OHMYGOSSIP — Damon Albarn wanted to cancel Blur’s second Wembley Stadium comeback show – because he was “not into going onstage”.
The ‘Parklife’ hitmakers – comprising Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree, Graham Coxon and Alex James – got back together for their first album in eight years, ‘The Ballad of Darren’, and a number of live shows, including two triumphant sold-out concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium, last year, however, frontman Damon has confessed he was all set to pull out of the second night, until he saw the masses of fans walking up to the venue.
Speaking to KROQ during Coachella weekend one, he spilled: “I never thought I’d love Wembley. The first night was great, and then the next night, I didn’t want to do another gig. I was trying to find reasons to cancel it. I was sitting in a hotel at Wembley Park, like a Travelodge or something, and I was watching these people coming in and I was like, ‘Well I can’t cancel that.'”
He continued: “And it was actually, maybe the best gig in that time that you could ever, ever dream of having. But it was weird, I was really not into going onstage, and then I was onstage, and it was very nice to do that.”
Elsewhere, bassist Alex James teased their upcoming documentary about their return with their Wembley shows and releasing ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, their first studio album in eight years.
He said: “It’s eight years since we last did anything – even when we actually split up, it didn’t take that long to get it together. So there was a certain amount of jeopardy potentially at the beginning, trying to make a new record at this stage of your career. Most bands don’t even like each other 30 years in, let alone make decent records. I suppose there’s a lot to blame for. I guess if you like the band, it’s a good band. We filmed the shows at Wembley, and I never thought we’d top Glastonbury 2009.”
There’s also a concert film in the works.
The raucous response the Britpop legends received on home turf was nothing like the lacklustre crowd at their Coachella set at the weekend, with Damon informing them the band won’t be returning to the California festival, after the audience stayed silent during their performance of ‘Girls and Boys’, despite his calls for them to sing along.

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OHMYGOSSIP — RAYE has called out the “evil, manipulative, nasty things happening” to struggling songwriters.
The ‘Ice Cream Man’ hitmaker has once again called out the abysmal earnings top songwriters are making from their craft, and how it’s particularly impacting working-class lyricists who are struggling to make ends meet.
Speaking to Rolling Stone at Coachella, she said: “We’re all here at Coachella essentially to watch songs we love, hear the lyrics and the melodies that we love.
“And there are some incredibly, stupidly, ridiculously talented people who can’t pay their rent who are writing the songs. And it’s incorrect, and it’s wrong. It is just evil if I’m going to be transparent.”
The ‘Escapism’ hitmaker – who parted ways with her record label Polydor Records after accusing them of refusing to release her albums and went on to relaunch her career as an independent artist and have record-breaking success with her acclaimed LP ‘My 21st Century Blues’ – says those who come from working-class backgrounds are the ones with the realest and relatable stories to tell, so it’s perplexing why they are not being paid enough for their service and are made to feel like “expendable parts”.
She asked: “Are we saying now that if you’re rich and you come from wealth and from money that you can be a songwriter because you can keep yourself afloat? You can do it for passion for the love?”
RAYE continued: “But I’m saying some of the best songwriters we have come from real life, real working-class backgrounds. And that’s where some of the best stories are. We’re listening to music is a commentary on the human experience. That’s where the songs are. And you’re going to treat those people like expendable parts? Evil, manipulative, nasty things happening.”
The ‘Prada’ hitmaker recently shared the disheartening breakdown of how singers and songwriters are paid.
She said: “Every single song that’s released in the world, there are 100 royalty points.
“The label will take, say, 80 points. The artist, in a good deal, will take maybe 20, 15, or maybe 12 and then producers get four points, but it has to come out of the artist’s points.
“And the songwriter doesn’t even get one point. It’s disgusting, the whole industry is disgusting. That’s one little example of what goes on behind closed doors where there is no accountability.”
RAYE – who has written hits for the likes of Beyonce, Little Mix, John Legend and Rihanna – admitted the situation “makes [her] very angry”.

