Uptown Funk release brought forward following X Factor performance

Following Fleur East's showstopping rendition of Uptown Funk , the release date of the superb Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars track has been brought forward by six weeks to tonight.

The track which is already Top 10 in America , was not due for a UK release until January 11th 2015. Last night , Fleur East's version , which is chart ineligible , scaled straight to the top of the iTunes chart. It's the first time any X Factor contestants performance etrack has hit the iTunes top spot.
East's series stealing performance caused much fanfare on social media on Saturday night and many believe she'll win the 11th series of the show at Wembley Arena this weekend.

Ladbrokes has already suspended betting on Ronson and Mars being this years Christmas Number 1 and possibly beating Fleur East to the coveted position.
Uptown Funk is the first new material from Ronson in over 4 years and trails his forthcoming third studio album.
The man who famously produced Amy Winehouse's legendary Back To Black album , first found commercial success in 2007 with his Version album. The album of covers by the likes of Lily Allen and Daniel Merriweather saw him win a BRIT in 2008.

Bruno Mars , meanwhile , is no stranger to having enormous worldwide hits. The Grenade singer who headlined the SuperBowl half time show , this year , is expected to release his third studio album next year. It follows the worldwide success of previous albums Doo Wops and Hooligans (2010) and Unorthodox Jukebox (2012 )

BBC Music Awards announce nominees

The inaugural BBC Music Awards take place live on BBC One this Thursday night live from Earls Court in London. Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans will host the bash that will feature performances from Coldplay , One Direction , Take That , Ella Henderson , Paloma Faith , Ed Sheeran , George Ezra , Labrinth amongst others.

The three main awards on the night are British Song of the Year , British Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year.

The British Artist of the Year gong will see newcomers Royal Blood and Jungle , battle it out with Ed Sheeran , Sam Smith and Elbow.

The international category sees another eclectic range of artists as Dolly Parton , Gregory Porter , Prince , Lorde and Taylor Swift do battle.

The BBC Music Awards take place live on BBC One this Thursday (December 11th ) at 8pm

Paloma Faith announces new single

Paloma Faith caps off her most successful year to date with the release of her next single. Leave While I'm Not Looking , a new song from the reissued Outsiders Edition of her huge A Perfect Contradiction will mark the final single from the hugely successful album.

Faith's third studio album released in March is the biggest selling album by a female solo artist in the UK this year. It's already produced the biggest hit of her career in the Diane Warren penned Only Love Can Hurt Like This.
Paloma enjoyed her first UK Number 1 single in September when her collaboration with dance act Sigma , the fantastic Changing hit the top spot.

Listen to Leave While I'm Not Looking below

GRAMMY NOMINATIONS - Sam Smith and Beyonce lead pack as Gaga gets snubbed

Sam Smith and Beyoncé lead the way at next years 57th Grammy Awards with six nominations apiece. Beyoncé makes history as the most nominated female artist in Grammy history , overtaking Dolly Parton.
Brit soul singer Smith caps off an incredible year with nods in three of the main categories. In The Lonely Hour will face off against Beck , Ed Sheeran , Pharrell Williams and Beyonce for the prestigious Album Of The Year. His worldwide smash Stay With Me earns nods for Record of The Year and Song of The Year as well as Best New Artist.

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea also crowns a remarkably successful year with four nominations including a polarising Best Rap Album nomination and the huge Fancy with Charli XCX shortlisted as Record Of The Year.

Eminem , Ed Sheeran , Drake and Taylor Swift all follow with three nominations. Swiftt's Shake It Off earns her nods in Record of the Year amongst others.

The pop field is as competitive as ever as Katy Perry hopes to break her Grammy duck. Her PRISM album takes on Ariana Grande , Coldplay , Ed Sheeran , Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus in the hotly contested Best Pop Vocal Album category.

As always the Grammy nominations provide some glaring omissions and bewildering inclusions. The most notable is Lady Gaga , a former multiple Grammy winner. ARTPOP , for all its apparent fanfare and hype has not garnered a single nomination in whats been a tough year for the star. Her only nomination comes in the Best Traditional Pop Album category for her Cheek to Cheek jazz album with Tony Bennett.
Lana Del Rey's superb Ultraviolence , heavily featured on many critics end of year best of lists , has been criminally ignored.

