Music News

Jay Z has been making the court laugh during his 'Big Pimpin' copyright case.
The 45-year-old rapper is currently in the midst of a court case over accusations he sampled a 1957 song without permission but seemed in good spirits as he cracked a joke about Kanye West while testifying on Wednesday (14.10.15).
Speaking about his character to the jury, his lawyer Andrew Bart explained Jay - whose real name is Shawn Carter - has helped launch the careers of several artists including Rihanna and Kanye, adding: "Some people may have heard of him."
Prompting a laugh from the court, Jay added: "One or two. He's running for president."
The trial - which began on Tuesday (13.10.15) - relates to a flute line sampled by the rapper and producer Timbaland for their 1999 hit, which the composer's nephew, Osama Ahmed Fahmy, is seeking royalties for following his uncle's death in 1993.
Osama claims the composer's family would never have allowed 'Khosara Khosara' to be used if they had known about the profanities used in 'Big Pimpin', which is widely renowned as the track which rocketed Jay Z into mainstream music.
However, the '99 Problems' hitmaker insists he properly negotiated the use of the track and had repeatedly paid the composer's family for the track.
Proving his acknowledgement of the track, he presented a copy of his fourth studio album 'Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter' which references 'Khosara Khosara' in the sleeve credits.
He explained: "We have the rights as you can see on the bottom of the CD."

CeeLo Green wants to make another Gnarls Barkley album.
The 'Forget You' hitmaker collaborated with his Gnarls Barkley bandmate Danger Mouse on the 2006 album St. Elsewhere as well as 2008's 'The Odd Couple' and although he's since been busy working on solo material and 'The Voice' while Danger Mouse has been producing music for artists including A$AP Rocky, CeeLo has now revealed he's keen to get to work on a new record.
Asked if he's spoken to Danger Mouse recently, he said: "I just talked to him last night. I told him, 'This is the next thing we should do'. I know he's about to the the Red Hot Chili Peppers' album. I hope he does great with that, but I said, 'Hey, I need you to be able to split your attention. We need another Gnarls album, and so do the people'."
Danger Mouse - whose real name is Brian Joseph Burton - is also rumoured to be working on Adele's highly anticipated upcoming album, but CeeLo believes they'll be able to make it work.
He told Radio.com: "We just have to set aside the time. But we did 'St. Elsewhere' in a week, because we only had 10 days to be productive. He was working on the Gorillaz album at the time, and I was working on some freelance stuff, like the Pussycat Dolls 'Dontcha' and stuff like that. I was just writing and producing, I didn't have a record deal at the time. And he's a producer, he's always a free agent."
Meanwhile, CeeLo's fifth solo album 'Heart Blanche' is out next month.

Tori Kelly has revealed Ed Sheeran is a comedian in the studio.
The 'Should've Been Us' singer admitted while the Grammy Award winner is a great musician, he's always messing around and pulling jokes while recording new tunes.
She exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I think a lot of people think he is a goofball all the time, he is really good at the business side of things to. He is definitely an artist I respect and look up to.
"He is just funny, just always doing different voices, rapper impressions."
The 22-year-old star collaborated with Ed on the track 'I Was Made For Loving You' on her debut album 'Unbreakable Smile' - which will be released tomorrow (16.10.15) - and praised him for making her feel so comfortable when they were working on the song.
She explained: "He is really, really easy to work with, he just makes it really chilled, and relaxed. I was a fan of his before we met. The first time we met was when we did the duet, which is on my album now. He is really smart.
"What is cool about him that I am inspired by is that he is just himself on and off the stage, which I think is a really cool thing to take away from watching him perform in stadiums, he still hasn't changed even with all his success."
And thinking about the future, she teased she's hoping to work with 'Hold Back The River' hitmaker James Bay.
She added: "I just recently met James Bay, who I am a huge fan of. I think he'd be really cool to collaborate with. Even Little Simz, I think she is incredible."

John Newman thinks Sam Smith's Bond song could do with being more "energetic".
The 'Tiring Game' hitmaker thinks the 007 franchise's theme tunes need to represent the action films genre and break free from being ballads all the time.
Asked what he thinks of Sam's 'Writing's On The Wall', he said:"It's alright. I'd just quite like to hear an energetic Bond song soon.
"I know it's not the history of a Bond song but I wouldn't want it to go into a place that becomes ballads every time. It would be nice to have an energetic action one because it is an action film."
The 25-year-old soul singer also said he would definitely be up for writing a Bond theme but it would have to be a a "bit different" to the traditional ones such as, 'Skyfall' and 'Diamonds Are Forever' and he would want to take his time on it and not just come up with something in minutes - as Sam said he did with the song.
He told Digital Spy: "I'd love to have a bash at it. I'd want to make something energetic and a bit different ... and something that takes longer than 20 minutes to write."
Meanwhile, asked what it's like being compared to the the 'Stay With Me' hitmaker, John said it's "amazing".
He added: "It's always been amazing to be compared to him because his success has been incredible and his climb has been incredible.
"I was on the same train as him for quite a while in terms of the rise to success until it really kicked off in America for him. I'm proud to see him do well because I think he's a nice guy."

