OHMYGOSSIP — Billie Eilish has received a BRIT Billion Award for reaching one billion UK streams.
The 21-year-old hitmaker is the latest artist to receive the prize by the BPI after hitting the amazing landmark, as recognised by the Official Charts Company.
Her single ‘Bad Guy’ has over 300 million streams alone, while she has six other songs which have all crossed the 100 million mark.
When Billie was just 17, she became the youngest female artist in UK chart history to land a number one album with debut record ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’
She recently topped the singles charts with ‘What Was I Made For’, her ninth top 10 single in the UK.
The BRIT Billion Award was officially launched in May earlier this year, with 13 artists among the first wave of recipients including ABBA, Coldplay, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Anne-Marie and Lewis Capaldi.
Other artists recognised include AJ Tracey, Headie One, George Ezra, Ellie Goulding, RAYE, Sam Smith and Rita Ora.
Since then, the prize has been presented to Olivia Rodrigo, Wizkid, Queen, Becky Hill and James Arthur.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Billie is busy working on her third record with her brother and collaborator Finneas, and she recently explained how she has experienced a “big jump” between the ages of 18 and 21 since the release of her debut album.
Speaking on Dua Lipa’s ‘At Your Service’ podcast, Billie said of the music making process: “Everything is different about it. I’ve been trying to compare recently, just because I’m getting used to doing it in a different way. And trying to be like, ‘It’s OK to do that. I’m OK. I’m still able to do that; I’m capable still.'”
The star discussed the transition from making music in her childhood home to working in Finneas’ basement studio for her last album ‘Happier Than Ever’ and felt as if the pair had “figured out” the process.
Billie explained: “We were like, ‘We’ve got it all figured out, this is how we’re going to do it from now on, and it works really well.’
“And, you know, touring for a year-and-a-half, then coming back to it, and being way older – and not even much older, but again, the jump between 18 and 21 is a big jump.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Casso is “so proud” of how far he has come in music.
The former university student went viral with his track ‘Prada’ and teamed up with Raye and D Block Europe to release it as it went viral on social media and admitted it has been “crazy” to see fans singing his own lyrics back to him.
He told The Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: “Honestly no, it’s been absolutely crazy seeing how progressively viral it has become over the past few months over social media and even crazier seeing videos of live shows where people actually know the lyrics and melody to a song I made in my uni room! “I still haven’t processed it fully, being massive fans of the two artists growing up. Seeing my name on the same track as them makes me feel so proud of how far I’ve come.”
Casso went on to add that he was “left speechless” when A-listers got in on the action of the viral track and teased that there is something else up his sleeve but wants to keep things” quiet” for the time being as he promised fans that his next single will live up to the hype of his first.
He said: “It’s been crazy on all fronts but seeing the Emily Ratajkowski video blew my mind. Seeing an A-list celebrity made me speechless and conceptual- ised the extent to which this track has grown. “I like to keep things quiet until they’re fully in place. I can assure all my listeners that my next track will live up to expectations and follow a similar style.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Kylie Minogue has released her new single.
The 55-year-old pop superstar enjoyed massive success with her viral hit ‘Padam Padam’ over the summer and ahead of the release of her 16th studio album ‘Tension’ – which comes out on September 22 – has released the title track and urged her followers to listen to it on Spotify.
Alongside an instrumental from the track, she wrote on Instagram on Wednesday (30.08.23): “LOVERS!!! New music is coming!! The single [green heart] TENSION [green heart] is yours 31st August. Are you ready?? Pre-save it now at the link in bio.”
The ‘Spinning Around’ legend – who is known for having explored a variety of music genres throughout her career including, pop, Indie, country, and disco – recently teased that her upcoming 16th LP will be a mixture of electro and 90s house music.
She told The Irish News: “I can’t give too much away, but there’s some 2000s electro, 90s house and what I like to call emoto-pop. I can’t wait to share this with fans and enter the next era of music and live performance.”
It was previously reported that the singer had been working with songwriter Biff Stannard, whom she collaborated with on the likes of ‘Love At First Sight’ and ‘In Your Eyes’.
The track-listing for ‘Tension’ is:

