Music News

Sir Elton John is earning $500,000 (£330,750) for each Las Vegas show.
The 67-year-old singer-songwriter started the ninth leg of his 'The Million Dollar Piano' residency at The Colosseum, Caesars Palace, last week, and is reportedly taking 88% of all ticket sales.
According to TMZ, the 'Candle in the Wind' hitmaker has to sign off on all ticket prices, ranging from $55 (£36) to $1,000 (£662) in the 4,296 seated arena, meaning he is able to increase the amount he earns.
The huge sum means Elton - who wed his husband David Furnish at his home in England last month on the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership - has now become the highest-earning musician per show in Las Vegas history, overtaking 'Till The World Ends' singer Britney Spears.
The 33-year-old pop sensation is believed to earn $475,000 (£314,220) per show, which is considerably less than Elton, especially as the venue of her residency, Planet Hollywood, has more seats at 4,600.
Those paying the expensive sum to see the iconic British musician perform are treated to an 18-track celebration of his greatest hits including 'Tiny Dancer', 'Your Song', 'I'm Still Standing', and an encore of his song from the 1994 film 'The Lion King', 'The Circle of Life'.
The series of shows are set to end on January 24, before he returns for a further 17 shows until April 14.

Damon Albarn is scoring an 'Alice in Wonderland' musical.
The Blur frontman has announced his debut musical 'wonder.land' will be based on the Lewis Carroll novel and will open at the Olivier Theatre on London's South Bank in November before being shown at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2016.
While the 46-year-old singer-songwriter will score the music for the production, director and actress Moira Buffini has been enlisted to write the lyrics.
The soundtrack follows the star's debut solo album 'Everyday Robots' which was released last year, which was shortlisted for the 2014 Mercury Prize and has earned him a nomination for Best Male at the BRIT Awards.
The show - which is being produced in collaboration with the National Theatre and Manchester International Festival - promises to be a modern reinterpretation of the classic children's story, with the protagonist heading to the internet instead of down a rabbit hole.
The synopsis reads: "Aly, 12, loves this extraordinary virtual world. Bullied at school and unhappy at home, wonder.land lets her escape from her parents, from teachers, from herself. Online, Aly becomes Alice: brave, beautiful and in control. But some of the people she meets the weird Dum and Dee, the creepy Cheshire Cat, the terrifying Red Queen - seem strangely familiar. As hard as Aly tries to keep them apart, real life and 'wonder.land' begin to collide in ever more curious and dangerous ways."
Tickets to the show go on sale on January 22 at 11.30am.

Mark Ronson wants to work on the James Bond soundtrack.
The DJ and producer admitted he would like to be involved with the music for the upcoming James Bond film, 'Spectre', saying he believes it is something every male musician wants to do.
When asked about possibility of contributing to the soundtrack, he said: "If I was asked for, I would definitely be - I mean the Bond thing is like every little boy's dream, so sure, why not?"
The movie - which is currently being filmed - is scheduled to arrive in cinemas in November, with Daniel Craig returning to play the iconic spy for the fourth time and Sam Mendes directing the movie following the success of his 007 debut with 'Skyfall'.
However, the 39-year-old musician - who recently released his fourth album 'Uptown Special' - confessed he has not been asked to record for the upcoming film, so doesn't want to get his hopes up by thinking about the project.
He said: "I mean, they haven't asked me, so I don't like to get too wrapped up in things."
The 'Uptown Funk' hitmaker was questioned about the prospect at the London premiere of action comedy movie 'Mortdecai', which he provided the soundtrack for, and admitted he would also be up for collaborating with the film's star, Johnny Depp.
Talking about the prospect, he said: "I heard Johnny's an amazing guitar player!"

The Vaccines want their new album to sound "terrible" in 10 years time.
The group have been working on their third LP and have deliberately shunned the "timeless" sound of their first two offerings, 'What Did You Expect..?' and 'Come of Age', in favour of something which reflected this year.
Frontman Justin Young said: "I wanted to make a record that was important in 2015 and sounded like 2015, sonically and emotionally.
"I think with our next album we wanted to make something that sounds amazing next year and then terrible in 10 years. If you listen to anything from the 1990s now, it sounds f***ing awful but that's part of its identity."
And the rocker is keen for the album to lead the way into a new sound.
He said: "The record's hyper-stylised in a way we've never worked before. Nothing is natural-sounding, it's a lot more future sounding.
"We wanted to be creative and exploratory. We wanted to make a genre-defining record rather than something that would just fit in."
The 'Post Break-Up Sex' singer also lamented the lack of "ambition" in rock music, insisting it is a lot less "adventurous" than other genres.
He told NME magazine: "People just aren't ambitious in rock music. If you take hip-hop or pop, they're a lot more adventurous, they break a lot more rules.
"If you listen to some of the stuff on the radio right now, it's f***ing far out."

