Today, I've still got Sabrina Carpenter's "Thumbs" stuck in my head; what an awesomely catchy tune that is. Regardless, I searched through my YouTube recommendations again and found Tori Kelly, and I thought: 'Why not?' So here is this fantastic minimalist soundtrack music video to the animation film Sing, which Tori Kelly also stars in. Watch Tori Kelly perform like no one's watching, whilst fully interacting with the geometric shapes that appear in the music video for the Sing soundtrack music video "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing".
Tori Kelly is an inspiration to us all, she once was eliminated from American Idol, but she never gave up, regardless of the not-so-good comments given by the judges of the show. She has proven that if you never give up your dream, you'll get there. She is now one of the hottest up-and-coming female singers in the world right now, and she's ready for international success, that's for sure. She released a killer debut album in 2015 titled "Unbreakable Smile". This song features on the animated film Sing and is a cover version of the Stevie Wonder song of the same name "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing". It was written by Stevie Wonder.
The music video is completely stripped back, relying on Tori Kelly's amazing performance ability and creative animation editors to make the video engaging; and that is exactly what happens.
As we expected, Tori Kelly nails the performance of this music video. She's full of life, clearly honoured to be singing an official cover of this song. The song itself is technically brilliant with her vocals way past the amazing scale. Her voice sounds incredible and if she ever were to duet with JoJo, we know that would be a match-made-in-heaven collaboration. If you're lucky enough to see her live, then you are in for quite the treat, and will definitely leave me jealous.
As for the animators, they do a good job of painting shapes onto the walls and columns within the music video. However, I was totally expecting more; like, the characters from the film to pop out of the walls and perform with Tori Kelly. It was disappointing that didn't happen, and as many commenters noticed, Tori Kelly seems to expect that to happen too.
Overall, it's a great visual representation of Tori Kelly, perfectly showing off her incredible voice and performance energy. However, there is so much more that could have been done to make this perfect, and yet it's too stripped back.
This has been popping up in my YouTube Recommendations for the past month, so I thought it was about time I reviewed it. After first listen, I'm in love with it, such a catchy number with very true lyrics, it deserves to be a hit, but it's a shame that it hasn't made it onto charts internationally. The lyrics are shockingly real, that it's surprising that she's singing this song, and yet it works perfectly because it's usually the young people who realise this is happening. Watch Sabrina Carpenter on a subway train dancing and singing her song "Thumbs" in this music video; with great person identification.
Sabrina Carpenter is mostly known for playing Maya Hart in the Disney TV show Girl Meets World, which concluded earlier this year. She can also be seen alongside Sofia Carson in the Disney Channel Original Film remake Adventures In Babysitting. She has been trying for a career in music since 2014 and has released two albums, both of which has charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. This song was originally a promotional single for her second studio album, but later became an official single, hence the music video. It was written by Steve Mac and Priscilla Renea.
The music video is set on the Girl Meets World subway. It looks like it was taken in one complete shot, making it intricately detailed.
We watch Sabrina Carpenter move about the subway train, adding extra dancing flicks and hanging from the pole. I did kind of expect her to do some pole dancing, but I guess she didn't want to give it a try.
The video displays various background characters who are just general people, who can dance. They're the sort of people you expect to see if you go on a subway train. During some parts of the video, they become the main characters, showing off their dancing abilities, or taking over Sabrina Carpenter's lyrics - lip syncing along to the song.
The final shot sees Sabrina Carpenter back in the place she was previously sitting at the start of the video, delivering the powerful last line of the song. Although, she is missing her jacket that she left behind at a station stop.
Overall, a great intricate music video that is engaging from start to finish. Sabrina Carpenter fully shows off her stage presence with this visual. She's completely energetic and is having a great time shooting the video. I also like how the background characters are your typical train travellers.
Literally had no choice but to review this music video for my Chart Mondays, purely because his "Shape Of You" is still at number one, and every other song in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart either has been reviewed already or doesn't have a music video. I have a feeling it will not go my way next week, and we'll have to skip Chart Mondays again, but let's hope that that doesn't happen. Ed Sheeran is currently dominating on an international scale, and can we blame him? Just listen to his recent songs, his album (which I reviewed for Outlet Magazine) titled "÷", pronounced "Divide", He's truly knocked it out of the park. Watch this awesome music video that has Ed Sheeran reflecting on his life, whilst we watch his childhood adventures over the "Castle On The Hill".
Ed Sheeran has literally made the biggest album masterpiece of his career. "÷" or "Divide" beats everyone's expectations, and every song is set to chart in the UK Singles Chart this Friday, which isn't a surprise at all. I reviewed it for Outlet Magazine, and I was honoured to be hearing this music because it really is a masterpiece. This song was released alongside "Shape Of You" as a duo single. It was written by Ed Sheeran and Benjamin Levin (Benny Blanco).
Directed by George Belfield, the music video was filmed in Suffolk, which is where Ed Sheeran grew up; making the scenes even more personable and relatable. The young Ed Sheeran is played by high school student - clearly turning actor - Hugo Fairbanks Weston, who also attends the high school that the artist once went to.
There's so much going on in this music video, so I'm going to try and keep it short. We see Hugo Fairbanks Weston hang out with his mates, doing various normal things that they get up to, all the while relating it to the lyrics of the song. Some parts are perfect translations of the lyrics, and it's clear they had a lot of fun on set.
