Music News

Mary J Blige made a surprise appearance in London, leaving one of her superfans speechless.
Rana Otemro from Watford, south England, thought she had won one of just thirty tickets to watch a special live-streamed performance by the 'Right Now' hitmaker at Village Underground in Shoreditch, east London but was surprised when the singer - who was supposedly in New York - appeared from behind the curtain.
Rana said: "[It was] the best moment of my life. Mary J Blige is my icon - her music is so honest and real. When she appeared in front of my eyes, I had to turn around and check that my friends were seeing the same thing as me - I really couldn't believe it.
"The moment that she asked me to come up on stage as she sang was incredible."
Mary - who performed her song 'Nobody But You' before inviting the excited Rana onto stage with her - was happy to surprise someone who had offered her years of support.
She said: "My fans inspire me to make music, they are the reason I do what I do. It was amazing to be part of this experience and surprise someone who has dedicated so much support to me - I have never surprised a fan on this scale before.
"It was also great to be back in London after recording my most recent album here."
Mary surprised her superfan as part of MasterCard's Priceless Surprises campaign in the support of the 2015 BRIT Awards.
Other artists including Paloma Faith, the Kaiser Chiefs and Usher have also been lined up to give their fans the surprise of their lifetime.
To see more details on the surprise, visit pricelesssurprises.co.uk.

Kasabian's Tom Meighan insists the BRIT Awards don't matter.
The band's frontman claims he isn't bothered about being snubbed by the annual awards ceremony - which will take place next Wednesday (25.02.15) at London's O2 Arena - and said he'd prefer to stay at home and perform for his two-year-old daughter, Mimi.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the NME Awards in London on Wednesday (18.02.15), he said: "My favourite awards show is playing the guitar at home for my daughter."
The 34-year-old rocker - who features in the band along with Sergio Pizzorno, Chris Edwards and Ian Matthews - continued to say he doesn't care about winning awards for the band's music because he just wants to have a happy and healthy family.
He continued: "Mate, it's like I've been saying, the BRITs don't matter. The things that matter are your health, your family and that you're OK. Awards mean whatever it is, what people aspire to."
When the nominations for the BRIT Awards were announced last month, Sergio spoke out about the snub by calling it "a conspiracy ... to shut rock 'n' roll out," and although Tom no longer feels bothered about being ignored by the ceremony, he added he is disappointed other rock bands aren't speaking up with similar comments to support the genre.
He said: "It's sad really that we're the spokespeople for rock 'n' roll, you got to remember me and Serge are 34 years old, what does that mean?"

Shaun Ryder wants to write songs for Taylor Swift and One Direction.
The Happy Monday singer - who has six children from three relationships, including three with current wife Joanne - claims he doesn't know much about the current music scene apart from what his younger daughters are listening to but he does think the 'Shake It Off' hitmaker in particular is "f***ing great".
He told BANG Showbiz: "I haven't really got a clue about what's out, it's not that it's rubbish I just don't listen to it. I do listen to Miley Cyrus and all that, whatever seven-year-old kids are listening to.
"And I listen to the other one, the country and western singer, Taylor Swift, she's f***ing great. I'd write a song for her. I'll write one especially for Taylor Swift, and One Direction, absolutely, why not."
The 'Step On' hitmaker - who presented the Best Dancefloor Filler award, which went to Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX for 'Fancy', at last night's (18.02.15) NME Awards - is currently focusing on his own career and is looking forward to celebrating his group's seminal album 'Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches' 25th anniversary this year.
However, he admits their life on the road is much different now to when the record was first released.
Speaking at the awards, he said: "This year we're celebrating 25 years of 'Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches', there's a tour in November and December, we're going everywhere. I'm sure the rider will be different this time round. We don't have a bus anymore, we have a mini-van and a driver!"

Charli XCX believes people have become "ready to accept" her.
The 'Boom Clap' hitmaker released her debut major label album 'True Romance' in 2013 but doesn't think the general public liked her music at the time because people expected different things from pop music.
Speaking at the NME Awards with Austin, Texas, at the Brixton O2 Academy in London, she told BANG Showbiz: "I think it's happening now because pop music changed and people became more ready to accept me. And I got better (laughs)! I feel like I made a record that has connected with people, you know?"
The 22-year-old singer recently released her new album 'Sucker' and admitted while the last few months have been a "whirlwind," she is ready for fame, and is hoping to capitalise on her success by recording more music and playing more shows.
She said: "I'm going to spend this year making more music and touring. I'm doing my first ever tour of the UK at the end of March ... Hopefully over the next year I'll be able to take stock of everything, but not right now, I've sort of been on a bit of a whirlwind. But I did a lot of sitting back waiting for this moment, so no I'm just ready to go."
The star - who performed her single 'Doing It' at the event - picked up the Dancefloor Filler Award for her hit collaboration with Iggy Azalea, 'Fancy', with other winners during the evening including Kasabian, Jimmy Page and Royal Blood.

