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Beyonce enlisted nearly 100 collaborators to make her latest album, piecing together disparate ideas and musical fragments like some sort of R&B magpie.

Among them was Vampire Weekend singer Ezra Koenig, who came up with the hook for Hold Up. As we mentioned earlier this week, he explained how it came together in a Twitter post.

Now producer Diplo has shared that embryonic version of the song on Snapchat, captioning it "Ezra's favourite version".

Given the nature of Snapchat, the post has already vanished into the ether - but a Vampire Weekend website captured it, and posted a short clip online.

Listen to it here - and if you're interested in what it's like to work with Beyonce, Billboard have spoken to a dozen of the star's most recent collaborators. Check out their report over here.

Righteous Phonographic AssociationCopyright: Righteous Phonographic Association

Richard Ashcroft has marked the imminent release of his new solo album with an in-depth interview in The Guardian.

He talks about walking away from The Verve ("I don’t want to be onstage when I feel like I’m cheating the audience") and the debauchery of Britpop ("I feel lucky I got out alive.”)

Asked whether he thinks The Verve could ever have been as big as Coldplay, he replies: "I wouldn’t trade what Coldplay have achieved for any of my songs. 

"[But] I know Chris would probably give up a certain amount of his kingdom for Bitter Sweet Symphony.”  

Read the full interview.

Summer might seem a long way off during this chilly snap, but we're feeling warmer already after watching the new video from Sigala, who has teamed up with John Newman and Nile Rodgers for Give Me Your Love. 

It features the pair grooving in the sunshine in front of the New York skyline, with not a winter coat in sight. 

The charts aren't officially revealed for a couple of hours yet, but Chris Evans let slip Katherine Jenkins' chart position when she was a guest on his Radio 2 show this morning. 

He presented the singer with a cake to celebrate her album Celebration making number seven. 

Travis were also on the show to mark the release of their new album Everything At Once. 

You can listen to the whole show but here's one for any fans of The Bangles. In tribute to Prince, who wrote the track, they performed Manic Monday (on a Friday - confusing, we know). 

Fun fact: The melody in the verse of Manic Monday is the same as 1999, which means Prince plagiarised himself. I wonder if he sued?  

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The Listening Service is a new show on BBC Radio 3, in which presenter Tom Service (do you see what they did there?) explores how music works, taking examples from classical to rock and everything inbetween.

In this clip, he explains how Beethoven used a compositional trick to make audiences pay attention. 

You can hear the first episode on Radio 3 this Sunday, from 19:00 BST.

It explores how the opening bars of a piece of music are vital in capturing the audience's attention. Here's one example...

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They're already on tour together, now Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato have confirmed they're heading to the Billbaord Awards on 22 May.

Jonas will team up with Swedish star Tove Lo to perform their hit Closer; while Lovato will run through her pop smash Live For The Summer.

They join a line-up that already includes Justin Bieber, The Go-Go's and P!nk. 

Soulwax lead the list of new names added to the Latitude festival line-up today - headlining the BBC 6 Music stage in a UK festival exclusive.

Check the festival's website for full details of the Suffolk event in July, headlined by The Maccabees, The National and New Order this year. 

Actress Jane Horrocks (soon to be seen in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie) is also bringing her If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me stage show to the festival. Part gig, part dance piece, it sees her performing tracks by Joy Division, The Human League, The Smiths, Morrissey and New Order.  

She told BBC 6 Music what audiences can expect.

Quote Message: It is new wave songs, all northern bands and some of them have quite a contemporary feel to them. We've done our own version of most of the songs. For example, My New House, which is by The Fall is a much slower version than the original. A lot of people might not know who the bands are but I think it's interesting even if you don't. from Jane Horrocks

It is new wave songs, all northern bands and some of them have quite a contemporary feel to them. We've done our own version of most of the songs. For example, My New House, which is by The Fall is a much slower version than the original. A lot of people might not know who the bands are but I think it's interesting even if you don't.

