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Following reports of battery investigation into West against unnamed man, rapper’s team allege wife Bianca Censori was being assaultedRepresentatives for Kanye West have alleged that a man physically and sexually assaulted his wife Bianca Censori in an incident in Los Angeles.Sources previously told TMZ that West was being investigated as a suspect in a battery incident earlier this week, after the rapper was alleged...

Shares in Beyoncé and Neil Young song fund rise amid hopes uncertainty over its future could be overBusiness live – latest updatesThe embattled British music royalties investment fund Hipgnosis, which owns the rights to songs by artists from Beyoncé to Neil Young, has agreed to a $1.4bn (£1.1bn) takeover by a music and theatrical rights rival after months of turmoil over the company’s structure...

Tributes paid to music producer who helped write TLC’s Waterfalls and worked on albums by OutKast and CeeLo GreenRico Wade, one of the architects of Atlanta’s “dirty south” hip-hop sound, who co-produced albums by OutKast, Goodie Mob and CeeLo Green and who co-wrote TLC’s 1994 hit Waterfalls, has died. He was 52.Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens paid tribute to Wade, saying he had “led in...

The superstar arrives in Europe next month – and Swifties, tourist boards and venues are already preparingTim Brown, 44, and his wife, Marcella, 34, may not consider themselves bona fide “Swifties”, but when it was announced last June that Taylor Swift would be visiting their corner of the globe this summer they could not resist joining the scramble for a pair of tickets.A post-pandemic...

An arts organisation has been seeking out and recording the region’s traditional music and is teaching the lyrics to young singersIn the Jordanian town of Tafilah, a six-year-old boy softly hummed a song. His family were astonished, and his 82-year-old great-grandmother, Jawaher Al Ahmad, overheard and began to cry. She asked the child who had taught him the “hajini”, or Bedouin folk song, and...

Ruling means music in Russian republic must ‘conform to Chechen mentality and sense of rhythm’The Russian republic of Chechnya has banned dance music it deems either too fast or too slow, in an attempt to quash a “polluting” western influence on the conservative majority-Muslim region.Musa Dadayev, the culture minister, said “all musical, vocal and choreographic works should correspond to a tempo of 80-116 beats...

Questions surround ownership of demo tapes reportedly left by soul artist as a thank-you to his Ostend hostsA collection of cassette tapes containing a host of unreleased Marvin Gaye songs has been found in the Belgian city of Ostend.It has potentially lain hidden in Belgium for over 40 years, according to the BBC. Continue reading...

Maxine Peake and Sarah Schulman among signatories of open letter asking singer to withdraw from contest More than 450 queer artists, individuals and organisations have called on the UK’s Eurovision contestant, Olly Alexander, to boycott this year’s competition in solidarity with Palestine.The actor Maxine Peake and the novelist and playwright Sarah Schulman are among the signatories of the open letter calling on the singer...

Insight report based on data from UK Musicians’ Census also found 33% said they had been sexually harassed in the industryMore than half of women have experienced gender discrimination while working as a musician, with a third reporting being sexually harassed, a report has revealed.Female musicians are more than eight times more likely to have experienced gender discrimination than their male colleagues, at 51%...

The festival, due to be headlined this year by Kylie Minogue, Arcade Fire and G-Flip, will not be going ahead in JulyGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailSplendour in the Grass, one of Australia’s oldest and largest music festivals, has been cancelled this year due to “unexpected events”, organisers have said.The news of this year’s cancellation comes just seven days after tickets went on...

Federal investigation comes amid multiple lawsuits including singer Cassie accusing him of rape and physical abuseThe rapper and mogul Sean Combs is facing mounting legal troubles after federal agents searched his properties in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex-trafficking investigation.On Monday morning, US Department of Homeland Security agents in tactical gear and armored vehicles raided two of Combs’ mansions as part...

Singer was praised for earlier allowing distribution of Plan B at her shows, but is now stepping back citing the presence of childrenOlivia Rodrigo has reportedly stepped in to halt the distribution of free contraceptives and the morning-after pill at her concerts, days after the American singer was praised for encouraging young people to take responsibility for their sexual health.According to abortion organizations cited...

