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See, that wasn't so bad for a first day back after all, was it?

Scroll down to see how Robbie and Mariah may well have embarrassed themselves more than you this New Year and for more on Ed Sheeran's potential new album, plus the inclusion of Nadia Rose and Jorja Smith on to the BBC's Sound of 2017 list. Remember the names.

Join us tomorrow and we'll have the next name off that conveyor belt for you and much more.

Our first day back at work today also happened to be the birthday of legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin - just one of the musical legends that 2016 took from us.

He would've been 91 today, so we'll leave you with one of his finest moments in the hot-seat when he grabbed a leftover McCartney song, attached it to an unused Lennon ditty and made...well...erm...this below.

Goodbye.

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BBC 6 Music

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Listen up all you fans of the Thin White Duke, Ziggy Stardust, Dave or whatever you call him. Your time has come.

Time, that is, to select your favourite David Bowie record of all time, as 6 Music marks the first anniversary of his death from cancer and what would've been his 70th birthday.

Presenters from the station have selected a shortlist of ten albums, including Aladdin Sane, Heroes, Low and his final record Blackstar.

Image source, 6 Music

Paul Rodgers, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music, said: "What better way for BBC Radio 6 Music to celebrate the life and legacy of one of music's most extraordinary artists than to reflect on some his best records."

Indeed.

Voting closes at 18:00 GMT on Friday, with the the winning album being played out in its entirety on Gideon Coe's show from 23:00 GMT on Monday 9 January.

Read more.

Meanwhile, for another Bowie fix, the new documentary The Last Five Years will air on BBC Two on Saturday night.

That might be a bit misleading, however, the band have not released any new music since their debut album If You Wait, in 2013.

And wait is just what we've done.

Radio 1 premiered their new song Rooting for You on Phil Taggart's show at the weekend and have now released a (semi) a cappella video which also features a live orchestra. 

It's really rather lovely...

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Billboard magazine

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Sir Paul McCartney made some very rich people very happy this New Year when he made a surprise appearance alongside The Killers at a private party at the home of Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich in St. Barts, West Indies.

You can see a snippet of the former Beatle and Brandon Flowers et al blasting out a rendition of the fab four's classic rock hit Helter Skelter on the Vegas band's Facebook page., external

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Sir Paul later posted a rather ambitious-yet-lovely happy New Year message on his website, saying: "May this year be a happy and peaceful one for you and your family and everyone around the world."

And to you too Macca.

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Laura Marling is the latest artist to be interviewed for Radio 4's Mastertapes, the programme in which performers and writers talk about the album that made them or changed them. 

Laura played some of her songs from the 2013 album Once I Was An Eagle in front of a live audience at the Maida Vale Studios.

You can hear her and producer Ethan John discuss the album with presenter John Wilson above...and Devil's Resting Place, from that same album, below.

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Producer and DJ Roni Size is to be recognised for his body of work by the Music Producers Guild.

The Bristolian pioneer is the recipient of its 2017 Inspiration Award - given to a recording professional is responsible for "significantly inspiring" others.

Previous recipients include Nile Rodgers, Damon Albarn, Glyn Johns and Sylvia Massy.

His 1997 album New Forms by his collective Reprazent won the Mercury Music Prize ahead of The Prodigy's Fat of the Land and Radiohead's OK Computer.

Roni will be presented with his award on 16 February.

Image source, AP

Gospel singer and pastor Kim Burrell is standing by allegedly homophobic remarks she made during a recent sermon at her Houston church.

Burrell says she makes "no excuses or apologies'' for a sermon in which she referred to gay people as perverted.

A clip of the sermon is available to view on Youtube now.

The singer subsequently posted a Facebook Live video in which she said: "I love you and God loves you but God hates the sin in you and me", adding that "enemies" had posted only a portion of her original speech.

Burrell is due to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday alongside Pharrell Williams and it remains to be seen if the openly-gay presenter will challenge the singer on her comments.

