Conor Maynard: I won't kiss & tell

Conor Maynard might be back with a new song about an ex-girlfriend he needs to vent about, but he refuses to name and shame his former lovers.

The Brighton lad, 20, has brought out a bit of attitude with his infectious new tune R U Crazy, but he draws the line at how bad ass he will be.

‘I would never kiss and tell. I’m not that kind of person,’ he told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat.

‘I think everyone has got their crazy ex relationships they need to vent about,’ he said explaining the lyrics of the tune, adding: ‘It’s about the situation where if you try to rekindle a relationship it becomes apparent it’s not going to work.’

While Conor might be keeping mum about his former conquests, he already has the perfect deflection plan should any unscrupulous ladies attempt to accuse him of writing the track about them.

‘I can pass the blame to Labrinth!’ he laughs, name checking the London record producer, adding: ‘I co-wrote the track with him so I can pass it to him and say it was all his idea. That’s my way out.’

Currently single Conor may be licking his wounds following a secret relationship that recently ended badly (‘It’s still a bit fresh’), would be admirers can start lining up as he wouldn’t dismiss a new squeeze in the near future.

‘For me it’s more about a connection,’ he told us, dismissing any preference for blondes over brunettes.

‘If they like the same humour or music, then it can work. The only thing I’m not too keen on is if they are taller than me. I’m five ten – so it can be embarrassing if they have heels on.

Relationships aside, the singer is looking forward to the release of his new single (out in October) and is hoping to match the success of his first album, in the new year.

‘There is a bit of pressure for the second album. You can’t top number 1, you can only match it. But the response for the new single so far has definitely been positive.’

With his debut album being titled Contrast, the star is also considering another pun-tinged title for his follow up.

‘I was thinking about calling the second album Continued, but can I really do that? He laughed, adding: ‘Or Contraception. Only joking.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 28 August 2013]

One Direction: Our tour bus stinks!

If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly what a One Direction star smells like it’s a mix between crisps and damp grass.

Liam, Louis and Zayn have revealed the smells that permeate their tour bus.

‘It sometimes smells of crisps,’ Liam said.

‘And it might smell damp because we always play football,’ added Louis – who was recently signed to Doncaster Rovers.

‘It’s the dew from the grass. It’s got a musky smell,’ he added.

While the band agreed there is a definite ‘man’ scent to the bus in general, Irish band member Niall Horan, 19, added to the conversation by lovingly telling Louis: ‘You smell!’

The band might want to spritz up their rolling quarters by spraying a bit of their debut fragrance, Our Moment, around the bus which finally hits stores this week.

‘There was a fan on Twitter who tweeted about it and started a petition for us to make one, and we thought why not,’ Liam said, revealing the origins of the fragrance.

With its pleasant tones of grapefruit and jasmine (among others), the bottled fragrance has much more of an appeal than the smell of the tour bus – although the boys said a lot of sweat went into creating their signature scent.

‘We’ve never had so many meetings, not even about the album. Not even about anything - to do this it takes so much work,’ Liam said about the creation process.

‘We were heavily involved. You wouldn’t believe,’ Louis added.

Meanwhile 19-year-old Harry Styles added: ‘It’s been a long and exciting process and we’re really proud to have made a One Direction fragrance.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 27 August 2013]

One Direction: Acting is not for us

After making their movie debut, One Direction are split over a future in Hollywood.

Their debut film, This Is Us, hits screens at the end of the month with the fab five’s every move being documented by controversial film maker Morgan Spurlock, but any fans concerned they might not see the real band on the big screen can be rest assured by Zayn.

‘We’re not acting in this film, it’s us. We’re just being ourselves,’ he said.

With Liam saying he would rule out a career as an actor saying ‘I’d be too nervous’ (despite his fair attempt in the Best Song Ever video), fellow singers Louis and Zayn say they might be up for it.

‘It’s something that intrigues me,’ said Louis.

While Zayn said: ‘it’s something I’m interested in but I wouldn’t see that as a direct relation between the movie we’re doing and acting.’

As the documentary follows the bands life on the road it also gives the boys a chance to see what all the fuss is about their stage shows.

‘It’s nice in a way it’s the thing of watching ourselves and we never get to watch our own shows,’ said Louis, adding: ‘so it’s good to see that.’

