Music News

Kanye West was "jumping up and down on the soundboard" while producing a track for Madonna's album.
The 56-year-old singing star rush-released six tracks from her new album 'Rebel Heart' on Saturday (20.12.14) after unfinished demos from the record leaked online earlier in the week, and has now spoken about the making of one of the tracks, 'Illuminati', which was produced by Kanye.
Talking about the rapper's excitement for the song, she said: "When I played a lot of my songs that were unproduced for Kanye, that song resonated with him. He loved the melody, and he was actually jumping up and down on the soundboard."
The song - in which she name checks stars who conspiracy theorists believe run the world such as Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and Britain's Queen Elizabeth - later went on to become one of the 'Hung Up' hitmaker's favourite tracks, but was concerned the 37-year-old musician may hurt himself while he was working on it.
She continued: "He literally stood on top of the mixing board -- we were worried he was going to hit his head on the ceiling, but he didn't. He ended up being very excited about that track, and then he added his spin to it, musically, and I love it. To me, he elevated the lyrics with the music. It's like a siren, alerting people."
The star also spoke about how she was inspired to write the track because of people's ignorance around who and what the Illuminati were.
She explained to RollingStone.com: "'Illuminati' was a song I'd written back in March or April. People are always using the word Illuminati but they're always referencing it in an incorrect way. People often accuse me of being a member of the Illuminati and I think in today's pop culture the Illuminati is perceived as a group of powerful, successful people who are working behind the scenes to control the universe. Not people with consciousness, not people who are enlightened."

Adam Lambert "can sing higher than even Freddie" according to Brian May.
The 67-year-old Queen guitarist has praised the former 'American Idol' contestant - who has collaborated with Brian and drummer Roger Taylor since 2011 - by saying his vocal ability is enough to challenge the band's late frontman, Freddie Mercury.
He said: "They're difficult songs to sing, Queen songs. There's too much range. So many people can't sing them in the original key -- even if they are good singers, Adam comes along, [and] he can do it easy. He can do it in his sleep! He can sing higher than even Freddie could in a live situation."
The 'Don't Stop Me Now' hitmaker admitted Freddie - who died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS in 1991 - may even feel peeved the star's singing ability lives up to his legacy.
He continued: "So I think Freddie would look at this guy and think, 'Hmm... Yeah. Okay.' There would be a kind of, 'Hmm ... You bastard. You can do this.'"
The musician also complimented Adam, 32, for his expert showmanship when on stage, which is exciting while not being a copy of the former lead singer's behaviour.
Speaking to Japan's Universal Music, he added: "He doesn't have to try. He is a natural, in the same way that Freddie was.
"We didn't look for this guy, [but] suddenly he's there, and he can sing all of those lines. ... He doesn't imitate; he just does his own thing."

Meghan Trainor planned her whole career using a vision board.
The 20-year-old singer claims her success is a result of mapping out what she wanted to achieve in a collage which included a record deal and Grammy Awards.
She said: "I had a vision board! [On it] I had No1 song in the world, and a record deal - and a week later I got a record deal. And I didn't tell anyone this, but I also put up a picture of the Grammys."
The 'All About That Bass' hitmaker has since come a step closer to achieving the latter, with her breakout track being nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, but admitted she didn't feel worthy of a pop career as a teenager due to her figure.
She confessed: "Growing up with my insecurities, I was, like, 'I don't look like those pop stars do. I'm not that pretty, I don't know if I could do that.'"
The star later became involved in music as a songwriter for Rascal Flatts and co-wrote the single 'Sledgehammer' for Fifth Harmony, but penned her number one smash hit 'All About That Bass' when she decided she was sick of not being the performer of her songs.
Recalling the morning in which she wrote the track - taking only two hours to do so - she told the Sunday Times' Culture magazine: "It was the first session where I walked in and I was, like, 'I don't wanna write for someone today. I don't wanna pretend I'm Rihanna or Maroon 5. I just wanna write a hit song for the world."

The Rolling Stones have thanked fans for coming to their '14 On Fire' tour.
The group - made up of Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts - have posted a video message on YouTube.com, in which they pay tribute to the "1,159,882 people" who attended their gigs in 19 countries throughout the year.
In the video Mick, 71, says: "We've had a fabulous time on the '14 On Fire' tour this year.
"We've played in 19 countries to over 1 million people."
Ronnie, 67, adds: "1,159,882 to be exact".
Keith, 71, says: "We've seen a lot of you out there in the audience so thanks a lot."
Mick finishes: "Thanks for coming out to see us and maybe we'll see you in 2015".
Aside from their busy touring schedule, the rockers also dealt with the loss of their longtime saxophonist Bobby Keys this year
The 70-year-old musician, who toured with the British band for more than four decades and also performed on albums with John Lennon, The Who and Eric Clapton, died at his home in Franklin, Tennessee earlier this month.
In a statement on Twitter, the 'Brown Sugar' hitmakers said: "The Rolling Stones are devastated by the loss of their very dear friend and legendary saxophone player, Bobby Keys. Bobby made a unique musical contribution to the band since the 1960s. He will be greatly missed."
Keith also paid tribute to Bobby in a handwritten message posted on his Facebook page, saying: "Bobby, I have lost the largest pal in the world and I can't express the sense of sadness I feel although Bobby would tell me to cheer up. My condolences to all that knew him and his love of music."
He then shared an image of his late friend, with the caption: "Another good bye to another good friend. I will miss you, Bobby."

