Music News

James Bay is the 2015 BRITs Critics' Choice Award winner.
The 24-year-old singer-songwriter has beaten off competition from over 100 up-and-coming acts to take the prize, with George The Poet and Years & Years named runners up and he admitted he was "speechless" to scoop the prestigious accolade.
He said: "I'm pretty speechless. After all the years I've spent watching the BRITs and even after this year; watching my fan base grow so much, I never ‎thought I'd actually be getting an award myself. And what a huge honour to be following the incredible artists who've won before! I'm really chuffed, thank you to everyone who has supported me."
James - who recently completed a sell-out UK tour and has also supported acts including Tom Odell and John Newman - will receive his award at the 'BRITs Are Coming' nominations show on 15 January ahead of the main BRIT Awards with MasterCard ceremony at London's The O2 on 25 February.
As well as picking up his trophy, James will perform on the show, as will Clean Bandit and FKA Twigs.
The Critics' Choice Award - which has previously been won by the likes of Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Adele and Jessie J - was chosen by a panel of experts, who considered artists who are signed to a record label and have a debut album set for release in 2015.

Lana Del Rey's biggest "inspiration" used to be New York.
The 'Born to Die' hitmaker loved living in the city for eight years and it was a big influence on her songwriting until she found fame, as she now finds it harder to travel around without being recognised.
She said: "I loved New York. When I was there it was almost my sole source of inspiration, more than any other man, writer or rapper, but it's harder for me to get around now.
" I used to take late night walks over the Williamsburg Bridge, go to all the 24 hour diners with $5 and beg the waiters to let me stay all night in exchange for the purchase of one giant slice of chocolate cake.
" I would sit for hours and read about interesting people like Karl Lagerfeld and listen to books on tape by Tony Robins to keep me company. I would take the D train to Coney Island, take the D train back to the Bronx where I lived on Hughes Avenue."
The 29-year-old singer is working hard on new music and particularly enjoys having her work used in movies.
Interviewed by her sister for Galore magazine, she said: "I just wrote two songs for Tim Burton and Harvey Weinstein's film called Big Eyes and I'm working on a new record. I'm also always writing small pieces for independent films etc. Dan Heath and Rick Nowels are two of my dearest friends and producers and we are always up to something."
Lana's accompanying photoshoot for the interview was taken by her boyfriend, Francesco Carrozzini.

Westlife are reportedly planning a comeback.
The 'You Raise Me Up' hitmakers announced their split just three years ago but it's now been revealed their former record label Syco have persuaded them to return for another album, followed by a tour.
A source shared: "Syco started the talks about getting Westlife back for an album.
"The idea now is that a new album could be released late next year with a tour to follow in 2016.
"The lads still have a massive following that would buy a new album in their droves and pay big money to see them again live.
"Syco want another big banker of an album and Westlife are their most successful act commercially."
However, while Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne are likely to be on board for the reunion, it's unclear whether Brian McFadden - who quit the band in 2004 - would be interested in getting involved.
The insider added to The Sun newspaper: "Syco would love Brian to be part of the band again. It'd create the same sort of buzz as when Robbie Williams returned to Take That.
"But the other lads will need to be convinced because they were always very clear that when Brian left it was for good."

Sir Paul McCartney agreed to soundtrack a video game to "infiltrate" his children and grandchildren's lives.
The Beatles legend has recorded the theme tune for new game 'Destiny' and agreed they could use his song 'Hope for the Future' because he thinks it's the only way he can now get his family to listen to his music.
He said: "I know from my kids and my grandkids, they just bury themselves in a game and I don't think they've got time to listen to my music.
"Their agenda is pretty full with all the other stuff, you know, so I like the idea of infiltrating into their agenda."
The 'Hey Jude' singer admitted to trying his hand at the game but "wasn't very good" and his lives didn't last very long.
He confessed: "I wasn't very good at it, but I'm not very good at games.
"I've got so much else to be getting on with, I can't have my face in a screen, you know, bopping along in a game.
"I had a go and it was great, but I got mashed almost instantly. The aliens mashed me."
Paul previously appeared as a playable character in 'The Beatles: Rock Band' and even though he stuck to his own instrument, he still lost against his family.
He told NME magazine: "I played that with my kids and they creamed me.
"I even played the bass thinking I'd have an edge, but it's all these little bombs coming at you and it's not like playing bass for real.
"I just said, 'It doesn't matter if I win or lose - I wrote it.' "
'Hope for the Future' is released on December 8.

