Bowie Jane first came to my notice when she stumbled across this blog and started talking to me on my Facebook page. Since then she has gone on to promote her singles anywhere and everywhere here in the UK, as well as turning up at Staffordshire University (my university) for a radio interview, where she left me a signed CD of "Luv Bomb". Since then I have been keeping an eye on her Twitter and Facebook, and found out her third single (the first being "Miss U Hate U") is being released this month. So just for you lot, I have organised an interview with Bowie Jane, and she will become Artist Of The Month for July.
"Bad Boy" was co-written by Bowie Jane and her producer Jason Bond. It's really catchy, and I know I'll be singing it all day today. Especially since I've bought it from iTunes, and I can't stop playing it.
The music video has become one of Bowie Jane's most viewed YouTube videos so far, and those views are only ever going to go up and up and up. It may not be a big budgeted video that well-known artists push out, but as I have proven on this blog over and over again, the simple videos can sometimes be the best, and this is clearly one of them.
It is practically performance based, with Bowie Jane singing in front of a brick wall, but she knows how to perform, and you are engaged right from the start.
Then the slight narrative jumps in with a bunny rabbit, who clearly is the 'Bad Boy'. It is very suggestive and makes this video stand out.
The slight narrative includes various slides which say various things. The first is: "Taylor Swift Admits 'I Knew You Were Trouble' Was A Blast At Harry Styles", and the rabbit just before the words is dressed up as Harry Styles. Next is the rabbit dressed as a golfer with the accompanying headline: "A leopard might change it's spots... but a Tiger doesn't change his stripes", a dig at Tiger Woods obviously. Next is the Hugh Grant and Divine Brown scandal. Afterwards the rabbit has a gas mask on definitely dressed up as Justin Bieber, with "Selena Gomez Throws Gifts Bought By Justin Bieber In The Bin? Bye, bye, bye Bieber....".
Overall a song that is stuck in my head, and one that I will be listening to for years to come. And a music video that makes me laugh, it's enjoyable, it relates to the song, and has everything possible to make it a great video. I can't stop watching, I can't stop listening, this is one song you all need to get now!
Lawson releases this song this week, it's so catchy that it should chart high, I so hope it gets to the top of the UK chart, but with so much competition it seems like it's going to be difficult. Lawson is a four piece band consisting of Adam Pitts, Andy Brown, Joel Peat and Ryan Fletcher. This band has been doing pretty well here in the UK, managing to get all four singles in the top 20 of the UK chart, and this one will manage to do the same. Are they going to be like The Saturdays, always hoping for a number one and yet not getting one until five years down the line... Or will they disappear like so many bands before them? Guess we'll see with time... I bet they will stand the test of time. They have collaborated with B.o.B, real name Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. He is another amazing singer and rapper, who previously had a number one with "Airplanes" featuring Hayley Williams, from Paramore. Could he be the one to push this song to number one?
"Brokenhearted" was written by Andy Brown, Ki Fitzgerald, Paddy Dalton, Duck Blackwell and Bobby Ray Simmons. The song should be a number one hit, yet with the competition this week, it's going to be quite a battle, however the song is racking up the charts. Even I, who isn't much a fan of Lawson, really like this song, and I can't stop listening to it.
The music video has a performance and a narrative side. This is one music video that reminds me of other videos such as Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" as well as Simple Plan's "When I'm Gone". This is a typical band video having both sides, and it really works in their favour.
The narrative is strong, there is a break-up between Andy Brown and his on-screen girlfriend, yet it is all in the media, and she isn't happy about that at all, because everywhere she looks there is Lawson. And, unknown to here, Andy's ghost-like form is following her around, is it her imagination? Is he dead? Yet again my brilliant idea of him actually being a ghost goes out of the window, and maybe it's the camera's imagination.
The performance piece is energetic, yet lacking somewhat. When B.o.B comes in there are quite a few vibes sent out to the crowd, but Lawson is failing to make me eager to watch them live. Where is their energy? Maybe they are good live, but this video fails to portray this.
Overall a great song that should hit the UK chart hard, but a music video that lacks energy. The narrative is full of amazingness, maybe a little copy-cat, but that is to be expected, and it's something I would watch again and again, yet the performance piece just doesn't match as well as it could.
Eiffel 65 were a three piece Italian dance band consisting of Jeffrey Jey (real name Gianfranco Randone), Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte (real name Gabriele Ponte). They were active in 1998 till 2005, as well as a reformation in 2010 apparently they are working on a new album, but it now seems unlikely since three years have passed. They were well known for this hit, however they also managed a second hit with "Move Your Body" which got to number three here in the UK, followed by the album 'Europop' at number 12. So where did this band go wrong? Personally I think no promotion for global success was made. And the only reason people remember this song is because it's catchy and has the blue men in it, and the music channels really picked it up and kept playing the music video. Whereas the other videos wasn't picked up enough to make such an impact.
"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" was written by Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Massimo Gabutti. The song is about a guy who is 'Blue inside and outside' and he and everyone else is blue, suggesting it's a state of mind, as well as various objects he owns are blue as well. Guess this is where 'I'm feeling a bit blue' comes from. The song had massive success (most likely down to the video being memorable). Hitting number one here in the UK, this definitely put this band on to the rail road to global success, yet they didn't make it. This reminds me of Infernal, and I'm worried other acts will be following in these bands footsteps soon enough.
The music video has been listed in NME's '50 Worst Music Videos', however I do not agree with that at all, and even though it isn't exactly amazing compared to recent animation music videos such as Mat Zo & Porter Robinson's "Easy" and Britney Spears' "Break the Ice"; at the time it was so great, and even now people are watching it. What with 39,000,000 YouTube hits so far and it was uploaded in 2009, it shows it is still popular. The song appeared in the film 'Iron Man 3', and managed to chart at number 40 in the UK on 6th May 2013. It just goes to show that people still likes this song and it's definitely one of the classics in dance history.
