Pop Music

WHEN it comes to having A-list siblings, these two nepo-sisters are at the top of their game.

The two women, who both have popstars for sisters, looked incredible as they stepped into their spotlight at London Fashion Week – but can you guess who they are related to?

The nepo-sisters in question are Rita Ora‘s sister Elena, 37, and Dua Lipa‘s little sis Rina, 24,

The pair were spotted posing for the cameras at London Fashion Week.

Dua’s sister Rina looked chic in white trousers and a striking turquoise jacket.

The aspiring model was spotted at the after party for the Burberry 2026 show.

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Meanwhile, Rita’s big sister Elena looked stunning in a black cut-away dress at the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, which was held at posh hotel, Claridge’s.

At another London Fashion Week event earlier in the week, she looked equally incredible in a black and gold dress.

Elena works as Rita’s talent manager, creative director, and business partner.

The pair are extremely close, and the popstar involves her big sister in every aspect of her life.

Rita was just a year old when her parents moved her and three-year-old Elena to the UK to escape persecution in Kosovo.

But the pair have gone onto become a sibling powerhouse.

Rita has had Elena by her side since she shot to fame in 2012.

Elena previously said that her little sister’s success is a “team celebration” for both of them, as she has been such a big part of her fame.

“I get as proud of the success as Rita does. But I guess the public only sees her reaction to it,” Elena told Idris and Sabrina Elba on the Coupledom podcast, when she chatted to them in 2021 with Rita.

“It feels like a team thing. Obviously the public just sees Rita, but to us that’s just how it is, you know?”

Rita added: “Elena is really good at protecting me. I think that is so important in this industry.”

Together the sisters have negotiated movie roles, fashion brand deals and lucrative TV contracts.

But the sisters admitted on the podcast that there has often been a battle for Elena to be taken seriously.

“It’s really tough in such a male dominated industry to really stand up for yourselves and navigate this s**t,” Rita candidly admitted.

“What do they expect people in power to look like? There’s not an identity.”

Continuing, proud sister Rita said of Elena:“But she’s never lost her cool. She’s always kept it very together.” Rita says she has always had the same trusted people around her in her career.

“I try to keep my team very small. I don’t really like change. That’s why I’ve had the same team for over 10 years. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

The star siblings also thrilled fans in 2023 when they appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together, with fans hailing them “the most beautiful sisters”.

Meanwhile, Dua Lipa‘s sister Rina is forging a career as a model

The rising star has done well for herself and has already worked with fashion houses like Miu Miu and Versace.

The model has also walked the runway at the prestigious Milan Fashion Week.

Rina has also set her sights on becoming an actress.

Speaking about going on auditions, she told Nylon: “There’s something about walking into the room and saying, ‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ and having that energy and that aura and that little repertoire between people.

“You can leave feeling like you had a connection if you walk in and you’re a bit bubbly and you are happy to be there. I’m really happy to do really fun auditions. Even if I don’t get the job, that’s absolutely fine.”

Rina got her first taste of fame when her big sister pulled her and their younger brother Gjin up on stage at the Brit Awards.

It came in 2018, when the singer won the Best Female Solo Artist gong and invited her siblings to join her accepting the award,

Speaking to Off Set about the sweet moment, Dua said: “I didn’t even know what I was gonna say onstage and I was like, ‘Come with me! You two — with me.

“They were so terrified. When we got offstage, my little brother and sister were like, ‘Why did you do that to us?’ ”

“They were like, ‘We love you, but that’s crazy. Don’t do that one again.;”

IT’S FAIR to say that Robbie Williams’ iconic song Angels is the most famous of his back catalogue and always gets everyone singing.

However, the man who claims to have originally wrote the song almost 30 years ago has reignited the decades old feud this week as he gave fans the inside story in a slew of new TikTok videos.

Irish singer-songwriter Ray Heffernan has always maintained that he wrote the first version of Angels in 1996.

However, although former Take That star Robbie confirmed that he recorded a demo with Ray, he has maintained he rewrote it significantly with Guy Chambers.

The singer also bought the rights to Angels from Ray for £7,500 before it was released in 1997.

However, over the years there has been a lot of bad blood between the two men concerning the song, and this week the feud over the iconic tune was reignited.

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It came when Robbie appeared on Radio 2 to talk about his debut album, and said: “I spoke a lot about the album I wanted to make, but the one I did make was Life Through A Lens.

“My memories of making it are, it took me less than two weeks with Guy Chambers to write the whole album.

“That didn’t necessarily mean that it was going to be a success. My album came out and it sold 33,000 copies in three months and that is not what EMI expected to do.”

Continuing with his story, the singer said: “I was about to be dropped and then fortunately I dropped The Angels, didn’t I?

“And it gave me the career that I’ve got today. I’m incredibly grateful for that song.”

But it was this last comment that appeared to really annoy Ray.

Sharing a POV video, the songwriter was seen on his couch reacting in response to Robbie’s comment about Angels, as he wagged his finger at the video and tutted with disapproval.

Since then, Ray has been dropping videos on TikTok, where he has been talking about Angels and how he “signed his rights away” to the song.

He also posted a throwback video of Robbie from 1997 where the singer talked about how he “wrote Angels in a couple of hours”.

Ray captioned the short clip with: “Body language never lies.”

The Sun has reached out to representatives of Robbie Williams for comment.

The last time the pair’s Angels feud was reignited was three years ago – again following Rob’s comments about writing the song.

It came after Ray was left incensed after listening to a Gary Barlow podcast in 2023 where the subject of who wrote Angels popped up again.

Robbie told his former Take That bandmate: “I was off my head basically, the record company has spent a lot of money signing me.

“I made a big song and dance about leaving Take That and wanting to do my own thing, and I hadn’t done anything.

“I thought I’d better get down to it, figure out my voice, and whether I can actually do this … I was at my sister’s house in the garden with a pen and a paper and I thought, right then, I’d better come up with something..(so I wrote) ‘I sit and wait .”…

Robbie then reportedly branded Ray a “fantasist” in the comments section of the podcast, after the songwriter revealed he was unhappy with what had been said.

Ray told The Irish Sun at the time: “How can Robbie Williams call me a fantasist?

“I have always maintained that as a young man, I wrote a song with Robbie, that went on to become his hit song Angels and my story of how that came about has never changed.

“Robbie now says publicly that I’m a fantasist. My question is what part of this am I making up?”

Ray also previously shared with The Irish Sun a picture featuring himself, Robbie and his family on the day he says they wrote the song together.

It was during Christmas 1996 when he met the singer in Dublin’s Globe pub.

Later the same evening, Ray claims that he invited Robbie around to his mum’s place to hear a song he’d just written.

Ray recalled: “We didn’t waste any time, starting that night where I got the guitar out in my mum’s house and played him this song I had been working on.

