OHMYGOSSIP — Chaka Khan had to turn down Glastonbury’s legends slot this year.
The 71-year-old funk legend is the curator of the Meltdown festival at London’s Southbank Centre, following in the footsteps of late rock legend David Bowie, Grace Jones, Yoko Ono, to name a few, and due to her busy schedule, she was unable to accept the offer from the world-famous music festival’s organisers, Michael and Emily Eavis.
However, she hopes to head to Worthy Fame in 2025.
She told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column when asked if she would do it next year: “Yeah, sure – I would love that.”
Chaka added: “They did approach me, but I can’t because of this.”
Shania Twain, 58, was ultimately chosen for the Sunday afternoon slot dedicated to music icons, and joins headliners SZA, Dua Lipa and Coldplay.
The meltdown festival will take place from June 14 to 23, and Chaka teased: “We’re going to funk it up, rock every crowd, and touch every soul.”
The Southbank Centre’s head of contemporary music Adem Holness said: “I’ve learned how important community, activism, love and care are to her so these ideas, along with brilliant music, will be the foundation of Meltdown.”
Chaka is using the festival to mark her 50 years in music after she hit the landmark in 2023, following the release of her 1973 debut album ‘Rufus’.
Her first solo single ‘I’m Every Woman’ released in 1978 is among the classics of the disco era, and Chaka has released 13 solo albums to date.
Chaka will also perform a run of UK shows this summer including at the Nocturne Live concert series at Blenheim Palace in London on 13 June.
Tickets for that can be bought at nocturnelive.com.
She is also set to perform at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival on July 7 – with tickets available at lovesupremejazzfestival.com.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Yellow Days has released his latest single about the ‘Finer Things In Life’.
The experimental star – who makes self-described “upbeat existential millennial crisis music” – is releasing his third studio album, ‘Hotel Heaven’, on Friday (05.04.24), and he’s given fans another taste of his witty lyricism as he sings about the only thing that matters to him: being with the one he loves.
Yellow Days – whose real name is aka George van den Broek – said: “I’ve never cared about nice stuff, my trousers have cigarette burns in them. Some of my shirts have stains, I’d eat just about anything, and I hate snobbery. The only thing that I care about is being with the one I love. That’s the finer things to me.”
He sings: “I don’t like oysters far too much. I prefer your loving touch.”
Sonically, it’s a trippy, 70s-tinged psychedelia tune.
The accompanying music video – helmed by Boris Thompson-Roylance for Deadbeat Films – sees: “A porter enter a hotel lift where she’s immediately paranoid of the judgement cast upon her by an older couple heading to dinner. The dinner itself is initially the very definition of excess and indulgence … until a surprise twist pushes events in a stranger, more surreal and altogether less edible direction.”
The cinematic album is inspired by the movies ‘The Shining’, the original ‘Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory’ and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘The Holy Mountain’, as well as the 1989 crime drama art film ‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover’.
The record is a follow-up to 2020’s ‘A Day In A Yellow Beat’, which featured Shirley Jones, Nick Walters, Mac DeMarco, and Bishop Nehru.
Pre-order ‘Hotel Heaven’ now on all major platforms and stream ‘Finer Things In Life’ and previously released tracks, ‘Mrs Moonlight’ and ‘This Is Hotel Heaven’, now.

Catch Yellow Days live:
APRIL
9th – UK, Manchester, Band on the Wall
10th – UK, Glasgow, St. Luke’s
11th – UK, Bristol, Trinity
12th – UK, London, KOKO
18th – The Netherlands, Amsterdam, Melkweg
19th – Belgium, Antwerp, Trix
20th – France, Paris, La Trabendo
21st – Germany, Cologne, CBE
23rd – Germany, Berlin, Lido
24th – Germany, Hamburg, Mojo Club
27th – USA, Dallas, Deep Ellum Art Co.
28th – USA, Austin Psych Fest
30th – USA, Solana Beach, Belly Up

