Prince Page 4

The reclusive singer Prince has announced a surprise live performance. The star will play a short set as part of a peace rally in Baltimore this Sunday (May 10th) in support of those who’ve been affected by the recent rioting.

The singer has already dedicated a track to the residents of the embattled Maryland city, and held a surprise gig at his studio last week to honour the spirit of innocent parties caught up in the violent clashes. But the ‘Purple Rain’ singer is taking it a step further by organising and performing in the ‘Rally 4 Peace’ concert at the Royal Farms Arena this weekend.

Prince will perform at a peace rally in Baltimore this weekend

Continue reading: Prince To Play At Baltimore Peace Rally This Weekend

Prince and his band 3rdEyeGirl are going on the road again, this time bringing their ‘Hit and Run’ tour to the U.S. for the first time. But as with the singer’s UK run last year, little details are available about the upcoming shows, only that it all kicks off next week in Louisville, KY., where portions of the ticket sales will be donated to various charities in the city.

Where will Prince and 3rdEyeGirl turn up next?

Prince will play an as-yet-unannounced venue in Louisville, KY on Saturday March 15th, with tickets going on sale Monday, March 9 at 10 a.m. local time. The Kentucky city has been chosen as it’s the hometown of 3rdEyeGirl drummer Hannah Welton.

Continue reading: Prince And 3rdEyeGirl Set To 'Hit And Run' The US With Spontaneous, Secretive Tour

Kid Rock has angered many of Beyoncé's devoted fans after he criticised the 33-year-old 'Drunk in Love' singer in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Kid Rock, A.K.A. Robert James Ritchie, said in was "flabbergasted" by Beyoncé's fame and further criticised her physical appearance. His critical comments have not been well received by Beyoncé's fans who have taken to social media to express their outrage.

Kid Rock has criticised Beyonce in a recent interview.

Read More: Kid Rock Set To Embark On $20 Tour This Summer.

Continue reading: Beyonce's 'Bey Hive' Attacks Kid Rock With Stinging Remarks After He Criticises Their Queen

Prince is set to drop his 37th LP 'Art Official Age’ on the same day his new band 3rd Eye Girl release first album 'Plectrum Electrum'. The simultaneous release will happen on September 29.

Prince performs at Hop Farms festival

More importantly, the release heralds Prince's return to Warner Bros Records, the label he rancorously split with nearly two decades ago. The break lead to the legendary singer changing his name to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince in an attempt to sabotage his contract.

Continue reading: Prince Is Releasing Two Albums At Once Because He Can

Budweiser Made In America Press Conference at Los Angeles City Hall on April 16, 2014 in Los Angeles, California - Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Budweiser

Budweiser Made in America festival is on its way and, to celebrate, the beer brand unveil a series of music documentaries in different States: this week we explore Minnesota!

Being such a huge part of the world, America has always borne a massively diverse music ethos. In almost every part of the country you can come across a different musical culture and it's with this idea in mind that world famous rap star Jay-Z decided to create Budweiser Made in America festival. It's sole purpose is to bring together a choice selection of both up-and-coming and well-established artists spanning all genres including rock, hip hop, R&B, electronic, punk... the list goes on.

Continue reading: Made In Minnesota: Budweiser Made In America Documents The Best City Music Of The States

Having your favourite band play at your birthday party or wedding would be a dream come true for any music fan, but sadly it doesn't come cheap. Business Insider has recently worked with booking agency Celebritytalent.net to publish a list detailing just how much various artists will charge to play a show. If you’re a Prince fan, it’s pretty bad news.

Prince, he's a pricey one

Yes if you’re looking for an intimate performance of ‘Purple Rain’, then you’re going to need some pretty deep products. Prince tops the list of the most expensive artists to book, commanding a massive $2million. Asking for slightly less are rock legends Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones as well as rappers Jay-Z and Usher, Arcade Fire and most surprisingly Nickleback. Yes a private show from Chad Kroeger and co will cost you between $1 and $1.5million.

Continue reading: How Much Does It Cost To Book Your Favourite Band?

