Music News

Iggy Azalea has apologised for homophobic comments she made "as a young person".
The 'Fancy' rapper has decided to pull out of a scheduled performance at Pittsburgh Pride concert on 13 June following criticism of her booking, due to her previous homophobic comments on Twitter, admitting she "deeply regrets" the things she has "carelessly" said in the past.
She wrote: "I am truly disappointed I have to share this news, but I will no longer be performing at Pittsburgh Pride on June 13th. This has been a difficult decision as I truly support the event and LGBTIQA communities, however I feel my participation at this point would only serve to further distract from the true purpose of the event (sic)."
The 25-year-old musician went on to declare she is a "firm" believer of "equality" and would never use the comments as an "adult".
She continued: "I am a firm believer in equality. Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have. The last thing I want is for something so carelessly said to be interpreted as reflective of my character. I meant no harm and I deeply regret ever uttering those words. As an adult I would never used them because I understand they play a detrimental role in the fight for issues I do truly believe in.
"I am sorry to anyone I have offended or disappointed & I wish all my fans and family participating in Pride the best of luck (sic)."

Ella Henderson is feeling "devastated" after her dad was charged with fraud.
The 'Ghost' singer's 49-year-old father Sean, who also manages her career, was charged on Monday (08.06.15) following allegations of fraud, theft and money laundering, two years after he and his wife Michelle, 51, were questioned.
A pal of the family said: "Ella is close to her family and devastated about the charges."
The 19-year-old musician's mother has now been released, although three other people have reportedly been charged in association with the case, with a fifth person to be charged at a later date.
Although officers refused to name the other people involved, Humberside police said: "A 49-year-old man from Tetney has been charged with seven offences relating to fraud, theft and money laundering.
"He has been released on bail to appear at Sheffield magistrates' court on July 8."
However, the former 'X Factor' contestant, who released her debut album 'Chapter One' last year, previously said they are a "very strong family" and it takes a lot to "break" their spirit.
She said: "We're a very strong family.
"It takes a lot for me to break down or cry. Someone would have to be terminally ill for that to happen."

Ariana Grande has written a new song about a boy she went on a date with.
The 'Problem' hitmaker - who recently spoke out about her issue with being referred to as the ex-girlfriend of her former boyfriends - has now revealed going on a date with "this boy" is the inspiration behind one of the tracks on her new album 'Moonlight'.
She said: "It's about this very cute night we had together. I have a playlist of 12 songs already."
The 21-year-old star - who split from the rapper Big Sean earlier this year and is rumoured to be dating One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan - claims her upcoming record will reveal more about her than any of her previous music.
She told The Sun newspaper: "I plan on writing a lot more as soon I get home. It's the most personal music I've ever written."
Ariana - who is currently on the UK leg of her self-titled world tour - also admits she's getting more and more confident each time she takes to the stage.
The brunette beauty added: "The more I experience life, the more music I make, the more performances I do, the more stable I am."

Nathan Sykes has shut down rumours of a The Wanted reunion.
The 22-year-old singer admitted he has his doubts about whether he will ever reunite with his former bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Max George, Jay McGuiness and Tom Parker, after the group decided to go on hiatus in January 2014, because all of his former bandmates are "happy doing their own thing".
When asked about the prospect of a comeback for the group, he told BANG Showbiz: "I don't know. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone in five or 10 years time. But everyone's really happy doing their own thing at the moment."
The 'Glad You Came' hitmakers released three albums during their time together, all of which charted in the UK top 10, and while Nathan is now enjoying forging his own solo career he said "you never know" what will happen with the band in the future.
Speaking at Capital's Summertime Ball with Vodafone, he continued: "You know it's really funny, like, when we were together, everyone was just like, 'When are you guys going to split up or take a break?' and then we did, and everyone's like, 'When are you getting back together?' So you can't win. But you never know what's going to happen."
And after years of performing with his bandmates, the 'Kiss Me Quick' singer is adjusting to the task of singing on his own, despite the fact it adds extra pressure.
He explained: "I'm having so much fun, but it is different.
"I think, you can't make a mistake and hope that people didn't see it. When you look up and there's those massive screens, especially at Wembley Stadium, the screens are huge, you kind of go, yep, I just messed up."

Patti Smith moved people to tears at Field Day in London on Sunday (07.06.15).
The 68-year-old rock star and poet paid tribute to music icons the late Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones and performed all of the songs from her first album, 'Horses'.
At the beginning of the song, the singer missed her cue but said: "I don't do nothing perfect ... I only f**k up perfect."
The 'Because the Night' hitmaker also insisted she was connecting with the crowds despite wearing shades to protect her eyes from the sun in London's Victoria Park.
She told the crowds: "I'm not wearing these shades to look cool. It's just, you know ... the sun."
An activist, Smith couldn't resist using the platform for a dig a capitalism and took a moment to energise the crowd.
She said: "We are all being f**ked by corporations, by the military. We are free people and we want the world and we want it now!"
The star was a favourite at the festival - which grows bigger every year - and fans took to Twitter to express their joy at watching the idol sing in the sunshine.
One user wrote: "I've seen some awesome people perform live in my time but Patti Smith blew it out of the water!! She is SO bada*s and incredible. (sic)"

