Beyonce Knowles - "7/11"

Beyonce Knowles "7/11" and "Ring Off" Snippets

Two new singles from the forthcoming Beyonce: Platinum Edition box set.

LeToya Luckett Talks Faith, Spirituality, and Letting God Be Her Guide

ESSENCE.com:

LeToya Luckett is on her way to becoming one of the hardest working women in entertainment. She just starred in her latest film, Drumline: A New Beat, and will soon appear in Lifetime’s Seasons of Love (Nov. 23)—all the while working on her upcoming album, Until Then. The Grammy Award-winning singer and actress spoke with ESSENCE.com about how her faith and her family have helped her get this far.

How would you describe your relationship with God?
I am definitely a woman of faith. My prayer life and my connection with God are on the highest level. I definitely would not be standing here doing what I do were it not for that. It is my only way of survival. My father was a minister so I was raised in the church. I guess I'm a lucky girl because I've always been taught, since I was a little girl, this is who you count on. This is who you lean on. It is my foundation.

Now that you’re older, how has that faith helped you in your day to day?
Things just started happening even without asking. I just let him lead with every single thing. I don't get in the way. A lot of times we get in His way; we get in our own way, and it ends up taking us in the wrong direction. This would be a boring world if we all made the same decisions and all were doing the same thing. The beauty of this whole thing is God has carved out a different story, a different path for all of us. It's up to us to connect to Him and follow it.

Can you recall a time when your faith was tested?
My Grandma passed away of pancreatic cancer. I was like, [God’s] the only one that's going to be able to get me through this. It didn't make the hurt or the pain go away, but there was peace in knowing who she was sitting beside. 

How important is prayer in your life?
I know how to fall on my knees, even when I'm having hard days. I know how to go in a corner and just talk to my Daddy (God). Me and my sister and my best friend get on the phone every morning and pray about different things. Even if we can't talk, because both of them have kids and I'm on the road, we shoot each other texts. "What can I pray for you today?” It's a wonderful feeling knowing that you have women of God praying for you. There’s nothing like that.

What does it mean to you to be a woman of God?
We live in different times now. I know my grandmother might have said something like, ‘Hey, pull that skirt down.’ I get it because in older times times women carried themselves a certain way. I still do believe in carrying yourself a certain way and I do my best to be somewhat of a role model. I'm not a perfect person. I'm a human being. I'm not the Lord but I do accept that responsibility and that's why I do try to carry myself with confidence, with poise, with grace, and with class.

Beyoncé Knowles Shares Photo of Daughter Blue Ivy at Sister Solange’s Wedding

USmagazine.com:

Blue bestowing her blessing! Beyonce posted a sweet Instagram pic on Tuesday, Nov. 18, of her younger sister Solange and brother-in-law Alan Ferguson bonding with little Blue Ivy on their wedding day.

The snapshot features Auntie Solange in her creamy (and dreamy!) white Humberto Leon for Kenzo crepe cape, looking down at her 2-year-old niece. Little Blue, wearing a metallic white dress with a tiered skirt, holds her left arm up to touch the bride's hand for the special bonding moment.

Whatever Blue was saying to the couple must have been amusing, because the handsome groom, 51, is seen in the candid snapshot laughing down at his niece.

RELATED: Solange Knowles Explains Wedding Day Hives, Gives Shout-Out to Benadryl

Tina Knowles Reportedly Engaged To Actor Richard Lawson

TheEpochTimes.com:

A report on Friday is saying Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles, just got engaged to her longtime boyfriend Richard Lawson.

Knowles, a fashion designer, divorced her long husband, Matthew Knowles, a few years ago.

But now, gossip site MediaTakeOut.com reported that a “person close to Tina told us that Tina and Richard were engaged earlier this week.”

She’s been dating Lawson, an actor, for about a 18 months.

It adds: “The two met many years ago, and built a strong friendship. As years went by and both their situations changed, that friendship grew into romance . . . and then into a true and sincere love and respect for each other. We can honestly say that these two were meant for each other.”

Earlier this month, Knowles talked about life after her divorce from Matthew Knowles.

