OHMYGOSSIP — Kylie Minogue has hinted she is working on new music ahead of her ‘Tension’ tour.
The 56-year-old pop icon is due to embark on a world tour in celebration of her new album ‘Tension II’ – which is a sequel to her 2023 LP and is released on 18 October – but Kylie has now teased she has already started working on more new tracks.
According to The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, she told onlookers in Paris: “Touring is the best part of the job. I have a year ahead in my mind. ‘Tension II’ isn’t quite out and I’ve already had a couple of studio days as it’s like, ‘Oh, what’s next?'”
The ‘Tension’ tour will start in February, with shows in her native Australia and Asia before heading to the UK in May.
‘Tension’ will also see the ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ chart-topper perform across North America in what will be her first major tour Stateside in 13 years.
In a statement, Kylie said: “I can’t wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the ‘Tension’ era and more!
“It’s been an exhilarating ride so far and now, get ready for your close up because I will be calling Lights, Camera, Action … You have no idea how hard it has been to keep all the planning and preparation from you do But it’s time and I. CAN’T. WAIT!”
The ‘Padam Padam’ hitmaker previously teased her recent single ‘My Oh My’ – a collaboration with Tove Lo and Bebe Rexha – was just a taste of what was to come with ‘Tension II’.
During an interview with Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2, Kylie told the host: “You know I like to stay busy, and you know I like to always have something up my sleeve.
“So you could hazard a guess that this is the start of more to come. You won’t have to wait too long.
“There’s plenty, shall we say, and I’m full of excitement. I have travelled with my studio for the last year and a half.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Rick Astley “felt guilty” about wanting to take a break from the music industry.
The pop singer, 58, was propelled to stardom in the 1980s after releasing the smash-hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ but he took a hiatus from the music industry in 1993 to prioritise time with his partner Lene Bausager and daughter Emilie, who was one year old at the time.
Now, Rick has admitted he was ridden with shame for walking away from his fame.
Speaking to Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “You just end up thinking, I’ve got a daughter at home, I can have a different life, I’m not really loving this.
“And I felt guilty because I was an ’80s pop star, I should be loving it but I kind of felt it’s just time to walk away.”
Rick made his way back into the public eye in 2001 with his LP ‘Keep It Turned On’, and quickly retook his place in the spotlight after he released his first compilation album ‘Greatest Hits’ a year later.
Reflecting on his return to music, the ‘Cry For Help’ hitmaker said making music had always been “a part of [his] DNA”, and emphasised he had only fallen out of love with the industry.
He explained: “I like doing it and I’m still the same with that. I don’t think that’s ever left me. I just fell out love with the music business, not music.”
The ‘Together Forever’ chart-topper added his difficult relationship with his parents had pushed him towards the spotlight when he was young.
He said: “I think it did form me as a person, definitely, and formed a lot of my choices of why I went into music and why I wanted to be on a stage and why I wanted people’s attention – because I don’t think I got enough attention from my parents.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Doja Cat has announced an intimate living room gig with Airbnb.
The ‘Say So’ hitmaker is giving her fans a chance to see her in a special and “uniquely curated setting” in Southern California as part of a collaboration with the online property platform.
She said in a statement: “I’ve spent the last year performing on the world’s biggest stages, and now I’m ready to share my art with fans in a more intimate setting.
“This will be a first for both me and my fans, and I’m excited to share this moment with them.”
For one night only, fans will step into a “personal, otherworldly space complete with her grandmother’s hand-painted art, an elegant feast, and playlist to set the tone”.
Doja – who was snapped by Jacob Webster as part of the announcement – will deliver an unplugged performance spanning her whole career, from recent hits like ‘Paint The Town Red’ and tracks from her latest album to her own favourites.
Just 15 tickets are available priced at $77 (£57.75) each.
Doja has curated a playlist herself for the evening, while fans will get to tuck into “fancy fruits, cheeses, and her favourite, caviar”.
A vanity room will give fans the chance to answer a question she’s left for them, and there will be a guestbook for the concert-goers to sign with their own personal message for the pop star.
In the Airbnb listing, Doja teased: “What’s up? It’s Doja Cat. I’m a singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, painter, dancer, design enthusiast, and artist.
“Like a cat with nine lives, I’m constantly reinventing myself and looking for new ways to channel my creativity.
“Fresh from headlining festivals and my European tour, I’m pulling back the curtain and bringing my very special show directly to you in an intimate living room performance.”
More information can be found at airbnb.com/dojacat.

