CIARA PERFORMS "PROMISE" ON LETTERMAN

Yesterday, Ciara performed her single Promise on The Letterman Show and whilst I applaud her for trying to sing it live, it's very much understandable as to why she usually lip-syncs on a regular basis.

It just shows that she's not a singer but a performer. Love the song AND her album Ciara: The Evolution which dropes next week Tueday on 5th December 2006 so be sure to cop it because it's hot!

NEW VIDEO: LISTEN - BEYONCE (WORLD PREMIERE)

Last night, Beyonce premiered her new video for Listen, taken from the Dream Girls soundtrack which is to be released next week Tuesday on 5th December 2006.

I thought she looked absolutely beautiful especially towards the end, when her hair was in a bun and she was wearing the long gown. She sings with so much passion, raw emotion, strength, soul, depth, and her facial expressions, movement and powerful vocal tells the story. Not to mention that the song is beautiful. Well done Beyonce. Well done.

NEW VIDEO: HOOD BOY - FANTASIA

Fantasia's new video Hood Boy also premiered last night I believe. It features Big Boi from Outkast.

As ghetto as it is, I love the song. Yeah, okay, it's a chickenhead anthem but the song packs in that hotness and the video fits the song to a tee with the hood-like neighbourhood and allathat. Now as for Fantasia's appearance she looked a hot mess in that blonde wig or whatever it was. But apart from that, good video. I likes I likes! Fantasia's self-titled album is set to be released 12th December 2006.

WEDNESDAY R&B FABNESS!!!

Mya shows she's every bit of your exotic R&B queen in this beautiful new shoot courtesy of Rap Up, and yeah, she looks amazing, but what is going on with her album Liberation? Enough with the shoots and come with the music:

Courtesy of Zee Zaid and his Mya [BLOG], a never-before-heard Mya track was ripped from her official Myspace page called Smilin. [CLICK] to download. Mya put up the track on her myspace on 26th November 2006. It was recorded in 2004 and I guess she decided to put it up just to create some buzz for the new album which is expected to be released early next year. Thanks Zee.

This green-eyed R&B beauty has a work ethic like no other and holds no boundaries or limitations with her achievements. For someone with little singing talent, it seems the world cannot get enough of the leggy singer, as she performed at the Pussy Cat Doll's concert in Glasgow on Monday.

After Scotland, Rihanna's next stop was Manchester where yesterday, she satisfied her UK fans when she signed bottles of Clinique perfume, though I do beg her to get rid of the poodle hair. The look works for some but just not on her unfortunately. Beautiful girl though. Rihanna is now a certified superstar. Pon de happy touring! Funky Media also got to interview Rihanna EXCLUSIVELY. Funky asked her if he could do an interview for his R&B blogspot and she agreed! She talks about her new album which she has started recording and it gets even better, she names the producers that she has worked with: "I'm working with Evan and Carl. I've also got future studio sessions with Stargate and JR". [SOURCE] She also says that she is taking her time with the new album because her current album A Girl Like Me was rushed. A Girl Like Me was released earlier this year in March, 8 months AFTER she released her fantastic debut Music of The Sun so of course it was a rushed job. I hope she doesn't release it next year though because that would be overkill. She also talks about when she got booed at the World Music Awards two weeks ago. Here's what she says when Funky asked her if she was upset: "I was at first, because I put so much energy in the performance, but then I thought about it. Even the greatest artists have been booed at some point in their career (Whitney Houston and Rihanna's idol Beyonce and her group Destiny's Child have all been booed in the past during their performances, especially Destiny's Child when they got booed at a Games event for wearing some Jersy's supporting the opposing team *lol*), but it shouldn't make you feel bad. If anything, it should boost your career". she says. [SOURCE] The World Music Awards aired last week on Channel 4 but it came on soooo late I ended up falling asleep. I have been searching for the repeat slots but couldn't find any. Someone let me know when the performances hit You Tube. Rihanna then talks about her stint touring with the Pussy Cat Dolls and the Black Eyed Peas. Head on over to Funky Media to read the whole interview. Nice one Funky.

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Yesterday, Ashanti visited MTV's TRL and looked absolutely gorgeous. I've already posted the clip when she was on 106 & Park this week and looked fab! She has definitely stepped up in the looks department. Her hair was on point, her make-up was on point, her body was on point, everything was on point. Chick can dress her ass off! The chick is like Christina Milian. There has NEVER been a time where Ashanti has looked out of place or has worn an outfit that made me think: Hell, what was she thinking? Blu Cantrell, this is how it really should be done. Take notice.

