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Live Updates

Kev Geoghegan & Sarah Jane Griffiths

All times stated are UK

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  1. Ta-ra for now...

    That's it from us for today, but scroll down for your fill of today's music news veering from Madonna's political statement to Macca's Prince tribute, plus Oasis, The Smiths and Pharrell's new doll. 

    We'll be back bright and early tomorrow, when this week's New Music Friday sees the return of Justin Timberlake and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers plus the long-awaited album from grime star Skepta. 

    We'll leave you with this random but joyful musical meeting in Minnesota airport courtesy of Years & Years, after Emre from the band bumped into none other than Susan Boyle. 

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  2. Happy Birthday Craig David

    We can't let the day pass without wishing Craig David a very Happy Birthday. 

    The singer has spent much of the day thanking friends and fans on Twitter after being showered with love and birthday cake emojis:

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    It's Adele's big day too apparently - so Happy Birthday to you too Adele, and thank you both for the music.

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  3. Axl Rose appears on camera with AC/DC

    NME

    AC/DC and Axl Rose

    Axl Rose has appeared on screen with his new AC/DC bandmates for the first time, ahead of their gig in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday night, when the Guns N' Roses singer will replace Brian Johnson as frontman.

    The group shared a video of the new line-up on their Facebook page after Australian singer Johnson was advised against performing live for the rest of the tour amid fears of suffering permanent hearing loss. 

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  4. Creation Records film in the works

    Variety

    Alan McGee

    A movie based on Creation Records boss Alan McGee is in the works, with Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh writing the script, according to film magazine Variety. 

    Creation Stories is based on the autobiography of McGee who launched bands such as Oasis and Primal Scream.  

    The Glasgow native co-founded and ran the label from 1983 to 1999, while Welsh had a close relationship with him and first hand experience of the label's trials and triumphs.

    Producer Shelley Hammond from Burning Wheel Productions’ called the record exec "one of the most culturally important British figures in the music business" and Welsh "the voice of a generation". 

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  5. There's now a Pharrell doll (hat included)

    BBC Newsbeat

    Pharrell doll

    OK, hands up who wants a Pharrell doll? Us, us!

    It's even got a detachable Vivienne Westwood ranger hat (which spawned its own twitter account when he wore it to the Grammys in 2014) and his angel tattoo on the back of his neck. 

    It's also much more realistic than most of the pop star dolls that have come before it, as Newsbeat have illustrated for us nicely. Eminem doll anyone?

  6. Drake enters 'top five richest rappers' list

    Drake

    Drake has broken rap's monopoly by breaking into the top five of hip-hop's top earners, according to Forbes.

    And the rapper who has made way for him?

    None other than 50 Cent who declared himself bankrupt last summer.

    At aged 29, Drake is the youngest artist on there with a net worth of $60m (£42m).

    The list is still dominated by Diddy, with a frankly terrifying $750m (£519m) fortune.

    He's followed by Dr Dre with $710m and Jay-Z on $610m while Cash Money label chief Birdman ranks fourth with $110m.

    Basically we're waiting for any of them to get the next round in...

  7. Political Aussie rocker Midnight Oil to reform for tour

    Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil

    Australian rock band Midnight Oil, known for their political activism are reforming for gigs at home and overseas. 

    They had a worldwide hit with The Beds are Burning in 1987 but disbanded in the early 2000s.

    Frontman Peter Garrett, distinctive for his bald head and lanky frame, entered politics and became the minister for environment before quitting in 2013.

    "We know it's been a while but we wanted to tell you that the five of us are finally making plans to get together again for some gigs next year," the band said on their website

    There are also plans for an as-yet-untitled new album.

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  8. Liam Gallagher gives forthcoming Oasis doc the thumbs up

    Oasis

    Oasis fans are in for a treat when the forthcoming documentary about the band comes out, if Liam Gallagher's reaction is anything to go by. 

    He's revealed he's seen an early cut of the film, calling it "biblical". 

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    According to NME, the team behind Asif Kapadia's Oscar-winning film Amy is part of the project, with Kapadia acting as executive-director and Mat Whitecross of the film Spike Island directing. 

    The doc will chart the rise of the Britpop band with "unprecedented" access to both the band - including both Noel and Liam - and unseen archive footage. 

  9. Beyonce supports 'bathroom bill' reversal

    Beyonce performing

    Beyonce has become the latest celebrity to call for equality in North Carolina, after the state stopped a law that would have allowed transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender they identify as, instead of those designated for their sex at birth.

    The singer posted an article about the controversial "bathroom bill"  on her website, directing people to LGBT charities and telling fans:

    Quote Message: As The Formation World Tour makes its stop in the Tar Heel state in the midst of such a controversial time, we think it is important for us to bring attention to those who are committed to being good and carrying on the message of equality in this core of controversy.

    Her concert in North Carolina state capital Raleigh took place earlier this week and was badly affected by rain and lightning.

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  10. Kasabian celebrate Leicester City win by adding more shows

    Kasabian

    Kasabian have announced two warm up shows ahead of their celebratory gig at Leicester's King Power Stadium in honour of football heroes Leicester City, who took the premier league title at the weekend. 

