Music News

Years & Years have topped the BBC Sound of 2015 poll.
The east London pop trio beat off competition from singer-songwriter Rae Morris and grunge pop band Wolf Alice to top the list - which aims to highlight the year's rising musical stars - with the group's frontman Olly Alexander admitting he "nearly passed out" when they discovered they had won.
Speaking on BBC Radio One, he said: "I nearly passed out when I found out. I got quite emotional; there were tears, so many feelings, so many."
The list was voted on by 139 UK-based musical tastemakers who tipped the acts they believed would gain prominence in the following 12 months, with James Bay, Stormzy, Raury and George the Poet completing the top five.
Following their win, the 'Desire' hitmakers say they are planning on releasing their debut album in 2015 to live up to expectations.
Speaking about the LP, bassist Mikey Goldsworth revealed: "It's almost finished."
However, the group's keyboard player Emre Turkmen acknowledged their reluctance to stop writing new songs has delayed the release of the anticipated record.
He added: "We just keep writing new stuff. You could go on forever, really. We're going to stop soon."
Now that they have been tipped for success, the 'Take Shelter' singers joked they won't become "boring" like the poll's 2014 winner, Sam Smith.
The 24-year-old vocalist told music website Popjustice: "We're going to try really hard not to be boring. 'Not boring' - we're going to get it tattooed on ourselves. It will be the word boring with a line through it."

Kendrick Lamar believes Iggy Azalea should be allowed to do "her thing".
The 27-year-old rapper has voiced his support for the 'Fancy' hitmaker, who has become a target of criticism for a number of people in the music industry, including Azealia Banks and J. Cole.
However, the Compton-born MC thinks Iggy, 24, ought to be left alone, telling Billboard magazine: "She's doing her thing. Let her. People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing, continue to rock it, because obviously God wants you here."
Earlier this week, Iggy said sexism is to blame for much of the criticism she receives.
She claimed it's especially difficult for her to succeed in the rap industry because she's white and female.
Asked if being a woman is linked to the criticism she gets, Iggy replied: "Well, they don't say that stuff about Macklemore. So, yes, I think it has 100,000 percent to do with the fact that I have a vagina."
Iggy also said it's tough being white in the hip-hop industry, but she can't understand the problem.
Iggy reflected: "I never thought it was strange. If you go back to the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley and Eminem - they've all basically done black music.
"I felt this wasn't that far from what we've seen in music history over and over again."

Snoop Dogg's next album will be called 'Bush'.
The 43-year-old rapper confirmed the title of his upcoming 13th solo album while at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday (07.01.15), also revealing fans can expect the LP to be released in mid-March.
The 'Drop It like It's Hot' hitmaker previously revealed Pharrell Williams is producing the entire album - which is being released on his i am OTHER label and Columbia Records - with the N.E.R.D. member praising the album by saying it is better than his own 2014 record, 'Girl'.
Speaking last year, the 'Happy' singer said: "Snoop's album is better than mine. You're gonna bug out from the approach and what we did."
The star's most recent release was 2013's '7 Days of Funk' which was created while he was using the alias Snoopzilla, in collaboration with Dam-Funk.
Snoop also hinted the material - which is believed to include contributions from Stevie Wonder and Charlie Wilson - won't sound like anything he has done previously.
He explained: "It's a great record me and Pharrell did from top to bottom. It feels good and I'm happy to be back in the studio working with one of my favourite producers and homeboys.
"It's different - it's completely different than anything we've ever done. It feels good, sounds good, looks good."

Gregory Porter has collaborated with Laura Mvula.
The jazz singer has recorded a duet with the 'Green Garden' hitmaker on a revamped version of his track 'Water Under Bridges', which will feature on the expanded deluxe edition of his critically acclaimed album 'Liquid Spirit'.
Speaking about the 43-year-old musician, Laura said: "It's like the stars align when he does his thing."
The duet was originally performed last year when the 28-year-old joined Gregory on stage for his iTunes Festival performance at Camden's Roundhouse in London, with the crowd's reaction inspiring them to re-record the track together to be released as a single.
Written by the 'Be Good (Lion's Song)' singer - who won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album last year - the track laments his struggles to get over broken relationships, and appears on the repackaged album alongside a collaboration with Jamie Cullum on the track 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'.
Elsewhere on the record, additional content comes from Ben L'Oncle Soul and a remix from 20Syl, with a bonus DVD featuring footage from Gregory's performance with the Metropole Orchestra, conducted by Jules Buckley.
The tracklist for the expanded deluxe edition of 'Liquid Spirit' - which will be released on January 12 - is as follows:

1. 'No Love Dying'
2. 'Liquid Spirit'
3. 'Lonesome Lover'
4. 'Water Under Bridges'
5. 'Hey Laura'
6. 'Musical Genocide'
7. 'Wolfcry'
8. 'Free'
9. 'Brown Grass'
10. 'Wind Song'
11. 'The In Crowd'
12. 'Movin''
13. 'When Love Was King'
14. 'I Fall In Love Too Easily'

BONUS TRACKS
15. 'Water Under Bridges' ft. Laura Mvula
16. 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' ft. Jamie Cullum
17. 'Grandma's Hands' ft. Ben L'Oncle Soul
18. 'Liquid Spirit (20Syl remix)'

DVD
'Gregory Porter Meets Metropole Orkest'
1. 'Grandma's Hands'
2. 'Hoochie Coochie Man'
3. 'She Was Too Good To Me'
4. 'Someday We'll All Be Free'
5. 'Work Song'

