stone Rollin.”

If his preview party was just a taste of what’s to come, then his planned upcoming tour is surely one not to be missed. Be sure to catch him as he performs alongside Sir Mick Jagger at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday February 13th as they pay tribute to the late great King of Rock & Soul Solomon Burke.

Check out pics from the show below, which was attended by Columbia Music head Steve Barnett (pictured)

{Pictures and words by That Grape Juice New York correspondent Carl Ayers}

Your thoughts?

The Black Eyed Peas had the honor of being the headline performers at this year’s Super Bowl half-time show. Accompanied by fellow Pop singer Usher and Rock legend Slash, the group delievered several of their biggest hits including ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’, ‘OMG’, ‘I Gotta Feeling’ and more.

See their amazing showing below:

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Moments ago Christina Aguilera performed the US national anthem at Super Bowl XLV. The singer dared to sing the song live at the event and encountered several difficulties int he process. See her performance below:

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Jessie J has cause for celebration tonight. For, the transatlantic star saw her second single ‘Price Tag’ rocket to the top of the Official UK Singles Chart.

The B.o.B assisted cut is lifted from J’s ‘Who You Are’ LP, which this week saw its release date pushed up by a month due to phenomenal demand. Her debut single ‘Do It Like A Dude’ peaked at #2 on the same tally merely two weeks ago.

Congratulations are most certainly in order!  {Fist pumps for the triumph of true talent}

Your thoughts?