On Friday, a new UK number one was announced, dethroning Cardi B's "WAP" which features Megan Thee Stallion, so now 24kGoldn is sitting at the top with "Mood" which features iann dior. "Mood" is a catchy number that has been doing the rounds on TikTok and so it's not a surprise that this has continuously climbed up the UK chart and various other charts around the world, becoming the artists' debut international hit. The lyrics tell the story of a toxic relationship and how their girlfriends' are always in a mood - hence the title of the song. It's one some listeners can relate to in one way or another, and if you can't relate as you have gone through life without being in a toxic relationship then you really have been lucky.
The accompanying music video, which has been directed by Sebastian Sdaigui, has slight narrative scenes with the performance scenes taking the spotlight throughout. Both the artists have a love-interest during the storyline and we can see her being in a mood and I get that it's not easy to showcase a toxic relationship and what they do show works well, there's just not enough of a narrative to allow the viewers to relate to the story being told. On the other hand, 24kGoldn and iann dior completely shine throughout the performance scenes, showing energy, emotion for the song, and their passion for the track, which totally makes up for the short narrative scenes.
Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to premiere this awesome music video on CelebMix and since that day, I have been a fan of ÊMIA because her voice is amazing and her songs are absolutely brilliant. I later went on to interview her for CelebMix and write about her EP - titled "Little Secret", which you should so check out. "If You Can't Take The Rain" just hit me right in my heart as soon as I heard it and ÊMIA really shines in both the song and the music video, showcasing how talented she really is. The lyrics touch upon her partner not being there for her when she needs them to be - I know that feeling so well, especially when I stayed in the hospital for a week last year and my now-ex didn't even come and visit me - and so, without a shoulder to cry on, ÊMIA has built up the courage and strength inside of herself and she's no longer afraid of being alone. It's such a powerful message behind it that anyone can relate to and her beautiful voice encapsulates every listener making us wish the song never ends.
The accompanying music video was directed by Jesse Bronstein and Jacob Guzman Lawson, whilst the former also acted as director of photography. ÊMIA looks stunning in every single scene, easily making a statement in the opening sequence where she's sitting in a clear glass box in a field. The following scenes see ÊMIA with her on-screen love interest who is wearing a suit but their head is covered. Dance choreography follows that is incredible to watch and is reminiscent of Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself". Clever and intricate, ÊMIA really brings it for this truly unforgettable music video that completely relates to the song perfectly. She's a rising superstar and I have every confidence in her to release a global hit in the future, with a voice like hers, it's clear she's going to go far in the music industry.
Charlie Puth's music has always been hit or miss for me, like, some of his songs are incredible and I love them a lot, some have grown on me and I like now purely because I've heard them so often, and then other tracks just aren't to my liking, and "Mother" is one of those songs - although I have a feeling it will grow on me, considering I only heard it yesterday. It jumped out at me as I saw it on TV as my brother was on the YouTube app, and I barely even recognised Charlie Puth with his shaved head, yet it so suits him and he looks damn fine in this visual. It was released just over a year ago and I'm surprised it didn't become an international hit, but it's gaining traction again and I have a feeling this will become a sleeper hit, or it'll forever be underrated.
Directed by Dawit N.M with COUSCOUS acting as the production company, this accompanying music video fits in perfectly with the song itself. It has a slight throwback to Christina Milian's "Am to Pm" to it due to the main female character sneaking out of the house, but overall gives a good narrative and Charlie Puth's relaxed performance vibe is stellar. The story follows a group of young adults spending time together by jumping in neighbours swimming pools and going for drives, with the ending scene showing our main character sneaking back into her home and getting under the bed covers just before her mother opens the bedroom door to check up on her. It's a great storyline that will never get old but this one has some unique camera shots that really transforms the narrative and Charlie Puth performs the song within the narrative as if he's both a part of the group and not a part of the group. It's clever, interesting, and engaging. It's another brilliant music video from Charlie Puth.
Released today through Global Records - which is one of my favourite record labels at the moment as they have some amazing artists signed and consistently release awesome music - Gino Manzotti & MAXX are here with an addicting tune, titled "Matado". The song got me hooked the second I heard it and seeing that a music video was also released to accompany the track, I knew I was just going to have to review it today. Gino Manzotti & MAXX have had massive hits in the past under the group DJ Project which included the vocalist Elena Baltagan, where they've worked with the likes of Elena, AMI, Deepside Deejays, and Mira. Now releasing under their own names as a duo, I'm excited to see where this new project takes them. "Matado" is an awesome song that follows up their previous single "Arabian Story". It's got a lot of Eastern European and Asian beats and melodies mixed in with the high dance energy with hints of progressive house. The uncredited vocalist has an incredible voice that really lays out the lyrics of the song.
