Kelly Rowland

Beyonce's Baby Is 'So Beautiful,' Kelly Rowland Says

24 Jan 2012 16:47:19 EST

'I just stared at her,' Rowland tells E! News about Blue Ivy Carter.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kelly Rowland
Photo: Getty Images

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's little girl, Blue Ivy Carter, is already getting lots of attention from her aunties. B's Destiny's Child sister Kelly Rowland recently gushed about the nearly one-month-old, sharing what it was like to meet her for the first time. "She's absolutely beautiful!" Rowland told E! News about her pal's new bundle of joy. "And I say that with such a huge grin! I'm so excited.

"We all just stared at her," she added about meeting the baby for the first time. "I just stared at her. She is so beautiful." So what did she buy the baby? "That's between me and Blue," she said. "But you best believe her auntie will have her dressed to impress." That sentiment was mirrored by Beyoncé's little sister, Solange, who had tons of adoring words for her baby niece. "This may sound awful, but I'm excited to let the baby do whatever it wants in the same way my sister's done with my son," she said. "I'm going to get her back for all those late-night popcorn sessions and just spoiling my child to no end!" While Rowland isn't talking about what she gave Blue, MTV News did recently get the scoop on the types of baby products the famous kid may have gotten from her parents' friends and family. When Andrea Edmunds, the president of PoshTots, stopped by our offices recently, she revealed that Blue may been hanging out in a Destiny iron cradle, angora booties and the Fantasy Coach Carriage crib. Much like her parents, Blue is already a music star, thanks to an appearance on her dad's track "Glory." "She was on her dad's record," Rowland laughed. "Her first feature is, like, two days old! So yeah, she's musical."

Related Videos

All About Beyonce And Jay-Z's New Arrival

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland Drops Super Sexy 'Lay It On Me' Video

12 Oct 2011 12:14:23 EDT

Big Sean and a bevy of studly guys also join Kelly in latest clip.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kelly Rowland
Photo: MTV NEWS

While Beyoncé is focusing on becoming a mama, her Destiny's Child pal Kelly Rowland is busy making baby-making music.

After spreading some "Motivation," Rowland dropped her equally sexy, Big Sean-assisted video for "Lay It on Me" on Wednesday (October 12). In the follow-up clip for the Here I Am track, Rowland puts her sexuality on full display, wearing several skin-baring bodysuits. The R&B singer shows some sexual swagger as she grinds, rubs and sizes up a bevy of men. She previously teased to MTV News that the video would include a Slinky and an elephant, and she didn't lie. As Sean raps his first verse on the track, Kelly plays around with the Slinky, rubbing it against her body. As for the elephant, well, Rowland chills out with one as she sings about her lust for a special man in her life. While the video features lots of studs, it's Susie the elephant that really left an impression on Rowland. She recently posted about her love for her sole female co-star: "Me and Susie the baby elephant at the Lay It On Me shoot! She was such a good listener and so freakin cute!" Just like on "Motivation," Rowland isn't afraid to sing about the sexy side of love. When MTV News caught up with her earlier this month, she laughed off any part she may have played in assisting others in the love department. "I think that there was a side of all women and all people, period; a sensual side, and it just needed to come out this summer," Kelly said about the Here I Am single. "And I think 'Motivation' kinda helped motivate that — a lot," she laughed, adding, "Somebody came up to me just last week and said, 'How many babies do you think were made off of "Motivation"?' I was like, 'Oh my God, I didn't even think about it like that!' " Share your thoughts on Kelly's latest video in the comments below!

