Miley as Nicki on Halloween

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably noticed that Miley Cyrus and her music have undergone a big change over the last few months. As our writer pointed out on Friday about Miley, she went from not listening to Jay-Z and hip-hop music, to twerking on camera and at concerts, taking pictures with every black person she could find, and tooting “that thang” up in the air on the set of her music videos and posting pictures of herself doing so on Instagram. Rihanna is somewhere giving the side-eye since risque social media behavior and raunchy pop music has been her forte for a while now.

But in an interview with Billboard for the new issue’s cover story, Cyrus discussed her musical influences, as well as an alleged pressure put on her to rap and be a “white Nicki Minaj.” But she says she’s not trying to rap, but rather, to put on the map a new sound she calls “count-step” (like dubstep’s mix of styles), which is country music, dubstep and Southern “trap” music, which can be explained as Dolly Parton, Adele and Juicy J on a track together:

“I’ve always wanted country-rock influences, but now I’m moving over to a more urban side,” she says. “It’s not a hip-hop album, though-it’s a pop album. I’m not coming in trying to rap. It’s more like, ‘I don’t see any girls out there doing what Miguel and Frank Ocean are doing.’” Cyrus pauses, giggling. “We’ve been calling it ‘count-step,’ because it’s like country, dubstep and a little trap,” she says. “I love the Lumineers, but I also love French Montana, Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa and Dolly Parton. If you could put Dolly, some Adele and Juicy J together, you’d have that weird balance.”

Later in the article, she elaborates on why, even though she could probably spit a few bars if she wanted to, she’s not looking to rap as she takes on this new “urban” sound:

“A lot of people wanted to try to make me the white Nicki Minaj,” Cyrus says. “That’s not what I’m trying to do. I love ‘hood’ music, but my talent is as a singer.”

I’m just trying to see what makes Nicki “hood,” when she’s clearly out here trying to be the next pop star. But to each their own.

Also in the article, producer Mike WILL Made It (who is behind many jams, including Ciara’s “Body Party,” Rihanna’s “Pour It Up” and 2 Chainz’s “No Lie”) says Miley’s new song “We Can’t Stop,” which has lyrics like “To my homegirls with the big butts/Shaking it like we at the strip club,” is a “mature” version of her past hit, “Party in the U.S.A.”

If the track-which debuts this week at No. 11 on the Hot 100 and enters the Hot Digital Songs chart at No. 3 with 214,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan-sounds more like a downtempo Rihanna song, that’s because it was originally intended as one. “It’s like a mature version of ‘Party in the U.S.A.,’” Atlanta­-based producer Mike WiLL Made It says. ‘That’s even how I described it when I presented it to Rihanna, before I’d even met Miley.’

Hmmm, maybe that’s why Ri Ri passed on that one…

We’ll have to wait and see if Miley’s young fans will be into her new “count-step” and “urban” sound as much as they were into her twerking in a onesie, but since “We Can’t Stop” debuted on the Billboard charts with big numbers, it’s safe to say they’re feeling it. But are you feeling her new sound and style (which looks awfully familiar)?

Just because you haven’t heard another rendition of Alicia Keys’ latest single lately doesn’t mean the girl isn’t still on fire. A. Keys is one of three talented ladies covering Elle magazine’s May “Women in Music” issue.

According to the mag’s site:

For this year’s Women in Music Issue, the ELLE team traveled from L.A. to London to capture three of today’s brightest stars—Adele, Alicia Keys, and Rita Ora—for our rotating covers. How did we pull it off? Photographer Thomas Whiteside: “We photographed Adele at L.A.’s iconic EastWest Studios, where Frank Sinatra recorded his greatest hits….

Assistant Fashion Editor Sarah Schussheim: “Across the street, we shot Alicia on the rooftop of Siren Studios. She radiated cool New York glamour, relaxing and singing along to a Grace Jones album.” Photographer Doug Inglish: “Alicia brought her two-year-old son, Egypt, and played with him constantly.”

So far, Elle has only released Adele’s final cover, but Alicia Keys looks pretty gorgeous in this shot from inside the mag. MTV Style got a few additional insider details on her shoot, writing:

For Alicia’s shoot, she went ALL. OUT in a fiery red Jean Paul Gaultier turtleneck with a matching pout. According to the mag, she sang along to a Grace Jones album during the shoot to really channel that ’90s vibe, and we can tell!