Cassie was on Jam'n 94.5 fm Radio Station, but don't ask me what she was plugging, I have no clue! But I will always say she should have stuck to modelling. The chick is really pretty and that is possibly where her future lies if things don't work out musically.

Whitney Houston was spotted at the airport with her daughter Bobbi Kristina and we can easily see why she tried to hide her face from the camera's. Her face looked like beaten up taco meat as if somebody decided to try out their brand new base ball bat. It's a far cry from the lovely glitzy Whitney appearance we were subjected to a couple of weeks ago. I hope she's not back on crack, but her weight gain may suggest otherwise. We really want to see Whitney thrive on that comeback next year. Maybe she was just having a bad day.

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Janet Jackson is FINALLY releasing a third single from her album 20 Years Old. The next single will be With U which will impact urban radio on 12th December 2006, although the track Enjoy would have been a much better choice in my honest opinion. Despite the controversy surrounding her "poor album sales" I don't think it did THAT bad. Her album is now gold I believe and whilst she should've sold MUCH more for an artist of her calibre, no legendary artist beats their peak sales anyway. Usher will never sell a million records in his first week ever again. Michael Jackson will never sell over 50 million records worldwide ever again, and you get my drift. I am glad she has not given up on the album though.

Something irks me about seeing a beautiful black woman with blonde hair. I know it's a wig but the colouring is horrible. It's not like to say she made an attempt to tone it down some, but it's like, Pamela-Anderson-in-your-face-type of blonde, which is just horrible especially IF YOU'RE A BLACK WOMAN! Anyway, being a spokesperson for M.A.C Viva Glam, Eve greeted fans at Harlem M.A.C Store in advance of World Aids Day. If any of you Toya's World readers met an R&B celebrity recently, send me your pictures and I will put them up!

Earlier this year frequent Toya's World reader met Letoya Luckett. Booskee is responsible for a lot of the music exclusives on this blog. Hi Booskee!

Earlier this year, Toya's World reader Laurie met my baybay Craig David in Moscow, though I will admit that this picture doesn't do him any justice AT ALL. He is mad cute in the flesh. He has gorgeous skin believe me. Anyway, I posted this picture before and I'm posting it again. Laurie was responsible for hooking me up with all the new underground and popular R&B albums. So again, if you've met an R&B artist lately, send in your pictures!!!

CIARA: THE EVOLUTION (LEAKED)

Ciara's spankin' brand new album Ciara: The Evolution leaked last night and the album is HOT HOT HOT! She definitely brought the heat and I am so proud of Cici because she definitely exceeded expectations with this new CD of hers. You can check out my review below. I am burning my copy onto a CD right now as I speak. I will definetely be jamming to this ALL WEEKEND, in my car, in the house, when I'm on my break at work *lol*. As the album is all over the Net, it shouldn't be too hard to find but I will NOT be posting it here. But you can listen to the whole album [HERE].Thank you Tre and Alan.

Promise as we all know is the first single that just so happens to be a sultry laidback ballad with that Prince vibe written all over it. The track is very impressive and shows that there's more to this young woman's musical interpretation than just the word "club banger". The track That's Right features Lil John and his voice gets on my nerves but I see Cici will always be forever grateful for his massive contribution to the largely successful Goodies. Energetically upbeat but nice and street. Definitely one for the clubs. Like A Boy should be the next single. It's hot, edgy and packs in some real punch. It will either be this or I Proceed which has a rather riveting R&B beat and pangs hit written all over it. Can't Leave Em Alone features 50 Cent with airy vocals and nice melody. Another potential hit. C.R.U.S.H is a typical but outstanding Ciara up-tempo as is Get In Fit In. Then we have My Love which is a power packed midtempo, and her slinky vocals are very fitting for this song. Make It Last is my jam all over again. It's a super hot dance track. Simply outstanding. Bang It Up is a futuristic club banger, and Get Up, included on the Step Up soundtrack, is a typical 1,2 Step remix. Same upbeat bassline and rhythm with different lyrics. Loved the video though but one of my least favourite Ciara tracks. A lot of the upbeat songs have this 80's kind of vibe and the album is so much of a differing transition to that of Goodies which is great that she switched up and didn't stick to the same ole same ole. She finishes the album with a preponderant number of warm and soft slow jams (So Hard, I'm Just Me and I Found Myself) showing that vocally (and lyrically), she has stepped up and that she remains an evolving artist who will be in the game for a long time to come. Rating: 8/10!

