SHE’S been branded arrogant, entitled and irritating by people who’ve watched her growing up on The Kardashians.
And as I braced myself to listen to North West’s debut EP N0rth4evr, I was expecting to absolutely hate it. But in all honesty, I love it.
The six-track record proves that the 12-year-old daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian does actually have talent.
She mixes heavy-metal guitar riffs with rage-rap and a flavour of the Japanese culture she loves so much.
Critics will argue that having two of the most famous people on the planet as parents would mean she couldn’t produce something that’s utterly rubbish.
But I’d argue North has a flair of originality and authenticity on all the tracks.
She samples Mumford & Sons’ 2009 track Little Lion Man on punchy and pacy Th!s t!me, and the final 28 seconds of W0ah crunching has an electric guitar solo.
For a child who has grown up knowing only fame and privilege, North carries the expectations on her shoulders in her lyrics.
No doubt she’s had a big helping hand, working with American rock siblings Meg and Dia Frampton, but it opens your eyes to what life might really be like as a kid everyone thinks they know.
On How I Feel, North sings: “In the back of the Lamb’, it get lonely, they be all up in my comments like they know me.
“If they approach me no phones please, lot of eyes on me that I don’t need.”
While on Th!s t!me, she raps: “They hear the name, they don’t hear what I’m sayin’.
“They want the fame, but you know I ain’t playin’.”
North4evr links to Kanye’s 2018 track Violent Crimes, where he rapped about protecting daughter North from danger.
On it, she sings: “So much people ’round me, but I know they all fake, so much goin’ in my head that I can’t say.
“Know my minds in a place that is not safe.”
She balances the pitfalls with plenty of not-so- humble brags though, and on D!e boasts about her influence on fashion and culture.
The track, which contains some influences of Post Malone, has her rapping: “How am I younger than you, but I’m who you look up to?
“Once they on trend, I’m already off it.
“I’m a rock star, you could tell by my closet. Once they on trend, I’m already off it.”
The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, clearly.
But North West, she’s definitely on to something.
Beyonce rocks
BEYONCE’s next era is just around the corner – and she’s dropped yet another hint that her new rock-inspired album is waiting.
The singer removed all the country- inspired Cowboy Carter merchandise from her website last night as she prepares to start promoting the record.
Bey also dropped another big clue about the direction she is heading by posting a video on her website of Destiny‘s Child hanging out with Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks on the set of their Bootylicious video from 2001.
As I told you last week, Beyonce is planning to reveal all about her new record around the Met Gala in New York on Monday.
The album, believed to be called Betty Black, is the third in a trilogy of records following on from 2022’s Renaissance and Cowboy Carter in 2024.
We first revealed in July that Beyonce was working on a rock-themed album.
She hinted the record could be called Betty Black in a reclaiming of the African-American work song Black Betty which was remade in 1977 by rock group Ram Jam.
ZAYN MALIK has cancelled shows in Glasgow and Birmingham after telling fans he was ill.
He has also rescheduled the Manchester AO Arena gig to May 24.
His concert at London’s O2 Arena is still planned to take place on May 23.
Zayn said he was recovering and wanted to come back “stronger”.
Roses taxman tussle
THE STONE ROSES have been locked in a secret 13-year battle with the taxman involving their failed touring company.
HMRC has been fighting the indie rockers – who made £26million from two huge reunion tours – over an unpaid £127,000 corporation tax bill from BMSW Ltd.
Over the years, the figure has risen to £158,000. The touring firm collapsed and went into liquidation.
Documents filed at Companies House reveal the Roses tried to close down BMSW Ltd in July 2013 after the end of the first tour, with £10million being distributed to the band after paying a £3.1million tax bill.
But there was a change in HMRC policy, which meant liquidators asked the group – late bassist Gary Mounfield, singer Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire and drummer Alan Wren – for £32,000 each.
That was received badly by the lads, below, who felt “extremely aggrieved” after signing an indemnity protecting them from such a liability.
It meant the firm moved from a member’s voluntary liquidation into a creditor’s voluntary liquidation in 2022 . . . and the battle is still going on.
Graham: Traitors turn-off
GRAHAM NORTON has ruled himself out of Celebrity Traitors – because he fancies the gossip, not the graft.
The chat show host said he would happily take a seat at the famous round table, where contestants accuse each other of back-stabbing.
Graham revealed: “I would say yes to the round table. That looks fabulous.”
But the thought of lugging barrels, climbing hills and wading through muddy missions was clearly a step too far.
He added: “I don’t want to carry s**t up a hill. So for that reason, I’m out.”
Fair play.
Betrayal is glamorous, cardio is not.
Ash African wounds all heeled
ASHLEY ROBERTS has a spring back in her step, after fearing she’d get a whack during the mad I’m A Celebrity live final.
The Pussycat Dolls singer headed home in shades and killer heels after hosting the Heart Breakfast Show in London.
Following her stint in the All Stars version of I’m A Celeb, Ash is getting ready to start rehearsals for the upcoming PCD tour.
She will hit the road with Nicole Scherzinger and Kimberly Wyatt next month, kicking off the North America tour in California.
The group will head back to the UK in September, playing nine shows.
Clues to Tay Story film tune
TAYLOR SWIFT could be heading to infinity . . . and beyond.
The singer appears to have got a track on Toy Story 5, if you follow the trail of clues that have been dropped.
Her website was running a countdown set against the franchise’s famous cloud wallpaper, while the film’s initials just so happen to match her own.
If that wasn’t enough, she was snapped this week dressed head to toe in the classic Toy Story colours of blue, yellow and red. Subtle, Tay.
The timing is just as telling. The movie is due out on June 19, exactly 20 years after she released her first single.
It would also make sense given her close ties with Disney, after striking a deal to stream her Eras Tour film.
Fans will hear the track for the first time today.
False teeth for Harry Potter
DANIEL RADCLIFFE has revealed there was more wizardry behind the scenes of Harry Potter than fans ever clocked – as the young stars had fake teeth.
Movie bosses hired a specialist dentist for him, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint after realising their baby gnashers would start falling out.
Daniel, who was 11 when he was cast, said: “We had a prosthetic dentist who would basically knock up a fake tooth in a day and put it in.
“We could keep filming without missing anything.”
He added: “There’s various points in the first two movies where me, Rupert and Emma all have little fake teeth.”
Cameras could keep rolling without any awkward gaps appearing in the smiles.
Forget spells and potions, the real hero of Hogwarts was clearly the tooth fairy.