Music News

Mark Ronson gets "messed up" when he thinks about working with Stevie Wonder.
The 'Uptown Funk' hitmaker was left "speechless" when the legendary singer agreed to lend his vocals to 'Uptown's First Finale' - the first track on the producer's new album 'Uptown Special' - and still can't believe the 'Superstition' star agreed to the collaboration.
Discussing the track, he said: "The melody to this piece was completely inspired by the first set of lyrics that Michael [Chabon, novelist] sent me. And although I loved the lyrics, for some reason I kept hearing the melody as if it were being played by Stevie Wonder with his signature harmonica tone.
"His harmonica playing can really turn me inside out, just as his singing does.
"Anyway, I thought what the hell and sent a 'hail-Mary' letter to his manager with the song ... and a few months later, he recorded it!
"When I first heard it, it was one of the most emotional experiences I've ever had. I was dumbfounded, speechless, whatever word you want to use, I was all of those things.
"I still can't believe somewhere in a studio in Chicago one night, Stevie Wonder actually recorded a piece of music that I wrote. I've listened to it a hundred times and it still messes me up when I play it."
Mark also revealed another track on the album, 'In Case of Fire', was inspired by singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright.
In a track-by-track guide to the album for the Guardian, he wrote: "I wrote this guitar riff while working on Rufus Wainwright's last album, 'Out of the Game'. It was partly inspired by a cello line he wrote for the song 'Jericho'. I really loved it but it didn't fit his record and I didn't know if I'd ever get to use it. But then a year or so later, I came up with the verse chords (inspired by some Michael Chabon lyrics that we never used) and everything seemed to fit together pretty well."

Fleur East has signed to Syco Records.
The 26-year-old finished second in the 'X Factor' after Ben Haenow won the competition last month, but Simon Cowell has decided to sign the star up to his record label, and hopes to release her debut album later this year.
The music mogul said: "Fleur proved what a star she was on the show last year and we now look forward to starting work on her record".
Confirming the news on social media, the company - who also have the likes of One Direction, Ella Henderson, Labrinth and Olly Murs on their extensive roster - wrote: "BREAKING NEWS: Fleur East signs to Syco. The X Factor finalist will release her debut album later this year."
The contract was reportedly finalised last week - less than a month after the end of the ITV singing competition - with the head judge keen to personally oversee her career.
An 'X Factor' insider told The Sun newspaper: "It's unprecedented for Simon to personally sign one of the runners-up. But it's a sign he believes Fleur is going to be a massive star."
The 55-year-old talent scout and producer was wowed by the rising star when she sang the Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars hit 'Uptown Funk' on the show, branding it "the greatest performance" he had seen on the programme, with the cover rising to the number one spot in the iTunes chart just 24 hours later.
Losing out in 2008, JLS went on to become a hugely successful pop quartet, and now former member JB Gill says he is sure Fleur has a prosperous career ahead of her.
He said: "Ben's great but Fleur's a really old friend. She was brilliant.
"She'll have a career. We came second and we did all right. Next year will be exciting for her."

Morrissey will play a UK tour in March.
The 55-year-old musician has announced a string of tour dates for the spring, performing at six arenas in England, Wales and Scotland.
The 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out' singer will play at Nottingham's Capital FM Arena on March 13, before heading to Bournemouth, Cardiff, Leeds and Glasgow. The short tour will end on March 27 with a performance at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena.
The enigmatic star - who rose to fame in rock band The Smiths - went on tour in 2014 but played only one UK date at London's O2 Arena, which he later named as his favourite show of the year in an end-of-tour message on his website.
The announcement comes just days after the controversial character - who is known for his extreme views on animal rights - caused outrage by saying he felt "delighted" when he recently saw a matador get gored by a bull in Mexico City.
Writing on his fan site True to You, he said: "I felt delighted this week to see serial killer Karla de los Angeles justifiably gored in a bullring in Mexico City against her largely defenseless opponent.
"Make no mistake: there is no such thing as bullfighting. For the torment and slaughter of each bull there is an avowed plan and a strict script, so therefore there is no possibility of a contest of any kind. (sic)"
Tickets for Morrissey's tour go on sale at 10am on Friday January 16.

