Posts for 'Interviews' Category

In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the hip-hop superstar reveals he wanted to purchase a black and white photo taken by renowned American artist-and-photographer Laurie Simmons of.

A “a noirishly lit pistol with a pair of women’s legs emerging from the handle”. However, Beyonce was less than impressed with her husband’s choice and told him she didn’t want it in their Tribeca penthouse in New York.

Instead, the ‘Halo’ singer had it replaced with another Simmons piece which depicted a perfume bottle instead of a gun. Jay-Z – who is usually tight-lipped about his marriage to Beyonce – said: “It was more of a masculine style, I guess.

In the interview, the 40-year-old music star also reveals his love of indie music and believes hip-hop could learn a lot from the “energy” of bands like Grizzly Bear.

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Solange Knowles doesn't want her three-year-old son, Daniel, to go into the family business.

"I'd love for him to be talented in other things," Beyoncé's 22-year-old little sister says. "I hope that he wants to be a...computer engineer."

Since giving birth to Daniel—when she was just 18—we haven't seen or heard much from Solange...

But these days, she's everywhere, because she has a new album to promote. Her sophomore effort, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, will be released August 26.

This is as fabulous as it gets for Knowles. "I don't have a life in Hollywood," Knowles told me the other day while running errands in L.A. "I don't do s--t. Just work. I come home and take my son to the movies. I don't go out. It's only like the BET Awards or something like that, that I actually do something."

Then there's her serious side. Just look at the video for the new album's first single, the Pharell Williams-written "I Decided." Depicted throughout are archival footage and photographs from key moments in American history, like the Civil Rights movement.

"6 O'Clock Blues," a collaboration with Amy Winehouse's Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson, hits on Hurricane Katrina and poverty, among other issues.

"I wouldn't say that I'm political, but I'm definitely aware," Knowles said.

But in the very next breath, she cooed, "I do have Obama fever."

She met the presidential hopeful at a dinner not too long ago. "It was crazy because I had all these questions I wanted to ask him," Knowles recalled. "But once I got in the midst of his presence, I totally felt like I was meeting a rock star."

Unlike her obsessively private older sister, Knowles has no problem opening up about her personal life. She married football player Daniel Smith while she was pregnant with their son, but they divorced about three years later. However, she won't let that spoil her dreams of finding love again. "I got married at 17, so I won't judge from that one experience," she said with a laugh.

Rap superstar Jay-Z talks to Jeremy Marre about his controversial headlining appearance at the festival, which starts tomorrow
 
"There's only two types of music," says Jay-Z. "Good music and bad music."

The New York rapper (name pronounced "Jay-Zee") has been a controversial choice to headline the Glastonbury festival, which starts tomorrow. But he's not too bothered by the discord surrounding his appearance, the fact that the event is not sold out, or Noel ("however you pronounce his name") Gallagher's public protests that a hip hop artist is unsuitable for a "guitar-based" festival.

"Ridiculous. We have to respect each other's music and move forward. The world has to change. I'm going to rock that festival."

Emily Eavis, daughter of the event's founding farmer Michael Eavis, hurried to Jay-Z's defence, describing the rapper as "the greatest living hip hop artist". He's more relaxed about it, viewing British audiences as "a rowdy lot", and describes his imminent live show as an "art form", a live connection to his audience's emotions and energy. It is, he says, the creative "pay-off" to his studio recordings. There are rumours that he will be assisted by his partner Beyoncé Knowles, his sometime collaborator Chris Martin of Coldplay, or even Martin's wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

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Welsh soul singer and songwriter Duffy is reported to have hinted that she will follow in the footsteps of Shirley Bassey and sing the theme song for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

According to showbizspy.com Duffy has joined a list of musicians, including Amy Winehouse, Beyonce Knowles and Leona Lewis, to be linked to the project.

Asked if she had already recorded a song for the movie, Duffy replied: "Well, a lady never exposes her secrets."

The film, starring Daniel Craig, is released in October.

Snoop Dogg has some advice for his friends Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles. The musical couple were married in April.

According to People.com, Snoop told them, "to go home and make babies. They should, that's the next step as far as marriage, having kids ... add on to the family, so hopefully that's what they'll do."

Snoop speaks from experience as he has been married for a decade and has three children.

Snoop spoke about the couple, and his own life, at the Dodge Celebrity Event in Rosamond, California. When asked if he planned on following his own advice and having more kids, he responded, "No, I'm good."

When asked what led to the success of his long marriage, he said, "Communication, and being able to fight and get back up. To have misunderstanding and [then] get some understanding."

Beyonce Knowles and new husband Jay-Z, aka Shawn Carter, have reportedly purchased a home in the suburb of Scarsdale, just north of New York City. The newlyweds'brand new love nest is a colonial-style house that has reportedly been under construction for six months. The 15,000-square-foot property is situated on two acres of land, according to NZCity.com.

Scarsdale is a quiet bedroom community, a stark contrast to Jay-Z's penthouse in Manhattan's TriBeCa district, where the superstar pair swapped vows on April 4th.

