OHMYGOSSIP — Liam Payne has teased that new music is on the way.
The 29-year-old pop star was part of the multi-million-selling boyband One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik from 2010 until 2015 but released his first album ‘LP1’ in 2019 and took to social media on New Year’s Day to tease that more solo music could be on the cards.
Alongside a snap of himself and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, he wrote on Instagram: “Happy New Year … I hope 2023 brings you everything you ever wanted. Heck who knows maybe even some new music. Have a good one x” (sic)
Towards the end of last year, Liam’s bandmate Louis admitted he thought the boys would only be on hiatus for a “year or two” but it will soon be almost a decade since they began their indefinite break.
He said: “I suppose it’s only a break if we ever get back together!
“When we had the conversations, we never got any real clarity on what it was. And I can remember going into those meetings and saying, ‘You know, I understand – it’s not what I want – but all I would ask is just put a rough time on how long a break.’ And there was never really an answer. So I definitely came out of the band, crossing my fingers thinking, ‘Oh, maybe it’s only going to be like a year or two.’ That’s also why it took me a long time to get over it because I didn’t really know what it was. I think that’s probably stopped me from going into my solo career because I was still just thinking I wanted to be in that band.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Janet Jackson is to carry out #MeToo checks on her next tour.
The 56-year-old pop icon is due to hit the road once more this year for her ‘Together Again’ tour and will reportedly be following in the footsteps of fellow superstar Beyonce by vetting her staff to make sure they have no history of sexual abuse.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Janet is taking a leaf out of Beyonce’s book and is implementing #MeToo checks as she prepares for her Together Again tour. The checks will see everyone from her dancers and bandmates to crew and general staff vetted to ensure they don’t have a history of abuse.”
The insider went on to add that while the move will be an expensive one for the ‘All For You’ hitmaker, but she is prepared to prioritise profits for the sake of creating a safe work environment for such a “massive event.”
The source added: “She also wants a completely non-toxic working environment for all her staff and by implementing these early checks she is eradicating the risk. Janet’s ‘Together Again’ tour is expected to generate over £70million and will be a massive event. A show that big and of the scale Janet plans cannot ­afford anything to happen to it. Janet is determined everyone working on the tour can be completely comfortable and that they are in a safe environment.”
Last year, it was reported that ‘Crazy in Love’ hitmaker Beyonce wanted to make her upcoming ‘Renaissance’ tour “a safe and friendly work environment”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Iggy Pop was almost in AC/DC.
The 75-year-old punk star – whose real name is James Newell Osterberg, Jr – claimed that he could have been part of the rock band alongside the likes of Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson, Stevie Young but was unsure how he would “fit into” their kind of music.
He said: “They had a manager many years ago, when I hadn’t reformed The Stooges, I hadn’t moved to England. And this guy said, ‘Are you interested in joining AC/DC?’ They were looking for a singer. I listened to their record. I thought, I can’t fit that bill,I wasn’t, like, ‘Ugh, I don’t like them.’ It was quite well made. They do careful work, but I’m not what they needed.”
The ‘Lust for Life’ hitmaker went on to add that he did cross paths with the late Bon Scott – who was the lead singer of AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980 at the age of 33 – although he still struggles to remember the circumstances of their meeting because they were so drunk.
He told The New York Times: “I had some wonderful encounter with Bon somewhere, and we were both drunk and stoned. I see pictures sometimes. I go, I don’t remember, but that’s me with Bon. I loved what he did.”
Last year, Iggy recalled the “funny” time in 1973 when he met hitmaker Sir Elton John, who donned a “huge” costume while he was “really out of it” and gave him a shock.
He said: “I was really out of it. I’d done too much on the downside the night before, so I had to be injected madly to get to the point where I could just barely stand up straight and hold the mike. And then I saw this gorilla. I realised it wasn’t a real gorilla, but anyone who puts on a gorilla suit looks huge.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Megan McKenna wants to “prove herself” as a singer.
The 30-year-old star became known as a regular cast member on reality show ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ and previously dated co-star Pete Wicks but in recent years has tried to carve out a career as a musician and is currently setting her sights on country music success.
She told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “I am still judged for doing reality TV but I don’t think that is a bad thing. I feel like I have a chance to prove that I am actually a real artist. With country music, it is all about stories . . . If I had a boring life I wouldn’t have anything good to write about. I thank all my exes and I thank all the drama in my life.”
Megan released her debut album, ‘Story of Me’, in 2018, and she previously admitted that becoming a music star has always been her
ambition.
