This song keeps randomly playing on my iTunes and I automatically sing along to it. The main reason is because it sounds very similar to the Eurovision 2014 song "Moustache" which was released by Twin Twin, after this song was released. I can definitely see the resemblance. Both are catchy nonetheless; and since I haven't reviewed this one, today's as good a day as any. Watch a son try to interact with his father but he's not there at all, in Stromae's "Papaoutai". Where are you, daddy?
Stromae, real name Paul Van Haver, has really established himself as a Belgian singer-songwriter. He already stormed the charts globally in 2009 with "Alors on danse", it even charted in the UK at number 25. Unfortunately, this worldwide successful song "Papaoutai" didn't make the UK chart; however, it was another international success for Stromae. This is the case with many well-known songs that does well in Europe. However, recently, success has managed to cross over to the UK as well, and it's likely that Stromae could come back harder than ever. If he's already managed this, just think of what else he can do. This song was written by Stromae.
Directed by Raf Reyntjens, the music video revolves around a son trying to interact with his father, who is played by Stromae. The whole idea comes from the song which is about his father's absence in Stromae's life. His father was killed in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
It's set in what looks like Call of Duty's Nuketown. The boy sees all the other children dancing in the street with their respective parent and he wants to do the exact same, only his father is a mannequin and totally not completely there.
It gets to the point where the boy gets so annoyed, he rants by singing along to the lyrics of the song and interpreting them into a brilliant contemporary dance sequence that totally explains what he is singing. Who cares if you don't know French, this music video is a brilliant interpretation of the lyrics.
At the end, we see his father give a bit of a smile before the boy sits down on the couch next to his father and copies the position he is in, his eyes go blank and he too becomes a mannequin much like his father. Talk about following in your father's footsteps. This is the mannequin challenge before it even became a thing.
Overall, this is clearly very personal, and at times it affects the viewer in exactly the way it is meant to. The choreography is nailed in every way, and the boy is definitely a brilliant character, who easily encompasses the role. This is a magical music video that deserves so much more recognition. It accompanies the song amazingly and is one of those music videos I'll never forget.
Okay, when did this get released? And, how the hell did I manage to miss it? Like, seriously? I was totally obsessed with the song when it got released - I reviewed it for CelebMix - but this video was rolled out afterwards and I completely didn't see it. But now I have, and it's ready to be reviewed by me. This song is now currently stuck in my head because it is that awesome. Watch model Arizona Muse walk around Ibiza and goes clubbing, as models have a fun time behind the scenes with Martin Solveig in "Places" music video that doesn't show Ina Wroldsen.
Martin Solveig, real name Martin Picandet, is a French DJ who is one of the top DJs in the world. He comes in and out of the charts around the world and his catchy songs really show his ability to implant songs in people's heads. This one deserved to be a worldwide hit but comparison's to "How Deep Is Your Love" probably didn't help. The featured star, Ina Wroldsen, is super famous in the songwriting world and was even the uncredited vocalist on "How Deep Is Your Love", which probably explains the comparisons. Recently she's been building her own career in music; I have to admit, I am a fan, and she deserves worldwide credibility. With her amazing songwriting skills, I'm sure she'll become one of the biggest singer-songwriters globally pretty soon. The song was written by Ina Wroldsen and Martin Picandet.
The music video takes place in Ibiza and we watch model and actress Arizona Muse walk the streets as well as go to Martin Solveig's show at the end.
The opening shows models going live on their phones as they talk in their own language. Things get a little comedy out-of-control, but it's all just a bit of fun. Later we see them having a good time with Martin Solveig.
There are snippets of his "My House" party at Café Mambo and Pacha, showing his time in the White Isle totally reminding us that summer is never too far away.
Arizona Muse totally shines throughout this music video on her Balearic journey. She reminds me of Rachel Platten.
Overall, an alright music video showing off Ibiza. Martin Solveig has brought us another awesome song, and Ina Wroldsen is definitely one of the rising singer-songwriters to look out for... Someone this established in songwriting is bound to have some killer songs to be released in 2017. I literally cannot wait to see what the future holds for these two.
