Jake Bugg has premiered the visual for his latest single A Song About Love.
Showing a more emotive side of the young indie rocker, A Song About Love is the third release off Bugg’s sophomore album Shangri La.
Take a watch of the full video below:
Sound of 2014 winner Sam Smith wows in Radio 1 Live Lounge
Sam Smith took to Sara Cox’s Radio 1 Live Lounge earlier, dazzling listeners with two performances that cemented himself as the reason he’d been voted the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2014’ winner.
Performing an acoustic of his collaboration with Jimmy Napes, Nile Rodgers and Disclosure on Together, Smith then continued and unveiled Ry X’s Berlin as his Live Lounge cover of choice.
Take a watch of both the performances below:
New music: Pitbull ft Ke$ha – Timber (Acoustic version)
An acoustic version of Pitbull and Ke$ha’s latest collaboration Timber has surfaced online.
The track, currently at No 1 in the Official UK charts, is the lead track off Pitbull’s second EP, Meltdown; take a listen to the acoustic, below:
Kylie Minogue confirms new album, and impressive list of collaborators
Not content with being a guest coach on the new season of BBC talent show The Voice, Kylie Minogue has sent the music world into a spin by confirming new single Into The Blue, alongside a new album.
Into The Blue has been confirmed for a release day on 16th March (though likely we’ll hear it much sooner than this), and whilst the as-yet-untitled new album has only a “later this year” tentative release date, Minogue has confirmed that the new LP (her twelfth studio recording), is to feature production and writing credits including Pharrell, Greg Kurstin, Metrophonic, Cutfather, MNEK and Ariel Rechtshaid.
Of the new material, Kylie said “2013 was a year of big change, planning and preparation for me and I’m so excited that 2014 is finally here so I can share this new music. Into The Blue is really special to me as it encapsulates a lot of what I’ve been feeling – I can’t wait for it to be out there.”
The new single, written by Kelly Sheehan (of Nicki Minaj/Rita Ora-fame) has been described as “a euphoric return to the dance floor”.
Looking forward to that 16th March release date then!
New music: Ed Thomas – ‘On My Own’
Fresh from his standout collaboration with Chase and Status on Blk and Blu, Ed Thomas has unveiled solo track On My Own, the first piece of material where the British singer/songwriter also features his own production credits.
The soulful track, whose writing credits include Bondax’s storming 2013 hit Giving It All, gives a strong flavour of what’s to come from this rising star, whose debut EP is set to land by this spring.
Hit the play button below to listen now and press download to cop it for free:
BBC launches ‘Connected Red Button’ on range of Samsung and Sony Smart TVs
The BBC has today launched a beta version of its ‘Connected Red Button’ service on a range of Samsung and Sony smart TVs, letting audiences effortlessly access even more of their favourite BBC TV, News, Sport, Weather and Children’s content in the simplest possible way – by pressing red on the TV remote.
The BBC Connected Red Button feature allows users to:
– Watch BBC TV programmes– including favourites from BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC and CBeebies any time, day or night – even when the channel is off air.
– Effortlessly catch up on previous episodes of favourite shows and discover new gems.
– Get closer to the action at the latest sport and music events, with more streams, clips and content from events like Glastonbury, Wimbledon and Formula 1
From today, viewers with enabled Smart TVs who press red when BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four and BBC News are broadcasting will have access to the familiar BBC Red Button service that is currently used by 13 million people per week, as well as more of the BBC programmes and content they love via BBC Connected Red Button.
Over time, the BBC will add more features to the service, including lottery results, detailed weather forecasts and improved functionality. The BBC will also extend the service to other Smart TV platforms in the future.
Since launching on Virgin Media’s TiVo service in December 2012, BBC Connected Red Button has brought audiences even closer to the action around live events. During Glastonbury, music fans could enjoy performances from the six main stages and catch up on sets from their favourite bands afterwards – all from the comfort of their sofa. And for Wimbledon, up to 10 live streams were available, giving tennis lovers the ultimate Championship experience on the biggest screen in their house.
The beta launch of Connected Red Button will mean more fans will be able dive deeper and catch more from what promises to be an unprecedented year of live events from the BBC in 2014.
And, with predictions that by the end of 2016 there will be over 16 million connectable TVs installed in the UK, and that over 60 per cent of UK TV households will have a connected primary set – either directly or via a set top box** – BBC Connected Red Button gives viewers even more reason to connect their TV.
Roux Joubert, General Manager, Products & On Demand at the BBC, said: “Since the launch of Connected Red Button in 2012, the BBC has brought audiences more of the content they love on their TV – by simply pressing red. We’re thrilled to extend this to even more viewers – and look forward to adding more features and functionality in 2014 – which promises to be another an epic year of live events from the BBC.
Sam Smith tops BBC’s ‘Sound of 2014’
Sam Smith has been named as the winner of the BBC Sound of 2014 list of the hottest new music acts for the year ahead.
The 21-year-old singer hit the number one spot on the charts in May last year, as vocalist on Naughty Boy’s single La La La, whilst his previous work with Disclosure on Top-20 hit Latch brought him to prominence.
Of the accolade, Smith said: “I’m completely speechless. The shortlist is full of so many talented artists and it’s a huge compliment to be recognised by the industry and the BBC in this way. I’m completely overwhelmed!”
170 UK tastemakers, including DJs, critics and bloggers, voted in this year’s list. They were asked to name their three favourite new acts by BBC News Online.