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland

O Music Awards To Honor Steve Jobs

12 Oct 2011 09:16:22 EDT

Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato and Mac Miller will be among the October 31 show's performers and presenters.
By Gil Kaufman

Steve Jobs
Photo: Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs profoundly changed the way we interact with music online. So it makes perfect sense that the O Music Awards 2 will pay musical tribute to Jobs at its October 31 blowout. The show, which will take place in Los Angeles, will feature a special musical nod to the man behind the iPod and iTunes, with a number of up-and-coming artists performing iconic songs in homage to Jobs' huge contribution to digital music culture. MTV's signature online awards show will also attempt to make it into the Guinness record books again by hosting the longest dance party in history, and there will be plenty of star wattage on hand to help celebrate should the dancers break the 55-hour barrier. The first slate of performers and presenters has been revealed, and it includes a mix of established stars and up-and-comers, including Kelly Clarkson, the Band Perry, Demi Lovato, Mac Miller, Midi Mafia and DJ Diamond Kuts. Additional performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. The show, which celebrates the artists, innovators and fans impacting digital music culture, will be live-streamed from an undisclosed location in Los Angeles on October 31 beginning 11:30 p.m. ET/ 8:30 p.m. PT on OMusicAwards.com. The show's opening will also be broadcast on MTV and then appear on a range of MTV Music Group websites, including MTV.com, VH1.com, CMT.com, LogoTV.com and MTVHive.com, as well as mobile. Since voting began on September 27, more than 6 million votes have been cast, and fans can keep voting at the O Music Awards site. The fan who drives the most votes wins an appearance on the live show. In addition, fans can participate via the O Music Awards Facebook page, Twitter and Tumblr. The "Longest Dance Party" event will be live-streamed at the O Music Awards site beginning on October 29 from the Roxy Theatre on Los Angeles' famed Sunset Strip. The dance marathon won't just be for bragging rights, as it will aim to raise awareness for LGBT youth issues, especially bullying, by giving fans a chance to donate to a number of organizations during the live stream. Among the groups that will benefit from the record attempt are: GLSE (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), It Gets Better, the Gay Straight Alliance Network (GSA), Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Viewers will also be able to use social media to support the cause and cheer on their favorite dancers. The leading nominees for O awards include Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator (Most Outrageous Tweet and Best Web-Born Artists), Lady Gaga (Fan Army FTW and Must Follow Artist on Twitter), the Weeknd (Best Web-Born Artist and Too Much Ass for TV), Katy Perry (Best Lyrics Video and Best Artist With a Cameraphone), Justin Bieber (Fan Army FTW and Best Artist With a Cameraphone), Demi Lovato (Fan Army FTW and Best Artist With a Cameraphone), Sinéad O'Connor (Oops! I Did It Online Award and Best Vintage Viral Video) and Adam Lambert (Fan Army FTW and Must Follow Artist on Twitter), with two nods each. Other nominated artists include Cher, Nirvana, Lil Wayne, Iron Maiden, Dolly Parton, Björk, Wayne Coyne, Scissor Sisters, Best Coast and Big Freedia. The O Music Awards 2 will unfold on Halloween on OMusicAwards.com, as well as MTV.com, VH1.com, CMT.com, LogoTV.com and MTVHive.com. Fans can vote for their favorites and get updates at OMusicAwards.com.

Related Photos

The Steve Jobs Legacy

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland Calls 'Motivation' Success 'So Unexpected'

06 Oct 2011 16:01:44 EDT

'Somebody came up to me last week and said, 'How many babies do you think were made off of 'Motivation'?' ' she laughs to MTV News.
By Rebecca Thomas

Kelly Rowland in her "Motivation" video
Photo: Columbia Records

UNIONDALE, New York — Kelly Rowland needed a moment. MTV News had spent a few weeks trying to catch up with the cocoa beauty, and we finally scored some time to chat with her when she hit Nassau Coliseum last week for the New York leg of Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. Tour. But first, Kelly Ro needed to catch up with her public. After an energetic opening set that included hits from her Destiny's Child days and the honey-dipped hooks she dropped on rap staples like Nelly's "Dilemma," Rowland emerged backstage in a black sequined bodysuit topped with a sheer bolero, positively glowing. A gaggle of label execs and a smattering of VIP fans crammed Rowland's arena dressing room to celebrate what had clearly been a triumphant night, but it was hard not to feel they were also toasting an impressive year.