Liam Payne is going to have a "1D day" during their break.
One Direction are set to take some time out following the release of their fifth studio album 'Made In The A.M.' next month and band member Liam has revealed he is likely to sit at home reflecting on their achievements with special days of celebration.
He explained: "I think we're going to miss it more than anything but we do need to have a little bit of time out just to ... I think it's kind of nice to realise all the great stuff we've got up to. And we'll probably sit at home, and you could have a 1D day at home where you watch all the stuff and go, 'That was a good time, that was!' And then you can just go on holiday."
Their decision to take a break was revealed earlier this year and although some believe it heralds the end of the band, Louis Tomlinson insists it's normal for groups to take some time out, especially having had such a hectic five years.
He said: "I think actually what we're doing, is actually not that weird. We've spent a lot of time on the road and we've recorded a lot of albums in the same amount of years so yeah. We're just taking a break and seeing a bit of the fam, enjoy our houses, that kind of thing."
Following news of their break, the band have topped the list of the most anticipated UK winter gigs in new research from StubHub, who revealed tickets for their shows have been searched for more than other acts including U2, Madonna, the Foo Fighters and James Bay, who also feature in the top five.
Meanwhile, Liam teased fans can expect a slightly different sound on the album as they continue to push forward with their music.
He told ITV: "We've kind of changed it up slowly over the years.
"We take slow steps to where we wanted to get to with our sound."

Journey drummer Deen Castronovo has pleaded guilty to several domestic violence charges.
The musician was arrested in June on charges of domestic violence and appeared in a court in Salem, Oregon on Monday (12.10.15) where he was sentenced to four years on probation.
As well as the probation period, he is being made to undergo counselling to stop him re-offending and to prevent drug abuse.
If he breaks the terms of his sentence, he could face up to five years in prison.
The 51-year-old star - who joined the band in 1998 - was previously arrested for a similar offence on his girlfriend in 2012 which he described at the time as a "misunderstanding".
He said: "It was a misunderstanding that should not have been escalated to such a level in the first place".
The 'Don't Stop Believin' hitmakers removed Deen from the band in June following the latest charges and it has not yet been confirmed whether he will return in light of the court's verdict.
At the time, a statement from the band - whose 14th album 'Eclipse' was released in 2013 - said: "We, Journey, have made the decision to have Omar Hakim play drums for the band's upcoming US concerts (Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, June 20 and the Stadium of Fire in Provo, Utah on Saturday, July 4), as well as the band's Canadian tour (July 6 - August 3), due to Deen Castronovo's pending issues. We are very grateful to Omar filling in with his musical excellence."

Ben Haenow has signed a US record deal.
The 'X Factor' winner has signed with RCA Records - which is also home to the likes of Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake - after impressing label bosses with his debut single 'Second Hand Heart', a duet with their act Kelly Clarkson.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Ben is chuffed with the news. He was always aiming to make it over in the States, especially after spending so much of his time over there while recording his debut album."
The 30-year-old singer recently admitted he hopes the song would boost his chances of cracking America.
He told BANG Showbiz: "I'd like to think so. I think we've got a great start with Kelly being on board."
But Ben confessed the track wasn't originally intended to be a duet and only turned into one when he returned to the UK after working on the track abroad.
He admitted: "It wasn't supposed to be a duet. We got back to the UK after recording it and Sonny, the head of the label, was kind of like, how do you feel about it being a duet?
"But I asked who he was thinking and he said Kelly Clarkson, so I toyed with the idea. But as soon as we got the track back with the vocals on it, for me that was it, it just sold it. It brought a new perspective to the song instead of it just being one."

Gary Numan will receive the 2015 Q Innovation In Sound award at the Q Awards.
The 57-year-old electronic musician is the first winner to be announced for the Q Awards in association with Absolute Radio, which will take place on Monday (19.10.15).
Speaking about his win, he said: "To receive any award in music is an honour. But to receive the Q Innovation In Sound award is particularly special.
"Sound is the most important aspect of making music to me, it's why electronic music has been such an obsession. It allows you the opportunity to constantly create new and exciting sounds. I'm very grateful to Q for the award, and very proud."
The 'Cars' singer follows other acts including Mark Ronson, Massive Attack, Underworld, Muse, The Prodigy and Sigur Rós who have previously been given the accolade, presented by Sony Xperia, by the magazine's editors.
Ed Sheeran, Florence + the Machine and Noel Gallagher lead the nominations at this year's event, each receiving three nods.
Both Ed and Noel are up for the coveted Best Solo Artist prize alongside Kanye West, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift, while Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will go up against Blur for Best Album and Best Act In The World.
Other acts nominated for prizes at the annual event include Jess Glynne, James Bay, Years & Years, The Weeknd, Royal Blood and Catfish & The Bottlemen.

Simon Cowell is "absolutely livid" after a snippet of One Direction's new single was leaked.
The four-piece boyband are gearing up to release their new single 'Perfect' on Friday (16.10.15) but their label, which is run by the music mogul, have been left feeling furious due to a 30-second clip of the song being shared without their consent.
An insider told The Sun newspaper: "Syco has gone absolutely ballistic that someone one of the boys trusted has covertly recorded the song and shared it. They had a strategy in place and hardly anyone got to hear the song so they could keep it entirely under wraps before its release on Friday. Now that's all been put at risk."
It was previously revealed the track, which was penned by members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, was inspired by Harry's short-lived romance with US superstar Taylor Swift, which ended in January 2013.
A source said: "Harry would never get too specific about Taylor in a song, but the lyrics are definitely going to get fans speculating.
"He doesn't want to dish the dirt but a relationship as intense as theirs has provided lots of inspiration."