R&B songstress LeToya Luckett knows a thing or two about expanding a brand. The Grammy Award-winning artist sparked a successful solo career after her split from Destiny’s Child and opened her first clothing and accessories store, Lady L Boutique, in 2003. She kept the momentum going, opening a second Lady L location in Houston’s Galleria Mall. (And let’s not forget her latest addition to the empire: becoming the new face of Luster’s Pink Brand Smooth Touch haircare line.)

The right location and understanding of the customer is vital to expanding your business

When it came to investing in a second store, finding the right location and having a good sense of the customer was top priority for Luckett. The customer base for the first location, a smaller boutique among other specialty luxury stores at Houston’s ritzy Uptown Park Mall, differs from that of the larger Galleria mall, which includes a mix of high-end and mid-priced stores such as Valentino, Macy’s, Gap, and Zara.

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Letoya Luckett is the new face of Luster’s Pink Brand Smooth Touch. And Luster’s and VIBE magazine hosted a launch party last night for the event.

We’ve got pics plus an exclusive interview with the groupmate turned fab solo artist when you read on….

The event was held at the Helen Mills Theatre in New York, NY and YBF correspondents Sharde and Angela. NYC folks were in attendance, and YBF Chick Letoya was revealed as the new face of with Luster’s. Luster’s ended the evening with giveaways of black hair care products, and had tons of swag bags for everyone.

Letoya chatted it up with YBF about her new album, reuniting with Destiny’s Child, her ex Slim Thug’s recent controversial comments, and her new job as the face of Luster’s.

Interview and pictures after the break.

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Title: LeToya honored at WEEN Awards
Location: The Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Link out: Click here
Description: Lauren London has been tapped to host an event honoring women in the entertainment industry this September.

London, who is the mother of one of rapper Lil Wayne’s children, will host the 2nd annual WEEN Awards (Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network) on September 2nd in New York.

The swanky, invite-only affair will honor CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, Hot 97’s Angie Martinez, LeToya Luckett, Nia Long, Hydeia Broadbent and Esther-Silver Parker.

The awards are slated to take place at the Asia Society and Museum and will include a “pink carpet,” followed by an awards dinner and reception.

Tickets for the awards show range from $100 to $10,000 for a table.

For more information visit www.weenonline.org
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-09-02
End Time: 21:00

Destiny’s Child alumni Letoya Luckett has been holed up in the recording studio this week working on her third studio album. Three producers/songwriters have been brought to  this week regarding their studio sessions.

“Great sessions with LeToya Luckett”writes producer Sauce after revealing that they managed to do two songs in one day and a half. If you’re not familiar with him, he produced Ne-yo’s ‘I Just Ain’t Right’, Brandy’s ‘I Dedicate’, Eric Benet’s ‘Georgy Porgy’, Adina Howard’s ‘If we Make Love Tonight’, Heather Headley’s ‘I Didn’t Mean To’ and the list is just endless. According to hisMyspace, he has also worked withChris Brown, Paula Deanda, Blu Cantrell and Faith Evans. Source.Source.

Letoya and Harvey Mason, Jr of the Underdogs also confirmed their studo sessions this week (Mason has produced for Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis). Source.Source.

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Think you know everything about this starlet? Here are a few things you might not know!

Remember the craze of boy bands and girl groups in the 1990s? If you were a fan, then you’ll remember the world-famous Destiny’s Child and the groups singer Letoya Luckett. She is currently working on her 3rd album and can now be seen starring alongside Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher in Killers, out today! But something you might not have heard… is that this girl has got a unique sweet tooth and an interesting nightly habit!

Check out six things you never knew about Letoya here!

1. I get terribly shy around boys.
2. I’m a total pack rat.
3. I have a weakness for creme brule.
4. I do a happy dance when my food is REALLY good!
5. I rub my cold feet together when I go to sleep.
6. I have a secret obsession with the late Gene Kelly.

By Haleigh Catino at  HollywoodLife.com

Interview by Arts & Entertainment writer Meriam Bouarrouj

Letoya Luckett is the true definition of a triple threat in the entertainment industry. A founding member of the Grammy-winning music group Destiny’s Child, Luckett has made quite an identity and impressive resume for herself. Her first solo musical effort debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and now she’s now in the process of working on her third album. Yet Luckett is not just a musical talent. Aside from being a successful and songwriter, she acts, too! Luckett is currently starring in the highly-anticipated summer movie, Killers, with Ashton Kutcher. Luckett generously took time out of her busy schedule to discuss with me her fun experiences while filming Killers, what it is that she would like to most achieve with her music, as well as the most valuable lessons she’s taken away from her experiences.

