Pop Music

POPSTAR Katie Melua has revealed she has given birth to her second child.

The Nine Million Bicycles singer, 41, told fans she was set to become a mum again in the summer, and now her little one has arrived.

The star shared a sweet snap of herself holding her newborn and confirmed it was a baby boy named Max.

She penned: “New arrival… Max is here! So lucky to be mum to two beautiful boys. Sandro’s been the best big brother so far. Long may it last.”

Fans of the singer were quick to rush to congratulate her, with one saying: “Ah that’s gorgeous news! Congratulations!”

While another added: “Such lovely news congratulations on the birth of Max.”

SO CUTE

Katie Melua gives birth to first baby and reveals cute photo and adorable name

OH BABY

Katie Melua pregnant with first child at 37 and shows off baby bump

A third said: “What lovely, lovely news.”

Katie is already a mum to son Sandro, three, who was born in December 2022.

It is not known who Sandro’s dad is – or her current partner’s identity – as the singer is known to keep quiet about much of her private life.

In 2012, Katie confirmed that she was engaged to World Superbike racer James Toseland.

They married in September that year at Kew Gardens in London, but got divorced eight years later.

Since then, she has refrained from sharing her new relationship online or publicly.

“WE’RE able to save the foot.”

That is what Kings Of Leon frontman Caleb Followill heard a doctor tell his wife after a freak accident at home.

“My kids wanted to play tag because they didn’t want to go to bed,” he recalls.

“I went to hurdle the couch, and when I did, my back foot caught it. So, I threw my legs underneath me to try to stick the landing, and it was just heels first.

“I was losing blood and there was a moment where they thought they might have to take my foot.

“They [the medics] said they’d only ever seen an injury like this when a man had fallen off a five-storey building.”

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FUN TIMES

This is the most fired up we’ve been for an album in years, say Kings Of Leon

In a video call with Caleb and his cousin, guitarist Matthew Followill, from their Nashville homes, the singer reveals: “The heel of my foot was in the middle of my foot, so it was like there was a massive lump in the middle.”

With the band then just weeks away from their 2025 UK and European tour, Matt initially thought Caleb was exaggerating the extent of his injury.

“He sent this text and I thought it was a joke,” says Matt.

“He was, like, ‘Guys, I hurt my foot really bad. We might not be able to go on tour’. And I was, like, ‘Yeah, right. How could you hurt your foot so badly?’ But the X-rays are pretty gnarly.”

What began as a nightmare would, however, become the inspiration for the band’s most personal, stripped-back album yet.

O My Beloved is the Nashville group’s tenth studio album and it sees them reflecting on family, love and loss.

Caleb admits: “I was going through a lot and had to mentally be strong.

“I couldn’t sleep at night. I would have panic attack after panic attack. I was so depressed, so helpless . . . 

“When you’re the man of the house and everyone’s taking care of you, it’s a bad feeling.”

But as he recovered at home with his wife, model Lily Aldridge, and their kids Dixie, 14, and seven-year-old Winston, Caleb picked up his guitar and found himself writing songs unlike anything the band had released before.

“I feel like my relationship with my children took a whole new step,” he says.

“The first song that came was My Whole World. As soon as the rhythm started, I began singing, and the words just very naturally came out.

“It was very therapeutic. And the songs that followed had a similar feel.” After that, the band scrapped the four or five guitar-driven songs they had been working on to embrace a quieter, more acoustic sound.

“I remember a couple of times during the demo process, I pulled my truck over to the side of the road and had tears in my eyes,” Caleb recalls. “I was, like, ‘Man, it feels so different’.

“It was kind of a miracle, in a way. It was something that needed to happen to stop the cycle of tour, then make an album and repeat.”

Matt adds: “This album is a way to turn something terrible into something positive.

“Now we’ve made this album, when you think about that time at home, it has a different meaning. And with it being our tenth album, we wanted to do something different.”