Michael Buble urged his audience to "get loved up" at his gig in Birmingham last night (02.12.14).
The 'Cry Me A River' hitmaker couldn't stop talking about romance as her performed the first show at the revamped and newly-named Barclaycard Arena.
Before performing a rendition of Nat King Cole's 'Smile', he told the audience: "Romance is the most incredible feeling...
"Speaking of love, it's a big reason I'm here tonight. I think the song I'm about to sing is part of why so many people show up, why so many people love the show. Romance is a beautiful thing.
"This part of the show is a great time for couples - to get loved up, to get lost in the moment."
Dressed smart in his usual suit attire, the 39-year-old crooner belted out a number of his own hits including: 'Cry Me A River', 'Everything' and 'Haven't Met You Yet' as well as some great covers including the Jackson 5's 'Who's Loving You' and Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'.
Michael caused quite a stir when he walked through the audience, as fans flocked to the barriers for a chance to shake hands with their idol.
His name as an all-round entertainer was proven by his rendition of The Beatles' 'All You Need Is Love', which had everyone in the arena up on their feet.
Michael ended his set with a beautiful performance of Leon Russell's 'A Song For You', removing his microphone to perform the last chorus and show off the power of his voice.
The concert was the first of two at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena before he heads to Newcastle, Leeds and Belfast, culminating his UK tour with two dates at London's O2 Arena.

U2 have announced a world tour for 2015.
The Irish rockers' 'iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE' concert series will see them play for at least two nights in each of the 19 cities they are scheduled to visit in North America and Europe, kicking off in Vancouver, Canada on ~May 14.
Frontman Bono said: "We are going to try to have a completely different feeling from night one to night two and have some fun playing with the idea of innocence and experience. More to be revealed!"
The two marks the first time in over a decade the group have played indoor arenas - including four nights each at London's The O2, Los Angeles' Forum and Madison Square Garden in New York - but they still want to stage a "ground-breaking" show.
Arthur Fogel, president of Global Touring and chairman of Global Music, said: "The anticipation for a U2 tour is always extraordinary, as it should be. Following the record-setting 360° Tour I'm amazed that they still want to be ground-breaking, this time on a more intimate scale."
Tickets for the tour go on sale on Monday 8 December, but there will be a presale for fan club members from Thursday (04.12.14) until Saturday (06.12.14).
Special shows in Dublin for late 2015 will be announced in the coming weeks.

U2 'iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE' 2015 tour dates:
NORTH AMERICA DATES

May 14 - Vancouver (Rogers Arena)
May 15 - Vancouver (Rogers Arena)
May 18 - San Jose (SAP Center at San Jose)
May 19 - San Jose (SAP Center at San Jose)
May 22 - Phoenix (US Airways Center)
May 23 - Phoenix (US Airways Center)
May 26 - Los Angeles (Forum)
May 27 - Los Angeles (Forum)
May 30 - Los Angeles (Forum)
May 31 - Los Angeles (Forum)
June 12 - Montreal (Bell Centre)
June 13 - Montreal (Bell Centre)
June 24 - Chicago (United Center)
June 25 - Chicago (United Center)
July 6 - Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
July 7 - Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
July 10 - Boston (TD Garden)
July 11 - Boston (TD Garden)
July 18 - New York City (Madison Square Garden)
July 19 - New York City (Madison Square Garden)
July 22 - New York City (Madison Square Garden)
July 23 - New York City (Madison Square Garden)

EUROPE/UK DATES

Sept. 4 - Turin, Italy (Pala Alpitour)
Sept. 5 - Turin, Italy (Pala Alpitour)
Sept. 8 - Amsterdam (Ziggo Dome)
Sept. 9 - Amsterdam (Ziggo Dome)
Sept. 16 - Stockholm, Sweden (Globe)
Sept. 17 - Stockholm, Sweden (Globe)
Sept. 24 - Berlin (O2 World)
Sept. 25 - Berlin (O2 World)
Oct. 5 - Barcelona (Palau Sant Jordi)
Oct. 6 - Barcelona (Palau Sant Jordi)
Oct. 13 - Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis)
Oct. 14 - Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis)
Oct. 17 - Koln, Germany (Lanxess Arena)
Oct. 18 - Koln, Germany (Lanxess Arena)
Oct. 25 - London (O2)
Oct. 26 - London (O2)
Oct. 29 - London (O2)
Oct. 30 - London (O2)
Nov. 6 - Glasgow (The SSE Hydro)
Nov. 7 - Glasgow (The SSE Hydro)
Nov. 10 - Paris (Bercy)
Nov. 11 - Paris (Bercy)

