One Direction Releases Single As Foursome

(MENAFN- Arab Times) Bestselling boy band One Direction released a surprise first single as a foursome on Friday, two days after former member Zayn Malik announced a new record deal as solo artist. "Drag Me Down" follows November's "Night Changes" and is the first single the group, which came to prominence on British televised singing competition "The X Factor" in 2010, has put out since Malik said he was quitting the band in March. The foursome - Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson - posted a video message on Twitter announcing the new single.

"It's the first song from the new album that we've been working very, very hard on," Payne said in the video. In a separate post on his Twitter feed, Payne called the move "a bit of a surprise". The news came after Malik himself tweeted a picture on Wednesday of him signing papers at RCA Records. "I guess I never explained why I left, it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who I really am! #realmusic #RCA," he wrote. Malik quit after five years with One Direction, saying he wanted to "be a normal 22-year old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight".

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After a six-year hiatus, singer Natalie Imbruglia returns to music with a new album, her fifth, a compilation of tracks originally sung by men. "Male" features covers of songs such as Cat Stevens' "The Wind", Tom Petty's "The Waiting", Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love". "The female artists, for some reason, it felt more scary and like a direct comparison," Imbruglia told Reuters. "I think when you flip the sex " it's instantly a different interpretation because we're coming from different places emotionally. I just found it more fun." The Australian native and British citizen, also an actress, became known for music with hit single "Torn" in 1997, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination. Her last album "Come to Life" was released in late 2009.

"It became not just about who you like but being smart about " what suits your voice and what you can give credit to. So that helped with my song choice," she said of "Male". "I'm a romantic and I love these kind of songs. I wanted to do something very organic, very classic production, no electronic sounds and very vocally driven. And these songs lend themselves to that vibe." The track Imbruglia says she is most proud of is "The Summer" by Josh Pyke, mainly because it was tough to sing. "The guy doesn't take a breath. So I'm proud of the fact that I was actual able to do it," she said. "I think it turned out beautiful and it reminds me of Australia." The 40-year old calls "Male" personal and intimate and "not a trendy album of the times". "It's more classic and for people who like my voice really because it's so vocally driven," she said. "If you don't like my voice you will hate the album."

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Luke Bryan is easily the reigning prince of country music: He's scored 10 No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot Country songs chart; he's one of a few contemporary acts to sell out stadiums; and he's achieved back-to-back multiplatinum albums. But Bryan, who has been on the music scene for a decade, has yet to earn a Grammy Award - or even a nomination. "I guess a few years ago I kind of was thinking I'd get a Grammy nomination or two and didn't," said Bryan, who had one of the top albums of both 2013 and 2014 with "Crash My Party." "Yeah, you get a little frustrated by that," he added.

"I think the Grammys, sometimes accepting a guy like me is a little outside their deal." Things could change with the release of his fifth album, "Kill the Lights," on Aug. 7. "My focus is doing what I can musically for my fans first and foremost. " Grammys stuff would be added, amazing stuff," he said. "I've won quite a few AMAs (American Music Awards), and it's so fun being out there and being recognized among all music as a country artist € that stuff's very flattering. And if the Grammys stuff ever happens, I'd be flattered by it."

Bryan, who turns 40 next year, has connected with young country fans thanks to his party anthems and songs about drinking and living life freely. Recent winners for Grammys for country music include acts that have hit mainstream and topped the pop charts, from Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift to Lady Antebellum, or traditional acts in the vein of Glen Campbell. Others have been slow to give Bryan credit: He finally won his first Country Music Association Award less than a year ago when he was named entertainer of the year, the show's top prize. "I don't feel pressure much anymore. " Up until this point in my career, obviously there's been quite a bit of pressure, but it's fun to be in a situation where that stuff starts chilling out and you can just relax," said the married father of two boys.

"My thing is I spent a lot of years trying to outdo each album " and I feel like this album has outdone 'Crash My Party,' so now it's just about me enjoying it." On "Kill the Lights," Bryan is stretching outside his comfort zone. He said recording the song "Razor Blade" was challenging. "It's kind of a darker song for me € somewhere I haven't really been artistically. The main thing was me learning how to kind of capture that really, really kind of darker side of the song," he said by phone during a break from his Kick the Dust Up Tour. "It's new territory for me. " I had to step out of the vocal booth a couple times and get my head in the right space."

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Pop funk icon Prince tempted eager fans Thursday by releasing a single, "Stare," ahead of a new album expected later this year. The ultra-funky track, in keeping with Prince's characteristic sound, was released exclusively on the online streaming service Spotify.

The 3:44-minute tune offers fans just what they would expect from Prince: guitar, brass, choir and some high-pitched "wows" from the Minneapolis-born singer. The song also features an impossible- to-miss reference to his 1986 smash hit "Kiss." "Stare. Can I get a kiss," he chimes, to an unmistakeable guitar riff from one of his best-known tracks. This is the second single from his upcoming "The Hit and Run Album," which features the all-female trio 3rdEyeGirl. The threesome released details of the album last week, calling it "superexperimental." The first single, "Hardrocklover," packs the same punch of funk as "Stare." "The Hit and Run Album" was written by Prince with Joshua Welton, who is married to 3rdEyeGirl member Welton and co-produced Prince's 2014 solo album, "Art Official Age." Prince released the single exclusively on Spotify, a surprise move after the singer pulled all his music from the streaming service earlier this month.