There is also a brilliant performance visual from Ed Sheeran, who is clearly thinking about the past events mentioned in the song as he sings it. I hope he manages to express all the emotion into this song whenever he performs it live. This one is definitely close to his heart, and it's nice of him to share this with everyone else.
Overall, the music video is fully relatable to the song. It's fun, it's clever, it's interesting and a complete match. Although, Hugo Fairbanks Weston is going to be called Ed Sheeran for the rest of his life now, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. The music video couldn't have possibly been any better.
Whenever I think about my blog, I think of how many female artists are on my blog; so I've decided to switch it up a bit and try to feature more male artists; hence why I've chosen Bruno Mars' new music video today. This song came to my attention after Relley C did a cover version, to which she totally smashes! Regardless, Bruno Mars' original version is just as good, and the music video is technically brilliant even if it does have a simple concept. Watch Bruno Mars give an engaging performance piece whilst drawn items relating to the lyrics interact with his dancing in the music video for "That's What I Like".
Bruno Mars, real name Peter Hernandez, is one of the top male artists in the world at the moment. He has had a solid career and has really pushed R&B and Funk into mainstream pop music, this is what you call an artist. This song is the exact same style, and it's highly addictive. It's the second single, the follow-up to the internationally successful single "24K Magic", from his latest album 24K Magic.. The song was released at the start of this year, but the music video has just been released, which will definitely give much-needed promotion for the song. It was written by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Johnathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II.
Directed by Bruno Mars and Jonathan Lia, the music video is a pure performance visual with a creative but simple visual drawing effect - switching the music video up to make Bruno Mars' choreography turn into an out-of-this-world experience.
In the simple music video, we see Bruno Mars dancing his funky choreography, nailing every move as we expect. We believe he'd be an amazing artist to see live on stage. However, that is not all this music video is.
Switching the choreography up completely, are simple drawings that are superimposed on the video. The various drawn images completely relate to the lyrics and totally keeps the audience engaged as Bruno Mars' dancing is incorporated with the lyric-based images. It's a beautifully edited music video, that is enticing from start to finish. Simple but effective!
I had planned to review this last week for my New Release, since it was released on 24 February, but Era Istrefi's "Redrum" was also released then, so I shifted this back a week, and I'm glad I did, as it's given me a fresh new look to this music video. I previously wrote an article on CelebMix for this group, then one for Outlet Magazine; so it's now time for it to feature on my blog. Watch LORIS perform their amazingly catchy "Dirty Bass" song in this music video that features a pole dancer.
LORIS are a three-piece electronic band consisting of Frances Mitchell, Tommy Keery, and Michael Mormecha. The band has had a lot of support from BBC Introducing, with their song "Yeah" becoming Track of the Week. They already have a debut EP out on their website, along with three singles. This group is building up their fan base, and with this amazing new track, how can anyone not become a fan? Be ready for their follow-up songs, because if this one is anything to go by, this band is ready to be heard.
This music video is a pure performance piece; it shows a black and white visual, as well as showing a pole dancer. Frances Mitchell is fully feeling the bass whilst suggesting us to feel it too. She bounces the energy around to the other LORIS band members, who are just as energetic.
The pole dancer cuts this black and white visual music video up perfectly. She stuns us with her incredible flexibility and amazingly technical pole dancing.
But, what really stands out is the performance vibes from LORIS. They definitely deserve to be on a stage, and it's clear that anyone who sees this band live will be in for a real treat. They completely ooze enthusiasm, they clearly love "Dirty Bass" and they want you to love it too. If they can bring such a passion in a performance-based music video, imagine their potential on a stage.
Overall, there isn't a lot going on in the music video, it's a pure performance piece, with a pole dancing visual segmented throughout. Although a narrative is lacking from the video, the band makes up for it with their vigour for the song and the music video. LORIS are definitely a band we all need to keep watching and keep our eyes on. The future is definitely bright for them.
Well, I have been gearing up, all day, to review Barei's "I Don't Need To Be You" music video for my New Release blog post; instead, I am reviewing Lorde's "Green Light", because Barei's music video has been exclusively released on Vevo, and not YouTube - not yet anyway. So, instead, here is Lorde who wants the green light, and we're so ready for her to have it. Such a catchy song, that deserves to be an international hit, regardless of the surprisingly mean comments on the video. Watch Lorde fill this song with such a passionate emotional performance, it's clear "Green Light" is close to her heart.
Lorde, real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor, became a global superstar overnight with her debut single "Royals". Just as she started to disappear from the world, lasting as a one-hit wonder, she's returned with "Green Light", which is a complete hit and deserves to chart all over the world. The song is about all the silly little things you gravitate towards when your life changes. This is the girl who is dancing wildly in a club crying about her ex, the one we all think is a mess but she will get a hold on her life tomorrow. That is what Lorde said in an interview on Beats 1 interview with Zane Lowe. The song was written by Ella Yelich-O'Connor, Jack Antonoff, and Joel Little.
Directed by Grant Singer, this music video is a pure performance visual. Lorde is giving off a bunch of emotional vibes and lashes out with her stage presence.
The opening scene sees her in a bathroom, singing to her reflection - imagining it's her ex she's singing to. Scenes follow that show her in a club, exiting the club, getting into a Chevrolet car, that we could presume is a taxi. Then the bridge of the song happens, and she hangs out the window, feeling the air whipping by.
