OHMYGOSSIP — Olivia Rodrigo finds inspiration “at random times”.
The 19-year-old singer has recalled writing the song ‘Happier’ on the set of a show, and she admits that she sometimes finds inspiration when she’s least expecting it.
Olivia – who released her debut album, ‘SOUR’, in May 2021 – told The Hollywood Reporter: “I wrote the song ‘Happier’ by myself and I wrote it on the set of a show that I was filming.
“It’s so funny – inspiration just strikes at random times. I was in between takes and I was like ‘Oh, I have this idea,’ and then I just wrote the song on set. So that’s always fun when you kind of get a lightning bolt of an idea.”
Olivia is currently preparing for her first-ever tour, and the teenage star is particularly looking forward to performing the song ‘Brutal’.
She shared: “[It] hits so hard – I always love being at a concert and really rocking out to a song, so I hope people rock out to that one.”
Earlier this month, Olivia claimed she’s “grown so much” since releasing her debut album.
The singer feels like she’s become a much more confident person because of everything she’s experienced over the last year.
She shared: “The process of making ‘SOUR’, and putting it out in the world really challenged me, and I’ve grown so much, and I’ve learned so much more about myself.
“I definitely feel like I am a more confident person today because of it.”
Olivia admitted that her attitude towards love has also changed.
She said: “I felt definitely differently about love when I wrote ‘SOUR’ versus now. I think when you’re going through a heartbreak like that, you can get really disillusioned with the concepts of relationships.
“But now I’m at a place where I’m so happy that I went through all of that, and have so much love for all of these people that I’ve been in relationships with. And so nice that I got to write songs to help me get through it.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Bruce Dickinson quit Iron Maiden because he wanted to “learn what it was like” outside the band.
The 63-year-old singer departed the heavy metal group in 1993 before re-joining the ‘Fear of the Dark’ hitmakers in 1999, and the star has admitted he felt the need to leave so that people took him “seriously”.
He said: “I just thought that if I stayed with Maiden forever, all I would learn about was what it was like to be in Maiden. And in order to learn what it was like outside Maiden, you have to leave, because, unless you left, nobody would take anything that you did seriously. It would always be, like, ‘Oh, bless him. He’s doing a solo record. Let him have his fun and then he can go back to being in Iron Maiden.’ I hated that. So I thought, ‘F*** it. I’ll just leave.’ And [people said], ‘What happens if your [solo] career doesn’t work out?’ ”
Bruce was willing to take that chance, admitting he wanted to have a go at pursuing solo projects rather than end up being “grumpy” for not trying.
Speaking during his ‘An Evening with Bruce Dickinson’ spoken-word tour show at MTelus in Montreal, Canada, he added: “I said, ‘Well, that’s God or fate saying maybe that’s [for] the best.’ ”
While Bruce is still in the band, he has the best of both worlds as he is also working on another solo record.
In January, the ‘Number of the Beast’ singer admitted he planned to finish up his new solo album – a follow-up to 2006’s ‘Tyranny Of Souls’ – after his North American spoken-word tour wraps.
Bruce explained how once his part is done, he leaves the rest to his long-time collaborator, Roy ‘Z’ Ramirez.
He said: “I am obviously coming over to [America to] do the one-man [spoken-word] show [beginning in late January].
“When I get to the end of the one-man show thing at the end of March, then the idea is I’ve got about three weeks cooling my heels somewhere.
“I’ll lie down in a darkened room for a couple of days and recover from the tour and then put my singing head on and go and have a chat with [longtime collaborator] Roy [‘Z’ Ramirez]. ‘Cause we’ve already got a bunch of material, but we need to organise it a little bit.
“We have demos and everything, but we need to organise it a bit more properly and be a bit more serious about it – maybe write a few more tunes. And then basically leave it down to Roy. [Once] we’ve got what we wanna do, he can go off and start doing backing tracks and things like that.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Liam Gallagher says “boring” U2 should get “into a bit more naughty stuff”.
The former Oasis frontman and rock ‘n’ roll star was recently hailed as “one of the last remaining rock stars” by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, a statement the ‘Everything’s Electric’ hitmaker agreed with.
He responded on Twitter: “He’s correct the rest of them are useless.”