Axl Rose is infamous for many reasons. His constant late appearances, sometimes taking to the stage almost two hours after their billed start, means every recent Guns n’ Roses tour is dogged by disgruntled fans and a swathe of bad press. The singer is notorious for his cantankerous temperament which has resulted in numerous cancelled appearances and YouTube-worthy angry rants that would give even Kanye West’s irritable soliloquys a run for their money. He is so surrounded by criticism that it is no surprise the frontman’s vocal attributes are often overlooked.

Rose has posted a bashful response to the award of "World's Best Singer"

Now, the singer has been named as the best vocalist of all time on a recently published chart, an accolade that is extremely misleading given the nature of the basis for which the award has been meted out to the rock legend. The award is based on versatility in vocal range rather than any consideration for tone, grain or strength which are commonly considered as the most endearing vocal traits.

Continue reading: Is Axl Rose Really The World's Best Singer?

Prince has signed a major new record deal with music label Warner Bros Records. The deal comes nearly 20 years after the Purple Rain singer wrote ‘slave’ on his face in an act of protest against his contract with Warner Bros. Prince said at the time, “People think I’m a crazy fool for writing ‘slave’ on my face. But if I can’t do what I want to do, what am I? When you stop a man from dreaming, he becomes a slave. That’s where I was. I don’t own Prince’s music. If you don’t own your masters, your master owns you.”

Prince has once again signed with Warner Bros record label

Prince’s protest was followed by an even more extreme move, when he famously changed his name from Prince to a symbol. However, the new deal marks a 30th anniversary release of Purple Rain, as well as the singer regaining the rights to the master recordings made during his past contract with the label.

Continue reading: Prince Signs Major New Record Deal With Warner Bros

Music fans have named Lady GaGa, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna in their top ten hardest artists to understand lyrically. 2000 people took part in the poll, which was created by Blinkbox music, a music streaming service.  The poll aimed to find out which artist's lyrics fans find the hardest to decipher.

Music fans have named Ozzy Osbourne the hardest artist to understand

Ozzy Osbourne bagged first place as the artist whose music is hardest to make out. Fans are often left confused about what the Black Sabbath frontman is saying in his songs. It’s unclear whether they are able to understand him when he isn’t singing, as demonstrated by his bizarre Grammys intro speech.

Continue reading: Music Fans Crown Ozzy Osbourne And Lady Gaga "Hardest Artists To Understand"

If somebody has asked us to compile a list of artists who we thought Prince would be most likely to record a duet with, Zooey Deschanel would definitely not have made the cut.  In fact, she wouldn't even have made the pre-cut cut.

Prince contacted Zooey by email to let her know he was a fan of her show

While the quirky New Girl actress does often pursue her own indie music career outside of her day job, she’s the last person we would have expected funk king Prince to bring along for his comeback ride.  Although it turns out he is a huge fan of the actress and her show, contacting Zooey by email, claiming that he only watches two things on television...New Girl and the news.

Continue reading: Let's Take A Look At 'New Girl' Zooey Deschanel's Music Career

Prince and Zooey Deschanel - in the guise of New Girl's Jess - have released their full duet 'FALLINLOVE2NIGHT' from a February episode of the hit comedy.

Prince performing in Kent at the Hop Farm Festival in 2011.

The episode, broadcast after the Super Bowl, was watched by 25.8 million viewers, according to The L.A. Times. Prince and Deschanel's performance of the upbeat 'FALLINLOVE2NIGHT' proved so popular a number of petitions were created requesting the song be released as a single. Prince and his band, 3RDEYEGIRL were happy to obliged and released a full length version of their duet on Friday (15th March). 

Continue reading: Prince Releases Full Length 'FALLINLOVE2NIGHT' New Girl Duet With Zooey Deschanel

Kesha has dropped the $ from her name, apparently in a bid to start afresh since leaving rehab. Kesha had checked into the Timberline Knolls Treatment Center to receive treatment for eating disorders and has announced to her fans on Twitter that she is “Feeling healthy & working on tons of new music”.