So can we! These issues should hit newsstands any day now, but if you can’t wait, check out the shots of Adele and Rita Ora on the next couple pages.

What do you think?

Source: AP Images

I usually never watch the Grammys and honestly wasn’t planning on doing so last night. But when my friend asked me if I was going to participate in the festivities at brunch, I decided since I was avoiding the cold, to check it out. The show itself had high and low moments. It wasn’t fabulous but it certainly wasn’t the most boring thing I’ve seen. So, whether you missed it or want to relive it, check out the most memorable moments. The asterisks represent high points of the night.

Women rule pop music. They hold the top spots for digital downloads, money earned and albums sold. For the most part, the female dynamos dominating the music scene manage to coexist without stepping on each other’s toes. Each has a unique brand that allows them stay in their own lane.

This is why so much emphasis is placed on branding. In a crowded market, your brand sets you apart and allows you to attract an audience, even when other brands offer a similar product.

Developing your brand is as simple as embracing who you are and allowing your identity to influence how you do business. Here are a few concepts to help you articulate your brand:

• Mission – What do you do? What is your purpose?
• Offer – What are you selling?
• Relevance – How do you meet your audience’s needs?
• Values – What’s your personality? What is important to your brand?

Let’s look at how today’s reigning divas epitomize their brands. Which diva best matches your personal brand?

Rihanna performing at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Image: Nicholas Hunt/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images)

Rihanna – The Vamp

Mission: Rihanna’s image has morphed through many phases since “Umbrella” launched the star into the pop stratosphere. In recent years, Rihanna has settled on being pop culture’s symbol of youth and sexuality. An unrelenting stream of singles and gossip ensure the singer’s flirtatious presence is constant.

Offer: A good time, and all the mistakes that come with it.

Relevance:

1. Stay on trend. Rihanna molds her style and sound to mimic the pulse of pop culture.
2. Stay on the scene. Rihanna doesn’t give her audience a chance to miss her. She constantly releases music, and her life provides endless fodder for entertainment outlets.
3. Remove your filter. Rihanna’s potty mouth, suggestive lyrics, and unbridled sex appeal create an image of youthful rebellion her audience loves.

Values: unapologetic, open, risqué, trendy, fun

Source: centrictv.com

So last Friday, I was at the Liberation Tour featuring Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo–by myself. Yeah I know, it sounds pretty ambitious to go to a concert by yourself. However, Groupon was offering tickets to the show at a deeply discounted rate and this isn’t the first time, or even the second time, I have went alone to a concert, so I said why the heck not? And, once you get over the initial “Oh my God, I’m here jamming by myself,” it’s not so bad. Plus, little bottles of tequila that you ingeniously snuck in through one of the many zippers on your purse helps to settle nerves you may have too. But that’s a story for another time.

So I’m sipping on some tequila, passing the time until the show started, when the announcer told us to put our hands together for Melanie Fiona. The crowd let out a half-hearted clap – all except two older ladies, sitting three rows before me, who were hooting and screaming from excitement just a little too much to be believable. I suspect that they too had been indulging in too many well-hidden spirits.

Anyway, I’ve seen Fiona perform before – in Miami during this party for the American Black Film Festival, which I attended. And yet, I didn’t remember if I liked her or not. In fact, I was drawing a blank as to what songs she actually sung – or even what she looked like. But I think I liked her – I think. Back to this concert, Fiona hit the stage with blonde hair in an all black getup with a long black train. She did the whole, “how you doing Philly” introduction thing before the band started playing. Her first song was something I kind of knew and thought I heard before, but didn’t know (but later found out that the name of the song was “Wrong Side of Love“), which received small applause and attention from the audience, who were either still making their way to their seats – you know – CP time and all – or milling around too much to really pay attention. Undeterred, Fiona led into her second song, “It Kills Me,” and I swear to God, I heard a collective “Ooooh” like everyone had the same epitome about her identity at the same time. Now hands were swaying in the air and the folks who were still making their way to their seats put a little extra bop in their step. She followed that song with “Give it to Me Right” and then proceeded right into “4AM.” Now folks were standing, doing a little two step, talking about “that’s my song,” and mumbling through the lyrics that they didn’t know before busting out in full ensemble of the chorus, which they did know.

Man that girl can really sing. I mean her voice is on point and sounds just as it does on the radio. Not to mention her great stage presence and the undeniable catchiness of her songs. In fact, most of the songs she belted out at the concert receive great radio rotations. So why isn’t Fiona a bigger star than what she is?

