Adele to headline Glastonbury music festival

LONDON, United Kingdom - Adele will headline this year's Glastonbury music festival on June 25, the bestselling British singer and organizers said on Friday.

"She will headline Saturday night at this year's Glastonbury Festival!" read a message on the festival's official Twitter account.

The singer announced the news to fans live on stage in London as part of her first world tour in four years which she began this month.

Adele has broken several records with her third and latest album, featuring the ballad "Hello".

She was officially the biggest-selling artist in the world in 2015, according to industry data.

The Glastonbury festival runs between June 22 and 26.

Organiser Emily Eavis tweeted: "What a great honour it is to have the wonderful Adele confirmed for this year's Saturday night headline spot on the Pyramid Stage!"

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Adele closes out 2015 with sixth week atop US Billboard chart

British singer Adele closed out 2015 with a sixth consecutive week atop the weekly US Billboard 200 album chart on Monday, as her album "25" cemented its status as the biggest-selling record of the year.

Adele's "25" sold 363,000 units in the final week of 2015, bringing her total US sales tally to 7.4 million, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

On the Digital Songs chart, which measures online song sales, Adele's ballad "Hello" held steady at No. 1 with 327,000 copies sold in the last week of the year.

No new releases cracked into the top 10 of the Billboard 200 list for the week. Justin Bieber's "Purpose" remained steady at No. 2, while alt-hip hop band Twenty One Pilots's "Blurryface" climbed to No. 3 from No. 11.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Peter Cooney)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Adele's '25' becomes largest selling album in over a decade

Adele continues to reign the charts, thanks to the selling success of her comeback album "25."

The British singer's album "25" is on its fourth week at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

The album has sold nearly 6 million copies since it was released late November. With this, Billboard said "25" is now the largest selling album of any calendar year since 2004.

As for the rest of the Billboard 200 list, Justin Bieber's newest album "Purpose" is on the second spot, followed by the Christmas album by a capella group Pentatonix and One Direction's latest album release before the boyband heads to an indefinite hiatus.

-ANC's Market Edge, December 22, 2015

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Adele decides no streaming for new album '25'

LOS ANGELES - British singer Adele's much-anticipated album "25" will not be available for streaming on any digital music services, including Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer, the companies said on Thursday.

Apple Inc confirmed "25," released on Friday, will not be available to stream on Apple Music. It did say in a statement that Adele's latest single "Hello" will continue being available for streaming, and that it was "thrilled to offer" the album to buy on its online store iTunes.

Spotify also confirmed that its followers would not have access to the new album.

"We love and respect Adele, as do her 24 million fans on Spotify. We hope that she will give those fans the opportunity to enjoy '25' on Spotify alongside '19' and '21' very soon," the company said in a statement.

Tyler Goldman, chief executive, North America, of music streaming company Deezer told Reuters that the service would not offer "25" at launch.

Adele's representatives declined to comment on the decision.

A music industry source said Adele's XL Recording label had decided to withhold "25," expected to be the biggest album release of 2015, from streaming platforms when it is released. The New York Times first reported the move.

"She's benefiting from paid subscriptions, but she's using this as an opportunity to try and sell more CD's or downloads," Deezer's Goldman said. "If all artists did this, we wouldn't have the growth in subscriptions we have."

Other streaming services, including Pandora and Google Play, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Adele's "25" is the first by the singer since "21" in 2011, which sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

"25" had been expected to sell more than 1 million units in North America in its first week, according to estimates by Billboard magazine.

The move by Adele and her management mirrors Taylor Swift, one of the most powerful names in pop music, who refused to offer her "1989" album to streaming services last year, saying music should not be free. She did put the album on Apple Music in July, after it agreed to pay artists during a free trial.

"1989" became the biggest-selling album in the world in 2014 with estimated sales of more than 8.5 million copies.

Swift's decision to withhold "1989" did not have a material financial impact for streaming services and neither will Adele's, said Goldman. "One individual artist is not going to change the inevitability of streaming," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

1-on-1 with 'Price Tag' hitmaker Jessie J

MANILA - Before "Price Tag" hitmaker Jessie J staged for the first time a concert in the Philippines on Monday night, she sat down with ABS-CBN News' Ginger Conejero to talk about her music, her hopes of a second visit, and a "new friend" on her first day in the country.

The British singer-songwriter, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, said she did not anticipate being welcomed by a huge crowd when she arrived in Manila last Sunday.

While she credited the Internet for helping her reach a worldwide audience, Jessie J said she still finds it "trippy" that people from a place far from England would appreciate her music.

The same online reach introduced Jessie J to a Filipino talent she described as "amazing." Although she could not recall his name during the interview, Jessie J was referring to B'laan singer Aldrich Talonding.