Tom Meighan has hit out at One Direction for being five "no-ones" who have "won the lottery".
The 34-year-old frontman - whose band Kasabian picked up Best British Band, Best Album and Best Quote at last night's (18.02.15) NME Awards - slammed the boy band, insisting they have got lucky with their careers and will split soon.
He said: "They're f***ing millionaires but they're five no-ones who won the lottery. They're massive, but they're a product, we're not.
"They're like shampoo. You buy it to put in your hair and wash it out, like the Spice Girls.
"Thing is, they'll all get angry with each other, fall out and do too many drugs. They'll wanna be f***ing arty and do something clever and they'll break up."
Kasabian were nominated for eight awards at last night's London ceremony but didn't receive any nods for the BRITs, however, guitarist Serge Pizzorno insists the 'Eez-Eh' hitmakers - also made up of Chris Edwards and Ian Matthews - are the real winners, and he will be smoking cannabis and getting drunk in the sun when the ceremony is on next week.
He added to The Sun newspaper: "I'm gonna be at the beach somewhere, smoking great weed and drinking incredible rum cocktails.
"That's much more than a consolation prize. It's a winner."

Taylor Swift thinks it was "exciting" making a pop album.
The 'Style' hitmaker moved further away from her country roots on her latest album, '1989, but the change initially worried her record label.
She said: "[The label] were very comfortable with what we had been doing because things had been going well.
"Making my last album was sort of a hybrid between country and pop. I just thought there's no way you can keep doing the same thing over and over again and it's got to be exciting to you or exciting for fans.
"You have to change things up and some people in my team were like, 'This is a great album. We love it. These songs are incredible; this is the best work you've ever done. Can you put three country songs on it please?'"
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old singer couldn't help but gush about recently sharing the stage with Sir Paul McCartney.
For 'Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary show, Taylor joined the Beatles legend on stage for an unplanned performance of 'Shake It Off'.
Jimmy Fallon, who also joined the pair to sing the track, asked her: "How much fun did you have the other night?... Were you freaking out because I definitely was," to which she replied, "Yes!"
During her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the TV show host went on to describe just what happened when the three of them shared the stage.
He said: "You go, 'I'll do one of my songs' and you did and you started 'Shake It Off'. And I go, 'I don't know if Paul McCartney knows 'Shake It Off' and there he was, he knew 'Shake It Off'."

Jimmy Page says it feels "brilliant" to be an inspiration to new musicians.
The Led Zeppelin rocker, who was honoured with a special one-off award, the Rock'N'Roll Soul Award, at the 2015 NME Awards in London tonight (18.02.15), was thrilled to receive the accolade from British rock duo Royal Blood because he considers it a privilege to pass the baton on to younger artists.
Speaking at the star-studded ceremony at the O2 Academy Brixton, the 71-year-old guitarist told BANG Showbiz: "It does mean a lot [to win this award] especially in context. To have this award, and have Royal Blood present it is brilliant, because they're really good.
"I know I have inspired a lot of musicians with the spirit of music, but that's how I learnt, listening to rock and roll and blues and all of that. It's just great, its like a baton in a relay race, I'm passing it on [to the new musicians]."
It was also a memorable night for the 'Figure It Out' hitmakers, who opened the ceremony and later won Best New Band and Best Live Band.
Other big winners included Suede, who have released six acclaimed albums and successfully reformed in 2010, as they were named Godlick Genius.
But frontman Brett Anderson blasted the state of modern rock compared to his group's Brit-pop heyday.
Speaking on the red carpet, he said: "I think rock 'n' roll, now, has become a style, a look rather than an attitude. Rock 'n' roll is about taking risks, doing unusual things rather than wearing leather trousers and thinking you're Jim Morrison."
The group closed the ceremony with a six-song set.
Meanwhile, Kasabian, who led the charge with eight nominations, were "very humbled, privileged and proud" to pick up three prestigious gongs - Best British Band, Best Album and Best Quote.
It was also a successful night for Jamie T, who won Best Track, Best Video and Moment of the Year.
But it was a bad year for 5 Seconds of Summer as they were named Worst Band, and politician Nigel Farage won Villain of the Year.