1. ‘Padam Padam’

2. ‘Hold On To Now’

3. ‘Things We Do For Love’

4. ‘Tension’

5. ‘One More Time’

6. ‘You Still Get Me High’

7. ‘Hands’

8. ‘Green Light’

9.’ Vegas High’

10. ’10 Out of 10′ with Oliver Heldens

11. ‘Story’

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OHMYGOSSIP — Roisin Murphy says pop stars need to quit releasing boring “confessional” songs.
The former Moloko star has channeled different characters on her eccentric new album ‘Hit Parade’ and insisted she is over mainstream artists confessing to doing “normal things” in their lyrics.
She told Classic Pop magazine: “But confessional?
No, there’s enough of that. There’s plenty of that. If you want confessional music, go and find it everywhere. It’s just a f***ing pain in the arse!”
Asked if there were any artists, in particular, she was referring to, Roisin opted to keep schtum.
She replied: “Not naming any names – Jesus, it’s everyone, though! They’re all at it!”
She adds: “‘Oh! This really normal thing happened to me!’ F*** off'”
She then smiled: “If only you could express how softly I said ‘f***off in’ print.
“Soft resignation.”
That doesn’t mean you aren’t getting to know the real Roisin.
She explained: “I mean, the fact that I’m taking on characters is very personal and intimate, you know. It’s like I’m letting you into who I am, which is somebody who does voices and has this sense of humour and this outlook and this complex – possibly – way of trying to process things.”
And she gets vulnerable too, something she finds “sexy” in herself.
She said: “My story themes run through from record one to now. It’s a lot about a search for freedom. It’s about being strong but also a lot about being vulnerable. I find vulnerability in myself quite sexy!”
Speaking of Moloko’s 1999 classic, she added: “‘Sing It Back’ is a very vulnerable piece of surrender and there’s a bit of a theme of that going through… [the track] ‘Fader’ has those themes.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog is releasing her first new solo music for 10 years.
The 73-year-old Swedish pop legend has announced ‘A+’ – a reimagined version of her acclaimed 2013 solo album ‘A’ – which contains brand new song ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’, which is the first single from the LP.
The album was written specially for her by the acclaimed songwriter and producer Jorgen Elofsson and as the pair approached the 10 year anniversary of the record, Agnetha and Jorgen discussed what the record would sound like if it was created in 2023 and decided to explore the idea together.
The two artists worked alongside fellow producer Anton ‘Hybrid’ Martensson and reimagined the album in its entirety, stripping each song back, keeping the original vocals from 2013, throwing away all the old music and creating totally brand new productions for 2023, and in turn, a brand new tracklisting.
In a letter to fans in which she shares her inspiration for the LP, Agnetha said: “A couple of years ago I heard one of the songs from my last album ‘A’ on the radio. I have lots of fond memories from making that album, so I couldn’t help but smile, time flies … Suddenly it hit me, what would the album sound like if we had made it today? I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I reached out to the boys who produced ‘A’ back in 2013 – ‘What would you guys think about reimagining ‘A’ and making a totally new version of it?’ They loved the idea! ‘Let’s try!’
“A while later I heard the first reworked song, and I must say I absolutely loved it! It sounded so fresh and modern, even better than I had imagined it!
“We named the album A+ and as a cherry on top we even recorded a brand new song! And that will be the first thing you´ll hear from me. Now I can’t wait to hear what you think about it! I hope you like it as much as I do!”
The record comes in the wake of ABBA’s 2021 release ‘Voyage’ which was Agnetha, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s first album of new material in 40 years. It preceded the opening of the ‘ABBA Voyage’ digital concert residency in London on May 2022.
Released in 2013, ‘A’ was Agnetha’s first solo LP since her 2004 cover album ‘My Colouring Book’, and her first original material since 1987’s ‘Stand Alone’.
The album features Take That’s Gary Barlow on ‘I Should’ve Followed You Home’, as well as Agnetha’s first self-penned track in nearly 30 years, ‘I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed’.
Agnetha admits she was nervous about recording new song ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ but Jorgen – who has previously written for Britney Spears, Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson among others – gave her the confidence to go into the studio to reimagine the track which he had originally written with young Swedish artist Kamilla Bayrak.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: “He played me the demo, and the demo was very good.
“Originally, it was another girl singing and I said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this’.
“I was a bit tense and a bit nervous because when you get older, your voice changes.
“I think my voice has dropped a little bit in tone or in pitch. So I maybe sound a little more… not dark, but lower.
“But I still can express a lot and I like to interpret the songs. And I did it, and I think it came out very well.”
Album ‘A+’ will be available via BMG on October 13, 2023 and is available to pre-order.
Single ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ is out now.

