Music News

Take That are the first headline act confirmed for next year's Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen will command the Great Oak stage on Saturday July 9 in the London Royal Park for the first time and confessed they would never have "believed" they'd be headlining such a massive event in 2016 - 25 years after they were first formed.
Speaking about the appointment, the trio said: "If someone would have told us in 1991 'hey guys in 24 years you're going to be playing at one of the most famous parks in the world', I probably wouldn't have believed whoever said it.
"We are thrilled to have been invited to headline Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park. The atmosphere will be amazing, I know that between us and the audience, there's going to be an incredible energy."
Previous years have seen The Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, The Libertines, The Who, Kylie Minogue, Neil Young and Blur all headline the festival.
The booking shows there's no sign of the 'Hey Boy' hitmakers - who formed in 1990 with original members Robbie Williams and Jason Orange - of slowing down.
They're currently working hard in the studio on new tracks for their upcoming album - that is set to include hits from their 25-year-run - and have sold out arenas around the world this year with their recent 'Take That Live 2015' Tour, which included 10 nights at London's O2 Arena, in support of their most recent album 'III'.

Enya is making a comeback with her first studio album in seven years, 'Dark Sky Island'.
The 54-year-old Irish star - who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide and has four Grammy awards from a career spanning over four decades - will bring out the LP on November 20 and the songs have been inspired by Roma Ryan's poetry about the island of Sark in the Channel Islands.
A statement about the record revealed: "Sonically, 'Dark Sky Island' is a collection that's both incredibly diverse and innately unified by the production: almost Spector-esque in its lavish, wide-screen multi-tracked layers of sound.
Enya reunited with couple producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma to make the album.
The 'Orinoco Flow' singer previously said of working with the pair: "Studios usually are a bit dark and a bit smelly but not our studio. It is actually on Nicky and Roma's grounds and they built it from stone, so it looks like an old church."
The album has taken three years to complete and Enya, Nicky and Roma had to work rigorously to finish it with some songs taking months to perfect.
Enya told the BBC: "Once I arrive at the studio, the focus is totally on music and we work from 10 o'clock to half five or six.
"Time is the important factor. We work on one song and then set it aside for two or three months. When you eventually go back, you can be a critic for a short time because it's new to you again.
"Is this arrangement working? Is it enhancing what the melody is about? Are the lyrics right? And sometimes we just take it all back to the melody again and start it all over again."

Rod Stewart arranges his tours to suit his children.
The 70-year-old singer has eight children with five different women and although he worked a lot when his older kids were young, these days he makes sure to schedule his concert tours when nine-year-old Alastair and four-year-old Aiden are on their school holidays.
Rod who is married to Alastair and Aiden's mother Penny Lancaster explained: "In the old days - when I had my other kids - I was always on tour trying to carve out a living for myself, so sometimes the kids would not see me for months on end because 'dad's out working'.
"But now I have made a few pennies, I make the tours around the kids' holidays. Next May and June is when I am touring again - that's their school holidays, and in March I go back to Las Vegas and they are on holidays so they will come with me."
Rod also revealed his sons have influenced his music.
He told the Irish Sunday Independent's Life magazine: "I feel much freer, Much freer. There is a song on the new album called 'Batman Superman Spiderman'. It's about putting my four-year-old son to bed. I don't think I would have been comfortable writing that song 25 years ago. I would have been embarrassed because I was busy being a rock star. It doesn't go with the image does it? To write songs about your four-year-old son."

Paris Hilton wants to record a song with Ed Sheeran.
The socialite has been friends with the 'Don't' hitmaker since meeting at the 2014 Grammy Awards and would love for him to help her resurrect her own music career.
Paris told The Sun: "I have met Ed a few times and he is so sweet, down-to-earth and funny.
"I am blown away by his lyrics and music. He is an incredible talent and I would love to work with Ed."
However, she will need to move fast as Ed is planning to take a break in 2015.
He recently said: "I just want to live and drive to places and listen to music and have normal conversations with people and get back to normality. I've got a packed schedule, then, when December 12 comes, it's done."
Ed's not the only British star that Paris wants to work with and she revealed that she has already been in touch with Charli XCX about appearing in one of her upcoming music videos.
She said: "I have been talking with CHARLI XCX and she is so sweet. We have been emailing and she wants me to do a music video with her.
"I love her music and I'm really excited to get together with her."

Anastacia started writing 'Resurrection' before she had her double mastectomy.
The 47-year-old singer was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in early 2013 and, although it was a heartbreaking and scary time for the star, she has admitted the experience leading up to the operation to remove both her breasts gave her the inspiration she needed to pen her sixth studio album.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she said: "I started writing the album ['Resurrection'] before I had the surgery ... it wasn't easy but I like life. "
The 'Left Outside Alone' hitmaker - who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 but made a full recovery - underwent the mastectomy in May 2013, released her album less than a year later and went on tour 11 months ago.
Asked how she manages to stay so positive, she joked: "In real life I'm a cat. I'm not a real human-being, I'm actually a feline."
She added: "I've always been someone who will make light of a dark situation - very English sense of humour actually - so in the worst of times I'm going to make a really bad joke.
"I think being able to do that takes out the uncomfortable part when people don't know how to talk about what has happened. I'd rather just be the one letting it happen so the conversation can be more brighter."