And now, the ‘Some Might Say’ singer has elaborated on what he believes it takes to achieve true rock star status and taken the opportunity to take another cheeky swipe at U2 – who he previously hailed as “toff rock”.
Speaking to ‘Loudwire Nights’ host Toni Gonzalez, Liam said: “I mean, not all of them are [useless], but the majority of them are. The ones that think they’re rock stars are not, they … just live a very boring f****** life, and I think rock ‘n’ roll deserves a little bit more than just making music, you know what I mean? You gotta get out there and get yourself — you just gotta live an exciting life. It’s like U2, they pass themselves as a rock ‘n’ roll band, but what the? Come on, man, I’ve never seen f****** Bono, I mean I’ve never seen any of them do anything remotely rock ‘n’ roll.”
The 49-year-old star – whose arch-nemesis sibling and former Oasis bandmate Noel, 54, is close pals with U2’s Bono – insisted rock stars need to have an “attitude” and not be snowflakes.
He added: “Without a doubt, I think attitude, a lot of people will go, ‘Oh it’s all about music.’ But I disagree, I don’t think it’s all about music. Obviously, you’ve got a certain degree of, your tunes have gotta be decent enough, but I think attitude goes a long way.
“But, people just think that rock ‘n’ roll kind of sounds a bit silly and a bit stupid, but it means a lot to me. I’d rather be that than f****** some politically correct f****** idiot.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — George the Poet is “very passionate” about helping children experience “educational escapism”.
The spoken-word performer has been appointed ‘Culture Conductor’ with Avanti West Coast as part of the train company’s Feel Good Field Trips Campaign – which offers free school trips across its mainland route to 5,000 people – and admitted it is a cause that’s close to his heart.
He said: “Some of our most important learning experiences as children take place beyond the confines of the classroom. Having spent time as a youth worker, helping young people to access a healthy dose of educational escapism is something I’m very passionate about.
“That’s why I’m excited to help kick-start a project that will connect young people from a whole range of different backgrounds to exciting and enriching opportunities that they’ll always remember.”
To kick off the campaign, 10 Year 6 pupils from Ashbury Meadow Primary School joined George on board an Avanti West Coast train from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, where they took part in a poetry workshop, later recording their spoken word piece at Camden’s Soho Sonic Studios.
George added: “I had a fantastic time working with the pupils from Ashbury Meadow Primary School; together we created a brand-new piece of spoken word art and took an in-depth look at the science of sound, the recording process and how technology has evolved.
“I’m thrilled that so many other kids will get the chance to enjoy this kind of hands-on, immersive experience as part of the Feel Good Field Trips campaign.”
The beginning of the campaign – which will run over the next two years – has also seen pupils from COOP Academy in Stoke-on-Trent enjoy a hands-on culinary day on Manchester’s Curry Mile, where they learned about the history of the famous food district before cooking their own vegetarian curry, and Year 7 children from King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy given a tour of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition, ‘Be Yourself: Everyone Else Is Already Taken’ at The Herbert in Coventry, before taking part in a creative workshop.
Avanti West Coast is working alongside Community Rail Partners from within the Community Rail Network, including Community Rail Lancashire, Heart of England and Rail 74 to deliver this campaign, with additional partners set to join the campaign during its two-year roll-out.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — UB40 featuring Ali Campbell are the final act confirmed for Hampton Court Palace Festival 2022.
The legendary group will play the historical landmark on June 9, and fans can expect all the hits, including ‘Red Red Wine’ and ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’.
Last month, Ali and his bandmates played a batch of shows in the UK in memory of UB40’s Astro.
The multi-instrumentalist – who played percussion, trumpet, and sang in the legendary reggae-pop band – sadly passed away after a “very short illness” aged 64 in November.
Ali, 63, said in a statement announcing the shows at the time: “I can’t wait to get back on stage and see all our wonderful fans. It’s going to be incredibly difficult without Astro by my side.
Remembering Astro, let the music play on.
Big love, Ali.”
Hampton Court Palace Festival will also see performances from the likes of Elbow, McFly, Kasey Musgraves, Crowded House, Jack Savoretti, and The Human League.
At the open-air festival, artists perform in an intimate 3,000-seat auditorium in Base Court, set against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s Tudor Palace.
Punters at the shows will be able to picnic in the Palace Gardens, with plenty of street food options available, and there will also be Waterside Gazebos for those wanting to “sit back and relax in luxury”.