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Cult are set to embark on ‘The 8424 Tour’ in celebration of their 40th anniversary.
Fans can expect to hear songs from all 11 albums in their discography when the post-punk legends bring their raucous live shows to the UK and Europe in October and November.
Guitarist Billy Duffy said: “Following up from the great energy of Death Cult 8323 shows, I’m looking forward to bringing that sense of celebration of the band’s music, and the communion with our fans, to Cult 8424. CFFC. Let the ceremony commence!”
The UK run kicks off in Leicester on October 21, before heading to Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, and London, concluding with a date at the legendary Royal Albert Hall on November 4.
Tickets go on general sale on Friday, April 19 at 10am BST via https://myticket.co.uk/artists/the-cult.
The ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ rockers celebrated the 30th Anniversary of their ‘Sonic Temple’ album with a sold-out world tour and Box Set in 2019.
The Cult have had various lineups over the years; the longest-serving members are vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, who are also the band’s two main songwriters.
After a six-year hiatus, the ‘Spiritwalker’ hitmakers returned with new album ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ in 2022.
Late last year, the duo reformed Death Cult for a series of live performances including a one-off US date at The Theatre at The Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, as well as a limited UK run, including a series of sold out shows at the Brixton Electric.

The Cult’s 2024 UK tour dates:
Mon 21 – Leicester De Montfort Hall
Tue 22 – Swansea Arena
Thu 24 – Edinburgh Usher Hall
Fri 25 – Manchester O2 Apollo
Sun 27 – Bristol Beacon
Tue 29 – York Barbican
Wed 30 – Newcastle O2 City Hall
NOVEMBER 2024
Fri 01 – Portsmouth Guildhall
Sat 02 – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Mon 04 – London Royal Albert Hall

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OHMYGOSSIP — Glastonbury has announced the lineup for the Field of Avalon stage, which the organisers have hailed a “gender equal line-up”.
The likes of ‘Shout’ hitmaker Lulu – who is playing her final show on the Avalon stage – Baby Queen, Caity Baser, Lucy Spraggan, Shaznay Lewis, and Kate Nash lead the ladies on the bill, alongside Frank Turner, The Feeling, New Model Army, The Magic Numbers, and Skindred.
The Glastonbury website announcement reads: “Expect days of eclectic music representing the best in the world of contemporary, roots and folk music, a gender equal line-up and intimate, never-forget Glastonbury moments when you visit the Field of Avalon.”
Emily Eavis – who co-organises the world-famous Somerset festival with her father Michael – previously vowed to address the lack of female artists at Glastonbury, especially in the top slots, and this year there are two female headliners after there was a backlash over Guns N’ Roses, Arctic Monkeys and Sir Elton John closing out the Pyramid Stage in 2023, whilst Lizzo performed before Axl Rose and co.
She told Glamour magazine: “I think everyone knows that we’re trying harder than most, certainly extremely hard to address (the gender balance of acts), and I’ve been very vocal about it.
“I’m trying my best and, believe me, it’s a real, passionate subject of mine. I’ve been trying to raise the flag around gender and festivals for a long time. But we can only do so much.
“I just do what I think is right. Because I don’t have an agenda, I’m just trying to do the best thing for the festival and make it as fair and equal and brilliant as possible.”
Glastonbury takes place between June 26 to June 30 at Worthy Farm, and will see headline performances from SZA, Dua Lipa and Coldplay.
Shania Twain will play the Sunday afternoon legends’ slot.
Also on the bill are US rockers The National, indie group Idles, K-pop act Seventeen, Avril Lavigne, The Streets, Camila Cabello, Sugababes and The Last Dinner Party.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Clean Bandit star Grace Chatto claims she has been treated differently to her male bandmates.
The ‘Rather Be’ hitmaker and cellist of the pop group – also comprising Jack and Luke Patterson – has spoken out about her experience of sexism in the music industry.
She told Voir magazine in a cover interview: “Being the only girl in the band, you notice different treatment of us individually, which, at first, I was completely unaware of, but over the years noticed certain differences.”
