Madonna signs three-album deal with Interscope

Thursday, 22 December 2011 16:10

Billboard.biz reports that Madonna has landed a new recording contract with Interscope.

Earlier this week, the New York Post confirmed that the star's 10-year multi-rights contract with Live Nation - reportedly worth around $100 million – will not be affected by the new record deal. The promoter will work with Madonna’s new label.

The new three-album deal with Interscope offers the star a base of $1 million per record.

Live Nation announced earlier this year that the company intended to work with a new label in releasing future recordings from the singer. Madonna parted ways with Warner Bros. after Hard Candy was released in 2008. The material girl had spent 25 years working for the label.

The “Sticky & Sweet” tour – put on by Live Nation - that followed the 2008 album raked in $408 million, the most money a female act has ever earned on a world tour.

The label apparently views the Madonna-Live Nation bundle as a major acquisition. Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine told NME: “Very rarely does an opportunity like this come around. We would like to thank Madonna, Guy [Oseary, manager] and Live Nation for their belief in us.”

Madonna has announced an upcoming single, “Gimme All Your Luvin,” set for release in January of next year – just before she will appear on this year’s Super Bowl XLVI halftime show Feburary 5.

The single will be the first track from her upcoming, yet-untitled first release from Interscope. The song was leaked online earlier this year, sparking an incensed reaction from the singer.

Manager Oseary tweeted at the time: “Madonna told me this morning: ‘My true fans wouldn’t do this’. Whoever is responsible for the leak, we ask that you please stop.”

He added: “The plan was for new music to come out in the New Year, and yet someone leaked a demo version of a song yesterday. I’m very happy with the positive reaction to the demo, but we are very upset with whoever leaked the song.”

‘Fairytale of New York’ ranks as most-played Christmas tune

Thursday, 22 December 2011 15:59

Robbed by the Pet Shop Boys of the Christmas No. 1 in 1987, nonplused Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan noted that they'd been ''beaten by two queens and a drum machine.''

Things have changed for the band, however, as their tune “Fairytale of New York” has been listed as the most-played Christmas track of the 21st century. The song has made an appearance in the Christmas Top 20 seven times since its release, and has managed to beat Christmas mainstays like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and Wham’s “Last Christmas” for the title.

The track landed in the No. 2 slot during the year of its release, missing the peak position to the Pet Shop Boys’ cover of “Always on my Mind.”

In typical Pogues fashion, its lyrics betray a certain weakness for the drink. The song created a certain amount of controversy because it contained such words as “maggot,” “faggot” and “scumbag.”

In 2007, Radio 1 attempted to edit out the word “faggot” from the song, hoping to “avoid offense,” but ceased the censure after receiving a number of complaints from fans.

Kirsty MacColl plays MacGowan’s other half on the track about warring lovers, which music licensing body PPL confirms as the most publically-aired Christmas tune of the current century.

Since 2000, PPL has been documenting every airing of a given song – airplay on radio and TV, in addition to public plays in gyms, bars, restaurants and shops.

Putting “Fairytale of New York” over the edge for most-played Christmas tune was perhaps its run as Tesco’s choice for a holiday television campaign.

The Independent reports that Tesco’s use of the song generated enough royalties to assist MacColl’s family in researching Kirsty’s unexplained death in 2000. The singer, 41 at the time, was killed by a boat during a swim in Mexico.


 

Black Sabbath and Adele inspire new Mumford & Sons’ album

Thursday, 22 December 2011 15:49

Mumford & Sons tell Rolling Stone that their sophomore record will be representative of ''doom folk,'' having been inspired by such diverse artists as Nick Drake, Black Sabbath and Adele.

Bassist Ted Dwane explained: “[The album is] certainly more mature. Like Black Sabbath meets Nick Drake.”

Dwane added that the band didn’t consciously create the new sound. “It should come from your heart, not so much your head.”

Mumford & Sons made a strong debut – the band’s first album Sigh No More reached No. 2 on the UK album chart and managed to impress US music fans as well. Single “The Cave” has been nominated for two Grammys – song of the year and record of the year.

“We never thought we’d be commercially viable and we were proved wrong,” Dwane said of the band’s successes.

The bassist believes the British folks rockers have been compared to Adele for good reason.

“There’s a reason why [her album has] done what it’s done. It’s not money – there’s brilliance in writing a simple song. And it’s great to have that kind of appeal to people again. It’s not so much about the bells and whistles; it’s about the lyric and the melody.”

No release date has been set for the new album – the band has yet to even give it a name.

Keyboardist Ben Lovett said of making it: “We spent a week in Nashville just writing, the four of us, kind of getting together any individual song ideas we had and playing them out. And then we did the same a few weeks ago down in the west country in the UK. Even though we’re right in the heart of it, even in the studio sometimes doesn’t feel as free as it is just playing together. It’s brilliant.”


 

Paris Jackson ‘felt stupid’ wearing masks

Thursday, 22 December 2011 15:39

In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Paris Jackson explained what it was like growing up with superstar Michael Jackson as a father figure.

