I am breaking the rules, once again, since this is not an official music video for this song, this is more of a promotional video, as Fleur East has confirmed there will be an official music video released soon, however it's been a couple of months now, and there's no sign of an official music video any time soon, it especially didn't help with this song not charting. I have broken the rules a few times before, examples includes Justin Bieber's entire promotional videos for his album, titled "Purpose: The Movement", as well as Revisit Thursday Nathan Sykes "Born To Dance". Fleur East brings the summer with this tune, and this video is some fun in the sun, which we definitely need in this cold UK weather. Everyday we love you more and more Fleur East
WHO WOULD LIKE A BIT OF SAX?We would! We love the fact that the amazing Fleur East will be one of our headliners on...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Fleur East has been confirmed for Birmingham Pride 2016, as one of the main headliners. After supporting her throughout The X Factor, I am so excited to see her perform and hear her sing "Sax" live, her dancing will be incredible, undoubtedly. She came second behind Ben Haenow, but it seems that Fleur East has won overall, because of her chart hits. This song was released with very little promotion, no official video and no release date announcement and no performances around that time. Whether they were relying on radio to pick it up, I don't know, but the radio didn't pick it up that well, and the song failed to chart. Maybe the release of the official video might push sales. The song was written by Fleur East, Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, James Abrahart and Camille Purcell.
Directed by Robin Fenlon, the video was released as a promotional video for the song. It shows Fleur East in Los Angeles, having a sun fun day, which we all love to do now and again don't we?
This could slightly work as an official video, since Fleur East is dancing and singing to the song, the performance side is subtle, but interesting, it's nice to see her relaxed and just having fun, maybe a bit of freestyle would have made this performance side a little more interesting, but I guess we all need to wind down after the full dance choreography of "Sax".
Fleur gives us fun fun fun, fun in the sun! She has fun on the beach, on the pier, in an arcade/amusements (Dance machine, oh yeah!), at a funfair, in a red convertible car, in a funky clothes shop and at a basketball court. She makes me want to go to LA on holiday, in this exact place.
Overall, as an official music video, it works slightly, but it's only a promotional video, and so it works well. The song is a grower, one that may eventually chart as it's getting more and more catchy, but it needs more and more promotion... Definitely needs a remix, which would definitely help it to chart better. Overall, fun, sun and confident.
Mike Posner is still at number one with "I Took A Pill In Ibiza", so I'm excited to choose a song in the top ten, and I'm so happy that this is in the top ten this week! Finally it has a video, although we're all completely disappointed Zara Larsson is not in it whatsoever, why tease it so much if it was apparently shot last minute? They could've included her one way or another, regardless of how busy she might've been. This totally ruined any chance of me enjoying this video, which totally makes it difficult to review. Full of grinding, twerking and confidence, this video relates to the song, but whereas the song is amazingly catchy, more thanks to Zara Larsson than Tinie Tempah, this video falls dead to the water.
Tinie Tempah, real name Patrick Okogwu, has made quite the name for himself, all of his solo songs have been hits, so it's undeniable that he will forever be in our charts. He has seven number ones under his belt, and I reckon he will be getting a lot more in the future. Featuring is new star Zara Larsson, who definitely won't be disappearing any time soon, although saying that... Not appearing in a music video with Tinie Tempah might not do her any favours. "Lush Life" is one of my favourite songs, and she has a killer voice on "Never Forget You". She shocks everyone with this, because it suits her perfectly, and yet... No sign of her in the video. The song is a hit, but maybe it would've performed better if the video had Zara Larsson in.
The video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. Filmed whilst Tinie Tempah took a long stay over there. Clearly Zara Larsson didn't have time to fly over there and film it. It's saddening to think that she wasn't featured in the music video, especially since she makes this song, although Tinie Tempah's rapping is on point.
Tinie Tempah hosts a street party, and it's all fun and games. He performs well in this, although he doesn't do much, he looks relaxed, like he's at home in Cape Town.
The dancers can dance, that's undeniable, and yet they aren't given much choreography, just a few booty shakes, a bit of twerking and grinding. These dancers can do so much more, yet there there to look sexy.
Zara Larsson's verse is done quite cheap and nastily, although I love the idea behind the bathroom scene, as girls' chatter in bathrooms; the scene isn't shown as how I would imagine. It paints a bad picture both generally and culturally. And although they have someone who looks similar to Zara Larsson in the background, I feel that this not only erases her from the song and video entirely, but having other women lip-sync to her lyrics kills her off. This reminds me a lot of Ms. D in Wiley's "Heatwave", who never appeared in that video. Difference is Zara Larsson is a chart success with her own songs, you don't just not include her and expect people, to not only not notice, but also not want answers. Where is she?
Overall, Tinie Tempah does he's best to perform, but without Zara Larsson it was never going to work. The video relates well, although could've been so much more. With all the hype created about this video, it should've been a stunner, since the song is amazing. The song would get five stars from me, but since I'm purely basing the rating on the video, I have no choice but to give it this rating.
