Music News

Nicki Minaj has upset the Human Rights Foundation charity by going ahead with a concert in Angolo.
The 33-year-old rapper headlined a Christmas festival in the capital of Luanda on Saturday (19.12.15), titled Show Unitel Boas Festas, despite protests over the country's human rights record.
After her slot, the 'Anaconda' star posted a photograph of herself on Instagram with a huge smile and wrapped in Angola's national flag, with the caption: "Reppin the flag on my back. ANGOLA I LOVE UUUUUUUUUUUUU. THANK UUUUUUUU!!!!!!!! Muuuuaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!! (sic)"
She also uploaded a video showing the packed out stadium, and wrote "ANGOLA HAS MY HEART" along with a photograph posing with a fan, which was captioned: "Success is yours for the taking!!!!! #Angola thank u to the women who brought me out here as well. (sic)"
The news comes after Thor Halvorssen, the head of the Human Rights Foundation, pleaded with the singer to cancel the concert.
In a letter to Nicki, he said: "Ms. Minaj, you are well known for being involved with charities such as the Get Schooled Foundation, which helps motivate young people to graduate from high school and succeed in college. If you move forward with this performance for the dictator and his family, you will be in league with the people stealing educational resources and opportunity from young Angolans."
Angola's government has been accused of oppression, intimidation and imprisoning supporters of democracy, and
Halvorssen also highlighted the case of Angolan hip hop artist Luaty Beirao, who was arrested in June after attending a meeting that discussed democracy in the country.
Disappointed fans took to the rapper's Facebook page, with one writing: "Not cool, Nicki, not cool. I guess you don't care about human rights, eh?"

The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan had the "Everest of dentistry" to provide him with a set of new teeth.
The Irish musician's familiar toothless grin is gone for good, after McGowan - who co-wrote the band's biggest ever hit, Christmas classic 'A Fairytale of New York - underwent nine hours of reconstructive surgery on the instigation of his girlfriend, Victoria Clarke, to give him a wide white smile for the first time in his life.
Asked whether it was the "Everest of dentistry", McGowan's dentist, Dr Darragh Mulrooney, revealed that as procedures go, it was "as big as it gets" and the surgery required a "whole team to get to the summit".
In what some fans will see as a Christmas miracle, McGowan - who lost his last two teeth in 2008 after years of drug and alcohol abuse eroded them - had 28 dentures fitted alongside one gold tooth on a titanium frame, and the work should improve his singing ability.
Dr Mulrooney told The Independent newspaper: "Shane recorded most of his great works when he had some teeth to work with. The question on everyone's lips is how it will affect his voice ... We've effectively retuned his instrument and that will be an ongoing process. There was a moving moment when someone gave Shane an apple to eat ... something he hadn't done in 20 years."
The remarkable surgery has been documented for a Sky Arts TV special 'Shane MacGowan: A Wreck Reborn'.

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini will record new music in 2016.
The former Girls Aloud singer is looking forward to getting back into the studio next year after spending the last few months working as a judge on 'The X Factor'.
She told the Daily Mirror: "I'll be starting new music in the New Year. I'm just looking forward to a little break after 'The X Factor' and Christmas dinner before getting started.
"I don't know how long the process will take.
"It will depend on how inspired I am to start songwriting or whether I get sent the right tracks, but I'm looking forward to getting back into the studio soon."
Cheryl's last album was 2014's 'Only Human' and it was recently revealed reported that she is planning to feature some of her Girls Aloud bandmates on her latest record.
An insider said: "Cheryl's working on one of her biggest career plans yet, to get some of Girls Aloud back together for a new record. Cheryl wants to get in the studio and have the girls making cameo appearances on songs she's been working on for release next year."

Sir Elton John loves having a regular DJ slot on Beats 1, Apple Music's radio station.
The 68-year-old star has the freedom to choose the tracks he plays and is relishing the opportunity of sharing his favourite music with his listeners.
He shared: "I love doing the shows so much. I've done specials for Radio 2 and things like that, which I've loved, but to do one that goes out every week, and to have to choose 15 or 16 songs every show ... I'll do it as long as I can play new stuff, and as long as there are no rules.
Meanwhile, the 'Tiny Dancer' hitmaker revealed he would "love" to nurture new artists, but the job doesn't pay well enough.
He told The Sunday Times Culture magazine: " I would love to be an A&R man. I know a lot about music and how to nurture talent. But it wouldn't pay me enough and I couldn't sit in clubs at 3 o'clock in the morning watching acts any more.
"My career's better than ever, everything in my life is fantastic. But to have the passion about music at nearly 69 that I had when I was 15, or five, that's what I'm proud of."

