Music News

Beyoncé Knowles is set to perform at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
The 'Pretty Hurts' hitmaker - who confirmed she was expecting her two-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, with husband Jay Z after performing her hit 'Love on Top' at the annual ceremony in 2011, will sing at the event for the fourth time on August 24.
The 32-year-old star, who leads the nominations with eight nods, including Video of the Year and Best Female, will also be presented with the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award during the ceremony at The Forum in Inglewood, California, which was previously given to Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Madonna.
Other performers this year will include Ariana Grande, Usher, 5 Seconds of Summer and Maroon 5, who will make their first ever appearance at the event to perform a track from their forthcoming album 'V'.
Frontman Adam Levine recently said: "We are so excited about our upcoming new album and to be part of the great VMA line-up this year.
"It is our first time doing the show and we are thrilled to be on it performing our new single."
Their performance comes three years after Adam took to his Twitter account to slam MTV for pretending to "care about music."
He tweeted at the time: "The VMAs [are the] one day a year when MTV pretends to still care about music. I'm drawing a line in the sand. F**k you, VMAs."
Eminem and Iggy Azalea are up for seven awards each, while Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Jay Z, Pharrell Williams, Lorde, Jason Derulo, Pitbull, Sam Smith and Hayley Williams have also received multiple nominations.

Katy B and Foxes are to perform acoustic sets at V Festival next week. The 25-year-old singer and the 'Holding on to Heaven' hitmaker are to take to the stage in the Carling tent at the music event in Chelmsford, Essex, to perform an intimate show aft...

Rita Ora finds the music scene "scary."
The 'I Will Never Let You Down' hitmaker, who is signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation label, admits the industry has the ability to bring out a different side to someone that they never knew existed before fame.
Speaking in Clash magazine, she said: "Being around music is a scary place. You see how it really changes people, so I've experienced a lot of things."
The 23-year-old singer is preparing to release her second studio album, which is yet to be given a title, later this year and she insists she's really seen her personality shine through more in her songwriting this time around.
She explained: "I think the more honesty the better for me now. There's definitely more of me in there, and it has a lot of character."
Rita has teamed up with Prince for a track on the album, but the collaboration will remain underwraps until later on this year and she admits it'll be an experience she'll treasure for her life time.
She said of the collaboration: "It was really uplifting and inspirational. He's one of the only real legends we've got left, so I was really honoured to be a part of this.
"I can get old and say I watched Prince play his instruments - and my grandkids will probably be like, 'Who?' It's a legacy that you can never forget."

Gerard Way may play a "secret gig" in the UK prior to his performances at the Reading and Leeds festivals later this month.
The former My Chemical Romance rocker has hinted he might arrange an intimate performance at a private location as a warm-up for the big music events.
Speaking in Kerrang! magazine, he said: "I may play a secret show. That would be wise. It would be very wise to play a secret show, actually. I just don't now where."
The festivals, which take place from August 22 until August 24, will be the 37-year-old singer's first set of solo shows since splitting from the band last year.
Meanwhile, Gerard, who recently unveiled his first solo single 'Action Cat', is to release his first LP this autumn and he admits he had no plans to quit music following the group's decision to go their separate ways.
He said previously: "I knew I had to keep going. I love music. I found a new love for music by making this record ... To run away from music or hide from it just because one stage of my life was ending? To me that would be really tragic to stop."

OneRepublic have had a hugely successful year and are planning to continue the trend. The group - consisting of Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Eddie Fisher and Brent Kutzle - have made their mark on the music industry since storming onto the ...

Kasabian want to produce Kanye West's next album.
The rock band's chief songwriter Serge Pizzorno, 33, is keen to team up with the 37-year-old rapper for his eighth studio album because he believes their talents combined would create some "insane" music.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, he said: "I'd love to produce Kanye West, because the results would be insane. He's such a different talent to mine that I've no idea how our songs would sound, but you just know they'd be interesting.
"I've never been a traditional songwriter coming up with stuff on an acoustic guitar. How our music sounds is as important as the song itself, and if I ever get time I'd love to see what I could do with other musicians."
Meanwhile, the group - also consisting of Tom Meighan, Chris Edwards and Ian Matthews - believe their recent album '48:13' has proved they're capable of coming up with something new and shocking their fans.
Serge explained: "'48:13' has redefined Kasabian. What can people say against us now? It's idiocy to try to throw hackneyed old phrases like 'lad-rock' at us.
"Seeing '48:13; get to No 1 after releasing a polarising single like 'Ee-Zeh' proved we can experiment and leave people going: 'Wow!' We've proved we can go anywhere and try anything after this album, and that's what every musician dreams of.
"The most exciting thing about Kasabian at this moment is that none of us have a clue what we'll do next."

Maroon 5 are to perform at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
The pop rock band will make their first ever appearance at the event on August 24 to perform a track from their forthcoming album 'V'.
Frontman Adam Levine said: "We are so excited about our upcoming new album and to be part of the great VMA lineup this year.
"It is our first time doing the show and we are thrilled to be on it performing our new single."
The group will join already-announced acts Ariana Grande, Usher and 5 Seconds Of Summer on the stage at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Beyoncé leads the nominations at this year's glamorous event with eight nods - including Video of the Year and Best Female - while Eminem and Iggy Azalea are right behind her with seven.
Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Jay Z, Pharrell Williams, Lorde, Jason Derulo, Pitbull, Sam Smith and Hayley Williams have also received multiple nominations.
Meanwhile, Maroon 5's performance comes three years after Adam took to his Twitter account to slam MTV for pretending to "care about music."
He tweeted at the time: "The VMAs [are the] one day a year when MTV pretends to still care about music. I'm drawing a line in the sand. F**k you, VMAs.

Take That will make their return on a movie soundtrack.
The 'Greatest Day' hitmakers - Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald - are recording a song for the soundtrack of forthcoming spy story 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' and are said to be hopeful the track could finally be the one that helps them crack America.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Take That are a really big pull in Hollywood.
"Gary Barlow's scores are well known in the industry and producers want a top British name to feature on the movie.
"The band are also keen to get involved as it will give them decent exposure in the States, a market they've never really cracked.
"But 2014 so far has been a huge year for Take That, and featuring on a film soundtrack will make it even more exciting."
The track marks the first new material from the band since 2010 album 'Progress', which saw them reunite with former member Robbie Williams.
The 'Angels' hitmaker will not be joining them on their new album, which is expected to be released later this year, or an accompanying tour next year.
The movie is written by Jane Goldman and directed by Matthew Vaughn, the same behind-the-scenes team that made 'Stardust', the 2007 movie which featured the group's hit 'Rule the World'.
'Kingsman: The Secret Service' will star Sir Michael Caine, Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson and is scheduled for release later this year.

The Saturdays hope their cover of 'Love Takes Over' will "inspire" people to dance.
The girl group - consisting of Una Foden, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford and Vanessa White - have recorded their version of the hit by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland and believe it's a feel-good track that will encourage people to boogie.
Rochelle said: "We had a great time in the studio recording 'When Love Takes Over'. Adding our own spin to the well-loved track really allowed us to bring it to life in our own way. It's a real dance floor-filler so hopefully it will inspire people to get up on their feet and dance the night away!"
Meanwhile, the 'What About Us' hitmakers surprised holidaymakers with a performance of some of their greatest hits - including 'Higher' - at Holiday Village Seaview Ibiza in Spain over the weekend.
The stunning five-piece also stunned youngsters from the Razzmataz kids club after they crept in on them whilst they were learning the dance moves to 'Higher.'
The youngsters then joined the girls on stage whilst they were performing the catchy track.
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