Comedienne Amy Schumer made a surprise return to the stage for a stand-up performance on Sunday (06May18) after overcoming a kidney infection. The Trainwreck star was hospitalised for five days in late April (18) after falling ill while promoting her latest movie, I Feel Pretty. She assured fans she was "on the mend" in an Instagram photo last Wednesday (02May18), and over the weekend, she was firmly back on her feet as she joined her singer friend Ani DiFranco at a gig in Tarrytown in her native New York. Schumer wasn't just attending the show as a fan - she also decided to use the opportunity to test out some new material with the audience, who were treated to an unexpected comedy routine prior to the concert's start. An attendee tells TheBlast.com DiFranco herself introduced her pal to the stage, and urged the crowd to go easy on her mystery guest. "I have a friend that loves to do stand-up but she's new so be nice to her," the musician said, as Schumer stepped into the spotlight. The comedienne, who wed chef Chris Fischer in February (18), performed for 20 minutes, reportedly cracking jokes about her illness, and how her new marriage has put an end to booty call texts. She later took to Instagram to share a snap of herself hugging DiFranco, who is currently on the road with musical duo Gracie and Rachel. "I played it cool as hell opening for my hero @anidifranco tonight along with the amazing @gracieandrachel," she captioned the image, adding, "see them on tour!!!" Schumer will host comedy series Saturday Night Live this weekend (12May18), with singer Kacey Musgraves to perform as the musical guest.

Country superstar Carrie Underwood is returning to her American Idol roots to serve as a guest mentor on the revamped TV talent show. The Before He Cheats hitmaker shot to fame in 2005, when she was crowned the winner of the original show's fourth season, and now she is joining new judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and her pal Luke Bryan to share a few words of advice for the aspiring musicians during the next round of the competition. Carrie will help the contestants at rehearsals in Nashville, Tennessee, as they prepare for their live performances, which will air in the U.S. this weekend (13May18). She will also show the group how it's done as she performs her new single, Cry Pretty, on the programme, a week after previewing the tune's music video on the series on Sunday (06May18). The singer has been easing herself back into work in recent weeks after she was forced to take time off in November (17), when she suffered a nasty fall at home in Tennessee, leaving her with a broken wrist and a nasty gash to her face, which required 40 stitches. She had to cancel a number of appearances as she recovered from the accident, but Carrie made her onstage comeback on 15 April (18) at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Las Vegas, where she delivered a triumphant rendition of Cry Pretty. The song is the title track from her upcoming album, which hits retailers in September (18). It will be the follow-up to 2015's Storyteller.

Pharrell Williams has dropped out of performing at the upcoming amfAR Cannes gala. The Happy hitmaker was set to hit the stage on 17 May (18) for the The Foundation for AIDS Research's annual fundraiser at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, but he will no longer appear due to a "scheduling conflict". However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Pharrell was not keen to appear at the event because of the controversy surrounding the organisation's longtime association with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual misconduct and assault by multiple women. Sting and Shaggy have reportedly stepped in to replace Pharrell. Meanwhile, Williams' departure comes days after actress Sharon Stone pulled out of co-chairing the event, with a representative stating, "Sharon will not be attending Cannes now. She is going to work on a new project." And in February (18), the organisation was at the centre of another scandal involving longtime chairman Kenneth Cole, who allegedly made a controversial deal with Weinstein to settle a $600,000 (£442,300) financial obligation to the American Repertory Theater (ART) by hosting a charity auction in Cannes with amfAR in 2015. Cole hit back at the reports, insisting they were a "distortion of facts", but he resigned from the organisation in February. "Today my 14-year term as chairman concludes," Cole said at the time. "It has been a true privilege to work alongside so many talented, dedicated and committed individuals. Through my ongoing work as the U.N. AIDS ambassador and with the U.N. AIDS Coalition, I remain personally committed to aligning resources and galvanising global action and working with amfAR to make AIDS history."

