OHMYGOSSIP — Willow Smith was in a “place of healing” when writing her new album.
The 23-year-old singer/songwriter ‘Empathogen’ record features an “emotional shift” that Willow says was a deliberate attempt to “bring people in”.
She told Variety: “The lyrics, the content, of ‘Coping Mechanism’ was about heartbreak and anger – what I was feeling at that time. You have to feel that and let that out. With ‘Empathogen,’ my emotional shift came with a musical shift to something softer and introspective into a more complex space. I was in a place of healing and trying to find the truest expression of healing.
“I’m trying to bring people in, rather than explode outwards.”
Willow also spoke about why she chose the title ‘Empathogen’ for her latest record.
She said: “Empathogens are certain molecular compounds like MDMA and psilocybin. Certain plant medicines, when you ingest them, they have a deep connection to life. They open your heart to a deeper sense of empathy. While making this album, I was going through a healing process. Going to a deeper place and experiencing different ceremonial environments. Soaking in the beauty of ancient traditions. I wanted my title to express that.”
While Willow is from a famous family, with parents Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and brother Jaden Smith all in the showbiz industry, she admitted she wants to be seen as her own person.
She said: “I will love my family with all of my being and my spirit forever. I think that as soon as you’re born, you’re an individual who needs to make their own decisions. We all have to figure out how to be adults and live our lives as individuals. But I will forever wish to be close to my family in every way.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Slash has confirmed Guns N’ Roses are “trying” to make a new album.
The 58-year-old guitarist has been busy working on ‘Orgy Of The Damned’, a record of mostly blues tracks featuring a string of guest vocalists, and he didn’t want to “drag” his bandmate Axl Rose into appearing on the LP because their group are busy with the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s ‘Chinese Democracy’, on which he didn’t appear.
Explaining why Axl and his The Conspirators collaborator Myles Kennedy don’t feature on his new album, Slash told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper’s Wired column: “It was my own side thing, so I wasn’t dragging my own guys in.
“Guns N’ Roses are trying to make their own record and I’m working with them in that capacity but this didn’t involve anyone else.”
In December, the group released ‘Perhaps’, backed by ‘The General’, which were both recorded around the same time as ‘Chinese Democracy’, just like 2021’s releases ‘Absurd’ and ‘Hard Skool’.
The notorious record was delayed for years and held up by legal issues, while Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum quit the group, and only frontman Axl and keyboardist Dizzy Reed remained.
Slash has previously teased more new music from the hard rock band.
However, he later admitted he and his bandmates hadn’t penned any new material since reuniting.
He said in October 2021: “As far as new Guns is concerned; we haven’t even gotten to that point of really in earnest sitting down and writing.
“We’ve been doing a lot of material that’s been sort of sitting around for a while. So that will be a whole focused endeavour unto itself.”
The band reunited with original members Slash and Duff for the 2016 ‘Not in This Lifetime… Tour’.
Axl, Slash and Duff’s last studio album was 1993 covers record ‘The Spaghetti Incident?’.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Dua Lipa has had to change her tour dances because she keeps “slipping” on her dancers’ sweat.
The 28-year-old singer has fallen over “quite a few times” on stage so her choreography has been altered in order to keep her away from “puddles” of perspiration when she’s performing to minimise her chances of taking a tumble.
Speaking to the SiriusXM Morning Mash Up series, she said: “I fell over on my tour, I think once in Barcelona, once in Milan on the same spot, and it was just the hottest week in Europe.
“And so some of my dancers were just sweating a little bit extra. And so I slipped on a little sweat puddle and we kind of had to change the choreo so I don’t get a little puddle of sweat right where I’m about to start dancing.”
But the ‘Houdini’ singer always expects to come off stage with minor injuries.
She added: “It’s all part of the experience. You got to get a little bruised.”
Dua recently appeared in ‘Argylle’ opposite the likes of Henry Cavill and John Cena but although she had “so much fun” making the movie, it seems unlikely it’s going to launch a new career path for her because she currently “can’t even imagine” doing anything else that would take her away from music.
Asked about her next movie project, she said: “I have no idea…I’m so focused on music that I just don’t know if film is really the route that I want to go down.
“I’m not sure. I loved [‘Argylle’] and had so much fun, but I’m so focused on music and the tour that I can’t even imagine [doing more].”
The ‘Levitating’ hitmaker wasn’t upset by the mixed reviews for the film.
