Posts Tagged ‘album’

Brandy Opens Up About Tragic Car Accident

December 10th, 2008

Grammy-winning singer Brandy is back on the music scene with a new album, titled Human, and is revealing what she’s been up to over the last couple of years.

In an interview with Extra airing tonight, Brandy also opens up about her tragic car accident two years ago that took the life of the other driver.

"It’s a little hard for me to talk about it…You never expect something like that to happen or wake up intending for that to happen," she says. "It just happens and we don’t know why."

On a lighter note, Brandy says she’s enjoying the single life, saying, "I don’t have a boyfriend!…Brothers are just going to have to step up their game!" When asked if men are becoming weak, the singer responds, "Not that they are becoming weak. I just know what I want."

Brandy isn’t the only star in her family. Her brother Ray J is also a singer and the two have been talking collaboration.

"Ray J and I will do a record together," Brandy says. "I promise. We’re going to call it R and B for Ray  J and Brandy."

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J.Hud Calls 4 Grammy Noms a “Blessing”

December 4th, 2008

Jennifer Hudson, who’s been grieving the deaths of her mother, brother and nephew, offered up thanks and gratitude on Thursday for her four Grammy nominations for her debut album.

"It’s been a childhood dream of mine to release an album, so to receive 4 Grammy nominations is truly a blessing," Hudson, 27, said. "I’m extremely honored and humbled by the nominations."

Jennifer’s self-titled album was nominated for Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for "Spotlight," and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "I’m His Only Woman" with fellow American Idol alum Fantasia.

 

The nominations were announced on the same day as her estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, 27, was denied bail in the shooting deaths of Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57, brother Jason Hudson, 29, and nephew Julian King, 7.

Cover Story: Britney in Crisis!

December 2nd, 2008 / Author: OK! Staff

Celebrating her 27th birthday on Dec. 2 in the Big Apple with a pair of show-stopping performances on Good Morning America, Britney Spears kicked off the promotional tour for her new album, Circus, with her parents, Jamie and Lynn Spears and her two boys, Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2, by her side.

But despite this upbeat ending to a year that has seen Brit overcome some of her most challenging emotional, mental, legal and professional hurdles, those familiar with the singer tell OK! she may be jumping into the deep end too quickly, especially when March rolls around and she embarks on a grueling 2-month tour  — her first in five years.

"It is too much for her," an insider tells OK! of the star. "They packed her schedule too tight and now they’re trying to find free time."

The early signs of cracks in Brit’s armor are already beginning to show, as she pulled a diva trip on the producers of the 2008 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, where she first pledged to perform and then yo-yoed back and forth until ultimately deciding on simply filming a pre-taped greeting.

So while the Britney PR machine swings into motion, is Britney the woman ready to launch back into the glitz and glamour of superstardom?

"She has the talent and the musical chops top pull it off, emotionally speaking, it’s a little too soon," psychotherapist Dr. Jenn Berman, who does not treat Britney, tells OK!. "I don’t think Britney will hit rock bottom, but it does leave her vulnerable to stress and burnout."

However, a source close to Brit insists she’s ready, telling OK!,"She is focused. Everything is coming together."

CLICK HERE for OK!’s Ultimate Britney Gallery!

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For the full story on Britney and her continuing struggle to live a normal life, pick up the new OK!  — on newsstands everywhere Thursday!

 

Britney: Hello Germany!

November 24th, 2008

Amid word that Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears are at odds over her personal life – namely Jamie’s control of it – the singer and her dad hopped a plane out of LAX Monday afternoon headed for Germany.

CLICK HERE for OK!’s Ultimate Britney Gallery!

According to TMZ, the singer is en route to a series of album promoting appearances overseas. It’ll have a be a quick trip though – Brit is due back in the States next week for an appearance on Good Morning America and is expected at the annual Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting ceremony in NYC as well.

Looks like Brit, who turns 27 on Dec. 2., won’t be in town to watch her highly anticipated documentary, For the Record, when it airs on MTV this Sunday, Nov. 30. Perhaps that was a planned maneuver….

Britney Goes Live on the Radio

September 29th, 2008

Britney Spears has descended upon NYC and is already hitting all the big stops, including a visit to radio station Z100 to chat live on the air about her new album, Circus.

 

"I’ve been working on this album for six months or so," she tells Z100’s JJ.

 

The Britster seemed calm, cool and collected wearing a sweater and sunglesses as she added her thoughts on her new song, "Womanizer," which dropped last week.

 

"It’s a really cool song," she says of the single. "I like the fact that it’s so empowering for girls, because it’s basically saying, ‘We know what you’re up to.’ It’s about guys cheating on other girls and stuff and it’s kind of like a girl anthem."

 

Britney says she was suprised that for all the times she’s been nominated, that she finally won a VMA for her "Piece of Me" video.