“The whole thing about dating was the scariest thing in the world,” she said, according to the Huffington Post. “And I would tell my friends, ‘I’m never going to find anyone. Where am I going to find someone? By now I’m 59-years-old, where do you meet men?’ It was really funny. So I just focused on myself.”

She added: “I hear that my ex-husband is getting married. Now, this is my family. My ex-husband is my family. I don’t want to get back into that at all, that’s not what I want. But it still hurts a little bit, right? It’s still a blow to your ego.”

Knowles also said that it has “been now a year and five months and I’m in a committed relationship with that handsome man! And I’m at my happiest I’ve been in a long, long time.”

Beyonce Knowles' Sister Solange Marries Alan Ferguson

People.com:

She's a married woman!

Solange Knowles tied the knot with video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans on Sunday in front of about 200 family and friends, PEOPLE confirms.

The happy couple said "I do" at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans. Around 2 p.m., the pair arrived via white-painted vintage bicycles, and it was all about the details: The bride's basket held flowers!

"Beaming. Calm. They looked pretty calm, relaxed on their wedding day," one onlooker tells PEOPLE. "Definitely happy."

As for their arrival attire, the bride rocked a cream pantsuit with a cape and plunging V-neck (accenting her look with a red lip) by Stéphane Rolland, while the groom matched in a white suit sans tie.

Meanwhile, big sis Beyoncé pulled up about 15 minutes later in a black SUV, with husband Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy in tow. Mom Tina Knowles, son Daniel Julez and singer Janelle Monae also attended.

Ahead of their nuptials, the newlyweds celebrated with an intimate pre-wedding bash Friday at NOLA's Indywood Cinema, which Hayley Sampson, the theater's co-owner, told PEOPLE, "was pretty adorable."

"Luckily, I dated all of the losers ages ago," she told Harper's Bazaar earlier this year. "My love life has been stable for a while. It's a f–––ed up thing … without conflict it's a lot harder to write interesting songs."

In June, the two went on a romantic getaway to Jamaica, where the singer celebrated her 28th birthday.

Ferguson, 51, has directed videos for Katy Perry and John Legend, and won a BET Award for Best Video Director for co-directing Beyoncé's "Party" and "Dance for You" music videos.

This is the second marriage for the private star, who had Daniel Julez, 10, with ex-husband Daniel Smith. 

Did Mathew Knowles’ Advances Interrupt LaTavia Roberson’s Destiny?

StlAmerican.com:

LaTavia Roberson has publicly stated she was kicked out of Destiny’s Child over her objections to being personally managed by Mathew Knowles. A newly revealed blind item claims her refusing his sexual overtures was what really got her kicked out of the group.
Celebrity gossip site Crazy Days And Nights has a segment that posts blind items and reveals selected tidbits later in the year.

A recent post reads as follows:

“Mr. X Blind Items Revealed: Which former member of that '90s R&B group has privately told friends that she was kicked out after she refused to accept the sexual advances of their manager, who also happened to be the father of the group's main member?  Latavia Roberson/Destiny's Child”

Michelle Williams & Deitrick Haddon Talk "Fix My Choir"

Beyonce Knowles' Sister Solange to Marry Alan Ferguson This Weekend: Wedding Details

USmagazine.com:

Following in her big sister’s footsteps! Solange Knowles is set to marry her longtime boyfriend Alan Ferguson in New Orleans this weekend, sources exclusively confirm to Us Weekly.

The 28-year-old DJ has kept her wedding and even her engagement to the video director a total secret. The nuptials will take place near the home the “Losing You” singer shares with her 10-year-old son Julez in New Orleans.

Though much of the details of the event are being kept under wraps, Us Weekly has learned the weekend’s schedule.

On Friday, Nov. 14, the group will enjoy a movie night together before Saturday’s rehearsal dinner. Then on Sunday, Nov. 16, Knowles and Ferguson will make it official in front of friends and family.

Similarly, Beyonce married Jay Z in April 2008 in a secret ceremony.

This will be the second wedding for the diva's younger sister, who wed Julez’s father Daniel Smith in February 2004 when she was 17 and he was 19. In a 2007 interview with Essence, she confirmed that she had divorced Smith. Solange continues to co-parent her little boy with her ex 

Ferguson has been close to the Knowles family for years, presenting at the 2012 BET Awards alongside his future sister-in-law. He also attended events with Solange, being photographed as her date. In June, the couple visited Jamaica for Solange’s 28th birthday, with the DJ posting rare photos with her man. 

