Music News

Pixie Lott has bared her "soul" on her new album.
The 'All About Tonight' singer will release her self-titled record next month, and explained her third LP showed off her influence in a way she wished that her second full-length had.
She told Fault magazine: "[I grew up with music that was] very soul influenced but current ... "I grew up listening to music from the '60s and '70s and mixed that with who I am.
"It's the favourite album I've made so far. It best represents me, which is why I named it 'Pixie Lott'.
"I knew I wanted it to have a cohesive sound and not lose the soul. It's what I wanted my second album to be, but that didn't end up happening."
Meanwhile, the blonde star also revealed that her songwriting was inspired by a love of live music - and she tried to reflect that in the "new sound" of the record.
She added: "There is no better feeling for me than singing live for people and I really want that to come across, especially with the new sound of my new album."

Amelia Lily says it has been "so exciting" working on her debut album.
The 'X Factor' UK star - who came third place in the talent show in 2011 - has signed a new deal with East West Records and can't wait to release her latest single 'California' next month.
She said: "Life has never been so exciting - I've been busy in the studio writing and recording songs for my upcoming debut album and 'California' is where we start.
"I'm so proud to be releasing this music; I have put my heart and soul into writing them. Expect a few surprises along the way though - it's going to be fun!"
The new single was co-written by Lily and Tim Woodcock, who has penned tracks for the likes of John Newman, The Vamps and The Wanted.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old singer - who reached number two in the UK Singles chart two years ago with debut single 'You Bring Me Joy' - will release her first full-length album later this year, and being signed to a label owned by Warner Music is a big step forward for her.

Damon Albarn says Bobby Womack will "never leave" him.
The Blur star has paid tribute to the late musician - who died last month aged 70 - and admitted he has struggled to "accept that he's not there anymore".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's 'The Last Word', he said: "In a strange way, I find it very hard to sort of accept that he's not there anymore. For me, he feels very present and I don't quite understand why.
"He taught me things that will never leave me, and he will never leave me."
Damon collaborated with Bobby - who suffered from a number of health problems, including diabetes, pneumonia and colon cancer - on 'Stylo' from Gorillaz's album 'Plastic Beach'.
He said: "He was quite nervous about, one, working with people he'd never met before, but also just the act of getting back in the studio because he'd been really sort of sitting on a couch in LA for many years.
"I didn't really give him any kind of brief and he literally just stood there for 45 minutes just singing. Finally at the end there was a silence. I put my arm around him and he was quite cold. I thought maybe he was going to collapse.
"Some sort of inner voice said to me, 'Go and get him a banana'. And I came back and gave him the banana and he was absolutely fine, but I had no idea he had diabetes."

Pink Floyd have confirmed they will release a new album this year.
The 'Another Brick in the Wall' legends are set to bring out 'The Endless River' - their first record since 1994 - in October.
The new LP will be mainly ambient and instrumental, and its material is based on sessions for the group's 'Division Bell' album 20 years ago.
David Gilmour and founding member Nick Mason have been working on the album, which will also feature late keyboardist Richard Wright.
'The Endless River' will be produced by Phil Manzanera, Youth and recording engineer Andy Jackson, alongside guitarist David.
The spokesman added: "Work is still in progress, but more details to come at the end of the Summer."
The announcement follows reports over the weekend that the band were preparing to release new material for the first time in 20 years.
A source recently said: "This will be one of the most exciting piece of music for decades because it is the closest we will ever come to a Pink Floyd comeback.
"The band will never officially reform because there is no Pink Floyd with Rick Wright. Roger Walters isn't involved in this project either. But Nick has been determined to keep the band alive.
"This is now a new album with songs that have never been heard before - that's something fans never thought would happen after Rick's death."

Taylor Swift has compared music to being in a relationship.
The 'I Knew You Were Trouble' hitmaker - who is known for writing songs about past lovers - has said discovering new artists or albums can be like anything from "a passing fling" to finding "the one".
Writing a column for the Wall Street Journal newspaper, she explained: "Some music is just for fun, a passing fling (the ones they dance to at clubs and parties for a month while the song is a huge radio hit, that they will soon forget they ever danced to).
"Some songs and albums represent seasons of our lives, like relationships that we hold dear in our memories but had their time and place in the past.
However, some artists will be like finding 'the one'. We will cherish every album they put out until they retire and we will play their music for our children and grandchildren."
She added that the "dream" was to give her fans the same feelings the likes of the Beach Boys gave her father, and noted the emphasis should be on "surprise" rather than "shock" value.
Taylor continued: "As an artist, this is the dream bond we hope to establish with our fans. I think the future still holds the possibility for this kind of bond, the one my father has with the Beach Boys and the one my mother has with Carly Simon.
"I think forming a bond with fans in the future will come in the form of constantly providing them with the element of surprise. No, I did not say 'shock'; I said 'surprise.'
"I believe couples can stay in love for decades if they just continue to surprise each other, so why can't this love affair exist between an artist and their fans?"