The former ‘Ex on the Beach’ star – who won ‘ The X Factor: Celebrity’ in 2019 – explained: “It was always my aim to be a singer. I trained at full-time theatre school and went to every
audition going. When I was little, my mum had to drive me all over the UK. TV kind of got me to where I want to be and I’m on my journey with my
music. I’ve always been doing it, but no-ones really known about it and its like, ‘Oh? Is she doing music now?’ and its like ‘I’ve done it my
whole life!’
“I never really wanted to do reality TV. At the time I was auditioning for lots of different things, but I just felt like I had to take what I got offered.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Shania Twain was “standing up for herself” when she wrote ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman.’
The 57-year-old singer released her now-signature tune to critical acclaim in 1999 and reflected that it was a reaction to her starting to feel “okay” about being a woman.
She said: “When the ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’ statement came out, then it was so obvious the song was liberated, independent, human beings. Celebrating your own spirit, and I felt it all through the songwriting. I’m just thinking, this feels like party song. It just made me feel like I’m standing up for myself. I’m not apologetic about all the things that are criticized that I’ve experienced in my own life. That’s too tight, that’s too short, for me to just start even recognizing that I’m okay with being a girl.”
The ‘You’re Still the One’ hitmaker went on to explain that while she did not write the song for any particular reason, it has gone on to belong to “everyone” and “changed” things for her as a country musing singer.
She told WhiskeyRiff: ““I hadn’t written ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’ for any particular person, except for the way I was feeling. It’s like everyone’s song.
And they all take ownership of it in a different way, even regardless of what the song stands for and represents, and has come to represent. ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’ is a signature song for my entire career. This song was absorbed by a global audience, which changed things for me as an artist, of course.
I’m a part of pop culture now. It wasn’t a courageous thing to write this sort of statement, but once I said it, then I’m like, this is very satisfying thing to say, ‘Man, I feel like a woman, and I love that.’”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Black Sabbath star Tony Iommi wants to make another solo album.
The 74-year-old rocker shot to fame as a co-founder of the heavy metal band more than 50 years ago alongside Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward and while he released his debut solo ‘Iommi’ in 2000, he now feels it is time to have another go at his own LP around several other projects.
He said: “It’s been a good year for me, 2022, in parts anyway. I’ve been writing and recording. I’m having a new studio built, which I’m really pleased about. Well, actually, the studio is built, and it’s almost ready to go; I’m just waiting for some equipment. Because of the war [in Ukraine], it’s sort of stopped some of the parts coming through. But we’re almost there. In another couple of weeks, I think I’ll be ready to go in and start work in there, which I’m really looking forward to – writing another album.
“Of course, we’re gonna have the Tony Martin box set and Cozy Powell and Neil Murray. And I’m looking forward to that, because a lot of people have asked about that, which is great. They wanted to see when it’s coming out, when it’s coming out. And we’ve done ’em in succession, really, with these albums. You can’t just bring everything out together; it has to come out in [the right] times. So we’ve had all the original Sabbath stuff come out, box sets, and then we’ve got the Ronnie [James Dio] stuff. And then the next thing will be the Tony Martin and then my solo stuff.”
The ‘Paranoid’ hitmaker went on to add that 2023 is set to be a busy year for him
He told Blabbermouth: “So it’s gonna be busy again. But it’s great. And it’s nice to be doing the interviews and talking about what we did and all the rest of stuff.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Alan Rankine has died at the age of 64.
The Scottish musician and record producer was best known as the keyboardist and guitarist in the rock band The Associates and his passing was announced on Tuesday (03.01.23) by his sons Callum and Hamish Rankine.
They said in a statement on Facebook: “He died peacefully at home shortly after spending Christmas with his family.
“He was a beautiful, kind and loving man who will be sorely missed.”
Alan’s sons said that his Facebook page would be kept live and encouraged people to celebrate his life and music on it because the “community meant a lot to our dad”.
Rankine started his career in the cabaret band Caspian, which would later become The Associates, with the late Billy Mackenzie and the pair recorded three albums together during the early 1980s.
The star left the band in 1982 and went on to establish himself as a producer by working with artists including Paul Haig and The Pale Fountains.
Rankine embarked on a solo career in 1986 and recorded three albums on the independent Belgian label Les Disques du Crepuscule.
The label paid tribute to the musician and described him as a “writer, musician and producer extraordinaire, and in The Associates one half of the finest pop band of the 1980s”.