Iggy Azalea wants to still be "gyrating in a leotard" when she's 35.
The 24-year-old Australian star doesn't know how long her career will last but even if it's just a few years, she hopes to be remembered for "sparking a change" in attitudes towards hip-hop.
She said: "If I have a very long career and can be gyrating in a leotard at 35, that would be great. You never know how long you'll be in people's good graces, especially in this business. I hope it's long -- but I could be here for three or four years and then be out, like most artists.
"So it depends. I might be here for a long time.
"At the very worst, if I have a short-lived career, at least I could say I sparked a change -- that I inspired some leniency in what people accept in hip-hop."
The 'Bounce' hitmaker - who is nominated for four Grammy awards - has faced criticism from a number of fellow hip-hop stars but admits receiving recognition at awards ceremonies helps her shrug off the harsh comments and feel validated.
Asked how she copes with haters, she told GQ magazine: "Awards season helps. Anytime where people get to choose who they want to have a voice and they choose me, I just think that makes it worth it. And that gives me the patience to just bite my tongue.
"When people choose me as the person they think should be speaking for them, I think, Well, I don't really care what someone in the industry or another artist has to say about it. Your opinion is biased anyway, because you want people to listen to your voice.
"So having actual people who choose me, it makes me think, I have a place, and I don't care what other people have to say about it. I was a fan of rap music growing up, and I didn't feel like there were enough characters that represented me and my situation. So I think it's needed."

Rihanna is planning a huge New York concert.
The 26-year-old singer is gearing up to release her eighth studio album and is reportedly in talks to perform in an enormous show which could shut down one of the city's busiest neighbourhoods for four days.
The NBA All-Star Weekend concert is being organised by Jay Z's company Roc Nation and although no deal between the pop sensation and the company has yet been reached, the Bajan beauty is believed to be keen to sing some of the new tracks from her upcoming album, tentatively titled 'R8'.
The performance will be held in the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza, and local communities have been advised to prepare for the closure of major streets throughout the city, including Broadway, from February 10 to 13 due to the huge demand the 'We Found Love' hitmaker is expected to attract.
Last month, Rihanna and Jay Z held talks in Roc Nation's head office in New York where they were believed to be speaking about her LP - on which she has worked with Kiesza, Sia and Florence Welch - which is expected to be released later this year.
However, Rihanna - whose last album, 'Unapologetic', was released in 2012 - has been secretive about the record and has not officially announced any information about it.
Attempting to squash speculation about her forthcoming activities, she previously posted on Twitter: "ANY news about #R8 will be delivered directly from me!!!! (sic)"

Katy Perry is nervous about her performance at the Super Bowl.
The 'Dark Horse' hitmaker will take to the stage during the prestigious half-time show at the championship game next month and she's confessed she still can't believe she was chosen to headline the gig.
She told ESPN The Magazine Music Issue: "Honestly? I feel like I've outdreamt my dream. I don't get nervous much, but I'll definitely be a little tingly inside that day."
The 30-year-old star will perform half way through the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona and Houston Texans' J.J. Watt - who appears alongside Katy on the cover of the magazine - admits he's jealous of her involvement in the end-of season match.
He said: "She's playing in a bigger game than I've ever gotten to play in. I'm hoping someday to be in those shoes."
Katy will follow in the footsteps of 'Uptown Funk' singer Bruno Mars, who last year performed before 115 million viewers during the half-time show, and will be joined on stage by Lenny Kravitz.
She's not the only star who may be experiencing butterflies in their stomach on match day, however, as 'Let It Go' crooner Idina Menzel will be performing the National Anthem before kick-off on February 1.

Sam Smith is Meghan Trainor's "bestie".
The 'Lips Are Movin' hitmaker recently met the 22-year-old singer-songwriter and admitted they exchanged phone numbers and got on so well she already considers him to be one of her best friends.
She told BANG Showbiz: "I met Sam Smith and he's a lovely, lovely person. He's my new bestie!"
The blonde beauty - who has been nominated in the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories at the Grammys for her breakthrough single 'All About That Bass' - is currently in London to promote her debut album, 'Title', which will be released in the UK next week (26.01.15).
However, the 21-year-old star was disappointed to hear the 'Stay With Me' singer is touring across the US at the moment, as she wanted to meet up with him during her short stay in the English capital.
She explained: "I texted him saying 'I'm in your hometown' but he's in Montreal or somewhere doing some shows far, far away."
Meghan - who was speaking at an exclusive session at Spotify's London headquarters - also said she finds it difficult speaking to people in Britain because she feels like people don't understand what she's saying.
She joked: "I keep realising you don't know the lingo of America... or my swag. I just learned that today."

Rihanna has made a track with Florence Welch.
The Bajan beauty has registered a collaboration with the singer - who performs under the name Florence and the Machine - which is believed will feature on the 'Diamonds' hitmaker's upcoming album.
The song, which is titled 'A Night', lists 28-year-old Florence and award-winning producer Paul Epworth as the track's writers, leading to speculation the song could sample a track from the singer's 2011 album 'Ceremonials' titled 'Only If for a Night'.
Details about the 26-year-old's album - tentatively titled 'R8' - have been sketchy, although Kiesza and Sia have previously confirmed their involvement, while 'Stay With Me' singer Sam Smith recently hinted he has recorded with the star for the LP.
He teased: "I'm personally very excited for Rihanna's album. I know some stuff about that record that no one knows."
The highly anticipated album - which will be her first since 2012's 'Unapologetic' - is also expected to feature the track 'World Peace', which leaked earlier this month.
However, the outspoken chart-topper has attempted to shut down speculation about the record by saying she is the only official source of information for details of her new music.
Taking to her Twitter account in November, she wrote: "ANY news about #R8 will be delivered directly from me!!!!"