Time for Chart Mondays on this backdated date, and we have a brand new number one. It's Drake's song "God's Plan", yet the music video isn't released until late February, whereas this blog is being backdated to the end of January, so we have a few weeks until I finally review Drake's number one song, opening the UK top 10 to my review, and I have adored this song since it dropped - plus the backdated date is my birthday, 29 January - so, of course, I was going to review the music video to this, although I'm not happy about the music video itself. The song features one of my favourite artists, Ina Wroldsen, who's career I have followed for a few years. Watch dancers Shaadow Sefiroth and Shala Sarah Haruko Iwaskow perform in iconic London locations, such as the Natural History Museum, in this music video for Jax Jones' song "Breathe" which features Ina Wroldsen.
Jax Jones, real name Timucin Aluo, is a British DJ who has had a number of hits in his home country, as well as around the whole world. He's had the honour of collaborating with some massive names in the music industry. He continues to prove he is a force to be reckoned with and this song climbed up to the UK top 10 after the release of this music video, so no matter what my thoughts on it are, it does show that the release of the visual helped the song rise. It features the incredible singer-songwriter, Ina Wroldsen. She's known for writing some of the biggest songs in the industry, as well as providing her vocals to some iconic tracks. She continues to get her name out there and keeps giving us hit after hit. I can't wait to see what the future brings for her. I originally wrote up about this music video for CelebMix; I also wrote about the song upon its release, for the magazine. This song was written by Timucin Aluo, Fred Gibson, Uzoechi Emenike (MNEK), Ina Wroldsen, and William Clarke.
Directed by James Slater, this music video showcases these two incredible dancers. Shaadow Sefiroth and Shala Sarah Haruko Iwaskow dance their way through intricate choreography in this visual, keeping the audience entertained throughout.
The problem I have with this music video is that the artists don't appear in the visual, not even slightly; not only that but the choreography isn't anything amazing, there's a lot of body-popping going on with some good translation of the lyrics, yet sometimes there's just nothing that relates to the song.
There are some great locations, such as the Natural History Museum during after-hours, which is filmed inside the entrance, which is usually taken up by Dippy the Dinosaur, however, he's currently on tour around the UK, so we get stunning shots of a Blue Whale skeleton, that's hanging from the ceiling. Other scenes include a derelict shopping centre, a deserted Millennium Bridge, as well as them performing in the middle of Oxford Street - in the middle walkway between the two roads.
Overall, I totally adore this song, but it's music video just isn't enough for me. Kudos go to the dancers, who bring it to the best of their ability; and, to the Jax Jones-head dancer, who appears on the Millennium Bridge with the two dancers and pulls off some simple moves. The ending sees Shala Sarah Haruko Iwaskow alone on Oxford Street looking at a billboard advertising Jax Jones' "Breathe" with the mint sweets.
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm obsessed with Global Records and their array of artists on the record label. They recently created a division titled Global Records Latin, which Micke Moreno was the first star to release under that division with "El Amor" which featured Antonia. The label has continued to release songs that are beyond addicting, and here is another one on this backdated new release. I previously wrote up about this for CelebMix, and although it wasn't strictly released on this backdated date, it was released a few days earlier, it was still new for that week. Watch Micke Moreno and Kryan battle it out during a car race intercut with performance scenes in this music video set in a car park for "Juego".
Micke Moreno, who is sometimes known as just Micke, is best known for taking part in The X Factor (US) and La Banda. Now, Global Records Latin has picked him up, along with some of his friends for their new record label, and it is proving to do well for everyone involved. His debut, "El Amor" got millions of YouTube views, although we reckon that was with the help of featured star Antonia. This single sees him collaborate with Kryan, again - they first teamed-up for "Eres Tu" along with Fabyan and Yoandri. Kryan is known for being on La Voz Teens where he was a semi-finalist. Now, he's a part of Global Records Latin allowing him to pursue his dream and passion. He manages to twist up this track, adding his stamp and flavour. The song was written by Micke Moreno and Brien Melo with Alexandru Cotoi helping to compose the music.
The music video has both a narrative and a performance piece, so you would expect my rating, at the end of this review, to be high; this is the core of a great music video, however this just doesn't come off quite so well. The performance takes over as the main part, leaving the uninteresting and overdone narrative to become a minor part.
The car race launches this whole music video, but sometimes the cars don't look as if they're competing. They go around the car park as we wait to see who wins. We've seen plenty of car races in music videos. Micke Moreno looks disappointed at the end, suggesting he lost, but maybe he's just unhappy about Kryan's inability to perform in the performance part.