"Luckily, I dated all of the losers ages ago. My love life has been stable for a while," she told Harper’s Bazaar in March 2014. "It's a f--ked-up thing — without conflict it's a lot harder to write interesting songs."

Kelly Rowland on Becoming a Mom: 'I Have Been Completely on a High'

Essence.com:

It’s been one week since Kelly Rowland gave birth to her son, Titan Jewell Weatherspoon, and she’s understandably floating on cloud nine.

The 33-year-old singer tells ESSENCE she’s gotten through her new life of sleepless night “pretty good.”

“I have been completely on a high getting to know my son Titan,’ she says. “I’m so in love!” In fact, the former Destiny's Child singer says she wakes up smiling. “I could look at him 24 hours a day,” she says.

So who is the better diaper expert at her home? Rowland says her husband, Tim Weatherspoon, has perfected diapering skills. “[He’s] better than I am,” she says.

Welcoming a child has been one of the most magical experiences in her and her husband’s lives, says Rowland. “I don’t think we knew that much love existed for one human being,” she says. “Now I know how God feels about us.”

On Monday, Rowland shared the first few lines of a new lullaby she wrote just for her little prince on her Instagram page. In the post, Rowland shows baby Titan’s head and can be heard singing the lines, “You will always be/Mommy's little baby.”

LeToya Luckett Talks "Drumline: A New Beat" and If She'll Return to "Single Ladies"

Wetpaint.com:

Former Destiny’s Child singer LeToya Luckett is one busy gal these days, jumping into the role of Nia Phillips for VH1’s made-for-TV Drumline sequel, Drumline: A New Beat. When Wetpaint Entertainment caught up with LeToya, she dished on her character, her love of acting, and whether or not she’ll appear in the new season of VH1’s Single Ladies, which found a new home on Centric TV.

Wetpaint Entertainment: Tell us about your experience working on Drumline: A New Beat
LeToya Luckett: You know, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. Of course, I’ve been a fan of Drumline all those years ago when it came out and I’ve been a fan of drumlines and marching bands my whole life because I’m from the South. Just to be a part of such an amazing cast and everything that this film will do for HBCU [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] brings attention to events and funding and brings awareness to schools and education is awesome.
I did a little research to prepare for the role. My grandmother was a dean as well, so I took a little from her experience and kind of used it to my advantage. 

Which do you love more: acting or singing?
I love both. It’s hard for me to say. Not only am I an artist, but I’m a fan of music and a fan of film. But because I’m passionate about both of those things, I’m gonna be able to do both, you know, to the best of my capabilities [laughs], you know act and sing. I can’t really say! I love both and I’m passionate and I work hard in both. 

Are you working on any new music?
I have an album coming out next year called Until Then. A single will be released before year’s end. You’ll hear something soon. 

We know that VH1’s Single Ladies has found a new home on Centric TV. Can we expect to see you in the new season?
We’ll see! Stay tuned! But I’m glad everybody loved Felicia [Price]. Well, not everybody, but I’m glad to see people took to [my character] well. I was kind of scared at first, you know. I didn’t want people to think I was really mean, but you know, I was doing my job. I was acting. and a lot of people thought she was funny, and awesome, and confident. That’s all I can ask for — that people appreciate my work. 

Speak of work, are you working on any more movies?
Yes! As a matter of fact I’ll be in Season of Love, which will actually be Taraji P. Henson’s producer debut on Lifetime. It’ll be on November 23 or 27, so everyone can set that date.

Beyonce Knowles Manages To Find The Perfect Swimsuit

AOL.com:

Beyonce manages to support her husband Jay Z and flawlessly flaunt her curves, all in the same photo.

The Queen B posted a pic of herself posed in a thigh-gap-baring shirt dress-turned-swimsuit, designed by The Laundry Room, with revised lyrics to Jay's hit rap song "99 Problems". The message reads: "99 problems but my a** ain't one."

