Katy Perry urges women to rise up

We last heard from singer  Emmi late last year when she was plucked from obscurity by none other than author JK Rowking and asked to sing the lead song for the film Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

She was also crowned MTV Australia's Brand New artist of 2016.   

Now, she has a new single Talk To Me.

She said the track is about "giving a voice to people who aren’t always heard".

The xx begin their seven night residency at Brixton Academy in London tonight.

It's a record for the longest run of consecutive shows at that venue by one band.

6 Music's Elizabeth Alker caught up with Romy from the London electro-indie outfit ahead of their big week and she underlined how important their 'friendship' and giving each other 'space' was to their success.

Oh and how their initial minimalism was down to being unable to play their instruments.

Simple as that.

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"I am not my body. I am somebody" is the cry from Icelandic singer Rakel on the British-based punk pop trio 's new track Somebody.

"The song explores the experience of living in a female body within our society," say the band apparently all together to music website The Line of Best Fit.

Quote Message: It's a conversation on the reclamation of bodies by the women who occupy them in a tender, yet direct, and empowering way.

It's a conversation on the reclamation of bodies by the women who occupy them in a tender, yet direct, and empowering way.

Check it out below.

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Right, has that just about sunk in?

A museum celebrating British rock and pop history has moved to Liverpool after failing to take off in London.

The British Music Experience was at the O2 Arena for five years until 2014, and has now been reborn in the grand Cunard Building on Liverpool's waterfront.

It is exhibiting some of the most iconic items from British pop history.

There are three of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust outfits, a suit worn by John Lennon... and.. Honey G's baseball cap.

Harvey Goldsmith, the gig promoter and museum chairman, said she and other X Factor contestants were relevant "whether you like it or not" adding it was "a difficult judgement call".

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And we couldn't really have International Women's Day music news without a nod to the Spice Girls now, could we?

Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress is in there too along with outfits donated by the other girls.

Read more.

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Wirral psych-fuzz rockers She Drew The Run will be off to SXSW (scroll down for more on that) next week.

Before then, to celebrate International Women’s Day, they'll be performing in store at Rough Trade East in London tonight, alongside Hannah Lou Clarke.

The band, who recently supported fellow Wirral riddlers and label mates The Coral , just dropped a new video for single No Hole In My Head, which is a cover of a 1960s protest song by US folk singer Malvina Reynolds. 

Singer Louisa Roach said: “Malvina Reynolds is someone who’s really inspired me.

“She only started her music career in her late forties, but wrote all these meaningful songs and became a legend of the folk song movement.”

Check it below.

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If you enjoyed that then you will be pleased to know that it will feature on the band's forthcoming James Skelly-produced album Memories Of Another Future which is out in a few weeks.

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First Lars (scroll down), now more Americans in the music biz are opposing the President it seems.

South by Southwest conference and festivals in Austin Texas say they will remove immigration warnings in performer contracts from 2018, following artist protests and threatened boycotts.

The current wording says US immigration agents could be notified over serious contract violations, which could include things like starting a brawl or causing safety issues.

Organisers  said in a statement : "We have never reported any artist or participant to any immigration agency."

Read more.

The year's 10 day event kicks off on Friday and you can  keep across the BBC's coverage here.

If you can't make it to Austin - and even if you can - here's our  BBC Music at SXSW 2017 playlist.

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We can't be sure about this one...

...but the former One Direction singer is sure excited about something.

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That's the question BBC Sound of 2017  shortlister  Jorja Smith is asking on International Women's Day, in the new video to her track Beautiful Little Fools.

The singer was apparently inspired to write the track aged 16, after reading The Great Gatsby, in which Daisy expresses her hopes that her daughter would "be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool".

You'd be a fool yourself not to check out her new video below.

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Nine Inch Nails singer  Trent Reznor and 3D of Massive Attack are to feature at a series of concerts in a piano bar in Banksy’s latest project on the West Bank.

Both acts along with film composer Hans Zimmer and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea will perform pre-recorded gigs at the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem.

Sir Elton John(s's video) played the opening party at the weekend.

Read more

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They've certainly got to be in the mix.

From the first female composer of the western world Kassia of Constantinople to modern-day maker of mad music Bjork , via Patti Smith,Aretha Franklin and more, these girls know how to rock.

Check out 10 of the most revolutionary women in music here.

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We can only assume that Kasabian 's new video is partly inspired by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and those Philipino prisoners who do the big choreographed dance routines. 

The Leicester boys have shared a new video and photo montage from the making of their new music video, which co-stars This Is England's Stephen Graham and Noel Fielding.

Noel was apparently blackmailed into taking part in the shoot as guitarist Serge (pictured above) has compromising "exotic" pictures of him with "a newt, down by the pond".