“This picture was taken the next night day when we played this new song. Robbie loved the song so much, he booked a studio to record his own version the next day.”

A few months later, Ray found out that Robbie was going to record Angels for his next album.

“I contacted Robbie’s management and his people said they would give us an amount of money if I signed a waiver denouncing any rights I had to the song,” he told us.

Robbie later worked on the song Angels with songwriter Guy Chambers.

The song went on to become the singer’s biggest selling single to date AND one of the biggest songs of the 90s.

Speaking about selling the rights to the song, Ray said: “I accepted a deal worth £7,500 to pay me for ‘all and any creative input’ into the song.

“I have the legal documents to prove it. So I am not making this up. You could certainly call me a dreamer in life but not a fantasist. I have never lied about this story, and every part of it is true”.

Back in 2017, Robbie defended the decision to pay Ray for Angels.

“We could have gone to court, and it all would have been down to whether what way the judge wakes up that day out of bed … So I gave him some money, and he went away,” the singer said.

“LINDA looks so beautiful, so cool,” says Paul McCartney.

He’s just been watching a film about the decade of his life after The Beatles broke up — and it is filled with images of his much-missed first wife.

“The Linda stuff was very emotional,” he admits at the Man On The Run launch event in London.

“Linda, the kids, me and John [Lennon] — all these memories. It’s like my life flashing in front of me.”

Macca is talking to an intimate gathering that includes his daughter Stella, son James, superfan Noel Gallagher and the actor who will play him in a forthcoming biopic, Paul Mescal. Oh, and me.

He continues: “Seeing me and Linda interacting is special because, you know, she’s not here.

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“So is seeing the kids when they were little, because they’re not little any more. They’ve got kids of their own now.”

The film stirs memories of forming his own band, Wings, with Linda in 1971, prompting this from McCartney: “We tried to follow The Beatles — it’s mad!”

It also brings into sharp focus his relationship with Lennon, which broke down in the wake of The Beatles split but, as we see, they reconciled shortly before John’s death.

Directed by Oscar-winning Morgan Neville, Man On The Run is a masterpiece of ­documentary storytelling.

Rich in source material, partly because Linda was a professional photographer who also shot home movies, it is raw, heartfelt, funny, poignant and, crucially, not remotely sugar-coated.

Before the screening starts, Sir Paul, looking fit and well for his 83 years, strolls on to the stage and quips: “I just want to say thank you to Morgan for keeping in all the embarrassing moments that I asked him to take out.”

But let’s get back to the big ­question: How DO you follow The Beatles?

It was a conundrum that weighed heavily on McCartney as the ­Swinging Sixties drew to a close.

As he puts it himself in the movie, the first thing he did was “escape” and then he had to learn how “to grow up”.

He had married American Linda Eastman in March, 1969, at Marylebone Town Hall, London, and soon afterwards adopted her daughter Heather from a previous marriage.

McCartney was still only 27 when, on April 10, 1970, he told the world that he, John Lennon, George ­Harrison and Ringo Starr were going their separate ways.

The announcement came amid acrimony over the band’s crooked business manager Allen Klein, favoured at the time by John and the others but later described by Paul as “a sort of demon”.

It was all over for the band of four likely lads from Liverpool who changed popular culture for ever.

In private, McCartney had known for months that his songwriting partner Lennon was leaving.

“John broke up The Beatles,” Macca affirms in Man On The Run. “But I got the rap. And that’s a bit of a weight to bear.”

Around the same time as ­Lennon’s bombshell, in late 1969, there were rumours across the US and around the world that “Beatle Paul may be dead”.

There’s a hilarious moment in the film when his younger brother Mike is asked whether it’s true.

“It’s a hoax, it’s a con,” he exclaims, before being asked when was the last time he saw his brother.

Mike replies: “The last time? It was his funeral, I think!”

It turned out that McCartney had the perfect bolthole, in an archetypal middle of nowhere, to hide away and reset his life.

In 1966, he had bought High Park Farm, a 183-acre sheep farm on the Mull of Kintyre (yes, that explains the song) in Argyllshire, only reached via a “long and winding” track.

With its corrugated iron roof and general state of dilapidation, it was, as someone in the film points out, the sort of place a poor farm labourer might baulk at accepting.

But, as the Sixties ebbed to a close, Paul, Linda, their daughters, Heather and baby Mary, plus their Old English Sheepdog ­Martha decamped to the Scottish wilds.

In the movie, McCartney suggests, “We got up there to escape”, and ponders whether he would write “another note of music” before confessing to drowning himself in one wee dram of Scotch after another.

But, with the responsibility of supporting a young family on his shoulders, he realised that “it was a question of HAVING to grow up”.

At the Man On The Run launch, McCartney reflects: “With The Beatles, we were just lads. Everyone, all our management, used to call us ‘the boys’.

“Then I got married and then there was a baby [Mary] on the way.

“I had to grow up. I thought, ‘We can’t just be these ‘boys’ any more’. It was time to think about stuff.

“Even though the film is kind of madcap and you see all our insane decisions, in the background there were some sensible decisions, too.”

He remembers how Linda was his guiding light through those years.

“If there was an idea that was a little bit crazy, I’d say, ‘Should I do that? Could I do that?’ She’d say, ‘It’s allowed’. It was a brilliant philosophy in life.”

Director Neville picks up on this theme: “I looked into the questions Paul was trying to ask of himself, questions that I felt were universal.

“How do you deal with your own legacy and the expectations people have of you? How do you balance your career with your family?

“In Paul’s case, he made them one and the same. And that, I thought, was completely inspirational.”

Though Kintyre provided a necessary respite from the dazzling glare of publicity, Macca has never been far away from making music. It’s in his blood.

In 1970, he released his debut solo album, simply titled McCartney, with its intimate DIY aesthetic and featuring at least two songs with his beloved partner in mind — The Lovely Linda and Maybe I’m Amazed.

In 1971, he formed Wings with ex-Moody Blues musician Denny Laine and, controversially, Linda, who until that point had little or no experience, as core members.

Rehearsals for their debut album Wild Life took place at Macca’s converted barn in Scotland, dubbed Rude Studio.

It felt to him as if he was starting over, at the bottom of the pile.

“It was so impossible to do something like that,” he says today.

“Just go back to square one, show up at a university, don’t book hotels, take the dogs in a van. For some reason, we thought it was a great idea!”

If Wings took time to take flight, everything changed in 1973 when they released third album Band On The Run, loaded with classic tunes such as the title track, Jet and Let Me Roll It.

Recorded in extraordinary ­circumstances at EMI’s studio in Lagos, Nigeria, not far from where Paul and Linda were mugged at knifepoint, it paved the way for ­stadium-sized shows in America.

Without the McCartneys’ sojourn to Scotland, there would have been no Mull Of Kintyre, which, at the time of its release in 1977, became the biggest selling single of all time.

