Music News

FKA Twigs thinks artists are too afraid to express themselves because "they think that's a bit too weird".
The 'Pendulum' hitmaker admitted she is "a bit mad" but that is a good thing because it allows her to be herself in her music, which she thinks is something some people hide from.
Asked where she gets her ideas for songwriting, she said: "From my brain. I think I'm a bit mad. I don't even think it's that. I think other people have ideas, but they think that's a bit too weird ... I just believe it's really important to push intelligence. I don't want to push boundaries, I want to push ideas."
When it comes to her schedule and the projects she chooses to take on FKA Twigs - real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett - is solely in control of everything.
She told the Sunday Times magazine: "No one tells me what to do. I'm not like a package pop star.
"For my next album I want to write my own music because it'll make me feel more in control of my career. This is what I've always been."
However, if someone else makes her feel "weird" about herself then she won't attempt to work with them.
She added: "If someone makes me feel weird about myself, then I just stop talking to them. I walk away all the time."

Kodaline have rejected "a lot of offers" to collaborate with other acts.
The Irish rockers confessed they have been approached on several occasions to record collaborative tracks with other artists but they have never been convinced to agree to record with someone else because they're too "focused" on their own band.
Bassist Jason Boland exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "There's been a lot of offers but you never know with those things whether they're going to come out or what's going to become of them. But we're really focused on our own thing at the moment and getting our own thing down before we start going out and seeing what other people say."
The band - also featuring Mark Prendergast, Steve Garrigan and Vinny May - released their second studio album 'Coming Up for Air' earlier this year, but are now spending their time touring and starting to "push" themselves while writing new music.
Steve said: "I think we're becoming more of a band because we're sharing the songwriting a lot more. And we're better musicians because we've played live so much. But we do push ourselves to try more stuff."

Foxes will "definitely" collaborate with Pharrell Williams.
The 26-year-old singer got to know the musician while supporting him on the European leg of his 'Dear Girl' tour last year and revealed while the pair are yet to write or record together, it is something both of them are hoping to do at some point in the future.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she explained: "He's quite busy and I've been quite busy, so we've discussed it [collaborating] but it's not happened yet. My second record is done, so it probably wouldn't be for mine, but things in the future, definitely. It will be cool to do when the time's right."
Foxes - who previously topped international charts when she collaborated with Zedd on the 2012 hit 'Clarity' - said she is particularly excited about making music with the eight-time Grammy Award winning star because he was "really sweet" when they got to hang out with each other on tour.
Asked if she got to spend much time with the 42-year-old producer, she said: "Yeah I did, a lot! He was really sweet, just really chilled out, really nice, so we did a lot. It was really cool."
And although the 'Happy' hitmaker is known worldwide, the brunette beauty - whose real name is Louisa Rose Allen - insisted she wasn't starstruck when they first met because he was so welcoming.
She added: "The idea of him makes me feel starstruck but I wasn't actually. But he doesn't act like that, he made me feel very comfortable."

Ella Eyre doesn't think she could have coped with overnight success.
The 21-year-old singer signed her record deal in 2012 but is only just readying her debut album, and thinks having a few years to develop as an artist has helped her career "massively".
Asked if she sees waiting for success as a positive thing, she said: "100 per cent. I've massively grown up emotionally and as an artist over the last couple of years.
"Waiting for success makes it all the more worthwhile when it does come.
"I don't know how I'd have coped if things had happened overnight as it does with 'X Factor' contestants."
Ella - who is dating Rixton's Lewi Morgan - has penned all her record 'Feline' herself and finds it "funny" listening back to some of the songs she wrote in the early days of her career.
She told OK! magazine: "I say that if It comes from the heart then it will go to the heart and that's what I try and live by.
"I'd never let anyone write a song for me. It's about all of my experiences growing up. Stuff people can relate to.
"It's so funny listening back to how I used to deal with break-ups when I was 16."

Katy Perry feels like she has "entered a food-eating competition".
The 'Dark Horse' hitmaker is currently making the most of having time off from her busy tour schedule and indulging in some calorific treats.
She said: "Right now, I'm off tour for the summer and it's almost like I've entered a food-eating competition which lasts three months! So I'm really enjoying myself."
When she isn't keeping in shape with her intense dance routines, Katy enjoys staying trim by going hiking with her friends as it means she can fit in a catch up at the same time as exercising.
She told LOOK magazine: "I think a very easy, no money way to stay in shape is to go on wonderful hikes with your girlfriends.
"Which is great because, sometimes, you find you can't keep up with all your friends - you want to spend time with them, so then you're kind of working out and catching up at the same time.
"But my tour definitely keeps me in shape when I'm on one."
The 30-year-old pop star admires her friend Kate Hudson's figure and wishes she was as "committed" to looking after herself as her pal.
She said: "My friend Kate Hudson continues to look fantastic and she's had two kids, but she's very natural, healthy, and she does an alkaline diet.
"She's very committed and hopefully one day I will be able to be that committed."

