Gossip Teen

Rihanna is fierce and sexy for the February cover of W magazine. The Bahamian born singer is focusing on her music, the release of her 4th studio album, Rated R, and less on the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of her then boyfriend Chris Brown. Writing the lyrics to songs for this album, she used her trauma of the past year to write her most personal songs ever.

“When I first worked with her, on her second album, she was very—I don’t want to say obedient, because it sounds like you’re describing a dog—but she would take my suggestions without question,” says Ne-Yo. “She trusted me, which was cool, but I told her that I ultimately wanted to get to a point where she would give me input, where she’d be a collaborator and not a puppet. And now I think we’ve gotten there. She’s showing parts of herself that she didn’t show before because she didn’t want to scare anyone off. She’s experienced some pain now, and it’s helped her grow to a point where she’s able to explore it.”

Rihanna must be happy to put 2009 behind her and her cover shot shows a confident young woman ready to look forward. More Rihanna!

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester has a debut album due out next year and the first official single “Somebody To Love” will premiere on radio October 27th. The album has production help from American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi as well as others and was originally due out this spring 2009 but has been pushed to winter/spring 2010. There is still no title as of yet to her debut and her previously leaked single “Body Control” may or may not end up on the final release. She’s great on Cobra Starship’s “Good Girls Gone Bad” single so let’s hope there is more like that in store.