Sean Combs loves changing his name

Continue reading: Just Plain Old Kesha? Other Music Stars Who Changed Their Name

Prince has been on point with his cameos lately. Last month it was New Girl and on Wednesday, Prince dropped by The Arsenio Hall Show to get up close and personal, quite literally. Besides performing three songs - his new single FunkNRoll, She's Always in My Hair and Mutiny – and sitting down for a chat with Hall, he also went into the audience to take questions from fans, who had been lining up for hours for the chance. It was all very, well, it was very purple. But also, fans got to learn a whole lot more about the artist formerly known as the Artist, Formerly Known As Prince.

Expect more news, possibly related to the tour, soon.

For instance, did you know that his pet peeve is strangers touching his hair? "I was at an Oscars party," he said, "and people kept bumping into me. And it always seems to be dudes."

Continue reading: Prince Takes Over Arsenio Hall Show To Talk Hair, Cell Phones. Oh, And Music, Too.

Some acts may still be rumours and others are yet to be confirmed, but we have a strong suspicion that this is what the Glastonbury Festival Lineup for 2014 will end up looking like! Eek, we can't wait! The three day music festival is the hottest (and most quickly sold out) ticket of the year, and with a (rumoured) lineup like this, who’s surprised?

Prince is rumoured to be performing at Glastonbury Festival 2014

Indie rock band Arcade Fire have already confirmed their Friday night slot on the Pyramid Stage at the festival. The Canadian band are fortunate to be playing on the Friday night before everybody has had a sleepless few days and energy starts to die down!  Actually, on second thought, Glastonbury Festival goers never really lose any energy.  There must be something in the air which keeps them all going.

Continue reading: Could This Be The Lineup For Glastonbury Festival 2014?

Speculation that Prince will headline the Glastonbury 2014 line-up reached fever pitch on Tuesday, when the Purple Rain singer refused to deny the rumours at a special press conference held in the living room of singer Lianne La Havas.

Prince To Headline Glastonbury 2014?

Prince was non-committal when asked by BBC6 Music's Matt Everitt whether he was playing the famous Pilton festival, replying, "(I'm) concentrating on these shows in London, I don't know what's happening after." When pushed on whether he could rule out the slot, Prince gave a definitive, "No," adding, "We'll work our way up, if people like us, to bigger venues."

Continue reading: Prince Refuses To Rule Out Headlining Glastonbury 2014

Prince has officially announced his band's presence in the UK with a press conference and live performance held in the home of British soul singer Lianne La Havas, followed by a surprise gig at Camden's Electric Ballroom. The funk singer has been playing with his new band - the three-piece 3rdEyeGirl - to promote their upcoming album Plectrum Electrum, including the new single 'PretzelBodyLogic' which has been described by Prince as "funk 'n' roll."

After A Press Conference, Prince Played A Secret Gig In Camden.

Lianne La Havas became friends with the musician after meeting him in the US. "He heard my music, somehow, two years ago and decided he wanted to meet me!" she said. The singer said she offered up her room as a joke when she heard he was headed to the UK. "I've never had [a global megastar] play in my house, but Prince has been here before. A few months ago. [He's] very respectful, which is good. He's tidy and just lovely."

Continue reading: Prince Kicks Off UK Tour With Secret Gig And Unusual Press Conference [Video]

The New Girl episode starring Prince pulled in a monumental 25.8 million viewers thanks to the Super Bowl lead in on Sunday evening. It also scored an 11.8 rating among adults 18-49, making it the highest rated scripted entertainment telecast in the adult demo on broadcast TV in three years (incidentally it was the biggest since Fox's Glee episode, after the Super Bowl).

Zooey Deschanel [L], Prince [center] and Jake Johnson [R] on 'New Girl'

Despite the lead-in, the Zooey Deschanel starring comedy fared reasonably well against previous post-Bowl entertainment shows. According to Entertainment Weekly, last year's episode of Elementary pulled in 20.9 million, with NBC's The Voice scoring 37.6 million in 2012. Before that, Glee pulled in 26.9 million and in 2010, Undercover Boss drew 38.7 million. In 2009, 2008 and 2007, The Office, House and Criminal Minds pulled in between 22.9 million and 29 million.