Singer/actress Jana Kramer is determined to keep working to improve her marriage to Mike Caussin following his infidelity drama, insisting she can no longer blame him for their former troubles. The couple wed in 2015, but separated in 2016 amid reports suggesting the American footballer had cheated on Jana, the mother of his baby daughter Jolie, multiple times. They reconciled last year (17) and renewed their wedding vows on a beach in Hawaii at the end of 2017, and although Jana and Mike are together again, the 34-year-old star insists maintaining their happiness is a work in progress. "We're still working on it. We're still fighting," she tells Us Weekly. "We try to put our relationship first, but when you're a parent, especially a new parent, that's hard just because my focus is so on Jolie. "But we make time for therapy, and he's working really hard with his stuff. It's a process but, you know, as long as two people continue to work, then hopefully it works out." The former One Tree Hill actress reveals they are undergoing marriage counselling, and are making an effort to enjoy three date nights each week to keep their chemistry alive. And Jana admits taking responsibility for aspects of their marriage breakdown is part of their journey to complete reconciliation. "Infidelity has changed me so much that now I have to work on that piece (of our relationship)," she explains. "I can't keep blaming and putting the blame on him... Now I have to work on how to stay present and not go in the past. And it's a tough road." However, she isn't opposed to walking away from the relationship again if things start to unravel once more, because she has to do what's best for herself and their two-year-old girl. "I have to just sit back and be like, 'As long as I am happy, that's what I want to show my daughter,'" she says. "And if I start to get unhappy and it starts to affect my parenting... then that is when I have to step back and re-evaluate the situation."

Madonna surprised guests at the Met Gala on Monday night (07May18) with a performance of her legendary hit Like A Prayer. The 59-year-old singer, who has peppered her career with religious references, kept with the evening's Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination theme by belting out her famous 1989 tune. Madonna wore a black hooded monastic-style cloak to start as she appeared on the steps of the Great Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, before dancers then helped her remove the outerwear, to reveal a white flowing gown with Joan of Arc-inspired armour accents beneath. The pop veteran then sang Like A Prayer before segueing into an eerie version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Sharing a snap of herself in the white dress mid-performance on Instagram, Madonna wrote: "With The Light on the Steps of the Met! #jeannedarc #metgala #hallelujah #catholicimagination #heavenly. @guyoseary." She later posted a clip of the performance, writing: "Stairway to Heaven! #metgala #epic. #jeannedarc #catholicimagination @jpgaultierofficial thank you all who helped make it happen!" Earlier, Madonna had walked the red carpet at the event in a Jean Paul Gaultier black gown, which she teamed with a black net veil over the face. Speaking to Billboard in 2015 about her relationship with the church, Madonna explained: "Catholicism feels like my alma mater. It's the school I used to go to, and I can go back any time I want and take whatever I want from it because I suffered all the oppression, and all the abuse - and also enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance, the drama and the confusion, and the hypocrisy and the craziness. "I feel like I can say whatever I want and do whatever I want. I've been ex-communicated by the Catholic Church a few times." The controversial Like A Prayer music video was famously condemned by the Vatican at the time for scenes including burning crosses, stigmata and a black Jesus.

Singer Grimes has reportedly been quietly dating her Met Gala date Elon Musk after meeting him online a month ago. The Canadian musician and Space X founder shocked onlookers when they made their first red carpet appearance as a couple at the Museum of Metropolitan Art's annual Met Gala in New York on Monday (07May18). The pair coordinated their outfits by both going with black and white ensembles - Grimes, real name Claire Boucher, wore a white corset-style bodice with black tutu and train and goth-style lace-up boots, while Elon wore a white tuxedo jacket and shirt with black trousers. Ahead of the gala, New York Post gossip column Page Six revealed they would be stepping out publicly together for the first time, after meeting online a month earlier. According to an insider, the billionaire, who previously dated Amber Heard, was planning to make an online joke about the thought experiment Rokos Basilisk, where artificial intelligence rule the world and punish those who didn't help their existence. He was going to joke about "Rococo Basilisk", a phrase merging the experiment and the baroque architectural style, but realised Grimes had beaten him to the punch in 2015, by creating a character called Rococo Basilisk for her music video to Flesh Without Blood. "Elon was researching the idea of joking about Rococo Basilisk, and when he saw Grimes had already joked about it, he reached out to her," the insider said. "Grimes said this was the first time in three years that anyone understood the joke. They were both poking fun at AI." The 46-year-old businessman seemed to reference the Page Six report on Twitter ahead of the gala, by tweeting "Rococo basilisk". Their online flirting reportedly continued from there, with the Tesla founder praising Venus Fly, Grimes' duet with Janelle Monae, calling it the "Best music video art I've seen in a while." They shared another joke on Twitter in April, when Elon posted photos of a comet and the 30-year-old replied, "that's a lot of cocaine," to which he responded, "Yeah, most people don't know this, but comets (are) mostly made of cocaine." Underneath the exchange, a user wrote, "Just ask her out already Elon."