The 38-year-old musician also teased their next single features a mystery artist Clean Bandit – who have released tracks with the likes of Demi Lovato, Julia Michaels, Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne and Zara Larsson, Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Craig David, and Charli XCX – have previously worked with.
She said: “Well, I can’t really reveal the singer that we’re about to release with, but I can say it’s someone we worked with before, which is amazing, because that last time was one of the best experiences of my whole career, so I’m really excited about this.
“We love the song more than any other song we’ve released in many years. Our energy is fully renewed every time we hear it.”
The ‘Tick Rock’ hitmakers – whose last studio album was 2018’s ‘What Is Love?’ – love it when they get to work in the studio with their collaborators rather than have them phone it in, and get a thrill out of directing and editing their own music videos.
Grace said: “I think the best experiences have been when we’ve written songs together with singers, like Julia Michaels, who featured in ‘I Miss You’. That was such an organic process and such a pure experience.
“Often with other songs, we write and finish them, and then think about which voice would be perfect. That’s really fun as well because we send them out and see who likes them.
“I think a lot of people think we just direct them [the videos] and don’t have that much to do with it, but we have been really hands on with every element, and we edit them ourselves as well.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Beatles’ iconic documentary film ‘Let It Be’ is set to be made available on Disney+ for the first time in more than 50 years.
Helmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the original 1970 film – which was released in tandem with the 12th and final studio album by the ‘Penny Lane’ hitmakers – will be on the streaming platform from May 8, 2024, after years of fans struggling to watch it and having to make do with bootleg versions.
The film shows the band working on the seminal LP in January 1969 at London’s Twickenham Film Studios and was released one month before the legendary Liverpool group met its demise, and it has been fully restored with more context coming to light following Peter Jackson’s 2021 Disney series, ‘The Beatles: Get Back’, with unseen footage in the new film.
Lindsay-Hogg says the timing of the release “very much darkened the perception of the film,” and he says fans will see the “joy and happiness” when the band took to Apple Corps on Savile Row for rehearsals and the iconic rooftop concert that became their final performance as a group.
Apple Corps got Jackson’s Park Road Post Production to “dive into a meticulous restoration of the film from the original 16mm negative,” and used the same technology used in the ‘Get Back’ series.
Lindsay-Hogg commented: “Let It Be was ready to go in October/November 1969, but it didn’t come out until April 1970. One month before its release, The Beatles officially broke up. And so the people went to see ‘Let It Be’ with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’ and it very much darkened the perception of the film. But in fact, there’s a great deal of joy and happiness and creation going on, and ‘Let It Be’ is – especially when you get to the roof, and you see the exchange and the way that they look at each other – essentially a happy and ‘up’ movie. I was knocked out by what Peter was able to do with ‘Get Back,’ using all the footage I’d shot 50 years previously.”
Jackson added: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, ‘Let It Be,’ has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades.
“I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for ‘Get Back,’ and I’ve always thought that ‘Let It Be’ is needed to complete the ‘Get Back’ story. Over three parts, we showed Michael and The Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and ‘Let It Be’ is that documentary – the movie they released in 1970. I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: ‘Let It Be’ is the climax of ‘Get Back,’ while ‘Get Back’ provides a vital missing context for ‘Let It Be.’ Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly helpful and gracious while I made ‘Get Back,’ and it’s only right that his original movie has the last word…looking and sounding far better than it did in 1970.”
Fans of The Fab Four can see Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, and the late John Lennon and George Harrison alongside the late Billy Preston, the only musician to be given a credit on a Beatles recording after he played the piano on ‘Get Back’.
‘Let It Be’ will debut exclusively on Disney+ May 8, 2024.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Katy Perry’s next album will be filled with “pure joy and fun”.
The ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer – who has three-year-old daughter Daisy with fiance Orlando Bloom – has teased the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Smile’ and is looking forward to her seventh studio LP being inspired by her feeling “really happy and whole”, even if other artists would dismiss that as “boring”.