FULL R&B UPDATE COMING UP SHORTLY!!!

TUESDAY R&B FABNESS!!!

Proceeding along with Tuesday's R&B fabness, I guess yesterday was a lazy day and seeing Britney and Paris hog all the limelight from everything else is a pretty daunting situation. As much as I anticipate Britney's comeback, I think she is going about it the wrong way but who am I to tell a stinking rich celebrity how to live their life? She has a mother and a father so you know if she wants to throw herself under the gutter, it's not really my problem, I am over it. I just wanted to correct an error I made last Sunday regarding those new Ciara pictures:

They did NOT come from King but Giant magazine, and here is the rest of the shoot. She looks absolutely beautiful. I am going to go as far as to say this is the best shoot she has EVER done. UPGRAAAADE!

Jennifer Hudson shows she can be just as sexy as Beyonce when she wants to be with these latest new pictures. I just love them. She looks bootylicious and fabtacular (OK, now she got me making up vocabulary that don't even exist). [SOURCE]

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It has also been made official by Arista that Jennifer will be making sweet wonderful music with Clive Davis on Arista Records. She will begin recording her debut album next year, presumably after the Oscar buzz surrounding Dream Girls has died down, that would be around say what, March?

Clive on Jennifer: "Jennifer is a vocal wonder, a tremendously gifted artist," said Clive Davis, Arista founder and BMG U.S. Chairman. "Her extraordinary voice gives her a signature sound and distinguishes her from every singer on the horizon today. Jennifer is a very exciting new addition to the Arista family."Jennifer on Clive: "Clive Davis is a legend and I feel more than honored to be associated with him," Jennifer said. "Because of his vision and hands on approach,Arista already feels like home. I can't wait for us all to make beautiful music together." [SOURCE]

Awesome. I seriously can not wait for this simply because I've always rooted for Jennifer in American Idol so to see her get voted out so early in the competition broke my heart and only reinforced the fact that audiences cast their vote through popularity and not talent. Do you all remember that season when her, Fantasia Barrino and Latoya London all made the bottom 3? Three black women who just so happened to be the best singers in the competition making it into the bottom 3 lead to some sort of conspiracy theory but you have to admit, it did smell something kind of fishy. Anywho, Jennifer gets the last laugh. May I ask, where is Diana Degarmo? Beyonce elegantly makes the front cover of Canadian fashion magazine Flare:

Niiiiice. She was also spotted in New York with her personal designer who looks gay to me for some reason:

And for more Dream Girls extravaganza, don't forget to peep the premiere of Beyonce's new video Listen TOMORROW. I guess not just to plug the movie but the soundtrack as well which is a two-disc set and will be be released 5th December 2006. Beyonce overkill. Didn't she just release Irrepleaceable like 3 weeks ago in the US and overseas? Now I am seeing Ring The Alarm video all over MTV (the video is newly released over here) and now we have another video for Listen. After Oscar night, I advise her and her tiresome lace front to take a well-earned break. Still, you can hate the woman as much as you like, you gotta give it to her. She is motivated, career-savvy and ambitious as all hell and well, we need more strong-headed black women like her. So in that aspect, I do admire her, but take a break dammit!!! Don't come back for another 4-5 years. Have Jay-Z's babies and enjoy the little camels. Do something that doesn't entail being in the spotlight.

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Tia Mowry is a doll to me, absolutely gorgeous. Her latest appearance was at the 75th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade. I wonder why her twin sister Tamyra is never seen attending events. Maybe she prefers the quite life but there were a stage where these two use to be joined at the hip and never seen without each other. They were like each others accessory back in the day.

Check out Ashanti's appearance on 106 & Park yesterday. The chick looked mad hot, in her cute dress and shoes. Her body is siiiiick! Mind you, she says she's been working out with her trainer for six weeks now. In the 10-minute clip, she talks about her new album. She says she did a collabration on the new album with Snoop which she says is bananas. On her new upcoming album she has also worked with Jermaine Dupri and Pharrell Williams and a host of other new producers and she is going down to LA to do some more recording.

