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KATY MERRY
Katy Perry’s Lifetimes release date revealed as she opens up about her motherhood, Orlando Bloom and her new dance album
I’m sworn to secrecy on all the details of 143 but there is a killer collaboration and one brilliant track
“IT’S been a long few days,” says Katy Perry as she walks into The Box club in London’s Soho to treat a handpicked posse of her biggest fans to six tracks from upcoming album 143.
But if Katy was feeling apprehensive, she didn’t show it, ordering a Cosmopolitan cocktail, which she takes “pink, low sugar”, before addressing the crowd.
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The first single from the record, Women’s World, didn’t chart as well as she had hoped, but as I join the lucky few to listen to 143, I can tell you with certainty Katy won’t struggle to turn around opinion.
The collection is made for clubs and beach bars and will doubtless become the soundtrack of Ibiza’s summer closing parties following its release on September 20.
Cosmo in hand, Katy explains: “I always wanted to make a dance pop record.
“One third is more dance than I have ever done before. One third is quintessential pop and then one third is rhythmic.”
READ MORE ON KATY PERRY
Lifetimes, the next single from the album, is a nailed-on hit.
I can exclusively reveal it will drop on August 9.
They go bananas
The song is inspired by Katy’s daughter Daisy, three, and the singer’s face bursts into a grin as she talks about her.
She continues: “It is funny how sometimes you’re looking for your soulmate in a partner. It could be a dog, your mum, your best friend, your cat . . . but for me it came in the form of Daisy.
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“I wrote Lifetimes about her. Every night, before we go to sleep, I say, ‘I love you’, and then I ask, ‘Will you find me in every lifetime?’ and she says, ‘Yes’.”
It isn’t the only song inspired by the youngster, who spent the past week in London with her mum, whizzing around on her scooter, adorably oblivious to the fact her parents are one of the world’s most famous couples.
Katy Perry dishes out shots to tourists in Barcelona as she parties hard in Spain
Katy says of her mini muse: “The love I was missing, every mountain I climbed looking for this view, all this love, it came to me when she entered my life.
“Maybe one day you will go on this journey, but you will find this love, it does exist and it will exist for you.”
The singer gets whoops of appreciation from her die-hard fans, including Rylan Clark and Jedward, who are perched on the front row and lap up every word she says.
Katy appears to know the pair well and turns to them to joke: “Don’t cross me for my man, Jedward, he is mine.”
One of the brothers shoots back, “Orlando, step aside”, to which a smiling Katy replies: “It’s going to take a couple of Cosmos, honey.”
Katy hits play on five more never-before-heard songs, including one that reminds me of a tune from Dua Lipa’s latest No1 album, Radical Optimism.
I’m sworn to secrecy on all the details of Katy’s sixth studio album, but there is a killer collaboration plus a brilliant track that features an amazing Eighties sample.
Just over 40 minutes in and The Box was rocking, with Katy ordering bottles of Champagne, white wine and tequila for her fans, which the bar staff duly handed out.
“There’s no f***ing rosé?” Katy shouts, before joking: “It’s been a long time since I had a drink and a mic.”
Katy’s loyal fans, who have been with her since breakthrough album One Of The Boys in 2008, are hooked on her every word.
They go bananas as she teases: “I am so excited to go on tour, let’s sweat together.”
But I can see that Katy is just as intent on listening to them as they scream the names of the tracks they think should follow Lifetimes.
As gracious as she is funny, Katy doesn’t reference the Woman’s World furore but is clear in her sentiment as the playback wraps.
“Thank you for being kind to me and please be kind to everyone else,” she says firmly.
“If you want to represent me, please be kind.”
Speaking to Katy after the playback ends, she clearly practises what she preaches.
As I assure her the fuss will fade and that the album has some of her best work on it, with a squeeze of my arm she praises my accent and warmly thanks me for taking the time to come along and listen.
They say the comeback is always greater than the setback and, in this case, there is no truer statement.
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Vamp's Brad boy
FANS may do a double take when they listen to Bradley Simpson's solo music.
For it’s a bit racier than they might expect.
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Clean-cut boyband The Vamps have never sung anything too close to the bone during their 12 years together.
But frontman Bradley’s debut solo album, which is out next year, will feature the song Carpet Burn – and I imagine you can guess how he got that.
If you need me to spell it out, in one of the verses Brad, left, sings: “We’re lying counting the scars, this one was carpet burn from f***ing in my first car.”
Brad, whose latest single Daisies came out this month, said: “It’s accurate. I think that’s my favourite song on the album. That was one of the last ones I wrote for it.
“I did the majority of the album in New York, so I spent two or three months there last year. All of the songs are very personal and stories of my life.”
Asked if he had played Carpet Burn to the person it was about, he told the Zach Sang Show podcast: “Yeah. But I don’t think there’s anything too . . . She was fine about it.
“I am always a bit nervous about playing songs, but I also think you should absolutely play them to the person before they come out so they’ve got a heads up.”