The enforced break also gave Caleb time to reflect on more than 25 years of Kings Of Leon.

“It was the first time since we started that I’ve ever really looked at what we’ve accomplished,” he admits.

“Instead of looking at the workload ahead, it was kind of looking back and going, ‘Whoa, 25 years, we’ve done more than we ever dreamed we would do’.

“It was a really beautiful time of reflection.”

For years, Matt, Caleb and his brothers — drummer Nathan and bassist Jared — wanted to be recognised for their music rather than family connections.

“For so long, we were tired of talking about being family,” Matt says. “We were, like, ‘No, we’re a band, just see us as a band’. But with this music, it’s all about family, and I guess it was time to quit avoiding talking about it.”

Caleb and his brothers spent much of their childhood travelling through Tennessee, Oklahoma and the South with their father, a Pentecostal preacher, often sleeping in cars or staying with relatives.

“It was the little moments that inspired the songs,” says Caleb. “Like small conversations with my uncle Larry or moments at our family reunions.

“We didn’t have, excuse my language, a pot to piss in, but we had love and each other and we created beautiful memories.

“We grew up poor, and that was always our thing. You know, ‘One day our ship’s going to come in’.

“One day, my older brother Nathan said, ‘I think our ship is the Titanic’, because it felt like our ship was never coming in.”

The family saying inspired a lyric in My Whole World when the siblings were excited about a forthcoming family cruise.

Caleb explains: “A picture of the ship said ‘29 days ’til . . . ’ so I wrote ‘29 days ’til our ship comes in. We’ll be together again’.” Matt adds: “I also love that that’s something your mum used to say.”

And memories of Caleb’s mum Betty Ann, who died in 2021, are woven into the new album.

“When I had messed up and everyone was mad at me, I could always call her,” Caleb explains.

“When you lose that person, it forces you to kind of really take ownership of who you are. For the first time, it’s ‘Oh, man, I’m the grown-up’.

“I didn’t really deal with the grief or loss, and this was the first time I was able to do it in a way that didn’t feel like I was whining about it,” Caleb admits.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Oh, man, she would love this’, or, ‘She would be proud of this’, and then I’m like, ‘No, she does love this and she is proud of it’.”

The freedom of childhood also runs through KOYSAR (Kick Off Your Shoes And Run) — a song Caleb wrote for his daughter about growing up in the age of social media.

Pretty Thing is a poignant story inspired by the old country songs Caleb grew up listening to.

He says: “It’s not autobiographical as we didn’t have that traditional high-school experience. It was the forbidden fruit.

“And I always admired songs about first love in high school — that glamorous football player with the cheerleader.

“As I got deeper into writing it, it felt like more than a break-up, like, ‘Maybe this man died, and so he’s watching her move on with her life. Every time I play that song for my wife, she cries.”

Other standouts include The Hand and Rose — which Matt cites as his favourites — while Caleb singles out Get You Down for its emotional depth.

O My Beloved is a stunning album, with its delicate, quieter sound allowing the band’s musicianship to shine.

Matt says: “We wanted everything to have a purpose, and not to have extra stuff muddying up the mixes. We tried to have clear sounds and a clear vision.”

“Us producing the album ourselves was a real opportunity for us to really home in on sounds,” Caleb adds. “We wanted to let the songs shine.”

As we chat about his lyrics, I’m surprised to hear Caleb admit he still struggles with insecurity over his songwriting.

He says: “I’m self-conscious about lyrics. For the most part, I’m so scared for anyone to hear anything.

“I never used to enjoy playing shows. But over the last five years, I love walking out on stage and am no longer scared.”

Matt continues: “Being in Kings Of Leon is hands-down better than it’s ever been for us, for touring and just being together.

“For some of the time, it wasn’t fun but now we look forward to getting together.”

The band return to the UK next month for a one-off show at the new British Airways ARC before headlining next summer’s Isle of Wight and Lytham festivals and playing a string of shows across the country.

