Mya Talks Upcoming Release of Album

Grammy-winning singer and dancer Mya will release the U.S./Canada deluxe version of her seventh studio album, “K.I.S.S. (“Keep It Sexy and Simple”), on Dec. 20.

“This is more a gift to the fans,” Mya said. “It’s about being cool and drama-free. And everything I do reflects that,” she says. “The people that I associate with, the circle that I keep is real simple and sometimes we think or we’re trained to believe that you always have to have more, more, more to make ourselves feel happy or beautiful, but it’s the other way around for me. Simplicity is sexy.”

Mya has been catering to the Japanese market since 2007, which is where her most recent album was first released. She had released the album “Liberation” in Japan, and received success, which stimulated her to continue releasing albums under her own independent label, Planet 9. “From there, Japan asked me to do more albums because they loved ‘Liberation,’” Mya said. She released “Sugar & Spice” (2008) and “K.I.S.S.” (last April), all solely in Japan.

While the original version of “K.I.S.S.” contains J-Pop songs, Mya says the deluxe edition is more of her traditional style. “It’s R&B, urban [and] also Pop. It’s fun, young with perspective and opinion.” She singles out “Evolve,” a “heartfelt, mid-tempo” song as one of her favorites. “[It's] about having determination and will power through it all… and not letting anything stop you,” Mya says. “It represents where I am in my life.”

Despite the interesting material, Mya doesn’t have any plans to shoot videos or do extensive promotion for the album. “K.I.S.S. is just a boutique album that I’m offering fans under the radar. If they want it, it’s accessible now,” she says. “This is just more of an appetizer. I’ve already started on what people will be looking forward to.”

Mya remains quiet on what the next album will sound like, but she will release it “when it’s ready and supported properly.” She is open to working with a major label again, “if a comfortable situation presents itself.” “My priority is serving my fans worldwide now, versus the one-off, independent situation that I’ve been doing,” Mya says. “I’m still going to put out my mixtapes. I still may do projects in Japan, but my focal point and priority is to bring it back home.”

Lady Gaga’s New Video “Marry The Night” Leaked

Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated music video for her single “Marry the Night” was leaked Thursday, and has since been causing quite a buzz. The video features Gaga in multiple scenes, wearing latex while performing ballet, naked thrashing while pouring cereal on herself, dancing, exploding cars — all somewhat autobiographical, according to Gaga, who directed the video herself.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think!

Remembering Lena Horne

Lena Horne, passed away over the weekend at the age of 92. A singer, actress, dancer and political activist, she was the first black performer to tour with an all-white band.

“Wow! Lena Horne! What an incredible woman & story of triumph! May we all know that life is a journey of possibility…” tweeted Alicia Keys.

President Obama hailed her efforts to promote justice and equality, also stating “She warmed the hearts of countless Americans with her beautiful voice and dramatic performances on-screen.”

At one point of Horne’s life due to her left-leaning political views and the Red Scare, she found herself blacklisted and unable to get work in Hollywood, yet returned to her roots as a nightclub performer, later taking part in the March on Washington in 1963, performing on television, refusing to perform for segregated audiences during World War II, all while releasing well received record albums. In her later years, Horne starred in her own one woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway, and earned her numerous awards and accolades.

“She was an icon,” Queen Latifah told ESPN.

Madonna Almost Faints During Show

Check out this clip of Madonna’s concert in Bulgaria this past weekend. Fast forward to the 1:00 mark and it looks like Madonna has a faint spell as one of her dancers holds her up and checks to make sure she’s ok. You can clearly see her mouth the words “I’m ok.”