Music News

Gregory Porter wants to make a record with Sam Smith.
The 43-year-old jazz singer has got to know the chart-topping 'Stay With Me' hitmaker during a series of meetings in the past year and is hoping to start working on new music with the star.
He told BANG Showbiz: "We've had brief conversations a couple of times and he's spoken very kindly of me, speaking about my music, and I very much appreciate that. He's a great artist and has a great personal touch with his music. If he comes knocking wanting to do a record I'll be like, I'm right here man, let's do it."
The 22-year-old performer - who released his debut album 'In the Lonely Hour' last year - has already won four Grammy Awards and two BRITs, but has previously taken time to praise the singer, whose album 'Liquid Spirit' is currently at number nine in the UK charts.
And seeing as they are both such fans of each other's music, Gregory believes they could make a great record together if they did decide to collaborate, because they both have soul music backgrounds.
He explained: "He has a soulful vice, there's some elements of his voice that are reminiscent of where I cut my teeth in music with a soulful, kind of gospel approach to music, so [the record] may be a soulful thing."

alt-J, Noel Gallagher and Portishead will headline Latitude Festival.
The annual music festival in Suffolk, south east England will feature the rockers, with alt-J eager to play at the event because it has "always been so memorable" when they have performed there before.
The band said: "We are hugely excited to return to Latitude for the third time. Playing there has always been so memorable. Latitude has always supported us, and to go from playing the smaller stages to this means it will be a night of celebration."
Celebrating its tenth year, the event in Henham Park will also host musical performances from Manic Street Preachers, Caribou, James Blake, The Vaccines, Laura Marling, SBTRKT and La Roux.
While alt-J will perform on the Friday night, Portishead and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will play their debut performances at the festival on the Saturday and Sunday night respectively.
Elsewhere at the literary arts festival - which will feature two new areas, hot tubs and swimming permitted in the lake - will be an array of comedians, with Alan Davies, Jon Richardson, Jason Manford, Jack Dee and Katherine Ryan among those announced so far.
Taking place from July 16-19 near Southwold, tickets for the event are on sale now.

Noel Gallagher believes Maroon 5 have tattoos to distract people from their music.
The outspoken rocker has taken aim at the 'Animals' hitmakers by saying they only have fans because people are distracted by their handsome looks and inkings, unlike his old band Oasis who he thinks people liked purely because they released great tracks.
He said: "If your songs are OK, then your songs will seem better if you look good--like those f**kwits from Maroon 5. The tattoos take your mind off the fact that they're s**t. OK? Right? But with Oasis, it was "God those f***in' songs are great." It's all about the music."
However, the 47-year-old singer admitted he is fond of rapper Kanye West because he feels like they have similar characteristics, despite his brother Liam Gallagher recently branding him "Utter S**t".
He told Vogue magazine: "I like him because I think he's very very entertaining. I like his interviews--they're nearly as good as mine--and I liked the look of [his Brits performance]. I think it's best listened to with the sound down, though. I do like "Black Skinhead"--I think that track is amazing--and I do like him because I think he's slightly otherworldly, but I wouldn't say I'm a super fan of his music."

Dappy has promised to reform N-Dubz.
The 'Beautiful Me' rapper found fame with the group - also featuring Fazer and Tulisa - in 2008 when they released their debut album 'Uncle B', but they announced a hiatus in November 2011 after releasing two further records, 'Against All Odds' and 'Love.Live.Life'.
However, the 27-year-old musician is keen to continue his successful solo career before he reunites the trio, despite the group originally claiming the hiatus would only last two years.
He explained: "I've had three number ones by myself, I want another two under my belt so then you get that respect, then I'll bring back the group."
The star - who has sons Gino, six, and Milo, four - is hoping to release his second solo album 'Miracles' later this year in a bid to build on the success of 2012's 'Bad Intentions', but said when the group do eventually reform, it will be "different" and "unique".
He told MTV News: "You're gonna see N-Dubz and Tulisa and Fazer in a very different way. It's gonna be something very interesting.
"If I bring back the N-Dubz, I'll definitely think of something very smart and unique to come back with."

Laura Mvula wants to make a dance record.
The 'Green Garden' singer released her debut album 'Sing to the Moon' in 2013 and is now considering what route to take with her second LP, on which she hopes to work with legendary Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she revealed: "I keep talking about wanting to work with Nile Rodgers, because I think that could be an exciting experiment."
Although the 28-year-old singer-songwriter - whose recent show at The Paradiso in Amsterdam with The Metropole Orkest will be screened in cinemas around the world on March 5 - is in no rush to release another collection of tracks, she admitted she is considering making a series of upbeat tracks to counteract the "melancholy" tones of her debut.
She continued: "I have no idea what will come next, but I know that I can feed on myself, and at the moment I just really want to dance and be lifted. I think 'Sing to the Moon' was a real reflective album, it was very inward, and melancholy in a joyful way. I think there'll still be those colours in whatever comes next, but I would also like to make people dance."
However, she confessed she is feeling pressure following the success of her first album - which led to a Mercury Prize nod and two BRIT Award nominations - so is taking some time out to think about the themes and sound of her new tracks.
She added: "The best thing and the worst thing about my first album is it has no style. So that's wonderful because people go, 'Laura, you created something entirely new,' but that also means for me, what comes next? It's going to take a minute for me to figure that out."