She said: “I kind of don’t care. I also just got to let everything happen.
“It doesn’t really affect me unless it’s something that I don’t know completely goes against something that I believe in.
“There are so many stories, whether I’ve dated someone or whatever, that’s just not true. But I don’t care enough to just say – it’ll be a bigger story for me to try and debunk it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — New Kids On The Block singer Jordan Knight has confessed he no longer listens to albums – despite the boy band veterans returning with a new record.
The 53-year-old star has revealed he hasn’t purchased an LP since 2008 – and he misses the experience.
He confessed to Record Collector magazine: “Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak, in 2008. Sad to say, I don’t buy albums anymore, or listen to artists’ whole body of work. There’s something about it that I miss.”
The pop group – completed Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood – surprised Blockheads (their fans) by announcing their follow-up to 2013’s ’10’, which arrived earlier this week.
The ‘Step by Step’ hitmakers – who inspired future boy bands including Take That, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC – supplied fans with “pop anthems, dance tracks, love songs and grooves.”
DJ Jazzy Jeff is featured on ‘Get Down’, whilst ‘Old School Love’ is a collaboration with 80s singer Taylor Dayne.
The songs are penned by Wahlberg and McIntyre.
The former said: “It’s the most mature album we’ve ever made.
“Yet it’s the most fun and most comfortable album we’ve ever made.
“This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle.
“It’s about hope and possibilities and being ourselves.”
McIntyre added: “It says a lot about any band to make a record that has energy and passion and lightness and fun and depth – after almost 40 years together? It’s crazy.”
Meanwhile, the group are embarking on ‘The Magic Summer Tour’ – a nod to their 1990 stadium tour – in June and bringing special guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff with them.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Camila Cabello admires Lana Del Rey for “exposing the human underbelly” in her candid lyrics.
The former Fifth Harmony star, 27, got to perform with idol Lana, 38, at Coachella last month, where the pair performed Camila’s latest tune, ‘I Luv It’, and she has gushed over the ‘Born to Die’ hitmaker for being brutally honest about “f***** up feelings”.
Breaking down the track, Camila told Genius: “Embracing these f***** up feelings. Especially in pop that’s necessary cause everything feels so clean-cut and black and white. And I really like music where you’re exposing the human underbelly. That’s why I love Lana so much, cause I feel like it’s a whole human as opposed to, like, ‘And ta-dah!”
Despite the two pop stars clearly having a lot of love and respect for each other, Lana faced a backlash in 2020 after she made comments on the topic of equality after likening herself to stars such as Camila, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, and Beyonce in a post about feminism.
She wrote on social media: “Now that Doja Cat, Ariana [Grande], Camila [Cabello], Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f****** cheating etc – can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money – or whatever I want – without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorizing abuse?????? (sic)”
Lana later added: “There has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me – the kind of woman who says no but men hear yes.”
She was forced to respond and argued her comments weren’t related to race.
Lana said: “And my last and final note on everything — when I said people who look like me — I meant the people who don’t look strong or necessarily smart, or like they’re in control etc.
“it’s about advocating for a more delicate personality, not for white woman — thanks for the Karen comments tho. V helpful. (sic)”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Staind and SOiL drummer Jon Wysocki has died aged 53.
The founding member of the former ‘It’s Been Awhile’ group – who quit in 2011 and soon joined the latter band – reportedly passed away on Saturday (18.05.24), and is said to have battled liver problems, but no cause of death is known at this stage.
SOiL wrote on social media: “Today we lost one of the greats. Jon Wysocki was not only a great friend, a great drummer, but a great human being. It was an honor to have him in SOiL for the time we did. We had so many laughs, so many good times. You will be missed dearly. Until we meet again dear friend….. (sic)”
Nu-metal rockers Staind posted: “We first met Jon through mutual friends in 1994. We came together with Mike, Aaron, and Johnny April in 1995 and founded Staind. The 17 years that followed were some of the best memories of our times together.
“From practice in Ludlow, Mass to touring around the world, Jon was integral to who we were as a band. Our hearts go out to Jon’s family, and fans around the world who loved him.”
Despite the tensions that led to his departure, frontman Aaron Lewis had said he would have welcomed Jon back with open arms.
And in an emotional tribute following his passing, the 52-year-old singer admitted he was like a brother to him and his “heart is broken”.