Caleb admits they are still working out how to fit the new songs into their live performances.

“It’d be hard to put those songs in between Spiral Staircase and Sex On Fire,” he says. “You have to let them breathe and have their own little moment.”

And after a recent performance in Texas, he is keen to include strings in future shows.

“We had a big, beautiful string section with us, and it was pretty magical and maybe we want to grow that,” he says.

Britain has always held a special place in the band’s hearts, with fans here embracing them long before they found success back home in America.

“They were there first, and they have never left,” says Caleb. “Loyalty matters to us.”

Matt adds: “My wife is English, and she says that if you make a fan in Britain, you pretty much make a fan for life.”

London also brings back memories of the band’s wild early days. “When we’d be in London, we’d go crazy,” says Caleb. “We’d do interviews and get drunk before. Like, ‘No one’s going to see this. Who cares?!’”

A lot of the more memorable moments involved fights, too. “One time, me and Nathan ended up in a Koi pond,” Caleb laughs. I had hit him over the head with a frying pan. It’s a true story.”

Both he and Matt are relieved social media wasn’t around then to capture their antics.

“We probably just would never have gone to those clubs because we’d be on Instagram or TikTok the next day,” laughs Matt.

“It was, like, ‘Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’,” adds Caleb. “We were just small-town guys let loose. And, thank God, we survived.

“There were a lot of crazy memories — a lot of moments that just didn’t feel real at the time.

“I’ll never forget when we walked on stage at Glastonbury [in 2008], when we got to headline it.

“Years ago, a man grabbed me by the hand, and said, ‘You will be in front of multitudes’. It scared me because I didn’t know what he meant by that.

“When we walked out on stage at Glastonbury, it was the first time it hit me that that was what he was talking about.”

Almost two decades after that unforgettable show, Caleb and Matt are enjoying being in Kings Of Leon more than ever.

“It really feels like we made our first album again,” Caleb says. “Producing it ourselves to the way that we wrote the songs, the instrumentation . . . it really felt like we were doing something for the first time.

“Most bands don’t ever get to make a first album. They certainly don’t get to make it twice.

“It feels like the beginning of something. I don’t know what that is, but I’m enjoying it.”

• O My Beloved is out next Friday.

KINGS OF LEON

O My Beloved

ADELE is gearing up to end her musical hiatus, and I can exclusively reveal the details of her much-anticipated comeback.

Last week our newspaper told you the superstar was on the brink of announcing her fifth album, and now my music mole has spilled all on what the record will sound like.

The 38-year-old is tipped to release the follow-up to her fourth album next summer, and I’m told the working title is 39.

The name would follow the pattern of her previous albums, from 19 and 21 through to 25 and 30.

My source explained: “Adele is gearing up for a huge comeback and feels ready to start a new chapter musically.

“She’s been away from performing for a while, but music has never been far from her mind.

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“The album is being tipped for next summer, although the release plans are still being worked through. The working title being discussed is 39.”

Adele stepped back from the stage after her Las Vegas residency ended in November 2024, and has spent the time away focusing on her family.

But I’m told she has been writing the whole time.

My insider said: “She’s spent the past couple of years prioritising her family and enjoying some time away from the pressure of being in the spotlight, but she’s also been thinking about music constantly.

“She’s been writing throughout her break. She famously finds the fame side of her career difficult, so stepping away has been important for her.

“She now feels creatively revived and has come back to the music with a fresh perspective.”

As revealed last week, Adele has been secretly recording at the famous Church Studios in Crouch End, North London, which is owned by producer Paul Epworth.

And my source says he is on board for the new record.

They said: “Paul Epworth is involved, which is significant given their history together. They’ve made some incredible music in the past, including Skyfall, and there’s a real understanding between them creatively.

“He knows how to bring out the best in Adele while allowing her to experiment.”

The pair won an Oscar together for the Bond theme.