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OHMYGOSSIP — James Bay struggled to “keep [his] cool” when recording with Brandon Flowers.
The 34-year-old singer teamed up with the Killers frontman on his recent single ‘Easy Distraction’ and he admitted it was an “unbelievable honour” to get into the recording studio with one of his idols.
He told The Sun newspaper: “All the time I was trying to stay focused and keep my cool and not think, ‘I’m making a song with Brandon Flowers’.”
The collaboration came about after Brandon had praised James’ breakthrough single ‘Hold Back the River’ and then a mutual friend got in touch with the British star to say he’d been hanging out with the ‘Mr. Brightside’ hitmaker and he was keen for them to write together.
James recalled: “I said to my friend Rob, ‘Sign me up as I’d love to have a go.’ So, he sort of connected the dots, and I was able to go out to Utah which is where Brandon lives and he has a rented ski lodge that The Killers turned into a studio, which is really exciting.”
The ‘Wild Love’ singer is “proud” that the song came from one of his own ideas.
He said: “When I first played the track, some people would say, ‘I can hear a bit of Killers in it’ meaning they hear Brandon’s writing input.
“It had this double height hallway where they put drums in that sort of Led Zeppelin way — it’s wonderful. It was very informal and we’d go for breakfast in the morning and Brandon would drive us there.
“When I first played the track, some people would say, ‘I can hear a bit of Killers in it’ meaning they hear Brandon’s writing input.
“But as much as I wanted it to sound ‘Killersy’, because I’m a fan, I’m proud to say that the germ of the idea that started that song is the verse and melody that I took in. That was my homework. I took it in, and I said, ‘What do you think of this?’
“And Brandon had a listen and went, ‘Oh, yeah, let’s give that a go. Let’s see if we can put some lyrics to it.’ And he jumps up on a microphone and gets his phone out and jotted down all his lyric ideas. It was very prolific and unbelievable.”
As well as Brandon, James’ new album, ‘Changes All The Time’, features Noah Kahan, The Lumineers and Holly Humberstone and he would like to collaborate with Nothing But Thieves one day.
He enthused: “They’re a fantastic band and Conor Mason is a f****** amazing singer. I listen to them a lot, especially an acoustic version of ‘Tomorrow Is Closed’, which is gorgeous.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Perrie Edwards has accused TikTok of “killing” the music industry.
The former Little Mix singer is a big fan of the social media platform but has bemoaned how it has shortened people’s attention spans to the point that music bosses asked her to make her new single ‘You Go Your Way’ only two minutes long to appeal to users on the site.
Perrie told Euphoria magazine: “I think it’s absolutely effing up everyone’s attention spans.
“People don’t want to hold a conversation for longer than five seconds because they’d rather swipe to the next thing.
“It’s kind of killing the music industry. I’m gonna be honest.”
The 31-year-old star reflected on how the promotion of music has changed altogether since she won ‘The X Factor’ with Little Mix back in 2011.
The ‘Tears’ singer explained: “It’s a different time. When we first came out, we were in HMV every other week doing signings.
“People were buying our albums, buying our songs. Streaming wasn’t even a thing. When we release a song now, we sit there for the week twiddling our thumbs making TikToks.”
Perrie continued: “Someone asked me whether we should crunch ‘You Go Your Way’ down and make it shorter and I was, ‘No. It’s long because there’s so much music going on.’
“Music is art. Why are we trying to do it quickly?”
Perrie’s debut solo album won’t be released until 2025 as the “perfectionist” is still fine-tuning the record.
She said: “I’m such a perfectionist.
“I keep having random ideas and then wanting to go back in and do things. So even though it’s done, I do keep adding bits here and there. But once the deadline hits, I can’t change anything. But until then, I’ve still got time to perfect it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Professor Green is preparing to release new music next year.
The 40-year-old rapper hasn’t made any fresh material since the 2019 record ‘Matters Of The Heart’ but is set to make a return with new tunes after focusing on bringing up his son Slimane, three, who he has with actress partner Karima McAdams.