The chorus kicks in and she's on top of the car, dancing on the roof. As the next verse kicks in, we watch her walking the streets, she puts in her earphones and starts to dance like no one is watching, dancing to a beat all to herself. The video is not at all polished, it is a mess, but it's a well shot, erratic mess that we can't help but love. Lorde pulls it off perfectly.
This song and music video is for all the girls (and guys) who look a mess, crying over their ex's in clubs. This one is for them, the one clubs should play to give them life, to add a bit of sass to their clubbing experience. We've all been there and, hell, we all need it. Nice one Lorde, a brilliant single and music video, that deserves global recognition.
I had quite a few options for my Thursday Revisit today but decided to go with a bit of Carrie Underwood since she hasn't appeared much on my blog, and this is another awesome song from her. I don't understand how her songs don't quite make it on the UK chart; they're incredibly catchy with a hell of a lot of promotion she could chart internationally. Country music is just difficult to sell to the UK, but I'm sure she can get there if she pushes just a little bit harder. This should've been an international hit. Watch Carrie Underwood save herself from a tornado, but let her drunken father get taken by the storm in the "Blown Away" music video.
Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Since then she has established herself as a country music female artist. She's at the top of her game but hasn't managed to crack the UK market, just yet; not lack of trying, though, she even performed on The X Factor. This song is one of three singles that has charted in the UK, but none have been in the Top 100; this one in particular charted at number 155. This song was written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear. It won a GRAMMY award for 'Best Country Song' in 2013.
Directed by Randee St. Nicholas, the music video is, once again, a brilliant translation of the lyrics, completely developing the storyline of the song into a brilliant narrative; all of which is set amongst a Wizard of Oz theme. There is also a killer performance piece throughout, which totally knocks this video out of the park. It has got it all. The video won 'Female Video of the Year' at the American Country Awards and 'Video of the Year' at the CMT Music Awards, both in 2013.
The opening scene sees Carrie Underwood working on some homework, whilst her father pours alcohol into his coffee. He imposes on her work, and says that he can help, then grabs her arm. All before saying: "I am your father, young lady." He is played by actor Pepper Sweeney. The opening scene was completely unscripted and, apparently, very intense. Carrie Underwood's arm was left bruised afterwards.
The first scene is displayed in black and white, showing that it is a part of her past. The song starts up and we return to full colour. Carrie Underwood and the viewers watch a storm start to brew. Which links in with the opening lyrics, right from the start. She also walks through a graveyard, where we're to presume her mother is, due to the lyrics at that point.
She runs into the house, in an attempt to wake her abusive drunken father, but he has drunk too much and is asleep on the couch. She's not sure what to do; considering her options, she then decides to hide out in the basement, just as the lyrics suggest. We see flashbacks of how her father has treated her, and how this all leads to revenge; karma if lack of another word. When the storm is over, she comes out the basement and walks away in the beautiful sunshine; now free from her father.
Throughout, there are references to the 1939 Victor Fleming-directed film The Wizard of Oz; which can be seen on the TV inside the house. There are also yellow bricks embedded in the road, leading to her house; and at the end, there is a dog, although it looks nothing like Toto.
Not only that, but the music video is segmented with a performance piece, which Carrie Underwood nails throughout, as expected. The narrative also becomes part of the performance when she is in the basement, upset about her father being taken by the storm and yet it's much-needed karma. She is one of these singers that I need to see live and anyone who does get to see her, are definitely in for a treat. She puts so much heart into every song she sings, it's no wonder she's one of the biggest female country stars in the world.
Overall this music video has got it all. Once again, Carrie Underwood stuns us with her visual performance. "Blown Away" is out-of-this-world incredible. It blows the audience away and totally hits home with everyone who watches it. Amazing, Brilliant. Stunning.
As Avril Lavigne announces AL6 plans and also reveals that she's teamed up with BMG (check out my CelebMix Article), I decided to review one of her many awesome music videos. This song was definitely my favourite to be released from her latest album. I'm surprised I haven't reviewed it before today, but I distinctly remember deciding to wait for an official release; unfortunately, the song never got a UK single release, hence why I never got around to reviewing it. But in promotion of her new announcement, it's time to review this awesome heartbreaking music video. Watch Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroger perform in a stunning house for their music video "Let Me Go". The video is totally filled with emotion.
Avril Lavigne announced she signed with BMG today and that her new album will be released this year. This is exciting news as fans have been waiting for her sixth studio album patiently. She has never had a UK number one single, so I'm hoping that her new music is a complete hit. She's had a break to battle Lyme Disease, but now she's back. As we wait for new music I decided to look back at this amazing song and review it on my blog. The song was never released as an official single in the UK, and so only charted via album downloads at number 66; it's such a shame, as this deserved to be a hit and might've got her to the top of the UK singles chart, with the right promotion. The song was written by Avril Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, and David Hodges.
Directed by Christopher Sims, the music video has a full narrative, with a performance visual set within. It's haunting, it's intricate, and it's completely stunning. It makes me sad to see Chavril here together, knowing that they aren't together anymore; but clearly, they are happy apart.
The video opens with an old man sweeping the leaves of the courtyard. He is played by actor Herman Sinitzyn, to which you might recognise him from Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away". He walks inside as Avril Lavigne starts to sing.