Morrissey's 2015 UK tour dates are:

March 13 - Nottingham Capital FM Arena
March 14 - Bournemouth International Centre
March 18 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
March 20 - Leeds First Direct Arena
March 21 - Glasgow SSE Hydro
March 27 - Birmingham Barclaycard Arena

Brian May insists Queen "ain't a tribute band".
The 'Bohemian Rhapsody' hitmakers were originally a four-piece band, and although lead singer Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991 and bassist John Deacon retired in 1997, the group's lead guitarist believes they are still the real deal.
He said: "We ain't a tribute band, that's a no-brainer."
Roger Taylor, who is Queen's drummer, also issued his thoughts, explaining he has been in the band for his whole life, so still considers it to be the same group even though they have different people on tour with them, including 'American Idol' contestant Adam Lambert who is currently their lead vocalist.
He said: "We built Queen, we lived and breathed it, it is part of us and we are part of it."
Even though the iconic rockers' frontman passed away more than two decades ago, the 65-year-old percussionist can sense his spirit when they are performing on stage, and sees their live shows as a celebration of the star's extraordinary talent.
He continued: "It still feels as if Freddie is with us, because his music is always there, his personality is on stage with us.
"He is part of our mental wallpaper, which can be a little bittersweet. I would say it took five years to get used to the fact that he was gone. But the fact is, he's not here, and we are celebrating and we salute him, and it's not maudlin at all."
Brian, 67, concluded by saying the similarities between the group's original and current frontman mean they are still recognisable as the slightly camp and comical band they always were.
He told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper: "Freddie and Adam have a very similar attitude to life; a sense of humour and camp lightness of touch. Queen have a serious side but, really, that little bit of humour is what keeps everybody sane.
Roger added: "I think he [Freddie] would have approved. And I know he would have liked Adam."

Pharrell Williams wants to work with Adele in 2015.
The 'Happy' hitmaker thinks the superstar is one of the best singers of the past two decades and admitted he is hoping to get the chance to work with her at some point this year because he has loved everything she has done since the first song from her second album, titled '21'.
He gushed: "It would be amazing to work with such a talent. I have been excited about her since I first heard 'Rolling in The Deep'. If the opportunity comes up in 2015 for us to work together - them I am totally down with that."
The 41-year-old musician - who released his second solo album 'Girl' last year - went on to criticise people who compare current pop stars to musical legends of the past, but believes it is a justified thing to say with Adele because she has such a remarkable talent.
He continued: "I think today comparisons are thrown about too easily when it comes to comparing current artists with legends. In Adele's case, I think it is warranted though."
Praising the 26-year-old star further, the father-of-one - who has six-year-old son Rocket with his wife, Helen Lasichanh - said her extraordinary skill is sure to make her go down in history as one of the few great voices of her generation.
He added: "She has a voice that, like Mariah and Whitney, is only going to come along every 20 years or so."
News on the singer's hugely anticipated third album is yet to be released, but producer Paul Epworth has kept tight-lipped on any details linked to the record.
When asked about the album, he said: "I've got nothing. There are no clues.
"That will come when it's ready."