Much has been made of Meghan Trainor;s Record of the Year nomination for the worldwide smash All About That Bass , a track you either loved or hated this year.

And while there are predictable inclusions , its great to see people like Hozier , Beck , Haim , The Black Keys , Sia  and Ryan Adams all get recognition.

The 57th Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on February 8th , 2015.

The main list of nominations are listed as follows

Album Of The YearMorning Phase - Beck
Beyoncé - Beyoncé
x - Ed Sheeran
In the Lonely Hour - Sam Smith
GIRL - Pharrell Williams

Record Of The Year
'Fancy' - Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
'Chandelier' - Sia
'Stay with Me' (Darkchild Version) - Sam Smith
'Shake It Off' - Taylor Swift
'All About That Bass' - Meghan Trainor


Song Of The Year'All About That Bass' - Meghan Trainor
'Chandelier' - Sia
'Shake It Off' - Taylor Swift
'Stay with Me' - Sam Smith
'Take Me to Church' - Hozier

Best New Artist
Bastille
Iggy Azalea
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith

Best Pop Vocal AlbumGhost Stories - Coldplay
Bangerz - Miley Cyrus
My Everything - Ariana Grande
Prism - Katy Perry
x - Ed Sheeran
In the Lonely Hour - Sam Smith

Best Pop Solo Performance
'All of Me' (Live) - John Legend
'Chandelier' - Sia
'Stay with Me' - Sam Smith
'Shake It Off' - Taylor Swift
'Happy' - Pharrell


Best Pop Duo/Group Performance'Fancy' - Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
'A Sky Full of Stars' - Coldplay
'Say Something' - A Great Big World with Christina Aguilera
'Bang Bang' - Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
'Dark Horse' - Katy Perry featuring Juicy J

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Cheek to Cheek - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Nostalgia - Annie Lennox
Night Songs - Barry Manilow
Sending You a Little Christmas - Johnny Mathis
Partners - Barbra Streisand

Best Dance Recording'Never Say Never' - Basement Jaxx
'Rather Be' - Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
'F for You' - Disclosure featuring Mary J Blige
'I Got You' - Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones
'Faded' - Zhu

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Syro - Aphex Twin
While (1 - Deadmaus
Nabuma Rubberband - Little Dragon
Do It Again - Röyksopp & Robyn
Damage Control - Mat Zo

Best Metal Performance'Neon Knights' - Anthrax
'High Road' - Mastodon
'Heartbreaker' - Motörhead
'The Negative One' - Slipknot
'The Last in Line' - Tenacious D

Best Rock Performance
'Gimme Something Good' - Ryan Adams
'Do I Wanna Know?' - Arctic Monkeys
'Blue Moon' - Beck
'Fever' - The Black Keys
'Lazaretto' - Jack White

Best Rock Album
Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
Morning Phase - Beck
Turn Blue - The Black Keys
Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Songs of Innocence - U2

Best Rock Song
'Ain't It Fun' - Paramore
'Blue Moon' - Beck
'Fever' - The Black Keys
'Gimme Something Good' - Ryan Adams
'Lazaretto' - Jack White


Best Country AlbumRiser - Dierks Bentley
The Outsiders - Eric Chruch
12 Stories - Brandy Clark
Platinum - Miranda Lambert
The Way I'm Livin' - Lee Ann Womack

Best Country Song
'American Kids' - Kenny Chesney
'Automatic' - Miranda Lambert
'Give Me Back My Hometown' - Eric Church
'I'm Not Going to Miss You' - Glen Campbell
'Meanwhile Back At Momma's' - Tim McGraw

Best Country Solo Performance
'Give Me Back My Hometown' - Eric Church
'Invisible' - Hunter Hayes
'Automatic' - Miranda Lambert
'Something in the Water' - Carrie Underwood
'Cop Car' - Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
'Gentle on My Mind' - The Band Perry
'Meanwhile Back at Mama's' - Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill
'Raise 'Em Up' - Keith Urban ft. Eric Church
'Day Drinking' - Little Big Town
'Something Bad' - Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood


Best Country AlbumRiser - Dierks Bentley
The Outsiders - Eric Chruch
12 Stories - Brandy Clark
Platinum - Miranda Lambert
The Way I'm Livin' - Lee Ann Womack

