Following our report that Kelly Rowland‘s video for current single ‘Rose Coloured Glasses’ was recently shot in 3D, That Grape Juice can reveal that acclaimed fashion photographer Rankin directed the clip.
Having photographed some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Madonna, Vivienne Westwood, and Britney Spears, Rankin’s music video resume includes Nelly Furtado’s ‘Say It Right’ and Kelis’ ‘Acapella’ videos.
It’s awesome to see Kelly collaborating with the industry’s finest – finally. One can only hope the clip itself turns out great.
NOTE TO UNIVERSAL MOTOWN: We’re gonna need a video for ‘Grown Woman’ with the swiftness!
That Grape Juice caught up with R&B star Ciara this past week. With the recent announcement of the singer’s 4th studio album ‘Basic Instinct’, we were eager to quiz her on the record, as well as a host of other topics.
Our third interview with the 24 year old, this was hands-down the best! A very candid Ciara spoke on everything from the poor performance of her ‘Fantasy Ride’ LP, to what we can expect from her new record, BET’s banning of her ‘Ride’ video, what she wants her legacy to be, the possibility of a duet with Keri Hilson, her response to claims she’s gone “too Pop” and much more!
As ever, we ask the questions you reallywant answers to! Enjoy…
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Interviewer: Sam // Transcription: Bisi Kadejoh // Edited by: Trent
Christina Aguilera sat down with ‘FUSE’ for an in-depth interview where she spoke about a wide range of topics. The singer, whose ‘Bionic’ album hit stores yesterday, discussed how she has adapted to motherhood, how Madonna influenced her ‘Not Myself Tonight’ video, why she decided to collaborate with Nicki Minaj on ‘Woo Hoo‘ and lots more. Check it out below:
Kelly Rowland’s ‘Commander’ video is finally here! The clip was directed by Masashi Muto in support of the song which serves as the 1st international single from Rowland’s upcoming yet-to-be-named LP which hits stores on September 14th. Check it out below:
Hailed by industry heavyweights as ‘the next big thing’, 24 year old Brit Smith, more commonly known as Matisse, looks poised for a very successful 2010.
The latest addition to the Jive Records roster, Matisse is no stranger to the limelight. Indeed, she named herself after one of her favourite painters who refused to give up as a struggling artist. Some may remember the stunning starlet‘s first industry outing as one half of sisterly duo Brit & Alex back in 2008. While that project didn’t take off – resulting in the sisters disbanding, Matisse the solo star looks set for a much brighter future, if the phenomenal reception to her infectious debut single ‘Better Than Her’ is anything to go by.
So much so is the buzz surrounding the singer that many of music’s biggest hitmakers are queuing up to work on her debut LP. The following are but a few of them:
“Matisse is one of my favourite new artists. She brings a playful energy back to pop music reminiscent of early Madonna” – Kevin Rudolf
“She’s a natural superstar who’s a deadly combo of sexiness and class.…” – Dallas Austin
“Matisse is an artist with the goods! … Someone to keep an eye out for in 2010!” – Tricky Stewart
“Matisse is the complete artist. … [She] is the real deal!” – Harvey Mason Jr.
Though born in Connecticut, Matisse’s teenage years were spent here in London – an experience which no doubt influences the international sound her music boasts; an honest (non-cliché) fusion of Pop, Electronica, and R&B. A fusion, I found, greatly demonstrated on the Dallas Austin produced ‘Lullabies, Chocolates & Lies’ – which you can listen to below.
A breath of fresh air, Matisse will no doubt be a name on the lips of many very soon!
Check out ‘Better Than Her’ and ‘Lullabies, Chocolates & Lies’ below:
The music industry has many biases against women involving skin colour, body type and even the texture of their hair. However, the most prevalent of all these issues is the one that most people overlook: age. It seems that as soon as a female artist nears the dreaded age of 40, the clock starts clicking against her, with each passing moment being nothing more than borrowed time. Indeed, while many may herald a woman’s 40th birthday as a milestone of achievement, the music industry considers it be an expiration date.
