Music News

Gerry Goffin has died aged 75.
The songwriter, who penned worldwide hits such as 'The Loco-Motion' and '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' with ex-wife Carole King, passed away at his home in Los Angeles from natural causes on Wednesday (18.06.14).
Carole paid tribute to her former husband and lyrical partner in a statement, saying: "Gerry Goffin was my first love. He had a profound impact on my life and the rest of the world. Gerry was a good man and a dynamic force, whose words and creative influence will resonate for generations to come.
"His legacy to me is our two daughters, four grandchildren, and our songs that have touched millions and millions of people, as well as a lifelong friendship. He will be missed by his wonderful wife Michele, his devoted manager, Christine Russell, his five children, and six grandchildren.
"His words expressed what so many people were feeling but didn't know how to say. If you want to join his loved ones in honouring him, look at the names of the songwriters under the titles of songs. Among the titles associated with me, you'll often find Gerry's name next to mine."
Gerry and Carole wed in 1959, when he was 20 and she was 17, and began songwriting together, penning hits such as 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow?' for The Shirelles and 'Pleasant Valley Sunday' for The Monkees.
The couple divorced in 1968 and Gerry later married Michele Goffin, who survives him.
After splitting from Carole both professionally and personally, the songwriter continued to enjoy success by co-writing songs such as 'Saving All My Love for You', which performed by the late Whitney Houston.

Metallica will release a new song today (20.06.14) ahead of their headline set at Glastonbury festival.
The 'Enter Sandman' band, who will be the first heavy metal act to top the bill at Worthy Farm next week, have released 'Lords of Summer - First Pass Version' via Blackened Recordings, which the group first debuted in March at a concert at Parque Simon Bolivar in Bogotá, Colombia.
The new recording clocks in at eight minutes and 20 seconds and recalls the group's thrashier '80s offerings, with a fiery solo from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.
The band's drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that the song is "fairly representative of where our creative head space is at right now."
It is not yet known if the track, which is their first new material in six years, will be included on Metallica's next album, the follow-up to 2008's 'Death Magnetic' album.
Footage shot by a member of the audience in Colombia saw the song posted online and it was shared between fans before Metallica put out a "garage demo version".
A post on the band's official Facebook page in March revealed the group's plan to unveil a new track.
A picture of all four members of the band - frontman James Hetfield, plus Rob Trujillo, Lars and Kirk - was accompanied by the caption: "Working out the kinks in the new song that we'll be debuting in South America in a couple days."
Earlier this year, Metallica guitarist Kirk said that the band "have to" start working on their next album.
When asked if the record would likely be released next year, Kirk replied: "I'm f***ing up for it, man."

Ed Sheeran was "wary" of working with Pharrell Williams.
The 23-year-old singer's recent single 'Sing' was produced and co-written by the 'Happy' hitmaker, and it required a different way of working for the British star.
Ed explained: "Working with Pharrell was a different way of writing a song for me. It was completely new but a good way of writing.
"He brought in the bass, hook and the drums and then I wrote all the top line.
"I was wary at first but now I am really happy about that song."
Some of Ed's new album 'x' - which is pronounced 'multiply' - was produced by the legendary Rick Rubin and the 'Drunk' star was determined to "impress" when the producer first expressed an interest in working with him.
He added in an interview with The Sun newspaper: "Rick came in late. He came to gigs and expressed an interest but it was only in August when he invited me around his house in Malibu. I had my guitar with me and he asked me to play and I work best in those situations where you want to impress. He reassessed where I was with the album and came on board.
"He took all the bulls**t away and made me play all the songs as live and kept the raw element to the album."

Nicole Scherzinger is adamant she doesn't have to "worry" about One Direction.
The former 'X Factor' judge, who has supported the band - made up of Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson - since they found fame on the talent show, insists she is not concerned after a video emerged of Louis and Zayn smoking a marijuana-laced cigarette.
The stunning singer told MTV: "The last thing I need to be worrying about One Direction, okay! They are just fine. Those boys are floating on cloud nine, they have got everything in the world, they've taken over," adding, "I think they're just fine. I think they have it under control."
The 35-year-old former Pussycat Doll joked that she's still "waiting for a cheque" after helping to form the band on 'The X Factor' and she now finds herself buying their merchandise.
She said: "I find myself in the store buying their bags for my nieces! Can I get some free bags, please. The last thing I need to be concerned about is One Direction. I think they'll be just fine."
The band have been in Sweden this month on their 'Where We Are' Tour and are set to release their fourth album later this year, the follow-up to 'Min
Meanwhile, Nicole also praised McBusted, who have written with One Direction, and said if the Pussycat Dolls could have been part of a supergroup, they would have joined forces with Led Zeppelin.