Britney Spears "was like a kid in a candy store" when she first heard Iggy Azalea.
The 'Womanizer' hitmaker revealed she was really excited about the rapper when she first saw her video to chart-topping single 'Fancy', and was desperate to work with her straight away.
She explained: "I saw her song on TV and I was like a kid in a candy store, I was like, I love Iggy, I love that video, I want to work with her."
Thankfully, the 24-year-old musician heard Britney - who has sons Sean, nine, and Jayden, eight - was a fan, which led to the pair heading into the studio together in December to work on a series of tracks.
She told Extra TV: "It was really weird, because a week after that her manager was like, 'She's a huge fan of yours.' I was like, 'Let's do something together,' so it worked out."
The 33-year-old pop star is now planning on releasing one of their collaborations as the first single from her as-yet untitled ninth studio album, with Iggy - who released her debut LP, 'The New Classic', last year - previously teasing the track is "undeniably great".
She said: "We recorded a few different things and then one of those just ended up being, I think, undeniably great. Hopefully everybody will get to hear it at the beginning of next year.
"I think people are really going to love it and enjoy it. It's a really fun track."

Madonna thinks Kanye West is a "brilliant madman".
The 56-year-old singer thinks the 'Bound 2' hitmaker can be "inappropriate" with his opinions but she is astonished by some of his ideas.
She said: "He can't help himself. Like, he doesn't have the same filters other people have.
"He has to blurt things out, he's always saying inappropriate stuff. But he also has brilliant ideas, if you can get him to pay attention long enough, working with him in the studio."
And the 'Hung Up' hitmaker admits working on her new album, 'Rebel Heart', with Kanye and some of her other collaborators drove her "bonkers" because of their lack of focus and easily-distracted ways.
She said: "He would drive me bonkers, because he's got so many things going on in his life. And this seemed to be the theme of my record, working with people who can't get off their phone, can't stop tweeting, can't focus and finish a song. It drove me crazy. But when they did pay attention, it was brilliant. I was, like, running around with a butterfly net."
Last month, Kanye tried to interrupt Beck as he accepted the Album of the Year prize at the Grammy awards to signal that, like at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards - when he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech - he felt Beyonce should have picked up the accolade, and Madonna thinks he picked the wrong time and place to try and make a statement.
She told the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine: "Don't go to awards shows looking for justice.
"That's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Just go and have fun. I never got too engaged with who wins awards or not, because I don't honestly think it's that important.
"So that part of him I can't relate to. Like, what's the point of fighting for somebody to...like, 'This person should have got it?'...I think sometimes he takes things too seriously."
While Madonna doesn't always agree with Kanye, she thinks he is good for the music industry.
She said: "I feel like the music business needs him, because everyone's become so politically correct, so safe.
"I don't always agree with the things he says or does - I don't always like his music, even. But he's a beautiful mess. I love him."

David Guetta isn't worried about making hit music.
The 'Titanium' hitmaker may have a long list of hit tracks to his name but he has admitted he feels less pressure to make chart-topping tracks now because his last album 'Nothing But The Beat' was "full" of them.
He said: "It's a terrible feeling because I don't like thinking I have to make a hit.
"I feel so happy now because the album is full of hits and now I can just go the studio and have fun and not make hits."
The 47-year-old record producer also admitted to feeling "pressure" to make songs that are different and believes his latest tracks 'Dangerous' and 'What I Did For Love' have helped him to achieve what he had wished.
Speaking on BBC Radio 1's The Official Chart Show with Clara Amfo, he said: "But that's why I took my time because I don't like working under pressure like this.
"The pressure was not so much about making hits but it was being able to make something different from before. That was a lot of pressure.
"I'm very happy, I'm very proud because I think those records like 'Dangerous' and 'What I Did For Love' are different to anything I've done before. That was my challenge."

Calvin Harris and Kasabian are set to headline at this year's V Festival.
The global platinum-selling artist, 31, and the iconic rockers will take to the Virgin Media stage across the weekend of August 22 and 23 in Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire to celebrate the event's 20th anniversary.
Calvin said: "V Festival is always an incredible time and I can't wait to headline it this year."
Kasabian's Sergio Pizzorno added that the English group - also consisting of Tom Meighan, Christopher Karloff and Chris Edwards - were "very excited" to perform at the extravaganza.
The headliners will be joined by some of Britain's finest talent including; Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, The Script, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Ella Henderson, Kodaline, Nero and George Ezra.
Festival Director, Simon Moran, said: "We wanted to champion British talent at this year's festival and with the likes of Calvin and Kasabian leading the way we don't think it'll disappoint."
There will also be sets from The Kooks, Marina & The Diamonds, The Proclaimers, Jess Glynne and Jessie Ware, as well as many more acts to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for Virgin Media's V Festival go on sale from March 6 at 9am on www.vfestival.com.