In April, "Motivation" — an early single that preceded her third solo album, Here I Am — hit radio and started its slow seduction of the Billboard charts, from the Hot 100 (peak #17) to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (#1), Digital Songs (#25) and even Ringtones (#3) rankings. The steamy platinum track was atypical fare for Kelly and something of a gamble for a gifted performer who had yet to match her girl-group glory with Stateside solo success. Of course, the risk paid off. " 'Motivation,' wow," Kelly said. Back on her tour bus after freshening up, the singer reflected as she relaxed on a cozy leather couch. "It's a blessing above anything, and it's just so crazy how something so unexpected — because everything is so tempo-driven on the radio, and I remember being slightly nervous about that, but then I just got over it real quick because I just [had] such great confidence in the record." With an assist from Young Money general Lil Wayne, the Rico Love/ Jim Jonsin-produced tune let good girl Kelly show off her sensual side — and that silky alto. (In the companion clip, Kells writhes around with some oiled-up dancers, clad in an indigo one-piece that's more cut-out than cloth.) Fans were soon buzzing about the lyrics, which find the songstress giving her man a titillating, um, pep talk. "Whoa, lover, don't you dare slow down/ Go longer, you can last more rounds/ Push harder, you're almost there now," she sings, adding, "And when we're done, I don't wanna feel my ... legs." "I think that there was a side of all women and all people, period; a sensual side, and it just needed to come out this summer," Kelly said about the song's heavy rotation. "And I think 'Motivation' kinda helped motivate that — a lot," she laughed. With the infectious, uptempo "Lay It on Me" (featuring Big Sean) already lined up as the follow-up single, K.Ro said she was still blushing over the impact of her million-selling smash. "Somebody came up to me just last week and said, 'How many babies do you think were made off of 'Motivation'?' I was like, 'Oh my God, I didn't even think about it like that!' " But don't let the Houston belle fool you: She's fully embraced what she described as the song's themes of "sexual freedom" and "confidence." In fact, while "Motivation" was burning up the charts this summer, Kelly was heating up Vibe magazine's August/September "Juice" issue, among others, tossing her top for a Janet Jackson-esque cover look. Are you excited to hear more music from Kelly? Tell us in the comments!

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland

Kelly Rowland 'Excited' To Be Beyonce Baby's 'Auntie'

04 Oct 2011 06:53:16 EDT

Before her F.A.M.E. Tour stop in NYC, Kelly tells MTV News she saw B and 'got a chance to rub her tummy.'
By Rebecca Thomas

Kelly Rowland and Beyonce
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Kelly Rowland is thrilled that her sister in life and music, Beyoncé Knowles, is pregnant with her first child — but that doesn't mean K.Ro's ready to take on 40 weeks of morning sickness, strange cravings and swollen feet.

"I'm so happy for her and her husband [Jay-Z] and just excited to be an auntie — part two. First it was Julez," Rowland told MTV News, referring to Solange Knowles' 6-year-old, when we caught up with her on her tour bus during the New York leg of Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. Tour. "Now it's a new baby on the rise; it's gonna to be so exciting." But when we suggested Kelly might be the next to bare a bump on MTV's VMA stage, the onetime "Destiny's Child" diva nearly spilled the blue plastic cup of post-concert something-something she had been sipping. "Kids!? Unh-unh," she laughed, tucking a jumpsuit-clad leg firmly underneath her as a towering pair of heels lay on the floor of the warmly lit bus. "I'll help take care of my 'sister' and her husband's baby first. I'm not ready for babies yet. I can watch them take care of this little baby." Still, Rowland said she'd have no problem pitching in on diaper duty when the superstar couple needed to get away for one of their well-documented date nights. Whether they're sharing a plate at Nello's in NYC or heading to Brooklyn to cheer on the Nets, B and Hov can count on Kelly. "I get to babysit, yes," she smiled. "It's a wonderful moment," the "Motivation" singer added. "I just saw my sister today, and I got a chance to rub her tummy." Share your well-wishes for Beyoncé and Jay-Z in the comments below!