Wow! So after three weeks of having no music videos to review for Chart Mondays, the UK top ten gets quite the shake up and I actually have some choice, for now anyway. Dominating the UK Singles Chart is Ed Sheeran, he's currently at number one and number two with "Shape Of You" and "Castle On The Hill", none of which has a music video just yet, which opens the top ten to my Chart Mondays music review. I chose this one as it's my type of music, plus it's the remix that has pushed the success of this song, and I love my remixes, who doesn't love a remix? Watch Starley get out of bed to perform this song, in beautiful settings and with a smoke grenade, before heading back to bed in this "Call On Me" music video.
Starley, full name Starley Hope, is an Australian singer who has released this cute song as her debut single. She has previously featured on a track titled "Into You", released by Odd Mob. She moved to London to pursue music, but later returned to Australia where she ended up getting a record deal; guess that's just the way it works sometimes. It's quickly becoming a worldwide sensation, but the bigger question is whether she can follow it up with another hit record in the future? It's the Ryan Riback remix that has launched the success of this single in a number of countries, including the UK and Sweden. The song was written by Starley Hope and Peter Wadams.
There isn't an awful lot to this music video. It's an expressive performance piece to a very cute song that is definitely going to become a defining track of 2017.
There is a slight narrative throughout that sees her singing in bed, clearly wanting that little bit of extra sleep that we all want in the mornings. Next, we see her amongst a grassy field where she runs and generally relaxes in a playful way, all by herself.
She ends up by the water where she releases an orange smoke grade which only emphasises how stunningly beautiful she actually is, before wrapping it all up back in bed amongst her comfy pillows.
It's a gorgeous visual to the song and is extremely pleasant to watch. It's not inclusive of the audience, though; some viewers may become distracted and it fails to keep the watchers engaged. However, Starley captures the camera and really gets into this song and its music video. I am looking forward to finding out what is next for Starley, she has this glowing star power that will definitely prevent her from being a one hit wonder. I'm excited about her follow-up.
With less than two weeks to go until I see JoJo live in Birmingham for her Mad Love Tour; it's obvious I was going to review more of her music videos on my blog. This one is her newest release and is total fire. I previously wrote an article on the video for CelebMix. This is totally one of my favourite songs from her "Mad Love" album, even though each song on that album is completely amazing. I reviewed the album for Outlet Magazine. Watch JoJo stroll around the streets of New York in this black and white visual of a song about Fake Ass Bitches ("FAB"), with Remy Ma.
JoJo, real name Joanna Levesque, has hit the music industry hard with her third album, but it totally isn't a surprise since she has been trying to release this third album for years now. Record label problems stopped her, but she's quite the inspiration for people going after what they want. JoJo wanted to release new music, and she has finally achieved it. If JoJo can overcome the brick walls standing in her way, we can overcome ours as well. Her Mad Love Tour kicks off today in Dublin, and in 13 days she'll be performing in Birmingham, which is where I have meet and greet tickets! It'll be my birthday too so she can totally wish me a happy birthday! Remy Ma collaborates on this track, real name Reminisce Smith. She's a grammy-nominated rapper and is definitely one of the biggest female rappers about at the moment, and totally someone you should be keeping your eyes on. This song was written by Joanna Levesque, Jussi Karvinen, Hayley Warner, Jason Dean, Joe Kirkland, and Reminisce Smith.
Directed by Wes Tedhome, this video is completely in black and white and sees JoJo perform her song "FAB", with a clip of Remy Ma during her rap verse.
This super songstress is walking the streets of New York, looking incredibly sexy in her outfit. She performs with passion throughout meaning every word she is singing. This song is clearly close to her heart and I literally cannot wait to hear this live.
Remy Ma adds some fire to this already lit track, spinning it up totally with a very awesome rap. She performs it amazingly in this video clip, and it works well completely.
Overall, there's so much passion and emotion in this video. JoJo totally loves this song, and so do we! I'm glad this got a music video, and it has the same passion as her tringle singles "When Love Hurts", "Say Love", and "Save My Soul". I so hope she sings those songs at the Mad Love Tour as well!
Craig Stickland is a Canadian singer-songwriter. This song is his most popular track to date, and it's no surprise since it is ever-so-catchy. He released his debut album on 15 January 2016, who would've thought that exactly a year later he would be kicking off the European leg of JoJo's Mad Love Tour in Dublin? He's country vibe easily settles in with his gritty rock-side, mixing the two up to create this awesome sound that will, no doubt, bring more popularity his way.