Alan later lectured at Stow College in Glasgow where he helped students set up their own record label, Electric Honey, which launched the careers of acts such as Belle and Sebastian, Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro.
BMX Bandits songwriter and lead vocalist Duglas T Stewart paid tribute to Rankine on social media.
He wrote on Twitter: “Very sad news today that Alan Rankine has died.
“I first became aware of Alan through The Associates and later got to know him a little.
“Sending love to his family and all who loved him.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Maneskin have released a new mini-documentary on their North American tour.
The Italian rock band – featuring vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio – shared the 36-minute film on YouTube, which gives fans an insight into their lives on and off the stage.
They wrote: “Welcome to our first North American Tour! These last two months on the road have been insane and we can’t wait to come back! But until then, please fasten your seat belts and enjoy our New Year’s present we prepared especially for you.
“Same old pals: dancing Thomas, screaming Dam, contemplative Ethan and loud Vic exploring the finest venues and backstages in North America. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Happy New Year folks!”
Maneskin will release their third album ‘Rush’ in January and previously revealed it was inspired by Radiohead.
Victoria explained: “It’s a new side for our new audience, but we’ve always been playing ballads. That’s always been a big part of our music, so with this one we tried to experiment a bit more with the sound. We listened to a lot of Radiohead where they work a lot with pedals.”
Damiano added: “I think that the inspiration we got from Radiohead was to be very focused on creating a very specific world for each song. It’s something they do very, very well so we tried to create these amazing atmospheres. They really create an image of what you’re listening to, and that gave us inspiration.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Paris Hilton has released a new version of her single ‘Stars Are Blind’.
The 41-year-old socialite first released the reggae-infused track as the lead song from her 2006 album ‘Paris’, and she’s now updated it with new vocals and production and the resulting offering, titled ‘Stars Are Blind (Paris’ Version)’ is now available exclusively on Amazon Music.
Paris announced on Instagram on Friday (30.12.22): “Surprise! I just dropped an updated version of “Stars Are Blind (Paris’ Version).” Check it out exclusively on @AmazonMusic
“This song has always meant so much to me, it felt right to close out 2022 with a refreshed version.
“And seeing my face lighting up Times Square is so special.
“Thank you to everyone who has always supported my music career. I literally have the best fans on the planet and have loved seeing all of your posts about the new song.(sic)”
And Paris teased the single is the start of her musical comeback.
She added: “P.S. More new music to come in the new year [wink face emoji] #NewYearNewP #StarsAreBlind (sic)”
The release came just a few weeks after Paris teased she had a “very exciting announcement” coming up after returning to the recording studio.
She said: “I am back in the studio. I have a very exciting announcement that’s gonna be happening on New Year’s Eve, but I can’t say yet. But it’s a very iconic song.”
The blonde beauty also opened up about her upcoming book ‘Paris: The Memoir’, which is set to be released on March 14, 2023.
She added: “I have been writing my book for over a year now and a lot went into it.
“Just having to think about so many things that happened in my life and it really revealed so much because I’ve always been someone who likes to keep a lot in but in this book I felt it was such an important story for people to hear and people can relate to, and help people as well.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — David Lee Roth says working with Eddie Van Halen was “better than any love affair”.
Although the pair often clashed during their time together in Van Halen, Roth revealed how much he misses his late bandmate, who died in 2020.
Speaking on ‘The Roth Show’, he said: “My dear departed Ed. Boy, I miss him. I had a ball with Ed. Walt Disney once said, ‘You know what? My love affair with Mickey Mouse was better than any love affair with a woman I ever had.’ I’ve gotta tell ya: playing with Ed, writing songs with Ed, presenting those songs with Ed was better than any love affair I ever had.
“And some of those songs, I think, might last forever – or until the last syllable of time, like Shakespeare said. They became anthems. Where are they playing ‘Jump’ right now?”
Roth – who last played with Van Halen in 2015 – also gave an insight into creating ‘Jump’.
He said: “I remember when he played [‘Jump’] on the keyboard downstairs. I said, ‘No.’ Well, we reflect the times, and the times at that time was guitars, guitars, guitars; and ‘Jump’ was one of those hybrids.”
Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Eddie recorded guitar parts for a planned Chris Cornell collaboration.
One of the late Soundgarden frontman’s former collaborators Pete Thorn – who toured with Cornell and played guitar on some songs from his 2009 album ‘Scream’ – claimed the two rockers came close to working together on a track.
