Music News

Leona Lewis won't "censor" her new music.
The former 'X Factor' winner - who quit show boss Simon Cowell's Syco record label last year - has admitted she felt "taken advantage of" and won't be holding back when it comes to slamming her former colleagues on her new album after signing with rival label Island Records.
In a new video posted online in which the 'Bleeding Love' hitmaker also shared some new material, she said: "I have met people who have come in and taken advantage of me.
"A lot of people were telling me how to be and how to act and what to say. No one is one-dimensional.
"I'm going to say whatever it is I want to say. I'm not going to compromise myself any more. I'm not going to censor myself."
It was recently revealed the 30-year-old star has included some powerful tracks on her latest offering after it was claimed she was "driven to despair" being part of the 55-year-old music mogul's label.
A source said: "It's no exaggeration to say that Leona was driven to the depths of despair by the end of her time signed to Syco.
"Some of the lyrics sound as if she's talking about a break-up from a boyfriend, but they're actually about leaving Simon.
"It had a huge impact on her life and for the first time she's not scared to say what she thinks through her music."
The song 'I AM' features the lyrics, "I am breathing without you, I am somebody without you, I am free without you, I am stronger without you" while on 'Fire' she refers to "drowning in quicksand" singing, "I'm set free. I begin to spread my wings. I'm happy and I've earned it."
Leona is said to be much happier at Island Records as she is given more control over her own music.
An insider said: "Simon and Syco wanted to have full control of her music, but Island have let her call the shots."

Johnny Marr has slammed online touts.
The former The Smiths star took to his Twitter account to criticise "eBay t**sers" after his Record Store Day 2015 cover of Depeche Mode's 'I Feel You' appeared on the web market place for an inflated price.
He wrote yesterday (21.04.15): "I'll try to do an extra run of I Feel You 7" singles so those who wanted it but didn't get it don't get ripped by the EBay t**sers. J.(sic)"
He had previously warned fans of Record Store Day - which celebrates the culture of independently owned music shops - not to buy the track for an inflated price, claiming it wasn't "in the spirit of RSD".
He said on April 18: "Do not pay inflated prices for I Feel You on eBay. It's a rip off & not in the spirit of RSD. Johnny #screwthetouts".
Meanwhile, the 51-year-old guitarist recently admitted he has managed to "surprise himself" with his cover of the Depeche Mode hit, which he has also adopted into his live set.
He said: "I've surprised myself that it sounded so like me and my band. When you cover a song you have to bring something of yourself to it. I was playing it on tour, just in my dressing room, and it sounded good, and then I started to sing it and we worked it up in a soundcheck and played it immediately in the encore that night."

Alice Cooper's new album - featuring Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Johnny Depp - is "done, mixed and ready to go".
Titled 'Hollywood Vampires', the LP will pay tribute to the social group that the 'Poison' singer used to drink with in the 70s, which included John Lennon, Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr, and will include covers of songs made famous by the friends that the group has "lost to drugs and alcohol over the years".
Cooper said: "The album's done. It's mixed, ready to go and I'm very, very happy with it. I'm really happy with all the stuff on it. McCartney's on it. (Ringo Starr's drummer son) Zak Starkey's on it. Dave Grohl is on it, (AC/DC frontman) Brian Johnson, and in places where you wouldn't expect them to be, that's the cool thing."
While the 67-year-old rocker wouldn't reveal which covers are going to appear on the album, he hinted at songs originally performed by artists like Jim Morrison and Lennon, and joked that "the performers have to be dead".
Speaking to Billboard, Cooper said: "I can't really say (what covers will be on the album) right now, but if you think of it, who were the Hollywood Vampires? John Lennon was there. Jim Morrison was an early Vampire. We had Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon of course, Harry Nilsson, Marc Bolan. Those guys were all Vampires. The performers have to be dead. Or mentally dead. Or should be dead."
The Hollywood Vampires super-group are due to play the Rock in Rio festival in September.

Kanye West has joined Diddy's production collective 'The Hitmen'.
The 'Black Skinhead' rapper has accepted Diddy's offer to join the super-group of artists and the latter announced the collaboration via a video of an in-studio session posted on his Instagram account.
The accompanying caption read: "Ladies and gentlemen I'm pleased to announce that I am back behind the board! I got the hitman with me @chucklife365 @iammariowinans@hitmansteviej_1 @itsseanc @lvizual DDOT , NASHIEM & the newest member of the hitman KANYE WEST #BREAKINGNEWS #Everythingisgoingtobealright#MMM. (sic)"
The Hitmen is Diddy's long-standing production team who are responsible for most of Bad Boy Records hits during the 90s and 00s, with artists such as The Notorious B.I.G.
Kanye took to Twitter to tell his 12 million followers he was "excited, humbled and motivated for the future" as part of The Hitmen.
He will join the likes of Chunky Thompson, Steven 'Stevie J' Jordan, Mario Winans, Nashiem Myrick and Deric 'D-Dot' Angelette.
The team, which began in the late 90s, will all be supporting Diddy as he works on his next album.
It will be his first release since 'The Last Train To Paris' in 2010.
This will be the second collaboration between Kanye and Diddy, with Diddy having a production credit on Kanye's recent single 'All Day'.