The festival is selling exclusive dining and corporate entetainment packages in the palace’s state apartments, including three course dinner, private dining and access to the palace, plus champagne and fine wine.
Tickets for UB40 go onsale at 10am Tuesday, March 29, all other concerts are on sale now, available at www.hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com.

The full schedule is as follows:
Thursday 9th June, UB40
Friday 10th June, Elbow
Saturday 11th June, Elbow
Wednesday 15th June, McFly
Thursday 16th June, George Benson
Friday 17th June, Jack Savoretti
Saturday 18th June, Ministry of Sound Classical
Wednesday 22nd June, Kacey Musgraves
Thursday 23rd June, The Human League
Friday 24th June, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe
Saturday 25th June, Crowded House

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OHMYGOSSIP — James Bay, George Ezra and Anne-Marie are set to play Hits Live Liverpool.
The radio station’s annual music extravaganza is returning to the city’s M S Bank Arena on May 20.
On Friday (25.03.22) morning’s ‘The Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East’ show, a host of chart-topping stars were confirmed for the event.
Joining James – who returned today (25.03.22) with his new single ‘Give Me The Reason’ – ‘Shotgun’ hitmaker George and pop star Anne-Marie are Becky Hill, Clean Bandit, Jax Jones and Joel Corry.
Fleur said “The best time of the year is back….The Hits Live line-up is looking incredible. With so much amazing talent on stage, there’s no doubt it’s going to be a fantastic night. I’m so excited to see the performances. It’s going to be an electric night for everyone, see you there!”
‘Hold Back The River’ hitmaker James – whose last studio album was 2018’s ‘Electric Light’ – will no doubt perform his new single at Hits Live.
Speaking of the track, he said in a Twitter statement: “It’s been a long and winding adventure making all this new music, but every moment was worth it. I love this song, hope you all love it too.”
Tickets for Hits Live are on sale now via Ticketmaster, and for the latest news head to www.hitsradio.co.uk

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Michael Buble has hailed Sir Paul McCartney “a wonderful leader”.
The ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ hitmaker got to work with the Beatles legend on a cover of McCartney’s 2012 solo song ‘My Valentine’ – a love letter to his wife Nancy Shevell – which features on Michael’s new album, ‘Higher’, out now.
And the Canadian star has praised the ‘Let it Be’ hitmaker for lifting the spirits of everyone in the studio.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun newspaper, Michael said: “He lifted everybody, he’s a wonderful leader.
“I’d asked his manager if he wanted to be involved and started working on an arrangement for it.
“The concept I had was, ‘It Was A Very Good Year’ by Frank Sinatra.”
Before heading to the studio together, Michael sent a demo of the track to Macca, 79, and earned his praises.
Michael recalled: “He said, ‘This is wonderful’. He was so sweet. He was really lovely because this song means so much to him as he wrote it for his wife Nancy.”
The ‘Home’ singer also got to duet with his hero Willie Nelson, 88, on a cover of his hit ‘Crazy’, which was popularised by country singer Patsy Cline in 1961.
He gushed: “Willie Nelson is my hero, one of my top ten favourite singers of all time.
“He’s one of the greatest storytellers. His record ‘Stardust’ was a big part of my life.”
The 46-year-old singer – whose last studio album was 2018’s ‘Love’ – hopes he’s done the originals “justice” and believes, as an “elder statesmen” of the music industry, he’s earned the right to work with icons.
Michael added: “You know how they say timing is everything and I think maybe it was my time. Maybe I earned the right to work with these people.
“Not because of talent but because I’ve made 11 records now.
“I don’t want to say I’m an elder statesman, but you know, I’ve been here a while now.
“I think I put enough love and enough reverence in these songs. I hope I earned the right to be able to say that I was responsible in interpreting these songs and doing them justice.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Ed Sheeran and Latin superstar J Balvin have dropped a pair of singles.
The ‘Shape of You’ hitmaker and the Colombian reggaeton singer have released ‘Sigue’ and ‘Forever My Love’, both of which Ed sings in Spanish on.
The former track was produced by reggaeton producer Tainy and is signature Balvin, while the latter ballad is more Ed’s world.
The pair spent a day in the studio after bonding over lunch and afternoon tea – a British tradition – and they have more tracks on the way.