Green – whose real name is Stephen Manderson – told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Next year we’re releasing new music.
“I mean, a lot has been happening. There’s genuinely probably about three albums now after all the recording I’ve been doing.
“I wrote a song for Slim called ‘Blue Blanket’. I started writing that in 2014 but I didn’t have kids then. Then I had him and I could finish the record.”
Green has released the new single ‘Moola In My Wallet (Satnav Rap)’ and he explained how it was met with approval by Slim – his fiercest critic.
He said: “I put on some of my new stuff in the car and Slim’s like, ‘Nah’.
“I played this and he loves it. He gives me an unfiltered truth. There’s no airs and graces with kids.
“With songs, once I put them out it’s someone else’s. But he wants to hear it so I’m having to listen to it all the time, which means I am walking round and singing it.”
Green added: “It came together in 45 minutes from start to finish. Instead of going big budget on the video, I called this amazing videographer, Lawrence, that I know and just asked if he could film me while I was driving around.”
It has been more than a decade since the ‘Read All About It’ hitmaker released his debut album but he is delighted that his music still appeals to youngsters.
Green recalled: “I did a freshers’ gig in Lancaster, the kind of gigs I’ve been doing for 15 years.
“And I said, ‘You lot were three years old when this album came out.’ I was joking with them, calling them a bunch of snowflakes and taking the p*** and they f****** had it.
“This generation of 18-year-olds, like the kids I performed to this year, they are f****** wicked.
“As an artist, to know you still have the youth is really important.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Noel Gallagher made a surprise appearance at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards on Thursday night (03.10.24) to present Jill Furmanovsky with the prestigious ICON Award.
The 57-year-old guitarist made a rare public appearance since announcing in August that he was reforming Oasis with estranged brother Liam Gallagher, putting an end to their 15-year long feud.
Noel was on hand at the legendary studio in London to give Jill her accolade and described the music photographer – who has shot Oasis on numerous occasions – as a “dear friend” who he is honoured to have worked with for three decades.
He said: “She is a very, very dear friend of mine. It’s been an honour to be associated with her for 30 years. I can only say that she’s as lovely as she seems, she’s one of my best friends and I adore her. Congratulations on your award and come up here and give me a hug.”
Jill duly obliged and stepped on stage to warmly embrace the ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ singer.
Furmanovsky – who was photographed with Noel on stage by Carsten Windhorst – told the audience she was “overwhelmed” to receive the special award and was very surprised that Noel was on hand to give her the statuette.
During her illustrious career, which has spanned over 50 years, Jill has captured some of the world’s biggest stars on camera, including Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Blondie, Kate Bush, Billie Eilish and more.
On the night, there were video tributes to Jill and her work from Nile Rodgers, Debbie Harry, David Gilmour, Siouxsie Sioux and Sting.
The ceremony was hosted by Edith Bowman and included live performances from Maverick Sabre’s YOURS collective, JNR Williams and Aziya.
Other winners included Tom Pallant who received the Music Moment of the Year prize for his work shooting Blur, while Francis Mancini received the Live Music Award.
The 2024 competition saw a remarkable rise in submissions, with entries increasing by over 50 percent from last year. Showcasing a range of global talent, over 22,000 images from 28 different countries were submitted, across six open categories.
The MPAs judging panel was led by founding judge and renowned British photographer Rankin.
After the ceremony, Noel headed to the Chiltern Firehouse 10th anniversary party in London with his new girlfriend Sally Mash.
The rock icon and Sally have been dating for around a year following his split from second wife Sara MacDonald back in 2022 after 12 years of marriage.

