Music News

Laura Mvula doesn't think she's a good pop star.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter narrowly missed out on winning a Mercury prize last year after James Blake claimed the honour and she's now in the running to receive a best British Breakthrough Act prize at the upcoming BRIT Awards, but she admits she's not very confident when it comes to her talent.
She told the Independent on Sunday's The New Review: "I'm still very shy, and very private. Being a pop star is something I don't think I'm very good at. I'm worried it's making me too paranoid, because all of a sudden, life has become this constant assessment.
"When you put something out there and people get to hear it, then those people react to it, socially, culturally."
The 'Green Garden' hitmaker - who only eighteen months ago was still working as a receptionist at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - has also found it hard to adjust to her fame and doesn't like being the focus of people's attention.
She explained: "Nowadays, whenever I sit down with someone, or I see someone I haven't seen for a long time, or even if I'm in the toilet in a restaurant, people want to stop and talk about me.
"They tell me either that they love my stuff, or quite possibly - and this has happened, at least once - that they don't. They want to know about my hairstyle, or what I'm wearing, who I'm wearing."

One Direction have developed people skills since becoming famous pop stars.
The 'Little Things' hitmakers - consisting of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson - are currently the biggest boy band in the world and they think their confidence has soared since they took part in 'The X Factor' in 2010.
Liam, 20 said: "I think for me - and for you, Zayn - we weren't that confident and because you have to talk to so many people it gives you so many more people skills. When I used to go to family parties as a kid I couldn't hold a conversation. Even with my own uncle. So it's nice that I've now got those skills."
Zayn, 21, added: "It's really built our confidence and our social skills. We do find it a bit easier to carry ourselves and speak to people - it's cool."
However, Niall and Harry, both 20, have joked that it's all "downhill" for them now because they've reached their twenties and have started coming into their own.
Niall said: "Like getting on stage - last year alone we did over 100 shows. So that helps with confidence. But I think we've all become our own people now because we're at that age where we're all turning 20 and we are who we are now, I guess."
Harry added to We Love Pop magazine: "We're over the hill, he's trying to say. It's all downhill from here!"

Jennifer Lopez is a workaholic.
The 'On The Floor' star - who has five-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony - is always working on new projects and ideas and though her work ethic is admirable, it makes some people around her uncomfortable.
A source said: "Jennifer is constantly working, 24 hours a day. She makes phone calls at all hours of the night. She'll have an idea and work non-stop until it happens. That kind of work ethic is why she's had success, but it's hard for people to deal with."
The source adds that the 44-year-old singer - who has returned as a judge on 'American Idol' this year - is worried if she has a break she will lose her status and profile.
The insider added to America's OK! magazine: "She's afraid that if she takes time off it will all be over. She actually took a break when she was with Marc Anthony and had the kids. Her career kind of stalled. She freaked out. She got everything back up and running because she was afraid. She feels that if she's not on top of everything it will go away."

Miley Cyrus appeared through a replica of her own mouth to open her Bangerz Tour in Canada last night (14.02.14).
The 'We Can't Stop' star entered through an opening in a picture of her face and slid down a huge pink tongue extending to the stage on the opening night of the tour in Vancouver.
The controversial singer showed off plenty of sexy dance moves including Twerking - the butt shaking dance she popularised last year - up against a giant blue teddy bear, rubbing her crotch, riding a hot dog and sucking on a foam finger.
The 'Party in the USA' hitmaker opened the show in a red studded two-piece, before changing into a leotard printed with marijuana leaves and wearing a golden cannabis leaf around her neck, which she paired with white cowboy boots.
She admitted her nerves before the performance, tweeting: "I don't know if it's Valentines Day or #BangerzTour but I'm most definitely having a panic attack."
However, she showed no signs of losing confidence as she sang tracks from her 'Bangerz' album including 'Love Money Party', '4X4', 'FU' and 'Adore You', surrounded by dancers dressed in many outrageous costumes including as the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and former president of the US, Bill Clinton.
Despite giving such a visual performance, Miley has previously claimed it is all about her songs.
She said: "It is fun for people to walk out and be like 'Oh my god did she just do that?' and there's so much I love about shock value, but then I really want the core to be about the music."