Ed tweeted recently: “I met J Balvin in a gym in New York last year.
“I recognised his voice when he was on the phone so I just went up and said hi.
“We chatted so long we ended up having lunch and then afternoon tea. Then just went to being mates who chatted non-stop.”
The 31-year-old Grammy winner – who previously learned Italian for a version of his song ‘Perfect’ featuring Andrea Bocelli – admitted it was “a proper challenge” getting to grips with the Spanish language.
He added: “I was in New York at Christmas for shows so we decided to have one day in the studio.
“That led to so much more, which you’ll find out about soon.
“But the first two songs we wrote are Sigue and Forever My Love, they are out soon.
“He wanted to bring me into his world, and I wanted to bring him into mine. It was a proper challenge learning Spanish for this.”
Ed recently explained that he has planned lots of collaborations for this year because being a solo artist can be a “lonely” experience.
He explained: “This year is actually going to end up being busier than last year, which I’m really excited about. There’s a lot coming out.
“I’ve wanted to span genres. I had a load of people hit me up in different genres, ranging from metal to drill music, and I just said yes to everything. It’s been a really interesting collaborative process.”
The ‘Bad Habits’ hitmaker has plans to work with a number of big-name artists, as he continues to push his own boundaries.
And the ‘Thinking Out Loud’ hitmaker – who has previously collaborated with the likes of Stormzy, Taylor Swift, Bring Me The Horizon and Camila Cabello – says it’s “quite exciting” to join forces with other musicians.
He added: “It’s quite lonely being a solo artist sometimes and it’s quite exciting, like I did a session this morning at 7am with a guy called Kodak Black who’s from America and after that I did a session with a guy called Kwengface who’s from Peckham.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Doja Cat has claimed she is “quitting” music after a backlash from her Paraguay fans.
The ‘Woman’ hitmaker went on a rant and apologised for not putting on a “good enough show” in Brazil, before changing her Twitter name to “i quit”.
According to screenshots of the since-deleted posts that have been posted by fans on the micro-blogging site, Doja hit back after fans complained about standing outside in the rain to meet the ‘Say So’ star after her Paraguay show was cancelled because of a storm, only for the rapper not to appear.
In response to the claims, Doja wrote: “This s*** ain’t for me so I’m out. Y’all take care.”
The deleted posts include: “There was a storm in Paraguay, the show got canceled. When I left the next morning, there wasn’t one person outside the hotel waiting for me. Let that sink in …I regret spending all the time I did getting ready that day for the show I’ve been busting my a** every day to put on for you but god bless. (sic)”
Responding to fans in another removed post, Doja said “music is dead” and asked to be unfollowed.
She fumed: “It’s gone and I don’t give a f*** anymore.
“I f***** quit, I can’t wait to f***** disappear and I don’t need you to believe in me anymore. Everything is dead to me, music is dead, and I’m a f***** fool for ever thinking I was made for this is a f***** nightmare. Unfollow me.”
She later added: “I don’t think I gave Brazil a good enough show tonight at all and I’m sorry for that but thank you guys for coming out I f****** love you and thank god we got another show tomorrow I promise I’ll do better. (sic)”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Sir Elton John has celebrated his 75th birthday by releasing ‘Diamonds: The Ultimate Greatest Hits’ on streaming platforms.
As the ‘Rocket Man’ himself rings in the milestone, fans all over the world are now able to listen to the 48 tracks – including classics such as ‘I’m Still Standing’, ‘Tiny Dancer, ‘Saturday Night’s Alright’ and ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ – mixed in Dolby Atmos for a “truly spatial listening experience”.
Elton said of his birthday: “I’m not usually one to look back or get nostalgic, but 75 is such a milestone birthday. I’ll definitely find time today to take stock and thank my lucky stars for my wonderful family, friends and career.
I feel unbelievably lucky that at 75 I still love what i do so much – I’m still so energised about music and excited I get to play, listen and talk about this every single day. Being back on the road is a blast and the thrill of playing live is as amazing as it was 50 years ago.
“I have so much to pass on to the new generation of fans and artists alike, and I’m determined to keep giving back to the industry that has given me so much.”
‘Diamonds’ – comprising Elton’s hits spanning 1970 to 2016 – was originally physically released on CD and vinyl in 2017 to commemorate five decades of the ‘Crocodile Rock’ hitmaker’s work with longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.