‘A+’ tracklisting:

Where Do We Go From Here?
Back On Your Radio (A+)
I Should’ve Followed You Home (feat. Gary Barlow) (A+)
Dance Your Pain Away (A+)
I Was A Flower (A+)
Perfume In The Breeze (A+)
Past Forever (A+)
The One Who Loves You Now (A+)
Bubble (A+)
When You Really Loved Someone (A+)
I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed (A+)

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OHMYGOSSIP — Natasha Bedingfield is “always working” on new music.
The 41-year-old pop singer split from her record label because she always felt a “pressure” to write a specific kind of song and ultimately decided that she wants her output to “mean something” as she wants to avoid simply “re-creating” old hits.
She told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “I am always writing and working on new music. I asked to get out of my label deal because I felt pressure to write a certain type of music and I want to write music for the creativity and the fun. I am returning to my original love of music. You can view making music in so many ways. As a product, as content or as art. Being an artist is like being a chef. You love creating something special but then with success and demand it can hurt your artistry or creativity. I want my music to mean something and say something and not just write music to have a hit single.
“When you have a hit it is easy to then get obsessed with trying to chase your own success. And label’s always want you to recreate what you have done before but most artists aren’t like that.”
The ‘Unwritten’ hitmaker – who is the sister of fellow pop star Daniel Bedingfield – went on to add that her brother encouraged her to be herself so she doesn’t listen to other female artists on the music scene so she can avoid being influenced by them.
She added: “Daniel told me to be authentic because it will make you stand out. I have tried to stick to that throughout my career. I don’t really listen to any other female artists because I didn’t want to copy them and don’t want them to influence me too much”.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Griff spends more time on social media than making music.
The 22-year-old singer – whose real name is Sarah Faith Griffiths – won a BRIT Award for Rising Star in 2021 after releasing hits such as ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Black Hole’ but admitted that she now feels “sad” that the majority of her time is spent promoting herself on social media rather than recording songs.
She told Metro.co.uk: “Anytime there’s a camera on my face I don’t feel very comfortable. It’s an amazing platform TikTok, you have a potential to meet loads more people than would ever be in a room at once with you at shows so if you can try and enjoy it, it can be good. It’s very strange, my ratio of job is more social media now than it is about music, which is kind of sad.”
The ‘Vertigo’ hitmaker went on to add that “no one” in the industry seems to know what they are doing when it comes to using platforms such as TikTok for promotion and explained that she is left “frustrated” after seeing everyone worry about an algorithm that is not even clear in how it works in the first place.
Asked if there is maybe a pressure to use social media for the job, she said: “Not even maybe – absolutely. I’m not really sure record labels know what they’re doing. No one knows what they’re doing. It’s kind of amazing because it’s made music a little bit more democratic.
“But it also is really frustrating because everyone is revolving around an algorithm that no one knows how it works. There’s definitely a lot of pressure every day to post more, do more, be more of a social person!”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Claire Richards is surprised by the success of her solo album.
The 46-year-old singer is best known as part of pop group Steps but has now released her second solo album ‘Euphoria’ – a covers collection inspired by the likes of Karen Carpenter, Celine Dion, and Donna Summer – and amid an unlikely chart battle for the number one spot with BurnaBoy’s ‘I Told Them…’ admitted that she “never expected”to be anywhere near the top of the charts.
Speaking on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’, she said: “It’s crazy. I think when we started making the album, no one expected us to be even near the top spot so I’m just chuffed that people are enjoying it!”
Along with Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee and Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Claire enjoyed a run of four hit albums and number-one singles such as ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Stomp’ in the late 1990s and early 2000s but since reuniting in 2017, the band have released four more top-selling albums and embarked on sellout arena tours.
During their heyday, the ‘Deeper Shade of Blue’ hitmakers were known for wearing matching costumes in their choreographed music videos and Claire went on to admit that she “doesn’t care” if the band is seen as “cool” anymore because they still have an “amazing loyal fanbase” more than 25 years on from when they started.
She added: “Back in the day, no one thought we were cool, and for good reason probably! We used to wear bright yellow! I think we’re cool now in a throwback way, but I don’t care anymore.
“We don’t apologise for what we are and what we do because we’ve got an amazing loyal audience who have stuck with us and that’s all that matters. Before, I think the cool thing was being recognised in the industry. Everyone thought we were a novelty and a bit of a joke but, actually 26 years later we’re still [going]…we had a number-one album last year!”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sir Cliff Richard is releasing a new orchestral album of his greatest hits to celebrate his 65 years in the music industry.
The 82-year-old singer will release ‘Cliff with Strings – My Kinda Life’ on November 3 and the LP will contain his most popular songs and favourite tracks reworked with arrangements by Chris Walden.
From his debut number one single ‘Living Doll’, released in 1959, as well as other number one hits ‘Summer Holiday’, ‘The Young Ones’ and ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’, plus songs like ‘Wired for Sound’, ‘Carrie’, ‘My Kinda Life’ and ‘The Best of Me’ – which was Cliff’s 100th single – the 12-track collection brings new life to Cliff’s original vocal recordings with beautiful new orchestral and string arrangements.
Cliff has also included his hit duet ‘Suddenly’ with late actress-and-singer Olivia Newton-John – who passed away in August 2022 at the age of 73 from cancer – which featured on the 1980 film ‘Xanadu’. Taken from one of their last performances together at Cliff’s 75th birthday concert on 14 October 2015, the new arrangement brings an emotional beauty to the two voices in harmony.
Speaking about how listening back to the recording made him very emotional, Cliff said: “After 65 years in the business, it is really an emotional journey to listen back to some of my original vocals and hear just how young I was and how my style changed over the years. These tracks mean a lot to me and they are so refreshed with the orchestral arrangements. The most emotional track on the album for me is ‘Suddenly’ with my dear friend Olivia Newton-John. We recorded this version together live for my 75th birthday in 2015 and it always strikes me how well our voices sounded together and the crystal gentility that Olivia always managed to exude. I’m glad I was able to highlight this great performance again.”
Spanning a full seven decades the collection not only includes 1993’s ‘Peace In Our Time’, but also the very rare recording from 1999 of Cliff’s performance of ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You)’ at his Millennium Countdown concert. The track has only ever been available on the DVD release of the concert.
‘Cliff with Strings – My Kinda Life’ will be available digitally and on CD on East West Records on 3 November, with the vinyl release following on 24 November 2023.
You can go to CliffRichard.lnk.to/WithStrings to pre-order the LP now.

‘Cliff with Strings – My Kinda Life’ tracklisting:

Side A:      
The Best Of Me
Carrie
My Kinda Life
Wired for Sound
Living Doll
Marmaduke

Side B:
Everything I Do (I Do It For You)
Suddenly
Peace In Our Time 1
Summer Holiday
The Young Ones
We Don’t Talk Anymore