Clean Bandit lead the nominations for the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards.
The shortlist for the 60th Anniversary of the prestigious songwriting ceremony was announced this morning (21.04.15), and it was revealed the group's 'Rather Be' has been nominated for Best Contemporary Song, as well as PRS for Music Most Performed Work, for which they're going to be competing against Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me' and 'Budapest' by George Ezra.
Both 'Stay With Me' and 'Rather Be' were co-written by James Napier, or Jimmy Napes as he is more commonly known.
FKA Twigs has also been nominated for Best Contemporary Song with 'Two Weeks' as have alt-J for 'Every Other Freckle', while lesser-known band Bear's Den have been nominated for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for their work on 'Above The Clouds Of Pompeii'.
However, guitarist Andrew Davie doesn't fancy the band's chances of winning the award, as they've got stiff competition from Ben Howard's 'I Forgot Where We Were' and Hozier's 'Take Me To Church'.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the Ivor Novello nominations, Andrew said: "It's crazy. I'm just honoured and shocked. I just can't really get my head around it. Today was the first time I'd heard who the other nominees were, and to be even put in the same sentence as Ben Howard and Hozier is mental.
"No, I don't think we'll win. The other two are just two amazing songs, and I've listened to their albums a lot. They're two of my favourite albums. I'm going to be really starstruck on the night [of the awards]."
Presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), the Ivors celebrate the best in British and Irish songwriting and composing, and are judged by the UK songwriting and composing community.
The 2015 Ivor Novello Awards will take place in London on 21 May.

2015 Ivor Novello Awards full list of nominations:
Best Song Musically and Lyrically:
'Above The Clouds of Pompeii'
Written by Andrew Davie
Performed by Bear's Den
Published in the UK by Communion Publishing

'I Forget Where We Were'
Written and Performed by Ben Howard
Published in the UK by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd

'Take Me to Church'
Written by Andrew Hozier-Byrne
Performed by Hozier
Published in the UK by Sony/ATV Music Publishing - The Evolving Music Company

Best Contemporary Song:
'Every Other Freckle'
Written by Thomas Green, Joe Newman and Gus Unger-Hamilton
Performed by alt-J
Published in the UK by Kobalt Music Publishing

'Rather Be'
Written by James Napier and Jack Patterson
Performed by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing - Salli Isaak Songs / Sony/ATV Music Publishing

'Two Weeks'
Written by Tahliah Debrett Barnett and Emile Haynie
Performed by FKA Twigs
Published in the UK by BMG Chrysalis / Universal Music Publishing

PRS for Music Most Performed Work:
'Budapest'
Written by George Ezra Barnett and Joel Pott
Performed by George Ezra
Published in the UK by BMG Chrysalis

'Rather Be'
Written by James Napier and Jack Patterson
Performed by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing - Salli Isaak Songs / Sony/ATV Music Publishing

'Stay With Me'
Written by James Napier, William Phillips and Sam Smith
Performed by Sam Smith
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing - Salli Isaak Songs - Method Paperwork / Naughty Words Ltd - Stellar Songs Ltd - Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Album Award:

'Present Tense'
Written by Thomas Fleming, Ben Little, Christopher Talbot and Hayden Thorpe
Performed by Wild Beasts
Published in the UK by Domino Publishing Company

'Royal Blood'
Written by Michael Kerr and Ben Thatcher
Performed by Royal Blood
Published in the UK Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd

'So Long, See You Tomorrow'
Written by Jack Steadman
Performed by Bombay Bicycle Club
Published in the UK by Imagem Music


Best Original Film Score:
''71'
Composed by David Holmes
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing

'Mr. Turner'
Composed by Gary Yershon
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing

'The Boxtrolls'
Composed by Dario Marianelli
Published in the UK by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd

Best Television Soundtrack:
'The Honourable Woman'
Composed by Natalie Holt and Martin Phipps
Published in the UK by Imagem FTV / Du Vinage Publishing

'The Mill - Series 2'
Composed by Samuel Sim
Published in the UK by Du Vinage Publishing / Sony/ATV Music Publishing

'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Beyond the Pale'
Composed by Edmund Butt
Published in the UK by Bucks Music Group / Imagem FTV