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland Co-Stars On Verse Simmonds' Sextape

09 Aug 2011 19:56:02 EDT

Sextape Chronicles 2 crooner says his 'Boo Thang' collaborator is 'hot as fish grease right now.'
By Rob Markman

Verse Simmonds
Photo: MTV News

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables
Mixtape: Sextape Chronicles 2 Headliner: Verse Simmonds Key Cameo: Kelly Rowland on "Boo Thang" R&B singer and songwriter Verse Simmonds has been heating up lately. He and production partner Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph landed their track "Who Gon Stop Me" on Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne LP, which dropped Monday. Even with as much fire as Simmonds is beginning to amass, he snatched a bit of heat from Kelly Rowland for his latest single, "Boo Thang," which will appear on his new mixtape, Sextape Chronicles 2.

"She's hot as fish grease right now," Simmonds said of the "Motivation" singer before explaining how she became a collaborator. "So when she heard it, she was like, 'I really love it.' Two days later, she went in the studio and recorded it. We ain't have to hunt her down, we ain't have to stalk her for it. She really loved it and went in and did her thing on it, and I was happy to get her on there." Simmonds first made waves with his 2009 single "Buy You a Round (Up and Down)," and now he has signed with Akon's Konvict label. Before he gets to the album, Verse's first order of business is to release the follow-up to his original Sextape Chronicles. The new tape's first shot is the Rowland-assisted "Boo Thang." On the track, Verse starts by rapping over a midtempo piano-laced track. His raps give way to a melodic refrain that he sings, leading him all the way to the hook. "I know we ain't got no strings attached/ We could be the perfect match," he croons before he duets with Rowland, who adds her vocals to the chorus and then again on the final verse. Hooking up with the former Destiny's Child singer is a huge get, but Verse insists his Sextape is otherwise a solo affair. "Right now, she is the only feature I have on there," he said. "We wanted to make it just about the music." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

Related Artists

Amy Winehouse Honored By Vibe, Janelle Monae

28 Jul 2011 20:16:24 EDT

MTV News obtains exclusive excerpt from magazine's August/September 'Juice' issue.
By Rob Markman

Amy Winehouse on the cover of Vibe magazine
Photo: Vibe magazine

Amy Winehouse's death stunned her family and friends, fans and musical comrades. While her loved ones stopped to mourn her passing, Vibe magazine stopped the presses. With an already-scheduled Kelly Rowland cover on its way to the printer, editor in chief Jermaine Hall paid homage to Winehouse with a second cover for the mag's annual August/September "Juice" issue.

Hall said he wanted to capture Winehouse's beauty on the cover, and he and his team considered 40 different photos before finally deciding on a classic black-and-white portrait shot by Mischa Richter in 2008. "We had literally 36 hours to pull it off. It was a stop-the-presses situation, obviously," Hall said. "It was a hustle, but I thought it was necessary." As part of the magazine's editorial direction, Vibe reached out to Winehouse's producer and friend Salaam Remi and singer Janelle Monáe, who toured with Winehouse earlier this year. "Salaam was still out there because they were supposed to go to a wedding together that weekend," Hall explained. "He was with her for those last six days, so he was able to give us just incredible perspective on where she was, what kind of space she was in before everything went down." In his interview, Remi speaks about his plans to celebrate Winehouse's September 14 birthday with rapper Nas. "For the last couple of weeks, we were video-chatting regularly," he said. "I was just talking to Nas. Both her and Nas were born on September 14, so we were going to Barbados with all of them for her birthday. She really doesn't look forward to her birthday." For Vibe, the decision to cover Winehouse was an easy one. "When Amy hit with that second album, there was no denying that she was a Vibe artist," Hall said. "Her sound was like a mix of R&B, soul, there's some jazz in there. The way she was delivering the material, her tales of struggle, it was so clear, and it kinda felt like we were back in the '60s: the Motown era." In an exclusive excerpt given to MTV News, Monae talks to the magazine about the first time she met Winehouse: "I was honored then, and I am now, that I had the opportunity to share the same tour and stage with Amy this year in Brazil. Each night she came out onstage, she performed effortlessly. "At our first meeting, she was very shy, a sweet girl. Her first words to me were, 'It's so nice to meet you finally. I'm shy; you're a shy girl like me, huh?' She was so giving: She even bought me a swimming suit that she thought I'd like." The rest of Monae's Vibe Q&A can be accessed by scanning the code on the front cover of the Amy Winehouse edition of the magazine, hitting newsstands nationwide August 16. What do you think Amy Winehouse's musical legacy will be? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Related Videos

