Artist News

Madonna's celebration

Here is the official cover for M-Dolla's (aka Madonna) forthcoming, career-spanning compilation titled Celebration. It was designed by street pop artist “Mr. Brainwash” who is best known for “throwing modern cultural icons into a blender and turning it up to eleven." Songs that are currently confirmed to appear on the compilation: "Everybody", "Express Yourself", "Vogue", "4 Minutes", "Celebration".

The compilation is set for release on September 28 2009 in the following formats: single cd, double cd, digital download and dvd. The single “Celebration” goes to radio August 3 and is produced by Paul Oakenfold who has remixed Madonna in the past.

Other Madonna-related releases around the corner: Filth & Wisdom, Madonna's first effort as a director, will be released in the USA on September 29. Her I Am Because We Are documentary will also get a DVD release by September 22.

Liam Gallagher storms off stage!

OASIS singer Liam Gallagher did not appreciate a free beer he received from a fan. Gallagher stormed off stage last night after fans threw beer at him. The singer disappeared during his band's set at London's Roundhouse venue, leaving his brother Noel and the rest of the group to play without him for half an hour.

Liam blamed "students in stupid pointy shoes", for upsetting him, then fumed: "I hope you feel as uncomfortable as I feel", before walking off. Noel then told the crowd: "I think someone's in a bad mood." The 42-year-old guitarist then took to the microphone and the performance continued until Liam returned later in the set. However, the atmosphere between the two brothers was frosty for the rest of the show, with them both leering at each other from opposite sides of the stage throughout.

Already Halo?

Since the release of Kelly Clarkson’s latest album All I Ever Wanted, many fans have noticed the similarity between her song "Already Gone" and Beyonce’s recent hit "Halo". Kelly collaborated with Ryan Tedder on the track, a dramatic ballad driven by a pounding heartbeat, twinkly piano and swooping strings. Unbeknownst to her, Tedder used suspiciously similar elements when he produced a track for Beyonce.

"Ryan and I met each other at the record label, before he was working with anyone else...He's from Oklahoma, I'm from Texas; we got along really well and had some of the same influences. We wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy. I'd never heard of a song called Halo. Her album came out when my album was already being printed. No-one's gonna be sittin' at home, thinking 'Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyonce and Kelly the same track to write to.' No, they're just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, 'I don't understand. Why would you do that?'"

Kelly claims she "fought and fought" to try and prevent her label from releasing "Already Gone" as her third single, out of respect for Beyonce. "In the end, they're releasing it without my consent," she sighs. "It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It's kind of a s**tty situation, but.… You know, you learn."

In my opinion, while the songs have undeniable similarities, they still both have their own entities and different stories to tell. As Chris said on the show, hit songs follow identical formulas all the time, especially those produced by the same production teams. Just look at Max Martin!

Rob Thomas records INXS classic

Rob Thomas has put down lead vocal on "Never Tear Us Apart" with INXS. The band are in the process of recording a new album with special guest vocalists redoing their greatest hits.

Rob has done INXS before. In fact, Rob’s done "Never Tear Us Apart" before. On the last Matchbox Twenty tour of Australia, INXS drummer Jon Farris joined Matchbox Twenty on drums to perform "Never Tear Us Apart" and "Don’t Change". There is no word when the new INXS album will be released.

Kate goes top 10

Sound Museum favourite Kate Miller-Heidke has scored her first Top 10 hit with the third single from her Curiouser album "The Last Day On Earth". The song received attention during promotional adverts for the Neighbours storyline of Bridgit Parker's tragic death. It instantly climbed the iTunes chart, and this was reflected in the latest ARIA Singles chart when it jumped 28 spots to #7. Kate's previous highest charting entry was with her last single "Caught In The Crowd". It reached #33, but only remained in the top 50 for one week.

Kate has flown back into the country this week after gigging in the US, to promote the song. Here is a breathtaking live acoustic performance.