Music News

Madonna has announced her 'Rebel Heart World Tour'.
The pop superstar is embarking on a 35-date tour of North America, Europe and Puerto Rico to promote the release of her new album 'Rebel Heart' - which is released on March 6.
Madonna unveiled her plans on Twitter and on her official website this morning (02.03.15), revealing she will kick off her mammoth run of live shows at the American Airlines Arena on August 29.
The 'Living for Love' singer tweeted: "Rebel Heart Tour Announced For North America And Europe! Tour Kicks Off In Miami August 29th #RebelHeartTour (sic)"
After kicking off proceedings at the end of August, Madonna will spend September touring the US and Canada.
The 56-year-old singer finishes her American dates in October before bringing her show to Europe in November and December.
The 'Rebel Heart Tour' is being produced by Live Nation Global Touring and Arthur Fogel, Global Touring President, can't wait to see Madonna back on stage.
Fogel said: "Madonna continues to be one of the most successful touring artists in history - her shows are legendary and we are thrilled to have her going back on tour."
Tickets go on general sale from Monday March 9 via Madonna's official site and other outlets and from March 9 to March 30 every North American ticket purchased online will come with an exclusive digital download of the SUPER DELUXE version of the 'Rebel Heart' album, which includes 6 bonus tracks including 4 previously unreleased studio tracks.

Madonna 'Rebel Heart Tour' 2015 dates:

North America / Puerto Rico:

Date / City / Venue
Aug 29 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena - On Sale Mar 9
Sept 2 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Sept 5 - San Juan, PR - Coliseo de Puerto Rico - On sale Mar 21
Sept 9 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre - On Sale Mar 14
Sept 12 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center - On Sale Mar 16
Sept 16 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden - On Sale Mar 9
Sept 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center - On Sale Mar 9
Sept 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center - On Sale Mar 16
Sept 26 - Boston, MA - TD Garden - On Sale Mar 16
Sept 28 - Chicago, IL - United Center - On Sale Mar 9

Oct 1 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena - On Sale Mar 13
Oct 3 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall - On Sale Mar 16
Oct 5 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre - On Sale Mar 9
Oct 8 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center - On Sale Mar 16
Oct 11 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place - On Sale Mar 9
Oct 14 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena - On Sale Mar 9
Oct 17 - Portland, OR - MODA Center - On Sale Mar 23
Oct 19 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center at San Jose - On Sale Mar 9
Oct 22 - Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena - On Sale Mar 23
Oct 24 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Oct 27 - Los Angeles, CA Forum - On Sale Mar 16

Europe:

Date / City / Venue
Nov 4 - Koln, Germany - Lanxess Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Nov 7 - Prague, CZ - O2 Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Nov 10 - Berlin,Germany - Mercedes-Benz Arena (02 World) - On Sale Mar 16
Nov 14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Tele 2 Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Nov 17 - Herning, Denmark - Jyske Bank Boxen - On Sale Mar 9
Nov 21 - Turin, Italy - Pala Alpitour - On Sale Mar 16
Nov 24 - Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi - On Sale Mar 16
Nov 28 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis - On Sale Mar 9

Dec 1 - London, UK - O2 Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Dec 5 - Amsterdam, Holland - Ziggo Dome - On Sale Mar 9
Dec 9 - Paris, France - Bercy - On Sale Mar 9
Dec 14 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Dec 16 - Birmingham, UK - Barclaycard Arena - On Sale Mar 16
Dec 20 - Glasgow, Scotland - The SSE Hydro - On Sale Mar 16

Lulu believes there is too much pressure on female singers to strip.
The 'Shout' hitmaker rose to fame in the 1960s but believes it is far more difficult for older artists to garner success because music "is not an easy business".
She explained: "The music industry is not an easy business, never has been, and the bosses aren't rushing to sign you if you're over a certain age because it's all about young people."
However, the 66-year-old star continued to say she believes there is growing pressure on young artists to "strip off" and said if anyone had asked her or 'Son of a Preacher Man' singer Dusty Springfield to do so during their early careers, they would have "killed ourselves laughing - then told them where to go."
She added: "Do you know what I really dislike? Female singers thinking they have to strip off when they've got talent."
Although the musician - who is gearing up for the release of hew new album 'Making Life Rhyme' - has not been vocal about her opinions on female stars in the past, she admitted she admires fellow singer Sinead O'Connor, who wrote an open letter to Miley Cyrus in 2013 in which she warned her not to let the music industry pressure her sexually exploiting her body.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, she said: "I'm with Sinead [O'Connor] on this. I might not go about it in the way she has, but I admire her bravery for writing to these young women and expressing her concern."