And while Zayn says he didn’t mind having the cameras following him around for months during the making of the movie, a line had to be drawn somewhere.

‘They’re filming us in our dressing rooms, then going from the dressing room to the stage. But they don’t follow us into the toilet or anything like that.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 27 August 2013]

Liam Payne: An obsessive fan tried to rip off my ear

One Direction saying getting stuck in amongst a throng of hysterical ‘Directioners’ can get a little, er, eerie.  

‘One girl tried to pull my ear off in a shopping centre in Amsterdam,’ said Liam Payne, who recalled the alarming incident while in Europe with the Take Me Home world tour.

‘Sometimes you’re just going through a crowd and they grab what they can. One girl got my ear and just went for it,’ he continued.

‘I was like “That’s mine! I’ll be keeping it”,’ he added, although understands why fans scramble to get close.

‘European fans don’t get to see us often and there’s a lot of places we’ve never been to and there will be places where there are people who have waited 3 years to see us,’ he said.

Having already endured months of live shows and hysterical fans in the UK, Europe and USA, 1D will next be hitting up Australasia before their current world tour ends at the end of October.

Preparing to get back on the road again after a brief stop back in London for the premiere of their This Is Us documentary, Liam is ready for what the fans down under might throw at him.

‘It gets frantic. But it is fun though,’ he said.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 27 August 2013]

Louis Tomlinson: I let my girlfriend Eleanor Calder hear our grungier new tracks first

Louis Tomlinson says his most important critic is his girlfriend Eleanor Calder.

After the group took turns in writing duties for their new album, loved-up Louis made sure his 21-year-old girlfriend was the first to doll out the feedback.

‘I’m always showing Eleanor our new songs and I’m always proud of saying that – “we wrote this”,’ he said.

With the first single from their third album riding high in the charts around the world, the 1D boys said fans should prepare themselves for a grungier sound for their next studio offering due later this autumn.

‘It is a bit risky. It’s an implied risk. We’ve thought about it,’ Liam says of the new direction the band’s sound is travelling in.

With Best Song Ever drawing comparisons to iconic British rock band The Who’s Baba O’Riley it would seem more homages to classic rock acts might be in the works.

‘It is old school, actually, and I like that. It’s grungier. Not like Nirvanna. More like a 60s kind of sound,’ Liam added.

Fellow bandmate Zayn also revealed he has enjoyed shaking off the more commercial sound of their music to date.

‘I think we’ve kind of taken away the glitter of our music,’ he said, adding: ‘It’s got that groovy kind of feel to it. And it’s not as poppy.’

Liam agreed, saying he’s enjoying the fact the band are more hands on with the music this time round.

‘We’re so involved. We’ve all done writing. It’s our take on things and we’re old enough to do what we want now,’ he said.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 27 August 2013]

Zayn Malik: Perrie and I keep our love life alive via Skype

Keeping a relationship alive is tricky business when you’re one fifth of the biggest boyband of all time. Zayn Malik thanks technology for keeping things steamy with his Little Mix fiancé Perrie Edwards.

The Little Things singer has settled for Skype dates with 20-year-old Perrie when they are driven apart by their hectic work schedules.

‘I think she’s coming back as I leave,’ the 20-year-old said as his group prepare to continue their Take Me Home tour, while Little Mix are out performing in the States.

‘We miss each other,’ admitted the pining star.

‘We’ve got Skype as well. That helps,’ he said – to the amusement of band mates Louis Tomlinson, 21 and Liam Payne, 19.

‘Alright!’ Louis said with a stifled laugh after Zayn hinted his Skype activity may keep his love-life with Perrie spicy.

Meanwhile Liam added: ‘I don’t wanna know what you’re doing in your personal time!’

Zayn and Perrie met after both finding fame on The X Factor and began dating after meeting back stage on the ITV talent show in 2011.

And while the lovers are now looking to make their love permanent by tying the knot, Zayn has already made a permanent declaration of his affections in June this year when he had a cartoon image of his future wife tattooed onto his arm.

The Bradford lad has also explained he loves to use his down time between 1D gigs to add to his body art – but refused to say if he would get more in honour of Perrie.