Best Country Song
'American Kids' - Kenny Chesney
'Automatic' - Miranda Lambert
'Give Me Back My Hometown' - Eric Church
'I'm Not Going to Miss You' - Glen Campbell
'Meanwhile Back At Momma's' - Tim McGraw

Best Country Solo Performance
'Give Me Back My Hometown' - Eric Church
'Invisible' - Hunter Hayes
'Automatic' - Miranda Lambert
'Something in the Water' - Carrie Underwood
'Cop Car' - Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
'Gentle on My Mind' - The Band Perry
'Meanwhile Back at Mama's' - Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill
'Raise 'Em Up' - Keith Urban ft. Eric Church
'Day Drinking' - Little Big Town
'Something Bad' - Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood

Best Rap Performance'3005' - Childish Gambino
'0 to 100 / The Catch Up' - Drake
'Rap God' - Eminem
'i' - Kendrick Lamar
'All I Need Is You' - Lecrae

Best Rap Album
Because the Internet - Childish Gambino
The New Classic - Iggy Azalea
Nobody's Smiling - Common
Marshall Mathers LP 2 - Eminem
Oxymoron - ScHoolboy Q
Blacc Hollywood - Wiz Khalifa

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
'Blak Majik' - Common featuring Jhené Aiko
'The Monster' - Eminem featuring Rihanna
'Tuesday' - I Love Makonnen featuring Drake
'Studio' - Schoolboy Q featuring BJ The Chicago Kid
'Bound 2' - Kanye West & Charlie Wilson

Best Rap Song
'Anaconda'- Nicki Minaj
'Bound 2' - Kanye West & Charlie Wilson
'i' - Kendrick Lamar
'We Dem Boyz' - Wiz Khalifa
'0 to 100 / The Catch Up' - Drake

Best R&B Song'Drunk in Love' - Beyoncé featuring Jay Z
'Good Kisser' - Usher
'New Flame' - Chris Brown featuring Usher & Rick Ross
'Options (Wolfjames Version)' - Luke James featuring Rick Ross
'The Worst' - Jhené Aiko

Best R&B Album
Islander - Bernhoft
Lift Your Spirit - Aloe Blacc
Love, Marriage & Divorce - Toni Braxton & Babyface
Black Radio 2 - Robert Glasper Experiment
Give the People What They Want - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Sail Out - Jhene Aiko
Beyoncé - Beyoncé
X - Chris Brown
Mali Is … - Mali Music
Girl - Pharrell Williams

Best R&B Performance
'Drunk in Love' - Beyoncé featuring Jay Z
'New Flame' - Chris Brown featuring Usher & Rick Ross
'It's Your World' - Jennifer Hudson featuring R Kelly
'Like This' - Ledisi
'Good Kisser' - Usher

Best Traditional R&B Performance
'As' - Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton
'I.R.S.' - Angie Fisher
'Jesus Children' - Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm Jamal Warner
'Nobody' - Kem
'Hold Up Wait a Minute (Woo Woo)' - Antonique Smith


Best Alternative Music AlbumThis Is All Yours - alt-J
Reflektor - Arcade Fire
Melophobia - Cage The Elephant
St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Lazaretto - Jack White

Other Selected Categories

Best Reggae Album
Fly Rasta - Ziggy Marley
Back on the Controls - Lee 'Scratch' Perry
Full Frequency - Sean Paul
Out of Many, One Music - Shaggy
The Reggae Power - Sly & Robbie & Spicy Chocolate
Amid the Noise and the Haste - Soja

Best Americana Album
The River & The Thread - Roseanne Cash
Terms of My Surrender - John Hiatt
BluesAmericana - Keb' Mo'
A Dotted Line - Nickel Creek
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music - Sturgill Simpson

Best Spoken Word Album
Actors Anonymous - James Franco
A Call to Action - Jimmy Carter
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America - John Waters
Diary of a Mad Diva - Joan Rivers
A Fighting Chance - Elizabeth Warren
We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration and the Power of Song - Gloria Gaynor

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Wild Heart - Mindi Abair
Slam Dunk - Gerald Albright
Nathan East - Nathan East
Jazz Funk Soul - Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb, Everette Harp
Bass & Mandolin - Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer



Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual MediaAmerican Hustle
Frozen
Get On Up
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Frozen
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gravity
Saving Mr Banks