MAY
2nd – USA, Los Angeles, Lodge Room HLP
3rd – USA, Los Angeles, Lodge Room HLP
4th – USA, Pioneertown, Pappy + Harriet’s
5th – USA, San Francisco, The Independent
7th – USA, Seattle, The Crocodile
8th – Canada, Vancouver, Hollywood Theatre
9th – USA, Portland, Aladdin Theater
11th – USA, Salt Lake City, Kilby Block Party
12th – USA, Denver, The Bluebird Theater
14th – USA, St. Paul, Turf Club
15th – USA, Chicago, Thalia Hall
17th – USA, Detroit, The Loving Touch
18th – Canada, Toronto, The Opera House
20th – USA, Brooklyn, Elsewhere – Hall

JUNE
21st – USA, Durham, Motorco Music Hall
22nd – USA, Asheville, Eulogy
23rd – USA, Atlanta, Terminal West,
25th – USA, Nashville, Third Man Records – Blue Room
27th – USA, Washington, Union Stage
28th – USA, Philadelphia, Underground Arts
29th – USA, Cambridge, The Sinclair

JULY
3rd – Canada, Montreal Jazz Festival, Club Soda

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OHMYGOSSIP — Imagine Dragons have kicked off their new era with genre-hopping new single, ‘Eyes Closed’.
The Dan Reynolds-fronted group traverse the worlds of alternative, rap, electronic, and rock and Industrial with their “future-facing” tune.
The group feel rejuvenated as they return with new music that is a “balance of nostalgia and freshness”.
The frontman said: “After taking some time off the road and spending time catching up with family and loved ones, I finally have felt the desire to go back to the sonic places that originally brought me the most joy, but with a new outlook and mentality. The world looks much different after being a band for more than a decade. But some things will always remain the same. It’s finding that right balance of nostalgia and freshness that brings me the most joy in the studio. We had a lot of fun making this one and hope you enjoy it too.”
The ‘Bad Liar’ hitmakers’ last single was August 2023’s ‘Children of the Sky (a Starfield song)’ inspired by the popular Sci-Fi role-playing game, ‘Starfield’.
A press release teased: “Stay tuned for the impending premiere of a stunning cinematic music video to accompany the track with more music coming soon from the band on the horizon.”
The ‘Radioactive’ band released a pair of albums in 2021 and 2022, ‘Mercury – Acts 1 and 2’.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Cast’s John Power has revealed plans to create a Liverpool supergroup comprised of himself, Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch and Lightning Seeds singer Ian Broudie.
The trio of legendary musicians, all of whom hail from the English city, have discussed forming a band together to make an album.
It was Power, 56, who pitched the idea of a new group to his peers and they are interested in collaborating in the future.
The ‘Alright’ hitmaker said: “It was a little conversation, this was a while back. But the idea stayed in my head, it could be quite good.
“We do an album together and everyone brings in their songs in and we record an album. Then you tour it for a year and then that’s the end of it and it just becomes this wonderful piece of history.
“It’s always there hovering. I just thought that could be quite a good idea one day.”
Power – who, along with his bandmates, has just released Cast’s seventh studio LP ‘Love Is the Call’ – thinks the band and record would honour Liverpool’s musical legacy, which runs from The Beatles through to the present day.
He added: “Singers who represent the legacy of Liverpool. The history of songs that have come through. It’s just a kind of romantic idea. It might happen.”
Meanwhile, Cast have just announced a 17-date tour of the UK and Ireland which kicks off in October.
Announcing the concerts, Power said: “On our recent tour, the live set felt galvanised and freshened by the energy of the songs from the new album alongside our classic hits. I couldn’t believe how well the set seemed to run so seamlessly between all of the different songs, in fact the new stuff was getting just as loud a cheer as some of our timeless hits. The band has rediscovered our mojo, and I can’t wait to get back on the road and do it all again this autumn!”
Head to Castband.co.uk/ for information, dates and tickets.