A “love song” to that remote idyll, it featured Great Highland bagpipes played so passionately by the local Campbeltown Pipe Band.

Yet, interwoven with stories of Wings’ upward trajectory, there are musings on McCartney’s strained relationship with Lennon during the Seventies.

We’re reminded of John’s caustic song How Do You Sleep?, directed at Paul with its line, “The only thing you done was yesterday”.

And there’s his old buddy left thinking, “Aside from Yesterday, what about Eleanor Rigby, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, Let It Be and the rest?”

Macca says: “As it shows in the film, I knew John from a very early age — we were just a couple of rock and roll fans.

“We enjoyed hanging out together and we started writing little songs round at my place.

“My dad had a pipe in his drawer. So we thought we’d smoke it. We couldn’t find any tobacco so we smoked tea! We had all those ­memories in common.

“Then we went through the whole trajectory of The Beatles. But John was always just that guy to me, even when he was being really mean and I was having to take it.

“At the same time, it was like, ‘Yeah, it’s just John, he does that’. He’d always done that — so that made it a little bit easier.

“But I loved him, you know. I loved all the guys in The Beatles.

“I try and think of how else it could have been, but with just me, John, George and Ringo, it was a magic grouping. And we did OK!”

Near the end of Man On The Run, you see McCartney being confronted by camera crews about the shocking death of Lennon, who had been shot the day before outside the Dakota Building apartment he shared with partner Yoko Ono in New York.

Macca was criticised at the time for a rather cool, unemotional response — but one look in his eyes reveals his utter devastation.

As for the aforementioned “embarrassing moments” on display in the film, they are what make it so refreshing and endearing.

Hence you see McCartney singing Mary Had A Little Lamb wearing a red clown’s nose with Wings guitarist Henry McCullough looking as if he wants the earth to swallow him.

There’s a moustachioed Paul in a baggy pink suit performing the cabaret-style Gotta Sing Gotta Dance, complete with dancing girls, for his 1973 variety show.

And what about him getting ­busted by Japanese cops in 1980 for having 219g of cannabis in his luggage, spending nine days in custody before being booted out of the country?

McCartney was supposed to be embarking on a Wings tour of Japan but, as it turned out, they never played together again.

He says: “So many bits are embarrassing. The look on Henry McCullough’s face! He’s not happy.

“I was thinking, ‘Maybe we could cut those bits, the dance routine, cool out my image’.

“But Morgan said, ‘No, let me keep them in. You’ll see all that stuff but because you overcame it all and found yourself, you won in the end’.”

Finally, McCartney takes a long hard look at himself — at the ­person “growing up” in Man On The Run and the man he is today.

He says: “You start to see yourself, not just in the mirror, but to realise what your character is like.

“It’s natural for me to be enthusiastic so I don’t always see pitfalls, With me, it’s, “Nah, nah, just do it’.”

SINCE my exclusive story broke about Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton, everyone wants to know how long they’ve been together.

And now I’ve been given a little more insight into their top-secret romance.

While it was thought that Kim and Formula 1 star Lewis started growing closer over Christmas, I can reveal it was a lot earlier than that.

My moles tell me Kim visited Lewis in Las Vegas in the days before the Grand Prix there on November 22.

From what I know, they went all-out to keep it hush-hush.

One insider said: “Lewis invited Kim to be his guest inside the garage over the week. That included for the preparation and the race itself.

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“She was there when the race happened and was alongside him, talking to him and hanging out with him before he took to the circuit.

“Nicole Scherzinger did that back in the day when they were together.

“People saw it and didn’t think much of it — but now it all makes sense.”

A second source in the F1 world added: “Three days before the race, Kim was spotted coming out of a garage where Lewis’s car was.

“She headed to his trailer. That was one of the few times Kim was seen.

“Something was definitely happening between them then. Why else would she have been there?”

Why, indeed?

I revealed Kim and Lewis enjoyed a night at posh Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds on January 31, before heading to London for a second date and Paris for a third.

Lewis then flew back to Los Angeles with Kim on her £100million private jet, and days later they made their first public appearance together at the Super Bowl on February 8.

Since then, the A-list couple have been apart, with him flying to Bahrain, where he spent time last week doing pre-season testing in his Ferrari F1 car.

Lewis said he had a new-found vigour ahead of the season, adding: “I’m reset and refreshed.”

I’m sure that Kim has helped boost his drive . . . 

ESTEEM DREAM

SELF ESTEEM will be in Manchester this Saturday for the Brit Awards – and she may have a very special man by her side.

I’ve learned the singer-songwriter, who is nominated for Artist of the Year at the ceremony, is dating actor Wilf Scolding.

And I’m told they have been seeing each other since 2023, when they were cast in West End show Cabaret together.

The singer, whose real name is Rebecca Lucy Taylor, hinted they are an item when Wilf appeared in the video for her song The Curse in August.

A source said: “Rebecca and Wilf have been together for a while – they live together and even have a dog.

“But they aren’t showy with their personal lives so haven’t flaunted the relationship in the public eye.

“She’s had bad dating experiences in the past but Wilf is a good guy. He has the seal of approval from her mates.”

Wilf, who starred in Game Of Thrones and BBC One drama The Passing Bells, is a sea-change from the singer’s last boyfriend, who she has never publicly named but said was “a real nasty bastard”.

Self Esteem referenced her “current male lover” in an interview back in November.

When asked how often she has sex, she said: “Oh, often. That is one thing I don’t compromise on.”

Good on them both.

JUSTIN TIME FOR UK GIGS

JUSTIN BIEBER is set to embark on his biggest tour in more than a decade.

I’m told the Baby hitmaker will announce a string of global dates after playing two headline slots at US festival Coachella in April, as well as plans for a new pop album.

A source said: “This year is set to be a huge one for Justin.

“He kicked things off with his Grammy performance earlier this month and bosses hope his Coachella sets will remind the world why he became one of the most successful singers on the planet.”

As part of his upcoming world tour, Justin is expected to announce a show at BST Hyde Park in London.

He previously played BST in 2017 – but hasn’t done a full concert on UK soil since then.

ANTI’S EURO VISION

LOVE Island fans might spot a familiar face at the Eurovision Song Contest in the spring.

While the UK will be represented by YouTuber Look Mum No Computer, Cyprus’s act is Antigoni, who starred in the ITV2 series in 2022.

She wore this striking red dress in the video for her entry song, Jalla – and eagle-eyed viewers might recognise someone else in the promo.

Antigoni, who was born and raised in London but is of Greek-Cypriot descent, managed to get Stavros Flatley star Demetri Demetriou to make a cameo.

Currently, Antigoni is tenth favourite to win, while Look Mum No Computer is 14th.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for them both.

KEEP an eye out for LA-based singer Amelia Moore, who has just completed a UK tour supporting Ashnikko.

