LEWIS Capaldi celebrated the end of two triumphant sets at BST Hyde Park with a massive boozing session with singer pal Jacob Alon.
Insiders spotted the Scottish Beyonce hitting The Golden Lion Bar backstage with a big group of family and friends who had travelled down from across the border to celebrate with him.
A source said: “Lewis and Jacob hit the bar hard on Sunday night, and that was after he sank a few with Sam Fender after their performance on Saturday.
“He was really in the mood to party, and so was his family.
“Lewis’s dad Mark became the most popular bloke backstage after buying a round of beers for the people working at the Yeti Coffee van.
“It was a massive party atmosphere.
“On Sunday, Lewis took the time to go around every artist on the line-up to thank them for taking part.
A sopurce said: “He is the sweetest bloke in music and everyone backstage was grabbing selfies or drinking beers with him.”
On stage for his final night in London, Lewis was dishing out his best banter, joking with the crowd: “I won’t be around for long because I’m grossly overweight. KFC, KFC, Burger King . . .”
But giving fans something to get excited about, he added: “I’m going to go away after the summer and make an album for everybody, and when I come back, I hope you’re all still here.”
Lewis’s last album was 2023’s Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, which gave him his second UK No1 album and spawned three UK No1 singles in Forget Me, Pointless, and Wish You The Best.
That same year, he struggled to make it through his Glastonbury Pyramid Stage set due to a Tourette’s flare-up, then took time off.
Insisting he’s now in a good place, he told the Hyde Park crowd: “I just want to say there was a point where I never thought this would be possible again.
“But we are here and we are playing it and we are having a great time.
“Having said that, there was a time where things were really bad.
“I have played in London a bunch of times and there has been a bunch of times that I haven’t really been enjoying it.
“But to be sat up here and to be honestly able to say that I’m f***ing having a buzz up here is a really special thing.”
It’s great to see him back on top form.
Ella showing decks appeal
Ella Eyre is adding a new string to her bow as she works on the follow-up to her last album, Everything In Time.
During an exclusive chat backstage at BST Hyde Park, Ella said: “I’m starting to dabble with DJ-ing so that’s opening up a whole new world.
“What I’ve realised is that the music I love and listen to is not what I’m known for, and it’s allowed me to expand my ability to perform on stage in a different way. Watch this space.
“That stuff might come into play more in the next couple of years. I might be moving to Ibiza. Who knows?”
Everything, In Time, which came out last November, was the long-awaited follow-up to her debut record, 2015’s Feline.
Ella confirmed she has started working on new music, explaining: “I’m writing the next album now. I’m going to take my time with it to make sure it’s what I want it to be, but I don’t want it to take as long as the last one took.
“To go back to the drawing board is kind of scary and daunting, but I’m learning to be cut-throat.”
She added: “I can be quite bull-headed in the way that I approach things, so finding different avenues to express myself has really helped.”
Ella, who performed as a support act for Maroon 5 at BST at the start of the month, has more live shows coming up and joked she is simply looking forward to sleeping in her own bed again soon.
She revealed: “I cannot travel without noise-cancelling headphones because you don’t know who you end up sleeping near in the bus, and we have some snorers.
That’s my worst nightmare.
Kesha had the most “zen” backstage area at BST Hyde Park to help keep her calm.
She had her own private oasis created behind the main stage before her set supporting Pitbull on Friday night.
An insider explained: “Kesha made her own tranquil paradise amid the madness of the festival.
“She had loads of plants on her rider, which were turned into a little garden for her to relax in.
“It was the most laid-back set up ever seen at BST.”
Zen’s Greek chic
Zendaya looked ready for battle in strappy gladiator-style heels as she continued her never-ending press tour in New York.
She wore an ivory minidress as she made her way to a telly appearance to promote Christopher Nolan’s new epic The Odyssey, which hits cinemas on Friday. The premiere comes ahead of the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which Zendaya also stars in, less than a fortnight later.
She appears opposite husband Tom Holland in both films, and it was Tom who gave her the news that she’d been cast as Athena in the adaptation of Homer’s Ancient Greek epic.
