Another Birmingham Pride 2017 act for my Birmingham Pride Special. This was one of the first artists that they announced who I didn't know. It was probably the start of my disappointments with this year's line-up. I am still waiting for some more announcements from Birmingham Pride, surely they have more to this line-up. Anyhow, BETSY impressed with this song, which is her most-viewed YouTube video to-date; her voice is reminiscent of Cher's voice, and with the right song, I truly believe BETSY could be pushed into international success. Watch BETSY perform her song "Lost & Found" in this music video, whilst driving around, acting sexy, and smashing up objects with a golf club; as you do.
BETSY hails from Wales and has released a number of songs. She's fashionable and professional. She landed a job designing at Balenciaga in Paris before deciding her heart lies with music and not with fashion. She is definitely a rising star. She has a distinctive Welsh-sounding voice that is very reminiscent of 90s popular music - her vocals would be perfect for a cover version of one of Cher's songs; or maybe, instead, she could do one better and collaborate with Cher, now that is something we'd pay good money to see! This song is her most popular, at the moment; although, I reckon she'll have much bigger hits in the future.
Directed by Can Evgin, the music video is a pure performance visual with little-to-no narrative included. Although, reasons as to why she is smashing up objects is beyond our ability to understand.
Throughout BETSY looks stunning; well, she's trying to look stunning. Her fashion choices are incredible and definitely makes her look sexy, but there's just something not right, just something that doesn't quite work. I believe it might be her facial features, the brown eyebrows with the blonde hair has always been a no-no in fashion, even though it's definitely kind of trendy at the moment; however, BETSY pulls off the luck like she's the trendsetter and it most definitely works for her. I'm not sure what it is.
There's not a lot to this music video, and I feel sorry for the cat ornament that BETSY smashes to pieces, as that looked really cute! The golf club really does smash the objects to pieces, but it doesn't add much more to the music video. The song is okay, and so is the music video, but I expect BETSY to release something much better and much more popular in the future.
So much new music has been released today for New Music Fridays, I seriously thought I'd be spoilt for choice when it came to writing up my New Release music video review, except many of my favourite singers who dropped new music today didn't release a music video, unfortunately. I'm also not happy that I don't really have the money to buy all this new music today, so I'm hoping I can find a good iTunes discount soon so I can get them all, including this one because I am so happy Vanessa Hudgens is officially back, thanks to this feature on Shawn Hook's track. Get ready because Shawn Hook and Vanessa Hudgens will keep "Reminding Me" of how it feels to feel this lonely, with this very sexy music video.
Shawn Hook, real name Shawn Hlookoff, has been going for many years but hasn't found international success, just yet. He has been focusing on his career and has managed to score some Canadian chart numbers, his biggest being number 23 in 2015 with the song "Sound Of Your Heart", which also found it's way onto the US Bubbling Under The Hot 100 Singles Chart at number five (which basically means it charted in the US at number 105, in theory). He has been establishing his career, and this collaboration has definitely launched him internationally. Vanessa Hudgens is the featured singer, who is one of the hottest actresses around at the moment. She became famous for playing Gabrielle in High School Musical and went on to do some extraordinary things, including Grease Live. As for her music career, it's been up and down... I still think "Sneakernight" should've been a global hit. But after four years, she's back once again and her voice accompanies Shawn Hook's perfectly. This was definitely a great collaboration. The song was written by Shawn Hook, Ethan Thompson, and Jonas Jeberg.
Directed by Aye Tanimura, this music video is mainly a performance piece, with a full-on narrative going on at the same time, as both artists reminisce on their previous relationship with one another whilst being apart and lonely.
The video includes clips of the past, of them two together while being surrounded, mainly, by profile visuals that show them longing for each other. Their memories are what is reminding them of how lonely they are apart.
It's a very sexy music video, with both Shawn Hook and Vanessa Hudgens looking completely hot from the get-go. They easily get into character for this music video, and it's so nice to see how much passion they both have for this killer song. I just love the chorus and how it's flipped depending on who is singing. A killer song and a killer music video, it's just slightly disappointing that it's completely in black and white throughout - with no reason behind the filter.
This was my TUNE back in the day, can you believe it's 16 years old! Since it's Sophie Ellis-Bextor's biggest hit to date, we can definitely expect her to perform the song on stage at Birmingham Pride 2017 - hence why I'm reviewing it for my Birmingham Pride Special, and it sounds so good right now. Why has a DJ not revamped this yet? Seriously, we've had some great revamps in the last year or so, there has to be one for this coming out soon, although this in its original format sounds perfect, and I actually think it could be a hit all over again. Watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor stomp all over the competition in this music video for "Murder on the Dancefloor".