Cast tour dates of UK and Ireland:

OCTOBER:
3rd – Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
4th – Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
5th – Dundee, Fat Sam’s
10th – Stockport, AMP
11th – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
12th – Wrexham, The Rockin Chair
13th – Coventry, Empire
24th – Norwich, Epic
25th – Nottingham, Rock City
26th – Sheffield, The Foundry
31st – Northampton, Roadmender

NOVEMBER

1st – Cardiff, Tramshed
2nd – Southampton, Engine Rooms
3rd – Bath, Komedia
7th – Dublin, The Academy
8th – Cork, Cyprus Avenue
9th – Belfast, The Limelight

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OHMYGOSSIP — Charli XCX is to receive the ASCAP Global Impact Award.
The 31-year-old pop star – whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison – has been chosen to receive the accolade from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and admitted upon hearing the news that she was “honoured” but insisted that she has no set “formula” to writing a hit.
In a statement, Charli said: “For me writing songs is not about structure or formula or doing what has previously ‘worked.’
“In my opinion, there is no special code or rule book that must be followed to obtain an amazing song. The best songs for me, are good because they can make you feel like the lead character in your own movie or because they have some kind of indescribable quality about them that makes them addictive.
“I’m honoured to receive this award from ASCAP; it’s cool to see them advocate for authenticity and nice to be recognised by an organization dedicated to supporting songwriters and fostering an environment where we can craft music we love.”
The ‘Speed Drive’ singer – who is due to release her sixth studio album ‘BRAT’ later this year – has already received the Ivor Novello Visionary Award, Billboard Women in Music Powerhouse Award, Variety Hitmakers Innovator of Pop Award, two Billboard Music Awards, a YouTube Music Award as well as nominations at the Grammys, BRIT Awards and MTV EMAs.
But with this new award, she joins an exclusive list of other musicians who have been critically acclaimed for their work, including the likes of ‘Video Games’ hitmaker Lana Del Rey and songwriter Hillary Lindsey, who has penned tracks for superstars such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi.
ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams, said: “Charli is an unstoppable creative force. Her avant-garde style is daring, authentic and infectious as she expertly infuses the best of the underground and mainstream worlds into her music. She’s not just shaping pop music – she’s redefining it. We are absolutely thrilled to present her with the ASCAP Global Impact Award.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Libertines still want to crack America.
The ‘Run Run Run’ hitmakers have been successful in their native UK for over 20 years but co-frontman Pete Doherty’s well-documented addiction struggles and legal issues have prevented them from heading Stateside, but now the 45-year-old rocker is clean, they are hoping to get the opportunity to promote their new album, ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’ across the pond.
Fellow frontman Carl Barat told The Sun newspaper of their US ambitions: “Trouble is, Pete’s been banned there for the past 20 years.
“We don’t know what we’re worth ticket wise — it could be Madison Square Garden or a local bar.
“But we’re hoping, especially with Pete’s progress, to get there and find out.”
Looking back on their previous records, Carl thinks their debut album, 2002’s ‘Up The Bracket’, was filled with hope and ambition.
He said: “That album represents bright lights, ambition, happy-go-lucky mentality — and disbelief at finding ourselves in that position at that time.
“We felt we were standing in the pantheon of our idols. I bought a picture of James Dean in Camden Market and we added little pictures of John Lennon, Groucho Marx, Ian Brown and Morrissey.
“We named it The Anxiety Of Influence. These were our heroes and we thought we could get a step closer to their world.”
But the singer, also 45, finds it hard to “celebrate” their self-titled follow-up, which was released in 2004 at a time when Pete’s personal problems were overshadowing their music.
He said: “It was all about fallout, heartbreak, chaos, exhaustion. I find it hard to celebrate that awful time.
“We aired our dirty laundry in public, which seemed to capture the imagination of those around us…
“All the ongoing shenanigans raised the profile till it became an inferno.”
At the end of 2004, the group split before reuniting in 2010 and ultimately brought out their third album, ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’ in 2015, and the ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ singer thinks the record was a stepping stone to where the band find themselves now.
He said: “Even though we still had a lot of unresolved issues between us, we knew we intended to have a future.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Gene Simmons has insisted the decision to sell off the KISS back catalogue was not motivated by money.
The band have sold their entire music catalogue as well as their likeness and brand name to Swedish entertainment group Pophouse with reports suggesting the deal was worth as much as $300 million but Gene is adamant the sale was not a purely financial decision – insisting the veteran rockers wanted to retire gracefully and start “enjoying life”.
