Music News

Pharrell Williams is upset songs he wrote for Michael Jackson never "made it" to him.
The 'Happy' hitmaker knew the King of Pop for several years before he died of acute Propofol intoxication in 2009 and had penned some tracks for the star but they were rejected by his team and ended up being given to Justin Timberlake for his debut solo album 'Justified' - and Pharrell was shocked when the 'Billie Jean' singer later sang them to him and he had to confess they were originally destined for him.
He said: "I did eight songs for him that never made it to him, that ended up on Justin's record.
"Later he sang me all those songs and told me they should have been his and I told him they were for him."
The 'Get Lucky' star also laughed off comparisons between himself and the late 'Thriller' singer.
He told News.com.au: "Well, there's no comparison between me and Michael Jackson. He is the King of Pop, an incredible dancer, an incredible writer, incredible visionary, he changed the world in so many ways.
"I am just a fan who has been given the opportunity to make music."

Jennifer Lopez didn't want to rush her new album.
The 44-year-old singer is preparing for the release of her 10th record and has been in the studio for the past year making sure the songs are perfect.
During an interview on Los Angeles' Power 106 radio station, the 'American Idol' judge and singer said: "I toured for the first time right after my last season of Idol, I went on a world tour for about a year and it was amazing, I loved it.
"When I got back I got right back into the studio and this whole past year, I've been making music.
"There was no need to rush it. Now we're ready to start dropping little things and I started a few months ago."
The 'On The Floor' singer recently went back to the Bronx with her friends, family and boyfriend Casper Smart to film her 'Same Girl' music video.
Jennifer said: "We're in the Bronx on the subway, I called a couple of my girlfriends.
"It was so great, it was just me, it wasn't like a crew to shoot a video, we went to capture the moment.
"I knew people would see a camera and be like, 'Who's that?' I knew they would come out but I didn't expect that. I was like, 'You wanna sing with us', it was a lot of love, it felt very good.
"I've been in the game a long time, but when I go back there it feels very natural to me, when I walk down the street it's like I was there yesterday."
The star, who has also had success in acting, likes to keep busy and insists she continues to work because she loves being creative and it's not about the money for her.
She continued: "I don't know what enough is to everybody, I know everybody thinks financially, but for me I don't really think that way, I just love creating.
"I love being successful and continuing to be able to be successful. Admittedly, sometimes I take on too much, it's a balance, I'm learning as I go."

Disclosure have been approached by "so many names" requesting collaborations.
The electronic music duo - who are brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence - shot to fame last year with singles including 'Latch' and 'White Noise', and they claim that since then they've been inundated with requests from music legends who want to work with them.
Howard said: "We have been approached by so many names it would be stupid to turn them all down.
"There will be some big names, we can't announce them yet but we are incredibly excited about it."
Howard, 19, and Guy, 22, were shocked when Queen of R'n'B Mary J. Blige got in touch with them to say she'd heard their track 'F For You' and wanted to cover it, but were left even more surprised when she explained she wanted to work with them to re-record it.
Howard told the Daily Star newspaper: "Mary approached us which still amazes me. She emailed to say she loved F For You and wanted to cover it.
"So we were like, 'Ok fine, do your thing.' But what she meant was she wanted to add parts to the original song and turn it into a duet between me and her.
"She sent back hundreds of vocal parts and then came on stage with us as at a show in New York. I've never seen a crowd react like that - it was ridiculous."
Disclosure's new version of F For You is out now.

Paloma Faith admits she had no confidence when she first started performing.
The 'Can't Rely On You' singer tried singing when she was 14 but gave up on the idea of a career in music because she didn't believe in herself.
She said: "I just didn't have the confidence or think I was very good. I then started again when I was 21.
"I was working in a bar, and I got roped into being the frontwoman of the band of someone worked with. I did it for a laugh, just a bit of fun, rather than with any serious aspirations to make a career out of it."
The 32-year-old star was later persuaded by friends to start writing her own songs and claims her career just "escalated from there".
She revealed she was inspired by artists who are "brave and ballsy", like Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, Tina Turner, Bjork and PJ Harvey.
She explained: "[I looked up to] exciting female artists that have always thought outside the box and not just done what everyone else was doing."
The star, who releases her new album 'A Perfect Contradiction' on March 10, is also working with Samsung's Launching People campaign to discover new talent and insists she already has experience in nurturing artists, having helped the likes of 'Skyfall' singer Adele when she was starting out.
She explained: "I've already got a bit of a reputation for helping people with their careers. It's genuinely something that I love doing.
"I used to be a promoter for a few people who have gone on to have huge careers, like Adele.
"I've been asked a number of times to be involved in judging panels for TV shows and other talent initiatives, and turned them down because of the format."
Paloma added: "With Launching People, I get to use my knowledge, contacts and experience to help someone in their career in a positive way."

