Joel Corry backs Raye after record label dispute: ‘People have no idea what goes on behind the scenes’

Joel has defended Raye after her dispute with her record label (Picture: ITV/Getty)

Joel Corry said ‘people have no idea what goes on behind the scenes’ of the music industry as he backed his Bed duet pal Raye’s fight to release an album.

The Head & Heart DJ came to Raye’s defence after she raged at her label Polydor for failing to release her debut album for seven years, and vowed to boycott doing promo duties.

Revealing their collaboration Bed was Raye’s idea, Corry told Guilty Pleasures: ‘I saw the tweet that she wrote and it’s really bad for her.

‘I hope she can find a solution for that in the future. She’s been making records for years and years and is an amazing artist. Hopefully, we will get that Raye album soon.’

And the former Geordie Shore star and fitness guru revealed how the music biz is not the dream people think it is.

‘The music industry is really tough — people have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. It is a very, very tough industry to get into. I have been trying to do this for a long time,’ Corry, 32, shared. ‘I worked with various record labels before I got my break.

‘I had to go through years of doing it independently, taking knockbacks. I kept working hard and believing in myself and may times thinking this is never going to happen. I honestly believe 99 per cent of artists go through that journey.’

Speaking ahead of his Absolut #TogetherIRL gig, the reality star confessed: ‘With my background, there was a bit of stigma.’

Corry hopes he doesn’t face the same hurdles as Raye because, despite being a singles success, the Lonely singer is determined to put out a record.

‘I’m definitely working towards to having an album. I have signed an album deal with Atlantic records,’ he said. ‘I think for a DJ it is more of a singles game but the album will come. I will be able to put an album out with all the records I have been working on that didn’t quite make it as singles… that will happen.’

Joel will be performing at the #TogetherIRL event tonight from 7pm. The free stream is available via Absolut’s Facebook page.

More guilty pleasures…

And exhale… Bono’s lad made it after voice fear

U2’s Bono in the his early days (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

Bono’s ‘shy’ son Elijah Hewson feared a backlash when he tried to follow his chart-topping dad — and still hadn’t found his singing voice.

The 21-year-old is set to land his first No.1 with his band Inhaler’s album It Won’t Always Be Like This.

He is now breathing a sigh of relief but confessed it took time for his voice to evolve into the same tone as his U2 star father. ‘I think that was what frightened me, like, “If I can’t sing, then f***!” It was a little scary,’ Elijah said.

‘I think I tried to push it to the back of my mind. It was only when I started really sounding like my dad that my voice started getting decent.

‘I definitely wasn’t a good singer at the beginning.’

Hewson and Inhaler bandmates Robert Keating, Josh Jenkinson and Ryan McMahon knew they would be ribbed when they set out to be rock stars at Dublin’s St Andrew’s College. ‘We always knew what we’re going to do and we were going to deal with any kind of backlash that we would have had,’ he said.

‘I wouldn’t have made a good architect or plumber or anything. The only thing I really feel like I have a connection to is music.’

And Bono, 61, doesn’t mind passing on his secrets. ‘He loves it, and if he didn’t, he’d probably tell me,’ Elijah said of his reaction to the record.

‘Some great advice I have gotten off my dad was when I was playing him a demo once and I was going, “This isn’t right and that EQ isn’t right and that guitar is a bit out of tune” and he was like, “Turn off the demo, just play me it on acoustic guitar and sing it”. Really, what it boils down to is the essence of the song.’

But he didn’t inherit his dad’s bravado. Hewson told The New Cue: ‘I would never have hung out with the lads in school — I never played football. I got on better with the girls. I was just super shy and awkward.’

Nic won’t be caged in Tiger King role…

Nicolas Cage’s series is no longer going ahead (Picture: Getty)

Nicolas Cage will no longer play Joe Exotic in a biopic — as he declared the jailed star of Netflix’s Tiger King ‘no longer relevant’.

He explained: ‘I read two excellent scripts but I think Amazon ultimately felt that it was material that had become past tense.’

Posing with his fifth wife, Riko Shibata, 26, at the premiere of his latest movie Pig, the 57-year-old Oscar winner added: ‘They felt at one point that it was lightning in a bottle but that point has since faded into the distance and it’s no longer relevant.’

Irina to West: Kan we just be pals?

Kanye and Irina are reportedly just friends (Picture: Getty Images North America)

Things have got off to a Shayk-y start for Kanye West as he tries dating again after his high-profile divorce from Kim Kardashian.

The rapper, 44, whisked Irina Shayk, 35, off to France for his birthday trip. But a pal of the Russian model, who has a daughter with Bradley Cooper, said: ‘She likes him as a friend but doesn’t want a relationship with him.’

Irina opted not to join Kanye weeks later for Paris Fashion Week. The insider told the New York Post: ‘She doesn’t want the association that they are dating, which is what would have run in the press if she showed up.’

Olivia’s Wilde for Styles… but ex Jason’s ‘learning from’ split

Olivia and Jason were together for nine years (Picture: Shutterstock)

Jason Sudeikis takes ‘some responsibility’ after his marriage plans ended with Harry Styles’s new girlfriend Olivia Wilde.

The pair were engaged for seven years before calling it quits in November — and Wilde, 37, is now an item with 1D singer Styles, 27.

On his heartbreak, Saturday Night Live star Sudeikis, 45, said: ‘That’s an experience you either learn from or make excuses about. You take some responsibility for it… but then also endeavour to learn something beyond the obvious from it.’

A Win(slet) for Mare fans! Kate up for series 2

She won applause for her honest nude scenes — and Kate Winslet is keen to return for more as detective Mare Sheehan in TV hit Mare of Easttown.

The 45-year-old Oscar winner was praised for banning show bosses from editing out her belly in one daring sex scene. And now Winslet says: ‘I would love to play her again, I absolutely believe there’s more chapters to her story.’

She cautioned: ‘However, just because the story has touched people, that doesn’t necessarily mean creatively we can do it again. But it doesn’t mean closing doors; we’re opening doors, exploring what’s behind the doors.’

More: Metro newspaper

■ Scarlett Johansson feels her lockdown wedding to SNL star Colin Jost was ‘weird’ after guests wore masks reading ‘Jost 2020’. The Black Widow actress, 36, said: ‘Looking back at the photos… it definitely was a weird party favour.’

■ Even Demi Lovato struggles to always use ‘they’ pronouns after coming out as non-binary. The US singer, 28, said: ‘If you misgender me — that’s okay. I accidentally misgender myself sometimes! It’s a huge transition.’

■ Your Tia Kofi is served! The drag star will launch the reopening of legendary London gay club Heaven this weekend. To mark the club’s comeback after 16 months, the Outside In singer is dropping a remix of her track Look What You’ve Done.

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