As for the accompanying music video, directed by Alex Ceausu, I am kind of unimpressed. There's a big dance number that has great choreography, and it's clear that social distancing was important to them so it's great to see that they did this during the pandemic, but the narrative doesn't really go anywhere apart from a briefcase being handed over. There are extra performance shots of pole dancing and of Gino Manzotti & MAXX, but these scenes do not bring the audience back into the visual. This is such a brilliant song and I can see it going viral, but the video doesn't live up to the song itself.
After reviewing Dami Im's newly released single and music video last Friday, titled "Paper Dragon", I just had to review one of her first few music videos for my Thursday Revisit! "Gladiator" is one of my favourite songs from her, but I've never seen the music video before today, so I was excited to see what the visual would be like. The song was the second single from her third studio album, Heart Beats, and charted in Australia at number 11. "Gladiator" explores female empowerment and is suggestive of fighting for oneself and loving who you are as well as fighting for what you want and love. It's an incredible song that always makes me feel like I can do more and it certainly helps me to focus.
The music video opens with a passage that states, "The ancient scrolls tell of a legend, that the one who is pure of heart would someday reunite the pieces of the sacred medallion, rescue the princess and vanquish evil from the kingdom. A true warrior. A Gladiator." Then we see both a performance piece and a narrative intercut throughout. Dami Im looks stunning in her performance visual as she throws her heart into this song and you can tell how much this song means to her. In the narrative, we watch a young female warrior training and continuing to do so when she grows into an adult. She goes on to battle against evil and reunites the pieces of the medallion. It's a brilliant music video that has the viewer hooked from the first few seconds, so much so that we want to know what happens next after every scene. It's not surprising that the video is her most-watched music video to-date with over 3.9 million YouTube views, on her channel, with "Sound Of Silence" being her most-viewed video overall.
I've literally just been listening to Bea Miller's new EP, titled sad boy hour, which was dropped this week and includes this very song as one of its four tracks. Since I've never watched the music video, I thought I might as well review it today. The song is literally one of my favourites and I can highly relate to it, especially after going through a break-up, since I definitely don't feel like a person at the moment and I'm struggling to feel anything, think I just feel really numb and I need some good things to go my way! I have been a fan of Bea Miller since The X Factor US days where she placed ninth on season two. I just adore her voice and her music and I loved "Feel Something" when it was initially released, and it has now become a sleeper hit due to a resurgence of the song on TikTok. The song is about not feeling anything, feeling numb, and how that is worse than feeling pain or anything else. It's a clever and beautifully written song.
In the music video, directed by Pilar Zeta, Bea Miller plays an astronaut as she goes to what looks like an alien hospital where their patients are numb and aren't feeling anything. Bea Miller is examined and tested on and the occasional emotion will come through but only for a split-second. She has really encompassed the whole feel nothing feel of this music video and it really works well in this alien-like setting. Towards the end, Bea Miller escapes the examining room and comes across a portal door which takes her into a forest on Earth and her feelings slightly return but even that doesn't help and she ends up back at the alien hospital where she takes her seat again, alongside the other patients and they all display a fake smile for a split second. Such a brilliant music video with a great concept. Bea Miller is an absolute star, how she's not a global success yet, I'll never know.
After reviewing the total club hit, "Dirty Talk", by Wynter Gordon, I just had to look at her latest releases, which she's releasing under her real name, Diana Gordon. "Kool Aid" is currently her most viewed music video on her channel, so I thought I'd review this for today. Rhythmically addicting, this track has a lot of indie vibes running throughout with Diana Gordon fully putting her dance music behind her. "Kool Aid" is one of those tracks that will grow on you whilst also getting stuck in your head.
The music video is a performance-based visual that is full of relaxing vibes that Diana Gordon releases as she sings the song. She certainly has star quality in the clips as she performs, easily intriguing the viewers. There's s many cool clips throughout, especially the grass guitar, although I don't have any idea how the opening scene with the turtles links in with the whole concept. Children can be seen throughout, having a good time on set in various costumes and playing with props. It's a good video, just isn't all that memorable and doesn't link in with the song itself all that much.