Best Song Written For Visual Media

'Everything Is Awesome!!!' - Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island (The Lego Movie)
'I See Fire' - Ed Sheeran, (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)
'I'm Not Gonna Miss You' - Glen Campbell (Glen Campbell, I'll Be Me)
'Let It Go' - Idina Menzel (Frozen)
'The Moon Song' - Scarlett Johansson & Joaquin Phoenix (Her)

Music Video Field

Best Music Video
'We Exist' - Arcade Fire
'Turn Down for What' - DJ Snake & Lil' Jon
'Chandelier' - Sia
'Happy' - Pharrell Williams
'The Golden Age' - Woodkid featuring Max Richter

Best Music Film
Beyoncé & Jay Z: On The Run Tour - Beyoncé & Jay Z
Ghost Stories - Coldplay
20 Feet from Stardom - Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill
Metallica Through the Never - Metallica
The Truth About Love Tour: Live from Melbourne - Pink

Production Field

Producer of the Year (Non Classical)
Paul Epworth
John Hill
Jay Joyce
Greg Kurstin
Max Martin

Coldplay's 'Head Full Of Dreams "

Just six months after the release of the critical and commercial success of Ghost Stories , Chris Martin has revealed that Coldplay are already in the studio working on their seventh album. And unusually for Coldplay whom on average release albums every three years , it seems the new album will be released in 2015.
Chris Martin told Radio 1's Zane Lowe that the new album will be entitled A Head Full Of Dreams.

"It's our seventh thing and we look at it as the last Harry Potter book or something like that. Not to say that there won't be another thing one day, but this is the completion of something. It was great to go from Ghost Stories right back in the studio.

"Now we're making things that sound different and it's a very fun time to be in our band. I have to think of it as the final thing that we're doing - otherwise, we wouldn't put everything into it. Then we'll go on tour."

Coldplay released Ghost Stories in May , an album that was suitably more low key but just as emotionally wrought as previous works. The album seemed to document his split from wife Gwyneth Paltrow. It produced two hit singles , Magic and A Sky Full Of Stars.

Madonna speaks out on song leaks

Madonna has taken to her ever entertaining Instagram account to address the leaks of two new songs. The Queen of Pop is set to release her 13th studio album next year. Last week , two songs Rebel Heart , which she has referenced throughout the year and Wash All Over Me , leaked onto music sharing sites.
Her manager Guy Oseary took to Twitter to appeal to fans for information on the culprits behind the leaks.

Upon posting the above photo of a smashed iPod , Madonna wrote

"This broken ipod is a symbol of my broken heart! That my music has been stolen and leaked! I have been violated as a human and an artist! ‪#‎fuckedupshit‬"


Madonna has been working throughout 2014 on the much anticipated new album. Among the galaxy of big name producers and guest artists are Avicii , Diplo , Natalia Kills , Toby Gad , MoZella , Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus
Both of the two leaked tracks sound enormously promising , even in demo form as good or if not better than much of the criminally maligned MDNA.
Madonna sounds as if she's got her mojo back. And if that's the case , then Madonna's new album could be one of THE albums of 2015 and her greatest work in over a decade. Watch this space. Or better still , follow Madonna on Instagram

James Bay scoops Brits Critics Choice award

James Bay has been named as the Brits Critics Choice for 2015. The singer/songwriter , riding high with Hold Back The River ,  beat off other hotly tipped acts Years &Years and George The Poet.

Bay joins the illustrious ranks of previous winners Adele , Florence and the Machine , Ellie Goulding ,  Jessie J , Emeli Sande , Tom Odell and Sam Smith. All the previous winners have gone on to enjoy phenomenal success , also enjoying huge albums off the back of the prestigious prize. If the same should happen with James Bay , expect his debut outing , set for Spring to sell by the truckload
."I'm pretty speechless. After all the years I've spent watching the BRIT Awards and even after this year; watching my fan base grow so much, I never thought I'd actually be getting an award myself. And what a huge honour to be following the incredible artists who've won before! I'm really chuffed, thank you to everyone who has supported me.  " , said Bay on winning the award.


James Bay will collect the ward at the nominees announcement in January. The BRIT Awards 2015 , hosted by Ant & Dec , take place at London's 02 Arena on February 25th