Zendaya said Tom, who plays Telemachus, the son of the main character Odysseus, handed her a script, recalling: “He [Nolan] was like, ‘Read it again.’ And I was like, ‘OK.’
“And he was like, ‘But now, think of Athena.’ I was like, ‘Stop right now! You’re joking!’
“He was allowed to be the one to tell me, and that was really special.”
Ed Sheeran is teaming up with the Government to support its Music in Libraries programme.
The Ed Sheeran Foundation will aid the rollout of £12.5 million in government funding which will create dedicated music spaces in public libraries across England.
The Shape of You singer met with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy last year when they visited not-for-profit music and arts organisation Brighten The Corners in his home county of Suffolk..
Ed Sheeran Foundation CEO Dr Renuka Fernando said: “The Music in Libraries programme is an important step forward for music education.
“By expanding access to music beyond the classroom, our library network can help ensure that children and young people from communities across England have the opportunity to engage with music, regardless of where they live.”
Move to USA? Leigh-Anne has mixed feelings
Leigh-Anne Pinnock is in a tussle with her husband over relocating to the US because she doesn’t feel appreciated in the UK.
The Little Mix star said she wants to move to New York to further her solo music career, but footballer Andre Gray isn’t convinced.
Leigh-Anne, who is pregnant with her third child, said: “In the UK, I think there’s a lot of black female artists that aren’t getting the support they deserve, and people are coming to America for that reason.
“I definitely feel like there’s a market here for me and a fanbase that I can keep nurturing, but I have to be here.
“I’ll be honest, it is really hard with kids.
“My girls go to school in the UK. If I come here, I can only really do two weeks at a time.
“I want to move to New York, but my husband doesn’t want to.”
During an appearance on the Relations**t podcast, she also opened up about how filming her stint for the upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors helped her get away from toxic social media.
Leigh-Anne explained: “I didn’t realise how bad my mental health was until I came away from it.
“I filmed Traitors recently and didn’t have my phone, and I had a really good cleanse.
“I think social media is not made for mental health. It was really affecting me.”
Rihanna, and Bey help Jay-Z
Jay-Z pulled out all the stops at his New York show on Sunday, despite the fact it started four hours late.
It was after midnight before he arrived on stage at the Yankee Stadium, but he more than made up for it by bringing out special guests Rihanna, Usher and Beyonce.
Rihanna, who hasn’t performed since 2024 but sang Run This Town and Bitch Better Have My Money with Jay, told the crowd: “Y’all know I’m rusty, right? It’s been a while.”
She added: “I miss this s**t y’all. I love you guys.”
Other musicians who joined him during the two-and-a-half hour show included Teyana Taylor, Jermaine Dupri, Jeezy, The Dream, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys.
However, given it didn’t end until 3am, I’m sure there were plenty of sore heads in the Big Apple yesterday.
Formula 1 fans are in for a treat after McLaren Racing announced a one-off show at London’s O2 Arena featuring top drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The pair will be interviewed on stage, alongside other McLaren F1 talent, about the racing season. Tickets for the event, on December 14, go on sale on Friday.
New star on the Ho-Z1on
New artist Z1ON has already secured the backing of some of the biggest names in the industry, despite only dropping a couple of tracks online.
The rising star will this week release his new song Magazine Girl – with Cruz and Romeo Beckham backing him for success.
Last week, he was spotted with Rita Ora on a night out in London, while Liam Gallagher recently took to X to brand him a “spiritual dream weaver”.
I have no idea what that actually means, but I guess we are about to find out.
Chaka out Alex
Ain’t Nobody compares to Alexandra Burke as she transforms into Chaka Khan for the US singer’s biographical musical, I’m Every Woman.
The Broken Heels singer beamed at the curtain call at 3 Mills Studios in East London during a special preview of the show, ahead of its launch at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, which kicks off next Wednesday and runs until September 27.
It’s a full-circle moment for Alexandra, whose late mum Melissa encouraged her to audition for The X Factor with Chaka’s song Ain’t Nobody back in 2008.
She said: “It’s very emotional being here. But I really feel and believe this is a gift from my mum.”