Appearing on ‘The Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White Show’ podcast, he said: “They were buddies… Eddie always wanted to do something with Chris, musically.
“He loved his voice and he used to be like, ‘Man, I love him. We were always talking about doing something together.’”
During the ‘Scream’ sessions, Thorn helped produce versions of ‘Long Gone’ and the title track, and it was at this point Cornell thought about getting Van Halen to join them.
He added: “[Cornell and I were] in a parking lot listening to them in my car, I remember, and he looked at me and he said, ‘Hey what do you think if we got Eddie to work on this?’ ”
Cornwell tragically took his own life aged 52 in May 2017.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Melanie C admitted getting back on stage with Victoria Beckham is her “ultimate dream”.
The Spice Girls reformed without the fashion designer for a stadium tour three years ago and while the group – which also includes Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner – had an “incredible time”, they’d love to go on tour again as a quintet.
Melanie said: “We were so beautifully received, we had the most incredible time.
“It was the moment we realised the impact we had had on a generation of people. We are keen to get back on stage, it’s something we continue to discuss. It’s just navigating everybody’s life, work, families.”
Asked if another reunion would include Victoria, she added to The Times’ Saturday Review: “That would be the ultimate dream. The door is always open for Victoria, we would love to see her back. We keep our fingers crossed.”
And the ‘Northern Star’ hitmaker admitted the group would particularly love to perform at the world-famous Glastonbury festival.
She said: “Glastonbury is so magical, and it’s the ultimate British festival without a doubt.
“One day a Spice Girls performance there would be a great thing. We would love to grace that stage.”
Meanwhile, Melanie admitted the sexism the Spice Girls faced in the early days of their career “galvanised” them and they are “very proud” of their Girl Power message.
She said: “It kind of galvanised us because we knew we had a point to prove.
“We went out naively as young women who wanted to make music and have fun, not knowing what we were going to face.
“The Spice Girls gave us an amazing platform to change things. And we did. We opened doors for women.
” It was not all down to the Spice Girls — we were part of a bigger movement — but we were making feminism, which could seem academic and intimidating, more palatable to a younger audience.
“I feel very proud of our legacy. Girl power was about standing strong, being together and proving to the world that being a woman didn’t stop you from achieving anything your heart desired.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Dermot Kennedy wants to write a fantasy novel.
The 31-year-old singer has penned a number of successful songs and explained that he wants to use his writing skills for a book in the style of ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
Dermot said: “I’d love to write a book.
“It wouldn’t be about me. I’d love to go and live in a different world for a bit.
“It’d be Hobbity, I imagine. That’s where I started. Those are the books I fell in love with as a kid. I love the idea of Tolkien – like, not even being here and spending all of his time in that world.”
Books could be a source of income for Dermot, who is struggling to make a profit from touring the US even though he will be performing in New York this summer.
The ‘Giants’ hitmaker told the Straight Up podcast: “I’m playing Madison Square Garden in June and I swear there’s no money to be made.
“It’s, like, 14,000 people. In the grand scheme of things, to tour America is just stupidly expensive.
“At Radio City Music Hall, the last show we played, I think it’s like $75,000 just to be allowed to play a show in the room.
“There’s so many tours I’ve done where you’re like, ‘That was great’, but when you come away from touring for six months, you go, ‘Wow, I essentially made no money.'”
Dermot once worked as a SpongeBob SquarePants impersonator but was happy to do strange jobs as he knew he would make it in the music industry.
Asked if he had confidence in his talent, the Irish singer said: “Yes. I would have stopped otherwise. I’m 31 and I’ve been doing it since I was 16.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Anita Pointer has died.
The 74-year-old singer – who was a member of the Grammy award-winning group Pointer Sisters – died peacefully at her Beverly Hills home in California on New Year’s Eve (31.12.22), where she was surrounded by her family.
Anita’s family said in a statement: “While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter, Jada and her sisters June and Bonnie and at peace. She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us. Heaven is a more loving, beautiful place with Anita there.”
Anita’s representative added to TMZ that her death came after a “somewhat lengthy and heroic battle with cancer”.
The Pointer Sisters group initially featured sisters June and Bonnie as a duo in the late 1960s.
Siblings Anita and Ruth later joined and they released their debut album, ‘The Pointer Sisters’, along with their first hit single, ‘Yes We Can Can’, in 1973.
In 1975 the song ‘Fairytale’, written by Anita and Bonnie, won a Grammy for best country vocal performance.