Full Winners List:

Godlike Genius Award
Suede

Rock'n'Roll Soul Award
Jimmy Page

Best British Band supported by Marshall Amplification
Kasabian

Best International Band supported by Austin, Texas - The Live Music Capital Of The World
Foo Fighters

Outstanding Contribution to Music
Teenage Cancer Trust

Best Solo Artist supported by Pilot Frixion
Jake Bugg

Best New Band supported by REPLAY
Royal Blood

Best Live Band supported by Dead Crow Spirit Flavoured Beers
Royal Blood

Best Album
Kasabian - '48:13'

Best Track supported by Tito's Handmade Vodka
Jamie T - 'Zombie'

Best Video
Jamie T - 'Zombie'

Best Festival
Glastonbury

Philip Hall Radar Award
Dean Blunt

Best TV Show
'Game Of Thrones'

Best Film
'Northern Soul'

Best Music Film
'Pulp: A Film About Life, Death And Supermarkets'

Reissue Of The Year
Manic Street Preachers - 'The Holy Bible'

Dancefloor Filler
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - 'Fancy'

Worst Band
5 Seconds Of Summer

Villain Of The Year
Nigel Farage

Hero Of The Year
Alex Turner

Music Moment Of The Year
Jamie T's comeback

Best Fan Community
Muse

Small Festival Of The Year
Liverpool Psych Fest

Book Of The Year
Viv Albertine - 'Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys'.

Best Band Social Media
Liam Gallagher's Twitter

Best Lyric
Happyness - "I'm wearing Win Butler's hair/There's a scalpless singer in a Montreal rock band somewhere."

Best Quote
Kasabian - "Five records, ten years. We've earned our shot." - Serge Pizzorno, (talking about Glastonbury headline slot)

The Foo Fighters are set to headline Glastonbury.
Festival organiser Emily Evais has confirmed the 'Everlong' rockers, who last performed at the annual event in 1998, will take to the stage on the Friday night.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she said: "It's amazing. It's been a long time coming they haven't been since 1998. We've got them back, we're really excited about it. They are the ultimate live band and I think they will get the whole thing moving."
Emily, who runs the event with her father Michael Eavis, also admitted they have been trying to persuade the group - led by frontman Dave Grohl - to top the bill again for several years.
She explained: "The thing has been timing. With their Wembley shows this year it means they're going to be here, and they're just really up for it. Timing wise it's perfect and we were so thrilled they said yes. They're doing the Friday night."
The group also confirmed the news in a video message to accept their award for Best International Band at the NME Awards tonight (18.02.15).
Dave said: "This is amazing, we love you very much, but we also love all of the fans for voting for our band for this award. We're very thankful and very happy - sorry we couldn't make it tonight, but we will be seeing you over the summer at some big outdoor festival that nobody knows we're playing. It's Glastonbury! So we'll see you at Glastonbury - thanks a lot everybody!"
Meanwhile, Emily, who previously admitted she would love to sign Adele for the festival in Somerset, south west England, poured cold water on rumours the 'Rolling in the Deep' hitmaker will also perform this year.
She said: "That's not true. That's the only denial I will do. I would love Adele. To have Adele would be a complete dream, but she's not going to be here this year."
The 26-year-old singer previously insisted she "will not do festivals."
The event is set to take place from June 24 to 28 this year and more headliners will be announced on April 1.

Sia only released an album to get out of her record contract.
The 'Chandelier' hitmaker hates being in the spotlight and prefers writing for other artists but brought out a well-received solo album '1000 Forms of Fear' last year purely because it was in the terms of her publishing deal.
She explained: "Basically, I put this out to get out of my publishing deal.
"I was planning to be a pop songwriter for other artists, but my publishing deal was as an artist, so I had to put one more album out.
"I didn't want to get famous, so I just kept all the songs I wanted and had a lot of fun making it."
And though she only made the record to fulfil her obligations, the 39-year-old singer - who has penned tracks for the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna - admitted she already has another record ready for release, containing music originally written for other people.
She told NME magazine: "I'm super-productive. I have a full album ready to go and it's much more pop. I'm calling it 'This is Acting' because they are songs I was writing for other people, so I didn't go in thinking, 'This is something I would say'.
"It's more like play-acting. It's fun."