Sophie Ellis-Bextor was one of the defining female British singers back in the 00's, with this song being her biggest hit to date. It became a top ten hit in nearly every country around the world. It's not surprising that it became a hit as it is really catchy. It was the follow-up to her debut single "Take Me Home", which also hit number two on the UK singles chart alongside this massive track, that is still in my head since watching the music video. The song was written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Gregg Alexander.
The music video was directed by Sophie Muller, and shows Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the dance floor with her partner, battling it out to win a dance competition. This is the sort of thing I always wanted to be a part of, and yet these sort of competitions were no longer around as I grew older. I love how they include a group dance sequence, called "The Altogether", which is a nice added bonus.
The scene reminds me of the iconic dance competition in Grease the film. Although, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is on a mission to win and will do everything she possibly can to do so.
We see her spike drinks, unravel a woman's dress, plant various objects to make contestants fall over or have arguments with their partners. It really is murder on the dancefloor. She then decides to put the charm on the main judge, who is played by actor Colin Stinton, by acting sexily towards him. The judges crown her and her partner as the winners of the competition; she wins a cash prize and some golden glittery heels.
This music video is a killer. It's fun to watch, and it's great to see Sophie Ellis-Bextor play this intricate character. Comparing this song to what she has been releasing lately, it's quite saddening to see that she has taken a completely different route and really shows why she isn't charting in the UK anymore; however, I'm glad she is releasing songs she wants to release. This song is still stuck in my head, and it was totally my tune back in the day, I hope it comes around again and hits the charts hard for a second time because it's just as catchy as it was back then.
More of my Birmingham Pride Special, and here is a true classic. Boney M. previously appeared at Birmingham Pride back in 2015 and proved to be extremely popular; so, it's no wonder there is a massive buzz about them returning for Birmingham Pride 2017. However, they are definitely not a current artist and one who hasn't had a hit single since the 90's. Whenever anyone mentions their name, instantly their Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" is thought of; however, this song also rose to the top of the UK Singles Chart. Both this song and their Christmas song are UK number ones and they were extremely popular back then. Watch Boney M. perform on a platform whilst clouds roll behind them during this music video for their number one song "Rivers of Babylon".
Boney M. were a four-piece German group who had incredible success in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. They consisted of Liz Mitchell, Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams, and Bobby Farrell. Ther have been various line-ups since, and it is unknown what line-up will appear at Birmingham Pride 2017, what we do know is that Bobby Farrell sadly passed away back in 2010, so we're not sure how Boney M. will perform without him. What we do know is that Maizie Williams will definitely be in attendance, since they are quotes as Boney M. Featuring Maizie Williams. This song hit number one back in 1978, and as the song slowly fell in the UK Chart, radio decided to play the b-side "Brown Girl In The Ring", which became a hit in its own right, making this single shoot back up to number two on the UK Chart. The song was originally recorded by Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970; Boney M. made the song popular in Europe. It was written by Brent Dowe, Trevor McNaughton, Frank Farian, and Reyam.
There isn't much to this music video, but what do we really expect from a 70's music video? It's a pure performance visual with all four group members giving it their usual Boney M. energy.
There is clearly a green-screen behind them, as they float through the sky. Clouds drift past them in the background, yet it doesn't faze them and they perform like they're on any normal stage.
This is why they proved popular at Birmingham Pride back in 2015, because they ooze energy whenever they perform, and no one can deny that they have amazing voices - their harmonies are on point throughout this song. However, as with many music videos released way back then, the visual fails to keep us entertained, and it all just looks the same. There are also problems with lip-syncing throughout, which just makes this even worse to watch.
My Birmingham Pride Special continues, with this three-piece girl group. M.O were one of the first acts announced for Birmingham Pride 2017, and I'm sure they're going to bring girl power to the stage. They've made a slight impact on the UK singles chart, with this song being their highest chart number to date, but if they keep going I truly believe they'll release a hit song we're all going to fall in love with. Watch M.O perform in a launderette before partying it up with amazing performance vibes in this music video for their hit song "Who Do You Think Of?"
