Despite executive producing Ciara‘s forthcoming ‘Basic Instinct’ project, The-Dream had some choice words about the ‘Ride’ singer in a recent interview with Parlour Magazine. More after the jump…

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Kelis has been hot on the promotional trail for her new LP ‘Flesh Tone’, most recently stopping by The Jay Leno Show to perform the album’s latest single ‘4th of July’. Check out Ms. Rogers’ solid showing below…

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According to Fantasia‘s official website, the soulful singer will now release her new LP, ‘Back to Me’, on August 10th. Originally set to hit stores on July 27th, the slight delay is said to be so as to grant the album a better lead-in promotion-wise.

The video for the album’s first single ‘Bittersweet’ premiers on next Friday (June 25th).

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While I’d actually prefer the album be pushed back until the start of season 2 of ‘Fantasia for Real’ (so as to maximise promotion), I can’t wait to hear it.

Your thoughts?

R&B star Brandy looks set to capitalise on the success of her hit VH1 reality show, ‘A Family Business’, with a return to the charts.

According to sources, The-Dream, who heads up the Island Def Jam Urban division, confirmed on a New York radio show that the former Moesha star is the latest addition to the label’s roster (along with J. Holiday).

If indeed true, Brandy joins the likes of Kanye West, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez on the label.

Your thoughts?

In a recent interview with Perez Hilton, Kelis addressed the current status of her relationship with ex-husband Nas. What’s more, the eclectic singer also revealed that she is is a new relationship. Peep the interview below…

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After a brief rest on the bench, this week sees the return of our Cover Star feature…

This week’s Cover Star is Shanterrial. The 23 year old Chicago-based music student serves up her own rendition of Beyonce‘s recent release ‘Why Don’t You Love Me’. Check it out below:

She nailed it!

For more on Shanterrial, check out her Youtube page

Your thoughts?

The music industry’s biggest movers and shakers came out in full force on Wednesday night (June 16th) for Kelly Rowland‘s album listening session at New York’s Hudson Hall.

Hosted Universal Motown, the event was MC’ed by Oprah’s BFF Gayle King, and was attended by the likes of BET president Stephen Hill, Star Jones, Motown’s label head Syliva Rhone ( below in peach dress), Rico Love, and many other key figures in the radio, TV, and press spectrum’s.

Randomness: It’s worth noting such high-profile gatherings are only reserved for projects a label are treating as a top priority. With Kelly having this kind of backing on her side this time round (take from that what you will), it’s increasingly looking like she can blow up on the solo tip.

For, such key figures coming together for Kelly shouldn’t be looked at in a minor light; afterall it is these radio programmers, television networks and what have you, who essentially control (for the lack of a better word) what and who is ‘hot’ and who and what are ‘not’. Considering this, there’s no doubt support from such entities is arguably the most important factor to Kelly breaking the industry (especially the US). Here’s hoping she does just that…she deserves it!

Your thoughts?

Having previously worn a jersey emblazoned with the words ‘Auto-Tune is for P*ssies’, Christina Aguilera now admits that she has a new-found respect for the device. The singer, who utilised the technology on her ‘Bionic’ LP, noted that she has no problem with auto-tune once it is used creatively. Check out what Aguilera had to say to Sirius Satellite Radio below:

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In a recent interview with MTV News, producer Sean Garrett revealed that Rihanna’s upcoming LP will feature the model’s happier side. Garrett stated that he intends to take the industry’s most revered puppet back to the “fun” sound of her hit ‘Pon De Replay’. Check out what he had to say below:

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Following the massive success of her 2010 FIFA World Cup theme song, ‘Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)’, Shakira has been encouraged to return to the studio. The twisting temptress’ next album is currently set for a September release and will reflect a return to her Colombian roots. See what she had to say to Billboard below:

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Christina Aguilera has decided to go with ‘You Lost Me’ as the next single off her ‘Bionic’ LP. The singer’s new album recently debuted on the Billboard 200 at #3 with embarrassing sales of 110k copies despite heavy promotion. ‘Not Myself Tonight’, the 1st official single from the album, failed to resonate with audiences and peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 before quickly slipping off the charts. {Source}

It looks that Aguilera’s team has adopted a new approach in an effort to salvage this project. With it being blatantly obvious that younger audiences simply don’t care about what Aguilera has to offer, her label must be trying make a play for the Adult Contemporary market which is generally more motivated to buy albums. While ‘You Lost Me’ is without a doubt one of Aguilera’s best songs in years, she will still face a difficult challenge attracting AC fans as they generally support more conservative acts such as Susan Boyle and Sade. Considering this fact, Aguilera might be wishing that she never got naked and oiled up in her ‘Not Myself Tonight’ video.

Sidebar: I told you so.

Thoughts?

Teen hearthrob Justin Bieber has teamed up with his ‘mentor’ Usher for ‘Somebody to Love (Remix)’ – the latest release to be lifted from the 16 year old’s ‘My World 2.0’ EP. Peep the video, which premiered seconds ago on VEVO, below…

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