Jess Glynne and Frank Turner have been popular over the Bank Holiday weekend; they are set to become this week's highest new entries on the Official Singles and Albums Charts respectively. Jess' new single I'll Be There, released last Friday, is her first single as a lead artist since November 2015. Currently at Number 14 on today's Official Chart Update, the song had its TV premiere on last week's The Graham Norton Show. Elsewhere on the Official Singles Chart, Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa are heading for a fourth week at Number 1 with One Kiss, while for the second week in a row, David Guetta & Sia are aiming for highest climber status - Flames is up eight to Number 11 today. After 14 weeks of trying, girl group M.O could finally climb into the Top 20 with Bad Vibe, up three to Number 19. Liam Payne & J Balvin are also ascending with Familiar, rising six to Number 25. Finally, Youth, Shawn Mendes' new collab with Khalid occupies a midweek slot of Number 35, and Florence + The Machine's new single Hunger is at 36. The Greatest Showman soundtrack is eyeing a 15th non-consecutive lead at Number 1 this week as its record-breaking success continues. Frank Turner's Be More Kind is narrowly behind at Number 2, while Plan B and Shinedown could also impact the Top 5 with their new records Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose (4) and Attention Attention (5). Jon Hopkins is set for his first UK Top 40 album with Singularity at Number 9, while Parkway Drive could speed into the Top 10 for the first time in their careers with Reverence at Number 10. Gaz Coombes' World's Strongest Man (11), Build A Tower from Slow Readers Club (12), and Reef's Revelation (15) are also bound for the Top 29, plus composer John Williams' A Life in Music (16) and Dove by Belly (19) are in contention for similar success. Leon Bridges' second album Good Thing could become his second Top 40 entry at Number 22, and there are more potential Top 40 placings for Peace and Rae Sremmurd with Kindness is the New Rock and Roll (29) and Sr3mm (33). Book Frank Turner tickets through our trusted official partner Ticketmaster.

Cardi B and Offset's security team have been accused of attacking an autograph hunter outside a Met Gala party early Tuesday morning (08May18). The Bodak Yellow rapper, who is expecting her first child with the Migos star, wore a stunning white religious-style gown designed by Jeremy Scott to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Met Gala on Monday night. In video footage obtained by TMZ.com, the hip-hop star left an after-party at The Mark Hotel with her fiancee around 2am on Tuesday morning, and refused to sign autographs for the waiting fans calling out her name, and a man can be heard yelling, "I'm an autograph hound." In the next clip, a crowd of people can be seen punching and kicking someone laying on the sidewalk, and when the group walks away and leaves the person on the ground, another person runs in and stomps on his face. "Drama at the met after party! Migos people beat up crazy fan!!!!!!!" the onlooker wrote in the caption to the second video. Autograph seeker Giovanni Arnold has told The Blast he approached the couple as they waited in the car outside the hotel, and Offset didn't like the way he approached Cardi and allegedly told three members of his entourage to "go after" him. He claims he was jumped by three men who pushed him to the ground and beat him up before running away. He was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in an ambulance around 2:30am to be treated for neck and back pain, but officers say there were no visible signs of trauma. Cardi, Offset and the rest of Migos had left the scene by the time the emergency services arrived. The New York Police Department is investigating the incident as a misdemeanour assault and are only looking to speak with the three men, not the music stars.