Continue reading: 'New Girl' Episode Starring Prince Pulls In 25.8 Million Viewers

The post-Super Bowl episode of "New Girl" featured an unlikely cameo, with Prince joining the show’s cast. According to series EP Lis Meriwether, Prince had already expressed interest when the "New Girl" team found out the show would air during the premium time slot – it was the perfect storm.

How do you feel about Prince's cameo?

"Luckily, Prince reached out to us around the same time, so we started out ahead," Meriwether tells TVGuide.com. "With Prince wanting to do an episode, that was exactly what we needed to do for the post-Super Bowl episode."

Continue reading: Prince Dishes Out Love Advice In Post-Super Bowl Episode Of "New Girl"

Prince must have realized it is not the best career move to try and take more money away from fans.

The 55 year-old recently filed a copyright infringement lawsuit, in the Northern District of California on Jan 16th, against 22 people for $1 million each, totalling to a $22 million.

Prince targeted individuals who have uploaded bootlegged videos to a Facebook fan page, and for allegedly posting links to illegal downloads of his live performances.

Continue reading: Prince Revokes $22 Million Lawsuit Against Own 'Bootlegger' Fans

Apparently anti-piracy ads have it right: anyone could get into real trouble for bootlegging copyrighted material, particularly if said material belongs to Prince. The artist, formerly known as… wait, we’re not doing that anymore? Anyway, Prince filed the $22 million lawsuit against 22 bootleggers, who had reportedly uploaded recordings of his concerts online – on Facebook and other websites. Which doesn’t sound at all like people sharing their home videos for no monetary gain. Not at all.

Prince was asking for a million from each person, who had posted a video of his performance.

Each poster faced having to pay up to a million in damages – a sum that sounds ever so slightly unreasonable, given that the posters likely weren’t making any money off the back of Prince’s work.

Continue reading: $22-Million Copyright Lawsuit Over Online Videos Dropped By Prince

Fans or not, Prince doesn't want you sharing his performances.

The 55 year-old singer is suing 22 of his fans for allegedly posting links to illegal downloads of his live performances.

The singer filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of California on Jan 16th against 22 people for $1 million each, totalling to a $22 million, The Independent reports.

Continue reading: Prince Sues 22 Fans For Posting Bootlegged Copies Of Performances Online

Prince will be bringing his Hit & Run tour to U.K shores. He’ll play "iconic venues in and around London", after arriving on 3 February, according to a statement, while the dates are in support of a new album, PlectrumElectrum, recorded with his all-female band, 3rdEyeGirl.

Prince rocking out at Hop Farm in 2011

Tickets are likely to be in high demand for the Purple Rain, Raspberry Beret and Cream singer, whose live shows have been praised for their frenetic showpieces and electric energy. "Details about the event are very hush-hush at this time but as we find out more, you will be the 2nd ones to know," said a press release.

Continue reading: Watch This Space If You Want To See Prince Live In London - Dates To Be Announced

Golden Globes Glory: Last weekend's Golden Globe awards set hearts racing ahead of March's Oscars with plenty of deserving winners next to a few jaw-dropping snubs. 12 Years A Slave predictably came out on top with the big gong but a few unpredictabilities set award odds and Oscars speculation askew. Newbie comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine saw off rivals to claim two awards whilst Blue Jasmine's Cate Blanchett took the leading lady award alongside Dallas Buyers Club's  for the men.

Gravity's Alfonso Cuarón stole Best Director from Steve McQueen whilst Breaking Bad and Behind The Candelabra snatched the big TV awards. The surprise wins also made for some truly memorable speeches too, with Elisabeth Moss exclamation of "Oh s**t!" and Jacqueline Bisset's sweary ramble marking two particular highlights. Read about all the winners here.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Globes And Oscars Mania, Prince Finds His Funny Bone, Lena Dunham Gets A Vogue Make-Over

Arcade Fire are officially headliners at Glastonbury 2014! After much speculation and finger crossing, the Canadian alt-rockers have been confirmed as the first headline act for 2014's outing at Worth Farm in Somerset next June.