He told PEOPLE: “[Money is] not what [the sale is] about. It’s about enjoying life. I’m certainly blessed.”
Pophouse was co-founded by ABBA star Bjorn Ulvaeus and has previously acquired the back catalogues of artists including Cyndi Lauper and Avicii, while the company was also involved in creating KISS’ digital avatars that were debuted at their last ever concert.
The group played their final gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City in December before retiring from the road for good, and Gene says they have been planning their exit to bow out gracefully.
He added: “Life happens while you’re busy making important plans. We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we’ve been touring, we had been touring for half a century. [We] didn’t want to” go the route of continually touring until they physically couldn’t anymore.
“I don’t want to go out there with my walker …
“We’ve all seen boxers and artists who will stay in the ring too long and get knocked out by some amateur. You don’t want to do that, you want to go out on top. And we did it the right way, out of respect and love for the fans.”
Gene went on to reveal he’s now focused on performing with his solo act the Gene Simmons Band and running his restaurant/bar/concert venue Rock and Brews.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Dua Lipa keeps fans dancing on her new tune, ‘Illusion’, out on April 11.
The 28-year-old pop star is serving up another club anthem from her upcoming third studio album, ‘Radical Optimism’, next week.
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.”
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.”
The album cover sees Dua in the ocean as a shark swims nearby.
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.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Lily Allen has been in Nashville working on new music and admitted it’s “quite intimidating” being surrounded by “really talented” people in Music City.
The 38-year-old pop star hasn’t released a record since ‘No Shame’ in 2018, but she’s been slowly working away at building a collection.
Speaking on her ‘Miss Me?’ podcast with close friend Miquita Oliver, she spilled: “I’m in Nashville where everyone is really good. There’s so much legacy.
“I have to say it’s quite intimidating being here. People are really talented.
“I wrote a song yesterday which was quite good, I’m happy with it.”
Earlier this year, the ‘Not Fair’ singer revealed she had penned 50 songs for her new album.
When a fan reached out to her on X/Twitter to divulge that they couldn’t stop thinking about how there were 40 unreleased tracks for her fifth album, she replied to let them know that there are now even more in the vaults.
She replied: “It’s more like 50 now!”
One of those unreleased tracks is ‘Party Line’ – which Lily had first performed at the Way Out West Festival six years ago – and while a studio recording was due to make an appearance on her next album, she claimed when asked about the fate of the track that it could potentially be lost forever because it’s stored in a cloud service to which she no longer has access to.
She said: “IN A DROPBOX OR A WETRANSFER THAT I CANT REMEMBER THE USERNAME LET ALONE THE PASSWORDS FOR.”
Lily – who achieved major success with early hits like ‘Smile’, ‘LDN’, ‘The Fear’ and ’22’ – first revealed that she had returned to the studio after performing her track ‘F*** You’ alongside American pop star Olivia Rodrigo in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which left millions of women across the US without access to a legal or safe abortion.
Speaking on ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’, she said: “I was really nervous because I haven’t done it in a long time, I haven’t done it sober. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t like that. It was really, really amazing. People went absolutely ballistic. I was really overwhelmed. It sparked something in me.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Wolfgang Van Halen points to the sky in salute to his late pop, Eddie Van Halen, after every performance.
The late guitar god passed away following a battle with cancer in 2020, aged 65, and his 33-year-old musician son – who fronts his solo project Mammoth WVH and used to play with Van Halen – has revealed the touching way he honours his dad and hero at his concerts.
Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, he said: “The reason I do what I do is because of my dad. So if I didn’t or at least think about him throughout the process, I’d be doing a disservice to my existence.
“So I think it’s very important to establish that to thank my dad every night, every time I’m on stage. Just to thank my father and to know that he’s always there with me every night.”
Wolfgang recently revealed the reason he refuses to cover his dad’s songs is because it’s important to be his “own musician”.
He played bass in the ‘Jump’ group for four years, but he’s been focusing on his solo project since his death, and revealed why he doesn’t play any of the band’s hits at his shows.
Speaking on the ‘Talk Is Jericho’ podcast, Wolfgang explained: “I’m happy to be able to prove myself. The important key distinction is that I’m not doing what my dad did, I’m my own person, I’m my own musician … it’s why I don’t play any Van Halen music or have a plan to play Van Halen music during my sets.