Amy Winehouse Remembered

Related Photos

Related Artists

Chris Brown To Tour With Kelly Rowland

27 Jul 2011 10:34:30 EDT

'Me and Kelly Rowland along with other incredible artists are going on tour,' Breezy tweets.
By Jocelyn Vena

Chris Brown and Kelly Rowland
Photo: WireImage

Kelly Rowland cited Chris Brown as one of her influences on her just released Here I Am album, so perhaps it's fitting that the former Destiny's Child singer is hitting the road with Breezy this fall.

"I'm also going on tour with Chris Brown in September," she told New York's Hot 97 DJ Angie Martinez on Tuesday, Neon Limelight reports. "I'm so excited about that." She said that the logistics were still being worked out. "Getting ready for that show — literally getting ready. I'm sitting up here emailing and all that kind of stuff, finding people now." Rowland told MTV News that she thinks that Brown is an artist that handles music fusion quite well. "I think that's what I admire about artists like Chris Brown and Rihanna, who don't mind putting it all on their album. Who cares? It's music, and they're making it: great music. And I'm proud of that, that we do have a generation that is just making great music, period," she said. Brown also confirmed the news on Twitter, sharing that some other artists would be joining the twosome on their forthcoming tour. "Me and Kelly Rowland along with other incredible artists are going on tour!!!! I'll let u know who else is on later! Lol," he wrote. Recently, Brown's "See No More" collaborator Joe Jonas shared that he'd love the chance to hit the road with the VMA-nominated singer. Just days ago, Brown promised his fans that he was planning some big stuff for the jaunt, including getting some cool acts to join him. "This tour is about to be crazzzyyy!" he said.

Related Photos

The Ups And Downs Of Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. Album Release Week

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland Means Business With Here I Am

26 Jul 2011 06:53:05 EDT

'Motivation' singer says she admires 'artists like Chris Brown and Rihanna, who don't mind putting it all on their album.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Kelly Rowland
Photo: Jason LaVeris/ FilmMagic

Kelly Rowland is proudly declaring Here I Am on her new album, which dropped Tuesday (July 26). And while she's always been a soulful R&B diva, the past few years, she's carved out a place for herself among the dancing queens of the world. And, she said, there's room for both of those characters on this latest release.

"The personalities aren't really different," she explained to MTV News. "I think what I've grown to know about my voice is, just having a voice, period, as a woman, you mean business, period — whether that's making people dance or that's making people feel in an emotional way or whatever it might be when it comes to R&B. "I think that R&B, of course, is where I'm deeply rooted, period," she continued. "I'll never go anywhere. I just happened to try something out [dance], and it worked, and that's just the part of it. And I think that's what I admire about artists like Chris Brown and Rihanna, who don't mind putting it all on their album. Who cares? It's music, and they're making it: great music. And I'm proud of that, that we do have a generation that is just making great music, period." With features from the likes of "Motivation" collaborator Lil Wayne, Big Sean and Rico Love, to name a few, Rowland also got production help from heavy hitters such as Tricky Stewart, Jim Jonsin, David Guetta, RedOne and Rodney Jerkins. "Above anything, I got to work with creative people. We were in the same pocket sonically," she explained. "And I got the chance to go back in with Rodney Jerkins, and we were just in a pocket together that ... blew me away, period. And with Red[One] too, everybody. It was so much fun. I'm so happy with the project." This album, for Rowland, was a balance of working with a new crop of producers and a familiar set of people. That combination helped her shape the many sides of herself. "Red didn't meet me, but he was like, 'I don't think you are singing at your full capacity,' " she recalled. "We got into the studio, and when we finished the two records that we did together, I just looked at him and was like, 'You get it?' He gets it. "And Rodney's been knowing me since I was 17 years old," she continued. "Rodney comes into the studio, and he's like, 'Wait a minute: What's happening [with your voice]?' It's really interesting how the two are not that far off, but they're both great ears." Share your review of Kelly Rowland's new album in the comments below.