This music video was directed by Aaron A. There is both a performance side and a narrative side; however, the latter is not that developed and has quite a plodding storyline, which definitely coincides well with the song.
We watch Craig Stickland get up and from the couch, caress his piano with his face, get ready haphazardly to go to the bar, where he has a drink that he nurses before leaving.
The narration feels like it's the morning after a heavy session. It easily relates to the title of the song and gives insight into the lyrics. We've all been there, drinking a bit too much, forgetting things including our shoes. We've all had the "Liquor Store Blues" that is blurring our minds.
The performance is full of soulful emotional vibes, Craig Stickland knows how to perform and build up a song; rocking behind his guitar adding passion into the mic. He excites me for JoJo's Mad Love Tour. He's going to open the European shows in ways we can't expect; he will easily gear the audience up for JoJo.
I had very little choice today for my New Release music video review. I narrowed it down to a couple of music videos, but chose this one as it has been officially released as a single and not an instant grat single; although, it has been released as two different versions, an acoustic and a piano version, so not the original, but it's the best I could do. On first watch of this music video, I totally didn't get what was going on, and honestly, I still don't. Watch Shinedown perform their new single "How Did You Love" in this extremely weird and normality-flipped music video, that is completely difficult to even understand.
Shinedown are a four-piece American rock band consisting of Brent Smith, Barry Kerch, Zach Myers, and Eric Bass. They are one of those bands everyone has heard of here and there but haven't really established themselves a global hit. Their most popular song is "Second Chance", which charted amazingly in the US, but did mediocre in other countries. This song is a catchy rock song that you can't help but like after the first listen. It was written by Dave Bassett, Eric Bass, Pete Nappi, and Scott Stevens.
The music video incorporates scenes from the N.D. Wilson-directed film titled "The Hound Of Heaven", pretty much turning this music video into a soundtrack music video.
The film itself was shown at the Raindance festival and is available to download online. According to the website, the film is about: "A girl believes that she is fleeing death, when she is actually running away from her only chance at life. Set to a surreal, nightmarish poem written in the nineteenth century by a homeless addict in London."
The main performance piece of this music video easily transitions with the film scenes that are included. Intricate and full of energy, Shinedown watches the film as they perform in a conceptual split and warped way.
The film scenes used easily spins this music video into an interesting visual. As a whole, it's not something I would enjoy watching more than I have. It messed with my head although, I did find it engaging nonetheless. The song is a killer track and one I could totally imagine listening to again and again. This song deserves to be heard more.
Slightly cheating with this. The song was released in 2012 and so fits my Thursday Revisit review, however, the video was apparently released in 2016, so in theory, I am totally cheating as the visual isn't five years old. However, out of all the artists I've reviewed this week, Rykka is the only one who has released songs five years ago or more. Therefore, I won't tell if you don't. Now this music video contains flashing images, enough that it makes my own eyes go funny. Watch Rykka perform in a fitness music video for her catchy song "Map Inside", with surprising flashing images throughout.
Rykka, real name Christina Rieder, first came to my attention when she sang "The Last Of Our Kind" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. She was representing Switzerland and unfortunately didn't make the Grand Final, yet she still managed to make an impression on me. She has gone on to release some awesome tracks and her back catalogue is one you need to look into. This song is a testament of that, it's catchy melody perfectly fits with the infectious lyrics that is full of meaning. Unfortunately, this was never officially released in the UK, and so I'm not able to buy it on iTunes, so it looks like I'm stuck to listening to it on YouTube.
The music video is a fitness music video that sees Rykka performing exercise moves with backing dancers in lycra. Everything's so neon and blazing bright compared to the white background.
The opening scene sees a hand with neon yellow nails turn on a bright pink boombox which is on ladders to the left of the set. This is then followed up by Rykka and two backing dancers preparing themselves for their fitness video.
The shocking part of the video is when the flashing images come into play during the chorus. I dare you to try and not look away; it's near to impossible.
There's not much else to comment on, apart from the moves are basic and easy to follow along to, if you so wish. Also, two new backing dancers appear from nowhere and join this fitness video. Neon lycra is everywhere, which is nothing new, but totally makes this feel more dated than what it actually is. Slightly reminds me of Eric Prydz's "Call On Me". It's not something I want to watch again, the flashing images are way too much! However, the song is amazing and I'd totally buy it if I could.
