Dutchman's Blog

Iconic singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82.

The sad news of the Grammy-winning musician’s passing from undisclosed causes was announced on his Facebook page early on Friday morning (November 10).

A statement from Sony Music Canada read: “It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away.

“We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries. A memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. The family requests privacy during their time of grief.”

Along with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, Cohen’s confessional songwriting set the tone for the singer-songwriter movement of the early and mid-1970s.

Cohen actually started out as a novelist, but turned to the budding folk music scene in the late 1960s when he failed to make a living with his writing in spite of wide critical acclaim.

Highlights of his early work included the country-tinged ‘Bird on the Wire’, which has been covered throughout the decades by the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Joe Cocker.

Arguably his most commercially successful track was 1984’s spiritually-tinged ‘Hallelujah’, which reached an entirely new generation a decade later when it was re-imagined by the late Jeff Buckley.

Through the years, Cohen has been honoured with induction in the Rock and Roll and Canadian Music Halls of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 – among many other prestigious music prizes.

Cohen’s 14th student album You Want It Darker was only released in October, and received some of the best reviews of his later career.

This music news can be discussed here

Little Mix’s Shout Out To My Ex is the UK’s Official Number 1 single for a third consecutive week.

A combined chart sales tally of 79,000 sees Jade, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Perrie reign supreme on the Official Singles Chart once more. SOTME joins Black Magic as the girls’ longest-reigning Number 1 single. Their first two chart toppers Cannonball and Wings each spent a sole week at the top.

James Arthur’s Say You Won’t Let Go hold firm at Number 2 this week for the third straight week, and was this week’s most streamed track. James very nearly complete a singles and albums chart double – his second album Back from the Edge is Number 1 on this week’s Official Albums Chart.

Up four places to climb into the Top 3 for the first time is Rockabye, Clean Bandit’s infectious collaboration with Sean Paul and Anne-Marie. The song marks Clean Bandit’s sixth Top 5 appearance, Sean Paul’s 11th and Anne-Marie’s first.

New entries and high climbers

Bruno Mars’ X Factor and Live Lounge performances of 24K Magic send it up the Official Singles Chart Top 10, rising five places to a new peak of Number 6. Drake’s Fake Love becomes his eighth Top 10 hit and fourth of 2016, rising from last week’s 37 to this week’s Number 10.

Maroon 5’s hook-up with Kendrick Lamar also continues to scale the chart – Don’t Wanna Know vaults six places to reach a new personal best of Number 11. Galantis and Hook N Sling also reach a new peak with their track Love On Me, up nine to Number 18.

X Factor winner Louisa Johnson is this week’s highest new entry with So Good, new at Number 20. Louisa is just ahead of Jonas Blue, who along with Raye is new at 21 with By Your Side.

Finally, after six weeks on chart, Kideko and George Kwali’s Crank It (Woah!) makes its Top 40 debut, rising 10 places to Number 32.

Check out this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full here

Little Mix can crack open the sparkling water again, as ‘Shout Out to My Ex’ makes it two weeks at number one.

Not only that, it sold even better this time than it did last week, apparently.

The Official Charts Company reports that the girls notched up 112,000 combined sales, higher than last week’s 95,000, which was the highest opening-week download sales for this year.

Not only that, but it’s officially number one longer than Zayn Malik’s ‘Pillowtalk’ – not that there’s any connection of course… just saying that the Glory Days era is off to a good start, despite the occasional Instagram hiccup.

The rest of the top five hasn’t moved since last week either, so that’s James Arthur with ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ at two, Chainsmokers with ‘Closer’ featuring Halsey at three, The Weeknd with ‘Starboy’ featuring Daft Punk at four and Hailee Steinfeld and Zedd rounding out the top five with ‘Starving”.

Let’s change things up a little bit next week, yeah guys?

Just outside the top five, we’ve got Norwegian producer/DJ type Neiked with his track ‘Sexual’. Fun fact: Dyo is the guest vocalist on the track, and this is her fifth UK Top 10.

Elsewhere, Clean Bandit may have said goodbye to Neil Amin-Smith but they can also say hello to another top ten in the form of ‘Rockabye’, which debuts at seven.

After his performance on The X Factor last week, Shawn Mendes’s track ‘Mercy’ has shot 25 places to No. 15.

And on the outskirts of the top 40 we’ve got Drake entering at 37 with ‘Fake Love’ – is this going to become a ‘One Dance’ sized sleeper hit?

Not if the charts don’t move around much next week. Sort it out people.

Check out this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full here

Little Mix just scored their fourth number one hit with ‘Shout Out To My Ex’ and joined a special elite in the process.

They’re now only the third artist to enter the charts at the highest position following Major Lazer and Justin Bieber’s ‘Cold Water’ and Zayn’s ‘Pillowtalk’ (awkward).

‘Shout Out To My Ex’ has also enjoyed the biggest opening week download sales for a No.1 single this year and shifted 95,000 combines sales.

“We want to say a massive thank you for getting us here,” Little Mix said. “Everyone can relate to this song. Everyone’s had an ex or a bad relationship and this is a big positive break up anthem.”

Elsewhere last week’s chart topper James Arthur slips to two with ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ while Chainsmokers and Halsey’s ‘Closer’ is also down a place to three.

The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s collaboration ‘Starboy’ is at four while singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld scores her first UK Top 10 with her Grey and Zedd collaboration ‘Starving’, which climbs 12 places to five.

Maroon 5 enter at 16 with their Kendrick Lamar collaboration ‘Don’t Wanna Know’, giving them their 18th UK Top 40 single in the process while Fifth Harmony’s ‘That’s My Girl’ enters at 31.

Finally, Galantis & Hook N Sling are up seven places to 37 as Shawn Mendes’s latest single ‘Mercy’ climbs the charts by two places to enter the Top 5.

Check out this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full here

James Arthur has notched up another week at number one following his performance on The X Factor over the weekend.

The former champion of the singing competition has snagged a third week at the top with his comeback single ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’.

It’s racked up nearly 50,000 downloads and over 5.6 million streams in the last seven days, meaning it’s celebrating its highest weekly combined sales so far.

Meanwhile, The Chainsmokers and Halsey’s ‘Closer’ climb a place to two, The Weeknd’s new single ‘Starboy’ with Daft Punk slips to three and Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Side To Side’ climbs a place to four.

Sia’s ‘The Greatest’ with Kendrick Lamar rounds off the Top 5 after climbing three places.

Elsewhere, Bruno Mars scores his 10th Top 10 with his new single ’24K Magic’ entering at nine and claiming this week’s highest new entry in the process.

Zara Larsson’s ‘Ain’t My Fault’ is up three to number 13 while Hailee Steinfeld, Grey and Zedd vault 11 slots to 17 with ‘Starving’.

Finally, Drake’s ‘Controlla’ returns to the Top 40 after climbing four places to 39 following the announcement of his UK arena tour.

Check out this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full