Read more.

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That would certainly make for interesting if not incredibly awkward viewing.

Pharrell posted a message on Instagram on Sunday saying: "I condemn hate speech of any kind," although it is not clear if this is directly linked to Burrell's comments.

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Ahead of their much rumoured return, Noodle from animated band Gorillaz has compiled a new playlist of of kick-ass women.

It includes works from the likes of Grimes, Laurie Anderson, Mica Levi and even the Doctor Who theme by Delia Derbyshire. 

Writing on Soundcloud, external, Noodle explained: In search of new sounds and new inspiration, I found these kick-ass women who in their own individual ways are true pioneers in the writing, production and creation of MUSIC. 

"They have inspired me, and I hope they inspire you too."

Now some fans were rumoured to be 'washing their hands' of the Robster as he was filmed applying anti-bacterial gel to his own hands directly after coming into contact with real humans during a televised Auld Lang Syne sing along on New Year's Eve.

He's responded in typically-funny fashion posting a video of him sanitizing once more and shuddering after having his hand-shaken again, apparently at home.

The video was oringally posted to Instagram by his wife Ayda Field alongside the message "Wiping the slate clean for 2017..."

In case you were out and about shaking hands with strangers yourself that night, you can re-live Robbie Rocks Big Ben Live below.

Ed Sheeran announced his return to social media after a year off early in December with a simple blue square, external.

It sparked a furious debate, did it mean new music? Was he decorating? Was this to be his Pablo Picasso 'blue period'?

Well, the answer came on New Year's Day when he followed up his tweet with this confirmation that we could expect new music this coming Friday.

Now, he's followed it up again with another tweet below, which if you look at it, forms an obelus.

That's a ÷ (divide) sign to you and me.

Since his first two albums were named + (plus) and x (multiply), is there anything we can 'take away' from this? A new album perhaps?

We'll find out in three days...

Image source, Getty Images

The xx singer Romy Madley Croft has announced her engagement to girlfriend, designer and artist Hannah M.

The singer posted an Instagram photo of the two of them having a smooch alongside the caption: “Last night, a very special person asked me a very beautiful question. I said yes!”

The London trio release their new album I See You next Friday (13 Jan) and, earlier this week, posted a video of themselves having "a lot of fun" performing new track Say Something Loving on karaoke in Tokyo.

Enjoy below. Ours is normally an Elvis number if required on karaoke. Not a dry eye in the house last time.

Image source, PA

Gary Barlow has said the success of his new BBC One talent show should not be judged on TV ratings because they are less relevant than they used to be.

Barlow is using Let It Shine, which starts on Saturday, to find the five leads for a Take That stage musical.

Let It Shine will go up against The Voice UK, which has moved to ITV.

But Barlow told the BBC's Colin Paterson: "I think people are ingesting TV in a different way now. That old system of ratings shouldn't really apply any more."

We wonder if Will.i.am would agree?

Read more.

Sensitive soul singer Jorja Smith has earned her fourth place on the BBC Sound of 2017 list.

The classically trained 19-year-old, from Walsall in the West Midlands, started making waves a year ago with a song about police injustice that sampled rapper Dizzee Rascal.

She has since performed fantastic live sets in the 1Xtra and Radio 1 Live Lounge, which you can watch below.

"I try to write as real as possible, even though I make things up," she said. "They're based on a truth that I believe. What I'm trying to give people is honesty. 

"If you listen to a song, you want it to help you with whatever's going on right now in your life."

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Scouse pop singer Rebecca Ferguson has agreed to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony - under one condition...

It has been reported the US President-elect is struggling to find a big name to play when he is sworn in on 20 January.

Now, the former X Factor runner-up has responded to the invitation by saying she will perform as long is she is allowed to sing the black American protest song Strange Fruit, as made famous by Billie Holiday.