The chick can laugh for daaays but her personality is sooooo cute. She is soooo adorable. I had better stop with this because she's making me start to admire her *lol* I like how she sneakily dodged the question when they tried to ask her about Nelly and who she spent thanksgiving with. Haha. Slick! Check it out.

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Over the weekend saw Ireland play as the ultimate hot spot as three sexy acts took to the stage - Christina Aguilurer (spelt wrong on purpose), Rihanna and the Pussy Cat Dolls. Hmmmm, they say it will all be about Nicole Scherzinger next year but to be honest with you I'm not really sure if she has the star power to go solo or what. The Pussy Cat Dolls is like her backing vehicle so of course she should make the most of it though, but personally I would rather see Melody go solo more than Nicole. The chick is pretty and can really sing but she's only now getting noticed for her trademark addlibs in Buttons. And then we have Rihanna:

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Now I like Rihanna, but her clothes are becoming less and less visible. I guess with a singing voice like hers, she needs to detract from that by getting on her grown and sexy. I'm not complaining though. Honest.

BEYONCE SUPPOSEDLY HAS BAD BREATH (LOL!!!)

According to the baby mama of Nas, he turned down a date with Beyonce because she had dooky breath. In her tell-all book Hip Hop Helen of Troy, Carmen Bryan claimed that Nas said in his reasoning for not dating Beyonce: "to be honest, I can't take her breath". She also indirectly implied that Kelis smells unfresh simply because "she doesn't wear deodorant". [SOURCE]

Nas also allegedly asked her for a threesome with himself and then-girlfriend Kelis who he is now married to. Hmmmm, I cannot waaaait to read this book. She really is throwing down the dirt, not just on Foxy, but Nas, Kelis and now Beyonce. I can't wait to read about her encounter with Jay-Z. This book really does sound like its packing in the heat! Well, I'm tired. It's been a tough day. Maybe I'll blog some more later. Ciao!

CHILLI WILL GIVE BEE A RUN FOR HER MONEY SAYS AKON

Speaking exclusively to channel4.com/music this week, Akon said that ex-TLC star Chilli will give Beyonce a run for her money with her solo album. The star, who is already riding high in the singles charts this week with 'Smack That' ft Eminem, helped to put together Chilli's album and says that it's a transition from her former sound. The untitled album will be released mid 2007. "Expect an incredible record from Chilli," said Akon. "I mean, she's a performer. She's going to give Britney Spears, Beyonce, all them literally, a run for their money on the stage. She's going to be a real performer and her album is full of high energy dance records." [SOURCE]

Can't wait to see Chilli shut down Beyonce and Britney next year [sarcasm]. Come to think of it, do TLC still have fans? Their last album 3D sold very little. As ugly as he is, this fool must be enjoying that tongue massage wrapped around his little akorn.

LEONA NAILED IT LAST NIGHT!

Check out Leona's astonishing performance of Whitney Houston's I'll Always Love You on last night's X-Factor. This chick was ill all week with tonsilitis and she still managed to nail it. She will never be as good as the legendary Whitney of course but she did a wonderful job and put her own spin on the record. Last night, Eton Road were given the boot. Oh and the only reason why the rubbish McDonald brothers are still in the competition is because all of Scotland is voting for them which means they have become the biggest threat of all. But back to Leona. Just imagine if she wasn't suffering from tonsilitis. She'd have been grade A phenomenal. Check it out!

I'll Always Love You - Leona

WEEKEND CRUMMIES ...

British readers, you all know the journalist Ashley Blake? He reports for the BBC. I saw him in Russells. Last night in Lozells, Birmingham, my friend and I were in Russell's and we saw him. Russell's is a West Indian restaurant and the best one in Birmingham. I practically live there every Friday because their food is the bomb, so if anyone comes to Birmingham in the UK, check out Russells in Lozells! Ashley was in there eating his Caribbean food. I was going to go over to him and ask him how he kick-started his journalism career with the BBC but didn't (I have an NVQ qualifiCcation in Media & Communication). Knowing me I'd probably have made an assprick of myself. My mama knows his father Lloyd Blake. So now you all know that Ashley Blake likes to eat out at Russells!!! Haha! I just thought I'd share that little tidbit with ya'll. Secondly, there is a new record for Toya's World. This week alone I received over 20,000 hits so I want to thank EVERYBODY for visiting my site and for recommending it to others. Tell everyone to visit Toya's World because this is the hot spot for all of your latest R&B scoop.

