28 Established 1961 Lifestyle Gossip Sunday, April 8, 2018 Ezra’s struggles with fame Ali Campbell says Stevie Wonder eorge Ezra has admitted that he struggled to accept his fame. The 24-year-old singer/songwriter has named his new album ‘Staying at Tamara’s’ after the owner helped with dream collaboration Gof an AirBnB he stayed at in Barcelona and he admitted that travelling to Spain to work on his record was a way of trying to escape his fame. He told BBC.com: “At a basic B40 singer Ali Campbell says Stevie Wonder helped him to secure a dream level, I just worked out what I was experiencing in my own head. My life was changing collaboration. The 59-year-old musician had originally hoped to work with but, subconsciously, I was battling that. “I can only say this now - I didn’t know it at the Stevie, but ultimately, the ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ hitmaker played a crucial role in time - but to interact with fans was to admit that there were fans, And to admit there U helping him to organize a collaboration with Smokey Robinson. Speaking to BANG were fans was to admit that I wasn’t just George from Hertford - and I didn’t want that. Showbiz, Ali recalled: “Of course I love Stevie Wonder, I don’t remember there “So there was that element of taking in everything that happened and seeing, ‘OK, it’s being a reggae version of ‘Place in the Sun’, I just wanted it on their because I love not a bad thing at all, you’re not in a bad place, it’s a really good situation’.” George did- Stevie. “I’ve met Stevie several times, he’s a lovely man, he’s never said he’s a UB40 n’t tell Tamara who he was at first and the pair bonded over music before he finally con- fan but he has always been very warm to me and he did agree to work on some stuff fessed his identity. He said: “The thing is, she loved music but it was quite obscure music with me when I made my first solo album ‘Running Free’ - just after I left UB40 - - to me at least. “One night it was me and her in her room - a bit of red wine, and we but I ended up with Smokey Robinson, who did a duet with me. “Smokey did that had Spotify on, and she said, ‘You’ve got a guitar, do you play at all?’ “I was a bit because I told him that Stevie Wonder was doing a duet with me! What happened sheepish, I tried to deflect it, but then she went, ‘Do you have anything on Spotify?’ and was, I was doing a version of Stevie’s song ‘Big Brother’ and I asked if he’d play har- I was like, ‘OK, here we are. Either I lie, or I tell her.’ “I actually had to help her spell moinca on it for me, I went through his management and they said yes he’d love to.” George Ezra. And that would have been fine, but then Budapest alone has had some- However, the situation then took an unusual and unexpected turn. He said: “I sent thing like 300 million plays, and that’s insane. She looked at me as if to say, ‘What the him the demo and he lost it, I kept going back to them asking if he’d done it, but what?!’” George’s album was inspired by his travels and he admitted he finds it hard to then he lost it. I went to Smokey and said, ‘Will you work with me? Stevie is.’ And be productive at home. He explained: “I love community and I love my home town. My he went, ‘Yes I’d love to, man.’ I was very pleased with that still. “Stevie Wonder front door is quite literally open. I love people just swinging by. Nothing makes me hap- was a massive part of my life growing up, from ‘Music of My Mind’ to ‘Talking pier than that - but it’s a huge distraction. If your friend’s clocked off early, they’ll pop Book’, Inner Visions’, they were all massive albums in my life.” UB40’s latest album, round at one o’clock and you go, quite harmlessly, “I haven’t seen you in a while, let’s go ‘A Real Labour of Love’, is out now. for lunch”. And then lunch turns into last orders at the bar!” Drake’s star-studded video rake has released his star-studded video for ‘Nice For What’. The Canadian rapper’s music video, which was directed by DKarena Evans, features a host of Hollywood’s powerful women including Tiffany Haddish, Tracee Ellis Ross and Zoe Saldana. The music video opens with Olivia Wilde, who Drake first mentioned in his remix of Partynextdoor’s ‘Freak In You, where he said “we can get wild like Olivia.” Misty Copeland and Issa Rae also feature, along with Rashida Jones, who Drake once admitted to being in love with. He previously said: “I was, like, in love with Rashida. I love fun- ny women and I love beautiful women and I love women that have great taste in music and Rashida is all those things.” Other women featured in the video, which does not have a plot but shows the stars dancing, include Yara Shahidi, Zoe Saldana, Letitita Wright, Bria Vinaite, Emma Roberts, Syd, Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth and Victoria Lejonhjarta. The song samples ‘Ex Factor’, from the 1999 ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’ He previously sampled Hill’s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing),’ from the same album, on his 2014 song ‘Draft Day’. Drake announced the new single during a surprise appearance at a Toronto concert by Majid Jordan last week and revealed that his new album is nearly finished. He said: “The reason I’m here tonight is because I’m back in the city finishing my album. I’ve got a new single dropping too, just in case you got some free time.” Frances Bean Cobain Slipknot writing teases first original song songs for new album urt Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain has lipknot have been hard at work writing for their next teased fans with her first original song. The late album. The ‘Psychosocial’ rockers have teased the pos- Nirvana frontman - who tragically took his own K sibility of their sixth LP being released in 2019, and life on April 5, 1994 aged just 27 - influenced a genera- S now frontman Corey Taylor has revealed he has already tion of people with his grunge rock band, and now it started putting lyrics to music penned by the rest of the appears his and Courtney Love’s daughter could be group. He told Billboard magazine: “The guys are writing following in his and Hole singer mother’s musical foot- tons of music and I’ve written lyrics to almost all of it. “We’re steps. The 25-year-old artist-and-model shared a clip going to start trying to put together demos here and there of her singing with her Instagram followers this week, with the time off that I have and really try to get ahead of the as she belted out: “I think I found you, a penny for your curve as far as what happens next.” Although Corey, 44, good thoughts. I think I found you, Jesus hangs in your admitted the masked band are still aiming to release the new place on the cross.” Frances shows off her impressive record next year, he insisted he didn’t want to put a timeline range - both vocally and with her emotions - in the on it at this stage. He added: “I know that we’re gonna try moving video. She explained: “I’m super restless and put an album out next year - however, that is all specula- because I can’t play guitar with long nails so I’m just tion. The best way to make God laugh is to announce your sitting in my room alone singing to myself.”Not having plans out loud. “So I’m just going with the flow. The plan a TV in my house is the best decision because I’m right now is next year but that is a huge plan because we still forced to occupy my time with things that feed my haven’t narrowed anything down, so we will definitely see brain and soul instead of wasting energy on thinking what happens.” Late last year, Corey’s bandmate Shawn about not having to think.” She asked her followers not “Clown” Crahan suggested the LP could end up being their to steal her “baby bean of an idea”, suggesting she last. Speaking on ‘The Jasta Show’ podcast, he said: “I feel could have plans for her music. In the past, she’s admit- like this could be it for me. We’re all getting older. I never like ted she had found a new wave of “motivation” when it telling anyone like, ‘Hey this is it!’ Because I don’t have to.’ comes to her art. She previously told Rolling Stone But like I’ve said, I’ve been reflecting and there’s a lot of hard magazine: “[I’m feeling] this motivation and ambition things that I could say about friends, brothers ... We’re good, that I didn’t have before ... The hardest part of doing but it’s a big world. I’ve done enough work, I’ve produced anything creatively is just getting up and doing.