No matter how successful or famous the act, the age of 40 presents a hurdle that is near impossible to overcome. From Toni Braxton to Jennifer Lopez, female artists struggle to find their place on the charts amongst their younger counterparts, regardless of their talent or the strength of their material. For instance, Janet Jackson’s latest album, ‘Discipline’, boasted some of the best records she has released since 2001’s ‘All For You’, yet it has been unceremoniously overlooked by the masses. Yet, there is one thing that women can do remain relevant: change their target audiences.
Female artists receive tremendous pressure from their fans and critics alike to start “acting their age” once they enter their 40’s. Suddenly, the revealing clothing and playful lyrics that defined their music before their 40th birthday become taboo. These women are automatically expected to behave more ‘maturely’ and craft material to attract consumers within a similar age bracket on the Adult Contemporary formats. For instance, Mariah Carey,whose sex appeal is almost as famous has her vocal range, is being pressured to tone down her look and “grow up”. In fact, she was slammed by various critics for her #1 single ‘Touch My Body’ (which she made when she was 38) because of its “juvenile” lyrical content. It seems that women are expected to magically transform into political analysts as they grow older; placing their sex appeal and playfulness in a box, only to be used behind closed doors.
Interestingly, male artists do not face similar criticism for their musical efforts. Jay-Z and R. Kelly, for example, are both over the age of 40 yet neither have been told to adjust their lyrics. Quite notably, R. Kelly’s ‘Untitled’ album was littered with sexual content with hardly anything resembling the ‘mature’ sound of ‘I Believe I Can Fly’.
Thus, it seems that the music industry is just another construct of the male-dominated world in which we live, where women continue to be pressured to conform to certain standards that men manage to evade. Nonetheless, many may argue that women themselves are at fault for their own downfall. While it may be true that women have to work harder to achieve success in their 40’s, artists like Madonna and Sade Adu (who are both in their 50’s) continue to enjoy similar accomplishments to what they did in their youth. Maybe some female artists get too comfortable with their earlier achievements and their declining success is simply a signal from their longtime fans to step up their game.
Do you think that the music industry has an age limit
TIME magazine has released its annual list of the most influential people in the world and none other than Lady GaGa has topped the list. The Pop phenomenon ranked higher than Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Elton John and Prince. Check out GaGa’s message to her fans about her own inspirations below {Source}:
After the backlash which ensued following the première of Kiely Williams‘ new video for single ‘Spectacular’, the former 3LW star has taken to the net to defend the risqué clip. Check out what she had to say after the jump…
With her ‘Telephone (Ft. Beyonce)’ video enjoying massive success, Lady GaGa has issued a bold statement regarding her next studio album. The singer, who celebrated her 24th birthday this weekend, calls the LP “the anthem of our generation”. GaGa also revealed that she has already written the 1st single for the record. Here is what she had to say:
Ke$ha hit the stage on the ‘American Idol’ results show with the 3Oh!3 last evening. The Pop sensation performed the second single from her ‘Animal’ LP, ‘Blah Blah Blah’. To date, the track has peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Check out the performance below:
In their latest tirade, Fox News have taken aim with Lady GaGa‘s record-breaking ‘Telephone’ video. During a segment titled ‘Has Lady GaGa Gone Too Far?’, the network – who are no strangers to nitpicking at the music industry – critiqued the video for ‘poisoning the youth of today’, hitting out against its provocative nature. Peep the segment below…
I’m assuming I pretty much speak for the majority when I say… ‘whatever!’ Besides the fact artists such as Madonna have gone much further when it comes to provocativeness, the whole piece just seemed like two-old fossils spouting bias nonsense. Surely there are more serious issues going on in the world which are just begging for more airtime than a relatively tame Lady GaGa video? Things that make you go ‘hmmm’. Sigh….