He wrote: “I’m so sad. I lost my friend. A friend I loved like a brother… fought with like a brother… cared for like a brother… worried about like a brother… cried over like a brother… because he was my brother in arms. My journey would’ve been different without him.
“The battles we fought together. The battles we fought against each other. The battles we fought side by side alone with our own demons. The battles we won and the battles we lost. He was my friend. He was our brother. My heart is broken. My world has changed.
“I’ll see you on the other side my friend. My brother. Godspeed. My heart, my love, and my condolences go out to his family and loved ones. I’m so f***ing sad. He will be missed.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Lil Nas X has spoken out on ‘Old Town Road’ being banned from a US country chart – and insists he’s “happy” for Beyonce after her record-breaking success with country chart-topper ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’.
Despite the 25-year-old trap star holding the title for the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 chart hit with the 2019 viral country-trap tune – the remix of which features country music legend Billy Ray Cyrus – Nas X’s tune was removed from Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, because it did “not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current form.”
Whilst the American charts giant insisted this had nothing to do with race, it certainly raised some eyebrows.
The singer hasn’t been put off, however, telling the BBC, he’s been “trying out some country [sounds] here and there over the last couple of years.”
He added: “But I wish this would have happened for me. I wasn’t even able to experience this.”
After praising 42-year-old idol Beyonce’s success with her country tune from ‘Cowboy Carter’, he insisted: “I want to feel connected to it and not force it.”
At the time, Cyrus told him to take it in his stride and see the removal as a “compliment”.
He posted to then-Twitter (X): “@LilNasX Been watching everything going on with OTR. When I got thrown off the charts, Waylon Jennings said to me “Take this as a compliment” means you’re doing something great! Only Outlaws are outlawed. Welcome to the club! (sic)”
Meanwhile, Nas X has released the candid documentary, ‘Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero’, on digital platforms and made it available to rent, which “follows the Grammy-winning and trailblazing, rapper, singer, songwriter, Lil Nas X, over 60 days as he embarks on his first ever tour across North America on his debut album tour Long Live Montero.”
And the ‘Industry Baby’ star – whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill – has confessed he felt like an “impostor” on the road.
He explained: “In rehearsal it didn’t feel like the real thing yet. I felt like I was going out there and putting on my best impression of a person [on tour].
“I’d [ask myself], ‘What am I doing up here? This doesn’t feel right’. It wasn’t like talking to people online. There were actual human beings in front of me. It was weird.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Adele says Sabrina Carpenter’s mega-hit ‘Espresso’ is her “jam” as she relates to the line, “I’m working late, cause I’m a singer.”
The 36-year-old Grammy winner was performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as part of her ‘Weekends with Adele’ residency at the weekend, when she shared how much she loves the 25-year-old pop star’s viral tune.
The ‘Hello’ hitmaker also confessed she nearly had a wetting accident because her body is just getting used to the time zone in Sin City, and being onstage until late after she took a break due to vocal rest.
She the audience: “I nearly [wet] myself because my whole body clock was out of sync.
“So being on stage at 11:30, I was desperate for a pee. But I’m always, you know, [going] back to the hotel, in the hotel, whatever, by, sort of like, 11:10 at the latest. And then I have to warm my voice down, then I have a steam shower and things like that.”
She continued: “As I got into bed last night — cause that’s a very late night for me, normally I’m in bed by 9pm— I found myself singing, ‘I’m working late, ’cause I’m a singer,’ ” she continued, singing the words to the chart-topping song “Espresso.” “That Sabrina Carpenter song! ‘I can’t relate to desperation.’ That song is my jam!”
The ‘Easy On Me’ hitmaker was gutted that she couldn’t sing along to ‘Espresso’ when she was on her vocal rest as she couldn’t talk.
She added: “It came out and I couldn’t talk!
“It came out when I couldn’t talk or sing, so since my voice has come back, all last night and this morning that’s what I’ve been singing.”
She then quipped: “From tomorrow, it will be like, ‘I’m sleeping late ’cause I’m a singer,’ because that’s what I’m gonna do tomorrow.”
Sabrina hilariously responded: “All i read was Adele thinks about me in bed. (sic)”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Troye Sivan wants to collaborate with Ariana Grande “for the rest of my life”.
The ‘Rush’ hitmaker and ‘We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)’ hitmaker are close pals and have released two tracks together, ‘Supernatural’ and ‘Dance To This’, whilst he also famously appeared in her iconic ‘Thank U, Next’ music video.