Sony MusicCopyright: Sony Music

Divine - an MC from the slums of Mumbai - has left his home country for the first time to play Asian Network Live. 

The rapper was championed as one of presenter Yasser's top new talents for 2016 and his single - Mere Gully Mein - has been played extensively across the station.

He spoke to us about the song, and his first impressions of London.

Asian Network Live will also feature sets from Naughty Boy (who has just been sharing his top tips for music success), Imran Khan, Zack Knight, and Kanika Kapoor.

Divine takes the stage at around 19:30 tomorrow night, and the concert will be broadcast in full on the BBC Asian Network.

The whole show will also be available to watch on BBC Red Button on Sunday, 1 May, with highlights on BBC iPlayer.

Donald E Thorin, who shot the incendiary concert sequences in Prince's Purple Rain, has died aged 81.  

The cinematographer was also responsible for the look of classic films such as An Officer and a Gentleman and Scent of a Woman. His television credits included Alias, Cold Case and Blue Bloods. 

Discussing Purple Rain, his son, Donald Thorin Jr, said his father "loved doing that one. He really melded with Prince on the film."

Read more.

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While you may be more familiar with Snoop Dogg's musical accomplishments, it's his work for a youth football league that's the subject of new reality series, Coach Snoop. 

Set to air on AOL next month, the rapper's just premiered a trailer for the series, following the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations of the kids on their quest for the national championship.

Quote Message: Music was a great way for me to introduce myself to people. But my true calling is to be a mentor. There's more to the world than just those four blocks that they [the kids] live on. This is what great men do. We don't do it for the money, we do it for the love. from Snoop Dogg

Music was a great way for me to introduce myself to people. But my true calling is to be a mentor. There's more to the world than just those four blocks that they [the kids] live on. This is what great men do. We don't do it for the money, we do it for the love.

Watch the trailer and read more

Westlife star Nicky Byrne is responsible for Ireland's Eurovision hopes and dreams this year. 

He took a break from rehearsals to tell BBC Breakfast about the contest, and how he hopes to fare in the second Eurovision semi-final on 14 May.

Keep up to date with all the mayhem on the BBC Eurovision site. 

Myrna SuarezCopyright: Myrna Suarez

After performing catchy new number Wristband on Later... with Jools Holland last week, Paul Simon has debuted another track from his forthcoming new album Stranger to Stranger, due in June. 

It's called Cool Papa Bell and was inspired by a baseball player, as the musician explains:  

Quote Message: Cool Papa Bell was a baseball player in the Negro Leagues from 1922 to 1950. He was considered one of the fastest men ever to play the game. Legend has it that Bell could turn off a light switch and be in bed before the light went out... A friend gave me a painting of Cool Papa Bell, and somehow he found his way into a song. from Paul Simon

Cool Papa Bell was a baseball player in the Negro Leagues from 1922 to 1950. He was considered one of the fastest men ever to play the game. Legend has it that Bell could turn off a light switch and be in bed before the light went out... A friend gave me a painting of Cool Papa Bell, and somehow he found his way into a song.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The Cheltenham Jazz Festival is in full swing and Jo Whiley broadcast her Radio 2 show live from the event last night - with a little help from Lianne La Havas. 

As well as performing, the singer - who collaborated with Prince and even once hosted his press conference in her east London living room - reflected on the impact he'd had on her:

Quote Message: I just always felt really lucky and I always felt like he treated everyone like it was their birthday, so you'd always feel really special around him. I guess there was that kind of older brother kind of mentor role that he assumed and I was obviously happy to hear what he had to say and any suggestions he had to make.

I just always felt really lucky and I always felt like he treated everyone like it was their birthday, so you'd always feel really special around him. I guess there was that kind of older brother kind of mentor role that he assumed and I was obviously happy to hear what he had to say and any suggestions he had to make.

