With 12 Grammys, four number one albums and a slew of roles on the big screen, you would think Alicia Keys had more than enough to put on her resume.

In an effort to expand her brand and career, the 28-year-old singing sensation is now pursing a number of ventures outside of music that she calls "business of inspiration."

Keys, who recently launched her new company AK Worldwide (AKW), announced a partnership in The Barber's Daughters jewelry line - the first of many endeavors, she says.

The inspirational handcrafted jewelry line caught the singer's eyes during a tour stop in Toronto last summer and inspired her to design her own collection for the line.

"They are these unique one of a kind pieces that have the most beautiful words on them, and for me - as a song writer - words mean everything to me," she told PIX News during a retail gallery reception Tuesday at the Collette Blanchard Gallery in Soho.

"People always tell me my music has gotten them through different periods in their lives and I feel this is an extension of that."

You love to hate her on Gossip Girl as the witty, yet conniving Blair Waldorf, but now Leighton Meester is putting down the Fendi bag and picking up a mic. The 23-year-old starlet already made a big splash on the music scene this summer, when she teamed up with Cobra Starship on the hit "Good Girls Go Bad." Now she is churning out singles of her own and has many music critics buzzing.

The actress turned singer landed a recording contract earlier this year and is slated to release her first album by early 2010.

The Gossip Girl star recently performed at the Grand Opening of the American Eagle Store in Times Square. She brought the house down with a four-song set. Guests in attendance included Gossip Girl co-stars Jessica Szohr and Michelle Trachtenberg as well as Entourage star Adrian Grenier.

Her latest single "Somebody To Love" featuring R&B crooner Robin Thicke is already climbing the charts. Watch the video:

Mixing rock with drops of blue-eyed soul, vintage R&B and melodic pop radio anthems, Parachute VA has arrived. The band met in high school, and their first single "She Is Love" is featured in a new Nivea commercial (see the jump).

The guys recently performed in Times Square for the New Year's Eve show alongside of the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift. The band prides itself on its live show, having toured with the likes of Jon McLaughlin, O.A.R., Switchfoot, Duffy and Matt Nathanson.

For more information on Parachute VA, visit www.myspace.com/parachuteva.

WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE AFTER THE JUMP...

We sat down with new singer/songwriter Brett Dennen to talk about his budding music career and his sophomore album Hope For The Hopeless, whic is available in stores now.

Dennen made his mark in the music scene in 2006 with his debut album So Much More. And since then this boy from northern California has been touring non-stop with the likes of John Mayer, Colbie Calliat, Rodrigo y Gabriella, Sheryl Crow and Ziggy Marley. Dennen's songs have also been featured on hit TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Hills.

Hailed as inspirational, Rolling Stone magazine alos named him one of this year's "Artists To Watch." His singles include "Ain't No Reason", "She's Mine" and "Darlin' Do Not Fear" and new song "Make You Crazy," which features fellow artist and long-time friend Mandy Moore.

For more information, visit brettdennen.net.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW AFTER THE JUMP...

Move over Fall Out Boy and The Killers, there's a new band with a catchy pop sound.

Hailing from the Chicago area, critcs are saying The White Tie Affair sounds like a fusion of Justin Timberlake and AFI.

Their album Walk This Way is in stores now. Kristina Behr sat down with the band to find out who their biggest influences are, and their infamous appearance on The Hills.

For more information on The White Tie Affair, log onto www.thewhitetieaffair.com.

WATCH THE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMP...

Music critics say, if you mix a blend of '60s soul, New Orleans swagger and good old rock and roll, you'll have Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons. Recorded mostly at his family's cabin in Wisconsin, the six-song LP "Cabin Ghosts" is a collection of haunting melodies showcasing Chisel's expressive vocals. The album is avail in stores now.

They'll be performing Monday night, Sept 15th at The Living Room in New York. For ticket info and more in general, log onto www.corychisel.com.

They're the biggest band on the radio right now, and they're sitting down with the CW11.