Sir Paul McCartney jams with Johnny Depp in his new music video.
The iconic rocker has paired up with the 'Alice in Wonderland' actor for his latest promo clip for his latest single 'Early Days', and director Vincent Haycock described it as an "incredibly fun" shoot.
He said: "Paul's scene was incredibly fun to create. It was just him, some blues players and Johnny Depp jamming on set all day.
"Patti Smith also turned up on set and hung out, which made the crew very happy! One of my favourite days of filming ever."
The video is said to be a tribute to the 'Hey Jude' hitmaker's partnership with the late John Lennon - and their early beginnings as songwriters.
Vincent added: "Their story at its core is a universal one, two young kids who bond over their passion for music and form a band and friendship.
"This video is about them, and every band, and every kid who has suffered the ups and downs of starting a band, whether or not they became successful."
It's not the first time Johnny has appeared in video for Paul McCartney, after he most recently starred in the clip for 'Queenie Eye' in 2013.

Jake Bugg wants to move to America.
The 'Lightning Bolt' singer is keen to crack the US, but worries about the practicalities of making the move and for now is keen to visit little and often to help his career Stateside.
He said: "It's just a different beat. It's a big country and to get anywhere you've got to take time out and spend a lot of time there. I think just keep going over there and nipping over there and see how they react.
"I have a lot of influence from there. I'd like to live in America at some point.
"I think the health insurance is quite a lot though."
The 20-year-old singer is incredibly busy with gigs at the moment, but when he has time off, he enjoys doing practical tasks like laundry.
He told Absolute Radio: "I do need to get some laundry done to be honest. Well I've had a couple of days off, so when you've got a few days off and you're in the same hotel you just let your suitcase breathes a little bit.
"Everyone likes a fresh pair of socks though, don't they? It's nice to have a clean pair, if they're new or not, it doesn't matter - they've got to be clean."
Jake is now looking ahead to some more festival performances this summer and has mixed feelings about performing so high on the bills.
He said: "More festivals. There's Reading and Leeds. I've got T in the Park. I'm pretty high up on the bills this year, so I'm really looking forward to it, but also slight apprehensive because you just don't know what's going to happen, then touring until the end of the year."
The full interview with Jake is available at www.absoluteradio.co.uk.

Example recorded his new album with a "magic mic" used by Madonna.
The 32-year-old singer was awed to learn he was using the same microphone used by the iconic pop star when he got into the recording studio in Los Angeles to lay down tracks for his new album, 'Live Life Living'.
Example even credits the "magic" recording equipment with helping him create his best songs yet.
He explained: "I was recording on this microphone in LA and I was like, 'This mic is f***ing amazing.' When you hear the opening track on the album my voice has a sound quality that I've never been able to capture before.
"Stuart [Price, producer] said, 'Oh this is the mic we did the whole of the 'Confessions on the Dance Floor' album with.'
"I've used famous microphones before like Sinatra's, but Madonna's mic was special.
"There's a certain mystique around it that you can't explain, because that album reignited her career, I don't think she's had the same success since. It must be the magic mic!"
While he's confident in the music he's recorded, Example - real name Elliot Gleave - admits he does have some worries about the album's chart prospects.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "The industry is going through a lot of changes and nobody seems to care about albums any more."

Prince and Nile Rodgers teamed up to pay tribute to David Bowie at the Essence Music Festival.
The 'Purple Rain' hitmaker joined the disco legend on state in New Orleans ahead of his own headline set on Friday (04.07.14) to cover 'Let's Dance', which was taken from the 1983 album of the same name that Nile produced for the reclusive British star.
The following day, Nile hailed the "symbolic" performance.
Posting a picture of himself and Prince on his Facebook page, he wrote: "How Proud Am I at This Moment? Playing 'Let's Dance' w Prince is so symbolic. That album w Bowie changed my life after Disco Sucks. (sic)"
The 'Le Freak' hitmaker teased ahead of the festival he was planning to collaborate with both Prince and Janelle Monae at the show.
He said: "At some point in the night, we'll all be doing something together. I won't tell you when that is, because we haven't rehearsed it yet. But we've sent the memos."
He also spontaneously performed with the 'Raspberry Beret' hitmaker many years ago after Prince spotted him from the stage.
He said: ."I played with him a gazillion years ago at one of his after-parties."