‘Our manager is going to draw a graph comparing the correlation of time off with getting more tattoos,’ he said. ‘It will go up.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 27 August 2013]

District3: We don’t mind when our ‘free spirited’ fans tweet us their boobs

Former X Factor boyband District3 have revealed that their legions of female fans have become rather over familiar when it comes to communicating over social media.

Dan Ferrari-Lane and Greg West – both 19 – joined Guilty Pleasures for a chat (fellow bandmate, 18-year-old Micky Parsons, was out of action with Flu) as they celebrate the release of their debut EP (simply titled EP – and performing surprisingly well on downloads), when they discussed their fanbase which regularly gets the band name trending worldwide on Twitter.

‘We have amazing fans. They’re all pretty nutty – but in a really great way,’ Greg told us.

‘They can be very, very, dirty on Twitter. We never have a clean time line. We’ve had boobs,’ he went on with Dan swiftly adding: ‘And that’s the soft stuff!’

‘They’re very free spirited,’ Greg continued, defending the honour of the group’s female admirers, but is glad the more persistent fans haven’t managed to stalk them just yet.

‘None of them have tracked us down to our doorstep… but they’re in the area. We’ve been quite lucky with that,’ he said.

As the only member of the band to be taken, Greg (who has dating a school friend named Heather for two years) is also glad not to suffer the abuse that fellow boyband One Direction endure whenever they go public with a squeeze.

‘The fans are really nice and respecting our privacy etcetera,’ he said of the fan response to his love life, adding: ‘We’ve had a very smooth run of things which has been very nice.’

Meanwhile singleton Dan says he is on the lookout for love, and even suggested he might be up for dating a fan.

‘I am single. I am not looking for love, but if love finds me I won’t be running away. In a girl I just look for someone who likes to go out and party and have fun,’ he said before adding with a knowing laugh: ‘Someone who is… free spirited!’

As Micky was not present to defend his choice in women, his bandmates decided to seize the opportunity to have a joke at his expense.

‘If it’s got a pulse, it’s Micky’s type!’ Greg laughed.

The debut EP by District3 is out now.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 22 August 2013]

The Naked & Famous: We want to be known for more than just Made In Chelsea soundtrack

Indie punk pop band The Naked and Famous have revealed they want to be known for more than simple providing the title music for E4’s hit show Made In Chelsea.

The New Zealand band – fronted by indie rock babe Alisa Zayalith – are best known in the UK for their 2011 tune Punching In A Dream which played over the title credits of the reality show.

‘We would want to be known for more than just soundtracking Made In Chelsea,’ Alisa told Guilty Pleasures during an exclusive chat, adding: ‘There’s more to us than just that single.’

However the singer did confess that she finds the show something of a guilty pleasure herself.

‘I ended up watching all the episodes and I become a little bit of a fan,’ she said through guilty blushes.

‘I don’t think we’d ever want to be in it and I feel terrible even talking to you about it, but I think all these TV shows are so ridiculous and so far removed from reality.’

‘There are other things going on in the world that are far more important than watching that – and I tell myself I should really read a newspaper instead.’

With the band gearing up for the release of their new album – with the lead single Hearts Like Ours out in the UK next month – the band will also soon be back on the road having spent the best part of the last year recording in LA.

‘I was recovering from laryngitis and I think that was the first show I had done after three days of not speaking,’ Alisa said, recalling the first time she ever performed in the UK at London’s Borderline back in 2010.

‘I was walking around with a pen and pad and we just hoped we’d make it through that Borderline show. So if I made a good impression, I’m satisfied.’

The Naked and Famous second album, In Rolling Waves, will be released on September 16.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 15 August 2013]

Jennifer Aniston: I like to play it dirty once in a while

Jennifer Aniston has revealed that she revelled in her latest role as a stripper in new film We’re The Millers.

The 44-year-old Hollywood babe was in London’s Leicester Square for the UK premiere of her new big screen comedy – along with castmates Jason Sudeikis and British actor Will Poulter.

‘Do you love me being dirty? I appreciate that! I had fun,’ she told Guilty Pleasures when asked if she enjoyed turning up the raunch as a stripper in the film.

‘It’s nice to be bad once in a while.’

She went on: ‘Working with this cast and the luck we had – they’re people I respect and love. It’s a funny movie.’

