Ciara Wants To "Turn It Up" With Next Single

Although Ciara's fourth studio album has suffered in the sales department, the singer is preparing to release the third official single from the set with the Usher-assisted "Turn It Up" being the winner. The song is a particularly poppier sound than the previous two singles released, with synths, thumping drums, and that undeniable dance club feel it possesses. It is a very catchy song that has the sound of a crossover hit that her previous two singles have not been successful in pinpointing. Furthermore, it always helps to have fellow ATL-native and R&B superstar Usher on a song to increase the hit potential, and rather than sounding like a randomized musical collaboration for the sake of seeking attention, the two have a genuine complimentarity that works on the track.

What is surprising is that Jive Records has chosen now to release the song even though it is arguably one of the strongest tracks on the album. I would've expected Ciara's label to utilize the dual-singles tactic most other labels have tried, in which a crossover artist will release one single to attract their core fanbase and another to win over more mainstream listeners. Considering its success with Beyonce ("If I Were A Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It"), Rihanna ("Only Girl (In The World)" and "What's My Name?") and Nicki Minaj ("Right Thru Me" and "Check It Out"), it seemed natural to simultaneously release "Ride" and "Turn It Up", just to different radio formats.

Rihanna To "Vogue" It Up

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Rihanna's undeniable beauty will be plastered on the cover of an upcoming issue of the U.S. version of Vogue magazine, according to a recent tweet by the singer. America's premier fashion magazine, the 22 year-old has had her sights on shooting with the magazine since she's evolved into quite the fashionista. Although she has been on the cover of several different foreign Vogue covers, including the avant-garde photo shoot in the above picture, this will be her first time to grace the American version.

The singer was expected to be featured on the cover of a 2009 issue but plans fell through, with some rumors suggesting the leaking of nude photos of the singer and her reconciliation with Chris Brown after the domestic violence incident as responsible for its disintegration. However, the singer's recent successes with her new album and sold-out tour in 2011 have all but erased the many problems plaguing the singer two years ago.

Rihanna's tweet read, "Just wrapped my first Amerian Vogue cover shoot with Annie Leibovitz...Rah! #SEXY." The always photogenic Rihanna will surely be beautiful on the cover and we are certainly excited about it! After all, she does know how to sell magazines.

Lady Gaga To Become Highest Grossing Act of 2011

Of course it is too early to tell for sure if this will come to fruition but Forbes is predicting 2011 to be a HUGE year for Lady Gaga. According to the financial magazine, Lady Gaga's earnings which derive from her hit songs, album sales and sold out Monster Ball Tour, totaled $64 million in 2010 and will likely double in 2011.

This surge in earnings are related to an assortment of different revenue sources. Her new album Born This Way, which has a release date of May 23, is expected to bringing in the singer $20-30 million in publishing and performance royalties, a number that might greatly exceed these numbers if sales of her album catapult to even higher than predicted levels.

Lady Gaga's tour is expected to be a major source of revenue for the pop superstar's empire, which alone grosses about $2 million per show. With several more dates throughout the year, the singer is expected to earn another $33 million in the first half of 2011 from the Monster Ball Tour alone, not including additional dates or a brand new tour that is likely in the works. If a new tour begins shortly after the album's release and sells even better than the current 200+ date tour, Gaga might shatter records.

Adele Thankful for Sarah Palin?

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Adele may not agree with any of Sarah Palin's ideological positions, but she does have one thing for which to thank her: ushering in her U.S. breakthrough. Serendipitously, Adele was booked to perform on the October 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live, in which Sarah Palin was scheduled to appear. It would turn out to not only give the show some of its highest ratings ever, it would expose a relatively unknown Adele to a huge audience.

During an interview with Attitude magazine, the "Chasing Pavements" singer, whose sophomore album is due out next month, explained that, "Sarah Palin made my career by coming on that show." Shortly after the show, in which she performed "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder", her album skyrocketed up the charts, reaching number one on iTunes and number 11 in the weeks after her performance. "Pavements" reached top 10 on iTunes and peaked at number 21 with little radio support on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lady Gaga Confirms Grammy Performance; Britney Rumored

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It appears that Lady Gaga will be debuting new music from her upcoming LP Born This Way in Gaga fashion: performing live at the Grammys. According to Gaga's choreographer Laurieann Gibson, the New Yorker will head westbound to (possibly) premiere her new song to millions at the ceremony being held at Los Angeles's Staples Center.

The parenthetical "possibly" is assuming that her single will not be leaked over the next four weeks before she is scheduled to hit the stage at the ceremony, but early leaks have become increasingly common irritations of artists nowadays. The Telephone singer is nominated in six categories this year, including Album of the Year.