It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid hosted an exclusive listening party for Mariah Carey’s new holiday album Merry Christmas II You at Allen Room at Lincoln Center in NYC. Mariah herself showed up with husband Nick Cannon to present her festive collection of tunes.
It’s not even Halloween yet, but Mariah Carey is already ushering in Christmas. The pop songbird and Island Def Jam chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid turned Allen Room at Lincoln Center in New York City into a winter wonderland to host a festive listening session for Merry Christmas II You, the follow-up to her 1994 best-selling Christmas album.
Munching on candy canes and Hershey’s Kisses and sipping Mariah’s own Angel Champagne, guests including Gayle King, singer Trey Lorenz, and “Extra” correspondent A.J. Calloway shuffled from the reception room to the soundstage, where Reid took the podium situated on a stage decorated with white pine trees, giant ornaments, and silver boxes of presents.
“It’s challenging. It’s Christmas in October, I know,” joked Reid before introducing the album. “Mariah started making this album in June after three years of asking.” – I suppose Mariah always gets what she wants…roll on the Christmas banter! (more…)
Rihanna is throwing up the Roc. The pop superstar has parted ways with her longtime manager and has signed a management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
“[I'm] so excited to take this next step in my career,” Rihanna told The Associated Press in a statement Wednesday. She had previously been managed by Marc Jordan of Rebel One Management, who was with her from the start of her career.
Plans are underway to launch a new company called Rihanna Entertainment that will “merge all of her businesses, including music, film, fragrance, fashion, and book ventures.”
Jay-Z signed Rihanna to Def Jam in 2005 and collaborated with her on “Umbrella” as well as his 2009 hit “Run This Town.” She will release her fifth album Loud on November 16.
And if you ask me, BIG MISTAKE!!! If Rihanna leaves Island Def Jam she’d loser all her clever formulated career moves, under Roc Nation not only would she leaved her tailored marketing team but also the Rihanna look! Roc Nation clearly wouldn’t be able to work with pop…look at the Sugababes! (more…)
Mariah Carey was spotted stepping off her private jet, whilst she is still in LA just finishing off some business she is expected to fly to New York for her exclusive Album listening party. Mariah Carey‘s cat and mouse game–is she pregnant or just really enjoying lasagna?–may soon be over. Invites have gone out for an October 20th listening session in New York for Carey’s new holiday album, “Merry Christmas II You.”
Island Def Jam chief L.A. Reid is hosting the event, and Carey will be there to meet and greet friends, family, and radio types. Unless she’s hidden, or a hologram, or sits behind a large pocket book all night, there are undoubtedly going to be questions. And maybe an answer. Recent pictures indicate that our lovely Mariah looks very little like the photo on the invite itself right now.
Remember: Mariah told us through her rep a few weeks ago that she was very “superstitious” about discussing such matters. Meantime, Mariah’s first single from the new album, “Oh Santa,” is pretty catchy. Expect to hear it four times a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas! (more…)
A red Rihanna finally pushed out her “Only Girl (In The World)“, and a little earlier than expected. “Only Girl (In The World)” will be the lead single off her “LOUD” album which is set to hit stores in November. But like all things these days, Rihanna’s new video for “Only Girl (In the World)” has made its way online hours before its official MTV premiere. The red-headed siren stars alone in the Anthony Mandler-directed clip for the first single from her fifth album Loud, frolicking through the hills, mountains, and fields of flowers - how relevant.
Without about this music is a great piece of artist direction, and with the video being shot on possibly the most tightest budget till date with any Island Def Jam – Rihanna project, she’s managed to do pretty amazing. In many ways this has given us a little taster of what is going to be an amazing album “LOUD“. Like many people who are thinking the same…exactly what did that video have to do with the song? Yes by being the only person featured in the video it’s obvious that Rihanna was meant to represent the “Only Girl (In the world)” but that was the only facet of the clip that made sense.
This entire production consisted of glamour shots of Rihanna prancing around in a field like the goat that she often imitates. Still, I did enjoy the pretty fireworks at the end and found my self on the edge of my seat genuinely concerned that her flaming red hair would truly catch on fire. Having enjoyed her videos for ‘Russian Roulette’, ‘Hard’ & ‘Rude Boy’, I was not impressed by this silly clip at all. No gold star for you Rihanna. I hope you enjoy Rihanna’s “Only Sheep (In The Meadow)” “Only Girl (In The World)“. I’M ONLY JOKING!!! We all love Rihanna! – Don’t we…? (more…)
If you where in London, and saw a red light in the sky, it wasn’t a shooting star – it was just Rihanna’s hair! Yes red Rihanna jetted to London this week to preview her album to press and of course go shopping!
What’s better than shopping with Rihanna? Having Rihanna shop for you! The pop star played personal stylist to five girls, who won a competition to meet the singer and have her style them at Topshop Oxford Circus in London, this week. Rocking a “She Died for Perfection” shirt and long tulle skirt with heels and socks, the red-haired fashionista picked out a few items including a pair of leopard heels.
Looks like RiRi is dying for some UK love, when after her label Island Def Jam where shocked to see the poor sales of Rihanna’s “Rated R” in the UK despite the the X-Factor performance of “Russian Roulette“. Island Def Jam expect Rihanna’s much awaited new LP “LOUD” to be what it’s called! The album is set to open at number one on the billbaord hot 100 and has already certified Gold in album pre-orders alone! “Only Girl (In The World)” according to some Rihanna fans is set to be RiRi’s 8th number one single. (more…)
Drake and Rihanna may have gone their separate ways when it comes to love, but the pair has reunited for a new collaboration. The Young Money rapper spilled the beans about their secret duet during a recent interview.
“I just did this great song with Rihanna so I hope we get to shoot a video for that too,” he revealed to one of our sources backstage at his Miami tour kick-off this week. “I’m really excited about that song.”