She has been getting rave reviews off the back of her latest EP He’s Still Just Not That Into You! and I’m expecting big things in the coming months.

FOO FIGHT FOR GIGS

FOO FIGHTERS have announced a set of surprise shows this week – leading to thousands of fans queuing in the streets for a ticket

Tonight they will play The Academy in Dublin, before a show on Wednesday at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and the O2 Ritz in Manchester on Friday.

Tickets were released yesterday but fans had to queue at the venues’ box offices in a bid to stop online touts ripping people off.

The gigs come ahead of the release of their 12th album Your Favourite Toy on April 24.

I’ll be in Manchester to see the band – I can’t wait.

THE SEX PISTOLS BACK ON ROAD

THE SEX PISTOLS ft. Frank Carter have announced a brand new tour celebrating 50 years of punk.

Anarchy In The UK will see them play five shows at the end of the year, kicking off in ­Ireland at Dublin’s 3 Arena on December 7.

They will then play Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange on December 9, before hitting Glasgow’s O2 ­Academy the following evening.

Frank and Co will then head to London to play the Brixton Academy on December 18 and the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith two days later.

MARGOT IS SHEER DELIGHT

MARGOT ROBBIE skipped the Baftas and headed Down Under for Tropfest 2026 in Sydney.

The film festival, which celebrates the best short films and new rising stars of the industry, enlisted Margot as the president of this year’s jury.

Next year, I know Margot will be front and centre at the Baftas in London – with her new film Wuthering Heights expected to pick up a raft of nods, including Best Actress for her star turn.

Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel has caused a storm among cinema lovers, with Margot’s co-star Jacob Elordi expected to be shortlisted for Best Actor.

GRAMMY-nominated salsa legend Willie Colón has died aged 75.

Heartbreaking tributes have poured in for the musical pioneer – with Bad Bunny calling the star “one of the legends who contributed to this beautiful and legendary genre”.

The iconic artist passed away on Saturday surrounded by loved ones, his manager confirmed.

Colón was a trombonist, composer, arranger, singer and social activist.

Over his decades-long career, he produced more than 40 albums that sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

His manager Pietro Carlos said: “Today, we’ve lost an architect of the New York sound, a trombonist who made metal his banner and wrote eternal chapters in our musical history.

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“Willie didn’t just change salsa; he expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles, and took it to stages where it hadn’t been heard before.

“His trombone was the voice of the people, an echo of the Caribbean in New York, a bridge between cultures.”

He added: “Today we say goodbye to a master, but his legacy lives on.”

Meanwhile, Grammy-winner Bad Bunny said on Instagram: “Today, one of the legends who contributed to this beautiful and legendary genre passed away.”

The star continued: “So, on behalf of myself and Los Sobrinos, we wish Willie Colón peace.

“Much strength to his family.

“The inspiration of so many of these great musicians who left their mark on this earth will never die as long as there are talented young people like those here, keeping the music, salsa and all Caribbean rhythms alive.”

Colón’s cause of death has not been confirmed, but Saturday’s tragic news follows reports from last week claiming that the star had been hospitalised for respiratory problems, according to TMZ.

A pivotal architect of urban salsa music, Colón collaborated with a long list of fellow icons, including the Fania All Stars, David Byrne and Celia Cruz.

His critically acclaimed collaboration with Rubén Blades, Siembra, which touched on social issues in salsa, became one of the bestselling albums in the genre of all time.

The musician, born to Puerto Rican parents, was nominated for 10 Grammys and one Latin Grammy.

Colón was born in the Bronx, New York, before being raised by his grandmother and aunt, who from a young age nurtured him with traditional Puerto Rican music.

When he was 11 years old he ventured into the world of music, first playing the flute, then bugle, trumpet and finally trombone.

His interest in trombone was sparked after experiencing Barry Rogers playing it on Dolores, Mon Rivera’s song with Joe Cotto.

He recalled in 2011: “It sounded like an elephant, a lion … an animal.

“Something so different that, as soon as I heard it, I said to myself: ‘I want to play that instrument.’”

Colón’s main musical traits included the fusion of rhythms.

The genius harmonized jazz, rock, funk, soul and R&B with the old Latin school of Cuban son, cha-cha-cha, mambo and guaracha.

His style also encompassed traditional Puerto Rican sound including jíbara, bomba and plena music.

A passionate advocate for civil rights, he fought mostly in the US for the Latino community among others.

In 1991 he was awarded the Chubb fellowship from Yale University, a public service recognition also awarded to John F. Kennedy, Moshe Dayan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Ronald Reagan.

And he even served in politics – working as a special assistant to David Dinkins, New York’s first Black mayor, and an adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Colón had his own stints running for public office too – but had little luck challenging the then-US Rep. Eliot Engel in the 1994 Democratic primary.

In 2001 he also came in third in the Democratic primary for New York’s public advocate.

The late star also appeared in films such – taking roles in Vigilante, The Last Fight, and It Could Happen to You.

On TV, he featured in Miami Vice and Demasiado Corazón.

The icon also appeared in Bad Bunny’s music video for NuevaYol.

Colón is survived by his wife and four sons.

BARRY Manilow has been forced to reschedule his shows AGAIN after undergoing cancer surgery following his diagnosis in December.

The veteran singer, 82, has delivered a health update to fans while revealing he will have to push back his tour dates.

In his post, Barry revealed he was rescheduling his first batch of arena shows, which were due to begin in a matter of days.

He explained that the shows that are being canceled are the February 27 up until March 17 shows, on the order of his surgeon.

Barry then delivered some happy news when he said he would likely be able to do the Vegas shows at the very end of March, and the second batch of arena shows at the beginning of April.

“I’m SO, SO sorry I have to reschedule some of these first arena shows, again,” Barry added.

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The full statement read: “Hi everyone, Barry here.

“Just got home from visiting the surgeon. Very depressing visit.

“I told him that I have been using the treadmill three times a day (I have) but that I still couldn’t sing more than three songs in a row before I had to stop.”

Barry added that he told his surgeon that he was sure he would be able to do the arena shows in a few weeks, but the surgeon shook his head.

THERE’S a line in Badlands, one of Mumford & Sons’ new songs, that feels like a mission statement for new record Prizefighter.

Singer Marcus Mumford says: “The lyric says, ‘Don’t look down now/I’m not done here yet’. I was listening to that song today and that’s the sentiment of Prizefighter.

“We try really f***ing hard, we want to be great. And I think we’ll keep trying.”

I’m chatting to Mumford and keyboardist Ben Lovett in Bath, a few hours before they are due on stage at The Forum to celebrate the release of their new album.

“We feel very fortunate to be launching our sixth album, it’s a big deal,” says Lovett.

“It’s a marker of beyond the creativity and how we feel about the music itself. “When we started this band, it was all about longevity for us.

