Soul star Angie Stone accuses Bruno Mars of stealing her group’s song with his Grammy-winning track Uptown Funk
Ex-girlbander plans to sue Bruno and producer Mark Ronson over 2014 hit's alleged similarities to 1979 single Funk You Up
FROM releasing hit album 24K Magic to singing alongside BEYONCE at the Super Bowl, BRUNO MARS has had a belter of a year.
But he might have to put the champers on ice.
I can reveal that the US superstar is facing a legal battle with soul legend ANGIE STONE.
The row is over his hit single Uptown Funk, which bagged Record of the Year at the Grammys. Angie is preparing to sue Bruno and producer MARK RONSON over alleged similarities between their 2014 hit and her 1979 single Funk You Up, as lead singer in girlband THE SEQUENCE.
In an exclusive interview, Angie said: “As far as I’m concerned the song belongs to us.
“We have been robbed, railroaded, overlooked and completely disrespected.
“Everyone got paid but my group. The truth of the matter is no one on that suit deserves it more than The Sequence because those lyrics are ours — Funk You Up was ours.
“We branded it in 1979 . . . their record was not recorded before ours and I think it is because we are women on the ballot and we are getting railroaded.
“The truth is we have been trying to sue them long before the record became Record of the Year.”
We have been robbed, railroaded, overlooked and completely disrespected. Everyone got paid but my group
Angie Stone
Angie added the enormous fees and the power of Warner, the label that has signed Bruno, have so far prevented a suit being filed. But her lawyers have since reached out to the MARVIN GAYE estate lawyers — who won £6million in damages from ROBIN THICKE and PHARRELL WILLIAMS in the Blurred Lines lawsuit.
She added: “A lot of attorneys didn’t want to take the job because the industry is crazy because they don’t want to p*** off Bruno Mars.
“If my group cannot afford the millions of dollars it would take to fight for it, then they would pay millions to keep the lawyers fighting.
“They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if we ever got through the ranks we’d take everybody out.”
Bruno may have won the chart battle but it sounds as though the legal war is just beginning . . .
Hadids take the Nicki...
SUPERMODEL sisters GIGI and BELLA HADID are back to doing what they do best – performing in their underwear.
The same day they stripped off for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show they also squeezed in this steamy karaoke tribute to NICKI MINAJ.
The US popstar took to Instagram this week to share a clip of Gigi and Bella belting out her song Starships while wearing matching pink bras and silk robes and rapping into jewel encrusted mics. It was shot backstage at the Grand Palais in Paris.
A duet with Gigi’s boyfriend ZAYN MALIK must be on the cards . . .
Lewis blew it
THEY found love in the Celebrity Big Brother house in August but just days before the new series begins MARNIE SIMPSON and LEWIS BLOOR have split up.
The Geordie Shore star took to Twitter yesterday and revealed the end of her four-month relationship with the ex-Towie hunk.
She wrote: “Shout out to all the girls starting the new year with a break up. Yeah, ditto.”
Their split comes just days after The Sun published images which appeared to show Marnie in a toilet cubicle with a line of white powder on her phone.
And last week Lewis tweeted about them being “healthy” and “happy”. Still, seven days is a long time in showbiz.
George surges
GEORGE MICHAEL’s sudden death on Christmas Day has seen his incredible music storm the charts once again.
His greatest hits collection, Ladies & Gentlemen, has surged 5,625 per cent in combined sales and streams to reach No8 in the album chart.
In the singles chart, Wham's Last Christmas is at No7 and Careless Whisper races up to No44.
Faith, originally released in 1987, and Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – his 1991 duet with ELTON JOHN – are also inside the Top 100.
Official albums chart
1 (2) Glory Days – Little Mix
2 (1) Together – Michael Ball & Alfie Boe
3 (3) The Wonder Of You – Elvis Presley
4 (5) 24 Hrs – Olly Murs
5 (4) Blue & Lonesome – Rolling Stones
6 (7) 24k Magic – Bruno Mars
7 (6) The Heavy Entertainment Show – Robbie Williams
8 (NEW) Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best Of – George Michael
9 (8) Christmas – Michael Buble
10 (10) Long Live The Angels – Emeli Sande
Official singles chart
1 (1) Rockabye – Clean Bandit
2 (6) I Would Like – Zara Larsson
3 (2) Human – Rag’n’bone Man
4 (4) Touch – Little Mix
5 (5) All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
6 (13) Shout Out To My Ex – Little Mix
7 (16) Last Christmas – Wham!