Sir Elton John says he would be a "great president of a record label".
The 68-year-old superstar has been churning out hit songs for almost five decades but revealed he has the talent to discover and "nurture" new artists too.
Asked what other role he would have liked in music, he shared: "I would be a great president of a record label company, but I wouldn't want to be, because you have to deal with bullshit and business. I would love to be an A&R man I know a lot about music and how to nurture talent.
"But it wouldn't pay me enough and I couldn't sit in clubs at 3 o'clock in the morning watching acts anymore."
Meanwhile, the 'Rocket Man' hitmaker thinks singers are being rushed into the spotlight nowadays before they have time to develop their songwriting.
He told The Sunday Times: "A lot of artists are being pushed into recording too quickly instead of being nurtured.
"I know how frustrating it is... 'When's it going to happen, how much longer have we got to wait? But you know what? The wait was worth it. When I was ready, I was ready."

Johnny Marr is considering bringing out his own range of tea.
The former Smiths guitarist "got into" different types of the hot beverage when he gave up caffeine and alcohol but struggled to find the perfect blend that didn't leave him "bouncing off the walls".
He told Q magazine: "Getting into tea happened because, like always, I dropped other things in a big way.
"This time it was alcohol and caffeine. But I wrongly assumed green tea had no caffeine in it. I was drinking exotic tea every morning and bouncing off the walls for 12 hours.
"I read everything I could about all these exotic teas and narrowed it down to Bai Mudan, which is a magic, golden rock'n'roll elixir that I've brought to every band I've been in since. Doing my own line of tea has been suggested."
Johnny isn't the only rock star who has a passion for tea.
His friend Noel Gallagher has previously spoken of his excitement to have had personalised tea sent to him to take on tour.
He said: "Oh, do you know what, the way to a man's heart is a box of Yorkshire Tea.
"Do you know, for our tour they've made me my own boxes with 'Noel's tea' written on them.
"I've got my own Yorkshire Tea, it's got 'Noel's tea' written on the front, and my backing band, who I've kind of just recently met over the last kind of six months, walked in and they were like ... I was going 'Yeah, baby, yeah, this is how I roll.'"

Deadmau5 deleted his Twitter and Facebook accounts after a rant he posted about Justin Bieber on Thursday (17.12.15).
The Canadian DJ - whose real name is Joel Thomas Zimmerman - said "F**k social media" in a final word to fans before he shut down his online pages.
In his last Twitter post, he raged: "F**k 'social media'. The only thing it's useful for is promoting, advertising, and more advertising. As far as being a human being on social media, forget about it. You're just another number we can all add into our little follower count, that ultimately adds up to NOTHING I require to make music."
But the action came hot on the heels of a video rant in which he blasted fellow Canadian musician Justin Bieber and called the 'Sorry' hitmaker out for not writing his new album 'Purpose'.
He reportedly said in the Facebook video: "I can accept that his album is probably good. What I'm mad about is that none of this is [his] ... What did you do? Oh, you sang on it. Well, you know, I can credit you for having to be able to hold a pitch on two syllables throughout an entire 75-minute album."
Meanwhile, earlier this week the 'Strobe' DJ revealed he sneaked out of hospital to play a gig, after he was diagnosed with an infection of the lymph nodes.
He wrote on Twitter: "Literally snuck out of hospital, hopped on a jet, played a show for Red Bull, getting back on jet, going back to hospital. Such lols."

The Saturdays are too busy to meet up at Christmas.
The 'Issues' hitmakers - Frankie Bridge, Vanessa White, Rochelle Humes, Una Foden and Mollie King - usually do a secret Santa gift exchange for one another but, despite currently being on hiatus, they've been unable to find a date to get together before the end of the year.
Frankie said: "Usually the Saturdays girls and I do Secret Santa with each other, but because we're all so busy doing different things this year, we're going to organise a get-together and go for dinner in January."
Frankie is busy organising her family Christmas and even though she and husband Wayne - who have sons Parker, two, and Carter, four months - are hosting for their loved ones, they won't be doing the cooking.
She told OK! magazine: "Both mine and Wayne's families are coming to our house for the day so there will be 13 of us all together.
"Thankfully my mum is in charge of the cooking. I'm going to help her out, but her cooking is so good that it's probably best to leave her to it."

Scott Weiland died after taking a "toxic" mix of drugs.
The former Stone Temple Pilots singer was found dead on his tour bus on December 3 and now the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office has ruled his passing was an accidental overdose of substances including cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol.
The medical examiner also said they took into account the 48-year-old rocker's "atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, history of asthma and multi-substance dependence."
According to TMZ, a search warrant from Bloomington police officers showed two bags of cocaine, sleeping pills, opiates, Viagra, a generic form of Xanax and Ziprasidone - which can treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia - were found on the tour bus.
Following Scott's death, a number of stars paid tribute to the singer, who leaves behind two children, Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13, and his wife Jamie Wachtel.
Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx tweeted: "Sad to hear about Scott's passing .I hope it wasn't drugs. The saddest part of the story is his kids and family being left behind. RIP (sic)"
Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic wrote: "Really sorry to hear about Scott Weiland. (sic)"
And Blink 182's Travis Barker tweeted: "Very sad news, rest in peace #ScottWeiland #toosoon (sic)"