To be fair, it's not just Kryan's fault, the camera operator focuses on the women dancers far more than the two singers, and we can't really blame Kryan for being distracted, now can we? It would be good to see Kryan perform all by himself, to see if he does grab the audience at home. As for Micke Moreno, he is on point and definitely a future star, he controls the energy and slams it right into the viewers at home. He's not distracted and wants to give a good performance, and he manages to save this video in every way.
Once again, YouTube came through for me with this music video as I found it on the right panel when I was reviewing Forever In Your Mind's "Smooth", and the thumbnail just stood out at me. I recognise his face, although I'm not quite sure where from, as I've only ever seen Grease Live! from what he has been in, and I don't remember him in that show, although he clearly was one of the main characters. I probably recognise him from all the press from the 25th season of Dancing With The Stars, which he won. He's been trying for a music career for some time and he has done all right to date. Watch Jordan Fisher profess his love for a woman while he knocks out some brilliant dance choreography in this music video to his debut song "All About Us".
Jordan Fisher is a name people are quickly getting to know. He's an established actor and musician, and he is certainly getting his name out there. As previously mentioned, he's the winner of the 25th season of Dancing With The Stars, which is bound to push him to future success. He has appeared in 12 episodes of Liv & Maddie; starred in Grease Live!, Teen Beach Movie, Teen Beach Movie 2, and appeared in 9 episodes of The Secret Life Of An American Teenager. He has also appeared in the Broadway production of Hamilton. As for his music career, this song was his debut single back in 2016. He has since released an EP and three follow-up singles. I am certainly interested in seeing what the future brings him, music wise. The song charted on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 at number 26. It was written by Nick Bailey, Rick James, Ryan Ogren, and Steve McMorran.
Directed by TK McKamy, this music video is a pure performance visual that really showcases everything about Jordan Fisher. He sings passionately, he dances like he's on fire (no wonder he won Dancing With The Stars), and he can stay in character all the way through a music video.
You would think this visual has it all. The choreography is on point all the way through, and there's even a slight narrative with his love interest. However, he loses connection with the audience. I'm not sure if the song isn't exactly to his liking, or he hasn't quite felt it within him, but whatever it is, he feels slightly out of it.
The audience loses interest as the first scene progresses and we're drawn back in when additional dancers added into the scenes. However, it happens again towards the end of the music video as it doesn't develop or grow. It feels like it's one flat visual.
Regardless, Jordan Fisher gives it his all. His dancing is superb and the choreography is so on-point that we all wish we could dance just like him. The additional dancers, as well as his love interest, add flavour and intrigue to the mix, but it's just lacking connection overall. Jordan Fisher is on fire in this clip and this excites me for what is to come from him in the future.
I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Forever In Your Mind, but I do love their music, and here's another example of a very catchy song; although, I don't approve of what they said about BTS, on the other hand, they did apologise about it, so I guess it can be forgiven. This song may be beyond catchy, but the music video is lacking a smooth quality which we were expecting - there's just way too much smiling going on. Watch Forever In Your Mind attempt to be sexy and sultry and smooth whilst they dance with female love interests in this music video for their song "Smooth".
Forever In Your Mind are a three-piece boyband consisting of Emery Kelly, Ricky Garcia, and Liam Attridge. They made their name when they were formed on the third season of The X Factor (US); however, they only made it to the Bootcamp stage before being eliminated. I guess they proved Simon Cowell wrong though since they have gone on to release two EPs and a bunch of singles. Not only that, but they almost bagged a Disney TV series as the lead stars; unfortunately, the show wasn't picked up - they could've been the next Jonas Brothers. Regardless, they are still going and releasing contagious music that I can't help but love. This song, "Smooth", was written by Dustin Atlas, Emery Kelly, Emily McDonald, Liam Attridge, and Ricky Garcia.
Directed by Nayip Ramos, this music video is a pure performance piece with the guys attempting to nail it with the song. They clearly connect with it but are just having too much fun on set that they can't help but smile, rather than act smooth - this is the major flaw with the music video.
The concept is great, seeing the women in the music video as parts of their imagination; clearly, they are still on the guys' minds. Then, they surprise us with some brilliant dance choreography that they completely nail in every single way.