Arcade Fire will headline Glasto for the first time

The band confirmed their billing themselves, taking to Twitter to reveal a list of European dates due to take place in the same week at the end of June. As well as the stop off at Worthy Farm, AF will also be paying Rock In Roma and Villa Franca Di Verona a visit, as well as headlining a show at Marlay Park in Dublin. The band's own announcement was later followed up by a tweet from festival organiser Emily Eavis, with a statement from the festival's own Twitter page reading: "We're very pleased to announce that Arcade Fire will headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2014 on Friday 27th June."

Continue reading: Arcade Fire Confirmed As First Headlining Act For Glastonbury 2014

Rita Ora is set to release her sophomore album sooner than you might have expected, as the singer recently told The Mirror her still-untitled second LP is just about done. Want to thank someone for getting the album up and running so soon? how about the artist formerly and currently known as Prince!

Rita has some big names lined up for the new release

The Purple One has contributed to at least one of the tracks on the follow-up to 2012 No. 1 album Ora, although she remained coy over just how much they have worked on together. She told the paper, "I have met him and I have had the honour of being in the same studio as him. We messed around with some music and you know, I can't believe he can play so many instruments. All I can say is that we've definitely done some music together."

Continue reading: Rita Ora Says New Album Is Almost Done (Thanks To A Little Help From Her Friends)

Rita Ora has a pretty booked up schedule ahead of her. In addition to filming her part in the upcoming movie adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey, the singer is also working hard on her sophomore album, but on the plus side she has been getting help from some of the best in the business to bring her second album to life.

Rita has described both Prince and Stefani as her biggest influences

We're not exaggerating when we say 'the best' either, because Ora has been working with the one and only Prince! The 'Radioactive' singer revealed recently that she and the legendary Purple One have been in the studio together, but without getting specific she only went as far as saying the pair have "done some music together."

Continue reading: Rita Ora Recruits Prince, Gwen Stefani, For New Album

2013 is the year of the 'selfie,' the Oxford English Dictionary reckons at least, as the word used to describe a self-shot photograph has been named as the word of the year by the established dictionary authority. According to the Oxford English Dictionary web page, the decision to adopt selfie as word of the year was a " unanimous" decision, noting a 17,000 per cent increase in the usage of the word over the past 12 months.

Mariah Carey is one star who has helped boost the 'selfie' craze

The powers at the Oxford English Dictionary have gone on to chart the rise of the word selfie, tracing its origins to a 2002 ABC Online forum posting. The word experts noted the wider use of the word in 2003 and its adoption into common usage by 2012, but it isn't until 2013 that selfie has become worthy of the Word of the Year title. It beat such buzzwords as 'bitcin,' 'showrunning' and the ever popular 'twerk' to emerge victorious, but what is it that has made 2013 the year of the selfie?

Continue reading: 'Selfie' Is The Word Of The Year: Charting Its Rise To The Top

George and Harry listen up: there's another Prince in town and he's got more 'Groovy Potential' than you. After it was reported that that singer had been spotted backstage at Kings of Leon's Shepherd's Bush gig, 'The Purple One' has now confirmed his UK presence with a series of shots entitled "LONDON."

Prince Is Getting Used To This Twitter Lark.

Posting from the Twitter account named after the band he's been recently touring with, 3rdEyeGirl, the star began to learn the art of the Tweet with the standard "selfie," the food shot, a video post and now - the cherry on the cake of Twitter ubiquity - some travel shots.

Continue reading: Prince's Twitter Explodes Into Life With Cryptic 'London' Photos

Prince has decided to grace us with his presence on Twitter. The elusive and technophobic singer, who famously declared in 2010 that the "internet's completely over", has finally decided to join the social networking site. Posting his comments under the name '3rdeyegirl', he named his account for the band who has been accompanying him on his tour this year. 

Prince 'Bourne Ultimatum' After Party at Shoreditch House - departures London, England 

Although Prince initially chose not to control the account himself (presumably allowing representatives to Tweet for him) he took charge on Tuesday (13 August), announcing his presence by writing "PRINCE'S FIRST TWEET. TESTING.1,2." 