While fans can expect the huge vocals and emotional honesty Adele is known for, I’m told she is keen to move slightly away from her trademark ballads.

The source said: “She doesn’t want to abandon the ballads that made her a global superstar, because that’s such a big part of who she is as an artist.

“But she’s also looking at how she can evolve. She wants the record to feel fresh and reflect the person she is today, rather than simply repeating what she’s done before.”

Never one to shy away from honesty, Adele will also tackle the darker side of fame on the album.

My insider said: “There are songs exploring the more difficult side of fame and what it’s like to live so much of your life in the public eye.

“Adele has always been very honest in her music, and this record will continue that, including some of the struggles she’s had with herself and her own image.”

But I’m told that at its heart, it is a love album, and will feature a tribute to fiance Rich Paul.

They said: “She’s keen to include a song dedicated to Rich, because her relationship is an important part of her life and it would be natural for that to find its way into her songwriting.”

Adele’s London roots will also come through in the music, despite her years living in the US.

The source added: “There’s a sense of looking back at her roots and the experiences that shaped her. It’s about recognising how far she’s come while still holding on to the person she was before the fame.”

Fans have also been sent into a spin after Adele briefly changed her YouTube name to her full name, Adele Adkins, last week before switching it back.

My mole says the star knows how closely she is being watched.

They said: “Adele knows that even the smallest change around her online presence will get people talking, but she isn’t going to rush into announcing anything before she’s ready.

“She wants to get everything right, and when she does come back, she wants it to feel like a proper new era rather than a quick announcement followed by a long wait.”

New music is also expected to feature in blockbuster Cry To Heaven, which could help launch her next chapter.

My source said: “It could help introduce audiences to a different side of her creatively and build anticipation for the album itself. It’s about setting the tone for her return and giving people a taste of what’s to come.”

And for those hoping to see her live, a tour is not off the cards.

They said: “A tour is something that could be considered once the album plans become clearer, but nothing is set in stone at this stage.

“She knows how much fans want to see her live again, but if she does decide to tour, it will be because she feels ready for it rather than because she feels pressured to get back on the road.”

Fingers crossed the wait won’t be much longer.

CHERYL TWEEDY has revealed she has a secret TikTok burner account to keep up with pop culture without drawing attention to herself.

The singer said: “I like scrolling TikTok as people are funny and fun and they are a bit more relaxed.

“They don’t care about taking the mick out of themselves.

“I’m a secret scroller. A burner.”

NOT TOO SHABBY

RISING music star Shab has come a long way after leaving her native Iran with just a suitcase to her name.

She has toured with The Wanted and JLS and now she is back with a new single, Catch Me If You Can.

In an exclusive chat, she said: “Catch Me If You Can is exactly where my head is at right now.

“I’m done asking permission to be me. I know what I bring, and I’m not chasing anybody to prove it.”

Shab, whose single Perfume VIP Remix peaked at No11 on the Dance Music Charts, also has ambitions to move into fashion.

Last month, she appeared on the runway at a Dallas catwalk show and has now launched her own clothing brand DropTrou.

This is a woman not to be underestimated.

GEORGE FILM A KLASS ACT

MYLEENE KLASS was among the fans at the posh premiere of the new George Michael concert film.

And she was in for a treat, as the late singer is at his bottom-thrusting best in George Michael: The Faith Tour.

The remastered footage from his 1988 run of shows features more than 200 thrusts by the Fastlove singer – with one cinema- goer admitting they were shocked.

“Watching George’s bottom thrusts in IMAX was certainly something,” they told me after watching the film, which   is out next Friday.

“It has to  be seen to be believed.”

SIGN UP FOR COSY U2 GIG

U2 have joined forces with BBC Radio 2 to perform an exclusive, one-off show in London next month.

The concert, which is being recorded in front of a select audience on November 3, will see Bono and his bandmates ­performing tracks from their upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz, as well as hits from their back catalogue.