The 13-year-old also discussed her ambition to act in movies – “just like” her dad. Paris will soon appear in the kids’ fantasy feature Lundon’s Bridge and the Three Keys.

She told Ellen: “When I was really little, my dad was in the movie Moonwalker and I knew he could sing really well but I didn’t know he could act. I saw that and I said, ‘Wow, I want to be just like him.’

“We would do improv together. He would [say], ‘Okay, in this scene you’re going to cry,’ and I’d cry on the spot.”

Before his death, Jackson went to extremes to keep his kids’ faces out of the media – often having them wear masks in public.

Paris explained: “Yeah, I’m like, ‘This is stupid, why am I wearing a mask?’ But I kind of realized the older I got, like, he only tried to protect us and he’d explain that to us too.”

She added that school offers her a sense of normalcy. “I do have like a regular childhood. I mean, I’m treated the same. When I came to Buckley [school] they didn’t know who I was. I was like, yes, I have a chance to be normal.”

Paris and her two brothers live with grandmother Katherine after Jackson’s untimely death in 2009.

“He said, ‘If I die tomorrow, always remember what I told you,’” Paris revealed. “I took his advice, and I remembered everything he told me.”

Jackson’s California home was opened up to fans earlier this week so that they could have a look at items set to be sold at auction. Many fans left behind cards, notes, pictures and flowers as a tribute to the singer.

Artist of the year Adele stays grounded

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 15:41

In spite of being Billboard's artist of the year and having sophomore album 21 top more than 20 album charts around the globe, Adele seems to have changed little since her career began.

Asked by Billboard how she keeps grounded, Adele said: “Well I started on an indie label in the UK before I signed to Columbia here in the US, and I’m still there. What I like about indie artists and indie labels is they don’t do everything. Obviously, the main reason for that is because they don’t have the clout and don’t get the chance to. Ha!

“But why does a huge artist have to do everything? Quality control is vital. If I did everything, my artistry and music would become diluted. Performances and interviews travel globally and instantly nowadays because of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and blogs. I’d be repeating myself and be overexposed if I did every TV and every magazine cover I was given the opportunity to do.”

She added: “When it comes to staying myself – my career isn’t my life, it doesn’t come home with me. So it’s a piece of p*** staying grounded and not being changed by it. The same things I’ve always liked still satisfy me.

“Of course I’m bowled over by people’s response to 21, and when I meet artists I love, it blows my mind. But it baffles me as well. I go home and my best friend laughs at me, rather than going to a celebrity-studded party to rub shoulders with people who know me but who I don’t know. I’m Z-list when it comes to that s***.”

21, released in January, sold more albums than that of any other artist this year, moving 13 million units worldwide.

After undergoing throat surgery, Adele expects to be fully recovered in time for the Grammys – where she is nominated for six awards.


 

Tulisa Contostavlos hints at Little Mix collaboration

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 15:35

X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos is so excited about Little Mix's win that she hopes to feature a duet with the girl group on her own debut solo album.

Tulisa, who acted as the girls’ mentor during the show, said during the Xtra Factor that she hopes to capture Little Mix’s Alicia Keys medley for her upcoming record.

“There’s been talks,” she revealed, “but I’m not 100%. I would love to do this…when I release my album we might re-record [the Alicia Keys mash-up] as a single and put it on my album, we we’ll see how it goes.”

Asked why she believed Little Mix came out on top, Tulisa said: “I think the girls won because they deserved it, because they’re talented and beautiful and they’re genuine, honest people. I love them and the UK loves them and I’m over the moon. I can’t express it; I’m just feeling ecstatic right now.”

In spite of the fact that her act Amelia Lily was eliminated before the final, fellow X Factor judge Kelly Rowland professed her excitement for the girl group’s future.

She said: “Little Mix have only scratched the surface. I’m so excited at what’s to come for them. They have a lot to look forward to: number one singles, awards, being together. I wish them all the success that I had over 15 years.”

Rowland ended with a note of caution: “It’s important to know who your family is. They should stick together no matter what and know who their friends are and value friendship above anything else.”

Louis Walsh also recommended that the girls stay grounded. “Work hard, listen to your manager, do all the right things and remember anything is possible, but they have to keep their feet on the ground.”


 

Michael Buble first introduced to jazz via Christmas tunes

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 15:27

The posthumous release from Amy Winehouse beat Michael Buble's Christmas album to the top of the UK album chart this week, but Buble doesn't seem fazed.

Buble, who hails from Canada, recently landed in Dublin, where a massive number of fans make him feel at home.

Asked to explain his stance on Ireland, he told RTE: “This is definitely different. I mean there are a few places where I have a great connection with the people, but not quite like this. When you’re accepted like this it’s hard not to love the country back.

“I think I’ve always liked it here because it’s similar to Canada – you have a very dry sense of humor, it seems like people get me here. I can say things in Ireland and you guys find it funny because you understand my brand of humor, whereas in America sometimes they do not get it.”

Many artists launch a Christmas album as an afterthought, but Buble insists that his holiday record is one of the most important of his career.