Continue reading: Prince Declares The Internet Is "Not Over" By Joining Twitter

Ok, so this year's SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, featured intimate performances from the likes of Prince, Justin Timberlake, the Sound City Players, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Green Day and Kendrick Lamar, though one memorable moment from 2013 appears to be making all the headlines. "Drunk bully gets knocked out" is a video that began pulling in the YouTube views midway through the festival, after one attendee captured an incident on the Austin streets on a smartphone. Of course, we don't condone violence, but isn't there something sweet about seeing a drunken bully stumble around hitting innocent bystanders, only to be given a taste of his own medicine? Sure there is.

After reading the video title, you just know what's going to happen. The only thing left to do is try and guess which of the SXSW festivalgoers gives the drunken bully a face full of fist before it actually happens. Eagle eyed watchers will have spotted the guy with the grey t-shirt asking his friend whether he has his back, around 10 seconds into the video. From there, he plans the whole thing out, waits for his moment, and BOOM. 

Continue reading: SXSW Memorable Moments: Drunk Bully Gets Knocked Out (Video)

Prince cause one heck of a 'Housequake' when he brought the Austin, Texas music and film festival South by Southwest to a memorable close on Saturday night, ensuring that the party kept going until the early hours as he even outlasted some of the fans. The pint-sized pop star went on until 3 am, bringing the festival to an end in pure Price style, by leading a brass band-backed, funk showcase that even featured hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest.

In front of only 300 people in the tiny La Zona Rosa venue, Prince went on and on behind a giant video board, occasionally dropping his rock-star act to serve as band leader of the massive backing group he brought with him for Saturday night's grand spectacle. For a festival that drew in 2,200 bands and artists this year alone, Prince's intimate yet extraordinary performance topped off the week with a show-stopping display that saw him play such hits as 'Purple Rain', '1999' and even a Curtis Mayfield and a Michael Jackson cover. With a potential finisher coming to a close, Prince reminded his fans that the show wont be a brisk run through of some hits, telling the audience "Don't make me hurt you. You know how many hits I got?"

The show, which was sponsored by electronics manufacturer Samsung, was a strictly no cameras affair, as is the attitude of Prince towards the prospect of piracy. Still, it didn't stop the audience enjoying the hit-parade as it went on into the night - those that lasted anyway. Prince was competing with fellow festival closers Justin Timberlake and the Smashing Pumpkins, but it was easily the little purple man who did the festival justice with the final performance of the festival. Green Day, Dave Grohl, Vampire Weekend, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs also all performed at SXSW this week too, who knows how organisers are going to top it next year!

Continue reading: Prince Brings SXSW To A Memorable Close With Mammoth Show!

250 lucky competition winners will get the chance to see Prince perform with a 21-piece band at the SXSW closing party this week. The legendary singer has been confirmed as a performer for one of the Texas' festival's closing shows, before an intimate crowd of contest winners, reports The Guardian.

Electronics giant Samsung will fund Prince's SXSW debut show, in the same way it bankrolled Kanye West's gig at a launch event in 2012. To be eligible for a ticket for the concert on Saturday (March 16, 2013), fans must be either SXSW badge-holders or owners of a Samsung Galaxy phone. The room at La Zona Rosa will be strictly limited to just 250 people, where Prince will perform a career-spanning set with his band. "Prince is a legend and true creative and musical genius who has been pushing the boundaries of music for more than 35 years," Todd Pendleton, Samsung's chief marketing officer, told Mashable. "Having Prince in Austin at his first SXSW show will truly be a one-night-only experience that our Samsung Galaxy owners and friends will remember for years to come."

It's certainly SXSW's biggest draw of the week, though the festival in Austin, Texas, is also scheduled to include performances from the likes of Green Day, Depeche Mode, Justin Timberlake and Dave Grohl's all-star group the Sound City Players. 

Continue reading: Want To See Prince Perform With 21-Piece Band At SXSW?

