Pop mega-star Janet Jackson has revealed in an interview The Times newspaper that she is readying a European tour for 2010. It will mark the first time in over 10 years that Jackson, 43, has toured this side of the globe. {Shout out to Hattie Collins who conducted the interview!}

Finally!!!

It’s been too long. After all the label drama and mishandled projects, it’ll be great to see Janet live on our turf again. You already know I’ll be there. Her new team really do seem to be on the ball…

Your thoughts?

As reported earlier, Pop sensation Lady GaGa hit up The Ellen Degeneres Show this week. We already posted her performance of ‘Speechless’ prior to the show’s airing yesterday, however since then her performance of worldwide smash ‘Bad Romance’ and her interview have surfaced. Check out the great performance above and the interview below. Enjoy.

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, Back In The Beat 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 21 year old Enrico from London who, with a little help from his friends, offers a unique spin on Janet’s ‘Feedback’ (with a vocal nod to Destiny’s Child and Brandy…you’ll see what I mean). Check it out:

I really enjoyed this! From the harmonies (which for the most part were uber on-point) to the arrangements, to the DC3 and Brandy references, to the overall switching up of la Jan’s classic (yes I said it), this was awesome.

For more on Enrico, check out his Youtube page

Having recently released the video for her new song ‘Yesterday (Remix)‘ featuring Trey Songz, another track from Toni Braxton‘s recent studio sessions has surfaced. The song, entitled ‘Stay’, will supposedly be featured on her forthcoming album, ‘Pulse’. The LP hits stores on February 2nd 2010.

This is a nice track but their are elements in the melody that remind me a lot of one her songs, ‘Melt’. Nonetheless, Toni delivers a simple yet beautiful vocal performance. Although I am still waiting to be ‘wowed’ by anything that she has put forward all year (with the  exception of ‘Heart Never Had A Hero’), I will definitely be giving her album a listen when it hits stores next year.

Hit or Miss?

Pop phenom Lady GaGa took the stage on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ recently. The singer performed the track ‘Speechless’ from her second studio album ‘The Fame Monster’. The track, which was produced by GaGa herself, was first performed at this year’s American Music Awards in a medley with ‘Bad Romance’ (now at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100). ‘The Fame Monster’ was released earlier this week on November 23rd.

Once again, GaGa delivered a solid performance. All the gimmicks aside, this girl really has a lot of talent and continues to prove why she is a real ‘monster’ on the charts. With showings like this, I sense that 2010 will be another great year for her career.

Sidebar: She has great shoulder pads and she can sing! That is such a rare combination in today’s music industry…

Thoughts?

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ABC aired an hour long presentation of the making of Beyonce’s ‘I Am…Yours’ tour last evening. The special depicted the process that the singer endured with the selection of her all girl band, the production of the show and the conception of many of her popular songs. Furthermore, Beyonce gave a narrated time line of her career from her youth to her current status as one of the most demanded artists in entertainment. The full DVD of Beyonce’s ‘I Am… Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas’ was released on November 23rd.

Having just watched the show myself, I was a bit perplexed. Judging by the advertisements that ABC had been airing for the last two weeks, I assumed the network would be showing performances from the DVD in the same manner that BET did with the ‘Beyonce Experience’. Instead, this was more similar to an episode of MTV’s ‘Making The Video’ than anything else. Either way, it was a brilliant marketing strategy because people (like me) would be even more interested in purchasing the DVD. Interesting.

Thoughts?

The video for Cheryl Cole‘s new single, the will.i.am assisted ‘3 Words’, premiered a few moments ago. Shot by high fashion photographer Vincent Haycock, the clip manages to be a great visual even if the song is…rubbish.

I still marvel at how Ms. Cole is receiving the A-list treatment when her talent is several rungs lower. In any case, someone seems to believe in her, and the public are buying into her (debut LP has already gone Platinum), so more power to her I guess…

What do you think of the song /video?

Do you know which song spent the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100? Do you know which song was the first to debut at the top spot? That Grape Juice has you covered! ‘Back In The Beat’ is our brand new feature, which each Friday takes a look back at the songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 at this exact point in time in years of past.

