Music News

Geri Horner wants "to be the voice of [her] generation".
The former Spice Girls star - known as Geri Halliwell before marrying Formula One team boss Christian Horner in May - is planning to ditch her trademark pop sound on her fourth studio album because she wants to represent women in their forties.
She explained: "It bothers me that there are all of these great singers out there but no one is singing for my generation. It's an implicit ageism. I want to be the voice of my generation and these songs are for women my age who have been through it and who are proud to be who they are. They are songs of optimism and life experience."
The 43-year-old singer - who has nine-year-old daughter Bluebell from a previous relationship - is gearing up to release the record next spring, 11 years after her third album 'Passion' flopped by peaking at a disappointing number 41 in the UK album charts.
But Geri is hoping her new approach to music will help, as well as a decade spent working on her voice.
She said: "I've done a lot of work on it. I want people to hear that I can actually sing."
And despite reports of a comeback tour for the Spice Girls - allegedly without 'Posh Spice' Victoria Beckham - to celebrate their 20th anniversary, Geri insisted "nothing is set in stone".
She told Event magazine: "I am always flattered by the support myself and the other Spice Girls receive from the public. We are still as close and constantly chatting on the phone with one another. But nothing is set in stone. There's always speculation regarding the Spice Girls getting back together. Let's just see what happens. Life is good and I'm happy."

James Arthur has signed a record deal with Columbia Germany.
The former 'X Factor' contestant was booted from Simon Cowell's Syco label in 2014 but has started a new chapter, having put pen to paper on an international contract.
In a series of tweets, he wrote: "After a crazy 15 months I'm so happy to be able to say that I've signed a worldwide deal with a major label and releasing album 2 in 2016. I want to say a huge thanks first of all to my incredible fans for the love and support you have shown me. Without you.. God knows what.
"Thanks to my amazing publishers @sonyatvpubuk my new management team @hallornothing @JGGMedia you have helped me turn it around xxx. Excited about the future! Thanks to @columbia_de @ColumbiaRecords can't wait to finish this album with you. (sic)"
The 27-year-old singer reportedly took some time out of the spotlight to "calm down and take stock".
A source told Traps Europe: "James signed a new deal to Columbia Germany on Thursday. He needed time to take away from the spotlight to calm down and take stock, which is exactly what he's done.
"Columbia Germany is the second biggest label internationally and he's signed a worldwide deal."

Niall Horan thinks he is the "worst pop star that ever walked the planet".
The One Direction star will go on an extended hiatus with the group next March but has admitted he isn't very adventurous and claims the wildest thing he ever does is play golf.
He said: "I'm not very daring, I'm all about a gentle game of golf. I'm actually quite boring and probably the worst pop star that ever walked the planet."
And his bandmate Harry Styles admitted he is equally not very rock and roll.
He said: "I'm really not adventurous. Sitting down with a cup of tea is what gets my heart pounding."
In contrast, both Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson are daredevils who like to try new things.
Liam said: "I like to think I'm a bit of a daredevil at heart - Louis and I jumped off a tower in Las Vegas, it was really scary."
Louis added to Top of the Pops magazine: "I like to have fun. I don't think you should be held back by being too scared to do certain things.
"I'd love to swim with sharks or chill with lions. I think that would be really cool."

Bernard Sumner insists New Order have "never" split up.
The 'Blue Monday' singer says the group have enjoyed a number of lengthy hiatuses but never officially called it a day, despite former bassist Peter Hook proclaiming they had disbanded following his departure in 2007.
Bernard said: "Not true. We never did split up. We've had long, long periods off but we never officially packed it in. And it's not really for Hooky to split the band up on his own, is it? It's not his decision."
The 59-year-old musician admitted he has been a "miserable ****" in the past, but thinks his former bandmate should have been more understanding of his reasons for not touring more.
He told Q magazine: "To be fair, I think he thought I was being a miserable **** at the time and I probably was. He wanted us to tour more.
"But I didn't want to get sucked into the touring atmosphere of drinking too much and we had health issues at home. I needed to be around to support my family and he knew that.
"It became very competitive - one-way competitive. Hooky and I have got very different personalities and I don't think we're meant to share the same space."

Beyonce is working with Naughty Boy on new music.
The 'Drunk In Love' hitmaker will reportedly record the producer's single 'Lose It All (Runnin')' which has been removed from YouTube after Beyonce said she wanted to have it for herself.
The insider said: "Bey called him to discuss the track and it's thought she will record her vocals in the next couple of weeks."
The producer hit the headlines back in July when former One Direction star Zayn Malik hit out at him on Twitter branding him a "fat joke" following several months together in the studio where they had been working on the 22-year-old singer's debut solo album.
But Bey doesn't seem put off by his falling out with Zayn and is even persuading her husband Jay Z to sign him to his record label Roc Nation.
A music industry insider told The Sun newspaper: "Naughty Boy's track 'La La La' became a worldwide hit and it managed to catch the attention of Jay Z.
"The rapper personally invited him to the Roc Nation pre-Grammy brunch in February and expressed his interest then over signing Naughty Boy up to his label. They then also met for a chat at the Hotel Bel Air in Beverly Hills.
"Jay is always keen on supporting British talent and has signed the likes of Rita [Ora] and Alexa Goddard. He knows that if he manages to get Naughty Boy he will have a huge star on his hands.
"Beyonce played a major role in the talks with Naughty Boy and they have formed a close friendship. She shares Jay's belief in Naughty Boy's talents and has expressed an interest in working on a track together."

