Music News

Sia has confirmed she mocked Lorde on 'South Park'.
The 'Chandelier' hitmaker was widely speculated to have provided the vocals on 'Push', a parody track featured on a 2014 episode of the animated comedy which claimed the 18-year-old singer was really a drag alter ego of Stan's father Randy and she has now admitted it was her and she thinks the 'Royals' vocalist would find it funny.
She said: "Yeah, it was me. Trey [Parker, 'South Park' co-creator) wrote it though.
"I was like, 'Dude, you need to do this for a living.' That 'push, push' chorus is so catchy, it's crazy.
"When I realised it might be mean to Lorde I felt bad but went ahead and did it anyway. I figured she'd find it funny. I love her."
Earlier this year, Sia caused controversy with the video to her track 'Electric Heart', which featured 11-year-old Maddie Ziegler dancing provocatively with Shia LaBeouf in a nude leotard.
Though she apologised for the clip, she insisted her words were meant just for one person.
She told NME magazine: "I read one tweet from a woman who had found it triggering.
"She had been sexually abused as a child by an older gentleman. That made me feel sad but I don't really care about those other people.
"I essentially issued an apology to that one woman. I'm certainly not apologising for my work."

Ella Henderson is planning to collaborate with Pharrell Williams.
The 'Ghost' hitmaker is preparing to start work on her second album and is hoping her list of writing partners will include the 'Happy' singer because he is a fan of hers.
She said: "I've got some exciting collaborations coming up. I'm constantly writing.
"We are definitely looking at getting back with Ryan [Tedder] and producer Al Shux. Fingers crossed Pharrell Williams too.
"That would be really cool as he liked my single 'Glow'."
Ella is nominated for two prizes at the upcoming Brit Awards with Mastercard - Best British Female and Best Single - and already feels like she has won because she feels so honoured to be included.
She told Britain's OK! magazine: "I went to the BRITs last year as a spectator on my record company's table. I was lucky even to have a seat - I never expected to have released my first record and have two nominations.
"However the night swings, I feel like I've won an award.
"I'm going to be like Cinderella on that red carpet and just enjoy it. It's massive for me."

Kesha is working on "weird country" music.
The 'Timber' singer has been busy making the follow-up to her 2012 album 'Warrior' and has teased fans they can expect to hear love songs when the collection is finally released, as well as some wacky country tracks.
She said: "I've been working on music for like, months now, obsessing in the studio all night, so I've got a lot of new music but it's been so all over the place. Some of it's like weird country, then I have love songs, so it's all over the place so I'm still kind of compiling my record."
The 27-year-old musician - who is dating Brad Ashenfelter - recently dropped the dollar sign from her name and has checked into rehab and attempted to sue producer Dr. Luke since the release of her last record, hailing a change in her personal style for her next LP.
When asked if she'd be exploring a new look, she said: "Totally ... I think I'm still testing the waters."
And as well as her music, the hitmaker revealed she is hoping to expand into fashion after spending time at New York Fashion Week, and will embark on an acting career.
She told Yahoo Style: "I'm dipping my toe in fashion and acting so I'm like, doing it all."

The Maccabees have completed their fourth album.
The five-piece band - featuring Orlando Weeks, Hugo White, Felix White, Rupert Jarvis, and Sam Doyle - revealed they finished working on the much-anticipated record on Monday (16.02.15) after a year of fine-tuning the collection.
Speaking at the NME Awards, they told BANG Showbiz: "We finished it on Monday, we finish mixing next week and then, yeah!
"We thought we finished it a year ago but now it's magic."
The 'Toothpaste Kisses' hitmakers - whose last album 'Given to the Wild' was nominated for 2012's Mercury Prize - also said their fans don't have long to wait to hear the first track from the record, as they will be unveiling the first single next month, and will be playing new songs at BBC's 6 Music Festival in Tyneside, north England, on Sunday (22.02.15).
They continued: "[The first single will be released in] Early March. It's done, I've got it on my phone. The first single is probably the quickest thing we've ever done, and the loudest thing we've ever done.
"We're doing the Radio 6 Music Festival this weekend so we'll be playing some new songs there."
The rockers added they believe the album - which is currently untitled - is a lot better than any of their previous releases.
They said: "I think it's got a little bit more personality, and I think the songs are a lot better."

Dannii Minogue is releasing new music.
The 43-year-old star is set to make her musical comeback at Australia's Mardi Gras gay and lesbian event in Sydney this year having last released an album 12 years ago.
Speaking about her decision to return to the music scene, she said: "I've been wanting to do music for ages but something was holding me back.
"Now I feel really settled. I feel like I'm in a personal space where I can do it and it's going to be fun. Physically I'm really well right now, I had all these health issues in the last few years, I just want to get out there and enjoy it. Mardi Gras makes sense. I just have to brush off the dust and get back out there."
The former 'X Factor' and 'Australia's Got Talent' judge admits it's been so long since she last released music that she thinks she'll surprise viewers of the talent shows who are unaware she used to be a pop star.
She told news.com.au: "I'm sure there's some people who don't know I'm a singer. After sitting in the judging seat on 'X Factor' this is a chance to show people this is what I've done for my whole life.
"There might be people who were there the last time I played Mardi Gras, but there might be people who'll have never seen me perform. They might be going, 'What? She sings?' So it'll be interesting."
Dannii also joked that she's feeling more confident about her singing now that her and her ex-husband Kris Smith's four-year-old son is a fan.
She joked: "When I used to sing when Ethan was really little he'd go, 'Mum, stop', so I just didn't sing.
"He's only heard my new stuff, he's in the know with all that. There's a duet I've written that is really badass funky that he loves."