Usher wants to move to London.
The 36-year-old star revealed he would "love" to move to the English capital from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, because he wants his sons Usher 'Cinco', seven, and Naviyd Ely, six, to explore the city.
Speaking at an intimate show in the city on Sunday (07.06.15), he said: "I'd love to live in London, and I'd love my kids to explore the culture, the languages, everything. I've always wanted to do a stint in London."
The exclusive semi-acoustic show was held as part of MasterCard's Priceless Surprises campaign, with 400 lucky guests being treated to some of his biggest hits including ''OMG', 'Climax' and 'Good Kisser' alongside a five-piece band.
Speaking after his set, Usher added: "Performing tonight was a completely unique experience - from the intimate crowd and acoustic set, to the incredible venue. It was great to be able to perform a completely different type of concert for my British fans."
Celebrity fans including 'Jealous' singer Labrinth and Bond girl Naomie Harris were among the lucky stars in the audience for the show, during which the 'Burn' hitmaker sipped tea as a tribute to the UK.
Mary J. Blige is the next artist to perform for the Priceless Gigs series, for which MasterCard cardholders have an exclusive chance to win tickets by entering before Thursday 9 June at www.pricelesssurprises.co.uk/MaryJBlige

Katy Perry is set to make a dig at Taylor Swift with a new song.
The 30-year-old pop star has a long-running feud with the 'Shake It Off' singer and is expected to take their rivalry to a new level after registering a song titled '1984', the year she was born, which is an alleged dig at Taylor whose latest album is called '1989'.
News of the song - which was registered on BMI - comes just months after the 30-year-old chart-topper teased she would be singing about their sour relationship in an upcoming track.
When asked about the widely reported argument, she said: "If somebody is trying to defame my character, you're going to hear about it."
Last month, Taylor, 25, premiered the video to her track about the pair's feud, 'Bad Blood', featuring cameos from stars including Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding.
And speaking about Katy, who she refused to name, while promoting her record, Taylor said: "She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me.
"And I'm surprisingly non-confrontational - you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It's awkward, and I don't like it."
Following the comments, Katy took to Twitter to compare the singer/songwriter to 'Mean Girls' villain Regina George.
She wrote: "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing..."

Foo Fighters have confirmed a new 'Sonic Highways' album and TV series.
The original series, which premiered on HBO last year, followed the band around the US as they recorded their eighth studio album of the same name, taking inspiration from eight different cities they visited, and now frontman Dave Grohl has teased the second series could cover the UK.
Speaking about the show, he said it, "might or might not be international ... It might only be in England. It might be in England and other places."
The 'Monkey Wrench' hitmakers had previously hinted they may visit Britain for a new series, and has now expanded on his remarks, saying it would be the perfect location because it has such a rich musical history.
He explained: "The great thing about the idea, the concept of the project, is that it can be anywhere because every city has some sort of musical history, but I don't know. Of all places in the world, England and the UK just seems like it would be shooting fish in a barrel. There's just so f**king much here."
And although the band - which will headline the Friday night of Glastonbury Festival later this month (26.06.15) - originally insisted the set of documentaries would be a one-off, Dave, 46, said after some time away they realised it was a "luxury" to make the show.
He told NME.com: "By the time we were finished with 'Sonic Highways' I was just f**king exhausted. But it's kind of a magical luxury of my life that I'm able to go around and interview people and learn about the history of all these awesome places so I wouldn't just give it up that's for sure.
"The great thing about being in this band is that we don't have to do anything. Nobody ever tells us what to do or when to do it. So we kind of just figure it out. I think it's one of the reasons we've been active for so long, nobody's ever been able to tell us to stop."

Liam Gallagher is forming a supergroup with Roger Daltrey.
The Oasis and The Who members are teaming up with The Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie and former Oasis drummer, Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey, to form the band, which will perform during a one-off live special of 'TFI Friday' on Channel 4.
A source said: "It's a proper supergroup and the performance will be something to remember."
According to The Sun newspaper, the rockers decided to team up after being spurred on by the show's host Chris Evans, although Liam's boredom is also a factor contributing to his excitement about the project.
The source said: "Liam's got a bit of time on his hands since Beady Eye called it a day last year so he fancied trying his hand at something new.
"He's told his mates he's pretty bored. Other than Noel (Gallagher), you would be hard pushed to find a better set of bandmates than Roger, Ian and Zak."
The as-yet unnamed group are expected to play the classic The Who hit 'My Generation' on the broadcast, although it is not yet known whether they plan to create music together or tour in the future.
The band will feature alongside other musical guests including Blur, Stone Roses, Rudimental and Years & Years on the live broadcast, which is a revival of the popular series which originally ran from 1996 to 2000.