She told ‘Access Hollywood’: “I just have yet to make a record from a place of feeling really happy and whole and full of love.
“Sometimes artists are like, ‘Oh, that’s boring, you want to make music from kind of like a tougher place,’ but actually it’s very bright and joyful, like pure joy and fun and playful and celebratory and a party.”
The 39-year-old star’s comments echo what she previously teased about her new music, though she admitted it would take time for fans to hear because of her commitments to her daughter.
She told ‘Good Morning America’: “I haven’t put any new material out since my darling Daisy.
“I think that I’m writing a lot and have written a lot from a place of love, because I’m feeling so much of it – so much unconditional love, that love you never knew existed.
“I’m always writing, I have been, but I think what’s really important to me is to be celebrating the world that I’ve got to build with all of these wonderful songs and to be responsible for a life for a three year old.
“I will be back, but let me get this right.”
The ‘Roar’ hitmaker is expected to go on a world tour in support of the record, the first time she has been on the road since ‘Witness: The Tour’ which ran from 2017 to 2018, with her most recent live shows coming as part of her ‘Play’ residency in Las Vegas.
A source previously told The Sun newspaper: “After so long spent on the West Coast of the US, she feels ready to tour again.
“The demand is there because she has so many hits, so taking her show on the road is bound to be a big draw.
“The hope is that she can head out towards the end of 2024, but it is still being worked out.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Ariana Grande has celebrated her grandmother’s place in history after she became the oldest person ever to score a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The pop star listed her “Nonna” Majorie Grande as a singer and a writer on her track ‘Ordinary things’ – which features on her latest album ‘Eternal Sunshine’ – and Majorie made history when the song entered the run-down at number 55.
Now Ariana has shared a picture of Majorie posing with a plaque commemorating her achievement, writing in a post on Instagram: “Celebrating the one and only, most beautiful Nonna who has now made history for being the senior most person to ever appear on the @billboard Hot100.
“We love and thank you.”
The feat has made Majorie the most senior person to ever feature on the chart since it was founded in 1958. Billboard reports she has taken over the record from late songwriter Fred Stobaugh, who was 96 when his song ‘Oh Sweet Lorraine’ charted on the Hot 100 at number 42 back in 2013.
Stobaugh passed away three years later.
On ‘Ordinary things’, Majorie is heard talking about her late husband Frank and giving relationship advice.
She is heard saying: “And when he’d come home and I’d see him, And when he’d come home and I’d see him, when he first gets off that train.
“It was like God almighty arrived. It was like seein’ daylight. I mean, I could’ve packed up and left a million times. You know? It’s not that we never fought. You can overcome that.
“You know? It’s very easy. And as I told her, never go to bed without kissin’ goodnight. That’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that. And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it. You’re in the wrong place, get out.”
Ariana previously opened up about her decision to feature Majorie on the song during an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, revealing she was searching for a way to close the album and she struck gold when listening to one of her nonna’s voice notes.
She explained: “I knew ‘Ordinary things’ was the end of the album. I was like, ‘This is the last song, but I wonder how I can put that button on it and have it land emotionally the way that I feel it can, and how can I answer the question?’ … [The answer was] right smack in the middle [of the voice] note.”
The singer added: “I always record my Nonna because you never know what she’s going to say. I had this 30-minute voice note of her and her friend Shirley talking …
“I think it’s a little bit of, ‘Wow, our loved ones, our friends and our family have the ability to instantly just sort of soothe and calm and simplify things that are so complicated and heavy at times’.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — BLACKPINK’s Lisa has joined forces with RCA Records for her future solo releases.
The 27-year-old K-pop star’s newly established company, LLOUD, have inked a deal with the major label arm, which is owned Sony Music, but will still own the rights to her works.
In a statement shared with Variety, Lisa said: “I’m super excited to be joining the RCA family and I am confident they are the best team to create a bigger movement in my solo career.”
RCA Records CEO Peter Edge and COO John Fleckenstein hailed the singer “a multidimensional talent and an irrefutable global force.”