Kanye West will attend the BRIT Awards.
The outspoken rapper will be in London next week to appear on an episode of Jonathan Ross' ITV chat show and is keen to attend the annual music ceremony - which will take place at London's O2 Arena on February 25 - despite the fact he has not been nominated.
A source revealed: "There's no way Kanye would miss the Brits if he's in London at the same time."
The 37-year-old musician and designer recently performed his single 'Only One' as well as his collaboration with Rihanna and Sir Paul McCartney, 'FourFiveSeconds' at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, and now organisers of the BRITs are eager to persuade the singer to perform, despite the ceremony being less than a week away.
They told The Sun newspaper: "It was a very last minute decision but if he wants to perform, the organisers will definitely make the changes to accommodate him."
And while Kanye is in talks to perform, collaborator Rihanna may also take to the stage, as well as confirmed acts Taylor Swift, George Ezra, Sam Smith, Madonna, Ed Sheeran and more.
An industry insider said: "Brits bosses have wanted to get Rihanna for a long time, but they've been waiting for an answer.
"She has been finalising her album plans and wanted to get the Grammys out of the way before confirming a second performance."

Noel Gallagher has made a "conscious decision to enjoy" his career.
The 47-year-old rocker is gearing up for the release of his new album 'Chasing Yesterday' and is eager to make sure he is able to recall everything he experiences from this part of his life because he has such hazy memories of his drug-fuelled time in Britpop band Oasis.
He explained: "I want to enjoy this because it's a moment in my life that I will never get back. With 'Definitely Maybe', I didn't know what the f**k was going on. Now I'm older and not f***ing high all the time, I've made a conscious decision to enjoy and remember it. But it's different now. I work better when I'm in charge. I think my records prove that."
As well as his maturing attitude, the 'Wonderwall' hitmaker - who has 15-year-old daughter Anaïs, as well as sons Donovan, seven, and Sonny, four - said he has taken more care with his new record than he did with previous albums, and has described it as "a brilliant TV series".
He told The Sun newspaper: "The last one [album, 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds'] wasn't lacking anything, but the difference is the last one was like an expensive film while this is a brilliant TV series. And TV is better than film, so they tell me.
"Initially you've got to make records for yourself and be confident your stuff has got you this far. You fall on instincts. So I don't really worry about if the saxophone is going to freak anybody.
"There is more quality control with what I do now I'm solo."

Blur insist their new album is their best yet and should "surely" outsell Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran.
The Britpop group - made up of vocalist Damon Albarn, guitarist and vocalist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree - announced their first studio album, 'The Magic Whip', in 12 years yesterday (19.02.15) and insist they wouldn't have released a record if they didn't think it was good enough for today's charts.
Damon said: "Surely acts like Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran can't possibly sell as many records as us this late into their records' lives, can they?
"Our album is a decent record and we really wouldn't be putting it out after such a long hiatus and stuck our necks out if we didn't believe in it.
"It has to be one of our best records, if not our best record."
The group started to record their new album in Hong Kong in 2013 after gigs were cancelled and they enjoyed having the creative freedom they used to have when they started out in the music industry, but Damon admitted he was "nervous" to hear the record for the first time.
Graham said: "We threw everything at it in five days in Hong Kong, so there was a lot.
"But it was like the early recordings, when we were left alone and had no one breathing down our necks. We could just be creative. Every stage was really nerve-racking though."
Damon added to The Sun newspaper: "The most important thing is that the stuff we recorded in Hong Kong was magical.
"Graham came and said, 'I'd like to take this recording and knock it into shape'. It was a nervous moment when he played it to me.
"I thought, 'Oh s**t!' because it was really good and this sort of thing doesn't happen very often in life, so I couldn't really say no. As soon as I got the bit between my teeth I was back."
Blur were also pleased they managed to keep their album comeback a secret, and Damon was particularly proud that Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett didn't have a clue.
He explained: "It's so hard to keep anything quiet these days but nobody snitched. The best bit was when Jamie started posting new pictures of Gorillaz and he didn't know either!"
During yesterday's album announcement, Damon admitted the group can't wait to try out some of their new tracks from 'The Magic Whip' - which is released on April 27 - when they headline a British Summer Time gig at London's Hyde Park later this year.
The London-born singer said: "On this occasion we will have a whole new set of things to get excited about so we'll have even more music.
"I love it [playing in Hyde Park] because I can cycle to work!"

The Libertines say it feels "good to be back in the studio".
The band - made up of Carl Barat, John Hassall, Gary Powell and Pete Doherty - have recently been working on the follow-up to their self-titled 2004 album in Thailand and are pleased with how it is progressing.
Carl told BANG Showbiz: "Yeah great. I've been in Thailand and we were all together before that. It's just good to be back in the studio making music.
"We've got a few more demos we've got to do but we'll record some of it in Thailand and some in a different mystery location."
However, although they have been working on tracks in the Southeast Asian country as it is where Pete, 35, is in rehab for heroin addiction, they revealed the final recordings for their third LP may not be made in the country, with John keen to make a more upbeat album on the Mediterranean party island Ibiza, at some point in the future.
He continued: "It's not definitely going to be recorded in Thailand, but I think Thailand's a great place, a very relaxed place. The thing was Pete was at a centre there, and we all went out to visit him and then we were a bit jealous, so we thought, 'We need to get out here and make a record.'"
John added: "I think we should do it in Ibiza. Maybe we'll make our next break-up record in Ibiza."
And while they are scheduled to appear at a number of festivals including T in the Park and Ibiza Rocks this summer, Carl believes it is unlikely Pete will return to the UK full time in the foreseeable future.
He added: "We've got a bunch of festivals, we're excited about that, getting back together again and getting on with it. The last festival we did was such a joy, and writing the new stuff has been a joy.
"Apart from popping back for UK shows, I think he's staying out there for a while."