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OHMYGOSSIP — Olivia Rodrigo says TikTok influencers inspire her songwriting.
The 20-year-old American pop star is getting ready to release her second studio album ‘Guts’ in September, the follow-up to her 2021 smash hit debut ‘Sour’.
While some people would assume that scrolling and watching videos on the social media app would stifle an artist creatively, Olivia insists that certain users’ stories gave her ideas for lyrics for tracks for her LP.
Appearing on Hits Radio, she said: “I wrote ‘Traitor’ in my bedroom when I was very sad one day, and I actually came up with the idea for a song when I was looking at a TikTok. I saw a girl who was kind of going through a similar situation to what I was going through, and she was kind of feeling these same feelings that I had been going through for a while. For some reason watching her talk about how she felt about it gave me some clarity on how I felt.
“Super random but TikTok can sometimes be very productive – you heard it here first!”
Olivia also revealed that inspiration for her number one hit ‘Good For U’ came to her whilst she was singing in the shower.
She added: “‘Good 4 U’ was the third single from ‘Sour’ and, fun fact, I actually came up with its hook in the shower – inspiration chooses strange times to strike. I’ve come up with song titles in very strange places!”
The ‘Deja Vu’ singer can’t wait for ‘Guts’ to drop and she is certain that it will evoke many different emotions in her fans.
She said: “I am so excited that ‘Guts’ is coming out so soon. I came up with the name a few years ago, in fact before ‘Sour’ even came out, I just really liked the word, the way it looks written down. I like the way it sounds, I like how it has so many meanings.
“I hope people scream it and dance to it and I hope it helps them understand and process their feelings in some way, that’s certainly what it was for me.”
You can listen to Hits Radio online at hitsradio.co.uk or ask your smart speaker to play Hits Radio.