This is a question that has always bewildered me. It seems that some singers like a Rihanna or a Beyoncé become household names while others like a Fiona or a Heather Hedley or even a Tamia, as demonstrated by this article, simply can’t break the ceiling of stardom – no matter how many number ones they have under their belts. Heck even Keri Hilson has more name recognition than Fiona and we all know that Hilson can’t sing her way out of a shower with great acoustics.

It certainly is not a slow news day in Hollywood. First we got word that Tom Cruise and his wife of five years, Katie Holmes, are filing for divorce, then we hear that Adele is pregnant with her first child with boyfriend Simon Konecki.

On the topic of the divorce, it’s surprising only in that we would’ve assumed Cruise would’ve pushed to stay married for ten years. We all know how hyper-aware he is of his persona and five years seems too short of a time to convince anyone that they were in it to win it. On the other hand, five years is not that bad in Hollywood considering that Kim Kardashian has lowered the average time of celebrity marriage with her 72-day fiasco.

All we know is that Cruise needs to slow his roll, as this latest marriage to Holmes marked his third. He was previously married to Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman. It was only the first marriage for Katie Holmes but seeing that she’s only 33, it is very likely that she’ll be headed down the aisle again (hopefully for the right reasons this time).

On to Adele. This woman is a remarkable, history-making talent but we do have to ask…isn’t she too young to have a baby? At 24, Adele has achieved much of what she’s set out to do in the music world and has had to grow up much faster than her peers in order to manage the pressures of stardom but still…

She’s super young and in a young relationship with her boyfriend as well. Nevertheless, we do wish her the best.

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Source: Global 14

Now last time The Dream spoke out about singers, ya’ll weren’t feeling his claim that R&B dudes have been trying to steal his sound, but this time he may actually have a point about music today.

In an interview with the Guardian in the UK, he spoke about the transfer of soul from the R&B genre to artists who you would expect to be more pop in the US, and how black artists have in turn adopted a more pop sound. He spoke on the genre he considers himself to be a part of, saying:

“It’s called rhythm and blues; they just took the blues out of it for so long.

“What’s crazy is that blacks can’t do soul records any more,” he said. “We love Adele singing it, but Beyoncé singing it? No, the tempo’s too slow, gimme the club hit. Now the blacks in America are responsible for the pop records, and everybody else is singing soulful records. It’s weird to me. We’re pigeonholed over there.”

On this, The Dream is absolutely right. This is an issue we talk about a lot, asking what is it that’s so unique about the Adeles, the Amy Winehouses, and the Duffys—basically soulful white singers from the UK that make a killing in the US—is it just that their sound is unexpected based on their looks and consumers go crazy over it? Is that what black artists are trying to do now by taking over the pop scene?

A friend just texted me this weekend asking me what was the deal with Chris Brown’s CD, saying he’s not R&B anymore, he’s strictly pop. That explained my confusion with his Grammy performance this year. But even Usher dabbled with the pop sound a bit on his last album, and no one would argue against the charge that Rihanna and Beyonce are extra heavy on the pop and light on the soul. The question is, is that the type of music these singers want to do or do they make this type of music because it’s the only music they can sell? There are obviously several black entertainers who have a soulful sound, but they’re not the ones getting the mainstream shine.

What do you think? Is it impossible for soulful black artists to have mainstream success in the US?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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It has to be hard to get over a past relationship when you’re constantly singing songs about your ex, but at least Adele has six little things to remind her that the pain was worth it—the Grammys she won at Sunday’s award ceremony.

The level of success Adele has achieved seems to finally be sinking in for her, so much so that she’s ready to acknowledge her ex for the part he played, and also put all the doom and gloom behind her musically. In a gorgeous cover feature in the March issue of Vogue, Adele talks about her plans to do just that after her life-changing year. Check out clips of the interview here:

On the man behind 21

“Even though my emotions aren’t with my ex at all anymore, it’s still like stepping back into that really painful time. So every show is pretty emotional. It takes a toll.

“You know, he was amazing. He was great. But it was never going to work. And for ages I was like, As if he deserves any fucking kudos for inspiring my record. But now, after some time, it only seems right that the person who so far has had the biggest impact on me—has now changed my life for fucking ever with this album—deserves a little credit. I can do things that I never dreamed I’d be able to do. If I hadn’t met him, I think I’d still be that little girl I was when I was eighteen. And the best thing is, I now know what I want for myself and from someone else. I didn’t know what I wanted before.”