With a handful of festival shows this summer, he is embarking on a headline tour in the autumn and has just added a third night in London after the first two sold out.
It’s not only his knees that are hot.
This week in Bizness
TODAY: After months of swimwear, snogging and slanging matches, Maya Jama will jet out to Mallorca for one last time to host the Love Island final, live on ITV2 from 9pm.
THURSDAY: Kendal Calling festival returns to Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District.
The four-day event will see gigs by Noel Gallagher, Paolo Nutini, The Streets, Keane and many more.
FRIDAY: Adele will launch her German residency in Munich.
Over the month-long stint she will play ten shows to as many as 800,000 fans and has promised a new setlist from her Las Vegas concerts.
SATURDAY: THE nation’s biggest Pride festival will get under way in Brighton, with a parade, party and festival headlined by Girls Aloud and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Candy a sweet relief for Brooke
SHE has worked as a stylist, tattooist, photographer and even directed an adult film, but Brooke Candy has cemented herself in music with her second album, Candyland Vol 1.
It came out on Thursday and, in an exclusive chat, American Brooke told how it had been a long time coming.
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Brooke, showing off her inkings in this provocative shot to promote the record, said: “It’s like I’m giving birth and I feel like I’ve reached the end of my rope with the art because I worked on it for three years. It truly took my soul.
“So it’s a bittersweet feeling but mainly sweet, because I’m so ready to get it out there.”
On having her fingers in different pies, she explained: “I’ve tried to be a stylist, for Lizzo for instance, I’ve tried to be a photographer behind the scenes, I did it for Charli XCX, and I directed a porno.
“I tried to make as many different forms of art as I could. But I’ve always come back to music.”
After sexual harassment allegations were made against Lizzo last year – which she has denied – Brooke has insisted she is standing by her.
She added: “I hit her up a few months ago and I told her I loved her and I had her back and that she had a really good heart and I was her supporter.
“She was appreciative of that. I toured with her and I met her before she blew up and I was like, ‘This girl is gonna be the biggest artist in the world’.
“I’ve got her back for life.”
We could all do with a friend like that.
Alex in the sin bin
PERRIE Edwards and her fiance Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are worth more than £20million but it’s nice to see they still clash over the little things like taking out the rubbish.
The Tears singer says she is more than happy to clean their home from top to bottom but draws the line when it comes to the rubbish.
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The Tears singer said of the household chore: “It’s something I argue about. I’m like, I’m happy to do all the cleaning. I’ll do it top to bottom, but the bins, it’s not my job.
“There’s something about the bins that I just don’t want to do. So I’m like, ‘Can you just do the bins?’ And then he never does them. Then they’ll overflow and I’ll be petty and leave it, and then I’m just like, ‘Oh, I may as well just do it myself’. It gets to that stage.”
I often find myself in the same situation with my partner, Perrie, so I feel your pain.
Cal's been to Hull and back
CALUM SCOTT has already clocked up 2.7million streams for his new single Roots since it’s release earlier this month.
And he has his carefree days in Hull to thank for it.
The singer, who has been touring the world for the past 12 months, told me the track explains that nothing beats days back home.
Calum said: “I wrote Roots as a reminder of the good times and the carefree moments that take you back to a place of nostalgia and memories of loved ones immortalised in pure elation.
“It’s a lyrical reflection of a yearning for times gone by and the realisation that my roots are my family, my friends, my city, the people and the places that raised me.”
As for his favourite things about the North East city? A local salt for his chips and a cuppa
Calum added: “I love chip spice. It’s made in Hull and just great. It’s a mixture of Paprika, onion and garlic.
“And it goes without saying a good old strong northern brew.”
Elliot fans all shook up
FANS of Elvis Presley can’t help falling in love with rising star Elliot James Reay.
The singer-songwriter from Bury, Greater Manchester, is rapidly gaining traction online after releasing debut single I Think They Call This Love a week ago.
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The tune has had almost two million Spotify streams and backed more than 13,000 videos on TikTok.
Elliot said: “Growing up with the sounds of Elvis, Roy Orbison and Billy Fury really shaped my love for music.
“I’ve been lucky to share that passion over the last couple of years on social media with over three million amazing fans.
“This song means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll find your own connection to it.”
Nic of time
NICOLE SCHERZINGER dazzled after being saved from a wardrobe disaster.
The former Pussycat Doll had no outfit for her gig at Dream Fest music festival in Baku after her luggage got lost on her flight to Azerbaijan from Hawaii.
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But local designer Rufat Ismail came to the rescue, working overnight to design, create and fly in six custom dresses for her to choose from – including this jewelled black gown.
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A source close to Nicole said: “Despite losing her luggage Nicole remained in high spirits and the people of Azerbaijan looked after her.
“Partying into the early hours, Nicole expressed her appreciation of being so well looked after and said she hadn’t been treated like this for years.
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