Abbey Road Music Photography Awards open categories full list of winners:

Undiscovered Photographer of the Year (Supported by adidas)
Andreia Lemos [Amyl and the Sniffers]

Music Moment of the Year (Supported by Outernet London and voted for by the public)
Tom Pallant [Blur]

Live Music Award
Francis Mancini [Darren Styles]

Underground Scenes Award
Lemphek [Hui Zu Chen Hongmin]

Making Music Award
Lauren Harris [Joesef]

Jazz: The Rebirth of Cool
Adrien H. Tillmann [Billy Harper]

ICON Award
Jill Furmanovsky

INVITED CATEGORIES

Editorial
Alexa Viscius [bnny]

Portrait
Bolade Banjo [Popcaan]

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OHMYGOSSIP — Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes are going on hiatus.
The 40-year-old frontman has announced that the band is taking an extended break from working on new material after completing their upcoming tour.
The statement, which was posted on Instagram, read: “Nine years, five Albums, hundreds of stages shared all over the world and our songs sung with each and every one of you. It is with sadness we announce that The Rattlesnakes are taking a hiatus,” the post began, showing a handwritten note from the members. “From the deepest lows to highest highs, in grief in anger and in joy, our band has been a celebration of being alive no matter the circumstances.
“We want to send our love and thanks to the band – Gareth [Grover], Tank [Tom Barclay], Elliot [Russell] and Mitch [Thomas Mitchener]. It’s been a privilege to share the stage with some of the best musicians we know.
“So please join us all in celebration of the songs that changed our lives. Our UK and European Tour will go ahead and we look forward to seeing you all on the dancefloor.”
The band released their last LP, fifth studio album ‘Dark Rainbow’, back in January.
Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes’ debut ‘Blossom’ came out in 2015, and was followed up by ‘Modern Ruin’ in 2017, ‘End Of Suffering’ in 2019 and ‘Sticky’ in 2021.
Frank was on tour with the Sex Pistols members Paul Cook, Glen Matlock and Steve Jones throughout September, filling in for former frontman John Lydon – previously known as Johnny Rotten – as the punk legends played their classic album ‘Never Mind The B*******’ in its entirety.
Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes’ dates kick off on October 15 with an opening night in Brighton, and the tour makes its way to Europe with shows in Denmark, Italy, Germany and more.
The tour ends on November 16 with an appearance at the Helldorado Festival 2024 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Good Health Good Wealth have unveiled new single ‘Full Circle’.
The duo – vocalist-and-songwriter Bruce Breakey and guitarist Simon Kuzmickas – tackle the day in the life of an ordinary twenty-something man in London in the track’s lyrics.
The song – which is available to stream now – is reminiscent of The Streets and Bruce surveys what is replicated across England: a country full of decimated high streets in which you’re only ever a few steps away from a chicken shop or a sports bar with visceral lyrics like “my jeans are full of more holes than a racist’s argument”.
Discussing his inspiration for the track, Bruce said: “There’s so much happening in the world right now but I don’t feel like I’m the man to speak on it. I’ve got too many parking tickets to pay off. This song is for everyone, from the people who spend more time down the local pub than at home, to the people who spend more time at work than with their families. To those of us raised on McDonald’s, when we took the Happy Meal on face value, double cheap and an absolute treat.
“Everyday life isn’t often that glamorous and we might feel like the little things don’t matter, but to most people that’s all we have time for – and there’s nothing wrong with that. The little things are just as meaningful.”
Bruce’s Good Health Good Wealth bandmate is the guitarist and producer Kuzmickas, whose earliest musical memories stemmed from travelling with his dad to a post-soviet era underground pirate CD market in his home country of Lithuania.
Bruce and Simon met over a drink at pub chain Wetherspoons and at first formed a punk band, however, the COVID-19 lockdown pushed them in a different direction: they found writing and producing a more productive creative outlet.
Drawing on eclectic influences like N.E.R.D., Daft Punk, Kanye West, The Streets and Mac Miller and referencing pop culture figures as varied as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Clark Gable and Gucci Mane, their sound evolved and broke away from genre conventions over the course of two EPs, ‘RICH’ and ‘Everyone Feels Like This’, and a handful of standalone tracks.
Collaborators have included The Skinner Brothers, Happy Cat Jay, SUBCULTURE, Hard-Fi and Rarelyalways.
Good Health Good Wealth have also appeared at several festivals, including Isle of Wight, Truck and Brockwood.
The duo sold-out a London headline show at The Social, and are now set to play their first international gig on the This Feeling / Radio X stage at Viva Sounds in Gothenburg, Sweden, on November 30.
Good Health Good Wealth’s next London headline show is at The Lower Third on February 7 and tickets are available now.

