Music News

Ryan Adams has released a cover of Taylor Swift's '1989' album.
The 40-year-old singer-songwriter - who was previously married to actress Mandy Moore - has reinterpreted Taylor's 80s-inspired record with a rockier sound and even the 25-year-old musician is impressed.
When Taylor first heard about the album, she took to social media to write: "Cool I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight or ever again and I'm going to celebrate today every year as a holiday. I'M CALM."
She also tweeted: "Ryan's music helped shape my songwriting. This is surreal and dreamlike. Countdown to #RyanAdams1989 @TheRyanAdams (sic)."
And she has been busy retweeting compliments about the record since its release in the early hours of Monday morning (21.09.15).
Messages of praise included her pal Lena Dunham writing: "Holy heck y'all. Just heard @TheRyanAdams #1989 cover album and it's a masterwork. @taylorswift13 as you never imagined," and up and coming singer Fletcher who tweeted: "This is EVERYTHING @taylorswift13 @TheRyanAdams (sic)."
The album was released on both iTunes and Spotify, the streaming service Taylor famously pulled her music from earlier this year.
Speaking about her decision to do so, she said: "[People] can still listen to my music if they get it on iTunes. I'm always up for trying something. And I tried it and I didn't like the way it felt. I think there should be an inherent value placed on art.
"I didn't see that happening, perception-wise, when I put my music on Spotify. Everybody's complaining about how music sales are shrinking, but nobody's changing the way they're doing things. They keep running towards streaming, which is, for the most part, what has been shrinking the numbers of paid album sales."

Naughty Boy is ecstatic at the reaction to his new song with Beyonce Knowles.
The controversial music producer - who has had public spats with former friend Zayn Malik and Zayn's ex One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson - has taken to Twitter to thank fans for their support for 'Runnin' (Lose It All)' .
He wrote: "Thank you to everyone around the world for supporting and believing in this song, it means everything. #LoseItAll."
He also paid tribute to Beyonce and his other collaborators, tweeting: "Thank you to @Beyonce @ArrowBenjamin @CarlaMarieUK @JONNYCOFFER for allowing me the pleasure in working with you on this song.. #LoseItAll
"The production would've not been possible w/o @shakavelimusic @BlazinBeatsReal @MacAndPhil &Tobi working together to bring this song alive (sic)."
Naughty Boy previously removed the song 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 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 Beyonce wasn't put off by his falling out with Zayn and is reportedly even persuading her husband Jay Z to sign him to his record label Roc Nation.
A music industry insider previously said: "Naughty Boy's track 'La La La' became a worldwide hit and it managed to catch the attention of Jay Z.
"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 Beatles' first record contract has sold for $75,000 in New York.
The contract was signed in Hamburg in 1961 by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and drummer Pete Best - who was later replaced by Ringo Starr - and was purchased for $75,000 (£48,000) at the sale at Heritage Auctions.
The document details the band's first single 'My Bonnie' which was a rock 'n' roll version of a children's classic and was only released in Germany.
It also states their first name, which was Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, because the band were backing the British singer at Hamburg's Top Ten Club at the time.
Consignment director at Heritage Auctions, Dean Harmeyer, said that The Beatle's time in Germany was the reason they were recognised by music boss Brian Epstein, who went on to steer them through their most famous years.
He told the BBC: "Had they not spent this time in Hamburg, they may have not become the musical force that they did.
"Had they not recorded My Bonnie they may have never come to the attention of Brian Epstein."
The Beatles went on to record their first hit single 'Love Me Do' the following year under the management of Brian Epstein.

Professor Green "can't wait" to be a father.
The 'Read All About It' hitmaker admits he used to have reservations about becoming a dad after his own upbringing but insists he is in a place now where he is looking forward to the future.
He told The Times newspaper: "I can't wait to be a dad and here [in their new house] it's definitely a plan. It used to scare me because of my experience growing up, but I think I will be a good father."
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old rapper - who is married to former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh - recently hinted the pair were leaving it "too late" to have a child.
He said: "People used to get married at 20 and have a baby at 21. That's better than leaving it too late like now."
Professor Green - real name Stephen Manderson - also previously opened up about his father's suicide six years ago, which has made him want to campaign for better awareness of mental health issues.
He said: "I think kids should be introduced to it from an early age so it's not something they're embarrassed to talk about. The first thing people think about when you say 'mental health' is that first word, 'mental, mental, crazy'. That stigma still exists everywhere."

Sam Smith "refuses" to listen to Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down'.
The 23-year-old singer was previously ordered to pay the songwriter royalties because of similarities between the track and his own song 'Stay With Me', but he insists it is just an unfortunate coincidence because he had never even heard the 1989 composition.
He told GQ magazine: "It's never going to be fair to me because I sat in a room with two guys and wrote a song.
"One guy played some beautiful chords and I started singing and wrote a song about a one-night stand. That is genuinely how it was.
"I am 23 years old - Tom Petty's song came out way before I was born and still to this day - people don't know this - I actually haven't listened to the song.
"I refuse to listen to it. Even now I won't listen to it."
Sam insists it was just an "unfortunate" mistake, and though Tom was gracious about the row, he will never agree with the ruling.
He added: "There are only so many notes on a piano... We were just unfortunate that it happened, but there was no bad intention.
"Tom Petty wrote me a really nice letter, which I thought was really kind, but I am never going to be happy about it as it's still my song to me."
Tom has previously described the similarities between the two songs as a "musical accident" and insisted he bears no ill-will towards Sam.
He wrote on his official website: "About the Sam Smith thing. Let me say I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam. All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen. Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by.
"Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement. The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it.
"How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself. Sam did the right thing and I have thought no more about this. A musical accident no more no less. In these times we live in this is hardly news.
"I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career. Peace and love to all."