Indeed Will couldn’t help but praise the former Friends star – who plays his on-screen mum – saying Jen is one of the most down-to-earth people he has met.

‘I didn’t know anyone that famous or successful could be that lovely. She’s the sweetest person,’ he gushed.

The actor even has a three-way kiss with the star – along with fellow actress Emma Robert – but it’s all fine as they are only pretending to be family members as part of a drug-smuggling scheme.

‘The three-way kiss was awkward, and probably horrible for Jen and Emma,’ the actor confessed, adding: ‘It was my first three way kiss – and I loved it!’

Meanwhile, co-star Jason wasn’t left out of the lip-locking action.

‘On camera I missed out on the three-way kiss Will got to do, but you’ve got to rehearse those things so I rehearsed with Will,’ he joked, adding with some regret: ‘I went the wrong way with that…’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 14 August 2013]

Amanda Seyfried: It's important to talk about sex

Amanda Seyfried has explained that – far from getting bored of talking about sex after promoting her latest film Lovelace in recent weeks – we should all be discussing it more.

The former Mean Girls star, 27, plays the iconic porn star Linda Lovelace in a new biopic about the star and her tempestuous relationship with her abusive husband, Chuck Traynor.

‘The story isn’t really necessarily about sex – that does have a role in it, but it’s more about the relationship between two people,’ she told Metro at the UK premiere of the film at London’s Mayfair Hotel.

‘I don’t mind talking about sex. I think we should all feel comfortable talking about it.’

While she admits to watching porn in the past, she said she does not enjoy it.

‘I saw some when I was six and that was really disturbing. I was at my friends house and her parents weren’t at home and, I mean the parents were never around, and the older brother who I think was 10 at the time put it on,’ she revealed.

And while Amanda feels there is a strong message from the film, which follows Linda to her conclusion that porn can be abusive, the actress doesn’t think prime minister David Cameron’s plans to curb access to porn would work.

‘You can’t put a ban on anything. I mean, kids underage are still drinking. It just makes it that much more powerful,’ she said.

‘Its to do with freedom. We should be free to watch what we want. It’s about how it’s produced and I think there is some that is made that is safe and it’s positive – like kink that’s run by women in San Francisco. I think that’s a beautiful thing.’

The greatest lesson she learnt from playing Linda in the film was that it affirmed her belief in being an actress.

‘I want to play more real people as there is so much to learn about yourself and there is so much to dive into. I lost myself a little bit at one point, which was fun. I felt like a real actor,’ she added.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 13 August 2013]

Nathan Sykes: Cyber bullies are cowards

Nathan Sykes of The Wanted has hit out at online bullies – having seen first hand how savage some Twitter users can be.

The 20-year-old has seen both the good and bad side of fame but does not like to let internet trolls get the better of him.

‘I’m in a position where I’ve seen hate from people who maybe don’t like the band,’ he told Guilty Pleasures from America, where the band are currently out performing.

‘When the One Direction argument, or whatever it was, was going on between a few of the boys, for no reason I was suddenly getting death threats and stuff off young girls and I was quite confused by that.

‘I didn’t know what I’d done but then realised they associated me with the band. But the way they say things – the fact people can hide behind a computer screen, they’d never say it to your face.

‘They have that power, almost, of hiding behind a computer so they can be more expressive and a lot nastier.’

The We Own The Night singer does has some sound advice for anyone who is suffering from abuse online.

‘You can block these people, you can remove them from you’re time-line, you can unfollow them. You don’t have to be “friends” with these people and you can ignore them,’ he said.

‘That is the best way of dealing with it. And also speak to your friends and keep on interacting with your friends as much as possible and that will make you feel a lot better.’

Sykes also revealed that The Wanted fans were supportive – even when it came to his bandmates’ girlfriends, Kelsey Hardwick, who dates Tom Parker, and Nareesha McCaffrey, who is seeing Siva Kaneswaran.

‘On the whole they’re great and look out for them and defend them. I think a bit more with the reality show [The Wanted Life], Nareesha’s quite opinionated and there are obviously people who disagree with her opinion.