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend planted trees on the Royal Sandringham Estate to mark their Heritage Live concert.
The iconic rockers performed at the private country retreat of King Charles and and Queen Camilla on Monday (28.08.23) treating fans to a set packed with their greatest hits, such as ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘My Generation’.
To mark the occasion Pete, 78, and Roger, 79, supported Heritage Live’s sustainability initiative – which has the aim to host more sustainable large scale outdoor events – by planting trees in the Royal Gardens.
Actively striving to reduce the impact on the environment during its concerts, Heritage Live’s tree planting is just one initiative devised with simplicity and effectiveness in mind.
Other initiatives will include analysing every aspect of the events and reducing reliance on one-use plastic. Heritage Live aims to become a model of sustainability, engaging local communities surrounding the venues it works with, and by being a point of sustainable information and as a catalyst for ongoing action.
Roger said: “I was very pleased to be asked by Heritage Live to plant this tree at Sandringham. I am thrilled that the Laurel Oak has been planted adjacent to the oldest tree in Sandringham Gardens, a 700 year old Veteran Oak.
Pete added: “Planting this tree is a great way of acknowledging Heritage Live’s sustainability initiative. I hope this Tilia ‘Winter Orange’ has a happy life in Sandringham Gardens.”
Over the weekend a series of Heritage Live outdoor concerts were held for the first time on the Royal Sandringham Estate.
Joining The Who at the special events in Norfolk were Robbie Williams and Sir Van Morrison.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Brandon Flowers has scrapped The Killers’ new album.
The band unveiled new single ‘Your Side Of Town’ last week, their first new music since 2022 standalone single ‘Boy’.
The 42-year-old singer and fellow full-time member, drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr, have been in the studio for sessions with producers Stuart Price and Shawn Everett, but Brandon has decided to ditch the songs they have so far because it was going to be another album of stadium rock songs.
In an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper, he said: “Halfway through recording I realised, ‘I can’t do this.’ This isn’t the kind of record… I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music any more.”
The ‘Mr. Brightside’ hitmaker instead plans to move away from the sound of 2004 debut ‘Hot Fuss’, which made The Killers one of the most popular bands in the world.
He added: “I’m as proud of ‘Hot Fuss’ as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.
“It is a conflict. It is just, well, at what point do I make that change? Who in the band wants to do that too? No matter what, there will always be people who look at me and just think of Somebody Told Me. And I get that. But I’m interested in evolving.”
At the weekend, The Killers headlined the Reading and Leeds Festival and treated fans to a set packed with their classic hits, including ‘When You Were Young’, ‘Runaways’, ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’, ‘Human’ and ‘Mr. Brightside’.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Doja Cat has announced her new album, ‘Scarlet’, will be released on September 22.
The 27-year-old star took to Instagram to unveil the album cover for her follow-up to 2021’s ‘Planet Her’, which is a red tarantula.
This summer, Doja has released the singles ‘Attention’ and viral sensation ‘Paint The Town Red’, despite the star recently vowing to stop making “palatable, marketable and sellable” music.
The ‘Say So’ hitmaker claimed that all her future music will be “authentic” after she channelled all the “rage” she felt toward the music industry into an eclectic album that traverses “rap, soul and R’n’B music with jazz”.
In a cover interview with V magazine – which saw the star free the nipple in a mesh top – she said: “I have thrown fits my whole career because I have been making music that didn’t allow me to have a mental release.
“I have been making music that is palatable, marketable and sellable, that has allowed me to be where I am now.
“These upcoming projects are going to be very different compared to everything I have done and I am excited about that.
“I do not care if people are not.”