Related Artists

Kelly Rowland

Usher Collaborator Rico Love Calls Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation' 'Truly Organic'

22 Jul 2011 21:17:47 EDT

Lil Wayne 'jumped on it,' Raymond v. Raymond writer tells Mixtape Daily.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Rob Markman

Rico Love
Photo: THLL

Behind the Beats: Rico Love If more people read the credits behind some of R&B's biggest hits, Rico Love should be a household name. Born Richard Preston Butler Jr., the former Florida A&M University student is now one of the music industry's most-sought-after singer/songwriters.

After writing hits for Usher ("There Goes My Baby"), Beyoncé ("Sweet Dreams") and Diddy-Dirty Money ("Hello Good Morning"), to name a few, one of Rico's biggest hits to date is Kelly Rowland's "Motivation." "It came about in a truly organic way," Rico told Mixtape Daily of the Jim Jonsin-produced "Motivation." "We had this meeting in New York: myself and Sylvia [Rhone] and Kelly. And they just were saying, 'We need to find that single; we need that big single.' Everybody was asking for an uptempo, actually. "I flew down to Miami the next day, and that Tuesday, we got back in the studio, and Jim started playing these chords, and then coming up with these little sounds — the signature sounds that Jim comes up with. I just told him to lay it like a skeleton idea, and I jumped in the booth, and I started with the verse, and I kind of sang my way all the way through the record." Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child, was in the studio while Rico was laying down the reference track and made her regard for the song known immediately. "Kelly was there and watched the whole process," Rico recalled. "As soon as I finished singing the demo, usually an artist wants to live with it or listen to it for a little while. She just said, 'I want to cut it right now.' So she jumped in the booth, and we cut the record." "Motivation" became the lead single for Rowland's third album, Here I Am, which was released in April. The song, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, features a verse from Lil Wayne. "Lil Wayne got out of jail a few days later, and as soon as he got out of jail, [Rowland] went to see him, and he jumped on it," Rico explained. "It was the most organized situation ever. It was nothing contrived about it." There's been nothing manufactured about Rico's accomplishments either. Starting his musical career as a rapper, he has signed former Roc-a-Fella rapper Young Chris to his Universal/Motown-distributed Division 1 label. After leaving Florida A&M to pursue music, Rico caught the attention of Usher, and penned songs for the R&B singer, including "Throwback." Other artists soon benefitted from his songwriting, including T.I., Pleasure P and Mario. Rico takes pride in being versatile with his talents, preferring not to make specific songs intended for specific artists only. "Sometimes, when you keep an artist in mind, you'll limit yourself," Rico explained. "You won't go a place that they probably would go because you're thinking, "Nah, she wouldn't say this," or "He wouldn't do this," or "He wouldn't say this," and "This melody is out of the way for them." "When I get a chance to just get into the studio and just write music and just produce music and sit at the piano and tell a guy where I want to hear the chords and create the progressions and just freely make music, it's a lot more fun." Lately, Rico has been back in the studio with Usher. In 2007, he was signed to the singer's former US Records via J Records. But his debut album was never released, and he and Usher went their separate ways. But as Rico become a songwriting force, the two eventually started working together again. The first song they recorded was the Grammy-winning "There Goes My Baby" from 2010's Raymond v. Raymond. Now, Rico is working on Usher's forthcoming album and embracing the pressure of surpassing its predecessor's platinum sales and critical success. "I feel like this is what separates the boys from the men," Rico said of working with Usher. "This week, we been creating records together. We had two mics, two headphones set up in the booth, and we just sit there and vibe out. "These first few days have been amazing. We got four records cut so far that sound super amazing. I'm super excited about it. I'm just anxious for the world to hear it." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

Related Videos