The success of the song led to the Pointer Sisters becoming the first black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Over the next decade, the group – which continued as a trio after Bonnie left in 1978 – had seven Top 10 singles in the US, including ‘Top ‘Fire’, ‘He’s So Shy’, ‘Slow Hand’, ‘Automatic’, ‘Jump (For My Love)’, ‘I’m So Excited’ and ‘Neutron Dance’.
Anita released her first solo album, ‘Love for What It Is’, and the single ‘Overnight Success’ in 1087.
Anita’s daughter Jada died in 2003 and the singer took in her granddaughter, Roxie McKain Pointer.
She retired from performing in 2015.
Ruth is now the only surviving Pointer Sister as June passed away in 2006, followed by Bonnie in 2020.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — The Foo Fighters will carry on as a band following the death of Taylor Hawkins.
The rock band – who formed in 1994 – mourned the loss of member Taylor when he died at the age of 50 last year but remaining members Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee took to social media on Sunday (01.01.23) to confirm that they will return and continue as a quintet in the future.
A statement posted to Instagram read: “As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us. Foo fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life. And for the past 27 years our fans have built a worldwide community, a devoted support system that has helped us all get through the darkest of times together. A place to share our joy and our pain, our hopes and fears, and to join in a chorus of life together through music. Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were-and without taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward. We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again -and we will soon-he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”
The ‘Best of You’ hitmakers – who cancelled all remaining tour dates when Taylor died but returned to the stage in September for small run of memorial concerts – also vowed that to “always remember” their tragic bandmate as they teased their five million followers that they “can’t see” what is to come throughout the new year.
They captioned the post: “We will always remember Taylor [black heart emoji] Can’t wait to see what you guys bring in 2023”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Taylor Swift is to release a re-recorded version of ‘Speak Now’ in the next “couple of months.”
The 33-year-old pop star initially released the chart-topping record in 2010 but in recent months has been remaking her earlier albums after a dispute with her old label Big Machine Records and has so far released ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ as well as ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ and has been “quietly” re-recording her third and fourth studio albums around preparations for her forthcoming world tour.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “‘Speak Now’ looks set to be the next album in the ‘Taylor’s Version’ series.
Taylor has quietly been in the studio working on remaking both ‘Speak Now’ and ‘1989’. All details are still being ironed out but ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ should be out within the next couple of months, before she kicks off her ‘Eras’ world tour.”
The insider went on to add that the ‘Shake It Off’ songstress is “super focused” on her work and is dedicated to her fans, noting that she did not take a break to enjoy the success of her tenth studio album ‘Midnights’, which was released to commercial and critical acclaim in October 2022.
The source added: “Many other artists would have paused to enjoy the success she has seen with ‘Midnights’ but Taylor is super focused and works around the clock for her fans.”
Last month, it was alleged that the ‘Eras’ stadium tour – which is set to take place around the world from March until August – is anticipated to make a whopping $591 million in ticket sales in the US alone.
According to Billboard, the pop megastar will become the female with the highest-grossing tour of all time with her 2023 jaunt.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Jeremiah Green has died at the age of 45.
The musician was best known as a founding member of rock band Modest Mouse but passed away on Saturday (31.12.22) following a short battle with cancer, the band has confirmed.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Modest Mouse said: “I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out.
I’d like to say a bunch of pretty words right now, but it just isn’t the time. These will come later, and from many people. Please appreciate all the love you give,get, have given, and will get.
Above all, Jeremiah was about love. We love you.”(sic)
News of Jeremiah’s death comes just days after frontman Isaac Brock confirmed that his bandmate had been diagnosed with the disease and had claimed that his treatment seemed to be making a “positive difference.”
At the time, he wrote: “Hi. Some of you may have already heard, but I figured it would be good to hear the news directly from our camp. Jeremiah was diagnosed with cancer a short while ago, and he’s currently in treatment. It seems to be going smoothly and making a positive difference. Jeremiah, as am I, are believers in the power of positive energy, so if you would be so kind as to send “good vibes”( to quote Jeremiah) in the direction of Jeremiah and his family, that’d be great. Thank you and love, Isaac Brock.”
Jeremiah founded the indie rock band in 1993 along with Eric Judy and Isaac and quit in 2003 but returned in 2004 after Johnny Marr had joined the group and achieved mainstream success with chart-topping album ‘We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank’ in 2007 and its successful followup ‘Strangers to Ourselves’ in 2015.
Their most recent record, ‘The Golden Casket’ was released in 2021 and peaked at #87.

Source: IconInsider.com