As the Sugababes’ ready their ironically titled LP ‘Sweet 7’ for its March 5th release, a new track from the much delayed set has surfaced in the form of ‘She’s A Mess’.

Produced by The Smeezingtons, who also crafted the ladies 09 summer smash ‘Get Sexy’, ”Mess’ is hard-hitting Electro-Pop at its best. Oozing attitude, sass, and a swagger I’ve yet to hear from the brand group prior to now, this is surprisingly rather good. I say ‘surprisingly’ as a cringe-worthy cockney rap from Amelle, and the fact the song  is so lyrically far removed from the essence of their established sound, threatened the quality of an otherwise cracking track. However, the tight production and overall solidness of the song makes for this one to be a winner.

Tidbit: I can’t help but feel that, though the material from ‘Sweet 7’ is readily serviceable to the US market (as I’m sure their Stateside label Roc Nation ensured), it’s hard to envision the ladies making much of an impact there. Their current ‘sound’ is fine, however, those amateur performances they’ve been churning out as of late are unlikely to go down well with US audiences. I mean…really?

Hit or Miss?

Superstar Beyonce brought New York’s Heard Square to a stand still last night while launching her new fragrance ‘Heat’ at Macys. The ‘Single Ladies’ singer, who took home a record-breaking six Grammy’s this past weekend, signed autographed and posed for pictures with the hordes of fans in attendance. Check more pics after the jump…

(more…)

Pop royalty Janet Jackson features in the latest issue of Wonderland magazine. The reclusive performer, 43, opened up about many a topic, including the direction of her new album (due later this year on Interscope Records), switching up her style, coping with the loss of her brother Michael, starring in Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married Too’, Rihanna, Lady GaGa, and a whole lot more. A lengthy, yet ultimately great read. Check it in its entirety after the jump…

(more…)

Jail-bound rapper Lil’ Wayne covers the February issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

While I have no words  for the cover (at all), here’s what you can expect from the feature – which hit news-stands today:

For a decade, Lil Wayne has been hip-hop’s great unstoppable force, a 24-hour-a-day recording machine without an off button. But on February 9th, Lil Wayne will have to stop — for 12 months, when he reports to prison to serve a sentence for gun possession stemming from a 2007 arrest in New York City. Rolling Stone stays up all night with Weezy as he prepares to get locked down

It also turns out he’s been working ardently on his next LP:

Tha Carter IV — which Norris is told features tougher, faster beats — is scheduled to arrive shortly after he gets out.

Interesting.

Your thoughts?

R&B star Fantasia performed her new single on the Oprah Winfrey Show a few moments ago. Check out how Ms. Barrino fared above…

Great performance! Vocally, this really showed the American Idol alum in a new light; for, though renown for her incomparable runs and belting, this was beautifully understated, really allowing for the the appreciation of another dimension of her voice. Watching this has me feeling the song that much more. More power to her!

Tidbit: Click here to check out our recent interview with Fantasia.

What do you think of the performance?

There have been murmurings for sometime now about Brandy starring in her own reality show. As it turns out, the Grammy Award winning singer will be joining her brother Ray J, as well as their mother and father – Sonja and Willie Norwood, in a new VH1 reality show. Check out the synoposis below (spotted over at our good friend’s Concrete Loop):

Siblings Brandy and Ray J Norwood are famous for their incredible vocal talent on the stage and screen. But they wouldn’t be anywhere without the support and guidance of their parents – entertainment manager and mom, Sonja and talented musical father, Willie Norwood. Viewers will get a first hand glimpse into the lives of the Norwood family unit and their family business – Rn’B Productions. Run by Sonja, Rn’B Productions features an impressive roster of musical artists including Brandy, Ray J and their father Willie, who also serves as the company’s vocal coach. But with Sonja ready to take a step down, Brandy and Ray J will have to fill her shoes quickly all the while taking the family business to the next level. Will they have what it takes to continue to stay in the limelight while growing an entertainment empire?

The reality route seems to be the way to go for many an artist these days. Let’s just hope the show, which debuts April 11th at 9pm, is more in the vein of Monica’s or Fantasia’s, than any of Ray J’s VH1 outings.

Your thoughts?

That Grape Juice are pleased to announce that we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets to an exclusive JLS gig! Yes, 5!