Doja added: “I have made pop music. I’m currently making rap, soul and R’n’B music with jazz elements.”
The singer-and-rapper previously admitted her last two albums were “cash-grabs”.
The ‘Kiss Me More’ hitmaker – who can be known to retract her social media statements – told millions of her followers that she would not be putting out “mediocre pop” and claimed ‘Planet Her’ and 2019’s ‘Hot Pink’ were just about making a tonne of money.
She also went back on a previous post in which she announced her new album would be called ‘Hellmouth’.
She tweeted: “planet her and hot pink were cash-grabs and yall fell for it. now i can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while yall weep for mediocre pop. (sic)”
She added: “its not called hEllMoUth either its called “First of All” and yes I’m announcing the album title right now. (sic)”
However, the title is still yet to be confirmed.
Doja – whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini – previously teased an entirely different project, telling Variety: “I want to explore punk. But not pop-punk. I feel like we have enough pop-punk artists right now. And if there needs to be more, then let there be more, but I don’t think I’m the one to do it.
“I want to explore more of a raw, unfiltered, hardcore punk sort of thing. It’s just something that I’m doing for my own personal fun – getting some drummers and guitarists together. And I don’t even know if that’s gonna make it out there.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Perrie Edwards finally has time to “focus” on her own career.
The 30-year-old pop star shot to fame as part of Little Mix alongside Jade Thirlwall, Leigh Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson – who quit the group in 2020 – in 2011 when they won ‘The X Factor’ but the group is taking an indefinite hiatus and an insider has teased that after welcoming two-year-old son Axel with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, she is free to focus on her own personal life and solo career.
A source told OK! Magazine: “For the first time since ‘The X Factor’, Perrie can live her life on her own terms. She and the girls faced a rough patch when Jesy Nelson left the group, so she’s looking forward to having some time to focus on herself, her own career and her family. If Perrie wants to create new music, she can. If she wants to follow Alex to Turkey and start a low-key life over there, she can. If she wants to step back and have another baby – something they’re already thinking about – she can. She’s loving the control she has over her own life. She can change her mind about anything any time.”
In June, it was reported that the ‘Wings’ hitmaker had lined up a staggering 11 producers and songwriters to work with her on her upcoming new material because she’s determined to offer fans “the best” music she can.
A source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper’s No Filter column: “Perrie has a revolving door of hitmakers at her home studio in Cheshire, writing with everyone from Raye to legendary Steve Mac – who boasts 31 number one singles int he UK alone – as well as obscure US rock band Before You Exit.
“She’s experimenting with every sound out there and churning out hits.
“Only the best will make the cut – she’s ensuring fans won’t be disappointed.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Bastille have signed a fresh record deal with EMI and have “multiple projects” in the pipeline.
Dan Smith and co are celebrating a decade since the release of their much-lauded debut album ‘Bad Blood’, and they’ve just renewed their deal with the major label and have major plans across music, film and TV.
Rebecca Allen and Jo Charrington, EMI co-presidents, told Music Week: “Labels are built around exceptional artists, so we couldn’t be prouder about this next chapter with Bastille. The band have already had a long and successful career as part of the label, but our ambition is as strong as it’s ever been, and our focus is firmly on ensuring their artistry continues to reach new audiences around the world. We can’t thank Bastille enough for continuing on this journey with us all.”
Estelle Wilkinson, Bastille’s manager at Eleven Management, added: “Although Bastille have a long history with EMI, there is a real sense of newness with this decision to sign. Not only do Bastille have the great support and expertise of Becky and Jo, they are also excited by opportunities offered by the wider Universal family. This has been a great year for Bastille and though they have come a long way, they still have much to say, through multiple projects. We are delighted to have the backing of a great label which will serve the band’s global audience well and doubtless increase it.”
