By Geoffrey RowlandsJake Bugg has yet to have a top 20 single in Britain. The Nottingham-born singer/songwriter’s biggest hit to date was Lightning Bolt which reached number 26 last January.But it’s a very different story in the UK album chart. Jake’s self-titled debut LP shot straight to number one last October. It has now spent 41 consecutive weeks on the chart and is still listed among the top 10.“I’ve achieved everything I wanted,” stated 19-year-old Jake. “I never expected to have a chart-topping album although that was what I hoped for when it was released. But I’ve reached number one, met my music idols, Don McLean and Jimmy Page, and made enough money to get out of the Clifton estate.”One of the largest council housing estates in Europe, most of Jake’s songs relate to his experiences growing up in Clifton. “There is a little imagination in my songs but most of the lyrics reflect what my life was really like. I don’t want to paint a totally dark picture. My parents split up when I was very young but I had a pretty normal working-class upbringing with a mix of good times and bad.“I actually feel a bit guilty now that I can afford to buy nice things. I was in America recently looking out over the ocean basically living a life of luxury and thought of my friends back in Clifton who were either unemployed or stacking shelves in a shop. They’re all pleased by my success but that doesn’t really ease my feelings of guilt.”Jake’s road out of Clifton began while watching an episode of The Simpsons which featured Don McLean’s 1972 hit, Vincent.“I was immediately hooked on the song. I wanted to hear more of Don McLean’s music. I spent hours on YouTube listening to his songs and the work of other artists who influenced him. I was only 12 and hadn’t previously taken much interest in music but it very quickly became the most important thing in my life.“My uncle played guitar. He showed me a few basic chords and I took it from there practising every day to become a better musician. I started playing bass in my older cousin’s band but always knew I wanted to be a solo artist.“I was writing my own songs at 14 and played my first solo gig as part of a concert at my school. Everyone was very encouraging so this gave me the confidence to think music could be my career.”Having dropped out of a music technology course, Jake began gigging around small venues in Nottingham at the age of 16. He uploaded some songs to the BBC’s Introducing scheme and, at 17, was playing the Introducing tent at the Glastonbury Music Festival.“That was amazing. Even better though was getting my deal with Mercury Records. They showed incredible faith in me. I was just told to go away, do what I do and bring them a finished album.”Even before his album was released, Jake appeared on prestigious TV shows, had prominent positions at various music festivals and toured as the support act for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. This gave him the kind of exposure any new artist could only dream about. Debuting atop the album chart came as no great surprise.“My success wasn’t welcomed by everyone. I got insulting Twitter messages from teenage fans of Leona Lewis who were angry that my album had denied her the top spot. Anyway, Leona’s album was number three so she still wouldn’t have topped the chart.”Does Jake’s newly elevated social status mean there will be a change of subject matter in the songs on his next album?“No, it will be basically the same. I have many more tales to tell of my time in Clifton. It’s like that saying, you can take a guy out of the ghetto but you can’t take the ghetto out of him. I think the same is probably true about Clifton and me.”inbriefAvenged SevenfoldAvenged Sevenfold issue their sixth studio album, Hail To The King, on August 27. The new album was produced by Mike Elizondo, who also helmed their previous LP, 2010’s Nightmare. It is the band’s first release to feature no contribution from drummer and songwriter James The Rev Sullivan, who died of an accidental drug overdose in December, 2009.“Fans will notice a different kind of drumming on this record,” said singer M Shadows, real name Matthew Sanders. “But it’s exactly how we’d have wanted ‘The Rev’ to play if he was still with us. (New drummer) Arin (Ilejay) really killed it. He did everything to perfection but I’m sure there will be people who’ll say he’s not as good as ‘The Rev.’“We did miss ‘The Rev’ for his songwriting. Aside from his drum parts, he didn’t write much until about 2006. But he came up with some great songs which we missed on the new album. That’s why we took longer than usual to finish it.”After promoting the album through song snippets on their website, Avenged Sevenfold have now released the full version of title-track and lead single, Hail To The King. It can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU9YM1Lfvt8.For those who would like to hear more, the band’s first five studio albums are all posted in full on YouTube.Priyanka ChopraFrom Miss World 2000 to an international music star via the Bollywood film industry. This is the career path which Priyanka Chopra hopes to tread.The 31-year-old actress, singer and songwriter has already followed her movie success by achieving music stardom in her native land. Her debut single, In My City, topped the Indian charts last September. So too has her latest release, Exotic.Despite featuring Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am, In My City registered few sales on the international market. With the aid of a guest appearance from Pitbull, Priyanka is hoping for better luck with her new single.Conservative elements in India have attacked Priyanka for her choice of outfits in the Exotic video. Despite, or perhaps because of, this, the video has already registered well over 6mn views on YouTube. It can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPhhZg9v9NU.The video for In My City is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjgq6-5uDtY.YOU 62A band of young British cancer patients have written and recorded a charity single. The members of YOU 62 met during music therapy sessions at the Young Oncology Unit in The Christie Hospital, Manchester. They now hope for success with their song, Blue Sky Day. All proceeds will be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust at Christie’s.The video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gMRjwn67tU. The song will be available for download at all major outlets from tomorrow.Keep abreast of news from the band by visiting www.facebook.com/pages/YOU-62/644314528918844?ref=stream.Asher RothMore free music is available from Asher Roth.The American rapper has issued just one smash hit album, 2009’s Asleep in the Bread Aisle. But his latest release, The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 2, is his fifth free mixtape.All 23 tracks can be heard and downloaded at www.datpiff.com/Asher-Roth-The-Greenhouse-Effect-Vol-2-mixtape.500644.html. Links to more of Asher’s free mixtapes are also posted on this webpage.