The Vaccines' Justin Young thinks Christmas songs are rubbish.
The 27-year-old frontman has slammed festive hits for being of poor quality, saying he thinks people only listen to them because they are so familiar.
He said: "I think if you listen to most old Christmas songs, they're s**t, but we grew up with them so they're ingrained in us."
The 'Teenage Icon' singer went on to say he isn't a fan of any recent seasonal tunes such as Ariana Grande's 'Santa Tell Me' or Leona Lewis' 2013 single 'One More Sleep' either because the artists are so desperate to create the perfect track.
He continued: "When people write a good new one it seems try-hard or overly earnest."
Despite being a scrooge when it comes to Christmas music, the hitmaker recalled a cherished memory from a childhood when he dressed up as Santa Claus and rode a four-legged animal on the big day as a surprise for his parents.
He added to NME magazine: "I remember one Christmas dressing up as Father Christmas and riding a pony - that was a white Christmas. I borrowed it to surprise my parents. I was, like, four. It's difficult to explain."

Jaymi Hensley thinks Christmas is a "load of rubbish".
The Union J singer isn't a fan of the festive holiday because he thinks it is "false" and hates having to make extra effort for things he would usually do every day.
He said: "I hate Christmas, it's a load of rubbish.
"You don't need a certain day for everyone to see each other, it's so false.
"It annoys me that I have to make an effort and wear something nice. Why have I got to put a shirt on?"
Asked what he'd say in a Christmas speech, he added: "Don't do Christmas next year, go on holiday instead, it will be much nicer."
The 'Carry You' singer and his bandmates George Shelley, J.J. Hamblett and Josh Cuthbert are unlikely to be cooking Christmas lunch for their families as they all have limited culinary skills.
Asked who would cook the best Christmas meal, J.J. said: "Definitely not Jaymi, he'd be awful. He's the worst cook ever."
Jaymi added to Top of the Pops magazine: "If it was George, I'd get chilli con carne, if it was JJ I'd get a grilled cheese and ham sandwich cooked in a frying pan and I'd get turkey dinosaurs with Josh."

Michael Stipe doesn't think he would last "five seconds" on 'The Voice'.
The former R.E.M. frontman doesn't think his group - who separated in 2011 after three decades together - would be successful if they were starting out now because his vocals are so unusual.
He said: "If you look at TV shows like The Voice, I wouldn't have lasted five seconds.
"I don't have perfect pitch. My voice is too odd to have been appreciated in that context. I'm not sure we would have made it to our third album."
The 'All the Way to Reno' hitmaker recently worked on the soundtrack for his friend Tom Gilroy's film 'The Cold Lands' and though he found it "terrifying" at first, he enjoyed the process so much, he wants to work on more music for movies.
He told The Sun newspaper: "It was terrifying and I loved i. I write melodies and lyrics and I'm a great arranger but I'd never written a piece of music before. I'd always relied on other great musicians.
"But this felt really good. I like a challenge so I may do it again."

Nick Jonas feels "cooler" now he is a solo artist.
The former Jonas Brothers singer has seen a change in his image since the sibling trio went their separate ways and he thinks working alone gives him the chance to "start over" and be "true" to himself.
He said: "I definitely feel cooler. I think that was a big part of approaching phase two [of my career], being true to who I am.
"This is way more organic and natural to me than anything I've done in the past. I do get to start over in a lot of ways, so I'm trying to embrace that."
Nick is happy fans have been able to hear some songs from his forthcoming self-titled album because he thinks that gives them a better picture of what the record will be like rather than having to rely on just one single.
He told Gay Times magazine: "There are tracks on the record that are darker even than 'Chains' so it's probably somewhere in the middle, in reality, and I think it's a good representation of where it was all gonig without limiting the set up of this record with one track.
"So often that happens when people only hear one song. How're you supposed to go and buy a record if you've only heard one song?
"I feel like you need to be introduced to the whole project and what you're trying to say, so 'Chains' and 'Jealous' being out there now, these other songs coming out, I think you get a good vibe for where it's all heading."

Sir Paul McCartney still uses John Lennon as a "judge" of his songwriting.
The Beatles legend admits he will scrap lyrics if he doesn't think his late bandmate - who was assassinated in 1980 - would have approved of them.
He said: "I imagine myself back into a room with John, and I'll think [about a lyric], 'Ugh, that's no good.' And I'll imagine him saying, 'No, can't do that.' So I'm using him as a sort of judge of what I'm doing."
The 72-year-old musician found himself feeling emotional at his wife Nancy's 55th birthday party in Tokyo last month because the guests were entertained by Queen and Beatles tribute bands and he was overwhelmed by the uniting power of music.
He explained to Billboard: "I had a kind of very emotional moment when we were sitting there - it could have been the alcohol.
"And I'm thinking, 'My God.' The power of British music finally came home to me. All the way across the world, in Japan, these guys were breaking down Queen songs, and the others Beatles songs. They were replicating them amazingly. They got all the orchestra parts on 'I Am the Walrus.' They may not even speak the language that well, but they speak these songs beautifully.
"I should know that we've had that effect, because it's historically true. But it doesn't always come home to you in quite the way it did that night. I was welling up and I was [thinking] 'I can't well up to a Queen tribute band.'"