To be in the crowd, you have until midnight tonight to register on the BBC website under the Shows And Tours section.

The set will air next month in full on BBC Two, while Jo Whiley will welcome the band on to her show on November 30 for an interview, which will also feature songs from the live performance.

MONDAY GIRLS GO PURE POP

REMEMBER MONDAY have finally announced their debut album, Can We Press Rewind?.

The 12-track record, out on January 29, features their new single, Dream Cheat, which is out now.

Insiders told me the three-piece – Charlotte Steele, Holly-Anne Hull and Lauren Byrne – have dug deep for the record.

A source said: “Charlotte, Holly-Anne and Lauren have delved into their own romantic history for this record, and it’s littered with dating disasters and questionable decisions.

“It’s pure pop fun and shows how far they’ve come.”

The album will come out just days before they kick off their I’m Just A Girl tour, which is their biggest run of shows to date.

Remember Monday will start their run in Bristol on February 8, before shows in Birmingham, Portsmouth and Glasgow.

GEORGE Ezra has given fans a glimpse into life away from the spotlight — revealing the recording studio he has built in his hometown.

The Shotgun singer has been quietly working behind the scenes on Hotel Québec in his hometown of Hertford, opening its doors to other musicians.

While his own social media accounts have been silent since July 2024, George has been pouring his energy into creating a space where artists can write, record and rehearse.

Originally created for his own musical projects, the studio has since become a business welcoming other performers and producers.

In a message on its website, George described his venture as a “truly special place” and shared his excitement about welcoming fellow musicians.

He said: “I look forward to hearing what you create here at Hotel Québec.”

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GEORGE’S JOY

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Set inside a restored 18th-century listed building near the River Lea, the studio features a huge live room, control room and lounge.

There is even a roof terrace where musicians can relax between sessions.

And visiting artists can get their hands on George’s personal guitar collection, alongside an array of keyboards and recording equipment.

The studio marks a new chapter for the singer, who became a household name with breakthrough hit Budapest.

The track reached No3 in the UK, while his debut album Wanted On Voyage topped the charts in 2014 and went on to sell more than a million copies here.

He followed it with Staying At Tamara’s in 2018, scoring another No1 album and spawning hits including Paradise and Shotgun.

The latter became his first UK No1 single, cementing his status as one of Britain’s biggest pop stars.

His success was recognised at the 2019 Brit Awards, where he was crowned British Male Solo Artist.

The dad of one completed a hat trick of chart-topping albums with Gold Rush Kid in 2022, which featured the hit singles Anyone For You and Green Green Grass.

George previously had to postpone gigs in London and Leeds in March 2023 after being diagnosed with acute vertigo.

His official website currently lists no upcoming live shows.

GEORGE EZRA has been quiet since dropping his third album, Gold Rush Kid, four years ago.

But it turns out he’s busy behind the scenes helping other artists make music.

I’m told that after disappearing from public life following his last gig in 2023, the Green Green Grass singer is in no rush to jump back into the spotlight just yet.

Instead, he has started renting out his own recording studio so that it is not sitting empty.

I can reveal George, who has also stopped posting on social media, has set up a business at Hotel Quebec studios in Hertford.

He is advertising for artists and writers to come and work on their own music at the facility.

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In an advert, he says: “Hello, my name is George Ezra and I would like to introduce you to my personal recording studio, Hotel Quebec, a state-of-the-art recording facility in Hertford, just outside of London, that was designed and built for me — my musical projects, my writing and my recording.

“It gives me great pleasure to tell you that the studio is now available for you to book and for you to record in, whether it’s for a day, a week, a month: if you are looking for a uniquely beautiful and creatively safe environment to work in, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

“On behalf of myself and the small but dedicated team here at Hotel Quebec, we hope you are well and we look forward to hearing from you.”

Those close to George said he had been quietly beavering away on his own projects in the studio, but added: “He wants to share what he’s created and it’s a clever side hustle.

