Music News

Katy Perry has launched her own record label.
The 'Roar' hitmaker has teamed up with her record company Capitol to launch Metamorphosis Music and has already made her first signing to the imprint, singer/songwriter Ferras Alqaisi.
After teasing a "huge" announcement on twitter earlier this week, she took to the social media site yesterday (17.06.14) to say: "I am so ECSTATIC to finally announce my NEW label Metamorphosis Music & my first signing, the incredibly talented & soulful FERRAS! (sic)"
Katy went on to praise her new signing and promoted his new self-titled EP, which includes a duet with her entitled 'Legends Never Die'.
She added: "USA/CANADA: check out his INCREDIBLE ep here (& our duet!) and come see him play on #ThePrismaticWorldTour (sic)"
Meanwhile, Ferras is delighted to have been signed up by his "dear friend" and can't wait to join her on tour.
He posted: "The secret is out! I've signed to my dear friend @katyperry's new record label Metamorphosis Music.... (sic)"
He later added: "Thanks so much everyone for all your amazing comments and well-wishes! I'm so excited to see u on the #prismaticworldtour in 5 days! (sic)"

Sam Smith cried when he heard choirs performing his music.
The BRIT Critics' Choice Award-winner's first LP 'In The Lonely Hour' might have become the fastest-selling debut album of 2014 so far, but Sam has remained so humble that he still feels emotional when he hears people singing his songs.
Asked about the last time he cried, he admitted during an interview with Hot Press.com: "The day before yesterday, because I was recording a song in L.A. with a 30-piece orchestra and 20 gospel choirs and they were singing my song.
"I cried my eyes out. My music is so personal so when I heard that happening I was like, 'Oh my gosh!'."
Sam, 22, is a self-professed sensitive soul and explained he wanted his debut album to be deeply personal and not feature unrealistic ideals he can't identify with.
The 'Money on my Mind' hitmaker said: "I'm drawing on unrequited love on the album. It's called 'In The Lonely Hour' because it's about loneliness, and the purest form of loneliness you can find because I've never been in a relationship before.
"So it's almost like I fell in love with my loneliness, because it was just me and that. It's not necessarily sad, it's my version of what I think is love right now. Which I think will change, but I just wanted to be as brutally honest as I could about being lonely."

Tony Bennett thought Lady Gaga was going to be "bigger than Elvis" when he first heard her sing.
The jazz singer, who teamed up with the 'Applause' hitmaker to surprise more than 700 students with a music master-class in New York yesterday (16.06.14), admits he was blown away by her talent when he was introduced to her music.
Speaking at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, he said: "When I first heard Gaga sing my reaction was that she is going to be bigger than Elvis. She is so bright and intelligent and she has it. In jazz you either got it, the syncopation, the rhythm or you don't, and when I heard Gaga I said, 'She's got it!'"
Tony, 87, founded the school in 2001 and it has gone on to become one of the most successful performing arts centres in the city, helping to nurture talent and create future stars.
Gaga, 27, also gushed about the legendary singer and told students: "When I am with Tony I feel like I am 15 years old at home listening to Ella and Coltrane records.
"The way he sings is effortless and so prolific. It's so liberating to be able to sing jazz, especially at this point in my career!"
The pair performed a number of classic American songs during the surprise session, including 'The Very Thought of You' and 'Every Time We Say Goodbye'.
They then serenaded each other and danced to 'I Can't Give You Anything But Love'.

Cher has spent time in hospital to receive treatment for a chronic foot injury.
The 'Believe' hitmaker, who has been touring North America with her 'Dressed To Kill' shows, has had a long-suffering foot problem for a number of years after breaking a bone while working out.
Cher was taken to hospital yesterday (16.06.14) where she was given a painkilling injection to help her through her energetic live shows.
The star told fans about her trip to hospital on Twitter, posting: "On way 2 hosp 2 get shot in toe joint (sic)... Oh bliss oh joy ! Had 1 about 6 months ago & it helped a lot ! Not much fun, but everything can't be. (sic)", later adding, "I'm here... Yuck."
She reassured fans by telling them: "It should be fine, but most young girls (like me) aren't running around stage 4 shows a week. (sic)"
Discussing the injection she also explained to her followers: "Calms down toe & takes pain away. Hope it works this time. You have 2go under special machine so dr.hit s EXACT SPOT.YUCK. (sic)"
The 68-year-old singer has been touring for months and previously admitted her new show is "f***ing hard" and testing her as a performer.
Cher has now made her way to Canada where the tour has resumed following her trip to hospital.

Justin Bieber and Chris Brown are recording a song together.
The 20-year-old teen heartthrob hit the studio with the R&B star over the weekend and teased fans about their collaboration with a series of candid snapshots straight from the recording booth.
Justin shared a picture of him with Chris, Akon and two other friends on Instagram with the caption "studio."
He followed it up with a second photo of just him and Chris yesterday (16.06.14), adding, "Studio, me and CB did 1 for the fans (sic)"
There is no news yet about whether the duet will be released as a single, but fans couldn't contain their excitement about the revelation.
One posted: "Studio ... that means new songs coming #excited (sic)"
The bad boy duo previously worked together on 2011 track 'Next To You', which appeared on Chris' 'F.A.M.E' album.
This is the first time 'With You' hitmaker Chris has returned to the studio since being released from jail, where he was serving 108 days behind bars for violating his probation stemming from his assault on Rihanna in 2009.
Justin's music career has also been taking a back seat of late due to his ongoing driving under the influence (DUI) case, which dates back to January when he was arrested in Miami for drag racing.
He was also forced to apologise after two videos of him making racist remarks surfaced online.