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“And it feels great to be coming up to 20 years as a band and feel like we want to do another 20.

“That’s a big statement of success for us.”

The pair are seated together on a sofa, comfortable and clearly energised by their new record.

It’s hard to believe it’s only 11 months since fifth album Rushmere signalled their return from a seven-year hiatus.

For Prizefighter, they worked with producer Aaron Dessner from US rock band The National.

They had worked with him on 2015’s Wilder Mind, and they crossed paths again while mixing Rushmere in Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

Mumford says: “Aaron showed us the beginning of an idea for Prizefighter, the song he’d written with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.

“And we instantly started writing on it.

“Aaron’s always writing music with his mates for fun. He then played us a snippet of what became new single The Banjo Song that he’d started with Jon Bellion as a sketch.

“This was the be­ginning of the record, a beginning of ideas, like we do with each other all the time. It was just for fun to see where it goes.”

Mumford & Sons have continued as a trio since founding member Winston Marshall departed in 2021 after publicly expressing support for a book by right-wing American journalist Andy Ngo.

Lovett explains: “We got together in January 2023 and started making music without any agenda and I felt very free.

“That was the right thing to do. That was the right start or restart after Marcus’s solo record [2022’s Self-Titled].

“And it was the first time we’d played together in a couple of years. It felt like riding an old bike.”

Their first new music came in the form of Good People — a surprising collaboration with Pharrell Williams in 2024.

“That record was a very different experience but showed us that we have range and versatility,” says Lovett.

“So, by the time we got to the studio with Aaron, we were confidence high. We loved it and wanted to be curious creatively, from a place of positivity.

“And that’s basically how the record got in to motion.”

Mumford says stepping back was crucial to finding their confidence again.

“I am less insecure about being an artist,” Mumford tells me. “I will go off to a coffee shop and read poetry and do it unapologetically.

“I’m also more playful with my lyrics. I love Clover in particular.

“I just didn’t have the confidence to be tongue-in-cheek, surreal or even slightly ridiculous.

“Those types of lyrics would never have got on any previous albums.

Aaron, like Pharrell and Dave Cobb, who produced Rushmere, sat us down and gave us quite a serious talking to about believing in ourselves and looking back at what we’ve done with pride while also looking ahead.

“Recognising our confidence and DNA at the same time is what led to us being able to write this record.

“There’s a lot of insecurity and confidence on the record and also nostalgia and ambition and so that’s why it’s called Prizefighter.”

Lovett adds: “We feel more comfortable in our own skin, with a stronger sense of identity than we’ve had as a band for a while.

“The success of Rushmere [their third No1 album] and touring last year gave us a big confidence boost and reminded us that people still care and we are having a good time.”

Prizefighter sees Mumford at their most collaborative. Gorgeous piano ballad Badlands features Gracie Abrams, while Chris Stapleton, Hozier and Gigi Perez are also guest singers.

Finneas, Dessner, Vernon, Bellion and Brandi Carlile are credited as co-writers on the record.

“We’ve always been a bit more protective in the studio,” says Mumford. “In the early days a band needs to set out their stall and show people who you are.

“We have always had this collaborative spirit where we’ve enjoyed playing with other bands but we’ve not really recognised that on record before.

“It felt the time to do it, so we’ve opened the doors and it’s been really fulfilling. It’s one big community.”

Gracie Abrams, a long-time friend of Mumford’s, was the first to hear the band’s new songs.

“I’ve known her right from the start,” says the singer. “Gracie was the first person to hear any of these demos, like before labels or managers or anyone else.

“And we found out recently that she came to one of our shows when she was 13.

“We’ve been friends for a long time. She’s amazing.

“With Badlands we asked her to pick any song to sing on and she said yes to that song which had been written to be her voice.”

Album opener Here was written with Grammy-winning country powerhouse Chris Stapleton in mind.

Mumford says: “I’m just a fan of his and I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that he should sing the second verse on Here.

“We hadn’t met, so I called him. We had a long conversation. We really connected. Then he heard the song and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll record it next week’. And he did. It was all pretty organic.

“We didn’t have a list. It was like, ‘Let’s send this to Andrew, aka Hozier, see if he wants to f*** with it’. And he said yes.”

Lovett adds: “It’s a simple environment up at Aaron’s Long Pond studio. We record then we sit around eating soup together.

“It’s not the glossy album where you’re stuck on the other side of the glass and the red light goes on and it’s your big moment.

“Making Prizefighter felt a much more human experience.”

Conversation With My Son (Gangsters & Angels) is another highlight on Prizefighter and a song that Dessner was a huge fan of.

“Yeah, Aaron was a huge advocate for that song,” says Lovett. “It felt like there was an opportunity to explore something musically and thematically that was a bit different to the rest of the record.”

Mumford, who has two daughters and a son with actress Carey Mulligan, adds: “It has a hymnal and intentionally repetitive, melodic thing like in a Trad Irish song.

“Ben is being modest but he had this clear vision for that song.

“Then we sat down and Ben made a little demo of his chord sequence, and I fell in love with it.

“I’d been writing some words that morning and it became an essential band moment.

“We sit quietly and play along until we have an idea. Ted Dwane was on the bass, Ben was on the piano, Aaron was playing a guitar, I was writing words.

“Aaron understands being in a band very well and when we play to our strengths. It fell together like that and is a good example of the alchemy of being in a band.”

Lovett, who has a young daughter with his partner, American fashion executive Molly Howard, says: “Having kids act as a mirror to your life makes you want to be a slightly better version of yourself.

“We all take fatherhood quite seriously and it means that when we’re together, it’s cherished in a very different way.

“There was a real fun and silliness to our 20s that was inefficient — like staying out until 5am just because, why not have one more?

“I think there’s something beautiful about treating this with more care. It’s a very precious thing.

“Being in Mumford & Sons is amazing and we’re lucky we get the opportunity to do this.

“And finding out we have people all over the place who appreciate that we continue to still do this, is a charger for Chapter Two.”

Mumford adds, smiling: “I would say we’re in the phase where we take our work more seriously but take ourselves less seriously.

“Making my solo album made me fall back in love with the band. I love these lads and the sense of belonging and home we get from being this band together.

“When we got back together it was like we renewed our vows.

“It’s very silly but a privilege so we’re really trying to be present and our audience has made us more grateful and appreciative. Seeing new and younger fans getting into the songs has been amazing.

“I think we’re about at the point of our career where Radiohead were when they released Hail To The Thief — that was my way into Radiohead. It’s my favourite record of all time. And through that record I discovered the rest of their catalogue.

“They’d always felt like my brother’s band, who is older than me, but then this album came out when I passed my driving test.

“I hope that Prizefighter is that first Mumford album for some people.”

Making an album so soon after another, has been inspiring and Mumford says: “We never want to turn the tap off. The tap still feels like it’s got something in it.