Covered by me, Trent, it provides the opportunity to not only take a ‘trip down memory lane’, but remember some of the monumental songs that molded the present day sound of the music industry. So get out your pen and paper because class is officially in session!

As a result of the lackluster reception of ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’, and Mariah Carey‘s indignation with the handling of the record, sources close to That Grape Juice have informed us that the songbird may just be ready to take flight to a new label. There is reliable word that Carey has been at logger-heads with label-head LA Reid for several months now.

The 39-year old diva has been signed to the Island Def Jam Music Group since 2002. The terms of the singer’s deal entail a minimum of 3 albums for the grand total of 22.5 million dollars, with her being named a joint partner with the Universal Music Group. Carey’s first LP released under the agreement was 2002’s ‘Charmbracelet’ which was followed by the 6x platinum ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, ‘E=MC²’ and ‘Memoirs…‘, which was released on September 29th 2009.

If Carey decides to leave IDJ, I will not be shocked. The promotional efforts behind ‘Memoirs…’ reflect less than half of the energy that the label placed into the ‘Emancipation’ project. Has anyone else noticed that she has barely taken any new promotional pictures for this record with the exception of her single covers and the album booklet? Add that to Carey’s criticism’s of ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ being chosen as a single in place of ‘H.A.T.E.U.’, and it’s easy to understand why she might be preparing to ditch the label.

It is no secret that several labels have been itching to sign Carey since she left Virgin Records in 2001. Clive Davis (Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson) at J Records, for instance, tried to get her to join his team. The real question is: should Carey leave IDJ, where would she fit in? I personally think that her best move would be to go back to Sony, where she would be able to get the attention and funding she deserves; a plausible option now that ex-husband Tommy Mottola is no longer with the company. Either way, with a rare talent like hers, she would be an invaluable addition to any label’s lineup.

What do you think Mariah’s next move should be?

With Britney Spears‘ new album set for a May 2010 release, the Pop starlet and her team have enlisted hitmaker Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins (‘Feedback’, ‘When I Grow Up’) to produce for the project. Confirming the news of his Twitter page today, Jerkins said:

In the studio creating a smash for Britney right now!!! Got the call this morning!!! January we start!!!

I’m somewhat cynical about Ms Spears’ dropping a new album, when all signs point to her being nowhere near capable of performing at world-class standard…hell, not even a local talent show (I’m not being a cow…I’m just being honest). That said, news of her working with Darkchild and apparently reverting back to the more Urban-influenced/darker sound of her ‘Blackout’ LP (her best IMO), has me quite eager to hear her new studio offerings. I’m just hoping she remembers how to dance come time of album release, as I doubt many will be cutting her any slack for sloppy performances this go-round.

Tidbit: Other producers/writers said to be working on the project include Danja, Fernando Garibay, and Sean Garrett.

Are you anticipating Britney’s new album?

After much speculation, it has been confirmed today that Janet Jackson will be taking to the X-Factor stage next Sunday (December 6th). In addition Lady GaGa will give her first UK live rendition of  new single ‘Bad Romance’ on the show the same night! {Source}

WOW! What a combo! As a Janet supporter, I’m eager for her to show the UK masses (who haven’t seen much of her in a while) why she is one the best that ever stepped on a stage. While, Ms. GaGa is definitely the icing on the cake! Roll on next Sunday!!! Roll on.,.

Tidbit: Does anyone else feel that though X-Factor has been killing it in terms of star-guests, they would have been better off on last years show? I say this as the contestants are so awful this year that the star guests make them seem even crapper. Imagine the final this year…who on earth would be able to hold their own with a Beyonce, for example, like Alexandra did last year? Anyway, let me stop rambling…Janet and GaGa are performing!

Your thoughts?

Check out episode 5 of Monica‘s BET reality show ‘Still Standing’ (below), which aired last night. We’re really loving the positivity that is this show…plus Monica’s new music is sounding HOT! Roll on January for the new album…

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