At writing, only 81 acts in the history of recorded music can boast having earned 20 or more Gold records over their careers. The  certification threshold denotes sales equivalence of 500,000 in the United States.

And while some assume the feat is easy to accomplish given the inclusion of streaming in the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) certification tabulations, it’s still one that’s eluded Black female performers as they represent less than 10% of aforementioned tally of hitmakers.

This week, thanks to the ongoing success of Jhené Aiko‘s 2020 tune ‘A&B,’ the score increased for the ladies.

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T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach are officially out at GMA3 after the much-publicized affair scandal.

Full story below…

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Just hours after unveiling their fourth studio album, ‘Gloria,’ singer-songwriter Sam Smith is looking to give fans yet another reason to cop the critically acclaimed set by lifting the lid on the high octane music video for its housed cut, ‘I’m Not Here to Make Friends.’

The Disco-Pop track, produced by Calvin Harris (who Smith previously collaborated with on the 2018 hit ‘Promises’) and written alongside StarGate and Jessie Reyez, ‘Friends’ sees its performer make clear to suitors what their intentions are before the night is over.

“‘Cause I’m not here to make friends / No, I’m not here to make friends (Yeah) / ‘Cause I’m not here to make friends / I need a lover (I need a lover),” Sam croons on the cut which also features vocals from RuPaul.

In its accompanying music video, helmed by Ukrainian director Tanu Muiño, Smith – alongside a bevy of hot dancers – rocks the roof off of a historic estate with a costume ball while donning the hot pink gown they were seen in on Saturday’s episode of ‘SNL’ (January 21).

See all the action inside.

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Pink has premiered the captivating video for ‘Trustfall’ – the title track of the superstar’s 9th studio album.

Arriving on the heels of the project’s lead single ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again,’ the track was produced by Fred Again and sees the songstress explore notions of letting go and shedding inhibitions.

True to form, the visual sees Pink dance up a storm in what serves as one of her most cinematic offerings to date.

Watch the performer in action after the jump…

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French-Malian music phenom Aya Nakamura has unwrapped her fourth studio album, ‘DNK.’

Released on the heels of the star selling out three consecutive dates at Accor Arena in Paris, the LP is anchored by preceding bops such as ‘Baby’ and ‘SMS.’

Since arriving on the scene, the 26-year-old performer has galvanized a gargantuan audience thanks to global smashes such ‘Djadja’ and ‘Bobo.’ All of which have helped establish Aya as the most streamed Francophone artist. Statistically.

Now, with a collection of new numbers in her arsenal, she looks poised to re-cement said status even more.

Take a listen to ‘DNK’ below…

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Rita Ora races to the chapel in the compelling video for her brand-new single ‘You Only Love Me.’ 

The Pop jam serves as the premiere taste of the chart-topper’s third studio album – which will also dub as her first for new label BMG.

A star-studded affair, the 32-year’s visual features cameos from the likes of Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan, and Jodie Turner-Smith.

The playful wedding-themed clip comes amidst murmurs that Ora has tied the knot with her real-life boo, mega director Taika Waititi.

Having scored five UK #1 singles to date, is Rita on the cusp of another triumph with her latest effort?

Check out the  Charlie Sarsfield-directed video for ‘You Only Love Me’ below and let us know…

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Readers of That Grape Juice know how passionate we are about music – whether that be past or present.

However, unlike our other segments – Retro Rewind, TGJ Replay, and From The Vault – The Pop Stop is the most in-depth look at Pop songs that may have flown under the radar over the last week that you should know, rather they be from music’s biggest stars or those on the rise.

This week, we want to highlight cuts from Zara Larsson, Tomorrow x Together, Ava Max, Rosalia, New Hope Club, Tyla, Brett Kissel, and Stephen Sanchez.

Join us inside…

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Coi Leray is showing no signs of slowing down the push to get her latest hit, ‘Players,’ to the top of the Billboard charts.