This photo comes on the heels of Beyonce's big announcement that she'sreleasing a box set on Nov. 24 that will include two new songs and a few remixes of her other hit. The new songs are titled "7/11" and "Ring Off", while the four unreleased remixes include collaborators Nicki Minaj ("Flawless"), Kanye West ("Drunk In Love"), Pharrell Williams ("Blow") and Mr. Vegas ("Standing on the Sun").

Though she wasn't in attendance, Beyonce picked up an award at Sunday night's MTV European Music Awards. The 33-year-old diva's track "Pretty Hurts" won for Best Song with a Message.

Prior to this racy swimsuit photo, Beyonce's body went under fire when the blogosphere accused her of Photoshopping a thigh gap in her bikini pics. She fought back by sharing a Photoshop-free photo.

 RELATED: Beyoncé meets ‘sister’ Kelly Rowland’s baby boy

Kelly Rowland’s Husband Posts Jay Z-Inspired Message To Their Newborn Son

VIBE.com:

Kelly Rowland’s husband Tim Weatherspoon posted the couple’s first photo of their son, Titan Jewell Weatherspoon, to Instagram on Friday (Nov. 7). Set to the tune of Jay Z and Kanye West’s “New Day” from their Watch The Throne album, Weatherspoon taps Hov’s lyrics for a message to his son, which he wrote out in the accompanying caption:

"I just wanna take ya to a barber Bondin' on charters, all the sh*t that I never did Teach ya good values, so you cherish it Took me some 26 years to find my path My only job is cuttin' the time in half So at 13 we'll have our first drink together Black bar mitzvahs, mazel tov, mogul talk Look a man dead in his eyes So he know you talk truth when you speak it, give your word, keep it.............." #WeatherspoonMen #WeatherNotWither #TitanJewell#TitanDad #BabyTyTy #TJW #MeAndMyGuy #MamasBoy #ButHeLikesHanginWithDad #WishMyDadWasHere #YesThatsAWarholOnMyWall

Baby Ty was born last Tuesday (Nov. 4).

Beyonce Knowles Reveals First Photo Of Kelly Rowland's Newborn Son

Beyonce Knowles Sued by Background Singer Who Claims She Ripped Off ‘XO’

PopCrush.com:

Is Beyonce‘s ‘XO’ a rip-off of Ahmad Javon Lane’s ‘XOXO’? That’s what the background singer is reportedly claiming in a new lawsuit.

TMZ says that Lane is suing Queen Bey for a cool $3 million, claiming that she stole his song ‘XOXO’ and copied it for her own hit. And as for how his song would have been on Beyonce’s radar, apparently he shared it with a singer who does background vocals for the superstar.

While the lawsuit may be a blow to Beyonce, we know she’s holding her head up high and focusing on all of the crazy exciting things in her future, like the release of her platinum edition ‘Beyonce’ box set and her athletic wear line with Topshop. We know that we’re insanely psyched, anyway!

RELATED:  Trouble in paradise? Beyonce and Jay Z have an awkward exchange at basketball game... after recently renewing their wedding vows

Kelly Rowland Welcomes a Boy

People.com:

Just call it destiny: Kelly Rowland is a mama!

The singer welcomed her first child with husband Tim Weatherspoon on Tuesday, Nov. 4, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

Born at 1:30 p.m. PT, son Titan Jewell Weatherspoon weighed 7.5 lbs.

“We are thrilled to announce that today we are the proud parents of our first son,” the Talk a Good Game singer said in a statement.

Beyoncé Knowles Confirms "BEYONCÉ: The Platinum Edition" Will Be Released Later This Month

Complex.com:

The rumors were true. Beyoncé has confirmed a four-disc limited edition package which will include new songs, “7/11” and “Ring Off,” including four remixes - one with Pharrell that has yet to be heard - set to be released later this month. Along with a live performance DVD that followed her on the year-long "Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" and the official 2015 Beyoncé calendar, the original BEYONCÉ album and visuals will be included, too.