We've all had that moment; looking at photos of our favourite celebs and then jumping out of our seats screaming, 'He's HOW old?!' Well, we've been doing a lot of that here at ContactMusic. Some stars seem to have crept up the age ladder pretty sneakily, the odd wrinkle and grey hair barely registering on our radar, while others don't seem to have aged at all! English football player David Beckham was in his twenties when he rose to global popularity and, looking at his recent H&M underwear advert, it seems that his iconic hairstyles and tattoos are our only way of working out the old from the newer pictures of him. However, he is only 37 and has plenty of time to catch up yet. It's the over-50s that have really had our mouths agape in recent times as we've been scouring the net for the most youthful looking middle to old aged stars. 

(Anthony Kiedis, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey)

Continue reading: Good Genes Or Good Ops: Which Male Celebrities Don't Show Their Age?

Annually, the Grammys is one of the biggest events for music across America and in Europe. In fact, it has dubbed itself 'music's biggest night'. Celebrating the best in pop, hiphop, soul, R&B and much of what comes in between, it never fails to be a veritable who's who from the Spotify playlists of the masses. And this year will be no different. Not only are the nominees ones to look out for, absences are worthy of note, as are this year's presenters and some very special performances.

As Yahoo report, this year's presenters include Grammy royalty, Prince, Beyonce, and Jennifer Lopez, all of whom have been nominated or won Grammys before.  

In terms of performances to look forward to, this year we have some unusual and largely unexpected pair ups. Elton John and Ed Sheeran will take to the stage together. An unusual pairing, they're both Brits with unusual song writing talent. While John is a true showman and is well known for his intereSting outfits and outrageous glasses, Sheeran is distinctly more low key. We're not sure how this is going to work, but we're guessing it'll be great. Bruno Mars, Sting and Rihanna will all also perform together, as will Alicia Keys and Maroon 5, and Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. 

Continue reading: 55th Grammys Preview: 'Music's Biggest Night' Wont Fail To Impress

Prince didn't waste any time in reigniting old feuds. Just days after releasing new material; the single 'Screwdriver', with an all-female trio, the legendary pop icon is speaking about Madonna, again. 

When talking about his old relationship with Warner Brothers, Prince took the opportunity to bring Madge into it. "It was also about Madonna," he says to Billboard. "She was getting paid, but at the time we were selling more records and selling out concerts on multiple nights. It wasn't about her. This was about business." Following their frankly strange relationship, way back in 1985, and their collaboration on 1988's 'Love Song', the pair have had often aired their dirty laundry in public. "[He] was a little troll," Madge said of Prince said during a 1994 interview, "He was just sipping tea, very daintily. I have this theory about people who don't eat. They annoy me."

And on Maroon 5, who perhaps don't have the same star status as either him or Madonna, Prince has plenty to say.  They included a cover of his song 'Kiss' on their latest album. "I do pay performance royalties on others' songs I perform live, but I'm not recording these songs and putting them up for sale," he says. "Why do we need to hear another cover of a song that someone else did? Art is about building a new foundation, not just laying something on top of what's already there."

Continue reading: Prince Slams Madonna, Maroon 5 Too; He's Back!

If Prince releases a song called ‘Screwdriver,’ you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s not started waxing lyrical on the pros and cons of various DIY tools.

Sure enough, Prince’s latest song has the 54 year-old singing “I’m your driver, you’re my screw” proving that he’s not lost his touch, when it comes to shoe-horning a good old sex metaphor into his tunes.

The song itself, which is currently streaming on YouTube in the form of a colourful lyric video, starts out as a Beatles-esque stomper and takes on a glam rock style. In fact, Prince somehow manages to cram pretty much every rock and roll cliché into one song, yet still make it sound like one of the freshest things released in years. Prince hasn’t released an album since 2010’s aptly titled 20Ten and speaking to Billboard, he insisted that he’s no longer in the business of churning out albums.

Continue reading: Prince's New Song 'Screwdriver' Is A Glam-Rock Stomper

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were spotted letting off some steam at a Prince concert, which should go some way towards answering the ‘are they still together?’ question. 