I totally screamed when this act was announced for Birmingham Pride 2016, if there's one act I will not miss, it will be the Vengaboys. They were a massive hit in the 90s, gaining two number one hits and seven top ten hits in the UK. They are the dance group of my childhood, we were all singing their songs and watching their music videos. The Vengaboys tell us they want us in their room in this boom of a track. Relatable, entertaining and surprisingly explicit, this video is well ahead of it's time with the technology idea, yet the costumes and style is stuck in the past.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! WE LIKE TO PARTY... and so do our latest reveal! It's none other than The vengaboys who...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
The Vengaboys consisted of, at the time, Kim Sasabone, Denise Post-Van Rijswijk, Roy Den Burger and Robin Pors. The group are currently back together and have released a Christmas album and a couple of singles, with Donny Latupeirissa replacing Roy Den Burger in the line-up. With Birmingham Pride 2016 coming up, I am expecting them to announce a new single, with enough touring in the UK and enough promotion, I can see this group making one of the biggest comebacks we have ever seen, their new singles should've been hits, I admit, I do like "Hot, Hot, Hot". This song hit number one in the UK in 1999, and was written by Dennis van Den Driesschen, Benny Andersson, Wessel van Diepen and Björn Ulvaeus. The first verse interpolates Abba's "Lay All Your Love On Me".
This video is both sexual and explicit, unsurprising due to the song's meaning, how this was shown on music channels in the 90's when I was young, I do not know, but I guess age ratings wasn't given to videos back then, whereas nowadays this would've been banned until curfew time.
The choreography is on point, the Vengaboys sure know how to move and it excites me to think that I'll be seeing them perform live in the next few months at Birmingham Pride, and if they perform as in sync as they do in this video, they will be more than amazing.
This is mainly a performance piece, although there is a slight narrative, it seems the Vengaboys are performing in a strip club. There is quite a lot of girl on girl action in this video suggesting that the Vegaboys have been gay idols since the moment they started. The LGBT+ group have welcomed them from the beginning.
There's not much else to comment on. Perfect vocals, catchy songs and undeniably in-sync dancing that put other artists that released music during this era to shame. I can't wait to see them at Birmingham Pride 2016, and I hope that they manage to make a big comeback in the next few years.
Karen Harding has also been announced for Birmingham Pride 2016, I have to admit I was expecting her to be a big name by now, because of how successful "Say Something" was, and yet this follow up single fails to meet expectations, it's too similar to "Say Something" and regardless of the promotion on musical.ly app, it failed to chart, unsurprisingly. Today is the first time I've heard the song and watched the music video. Karen Harding definitely has presence and can perform, which she pulls off perfectly in this music video, as there is nothing else going on. Bland, unimaginative, and unengaging, Karen Harding does the best she can with what she's been given.
AND HERE'S OUR NEXT EXCITING REVEAL...After storming the main stage last year the fantastic Karen Harding returns to...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Karen Harding has appeared on The X Factor and the UK national selection for Eurovision. She proved both of them wrong by getting a hit single with "Say Something", she just needs to follow through and prove the judges wrong by getting more hit singles and a hit album. Her vocals are to the right standard, she just needs the right songs and this one isn't one of them. This song was written by Sophie "Frances" Cooke, Josh Wilkinson and James Reynolds.
Directed by James Partridge, this video is very visual, almost art-worthy, and yet bland and unexciting, without meaning.
There's not much to comment on. There's one scene that is relatable to an extent as Karen Harding is singing and dancing in front of a pink board with a pair of eyes. However the other scenes don't make sense, the flamingoes especially.
Karen Harding exposes her natural beauty, she works the clothes she is wearing, and her hair looks amazing both curly and straight. She clearly has on-stage presence which will be perfect for when she performs at Birmingham Pride 2016, I'm just sad that I missed her last year.
Overall, the video follows "Say Something", as in that she can perform well, but she hasn't had a great music video, that I've seen, so far. I feel that she needs a good music video under her belt, one that the music channels will play again and again, one that will make people watch on repeat on YouTube, because a music video is good promotion for a song, and she has the vocal talent of a superstar, she just needs the hit songs.
What have I just watched. This literal translation of these lyrics is weirdly entertaining to say the least, and yet it doesn't entice me to watch it again. Full of contemporary dancing and visual interpretation of the song words, Nick Jonas and Tove Lo scrape forward and backwards closer and distant from each other, a battle of feelings.
Nick Jonas was originally in The Jonas Brothers and in Nick Jonas And The Administration. He has set out all on his own and has definitely made a solo career for himself. I am not so sure on this song, myself... I absolutely loved "Levels" and I have found Nick Jonas a very hit and miss kind of singer, so I was hoping for more songs like "Levels" but this one isn't as good, which probably explains why it's not doing so well on the iTunes chart today. Tove Lo has also been a hit and miss kind of singer, real name Ebba Nilsson, and yet she's doing all right for herself at the moment. This song was written by Robin Fredriksson, Mattias Larsson, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter and Tove Lo.
This video could've been sexy and it just isn't. Directed by Tim Erem, it's clear a lot of effort went into creating this allusion and both singers' acting and dancing skills were put to the test, however both singers look totally undesirable.
They move forward and backwards on their seats, as if there is a magnetic force repelling and attracting them, and it isn't until their clothes get removed that they're able to touch each other.
Not only is it a good literal translation of the song but there is perfect hidden meaning behind it. As much as I'm not so keen on the song and as undesirable as this music video is because Nick Jonas isn't sexy whatsoever in this video compared to "Levels" and let's not even start on Tove Lo, but she does look better in her feature with Years & Years on song "Desire" than she does in this; I have to congratulate the video on the idea of it all and pulling it off perfectly.
Such an off-putting video, one I both want to watch again and I don't want to watch again. Regardless of that fact, it is technically brilliant, perfectly relatable and an undeniable translation of the lyrics. As much as this may not be appealing, it works well and it fits the song.