“Even my dad hated doing covers back in the day, his quote resonates with me all the time where he says: ‘I’d rather bomb with my own music than succeed with somebody else’s’, and that’s exactly how I feel about playing Van Halen music. I’d much rather fail on my own than succeed heartlessly by playing ‘Panama’.”
However, the rocker – who recently joined Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson and Slash onstage at the Grammys to perform ‘I’m Just Ken’ from ‘Barbie’ – made an exception last year when he took to the stage at the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts in London and Los Angeles to perform ‘On Fire’, ‘Hot For Teacher’ and ‘Panama’ in honour of the later drummer, who was a huge fan of Van Halen.
Wolfgang said of the decision: “It was wonderful. It was the exception where it was like, this would be the time to do it. Taylor was such a huge fan and to get my own satisfaction of doing a direct Van Halen tribute for dad, it felt like the right thing to do in that moment. I’m really proud of it.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Perrie Edwards says it was important that she tweaked the song Ed Sheeran sent her because she gets the “ick” when artists are just in the writing credits of their songs for “the craic”.
The 33-year-old Grammy winner sent the Little Mix star the track, ‘Forget About Us’, that has been chosen as her debut solo single, but she has explained why she had to re-write it so it was “more me” and she could take “full ownership” of it, which the ‘Bad Habits’ hitmaker was “totally cool with”.
Speaking to NME for their In Conversation series, Perrie – who has dropped her surname for her solo music – said: “So, Ed sent me the song and at the time, the lyrics and concept were very direct to what it was about. And I rang him and was like, ‘Would you mind if I just tweaked little bits? I’m not going to just be on the writing credits for the craic because that gives me the ick, I hate when people do that. I don’t want to take away [the fact] you produced and wrote this song [and] sent it to me. I just want to tweak it lyrically so it’s more me and where I’m at in my life now.’
“And he was totally cool with it, he was so supportive. He was like, ‘I want you to take full ownership in it – whatever you’re not comfortable with, change it, and we’ll work on it from there.’ So I did a session on Zoom and we kind of got it to where it is now. I’m really happy.”
Funnily enough, the 30-year-old pop star admitted that when she first signed with her record label, Columbia Records, she confessed to her team that she didn’t feel confident enough to write her own music.
She explained: “I was just so insecure, I think, I was just so shy. And it’s really a drastic change when you go from being in a girl-group and having your girls constantly with you holding your hand – I was literally the baby [of the group]. And it can be quite overwhelming when there’s loads of people in a room and you’re supposed to be talking about your feelings and your emotions and what you want to put in a song.
“I sat down with my label at the start and I was like, ‘Guys, I don’t want to write anything. I just want to be sent songs. I just want to sing them.’ Like, I remember watching the Whitney movie [I Wanna Dance with Somebody] and she would sit in the office [with a pile of demos] and say, ‘I like that, I don’t like that.’ That’s how I imagined my music career going. But then they were like, ‘Why don’t you just try some sessions with friends and people you’ve worked with in the past that make you feel comfortable?’ Like Jin Jin – I’ve known her forever and would never feel judged by her in the room.
“So the more I did sessions, the more I became confident [and] the more I was writing down lyric and concept ideas. And then I started taking the reins a bit more and it just kind of spiralled from there. There’s only a handful of songs on my album I haven’t either co-written or written so I’m very proud of [going] from one extreme to the other.”
‘Forget About Us’ is released on April 12.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sia and Labrinth have shared their latest collaboration, ‘Incredible’.
The chart-topping stars – who have worked together as part of the supergroup LSD, also including Diplo, and on the songs ‘To Be Human’, and ‘Oblivion’ from her film ‘MUSIC’ – are back with a new cinematic duet from Sia’s first proper solo album in eight years, ‘Reasonable Woman’.
The new single from the hotly anticipated album, which is out on May 3, follows ‘Dance Alone’ with Kylie Minogue and the infectious ‘Gimme More’.
The record boasts the talents of Chaka Khan, Paris Hilton, Jesse Shatkin, Greg Kurstin, benny blanco, Jim-E Stack, Rosalía, bülow, Mark “Spike” Stent, and more.
She said: “There are so many incredible friends who helped give their all to make the album what it is, can’t wait for you to hear it.”
The 48-year-old star – whose music has been streamed more than 50 billion times – has had huge hits with the likes of ‘Chandelier’, ‘Big Girls Cry’, ‘Alive’, ‘Together’, ‘Dusk ’Til Dawn’ with Zayn, and ‘Cheap Thrills’.
Sia has also co-written tunes for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and David Guetta.