The track, which tackles issues of racism and the lynching of African Americans contains the following lyrics:

Southern trees bear strange fruit

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root

Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Rebecca said: "I've been asked and this is my answer. If you allow me to sing Strange Fruit, a song that has huge historical importance, a song that was blacklisted in the United States for being too controversial.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Read more and listen to a BBC World Service programme about the origins of the song.

Image source, Reuters

It was a thrilling spectacle for all the wrong reasons when Mariah Carey performed live (ish) in New York's Times Square for ABC's live New Year show.

The singer was was beset by problems as she complained of sound difficulties and struggled to sing.

Complaining that she could not hear, she danced awkwardly with her back-up dancers before telling the crowd: "I want a holiday, too. Can I not have one? I'm trying to be a good sport here." 

If you can bear to watch it, plenty of people have posted it on social media.

She posted her rather frank thoughts on Twitter, external but be warned, it's a little sweary.

Mariah's representative told Billboard, external the producers "set her up to fail" to boost ratings for the show.

But Dick Clark Productions has since said any suggestion it would "compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd".

Read more

Image source, AFP

'Record' high? Yeah? See what we did?

Anyway, dad jokes aside, vinyl sales topped three million last year, the highest UK total in 25 years.

That was up 53% on the previous year, according to the BPI, external, which represents the music industry.

David Bowie's Blackstar was the most popular.

The last time vinyl fared so well in the UK was in 1991 when Simply Red's Stars was the year's biggest-selling record.

Golden years eh? (That's another record gag - and you are welcome)

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She may well be Stormzy's cousin but now Nadia Rose is storming (sorry) the music scene in her own right.

The London rapper was yesterday named in fifth-place in the BBC Sound of 2017 shortlist, once more shining a light on the UK grime scene.

We'll find out who is ahead of her in fourth place later this morning, but watch below as Nads goes back to her old school and tell us how she is going to "smash 2017 to smithereens."

We hope you can all swim because apparently the 23-year-old's "big splash" is yet to come. 

Read more.

Image source, PA

If it feels like a lot has happened in the world of music since we left you just before Christmas, that's because it has.

So, in case you've been on a music media blackout over the festive period, here's a quick round-up of the stuff we missed.

Big tip of the paper hat to Clean Bandit who not only scored 2016's coveted Christmas number one but managed to hang on to finish the year as chart-toppers. 

We saw some more sad deaths, in the form of Status Quo's axeman Rick Parfitt and Allan Williams, the man credited with discovering the Beatles.

And, of course, George Michael. You can still go back read our live page tribute to the Wham! singer and solo artist who died on Christmas day at the young age of 53.

A post-mortem into the cause of his death has since been deemed "inconclusive".

Sony Music said sorry to pop star Britney Spears, after an official Twitter account suggested she had died.

Sony said saying its global account had been "compromised"...

The Kinks' Ray Davies, excuse us, SIR Ray Davies was knighted in the New Year's Honours list.

Also honoured were fashionista and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, opera singer Bryn Terfel and... erm... Ken Dodd. The Diddy Men were strangely over-looked.

Sir Ray said: "Initially I felt a mixture of surprise, humility, joy and a bit embarrassed but after thinking about it, I accept this for my family and fans as well as everyone who has inspired me to write."

A Well respected man indeed.

Image source, Getty Images

*Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it really is all over for another year.

Morning all and welcome back to the first Music News LIVE of 2017.

We hope that Santa brought you everything your heart desired and that you haven't broken all of your New Year's resolutions already.

Let's see what this year has in store in the world of music shall we? No looking back now (unless it's for one last quick glance at the 12 things we learnt last year).

It's looking up for London rapper Nadia Rose already after she was named in fifth place on the BBC Sound of 2017 list. We'll find out who joins her in fourth place on the list later this morning, plus some embarrassing scenes for Robbie Williams and Mariah Carey over the New Year celebrations.

Ok let's get going shall we? New year, new me and all that. But less caffeine from tomorrow we think... yeah tomorrow we'll start that one.