The Strokes will perform at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park. The indie band will headline the opening night (18.06.15) of the series of London shows, which will be their first London show in five years, and their only UK festival ap...

Kanye West has named his new album 'So Help Me God'.
The 37-year-old rapper revealed the title of the follow-up to his 2013 'Yeezus' LP on Twitter alongside an image of four lowercase 'm's, connected in a diamond shape, which is a 13th century Monastic symbol of the Virgin Mary, though it is unclear whether this will be the record's artwork.
The album doesn't have an official release date as Kanye recently declared he intends to bring it out as a surprise for fans.
He said: "Release dates are played out.
"So, the surprise is going to be a surprise. There goes the surprise!"
Kanye also claimed the new record will be a "service to the people".
He said: "My last album was a protest of music.
"But this album is just embracing the music, embracing joy and just being a service to the people."
The 'Bound 2' hitmaker - who has 20-month-old daughter North with wife Kim Kardashian West - has previously spoken of how he thinks Christianity is "awesome" because he can "portray God" however he chooses.
He said: "You know, what's awesome about Christianity is that we're allowed to portray God.
"We're allowed to, you know, draw an image of Him, we're allowed to make movies about Him...So that's just what's really awesome about Christianity. That's one of the awesome things."
As well as his new and last album titles, Kanye has previously used religious references on songs 'I Am a God', 'Jesus Walks' and teamed up with Jay Z and Frank Ocean on 'No Church in the Wild'.

Graham Coxon doesn't think wealth has dimmed Blur's appeal.
The 45-year-old musician has returned to the iconic Britpop group to help record their new album 'The Magic Whip' and he insists that despite their fame and fortune, the group has not been creatively corrupted.
He said: "We have never had much interest in singing about lifestyle or aspirations.
"I have no trouble keeping grounded. I know my own bad habits on the guitar."
Coxon also agreed with Noel Gallagher's recent comments regarding modern-day songwriting, which has been characterised as self-pitying and lacking in substance.
He said: "I am kind of with Noel on that. I don't mind a bit of sentimentality, but a lot of it is so commercial now. There needs to be room for beautiful mistakes, that is how the best music gets made."
However, the guitarist conceded that all too often, musical comebacks are uninspired.
Coxon told The Observer newspaper: "Lots of groups come back and it doesn't really set the world alight. Even diehard fans are slightly unenthused. Yet it is a weird idea that simply because you are past a certain age you stop.
"This isn't the 1950s, the era of the teenager, any more. I always think of the old blues men carrying on making music and having children until they are 80. Pop music doesn't have to be a fleeting, age-related thing either."

Taylor Swift learned guitar to get noticed.
The 25-year-old singer took music lessons with Ronnie Cramer in 2002 and he believed she only took up the instrument to set her apart from other aspiring singers.
Ronnie said: "Taylor was a great kid, you could tell she had a talent.
"My brother was her vocal coach from when she was nine years old and before that she was always performing...
"They got me on board because they realised no-one would notice this kid.
"Back then, no young girl played a 12-string guitar and sung - she would be the first."
Ronnie, 48, remembers the 'Shake It Off' hitmaker as a dedicated student who, spurred on by her mother Andrea, was determined to succeed in the music industry.
He said: "Her mum was the boss and she was pushy.
"Taylor was marketed to be the perfectly packaged star - and she was keen.
"She would play all the time - I'd turn up and she'd have the guitar in her hand showing me songs she'd written.
"Her mum was strict with her, but it worked."
Andrea even kept an eye on her daughter's diet after advising her not to be a "fat pop star".
Ronnie recalled: "Andrea came back from Taco Bell and as soon as she came in the kids went running over.
"Taylor was tempted by the Taco Bell but ate a salad instead. I remember her mum once saying, 'Tay, nobody wants to see a fat pop star.' "
For her 20th birthday, Taylor's dad asked Ronnie to send the guitar she learned to play on and the 'Blank Space' star later declared it her "best gift ever".
Ronnie told heat magazine: "For her 20th birthday, her dad Scott asked me to send him the guitar I had taught Taylor on.
"She called me to thank me for sending it. She said, 'It was the best gift I've ever got.' It was so nice of her to call me."