AC/DC's Phil Rudd has pleaded guilty to a threat to kill charge.
The drummer appeared at the District Court in Tauranga, New Zealand, where he was charged with two counts of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis, relating to a police raid on his waterfront North Island mansion in Taranga on November 6 and his subsequent arrest.
Rudd had originally entered a plea of not guilty to the crimes but ahead the start of his trial on Tuesday (21.04.15) his lawyer informed the judge he was altering his plea.
However, one threatening to kill charge has been dropped. An earlier charge of attempting to procure murder had been dropped at before the case went to court.
Rudd, 60, has now been remanded on bail until sentencing on June 26.
Before his change of plea, the court had heard that Rudd had asked for a former employee, a security guard, to be "taken out" after becoming angry his solo LP had not sold well.
In court documents released at the end of last year, it was claimed Rudd attempted in a phone call to hire a person in September to kill the man and his daughter, insisting he wanted the person "taken out". He allegedly later offered the associate he had contacted £100,000 as well as "a motorbike, one of his cars or a house" for carrying out his earlier request.
Rudd is also accused of later contacting his ex-employee, and during the conversation he threatened he would "come over and kill you".
The court summary of events read: "As a result of threats made by the defendant, the victim was genuinely very fearful for his safety."
If found guilty of threatening to kill the musician could face a maximum sentence of seven years in jail under New Zealand law.
Possession of cannabis carries a sentence of three months and methamphetamine possession six months.
However, outside the court, Rudd's lawyer Craig Tuck told reporters the charge "essentially revolved around an angry phone call - that was it".
Rudd's plea has cast his future with AC/DC - one of the highest grossing musical acts of all time - in doubt.
The band - fronted by Brian Johnson - kicked off their 'Rock or Bust World Tour' on April 10 at the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, with their former drummer Chris Slade replacing Rudd.

Britney Spears has won the Best Of Last Vegas and Best Bachelorette Party awards for her Las Vegas residency.
The 33-year-old pop star - who's been starring at the Planet Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas since it opened on December 27, 2013 - has earned rave reviews for her 'Piece Of Me' residency and has taken to Twitter to share her success with her 41.6 million followers on the social media site.
Britney - who was pictured holding the awards backstage at Planet Hollywood's Axis auditorium, where she performs three nights a week - tweeted: "Look what I got over the weekend! Thank you @BestOfLasVegas, my dedicated team & POM crew, @phvegas, and all of YOU! (sic)"
The singer was actually told she'd won the coveted prizes at the end of March, but only collected her prizes at the weekend.
In March, she tweeted: "Just heard some AMAZING news!! POM was voted Best Show for @BestofLasVegas!!! BEYOND grateful to have such loyal fans.
"THANK YOU to everyone who voted! Your support means the world. I am so proud of this show & can't wait to see what the future holds! Xoxo. (sic)"

Adele still hasn't chosen a producer for her new album.
The 26-year-old singer - who initially hinted the follow up to her hit 2011 record '21' would be released in 2014 - is reportedly still undecided over who to team up with on her latest offering and may be forced to push back the album's release even more.
Producer Emile Haynie - who met up with Adele in February to discuss the possibility of working together on the record - said: "Adele was awesome, but I don't know if we'll be working together.
"We got along well as friends when we met in February and I hope we can cut some songs, but Adele is taking her time.
"I'd push for it to happen, but we'll have to wait and see."
Emile, 34 - who has worked with Kanye West and Bruno Mars in the past - also admitted he sought help from pal Lana Del Rey when it came to releasing a record of his own.
The producer - whose album 'We Fall' features the 29-year-old singer as well as Florence Welch and The XX - penned the record following a break up and Lana was quick to offer him advice on how to turn his heartbreak into a song.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "Lana came by a couple of days after the breakup when it was still hellish.
"She gave me loads of advice and the next thing you know we're cutting the song."

Carly Rae Jepsen has praised Sia for being "so humble and rad" after she collaborated with the 'Elastic Heart' singer on her upcoming album.
The 'Call Me Maybe' hitmaker is a big fan of the Australian singer/songwriter and was desperate to have her on her her new LP 'E·MO·TION'.
Carly insists it was great to work with Sia and she is very excited about the song they have created together.
Speaking in the latest issue of Notion magazine - on which she is the cover star - Carly said: "Sia is so humble and rad ... I was so nervous that day."
Sia is among a host of big names that feature on the LP, with Carly's other collaborators including "Greg Kurstin, The Cardigans's Peter Svensson, Dev Hynes, Arial Rechtshaid, Tegan & Sara, Jack Antonoff and Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij".
Carly is really pleased with the track 'All That' which she recorded with Dev because it represents a departure from her usual sound.
Discussing the song, she said: "It's got an amazing Prince-y vibe to it, it's very evocative, a total slow jam."
Carly's first single from the album, 'I Really Like You', is out on April 26 and the video features a cameo appearance from Tom Hanks, and she admits she wanted the Oscar winner to be in it so it wouldn't become too "sickly sweet".
She said: "Look, I'm a cheesy, nerdy Broadway girl at heart. It's a very flirtatious, adorable song but ... we felt like if we had a sickly sweet video it would just overkill ... My favourite bit (video) is where we sent 'running guy emoji', 'tree emoji' and 'running guy emoji' to Tom Hanks. Run, Forest, Run!"