According to TMZ, “Rob and Kristen rolled up to the Sayers Club in Hollywood in the same SUV . . . and sneaked into the back entrance to see the Purple One live in concert. A short time later, the couple rushed back into the car — trying to cover their faces — but it was too late . . . they'd been made.” During the show, "He was behind her – holding her around her hips," an onlooker told PEOPLE. "They were sweetly affectionate and tender. They stood the entire show and loved every second." Just in case any of you were struggling with the aforementioned question, the answer is increasingly looking like a big old yes, which a few months ago would have been a ridiculous thing to suggest, considering the high profile infidelities that seemingly ripped their young love to pieces. 

The pair were probably just enjoying some quality time together after, like a naughty partnership at the back of the class, they were separated for promo duties for the Breaking Dawn. Robert was down under in Australia while Kiristen was putting in the hours in Japan. Life’s tough. 

Continue reading: Kristen Stewart And Robert Pattinson Go To Prince Concert On A Date?

Beyonce being announced to perform at the Super Bowl was like the Coca Cola Christmas ad or watching Forest Gump on a public holiday: it just felt right. And given the pantheon of stars to perform at the event, which now gleans over 100 million views, Beyonce has some high company indeed.

Michael Jackson famously performed at Super Bowl XXVII, which featured the late king of pop leaping from the Rose Bowl scoreboards to his stage on the 50-yard line, where a whopping 3,000 dancers accompanied him as he blasted out some of his most infectious tunes. Another timeless,Super Bowl perfoemance, though not at half time, was Whitney Houston at match XXV. Another late star, Houston powered through an almighty rendition of the national anthem, taking its rightful place alongside Marvin Gaye's stirring rendition of the anthem before the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. Ah, memories. Diana Ross at Super Bowl XXX back 1996 can’t go by without a mention either; in her prime, the diva fitted nearly all her hits into one performance, and made sure she gave a varied one, with nearly as many costume changes.

U2 and Prince took the stage for Super Bowl’s XXXVI and XLI respectively, and both gave astounding shows. U2’s was particularly pertinent because it was the first after 9/11, and Prince? Well it rained a lot for Prince’s go, but he still worked the crowd like a pro. Beyoncé has some gargantuan pop-shoes to fill, but given that she’s one of the most talented artists of today, she’ll make it happen we’re sure. Anyone got any odds on a cameo from Jay Z?

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe quipped that he could put a revolutionary new twist on the character of James Bond.

The 18-year-old actor was celebrating with fellow cast members after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was voted best film and Radcliffe named best male at the first ever National Movie Awards.

After beating sex symbol Daniel Craig to the best male award, Radcliffe was asked whether he'd like to one day take over as 007.

"It would be weird to suddenly be involved in another big franchise, but hey, it takes a big man to turn down Bond."

When quizzed as to who his ideal leading lady would be, he quipped that his top choice would be co-star Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies.

"I'm going to say Rupert," Radcliffe joked. "I'll be the first gay James Bond!"

But the young star – who is expected to reprise his critically-acclaimed performance in Equus on the Broadway stage – accepted that he might not have the goods to play the spy with a licence to kill.

"I don't think the world's ready for a short-a**e Bond," he moaned.

Questioned if he'd fancy playing the role in a decade, Radcliffe, only 5ft 5ins, admitted: "I'll still be a short a**e!"

Radcliffe is currently starring in Australian coming-of-age drama December Boys and is set to soon begin filming on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth feature in the Jk Rowling franchise.

Continue reading: Radcliffe: I'll Be First Gay Bond!

Following a strange appearance on American Idol, Prince has come under fire from Simon Cowell for his performance on the show's season finale on 24th May, 2006. The flying visit annoyed Cowell, as the 'Purple Rain' singer arrived very briefly for two songs, before leaving without saying anything to the audience or contestants.  

Simon Cowell hopes his contestants will not repeat Prince's performace

Ryan Seacrest - the host of American Idol, explained how he wasn't even sure that Prince would arrive on the show, as he only arrived at the Kodak Theatre within a matter of minutes before he was scheduled to go on stage to perform. Prince then left, refusing to greet the audience or talk to any of the contestants. 

Continue reading: Simon Cowell Criticises Prince Over American Idol Performance