8 (7) Starboy – Weeknd ft Daft Punk
9 (9) Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
10 (12) 24k Magic – Bruno Mars
11 (11) Sexual – Neiked
12 (3) Just Hold On – Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki
13 (10) Black Beatles – Rae Sremmurd ft Gucci Mane
14 (18) Closer – Chainsmokers ft Halsey
15 (15) Fairytale Of New York – The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl
16 (17) Don’t Wanna Know – Maroon 5 ft Kendrick Lamar
17 (22) Merry Christmas Everyone – Shakin’ Stevens
18 (25) So Good – Louisa Johnson
19 (14) I Feel It Coming – The Weeknd ft Daft Punk
20 (8) When Christmas Comes Around – Matt Terry
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The Biz List 2016
THE last 12 months have seen stars do all sorts, from a boybander cutting off his famous locks to a supermodel plunging into the River Thames.
And I featured them all in Bizarre.
I’ve been there day in, day out, covering the most scandalous, shocking, heart-warming and hilarious celebrity tales around.
But who managed to dominate the Bizarre pages with their ups, downs and in-betweens the most in 2016? I’ve done the sums to see which famous faces took up the most column inches.
Find out who has risen and fallen on my third annual Biz List.
Drum roll, please . . .
10. (–) BEYONCE’s album Lemonade was a huge success, she toured the world, cleaned up at the VMAs and became the most nominated woman in Grammy history.
9. (4) TAYLOR SWIFT’s failure to release a new album means she has dropped down the Biz List.
Thankfully, her romances with CALVIN HARRIS and TOM HIDDLESTON, which I revealed, kept people talking. She’s now single.
8. (–) LADY GAGA made a stellar comeback with album, Joanne, just months after splitting from her fiancé TAYLOR KINNEY.
And all of her wacky outfits kept her on Bizarre’s pages.
7. (–) Despite RIHANNA’s album Anti flopping, she had success with her catchy single Work and was nominated for eight Grammy Awards.
Her on/off relationship with DRAKE – who is now rumoured to be dating J-LO – kept us guessing.
6. (10) JUSTIN BIEBER has been spotted with a bevy of beauties and jetted around the world for his Purpose tour, but he annoyed audiences by miming on stage and telling them off for cheering. I hope he’s featured for better reasons next year.
5. (–) HARRY STYLES cut off his luscious locks for his film debut in World War Two epic Dunkirk, worked on his first solo album and briefly rekindled his romance with KENDALL JENNER.
And, despite their hiatus, ONE DIRECTION are 2016’s highest-paid stars in Europe.
4. (–) ROBBIE WILLIAMS returned with his eleventh album, The Heavy Entertainment Show, teased a reunion with TAKE THAT “at some point” in the future – if not for next year’s 25th anniversary tour – and won my Entertainer of the Year award.
3. (5) RITA ORA feuded with JAY Z’s Roc Nation, signed a promising new deal with Atlantic and found time to film scenes for Fifty Shades Darker, reprising her role as Mia Grey. She also became the new host of America’s Next Top Model.
2. (8) LITTLE MIX sold out their Get Weird Tour then slated ZAYN MALIK on No1 album Glory Days, which was my Album of the Year.
LEIGH-ANNE and JESY split from their partners while PERRIE and JADE found new boyfriends. It has been eventful.
1. (7) ADELE has vaulted to the top of the Biz List after another stunning 12 months, which saw her album, 25, named the best-selling for the second consecutive year.
She kept us entertained with hilarious anecdotes during her world tour – which included my favourite concert of the year at London’s O2 – and she ruled February’s Brit Awards, winning four prizes.
There are even whispers she wed long-term partner SIMON KONECKI. She truly deserves every happiness.
