• Grammys 2015 Song of the Year Nominees: Who Should Win, Will Win

    Song of the Year is perhaps the crux of the whole "The Grammys only care about Top 40 music" argument. Album of the Year and Record of the Year can be judged on sales without much moral handwringing, but Song of the Year? The actual craft of writing a song that resonates with millions while building upon centuries of human achievement? The Grammy 2015 nominees include Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor, and we will tell you who should win and who will win.

  • Tom Petty Issues Statement on Sam Smith "Stay With Me," "I Won't Back Down" Songwriting Credit: "The Word Lawsuit Was Never Even Said"

    It's been a week filled with controversy for Tom Petty and Sam Smith. On Monday (Jan. 26), Petty was given a songwriting credit on Smith's breakout In The Lonely Hour single "Stay With Me," due to similarities between that track and Petty's 1989 single "I Won't Back Down." And despite the flurry of media attention about the news, both Smith and Petty have dismissed the matter as really not a big deal.

  • Sam Smith Talks Adele, Sexuality, Giving Beyoncé His Album of the Year Grammy

    Sam Smith is gearing up for what will be the biggest night of his career so far. The English pop star is not only up for multiple awards at the Grammys -- including Album of the Year -- but will also be performing at the show, which airs Sunday, Feb. 8. Last year was huge for the singer, who conquered the charts with his debut "In the Lonely Hour" thanks largely to the standout single "Stay With Me." In a new interview with "Rolling Stone," Smith talks about comparisons to Adele, his sexuality and why he will give Beyoncé the Album of the Year Award if he wins.

  • Sam Smith Discusses Taylor Swift, Frank Sinatra & Being an Old Soul in New 'GQ' Interview

    Sam Smith is nothing if not an old soul. Not only is his debut album In The Lonely Hour an instant classic, with heartbreaking anthems like "Stay With Me" and "I'm Not The Only One," but he's got an elegance about him that seems like it's from another era - and he's aware of that. In a new interview with GQ, Smith opens up about his desire for another time, strive for perfection and his surprising love for one very modern pop star, Taylor Swift.

  • Fall Out Boy and Meghan Trainor Set January Mark with New Albums on Billboard 200, while Taylor Swift Stays Comfortable

    Fall Out Boy and a slew of other new albums broke the dam and brought forth a flood of debuts back onto the Billboard 200 after the holiday sales lull. That band's American Beauty/American Psycho premiered at no. 1 with 218,000 equivalent albums sold, and its 192,000 actual album sales teamed with Meghan Trainor's debut last week for the first pair of albums released during January to top 150,000 apiece since 2010. American Beauty marked a significant uptick in sales from the band's 2013 album Save Rock and Roll.

  • Disclosure and Rudimental Announces 2-Day Wildlife Festival Featuring Sam Smith, Wu-Tang Clan, George Ezra and more

    Disclosure (real names Guy and Howard Lawrence) has been quiet of late, but their meteoric rise over the past two years has been remarkable, coinciding with pop's convergence with deep house in the UK and to a degree in the United States. With the added spotlight, fame and resources, the "You & Me" producers have the ability expand their live event brand WILD LIFE to something greater then what it has been in the past — a one off show that features either just Disclosure or Guy and Howard and a few friends. They have announced a brand new WILD LIFE Festival this summer with the help of their friends UK soulful drum n bass group Rudimental. "Latch" singer Sam Smith, Wu-Tang Clan and George Ezra, will headline the festival.

  • Forecastle 2015 Lineup: Sam Smith, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Jacket Headlining

    With the Snowmageddon 2015 all bluster and hype (unless you live in Boston), summer feels like it's practically around the corner. If you haven't spent all of your festival money so far, another outdoor massive is looking for your time and cash this summer. Louisville, Kentucky based festival, Forecastle, has released the first wave of artists who will be performing this summer. Louisville's own My Morning Jacket, in addition to Modest Mouse, Sam Smith and Widespread Panic, will headline the Kentucky festival.

  • Sam Smith Calls Tom Petty 'Stay With Me' Drama 'Coincidence'

    Two more co-writers have been given credit for one of 2014's biggest hits, "Stay With Me." Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, of Electric Light Orchestra, were added to the list of song creators after similarities were spotted between the Sam Smith ballad and "I Won't Back Down." Representatives for the young singer admitted to hearing similarities, but they want to make it clear that it is all just a big coincidence, "Rolling Stone" noted. Furthermore, Petty is not eligible for a Grammy.

  • Sam Smith Ignores Howard Sterns Comments About Him Finding Success Despite Being "Chubby And Gay"

    Sam Smith has had a whirlwind year, going from "that guy who sings on that Disclosure song" to a full-on superstar. Interestingly, the transition happened with little talk of his sexuality. It wasn't until the June issue of The Fader that his sexuality was even brought up. Even then, Smith considered it a non-issue. But not everyone feels that way. While doing a countdown of radio's top songs, Howard Stern voiced his surprise over Smith's success while also giving him a backhanded compliment.

  • Sam Smith "Stay With Me": Vocalist Pays Tom Petty Royalties on Hit Single for "I Won't Back Down" Similarity

    Sam Smith's "2014" was one one of the bestselling songs of 2014, and perhaps its had a little too much in common with "I Won't Back Down," another classic by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. It was revealed earlier this week that the soul vocalist has been paying royalties to Petty as a songwriter for the song, although not with all of the legal drama we often associate with similar tunes, such as the ongoing lawsuit between the Marvin Gaye estate and Robin Thicke comparing the 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" with that soul singer's "Got To Give It Up."

  • Sam Smith, Boyfriend Jonathan Zeizel Break Up: "Stay With Me" Singer Announces Split Before "Like I Can" Performance on Tour

    They seemed to have it all: a music video, a trip to Sea World in Australia over Christmas, dashing good looks - but it seems like crooner and Grammy nominee Sam Smith couldn't make his new boyfriend Jonathan Zeizel stay with him. On Tuesday night (Jan. 20) at a concert in Toronto, the "I'm Not The Only One" singer announced that he and his man of one month had broken up.

  • Meghan Trainor Just Short of 200,000 Albums with 'Title,' Mark Ronson and Jazmine Sullivan Both Debut High for RCA Records

    It's that time again, where Music Times break down the difference between the Billboard 200 and who actually moved the albums. This week's crown belongs to Meghan Trainor of course, who came up just short of the 200,000 album mark with Title. As we mentioned yesterday with the 200 roundup, it's the biggest sales debut from a solo performer since Susan Boyle released her first album during 2009.
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