Carly Rae Jepsen has written a song about masturbation.
The 'I Really Like You' hitmaker has revealed she penned the steamy song along with collaborator Bonnie McKee while working on her third album 'Emotion' but swiftly decided it was too explicit to feature on the record.
Asked if she has boundaries with her songwriting, she said: "I have no rules. I'm laughing because near the end of the album you just have to try everything, at least that's my theory on it. You've just got to let yourself explore ... So I worked with this amazing artist called Bonnie McKee, who I worked on 'Kiss' [Carly's 2012 album] with, and we got in the room and we were both in a really weird mood and we wrote a song about, basically being alone ... Trying to find a delicate way to say this. It rhymes with contemplation ..."
Interrupting her, someone shouted: "Masturbation?"
She continued: "Thank you! I couldn't say it myself. Anyways, about five minutes into it I was like, 'You know this isn't making my album right?' and we were like, 'Well whatever, let's just go with it.' And it was so fun to just let yourself ... Because I write for the joy of it and you've gotta let yourself go everywhere."
And although the 29-year-old star vowed never to use the song, she was shocked to discover a Chinese band have secured the track for themselves, unaware of what the saucy lyrics mean.
Speaking on New York radio show 'Zach Sang & The Gang', she said: "We were kind of laughing a little bit later on because it got picked up actually. There's a group in China that wants to make it their next single, and we were like, 'Alright! I wonder if they know what it means?'"

Mel C has joked she needs to start practising her "backflips" ahead of the Spice Girls reunion.
On Thursday evening (06.08.15), it was revealed the band are set to reform next year - aside from Victoria Beckham who does not want to be involved - to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary, prompting Mel C, nicknamed Sporty Spice, to joke about it on Twitter.
She wrote: "Woke up this morning wondering whether I need to start practising my backflips???!!! (sic)"
While the 41-year-old star was known for her backflips during their performances, Emma Bunton, known as Baby Spice, was renowned for always having her blonde locks in pigtails, leading to her retweeting Mel's message and continuing the joke.
Reposting the message on Twitter, she added: "Do I need to put my pigtails in?!?!? (sic)"
Shortly before the news was announced, Mel B had teased a reunion might happen by posting a picture on Instagram of herself at the height of her Spice Girls fame along with the caption, "The world deserves to hear your voice! #BeLoud #Tbt (sic)".
Since the news broke, Spotify has revealed 'Wannabe' is the most streamed track released by the group, while Mexico City features the highest amount of monthly listeners of the band.
Geri Horner - known as Geri Haliwell before marrying Formula One team captain Christian Horner in May - has yet to comment on the reunion, although is expected to be involved when further announcements are made later in the year.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Mel B flew into London last month to secretly agree the plan with the other three girls. They should each make more than ten million pounds from this.
"It will be the four girls who are making the calls about this."

One Direction will shoot their new video at NASA's Space Center.
The four-piece band released their new single 'Drag Me Down' last week and are now planning to film an out-of-this-world video at the facility in Houston, Texas, to match the track, which is the first to be taken from their as-yet untitled fifth studio album.
According to MailOnline, the intergalactic clip will feature plenty of gadgetry with band members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan gaining access to training equipment, airfields and other areas located at the astronaut centre.
The track is the first to be released by the band since Zayn Malik quit earlier this year to pursue a solo career and Liam has since revealed they are planning to take a break from the band at some point after the release of their next LP, which is due later this year.
He said: "You know, I think everyone needs a little bit of a break now, and a sit down and a stop, to kind of take in all the great things that've happened."
And when asked what he wants to do during their time off, he added: "There's loads of things. I've been writing a lot on the road at the moment, not for me, just for other people. I've been doing a lot of things, you know trying to get into the producing side of it which is pretty cool."

Alice Cooper believes being an alcoholic was "an education".
The 67-year-old rocker has revealed he doesn't regret his years of being addicted to alcohol because coming out of it made him feel like a much stronger person.
Asked what advice he would give to his younger self, he said: "I'll tell you the truth, I always think I would say, 'Wow, don't become an alcoholic.' But then, going through that alcoholic experience, especially with those guys, was an education. The fact that I did get through it and came out the other end okay, was something that gave me a lot of strength later on. I figured if I could get through that ... Because I was a classic alcoholic - there was pretty much nothing that was going to stop us at that point."
However, The Hollywood Vampires' musician - who will release their new album on September 11 - revealed he was faced by an ultimatum at the peak of his drinking which led to his decision to quit so he could continue making music.
He told Digital Spy entertainment news website: "It was a choice between living and dying, and my doctor said, 'Look, you can go and join the rest of the Vampires who have gone, or you can make 20 more albums. You better make your decision in three weeks though, because that's how much time you have.' I made the decision that I'd rather make records. The finality of that is that it's very poetic that I decided not to die with the other guys, and end up honouring them through this album. So there was a two-fold reason to quit drinking."