Quote Message: I remember one time he emailed me about song subjects and he said, 'have you ever written any song about a place that you can go to? Maybe it would be good if you wrote a song so that people could actually go to that place'. And he referenced Abbey Road and a few other references and I always thought, 'that's very good advice, it's great inspiration'. There have been numerous, countless things like that he said to me that I carry with me and they sort of crop up whenever they want to really. from Lianne La Havas

I remember one time he emailed me about song subjects and he said, 'have you ever written any song about a place that you can go to? Maybe it would be good if you wrote a song so that people could actually go to that place'. And he referenced Abbey Road and a few other references and I always thought, 'that's very good advice, it's great inspiration'. There have been numerous, countless things like that he said to me that I carry with me and they sort of crop up whenever they want to really.

Listen back to the whole show.

PA/So TVCopyright: PA/So TV

Joe Jonas's new band DNCE has set the world alight with their upbeat party anthem Cake By The Ocean. 

I caught up with the band earlier this week to speak about the song - a thinly-veiled metaphor for consummating a relationship on a beach - and asked why former teen stars always sing about their ability to have copious amounts of sex. 

You can see what Joe said here.

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The biggest Latin musicians were honoured at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami last night - with Nicky Jam (pictured) and Enrique Iglesias winning seven awards each. 

They shared six of them for their hit duet El Perdon - the year's top song in terms of airplay, digital downloads and streaming. 

Juan Gabriel also won six awards, including the spirit of hope award, and sang with Paty Cantu and Juanes. Other performances included Marco Antonio Solis, Natalia Jimenez and J-Lo's ex Marc Anthony (below).       

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The Monkees are marking their 50th anniversary this year with a new album, Good Times, featuring contributions from Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller, as well as tracks written by Neil Diamond and Carole King in the 1960s that the band never got round to releasing.

But the first single comes via Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. She Makes Me Laugh revisits the sunny Californian harmonies of the band's biggest hits (Last Train To Clarksville, Daydream Believer).

"I'm super stoked to be writing a song for the Monkees," said Cuomo. "I've always identified with their musical aesthetic – the chord changes and melodies."

Good Times is The Monkees' first album since Faustus in 1996. The band reformed with original guitarist Mike Nesmith in 2012, shortly after the sudden death of Davy Jones.

Frances - aka "The Next Adele" - was trending on Twitter yesterday during her performance on Radio 1's Live Lounge.

The Berkshire-born singer played her tear duct stimulating new single Don't Worry About Me; followed by a mash-up of 7 Years by Lukas Graham and Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots.

Videos of the session have just appeared on YouTube, so you can soak them up over your elevenses. Have a box of tissues handy, though.

KasabianCopyright: Kasabian

Famous Leicester City fans Kasabian have announced they'll play a special one-off gig at their team's football ground, King Power Stadium. 

They band have promised to "throw the city the greatest party they have ever seen" on Saturday 28 May, two week's after the team's last game against Chelsea. 

The band say they'd already signed up to play a gig there next year but decided to move it forward as Leicester City are currently flying high at the top of the Premier League. 

AFP / Getty ImagesCopyright: AFP / Getty Images

While discussing his new album on Beats 1, Drake touched upon his friendship with Kanye West - who just so happens to be his neighbour.

Quote Message: We live up the street from each other. I’ll pull up at his house and see what he’s doing. We’ll just sit and collaborate, that’s what music is all about.

We live up the street from each other. I’ll pull up at his house and see what he’s doing. We’ll just sit and collaborate, that’s what music is all about.

Quote Message: 'Ye is one of my favorite people. Period. In the world man. I love 'Ye. I grew up with [Kanye] as a role model, he is a reason I am here.

'Ye is one of my favorite people. Period. In the world man. I love 'Ye. I grew up with [Kanye] as a role model, he is a reason I am here.

The baby-faced star added that he and Kanye had plans to make a collaborative mixtape or album - but nothing has been committed to tape as yet.

Meanwhile on 1xtra this morning it's been all about the Drake Listening Party. Listen live.