Cardi B's "WAP" featuring Megan Thee Stallion has gained a third week at the top of the UK charts, and I wonder if that will change come Friday, as there is currently a lot of competition inside the top 10, including this latest entry, which is currently at number nine, and it has been steadily climbing over the last two months or so. Jason Derulo has returned to the sort of hit-pop music that has seen him score top hits over the decade that he's been in the music industry, with "Take You Dancing" easily showing the progression he has had as a pop music artist. The lyrics are very metaphorical insinuating that he wants to take his lover to bed. The track's beat does remind me a lot of Charlie Puth's "Attention", which others have also mentioned, and it has the same addictiveness quality to it, so it's not a surprise this has become a successful single release - and I have no doubt it's doing the rounds on TikTok at the moment.
The music video has a performance narrative throughout - which is typical of Jason Derulo music videos. The opening scene sees a server spark electricity, and Jason Derulo gets a text on his new LG phone, from Movi3 that the internet has gone down before the song fully kicks in. Then the following scenes see Jason Derulo with his on-screen love interest, which is Analisse Rodriguez, a professional dancer and actress, who is also seen in other videos of this song alongside him (she's also appeared in various other music videos); the two showcase an on-screen relationship filled with emotion and passion, and Jason Derulo shines completely as he bats out smooth choreography as if it's easy. It's a great music video and that song is certainly stuck in my head now, but I don't quite understand the very start about the internet going down, like how does that fit in with the rest of the story? The only thing I can think of is that with the internet out they could have some fun in the bedroom instead. It's a really good music video, I just wish the narrative was more clear. The dancing is on-point throughout, I expect nothing less from Jason Derulo, and Analisse Rodriquez is fire throughout the video, she really has the spotlight at times throughout the scenes.
So, today I was thinking about what music video to cover and I was thinking about the new releases I was currently listening to (and I still am listening to, I swear there is so much music released every Friday that it's impossible to keep up with it all), and for some reason, Jenn D's "You Keep Giving Me Love" popped into my head - gosh, I loved that song (along with "Lose It") - and so I was wondering what she's been up to lately since I know she released tracks under her full name, Jennifer Davies, before joining HAARM, which (according to Twitter) I discovered in 2017 - yet, how do I not have any of their songs on my iTunes/Apple Music? I should've added their music into my library back then, I have totally been missing out during those three years! Now, I've found them again and I'm currently loving their music.
This song and its music video were released six months ago. HAARM brings it for the track, letting us know how much they believe in this song and I can definitely feel the vibes they're sending out. They're style really stands out for all the right reasons and this song, "Tell Me What You Want", would certainly grab the spotlight in any playlist. The vocals on the song is superb and they enable the lyrics to get stuck in your head.
They also dropped this music video to accompany the track, which has been directed by Daniel Fitzsimmons. There's both a narrative and a performance to this visual, with the band playing their song in a red cube box-like area which creates this moody effect that really works with the song itself. As for the narrative, that follows a blonde woman who is consistently writing the HAARM logo where the two As join together. It really allows them to put a stamp on their name and brand and later connects with the performance scenes themselves as a red box with their logo all over it suggests that the band are actually inside performing their song, which is an interesting concept, overall.
I've had this song stuck in my head today and I'm so surprised I haven't written up about the music video before. To be fair, I wasn't keen on the song when it first came out and so I probably avoided it and decided not to cover it on this blog, but as the years have gone by I've started to appreciate this absolute club banger, that I just love hearing when I'm clubbing - I so miss clubbing at the moment! Wynter Gordon is now releasing awesome music under her real name, Diana Gordon, and I'm sure I'll write up about one of her newer songs in the upcoming days/weeks. To date, this is her biggest single, and it's not surprising since it was addicting, to say the least. It's definitely going to be a club anthem that will go down in history. This is one of those hits that people, even children, used to sing out loud and are now only realising what all those words actually meant - the same can be said with a tonne of other songs including 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" featuring Olivia.
Considering the lyrics of this song, I was expecting a much more naughty music video but I am pleasantly surprised that it's just a performance visual with not much going on at all. Wynter Gordon - or should we now say, Diana Gordon? - is full of energy as she sings the song, and her fashion is on point throughout! There is a naked scene, which isn't a surprise but does remind me of the one Rihanna scene in "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z. It's a safe video considering the song itself, but also emphasises the club anthem style of the song.
