Music News

Sam Smith was left "overwhelmed" after achieving a double number one yesterday (15.03.15).
The 22-year-old singer couldn't believe his luck when his song 'Lay Me Down' - which he recorded with John Legend for charity Comic Relief - topped the UK Singles chart, and he was equally as surprised to see his album 'In The Lonely Hour' return to the summit of the UK Album chart.
He tweeted: "I am in complete shock. A double number one!!!!
"Music is my therapy and I'm so overwhelmed mine can be yours. I'll never forget this moment x (sic)"
Sam's album returning to the number one spot meant he stopped Madonna from achieving her 12th number one with her record 'Rebel Heart', which had looked set to top the chart earlier in the week, but he was particularly pleased with his charity version of Lay Me Down's huge achievement after it managed sales of 105,000.
He wrote: "Thank you with all my heart for making 'Lay Me Down' number one!! Truly the most important song and number one I've ever had!!
"Massive shout out to comic relief, @johnlegend and @jimmynapes on making this possible!! Such an incredible cause!! Overwhelmed x (sic)"
Sam's album returning to number one was a particularly big achievement as it marked the sixth time the record has been number one, which is a record for a male solo artist.

Britney Spears' Las Vegas residency was inspired by Celine Dion.
The 'Toxic' hitmaker has revealed she was keen to do a series of shows on the famous Strip after going backstage during Celine Dion's 2003 residency and becoming "jealous" of the stability the job offered.
She said: "I remember how beautiful it was - really cool, low-key - and ​[Celine's] dressing room was great.
"I was actually jealous, like, 'Oh, my gosh, she gets to be in one place all the time.' Everything clicked: To have your children and your family and that way of life, it just makes sense to have everything in one place."
Despite enjoying her Las Vegas residency, Britney has insisted it's not her "full priority" to record new music and instead wants to spend time with her sons Sean, nine, and Jayden, eight, who she has with her former husband Kevin Federline.
She told Billboard magazine: "I'm gonna do [a new album] slowly but surely.
"There's a lot going on with my kids and schools and, you know, adding new sports and stuff like that. I'm gonna try to do my best to do an amazing album, but it's not my full priority right now.
"Kids can drive you crazy."

Rita Ora is a "perfectionist".
The 'I Will Never Let You Down' hitmaker has revealed she expects a lot of herself and often worries about what others expect of her too.
She said: "I expect a lot of myself. I'm a little perfectionist. If I worried about the expectations of others on top of that, I think I would probably go crazy."
And whilst she tries not to pay attention to what most people think, there is one special person she looks to for advice - her mother.
Despite trying to adopt her positivity, the 24-year-old singer insists she is just like a "normal" young lady, who suffers ups and downs, something which she tries to show in her use of social media.
She told the German edition of Glamour magazine: "Social media needs to be handled delicately. It's easy to forget just how many people are following you on there.
"You have to learn what to say and when to hold back. But that's just a part of me right now, sharing my life with others on a daily basis - it's part of my job."
Rita also revealed details of her new album, citing Gwen Stefani and Bob Marley as inspirations for the LP and hopes the album will show fans how she has matured.

Noel Gallagher has been performing with a chest infection on tour.
The musician is currently on his world tour to promote his new album 'Chasing Yesterday' but before his sell-out concert in Paris, France, last week he got ill with a cold which has got a lot worse.
However, rather than pull out of any gigs, Noel continued on the road and had antibiotics brought to him before his show in Milan, Italy, on Saturday night (14.03.15).
Bur rather than start taking the medication immediately, the renowned party lover decided to get drunk after he came off stage.
In a new blog post on his official website, entitled 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere Vol 3: The Good, The Bad And The Bubbly', Noel revealed: "Paris in the spring is quite frankly ... well just beautiful. LOVE that town. The sun was out. It was warm...all I'm missing is my girl. The gig was great too. Bit of a come down from all the razzmatazz of the big shows in the UK. Great crowd...some people actually flew in from The Lebanon especially for it, which was nice. Still got this bloody cold. It's starting to feel more like a chest infection now though. It's beginning to p**s me off. Good job Nancy is coming to Milan with some antibiotics...gotta clear this s**t up once and for all."
Discussing his post-Milan show celebration, he added: "Now I'm not sure what happened after that to be honest. I know I'm currently in Milan. Its been f***ing wonderful...it always is.
It's fair to say The Italians love me and long may that continue 'cause I love them right back...the beautiful bastards.
"The gig was amazing, the kind of gig you'd never want to end. Easily my favourite so far. I would go into greater detail but I'll freely admit I'm suffering with a raging hangover.
"Nancy did arrive with the medication but she was cracking foxy and we somehow managed to get roaring drunk instead. I guess the meds can wait until tomorrow eh? I'm f***ed...can't believe I now have to go and do some live Italian TV?! Keep it livid yeah? ONWARDS. (sic)"
Rumours had been rife that Noel's younger brother and former Oasis bandmate Liam Gallagher was going to be at the Milan concert after the singer posted a photo of himself with an Access All Areas pass to a Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds show on his Twitter account on Saturday.
However, Noel, 47, made no mention of his 42-year-old sibling in his blog.
'In the Heat of the Moment' hitmaker Noel is due to perform at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany, tonight (16.03.15).