Genesis are reuniting for a new TV show.
The progressive-rock band, made up of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford, are joining forces once again for the BBC documentary, 'Genesis: Together and Apart'.
The band split in 1975 and the three founding members - Tony, Mike and Phil - haven't played live since a farewell gig in Rome in 2007 for 50,000 people.
According to Rolling Stone, the TV project, which doesn't yet have an air date, will feature unseen and rare footage and follows the band's evolution from their early days to their transitional period following Peter's departure in 1975 and Phil taking over as frontman.
The last time all five members played together was in 1982 at the Milton Keynes Bowl and the documentary news is likely to start new rumours of a tour.
Peter previously said: "It's never been ruled out. I'm trying to picture a time when it would top my priorities list though.
"Actually, I was thinking about that the other day. We're quite lucky. Looking back at other bands of our generation, there's usually one or two missing now. So you do get a sense of the clock."
But Steve has said a full reunion is "possible but unlikely", while Mike insisted they would not get back into the studio together to record new music.
He said: "Older artists have had their time.
"People who like you have got a bunch of your songs on the iPod and that's enough. If they're going to buy new stuff, they're going to buy something else."

Kim Kardashian wants to relaunch her pop career.
The 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star - who released a single, 'Jam (Turn It Up) in 2011 - has been having vocal coaching and songwriting lessons and will be enlisting the help of her husband, Kanye West, when she enters the recording studio.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Kim has told pals she's keen to be taken seriously as a vocal artist. Kanye will advise on the project, which he's given his full backing.
"She's started vocal coaching and songwriting lessons and set up meetings with record companies."
It seems Kim - who has 12-month-old daughter North with Kanye - has had a change of heart as she previously vowed never to make music again following her chart flop.
She previously said: "No, I'd never [make another single], that was just for fun, and for charity."
Asked whether the 'Mercy' rapper might get her to collaborate with him on a hip-hop track in the future, Kim said: "No, as good as I think he is, it's just not my thing."
However, it could be the 'Bound 2' hitmaker behind her plans to return to making music as the brunette beauty admitted in the past it was Kanye who encouraged her to record 'Jam (Turn It Up).
She said: I'm not a singer, this isn't what I do. I have too much other stuff going on.
"I thought 'Is this really something safe for me to do?' Kanye was actually one of the people who really talked me into doing it and telling me, like, 'Hey, look, what do you guys do for fun? You guys go shopping, you go to the movies. Kind of step into our world for a second and have fun, and we go to the studio.' I'm just doing it for fun."

Matt Healy's mum Denise Welch thought he was dead for six hours.
The singer, who fronts indie band The 1975, was angered by a Twitter rumour earlier this year that he had died of a drug overdose and his mum struggled to get hold of him to make sure it wasn't true.
He said: "Russell Brand had that he died in a snowboarding accident, that's quite funny.
"Someone said I had an overdose in my flat, who's making that s**t up? I didn't. I was on a plane to America.
"My mum rang me in tears. She thought I was dead for six hours. That's not cool at all. That is the s**t I don't like [about fame]."
The 25-year-old star, whose father is actor Tim Healy, has grown up dealing with fame but admits there have been a number of rumours about him and he isn't a fan of the attention that comes with his band's success.
Speaking at the Bushmills Live festival on Ireland's north coast, he exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "There have been loads of rumours. [One] that I slept with Rashida Jones, Quincy Jones' daughter, I didn't sleep with her. I wish I had. She's wife material."
He added: "I don't really like it [the fame] on a personal level. I don't like being so exposed and having things that I don't think about being topics of conversation for other people. I don't like the fact that every time I get out of a car I have a f***ing camera in my face.
"But, then again, I don't resent the element of fame that's marred my life because it's amplified the way I am as a writer. I kind of understand it, it makes me a better writer. But I don't want to be famous famous, I can't be arsed with that."

James Blake has enlisted the help of Kanye West and Bon Iver for his third album.
The 'Retrograde' singer, who is working on the follow-up to his successful second record 'Overgrown', which was released last year, and has teamed up with the 'Bound 2' rapper and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.
He told Billboard magazine: "I'm getting there. Every song is about 50 per cent done.
"There are people I've been talking to for a while who so far we haven't really linked up just because of scheduling, but recently we have.
"Justin - Bon Iver - I've done some writing with and I think we'll continue to do that, and you know sporadically Kanye when he's around. It's hard to say what'll end up on the record."
The Mercury Prize winner is eyeing an early 2015 release for the new album and claims there is a third big name he is planning to work with but he's keeping their identity a secret at the moment.
He added: "There's somebody else I don't want to mention right now, but who I'm really excited about too."
James, 25, admits he's had a "completely different life" since the release of his self-titled debut album in 2011 and claims he has a lot more freedom when it comes to writing.
He said: "The [album] I'm writing now, I've had more focus doing this than I have before. I'm having more fun."