Welcome to your Daily Lowdown from HELLO! In today's episode, we're discussing Ed Sheeran denying claims that he copied Marvin Gaye's song, Let's Get It On, for his track Thinking Out Loud.
Not only that but Katy Perry has teased her fans about upcoming music being released "very soon", Janet Jackson's tour faces a setback and tributes pour in for the late Harry Belafonte following his death aged 96.
Take a listen to the episode below…
Ed Sheeran has denied copying Marvin Gaye's Let Get It On for his song, Thinking Out Loud as his copyright case kicked off in New York City. Ed was accused by heirs of Marvin's co-writer Ed Townsend of stealing the song and headed to court to stand his ground this week. The Brit Award-winner's lawyer argued that both songs are distinct from each other and that no artist should be allowed to "monopolise" commonly used musical chord progressions.
Ed later answered questions and responded to claims he had mixed Let's Get It On with Thinking Out Loud in a live performance at a previous concert. The Bad Habits hitmaker however insisted that this is a common performance technique and that if he had stolen the song, he would be an "idiot" to perform it in front of 20,000 people. The trial is ongoing and is expected to last a week.
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Katy Perry has teased her fans about when they can expect new music. The California Girls hitmaker, who is currently busy in her role as a judge on American Idol, dropped a big hint in an interview with Extra when she said that she's going to give her fans what they want 'very soon'. Katy, who hasn’t released an album since her 2020 record Smile, has previously said that she will focus on a new album when her Vegas residency ends in November, but we're hoping that the star drops a single or two before then!
Tributes have been pouring in for the singer and activist Harry Belafonte who has died aged 96. The veteran performer, who was perhaps best-known for his song Day-O and performing with jazz legends such as Miles Davis, died from congestive heart failure at his home in New York. Former US president Barack Obama paid tribute to Harry, calling him a barrier-breaking legend who transformed the arts and stood up for civil rights, while legendary producer Quincy Jones called him his 'dear brother-in-arms.
Janet Jackson's upcoming concert on her huge Together Again tour has been thrown into chaos after a sporting event's result posed a venue clash. The Rhythm Nation hitmaker was due to perform at the State Farm Arena on Thursday evening however, the Atlanta Hawks' Basketball team's recent win against the Boston Celtics mean their next game is now scheduled for the same time at the same venue. Janet's team will perform at the venue on Wednesday but be forced to remove the set in order to make way for the game on Thursday, before restaging on for the rescheduled show on Friday. Fans who have tickets have been told they will be able to transfer them to the new show.
And speaking of shows, McFly have announced they are heading on a new UK tour after releasing their brand new track, God of Rock & Roll. The four-piece band made the announcement on BBC Radio 2 and social media telling fans that they will be hitting the road later this year for a string of shows up and down the UK. McFly's concerts will kick off in October and run until the end of November heading to cities like London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. The band are also set to drop their new album, Power Play, in June.
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