The Vamps' Tristan Evans was a "pest" at school.
The 21-year-old drummer admits he was constantly in trouble when he was younger and received "detention upon detention" for his bad behaviour.
He said: "I was a pest. I was really hyperactive, would talk back to the teacher and speak to my friends when we were supposed to be working.
"I did a lot of bad things. I was rude and couldn't be bothered to do my homework. I got kicked out of class all the time and I even smashed a few windows playing football. I got detention upon detention."
While Tristan was a bad boy, his bandmate James McVey rarely got into trouble and even made friends with his teachers.
He said:" I was too good to get into any big trouble. When I wore my black converse I always got told off. Teachers hate it, but I only got a warning.
"By the end of school I'd become friends with most of the teachers and did what I was told."
Both Brad Simpson and Connor Ball confessed they mainly ran into trouble because of their laziness.
Connor said: "I never had a detention but I was lazy. I did all my homework on the bus on the way to school.
"It was a long journey though, about 45 minutes, so that's OK, isn't it?"
Brad added to Top of the Pops magazine: "I wasn't a naughty child but I did get lots of detentions for being late. I hated getting out of bed in the morning - and I still do."

Larry Mullen Jr. thinks U2 need to get smaller.
The 53-year-old rocker thinks it would be "so cool" if the group took time off to play cover versions for "fun" and then shunned their usual stadium shows in favour of intimate club gigs - though he also admits it could lead to the end of the band.
He said: "When this tour is over, we should set off on a trip where we learn how to play other people's songs for fun and then go back and record an album with what we've learned.
"Just as an experiment. Go back to clubs you were really s***e in and be good in there.
"We actually need to go backwards. Benjamin Button is where we're at. I mean, it could be the end of the band but it would be so cool."
And frontman Bono hinted the new direction could be a realistic possibility for the band.
He told Q magazine: "People say, 'You love Neil Young and Radiohead and their intimacies, so why can't you just be privately rather than publicly ambitious? And we'll have to look at it. I am asking a few fundamental questions.
"We've been playing stadiums now for about 30 years. Bit mad.
"This is like being in Arsenal in 1985 and you're still going for the Champions League now. With the same team! But then you get a hint from the universe saying there's a cost."

Meat Loaf's new LP is "completely different' from anything he's released before.
The 'Bat Out of Hell' hitmaker believes that as soon as fans hear the forthcoming record 'Braver Than We Are', their mouths are "gonna hang happen" right from the first song.
He said: "Anything else that's out there right now. There are a couple of normal rock pieces but, for the most part, it's completely different.
"When you hear the opening track, your mouth's gonna hang open. You're either gonna take the CD and throw it against the wall, or you're going to go, 'I gotta see what's coming next.'"
The 67-year-old musician also shared more details about the tracks, admitting most are quite "long" and his belief that the opening song is "pretty wild".
He told Billboard magazine: "The first song people will either love or despise, which is the way I like it. The opening number is pretty wild. It's not long; the second song is long, and the third song is really long, and the fourth song is kind of long, and then the fifth song goes into a 'down and out kind of guy,' and ... what's the sixth song? I can't remember past that."

Sam Smith is "definitely not" singing the Bond theme for 'Spectre'.
The four-time Grammy Award winner was hotly tipped to be the next 007 hitmaker on the upcoming movie's title track but has flat out denied any involvement with the project, admitting "that's not me".
Asked on BBC Radio 2 whether he's currently working on the 007 music, he said: "That's not me. That's definitely not me. I've still got loads to do, I've got an Australia tour, but I kind of finish in December which is great, it gives me a chance to be in London, be in my home and go out with my friends."
And even though Adele's 'Skyfall' won the James Bond franchise its first ever Oscar, Sam, 23, said he's been too busy shedding the pounds and buying a house to think about it.
He added: "I had the Grammys in February which was unreal. I've done two American tours, one throat operation on the vocal cords. I bought a house, which is amazing. I lost weight, that's probably a good thing. I was really fat before. Trust me, I was fat."
However, the Stay With Me' crooner is making time to work on his next album - which was delayed due to his vocal chord surgery in May - but revealed he won't collaborate with other artists.
He said: "I always play with this idea in my head. I adore Adele records and if you go back to Etta James records and Nina Samone and Sarah Vaughan, I love how their album is just them. I think that's important.
"I like to collaborate, I think it's an amazing thing, but I kind of like to do it outside of the album. I feel like that the album is my voice, I should tell a story. So I don't think so. But I will collaborate."