Scroll down for news of Pink being honoured with a (Hollywood) star, Green Day are shifting a ton of gear and Queen’s Brian May says sorry for his comments about Bo Rhap producer Bryan Singer.

Plus loads of new music, 5 Things We Learned This Week and the great chart battle of 2019 (so far) between Bring Me The Horizon, Rudimental and The Greatest Showman.

We'll find out the winner of that one next week.

Here's a snippet of Beck's new song, Tarantula, from the Oscar-nominated film, Roma, to enjoy as we crawl towards the weekend.

Have a good one.

Bastille have released visuals for their team-up with Seeb.

Grip is from a seven-song mixtape, Other People’s Heartache Pt.4, which came out at the end of 2018 and features the likes of Craig David and James Arthur.

Check it above.

The band kick off their UK tour next week.

Well it is New Music Friday after all.

Check out our former Newbie Tuesday and number three on the BBC's Sound of 2019 list,Grace Carter.

Her new ballad, Heal Me, arrived as she announces a quick UK tour in March.

It kicks-off in Manchester on 24 March before finishing in Brighton five nights later.

Next up is Bedford four-piece Don Broco and their explosive new single Half Man Half God.

Annie Mac premiered the track on her Radio 1 show this week.

They're playing dates in the UK next month.

And last but not least - Latino star Luis Fonsi - who let's not forget has the most viewed video of all time on YouTube for Despacito.

His latest Sola, is taken from his upcoming album, Vida.

“It’s kind of like that happy medium between the uptempo and the very kind of broken-down slow,” he told Zane Lowe on Beats 1.

We'll meet you in the middle Luis.

Image source, Getty Images

That's almost all she wrote for another week of Music News LIVE.

The week Ariana Grande released details of her new album (eeek), Maroon 5 defended their decision to perform at next month's Super Bowl half-time show and our Newbie Tuesday-featured artist Flohio put her early success in the rap game down to her baby face.

That said, here's five of the best:

Image source, Getty Images

1. Posh will feel 'left out' at the Spice Girls reunion tour

The fashion designer and former pop star this week poured cold water on rumours she may join her old pop pals for a cameo on their forthcoming reunion tour.

The erstwhile singer is now better known for her fashion label and being part of the steering committee of brand Beckham.

In an interview with the Guardian, external, she said: "What I do now is my passion and a full-time job. I’m excited to see it, though.

Perhaps Jacob Reese-Mogg could fill Posh's shoes., external

Read more

Image source, Getty Images

2. Abba may record another new song

You wait 35 years and then three come along at once (maybe).

We know what you're thinking: "We haven't even heard the first two new ones we were promised last year yet."

And you're quite correct.

Apparently we have to wait until after this summer now to hear the two tracks recorded for a Virtual Abba show, but Benny Andersson has told fan site IceTheSite, external (below) that once they are out, the Swedish hitmasters could record a third new song.

"We had such a good time," he said, "we really, really did, we were all back to where we ended, having fun.

"It was just like no time had passed, we all felt that and we were all happy about feeling that."

Read more

Image source, Getty Images

3. A judge told R.Kelly to stop whoever is living in his studio

The beleaguered singer, who is facing allegations of sexual abuse which he denies, was this week told by a judge in Chicago to stop using his studio as a residence.

According to a report in Rolling Stone, inspectors discovered 66 building code violations at the recording studio, which appeared to have been turned into living quarters, complete with kitchen, bar room and sauna.

“It looks like people are living there, and that’s not good,” said Cook County judge Patrice Ball-Reed.

“Someone is living there.”

Kelly's lawyer denied reports he used the studio as a residence.

Each of the 66 violations punishable with a fine of $500 (£385) to $1,000 (£769) per day.

Read more

Image source, Getty Images

4. Roger Waters helped two abandoned boys out of Syria

The Pink Floyd frontman lent his private jet to help reunite a mother of two children of a dead Islamic State (ISIS) fighter, who were stuck in Syria.

Waters flew Felicia Perkins-Ferreira (pictured below, right) from Trinidad & Tobago in Caribbean to the Iraqi border with Syria, where she then crossed with a British human rights lawyer.

He later told the BBC's Ian Youngs that he hopes for more Syrian rescues.

"It's the first time," he said, "but I hope it won't be the last."

Read more

And last but not least...

5. Jay-Z and Meek Mill want to free 1m US prisoners

Continuing the theme of pop stars meddling in matters of politics, Jay and Meek have helped launch a criminal justice reform organisation aimed at reducing the number of people in American jails.

Reform Alliance is putting $50m (£38m) toward "disabling the revolving door of probation and parole".

