...that it's time to go.

That's all we have today - but what a day?

A poem from Taylor Swift, a new director for the Queen film and another headliner for TRNSMT.

Plus Jimi Hendix, Diddy, Sia and of course Ed Sheeran MBE.

Also Elton John dedicates a song to his late mum at a gig in Hamburg.

This (above) was that song.

So we'll leave you today with our #TBT from Elton's first residency at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas in 2005.

Tissues at the ready and see you tomorrow for New Music Friday.

BBC Radio 1

Voting has now closed for Radio 1's Hottest Record of the year.

From Wolf Alice to Liam Gallagher, via Stormzy, Lorde and more they've brought us some absolute bangers throughout 2017.

Now all that's left for us to do is wait and listen from 19:00 GMT tonight to see which one is the hottest of them all.

Have one last look at the runners and riders and place your friendly bets now.

E squared will head out on a short tour of the UK in March in support of their album A Fever Dream, following a show in Dublin on 28 February.

But they won't be going alone. Oh no.

They've roped Pumarosa into going along with them for the ride, which is good news for the people of Norwich, Bristol and Leeds.

The London band last week posted a stripped-down version of their track Priestess, which you can enjoy below.

They'll be joined by Sundara Karma too for the final date of the EE tour at Ally Pally.

Check the full tour details above.

Image source, Getty Images

But a happy one.

Yesterday on MNL we told you how poor John has been forced to cancel a gig with remaining members of The Grateful Dead after being rushed to hospital for an emergency appendectomy.

Appendixes. Who needs them? Cave men.

The US singer has now had his operation and seems in good spirits.

He's tweeted - presumably from a hospital bed - that he's "a warm, pilled--out froggy".

Keep taking those painkillers old boy and get well soon.

Speaking of mixtapes...

Apple Music's revealed its biggest albums of the year, and the Top 10 includes four entries for the Now That's What I Call Music! series.

Now 95 is the most popular collection, coming third in the year-end chart only being outsold by Ed Sheeran's Divide and Rag N Bone Man's Human.

Now 96, Now 97 and Now That's What I Call Christmas also feature in the countdown.

Wonder what they'll call the next one?

Read more

Image source, Reuters

We all love a good playlist.

The stars are no different.

This year saw Drake drop his More Life playlist, featuring tracks by him and artists on his record label and UK singer Charli XCX did the same with Number 1 Angel.

Now, it seems she's at it again.

"Pop 2 is coming" apparently.

The follows Sunday's rather more cryptic online message:

"Imagine if I did another mixtape with" she tweeted, before tagging in a whole host of artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, MØ, Tove Lo and BBC Sound of 2018 longlisted Alma.

“That would be pretty cool right?”

We think she's telling us more than asking though.

Image source, PA

It wasn't to discuss his fee for playing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's forthcoming nuptials.

Not yet anyway.

The singer has picked up his MBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for services to music and charity.

He was the most-streamed artist of 2017 and has supported various good causes.

He said he hadn't been asked to perform at the royal couple's wedding next year. But asked afterwards by reporters whether he would do so if invited, he replied with a grin: "Yeah, why not."

He continued: "He was asking me if I was still selling lots of records and I told him I've got a concert in New York tomorrow, and he was quite surprised I was flying after this".

The life of a pop star never stops.

Read more.

Electronic composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki won an award for innovation at the British Composer Awards in London on Wednesday night.

As well as offering some words of advice to young women aspiring to have a career in music, the 29-year-old former BBC young composer of the year for 2004 has been talking to us about how she works.

"I don't collaborate with many people inside of classical music because I understand that perspective but I'm working with Laura Marling and a lot of dance music producers and installation artists as well and scientists.

"Anyone from a different perspective, some jazz musicians as well, I'm always on the lookout for new artists.

Image source, Getty Images

She continues: "We're slowly working on some ideas creating an opera with an artist named Haroon Mirza who works with LEDs and video, so the three of us are quite an unusual grouping but we've all got ideas."

Read our interview with Shiva.

Mercury nominees The Big Moon have shared a new timely (or ever-so-slightly premature) video for Happy New Year.

The song is taken from their debut album Love in The 4th Dimension and sees the band dance up a storm with miniature versions of themselves.

They say never work with children or animals but the Moonies clearly have other ideas.

They had a tiny dog , externalin their last video....

Stars from the music world have been sending their thoughts and prayers to those affected by the California fires.

Lady Gaga posted the above message, writing; "No one deserves to lose their home..."

Katy Perry below sent her appreciation to the firefighters working hard to tackle the blaze.

Residents of Los Angeles' wealthy Bel-Air neighbourhood have found their homes under threat after another wildfire erupted.

US bluesy rocker Ryan Adams helpfully forwarded on information about where to find emergency evacuation shelters.

Meanwhile Blur's Graham Coxon sent some emoji prayers in the direction of LA.

The UK cast of the Broadway hit hip hop musical Hamilton, external enjoyed their opening night at London's Victoria Palace Theatre last night.

As is customary, the press will have to wait until the show has had a few more runs because writing their official reviews.

However one chuffed audience member Frank (below) has given his verdict on the performance title role actor Jamael Westman.

"He absolutely smashed it".

The musical, which won 11 Tony Awards, is set to run until June 2018.

Read more audience reaction

Sir Elton John has paid a touching tribute to his mother, Sheila, at his first concert since her death.

The 70-year-old, who lost his mother on Sunday, dedicated Your Song to her as he played in Hamburg on Tuesday.

"Yesterday was a sad and hard day for me because my mother passed away," he told the audience, external.

"I'm glad to say she passed away peacefully, with no pain. But maybe sooner than she should have done, so I was quite shocked.