The plans for more film and TV work come after Dan recently revealed his submissions were rejected for the live-action ‘Barbie’ film soundtrack.
He penned “a couple” of tunes but they didn’t end up using them in the blockbuster – which boasts a star-studded cast led by Ryan Gosling (Ken) and Margot Robbie (Barbie).
A fan tweeted him: “Oh also whilst you’re here and talking about films. Any plans to see Barbie or Oppenheimer?”
To which, he replied: “Very excited for both of those. In fact, I wrote a couple of songs for the Barbie film (that they didn’t use), but it looks incredible so does Oppenheimer.”
And last year Dan revealed he had been working on projects in the “film and TV world”.
The 37-year-old singer found the time to work on his passion projects when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he couldn’t tour.
After co-directing the band’s ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Ex Machina’-inspired ‘No Bad Days’ promo, the ‘Pompeii’ hitmaker took on a number of roles in film and television.
He told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “There’s a bunch of stuff I’m working on at the moment which use music but very much step into the film and TV world.
“It’s what I grew up obsessed with.
“I was such a little film geek growing up and it’s a medium I love, so getting to direct a video was really amazing.
“I always wanted to do it but we’ve always been trying to juggle everything.
“It took me having a little more time and space because of there being no touring, for me to be like, ‘I’ve got to do this now. I want to do it now.’
“It was really eye-opening.”
And Dan said he hopes more opportunities will arise in the future.
He added: “I would love to work more in that world and I think we live in a time when people are less boxed in.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Duran Duran have unveiled their Halloween album ‘Danse Macabre’.
The ‘Wild Boys’ hitmakers have put their spin on Billie Eilish’s ‘Bury A Friend’, ‘Psycho Killer’ by Talking Heads, with Victoria De Angelis of Maneskin, The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’, ‘Spellbound’ by Siouxsie and the Banshees, and many more.
The titular lead single, out now, features former bandmate Warren Cuccurullo on guitar, in their first collaboration since 2001. It’s one of three new tracks on the LP.
Former guitarist Andy Taylor has also contributed to the spooktacular record, which also includes new versions of ‘Nightboat’ and ‘Secret Oktober 31st’.
The record – which arrives in full on October 27 – is inspired by a pair of Halloween-themed shows in Las Vegas last year, where they donned ghoulish outfits and performed covers of ‘Spellbound’, ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials and ‘Super Freak’ by Rick James.
Synth and keyboard player Nick Rhodes said: “The song ‘Danse Macabre’ celebrates the joy and madness of Halloween. It is the title track of our forthcoming album, which gathers together an unusual mix of cover versions, reworked Duran Duran songs and several new compositions. We had decided to seize the moment to create a unique, special event…the temptation of using glorious gothic visuals set to a dark soundtrack of horror and humour was simply irresistible.”
He added: “That evening inspired us to explore further and to make an album, using Halloween as the key theme. The record metamorphosed through a pure, organic process, and not only was it made faster than anything since our debut album, it has also resulted in something none of us could have ever predicted. Emotion, mood, style and attitude have always been at the heart of Duran Duran’s DNA, we search for light in the darkness and darkness in the light, and I feel we have somehow managed to capture the essence of all of that in this project.”

‘Danse Macabre’ track-listing:
1. ‘Nightboat’
2. ‘Black Moonlight’
3.’Love Voudou’
4. ‘Bury A Friend’
5. ‘Supernature’
6. ‘Danse Macabre’
7. ‘Secret Oktober 31st’
8. ‘Ghost Town’
9. ‘Paint It Black’
10. ‘Super Lonely Freak’
11. ‘Spellbound’
12. ‘Psycho Killer’ (feat. Victoria De Angelis)
13. ‘Confession in the Afterlife’

Source: IconInsider.com