A clue that the Carters were Scarsdale-bound was that the pair secured their marriage license in the burg.

Rumors continue to circulate that Beyonce is expecting her first child. There has been no confirmation from the singer's camp that a baby is due.

Beyonce Knowles is reportedly being drafted in to replace Amy Winehouse to song the new James Bond Quantum Of Solace theme song.

The beehived singer was working on the track with Mark Ronson, decided to ditch the project, with the super-producer stating it would be “a miracle of science” if she recorded the soundtrack.

Wino's spokesman confirmed that she was no longer participating, explaining: "She didn't like the track they were working on and felt it was the wrong thing to get involved in."

However, producers of the new 007 flick have approached newlywed Beyonce Knowles to perform a new track written by Amanda Ghost and collaborating with legendary Bond composer John Barry, according to the London Paper.

Do you think Beyonce would be a better choice than Amy? Be sure to leave your comments below.

Actress Solange Knowles (R) star of the new comedy film 'Johnson Family Vacation' poses with her sister, singer and actress Beyonce Knowles, at the film's premiere in Hollywood March 31, 2004. Solange Knowles wastes no time setting the record straight about comparisons to older sister Beyonce on her upcoming second album, 'Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.' [Agencies]

Solange Knowles wastes no time setting the record straight about comparisons to older sister Beyonce on her upcoming second album, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams."

"I'm not her and never will be / two girls gone in different directions, striving towards the same galaxy / let my star light shine on its own / No, I'm no sister, I'm just my God-given name," Knowles sings on the appropriately titled opener "God Given Name."

"Solange wasn't concerned with being perfect on this album," the elder Knowles, 26, told Billboard.com. "Beyonce's already got pop and she's perfect at it. Solange just wanted to sing from the heart. She wants her feelings and emotions to touch you. That's why 'God Given Name' was purposely the first song so she can share with you how different she is."

Knowles, 21, definitely attempts to stray from her big sister's staple sound on the new album, which Geffen Records will release on August 26. With the help of producers the Neptunes, Jack Splash, Q-Tip and Mark Ronson, "Sol-Angel" is less pop, with more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B flecked with tinges of blues and jazz.

And, unlike her sister who has yet to go public about her relationship and recent marriage to rapper Jay-Z the divorced mom has no reservations about sharing personal experiences. Tracks like the break-up song "Valentine's Day," the regretful "T.O.N.Y.," about a one-night stand, and the Pharrell-produced lead single "I Decided," all demonstrate her storytelling abilities.

Knowles will embark on "The Art of Love" tour featuring Raheem Devaughn and Chrisette Michele starting next week, and although details were scant, she is currently negotiating another stateside tour and an international endorsement deal.

Beyonce Knowles is too famous to go to church.

The former Destiny's Child singer always gets mobbed by fans when she attends religious services, so has made the difficult decision not to go anymore.

She said: "I can't really go to church anymore, which is a shame. People have come up to me in church during the sermon and, of course, people watch everything I do. They come up and take pictures on their mobile phones too. They are very nice, but I think God understands if I miss Sunday service!"

Beyonce also revealed she will never officially confirm that she has married rapper Jay-Z.

She added to Britain's Look magazine: "I don't deny it. I just don't talk about it. We have never talked about us and it has kind of protected our relationship. A lot of actresses that have had successful relationships don't talk about them, so neither do I. I just want to protect my private life."

Solange Knowles wastes no time setting the record straight about comparisons to older sister Beyonce on her upcoming second album, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams."

"I'm not her and never will be / two girls gone in different directions, striving towards the same galaxy / let my star light shine on its own / No, I'm no sister, I'm just my God-given name," Knowles sings on the appropriately titled opener "God Given Name."

"Solange wasn't concerned with being perfect on this album," the elder Knowles, 26, told Billboard.com. "Beyonce's already got pop and she's perfect at it. Solange just wanted to sing from the heart. She wants her feelings and emotions to touch you. That's why 'God Given Name' was purposely the first song so she can share with you how different she is."

Knowles, 21, definitely attempts to stray from her big sister's staple sound on the new album, which Geffen Records will release on August 26. With the help of producers the Neptunes, Jack Splash, Q-Tip and Mark Ronson, "Sol-Angel" is less pop, with more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B flecked with tinges of blues and jazz.

And, unlike her sister who has yet to go public about her relationship and recent marriage to rapper Jay-Z the divorced mom has no reservations about sharing personal experiences. Tracks like the break-up song "Valentine's Day," the regretful "T.O.N.Y.," about a one-night stand, and the Pharrell-produced lead single "I Decided," all demonstrate her storytelling abilities.

Knowles will embark on "The Art of Love" tour featuring Raheem Devaughn and Chrisette Michele starting next week, and although details were scant, she is currently negotiating another stateside tour and an international endorsement deal.

Knowles' 2003 debut, "Solo Star" (Columbia) sold 112,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.