As a result of protests by Malaysia’s Muslim groups, Beyonce's upcoming concert in the country's Kuala Lumpur region - her first ever there - has been cancelled. The 'Deja Vu' singer reportedly refused to conform to the Malaysian Muslim dress code - which doesn't allow for female performers to reveal any skin from the chest down - or tone down her racy routines. Interestingly, Gwen Stefani, who toured the same region recently, agreed to make changes to her show so that it may be acceptable. {Source}

Labels: Beyonce

The official commercial for Mariah Carey's new fragrance - 'M By Mariah Carey' - premiered on MTV yesterday (September 27th). Though I'm feeling the specially recorded track playing the background, the ad was a mess. I can't put my finger on what it was, but something was definitely 'off'.

What do you think of the commercial?

Labels: Mariah Carey

Black Eyed Peas frontman, Will.i.Am, appears on the cover of the latest issue of Ave Magazine. Not sure about this, but I'm kinda feeling what they were trying to do.

With Will's new solo album 'Songs About Girls' having hit stores this week, the artist/producer is making the promotional rounds in support of the project. Earlier this week he stopped by The Jimmy Kimmel show to perform the album's second single 'One More Chance'; he did pretty good. Check out the performance below:

What do you think of the cover / performance?

Labels: Will.i.am

R&B star Usher had a phone-in interview with shock-jock radio personality Miss Jones earlier this week. I am literally cracking up as I type - too funny. The 'Confessions' singer was attempting to promote his fragrance line, 'Usher He/She', but was continually grilled on the controversy surrounding his wife Tameka Foster. Though he shut Miss Jones and co down, this was still pure comedy lol.

Labels: Usher

As reported yesterday, Michael Jackson is featured in the October issue of L’uomo Vogue (Italian Vogue for men). The 25-page spread is to honor the 25th anniversary of Jackson's mega-selling album 'Thriller'. Check out more scans from the shoot below:

In other MJ news, famed fashion designer Roberto Cavalli is reportedly working on a new look for the King of Pop to coincide with the release of his new album next year.

Your thoughts?

Labels: Michael Jackson

In a recent interview with The Lantern, R&B star Kelly Rowland spoke on the forthcoming re-release of her critically praised, yet poor selling, 'Ms. Kelly' album:

The Lantern: Are you reissuing "Ms. Kelly?"

Kelly Rowland: I am actually. I'm going back into the studio to do some more songs. I was very apprehensive at first, but I swallowed my pride. The record industry is very different. Things are going more digital and I want to accommodate my fanbase.

It's good to see her being honest and not sugarcoating the situation (i.e. the album's poor performance). I'm assuming the re-release explains the whereabouts of the already-filmed video's for 'Work' and 'Comeback'.

In other news, UK Kelly fans should be on the lookout for her as she will be hitting these sides in October for a few shows. As soon as more information is available, I'll let you know.

Labels: Kelly Rowland

With the release of her album 'Her Name Is Nicole' drawing nearer (November 6th), Nicole Scherzinger is doing the promo rounds in support of the project - this time hitting up Yahoo's Pepsi Smash. The Pussycat Doll front-woman performed the album's lead single 'Whatever You Like'. Though the song is still the pits, I did like the performance. It's a shame the material she is putting out isn't up to par as she has the potential to be big; judging by the little hype surrounding the project, it seems many feel the same way.

What do you think of the performance?

Labels: Nicole Scherzinger

With the snippet of 'Just Fine' surfacing earlier this week, it was inevitable the full version would soon follow. Having listened to the track in it's entirety, I'm pleased Mary decided to come a little different to how many would have expected. The overall vibe of the song seems to reflect where Mary is at in career and private life - a much happier place. Interestingly, the track sounds a lot more mainstream in comparison to her past material and should crossover well on other formats. Mary's new album 'Growing Pains' drops November 20th.

Labels: Mary J. Blige

Labels: Keyshia Cole, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot

(Image credit: Kevipod)

LISTEN: Until The End Of Time (Remix) (ft. Beyonce)

Labels: Beyonce, Justin Timberlake

The above pic is the alleged cover of Jay-Z's forthcoming 'American Gangster' album. As much as I'm sorta apprehensive about the whole project, the cover is really good and goes well with the CD's concept.

Labels: Jay Z

R&B singer J. Holiday recently performed his smash hit 'Bed' on Yahoo's 'Who's Next' series. After initially being kinda wary of the track, I can't stop listening to it and each of J's performances seem to be better than the last. This one is definitely one to watch out for.

What do you think of the performance?

Labels: J. Holiday

With Mary J Blige's new album 'Growing Pains' set for a November release, a snippet of the CD's supposed first single has surfaced. Titled 'Just Fine', the uptempo track sees the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul in much happier place. Can't judge the song until I've heard it in it's entirety.