Nick Jonas dodged New York traffic by taking the subway to the 2018 Met Gala on Monday (07May18). While most celebrities attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art event opted for a car ride to take them across the Big Apple to fashion's biggest night, the Jealous singer went for a more low-key mode of transportation. He documented his day preparing for the red carpet on Instagram Stories, showing him exercising and going through the grooming process before sharing a video of a subway train pulling into a station with the caption, "Met here I come". Nick also posted a picture of himself leaning against a pillar on the platform in his Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo, which he paired with black slipper shoes and a bejewelled crucifix necklace, a nod to the year's theme, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. "Subway to the #MetGala @dolcegabbana #AltaSartoria," he wrote in the caption with a Statue of Liberty emoji. The Jonas Brothers star also posted an image of an exit sign at 77th Street and Lexington Avenue station and added a sticker of "NYC" written inside a love heart. A member of the public spotted him leaving the station and posted footage of him walking up the exit stairway and wrote in the caption, "When @nickjonas get off your stop on the subway." Nick retweeted the video. However, the user's next video proved that the 25-year-old didn't go the entire way on foot, as he got in a car for a short drive to the red carpet. Representatives for Dolce & Gabbana shared an image of the star posing for photographers and wrote, "Nick Jonas wore an Alta Sartoria single-breasted shawl lapel tuxedo in black silk brocade with 24k gold thread and hand-top-stitching at #MetGala 2018. #DGCelebs"

Little Mix have been too busy to spend a night in their own beds this year (18). The British girl band were formed on Britain's The X Factor in 2011, and have gone on to release four studio albums, two of which reached the top ten in both the U.K. and the U.S. The group - featuring Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson - are currently gearing up to release their fifth record, with plans for an accompanying tour to follow. As a result, the four-piece have been so caught up with work that they haven't had a chance to go home. "This year, we've all bought houses and none of us have slept in them," Leigh-Anne, 26, shared in an interview with the Daily Star newspaper. "In the pop industry, it's hard to pause," added Jesy. "With pop music, if you go missing for more than a year, they've forgotten about you. We are in the public eye 24/7 and don't get our personal space or privacy." Though the Shout Out to My Ex hitmakers are grateful for the support of their loyal fanbase, Jesy went on to emphasise the perils of the collective's fast rise to fame. "We were thrown into this industry without a clue about what was about to hit us. It was just the worst thing ever," the 26-year-old recalled. "Strangers saying things about you that you didn't even know about yourself. I think it's a really sad world that we live in, with social media, where people love to scrutinise girls and women." Little Mix know this all too well, having faced much criticism for their provocative onstage outfits, which many have deemed unsuitable for younger fans. "I don't think we're sexing ourselves up," Jade, 25, insisted. "We're sweating our t*ts off onstage. We want to wear leotards."

Mel B has turned her divorce drama into a new book after choosing to write about her broken marriage as a form of self-therapy. The Spice Girls star divorced Stephen Belafonte, her husband of 10 years, in 2017, but the couple is still battling for custody of daughter Madison and Belafonte's stepdaughter Angel, who he helped raise. The 42 year old admits she turns to her journal whenever life is getting her down - and now she has enough thoughts and stories to fill a book. "It’s the story mainly about the last 10 years," she said during an appearance on British show Loose Women on Tuesday (08May18). "I’m kind of just exposing what I’ve been through the last 10 years... my marriage and relationship... quite the ups and downs. "It (writing) doesn’t upset me... It’s like going through therapy. I want to be able to be relatable enough where women can feel like they’re empowered. If they are in a bad relationship or they are a bit traumatised or feel trapped or it’s toxic or unhealthy, you can get out. I mean it took me nearly 10 years to get out, but I got out and I’m happy about that and I’m somewhat normal." The Wannabe singer insists her book will be candid and real, but she won't be bad-mouthing her exes - Belafonte, Eddie Murphy and Jimmy Gulzar, the fathers of her kids. "I’ve got three daughters by three different men, three different solid relationships," she added. "I would never want to talk bad about any of their fathers. "We made beautiful babies together and all three babies were made with a lot of love. It’s more about my personal journey and what I put up with and what I allowed to happen." But she hopes her daughters will read mum's words and recognise bad romances in the future, so they can avoid the mistakes she made: "(I want them) to recognise what an unhealthy relationship is and not to settle for anything other than respect, love and honesty."

Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato are joining forces to debut their new female empowerment anthem at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. The pop stars have recorded the song Fall in Line for Christina's upcoming album, Liberation, and on Tuesday (08May18), they teased fans on social media about their special performance at the Las Vegas prizegiving later this month (May18). "May 20th. @BBMAs. @ddlovato . #FallInLine. #xtinademi_bbmas," the Beautiful hitmaker captioned a black-and-white photo of Demi. At the same time, Lovato shared a similar image of Christina and used the same hashtags to draw attention to the new collaboration on Twitter, as the performance news was confirmed on Billboard.com. Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and Dua Lipa will also hit the stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on 20 May (18), when Janet Jackson will receive the 2018 Icon Award. Demi recently gushed about working with her new pal, who she has long admired as a pop idol. "I have always looked up to Christina," she told Billboard. "I remember being at her concert and singing facing the crowd instead of the stage, knowing that that was exactly what I wanted to do in life." "She speaks up for what she believes in and sends a positive message, which are two things I find extremely important when given the platform we are lucky enough to have," the 25-year-old added. Demi previously shared the news of a secret musical project with "one of my biggest idols". "I can't wait for the world to hear it," she added last year (17), when her collaborator's identity was still a secret. "It's an incredible song." By March (18), the overjoyed star could no longer contain her excitement, and during her tour stop in Dallas, Texas, she told fans, "Christina's my girl and big things are coming!" Fall in Line will feature on Christina's first album in six years. Liberation, the follow-up to 2012's Lotus, will be released in June (18).

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B appear to have put aside any feelings of a rap rivalry after they were spotted chatting at the Met Gala in New York City. The two hip-hop stars were heavily rumoured to have fallen out during the making of MotorSport, their 2017 collaboration with Migos, as Nicki didn't appear in any scenes with the rap newcomer in the accompanying music video. Nicki recently insisted everyone knew she had a scheduling conflict preventing her from shooting group scenes, but claimed she was made to look like the "bad person" as both Cardi and the members of Migos failed to explain the reason for her absence in promotional interviews following the single's release. Pregnant Cardi then reportedly took aim at Minaj during her performance at the Broccoli City Festival in Washington, D.C. in late April (18), warning haters to be on high alert once she gives birth to her baby, her first child with Migos rapper Offset, this summer. "Ever since I got pregnant, all of a sudden I've got this new beef," she told the audience. "Every day b**ches got something to say... Wait 'til I drop this baby, what's good? B**ches was talking crazy, watch when I drop this baby (sic)." However, it seems Cardi wasn't talking about Nicki, as the two women appeared to be on friendly terms as they both attended the Met Gala, where the ladies were photographed deep in conversation, with the expectant mum pictured smiling as they caught up. The artists were also seen posing together for a group photo at the high-profile event, for which they both got all dressed up, fully embracing the night's theme Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. Cardi wore a stunning cream religious-style Moschino beaded dress designed by Jeremy Scott, while Nicki opted for a red and black Oscar de la Renta ensemble.

Sony Classical releases ‘The Wedding Album – A Nation Celebrates’ A Special Tribute in Music May 19th, 2018 sees the UK celebrate a highly significant event in the nation’s history: the eagerly-anticipated wedding of Prince Henry of Wales, second son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, to Ms Meghan Markle in a ceremony to be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. To accompany celebrations and street parties up and down the land, Sony Classical presents here the perfect musical accompaniment: ‘The Wedding Album – A Nation Celebrates’ – a special 3CD collection of essential, uplifting classics performed by some of the UK’s most popular artists and world-famous ensembles designed to capture the mood and spirit of what will doubtless be a moving, poignant and inspiring day. Featured on this glorious celebratory album are some of the UK’s favourite artists such as Russell Watson; Jonathan Antoine; Charlotte Jaconelli; Lesley Garrett; The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge; The Band of H.M. Royal Marines and The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir and many more. They perform here a wonderful range of fitting music, including ‘Jerusalem’; ‘Abide With Me’; ‘Pomp & Circumstance’; ‘Pie Jesu’ and, of course, ‘The Wedding March’ and 'God Save the Queen'. As the indispensable musical backdrop to this day of celebration and jubilation, there could be no better choice. This fascinating collection is incredible value at budget price and will augment the enjoyment of this unique occasion in a most memorable way.