Speaking at the launch, Jay said: "We want to be very clear - if someone commits a crime they should go to jail but these things are just disproportionate and the whole world knows it."

"I'm here to speak for all the people who don't have a voice," added Meek, who was recently released from prison for parole violation stemming from drug and possession charges in 2008.

"Being from the environment I'm from, I don't even think it's possible for you to be an angel."

Read more

The 73-year-old (pictured above) will step down from The Rock Show and Sound Of The 70s "for a number of weeks", the station said.

Announcing the news on Twitter, his wife Tiggy promised fans he would be back at work soon.

"The good news [is] he'll be even better when he returns with all that extra oxygen pumping round his body," she wrote.

Huey Morgan will present The Rock Show and Tom Robinson will host Sounds of the 70s in his absence.

Read more

The US indie band yesterday surprised us all by releasing an album of covers, which included the 90s classic, No Scrubs.

Chilli from the band has given the cover her approval, calling it "awesome".

She's now suggested that both bands hook up for a live rendition sometime soon.

To paraphrase the track: Yes, I do want your number / And yes, I do want to give you mine.

Beats 1

Image source, Getty Images

The US singer has been telling Beats 1 about her new inadvertent "female empowerment" song, Anxiety.

We can't bring the song to you here due to the (many) swear words contained within but Julia told 1 DJ Zane Lowe how the hook-up with Selena - who been quite open about her struggles with mental health - came about.

"I was like, 'I think it would be really awesome to have a song with two women on it, that struggled with the same thing, that are talking about something other than two women fighting for a guy's attention.'"

Selena agreed.

Watch below.

Image source, Getty Images

This one goes out to all the hardcore Mixers.

The girls have released a new version of their track, Think About Us, today, featuring US singer/singer Ty Dolla $ign - who wants to put at least one of the girls on a jet plane.

That will cost a few dollars, for sure.

The track first appeared on their fifth album, LM5, which was released late last year.

Check out the new version below.

What do you mean you don't know Robert Burns' address to a haggis?

It's the Scottish bard's birthday today and Scots across the world will celebrate with a wee dram and some haggis, neeps and tatties.

Maybe a listen to The Proclaimers? Or Primal Scream? Or Annie Lennox?

Head on over to Maryanne Hobbs on 6 Music for more tartan trailblazers..

Billboard magazine

Image source, PledgeMusic

The platform has responded after complaints by artists that have yet to receive money raised by their crowdfunding campaigns.

The company had previously admitted problems with processing payments and called in finance specialists.

In a statement, PledgeMusic announced it is working on a solution to resolve payments within three months.

“We accept responsibility for the fact that we have been late on payments over the past year,” it said a statement.

“We acknowledge that many artists have and continue to experience payment delays. These delays to artists are unacceptable - not only to them, but to us.”

In a report in Billboard, external, one band ohGr, claim they are owed almost $100,000 (£76,000), while another rock outfit Fastball say they are owed over $21,000 (£16,000).

The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman enjoyed its 27th (non-consecutive) week at the top of the album charts this week. We'll find out this afternoon/evening on Radio 1 if it will reign supreme for another week.

Next week, it could be another story entirely as both Bring Me The Horizon and Rudimental have released albums today.

BMTH played a live gig for Annie Mac this week and you can check out their performance of Medicine from their new sixth record above.

Frontman Oli Sykes also opened up to Annie about his struggles with drug addiction, which almost caused the band to split seven years ago, before he threw himself fully back into the music.

"Going to rehab and getting clean," said Oli, "when I came back out I was just like 'I'm gonna try and find something else to be addicted to'.

"And it was music."

Watch above.

Oli and co will go head to head with UK drum and bass act Rudimental, who have dropped their third album, Toast To Our Differences.

It includes some typically star-studded guest vocalists, including Jess Glynne (above).

Let's have a good clean fight everybody and a winner other than Hugh Jackman please.

Sorry Hugh, we know we shouldn't take sides but you've had a good run now...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

In what could be the battiest stage production of 2019, a new musical featuring the back catalogue of Swedish songwriter-to-the-stars Max Martin (above) and based on Shakespeare’s character Juliet is set to open at the Shaftesbury Theatre In November.

The show, & Juliet, follows the young woman as she decides not to kill herself at the play's climax but rather escape to Paris with the Nurse and her best friends.

Miriam Teak-Leewill will take on the lead role - she was a member of the ensemble in the West End cast of Hamilton.

Martin’s songs include Britney Spears’ Oops… I Did It Again, Backstreet Boys’ Everybody and The Weeknd’s I Can’t Feel My Face - all of which feature in the new show.

Tickets will be available in February.

If modern pop music be the food of love, play on.

