Music News

Weird Al Yankovic went to an Iggy Azalea concert to ask permission to parody 'Fancy'.
The 54-year-old singer wanted permission from the singer to include his spoof song 'Handy' on new album 'Mandatory Fun' but with time running out to get the track approved in time, he took matters into his own hands.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "We contacted her management office and we felt we'd hear back right away but we didn't ... The clock was ticking.
"Finally I decided if I wanted to get this album out, ... I just needed to track her down in person. So I flew out to Denver where she was doing this show and I waited by the side of the stage.
"As she walked off stage, I introduced myself and said 'Hi, we're supposed to be going to the studio tomorrow to record my new song ['Handy'] and I just wanna make sure that you're ok with that'.
"I showed her the lyrics, she looked at them and said 'seems fine' ... I got back on the plane the next morning and recorded the song."
The 'White and Nerdy' hitmaker hasn't always been given permission to parody songs - but insists that in the case of James Blunt, it worked out for the better.
He said: "A couple of albums ago, I wanted to do a parody of 'You're Beautiful' by James Blunt called 'You're Pitiful'. James had signed off on it but his record label, Atlantic Records, had told me they did not want me to release the song.
"I didn't want any drama and complications ... so we decided to back off. Actually, they did me a favour because that was originally the single off my album and instead we released 'White and Nerdy' which became my biggest hit ever. It was a top 10 single, a platinum selling single."
Weird Al's new album 'Mandatory Fun', which features the song 'Handy', is out now.

One Direction will headline this year's iHeartRadio Music Festival.
The boyband will be joined by acts including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Iggy Azalea, and Lorde, on the main stage at the annual event which will take place over two nights at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on September 19 and 20.
Coldplay, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Motley Crue, Zac Brown Band, Paramore, Train, Eric Church, Calvin Harris, Bastille, and Steve Aoki have also been confirmed to play at the star-studded gathering.
Ryan Seacrest will once again return as host for the music festival's fourth year in Las Vegas.
Tom Poleman, president of Clear Channel's national programming platforms, told Billboard: "We want to continue to deliver the goods for artists and help their development, and to see more great music to keep the radio industry healthy."
He added: "It's great to have the diversity of genres this year, too. We have Motley Crue, which is obviously very different from Train, Eric Church, or Ariana Grande, but that's what makes it so special.
"You'll often have people on the side of the stage watching other bands. It's not unthinkable to see someone like Coldplay watching Zac Brown or One Direction because they're already on-set and they never get to see them play themselves."

Chrissie Hynde has compared rock legend Neil Young to God.
Neil appears on the track 'Down The Wrong Way' on Chrissie's new album, 'Stockholm' and the former Pretenders singer was honoured to work with the Canadian musician.
She told the Daily Telegraph: "If you believe in God, playing with Neil is probably the closest thing you'll have to being in the presence. A demi-God, let's say.
"As far as an individual, he's the hippy you always imagined him to be, funny, personable, real easy-going.
"He's like the guy who passes you the joint in the back of a station wagon as you're travelling across some dusty terrain."
Meanwhile, Chrissie insisted that song-writing performs a cathartic function for her.
She said: "I am not a poet, I am not a storyteller. I just kind of get stuff off my chest. These songs just tumbled out."
Chrissie admitted that the central theme running through the new album - which has been described as edgy by various critics - is emotional concerns.
She added: "That's why there's millions of love songs made out of just 12 notes. It's a Rubik's Cube times a thousand, there's so many possible combinations of primary colours."

Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has had his jail term appeal refused.
The shamed star was jailed for 29 years last December, with another six years on license, after being found guilty of a number of child sex offences, and after claiming that his sentence was "too harsh", judges at Cardiff Crown Court have now decided he didn't have sufficient grounds to appeal, Sky News reports.
The singer had originally insisted he was innocent of offences including the attempted rape of an 11-month-old child, possession of child-abuse videos - some of which he made himself - and encouraging a fan to abuse her own child.
However, he changed his plea at the last minute, averting the need for a trial, and later complained he hadn't realised his guilty plea would indeed make him "look guilty".
At his original trial, the judge told him: "I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence, you are highly manipulative, you are a sexual predator, you are dangerous.
"The public and, in particular, young females need protection from you."
Watkins was told that he would have to serve at least two-thirds of his custodial sentence before he could even be considered for release by the Parole board.
His barrister insisted her client wasn't given enough discount for pleading guilty, saying: "This case causes a very disturbing reaction for anyone who has anything to do with it ... But by pleading guilty my client averted the need for a most distressing and unpleasant trial for all those concerned, especially a jury.
"I am not trying to minimise the gravity of these offenses, just simply make the observation that a sense of proportion needs to be maintained."