 

"It’s a cool video, but I think by far, that I’ve done videos that are way better, so I was really shocked that I got the award." But this year’s success snagging three Moonmen could be just the start for Britney, who says she’s excited for the future of her videos.

 

"It was just inspiring though, because now going forward with the videos I’m doing now,  I can really go there and do something crazy and see what happens."

The comeback queen arrived in the Big Apple yesterday, and she’s set to take in the sights and eat her favorite NYC treat – pizza.

 

"I miss it here so much, I love it!" she gushes about the city. "It’s kind of bittersweet coming here because I used to live here for two years, so when I come back it’s like, man, I wish I had my apartment here still."

Brit also revealed some exciting news for next year – she’ll be going on tour next year, "probably around the world."

Britney’s Birthday Album

September 15th, 2008

Mark your calendars, Britney Spears fans!

 

After scooping up three Moonmen at last week’s VMAs and showing the world she’s back and ready to shine, Britney has given us something else to get excited about: As OK! reported earlier, her next album, Circus, will be released in December – on her birthday!

 

Jive Records announced the Dec. 2 release date in a statement this morning, adding that the first single from the album is called "Womanizer," produced by Atlanta-based group The Outsyders, and will hit airwaves on Sept. 22.

 

It’s been a long but successful road for Britney as she’s climbed her way out of an intense custody battle, health problems and erratic episodes in front of the paparazzi. As reported by OK!, she’s changed her diet, has been working out, and is spending more time with her sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

 

The hits just keep on coming!

 

 

 

 

Britney Talks!

October 31st, 2007

Britney Spears got on the phone today and talked with Ryan Seacrest on his morning show. When asked how she spent her album release day she said, “It was cool. It was laidback really. We watched movies. That’s about it. We had fried chicken.”

Though bffs Alli Simms and a male friend were also on the phone, nobody could remember what movies were watched. Ryan tried to delve deeper into the mind of Britney. He asked what it’s like to have her life constantly scrutinized. “I try not to let it get to me,” she said, “People talk. You try to keep doing what you do as long as you know what’s up and you know what’s true then that’s all that matters.”

 

And he further prodded, wondering if the bad mom allegations bugged her. She kept the answer the same saying, “People say what they want and do what they do. It’s sad how cruel the world can be. At the end of the day you have to know in your heart you’re doing the best that you can.”

 

As far as being a good mom, Britney thinks she’s doing just fine. Yet she wasn’t sure how often she’d be seeing her kids citing that her lawyers knew all that.

 

She admitted this is her big promotion for her new album, Blackout. And told the world what her favorite song is, “Oh god… ‘Heaven on earth.’”

 

It seems Britney, who left the interview early to shower Alli told everyone, is living her version of “Heaven on Earth.”

Will Britney’s Album Sell?

October 29th, 2007 / Author: OK! Staff

Tuesday marks the release date of Britney Spears’ much-anticipated new album, Blackout. With a hit single “Gimme More,” OK! wonders if the album can also be a hit. Recently we spoke to Fuse VJ Steven Smith, who had a lot of good things to say about it. “On this album, she’s embracing the dance way more. It has some straight-up dance club anthems.”

Though he’s quick to point out one thing, “This is an evolution, by no means is it a comeback.”

Some of the record’s standout songs include “Heaven and Hell” and “Piece of Me.” “’Heaven and Hell’ is a full-on dance anthem,” Steven said, “’Piece of Me’ addresses the paparazzi and what people say. It’s more personal than a lot of her other songs and apparently it took some convincing for her to do that.”

In Steven’s opinion Blackout will be a hit. “She’s not coming back because she’s stayed in the limelight. The album follows the trends now — more dance, more electronic, more beats, more grooves.”

Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

 

 

By Jocelyn Vena

Don’t Quit Your Day Job? Scarlett Johansson

August 30th, 2007

When Hollywood sexpot and Woody Allen muse Scarlett Johansson announced she was getting into the music industry, the prospect was met with a lot of doubtful guffaws, especially when she further announced it would be a Tom Waits cover album.

Indie music bloggers like Pitchfork and Stereogum seemed unsure of what to expect. And as film critic Phil Villarreal, of philmguy.com, puts it to OK!: “You won’t find a more beautiful or talented actress, but she sounds just like Vin Diesel. It’s like those identity-theft commercials where the grandma speaks in the voice of a trucker. Unless her album is full of B.B. King covers, this could get uglier than Monopoly night at the Lohans.”

But, despite a brief onstage appearance at the Coachella music festival this past April, most music fans have yet to hear what the curvy actress has to sing. She’s reportedly been in the studio with members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and got David Sitek of indie darlings TV on the Radio to produce her album. When Pitchfork asked Tom Waits what he thought of the prospect, he had this to say: “I don’t know if I’m excited to hear it, but I’m curious.” Seems like that may be the general consensus when the album hits the streets sometime in the undisclosed near future.

By Jocelyn Vena

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