M.O are an English female trio consisting of Annie Ashcroft, Frankee Connolly, and Nadine Samuels. The former was one-half of female duo Mini Viva, who split before a debut album was released; whilst, the latter two were part of a girl band called Duchess until 2012. With all this experience, it's no surprise that they've been pushing this group as much as they can - hence why all their singles have charted in the UK, even if they've not made a strong impact, just yet. This one is their highest peaking single so far, although their follow-up was a collaboration with Kent Jones, yet that didn't chart inside the Top 40. This song is catchy, so it's no surprise it did well and peaked at number 18. It was written by Annie Ashcroft, Francesca Connolly, Fred Gibson, Stephen Gibson, Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, Nicholas Listrani, Nadine Samuels, and Ryan Sudlow.
Directed by Charlotte Rutherford, this music video is mainly a performance piece although you could consider there is a relatable narrative to the song as the girls wonder who their lovers think of when they're feeling lonely. I guess we all wonder that... Well, those of us who have someone there for them, not us single people; although I totally wish I had someone so that I can wonder who they think of when they're lonely.
We watch the girls walk to the launderette in their camo clothes which keeps coming in and out of fashion recently. They go inside, and meet up with their girls, exuding performance vibes. All three girls bring it for this music video.
There's a slight dance sequence, which looks like freestyle. The girls are clearly relaxed around each other; comfortable. They ooze a girl power energy that we're used to seeing from big girl groups like Little Mix and Fifth Harmony; M.O has that too.
They later go through the washing machines and into a private party where they all dance the night away and give us some more amazing performance vibes. It's so great to watch, and if I get the chance to see them perform at Birmingham Pride 2017, then I'll definitely be there at the main stage.
Hard choice today when I had to choose one of RAYE's songs for my Birmingham Pride Special; I almost, almost, went with the Jax Jones collaboration titled "You Don't Know Me", but I decided on this song and music video instead, purely because this is her own song, and the sort of music she wants to sing, whereas a feature isn't necessarily her song and can be used just to get her name out there. I can definitely see her bringing this song passion and emotion on the Birmingham Pride 2017 stage. This song has some serious R&B vibes going on and it's definitely one that easily gets stuck in my head. Watch RAYE perform on an ice rink with her guys around her, bringing it throughout in this music video for "I, U, Us".
RAYE, real name Rachel Keen, is a British singer who has been able to get her name out there thanks to two awesome collaborations, one with Jonas Blue on the song "By Your Side" and the other with Jax Jones on "You Don't Know Me". She has yet to manage to chart with her solo songs, even though she has released four so far, and two EPs. This song is her latest, and I expect that she has many more releases planned, and one has got to be a hit - surely. This song was written by Fred Gibson, Rachel Keen, Charlotte Aitchison, and Jonnali Parmenius.
Directed by Charli XCX - yeah, I'm just as surprised by you are, seeing this name as director - the music video is set at an ice rink. It's a pure performance visual, with RAYE totally standing out, what with being the only female amongst the group.
There are some great profile visuals where she certainly brings some passion to the table with this song, Yet I feel like she has more to give, like there's just something missing.
It's nice to see her relax and spend time ice skating. And towards the end, a guy falls over, which is kind of funny. Clearly, they had a great time on set, it's just a shame Charli XCX stayed behind the camera the whole time. These two must be close friends for Charli XCX to direct the music video. There's not much substance to this, and I would've liked to have seen something more.
It's been a while since this has happened, and although technically one of these top 10 has dropped a music video, they dropped it on Tuesday 18th April, and I'm writing this catch-up blog for 17th April since it's a Chart Monday, so as much as I want to review that new music video, I can't.
So instead, there is no Chart Monday today. Surprisingly it's not Ed Sheeran at the top, although he is still dominating with three entries inside the Top 10 UK Singles Chart. I really do need to sort this out and twist up my Chart Mondays since they aren't really working all that well.
Again, there isn't much of a change in the top 10, and this could be down to Spotify and other streaming sites. I admit that I did like the idea of including streams, but now I'm hating on them because of my Chart Mondays not working out the way I want them to. Here are the songs in the top 10...
I have to admit, I wasn't so keen on this song when I first heard it, now I think it's a banger of a song! This is the only artist who will be performing at Birmingham Pride 2017 who I am a fan of and I intend to see. Out of all the acts that have been announced, it's disappointing to know that I am only a fan of this artist and none of the other announcements, and I so hope they reveal more acts as it's not looking like a great Birmingham Pride at the moment. This is Louisa Johnson's latest single, and it's definitely a grower, although the music video should've been better. Watch Louisa Johnson perform in a plane graveyard, where she throws a party where she's supposed to be on her "Best Behaviour".