Speaking in a video for Magnum’s Cannes Party as part of their Wherever Pleasure Takes You campaign, he said: “I want to collaborate with Ariana Grande for the rest of my life … I think she’s like the dream collaboration.”
Troye – who teamed up with the ice cream giant to share three new remixes of his track ‘Honey’ – previously gave an insight into what Ariana is like and hailed her the “most real person” he’s ever met.
In a feature for TIME magazine, he penned: “Through just about the craziest storms and whirlwinds I can imagine, Ariana Grande remains the most real person I’ve met. I’ve always thought the world is privy to actual, genuine emotion—be it heartbreak, empathy, generosity, resilience, strength—and I believe that’s exactly why the world keeps falling deeper in love with Ariana.”
He gushed: “When I, like so many, have been inspired by that resilience, love, care and heart in someone I’m lucky to call my friend.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Songer has never tried to “chase hits” in his career.
The 23-year-old rapper is known for his hits like ‘Together’ and ‘Vino Bandit’ but insisted that whenever he plays in front of a crowd, he prefers to perform album tracks because that seems to be what his fanbase prefers.
He told NME: “If you came to my shows, obviously towards the end you’ve got ‘Toxic’ and ‘Vino Bandit’. But the majority of the songs that go off, and have people screaming the lyrics to, they’re not the hits, they’re the album records. I’ve always just wanted to be an album artist and not chase hits.”
The ‘Endlessly’ hitmaker – whose full name is James Songer – explained that he would rather “get bigger and bigger” in a way that accurately depicts who he is as because he came from an ordinary background away from show business.
He said: “I’d rather grow and get bigger and bigger in an accurate representation of who I am, and it’s not like I come from a bloodline of money or anything close to that at all, my dad just worked the same job for 35 years until he was probably two off the top. He worked hard for me so the least I can do is acknowledge it.”
He added: “I’d rather grow and get bigger and bigger in an accurate representation of who I am, and it’s not like I come from a bloodline of money or anything close to that at all, my Dad just worked the same job for 35 years until he was probably two off the top. He worked hard for me so the least I can do is acknowledge it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — David Sanborn has died at the age of 78.
The Grammy Award-winning saxophonist had spent his career playing with the likes of music legends such as Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, and David Bowie but was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and even though he had planned to continue performing, he succumbed to the disease on Sunday (12.05.24) afternoon.
A statement posted on his Instagram read: “It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, six-time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.
“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025.”
David contracted polio in his youth and began playing the saxophone after a medic suggested that it could strengthen his weakened chest muscles and improve his breathing and by the late 1960s, he had joined The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
He performed with them at the Woodstock music festival, but later carved out a career on the jazz scene, releasing 26 solo albums between 1975 and 2015.
The statement remembered David – who is survived by his wife Alice Soyer, a fellow performer – as a “seminal figure” in his field.
It concluded “David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he “put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Beach Boys are hopeful Brian Wilson can make new music with them.
The 81-year-old musician has been placed under a conservatorship after the death of his wife, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, due to struggling with a “major neurocognitive disorder”, but his cousin and former bandmate in the ‘Good Vibrations’ group, Mike Love, 83, says his musical abilities are still intact and they’d love to get in the studio again.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme, Mike said: “We got together at Paradise Cove (in Los Angeles) at the end of the documentary.
“He was remembering things I’d forgotten about our high school days. His long-term memory is right there.
“His musical abilities, as long as he’s alive he’ll have those, but he does need medical supervision and care. His wife did take care of that.”
The band are promoting their Disney+ documentary, ‘The Beach Boys’, which hits the streaming platform on May 24, and the ‘God Only Knows’ hitmakers see it as a “new beginning”.
Mike continued: “He (Wilson) knows that he needs the help but we’re still able to get together and we‘re going to see each other soon.
“It’s not so negative as it sounds. As long as he’s cared for properly. He’s seeing his children… he’s being well taken care of.”
Band member Bruce Johnston, 81, said: “I think once Brian and Mike sit round the piano and just the magic, you can’t stop it”.
Mike said: “It’s a brand new day now and I’m hoping we can do something together – all of us – and it’ll be great.”
The 60s’ surf rock legends – who have had a tumultuous past – have toured as two separate groups, with Brian and Al Jardine, 81, performing together.