Good Health Good Wealth tour dates:

OCTOBER
15th – Norwich, Waterfront (with Louis Dunford)
17th – London, The Lower Third (with Noisy)
23rd – Glasgow, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut (with Noisy)
24th – Leeds, The Lending Room (with Noisy)
25th – Liverpool, Arts Club (with Noisy)
26th – Manchester, Deaf Institute (with Noisy)

NOVEMBER
2nd – Norwich, Voodoo Daddy’s (with Bag of Cans)
30th – Gothenburg, Viva Sounds

FEBRUARY 2025
7th – London, The Lower Third (HEADLINE SHOW)

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OHMYGOSSIP — Shed Seven frontman Rick Witter has promised to get a face tattoo if their new album tops the charts.
The ‘She Left Me on Friday’ band are chasing their second number one after finally climbing to the summit earlier this year with ‘A Matter Of Time’ 29 years and three months after their 1994 debut ‘Change Giver’.
Their new record ‘Liquid Gold’ is climbing the rankings, and Rick told the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: “I’m going to tattoo the Official Charts Company logo on my forehead.
“We’ll have to commemorate it in some bizarre and funny way.”
The near-three decade wait for their first number one was a record, and drummer Rob ‘Maxi’ Maxfield celebrated by tattooing the OCC logo on his arm.
It looks like the band could repeat the feat as they’re currently ahead of closest rivals Bring Me The Horizon.
Rick added: “We’ve spent 10, 15 years building to this. We built our name back from almost nothing in the noughties.
“It’s weird, 1996 was our biggest to date until this year. I’m looking forward to speaking to you in another 30 years celebrating our 60th.
“God knows how big we’ll be then!”
Shed Seven aren’t the only group promising a big stunt in a bid for number one.
James Blunt has vowed to legally changed his name – and allow the public to vote on his new moniker – if his ‘Back To Bedlam’ 20th anniversary album tops the charts next month.
He told Radio X’s ‘The Chris Moyles Show’: “I have signed up to changing my name to whatever the public want – they can change my name.
“It’s a genuine thing. I swear on my life and the life of my one fan – Brian from Glasgow – I will change my name should it hit number one.”
However, the 50-year-old singer admitted he has some concerns about what route the public could take if he does need to change his name, particularly if they choose something that rhymes with Blunt.
He quipped: “James cucking funt… as long as it’s not, you know, Blunty McBluntface.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Oasis have announced more North American tour dates due to “phenomenal” demand.
The Britpop legends – who will hit the road in 2025 for their highly anticipated reunion tour – are preparing to play their first live shows since their split in 2009, and now Liam and Noel Gallagher have unveiled further plans.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the band’s management wrote: “Due to phenomenal demand, additional dates have been announced in Toronto, East Rutherford, Los Angeles and Mexico City!”
They later confirmed that “fans selected in the private pre-sale ballot” for the North American tour have been given their code and “all the information required”.
They added: “Please not, a code does not guarantee tickets. Tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis.”
The band’s Nort American tour tickets off on August 24 with two shows in Toronto, before a night in Chicago, and double headers in New Jersey, LA and Mexico City.
In August 2009 Noel Gallagher quit the band in the wake of a backstage bust-up with younger brother Liam Gallagher ahead of a Paris festival appearance which led to them being estranged for 15 years before the reunion announcement.