A 5.30pm start is pretty early for a night of music but this Brit Rock Must Be Destroyed gig was pulling no punches. Even though it was a blissfully sunny Sunday afternoon there would be music to delight inside. Dodgy were already plying their trade as I walked in shortly after 5.30, all four sporting black t-shirts in a bid to hide the aging spread but delighting in their forever youthful sound. A quick dig at not being mentioned on the poster as late but welcome additions and it was time to close on the wonderfully catchy 'Good Enough'. Dodgy were always adept at penning a pop earworm and this one turned out to be mine.

Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, and Florida Georgia Line lead the list of nominees for the 2018 CMT Music Awards with four apiece. All three artists will compete for the coveted Video of the Year prize, with Underwood, who leads all-time CMT Music Awards winners with 17, up for her The Champion promo with rapper Ludacris, and Aldean battling with You Make it Easy. Florida Georgia Line's video collaboration with Bebe Rexha on Meant To Be is also in the mix, as is Blake Shelton's I'll Name The Dogs, Brett Young's Mercy, Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton's Say Something, and Kelsea Ballerini's Legends. Shelton's I'll Name The Dogs and Aldean's You Make It Easy are also up for Male Video of the Year, alongside promos by Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan, and Thomas Rhett, while Carrie will also do battle for the Female Video of the Year award with Carly Pearce, Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Maren Morris, and Miranda Lambert. Little Big Town will host the event in Nashville, Tennessee on 6 June (18).

Prestigious bassist for Gary Numan and front man for The Strange, Tim Muddiman will be releasing his sparkling new album, "Domino Blitz", one of the most compelling and prolific albums to appear this year....The album will be available for pre-order on May 11th...and will be released on all Digital platforms immediately after. "Independently minded and musically directional, Domino Blitz goes to places that most people could hardly begin to dream in a world gone crazy and controlled by the 1%. It speaks of a less corporate existence and concentrates on the things that make humans flow into places that are full of wonder and navigate the journey of strong mixed emotions throughout the entire album". "Domino Blitz" is a captivating entrance into a brush with insanity, destiny, and the world in which we live, in a polychromatic insightful fashion. It's orgasmic music and intuitive and penetrating lyrics are addicting and demand attention! In an in-depth interview, Tim revealed the quiescence of the album.... his musical view points...and lots more... The album is amazing...tell me some of your crazy inspirations for the lyrics of those Wild songs... I put a picture of Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, Shane MacGowan, and PJ Harvey above my studio because I thought, " don't divert, try and be as good as those four people." Like the secret? That's what I thought....but I had to take them down because I was getting intimidated by them. "How could you be so good you mother fuckers"? I thought they were some of the best lyricists, in my generation anyway. I like PJ Harvey's vibe probably more than I like some of the lyrics. So the influence was I go to these great places that exist in my imagination, so I can just begin to learn about the story .....and that's what I did. Undoubtedly it inspired that are true and somethings that I wish that I could do or things that I've dreamt about... So in Rat Ballads...did you really step on the broken necks of rats in New York...because I can literally see that happening? No I didn't, no...but it could happen absolutely in New York...in Hell's Kitchen... We saw some in our hotel in Camden.... It's got rats? It does... It's not cool...the thing about broken backs of rats, I've always been interested in the history of New York. I read about it so much, and have the Irish move to New York... Are you a little Irish? My ancestors are gypsies. I've never done a D&A test but it's quite romantic anyway. That time that country....it's amazing. So yeah, that was the inspiration. What's your favorite song on the album? Rat Ballads. It was the one that took me the longest to write and I love jazz and blues. So it's kind of jazzy, and a bit weird. I put an Irish jig at the end of it. I did everything on my own, but I programmed the drums and I wish I had a live drummer. But it would have taken a lot longer, and I'm pretty controlling ....so, the drummer would have killed me and would never have wanted to see me again...I've lost enough friends over music. But the album is cool and I'm really pleased with it. It's different from the first album. The first album was more about this in sane woman that I went out with, and this one is about enjoying myself. You should write a book then... I'm dying to write a book. I've had a few things published in Huffington Post.