We see him put on a suit before sitting in front of a mirror and playing his guitar. Reflected back in the mirror is Chad Kroeger. After some time, Avril Lavigne looks at Chad Kroeger on her tablet, clearly a memory, before she puts it aside as a sand timer is shown. The old man gets up and smashes the sand timer to the floor - breaking time. In doing so, Chad Kroeger appears beside Avril Lavigne, and they perform this song together. He steps away, and time reverses. The sand timer is back, and Herman Sinitzyn takes off his suit, and Avril Lavigne is all alone once again.
The performance side of things is as outstanding as you can imagine. Avril Lavigne has her usual performing vibes that we are used to seeing her have. She exudes energy and projects the song emotionally and powerfully. Chad Kroeger is less so, but he only features in the song and doesn't want to take the spotlight. He's subtle but just as present.
As a whole, this video is one of my favourites. It tells a story, like no other. It's given a haunting and lonely theme, which is exactly what the song is about, even if it is about breaking free from those memories; they're still there but not majorly so. There's not one thing I don't like about this video, and therefore it can only get this rating. I cannot wait for Avril Lavigne's sixth studio album.
I was going to do Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee", since my iTunes shuffler keeps playing it day-in-day-out, but the embed code is disabled on the music video, and so I chose my favourite country song, instead. I don't know what it is about this song, but Carrie Underwood really hits home with every note and every word of this awesome track. This one always gets stuck in my head every time I hear it and it is currently my alarm to wake me up in the morning. Carrie Underwood demolishes her boyfriend's car because he's cheating on her, and then her temper lashes out to the entire street. maybe next time he'll think "Before He Cheats".
Carrie Underwood is a major country female singer, who has been doing well ever since she won American Idol. She is totally on her game and one of the leading female country singers at the moment. She's been trying to hit the UK for some time, and even performed on The X Factor; although her albums chart well over here, her singles have not faired well at all. Country music is just difficult to sell to the UK market, but if she keeps pushing, I'm sure she'll make it over here. Many others have done so, so why not Carrie Underwood? This song is written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins. It has won a bunch of awards, namely a GRAMMY in 2007.
Directed by Roman White, the music video is a full narrative that completely relates to the song, in a literal translation. There is also a killer performance visual snapshot throughout. The ending is a homage to the 1976 Brian De Palma film Carrie, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
The narrative sees Carrie Underwood follow through with every single thing mentioned in the chorus of the song. She scratches a key along the side of a 'souped-up four-wheel drive'. An image of her name is carved onto leather seats, which we presume are inside the car. She brandishes a Louisville Slugger (a branded baseball bat) around, smashing 'both head lights'. We then see her slash all four tyres.
As the video goes on, the car becomes a battered mess. But that's not the end of the video, oh no! We see her walking with a group of girls. We see her guy making out with another girl. He is played by actor Tabb Shoup. Carrie Underwood catches up with him, and she freezes for a bit, seeing him with another girl; she then drops his keys in his half-empty drink and walks away. We see him pick up the keys, and it's such a shame we don't get to see his reaction to finding his cherished four-wheel drive battered and crushed.
Instead, we see Carrie Underwood turn into Carrie White, and completely unleash her anger whilst walking down a street. Windows blow open and electrical signs shatter. All the while, a gale force wind is blowing. What an incredible ending scene.
Not only that, but there's a whole performance piece shown throughout. Carrie Underwood proves exactly why she deserves to be on stage. She feels this song and unleashes the emotional energy it deserves, giving it her all within the performance side of the video. Anyone who is lucky enough to see her live are definitely in for a treat. She is one of a few singers on my must-see-live list because I bet her shows are out of this world.
This music video has got it all, and it doesn't surprise me that it won 'Music Video of the Year' at the 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards, as well as 'Video of the Year' and 'Female Video of the Year' at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Overall, it is absolutely incredible; completely relatable to the song, and shows Carrie Underwood off perfectly. This is one music video I could watch over and over and over again.
With Ed Sheeran totally dominating the UK Singles Chart, with three songs in the top ten at the moment, of which, "Shape of You", is still chilling at the top; ZAYN and Taylor Swift will be my Chart Mondays review today, instead. To me, this is an unlikely pairing, and yet the collaboration is total fire from start to finish. ZAYN and Taylor Swift's voices work totally well together and I sure hope this isn't the last song they collaborate on. This song was done for the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, although the music video isn't an obvious soundtrack video. Watch ZAYN and Taylor Swift perform this very sultry song in a hotel during this music video for "I Don't Wanna Live Forever".
ZAYN, full name Zayn Malik, is mostly known for being one-fifth of boy group One Direction before he left the band to focus on a solo career in music. He wanted to release music authentic to him, and he's definitely done that. His "PillowTalk" is still one of the most incredible debut singles that people are still talking about and covering today. As for Taylor Swift, she's brought country music to the world, and then made giant leaps into pop music, ones we totally forgive her for because they're amazing songs. She has a new album coming out sometime in the future, and I cannot wait for it to drop. This collaborative effort has had global success, as we expected. It was written by Taylor Swift, Sam Dew, and Jack Antonoff.
Directed by Grant Singer, the music video sees ZAYN step out of a car in the rain and enter a hotel, this is where he starts to sing and where the rest of the music video takes place.
The start of the video shows the problem stars face in their everyday lives. Paparazzi. These people have always been a problem for celebrities, and there are a lot of songs that cover this from Britney to Lady Gaga. Many stars have hit out at how annoyingly ruthless paparazzi are, and there have been several hundreds of music videos showing this. Now it's time for ZAYN to hit back at them.