Labels: Mary J. Blige

Hit Or Miss?

Labels: Trina

As reported last week, multi-octave diva Mariah Carey is set to release the follow-up to her 2005 smash 'The Emancipation of Mimi' on December 4th. Details of the highly anticipated album were expected to be revealed later this week, however Singers Room have lifted the lid on the project which has been shroud in secrecy up until now.

Labels: Mariah Carey

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, recently done a photoshoot for the October issue of the Italian version of Vogue magazine. Check out the video above for stills from the shoot. Mike needs to hurry with that album of his; it seems people need to be reminded of the unmatched talent he is.

What do you think of the pics?

Labels: Michael Jackson

Labels: Lil' Wayne

Labels: Alicia Keys

Labels: Whitney Houston

R&B breakout star LeToya is hard at work on her as-yet-untitled sophomore LP (the previously announced title 'Lady Love' is still under consideration). Set for release in February 2008, the album is slated to feature productions from the likes of Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, Pharrell Williams, J.R. Rotem, Bryan Michael Cox and J.R Rotem. Though the album is to hit stores next year, a track from the set titled 'Swagger' - which features UGK, Killa Kyleon and Slim Thug - should surface in the coming days.

Your thoughts?

Labels: LeToya

Rumored to be the last single from Rihanna's 'Good Girl Gone Bad' album, the video for 'Hate That I Love You' premiered today on the singer's website. I've long said how I'm not feeling the song, but having seen the video I'm liking it a little more. The vid is kinda simple, yet does the song justice.

What do you think of the video?

Labels: Ne-Yo, Rihanna

Ok, so I've been less than thrilled with alot of what Nicole Scherzinger has had on offer as a solo artist and this song/video has done nothing to change that. 'Baby Love' is the 2nd single to be lifted from Scherzinger's 'Her Name Is Nicole' album. Put simply, neither the track or the video are up-to-par; everything seems in place for Nicole to be a solo superstar e.g. the girl-group leader, label backing etc, yet she has yet to deliver anything of substance. This cookie-cutter mush isn't likely to propel her to the heights she is capable of achieving.

What do you think of the video?

Labels: Nicole Scherzinger

R&B superstar Beyonce continues her assault on the endorsement scene, this time starring in a commercial for American Express. Though I don't tend to care for things like this, I enjoyed the ad.

What do you think of the commercial?

Labels: Beyonce

Continuing her promo blitz through Europe, Jennifer Lopez performed her new single 'Do It Well' here in the UK yesterday (September 22nd) on nighttime talk show 'Parkinsons'. It's good to see that she's upped her live singing and she was solid vocally throughout. However, the performance lacked any real energy - 'Do It Well' is a dance track, yet she didn't do much of that. Jenny knows she was wrong for that mess of an outfit too.

What do you think of the performance?

Labels: Jennifer Lopez

Check out Missy Elliott in the first of a number of ads she'll star in as part a campaign with Doritos. The jokes kinda write themselves with this one lol. Still, it's good to see Missy doing her thing with the endorsements.

What do you think of the commercial?

Labels: Missy Elliot

With the release of Jennifer Lopez's new album 'Brave' drawing ever-nearer (UK: October 8th & US: October 9th), more new promo shots for the CD have surfaced. I'm liking the whole futuristic feel the pics have to them. Here's hoping she delivers with the album itself too.

Labels: Jennifer Lopez

Mariah Carey attended the VH1 Save The Music Foundation's 10th Anniversary Gala earlier this week (September 20th) at the Lincoln Center, New York City. The renown diva was honoured for her contributions to the Foundation, which donates instruments to public schools and helps fund music education programs.

Labels: Mariah Carey

Following the surprise announcement of Jay-Z's forthcoming 'American Gangster' LP earlier this week, the CD's lead single has surfaced. Though not a bad track, Jay will have to do better than this if he is to convince people the project is worthwhile. Put simply, the Def Jam president has fared much better on other tracks - in terms of his delivery. What's more Pharrell's efforts on the production side of things come across kinda weak. I'm starting to think Jay would have been better off retired (for real); his 'out-of retirement' LP 'Kingdom Come' didn't live up to expectations and this new track doesn't indicate his new material will be anything to rave about.

Labels: Jay Z

The video for Ja Rule's new single 'Body' premiered yesterday (September 20th) on BET. Considering Ja is attempting to restore his tattered career, this single/video is unlikely to generate any interest around his upcoming album 'The Mirror (due November 13th). The vid is kinda 'blah' and doesn't really go anywhere - the same will be the case for Ja's career if he doesn't fix up soon.

What do you think of the video?

Labels: Ja Rule

Labels: Ne-Yo