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Congratulations to Shakira and Gerard Pique, who just welcomed their second child together, a boy they named Sasha. The pop star tweeted the happy news on Friday, January 30^th, from Barcelona, where she had given birth.

Congratulations to the brand new mum of two!

"We are happy to announce the birth of Sasha Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué, born January 29 at 9:54pm, in Barcelona," she also posted in an update on her website. "The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means 'defender of mankind' and 'warrior.'"

Continue reading: Shakira And Gerard Pique Welcome Second Baby Boy, Reveal Meaningful Baby Name

Shakira's popularity is at an all-time high!

On Friday (July 18th), the Columbian-born singer was named as the most 'liked' person on Facebook after becoming friends with 100 million users.

The Grammy Award-winning recording artist thanked all her fans for their support shortly after achieving the accolade.

Continue reading: Shakira Is Facebook's Most Popular Person After Achieving 100 Million 'Likes'

In its latest bid to track current musical trends more accurately (and purely to stay relevant, if we’re being honest), Billboard has introduced two new musical charts, fueled entirely by social media buzz. The first one, cleverly titled Trending 140, ranks how heavily songs are shared on Twitter in the U.S., tracking acceleration over the past hour. The Emerging Artists chart is a weekly chart of the most-shared songs by “up-and-coming artists.”

Social media queen Iggy Azalea predictably topped the Trending 140 chart's first edition.

Billboard president John Amato explains that the two new charts represent the culmination of a long-standing effort to incorporate real time data into the charts.

Continue reading: New And Improved Billboard Charts, Now With Extra Twitter

It was The Voice semi-final last night, and you can bet contestants and judges alike pulled out all the stops. But while the contestants we’re putting on their best professional faces, the judges took the whole affair a bit less seriously. Usher, setting aside his judging duties for a moment, performed his new song, Good Kisser. The tune earned him a standing ovation from his fellow judges.

Usher used the opportunity to debut his new song.

But by far the best moment of the show came from Adam Levine. Eager to get back at Blake Shelton for tweeting out his phone number, Levine got creative. The Maroon 5 vocalist ordered two truckloads of cow dung to be unloaded in Shelton’s red pickup truck mid-show. Props to Levine – as on-air pranks go, that one should go down in the history books.

Continue reading: "The Voice" Recap: Home Towns And Cow Dung

The soundtrack for Disney's smash-hit movie Frozen has continued its strong run at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 161,000 copies last week to bring its total to 1.8 million, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

'Frozen' Is The Biggest Grossing Animated Movie of all Time

Billboard said 1.5 million of the soundtrack sales were from 2014, making it this year's biggest selling album so far - by an absolute mile. Beyonce's self-titled album that she released in December is in second with 604,000.

Continue reading: 'Frozen' Soundtrack Maintains Vice-Like Grip On Billboard 200

Pharrell Williams is to replace The Voice's outgoing coach, Cee Lo Green, who recently announced that he's be stepping away from NBC's talent contest to focus on his own musical career. Williams, who served as a guest mentor to Usher's team in season four, will replace the longtime judging on the singing competition's upcoming seventh season. The show's Twitter feed broke the news on Monday and quickly received an outpouring of excitement as fans spread the word.

Pharrell Williams Is To Replace Outgoing Coach Cee Lo Green On 'The Voice.'

"Okay, we can OFFICIALLY say it! WE ARE SO #HAPPY to announce PHARRELL WILLIAMS = #NewVoiceCoach for SEASON 7," the show captioned a shot of the new judge. The last year has seen the 40 year-old pop star on a high: he collaborated on last year's top two songs of the summer, 'Blurred Lines' and 'Get Lucky,' has worked on the Amazing Spider-Man 2 score alongside Hans Zimmer and received an Oscar nomination for his chart-smashing Despicable Me 2 song, 'Happy.'

Continue reading: Pharrell Williams Replacing Cee Lo Green As Coach On 'The Voice'

Hard-headed tactics, nail-biting decisions and some truly A-grade talent; so began The Voice season six battle rounds where audience favourites were sent home, judges fought over the best candidates and the remaining contestants sang their hearts out for a chance to progress to the next stage.

The Judges Had Some Tough Decisions To Make This Week.