Performing in their separate hotel rooms, Taylor Swift and ZAYN deliberate on their relationship, getting angry and smashing things up, while also having subtle lost moments. It really shows how powerful each of these stars are. They're meant to perform, they're meant to sing, and here they are doing just that. It's a great music video but it's just missing the wow factor.
We'll all be runnin' away with Rykka. This awesome song can be found on her album, and I'm so glad that it got a brilliant gentle music video to accompany the track. Filmed in Switzerland, the Swiss music video is engaging and interesting, with Rykka giving her all as usual, for this sweet and relaxer of a song. The "Runnin' Away" music video shows Rykka in the best possible limelight, she may not have done well at Eurovision, but we all missed out on the star she is.
Rykka, real name Christina Rieder, first came to my attention at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, where she represented Switzerland with "The Last Of Our Kind". The song was incredibly catchy, but her performance led to her not making the Grand Final. Yet, it gave her international exposure, and looking back at her released songs just proves that Rykka is someone we all should be keeping an eye on. This song was never released as a single, but it is available on her "Beatitudes" album. A music video has been released for it, which led to people thinking it would be the next single. I'm guessing it's a way of saying goodbye to this album; and, hopefully, new music from Rykka is on the way, instead. The song was written by Wayne Livesey, Christina Maria Rieder, and Ryan Carl Dahle.
Directed by Brianne Nord-Stewart, the video accompanies the song perfectly. It's gentle, peaceful, and shows Rykka off in such a positive light. I hope she continues to release music and show to the world she's a superstar, This music video practically proves it.
Filmed in Switzerland, in Lucerne and Meilin, the music video shows Rykka in some amazing profile scenes. The first scene is one of many where Rykka shows her performance vibes and her stunning beauty. The following scenes, Rykka is in a convertible car driving through a forest lined road. Then comes the empty swimming pool dance scene, which is completely on point throughout. Rykka nails the choreography in perfect sync with the dancers and adding a stand-out rhythmic vibe to her performance.
Then as the song switches up for an incredibly sultry verse, Rykka does the exact same in the visual in a very sexy outfit within a barn, she also poses with a lamb. Rykka proves with this music video that she is an allrounder, one we should all be watching, and one we will never forget. Great music to fit with a very catchy relaxer of a song. We're all runnin' away with you Rykka!
We're all chained to the rhythm. Katy Perry is back with this brilliant, dark and raw song that utilises what we all are, in a powerful catchy way. Katy Perry is hitting out these great songs, but they're not instantly catchy like her previous songs were, which probably explains why they're not performing as well. This one has started doing better than "Rise" for many different reasons, but her performance at The Brit Awards and The GRAMMY Awards definitely ignited more downloads and streams. Watch Katy Perry have fun at a futuristic theme park with Skip Marley in the "Chained To The Rhythm" music video.
Katy Perry, real name Katheryn Hudson, has really established herself as one of the main female artists in the world, Forgetting all the shade towards plenty of other well-known singers, she is definitely one who is bringing unstoppable hits and brilliant music videos. Many of her songs are hits and it's surprising she hasn't released a greatest hits album yet, although I'm sure there's one on the cards in the near future. This song is about how we're all attached to social media, how we all comment the same thing about something, and how we're all chained to the rhythm. It's a powerful message, hidden in a very catchy song. It was written by Katy Perry, Max Martin, Sia Furler, Ali Payami, and Skip Marley.
Directed by Matthew Cullen, the music video is set in a futuristic theme park called Oblivia. There are various theme rides at this theme park, including a rollercoaster that has a gap in the tracks, I so want to go on it. There are springing houses, which intrigues me. There's a rocket roller coaster where the cars shoot off into the sky and then fall down. Don't ask me what the weird seat ride is, but it looks like fun. Then there's the hamster wheel.
I totally don't get the hamster wheel, like I want to give it a go, see if I can beat it, but I don't think it would be fun. I think Katy Perry is trying to make us see that we're all hamsters, running around in a wheel, sometimes we fall, sometimes we can't keep up, sometimes we conquer it, but regardless, we're still running around not going anywhere. It's a very in-depth theory that still doesn't make sense to me, but that's what I make of it.
Skip Marley, who is the son of Cedella Marley, and the maternal grandson of Bob Marley, brings some reggae to Katy Perry's track. He comes out of the TV during the outdoor cinema scene, where everyone is dancing the same dance to his part of the song. He brings some fresh performance vibes that really showcases him as an artist, whether he'll have a subsequent hit, is a different story; but this song has actually given him a much-needed spotlight, so we'll be watching to see what he releases next.
Overall, this is a theme park I want to go to! Although, some rides seem way too dangerous, but I think we should presume they passed all the safety checks so they're all good. It looks like a lot of fun, although the petrol station scene doesn't make much sense to me; to be fair, a lot of this music video doesn't make sense, and yet works in a weird and strange way.
I truly believe Era Istrefi is the next big thing. She became popular after "BonBon" dominated the world, but not the charts, and now she's back with a brand new soft dance song that is embedded in my head. It's so good and yet not as clubby as I was expecting. However, I can see the DJs going mad with this and bringing some killer remixes to the table. Era Istefi brings performance vibes like no other, whilst looking extremely sexy in this music video for "Redrum" which features Felix Snow.
