According to the ever reliable Kelly-Rowland.net, Grammy Award winning singer Kelly Rowland is wrapping up her as yet untitled Universal Motown debut; yet before doing so, the 28 year old has logged in studio-time with hit-maker Danja!

For those unfamiliar, Danja boasts an impressive production discography, which includes Britney’s ‘Gimme More’, Madonna’s ‘4 Minutes’, Mariah’s ‘Migrate’, Keri Hilson’s ‘Knock You Down’, and Whitney’s ‘For The Lovers’. It pretty much goes without saying that he’s as A-List as a producer will come.

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It really does seem both Kelly and her new label are going all out to ensure that this project is top-notch, and top-notch it’s appearing to be. With the industry buzzing and the production list looking ever-the-more promising, Kelly (at least on paper) seems to be on to a winner.Collaborating with Danja, more specifically, is something that has been in the works for the better part of two years, and is something Kelly discussed with That Grape Juice way back in 2008. So to see it finally materialising is awesome.

Word has it, Ms. Kelly’s LP will be hitting shelves around May times. We can not wait!

Randomness: Danja also had production credits on Danity Kane’s ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse’ (‘Pretty Boy’, ‘Striptease’, ‘Bad Girl’), which is conceptually what I’m envisioning Kelly’s project to be like (an Urban/Pop/Dance) fusion). If anything on that wavelength, we’re in for a treat!

Your thoughts?

Toni Braxton made a guest appearance on ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ today. The diva performed the official 2nd single from her upcoming ‘Pulse’ album, ‘Make My Heart’. ‘Pulse’ hits stores on May 4th.

Although she was clearly lip-syncing, Braxton worked the life out of that stage. She oozed sex appeal and got into the choreography without looking forced or awkward in the least. ‘Make My Heart’ has grown on me a lot since I first heard it and I can definitely see it doing big things on the charts if given the right music video and promotion. Great stuff!

Check out the interview Braxton had with Wendy below where she discussed her marriage and upcoming reality show, among other things, below:

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The video for LeToya‘s latest single ‘Good To Me’ premièred a few moments ago. Check out the AJ Crimson directed clip above. Keston Karter stars…

As much as we’re feeling LeToya as well as the song, it’s imperative to keep it real; the video – though not bad – left a lot to be desired (visually, concept-wise, budget and all that jazz). However, I must give the Destiny’s Child alumni props where props are due. With her label Capitol offering nothing more than to release the song (i.e. formally service it to radio and nothing else in terms of finance or promotion), Ms. Luckett deserves kudos for pressing on and keeping her face out there. Here’s hoping things work out for her in the long run.

Tidbit: LeToya looked stunning!

What do you think of the video?

Singer John Mayer found himself in a wave of controversy today following his comments in a recent interview with Playboy magazine. Check out the interview, and Mayer’s subsequent ‘apology’ below:

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Destiny’s Child alumni Michelle Williams celebrated the opening night of her stint as Roxy Hart in the Broadway adaptation of ‘Chicago’ last night at the INC Lounge. The ‘We Break The Dawn’ singer was joined by the production’s cast and crew, as well as other celebrities including Jay-Z and Star Jones. 

Ms. Williams sure is doing her thing on Broadway; first ‘Aida’, then ‘The Colour Purple’ and now ‘Chicago’. I really feel some folk don’t understand just how  skilled performers in musicals have to be, nor how intense their schedules are (usually 8 performances a week!).

I saw Michelle play this role in London last year and was blown away by her performance, truly top-notch. So I’m sure she’ll do a stellar job this go round. Enough of my rambling, check out more pics below:

Your thoughts?

R&B star LeToya stopped by The Brian McKnight Show recently for a chat with the renown crooner (click here to watch), as well as perform a special rendition of her smash ‘Torn’ (with McKnight playing the piano), which you can view above.

Great performance! Ms. Luckett sure has come a long way vocally since her earlier solo days; really honing her talent to a point where, today, she has much more vocal power and control, as well as better technique. Artistic growth really is beautiful thing.

Randomness: Now if only her label could get their act together and pull out the stops to ensure her talent isn’t wasted or unnoticed (sigh). That said, with her being signed to Capitol – who are owned by EMI, who themselves are on the brink of a meltdown, Ms. Luckett could hopefully be looking for a new label home soon. Something I hope materialises,  as she has too much potential for it to be wasted.

Your thoughts?

It has been announced today that Alicia Keys and Beyonce will be shooting their new video on February 9th. The clip, which will support the 3rd single from Keys’ ‘The Element of Freedom’ LP, ‘Put It In A Love Song’, will be shot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. {Source} To date, ‘Put It In A Love Song’ has thus far peaked at #60 on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts.

‘Put It In a Love Song’ is one of the stronger songs on Keys’ album so I am very pleased to see that it is getting video treatment. However, for an artist who promised to take a break this year, Beyonce really is maintaining her media presence. In addition to this video, she will also be featured in Lady GaGa’s ‘Telephone’ clip as well as in a fresh wave of promotional ads from her ‘Heat’ fragrance. Unless she has another ‘Sasha Fierce’ concept under her sleeve, I won’t be surprised if people had their fill of Beyonce by the end of 2010.

Thoughts?

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?

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…

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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?

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?

In a recent interview with Sweden’s Kingsize magazine, rapper Jay-Z opened up about married life with Beyonce, as well as if the couple are planning for any offspring any time soon. Peep the interesting quotes below:

You’ve just turned 40 years old, do you have any plans for starting a family soon? You and Beyonce talk about that?

Jay-Z: “I’d like to be a dad some day and I love children. You start your life with expectations and dreams, then life unfolds and it doesn’t always turn out the way you imagined. Life is what it is. And at this point it’s up to somebody else.

Do you consider your and Beyonce’s marriage as role model for a perfect marriage?

Jay-Z: “I don’t think there is such thing as a perfect relationship. It is unrealistic and hoping for too much. I don’t think it is worth all that pressure. We also have our struggles and problems.” {Source}

Hmmm…. at the kids answer LOL. No comment at the silly question at the end. Why do some interviews ask questions that they could answer themselves?! In any case…

Your thoughts?