(Left to right) Jeremy Davis, Zac Farro, Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, and Taylor York start a Riot! in Times Square's Planet Hollywood (Shelley Ng/WPIX-TV)

Paramore is in New York promoting their single "That's What You Get," the latest track off their certified gold album Riot! The band is also gearing up for their performance in Central Park on August 28th, when their Final Riot! Tour comes to the Big Apple.

Hayley, Zac, Jeremy, and Josh took time out of their busy schedule to rock out with dozens of lucky fans at Z100's Z Lounge in Planet Hollywood.

WATCH AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND, PLUS CHECK OUT THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES AFTER THE JUMP.

See PHOTOS OF PARAMORE PERFORMING AT Z100'S Z-LOUNGE AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD IN TIMES SQUARE.

All Points West Music & Arts Festival

This week we're featuring R&B singer Usher’s latest video “Moving Mountains.”

Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64EjuSEXsYg

This week we're featuring Alicia Keys’ “Teenage Love Affair."

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCOiqMgYkKc

This morning's offering was Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna - If I Never See Your Face Again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK-H76JeFpA

We checked out the latest video for the Pussycat Dolls new single When I Grow Up. To check out the entire video, just log onto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gvcpb4_7ZQ

We're featuring the latest hit music videos; and this week we're kicking things off with Coldplay as they gear up to play their free Madison Square Garden concert.

To find out how to get tickets for their US Tour just log onto www.coldplay.com or www.ticketmaster.com

Today's Violet Hill video after the jump.

We put the "Spotlight On" the British band Your Vegas. They're opening for Duran Duran this week in Central Park.
For tickets to catch their performance with Duran Duran on May 30th and 31st in Central Park, log onto http://www.ticketsolutions.com/tickets.aspx?eventid=675999
And for more information about the band, check out: http://www.yourvegasmusic.com/
or http://www.myspace.com/yourvegas

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP...

This week we're featuring Singer/Songwriter Tina Dico. For more info check out >>>.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP...

In this weeks Spotlight On... we featured the band Bell X1. For tickets to their show at the Bowery Ballroom on March 16th and for more information on the band, log onto http://www.bellx1.com/

WATCH THE INTERVIEW & AN EXTRA ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE AFTER THE JUMP

For more information Kill The Alarm, visit KillTheAlarm.com or their MySpace page myspace.com/killthealarm.

We featured the band The Dey for this week's Spotlight on...For more, log on to http://www.thedey.com/

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

R&B artist Cheri Dennis, who got her big break singing for Sean P-Diddy Combs, check out her website and watch her interview.

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Check out more Spotlight On >>>

This week's spotlight shines on South Philly's singer/songwriter George Stanford, whose passionate vocal stylings have been compared to those of Damien Rice and Coldplay's Chris Martin.

We sat down with George to talk about his budding career. Watch the clip after the jump.

The first thing you’ll notice on his debut release "Imperfect Man" are the lyrics. Bryan’s introspective, highly-emotionally charged words strip him down to his human core, while at the same time magnetically drawing in his listeners with their uncanny accessibility and naked honesty. Never pretentious, frequently clever, but always real, Bryan has placed his finger on the pulse of his generation and this album is what he found. More Spotlight On >>>.

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Opening for Evanescence, this young band is gearing up to take this universe by storm, check them out >>>.

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

This week we featured neo-sould artist Raheem DeVaughn in our Spotlight On series.. For more info on him check out http://www.theloveexperience.com/index_main.html
For more info on the artist Demont "Peekaso" that we featured in his piece, log onto http://www.demontpeekaso.com/. Check out more Spotlight On

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

This week we're featuring twin sisters Helena and Maria. For more >>>

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

This week we shined the spotlight on artist Megan Jacobs. Megan's new album Prosperity is now available.

For more information log on to www.meganjacobs.net or http://myspace.com/meganjacobs

Our Spotlight On series continued with the band The Academy Is...
For more information, check out http://www.theacademyis.com/

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

To hear more from the band and learn about upcoming shows check out www.wearebandofthieves.com.