Era Istrefi is totally one of these artists that you should be keeping an eye on. From Kosovo, she's absolutely stunning, and she is totally launching her musical career and bringing it. "BonBon" totally gave her worldwide fame, now she just needs to hold on to that and keep going. This follow-up track is a definite step in the right direction, showing her off perfectly as an artist. This song is what I would call soft dance music, you expect something more, but in this subtle form, it works perfectly. I hope some brilliant remixes are on their way with this track. The song has just been released, and I hope it becomes a successful follow-up single. Felix Snow features on the track, he's a DJ and CEO of EFFESS.
Directed by Millicent Hailes, the music video is a full performance visual, with Era Istrefi looking gorgeous throughout and giving it her all.
There's not an awful lot going on, there's a car doing donuts around her, sending out red smoke; there's a mirror where her beauty is reflected; there's red ink dripping off her body, which I suppose to represent blood; and then there's Era Istrefi performing the song.
As a whole, it's a great visual, something interesting to watch and keep the audience entertained, but at the same time, it doesn't give anything new to the viewers. It's a great song, that should do well globally, even though it probably won't get the attention it deserves; but, once again, the music video doesn't bring anything new; however, it's visually interesting.
WARNING: Flashing Images! Thursday revisit time was stressing me out today, as I thought I found it difficult to find a music video that was older than 5 years from one of the artists I had reviewed this week; but, luck was on my side when I came across this one from the Dream Beats. This was the DJ project's first single, in collaboration with Swedish popular but cheesy group, Alcazar. This song surely doesn't disappoint. Alcazar performs with their usual pizazz in this music video for Dream Beats' "Feel 4 U", which also includes a model strutting around her apartment.
Dream Beats is a DJ project from Sweden, formed by Anders Hansson. They first came to my attention when they collaborated with Molly on "Beneath The Lights", such a great song. Then, most recently, I came across Christie & The Dream Beats, with the catchy song "Wasn't My Fault". So, it's nice to visit their debut music video and single, which was with Alcazar. They previously worked together on Alcazar's Melodifestivalen 2009 single "Stay The Night", the song finished fifth overall and the group once again failed to represent Sweden at Eurovision. Alcazar consists of three members who are Andreas Lundstedt, Therese Merkel, and Lina Hedlund. They're the epitome of europop/eurodance, the sort of cheesy pop you expect to get from Europe, and it's worked solidly in their favour for many years. How many groups can say that they've been going for almost 20 years? They've had three international hit singles which are "Crying at the Discoteque", "Sexual Guarantee", and "This Is the World We Live In". They're still going today, although I doubt another international hit is on the horizon, although we never can tell. The song was written by Anders Hansson.
This music video is just difficult to understand and quite testing on anyone who watches it. There's a lot of flashing imagery.
Alcazar performs with their usual energetic vibes. This is exactly what I was expecting from this group. Their performance visual is definitely appealing and that is something you can expect from them at their shows.
There is a narrative of a woman, who isn't wearing many clothes. I honestly don't know what to make of this. I feel like she's broken as if she's been dumped by a guy or something. There's definitely something upsetting her, and that's the only thing that comes to mind, regarding the song. Some might find it sexy to watch, but I don't see what it adds to the music video.
Overall, intricately different, and I was quite expecting some really low-budget music video, so this totally surprised me. It's not the best, granted; but Alcazar brings it like they usually do and that is definitely what makes this music video work.
A bit of an old song, but my iTunes chose this for me, and it's a very catchy song, just wish it had charted and brought Tiffany Gayle some success, as after researching her, this was the only song she released... Technically, if it had been a hit, she would've been a one-hit wonder since she didn't release anything else afterwards; saying that, if it had done well in the charts she'd have had another single released. This is still catchy to this day, and I actually want to dance to it in the clubs I go to... Definitely my next request. Tiffany Gayle asks you to dance with her in the clubs, looking sexy inside but keeping warm outside by layering up and donning some sunglasses in this music video for "Do You Wanna Dance".
Tiffany Gayle was on All Around The World Records, sharing the label with Flip & Fill, Cascada, Kate Ryan, and Danii Minogue. Little is known about her except that she is from Belgium and can speak various languages, at the time she was fluent in three whilst learning more; who knows how many she can speak now. It's a shame her voice has disappeared, but it would be good to see her return to music, even if it were just to display what she can do now. This song didn't chart, despite its various releases around the world.
The music video is really simple, playing on the strength of the opening lyric about being in a club, that is where the video is set. A great and relatable setting.
What's shocking is that we all thought it was on-trend to wear sunglasses and look like she does outside, back in 2008. Although she nails the club look inside, whoever turned her down to dance was totally making a mistake.
This song is the sort of song to get everyone up and dance, to be fair this is the sort of thing I do. I'm usually the first on the dancefloor and the last one to get off. I'm usually great at getting everyone onto the dancefloor, which is exactly what this song is about, hence why I loved it as soon as my iTunes randomly played it. It's just a shame I didn't know about the song until today.
What's more, there is a choreography part, where Tiffany Gayle dances in the street with some backing dancers. What I actually can't believe is that the slut drop is included, and she fully nailed it too. You go girl! She pulls it off perfectly, even if the choreography isn't amazing, it will do.
Overall, it's a great, packaged music video; totally relatable to the song and adds everything we could want. It is slightly low-budget, and not all that appealing. There's not an awful lot going on, and more of a narrative would've made it much better. Regardless, this is something I would watch again and again because this song is a tune and the video could be a hell of a lot worse, but it's not.