“We could have released Prizefighter a week after Rushmere, but we wanted to give people space and time, but now the idea is to be accelerating that process so that we can show people.

“I hope we can start writing songs and releasing them the next day, like Bruce f***ing Springsteen!

“Our Hyde Park show in July will be a celebration for us — the centrepiece of our year.

“We are inviting guests and friends and crafting the line-up at the moment.

“We’ve announced The War On Drugs, who are one of the best bands in the world and people know from working with Sam Fender.

“There’ll be more we can tell you about soon, which will be fun, we really put time and effort into those line-ups.

“Hyde Park is going to be wicked, with plenty of surprises on the day too.”

Lovett adds: “Prizefighter is important to us.

“As a band, we’ve had some fun getting here, but I think this album sets us up for a really bright future.”

• Prizefighter is out today.

MUMFORD & SONS

Prizefighter

★★★★☆

A FORMER Pussycat Doll has taken a scathing fresh swipe at Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt after it was revealed the three of them are reuniting for a world tour.

The Sun confirmed last week that Nicole, 47, Ashley and Kimberly, both 44, will be hitting the road again – four years on from when their comeback plans fell apart.

But, one of the original members of the hit girl group, who isn’t returning for the tour, doesn’t seem to be taking the news well.

Taking to Instagram, Carmit Bachar, 51, appeared to take a harsh swipe at her former group.

Carmit reposted a clip of a woman singing along to the song I’m Letting Go Of The B******t by Nick Hustles.

In the video, the woman can be seen saying the lyrics, ” F*** anything that don’t help me grow, fake friends, shiesty h**s letting all that b******t go.”

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The clip was captioned: “My 2026 anthem.”

Carmit is one of three stars not returning for the world tour.

Jessica Sutta and Melody Thornton are also not part of the exciting new plans.

The tour was originally set to kick off in 2020 but was pushed back a year due to the pandemic before later being shelved altogether over a disagreement between Nicole and the group’s founder Robin Antin which was eventually settled out of court.

But it’s full steam ahead now for Nicole, Ashley and Kimberley who were seen at dinner together in London’s Mayfair a few weeks ago.

They were said to be ironing out the final details of the tour deal as they enjoyed a lavish meal.

When the Pussycat Dolls tour was first announced, Carmit seemed to take a cryptic swipe at the trio on social media as she celebrated one of the group’s most iconic hits reaching 100 million streams on Spotify. 

She shared a clip from the Beep music video, seemingly making clear she will always be part of the Pussycat Dolls’ legacy.

Carmit wrote: “20 years of BEEP music video and here we are, still feeling the love. 

“100 millions streams on @spotify is a reminder that music really does live beyond the moment it’s created. Thank you to every @pussycatdolls fan who’s listened, danced, remembered and shared!”

Fans were quick to share the disappointment over the iconic singer not being part of the new plans for the group.

One wrote: “Sad you aren’t going on tour, but I totally get it.”

And another said: “If you’re not returning with the band I will not be there to support.”

Nicole, Ashley and Kimberly quietly signed to top touring agency CAA in December to help guide their huge comeback.

At the end of last year, Nicole hinted at plans for 2026 as she shared an old video of the group.

A source told The Sun: “Nicole and the girls have been talking about getting Pussycat Dolls back together for months now.

“Covid scuppered the original plan and then disagreements behind the scenes meant it all fell apart.

“But Nicole, Ashley and Kimberly are a solid unit and they’re raring to go.”

The Pussycat Dolls burst onto the music scene in April 2005 with their single Don’t Cha.

A YOUNG rapper signed has died days after releasing a new single, at just 25 years old.

Janarious Mykel Wheeler, known by fans as Lil Poppa, died at 11:23am on Wednesday, according to the medical examiner.

According to his Spotify profile Poppa began releasing music in 2017, when he was just a teenager.

When rumours of his death first circulated, fans flooded his social media begging for answers, however the young rapper’s cause of death is currently unknown.

At the time of his death Lil Poppa had more than 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and over 960 thousand followers on Instagram.

In a now-tragic final post shared on his Instagram story Tuesday night, Poppa appeared to be riding in a car as he listened to Letting it go by Rod Wave.

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Who was Lil Poppa?

Lil Poppa, was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where he first started rapping at church with a group of friends and his older brother.

And at just 12 years old Poppa built a makeshift studio in the closet of his bedroom and started recording his music using just a laptop and a Radio Shack mic.

His big break came in 2018, when his independently released single Purple Hearts hit 2.3 million views on YouTube.

Since then he has released several albums with his label Collective Music Group, which has signed other industry heavyweights like GloRilla.

What was Lil Poppa’s cause of death?

The Fulton County Medical Examiner in Atlanta, Georgia, announced the tragedy, but didn’t give a cause of death, TMZ reported.

According the a medical examiner, the young rapper’s time of death was 11.23am, but his cause of death is currently unknown.

Fans began expressing their concerns about rumours of his death online when the news first started spreading.

A distraught fan wrote: “poppa please say something this can’t be happening.”

What song made Lil Poppa famous?

Lil Poppa wrote songs about relationships, mental health, and love.

The artist was best known for his tracks including “Love & War,” “Mind Over Matter,” and “HAPPY TEARS”.

Just days before his death Poppa released a new single called “Out of Town Bae”.

“And I can’t change how I’m living, I ain’t got no feelings, I pour drank in my kidney, And it’s only for the healing” he sings in his most played song on Spotify, “Eternal Living”.

MARK RONSON is going to be the man of the moment at the Brit Awards when he is honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize.

And I have been told organisers are going all-out to make it a moment to remember for Mark — with Dua Lipa, Raye and Lily Allen in the mix to perform a medley of his hits.

All three women have teamed up with Mark on songs before, with Mark and Dua winning a Grammy for their 2018 hit Electricity.

Lily’s 2007 track Oh My God was produced by Mark, while he helped write and produce Raye’s song Suzanne last summer.

A music industry insider told me: “The Outstanding Contribution to Music gong is massive for Mark and the Brits want to celebrate his impact on the music industry.

“He has worked on so many incredible songs with some massive artists, and they’ve been reaching out to try to get something very special lined up.

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“Dua, Lily and Raye have all been approached about performing a medley of Mark’s songs, including their own tracks he worked on.

“The Brits love a big moment and want this tribute to be one of the most impactful moments of the night.

“It’s all still a massively moveable feast, with the finer details being ironed out.”

I revealed last week that Mark was getting the prestigious award, which has previously been handed to acts including Sir Elton John, The Beatles and Oasis.

Mark said: “This is the most meaningful honour of my career.

“I think of the times I’ve watched artists I revere accept this same award.

“The idea that I’m now standing in that lineage feels impossible.

“I left England as a kid, but this country runs through everything I’ve made.

“The UK artists I’ve worked with — their brilliance and refusal to compromise — shaped not just my work but how I understand what music should do.