The 1975 have been working on new material for One Direction's next album.
The 'Chocolate' hitmakers got into the studio with the band - made up of Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne - after they approached them to work on a song for their upcoming fourth studio record.
Speaking at Bushmills Live in Ireland, Matt told OneDirectionJoy.com: "We went in the studio once [with One Direction]. It's something that would feature on their album. It's just us writing for them, it wouldn't be a collaboration."
Talking about One Direction's global success, he said: "I think those boys can do a p**s and the whole world wants to talk about it.
"I think everyone's keen to know what's going on in their world. One Direction are the busiest band in the world and we are the second busiest."
Matt, 25, also played a prank on Harry Styles on Nick Grimshaw's Radio 1 breakfast show, when he asked him for £5,000 because he was desperate for cash.
The One Direction hunk agreed to lend him it despite only having briefly met him.
Matt joked: "I should [still] get my £5,000 off Harry Styles. That was very funny."
Meanwhile, The 1975 are also playing with electro-pop breakthrough Keisza at MTV Crashes Plymouth next month, joining Example and The Kaiser Chiefs.
They will be performing at the Plymouth Hoe on July 15 to a 20,000-strong crowd at the sold-out beach side event.

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson has slammed Glastonbury festival for being too "middle class".
The frontman insists his band have no intention of playing the annual event at Worthy Farm, which Metallica will headline next Saturday night (28.06.14) as the first heavy metal band in the festival's history to do so.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: "In the days when Glasto was an alternative festival it was quite interesting. Now it's the most bourgeois thing on the planet. Anywhere Gwyneth Paltrow [the actress] goes and you can live in an air-conditioned yurt is not for me."
Bruce, 55, is happy his band - also made up of Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain and Janick Gers, played rock festival Sonisphere instead.
He said: "We'll leave the middle classes to do Glastonbury and the rest of the great unwashed will decamp to Knebworth and drink lot of beer and have fun."
Glastonbury Festival takes place in Pilton, Somerset from June 27 to June 29 and Metallica will join fellow headliners Arcade Fire and Kasabian.
Acts including Ed Sheeran, Jack White, Blonde and Lily Allen will also take to the stage.

Ella Henderson makes "weird dolphin" noises before going on stage.
The 18-year-old singer - who rose to fame after making it to the live finals on 'The X Factor' in 2012 - revealed her unusual vocal warm-up leaves her sounding like a marine mammal and "freaks" people out.
She told The Daily Star newspaper: "I make a weird dolphin noise before I go on stage. It freaks everybody out because it's a weird clicking sound, but it's become routine.
"I have a fear that my voice will give out when I open my mouth so by doing it offstage it means I don't wobble later."
Ella - whose debut track 'Ghost' has topped the UK singles chart and has become the fourth fastest selling single of 2014 so far - took over two years to produce her new album while she tried to figure out her "sound".
She previously said: "I don't wanna copy anyone, I didn't want to do a retro record. I wanted to do something new, and fresh.
"In the beginning I was open to anything, but you figure out what your sound is, and when you go into sessions there's certain things you have to be open, and honest on. When it comes to my music, when it's your job, you can be cutthroat about things."

Ed Sheeran thinks people shouldn't shame pop music.
The 'Sing' hitmaker feels there is nothing wrong with liking pop acts and he doesn't understand why anyone would criticise their music because it has a big influence on young people and popular culture.
During a new interview with Radio.com, he said: "Pop (and, especially, hip-hop) producers are as important as rock auteurs, Beyoncé is as worthy of serious consideration as Bruce Springsteen, and ascribing shame to pop pleasure is itself a shameful act.
"I'd say pop music is still the number one music that people listen to and has been for the past 70 years, 80 years -- however many years. As long as it's popular, it's pop music I guess."
Earlier this month, the 23-year-old star, who is about to release his new album 'x', also revealed he plans to write with One Direction again after the success of his song 'Little Things' but insists he wouldn't want to deal with them all at the same time.
He said: "I don't know what I could do with five people in a room. Like, if it was one on one, if I wrote five different songs, one with each of them, then it would work, but I'm a control freak when it comes to writing songs and too many cooks doesn't work.
"I'd want it to go in a certain direction - no pun intended - and, like, everyone has an opinion and I wouldn't want it dragged all those different ways. So yes, I would work with each of them individually, but not five of them at once."

Lady Gaga scrapped her video with R. Kelly to avoid controversy.
The 'Judas' hitmaker previously cited "time constraints" and mysterious "betrayals" for dropping the promotional clip for 'Do What U Want' - which was directed by photographer Terry Richardson - earlier this year, but it has now been claimed the footage was too much like an "ad for rape" to be broadcast.
According to the New York Post newspaper, the video sees Kelly - who was the subject of a Village Voice article in December alleging he had conducted "dozens" of sexual assaults - play a doctor to Gaga's patient, with her asking: "Will I ever be able to walk again?"
The singer replies, "Yes, if you let me do whatever I want with your body...
"I'm putting you under, and when you wake up, you're going to be pregnant."
Additionally, around the time the video - which was shot last September - was due for release, its director was accused of sexual misconduct by several models.
A source said: "Gaga had a video directed by an alleged sexual predator, starring another alleged sexual predator.
"With the theme, 'I'm going to do whatever I want with your body?' It was literally an ad for rape."
In January, Gaga blamed "mismanagement" for the lack of video for the single.
She wrote on her website: ''I was given a week to plan and execute it. It is very devastating for someone like me, I devote every moment of my life to creating fantasies for you.
''All my most successful videos were planned over a period of time when I was rested and my creativity was honored.
''Those who have betrayed me gravely mismanaged my time and health and left me on my own to damage control any problems that ensued as a result."