Telling her love story through music

“After my first record, interviewers were like, ‘Are you going to be as sharing and as honest on your next record?’ And I was like, ‘No, I think I’ve learned my lesson.’ And then I did it again! But even more magnified! So as much as I’m like, ‘I want to be private! Don’t take my f***ing picture!,’ I did ask for it.”

“I’m wifey material! I’m great. No one’s got to be brave. It’s not like, ‘You f*** me over and I’m going to write a record and make you the most hated man in the world.’ I am never writing a breakup record again, by the way. I’m done with being a bitter witch.”

Her new man

“He’s wonderful and he’s proud of me, but he don’t care about what I do or what other people think. He looks after me. I don’t think I would have gotten through the recovery for my surgery if it hadn’t been for him.

“If I am constantly working, my relationships fail. So at least now I can have enough time to write a happy record. And be in love and be happy. And then I don’t know what I’ll do. Get married. Have some kids. Plant a nice vegetable patch.”

Her relationship style

“I love a bit of drama. That’s a bad thing. I can flip really quickly. I am not bipolar, but I go from ‘Oh, my God, I love you’ to ‘Get the Fawk out of my house!’ really quickly. And I never sit there and talk about it. I give them the silent treatment. They’re like, ‘Tell me what I’ve done so I can say sorry!’ What else? It used to be that I loved a drink a bit too much. But I don’t drink no more. The good things: I am attentive. I will do anything for my man. I am a good cook. I’m funny. Always want to have sex. Well, most girls don’t!”

I’m loving this woman more and more. Are you looking forward to hearing happier music from Adele on her next album?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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You never know what’s going to come out of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld’s mouth, just like you never know what’s going to be said about the First Lady, but for once this situation is a win-win.

Turns out Karl is a huge fan of Michelle Obama, and he told the Metro World News in Paris so today, as he gave his thoughts on the hottest news stories. Here’s what he said:

“Yes he does [deserve to be re-elected], especially because of Mrs. Obama. I’m a big fan of Mrs. Obama – and her face, I think, is magical. He would not be there without her. Mrs. Obama is not a fashion statement, but she has other things to do. My favorite thing about Mrs Obama was when she was asked if her skirt was not too tight and she answered “Why you don’t like my big black a**?”* I want [Barack] Obama to win because there is nothing better anyway, and especially because of her.

I never voted in my life. I will never vote. I know too much about politics from what’s going on backstage. To vote you have to believe all that garbage that they promise you, and they can’t keep those promises. If someone gave me an Obama pin, I would just put it on.”

If you’re scratching your head a little bit, you should be. Michelle Obama actually never made that big black a** comment, but it would have been great is she did—although, oddly enough, Karl isn’t a fan of anything too big.When asked how he felt about singer Lana Del Ray, he turned the attention to Adele, saying:

“The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.”

You can always count on Karl to keep it non-PC.

Did you know he was such a Michelle Obama fan?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Oh snap! Everyone’s favorite dancing machine and sometimes blonde-haired boy wonder will be making his mark on the Grammy stage this Sunday according to the folks over at The Associated Press and The Recording Academy. Back in 2009, Brown was set to become a household name for his dancing and singing skills since he and girlfriend Rihanna were set to perform, but the night before the big awards show…well, we all know what happened. He did become a household name, but for all the wrong reasons.

But as Puffy and Mase used to say, “Can’t nobody hold me down!” Brown, who is nominated for three Grammys including Best R&B album, will take the same stage as his ex Rihanna, who is slated to perform alongside Coldplay during the night’s festivities. The Bajan singer is also nominated for the coveted Album of the Year for her Loud album. It might be the first event (NOT club) where both Brown and Rihanna are in the same vicinity–in front of a worldwide audience, so if you were expecting some googly eyes or too see folks talking to one another, it’s not going to happen.As for his performance, with Breezy, expect a whole lot of dancing–seriously, like more dancing than singing, as if he’s dancing for his livelihood. But I’m not mad at the brother, that’s just what he does.

This should be great–as long as Brown doesn’t do “She Ain’t You.” Sorry, but that just would be a bit awkward don’t you think?

Other last minute performers slated to hit the stage include Alicia Keys, who will join Bonnie Raitt in a tribute for the late Etta James. It’s pretty safe to say that this year’s Grammys, which will also feature a live performance by Adele (her first since her latest surgery), will be a big one.

Will you be watching?

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