"And I was thinking how I could pay tribute to her tonight, and what song I should choose.

He added: "So this is the song I want to ­dedicate to her. And it's taken me from nowhere to somewhere. So thank you, mum."

Read more.

The Guardian

Image source, Getty Images

Sia has responded to criticism of her use of 15-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler as a creative partner.

Maddie has appeared as a younger version of Sia in her videos and live shows for years and the Australian hit-maker has said that she checks in with the teenager on a weekly basis.

However, responding to an article in The Guardian, external, which questioned the pressure being put on the youngster, Sia said: "If she ever wants it to stop, it stops".

The singer, who agrees that the topic is an "important discussion" went on to say that her goal was to "empower" the young entertainer rather than exploit her.

Watch Maddie dancing in the video to Sia's Chandelier back in 2014 above.

"What I learned from Maddie is that fame affects her differently than how it affected me" said the 41-year-old.

"I can only trust that she is telling me the truth."

Sia first contacted Maddie as an 11-year-old after being impressed with her on the US TV show Dance Moms.

Watch Maddie below talking to chat show host Ellen DeGeneres about working with the singer.

She describes touring with Sia as "the best experience of my life."

Read more., external

Image source, Getty Images

The band's final flourish Last Night All My Dreams Came True will come out on 16 February.

The 13 tracks were all recorded live at RAK studios in London across two days.

“It’s us as tight and slick as we ever have been,” says Tom from the band.

"There’s a sense of celebration and destructiveness combined, a sense that the fetters are off."

Wild Beasts announced in September they were calling it quits after 15 years together. They also announced the details of a mini farewell tour with dates in Dublin, Manchester and London.

As a parting gift, you even get a new track in the shape of The Devil's Palace which you can hear below.

Forbes

Image source, Getty Images

Forbes has revealed its annual list of musicians who earn more money than most average sized countries and it's the vodka-owning, name changing rap mogul who has come out on top.

Diddy raked in more than £130m (£97m) last year, due in part to his Bad Boy records reunion tour.

Beyonce's business dealings and her Formation world tour earned her $105m (£78m) while the top three was rounded out by Drake.

R&B singer The Weeknd and Coldplay were fourth and fifth respectively.

The youngest on the list was 23-year-old Justin Bieber, who earned the biggest annual figure of his career thanks to his world tour and 105 live shows.

The Biebs eventually cut his Purpose tour short in order to keep his "mind, heart and soul...sustainable".

Just what we need to know in the run up to Christmas, that rich celebs continue to be rich.

Phew...

Read more, external.

Image source, Getty Images

Never let it be said that a wee thing like death stands in the way of releasing new music.

The Big O is touring; Prince, Elvis and Michael Jackson continue to rake it in and now Jimi Hendrix has a new album to his name.

The legendary guitarist was only 27-years-old when he passed away back in 1970. A succession of musical greats tragically followed him into the infamous '27 club' including Janice Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

But now a new record, featuring 10 of his previously unreleased recordings will come out on 9 March.

Both Sides Of The Sky is the third in a trilogy of new releases, following Valleys of Neptune and People, Hell and Angels.

It sees Hendrix take on Joni Mitchell's Woodstock and Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy, as well as collaborating with the likes of Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills and Nash).

Keep on rocking Jimi. Our air guitars are at the ready.

Image source, Reuters

Scotland's newest major festival has announced the third of its five headliners for next summer.

The event will take place in Glasgow across two weekends - from Friday 29 June - Sunday 1 July, and on Friday 6 July and Sunday 8 July.

Vegas's finest and Prince Harry's favourites The Killers will headline the latter, with support coming from Scotland's own Chvrches and Franz Ferdinand.

The festival previously announced fellow indie rock 'n' rollers Liam Gallagher and Stereophonics as their other headliners.

Two more yet to be announced so time yet for them to mix up the lineup a little...

Image source, Getty Images

The producers of Bohemian Rhapsody have moved quickly to replace sacked director Bryan Singer and they've gone back to a filmmaker who was attached to the film three years ago.

Brit actor/director Dexter Fletcher (above) has stepped into Singer's shoes to take over the project four months into the shoot.

His previous directorial efforts include Proclaimers musical Sunshine On Leith, Eddie the Eagle and drama Wild Bill.

As an actor he has appeared in films like Stardust, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the cult ITV kids' show Press Gang.

He was attached to the Queen biopic in 2014 and, at the time, was due to direct Paddington actor Ben Whishaw in the central role of Freddie mercury - now being played by Rami Malek.

Read our timeline of the troubled production

Image source, Reuters

The 27-year-old is the cover star of next month's British Vogue magazine but instead of giving an interview she's delivered four stanzas of free verse that her name sake Jonathan would be proud of.

Her poem entitled The Trick of Holding On is an ode to resilience, self-respect and letting the haters hate.

The poem starts likes this:

Let go of the ones who hurt you.

Let go of the ones you outgrow.

Let go of the words they hurl your way as you’re walking out the door.

Add a few simple chords and a catchy drum beat and this could be another smash hit.

"The trick to holding on", she concludes, "Was all that letting go".

You can read it in full over at Rolling Stone., external

Image source, Reuters

Only 18 sleeps before Christmas and the weekend is nearly upon us.

Don't give up now, Taylor Swift certainly won't and today we'll bring you a new poem she's penned for British Vogue on the very art of Holding On.

Glasgow festival TRNSMT has announced another huge headliner and air guitars at the ready as, incredibly, there's a new Jimi Hendrix album on the way.

Also Sia responds to concerns about her putting a child dancer in the spotlight and later on we'll delve into the BBC Music vault for another Throwback Thursday from years gone by.

Come with us on a journey through time, space and music news.