Throughout, they bring sex-appeal and killer dance moves. They manage to be sultry and smooth all the way through the scenes; however, it isn't consistent. The worse is Liam Attridge who may have perfected his smooth look during his verse, but throughout he's always smiling for the camera before he realises he's not supposed to smile and tries to look sultry again. He's not the only one, Emery Kelly and Ricky Garcia have their moments too. They're just living the life and having fun on set; it just sidetracks the viewers. If they can't stay in character for an almost four-minute visual, then it's no surprise their TV show wasn't picked up by Disney Channel.
I'm trying to add more male singers' music videos to this blog, purely because I feel that week-on-week I'm writing about female artists, and as much as I love writing about some of my favourite queens in the industry, I need a break from them every now and again. So, after randomly clicking through a few YouTube videos, I came across this one and I thought, why not? At 16 million YouTube views, I just had to review it. Watch Lauv's car break down in the middle of nowhere, he then gets out and sings his song with an amazing falsetto whilst dancing in front of the Paris, Texas sign in this music video for "Paris In The Rain".
Lauv, real name Ari Leff, went international with his single "I Like Me Better" which was a global hit, charting in many countries around the world, although they were moderate chart numbers. His other singles haven't quite reached up to the success of that previous track, although I certainly can't deny his amazing singing voice and off-the-radar vocals. This track, in my opinion, should've been a worldwide smash, it's catchy, it's meaningful, and Lauv definitely brings it. What more can we want? Regardless, this track will no doubt become a treasured track by many, including myself. I am so glad I've stumbled across this song, and I definitely can't get it out of my head. "Paris In The Rain" was written by Ari Leff, Michael Matosic, and Michael Ross Pollack.
Directed by Chase Smith, this music video is a pure performance visual which easily showcases Lauv as an artist in every way. If we were to go and see him live, we know exactly the sort of energy he would unleash to the crowd, just from this music video alone.
There's not a lot going on, the car breaks down so he dances in the street. A car does drive by and he tries to hitchike but he's just ignored. Then an umbrella pops out of nowhere as he continues to move. At one point, we see that he has stopped in front of the 'Welcome to Paris, Texas' sign.
Overall, the song is beyond amazing and Lauv really shows off his voice in every single way. Unfortunately, the music video barely relates to the song and doesn't keep the audience interested all the way through. I would've liked to have seen a love interest, at least. Regardless, Lauv is certainly a singer who deserves to stay popular, and I can't wait to see what the future brings him.
We all know how obsessed I am with Platnum, and I had planned to catch up on my blog in time for this new music release, however I am so far behind right now that I'm just taking one day at a time and trying to focus every single day and attempt to catch up to today's date; and I will eventually, it's just going to take some time. I have been obsessed with this song ever since Platnum and Sweet Female Attitude debuted the track at Staffordshire University's LRV - which is the uni I used to go to; their gigs are always pure fire and beyond worth going if you ever get the chance. Watch Platnum & Sweet Female Attitude dance and perform their collaboration song whilst they light up in UV lighting intersected by a group of dancers and fire performers in this music video for "Looking For Love".
Platnum are a duo consisting of Aaron Evers and Michelle McKenna, they were originally a three-piece with Mina Poli and went on to achieve success at the start of their career by featuring on H2O's track "What's It Gonna Be" before having a solo hit for themselves titled "Love Shy (Thinking About You)". They have gone on to release awesome fired-up tracks that I am still obsessed with today. Now, as a two-piece, this is their first song since they've been a duo, keeping their Platnum edge and style whilst making it more current. For the song, they teamed-up with classic garage artist and friend, Sweet Female Attitude, which is now the stage name for Leanne Brown. She's best known for the 90's track "Flowers". She's also had an amazing career to date and continues to drop new music; she easily stays current and totally slays when it comes to her vocals, just listen to what she brings to this song! This was a collaboration made in heaven, something we've needed in our lives before we knew it. We can only hope they team up again in the future, as this track is pure fire.
The music video is basic, filled with unstoppable energy throughout. It's clear that both these acts love being in front of a camera doing their thing and singing their songs. The track is upbeat and undeniably catchy, and all three artists convey that in the performance visual.
There's a lot going on although the main section of the video is the performance piece which sees Platnum and Sweet Female Attitude embody the musical energy of the song and unleash it out to every single viewer. This is the same energy that they bring to the stage at every single event that they go to. I've seen Platnum twice and I hope I continue to see them again and again as the years come and go.
Other shots see three dancers nailing choreography that works perfectly with the song, as well as a fire performer. There are also some interesting UV shots that see the stars wearing UV paint and lighting up in the dark. It's a great basic music video that I could watch over and over again. I cannot wait to see what these artists release next. What a way to kick off their 2018.