The music video has much going on in the narrative. The two main blue aliens have even got names, they're called Zorotl and Sayok6. Not only that but their planet has a name which is Tukon4 and the blue martian aliens are collectively called Tukonians. This is a whole new world, and although they aren't quite cute I still want to go there and see their world.
Zorotl and Sayok6 abducts Jeffrey Jey from a music gig and deposits him in a similar gig only on their planet, while at the same time Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte go in their own star ship to save their band mate. I have to say that I think Maurizio Lobina looks a lot like H. P. Baxxter from Scooter. Anyhow, they fight with the Tukonians to rescue Jeffrey Jey. They find him, take him back, but the Tukonians ask for them to return and so they do to perform for them.
Overall a song that will probably chart again in the next few years, it's one of those songs that will not stop being stuck in peoples heads. As for the music video, I have to disagree with NME, it is definitely not a bad video, it's probably one of the best from that year, although compared to 2013 music videos it isn't as good, it's still something I would go out of my way to watch. So in total contradiction to NME's '50 Worst Music Videos', here is my rating...
The Saturdays! And this is their third single to be released off their new album, which hasn't been released yet. The girls, who consists of Rochelle Humes, Frankie Sandford, Una Healy, Mollie King, and Vanessa White, recently created a show called 'Chasing The Saturdays' where the cameras follow their attempt at hitting the American market. And they have managed to chart on the US Hot Dance Club Songs at number 27 and the US Pop Digital Songs at number 50 with their song "What About Us", that single also gave the girls their first UK number one since they started five years ago. But will this single follow in it's predecessor's amazingness? Well it's not making as big as an impact here the UK, but it will definitely be charting high. Will they succeed in getting a second number one? Surely they can do it in the near future. But this song is a genre redirection and unfortunately won't chart as well. However I think it's one of their better songs.
"Gentleman" was written by Priscilla Renea. The song is catchy and a new direction for the girls. It is one of those songs DJ's will love, I can't wait to club to this song, it will be mixed heavily, and it'll be exciting to see what the DJ's will do with it, the remixes supplied on the EP are just great. There is also a segment near the end that is kind of a half-rap. Which is something I didn't expect at all, yet it works and I find it one of the best bits on this track. I hope there is more of that on their album when they get around to releasing it.
The music video shows a heavily pregnant Rochelle, who has given birth to a baby girl called Alaia-Mai Humes. She is not the only Saturday to have been on set of a music video while being pregnant. Una was pregnant on the "30 Days" music video, she gave birth Aoife Foden. At the moment Frankie is pregnant, I wonder if they will film another music video when her bump is showing...?
Anyhow, this music video has a desperate housewives inspired narrative, where they are all out in their gardens doing gardening as well as spraying one another with water and what-not.
I like when they walk on the road to meet their boyfriends, who have been playing poker and have also bought gifts for their girlfriends. The boyfriends are also The Saturdays. This definitely goes with the song.
I also enjoy the performance of the half-rap, it is definitely good to watch.
Overall a very relatable music video that goes perfectly with this amazing song. I just wish the song will chart high this weekend, but it seems doubtful. I feel like there isn't a lot for me to say about this music video. Yet I enjoy it so much. Maybe I'm a bit on the speechless side? Which is extremely unusual.
I was surprised to find this on iTunes today, I thought I'd see if it was out because my iTunes shuffler put on 'Top Of The World' which is one of her tracks on her album 'Hello My Name Is...' and here was the single with a remix EP. I was so happy I bought it and have been playing all the tracks over and over again, it's so catchy and the remixes are interesting, yet I am disappointed by the album artwork, it looks like it was done on a whim, why can't we have the American album artwork? The UK's looks really amateurish, hope it doesn't put people off from buying it. Her single "Ready Or Not" got to number seven here in the UK, I doubt this will do as well since it hasn't gained much radio play, but I'm hoping it charts okayish, at least.
The song was written by Bridgit Mendler, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Evan "Kidd" Bogart and Andrew "Goldstein" Goldstein. The song is about love and falling for it every time even after boarding up the windows and locking her heart. It's catchy and sticks in my mind easily, it's just a shame that it hasn't really been picked up by radio and people won't hear it often enough to go out and download the song to give this song the charting position it needs.
The music video is more of a performance side to things than anything else. There is a very small narrative that is hardly discernible. In the narrative Bridgit Mendler's co-star in 'Lemonade Mouth' can be seen as her best friend, played by Naomi Scott, for those of you (including me) who don't watch 'Lemonade Mouth', you may have seen her in 'Terra Nova' playing 'Maddy Shannon'.
Naomi Scott comforts Bridgit Mendler and takes her out for some clubbing, which clears her head, but that's all there is to a narrative, and I feel there should've been much more to it.
The performance side of things is featured much more often, there are various places she sings the song, one is on a white background which leaves very little to the imagination. She performs well clearly emphasising her thoughts when it comes to this song and it's engaging, with a lot of energy, the club scene is pretty involving, also making me want to go out clubbing, I haven't gone out in months! And as for this bit by the house or wall or wherever she is, I feel it links in with the 'boarding up the windows' part, yet there is no windows being boarded up, and although this scene is featured very little, it's the one that links in the most with this song.
Overall a great song, you really much check out the remixes too, they're as good as the song. The music video fails to entertain, a solid narrative is what is needed, something not too far from Mandia Nantsios' "One Last Time". The performance could have been much better, and more or less links in with the UK album art than anything else. This just seems like it was created on a whim, with little thinking behind it.