Nick Jonas' new song 'Chains' describes how he felt trapped in the Jonas Brothers.
The 21-year-old singer and his brothers Kevin, 26, and Joe, 24, disbanded their squeaky clean band last year and with his new solo single, Nick details his unhappiness at how they were perceived but friends now say he no longer "gives a s**t" what people think of him.
A source told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column: "'Chains' is a metaphor for what he has been feeling all these years.
"He feels free now for the first time in his life. He's making music he believes in. He's done saying sorry for everything and trying to be perfect. He's just going to be himself; if people like him, great, if not, he's done giving a s**t."
The steamy video for the song features Sean Penn's daughter Dylan and will be a departure from the Jonas Brothers.
Friends of Nick have also claimed he found the Jonas Brothers a "burden" and now finally "feels free".
The pal said: "Nick has spent years experiencing a burden that's hard to explain. He's not blaming anyone for it; it's just what fame does to people, especially at a young age.
"Different people respond in different ways - some do drugs and act out, but his response was to conform to what he thought people wanted him to be. Remember, he was a 13 year-old kid when he became famous. For example: He thought that when he slept in a hotel room on tour, people would talk s**t about him if he didn't make his own bed. So he made it."

Calvin Harris is taking a break from writing for other artists to concentrate on his own music.
The DJ - who has worked with stars including Ellie Goulding, Cheryl Cole and Chris Brown - wants to focus on his own career and plans to finish his new album before he helps out anyone else.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It's very rarely that I have to deal with it face-to-face. Usually, it's not really a case of turning them down, it's the case of I've got too much on. Do you know what I mean?
"It's a serious thing. I've got to finish my album, I have to take care of me before I take care of anyone else."
And one person Calvin has no desire to help is his ex-girlfriend Rita Ora as it was recently claimed their split has has left plans for her new album in chaos.
Rita, 23, recorded a number of songs with her former beau - including hit single 'I Will Never Let You Down' - but he's now said that she cannot release any more of the tunes they made together.
A source previously said: "Rita's album has hit a bit of a road block after Calvin pulled all the songs he had worked on for the project before they split.
"He'd made a lot of songs for her but they're now likely to go to other artists."
It's been reported that the pair made at least a dozen tracks together, which were to represent the bulk of the eagerly-awaited record.
The source added: "Calvin wants a clean break, personally and professionally. He's already given her one massive hit so doesn't feel her owes her.
"He doesn't want to be linked to her, especially now she's in a new relationship with Rich Hilfiger."

Beyonce and Jay Z want to bring their 'On The Run' tour to the UK.
The superstar and her rapper husband - who kicked off their tour at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens last month - are said to be planning to add a final UK date to their schedule which is currently set to end with a two-night stint at the Stade de France in Paris, this September.
It is believed the performance will take place in London in Autumn with tickets for the surprise show becoming available just weeks before the event.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Jay Z and Beyonce will play a stadium in Britain, probably in London, before the autumn.
"It needs to be a stadium because of the scale of the production.
"It could be the case that there will be just weeks between tickets going on sale and the event."
News of the additional tour date follows on from weeks of speculation that the couple's marriage is in crisis.
Beyonce, 32 and Jay Z, 44 - who have a two-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, together - were previously said to be only seeing one another on stage by travelling separately and staying in different hotel rooms.
A source said: "They might be sharing a stage, but while on tour they'll live practically separate lives.
"Tensions between them are worse than ever, meaning they will be travelling between venues independently, staying in different hotel suites and even having separate entourages.
"They'll also have individual dressing rooms, so the only times they'll be together will be while they're performing."

5 Seconds of Summer plan to write with One Direction.
The 'She Looks So Perfect' hitmakers are currently touring with the British band for the second time, and though they get on well, they won't be recording a duet with their pals.
Asked if they would team up with One Direction, Calum Hood said: "We are two completely different bands."
Luke Hemmings added: "We might write with them at some point. If we were going to do a song it'd be with someone that's cool and up-and-coming."
The group's career has escalated since they first toured with the 'Little Things' singers last year and they admit being on the road this time around has been a different experience.
Ashton Irwin said on 'Live from MTV': "I think it's been different in a few ways, we got to go to Europe for the first time and without them [One Direction], we would have never gotten to meet some of the fans, so that was incredible.
"There's a few more people singing along to our songs, which is nice. That's just a beautiful thing."
Another thing that has changed this tour is there is less "nudity", after 1D star Harry Styles pranked the support act by invading their dressing room to throw fruit at them while nude last year.
Ashton said: "No, naked Harry Styles, which is a bit disappointing. It's a decrease of nudity on the tour this year."

Avicii will be joined by Chris Martin, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jon Bon Jovi and a string of other stars on his new album.
The 'Hey Brother' star - whose real name is Tim Bergling- has also recorded a reggae duet with Wyclef Jean and Matisyahu and another track with System of a Down's Serj Tankian for the forthcoming follow-up to his debut record 'True'.
He said: "It's going to be a lot more song-oriented. 'True' was an attempt at that, getting electronic music in a song format."
While the 24-year-old producer is thrilled with the reggae track, he admits he "doesn't know" whether to use it yet.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: "I love it, but I don't know what to do with it yet."
The 'Wake Me Up' hitmaker grew close to Coldplay frontman Chris when he co-produced the group's track 'A Sky Full of Stars', and though they have a strong bond, they take different approaches to working.
He explained: "Chris has been like a brother. He needs every part to be perfect. I'm not like that. Which is why I've got 70 songs."
The as-yet untitled album is expected to be released later this year.