Lisa recently vowed to release a solo album this year – “no matter what”.
The Thai star – who released the single album ‘Lalisa’ in 2021 – promised fans she will unleash a new record at some point in 2024 and told fans to “stay tuned”.
Hosting a ‘Special Birthday Q and A with Lisa – 27 years around the sun’, via LLOUD’s official YouTube channel, she teased: “This year, album, No matter what, I want to release a new album this year. This year I was able to focus on myself more. I’m so excited to do what I want to do this year. Stay tuned!”
Lisa – who is set to make her acting debut in ‘The White Lotus’ – also teased collaborations with Rosalía and Tyla.
The ‘Water’ hitmaker recently teased that she and Lisa are “definitely” going to work together “down the line”.
The 22-year-old singer posted a clip of herself and the rapper goofing around whilst listening to ‘Art’ from Tyla’s self-titled debut album.
Tyla captioned the Instagram Story video: “sweetest gorllll, played her some of my favourite songs on the album… Definitely a LISA x TYLA collab down the line. (sic)”
And she later told Reuters: “We’ve been speaking about making a song together, so yes, for sure.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Paloma Faith stopped playing music for her record label upon her initial meeting.
The 42-year-old singer landed a deal with Epic Records in 2009 and has gone on to release six studio albums but explained that she thought it was “rude” that big bosses were just on their phones when she had her first audition.
Speaking on the ‘Great Comapny with Jamie Laing’ podcast, she said: “I told them, I wasn’t going to play any music until they stopped texting. Well they came for a showcase they asked me to do. And then he was just on his phone while I was singing. And then I just stopped. And I was like, he looked up and I said, he said ‘Why have you stopped?’ And I said because I think it’s rude. That not just me. But all these musicians are like playing to you. And we’re all doing it. And you’re just looking at your phone. I just find it rude.
“And you’re the one who asked me to do this. So I don’t need to be here. He went, Oh, okay. Sorry. And I said, Well, we’ll start when you finish your message. And then he was like, Okay. And I said I’m so sorry. But I’m gonna start from the beginning. And then he was okay, because we’d already done two songs. So I started the whole thing again.
“And then he was like, okay, he was a bit on the back foot. And then he said, you sound like Amy Winehouse. What are you gonna do about it? This was back then. And I said, well think about these and I named like six indie white boy bands. That all sounded the same to me. And I said, Well, there’s six of them. And they all look and sound the same to me.”
The ‘How You Lose a Man’ songstress added that she was “quite happy” in life at that time before fame and recalled that executives thought she was “full on” in trying to get her chance.
” So what are you going to do about that? And he was like, Do you want this? And I said, not really. I’m quite happy in my life. I was really content where I was at because I enjoyed the climbing. I didn’t just, I didn’t want to ever feel indebted like it’s me that I, I want to achieve it myself. I don’t want to feel indebted or dependent on somebody else helping me.
“So anyway, so he left and he was like, Wow, this girl’s full on. And then nine months later, he emailed me and said, I’m I’m, you know, just emailing you to say that I’ve seen so many bands, so many musicians in the last nine months. And none of them have been as interesting as you. And just your whole being like you’re a star and I want to sign you. And I just wrote back ‘sorry, who is this?’ But then that was the person who ended up signing me. My manager call was like, He’s called me and he said, You’re giving him a hard time. That’s amazing.”
‘Great Company with Jamie Laing’ is available on all podcast providers.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Carl Barat banned drugs and alcohol from the studio when The Libertines recorded their new album ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’.
The British indie rock band have just released their fourth studio album and to maintain a sense of calm, and get the band to adhere to a strict work ethic during the recording process, the 45-year-old guitarist introduced the rule.
His bandmate Pete Doherty – who has now overcome his drug addictions – thought that Carl would relent on the booze ban but it never happened.