Ok, let’s get the elephant out of the room. Steve Hill is a one man band playing guitar, percussion and singing. So big wup. He is also one of the best rock bands around at the minute. I saw Steve last year, supporting Wishbone Ash, and this album represents just what I saw that night. He sings with a rough edged baritone and plays some stunning guitar, both slide and picked. He also plays drums better than most drummers I’ve heard in a while. Musically this is some damn fine Blues/rock, loaded with spirit and heart. He doesn’t try and fake anything so the guitar and drums are perfectly in sync and listening to a track such as ‘The Collector’ you can hear the way he builds a song from a fine piece of slide and adding the drums to create a multi-layered sound that stands up even without his vocal, He gradually builds the speed and the impact of the song and it leaves you breathless listening to it. “I wanted to capture a live album that featured all the energy of my live shows,” says Steve. There are no overdubs on this live album… I play everything myself in real time. There are no tapes or loops. What you hear is what you get.” The songs all stand up, be they rockers such as ‘Damned’ or slow burning Blues like ‘The Ballad of Johnny Wabo’ or the semi-acoustic ‘Emily’. The only cover on the album is a killer version of ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’ with a burning guitar line and stunning solo. Steve Hill is playing some damn fine Blues and rock. Looking forward to seeing him with Danny Bryant next Wednesday

Katy Perry and Taylor Swift appear to be on the verge of putting their famous feud to bed. The Roar singer sent Taylor an actual olive branch ahead of her Reputation Stadium Tour opening show in Arizona on Tuesday (08May18), making it clear she wanted to be friends with her rival after they reportedly fell out when Katy nabbed some of Swift's dancers for a string of live dates. The Look What You Made Me Do hitmaker posted video of herself on Instagram showing off the gift from Katy on Tuesday, and stated, "So I just got to my dressing room and found this actual olive branch. This means so much to me." Swift captioned the video: "Thank you Katy", along with a heart emoji. The olive branch has always symbolised peace in history. The note Katy sent with her literal gift can also been seen in the video. It reads: "Hello old friend, I’ve been doing some reflecting on past miscommunications and hard feelings between us. I really want to clear the air..." To make Katy's intentions clear, Taylor has liked a post on Tumblr about the symbolism behind the olive branch. The two stars' feud began in 2014, when Swift revealed she and Katy had fallen out in a Rolling Stone tell-all, stating the beef with a fellow pop star had inspired her hit song, Bad Blood. "For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not," Swift said. "She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?' "She did something so horrible. I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies'. And it wasn't even about a guy! It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me." Perry responded to Swift's magazine comments the day after the story was published online, tweeting: "Watch out for the Regina George (b**chy Mean Girls character) in sheep's clothing..." In January, 2015, Perry confirmed the tweet was pointed at Swift in a Billboard interview

Ariana Grande is beaming over the "gift" of her first Met Gala after the tragedy surrounding a bomb attack at her concert in Manchester, England last year (22May17). The No Tears Left to Cry hitmaker turned up to the glamorous event, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday night (07Mon18), as she prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the sick terrorist attack that cost 23 fans their lives - and she was glad to be back on the red carpet. Ariana has ditched glitzy events since the tragedy, because she didn't feel like celebrating anything for months after the bombing, but she was relieved to be back in the spotlight. “Oh my God, it's a gift and it's a joy and I'm so grateful to be back," the 24-year-old gushed to Entertainment Tonight at the event. "I'm feeling great - this is my first Met (Gala)." Ariana wore a stunning white Vera Wang gown with prints capturing Michelangelo's artwork from the Sistine Chapel to mark the night's Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination theme. The pop star and fashion designer were each other's dates at the bash, and Ariana loved sharing the red carpet with Wang. "I'm very excited and I'm so happy to be with Vera! And to be wearing the Sistine Chapel back wall by Michelangelo," she smiled. "And it's the Last Judgment and I’m excited because it’s beautiful and Vera's the best." The designer explained the inspiration for the dress came about in a free-flowing way after the Dangerous Woman hitmaker shared her ideas for a concept. "Ariana wanted a reference to religion, but she didn't want to be literal - hence the beautiful (cat-ears) headpiece she's wearing," Vera detailed. "It's a total riff off religion, but in the most stylish, fashion-forward way."

