Today I've been on an Amanda Wilson listening spree, and she has one absolutely incredible voice that so deserves 100x more recognition than she's got over the years. I've been critical of her in the past, especially on the Freemason's song and video "Love On My Mind", but I absolutely love her vocals on Tim Berg's "Seek Bromance" and this one, "Watchin'", and so I personally think "Love On My Mind" just isn't the best song and doesn't suit her voice as well as her other singles. On top of that, she's worked with a tonne of producers and DJs, creating some awesome songs, and she also has a new song on its way according to her Instagram. To have been in the music industry for over two decades with various chart hits shows her longevity as an artist and simply how incredible her voice is - I'm now a fan after hearing some of her other songs! The Freemasons have given us some incredible dance classics over the years with this one sampling the R&B track "It's Over Now" by Deborah Cox. I am much more familiar with this club/house version as it was a hit in the UK and is still on rotation in the clubs, even now.
The music video is a purely narrative visual which sees a woman setting up her boyfriend by inviting him to a house party where there are many women partying, all of whom make moves on him and he encourages them to do so. Each of the women whom he flirts with and makes moves on all come back to the girlfriend to let her know everything he's been up to. She's wearing a mask throughout so that he doesn't spot her and then the final scene sees him going into a room where she is and he makes his move and she takes off the mask and he knows he's in trouble. She and her girls kick him out, and I presume they all continue to party together. It's a good video that relates to the song very well and it's a right set-up too, but there's no revenge, there's no punishment apart from him losing his girlfriend, and it's all just a little bit basic, especially since a lot of us can relate as many of us have been cheated on - I sure have been. Considering how strong Amanda Wilson's voice is in this track, I was expecting a much stronger music video. Regardless, it works well with the song and the first few scenes intrigue the audience into the video.
This week saw SuperM release their debut album, titled Super One, and I've been listening to it for the past few days and loving every single song of theirs. SuperM are a Korean pop supergroup boyband consisting of seven members who are from other k-pop groups, Taemin from Shinee, Baekhyun and Kai from Exo, Taeyong and Mark from NCT 127, and Ten and Lucas from WayV. K-pop music has really become big all around the world over the last few years, with a few top groups charting globally and collaborating with some of the world's biggest stars, it's certainly a trend that I hope stays as K-pop is finally getting the recognition it deserves. I have been loving SuperM's music lately and their debut album, Super One, is one of my favourite releases of this year. I've loved "100" since I first listened to it, although I can totally get why people aren't so keen on it and the group certainly impresses more on their other tracks; I just feel the power and passion in this song and it inspires me to go 100.
SuperM do not hold back for this music video, but we totally expected them to be at 100 during the entire visual, let's be honest. Their main focus is performance energy and that is exactly what we get in this pure performance-based music video. K-pop always delivers on dance choreography and SuperM bring it 100 per cent, exactly in-sync when they need to be whilst also showcasing individuality and their passion for the song and the group. Their style is also on-point and I love the cutaway scenes and the intriguing settings. It's a fired-up music video and, as a viewer, I have no doubt they have put their all into the group, the song, the music video, and everything else. I'm sure that SuperM will be the next big, international K-pop group and I'm very interested in how their debut album, Super One, charts worldwide.
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.