“George has no confirmed plans or dates for a return yet, but he has been using the studio for his own projects.

“By renting the studio out, George can help other artists — and he’d much rather have that than the place being empty when he’s not using it.”

I told at the end of 2024 how George had quietly become a father for the first time, so I’m sure a few extra quid from the venture will be welcome.

The Brit Award winner has had three No1 albums and topped the singles chart in 2018 with Shotgun.

However, on his 2023 tour, he was forced to cancel some live ­performances due to acute vertigo, and he has always made it clear he’s not particularly keen on fame.

With that in mind, I can’t blame him for wanting some time away from the spotlight.

But I’ll be gutted if we don’t get any more music from George soon.

So I’m keeping my fingers crossed he doesn’t wait too much longer before treating us again.

MADGE IS CRAZY FUR ROCCO’S ART

ROCCO RITCHIE has found his biggest fan – in his mum Madonna.

She has shared a load of snaps from the budding artist’s most recent exhibition, which includes a self-portrait in which Rocco is cos-playing the Incredible Hulk.

Madge slipped into a fur coat and silky shorts for the event and told her Instagram followers: “Everyone knows I love art.

“Can you imagine how much more I love it when it’s my son, Rocco’s?

“It’s been so exciting watching him grow as an artist, finding his groove, his style, struggling with the loneliness of being a painter, locking himself in his studio. Watching him turn nothing into something.

“I love that he is moving into sculpture now.”

LEDS NIGHT FOR PAUL

THERE was a meeting of legendary musical minds over the weekend as Sir Paul McCartney headed out on a double date with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

Beatles maestro Paul was spotted arriving at the trendy West London restaurant Dorian with his wife Nancy Shevell, before being joined by Jimmy and his missus, poet Scarlett Sabet.

The foursome were snapped during the course of their dinner, with one onlooker telling me: “They talked music non-stop. People were doing double takes when they saw Paul and Jimmy together.”

As Paul was heading home he was overheard telling the waiting photographers to make sure they took pictures of his “good side”.

It all looks good from where I’m sitting.

A RAYE OF HOPE

RAYE is considering legal action against an unnamed artist after they seemingly released a song written by her grandad without any credit or money for him.

The Where Is My Husband! singer, who clearly has music in her veins, revealed grandpa Michael wrote and recorded a track when he was younger and sent it to a record label who, without his knowledge, gave it to an artist, who she hasn’t named.

Raye, who won the Mercury Prize on Thursday, said: “He [Michael] was burnt by the industry. He wanted to make it as a songwriter, so he would write songs on the piano, score them and record it.

“Then he’d put them in boxes and post them to record labels in London, hoping that someone would play his tapes, like it, contact him and bring him down to London to live his dream. Unfortunately – and it was the case back in the day – so many songwriters were just absolutely done so dirty.

“He sent one song, and it was released two years later with no credit, no contact, and it completely broke his heart.

“There was nothing he could do about it – he had no money.

“He couldn’t afford a lawyer so no one cared.”

On whether she might pursue the case now she is a big star herself, Raye told the And The Writer Is… podcast: “I have looked into it.

“It’s just, financially, I just don’t know if the evidence is substantial enough because the evidence was sent off.

“All he has is a songwriting book with things jotted down, and yeah, it would be a giant thing.”

I’d love to see justice done.

DRAKE’S BOYBAND BIRTHDAY

DRAKE got a huge 40th birthday surprise when Backstreet Boys helped him celebrate the milestone.

The Hotline Bling rapper got up on stage in New York to sing with the group at Casa Cipriani, where they performed I Want It That Way.

I revealed last month that the American lads were poised to announce a run of shows at London’s O2 Arena in the coming weeks, with the concerts scheduled to take place next year.

Backstreet Boys will return to the Sphere in Las Vegas in December and January as part of their Into The Millennium residency.