Alice Cooper made a special guest appearance at a Foo Fighters concert.
The 'Poison' hitmaker joined the band's frontman, Dave Grohl, on stage at The Forum in Los Angeles last night (10.01.15) for a surprise Foo Fighters gig.
The concert was announced earlier this week to coincide with Dave's 46th birthday, with the money collected from ticket sales going towards the Rock School Scholarship Fund, MusiCares and Sweet Relief charities.
As a birthday present to himself, Dave organised for the music legend to join him on stage to sing some of the band's hits including 'I'm Eighteen' and 'School's Out'.
Other guests at the concert included David Lee Roth, Slash and Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D.
Dave isn't new to mixing with some of music's most legendary performers - he recently revealed he had the most "amazing" jam with Prince.
He recalled: "Prince just appears and says, 'Hey man, you wanna jam?' and I go, 'Yeah'.
"And I get up on the drums and I start playing. He picks up a bass and shreds the bass like I've never seen anyone play it [with his] full band on stage...We end that jam. He's throwing chords with hand signals to his band, then we start playing [Led Zeppelin's] 'Whole Lotta Love.'
"He picks up a guitar and we play about five or eight minutes...then we end it, and he's like, 'Yeah, that's great.' I'm like, 'That was amazing.'"

Charli XCX had a video shoot shut down by police.
The 22-year-old singer had an "intense" experience when she ran foul of the law during the filming of her promo for 2013 track 'SuperLove' and was forced to halt the work.
She said: "I was shooting my video for 'SuperLove' and the police came and shut it down because we were riding with a biker gang through the city. That was pretty intense."
Charli admitted she is almost always honest, even when in trouble, but occasionally feigns illness to get out of plans she doesn't like.
She said: "I find it hard to lie to get out of trouble - my face says it all. But I've definitely pulled the 'I'm sick' card to get out of a meeting before."
The 'Boom Clap' hitmaker also confessed to having a "massive obsession" with buying new shoes.
She said: "I find myself in sticky situations when it comes to shoes. I have a massive obsession. I love them."
Charli doesn't like graffiti but she left her mark permanently during her school days.
She told TOTP magazine: "Scrawling graffiti is not really my thing but I definitely remember writing 'Charlie woz ere' on my school locker."

Katy Perry will perform with Lenny Kravitz for the Super Bowl halftime show.
The 30-year-old pop sensation has revealed the 'American Woman' singer is just the "first" artist who will join her on stage for her performance at the annual sporting event.
She announced: "My first special guest is going to be an incredible rock and roll icon, a guitar god. I'm gonna have Lenny Kravitz on the show."
The raven-haired beauty then gushed about the singer - who released his 10th studio album 'Strut' last year - by crowning him the "king of cool".
She said: "He's got so much style and this certain, how do you say it, je ne sais quoi... he's the coolest!
"He's the king of cool and he's going to make me so much more cooler."
In November, the 'Roar' hitmaker was announced as the performer who will take to the stage at the NFL final, following in the footsteps of performers including Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Michael Jackson.
Despite being only a month away, Katy seemed calm when she admitted she still hadn't sorted out the details of the show, which typically includes a medley of the performer's greatest hits.
In an interview at halftime during a Ravens versus Patriots game, she added: "We are in the process of working it out."
Meanwhile, it was recently reported the star aims to take a shot at musical rival Taylor Swift at the prestigious event by performing a track titled 'She's So Creepy', which Katy is believed to have written about the 'Shake It Off' singer.

Brandon Flowers "struggles" with raising his kids and having a career.
The Killers frontman tries hard to find a balance between family life with wife Tana and their sons Ammon, seven, Gunnar, five, and three-year-old Henry and his "desire" to create and compete.
Asked if he struggles with fatherhood and the demands of the band, he said: "Yeah. I struggle with it every day. But I do take daddy time off and I also have this strong desire to create.
"Sometimes it's a desire to compete. A lot of the time I'll be competing with older stuff, like Blue Oyster Cult. I'll hear a purity in that stuff that I don't hear on modern radio and I'm striving for that sound in my own music."
The 'Read My Mind' hitmaker loves hiking in the Las Vegas desert, both because it gives him quality bonding time with his sons but also to find inspiration for his songwriting.
He told Q magazine: "The desert doesn't leave you. It energises me. That's where I go for inspiration and perspective, where I take my kids on a hike."