Freya Ridings has secretly married her folk singer boyfriend
FREYA RIDINGS is making a comeback – after secretly getting married.
I can reveal she tied the knot with her long-term boyfriend, folk singer Ewan J Phillips, during an intimate ceremony in central London in November.
It followed some turbulent times in their relationship, which inspired her new album, Blood Orange, out on May 5.
In an exclusive chat, she told me: “I’d gone through a really tough break-up in January 2020.
“I’d done the whole tour. Then I came home to silence and the heartbreak really hit me.
“The album has two halves to it, which is why it’s called Blood Orange. There’s the bitter and the sweet.
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“It’s 18 months of me being heartbroken and alone and then the other half is about us getting back together and re-falling in love.” Freya had a brilliant debut in 2019, with hit singles Lost Without You and Castles, and her self-titled album hitting No3.
On Thursday she returned with her belting tune Weekends from the new album.
Freya, who was nominated for British Female at the 2020 Brits, said about her nuptials: “We got married in November. It’s absolutely wild.
“The album got moved to be released this year and so this time opened up. We planned and did a wedding in two and a half months. It was so magical.”
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Her new record is inspired by the Seventies and for song Weekends she has made a big-budget video, out now.
Freya added: “We shot the video in Prague as a night shoot. One part was on an open-top bus playing the piano. Then we took over a Tube station from 12 to 4am.
“I feel like I’m trying to push myself out of my comfort zone.”
Taylor shocks fans at 1975 gig
FANS of The 1975 got two for the price of one when Taylor Swift joined the band on stage.
She wore this shimmering sequin dress for her surprise appearance at London’s O2 Arena, where she sang her No1 hit Anti-Hero live for the first time and covered The 1975’s song The City.
The crowd went wild when she came on stage at Thursday’s show and asked: “Is it OK if I sing?”
Backstage afterwards, Taylor rubbed shoulders with Florence Welch and Charli XCX, and met frontman Matty Healy’s mum Denise Welch.
The former Loose Women panellist would have been glad Taylor was there, as her lad said it prevented him from snogging random audience members like he usually does at gigs.
Matty told the crowd: “I’m not kissing anyone in front of Taylor Swift. In front of the queen? Have some respect.”
GC: My big butt broke loo seat
GEMMA COLLINS broke her in-laws’ toilet seat while visiting them during a holiday in Israel.
The reality star, who is engaged to dad-of-one Rami Hawash, said: “I didn’t even have a No2, I literally went for a No1. I woke up in the morning and I was stumbling around and plonked my big butt on their toilet seat.
"The next thing, I slid into the shower and nearly smashed their whole shower. His mum was in the kitchen making coffee and she must have been thinking, ‘What is that girl doing in there?’.”
But all’s well that ends well – she said seeing her fiance mending it made her swoon.
On The Gemma Collins Podcast, she added: “It was so gorgeous to see him with his big muscly arms fixing the toilet seat . . . I just fell in love with him all over again.”
Brits nod a dream for Mimi
MIMI WEBB has got her first Brit nomination – for Best New Artist.
On Thursday, there was controversy when it was revealed no women are in the British Artist of the Year category.
But Mimi, who released her new song Red Flags yesterday, told me: “I haven’t got all the answers.
“It’s my first nomination and I’m so grateful to be among some incredible artists and attending.
“Me and my family have been dreaming about this for so many years.
“I live on my own, I’ve come from Canterbury and I’m so grateful to be a female artist who is smashing it.”
She added: “I’m not going to lie, I’m really excited to see Harry Styles.
“We’ve never met before, so hopefully we will.”
Lana has Riopy Tunnel vision
LANA DEL REY has taken inspiration from a surprising source for her forthcoming album – by teaming up with French pianist Riopy.
She’s written a song over the top of one of his compositions for her record Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. But he has such a wild life story that she may want to create songs about him, too.
He grew up in a cult in Paris, escaped at 18 and worked in a string of crazy jobs before being discovered by Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Riopy starts a UK tour next month and releases his album, Thrive, on April 14.
Miley in Flowers pot shot
IT won’t have been a very happy birthday for actor Liam Hemsworth yesterday – as ex-wife Miley Cyrus took swipes at him in her new single.
She’s released Flowers, the first tune from new album Endless Summer Vacation.
Miley, who is bare-chested under a jacket in the video, sings: “I didn’t wanna leave you, I didn’t wanna lie. Started to cry but then remembered… I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand, talk to myself for hours, say things you don’t understand.
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“I can take myself dancing, and I can hold my own hand. Yeah I can love me better than you can.”
Miley adds: “No remorse, no regret, I forgive every word you said.”
CHARTS
Singles
1. Pointless – LEWIS CAPALDI
2. Escapism – RAYE ft 070 SHAKE
3. Kill Bill – SZA
4. Anti-Hero – TAYLOR SWIFT
5. Messy In Heaven – VENBEE & GODDARD
6. Let Go – CENTRAL CEE
7. Made You Look – MEGHAN TRAINOR
8. Calm Down – REMA
9. Miss You – OLIVER TREE & ROBIN SCHULZ
10. Out Of Nowhere – BUGZY MALONE & TEEDEE
LEWIS CAPALDI has leapt a whopping 14 spots to go to No1 this week with his latest single Pointless. He has knocked RAYE’s Escapism off the top spot, which is a bit awkward given she is supporting him on tour, starting tonight in Leeds.
Albums
1. Midnights – TAYLOR SWIFT
2. SOS – SZA
3. The Highlights – THE WEEKND
4. Equals – ED SHEERAN
5. Harry’s House – HARRY STYLES
6. Curtain Call: The Hits – EMINEM
7. Diamonds – ELTON JOHN
8. AM – ARCTIC MONKEYS
9. 50 Years: Don’t Stop – FLEETWOOD MAC
10. Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent – LEWIS CAPALDI
NO new entries have troubled the Top Ten this week, with unstoppable TAYLOR SWIFT spending a fifth week at No1 with Midnights. US R&B singer SZA continues to prove popular too, with her album SOS rising one spot to No2.