Drake had reportedly written for Rihanna in the past, but the material did not make her album. He was careful not to give away too much about their latest collabo, which will likely appear on Rihanna’s new album “Loud“, due November 16. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk about that actually.”
The young stars were rumored to have dated in the past, but their brief relationship left Drizzy brokenhearted. “I was a pawn,” he told us. “You know what she was doing to me? She was doing exactly what I’ve done to so many women throughout my life, which is show them quality time, then disappear. I was like, ‘Wow, (more…)
My friends at Island Def Jam handed over a mastered copy of Rihanna‘s new album “Loud” which is set to hit stores November 12th 2010! In all fairness, there has been a lot of hype around this Rihanna project and after listening to the album, well I can now see why. Although yes it is fast-food music and we have taken a trip down old Island routes. It will be interesting to see how this project goes, I know for a fact Island Def Jam sure believe this LP maybe yet “another” turning point in Rihanna‘s career – I’m just we don’t need to listen to another dark auto-tuned record
This could very well be the huge Album to fill the what Def Jam are still calling (but personally a little harsh on Rihanna) “Rated R” having a disappointing reception compared to ”Good Girl Gone Bad”. Def Jam are hoping to release every track off “Loud” as a single (yes, they are very confident!) As much as that sounds great, it will never happen! - Check out the review of each track after the jump!
With the the industry abuzz about LA Reid’s status with Universal Music, yet another spanner has been thrown into the works – courtesy of my tittle secret inside sources. The publication reports today that a key point has been omitted from the ‘has he/ hasn’t he been sacked’ debate; the fact that the Island Def Jam head has been in negotiations for a position on the judging panel of the X Factor US. – which is a Sony Music Entertainment production…Why is this a problem for his role at Universal, you may ask?
The music giant’s publicity machine beat back blog reports that Reid had been fired from his job as chairman of Island Def Jam Records, and we hear the speculation was tied to Reid’s discussions with producers of both “American Idol” and “The X Factor” about becoming a judge on one of the shows.
A source close to the situation says that if “X Factor,” which is now produced by rival Sony, makes Reid a firm offer, he’ll have to leave Universal to take it. Initially, music industry insiders told us that Reid’s desire for a TV closeup had angered other Universal executives because of Island Def Jam’s recent poor performance. As critics are happy to point out, Reid lost Jay-Z to Warner Music Group last year, Mariah Carey’s most recent album tanked, and Rihanna’s latest release underwhelmed. Those execs, we’re told, couldn’t understand why Reid should be allowed to moonlight (more…)
Ne-Yo will have to wait to tell his story. The R&B crooner’s storybook-themed album “Libra Scale” has been pushed back a couple weeks.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s fourth studio effort will now arrive at retailers on October 19, a day after his 31st birthday, The MoMo Show has learned. It was previously scheduled to drop two weeks earlier on October 5th 2010.
The sci-fi-influenced album was inspired by Ne-Yo’s passion for acting. “The songs on the album are all songs inspired by this story I wrote,” he told us, “Libra Scale is a question of morality. Weighed out on a libra scale, if you had to choose between money, power, fame, or love, which one would you put the most value on? Which one would prevail in your life?”
The father-to-be is riding on the current success of his dance single “Beautiful Monster,” which hit No. 1 in the U.K. His follow-up single, the inspirational “One Life,” surfaced last week. Ne-Yo is set to follow-up the chart-topping success of “Beautiful Monster“, with “One Life” later on next month
Though a competent enough effort, the song sounds like it’d be at home on Ne-Yo’s earlier albums. At this point, releasing a single with a little more ‘kick’ wouldn’t go amiss. Still, the Stargate produced cut is radio friendly enough (which seems to be the aim of the game with most of Shaffer’s releases), hence should be a hit. – Well…it better be! (more…)
Jennifer Lopez had been lined up to fill one of the empty seats on the ‘American Idol’ judging panel but those plans have been scrapped. It is being reported that former force on the music charts had too many “out of hand” demands and the Fox network simply “had enough”. This news comes on the heels of rumours that a diva with actual vocal talent, Mariah Carey, has her eye on one of the judging spots.
Clearly Lopez didn’t get the memo that her career is only two drips away from being flushed down the toilet. With her music failing to make a dent on the charts and a movie career that has become more stagnant than ever, Lopez needs capitalise on every available avenue if she wishes to remain relevant. In other words, stop acting like a diva and just be happy that you’re even invited to watch the show. I’m just so glad something finally hit Jennifer Lopez in the face!
I mean, it’s one thing to be dropped by your label, then to be stripped from all your endorsement deals and now to be rejected as a judge from a vanishing talent contest! – Girl! Who you fooling? It’s clear that Jennifer Lopez‘s efforts are much needed in her acting career. I mean we all love some “Jenny from the black”, but Jenny packed her bags and moved out along time ago.
Jennifer Lopez is currently working on a new project with new label Island Def Jam (do not ask me why, they took her on! – epic fail right there, but then L.A.Reid is on his way out so who cares! right?) which is set for release later this year.
But just a thought, why is Jennifer Lopez not grabbing the attention of all her fans? – Where did all her fans go in the past 4 years? I mean when she released her new records, there wasn’t much love from her fans…Jennifer Lopez! no fans! “Louboutins” was an okay track and when the track failed with Jennifer Lopez it was handed to Brandy which climbed to mid 50s in the chart? – Just trying to figure out how J-Lo has managed to stir her career right to the ground…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid hosted an exclusive listening party for Mariah Carey’s new holiday album Merry Christmas II You at Allen Room at Lincoln Center in NYC. Mariah herself showed up with husband Nick Cannon to present her festive collection of tunes.