Adele is working on a pop-orientated album.
The 26-year-old star has enlisted the help of hit pop producer Greg Kurstin to work on her highly anticipated third album, which suggests the record may be a lot more upbeat than her other recordings.
A source revealed: "Greg's a genius and one of the powers behind many pop hits.
"But it's a huge surprise he's working with Adele because it suggests she's considering taking a much more pop-focussed direction for her new record."
The producer has an excellent track record when it comes to making hits, with Take That's number one single 'These Days' and Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger' among his many achievements.
The revelation comes days after the 'Rolling in the Deep' singer - who has two-year-old son Angelo with boyfriend Simon Konecki - was confirmed to be working with Blur frontman Damon Albarn on her new music, as she is nervous about living up to the high expectations set by her sophomore album '21' which has sold more than 30 million copies to date.
Talking to The Sun newspaper, the insider continued: "She's also had some serious concerns about the quality of her new album, so this is an indication that she wants a proven hit-maker on board.
"She knows the whole world is waiting for her new music and wants it to be perfect."
Greg - who is also known for producing Lily Allen's albums - is not the only musical genius who has been employed to work with the star, as Ryan Tedder, Diane Warren, Paul Epworth, and James Ford have all contributed to the album which is believed to be called '25'.

Miranda Lambert praised "her rock" Blake Shelton as she was honoured at the CMT Artists of the Year event last night (02.12.14).
The 31-year-old singer was given her award by Ashley Monroe after NASCAR star Danica Patrick introduced her performance of 'Holdin' On to You' and admitted she had been incredibly "nervous" but remembered to thank her 'Voice' coach spouse for his support.
Miranda - who was one of five recipients of the honour - said:
"I'm so nervous. I'm glad that's over. Thank you, Danica, thank you Ashley, for being here. Thank you, CMT, for this amazing night in honouring everything we work for so hard all year and all the amazing artists. My husband, I always forget to thank him, but he's my rock -- Blake Shelton.
"He's somewhere on TV right now, I think. But I appreciate it so much. And thank you so much to the fans for buying our music -- all of our music -- and giving us a great life and letting us live our dream."
Luke Bryan missed the event following the tragic death of his brother-in-law at the weekend but was in the thoughts of fellow honourees Jason Aldean and Keith Urban.
Jason said: "One of my buddies, Luke Bryan, is not here tonight, dealing with some family stuff in Georgia. Just want to say I'm thinkin' about you, you and your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Hurry back to the country music world."
And picking up his trophy, after singing James Brown's 'It's A Man's, Man's Man's World' alongside a 10-piece female band, Keith said: "I want to send my love and prayers out to Luke and all your family tonight too, brother. You're right here tonight, brother."
In Luke's absence, Lady Antebellum stepped in to sing 'Drink a Beer' with the track's co-writer Chris Stapleton and their friend was delighted by their fitting tribute.
Luke tweeted: "That was amazing. Truly. Thank you Charles, Dave, Hillary and Chris! Beautiful!!! Thank you fans for your love.(sic")
The fifth CMT Artists of the Year, Florida Georgia Line picked up their prize from Wiz Khalifa, who said he was "proud" to be their fan.
Wrapping up proceedings at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Merle Haggard picked up the first-ever Artist of a Lifetime honour from Billy Bob Thornton.
He said: "Anything I'd say would be short of the mark, so thank you very much and God bless you. Good music lives forever!"

Tracey Emin has turned the BRIT Award pink.
The British artist has unveiled her design for the distinctive trophy that will be given out at the 2015 ceremony and the design sees the iconic statuette turned a pale hue with a short verse written in blue script.
The words on the trophy, which are printed four times, read: "Congratulations on your talent on your life.
"On Everything you Give to Others
"Thank You (sic)"
The 51-year-old artist hopes the statue will be "special" to the recipients and says she worked hard to put her own stamp on it.
She said: "You want to do it really well. You don't just want to decorate it, you want to make something that is really Tracey-ish, that is special for the people receiving it."
In honour of the award's new look, the BRIT Awards with Mastercard's distinctive logo has also been turned pink and awards bosses are thrilled with her "bold and brilliant" idea.
BRITs Chairman Max Lousada said: "Tracey's design is characteristically bold, brilliant, colourful and inventive - everything the BRITs stands for. We're honoured to work with her and delighted to be able to celebrate the achievements of the BRIT Awards winners with such a unique and special trophy."
The BRIT Awards 2015 with MasterCard take place on Wednesday 25th February at The O2 in London and will be broadcast on ITV.