There is just no justice in this world for those who are well deserving of it. Upon finding out that Tamia's fantastic new album Between Friends sold a lacklustre 20,000 copies coming in at #66, I found myself gritting my teeth so damn hard, my gums almost bled due to the intensity of the pressure. I don't think she'll ever get her due recognition because she's basically just another R&B artist who doesn't pop lock, shake her ass or put herself in scantily-clad to barely there clothing. In other words, it could be argued that she doesn't sell because figuratively speaking, she's not exciting enough for this type of fickle industry and a fickle industry it truly is. These days having talent alone isn't enough to pull you through. Syleena Johnson and Shanice are all very talented singers and they can't even catch a break. This deeply saddens me. Anyway, check out these two new gorgeous pictures of Ciara below:

Janet Jackson may not be selling records like she use to, but in the latest issue of King, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Ciara appreciates the comparisons and rightly so. Janet will always be an icon in this day and age. If I were a singer, I'd be honoured just to have my name featured in the same sentence as this legend. However, in the interview she insists that she has never tried to emulate her idol.

The "Goodies" hitmaker, 21, grew up admiring Jackson's work, but has always been determined to establish her own unique style. She says, "Janet definitely inspired me when I was younger but getting so many comparisons to her really motivates me to become my own artist. Some things are similar, but I don't think it's forced. Our songs are different - from the production to the videos." Not so much the video's because the video Promise was definetely a carbon copy of vintage Janet. It reminded me so much of Janet's Pleasure Principle meets Aaliyah's Are You That Somebody. Actually, I'm quite shocked that the late R&B singer didn't get a mention since her look and image has been 100% Aaliyah lately. Anywho, who cares? I don't. Her album is going to be a banger judging by those snippets which leaked last week. Can't wait to hear the album in full. I know I'll be blasting that out in the car.

Alicia Keys new movie Smokin' Aces looks like it's going to be great judging by these new pictures of her. Whilst I'm not much of a fan of Ben Affleck's movies, I will go and see this anyway simply because Alicia, who is one of my favourite R&B artists is in the movie and I want to see if she has what it takes to bowl us over. She certainly does come across as mean in the movie. This is a side of her I will definetely enjoy seeing!

Well, well, well ... what do we have here? More Beyonce and Jay-Z appearances. Yesterday, the high-profile music couple attended a party for NFL player Larry Johnson:

And whilst, we're on the subject of Bee, check out these caps of Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson in the movie Dream Girls. They both look great, especially Beyonce in that top picture. She really needs to stick with the dark hair because it really does accentuate her beauty than the actual blonde, which is just tired.

Well, Beyonce certainly wasn't playing with all that weight loss. I am glad she has put back on the weight though.

Gwen Stefani looks fabulous on her latest Entertainment Weekly cover which the photoshoot took place in London. I can't stop playing her album. The music is so damn catchy and addictive.

Christina Aguilera kickstarted her Back II Basics tour in Ireland.

The Britney and Paris saga continues, and some thangs never change. This week, after the American Music Awards, the police swooped outside the hotel heiress' Hollywood home, when the music got a little too loud for folks on the block. Britney should be at home with her children, not partying it up every night and causing grief. I guess she's showing her soon-to-be-ex-husband that he's not the only one who can do it. Two wrongs don't make a right though. Her dodgy weave just gets worse and worse.

Earlier this week, a premiere party for Brandon T. went down in Los Angeles, California. Celebs in attendance included Chico Benymon ('Half & Half'), Marcus Paulk ('Moesha'), Esther Baxter, Al. B. Sure, Chris Brown, Kiely Williams (Cheetah Girls/3LW), Evan Ross ('ATL'), Teck $ (Real World Hawaii) and more so check out the action below:

Video chick Esther looks fantastic, if I weren't straight, alongside Christina Milian and Jessica Alba, she'd be perfect! I do feel that she may need to get a boob reduction though when those back pains start to kick in. I know she cherishes them because it gets her all the hot spots in the latest Hip Hop/R&B video's. Chris Brown looked like he was having the time of his life. Kiely from 3LW, something about that chick just irks me. Marcus Paulk, damn, he's all grown, and ugly I must add but the event looked like so much fun.