Blackberry is parting ways with its long-standing celebrity singer Alicia Keys as its global creative director at the end of the month Reuters reported Thursday.
"BlackBerry and Alicia Keys have completed our year-long collaboration," the company said in an emailed statement Reuters reported. "We have enjoyed the opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented and passionate individual."
Keys came on board the same time as Blackberry unveiled its array of Blackberry 10 products last year Reuters reported. Blackberry has since shifted its focus to serving businesses, governments, and other bigger entities.
Blackberry also wants to catch up to Apple's iPhone, and Google Inc's Androids Reuters reported.
BlackBerry suffered a $4.4 billion loss, and earned $1.2 billion during the third fiscal quarter, a decrease from $2.7 billion the year prior USA Today reported Friday.
The cost to maintain operations reached $354 million, which amounted to 67 cents a share. Blackberry's shares fell seven percent before the market open. Numbers have since gone up 3.3 percent however.
Blackberry was out $646 million in 2012 when its revenue decreased 40 percent to $11 billion The Wall Street Journal reported. The company lost four million subscribers and suffered another decrease of $84 million in the fiscal quarter that ended June 1 in 2013.
Blackberry made a smaller amount of cuts over the summer from its sales, and research, and development departments. This comes just a year after the company let go 5,000 people from 12,700.
Two years ago, over 17,000 employees worked at the company based in Waterloo, Ontorio Canada. Blackberry also had control of 14 percent of the smartphone business. This has since dropped to less than three percent.
Former Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins is also no longer in the position The Los Angeles Times reported.
The decision came after Blackberry's potential deal with Fairfax Holdings to become private did not work out The Times reported.