The last two night's episodes (17th and 18th March) were particularly cutthroat: the battle round sees two contestants from the same team pitted against each other with the coach choosing only one. It's not the end of the road for the singer who doesn't get picked though as the rejected can be stolen by other coaches. The coaches can retain only six contestants from their original team and two more can be added from the steal.

Continue reading: 'The Voice' Battles: Competition Heats Up As Adams Steals From Shakira

The final standings for season five finale of The Voice featured two of Adam Levine's acts, with Will Champlin and Tessanne Chin representing the Maroon 5 singer, and Christina Aguilera's 16-year-old protege Jacquie Lee. After 13 weeks of hard fought contest, the three became two and then two became one, as Tessanne Chin was crowned the newest winner of NBC's singing contest.

Levine scored his second win in the contest, whilst Christina will have to wait a while longer

It was a second win for Levine as a judge and few could begrudge Chin for winning the contest after 13 solid weeks of top quality performances. On Tuesday (17 Dec.) night the Jamaica-born singer was picked ahead of Champlin, who placed third, and Lee, who came second, not just based on votes from the American public, but on her merit as an artist, as seen throughout the latest season. The final votes took into consideration the contestant's success on iTunes and other fields away from the show, and it was Chin who was the clear favourite to win from the get-go.

Continue reading: And The Winner OF 'The Voice' Season Five Is...

Shakira's former boyfriend Antonio de le Rua has failed in his $100 lawsuit against the Colombian pop star. The Californian lawsuit was one of three suits filed by de la Rua seeking to claim a "partnership" interest in Shakira's income - all three were dismissed by a judge in court.

"I am very grateful that the courts are not allowing these groundless lawsuits to proceed," Shakira said in a statement to E! News, "I have moved on in my life and could not be happier now. I hope this harassment will now come to an end."

The singer was slapped with a hefty $100 million lawsuit in April, with de la Rua claiming that he built the singer's brand and was the brains behind her biggest hits 'Hips Don't Lie' and 'Waka Waka.'

Continue reading: Shakira's Ex-Boyfriend Fails Spectacularly In $100 Million Lawsuit

Shakira scored herself a deserved victory in the courtroom this week, as her disgruntled ex-boyfriend Antonio de la Rúa had claimed that he was entitled to a share of her fortune. A judge at a Geneva court ruled last month that De la Rúa had no entitlement to any of the assets in the singer's Swiss bank account as his $100 million lawsuit was thrown out of court.

Shakira scored herself a win in the courtroom

De la Rúa stated in a his lawsuit, which was first filed last year, that before they split in 2011, the two had made an oral agreement concerning their professional relationship that had guaranteed financial security to each other. The Swiss court made it's ruling on June 18 and on Friday (July 5), Shakira's attorney gave a statement to E! News commending the judge's decision.

Continue reading: Shakira Earns Courtroom Victory: Judge Says That Ex Has No Claim To Her Fortune

Adam Levine's "I hate this country" remark on The Voice last night has elicited a whole wave of responses on Twitter. The Maroon 5 man was stunned that two of his three remaining singers - Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons - were voted off the show despite being considered frontrunners. This was a terrible decision, and Levine knew it.

A close-by microphone caught Levine muttering his hatred for the American public, which some fans of the show claim will decrease his chances of winning with his one remaining act. Ryan Cooney wrote on Twitter, "Adam Levine just said "I hate this country" on TV... Not a smart move dude, not smart at all. #america." 

It's hardly surprising that Levine had a dig at the American public - Judith Hill was easily the most talented singer in the final 8 - though the singer will struggle to salvage his reputation on the show with touchy television viewers. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Amy Reiter offered a potential explanation for Judith's elimination, "...it could also have been that Hill was almost too polished, too much of a pro. She'd sung a duet with Michael Jackson. Her parents were well-connected musicians. She already had the bearing of a superstar - seemed already to have arrived.  What did she need us for?"