After a nice break in the early new year, coming back to the UK will be the perfect way to kick-start 2027.

KASABIAN front- man Serge Pizzorno was the secret guest at the 20th anniversary celebrations of This Feeling in London.

The club, which has helped launch some of the biggest names in indie, put on a huge night of performances on Saturday.

Little Bit Of Love singer Tom Grennan was also on hand to perform a set as revellers partied until 2am.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

@ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

★★★★☆

YOU’D be foolish to walk into a stage ­musical based on a Disney kids’ movie and expect an edgy take on youth culture.

But that’s exactly why the new stage ­version of High School Musical delivers – it doesn’t try to be anything it’s not.

Having opened in Manchester, clever staging at its new home in London takes you courtside as the East High gang juggle basketball, science class and drama club.

And you’re immediately made one of them as the cheer squad lead you in ­routines ahead of the Wildcats’ big game.

McFly’s Harry Judd stars as Coach Bolton while Tobias Turley and ­Leonor Correia play young lovers Troy and Gabriella, who meet on holiday then find themselves at the same school. But it’s Luke Bayer and Caitlin TIpping, as siblings Ryan and Sharpay, who steal the show.

The writers wisely reprise the banger, Bop To The Top, and the show ends with a frenetic all-cast montage. It’s unlikely to win any awards or challenge minds, but this extra helping of cheese went down a treat.

By Felicity Cross

THIS 90s pop icon has shown off her timeless beauty and looks like she hadn’t aged a day since finding fame 30 years ago.

Back in 1996, the singer, now 67, released a HUGE hit single – but do you recognise who it is?

The star in question is Welsh singer Donna Lewis who shot to fame in her mid-30s when she released her song, I Love You Always Forever.

But 30 years after she unleashed the smash hit song onto the world, the singer looks like time has stood still.

Sharing a video on TikTok, Donna could be seen lip-syncing to the hit that made her famous.

The star’s trademark blonde hair flowed around her shoulders and she sang along to I Love You Always Forever in her stunning garden.

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Writing over the video, she penned: “POV: You wrote a song everyone knows 30 years later.”

Donna’s fans went wild for the video, with one writing: “One of the best songs ever written, and would fit any decade.”

I Love You Always Forever was such a smash hit that it not only charted in the UK, the song also did well in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, and the U.S.

In fact it was such a huge hit in America, the track reached Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Following the success of the song, in 1997, Donna enjoyed success at the Brit Awards, and was nominated for British Female Solo Artist.

The singer initially signed with Atlantic Records, but after releasing her second album, decided to go independent.

Over the years Donna has continued to release new music and can often be found touring.

Away from the spotlight, the singer lives in New York with her business manager husband, Martin Harris, and their son, Archie.

As the intro of his song “Girls, Girls, Girls” poured over the crowd at SoFi Stadium late Friday night, Jay-Z locked eyes (from behind his ever-present shades) with a guy near the stage whose excitement had bubbled over at last.

“Oh, this yo s—,” the rapper observed with a knowing little laugh. “You was waiting for this s— all night long.”

Dude was lucky not to wait even longer: The first of two SoFi gigs, Friday’s show was an almost comically overstuffed display of hits by an aging cultural giant in the middle of a legend-reclamation project; Jay-Z performed parts of three dozen songs over two hours, which was still only a fraction of the 152 entries he’s notched on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since 1996.

“We got a million of these,” he said after doling out a few verses of “On to the Next One” — not bragging so much as explaining.

Having earlier visited stadiums in London, Paris and his hometown of New York, the 56-year-old is in Inglewood this weekend as part of what he’s calling JAŸ-Z30: a yearlong celebration of himself timed to the 30th anniversary of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” and the 25th anniversary of his commercial high point, “The Blueprint.” Last month, HBO premiered an 8-part docuseries in which Jay-Z combs through the minutiae of his songwriting with the producer Rick Rubin; any day now, the rapper is expected to announce that he’ll return to SoFi in February to headline the halftime show at Super Bowl LXI.