He said: “I wasn’t only introduced to jazz music with Christmas songs, I was introduced to music full stop. I was about four or five years old and that Bing Crosby record was playing around the house, probably from late October through to Christmas and it was my introduction to music.

“This record I’ve wanted to make my whole life. I instinctively knew that if I chose the right time and was sincere about the songs and the arrangement, that this could be a great album.

“I mean we all know it – every year about 30 to 50 artists bring out a Christmas record and it’s basically about selling the product but I didn’t want that, I want this album to still be playing in people’s houses long after I’m gone.”


 

Olly Murs claims No. 1 UK single

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 15:11

New single ''Dance with Me Tonight'' became the third No. 1 single for X Factor alum Olly Murs over the weekend.

The Xtra Factor host knocked this year's X Factor finalists from the top slot on the charts, moving up one place from last week to reach the chart summit. The X Factor Finalists 2011’s “Wishing on a Star” was No. 2 this week.

Murs’s Xtra Factor co-host Caroline Flack isn’t certain that the pop star will be coming back to the show for another season, since it seems obvious to her that he is eager to put his music career in the forefront.

She told Now magazine: “Olly isn’t certain [about coming back]. His heart is in being a pop star. But I definitely want to come back and I want him to return as well.”

The after-show host admitted that she and Olly worry that one of the X Factor judges may leave the show at any moment, due to all of the drama on the panel.

“There are moments when I look at Olly before we go on and say, ‘Oh my God, someone’s going to walk off, what do we do?’ So it’s genuine when the show is on. But when the show ends, they go home and live their lives.”

The row that stood out the most for the Xtra Factor hosts was the one caused after Tulisa accused Misha B of being a bully.

“The Tulisa and Misha B moment was difficult for everyone,” Caroline explained. “I think Tulisa probably said the right thing at the wrong time. But she likes to say what she thinks and she apologized for it.”

Olly’s television career isn’t the only thing that’s taking a backseat to his music. The singer recently told Fabulous magazine: “My love life’s on the backburner at the minute, to be honest. There are always opportunities for a bit of fun, but I’m working so hard right now I don’t have time for much else.”

Sarah Harding speaks out about rehab

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 14:57

In a new interview, the former Girls Aloud star confesses that it was her breakup with fiancé Tom Crane that was the beginning of the end.

Fresh out of rehab, Sarah Harding admits to feeling “ashamed, embarrassed, terrified” about that newly closed chapter of her life.

She told Hello! magazine: “The day I left for rehab, I was in such a mess. I’ve been told by those close to me that was when I hit my worst. I was crying hysterically. I felt ashamed, embarrassed, terrified – my emotions were all over the place.”

At the time, Harding explained, she was suffering from mood swings and self-medicating with alcohol. The singer finally decided to seek treatment for her depression and substance abuse.

“Our lives had started to go in different directions without us even realizing and we’d become like passing ships,” she said of her relationship with Crane. “He had his career, I had mine, and somehow they didn’t seem to marry up. As far as our future plans were concerned, I didn’t see how it would work. I was so down but I just tried to keep busy and, to numb myself, I was drinking more. It was my way of escaping.”

Before checking into rehab, things went from bad to worse.

“One minute I was deliriously happy, to the point of hysteria, and totally in denial about my problems saying, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ The next it hit me and when it did, it hit me hard. It’s all about acceptance.”

It was a dinner with former bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh that helped to illuminate her heightening issues for her. Following a post-fashion show celebration, she woke up the next morning and continued drinking. She said: “The following night, I saw Nicola and Kimberley for dinner. I wasn’t in a good state at all – I was very hungover. But the first thing I wanted to do was open a bottle of wine. I know they were really worried about me.”

 

Posthumous Amy Winehouse release tops UK album chart

Wednesday, 14 December 2011 14:45

Lioness: Hidden Treasures, a collection of original Amy Winehouse tunes and covers, debuted at the top of the UK album chart this week.

The new album was compiled by Winehouse collaborators Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, and proceeds from the record will benefit the Amy Winehouse Foundation

“Our Day Will Come,” the first single from the album, entered at No. 29 on the singles chart.

Mark Ronson, who co-produced Back to Black alongside Winehouse, described the new record as “an insight into the songs she loved.”

He explained to BBC Breakfast: “She really was an encyclopedia of these old jazz and soul standards. She could pick up a guitar and play any of them.”

Ronson was at first hesitant to work on the Lioness project. “I didn’t know if they necessarily needed what I had to give and it was a bit soon for me to spend that time listening to her voice on a loop, like you do when you’re in a studio working on a record. Then I heard this vocal she’d recorded for ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ and I thought, ‘This is really specially and I want to be a part of this and make one more piece of something magical with Amy.’”

According to the Official Charts Company, Winehouse’s album sold over 194,000 copies this week.

“It’s such amazing news that Amy’s album has gone to number one, and just goes to show what she still means to people,” Amy’s mum Janis Winehouse told the Telegraph. “It’s especially good for the foundation and knowing that every sale will go to help a deserving cause make the news all the more special. I’m so proud of my daughter and so happy that she is still touching people. She’s forever in my heart.”