In an interview with Vulture, Pete said: “In the past we’ve worked hard, but it’s always been in conjunction with a jolly good knees up. This time around, there were strict instructions from Carl that there was no alcohol or drugs on the premises during writing and recording, which I went along with thinking it would be all right. He’ll give up after two or three hours. But lo and behold, he didn’t.”
To which Carl added: “And lo and behold, we got a record.”
Pete, 45, accepts that Carl’s insistence on sobriety helped the group – also comprised of bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell – create one of their best ever records.
The singer/songwriter said: “I’m not knocking the system. I’m just saying it’s very difficult and I’m surprised by your puritanical adherence to it. Because after day three I was ready for a glass of cider purely as a reward system.”
The Libertines are on course to hit the number one spot with ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’ on the UK Official Albums Chart this Friday (12.04.24).
And the band treated fans to songs from their new critically acclaimed album at two sold-out shows for Banquet Records at PRYZM in Kingston upon Thames, London, on Tuesday night (09.04.24).
During the second gig highlights from the LP included ‘Run, Run, Run’, ‘Mustangs’ and ‘Shiver’, while they also performed a host of hits such as ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’, ‘What Katie Did’ and ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’.
On ‘Time For Heroes’ the band pulled up an audience member called Lucas to join them on guitar sparking a host of phones to come out to capture the unforgettable moment.
At one point Pete made a joke about the venue’s name referencing his time behind bars, saying “thank you for buying the album, it’s lovely to be back in prison, can I not say that?”.
For the encore, The Libertines performed ‘The Good Old Days’, which briefly morphed into ‘Seven Nation Army’ by the White Stripes, and after a “thank you Kingston” from Carl they launched into ‘Don’t Look Back Into the Sun’ which sparked a huge mosh pit in the front of the crowd which Pete joined in with embracing fans.

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OHMYGOSSIP — James Blake has quit his record label and is taking full control of his music.
The ‘Retrograde’ singer was previously signed to A+M Record for his self-titled debut LP and then to Republic Records for the albums ‘Overgrown’ (2013), ‘The Colour In Anything’ (2016), ‘Assume Form’ (2019), ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’ (2021) and ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven’ (2023).
But Blake is now becoming an independent artist and he took to his Instagram page to share the news with his followers and revealed that is feeling “good” but “scared” after choosing to go it alone.
He posted: “After over a decade on a label it feels scary to go independent but here we are. As someone who hates spam, I promise not to send you annoying emails. Just trying to break free of the algorithm gods gatekeeping art. Speak soon…”
He added: “It feels good to be independent because I’ve wanted to take things into my own hands for a long time”
It comes after Blake recently called on record labels to “fund therapy” for their artists to help them cope with the pressures of the industry.
He took to X last month to say: “You shouldn’t get to profit from our trauma without helping with the pitfalls of it. Live agents and managing companies too. All of them have a vested interest in the artist becoming more successful, which means disconnected from support systems/family/friends by being thrown into a strange, disconnected world of touring and parasocial media.
“I’m not suggesting a label provide their sanctioned therapist to be clear just that they should fund therapy.”
Blake previously opened up about the period in his career when his mental health spiralled from trying to maintain a “cool” stage persona.
The ‘Limit to Your Love’ singer suffered from social anxiety in the past and wasn’t “great to talk to at the time” and put pressure on himself to be the “coolest version” of himself “possible” as he thought that’s what he had to be as an artist.
He said: “The thing was, the difference between my musical, cool, doing loads of collabs, and producing blah, blah, blah, and doing dub, electronic music, and good reviews, and all that stuff, and me just spiralling … and actually not being that great to talk to at the time, and not really having anything to say, and just having loads of social anxiety, but then going on stage and just being the coolest version of myself possible.
“And you’re rewarded financially for that in a lot of cases. I think it’s Pavlovian. It’s like the more you get the treat, the more you return to that behaviour. I think the answer for me, was to decide that I was okay with not getting the treat, and that I would decide to stop pretending that I was like, whatever part of me it was that was saying, okay, I need to appear this way to be as perfect as the kids at school thought I wasn’t, or I’m going to be cooler than … whatever.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Dua Lipa won’t be fooled as she drops ‘Illusion’ and its action-packed music video.