Reasonable Woman track-listing:
1. ‘Little Wing’
2. ‘Immortal Queen’ (feat. Chaka Khan)
3. ‘Dance Alone’ (Sia and Kylie Minogue)
4. ‘I Had A Heart’
5. ‘Gimme Love’
6. ‘Nowhere To Be’
7. ‘Towards The Sun’
8. ‘Incredible’ (feat. Labrinth)
9. ‘Champion’ (feat. Tierra Whack, Kaliii, Jimmy Jolliff)
10. ‘I Forgive You’
11. ‘Wanna Be Known’
12. ‘One Night’
13. ‘Fame Won’t Love You’ (feat. Paris Hilton)
14. ‘Go On’
15. ‘Rock and Balloon’

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OHMYGOSSIP — Natasha Bedingfield is featured on a new version of Ella Henderson’s hit ‘Alibi (Feat. Rudimental)’.
The revenge anthem, out now, samples the late Coolio’s 90s’ classic ‘Gangsta’s Paradise (feat. L.V.), and the original was a Top 10 hit for former ‘X Factor’ star Ella.
Ella, 28, said of duetting with the ‘These Words’ hitmaker: “Natasha is a pop music icon to me and has always held a presence in this industry for being a woman that speaks her mind and not being afraid of what anyone thinks – I respect that! I’m beyond excited for this collaboration, it’s definitely a full circle moment as I grew up listening to the ‘Unwritten’ album.”
Natasha, 42, is best known for her 2004 hit ‘Unwritten’ and admitted that because she is naturally an “introvert”, she became uncomfortable with fame when the track became a massive hit but is pleased that her songs have “somehow” taken on a life of their own.
She told OK! Magazine: “I’m an introvert who likes people. After ‘Unwritten’, I was suddenly in the spotlight and that was a shock. When people first experience fame, it’s like being inside a washing machine. I definitely felt that. I have a bit of memory loss from that time, it was a blur.
“I’m not a big hugger, I remember doing promo at a record store once and just getting totally hugged out! I remember a paparazzi asking me to pose for them, and they’d give me a percentage of every photo. I said, ‘I can’t do that. I can’t live my life like that.’ I want my songs to be more famous than me, and somehow, that’s happened.”
The track was even used in the Sydney Sweeney movie ‘Anyone But You’ and Natasha admitted she never would have thought it would make the soundtrack of a rom-com but is thrilled that her music has found a new audience with a younger generation.
She said: “It’s crazy! I would never have anticipated ‘Unwritten’ being used in a romcom at the beginning of the year – which is also its 20th anniversary. So, I’d already talked to the label about doing something big. We’re talking about a big show, maybe a vinyl version and I plan to put some new music out. The stars just aligned. just think a good song is a good song. I went to the red carpet of Anyone But You and the actors were there. My publishers were like, ‘Natasha, just so you know, your song really is used a lot in the movie.
“I thought, ‘Great, thumbs up!’ Then I saw the film and was like, ‘Wow, it’s played three or four times!’ That felt special. I love that it’s trending on TikTok, people are skipping out of cinemas singing it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Shaboozey says Beyonce’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ was extremely “collaborative”.
Shaboozey is one of a number of Black country artists, including Willie Jones, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy, featured on the Beyonce’s country-inspired album and he went to Los Angeles to record his tracks.
He told Billboard: “It’s all collaborative. Everyone’s working at the same time and different rooms and I came in a couple of days and recorded some parts. [Beyonce] heard them later and liked them. It’s cool how you don’t know until the last moment if your part made it or not. We were waiting up until 9 p.m. PT [on album release day] to know if we made the cut.”
He also praised Beyonce for including Linda Martell, who was the first Black female country artist to perform on the Grand Ole Opry, with a spoken-word intro to ‘Spaghettii’, although he admitted he was unaware of her inclusion until the album was released.