Oasis have already sold out 19 stadium shows in the UK and Ireland, but the ticket sale led to complaints from fans due to Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing policy being enacted.
After queuing for hours and battling through technical issues many fans were charged over double the price of a face value ticket due to the phenomenal demand.
For the North American dates Oasis have confirmed that Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model will not be applied.
An official statement from Oasis’ management read: “Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model will not be applied to the forthcoming sale of tickets to Oasis concerts in North America.
“It is widely accepted that dynamic pricing remains a significant tool to combat ticket touting and keeps prices for a significant proportion of fans lower than the market rate and thus more affordable.
“But, when unprecedented ticket demand (where the entire tour could be sold many times over at the moment tickets go on sale) is combined with technology that cannot cope with that demand, it becomes less effective and can lead to an unacceptable experience for fans.
“We have made this decision for the North America tour to hopefully avoid a repeat of the issues fans in the UK and Ireland experienced recently.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Kaiser Chiefs have announced their biggest hometown show to date to celebrate 20 years of ‘Employment’.
The Leeds indie rockers will mark the 20th anniversary of their classic debut album – which featured singles like ‘Oh My God’ and ‘I Predict A Riot’ – with a special show at Temple Newsam Park on May 31, 2025.
The concert will see the band perform the album in its entirety along with a selection of their greatest hits from other records.
In a statement, the group said: “Very excited to announce our biggest Leeds gig ever. Twenty years since ‘Employment’ and twenty-three years since we last played at Temple Newsam we are delighted to be back.
“Last time we played there (in Parva) we joked we were on after Guns n Roses who had played the previous night so it’s been a long wait to finally actually headline the Park.
“We are a band that historically always looked forwards but after 20 years of people telling us how important ‘Employment’ is to them and how it soundtracked people’s lives, we felt we had to organise a celebration.”
They have put together a stacked lineup for the concert, with Razorlight, The Cribs, The Coral, We Are Scientists, Hot Wax and Ellur all taking part.
Other bands on the bill will also be celebrating their own 20th anniversaries for special albums.
Razorlight will play an anniversary set for ‘Up All Night’, with The Cribs honouring their own LP ‘The New Fellas’, and We Are Scientists will be marking 20 years of ‘With Love And Squalor’.
Kaiser Chiefs added: “We’ve managed to get a few of our old touring friends to come and celebrate with us and of course everyone is invited. Come celebrate the 2000s, ‘Employment’, When Leeds took over the World. See you all in May.”
The show might be a surprise for fans after frontman Ricky Wilson previously dismissed the idea of an anniversary tour for the LP.
Back in 2019, he told NME: “In a world where everyone’s going out on tour to celebrate the seventh anniversary of their first record…I don’t want to do it.”
However, bassist Simon Rix added: “When ‘Employment was 10-years-old, which is now four years ago, we just thought, ‘Well, why would we do that?’ Maybe when it’s 25-years-old we’ll feel like it.”
Tickets for the ‘Employment’ anniversary show go on sale on October 11.