James Blunt loves performing in China - because he feels "tall".
The 'Bonfire Heart' hitmaker - who is just 1.7m tall - claimed he "feels better" about himself when surrounded by his fans in the far East because they are usually smaller than him, which is very unusual.
He said: "I've just finished playing China, great fun, for me I like playing there because in Europe I'm a very small person, but over there I'm tall and it makes me feel better about myself."
While James was overwhelmed by the response to his concerts in China, he admits his record sales didn't match up.
Asked if he is big in China, he told BBC Radio 2: "Huge there! Oh sales? No, the Chinese don't buy much music, I think one person buys the album and distributes it very effectively among his friends because they knew every single word to every song, which was a great pleasure, I was grateful they were but I was thinking, 'Hang on - we've only sold one album here'."

Prince will present the first prize at this year's Brit Awards.
The iconic pop star will be with his new all-female backing band 3RDEYEGIRL to kick off the show in style on Wednesday (19.02.14) when he makes his first appearance at the annual bash since 2006.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, an insider said: "Prince is a big-name addition to this year's show.
"We've seen the massive crowds he has drawn at his recent London gigs so it's definitely going to be a highlight."
With the 'Purple Rain' singer signed on to present the first trophy at the ceremony next week, he could replicate his 2006 appearance by also performing at the event.
He will join the likes of Kylie Minogue when he hands out a gong, and he could share the stage with some huge names if he decides to play a track live.
So far, Katy Perry, Lorde, Disclosure, Pharrell Williams, Arctic Monkeys, Rudimental, Ellie Goulding and Bastille are a confirmed as performers for the event at London's The O2 Arena.
Meanwhile, James Corden will make his fifth and final appearance a the Brits, making him the show's longest-running host.

Ellie Goulding is taking her mother to the BRIT Awards.
The 27-year-old singer - who is nominated for British Female Solo Artist and British Single of the Year for both 'Burn' and 'I Need Your Love' - wants to make her mum Tracey "proud" and has invited her to attend the prestigious music ceremony on February 19 at London's O2 Arena, where she will also be performing.
She said: "My mum's coming to the ceremony so I want to make her proud. It's the first time she's been to anything in all the years I've been doing this. And my brother's coming too."
Ellie first won the Critics Choice trophy at the Brit Awards 2010 and confessed she didn't "acknowledge" the accolade because she was preoccupied worrying about gigs she had lined up.
Talking about her pre-Brits career, she told Radio Times magazine: "Things were trundling along for me. I was doing sporadic shows. I remember finding out about the Brit Award but being so stressed about rehearsing for this little tour I was doing. I was too anxious to even acknowledge I had won it."

Giorgio Moroder wants to collaborate with Miley Cyrus.
The 'I Feel Love' hitmaker - who has worked with Donna Summer and Daft Punk in the past - is remaining tight-lipped on who he has lined up to work with this year, but he admits he thinks the 21-year-old singer has a good voice, despite her controversial music videos.
He said: "I love Lady Gaga, Rihanna - all the pop girls like Katy Perry. I think Miley Cyrus is very talented too. Apart from the visuals, which you may like or not like, but her music is quite good actually. 'Wrecking Ball' is quite a good song and she sang it really nicely."
Meanwhile, the 73-year-old producer doesn't believe advanced technology is changing electronic music in a bad way, and he insists it opens up more avenues for talented artists.
He explained to Digital Spy: "I think it's [technology] a good thing - it gives a chance of work to a lot of people. Today for two or three thousand dollars you can have a lot of equipment and you can do beautiful recordings. Obviously if you're talented. If you're not then it doesn't help at all!
"But if you're talented it's a great chance. You can work at home, you can record at home - you can do final recordings. Probably 80% of the stuff done at home doesn't work - not because of the technology but because of the talent."

Sir Cliff Richard won't stop eating meat when he supports Morrissey on his US tour.
The 73-year-old singer is "honoured" to be performing with the former Smiths frontman at New York's Barclay center on June 21, but he's adamant he won't change his eating habits for the vegetarian star.
When asked if he'll turn vegetarian for the day, he said: "Certainly not. No, of course not. I like to think he might eat some meat when I arrive, but I wouldn't expect him to.
"So I don't think he'd expect me to be vegetarian. If I found he was offended by people eating meat then I won't eat it in front of him. But I'll have a chicken curry afterwards."
The 'Living Doll' hitmaker admits he's been researching Morrissey on the internet since discovering he would be sharing the stage with him in four months time.
He explained to the BBC: "I checked on the internet and saw a couple of shots of him live, and his audiences look really - I don't know how to say this - they look really nice.
"They were swaying in the crowd and mouthing lyrics and I was thinking, 'Oh, my audiences do that'. So maybe his audience will be kind to me."
Meanwhile, Sir Tom Jones, 73, will also be supporting Morrissey on his US tour, but will take to the stage at Los Angeles Sports Arena on May 10.