Image source, Getty Images

Hey boy, hey girl, here we go with our next post.

The Brothers Chem will top the bill at the annual North West dance festival in August.

They released Free Yourself, their first song in three years in September from their forthcoming album No Geography.

“From DJ sets in that intense backroom and then onto the crazy Courtyard at Cream, from live sets at Speke Airport and in the fields of Cheshire at Creamfields, so many beautiful memories. We’re excited to make more in August, Free Yourself," they said (apparently in unison).

Image source, Getty Images

The punk rock band are the latest to use online auction house Reverb to sell off a load of their old equipment.

You can watch their video over at YouTube, which does come with a language warning as they announce their plan to sell off guitars, drums and amps.

"If you hoard the right [stuff] long enough, they call you a collector," explains drummer Tre Cool.

"So I’m selling off just a wee bit of the collection. I’m not doing it any justice sitting around when someone could be using this stuff.

"I"m probably just going to buy all this stuff back at like three in the morning, because I’m going to have a hard time parting with it."

Kinda defeats the purpose but there you go.

Image source, Alex Bailey

The Queen biopic has picked up five Academy Awards nominations, including being named in the shortlist for best picture.

But now, following sexual misconduct allegations against director Bryan Singer, media watchdog GLAAD has removed the movie from its nominees for outstanding film.

In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter, GLAAD - which monitors the portrayal of and representation of LGBTQ people in the entertainment industry - called it a "difficult decision" to remove the film.

It added reports "cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded".

Singer denies the allegations, saying they are a "homophobic slur" against him.

Read more

Image source, Getty Images

Queen guitarist Brian May, who produced the film, also found himself at the sharp end of a social media backlash after he was asked by a follower on Twitter why he still followed Singer.

After initially responding, saying a man "is innocent until proven guilty", he has since apologised on Instagram.

He wrote: "I was shocked and saddened to realise what I had done by my hasty and inconsiderate reply to this lady yesterday.

"Dear Sue, I'm sorry that I responded to your post so snappily and inconsiderately, external.

"My response was a result of my perception that someone was telling me what to do. I now realise that I was completely wrong in thinking that. You were actually just trying to protect me, for which I thank you.

"I am mortified to discover the effect my words produced."

He added he has now unfollowed the director.

Image source, Getty Images

Florence + The Machine have released a new song, Moderation, today.

The track was not featured their latest album, High As Hope, but they've been performing it at recent live shows.

Flo spoke openly last year about how she sobered up, external to make her fourth album.

Check out a snippet of the new track below.

Image source, Getty Images

Pink is the latest US pop star to be honoured with an actual star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Chat show host and fellow Walk Of Famer, Ellen DeGeneres, and actress Kerri Kenney-Silver will speak at the ceremony on 5 February.

Ana Martinez, Walk Of Fame producer, said: "She is a unique performer who leaves you in a state of joy and surprise at the same time.

"She mesmerises the audience with her voice and her action-packed performances!"

Fun fact: Pink's star will be the 2,656th.

In other Pink news, the singer has taken to social media to defend herself after speaking out against a teenager who appeared to mock a Native American elder in a viral video, calling the situation "nauseating".

Offering a rebuttle to angry messages flooding her comment section, Pink wrote: "I was raised by a Vietnam Veteran who taught me to stand up for what I believe to be right. Even if that means standing alone".

Read more, external

Catfish and The Bottlemen are to tour the UK and Ireland this spring, fresh off the back of the release of their third album.

Balance, which was recorded with Irish producer Jacknife Lee at two locations in Moate, Republic of Ireland, and the East Lincolnshire countryside, will arrive on 26 April and the Welsh indie rockers will hit the road in May.

“We loved living in the same place," said frontman Van McCann of the recording process.

“We were staying there the whole time, so we were waking up around each other and working until we needed to go to bed.

"It’s good when you’re completely engulfed in recording in a place like that, living together, because every day and all day it was about the songs."

He added: "We had fun too; they were the funniest album sessions we’ve done.”

Glad to hear it - a happy band is a productive band.

Tickets for their tour are out next Friday.

Check out lead single, Longshot, above.

And listen up, people.

It's the final Music News LIVE of the week and we've got some important news to bring you before the weekend lands.

Coming up:

• Pink to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Green Day to sell more than 100 pieces of career-spanning equipment
• Queen’s Brian May apologises after saying “a man is innocent until proven guilty”, regarding allegations against Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer

• New Music Friday with Florence, Little Mix, Grace Carter, BHTH. Rudimental and more.
• Plus the 5 Things We Learned This Week

Before all that check out the Haim sisters and their celeb pal, Hollywood movie star Emma Stone (above) going all girl power to raise some money for charity.