Louisa Johnson was the winner of the twelfth series of The X Factor and she has yet to release a debut album. As the winner of the show, you would expect Louisa Johnson to be releasing hit after hit after hit, and that hasn't really happened for her - although I fully love her songs, they're not raging chart successes, and they really need to strategize their next move with her, otherwise she could just disappear like many other winners before her. I've seen her live once at Kiss Haunted House Party, so I know she's going to perform amazingly at Birmingham Pride 2017. This song has not charted well at all, managing to peak at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart, but it could easily climb in the next few weeks. It was written by Ben Kohn, Danny Parker, Pete Kelleher, Tom Barnes, and Shungudzo Kuyimba.
Directed by Sarah Chatfield, the music video is a pure performance visual that sees Louisa Johnson pick up her friends in a bus before taking them all to a plane graveyard where they have a massive party.
It's quite an interesting place to set the music video and they really have made Louisa Johnson look amazing. The profile shots are perfect, seeing her perform her song on the wings of a plane; although there is a blue-filter which distracts the visual.
The choreography isn't anything special but Louisa Johnson is clearly loving every bit of this music video and is just having fun. It may not be completely polished. It may not be perfect. But it's something different. The song is definitely a grower, and deserves to climb up the chart!
Another pop star from the early 00's, Jamelia rocked our whole worlds way back then with this complete tune that still gets stuck in our heads to this day. She is a part of my Birmingham Pride Special, as she has been confirmed to be performing on the Birmingham Pride 2017 stage, which is only a few weeks away, now. She hasn't released any new music in over 10 years, now succumbing to being a TV personality, having been one of the presenters on Loose Women. Watch Jamelia strut her way with utter confidence in this fierce music video for one of her biggest singles "Superstar".
Jamelia, full name Jamelia Davis, had a successful recording career during the 00's and was definitely one of the defining British female singers, but like many, she never stood the test of time, and even though she keeps promising a brilliant comeback album, no new music has materialised, and as the years turned into a decade; we can safely say we don't think Jamelia will be returning to music ever; with only one-off appearances here and there. She could make an awesome comeback if she tried, but I don't think that's on the table. This song was an international success, and it's still extremely catchy today. It is a cover version of Christine Milton's song of the same name "Superstar". It was written by Remee, Mich Hansen, and Joe Belmaati.
Directed by Dominic Leung, this music video is a pure performance piece that sees Jamelia sing her song while two backing dancers accompany her every step.
There's choreography throughout, which was definitely popular back in the 00's and I specifically remember copying the Superstar dance moves during the chorus, didn't we all?
She's completely fierce in this music video and nails the entire dance sequence. Yet there's definitely something missing, and there's more focus on sexualizing the video than actually showing Jamelia off as a performer and an artist.
Here is another act who will be performing at Birmingham Pride 2017. I have to admit I used to be a fan of Sophie Ellis-Bextor when she was releasing those amazingly catchy chart-worthy disco hits, but now she's gone down a more relaxed music route and it's just not for me. She has clearly lost a lot of her fanbase going down this different route, hence why she no longer charts on the UK Singles Chart, however she does well on the albums chart every now and again. On the other hand, it's nice to see her release the music that she wants. Watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor go about life in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in this music video for upcoming single "Death Of Love".
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a big name from back in the day. She had many amazing hits, including "Take Me Home", "Murder On The Dancefloor" and "Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain", back in the early 00's, but it went downhill from there, with her follow-up singles underperforming, before not charting at all. She's actually quite lucky that there is a buzz around her, and that she still manages to chart on the UK Albums Chart. Her latest album Familia, which this song is the fourth single from, charted at number 12. She recently made an appearance as one of the judges on the UK's national selection show for Eurovision 2017, titled Eurovision: You Decide - she received great comments from Twitter as she wasn't over the top or fighting for attention like the other two judges. This song was written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ed Harcourt.
This music video is intricate, it was filmed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and shows Sophie Ellis-Bextor off as if this is a place where she lives. She goes about her day, singing her song and doing what she wants.
It's really serene to watch, but there's just no substance to keep the viewers gripped. I feel that she isn't enjoying performing this song as if it's just a song she chose on a whim. She's completely relaxed throughout but it's all too relaxed as if she has no passion for this song.
The town is clearly beautiful, and this visual really shows off Puerto Vallarta perfectly, I just wish there was more of a performance from Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The whole thing just feels unrelatable, and I'm not that interested in seeing her at Birmingham Pride 2017.