He said: “That’s how Beyonce, she likes to put things together, taking different parts of different things and different bridges, always experimenting with the sound, so very free-form over there.
“I’m also a huge Linda Martell supporter and I admire her story. It’s cool how everything came together and I’m really honoured to be on a song with these two incredible individuals.”
Shaboozey appears on two songs on Cowboy Carter: ‘Sweet Honey Buckiin’ and ‘Spaghettii’.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding are back in the studio together.
The pair first collaborated in 2013 on ‘I Need Your Love’, followed by ‘Outside’ in 2014 and 2023’s ‘Miracle’ and they are eager to release a fourth song together this summer.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Calvin and Ellie are close friends and love working together. When they are in the studio they just click and create great tracks.
“Nothing is set in stone but they have been quietly back in the studio together and are looking to release a new song in time for the summer.
“It could even turn into a bigger joint project, but right now getting a single out is the priority.”
Calvin, 40, and Ellie, 37, have previously spoken about how much they enjoy collaborating with each other.
Speaking to Hits Radio, Calvin said: “‘Ellie has the] three good things about working with somebody. A spectacular unique voice and delivery that can carry a song emotionally, and you’re a laugh!”
Ellie said: “I feel like we just have a ‘thing’, I don’t know what it is, it’s hard to explain.”
And, Calvin added: “It’s one of them, you just work with someone and it works several times, and it’s just easy in the studio and it’s not awkward, which frequently with me, it can be. It just flows and you get the best out of each other, it’s one of them.”
He also revealed that the pair actually recorded another song together but it wasn’t good enough for release.
He said: “It wasn’t good enough, only the good ones come out.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Beyoncé was inspired by Jack White while making her country album, ‘Cowboy Carter’, and sent him some flowers to let him know.
Although the pair didn’t work together on the collection, the former White Stripes star influenced the ‘Single Ladies’ hitmaker.
She wrote on the notecard: “Jack, I hope you are well. I just wanted you to know how much you inspired me on this record. Sending you my love, Beyoncé.”
The 48-year-old musician gushed over the “gracious” ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ hitmaker and hailed her music “beautiful and powerful”.
He shared on Instagram alongside the floral gift and note: “What a sweet gesture to receive here in Nashville this morning from the talented and gracious @beyonce celebrating her new Cowboy Carter album. Much love and respect to you Madam, and thank you kindly. Keep making beautiful and powerful music, nobody sings like you.”
Beyonce, 42, and Jack have worked together before on the track ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ from Beyoncé’s 2016 LP ‘Lemonade’.
The Third Man Records founder also once claimed the ‘Crazy in Love’ hitmaker told him she wants to be in a band with him.
He told NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’: “I just talked to Beyoncé, and she said, ‘I want to be in a band with you.’ I said ‘Really? Well, I’d love to do something.”
Expanding on how their track came to be, he added: “She took the sketch of a lyrical outline and turned it into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song. I don’t even know what you’d classify it as: soul, rock and roll, whatever. ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ is incredibly intense. I’m so amazed at what she did with it.”
Jack also penned a new arrangement for the ‘Lemonade’ song ‘Daddy Lessons’, but it didn’t make it to the final cut.
He told Rolling Stone: “I’m not sure what happened.”

Source: IconInsider.com