Another Shenna music video review, purely because I heard her album this week and reviewed it for Outlet Magazine. Awaiting publishing from my editor. The album is completely new and totally something you need to listen to in 2017. Yesterday, I reviewed "So Low", and today I shall review her first single from her debut album. Both tracks just prove her versatility because they are so different from each other; the entire album is beyond amazing, so make sure you check out my review on Outlet Magazine when it is published. Shenna hosts a party whilst she is house-sitting in this music video for "Air Balloons"; as per usual, the party gets out of hand, but what did you expect?
Shenna, full name Shenna Somsmieh, first came to my attention through a PR email asking me to review her album. This email came around Christmas time, even though the album had been released in October. I was ill all over Christmas and New Year with a chest infection, but as soon as I recovered I focused on writing about her debut album: "Made of Gold". The review is in my editor's hands at the moment and is probably ready to go out on Outlet Magazine sometime in the next week or so. This is just the start of Shenna, her unique musical talent is one that doesn't deserve to disappear from this world. This song was the first single from the album and was later followed up by "So Low".
Directed by Lawrence Turner, the music video shows the party lifestyle of Shenna; who hosts a house party when she is supposed to be house-sitting.
The intro starts with messages between Shenna and a guy, who asks her to house-sit. She later tells her friends that she has a house to herself and that some friends can come over. We all know how chaotic it can get when friends of friends invite friends. This was all to be expected from the get-go. Let's just all agree to never ask Shenna to house-sit any of our houses.
We watch Shenna performing at the party, having a great time throughout, whilst her guests also live it up. Two main performance piece scenes include her floating on an inflatable in the middle of the pool, as well as sitting on the side with various friends. She is totally relaxed and clearly in her element. Considering how different this song is to "So Low", she proves that she isn't afraid to sing different songs, and is prepared to bring it in each of the music videos.
The ending sees the house owner return, totally unimpressed with Shenna hosting a party. All the guests run from the venue in a comical way. At the very end, there's a look between Shenna and the person who owns the house, before she hops into a car and is driven away, leaving a guy with a guitar running and screaming after the car. Fun, slightly relatable and quite amusing; this just shows Shenna off in a great light. Keep an eye on her this year!
I have recently submitted an album review of this artist to my editor at Outlet Magazine, and so I thought I might as well promote her on my blog since she has a killer voice with a unique sound. Shenna is a rising star and her unique songs show off her versatility and ability to make any song her own. Her album is definitely one you need to listen to in 2017, so look out for my review on Outlet Magazine, coming soon. Watch Shenna perform "So Low" in a projector-themed quirky performance music video that is totally mysterious and completely interesting.
Shenna, full name Shenna Somsmieh, is a new artist on the scene, she dropped her first record in 2014, and it has been an uphill battle ever since. But just last year she released her debut album, which is like nothing I've ever heard before, totally unique and out-of-this-world. Shenna is one of the ones to watch for 2017, I'm totally calling it now! Her beautiful style and gorgeous looks fit perfectly with her brilliant vocals and flexible sound. This song was her second single from the album after "Air Balloons" which I shall be reviewing tomorrow.
Directed by Moon Culture, this music video is a pure performance piece that totally shows Shenna's stage presence. She totally captures the camera in this music video and proves she is supposed to be in the spotlight.
The projector is quite distracting but shows two images together. We know someone is watching himself on the projector, which makes it an intricate scene.
As for the main performance piece, Shenna shines throughout. She has this stylish presence about her. She adds some great quirks including dance moves and emotional faces to help get who she is across to the audience.
As a complete package, the "So Low" music video is different and intricate, much like the song itself. It relates perfectly and easily shows Shenna in a brilliant light. I hope to hear more new music from Shenna this year.
For a seventh time overall, there is not a song in the top 10 UK singles chart which I can write a music video review for.
This is the first time for 2017, and I bet it won't be the last. However, with the Spotify plays changing to affect the longevity of songs staying high up on the chart, it could be that this is less likely to happen. I have considered stretching Chart Mondays to a top 20; it's not for certain yet, so I'm going to test it soon.