Blur have never wanted to be the "biggest band in the world".
The 'Girls and Boys' hitmakers - who released their first album since 2003, 'The Magic Whip', earlier this year - think they have been able to continue working together for so long because they never experienced enough success to become "weird".
Frontman Damon Albarn said: "We never became so big and bloated that something weird happened.
"We've always maintained our relationship. I don't think we've ever really been motivated by being the biggest band in the world."
The quartet - Damon, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree - think life on the road is much more chilled out now than the early days of their career, over 20 years ago.
Graham told GQ magazine: "I wouldn't say everyone has grown up a lot, but everyone is more laid-back about things. We don't feel too much under pressure."
Alex recently admitted he is interested in making a new Blur album.
He said: "Oof give it a while. I'm up for it but ... That relationship we have of being able to make music together so easily, that's been there right since our first rehearsal that we wrote our first single at, is a really nice thing to be able to tap into."

Keith Richards doesn't think Sir Mick Jagger's solo material is any good.
The 71-year-old rocker is always disappointed by his Rolling Stones bandmate's work away from the group and thinks he should just stick with being their frontman.
He said: "I've got to say, when Mick goes out on his own, solo, I'm always expecting something and he just does not deliver by himself.
"Maybe this is one of the things that gets right up his snoot.
"Listen Mick, you're the greatest in the world, as long as you've got the Rolling Stones behind you. I think that rankles him.
"But it's just something I accept about the man. It's a point of jocularity among the band."
And Keith is always amused by Mick's muted responses to his own solo work.
He told GQ magazine: "Whatever he says I will then translate it to know what he really means. He'll go, 'Mmm, not bad.' He'll play it like that."
Speaking about Mick's response to one of his previous solo tracks, 'You Don't Move Me' - which was about Keith's relationship with the singer - he added: "Mick's got this incredible ability to blank it out. I never got any more feedback. Like it didn't exist...
"If he gives me a blank silence, I'll know he's heard [the new record]."

Example would not "hesitate" about working with Kanye West.
The 'Changed The Way You Kissed Me' hitmaker has revealed he would love to collaborate with his "hero" but is worried the chances will be slim as he doesn't think Kanye knows who he is.
He told BANG Showbiz: "There's lots of artists out there I'd like to work with but I don't have, like, a list. I've got heroes. If Kanye came to me or Dave Grohl approached me then obviously I wouldn't hesitate to work with them, but I doubt whether I'm on their radar!
"I think Kanye is unique, he's the most exciting artist in the world, he's constantly surprising people and keeping people second guessing. I watched his show at Glastonbury and I did think, 'You know it would be nice if he just thanked the audience, or endeared himself to the crowd,' but then he wouldn't be Kanye. There is a part of him that does respect the audience but the fact that he splits people and divides people is great because the best artists in history always do that."
The 33-year-old musician also hit back at Kanye's critics, who label him in a certain way because of his marriage to reality television star Kim Kardashian West.
When asked if he thinks the criticism affects Kanye, Example added: "I don't think so, I think he's too good, too powerful, too talented for that to be an issue. He could be married to whoever he wanted to and still be the f***ing most talented artist in the world.
"I'm a massive fan of his, even when he does something weird or annoying or s**t, I'm like, 'He's still a genius.' He's not obsessed with just having hits, hits, hits, he's like, 'I'm going to go and do this for a bit, I'm going to go and do something weird. I'm gonna dress weird.' He's got that up and down that keeps him interesting."

Keith Richards wants to live for "another 25 years".
The 71-year-old guitarist has no plans to slow down anytime soon and would like to make at least one more Rolling Stones album, but other than that he just wants to continue "growing" because not matter how old he is as long as he is "physically robust" he'll keep going.
Asked if he still has life goals, he said: "And apart from that, [Rolling Stones LP] I'd like to live another 25 years or something. I could handle that. I mean, I'm blessed with being sort of physically robust. And what you realise when you get older is, you never stop growing up."
When he's not writing solo music - such as his latest LP 'Crosseyed Heart' - the 'Satisfaction' hitmaker admitted he leads a "normal life" and enjoys watching his wife tend to their garden and spending time with his grandchildren.
He told The Guardian newspaper: "I watch the wife garden. She loves to prune things sometimes, and I sort of sit there and go: 'Oh, you missed a bit.' I might get the hose out, do a bit of watering. God, I just do what any other old bloke does.
"I make sure the dogs are fed, I try to live as normally as possible. Actually, I love my old lady, and she can make me do anything. And, hopefully, I'm a pretty good grandad, because they also seem to like me. Fascinating to watch the grandkids, because there's five of them and they're all various ages: the oldest is 19, the youngest is two."