The triple-platinum collection became one of the biggest selling albums in the UK, a full five years after it first reached the top 5 of the album chart.
It spent 227 consecutive weeks in the Top 75 of the Official Album Charts – 124 in the Top 20.
Elton is also the latest guest on his ‘Cold Heart’ duet partner Dua Lipa’s ‘Dua Lipa: At Your Service’ podcast.
The ‘Your Song’ hitmaker is currently on the road in North America on his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour.
Meanwhile, The 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party is set to take place this Sunday (27.03.22).
Although Elton can’t make it himself, the likes of Lady Gaga, Billy Porter, Eric McCormack and Brandi Carlile will help the singer’s husband David Furnish make the bash a night to remember.
Listen to ‘Diamonds: The Ultimate Greatest Hits’ on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music now.

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Rolling Stones’ legendary ‘Live At The El Mocambo’ concert is being released in full for the first time.
As the iconic rock ‘n’ roll band celebrate their 60th anniversary, Sir Mick Jagger and co are giving fans the chance to own a copy of the live recordings from the pair of secret gigs at the 300-capacity Toronto club in March 1977.
Available on double CD, 4 LP Black Vinyl, 4 LP Neon Vinyl and digitally, the full set from the March 5 show and three bonus tracks from the March 4 show make up the track-listing.
The new mix is by Bob Clearmountain – the producer who worked on the ‘Satisfaction’ group’s 1981 LP ‘Tattoo You’.
Only four of the performances have previously appeared on the ‘Love You Live’album in September 1977.
The first two tracks, ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll’ and ‘Rip This Joint’, are available on digital platforms now.
The Stones’ Toronto club shows came about after a radio contest offered tickets to see the Canadian rock band April Wine, with support from the “Cockroaches”, who were in fact the ‘Paint it Black’ hitmakers.
The set included Muddy Waters’ ‘Mannish Boy’, Bo Diddley’s ‘Crackin’ Up’, ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ and ‘Tumbling Dice,’ and blues classics Big Maceo’s ‘Worried Life Blues’ and Willie Dixon’s ‘Little Red Rooster.’
Those lucky enough to attend got to hear the live debut of ‘Worried About You,’ which went on to feature on ‘Tattoo You’, plus highlights ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and ‘Hot Stuff.’
The ‘Start Me Up’ group famously started out as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey, England, in the 60s.
The live album announcement comes after it was recently revealed that frontman Mick got a thrill out of playing secret club gigs in between stadium shows.
Joe Satriani played with Mick on his solo tour in 1988 and recalled how much satisfaction the rocker got out of playing surprise sets at bars.
He shared: “It seemed like once a month we would find a bar somewhere and we would make a deal with the local band that we would just walk in and take over their gear. And if we needed to bring an extra guitar, we would. But pretty much we plugged in to whatever they had.
“It was always great, just to see Mick turn it on when he’s literally 12 inches away from the audience.
And they can touch him and everything. He loved playing blues songs and rock and roll favourites and stuff. We all got a kick out of it.”
The live album is released in full on May 13.
Pre-order ‘Live At The El Mocambo’ here: the-rolling-stones.lnk.to/ElMocamboSo.

The track-listing for ‘Live At The El Mocambo’ is:
1. ‘Honky Tonk Women’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
2. ‘All Down The Line’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
3. ‘Hand Of Fate’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
4. ‘Route 66’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
5. ‘Fool To Cry’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
6. ‘Crazy Mama’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
7. ‘Mannish Boy’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
8. ‘Crackin’ Up’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
9. ‘Dance Little Sister’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
10. ‘Around And Around’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
11. ‘Tumbling Dice’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
12. ‘Hot Stuff’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
13. ‘Star Star’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
14. ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
15. ‘Worried Life Blues’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
16. ‘Little Red Rooster’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
17. ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
18. ‘Rip This Joint’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
19. ‘Brown Sugar’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
20. ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
21. ‘Melody’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
22.’Luxury’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
23. ‘Worried About You’ (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)

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OHMYGOSSIP — Tributes have poured in for Taylor Hawkins following his sudden death.
The 50-year-old Foo Fighters drummer was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia, where the band had been due to play the Festival Estéreo Picnic and a number of musicians have taken to social media to pay tribute.