Its not the first Kasabian video he's made of course. Remember him as  Vlad the Impaler  from their 2009 album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum?

Be warned it gets a bit bloody towards the end.

Madonna, Adele and Stormzy are among the many high-profile musicians showing their support on social media for International Women's Day today.

Here are a selection...

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With a short time to go until British Chancellor Philip Hammond announces his budget, music venues are hoping the government will "soften the blow" of business rate rises.

The industry body UK Music has said live music venues are facing a "serious problem" over a rise in business rates, which are based on the value of a property, and are due to rise on 1 April.

"We want to see some financial help, something has to be done about this situation," spokesman Anthony Barnes has told Newsbeat .

"The whole live music sector is concerned, we have to put some pressure on the chancellor to do something about it."

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Now for another strong British female doing her thang around the globe.

She an internationally renowned presenter, model and actress having made waves (and telly) in both the UK and America, now Alexa Chung is honing in on the Australian market.

Alexa Chung features in the new video for  Tame Impala  bass player Cameron Avery's solo track Dance With Me.

Cameron appears to be doing his best impression of another Aussie crooner Nick Cave as he drags an unconscious Alexa out of the road and dances her back to life.

We're not sure what the message of the video is but it sure looks glossy.

Warning: Third party content, may contain ads.

The sometimes TI and Pond man (pictured below behind frontman Kevin Parker) is on tour in April and releases his own debut album Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams on Friday.

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Alexa meanwhile has "much work to do" herself today.

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The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art.

Lots to consider:  Needs a strong start, the order of the tracks is vital and what about the lyrical content?

Anyone can make one but it's very easy to get wrong.

Anyway Charli XCX has had a go and MistaJam thinks that she's got it very right.

Her new mixtape Number 1 Angel was his Hottest Record last night and she joined the DJ on the phone from LA.

Listen below as Charli reveals three new tracks; Pull Up, Dreamer and Lipgloss from the tape which is out on Friday.

Charli confesses that her and most of her friends stream music now rather than buying CDs (besides the odd hip vinyl purchase) and that informed her decision to make a digital mixtape.

For those that are wondering an actual mixtape used to look like, here you go.

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You want inspirational young women? We'll give you inspirational young women...

US singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews released her first album at the age of 16 and, at the age of 26, has just released Honest Life, her self-produced sixth album.

In short, it has taken six albums for the wider music press to sit up and take notice of her.

"I never imagined stopping because it was such a part of me and my life that it would feel like a big blow to just quit."

The native of Phoenix, Arizona started out at the age of 16 touring the bars and taverns of America's west coast.

Not easy when people under the age of 21 are generally barred from places selling alcohol.

"Sometimes they'd make you wait outside until you played and then leave as soon as you were done but at that age I'm not sure I would call it work, I was barely breaking even."

Read more

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We beg to differ Lars in a literal sense...but we take your point.

Metallica 's drummer Lars Ulrich has criticised US President Donald Trump's proposed Mexican border wall, speaking on a Mexican chat show.

He told the Las Estrellas network, "I don't think the world needs any walls. I think we need to bring people together.

"Metallica travels all over the world, and through music we try to bring people together." 

He added: "So whether we're in Mexico or whether we're in Asia or whether we're in Europe or whatever, we encourage as many different people from as many different backgrounds to come together and share music and life and culture and all these experiences."

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If Beyonce and Adele are the first lady and queen of pop respectively, then Katy Perry is surely one of the princesses.

Like many millions of others around the word today KP is "standing with all my sisters in solidarity".

When she's not chained to the rhythm, Katy is a fierce campaigner and she's shared a link to the Day Without A Woman campaign.

The caption reads: "Gonna be a lady in red...[Today] we strike! Are you with us? Anyone, anywhere, can join by making 3/8 a  #DayWithoutAWoman ."

She then calls on all woman to do one or all of the following things today:

1. Wear RED in solidarity
2. Women strike from paid and unpaid work
3. Everyone buys local or don't buy at all.

Number one on that list seems the most practical today - but up to you ladies.

Katy wants to hear you roaaaaaaaar.

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The arrest warrant issued for  Azealia Banks  that we reported yesterday has been retracted after the rapper appeared in a New York court.

She had missed her court appearance on Monday, where she was due to appear to face assault charges for an altercation in 2015 during which she is alleged to have bitten a female bouncer.

Her lawyer John Vafa told Pitchfork , "The Court retracted the warrant. Azealia appeared immediately after she returned to New York."

However, according to the New York Post Azealia got a strict telling off from Judge Kathryn Paek after she apologised for being "tardy" - that's late to you and us.

”Not tardy! You missed your court date, your case is on for hearing and trial and you did not appear.

"Do you understand the difference?" 

Ouch.