I had this song stuck in my head last night due to the fact that I was thinking about my last night out, which was Friday, and I remember dancing away on the small stage to this amazingly catchy song, not having a clue who sung it. I googled it last night and to my amazement, it's Meghan Trainor. This is the music video that she took down due to photoshopped results; one I didn't watch because it never became a hit. How? I have no idea. Watch Meghan Trainor work it in her music video for "Me Too" because, of course, we all want to be her.
Meghan Trainor kickstarted her career when she debuted with "All About That Bass" which was a complete international sensation; her follow-up singles and debut album followed suit and she quickly became one of the top female singers; now it's slowly going downhill. This may be due to the lack of promotion of her latest singles; although her album did do well globally. This song was written by Meghan Trainor, Eric Frederic, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Jason Desrouleaux (Jason Derülo), and Peter Svensson.
Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, this is mainly a performance-based music video with a lifestyle narrative infused within. The music video gained controversy when it was first released as an unapproved video was released before quickly being taken down and a new one uploaded the day after. The reason behind this was an image manipulation that made Meghan Trainor's waist much slimmer than what it is. So kudos to her deleting the video and putting the unedited video up since she is encouraging the world to be confident with who they are.
The music video totally represents the confident life, we all have it now and again, we just need to have it inside of us all the time. Meghan Trainor is fierce throughout, from strutting around when she wakes up in the morning to totally pulling off that unappealing giraffe onesie.
To look good, you have to have the confidence to wear whatever you want to wear. People work the clothes they wear because they strut their stuff in it, even if it doesn't suit whatsoever.
She arrives on set and tries on various costumes before deciding on the blue sequin dress. She then goes all out in a choreography number with backing dancers. Totally nailing her performance throughout. If anything, Meghan Trainor is someone we all need to see live. She totally brings it for this music video, I would've just liked a little bit more of a relatable narrative, though.
It's Chart Mondays today, and anyone who has been following my blog these past two days will know that I've batted out seven catch-up blogs to get to this point, so I am totally feeling proud of myself right now. Ed Sheeran is still at number one with "Shape of You", and so, once again, it opens the top ten to my Chart Mondays review. It looks like The Chainsmokers may drop out of the chart next week so hence why I chose this song and music video to review. Both narrative and performance, watch a house fly up into the sky before our main character, Martha Hunt, jumps out and falls to Earth, in The Chainsmokers' "Paris" music video.
The Chainsmokers are a duo consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. They have seriously proven themselves within the music industry, even though their musical style has changed a lot since they first came out back in 2014. Their progression has been phenomenal and just showcases their diversity and their ability to release hit after hit after hit. This song features uncredited vocals from Emily Warren. It was written by Andrew Taggart, Kristoffer Eriksson, and Fredrik Häggstam.
This music video was directed by Mister Whitmore and stars model and actress Martha Hunt. In the description of the music video, the duo explains what Paris is. '1: a sentimental yearning for a reality that isn't genuine. 2: an irrevocable condition for fantasy that evokes nostalgia of day dreams'. In this case, this music video and song has nothing to do with the French capital Paris.
Which is why the music video isn't set in Paris. We watch a house rise up high into the sky, whilst The Chainsmokers just look on as Andrew Taggart sings along to the song.
Inside the floating house is Martha Hunt, who looks out the window in bewilderment before sitting on the edge; pushes herself over and freefalls. We watch as she falls down and down, I kind of expected Andrew Taggart to run and try and catch her; but instead, she just keeps falling; until the end where she floats down into bed. If that happened to me, I'd be doing it over and over again, looks like fun.
Overall, the video works well, The Chainsmokers doesn't really give it their all during the performance side of the music video; however, there is a complete focus on Martha Hunt, who acts her character out perfectly. I guess she makes up for The Chainsmokers' lack of enthusiasm in this music video.
After writing up an article about her new music video on CelebMix, I had to include this on my blog too. It's a complete stunner of a music video, that definitely proves that Sofia Carson is the next big thing to come from the Disney Channel. You may recognise her from Descendants where she plays Evie, or from Adventures In Babysitting where she plays Lola Perez, or maybe the A Cinderella Story: If The Shoe Fits where she plays Tessa/Bella. Either way, she is totally bringing it when it comes to music. In this music video, Sofia Carson pulls on everyone's heartstrings for this music video. She proves this is where she needs to be and how much of an amazing performer she is in "Back To Beautiful".
Sofia Carson first came to my attention after she brilliantly nailed the role of Evie in the Disney film Descendants. She will be reprising her role in the sequel film, which is expected to come out summer 2017. She has been dipping in and out of acting and music for quite a while, having released her own version of "Rotten To The Core", whilst releasing original songs "Love Is The Name" and "I'm Gonna Love You", the latter of which was a promotional single. She is planning on releasing a debut album sometime soon, so I'm excited to see what other tracks will be on that said album. The Alan Walker remix was chosen as the official single, over the Stargate remix, which is why Alan Walker has become the featured artist. He has really come into his own as a DJ, after his internationally successful "Faded". He's definitely a DJ that will go far in the music industry. This song was written by Alan Walker, Julia Michaels, and Justin Tranter.
Directed by Emil Nava, this music video is quite haunting during the verses before an unexpected dance sequence hits off beautifully; lighting up the entire place.