Watch Adam Levine's "I Hate This Country" remark:

Continue reading: The Voice's Adam Levine: "I Hate This Country" [Video]

The top eight singers on The Voice took their performances to another level on Monday evening (May 27, 2013), with fire, feather and cowboy boots playing prominent roles in a number of blinged up turns. Blake Shelton had kicked off the show with a rendition of his latest hit 'Round Here,' though things soon got serious, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

On Team Adam Levine, it was Judith Hill who seriously impressed with a reinterpreated rendition of Will.i.am and Justin Bieber's #ThatPower. "That hair is badass - I guarantee you, Adam has been on the phone with Cee Lo [Green] this week!" said Shelton of Judith's huge mohawk. Sarah Simmons struggled a little with Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' while Amber Carrington didn't quite manage to convey the majesty of Adele's Oscar winning track 'Skyfall.'

On Team Blake, Holly Tucker chose to perform 'Done' by the Band Perry and ultimately succeeded. "There were big notes in this song, and you hit them and took them up to another level," said Usher. Over on Team Shakira, Sasha Allen was assigned 'Without You' by David Guetta and Usher, "I started comparing myself to Sasha as a singer, and that's not good [for me]," said Shelton. "I think you bought Shakira another week, for sure."

Continue reading: Warfare On 'The Voice' At Top 8 Pull Out All The Stops

Blake Shelton is taking the well-wishing one step further - by raising hard cash. He’s teaming up with NBC to put on a benefit concert to raise money for those affected by the tragic Oklahoma tornado.

Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton discuss all things 'The Voice'

As a judge on The Voice, Shelton used his position to raise awareness, opening Tuesday night's show by performing an acoustic version of "Over You" alongside wife Miranda Lambert. Meanwhile, the donation information for The Red Cross was behind them on-screen. "I think 'Over You' was the perfect song for this situation," Shelton said later on. "The moment was right. I wish things could have been different. I wouldn't have thought about performing a song like that, but it seemed like the right thing to do." And it was later revealed that he and NBC were amidst the planning stages of a benefit concert to raise money. "We'll know more about it in the next 24 hours," Shelton told Billboard. "I'm hoping it will raise a lot of money. Obviously, it will be televised and will happen really quickly."

Continue reading: Blake Shelton Raising Hard Cash For Victims Of Oklahoma Tornado

Take note ladies, all it takes to get Usher to start stripping down is a cover of the Backstreet Boys and a broken air conditioning unit. At least that how it looks as the singer was forced to strip down during last nights (May 13) edition of The Voice, in what was probably the highlight of a still impressive show.

The singer was so taken by Garrett Gardner's rendition of 'I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys that he had to take off a few layers until he was just in a vest and his trousers. Well, that and because the A/C unit was broken in the studio, but the acts on last night's show were hot that we wouldn't be surprised if it was a joint effort between the remaining acts and the A/C.

Although it was Shakira's Gardner that had Usher taking his top off, it was actually the 'Climax' singer's team that looked to have finished the night more impressively. Whilst Josiah Hawley crooned a Script cover and Michelle Chamuel won praise for her rendition of 'Call Your Girlfriend,' it was Vedo's song and dance routine to  Michael Jackson‘s 'Rock With You' that really impressed.

Usher was blown away by last nights performances

Continue reading: Usher Brings 'The Voice' Audience To Climax After Stripping Down!

The Spanish-Italian-Panamanian-Colombian pop singer Miguel Bose has been named the Latin Academy's Person of the Year for 2013. The singer, author and actor will be honored at a benefit gala on November 20 in Las Vegas, one day before the 14th annual Latin Grammy Awards.

Bose has recorded over 30 albums over a career spanning three decades - his hit singles include Anna, Salamadra, Te Amare, Sevilla, Como Un Lobo and Si Tu No Vuelves. He has also acted in more than 35 movies. Recognized for both his philanthropic and professional achievements, Bose has worked tirelessly for the Peace Without Borders campaign as well as for Fight Against AIDS.

In the musical world, Bose has collaborated with some one of the biggest acts in the business, including REM's Michael Stipe, soul legend Gloria Gaynor, Latin star Ricky Martin, Colombian pop singer Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, Juanes and Paulina Rubio. He won a Grammy Award in 2001 for his album Sereno.

Continue reading: Pop Singer Miguel Bose Is Latin Academy's Person Of The Year

Things are getting heated up over on The Voice as judges Shakira and Blake Shelton butt heads over who they want to send to the finale. The playoffs continued last Tuesday and, under Shelton’s coaching, it would be no surprise if the next Voice of America ended up being a country performer. The biggest hopeful for this season seems to be 16-year-old country songstress Danielle Bradbury, after she was named as one of the contestants to beat on this episode.