The 28-year-old pop star is back with another infectiously catchy bop from her upcoming album, ‘Radical Optimism’, which she has explained is about “playing someone at their own game” and not falling “for an illusion”.
She said of the track: “‘Illusion’ was the first song Caroline, Danny, Tobias, Kevin and I worked on together, and it really broke the ice for the record.
“It’s about knowing what you’re getting yourself into, but staying for the hell of it. The joke’s on them, it’s the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won’t fall for an illusion.”
She sings on the shimmery psychedelic tune: “Don’t you know I could do this dance all night? Ooh, what you doin’? / Don’t know who you think that you’re confusing / I be like, Ooh, it’s amusing / You think I’m gonna fall for an illusion.”
In the promo clip, Dua is joined by dancers, high divers, and synchronised swimmers at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain – which will look familiar to pop fans as Kylie Minogue filmed her ‘Slow’ music video there. The ‘Argylle’ star channels her inner Bond girl as she scales a castell-inspired tower, a reference to the infamous Catalonian tradition.
The ‘Don’t Start Now’ singer recently revealed she felt like she was in a band working on the LP.
Sharing a “deep dive” into the process of her eagerly awaited follow-up to 2020’s ‘Future Nostalgia’, she revealed she listened to the songs “over and over” again to ensure she knew exactly how she wanted to tell the story.
Previewing the record in a behind-the-scenes video clip shared on social media, she said: “It’s the beauty of the chaos and trying to stay calm through it. Listening over and over and feeling like, ‘How do I want to tell this story?’
“I always go for the most upbeat ones to introduce people to the record.
“I can just keep on dancing and keep people dancing.
“We’re trying to create a world in a different way, and sonically it was about experimenting. Thematically, it was always about resilience.”
Dua worked on the record with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Caroline Ailin in a secluded cabin and said it very much felt like a band mentality.
Announcing the LP, which is out on May 3, she said: “A couple of years ago, a friend introduced me to the term ‘Radical Optimism’.
“It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life.
“It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm.
“At the same time, I found myself looking through the music history of psychedelia, trip-hop, and Britpop. It has always felt so confidently optimistic to me, and that honesty and attitude is a feeling I took into my recording sessions.”
Other tracks on the record include ‘French Exit’, ‘Maria’, and ‘Falling Forever’, as well as the previously released singles ‘Houdini’ and ‘Training Season’.
Dua previously explained her new record “captures a period of major changes in her life, including the end of a relationship and her forays into dating.”
She told Rolling Stone magazine: “This record feels a bit more raw.
“I want to capture the essence of youth and freedom and having fun and just letting things happen, whether it’s good or bad. You can’t change it. You just have to roll with the punches of whatever’s happening in your life.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Phish are returning to the charts .
The veteran rockers surprised fans by dropping new single ‘Evolve’ on Thursday (11.04.24) and confirming it will be followed by an album of the same name on July 12 with the announcement coming just days before they kick off their residency at Las Vegas’ high-tech new Sphere concert venue.
A statement from the band explained: “‘Evolve’ the new single from Phish’s upcoming album, is now streaming everywhere … The new studio album will be available July 12 via JEMP Records/ATO Records. Pre-order details coming soon.”
The new project is the band’s 16th studio album and it comes four years after the release of their last offering ‘Sigma Oasis’ back in 2020, while guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio released his first solo acoustic album ‘Mercy’ in 2022.
Anastasio previously told Rolling Stone: “I think I’ve historically felt safer playing the guitar than I have walking down the street, or talking to somebody in a one-on-one conversation.
“It’s just been my safe place to be. Honestly, sometimes I think I manifest as Mr. Smiley-Happy Guy, except when I’m playing the guitar. When I’m playing the guitar, I don’t have to hide behind anything, and I think sometimes it gets really dark and scary in guitar moments, where I can be just not scared to actually open the emotion of how I really feel inside. That’s been my safe way of emoting over the years.”