Brandon Flowers doesn't want to "embarrass himself" with his new album.
The Killers frontman has been working on his second solo LP and felt it was important to have a more grown-up sound that reflected his life.
He said: "I'm 33 years old and I have three sons, I've got to try to commit to myself and no embarrass myself.
"A lot of these songs could be about a man and his wife. I'm coming up on 10 years of marriage, and it's not a cakewalk."
Brandon has been listening to solo albums of other frontmen and women and thinks he is too much of a "pop tart" to create a record like The Strokes' Julian Casablancas did with The Voidz.
He said: "I don't know if I have that in me. It's like David Bowie doing 'Tin Machine' or something like that. I just can't. I'm too much of a pop tart."
The singer's first solo effort, 'Flamingo', was criticised for sounding a lot like a Killers record, so this time round he has worked with producer Ariel Rechtshaid and given him "some freedom" to play with his sound.
He told NME magazine: "I'm so much a part of that Killers sound, so for me to move away from it, I had to give Ariel some freedom, a little bit more slack on the rope.
"A lot of times it worked, and when it didn't, I was able to have a strong enough hold on things to pull the rope and get it where I need to get it."

Chris Martin has been writing "love songs" for Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Coldplay frontman separated from his wife of nine years last March but insiders say he has been working hard to win her back and he even spent Valentine's Day (14.02.15) with the 'Iron Man 3' actress, not his current on/off girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence.
A source said: "Chris never wanted to separate. He's always wanted a reunion and has been jumping through hoops to make it happen in the last year, including doing 'homework' by reading stacks of self-help books suggested by Gwyneth to 'actualise' himself.
"He's written her love songs and has put his relationship with Jen on hold more than once.
And it seems Gwyneth - who has children Apple, 10, and Moses, eight, with Chris - is softening towards the idea of getting back together.
The source added: "Gwyneth has always made it clear there's a hope that they could get back together. They even decided to postpone the official divorce indefinitely, but it's only in the last few weeks she's seemed keen to be a couple again.
"It was at her suggestion they spent Valentine's Day together. Neither of them gave much weight to the occasion itself but she obviously felt it would be a nice gesture for the kids and it looks like she's testing the waters for a full-blown reunion. They seem closer than ever right now."
Despite hoping for a reunion with Gwyneth, the 'Fix You' hitmaker is still dating Jennifer, but insiders insist their romance isn't serious.
The source told Grazia magazine: "Chris has made it clear to Jen that Gwyneth and his family are his priority and they're keeping things casual while it works itself out.
"Now Chris is expected to celebrate his birthday on March 2 with Gwyneth too."

Damon Albarn found writing 'The Magic Whip' "a really great process".
The Blur frontman and guitarist Graham Coxon took a different approach to crafting the songs for their new record - their first LP in 12 years - and though they are happy with the result, the 'Parklife' singer isn't sure they could do it again.
Graham said: "It's always been my job to glean what i can from what Damon is saying and put it through a guitar."
Damon added: "And then once that happens I've got to go back and finish it. If he's interpreted a word or a sound, it kind of helps finish the words. Basically it's been a really great process this time round. I've never made a record in this way.
"On this occasion it's worked really well for us. Whether we could repeat it again? Who knows? Probably not."
The group will perform at London's Hyde Park for their fourth time this summer and though they want to play as much of their new album as possible during the gig, fan favourites won't be forgotten.
Damon told NME magazine: "We've got quite a few new songs that we wouldn't want to not play in a big field like that. There'll be an element of editing the new material to work in context with the old material."