The Platinum selling foursome will be playing an exclusive concert here London’s famed Hammersmith Apollo on February 13th to celebrate the launch of the ‘Nokia 5800 Chrome – Comes With Music’ phone on T-Mobile. Highly anticipated, the Nokia 5800 Chrome features a 3.2inch touch-screen, 8GB memory, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The phone is available on a T-Mobile (UK) contract from £20 per month. A must have!

To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question correctly:

What is the name of JLS’ first #1 single?

a) Everybody In Love

b) Hallelujah

c) Beat Again

Submit your answer, along with your name, age, address, telephone number to the below address at title it ‘JLS Comp’:

competitions@thatgrapejuice.net

All entries must be received by 8am UK time  Monday 8th February!

Good luck!

———————-

* Winners will be notified by email and will receive printable e-tickets which will admit two persons to the venue. Winners aged 14 and under will need to be escorted by an adult aged 18 or over. For full Terms & Conditions, please go to www.nokia.com

* Nokia Comes With Music is an all-you-can-eat music service- giving you access to over 6 million tracks that you can download for free and keep forever.

Janet Jackson and her former boyfriend Jermaine Dupri are set to reunite on her forthcoming studio album. The news came via Dupri’s production partner, Bryan-Michael Cox, who revealed that in addition to Darkchild and Kendrick ‘WyldCard’ Dean, they will be contributing tracks to the project. Janet’s new album hit stores later this year. {Source}

This Janet album is sounding better by the moment! Dupri created a classic with the highly underrated track ‘Rock Wit U’ in 2008, a song that was clearly ahead of it’s time. There is no doubt in my mind that this album will be a ‘make or break’ moment in Janet’s career, and she is going to have to pull out all of the stops to sway things in her favour.

Thoughts?

Beyonce launched her new fragrance ‘Heat’ yesterday. The singer was joined by one of her Destiny’s Child alum, Michelle Williams (above), for the event at 15 Union Square West in New York City. Peep more of the images below:

(more…)

Check out the full version of former Misteeq lead singer Sabrina Washington‘s new single ‘OMG’, which surfaced today. Validating my previous  comments on the preview, the song – in its entirety – is a delicious slice of Electro-Pop, with a satisfiable Urban undercurrent. I like.

Look out for the song’s video this week. Oh and you’ll be seeing a lot more of Ms. Washington around these sides (hint hint ;-))

Sabrina debut solo LP ‘Dirty Pop‘ is set to hit stores later this year.

Hit or Miss?

According to MTV.com, not only will Pop icon Janet Jackson feature on the soon-to-be-released ‘We Are The World’ remake, she will be singing the same part her late brother, the King of Pop Michael Jackson, sang on the original 25 years ago:

Co-producer Richie said that Janet Jackson would be laying down her version of Michael Jackson’s part on Tuesday, and he hinted that some other artists might also be added over the next few days.

What’s more, there is talk of Michael’s children being featured in some capacity:

Quincy (Jones) is saving perhaps the most touching moment for last. At the request of Katherine Jackson, Maya Angelou penned a poem to be read at the end of the song. Quincy is going to speak to Michael’s children about reading that narration. {Source}

As cynical as some may feel to the news of Janet’s involvement or that of Michael’s children, I personally think it honourable. For, the cause – charity – is something that was evidently important to MJ and definitely a part of his lasting legacy. Hence it’s great that his family are actively continuing that. I can’t wait to hear the finished track, which is set to debut during the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Tidbit: Click here to see pictures of the recording session and list of featured artists.

Your thoughts?

As Ludacris readies the release of his new LP ‘Battle of the Sexes’ (due March 9th), a new Ciara-assisted remix for his latest single ‘How Low Can You Go’ has surfaced. Set to feature on Luda’s album, the remix goes hard! Ciara turns in a hotter than hot verse m- profanity and all (Ms. Harris excels on up-tempo cuts in this vein), which makes for the already decent track to be that much better. Good stuff.

Randomness: Am I the only one feeling when Ciara hops on tracks like this as well as the poppier cuts? I ask as I consistently hear folk slamming her for ditching her ‘roots’. Yet the last time I checked Crunk was dead. As the success of many before have shown, there is nothing wrong with keeping elements of what folk know you for (which she has), yet crossing over at the same time. I mean do people really think Beyonce, for example, would be ‘Beyonce – the megastar’ if she carried on singing a certain brand of R&B ala ‘Bills Bills Bills’ and ‘Say My Name’. Artistic growth is all about trying new things and expanding your reach….right?

Hit or Miss?