That’s a lot of action for an artist who’s spent much of the last decade in éminence-grise mode — Jay-Z’s most recent solo album, “4:44,” came out in 2017 — but he seemed in fighting trim Friday, moving nimbly through the songs that made him a superstar and helped put hip-hop at the center of pop music. He was backed by a muscular live band (complete with horn players and a string section) that could push the music toward plush soul, sticky funk or crunching hard rock; “99 Problems,” in particular, made you think about how funny it’ll be, if indeed Jay-Z ends up at the Super Bowl, to see a rapper bring big guitars back to an event that rock fans love these days to lament.

Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy joined him to play piano during “The Story of OJ” and “Dead Presidents II”; he beamed as she walked offstage afterward — a moving vision of fatherly pride. He also brought out Scarface, the veteran Houston MC, to do “This Can’t Be Life” and Scarface’s Geto Boys classic “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” A pair of OGs still competing in a young man’s game, the two traded compliments before parting: “Jay-Z is a killer,” said Scarface, whom Jay-Z hailed as “one of the best writers of any genre.”

With a set list that jumped freely among albums and eras, the concert felt a little scattershot; it wasn’t always clear what story Jay-Z was trying to tell about his life and career beyond the glorification of his success. And you have to wonder how a man who’s found work as an event planner — booking the halftime show falls under the purview of his Roc Nation company — could end the night so anticlimactically with an appearance by a past-his-prime DJ Khaled. (It didn’t help that many in the audience were anxiously awaiting Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé, who performed with him at Yankee Stadium but didn’t show on Friday.)

The evening’s emotional peak came maybe two-thirds of the way through in “Never Change” and “Song Cry,” two tracks from “The Blueprint” written by a guy in his early 30s struggling with how — or whether — to hold onto his complicated past. That he performed them here as a middle-aged billionaire proved he figured it out; that they were so lush with the pain of nostalgia proved he remains an artist.

PUSSYCAT Dolls have kicked rap star Lil’ Kim off their UK tour after a string of controversies.

The Lady Marmalade star, 52, won’t appear for the final night of the run at London’s O2 Arena later today, with the headline act fed-up of her unpredictable behaviour.

A source said: “Kim didn’t show up to their gig in Manchester on Saturday night, and it was all very last minute. It threw everything into chaos and a sign just went up at the last minute to say she wouldn’t be performing.

“As a result, she hasn’t been asked back for the closing night in London tonight, which was seen as the grand finale.

“Her not showing up in Manchester was really the final straw for team PCD, there had been a string of issues where she was challenging to work with.”

The Sun has contacted representatives for the Pussycat Dolls and Lil’ Kim.

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No official reason for Kim’s absence in Manchester was given, though some fans claimed she was ill.

However, others noticed she had shared social media videos of herself on her tour bus in the build-up to the gig where it looked she was playing video games.

One fan wrote on TikTok: “She was on the tour bus prepping for GTA 6.”

Another posted: “Omg we were there last night how bad is that, not even a comment on sorry she’s no show or anything, playing GTA in the trailer apparently, previous videos of her trying glad she didn’t show.”

Kim came under fire from baffled fans at a previous gig in Paris when a music video playing on the big screens behind her during her set appeared to be synced from her phone and private messages kept popping up before the feed was quickly pulled.

Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Denise Jones, shot to fame in 1994 after being discovered by late rap legend The Notorious B.I.G.

The larger than life star then invited Kim to join the Brooklyn-based rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A, before she launched her solo career with her double-platinum album Hard Core, which debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200.

Grammy-winner Kim’s biggest hits in the UK are all collabs, including the 2001 number one ‘Lady Marmalade’, a cover commissioned for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, and 2003 track ‘Can’t Hold Us Down’ with Christina Aguilera, which reached number six.