Peruse of the updated Rap Song Sales chart sees it planted at #1 for a fourth week – a feat primarily fueled by the whopping 5 billion collective views videos using the Johnny Goldstein-produced cut have amassed on Tik Tok to date.

And while the social app is the primary driver behind the success of the song (which catapulted 24 spots to a #54 peak on this week’s Hot 100), Leray’s promotional efforts include multiple remixes and live performances and shouldn’t be discounted in the tune’s chart trajectory.

In more of the latter vein, Coi was recently spotted at ‘Genius’ giving ‘Players’ a spirited live rendition for their ‘Open Mic’ segment.

Look inside to see how she fared.

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After turning heads with their 2015 duet version of the Christmas classic ‘Mary, Did You Know?,’ GRAMMY-winning songbird India.Arie and critically acclaimed vocalist Gene Moore reunite for the romantic and inspirational tune, ‘Beautiful.’

Living it up its title, the Red Hands-produced tune comes as the lead single from Moore’s upcoming EP, ‘Introspection‘ (due on digital shelves in March).

“Every day I wake up with you on my mind (yeah, yeah) / When it comes to love, you gettin’ all of mine (yeah, yeah) / I’mma never tell you no, it’s yes all the time,” Gene sings on the romantic cut.

Hear it in full inside.

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Nearly three years after garnering their third consecutive top 5 hit on the Billboard 200 with ‘Love Goes,’ English singer-songwriter Sam Smith is looking to keep the trend going with their highly anticipated fourth studio effort, ‘Gloria.’

Arrived to shelves January 27 after the success of lead singles ‘Love Me More’ and the Hot 100 chart-topping ‘Unholy’ (featuring Kim Petras), the 13-track set comes as a star-studded affair in front of- and behind the scenes. In addition to boasting names like Petras, Jessie Reyez, Koffee, and Ed Sheeran among its guest stars, Jimmy Napes, Ilya, Cirkut, StarGates, and Calvin Harris are listed as production contributors.

A self-defined ‘risky’ LP, Sam recently took to press to share ‘Gloria’ may not house the most radio-friendly content but they enjoy the courage it took to go against the grain.

“Maybe the music I make in the future won’t sit as well on the radio. It takes a bit of courage to maybe try something that maybe people aren’t going to like,” they told Billboard in a late 2022 interview. “But I like it, and that’s all that matters.”

Stream ‘Gloria’ inside courtesy of Apple Music and Spotify.

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The very week Taylor Swift finally loosened her grip on the Hot 100’s summit (due to Miley Cyrus planting ‘Flowers’ in its place), the Country-turned-Pop diva is hoping plant her own ‘Lavender’ in the chart’s upper rankings.

A fan favorite from Swift’s top-selling tenth studio album, 2022’s ‘Midnights,’ the Jack Antonoff-produced song already reached a height of #2 on the hitlist without any promotion.

Now, the headline-grabbing hit – reportedly penned about her boyfriend (actor Joe Alwyn) – becomes the third cut from the chart-topping LP to be given the video treatment following housed tunes ‘Anti-Hero’ and ‘Bejeweled.’

Will the visual be just what’s needed to color ‘Lavender’ in the Hot 100’s top spot? Watch inside and let us know.

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Chloe Bailey is wasting no time kickstarting her official debut era.

Despite having earn critical acclaim for her first slew of solo singles ‘Feeling Good,’ ‘Have Mercy,’ ‘Treat Me,’ and more, the GRAMMY-nominated songstress treated fans to news those tunes would ultimately serve as appetizers for her inaugural solo album – ‘In Pieces‘ (due on digital shelves in March).

The first taste of the set’s offerings comes courtesy of the hard-hitting, ‘f*ck my ex’ anthem ‘Pray It Away.’

“Maybe I should go and take it to church (Uh) / And wash it away ’cause I want that n*gga to hurt / But I’ma just pray it away before I give him what he deserves first,” she croons on the ThankGod4Cody-produced track.

Arriving alongside its equally dramatic music video, look inside to see and hear Chloe’s ‘Pray.’

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