Sia has apologised to those offended by her video for 'Elastic Heart'.
The clip which features 28-year-old actor Shia LaBeouf and 12-year-old Maddie Ziegler has been criticised for being potentially perverse - as it shows the pair performing an interpretive dance in a cage, while dressed in skin-coloured leotards - prompting the singer to clarify the meaning behind the video which she says depicts "warring" parts of her personality.
Taking to her official Twitter account, she wrote: "I anticipated some 'pedophelia!!!' Cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play
"These two warring 'sia' self states. (sic)"
The video - which has racked up over three million views in less than 24 hours - caused some social media users to slam the 39-year-old musician for creating the "disgusting" piece, with one user saying it "Smacks of child molestation #pervert #unacceptable #childabuse...Explain please!" while another fan simple wrote, "Sia's 'Elastic Heart' video is disgusting."
However, as well as explaining what she hoped viewers would see when watching the video, the singer - who released her sixth studio album '1000 Forms of Fear' last year - apologised to those who found it disturbing.
She added: "I apologize to those who feel triggered by #ElasticHeart My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody."

Noel Gallagher has slammed chart music.
The former Oasis rocker has criticised the state of the music industry and claims artists at the top of the current chart are "s**t" and "all the f**king same".
He said: "Bands now go cap-in-hand to the industry and the industry has already decided what it wants for the f**king chart stars.
"But the charts are all the f**king same. Every single song in the Top 10 is the same s**t with a different voice."
The 47-year-old musician is positive Oasis - who won fifteen NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV European Music Awards and six Brit Awards - wouldn't have been as successful if they were starting out their career today as he doesn't think artists are given enough control.
He also alleged that national radio station BBC Radio 1 judges an artist by their following on social media.
He told NME magazine: "If Oasis were starting tomorrow we would have nowhere near the impact, because you're judged instantly on your first gig, and then Radio 1 will judge you on how many f**king followers you've got on Facebook.
"Oasis never had an A&R at Creation - we were given the f**king keys to the kingdom and they went, 'Off you go, see you in a bit'.
"Now, the manager is accountable to the A&R guy, who's accountable to the guy above him, who's gonna lose his f**king job."

Pete Doherty tried to recruit a "warlord's daughter" for the new The Libertines album while in rehab.
The band's frontman - who left the Hope Rehab facility in Thailand in December after recovering from a heroin addiction - has been working on new music during his time in the Asian country and is hoping some of the influences from the nation will translate to the group's third studio album.
Speaking about what he did during his stint in the centre, he said: "I've come up with some good riffs too. Like simple bass lines and I'm trying to get this warlord's daughter to play drums for me but she's off the radar at the moment. So hopefully we'll have some new ideas when Carl next bounds into view in his bandana and leathers. A man who swore he'd never wear flip-flops! Although he doesn't call them flip flops he calls them 'sliders'."
As well as working on the follow-up to the band's self-titled 2004 record, the 35-year-old rocker - who sings and plays guitar in the band alongside Carl Barât, John Hassall and Gary Powell - said he has been revisiting some of his favourite tracks as a youngster while recovering.
He explained: "The thing is it's quite a tranquil place, so I don't like to make too much noise. But I'll say that I have rediscovered a few facets that have come back to life since I've been here and one of them is just enjoying playing guitar and learning songs I used to know backwards and inside out. Like old Lindisfarne and Stone Roses songs and just taking them and just shifting the chords about."

Iggy Azalea thinks sexism is to blame for much of the criticism she receives.
The 24-year-old star says it's especially difficult for her to succeed in the rap industry because she's white and female.
Asked if she thinks she's being singled out for criticism because she's a woman, Iggy replied: "Well, they don't say that stuff about Macklemore. So, yes, I think it has 100,000 percent to do with the fact that I have a vagina."
Iggy also suggested the public is unduly interested in the fact she's a white Australian forging a successful career in hip-hop.
The blonde beauty told Vanity Fair magazine: "I never thought it was strange. If you go back to the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley and Eminem - they've all basically done black music.
"I felt this wasn't that far from what we've seen in music history over and over again."
Meanwhile, Iggy revealed recently that she has been diagnosed with the jaw condition TMJ.
The condition, otherwise known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction, can be caused by stress and restricts movement of the mouth, making eating and talking more difficult.
She tweeted: "Last month I was diagnosed with TMJ which isn't the best ... I don't think western medicine all the way acknowledges what a huge toll mental stress takes on our bodies. But I do believe it is a factor. I'm gonna make more of an effort to take care of myself in 2015, stay away from all the drama & hopefully not have any flair ups. (sic)."

Former US President Jimmy Carter will present Bob Dylan with the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year award next month.
The 90-year politician will honour the 'Like a Rolling Stone' singer in Los Angeles, following in the footsteps of previous winners such as Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel and Quincy Jones.
The pre-Grammy show - which will take place on February 6 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre - will feature performances from Bruce Springsteen, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson and Jack White, all of whom will celebrate the star's extensive back catalogue.
The 73-year-old musician was announced as the winner of the accolade in September, with the MusiCares Foundation Board chair, Bill Silva, praising him for his ability to write incredible songs, having released over 30 albums.
He said: "Bob Dylan's songwriting ability is unmatched, and it will be an extraordinary evening to hear his work showcased by such a remarkable group of artists."
Proceeds from the event - which takes place just two days before the 57th annual Grammys Awards on February 8 - will go towards MusiCares, which provides financial and medical assistance to needy musicians.
The celebration will take place in the same week as the star releases his 36th studio album 'Shadows in the Night', on which he has reimagined classic Frank Sinatra tracks.