Queen guitarist Brian May said: “No. It cannot be. Heartbroken. Taylor, you were family to us. Our friend, our brother, our beloved child. Bless you. We will miss you so bad.”
Ozzy Osbourne tweeted: “@TaylorHawkins was truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans. See you on the other side.”
Nickelback added: “In utter disbelief at the news of Taylor Hawkins. Our deepest condolences to his family, his bandmates, his team, his friends and everyone that was ever touched by the music he created with @foofighters @Alanis and so many others. This is so incredibly sad.”
Gene Simmons said: “Shocked and saddened to hear @taylorhawkins has passed away today.! Our prayers and condolences go out to the Hawkins family, @foofighters friends and fans. Sad.”
Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello wrote: “God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power,” and Slash wrote on Instagram: “Devastated by the loss of our friend #TaylorHawkins I’ve no words to express all the feelings I have about his passing. But my heart goes out to his family. his band friends. RIP Taylor.”
The Offspring said: “Shocked and saddened to hear of the loss of one of rock’s greatest drummers. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Taylor Hawkins tonight.”
Smashing Pumpkins posted a black and white shot of Hawkins and wrote: “Taylor Hawkins. 1972-2022. Our deepest sympathies to Taylor’s family, his fans, and of course his band,” while Finneas said: “So heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins’ passing, what an incredible talent, who didn’t also need to be so kind and generous and cool but was all those things too anyway. The world was so lucky to have his gifts for the time that it did, Rest In Peace.”
Foo Fighters announced Hawkins’ death with a post on Twitter saying: “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins.
“His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.
“Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Placebo were “spun out” by their 20th anniversary tour.
The ‘Try Better Next Time’ group embarked on a global concert series in 2014 to mark their career milestone and although it was “great” that so many people wanted to see them in action, bassist Stefan Oldsal admitted it left him and bandmate Brian Molko feeling “disjointed and disconnected” from their old songs.
He said: “It was supposed to be one year long, that tour. It dragged out to three years.
“That was great, because people wanted to see us. But the relationship that we have with our old material started to become a little bit disjointed and disconnected.
“I think we started to kind of lose a little bit of what it meant to be in a band, or why we’re why we were doing it. It kind of sort of spun us out a little bit, negatively.”
Fortunately, working on their new album, ‘Never Let Me Go’, helped drag Stefan out of the “hole” he found himself in.
He said: “We came to the end of that tour and I felt that, if we were ever going to go on tour again, we needed a new album.
“That’s the raison d’etre. That’s the fuel for us. So, yeah, there was a bit of soul searching going on.
“For me, personally, the making of ‘Never Let Me Go’ enabled me to write myself out of that hole, and get back to why I’m in a band. Why it’s still important for me, and why we still have something to say.
“It’s not that we want to communicate something to people, it’s more that we need to write music. That’s part of our being.”
Although the idea of calling it a day crossed Stefan’s mind, the ‘Nancy Boy’ hitmaker admitted it seemed like an impossibility and returning to writing gradually brought back his passion.
He told Australia’s Double J: “I hadn’t really known my life without Placebo. It started when I was 19. For so long it was a matter of slotting life into Placebo’s schedule. I think that gave me quite a twisted outlook on the meaning of life.
“The band is part of my DNA,” he says. “Even if I wanted to stop, I don’t think I could, because there’s so much of me in this.
“I just remember how I felt when we first started to write together. It just felt so right. And the music that was coming out… I just thought to myself, ‘This is the music that I want to hear’.
“I think a lot of musicians can relate to that, they create music that they’re missing out there. It’s just part of me, music, and I don’t think I could ever let it go.
“Writing again with Brian just kind of brought all that excitement back. That sense of purpose and meaning. It slowly anchored me again.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Kehlani will release her new album on April 29.
The 26-year-old singer has revealed that she will drop the record ‘blue water road’ next month.
She wrote on Instagram: “my new album blue water road out 4/29/22 executive produced by @popwansel pre order now.”
She said in a statement: “blue water road is a destination in my mind. I’m giving everyone access. It’s an emotional journey, a sexual journey, and a spiritual journey. To me, the album is like a glass house. It’s light, transparent, and the sun is shining right through it.”