Snoop Lion has been announced as the final headline act for Boardmasters 2014.
The hip-hop star, formerly Snoop Dogg, will play at the UK's biggest surf and music festival, which takes place in Newquay, Cornwall, from August 6 to August 10.
The 42-year-old rapper will join headline acts Bastille and Chase and Status, along with Ben Pearce, The Cribs, Dan Croll, Palma Violets, George Ezra and Bipolar Sunshine, who are performing throughout the weekend.
The festival, which was established in 1981, takes place at two legendary locations along the Cornish coastline, at Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay, and more than 150,000 visitors are expect to attend.
The five-day event will also include an international surf competition featuring the biggest names in the sport.
Additional artists already confirmed to take to the stage include 2manydjs DJ set, Duke Dumont, Roni Size, Peace and Reel Big Fish.
Tickets are sold in five tiered bands, starting from as low at £99 and rising to £139.
A limited number of passes for Friday to Sunday with camping are priced at £116 and tickets for Thursday to Sunday camping are £126, both including booking fees.
To book tickets to Boardmasters 2014, visit boardmasters.co.uk.

Queens of the Stone Age would think about playing the Grammys again if bosses "got their sh*t together".
The rock band - made up of Josh Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore - played the ceremony last month but were left unimpressed after their set was cut short for the commercials.
Frontman Josh is now trying to forget the incident and told Faster Louder: "I'd play anywhere. I don't care about the drama. I don't think it's necessary to worry or sweat the rest of this stuff. Just go and play your music ... I don't like to be disrespected, but nobody likes that."
Josh, 40, previously told an audience at a gig in the US: "F**k the Grammys" but insists he was misunderstood and was actually "really drunk" and simply reacting to banter from the crowd.
Asked during a fan Q&A if the band would play the awards ceremony again, he replied: "If they got their sh*t together, maybe," adding, "I'm in a band, I go play music wherever I'm supposed to go play, you can't sweat this other stuff, it's not that big of a deal."
Queens Of The Stone Age are currently in Australia for a joint tour with Nine Inch Nails, which continues in Perth tomorrow night (12.03.14).
The band have also announced they will headline this year's Leeds and Reading Festivals in August with Paramore, Arctic Monkeys and Blink 182.

Lily Allen has admitted her new singles are "rubbish".
The 'Air Balloon' singer, who will release her new album 'Sheezus' in May, has blamed radio stations and her record labels for not playing her "better" material.
She made the admission after a fan took to Twitter yesterday (10.03.14) to tell the star he thinks her new music is "docile pop rubbish", adding, "So disappointing. She properly just wrote some rubbish to cash some cheques. (sic)"
The 28-year-old singer was quick to fire back and told the follower: "What you've heard so far yes. All i can do is do my best, the labels and the radio stations won't play the better stuff. (sic)"
The fan then told the star: "Fair play, still gonna buy Sheezus see what the rest offers. I have faith! Chinese is one of my favourite songs of all time. (sic)," to which Lily responded, "Keep the faith."
The singer, whose new album drops on May 5, has so far released four tracks from the record including hits 'Hard Out Here' and 'Air Balloon', along with 'L8 CMMR' and her new single 'Our Time'.
Meanwhile, she recently admitted she is more popular in other countries than she is in the UK.
Speaking on 'The Michael McIntyre Chat Show' on Monday night (10.03.14), she told the comedian: "I'm a lot more popular around the world than I am here," adding, "My biggest territories are France and Australia."

Taylor Swift has been named 'Top Money Maker' of 2013 by Billboard. The 'I Knew You Were Trouble' singer earned $39.7m from a combination of music sales, royalties, and touring last year, with the large sum placing her ahead of Beyonce, Justin Timber...

Pixie Lott wants to start her own record label.
The 'Nasty' singer, who has launched her own talent night in London, is looking to follow in the footsteps of 'X Factor' boss Simon Cowell as she coaches undiscovered artists and helps to link them up with professionals in the music industry.
She told the Daily Star newspaper: "Mainly it's about new artists getting out there, 'cause it's hard when you don't really know anyone. I get really excited hearing new people, especially if it's amazing."
Pixie went on: "I kind of know a bit about the way this industry works after being in it for a few years. I think in the future it would be amazing to have my own label.
"I look for amazing singers. I wouldn't be bothered to have to market, like, a band that can't sing or something, I get motivated by good singers."
The blonde beauty, who has returned to music after a break, is also back to being a regular on the celebrity party scene but admits it's not always glamorous.
She explained: "I was at a party and Roll Deep were on the table next to me.
"Next thing I knew one of the boys from the band stood up and was sick all over me, it was terrible.
"I had to go to the toilet, take my long socks off and throw them in the bin."
But the 23-year-old star laughed it off and insists she can't wait to attend more parties after the release of her self-titled third album in May, the follow-up to 2011's 'Young Foolish Happy'.
Pixie likes singing about heartbreak and showing passion and emotion through her songs, despite being in a long-term relationship with model Oliver Cheshire, 25.
She said: "Even though I'm really happy, I think that as I've experience being in a relationship I can relate to being passionate and being sad, or how it would feel if it broke off," adding, "So I can relate to that more than I would have done before."