The album is available for pre-order right now, and peep the tracklist below:

PLATINUM EDITION BOX SET:
MORE AUDIO CD
7/11
Flawless Remix (Featuring Nicki Minaj)
Drunk in Love Remix (Featuring JAY Z & Kanye West)
Ring Off
Blow Remix (Featuring Pharrell Williams)
Standing on the Sun Remix (Featuring Mr. Vegas)

“LIVE” DVD
Run The World (Girls)
***Flawless
Get Me Bodied
Blow
Haunted
Drunk In Love (Featuring JAY Z)
1 + 1
Partition
Heaven
XO

ORIGINAL CD
Pretty Hurts
Haunted
Drunk in Love (Featuring JAY Z)
Blow
No Angel
Partition
Jealous
Rocket
Mine (Featuring Drake)
XO
***Flawless (Featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Superpower (Featuring Frank Ocean)
Heaven
Blue (Featuring Blue Ivy)

ORIGINAL DVD
Pretty Hurts
Ghost/Haunted
Drunk In Love
Blow
No Angel
Yoncé/Partition
Jealous
Rocket
Mine
XO
***Flawless
Superpower
Heaven
Blue
Grown Woman

RELATED: Beyonce Gets a Bob After Ditching Short Bangs, Will the Hair Switch Ups Never Stop?

Kelly Rowland Talks Pregnancy, New Album and Working With Producer Tokimonsta

TheFader.com:

"Girl, any day now," sighs Kelly Rowland down the phone from LA in reply to the most obvious of questions. "I feel like I've been pregnant forever." Not that that's slamming any breaks on the Houston-raised singer-songwriter's creative pursuits—she's in the middle of recording her new album, the follow-up to 2013's Talk A Good Game, and words like "creative energy," "new blood" and "refreshing" trip off her tongue at quite a pace. If there's a peppier-than-usual tang to Rowland's flow it's due in no small part to a new working relationship with LA electronic producer Tokimonsta. The pair were tweeting at each other this summer, dropping hints of a forthcoming collaboration that—if Tokimonsta's seamlessly undulating, strobe-lit productions are anything to go by—may well see Rowland venturing even further into the dance music realm. Here, the down-to-earth superstar shares her thoughts on what it takes to be an artist, and why she's hyped to finally have a woman behind the control desk again. 

How did you start working with Tokimonsta? I heard different mixes when I was out and then, when we finally got a chance to meet up, we talked about doing a project together. It was organic, really, the way it happened. I like to do things like things that, I don't like for anything to be forced. It was really easy—she was super cool. I loved her style, and I love everything about her style of DJ-ing, the way she makes music, how she puts different rhythms and beats and melodies together. I just felt like it could be something special. 

It feels like you've really embraced dance music over the last couple of years. Has that been a natural progression, or have you been reaching out to it? I think that spending a lot of time in Europe—and just in different countries, period—allows you the opportunity to hear all these different types of beats. Sometimes you really want to try it and everybody around you will think that you're crazy for wanting to try it, you know what I mean? [Laughs] "You're bugging, you're on some musicianship thing." But I think there's nothing wrong with that. I think that that's really being an artist: being creative and trying new things, and seeing what works and what doesn't. It's just that simple. When I like something I gravitate towards it. I want to try it. 

When is your collaboration with Tokimonsta coming out? We're still working on it. We want to pinpoint everything to make sure it's all right. That's all we really care about: it being a moment. It's always about creating moments, especially because there's so much freedom now in music. I feel like there are no rules. 

Have you ever worked with a female producer before? It was years ago. That's another thing that excites me: the fact that [Tokimonsta] is a female. It's so empowering. When I watched her spin, I was like, this is crazy, I am loving this right now. She was so in control. It was about the confidence that she exuded in everything that she played, and how she just knew it was dope.


We need that. Yes, I think other young females should see that. Other young people should see that it's not just a male-dominated situation.

Letoya Luckett Talks New Album "Until Then" and "Drumline 2"

Beyonce Knowles Dresses As Late Mexican Artist Frida Khalo.For Halloween

USmagazine.com:

Beyonce is known for her artistry, but on Halloween, she took it to the next level, dressing up as famed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo at a party at Charlie Bird in NYC. 

Though she didn't give herself a unibrow, the "Flawless" singer, 33, did match one of Kahlo's most iconic looks perfectly in a blue printed dress with a colorful flower crown. 

Kahlo, the wife of fellow painter Diego Rivera, was best known for her slightly surreal self portraits. She died at age 47 in 1954, but endured as a feminist icon to many, including Madonna and Salma Hayek, who played her in a 2002 biopic.