Phish kick off their four weeks of Sphere dates on April 18 before launching a summer tour in Mansfield, Massachusetts on July 19. They will wrap the trek in Colorado on August 29.
Anastasio said of their decision to play at Sphere: “From the moment we first heard about Sphere and its potential, we’ve been dreaming up ways to bring our show to this breathtaking canvas.
“We’re thrilled to present this completely unique experience to Phish fans.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott has reacted after the band was accused of using tapes and backing tracks for their concerts.
The ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ hitmaker insists he is not fazed by the musicians who made the claims because it shows that they think their performances are too good to be true.
In a lengthy discussion with Stereogum, he said: “I don’t normally comment on this kind of stuff, but a friend of mine just sent me some link to something on YouTube, a recent posting by, forgive me, I don’t know his name, Chuck something from Testament [singer Chuck Billy], I think it is, and [ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist] Chris Holmes accusing us of using backing tracks.
“I don’t get angry at this. I’m flattered because their standards must be very different to ours. For anybody that thinks we use backing tracks, it must mean that when they hear us, they can’t believe how good it is for real.
“We don’t use backing tracks. We use effects.
“God, who wouldn’t? When there’s four people singing, we use effects. There’s no tapes of backing vocals.”
They do have some tricks that they use, such as a triggered loop for the drums and keyboards, but he insists everything is played live and he’s never mimed.
He explained: “We use keyboards. We use a few drum loops because, in fairness, two-armed drummers use drum loops, but Rick Allen, to play a song like ‘Rocket’, it’s a cacophony of toms that one arm couldn’t play. So yeah, we use a triggered loop, which is part of his drum kit, but [U2 drummer] Larry Mullen’s been doing that for years. So have thousands of other drummers to enhance a sound. But backing tracks or playing along to a backing track — we’ve never done that, never. We’ve never mimed to the vocals, or we’ve never had multiples of stuff on tape. It’s literally live.”
In fact, the 64-year-old rocker admits their high-octane performances often take a “toll” on them.
He went on: “If we’re running at about 90 per cent [live], it’s more than most people’s 100 per cent. Because we do play and sing, it does take a toll. You can, say, play Denver, where it’s a mile above sea level, and if you’ve got a gig the next day, your voice is going to be pretty shot. We have to get to a level where if it’s a little under last night, it’s still acceptable to the audience because of the adrenaline and the fact that it is live and you can hear maybe a bit of hoarseness or somebody’s fingers slip because it’s so cold, they can’t keep their fingers on the strings. Things like that happens to every single band, and that’s what brings the humanity to it. But we’re very proud of the fact that we play live, and we sing live, and we don’t use tapes.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Don Toliver, Destroy Lonely and Flo Milli have been added to the lineup for Rockstar Energy presents Wireless.
The annual music extravaganza celebrating the best in rap and hip-hop music returns to London’s Finsbury Park between July 12 and 14, with Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, 21 Savage and J Hus set to perform.
The new additions also include Valiant, Rich Amiri, Nemzzz, Homixide Gang and JoceWavy.
Future is set to be a special guest when rap superstar Nicki headlines on the Friday, after he featured on her album ‘Pink Friday 2’ last year.
21 Savage, who tops the bill on the Saturday alongside J Hus, commented: “I’m so happy to be returning home to the UK and headlining Wireless for the very first time.”
That leaves ‘Paint The Town Red’ hitmaker Doja to close out the festival on Sunday.
The likes of Ice Spice, Asake, Rema, Gunna, Sean Paul are also set to perform across the weekend.
‘Rich Baby Daddy’ rapper Sexyy Red, ‘Water’ hitmaker popstar Tyla, drill trailblazer Digga D and amapiano star Uncle Waffles are also among the first wave of artists set to play Wireless.
Last year’s festival saw stellar performances from the likes of Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and D-Block Europe.
For more tickets and more information head to www.wirelessfestival.co.uk/tickets.

Source: IconInsider.com