SHE’S had a year to remember after winning a record-breaking six Brit Awards and becoming a multi-millionaire.
Now Raye has treated herself to something very special — a new house in Los Angeles.
Insiders have told me the Escapism singer has splashed out just over £2million on a very quirky pad, which has enormous murals of Hollywood film characters daubed on the walls.
The six-bedroom home also has a huge pool and is the perfect bolthole for her. A source said: “Raye has invested in a new place in LA and she wants to wait to put her touch on it.
“It’s a really fun house and is whacky inside and out, which perfectly fits her personality.
“There are murals on the walls of Frankenstein and Gandalf, the wizard from Lord Of The Rings. It’s bananas but Raye loved it.
“She intends to spend a lot more time working on music in the States and having her own place while she is out there makes perfect sense.
“Buying the house tops off what has been an incredible year for her.”
Doesn’t it just. We revealed Raye earned five times more this year than last, thanks to the mega success of her debut album, My 21st Century Blues.
The Londoner lodged earnings of £3.1million, and generated a £1.7million profit, which is almost enough to buy another impressive house in the States.
If the past 12 months are anything to go by, Raye is going to be gearing up for an even bigger 2025.
VIRGIN Radio UK is to celebrate Band Aid 40 on Monday.
Stars who have performed on the three versions of Do They Know It’s Christmas? will be on shows across the Network all day.
On Sunday, the first part of Virgin’s Band Aid documentary will air from 7pm. It has interviews with Bob Geldof, Tony Hadley, Simon Le Bon and the journalist Michael Buerk.
BRAT winter is here, as Charli XCX performs a surprise pop-up gig in New York’s Times Square.
She looked quite the 360 Party Girl in a slashed black dress and sunglasses.
Spotted in the crowd was actress Julia Fox, who introduced Charli on Saturday Night Live at the weekend.
Charli jets to the UK this week to start her debut arena tour, after finishing new fantasy-romance film 100 Nights Of Hero with Emma Corrin. No wonder Charli’s in shades, she must be knackered.
STEPS have had the ultimate seal of approval for their new musical Here & Now – from stage great Dame Judi Dench.
The actress was one of the first people through the doors of Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre when previews opened last week – and was up on her feet dancing by the end.
Last night, all five members of Steps were there for the gala performance to officially launch the show, which is set in a shop.
And the group announced it will go on a nationwide tour from next August.
In an exclusive chat backstage, Claire Richards said of Dame Judi: “Her daughter Finty Williams plays the store manager Patricia in the show.
“So she came to see it last week and loved it.
“She was up dancing and had a little champagne.”
The musical is set in a superstore called Better Best Bargains and sees the shop’s staff go on a journey set to 21 of the group’s hit singles.
After seeing it for the first time, Lisa Scott-Lee said: “It was very emotional and overwhelming, and it was a bit of an out-of-body experience watching people perform the songs you’ve performed for 27 years. But I loved it. We’re like proud parents.”
Claire added: “They’ve got cracking voices. It’s really shown people that the songs we sing are great, but they’re not easy.
“People have been surprised about the range.”
And as the production prepares for 260 shows across the UK and Ireland – which you can find dates for at thestepsmusical.com – it is clear that even non-Steps fans will be impressed.
Ian ‘H’ Watkins revealed: “I’ve seen some jukebox musicals from other artists and they just didn’t have the hits. This does.”
But fear not – they have insisted it’s not the end of the group, with Lee Latchford-Evans telling us: “It’s almost a new chapter.”
Faye Tozer added: “The fact we instigated this as a project and we’ve made it come to life with an amazing team, it feels like another incredibly proud moment for us. It’s not a full stop, it’s another string to our bow.”
LINDSAY LOHAN looks like she’s ageing backwards – as if still in her twenties.
The Freaky Friday actress, 38, also pictured below 12 years ago, dazzled in black at the New York premiere of Netflix movie Our Little Secret.
The film, about exes who spend Christmas together after learning their new loves are siblings, is a glorious return for former child star Lindsay.
Ditching LA for Dubai, she has overcome booze and substance issues and is a picture of health. She had her first child, son Luai, last year after marrying businessman Bader Shammas in 2022.
Great to see her back on track.
MADONNA’s long-awaited biopic could now be heading to TV instead of the big screen.
She started working on the project four years ago after a studio said it was going to make a film about her life – but without her involvement.
That sparked the superstar into action to beat them to it.
But after stop-start progress on the script, Madonna said it could go to TV, as there have been so many disputes behind the scenes.
She wrote on Instagram: “After struggling for days in LA, listening to producers and agents tell me why I couldn’t make my film (been working on it for 4 years!!!) downsize . . . think smaller they say . . . l realised that everything in my life is going to be challenged.
“No easy rides for me.”
But in a plea to fans, Madge, added: “If you want something badly enough in life, the whole universe will conspire to help you get it.
“Should I make the story of my life into a series or a feature film?”
Either one would be great for me, but nothing beats a blockbuster biopic.
MODEL Cara Delevingne has sold her LA mansion, six months after it was partially destroyed by a huge fire.
She has offloaded the four-bedroom, six-bathroom home for £3.6million, after buying it for £5.5million in 2019 and doing a refurb.
SOPHIE has topped Rough Trade’s 2024 Album Of The Year list.
The singer, who died in 2021, took the No1 spot for her self-titled record, which was released posthumously in September.
Rough Trade’s Emily Walker told me: “There is an inherently infinite quality to Sophie’s music and this posthumous album is testament to the boundless pop possibility that she embodied as an artist.”
The top 20 is also a celebration of British acts this year. Charli XCX, Idles, Ezra Collective and The Last Dinner Party are among 13 home-grown artists included in the list.
ANDREW CUSHIN has been tipped for greatness by Noel Gallagher and Pete Doherty – and is coming back to show what he’s all about.
The Geordie singer today returns with his new single L.I.F.E. and has announced his second album Love Is For Everyone, out on May 2.
He told me the record was inspired by love and loss, but is an overwhelmingly happy one, after time on the road supporting Louis Tomlinson.
Andrew said in an exclusive chat: “We are still in touch. He was an amazing person to be around. It was very daunting at first and it massively opened my eyes. His door was always open for advice.
“He took me to a lot of after-parties. I was rather drunk on a number of oc- casions but it was brilliant.”
On writing the album, Andrew, who has also just announced a headline tour for next spring, added: “I was in a stunning place called Wigan. I’m not going to say I found it difficult but I found it different writing another record.
“I only had a few months because I was gigging, but I managed to find the time to write it and wrote some pretty important songs.”