It has a Disney feel to the music video, what with the long staircase and the table. Let's not forget the mirror as well, which is a great link to Evie in Descendants, since her mother is the Evil Queen from Snow White. Regardless, Sofia Carson brings it once again for this music video.
She's got a perfect performance vibes leaching out of her and being received perfectly by the viewers. Sofia Carson is one hell of a performer, connecting completely with the song and portraying it honestly on the screen. I love the stage scene, which is where she belongs, although I would've loved to have been in one of the seats; an exclusive performance just for me.
Overall, this music video is a brilliant portrayal of the song, and we are all going back to beautiful because we deserve to. It's a great inspirational meaning behind the song, especially considering her target audience, and she totally nails it throughout. Shame there isn't a full narrative, but we can't have everything.
A fellow CelebMix writer sent me this video on Facebook the other night, telling me how catchy the song is and how much I need to listen to it. He was completely right, hence why it's appearing on my blog today. It is surely a catchy number that easily gets stuck in my head, just like many others. Watch Christie from Christie & The Dream Beats parade around with angel wings whilst giving an emotional performance in this "Wasn't My Fault" music video.
This is a new collaboration, originally it was The Dream Beats which is Anders Hansson's dance pop project. I thought I heard the name before but wasn't sure where until I was researching the previous releases and found out that The Dream Beats once collaborated with Molly on the awesome song "Beneath The Lights". Now with a full-on permanent singer, called Christie, full name Christie Prentice; it's time for this project to go all out and bring it this year. 2017 might just be their year. The song is highly memorable and will probably have you singing along by the end of it.
The music video is shot in black and white, with intricate colourful transitions throughout, that does keep the audience attention regardless of the filter.
There's not an awful lot going on in this music video. Christie gives it her best shot at performing the song with her all, but it's just not good enough. Her wings are much more interesting than the music video as a whole.
This is a simple case of an amazingly catchy song, with an uninteresting accompanying music video. Regardless, Christie is looking beautiful throughout and is working the camera the best way she can. It's just a shame this isn't exactly a great relatable music video.
Remember back in 2014 when Mr. Probz had a raging international hit called "Waves" before releasing more music under the radar that not many people heard and he was soon forgotten once again... Well, he's here, still releasing music, that you totally need to listen to. "Waves" was the start of international fame for this guy, but with a voice as powerful as his, he won't be disappearing from music completely. Watch as two people prove that love is all about what's on the inside in this shocking music video for Mr. Probz's "Till You're Loved".
Mr. Probz, real name Dennis Stehr, is a Dutch singer, musician, and actor. He has been working in music since 2006 but didn't have a hit single until Robin Schulz remixed his "Waves" single, which totally launched the success of the song around the world. His follow-up singles didn't perform so well and he soon disappeared once again. Now he's proving that he deserves to be in the music industry and this song is definitely showcasing a brilliant new direction he has taken.
Directed by Richard Paris Wilson, this music video is extremely intricate, showing that guys get just as insecure about their looks as much as girls do. We all knew this initially, but this just shows it off at a more visual angle.
A fully narrative video, we watch as two people eye one another across a club. This is something I'm used to happening when I'm out clubbing, so it's no surprise it's happening here. He builds up the confidence to go over to her, and as she caresses his cheek, she pulls a chunk of skin off. Talk about grossing out the viewers.
We watch him go to the bathroom and then he decides to leave. But the woman who ripped his skin off comes outside and drags him back in. Whilst they're on the dancefloor, she removes her skin, revealing that she is just like him; in doing so, he also removes the rest of his skin too. They're dancing as cosmic shadows on the dancefloor.
Overall, it's actually got quite a sweet meaning behind it all. Skin is just a part of your looks, and no one can ever love someone based on their looks. It's what's on the inside that counts and this music video proves this entirely. However, it's highly gross and quite gruesome. I can't help but cringe when she removes the skin from his cheek. It's relatable, it's just a shame there isn't a performance piece to complete this music video.
It's Thursday Revisit time, so I chose this song and music video since it was released five years ago... However, there was a second music video for this song that was released in 2013... It then got a third music video when the song was remixed by DJ Snake in 2014. These music videos will probably appear on my blog at a much later date. Aluna Francis brings it when it comes to dancing to the "You Know You Like It" music video by AlunaGeorge.
AlunaGeorge are a duo consisting of Aluna Francis and George Reid. They recently released "Not Above Love" which I reviewed earlier this week, hence why I'm reviewing this classic now. They've never quite had a full on solo chart hit, although they did feature on Disclosure's "White Noise" which got to number two on the UK chart and definitely propelled them in the music world. I much prefer their latest singles over their old stuff, but I guess that shows how far they come. This song was written by Aluna Francis and George Reid. It managed to chart at number 39 in the UK.
This music video is purely black and white, with not much of a budget behind it, clearly. If you've read any of my other reviews about black and white music videos, you know that I find it knocks the engagement of the viewers as black and white music videos are unappealing. This is totally the case with this one.
There's also not a lot going on in this music video, the backing dancers are all Aluna Francis, which shows that the music video has been edited really well. But there's nothing keeping the audience interested throughout.
There's a few great transitions in the visual but that is the only good thing I can find from this music video. I hope the other two music videos for this song is much better, because I guarantee it'll be difficult to do worse than this one. I would not like to watch this a second time.