“And, more than anything, it’s the crowds here who’ve sustained and showed up for me.

“The fans, the festival crowds, the record buyers and streamers, the love has always been overwhelming.

“I’m beyond grateful for all of it.”

The ceremony, at Manchester’s Co-op Live on February 28, is looking like it’s going to be a corker, with Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice and Rosalia all confirmed to be performing, too.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the after parties are just as good.

Capaldi please Tay yes

LEWIS CAPALDI is hoping to hit the studio with Taylor Swift after starring in her Opalite music video.

He took to social media to reply to fans after making a surprise cameo in Taylor’s latest clip.

After one fan asked about the prospect of Taylor and him recording a duet together, the Wish You The Best singer replied: “I can but dream.”

Last night Official Charts UK revealed Opalite is on track to give Taylor her sixth No1 this Friday.

Meanwhile, Myles Smith and Niall Horan are eyeing up a Top 20 debut, with their new song Drive Safe in an No20.

Niall’s One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik is also back in the charts.

His single, Die For Me, the lead track on upcoming fifth album Konnakol, is currently at No39.

Cardi’s wet and wild

CARDI B appears to have ditched standard red carpet dresses for a trusty wetsuit.

The WAP rapper wore this funky red and yellow jumpsuit as she attended the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party.

The VIP event at Pier 48 in San Francisco saw a host of stars take to the stage before last night’s Super Bowl halftime show by Bad Bunny at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

As well as Cardi, SZA and Nelly also took to the stage during the evening.

Keen to make the most of her time in the city, Cardi was also spotted backstage at Uber’s The One Party.

She sported a tight white jumpsuit as she hung out with British sensation Olivia Dean who, fresh from winning her first Grammy last weekend, performed at the bash.

Jason channels his inner Slater

JASON DERULO may have finished the UK leg of his tour last night, but we’ve clearly made a lasting impression.

The Whatcha Say singer, channelled his inner Kat Slater from EastEnders in this leopard print coat at his final show at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

After performing in Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and London, Jason is now taking his The Last Dance World Tour across Europe.

Once he ties up the tour, Jason has promised it’s the start of a new era.

He told Bizarre’s Howell: “It is a retirement of one version of me and the start of a new one.”

PERRIE EDWARDS has moved the release of her new track, Woman In Love, to tomorrow at 5pm.

The move thrilled fans after she made the announcement on social media, after bringing it forward from Friday.

It also does Perrie’s ex Little Mix co-star Jesy Nelson a favour too.

Jesy’s new Prime Video TV series is expected to drop on February 13, and Perrie’s decision to move the release appears to allow Jesy to bask in the limelight without any talk of competition between the old bandmates.

After everything that went down between the Little Mixers, it’s good to see they’re finally starting to move on.

I’M hoping Madonna’s twin daughters Estere and Stella could be Tottenham’s next Lucky Pappe Sars.

Madge has revealed the pair have made it through to the Spurs’s Women’s Academy.

She was pitchside over the weekend to watch Estere and Stella smash another team 5-0, and joked she had been in an Uber for the second time in her life to make it to the game.

Madge has form when it comes to having kids with footballing prowess.

Her son David Banda joined Benfica’s youth academy in Portugal aged 11 and played with their youth squad for a number of seasons, with Madge relocating to Lisbon to support his career.

David ended up leaving the beautiful game to pursue a career in music like his famous mum.

I’ve got high hopes for Estere and Stella – and they picked the perfect team to join.

Let’s just not talk about our recent run of form, OK?

HEARTSTOPPER star Kit Connor looked completely unrecognisable when he posed for a photo with his new mate Elton John.

The British Netflix actor attended a dinner at the singer’s house alongside actor Russell Tovey and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears among others, but I almost didn’t even realise it was him.

At only 21, he sported a full beard – a drastic change from his clean shaven look in the teen drama which made him famous.

If it’s for a role, no one will be recognising you, Kit.

PRINCESS SUPERSTAR had a handful of hits in the Noughties, including the 2007 dance classic Perfect (Exceeder), before falling out of the music business.

But almost two decades later, she is well and truly back, having just released her new single Yum-Me after the 2023 movie Saltburn featured her music and returned her to the charts.

In an exclusive chat, she explained: “It’s been wild. I lost my career and I got it back after Saltburn propelled Perfect back into the limelight.

“All of a sudden, after pretty much a ten-year hiatus, I found myself in recording studios all over again. It’s just been a really surreal experience.”

And the new tune is the first taste of a full length album.

She added: “I’m working on it as we speak and it’s about half done. I’ve recorded probably like 30 songs but only six are good enough for the album.”

During her time away from the charts, she became a mum, a mentor, and worked in social media.

But she also helped discover Lana Del Rey, when she was singing under her real name Lizzy Grant.

The singer and rapper explained: “Around 2008 I was producing artists, local people in New York, and my husband actually was like, ‘Oh you’ve got to meet this singer Lizzy Grant.’

“I was sort of dubious because my husband sometimes will bring home the worst people. But I was like, ‘Oh my god, she’s amazing’.

“We recorded songs in my apartment in New York.”

And after almost three decades in music, she’s ready to tell plenty more showbiz anecdotes.

She added: “I’m also about to potentially write a memoir. I’m really excited, it’s something I always wanted to do and so I’m talking to a UK publisher right now.”

JILL SCOTT does not rush records. She only goes into the studio when she feels she has got something she needs to say.

The American singer’s sixth album, To Whom This May Concern, arrives a decade after her last effort for exactly that reason.

“It took me 27 years to make Who Is Jill Scott?,” she says of her landmark debut. “And all the experiences in those years I put into that album.

“These projects don’t just happen overnight, it doesn’t work that way. So, it took me ten years to make this album.

“Why did it take so damn long? Because it takes time to make a great meal. It takes time to decorate your home. You don’t rush it. I took my time because I care.”

Writing only when there is something urgent to say, and letting the music lead the message, is the way the Grammy-winning artist and actor creates.

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She says: “I wait for it to come and the things that came out of me for this album shocked the hell out of me, too.

“On some songs, I’m an anthropologist, studying people. I’m on social media and hearing how a lot of people are not satisfied and that’s a damn shame.

“It’s a little harder for me to just sit on a park bench and watch people.”

I meet Scott at her publicist’s office in central London.

I am very excited about the musicianship on this album. The horn players and the bass, which is all over this album, is amazing.

Jill Scott

Dressed in orange, she is bright, friendly and effortlessly glamorous, although she says the jet lag has been hard to deal with.

She’s been over here for a week of promotion, including an album launch where she introduced tracks from To Whom This May Concern and took questions from fans.

“That was a pretty exciting night,” she says. “And the response was great, which was good as I was scared because it’s the first time playing this new music for a bunch of people in a room.