With her in the running, it might be that country is making a comeback to the talent competition. Shelton certainly knows it and he commented during last night’s performances: 'I've been saying since day one I want to bring a country music singer to the finale,' said Blake, who thinks this year he can do just that.

He does have some tough competition though, in the face of Shakira’s team, and one singer in particular: Sasha Alan. Despite Alan being a favorite for the top spot, her mentor was definitely experiencing a case of nerves before the performances began: 'I'm so nervous, you have no idea. I'm going to end up with no nails, I'm going to be biting them the whole time.'

Continue reading: The Voice Finale Approaches And Blake Shelton Is Rooting For Country

Tonight (March 25) marks the first instalment of the brand new series of The Voice USA - and what's more, it brings two completely new faces to the judges' seats (as any new talent show series tends to do now-a-days) with Usher and Shakira taking up the spots made vacants by Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.   

We all know that new a series means new faces, but what it also means is new auditions - and does anyone really watch these shows for anything other than the often torturous lengths some people go to in order to have their voices heard? Well maybe, but the majority of us only watch it for these first few weeks anyway and on a show where the contestant is regularly out-witted and upstaged by a piece of furniture then we've got a good chance that this years auditions are going to be some memorable ones.

As well as the usual tomfoolery from the hopeful contestants, the fourth series of The Voice USA should be an interesting one anyway just to see how the new judges gel. Cee Lo and Christina have already mentioned that they are only taking breaks and will be returning to the show and it was the chemistry shared by the four that really drove the show forward. With two new, although admittedly popular replacements, there is a chance that the show might not work the same way it did before and the show may end up being a disaster. However - and this is probably a more likely outcome - what if Shakira and Usher are too good and Cee Lo and Christina never get invited back, creating an all out war that may spill into a spin-off series! Maybe that won't happen, but hey, it's TV and weirder things have. The Voice airs on NBC tonight (March 25) 8 ET/PT.

Continue reading: Are New Judges Usher And Shakira Ready For The Voice USA Challenge?

Proud new father Gerard Pique used Twitter to post the first photo of his and Shakira's new born son's feet, wearing personalised Nike sneakers. While many celebrities choose to be particularly low-key and secretive about their children, clearly Pique is just a little too excited to keep it all to himself. 

When a baby is born there are countless 'firsts'; first step, first word, first tooth. But before any of those firsts come around, there's first photo and first pair of shoes. Normally the latter isn't much of a big deal, but if you're Milan Pique Mebarak, son of Shakira and Gerard Pique, your first shoes are personalised, with your name embroidered on them. And your first public photo is of you wearing them. The pair used Shakira's website the release the news into the world, saying "We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué, born January 22nd at 9:36pm, in Barcelona, Spain."

The Nike sneakers are fitting, even if they don't really fit. On her website, they added: "Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth." If he's to follow in his father's pretty big footsteps he'll be wearing sneaks of some kind of another for a lot of his life. 

Continue reading: First Photo: Personalised Nike Sneakers For Shakira And Gerard Pique's Baby Milan

Pregnant Shakira With Beau Gerard Pique

Who needs David and Victoria Beckham when you've got Colombian pop superstar Shakira and her Barcelona ace beau Gerard Pique? The couple sent fans crazy this week by posing semi-nude, with Gerard cradling Shakira's rather large baby bump. The whole thing was in aid of UNICEF, with which the couple are closely involved.

Speaking on Facebook and Twitter, Shakira said, "The countdown begins! And we'd like to invite you to participate in our world baby shower joining efforts with UNICEF." According to the charity organization, fans are encouraged to bring gifts to the 'baby shower' in the form of $5, $10, $50 and $110 donations to help by buy mosquito nets to prevent children from contracting malaria, vaccines to protect kids from polio infections, baby-weighing scales and oral rehydration salts. Children's education has always been a priority for Shakira, who founded the 'Pies Descalzos' organization that has helped pen hundreds of schools in her native country, Colombia. She's also used her celebrity past to meet political leaders like President Barack Obama. "To celebrate the arrival of our first child, we hope that, in his name, other less privileged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations," said Shakira and Pique.

Continue reading: Semi-Nude Shakira Cradles Pregnant Stomach (Pictures)