Hozier doesn't like "rubbing shoulders" with chart artists.
The 24-year-old singer - whose track 'Take Me To Church' became a fixture in Top 10s worldwide and was nominated in the Song of the Year category at the Grammy Awards last month - is thrilled with the hit's success but doesn't like being compared to singers whose sole aim is to make it to number one.
He said: "A lot of people complain about current music, about the Top 10 and the values reflected in it, but Take Me To Church found room there, and that had to be good. Then again, you're rubbing shoulders with artists who make music that is 'designed' to chart, and that's not something I've ever aimed for.
"The danger is that, once you're there, it can be difficult to come back; you feel like you have to do it again. I'm very conscious of that, very watchful of myself. Songwriting can't be about that. It means so much more. It's mortal combat."
Hozier added he is shocked that his music has become a mainstream success and hopes he can inspire other artists to follow in his footsteps.
He told The Sunday Times newspaper's Culture magazine: "I never, ever, ever imagined having mainstream success, and it still amazes me. But it also makes me think that, if I can do it, there are so many other musicians who could as well."

Rebecca Ferguson won't call her kids when she's on tour.
The 28-year-old singer - who has Lillie May, 10, Karl, nine, and five-month-old Arabella from past relationships - tries not to go too long without seeing her children when she's on the road but finds it too upsetting only speaking to them on the phone.
She said: "If I am touring throughout the week, they sometimes join me on the weekends, so I don't go too long without seeing them.
"I try not to call them when I'm away because it just upsets me more, it's like a reminder of me not being there.
"I'm never apart from them for longer than a week though."
Despite juggling her busy career and three children, Rebecca hasn't ruled out having more kids in the future.
She said: "If I got married one day and settled down, I would love to have more children.
"But I'm also aware of how much it takes out of your body. Since having Arabella, I've realised how much harder it can be when you're older."
However, the former 'X Factor' star is currently single and isn't interested in embarking on a new romance.
She told Closer magazine: "I am not dating and, in fact, I'm not interested in men at all.
"I want to go out with my friends and have a laugh. It's funny, you always attract men when you don't want them - you'll go out and they'll want your number while you're left thinking, 'Where were you when I wanted a boyfriend?' "

Charli XCX wants to take over the world.
The 'Boom Clap' hitmaker - who has worked with the likes of Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora and Gwen Stefani - is keen to keep pushing boundaries in her own career, as well as penning pop hits for other artists.
Asked what the future holds, she said: "I just want to be continuously making killer songs and mind-blowing videos, as well as writing for other artists.
"I want to change the musical landscape. I think the overall plan is to take over the world. That's basically it."
The 22-year-old singer has been performing since she was 14 years old and thinks she "deserves" her global success because she has worked so hard
She said: "Now that it's here, I feel like I really deserve it. I know how this world works now, and I'm not going to let people walk all over me.
"I feel blessed to be in this position and I've made so many great relationships."
The 'Fancy' star credits Swedish pop star Robyn with giving her the best piece of career advice she has heard.
She told Grazia magazine: "We'd just had this epic dance-off in Australia, she is an insane dancer, and I was feeling a bit down and insecure.
"She said, 'You've just gotta be yourself and be nice to everybody because that's why people think you're cool.' "

Christina Milian's five-year-old daughter tells her what to eat.
The 33-year-old singer admits the reasons why she wants to stay in shape have changed since she and ex-husband The-Dream became parents to little Violet, and the youngster tries to advise her mother on healthy foods.
She said: "My daughter Violet inspires me to stay in shape. Before, I wanted to get in shape to be the prettiest girl but now I do it for her.
"She's really smart. She tells me not to eat French fries - she'll say, 'Mom, it's junk food.' "
Christina gained 45lbs when she was pregnant with Violet and though she felt pressured to slim down quickly, she is delighted with her figure these days.
Asked if she felt pressure to lose weight, she told Now magazine: "Yeah, but showbiz or not, when you're pregnant all you can think about is, 'OK I don't want to gain too much weight.'
"I loved being pregnant but you can't wait to get back to your old shape and being healthy.
"I have a different body now as a mother, but I'm finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight - I'm only 3lb more than my 'Dip It Low' days."

Pete Doherty is "haunted" by never finishing a song with Amy Winehouse.
The Libertines frontman used to try to write with his late friend, but she was "very, very critical" of him, and their addictions frequently got in the way of their creativity.
He said: "Invariable, whenever we got together to write, I was probably in no fit state either. But the way I remember it was she... I never really caught her at the right time.
"She was more interested in other things, not in actually getting any music done, which is strange because that's something people have accused me of as well.
"Whenever we used to get together to do music, she was always very, very critical of the new ideas I had. So we never ended up getting anything finished. I'm haunted by that."
Pete - whose is donating the profits from his latest single, 'Flags of the Old Regime', to the Amy Winehouse Foundation - believes Amy felt "trapped" by her success.
He explained to NME magazine: "She bought a brand new house in Camden Square, it was incredible, she had loads of great guitars in the basement and a huge music system. On her doorstep, she had all these horrible paparazzi. So she couldn't go anywhere.
"Blake [her husband] was in prison. She was just... She's got a lot time, she's been in a state of absolute despair. Fame had completely hemmed her in.
"I think her natural spirit was to be flying on melody and feeling. And yet she was caged. She was trapped...
"To make the money and get the wealth and power that comes with it, you have to sacrifice a lot of your personal liberties."