Chicago judge Vincent Gaughan said jury selection would begin on 17 September - five years after the accusations were first made against the R&B star.

Kelly, 40, has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of child pornography.

In 2004 prosecutors in Florida dropped all charges against the singer after a judge ruled photographs seized from the singer's home had been taken illegally.

Kelly - best known for his hit song I Believe I Can Fly - faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted.

Defence team

Prosecutors say the girl in question, now 22, may have been as young as 13 when the tape was recorded.

Kelly's defence team, however, have disputed her age and whether the singer - real name Robert Kelly - actually appears on the tape.

The double-Grammy winner has sold more than 23 million albums and has worked with artists including Michael and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.

Earlier this year he released a song in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.