Talonding, along with his cousin James Bucong, landed a guesting on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in September last year, months after a video of them performing "Dance With My Father" went viral on YouTube.

If she happens to return to the Manila for a second concert, Jessie J said she wants Talonding as a guest.






Jessie J started her recording career in 2005 and rose to fame six years later when her debut album "Who You Are" topped charts in the UK and other territories. Among the hits from the album were "Price Tag," "Who You Are," "Domino," and "Laserlight."

In 2013, Jessie J came out with her second album "Alive" in the UK, with an alternate release for the American market slated this year. She was also one of the four coaches in the UK version of "The Voice" during its first two seasons.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Grammy spotlight shines on Adele

LOS ANGELES -- The Grammys in recent years have targeted young audiences even as older acts won key awards to the surprise of some music fans, but this Sunday's honors will shine its spotlight on Adele, whose popularity crosses all age boundaries.

The soulful British singer, whose album "21" has spawned massive hits like "Rolling in the Deep" and topped charts for 19 weeks, enters music industry's biggest awards with six nominations, second only to rapper Kanye West with seven.

But all ears will be tuned in to Adele, 23, who is scheduled to give a Grammy performance that is her first since undergoing throat surgery late last year. And everybody -- young and old -- wants to know if 2011's top-selling performer has recovered.

"My eight-year-old daughter sings Adele songs, and my friend's 75-year-old grandmother sings Adele songs," said Nic Harcourt, former radio host at KCRW, who is among those credited with helping put the British chanteuse on the U.S. music map.

Adele's voice was a breath of fresh air in 2011 for a struggling industry. "21" album sold more copies in one year than any other act since Usher's "Confessions" in 2004. Its current U.S. sales total is roughly 6.3 million copies.

In years past, the Grammys have often seen relative newcomers in top categories like album of the year face off against veteran acts, only to see the older performers win, shocking the youth-driven industry. Herbie Hancock's 2007 jazz album, "River: The Joni Letters," was among the recent surprises.

That won't happen at Sunday's ceremony in Los Angeles. Competing for album of the year are Adele with "21," Lady Gaga for "Born This Way," Rihanna with "Loud," Bruno Mars for "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" and Foo Fighters for "Wasting Light."

Indeed, many of the major categories are dominated by younger pop stars like Adele, Gaga, Katy Perry and Rihanna. Traditional rockers are largely missing, with the exception of legends Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen who are both set to perform at Sunday's show in Los Angeles.

Adele, no pop confection

But in an ironic twist, Adele gained stardom precisely because she has appealed to so many audience groups with her soulful ballads such as "Someone Like You" that sound like a throwback in an industry dominated by electronic dance music.

"She's got a little more substance and is not just a pop confection. With a classic sound, veteran Grammy voters will have no problem supporting her, while she also reaches the young," said Bob Merlis, president of MFH Publicity.

Adele's singles have been played on multiple radio formats, helping to sell albums to older consumers as well as younger fans who tend to buy music online.

David Bakula, senior vice president, analytics of entertainment for Nielsen said Adele has "gone beyond the bounds of a simple pop artist, which appeals to a younger, more singles-driven crowd. Katy Perry's a good example of a star who sells tons of singles, but not tons of albums."

Elsewhere, Kanye West's seven nods crown a critical and commercial comeback for the controversial 34-year-old rapper who took a self-imposed hiatus from performing in 2009.

West recorded his best rap album contender "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" in Hawaii after removing himself from the mainstream music scene following harsh criticism over his 2009 outburst involving country starlet Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Already a 14-time Grammy winner, he is nominated for song of the year for "All of the Lights" and best rap performance with Jay-Z for "Otis".

The best new artist category reflects an eclectic mix of artists, from female rapper Nicki Minaj and hip-hop artist J. Cole, to country sensations The Band Perry, house and electropop performer Skrillex and American folk band Bon Iver.

"Rhinestone Cowboy" singer Glen Campbell, 75, currently on a

goodbye tour after announcing he has early stage Alzheimer's disease, will receive a lifetime achievement award and will perform with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton.

Other performers will include veteran crooner Tony Bennett -- who is nominated for his "Body and Soul" duo with the late Amy Winehouse -- Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson and Chris Brown.

Bonnie Raitt will perform in remembrance of "At Last" singer Etta James, who died in January at the age of 73, and rapper and "NCIS: Los Angeles" actor LL Cool J will be the first official host of the Grammy Awards in seven years.

Winners are determined by about 13,000 members of the Recording Academy, but only a handful of trophies in the 78 categories will be handed out on Sunday's live telecast.

source: interaksyon.com