Outrage from the far right over rumours of a performance at the opening ceremony has exposed deep divisions in FranceShe is the most listened-to French singer in the world, whose relentlessly catchy hits about love and betrayal have been streamed 7bn times and who made history last year when she sold out three Paris gigs in 15 minutes.But Aya Nakamura, France’s biggest pop superstar...

Dancehall star was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for the murder of an associateThe Jamaican musician Vybz Kartel’s conviction for the murder of an associate more than a decade ago has been quashed, with a London court ruling that attempts to bribe the trial jury meant the conviction was unsafe.The dancehall star, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is one of Jamaica’s...

Coldplay become act to headline most times with their fifth top slot, while Shania Twain is booked for the Sunday teatime ‘legend’ set as the lineup is announcedDua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA will headline Glastonbury 2024, a diverse spread of A-list artists matched by a strong supporting lineup across the 26-30 June festival including Little Simz, LCD Soundsystem and Burna Boy, plus Shania Twain...

Guy Chambers says future albums may need disclaimers about how they were made amid rise of AI’s use for writing songsThe songwriter behind hits for Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue has described the acceleration in use of artificial intelligence in the music industry as “terrifying” because of its potential to replace songwriters.Guy Chambers, who has collaborated with Williams over more than two decades, said:...

Song amended after organisers banned entry for seeming references to 7 October attacks, which broke rules on political neutralityIsrael will be allowed to compete at the Eurovision song contest after changing the lyrics to its song, organisers have confirmed.Eden Golan, representing Israel at this year’s competition, originally submitted a ballad called October Rain, widely thought to reference the Hamas attacks of 7 October. However,...

Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed an ‘arrangement’ for Singapore to be the only stop on Swift’s south-east Asia Eras tourSingapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has defended an incentive provided to Taylor Swift by his government, to make the country the only stop in south-east Asia on her world tour, saying it was not a hostile act towards its neighbours.“[Our] agencies negotiated an...

National broadcaster says it agreed to make changes after request from country’s presidentIsrael has agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential submission to the Eurovision song contest after organisers took issue with verses that appeared to reference Hamas’s 7 October attack.The contest, which will take place from 7 to 11 May in the Swedish city of Malmö, can disqualify contestants deemed to have...

Four-minute video features drag queens, twerking, ballerinas, a classical Indian dancer and a bunch of friends from CanberraFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe former Canberra scientist Dr Weliton Menário Costa said it “felt like winning Eurovision” when he learned he had won the global “Dance Your PhD” competition, for...

Allegations, which rapper and mogul denies, is the latest in a series of lawsuits accusing him of sexual assaultSean Combs, the rapper and mogul known as Diddy, was sued Monday by a music producer who accused the hip-hop mogul of sexually assaulting him and forcing him to have sex with prostitutes.The suit, filed in federal court in New York, accuses Combs of repeated instances...

Rapper and mogul disputes ‘genuineness’ of alleged photo of him with plaintiff, and complains over timing of lawsuitSean Combs, the rapper and mogul known as Diddy, has filed a defence against allegations that he and two others sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl at a recording studio in 2003.New paperwork filed on Tuesday, reported by Rolling Stone, wholly denied the allegations from the unnamed plaintiff,...

Srettha Thavisin claims promoter told him Singaporean government offered ‘subsidies’ of $2m-$3m a showThailand’s prime minister has claimed that Singapore sought a deal with Taylor Swift to prevent her from playing elsewhere in south-east Asia on her Eras tour.Srettha Thavisin said the concert promoter AEG had informed him that the Singaporean government offered subsidies of US$2m-$3m (£1.6m-£2.4m) a show as part of an exclusivity...

The once-in-a-lifetime show has finally come to Australia. For the millions who couldn’t get tickets, might a slightly chaotic blog be the next best thing? We’ll find out. But fair warning: setlist spoilersGot a tip? Email us at melb.eras@guardian.co.ukIs this Taylor Swift’s biggest ever concert?Find your seat with the MCG stadium seating mapTaylor Swift sing-along on board Qantas flight to MelbourneThe Taylor Swift hype...