“I am very excited about the musicianship on this album. The horn players and the bass, which is all over this album, is amazing. It’s not a plug-in, it’s a player.”

At 19 tracks long, this is an impressive album. Collaborators include Trombone Shorty, Maha Adachi Earth, DJ Premier and rappers Tierra Whack, JID and Ab-Soul.

Recent single Pressha and Don’t Play touch on relationships.

Jill says: “Pressha is about a toxic past relationship while Don’t Play is a template for how to have a date where you actually want to get to know someone.

“It’s not just about what box they tick or what salary they earn. Then BPOTY — Biggest Pimp Of The Year — I wrote after looking at society and thinking, ‘My God, these folks are pimping us’.

“Like the pharmaceutical companies. I had been taking some medication and I didn’t really need it, I was being pimped and so it began with that story.”

‘Music is medicinal’

A diverse record blending soul, rap and jazz, it features beautiful ballads such as Me 4 and Àse, showcasing the poetic storytelling Scott has long been celebrated for.

“When I heard how diverse the music was, it made sense as an album,” she explains.

“People are going to get what they’re going to get what they need from it at different times. I believe music is medicinal. Like when I first heard of Billie Holiday, I didn’t really hear her until I got my feelings hurt.

“Then I listened again and everything clicked and made sense — how poignant her words were — and that’s why this album is called To Whom This May Concern.”

Be Great is a superb track as both a declaration and mantra, designed for everyday moments of courage.

“I want people to play it before their auditions, job interviews or anything that matters to you,” says Scott. “Go ahead and be fantastic at it, whatever it is.

“I just got the music and the lyrics popped out. I see it as Golden’s cousin [her 2004 anthem]. Yeah, they’re definitely related.”

Offdaback, which Scott says is her favourite track on her new album, pays homage to her heroes who came before her, artists and pioneers who stood up for freedom and music.

“The ancestors have to be honoured,” she explains.

“Whether it was your grandmother who worked in somebody’s house in order to make sure your mother had food, or it was your dad who worked three jobs so you could go to college or so you could live your dream.

“As an artist every day I’m reminded of how many people have made a way for me to be here.

“My office wall has photos of all the people who have inspired me. Diana Ross, Missy Elliott, Led Zeppelin and Queen Latifah are on there.

“I admire so many. Nina Simone for being so frank and fearless; Tina Turner for being so brave and using her voice.

“The list goes on. Frankie Beverly was beloved to me and Prince was my number one, and Bette Midler showed me that you don’t have to be around, knocking on doors all the time. You can disappear for a while, too.

“I went to see Frankie Beverly and Maze and they’d not had a record out for 25 years but everyone at the show is up and singing at the top of their voices.

“Music is about that feeling, about camaraderie and unity. I feel really honoured that anyone would feel that about my music.

“However, I’m still working on the other stuff that comes with that.”

There was a recent social media post of Scott being stopped by a fan who recognised her on the street — and she tells me she still finds that side of fame difficult.

Staying human

She says: “I value my time in just taking a walk, I really do. It’s important to me and it helps me balance everything else. The guy was sweet and I loved his freckles but being stopped in the street is not easy for me.

“Yes, 26 years later, I’m still working on it. I get good advice about it. My mentors tell me the value of maintaining the private self and staying human.

“When people put you on a pedestal it’s a very dangerous game and it’s not the game I play.”

When Scott emerged in 2000 as the voice in neo-soul, blending R&B, jazz, soul and spoken word, she found the spotlight overwhelming.

“It was terrifying and exciting,” she says with a smile. “I had a good two or three weeks where I was like, ‘This is so fun’. And then it didn’t stop.

“People were driving by my house playing the album at full capacity at three o’clock in the morning.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because that’s not where I live — I live in grace and gratefulness all the time.

“It just was never my priority. I see people who are far more famous than me, and God bless them, but balance really matters to me. I’m a writer first, I just happen to sing.

“I have to be human and recognise how flawed I am and how much I’m working through things and honouring myself in all the things.

`’So, my goal is to be grand and gracious and have patience with other people. And when I can’t, I go into the house. That’s how I live.”

I think as a society, we’re holding on to a lot of people that don’t benefit our lives.

Jill Scott

Pay U On Tuesday is a fun song which Scott says: “Comes from being exhausted of family members who I used to be friends with that just don’t value the same things.”

It’s a direct song which even comes with a disclaimer (in the form of a track called Disclaimer) before it.

She laughs and says: “Oh yes there’s a disclaimer. But cutting ties is sometimes needed.

“Maybe they’re not ready to be respectful now, but I think as a society, we’re holding on to a lot of people that don’t benefit our lives.

“What I’ve learned in these 53 years is that I love when the people around me bloom and I want to continue to bloom.

“This album has been brought to you by education for your home. For your family.

“I definitely don’t like being perimenopausal. That’s not fun. It’s made certain things a lot more challenging, like staying fit, and sometimes you don’t sleep and a dress doesn’t fit but I count on the joys.

“I’m a big advocate for a book called The Celestine Prophecy, which reminds me to constantly look for beauty.”

Growing up in North Philadelphia, “Jilly from Philly” says she owes her positivity and happy childhood to her mother and grandmother. “My mother showed me art and creativity and I’m grateful,” she tells me.

Although there was a lot of drugs and violence around her, she also saw “kind and beautiful-spirited people” — and that spirit is at the heart of the track Norf Side.

“It’s a celebration of the place,” she says.

For that song, she wanted another voice from North Philly and her son Jett suggested Tierra Whack, a brilliant MC and remarkable poetess. “We are both a reflection of that place,” she says.

Scott, who has a charitable foundation in North Philadelphia which has been sending kids to camp and to college for more than 20 years, says she could have made an album about what’s going on in the US politically but chose a theme of personal revolution over performative outrage and political frustration.

‘Joy, passion, rage’

“I think that’s another album,” she says. “Right now, I’m really focused on growth and healing — the human stuff.

“Then maybe there will be the kind of revolution that this kind of turmoil deserves.”

On the death of mum-of-three Renee Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis last month, she says: “This has been going on in the United States for longer than my whole life — it’s not new.

“It just happened to happen to a Caucasian woman so the world is shaken and they’re seeing it.”

Making a name for herself in acting as well as music and poetry, she has starred in 2007 comedy Why Did I Get Married? and TV series The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

Scott says she is taking her time when it comes to choosing her next role, paying close attention to both the director and the writing.

Live performance, however, is non-negotiable. “I will be touring. That is a fact.”

For now, the focus is firmly on this record. “I just want people to come back and listen to it again and again,” she says.

“I’ve sprinkled levels of joy, frustration, passion and even rage. When that last chord plays, I want people to sit with it — and then start all over again. Each time, there’s something new.”

• To Whom This May Concern is out on February 13.

JILL SCOTT

To Whom This May Concern

★★★★★