Rihanna recently sat down for a short interview with Miss Info. The Covergirl representative shed some light on how she feels to be nominated for ‘Best Rap/Sung Collaboration’ with ‘Run This Town’ and which performances she is looking forward to seeing at tomorrow’s Grammy Awards ceremony. Rihanna also discussed the possibility of a collaboration with fellow Pop sensation Lady GaGa.

When Rihanna says that she is waiting for the “right” time to make a record with GaGa I take it she means that she is waiting to get permission from her label. A collaboration between the two would no doubt be very interesting to witness (particularly the costumes in the accompanying music video) but I highly doubt that she would have much say in the direction of the track. As neither a renowned vocalist or critically acclaimed songwriter/producer, I expect the only part of the creative process to which Rihanna would contribute is wailing on the microphone.

Siderbar: Which performances are you excited to see at tomorrow’s Grammy Awards ceremony?

Thoughts?

Check out ‘Precious’ star Gabourey Sidibe on the cover of the March issue of Ebony magazine.

Say what you will about her, but she looks great here! Awesome cover!

Your thoughts?

Though Janet Jackson‘s feature in Wonderland magazine isn’t set to hit news-stands until February 5th, an exclusive video has surfaced showing the full shoot. Check it out above!

Shot by Aitken Jolly, the shoot looks stunning. At 43, Janet really is looking almost half her age and still going strong. More power to her!

Your thoughts?

Brandy hit up the House of Blues last evening. The singer performed as her alter ego Bran’Nu with Timbaland.

What do you think of her look?

Sexy songstresses Ciara and Christina Aguilera was spotted at Tricky Stewart’s pre-Grammy party at Wonderland in Los Angeles. Stewart offered productions to both of singers’ upcoming albums. Check out more images below:

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Our girl Kelly Rowland took to the stage at will.i.am‘s ‘Dip Dive’ pre-Grammy party earlier this week. The singer, who is set to officially announce her new record deal with Universal Motown at any moment now, performed her worldwide smash ‘When Love Takes Over’ with DJ David Guetta.

Ms. Kelly really has been knocking it out the park with her most recent performance, with this being no different. Her vocals were powerful and overly on-point. Great performance!

Your thoughts?

As with all the major awards shows, That Grape Juice will be providing live on-the-minute coverage of the Grammy Awards 2010, which take place this tomorrow (January 31st) live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. News, commentary and of course performances, That Grape Juice will be the spot for them all!

This year’s Grammy’s will boast performances from the likes of Lady GaGa, Beyonce, Maxwell, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Lil’ Wayne, Pink, as well as an all-star 3D tribute to Michael Jackson, which will feature Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, and Taylor Swift.

Your thoughts?

Holding true to our promise of keeping things fresh here at That Grape Juice (v.2.0 baby!), we bring you ‘Cover Star’. Completing our current feature-list (From The Vault, Original Articles etc), Cover Star will each week showcase regular folk’s rendition of your favourite tracks. Recent history has shown the web to be the place to discover new talent – talent which is undeniably out there in abundance. So what better way to give shine to undiscovered talent than on your favourite site and mine – That Grape Juice!

This week’s Cover Star is Loretta Grace. The Milan, Italy native gives an awesome rendition of Whitney Houston’s comeback single ‘Million Dollar Bill’. Check it out below (song starts at about the 0.39 mark):

As well as the  powerful vocals, I particularly enjoyed hearing Loretta’s Italian accent / pronunciation while singing; it definitely made for her to put her own stamp on the song. Good stuff!

For more on Loretta Grace, check out her Youtube page

Your thoughts?

Pinned: Normal Posts Resume Below

That Grape Juice were fortunate enough to catch up with Grammy-nominated R&B star Fantasia Barrino recently.  The 25 year old, whose new VH1 reality series ‘Fantasia For Real’ has been a hit with viewers, spoke candidly with That Grape Juice in a 40 minute long conversation about many a topic. Areas discussed include how ‘real’ the show actually is, her new album, the rumours which threatened to destroy her career, her romantic life (yes, we asked about Antwaun Cook!), industry politics and so much more. As ever, we asked the questions you really want answers to…and answer them Fantasia did. A lengthy, yet great read; this is Fantasia for real….Enjoy!

{Transcription by Bisi Kadejoh}

Fantasia Shouts Out That Grape Juice

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According to fresh reports, comeback queen Whitney Houston is already readying the follow-up to 2009’s Platinum seller ‘I Look To You’. Set to embark on a four-month world tour, which kicks off in Seoul, Korea on February 6th, Houston (46) is said to be hitting the studio for recording sessions with hit-maker Bryan Michael Cox. {Source 1} {Source 2}

Granted it’s currently unconfirmed as to whether Nippy’s recent and upcoming recording sessions are indeed for a new album (or a re-release), it’s great to see her keeping things moving. After a tumultuous few years, Whitney seems to be easing herself back into the saddle, with her vocals having improved a hell of a lot compared even to this time last year. Therefore, prepping a new record – which I’d imagine won’t hit stores until late this year, early next – seems like a wise move. It’s all about keeping the momentum moving.

That said, it’d be criminal if  ‘For The Lovers’ doesn’t get a release sometime in ‘I Look To You’s shelf-life! That song epitomises ‘the business’. Don’t believe…take a listen:

Your thoughts?

R&B singer Omarion has vented his frustrations at not being included in this Sunday’s Grammy tribute to the late, great King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The former B2K front-man opened up to VIBE about the matter; peep an extract from the piece below:

The R&B singer tells VIBE that a tribute without himself, however, wouldn’t be the same. “If I’m not a part of that, then that’s not… I’m not gonna say it’s wack,” he says. “But I’m just saying, everyone knows what I do, so if you gon’ have an MJ tribute…”

Still, a lighthearted O, who recently released his solo album Ollusion, acknowledged that since so many artists were influenced by MJ, the options are plenty. “I take that back because Stevie [Wonder] did an MJ tribute. Everyone loved Michael. I’m not gon’ say that,” he says. “I’m just meaning the performance [aspect]. How you gon’ have a Michael tribute without the playboy? [Laughs]. That’s my only thing, and I mean this in the humblest and the most competitive way. I’m competitive — that’s what the game is about.

“Especially after Mike passed away, I feel like the stage, it’s more important now. It’s a responsibility to me when I hit the stage to not play with it,” O continued. “If you walk back and forth that’s cool, too. If that’s how you entertain, that’s cool, but for the performances and for the dances and for the people that look up to Michael in the fashion I look up to Michael? I hope they bring it. Because if they don’t, then I will.”

LMAO!

It goes without saying that Omari is gifted. However, moaning about not being selected just makes the fact he was overlooked that much worse LOL. I mean, for as political as the industry can be, if he was meant to be picked, he would’ve been…and he wasn’t. The end. What’s more, with the tribute song being ‘Earth Song’ and seemingly more a vocal / theatrical affair – with the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Usher, and Celine Dion performing in it – I can’t see how ol’ Omari would have fit the bill. Oh well…

Your thoughts?

Your thoughts?