One of R. Kelly's ex-girlfriends sympathises with the young women the singer has allegedly brainwashed to serve as sex slaves, because she "got sucked into" the odd relationship too. The Ignition (Remix) hitmaker has been at the centre of underage sex allegations for years, but his lifestyle has come under further scrutiny over the past year amid multiple accusations from relatives of his alleged lovers, who claim the musician is running a "sex cult". Kelly has repeatedly denied the reports, but in a new TV interview, two former girlfriends recalled how they became caught up in his alleged manipulation techniques, and became convinced they had no one but the 51-year-old to care for them. Appearing on breakfast show Today, Asante McGee told presenter Megyn Kelly, "He pretty much tries to say that your family is jealous that you're with him. Your family wants to be with him, and you're happy and this is what you need to do. And if you disobey him, he would fake cry and make you sympathise." McGee claimed life as one of Kelly's lovers was a closely-monitored affair, with the women having to ask for permission to use the bathroom. "I had to use the restroom and texted him, 'Daddy, I need to use the restroom,'" she shared. "We were required to call him 'Daddy...' You would get in trouble if you didn't." Another ex, Kitti Jones, added, "I had to wear sweatpants, I had to stand up when he would walk into the room. I did have to be on his phone plan. He would put a lot of his girlfriends on his phone plan so he could control who you were talking to, how often you talk to your family, what you're texting. Things like that." The parents of Joycelyn Savage, who first went public with concerns about their daughter's relationship with Kelly last year (17), also appeared on the show, as Jones admitted she can understand why women fall under the singer's spell, as she sacrificed her life and career to be with the embattled R&B star. "When you give up those things for love, you don't think that person is going to turn into something else. You're just in it," said Jones, who previously claimed she was also beaten during their romance. "I felt like I gave up everything and once I was there I was just in it. And the more I started learning about him I just got sucked into it. I felt like I didn't have anything to go back to." R. Kelly's representatives responded to the allegations made by his exes in a new statement issued to Today show producers, insisting the artist has become "the target of a greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him, his family and the women with whom he spends his time".

Ekali is one of bass music's fastest rises stars. His innate ability to merge a staggering amount of elements into his songs and sets has helped him gain notoriety FAST. It seems that the artist has no shortage of new music he is working on either. A mysterious newcomer, 1788-L has also been the talk of the town lately. With their unbelievably dark and twisted remixes and original edits, listeners were immediately drawn to the enigmatic producer. He has received a ton of attention for his mix of euphoric highs, and dark twisting bass. A collaboration with Rezz which was debuted at Ultra only further the hype around the mystery individual.

To celebrate all of the chill music being released this week, EDM Sauce has officially updated their Chill EDM playlists thanks to the help of SiriusXM Chill and Ben Harvey's #Chillworthy additions. In this week's new chill music, we've added pluko and MOONZz's “Asleep,” Sofi Tukker's “Benadryl,” Anevo's “One Kiss,” and Emmit Fenn's “Lost In Space.” From April 30 to May 6th, SiriusXM Chill's most popular song of the week was Emmit Fenn's “Blinded.” Stream all of the new chill dance songs on Spotify and Deezer below.

Levan Tsikurishvili was a close friend of Tim Bergling and the director of the now infamous Avicii: True Stories documentary which was featured on Netflix. He knew Tim better than almost anyone else acting as both documentarian and confidante to Avicii in his most trying times. While Levan has not been quiet since the passing of Avicii, his most recent message about Tim has given us a beautiful story about Avicii which shows who he truly was as a person. Avcii and the lemur In a heartfelt Instagram post, Levan recounts a story about the pair being in Madagascar. Avicii was feeding Lemurs, and one bit his finger, leaving him with a severe cut. It was clear that Tim was in pain, and his team was angry about the Lemur being allowed to be around people. Tim stepped in though and protected the Lemur reminding everyone that it was just a mistake. These small anecdotes that are coming out every day from those close with Avicii show who he was at his core – a gentle, loving soul. We will always miss Avicii but his memory and music will live on forever. Read the full story below.

Donald Glover is probably best known for his many comedy specials and various films he has starred in. Still his musical alter ego, Childish Gambino is explosively popular, even in EDM. On May 5, 2018, Donald Glover uploaded the Childish Gambino This Is America video to Youtube and immediately it made waves. Now only three days after it was initially posted, it has already been viewed over 44 million times, and its momentum is not fading. Childish Gambino This Is America Video The song is one that is heavily critical of the current state of America gun policy and police brutality towards African Americans. With heavy lyrics like the ones that follow, there is no secret what the track is about.