‘So you’d get people who are like “Oh you’re out of order”, but it’s a reality TV show so people will side with her opinions.’
And while Sykes told us he and fellow singleton Jay McGuinness sang All By Myself while in the car together, would-be girlfriends will be sad to here he doesn’t have time for dating himself.

‘I’m not really looking for a love-life at the moment. I’m very focused on what we’re doing and we’re so busy over the next few months so I think now would be a stupid time to start looking for a girlfriend,’ he explained.

‘I hold huge respect for Siva and Tom who have managed to hold down such strong relationships. It is hard in this line of work.’

The band released their new single We Own The Night this week, have an album due this autumn and will then be heading on their first world tour.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 12 August 2013]

Union J in Kick Ass 2: We're lovers not fighters

Union J are looking forward to being involved in the upcoming movie Kick Ass 2 but admit they are not the violent types.

The boys have recorded a new video for their top-3 hit Carry You as it has been included in the film’s soundtrack and the lads – Josh Cuthbert, 20; JJ Hamblett, 25; Jaymi Hensley, 23; and George Shelley, 19 – may even pop up in the film.

‘We never get into fights. We just love hugs. We’re not fighters, but I think Jaymi could kick ass,’ Josh told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat ahead of performing at Big Gig in the Park in Jersey on Sunday.

‘He’s kind of the daddy of the group – he’s got the trousers. He keeps us all in check and makes sure we’ve always got our passports with us and our boarding passes. I think out of everyone, he’d be the one to kick ass, to say the least.’

The singer hinted that the group have a scene in the upcoming superhero film starring Aaron Johnson and Jim Carey, (“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say”) and went on to explain he’d like to be able to avoid airports if he could have any real extrasensory strengths.

‘If I had a superpower I’d like to be able to teleport myself so you wouldn’t have to worry about flying anywhere,’ he said.

‘You could just press a button and be in Barbados, for example. That would be cool. No check-in or worrying about getting your bag.’

Indeed the boys had trouble after they touched down in Jersey for their Sunday gig as they – along with JLS, who also attended the show – lost their luggage for half an hour, sparking fears they would have to take to the stage without their performance outfits.

‘We did [think we’d have to be] a crazy eight-piece naked boyband singing acapella,’ he laughed, saying he was glad when the bags eventually turned up.

‘That would be awkward though, wouldn’t it? Looking into each other’s eyes when we’re all standing there butt naked. I’m not sure it’s the right look.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 22 July 2013] 

Neon Jungle: We’re not as much Trouble as you think

Neon Jungle may look like trouble but they insist they’ve never even been in detention.

The sassy pop quartet, consisting of Japanese-born Asami Zdrenka, Scottish girl Shereen Cutkelvin, both 16, and Londoners Amira McCarthy,17, and Jessica Plummer, 20, are hoping to emulate Little Mix in the charts –  but say don’t lump them in the same basket as The X Factor winners.

‘The only thing we really have in common is that we are four girls and we make music,’ insists Jessica after the colourful singers, signed to Sony, swung by Guilty Pleasures for a chat.

Asami is chuffed they are already in the same race as Little Mix.

‘I think we’d all take it as a compliment,’ she said of the comparisons. ‘Because, I think, their success, in quite a short period of time, has skyrocketed and if we can come anywhere close to that we would be grateful.’

But while they may look a little more bad-ass than the DNA singers, the girls promise they are well behaved.

‘We are the biggest geeks, really. People see our exterior and they paint this picture of what we’ll be like and, really, we’re the most goofiest people,’ said Jessica.

Amira confirmed: ‘I’ve never been expelled or suspended. I haven’t even had a detention before! That’s good.’

But the girls are hoping to gatecrash Little Mix’s social circle in the hope that Asami can get her hands on Harry Styles, who she fancies the pants off.

Confident Jessica revealed she too has a crush on a famous musician.

‘I’m rinsing J Cole’s album, Born Sinner, which I’m just obsessed with and so I’ve become a little bit obsessed with him. Like, I’m not joking,’ said the cheeky minx.

‘I’ve googled his age and he’s 28 so I’m thinking when I’m, like, 25, and he’s like 33, maybe something could happen?’

But she went on to say: ‘But then it could change, because last week it was Pharrell and next week it could be Snoop Dogg.’

The ladies are gearing up for the September release of their debut single, Trouble.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 22 July 2013]