And Mike has been keen for a proper reunion for several years.
He told Rolling Stone in 2018: “Anything that’s creative and done for positive reasons is good with me.
“We will continue thinking about stuff like that and see what we can do.”
He also previously said he’d like to see them reunite at Glastonbury.
The ‘I Get Around’ hitmaker sees the group playing the world-famous festival’s Sunday afternoon legends slot at Worthy Farm in Somerset, south west England, which has seen the likes of Lionel Richie, Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb, Jeff Lynne, Dolly Parton and Dame Shirley Bassey perform over the years.
He was adamant that there is no bad blood between him and Brian, and that he’d been communicating with him following his emergency back surgery and subsequent “mental health concerns”, which forced him to postpone his ‘Pet Sounds And Greatest Hits’ tour in 2019.
They last performed with Brian on their 50th anniversary tour in 2012.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sir Ringo Starr has credited “workaholic” Sir Paul McCartney for The Beatles’ success.
The 83-year-old drummer credited his former bandmate for continuing to push the group – which also included the late John Lennon and George Harrison – forward as he doesn’t think they’d have made as many records as they did if it weren’t for the ‘Pipes of Peace’ singer constantly encouraging them, even amid tensions in their later years.
Speaking to Dan Rather for AXS, Ringo said: “No no, we didn’t get along. We were four guys, we had rows. It never got in the way of the music no matter how bad the row was. Once the count in, we all gave our best. And that was a little later, too, which I think it was a natural thing, you know.
“Suddenly, we’ve got lives and I’ve got children and you know, the effort that we put in cause we worked really hard was starting to pale a little and we always thank Paul to this day.
“Because of Paul, who was the workaholic of our band, we made a lot more records than John and I would’ve made,” the “Photograph” performer said. “We liked to sit around a little more and then Paul would call ‘Alright lads’, and we’d go in.”
The musician admitted he and his bandmates kept one another “straight” and he was always grateful they could rely on each other for support.
He said: “I think it’s all part of where we came from. I always give credit that there was four of us all from the same city and we would look at each other, you know one of us would be freaking out or being a big shot and three other people would go ‘Excuse me’ and that kept us straight.
“You know it’s interesting because the time we met Elvis, I really thought ‘How sad that he’s on his own’. He had all those people around but he was on his own. I had three great mates.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Ed Sheeran surprised pupils at a primary school in Brighton by performing at their assembly.
The Grammy winner was a special guest at Fairlight Primary and Nursery School in East Sussex last week, where he performed a three-song acoustic set, including mega-hit ‘Perfect’, before a motivational Q+A with the students.
He also donated several of his guitars to the school.
The visit was organised by Create Music – the Music Hub for Brighton and Hove and East Sussex – which is “transforming lives by giving children, young people, and adults the lifelong gift of music.”
Photographer Sadie Avard captured the surprise event and shared on Instagram: “Still pinching myself as a new photographer to the industry that yesterday really happened! I had such an surreal opportunity to meet and photograph @teddysphotos during his visit at Fairlight Primary School.”
The 33-year-old superstar gave some sage advice to students who don’t enjoy school.
Avard added: “His main message was not to be disillusioned by school if you don’t [quite] fit the expectations of academic life.
“Don’t let it stop you from pursuing the things you love and turning them into your career. To find inspiration from others in the industry and work even harder than they do to become the best.”
Peter Chivers, director of Create Music, said: “Ed shares our belief that lives can be transformed by the power of music. We are so grateful for his support and for the generous donation of instruments to help other budding musicians on their way.”
The chart-topper is passionate about supporting young people and their creative education, having donated £1 million to the art department at his old school.
Ed has also previously offered financial assistance for photography and computer studies at his old school, as well as giving music equipment to a primary school and funding bursaries for families who cannot afford fees.
The ‘Shape of You’ hitmaker previously discussed his incredible wealth and insisted he always wants to give back.
He told OK! Magazine: “It is ‘earn a penny, spend a penny’ with me. As soon as it comes in, it goes out. I don’t have that much value on it. I place more value on my friends and family being OK. A lot of my money goes to charity or to children’s hospitals near where I live. I have enough to be comfortable and the rest goes to help people.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Zayn Malik has teased he “might” drop another album “pretty soon”.
The former One Direction star returns this Friday (17.05.24) with his fourth solo album ‘Room Under The Stairs’, and he has revealed he’s always making tunes and might have a follow-up on the way in the not-so-distant future.
