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Thursday November 30, 2017

ED SHEERAN’S multi-million selling album “÷” has been excluded from the main categories at the 2018 Grammy Awards, surprising many industry observers.

The star was edged out of contention by Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar, who each received multiple nominations.

Jay Z leads with eight nominations, including his fi rst ever appearance in the album of the year list for “4:44,” which comes 21 years after his debut.

Sheeran did receive several nomina-tions in the pop categories, however. “Shape of You” is up for best pop solo performance, while “÷” is shortlisted for best pop album.

Lady Gaga is also relegated to the pop categories for her recent album, “Joanne,” while Katy Perry fails to receive

any nominations at all.Overall, the shortlist is very male-

dominated, with New Zealand’s Lorde the only woman cited for album of the year.

Taylor Swift also missed out on a nomination for her single “Look What You Made Me Do,” one of the most talked-about records of the year.

Her recent album, “Reputation,” was released too late to be eligible for an award — but the star does receive recognition for writing Little Big Town’s single “Better Man,” which is up for best country song; and for her duet with One Direction’s Zayn Malik, “I Don’t Want to Live Forever,” which featured on the “Fifty Shades” soundtrack.

Jay Z’s haul comes in recognition of his 13th studio album, which fi nds the star

in a vulnerable, refl ective mood. The title track confronts his infi delity, while the self-lacerating “Kill Jay Z” discusses how fame infl ated his ego.

However, most critics expect rapper Kendrick Lamar to pick up the coveted album of the year prize. “Damn,” which highlights his incendiary, virtuoso fl ow, is his third record to make the shortlist.

“Despacito,” the hit from Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee, lands three nomina-tions including record and song of the year. It is the fi rst time a Spanish-lan-guage song has been listed in the song of the year category since Los Lobos’s cover of “La Bamba” in 1988.

The next class of Grammy winners will be unveiled Jan. 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (SD-Agencies)

Ed Sheeran overlooked while Jay Z tops

nominations at Grammys

Ed SheeranEd Sheeran

U.S. pop star Katy Perry will perform at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on April 8, 2018 as part of her global tour.

Perry’s Witness: The Tour, named after her latest album “Witness,” began Sept. 19 and will take in 97 dates in total until Aug. 21, 2018, with shows in North and South Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Perry, 33, last performed in Singapore in 2015 during her Prismatic World Tour, and was also part of the entertainment line-up at the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix.

Known for hits like “Firework,” “Last Friday Night,” “The One That Got Away” and” I Kissed a Girl,” Perry has sold more than 100 million records worldwide since emerging onto the scene in 2001.

Prices range from S$128 (US$95) to S$348 and early-bird tickets will go on sale to American Express cardholders from Dec. 5 to 10.

General sales to the public begin Dec. 11. and are available from www.sportshubtix.sg.

(SD-Agencies)

Katy Perry to perform in Singapore

YOUTUBE star Jack Maynard has apologized for a tweet he posted in 2011 in which he joked about rape.

The Sun reported the tweet, posted when Maynard was 16, which said: “If you get me to 1,500 followers by tomorrow, I will kiss you ... most likely rape you though.”

The newspaper also referred to another tweet from the same year, in which Maynard replied to a fan with the phrase: “I raped her ... ha ha.”

Maynard tweeted Tuesday: “Noth-ing can justify the language I used.” He added: “There is no defence — I am truly sorry.”

He continued: “I take full respon-sibility and regret my mistakes. As an adult, I understand the effect my words have on people, whether I have a big or small platform to speak from. Again, I am so sorry to anyone I have offended or disappointed.”

Last week, Maynard — who recently left “I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!” when offensive tweets he posted in 2012 emerged — apolo-gized for saying some “pretty disgust-ing things.”

The tweets, which prompted allega-tions of racism and homophobia, were published in the Sun newspaper while Maynard, 23, was in Australia.

He said he was “young” and “care-less” when he posted them and in an online video, added: “I’ve been really stupid in the past.” (SD-Agencies)

Jack Maynard apologizes for

2011 rape tweet

Jay Z

Katy PerryKaty Perry

Jack MaynardJack Maynard