Will Smith's family is helping him with his upcoming album.
The 'Men in Black' hitmaker, who has won four Grammy Awards, had four Top 10 singles and sold over 20 million albums over the course of his career, has reportedly roped in his 14-year-old daughter Willow and son Jaden, 17, to help him in the recording studio.
A source said: "They're helping him write some material and will even sing a few songs together."
The 47-year-old star also hopes his oldest son Trey, 22, will want to appear on the record.
The insider explained to US OK! magazine: "Trey's a DJ, and Will would love to get him on the record."
The actor is excited to share his new tunes after recently rapping on the track 'Fiesta' by Colombian dance act Bomba Estéreo, his first single in 10 years.
The source said: "He'd forgotten just how much he loves getting a crowd on its feet."
Will previously revealed Kanye West had signed on to produce some of his next album.
Speaking earlier this year, he said: "I spent a week or so with 'Ye and we went into the studio a couple of times and he's trying to get my gassed up.
"You know I've recorded a lot. I've recorded a lot. I don't have anything I like yet, but I've probably recorded around seven or eight [songs]. It's not for certain, it's just explorative."

One Direction will use their hiatus to write new material.
The 'Little Things' hitmakers are preparing to embark on a long break, and Liam Payne is looking forward to having the time to pen songs for the group that they can be really proud of.
He told HELLO! magazine: "The best thing about the break is that we get more time to write music.
"We haven't had as much time as we would have liked on all our albums because they've happened so fast.
"So it's going to be interesting to see how it differs having a lot of time.
"There's definitely a massive hope for us to come back together and we definitely feel that.
"Who knows when that will be, but there will be a lot of music waiting."
And the group - which also includes Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan - are also looking forward to finally having the chance to properly celebrate their achievements.
Liam said: "We have so much to celebrate, the great work our fans have done and how hard we've worked over the years.
"We haven't really stopped to think or look at all the different things we've achieved.
"You get told different things all the time but you kind of forget, which is sad. I want to sit down and go, 'Woah, what just happened?'"
Louis added: "It will take a little gap for us to realise what's gone on."

Justin Bieber wants to start a new boyband.
The 'What Do You Mean?' hitmaker is reportedly eager to gather a group of musicians to work on new music with after he releases his upcoming album, 'Purpose,' on November 13 and is hoping to eclipse One Direction's success.
A source told Life&Style: "Justin thinks the band will be a chart topper.
"One Direction's album drops the same day as Justin's and he feels they're trying to steal his spotlight, so this is his way of getting revenge."
But the 21-year-old star has no plans to completely give up his solo career.
The insider added: "Justin thinks with his name, connections and talent, he can blow 1D out of the water!"
The British boyband recently insisted they aren't worried about releasing their upcoming record, 'Make in the AM,' on the same day as the 'Sorry' hitmaker's.
Member Niall Horan said: "There is no need for a fight, if they [the fans] are fighting. We just happen to be releasing our albums on the same day. It's happened to us before; our first couple of albums were released on the same day as Rihanna.
"It's fine. You know you're gonna be up against someone in the charts - it just happens that we have fallen on the same day."

Bette Midler is set to release a new greatest hits album, 'A Gift of Love,' next month.
The legendary performer, who has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide since launching her career in 1972, has confirmed she's put together a collection of 18 of her favourite ballads from her studio albums and soundtrack recordings that will go on sale on December 4, 2015.
The upcoming record follows the success of the Grammy winner's 'It's the Girls' album last year and recent sell-out 'Divine Intervention Tour,' her first in the UK for 36 years.
The collection features a number of Bette's biggest hits, including 'The Rose,' 'Wind Beneath My Wings,' her cover of Marshall Crenshaw's 'My Favorite Waste Of Time,' 'Every Road Leads Back To You,' as well as five tracks from her 1995 platinum release 'Bette of Roses.'
Earlier this year, Bette admitted she is thinking about retiring as she's already achieved her "childhood dream".
She said: "I might stop at some point. I'm coming to the end of the line. I have to admit it. When you have more of the road behind you than ahead, it becomes a very focusing thing.
"You start thinking about the world. I've never been to Africa or South America. I've never seen a rhinoceros. I'm not saying that entertainment is a childish thing but, in time, you do grow up. I've achieved my childhood dream. Now the dream is just about over. I'm still alive, still vibrant. I'd like to see what other dreams I can come up with."