In an interview with Nylon magazine, he said: “I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m working on a lot of music, and I might even be releasing another record pretty soon.”
The 31-year-old star can make a tune within a day and some of the tracks on the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Nobody Is Listening’ date back a few years.
He said: “I like to bounce from one thing to another.
“It happens fast for me: I get a vibe, I’ll write a song in two or three hours, and I’ll have the whole thing cut that evening.”
The country-tinged record is inspired by ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ singer Chris Stapleton.
Zayn shared: “I was pretty much on my farm having a glass of whiskey and listening to a bit of Stapleton by the fire with my dog, playing guitar.
“I’m proud of it. I think it shows a certain level of intellect, to be a bit ahead of the curve.”
Country is a big commodity in the mainstream right now, with the likes of Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Post Malone leading the charge.
However, the ‘What I Am’ singer insists it’s a coincidence he’s releasing a country record when the genre is trending.
He said: “People need to know I didn’t jump on the bandwagon.”
Zayn believes the reason country is proving to be a hit is because music fans love the “depth from the lyrics”, which they don’t get with some of the “wishy-washy” chart music today.
He suggested: “People are in search of a little bit more depth from the lyrics. In the Top 40 charts, a lot of mainstream music feels a bit wishy-washy.
“The songs are f****** fire. You know what I mean? They’re catchy. They’re playing on the radio, and they do their job, but people are looking for a little bit more.”
As well as Stapleton, Zayn drew inspiration from country legend Willie Nelson, and loves the maturity and class of their lyrics.
He added: “I could really hear their lyrics and their pain and their growth and the life lessons.
“I didn’t feel like there was a Chris Stapleton song that comes on and he sounds like a f***boy, right? He doesn’t do it! He’s not out here saying, ‘B****** in the club! We’re drinking Bacardi!’ Or whatever these young kids use now.
“He’s not like that. He’s got class, right? He’s telling you a real grown man’s story. And I respected the f*** out of it. I was like, ‘This is cool. It’s something I can do.’”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Jon Bon Jovi and Shania Twain have recorded personal interviews with Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary for his ‘Reel Stories’ series.
The Bon Jovi frontman, 62, and the ‘You’re Still the One’ hitmaker, 58, had 45 minutes to “speak candidly about the highs and lows they have experienced on the road to stardom.”
As they discuss their careers, they will look back at live performances, interview, and news footage from some of the “most significant milestones in their remarkable careers.”
Jon said: “Dermot was a great conversation, and he took me on a trip thru some very special memories. It was incredible to see the band’s 40-year journey on the screen in a theatre. And what a wonderful coincidence that my sister Shania was there filming on the same day, I look forward to seeing her journey on what will be a great episode .. Thanks Dermot!!”
Shania said: “What a wonderful concept. I loved the setting of the old cinema in London – it was a real cosy chat with Dermot, and I loved the trip down memory lane together – you never know what’s popping up next as the artist, so it’s a lot of fun. Neat that Jon was going in to do the same thing with Dermot on the same day. I can’t wait to see his episode. We are such great friends, and he is so talented as an artist.”
Dermot, 50, commented: “To sit down with two music icons, that we recorded on the same day, was very special indeed. Two very different stories, but ones that share a drive, hunger, ethic and a heap of talent, plus two very engaging and warm, fun personalities. I hope fans and casual viewers alike find them as engaging and enlightening as I did.”
Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor of Pop Music TV, added: “Reel Stories gives us the opportunity to take an extended trip down memory lane alongside some of our favourite musicians. Jon Bon Jovi is the ultimate rock god and has been adored by UK music lovers for decades, so viewers will love seeing him relive so many memories on the big screen. Shania Twain is one of the biggest-selling artists of all time who continues to be as important today as ever. With country music the genre of the moment, what a time for her to be making her Glastonbury debut, which will be watched by millions on the BBC. It’s a privilege to be able to bring these fascinating journeys, in the artists’ own words, to audiences this summer.”
‘Reel Stories: Jon Bon Jovi’ and ‘Reel Stories: Shania Twain’ will be broadcast as part of separate themed nights on BBC Two this June.
The likes of Dave Grohl, Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher, Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams, Sir Rod Stewart, Sting and Take That have had their own ‘Reel Stories’ episodes.

Source: IconInsider.com