The album will be a follow-up to 2020’s ‘It Was Good Until It Wasn’t’.
Speaking previously about the pressure to create more music, she told Playboy: “People always want more. They consume at such a high rate. I fully understand that, so the only pressure I can apply is self-imposed. I’m blessed to be able to make so much music. Anybody who knows me knows that work is what I love to do. If I’m not at the studio, I’m home, completely focused on my baby. Then she comes with me to the studio. I don’t feel outside pressure to create and release; I just love creating and releasing.
“I’ve always got something up my sleeve. I have taken this opportunity during quarantine to go extremely inward, cracking down on my spiritual journey and spiritual self and enforcing boundaries I never had. I have a therapist, finally, who I absolutely love, and I have a routine of getting up and praying. I’m in this consistent, deep connection inwardly that I don’t feel like I’ve ever had. I thought I had it. When you’re a spiritual person and you finally find the real deep route to commit to, you always end up being like, ‘Oh, I really thought I was doing the work before.’ Now that I’m really doing the work, I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I was just carrying a bunch of crystals in my pockets.’ The new music I’ve been making is just a reflection of a healthy self, healthy love for the self, healthy love with spirit, healthy love—healthy everything around me. [The music] sounds really refreshing. It feels really refreshing. It feels grown.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Because Of You’ hitmaker Keith Martin has passed away at the age of 55.
The singer – who was best known for writing and performing romantic love songs – was found dead at his home in Quezon City in the Philippines.
His body – which has been formally identified – was discovered lying in bed on Friday (25.03.22). However, a cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Martin – who was born in Washington DC – made his last public appearance on March 12, when he attended a wedding and performed live at the reception, according to Rappler.
Since his death was announced, a number of people within the music industry have taken to social media to pay tribute to the singer.
Music star Kyla tweeted: “In shock and in disbelief.. You will be missed, Keith Martin..
“Thank you for the inspiration. You will leave a legacy of great music that is timeless and will always be remembered. (sic)”
Filipino-American singer Kris Lawrence also took to social media to pay tribute to the late star.
He wrote on Facebook: “Damn…this news is shocking. Gone too soon Keith Eric Martin.
“You will be missed brotha. Your music will live in our hearts forever. (sic)”
Martin started his career in a group called Masquerade, but he ultimately decided to go solo and he released his debut album, ‘It’s Long Overdue’, in 1995.
The biggest hit on the album was ‘Because Of You’. The popular single turned him into a star in the Philippines and that was where he eventually decided to make his home.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Dua Lipa’s third album is “50 per cent done”.
The ‘Levitating’ hitmaker is happy with the progress she’s made on the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ and she’s “very excited” about some of the songs she’s already recorded for the LP.
Speaking to Sir Elton John on her ‘Service 95’ podcast, she said: “It’s starting to feel good.
“It’s starting to take shape. I’m very excited about some of the new songs so it’s always exciting to look forward towards something.”
Dua’s update comes just two months after she said her third album was “still in baby form” and she was “in no rush” to debut new material.
However, she admitted had a firm “vision” for the record and had already chosen a title.
She said: “It has a vision. It has a name, I think—for now. It’s just been fun experimenting. I’m always going to make pop music, but it has its own unique sound, which is exciting and something that feels like a movement from ‘Future Nostalgia’.
“In all honesty, it’s probably not what my fans want to hear – but I’m in no rush to release a new album.”
Meanwhile, FKA twigs recently admitted she needs to get in touch with Dua to finish their duet, which was previously teased during a live stream back in 2020.
She said: “A friend of a friend sent me a voice note of somebody that I’ve never even met, like basically hassling me for that Dua Lipa bump.
“I was like, that’s just like the cherry on top. I’ll just put that on. Why isn’t it on the internet? Honestly, there’s literally no reason. I think there’s actually no reason why we haven’t finished it.
“I don’t even have a reason.
“I’ve been busy doing the mixtape, but maybe I’ll give Dua a little call. Maybe it’s something that we need to – Yeah, we’ll do it.
Yeah, we will. We will do it. We’ll do it. We’ll do it. We’ll do it. Yeah. There’s no reason. I have no explanation.
“I feel like I’m in school, you know when your teacher tells you off and you just have no reason for why you didn’t do your homework?”

Source: IconInsider.com