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Struts frontman Luke Spiller wrote and recorded a Bond theme with Taylor Hawkins.
Luke revealed he teamed up with the late Foo Fighters drummer to work on a song for the 2021 spy movie ‘No Time To Die’ but Billie Eilish’s track was chosen over theirs.
He told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “I’ve always been ob­sessed with a lot of the Bond songs. I had a crack at it, but got beaten by Billie.
“It’s a fantastic song. I called Taylor and we cut the drums in his home studio.”
However, Luke isn’t giving up and he hopes Bond bosses will get in touch and consider another of his songs in the future.
He said: “Hopefully the people making the next Bond film can listen to my record and appreciate the potential I have to create an incredible Bond song.
“I’ve got another up my sleeve.
“I’m waiting for the call because I know it’s going to happen.”
Billie’s ‘No Time To Die’ was co-written with her brother and collaborator, Finneas O’Connell, and features orchestration by Hans Zimmer.
It debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The song picked up a Grammy Award and also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Zach Bryan is withholding his music from Grammys consideration.
The 28-year-old star has enjoyed huge success with his songs but he has declined to submit his work for consideration in any category for the upcoming ceremony, Variety has revealed.
An online ballot, available only to Recording Academy members, confirmed Zach’s name doesn’t appear among the thousands being considered for Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year, and none of his records are entered for any of the rock, country or Americana categories where he would have been expected to compete.
Insiders told the outlet the ‘Hey Driver’ hitmaker chose not to submit this year because he doesn’t feel comfortable with awards shows making music competitive.
This echoes Zach’s previous attempts to resist the mechanics of the music industry, having already asked his record label not to promote his songs in any format.
However, he has been in awards consideration before and won his first Grammy earlier this year, taking Best Country Duo/ Group performance for ‘I Remember Everything’ with Kacey Musgraves.
Zach joins the likes of Drake and The Weeknd in boycotting the event.
The former refused to have his work considered by the Recording Academy in both 2021 and 2022.
Drake said: “This show doesn’t dictate s*** in our world“.”
Meanwhile, The Weeknd has stayed clear of the ceremony since his hugely popular album ‘After Hours’ and single ‘Blinding Lights’ were noticeably snubbed from the 2021 nominations list.
At the time, he branded the Grammy Awards “corrupt”.
He tweeted: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
Awards bosses played down suggestions of a deliberate slight.
Recording Academy Chair Harvey Mason Jr. said: “We understand that the Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he’s feeling.
“His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists.
“All Grammy nominees are recognised by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sam Fender has finished work on his new album.
The 30-year-old singer has confirmed the currently-untitled follow-up to 2021’s ‘Seventeen Going Under’ is complete and been “mastered”, and he’s had the help of The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel with the record.
Sam shared a series of photos and videos from the making of the album on Instagram, which was simply captioned: “mastered x.”
The photos include the ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ hitmaker with his guitar around his neck, the recording studio itself, and Adam playing keyboards alongside other musicians, while there are also videos featuring brief snippets of music, including a saxophone solo, and live footage of Sam on stage.
The update comes just a few days after the star shared a teaser of an upbeat new song on his Instagram Story.
A few months ago, Sam revealed his “best mate”, Brooke Bentham, would feature heavily on his new album.
Alongside a series of throwback pictures of the pair jamming together, Sam wrote on Instagram: “The legend that is Brooke Bentham has joined the band!
“First time I met Brooke I learnt how to sing. Our mutual friend @paulstephenwalton ran just about every buskers night in and around Newcastle at the time, but it was in gosforth where I met Brooke Benthsteen. I walked in to the bar to the sound of the best cover of ‘dancing in the dark’ I’d ever heard, and from that moment we were best mates (and I ripped off the way she sings and played that cover to death in almost every gig I’ve ever done) but hey! It f****** worked!!!
“Anyway, 13-14 years later, she’s joined the band!
Her voice is all over the next album, it’s been an absolute pleasure singing with her again and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve made.
“Here’s some photos of me and Brooke when we were teenagers X
“Drop her a follow and listen to her solo stuff!!! (sic)”
Sam also debuted two tracks from the LP live at an intimate Devon concert over the summer, with fans at Plymouth Pavilions getting to hear the first-ever performances of ‘People Watching’ and ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Serj Tankian beleives a new System Of A Down album in the future would give the band a “fresh start”.
The ‘Chop Suey’ group haven’t released an album since 2005’s ‘Hypnotize’ and they went on a four-year hiatus the following year, with occasional tours since reuniting in 2010 and Serj, 57, has stepped away from touring “artistic reasons and health reasons” – but he thinks there could be new music in the future.
He told The Sun newspaper: “I would say if System ever decided to make a record, it would be a fresh start in a brand new way, in a beautiful new direction.
“We do have some unreleased material from the past that’s set. I forgot how many songs there are, but it’s a handful of them that would be interesting also in an archival capacity because I think some of them are some really amazing gems.”
Serj went on to insist that even though he doesn’t want to go back to touring, he’s happy playing occasional shows.
He added: “I just stopped doing full tours for a combination of artistic reasons and health reasons. But single shows as events has been incredibly rewarding for us. We’re really enjoying it and each other in the process and it’s becoming special.”
Serj previously admitted he would be happy for System Of A Down to replace him with another singer so they could continue touring.
During an appearance on the ‘Broken Record’ podcast, Serj explained: “I’ve offered them that opportunity [to replace me] and been very supportive of it for many years.
“If they wanted to do that, if they wanted to continue in a way that I didn’t – for example, if they wanted to tour a lot and I just want to do a couple of shows here and there, because I’m not into touring a lot, to be fair to them, if they wanted to do that, I’m totally open to it, still.”
However, Serj believes the rest of the group are unlikely to ever head out on the road without him.
He added: “I’m not sure they want to do that. They haven’t until now [wanted to do it], and I think it would take something away from the prestige and legacy of the band itself, but as friends and as someone who cares very much about my partners, I would be OK with it.”

Source: IconInsider.com