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Mel C has pulled out of a gig in Poland, saying she has been made aware of some issues that do not align with the communities she supports.

The singer, whose real name is Melanie Chisholm, was due to perform for the Polish state broadcaster on New Year’s Eve as a special guest.

She told fans on social media that she would no longer be performing.

“In light of some issues that have been brought to my attention, that do not align with the communities I support, I’m afraid I will no longer be able to perform in Poland as planned on New Year’s Eve,” she said.

“I hope to be back there very soon.”

Sky News has approached Chisholm’s representatives for comment.

Although it is not clear what the issues are, Chisholm is widely known as a big ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

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At the British LGBT Awards last year, Chisholm was presented with the celebrity ally award.

Poland was recently found to have the worst protections for LGBTQ+ people in the European Union, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

Same-sex marriage is not recognised in the majority Catholic country, while some regions of Poland enacted largely symbolic, same-sex free zones, prompting ambassadors of more than 50 countries to protest the move.

Andrzej Duda, the president, has also vowed to ban LGBTQ+ teaching in schools, as well as prevent same-sex couples from adopting children.

Broadcaster TVP has not commented on Chisholm’s cancellation, but has removed the post announcing her performance from its social media accounts.

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Rod Stewart to play Glastonbury’s legend slot

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Rod Stewart to play Glastonbury's legend slot

Rod Stewart will be a headliner at Glastonbury next year year, the festival has announced.

Stewart, 79, will play the Sunday teatime legend slot.

The Do Ya Think I’m Sexy singer is the first act to be announced.

He announced the news on Instagram, writing: “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing Glastonbury Festival 2025! After all these years, I’m proud and ready and more than able to take the stage again to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury in June. I’ll see you there!”

Sir Rod will be 80 when the festival takes place between 25 and 29 June next year on Worthy Farm in Somerset.

Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis shared the same image of Sir Rod a few minutes later, with the message: “Bringing Sir Rod Stewart back for the Sunday afternoon slot on the Pyramid Stage is everything we could wish for.

“What a way to bow out with the final legends slot before we take a fallow year. We cannot wait.”

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2026 will be a fallow year for Glastonbury (a year off), with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.

Sir Rod – who is known for hits including Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Sailing – previously headlined the festival in 2002 alongside Coldplay and Stereophonics.

Sir Rod first rose to fame as frontman of 1970s rockers the Faces, alongside now-Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood along with Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones. They formed after the break-up of the Small Faces.

He’s also performed and recorded with the Jeff Beck Group appearing on the albums Truth and Beck-Ola.

Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster
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Sir Rod with his wife Penny Lancaster

Sir Rod has gone on to have 25 UK top 10 singles and 38 UK top 10 albums as a solo artist. His career spans six decades.

In 2016 he was knighted at Buckingham Palace for his services to music and charity.

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Drake claims UMG and Spotify schemed together to boost Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us diss track

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Drake claims UMG and Spotify schemed together to boost Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us diss track

Drake has alleged that Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify artificially boosted Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us diss track, that was aimed at him.

Lawyers representing the Canadian artist’s firm Frozen Moments LLC filed a legal petition at a court in Manhattan on Monday making the claims.

It comes after Drake and Lamar, who are both signed to UMG labels, had a high-profile feud earlier this year, targeting one another with diss tracks.

This included Lamar’s Not Like Us single which has been streamed almost 900 million times and savagely attacked Drake, making serious allegations against him and those close to him.

The song proved to be a big hit as the row between the two hip-hop giants spilled into the public realm.

Such disagreements are not unusual in hip-hop but this one came between two artists who had previously collaborated on a number of songs.

‘Contrived and absurd legal arguments’

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Drake has claimed that UMG worked to inflate the streams and radio plays of the diss track “to maximise” profits.

He claimed that UMG and Spotify artificially boosted the track’s streams “including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements”.

In a statement to Sky News, UMG sharply denied the allegations, with a spokesperson calling them “offensive and untrue”.

They added: “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.

“No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

In the legal petition, representatives of Drake claim: “It [UMG] instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, ‘Not Like Us’, in order to make that song go viral.”

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It also claimed that UMG charged Spotify lower licensing rates than usual to play the song and that Spotify recommended the song to users searching for other content.

The petition also cites the claims of one individual made on a “popular podcast” that he was paid to use bots to inflate the song’s streams.

It also alleges that Apple digital assistant Siri “purposely misdirect[ed] users to ‘Not Like Us'” citing “online sources”.

Monday’s filing is not a full lawsuit but a pre-action petition – a procedure in New York that aims to secure information ahead of a lawsuit.

It isn’t clear if the proceedings will progress to a full lawsuit.

Sky News has approached Spotify and Apple for comment.

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Ed Sheeran apologises to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after interrupting Sky interview

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Ed Sheeran apologises to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after interrupting Sky interview

Ed Sheeran has apologised to Manchester United’s new manager for interrupting him during a live Sky Sports interview.

Ruben Amorim was speaking after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when the singer walked up to hug analyst Jamie Redknapp.

His intervention brought the interview to a halt before Redknapp told Sheeran to “come and say hello in a minute”.

Some people on social media said Sheeran had been “rude” and called for him to apologise.

Pic: AP
Image:
Sheeran celebrates during the match. Pic: AP

“Apologies if I offended Amorim yesterday, didn’t actually realise he was being interviewed at the time, was popping to say hi and bye to Jamie,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram.

“Obvz feel a bit of a bellend but life goes on. Great game though, congrats on all involved.”

The game at Portman Road was Amorim’s first since he left Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon to take over at United.

Marcus Rashford scored after two minutes before Omari Hutchinson equalised for the home side.

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Sheeran, a lifelong Ipswich fan, holds a minority stake in the club.

He was pictured celebrating after Hutchinson’s goal.

Last week Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton said Sheeran helped the club sign a new player in the off-season by taking a Zoom call with him just before he went on stage with Taylor Swift.

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