    They'll play Bridlington on the 24 May and Swindon on 26 May ahead of the main event on 28 May, which sold out in just six minutes, according to reports. 

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    Last week Serge told Newsbeat the success of Leicester City could even be the inspiration behind their new album.

    Meanwhile the team has a slightly more unlikely fan in the form of Andrea Bocelli, who's just been announced to perform ahead of their match on Saturday. 

    He'll sing Nessun Dorma and Time To Say Goodbye after promising Leicester City's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri six weeks ago that he'd sing for the team if they landed their first top-flight title.

  11. Webbys name Kanye West artist of the year

    Rolling Stone magazine

    Kanye West

    Kanye West is to receive a special achievement award at the 2016 Webby Awards for his contributions to 'internet culture'.

    The award recognizes the release of The Life of Pablo on Tidal which saw it streamed 250 million times in its first 10 days.

    Breaking Bad actress Kristen Ritter has also been named best actress. She is currently starring in the Netflix series Marvel's Jessica Jones,.

    The Webbys called them "two standouts who have successfully leveraged the immense influence and addictive elements of streaming media to drive innovation on the Internet".

    Sounds impressive...

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  12. Stefani does Carpool Karaoke

    James Corden has taken to the wheel again for a new episode of his Late, Late Show Carpool Karaoke - this time with Gwen Stefani. 

    The pair chat about love and emojis in between crooning some of Stefani's bigger hits.

    They are then joined by some epic backseat passengers - we won't spoil the surprise but safe to say it's b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

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  13. Lenny Henry talks about working with 'heroes' Kate Bush and Prince

    BBC Radio 2

    Lenny Henry has revealed he got to eat scrambled eggs and drink cups of tea with Kate Bush and Prince, when he joined them in the studio to record backing vocals on their track Why Should I Love You.

    Chatting to Simon Mayo on the Radio 2 Drivetime show, he remembered the "bizarre" time he got the chance to work with two of his heroes back in the early 90s. 

  14. Paul McCartney covers Prince at hometown gig

    Sir Paul McCartney has covered a Prince song during a show in the late singer's home town of Minneapolis.

    Playing in front of Prince's famous man/woman symbol, Macca launched into a cover of Let's Go Crazy. 

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    In 2004, Prince paid his own tribute to the Beatles when he performed at a show honouring George Harrison and played an eye-wateringly awesome guitar solo alongside the likes of ELO's Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Steve Winwood. 

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  15. Pink teases new video for Alice movie theme

    Pink

    Singer Pink has been on the Ellen Show in the US to reveal a new teaser clip from the music video for her latest song Just Like Fire, which has been taken from the soundtrack of the new Tim Burton movie Alice Through the Looking Glass.

    Basically it features a lot of Pink showing off her, admittedly impressive, trapeze skills and even features her daughter Willow.

    Watch the video (starts at 3.41)

  16. The highs and lows of The Smiths

    Songs by The Smiths take a starring role in a new exhibition at the Lowry in Salford, which explores the impact of having the surname Smith. 

    As well as their tracks, the 30 Days of The Smiths soundscape - created for the Week 53 arts festival - features people called Smith talking about their name. 

    Morrissey and Johnny Marr gave permission for their music to be used, with three ten-second chunks of What Difference Does It Make, Panic and This Charming Man distorted and manipulated around interviews conducted by the poet laureate of Scotland, Jackie Kay.

    You can listen to what happened when the BBC's entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson went to explore the piece below - including a chat with 6 Music's Mark Radcliffe, who picked the tunes - or read more about it.

    Video content

    Video caption: The highs and lows of being called Smith.
  17. Papa Wemba funeral held in Kinshasa

    Papa Wemba

    The funeral for one of Africa's biggest music stars, Papa Wemba, has been held in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Large crowds gathered outside the Notre Dame Cathedral, where the private service took place, following three days of special commemorations attended by thousands of people.

    Wemba, dubbed the king of Congolese rumba, died at the age of 66, after collapsing on stage in Ivory Coast on 24 April.

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  18. Prince proteges The Family record new version of Nothing Compares 2U

    Prince

    Although it was made famous by Sinead O'Connor, Prince originally wrote Nothing Compares 2U for The Family, a band featuring his on-off girlfriend Susannah Melvoin.

    It appeared on their only album, also called The Family, in 1985 - but the record sold poorly and the band broke up soon after, with most of the members absorbed into Prince's touring line-up.

    They reformed in 2011, under the name fDeluxe (Prince forbade them to use their original moniker) and have released several albums of original material.

    Now, to mark "seven hours and 13 days" since Prince's death, the group have re-recorded their signature song with members of recent Prince collaborators StrinGenius.

    Watch the performance below.

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  19. Madonna defends 'political' Met Ball dress

    Madonna at the Met Ball

    Madonna has come out swinging over criticism of the buttock-revealing dress she wore to the Met Ball in New York.

    In an Instagram post, the singer said: "My dress at the Met Ball was a political statement as well as a fashion statement".

    She added: "The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an age-ist and sexist society."

    The bondage-inspired Givenchy dress was comprised of strategic lace, body jewellery, and thigh-high leather boots. 

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