Killers hits theaters this Friday! You got to star in it with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl.

Letoya- I’m so excited about it. We did the premiere last night and that was so much fun. It’s a great movie. A great date movie. A lot of action. More action than I even expected! But I think the ladies will definitely enjoy it because of the storyline and how they fall in love. You know Ashton Kutcher is naturally delicious, so. (Laughs) It will work for everybody.

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LeToya Luckett may have established her worldwide fame in the music business as one fourth of the original Destiny’s Child but it is her entrepreneurial endeavors that define her in her hometown of Houston. After departing from the group, Luckett invested her time and energy to opening up her Lady L  Boutique in 2004. Now, she maintains two stores and is riding high with her reinvented entertainment career. She is currently preparing a new album and is co-starring in this summer’s action-comedy, “Killers”, alongside Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher.  For an industry veteran of 10 plus years, her drive is reminiscent of someone who has just arrived. She hopes that quality inspires her supporters to take a driven approach to achieving their own success. TAP caught up with Lady L to discuss her brand, boutiques and beats.

Why did  you begin Lady L Boutique?

Honestly, it came from having a shopping problem. My mother and I sat down and I said, ‘Mom I really want to open a boutique’. I thought it would be a great way for people in Houston to get the fashion they see on the runway and worn by celebrities. My mother has a background in accounting, so she managed the business side of it.  I have learned so much from watching her make the deals.

How much did you initially invest in the store?

Our initial investment was between $30,000 and $50,000. I didn’t want go on the credit side of financing; I wanted to pay cash for everything.

What is your role in the store?

I am the boutique’s buyer. I also organize the charity events and fashion shows we host.

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Black Voices caught up with Stan Foster as he speaks about working from the director’s chair and casting the lead roles.

Out today on home video is ‘Preacher’s Kid,’ which stars LeToya Luckett of the original Destiny’s Child. She makes her movie breakthrough in this inspiring tale bursting with music.
Making his directing debut is screenwriter Stan Foster, whose previous film was ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed.’ which starred Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine and Debbi Morgan.
Family, faith and music. Small-town girl Angie King leaves the first two behind to pursue a dream of singing stardom. Luckett plays Angie, the daughter of a stern but loving bishop, whose attraction to the star of a traveling gospel show takes her on the road and into romance, heartbreak and the realization that happiness may lie in the home she left behind. Join her on a powerful coming-of-age journey.
Also in the film are Durrell “Tank” Babbs, Essence Atkins, Gregory Alan Williams, Clayton English and Sharif Atkins.

After writing screenplays for such a long time, what made you decide it was time to direct?
Stan Foster: It was a natural extension. I sold a movie to Lionsgate a couple of years, and I thought about directing it from that time. I also spoke with some colleagues, Michael Schultz and Bill Duke, about advice and they were really encouraging. No one has this vision like me, so let me see what I can do. I was really happy with the process and how it came out.

How did ‘Preacher’s Kid’ become your first film to direct?
SF: This was my baby. Everything I write, from ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ to screenplays I sold are a piece of me, and it’s hard to have a baby and hand it over to someone else. This was the first time I got a chance to see it through from every word on the screen. Every frame of the movie has my stamp on it.

What were you looking to bring to this film that you think hadn’t been seen before?
SF: This is the first movie to show the world that there is a world of gospel stage plays. This goes back to Tyler Perry, Michael Matthews and some of the guys that came before them. ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ was the first gospel stage play that turned into a film. It’s such a fascinating world when you go to one of these stage plays and you see 95 percent black. A few white producers would come by and one would say, “I had no idea that this world even existed.” Tyler [Perry] wasn’t even in the radar when this came out.
I put together the stage play for ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed,’ and Tyler happened to be in the audience, and he wound up talking to one of the producers and began directing ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ and T.D Jakes’ follow up play, ‘Behind Closed Doors,’ and that got him really rolling in the game of stage plays. A few years later, we are doing the film version and Tyler comes on the set, and he partnered with my producing partner Reuben Cannon, and those two have been making money ever since. ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ was really the catalyst in a lot of ways to have stage plays make the big screen.

Can you talk about casting LeToya Luckett in the lead role?

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