Rob Copsey, Music Editor at Digital Spy says: “There aren’t many male singers who can command the kind of pull Sam Smith can. He may have scored his big breakthrough on last year’s La La La with Naughty Boy, but his rich singing voice and a knack for tapping into real matters of the heart will undoubtedly see him come into his own in 2014.”
A longlist of the top 15 artists for BBC Sound of 2014 was published in December and the top five acts have been revealed each day this week.
R&B singer Ella Eyre, from West London is at number two, followed by LA-based songstress BANKS at number three. Vocalist and producer Sampha, from South London, took the number four spot with Bristol’s George Ezra at number five.
George Ergatoudis, Head of Music for BBC Radio 1, says: “Sam Smith is blessed with a distinctive mellifluous voice that imbues his lyrics with real emotion and soul. The public are looking for authentic artists with genuine talent and Sam more than fits the bill. He is going to enjoy huge success this year.”
The list was started in 2003 and has a history of predicting the acts that will make it big. Last year’s winners were LA pop band HAIM, who went on to have a number one in October with their debut album Days Are Gone. Previous winners have included Adele, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J.
This year, BBC Sound of 2014 has teamed up with BBC Playlister to create a playlist with full-length tracks featuring all the artists in the Sound of 2014 longlist. The playlist is available in the BBC Playlister app on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/IvGXZu
A range of music, video, interviews and biographies from each of the Top 15 acts can also be seen on the BBC Sound of 2014 website at bbc.co.uk/soundof2014
Press release credited to BBC Sound of 2014.
Christina Aguilera’s original recording demo of Pixie Lott’s ‘Nasty’ surfaces online
Last night, at the BRIT Award nominations event, Pixie Lott debuted her brand new single Nasty, and whilst yes it is indeed a stormer of a track, it seemed that the track itself was originally meant for Christina Aguilera.
Penned by Cee-Lo Green (who has recently confirmed that Gnarls Barkley are to work on new material), Nasty was recorded initially by Aguilera for the soundtrack of her 2010 movie Burlesque.
We really enjoyed Pixie’s performance of the track, and it sounds incredibly suited to her vocals, however after hearing Aguilera’s version, we’re somewhat disappointed – this could have been the big Christina track fans have been crying out since way past her Lotus days.
Take a listen to the demo below:
Album review: Angel Haze – ‘Dirty Gold’
Words by:
Dan Bull
Follow @DanBull7609
As one of the Sounds Of 2013, Angel Haze was clearly eager for Dirty Gold – her debut album, following EPs, mix tapes and appearances as a featured artist – to be released during her year. So much so, that due to disagreements with her label (who had pushed the release back to March 2014) she leaked the album herself through Soundcloud. Whilst it might not have provided the positions Island Records were hoping for (entering at #196), it’s an act of rebelliousness that serves to emphasise how passionate she is about the music she makes.
With spoken-word segments throughout, Dirty Gold is undeniably a diary; a confession and a release. “My identity is the music,” resonates from the introduction of A Tribe Called Red. While it would be easy to generalise this ‘identity’ as upbeat hip-pop, the subjects covered say otherwise. Following-on from her reworking of Eminem’s Cleaning Out My Closet (with the lyrics altered to document the sexual abuse she suffered as a child), there’s an echo of Mathers’ ability to perform autobiographical tracks against radio-friendly beats, but without the comedy capers that still make you question his authenticity. With internal disputes regarding family, religion, sexuality and fame, you believe the validity of statements like: “My music is where I originate… it’s where I come to life.”
Whereas artists of a similar nature have focussed on lyrical matter and controversy to sell songs (namely Azaelia Banks, not exactly BFF material with Haze following a Twitter spat), these tracks are as impressive musically as well as showing more depth in their subject-matter. From the electro-pop explosion of Sing About Me to the laid back, sliding synths of Deep Sea Diver; hip-hop beats provide the frame for a range of moods, throwing the listener off-course where other rappers ride out the same tempo for four minutes. The trippy White Lilies/White Lies is particularly successful at switching; from bass-heavy loops and angsty vocals to a Bhangra beat, before the record slows down to feature a more mainstream sound.
Collaborations with Sia and One Direction producer Jake Gosling might not scream ‘credible rap artist’, but they do create music that will unashamedly appeal to the masses, or moreso than some of her contemporaries at least. Just as Rudimental (who produced ‘Deluxe Edition’ track Crown) made the UK festivals their own last year, Dirty Gold – particularly the earlier tracks – would sound just as good underneath a rain-soaked marquee as they would at an underground club. Whilst it’s all too easy to assume titles Black Synagogue and Black Dahlia liken themselves to Kanye’s Black Skinhead, they do allude to an artist with visions above and beyond what might be expected; refusing to be ‘designed by a genre’ by switching from sweetly-sung choruses to effortlessly spitting syllables.
As highlighted with lead single Echelon‘s subtitle, this is her way. She works with who she wants; she releases the record when she wants. It’s an album that’s honest in its content and unapologetic in its delivery. After all, this music is her identity.
Dirty Gold is out now; hit the iTunes link below to download:
Watch: CHVRCHES cover Janelle Monae’s ‘Tightrope’
Rising Scottish electropop trio Chvrches took to Billboard’s Women In Music luncheon yesterday, covering Janelle Monae’s hit Tightrope.
The track, which initially pinned Monae onto the world music map back in 2010, was transformed from an über-funkified R&B jam to Chvrches’ signature sound. A great cover, and a nerve-wracking experience for the Glaswegian band who played the rendition to an audience which included Monae herself.
Check it out below: