Greece's entrant into the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, was definitely a fan favourite, but clearly didn't quite do it on the night, only managing to place at number 20, with 35 points. This catchy track will become one of the great Eurovision songs that never won, or even came close, and yet I will not stop playing it at the parties I host. Freaky Fortune and RiskyKidd team up for this simple performance-based music video for "Rise Up", not quite rising anywhere though.
Freaky Fortune are a Greek duo consisting of Nikolas Raptakis and Theofilos Pouzbouris. The former has gone on to start a solo career, releasing a few singles here and there. Whether the duo is still together, is a question we may not be able to answer, but having already won a Perez Hilton competition early in their career, it suggests we need this duo to return. Featuring on the track is RiskyKidd, real name Shane Schuller, has continued on with his career since this track and is actively releasing singles. Collaborating on this track together, they competed in Eurosong 2014 - a MAD show, Greece's national selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, which they won. The song was written by Freaky Fortune and RiskyKidd.
Direction by Alex Grammatopoulos, the music video is extremely simplistic. Freaky Fortune fails to entertain as they sing the song in this video.
Close ups of Theofilos Pouzbouris producing the track is the most advancement of the music video we get. Otherwise we have a lot of jumping from RiskyKidd and Nikolas Raptakis where they really aren't rising up to anything.
Clearly the budget was blown on the stage production of the song, which didn't even help the acts get a high placing on the leader board of the Grand Final. Trampolines used in the stage performance are no where in sight of this music video, unfortunately.
With little else to comment on, because there is literally nothing going on in this music video, the stars fail to give performance vibes for this song, and although their vocals are on point, the video just doesn't do a thing.
It seems split-screen music videos are a massive thing nowadays, we've already had The Girl and the Dreamcatcher's "Make You Stay" split-screen music video, and now this one, wonder what song will be next. Regardless, Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez harmonise amazingly on this extremely catchy song that I definitely can't get enough of recently. As for the music video, the concept is hard to follow with the split-screen, Charlie Puth and his ex go about their lives apart because they don't talk anymore, whilst Selena Gomez doesn't even appear.
Charlie Puth, Grammy nominated singer and a chart success, he has had many hits already including number ones "Marvin Gaye" and "See You Again". This track marks his third single from his debut album. This won't be the last we hear of him. Featured on this track is the amazing Selena Gomez, although you wouldn't know it from the music video. She compliments Charlie Puth's vocals in this song, making it melodically beautiful. The song only charted at number 26 in the UK, although it's definitely worth a higher peak position. The song was written by Charlie Puth, Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Selena Gomez.
Directed by Phil Pinto, it relates to the song perfectly. Showing the lives of two people who's lives used to revolve around one another but now they lead separate lives. Unfortunately, Selena Gomez doesn't appear in this split-screen video as she is busy with her tour. Her absence is badly received since she is a crucial part of the song. This isn't the first time this has happened, most-recently Zara Larsson didn't appear in Tinie Tempah's "Girls Like".
The video, as I previously mentioned, includes a split-screen, which is definitely all the range lately, however it never unites unlike The Girl and the Dreamcatcher's "Make You Stay".
This video shows a broken relationship and how each person wants to reach out but they don't talk anymore so although they constantly think of one another they don't message or talk.
Interestingly, iMessage is used, which tells people when the other person is typing something. This becomes even more heartfelt as the other person knows they're typing and then deleting the message, it's like a double stabbing in the heart.
There's a lot to like about this music video, especially seeing them do variously similar things, such as crossing the road and going out with friends.
Overall, this is a fully narrative music video, that is totally engaging yet a little difficult to follow as it's not easy to concentrate on both sides of the split-screen. The effect is nothing new to us, and is played about and edited interestingly. No one can deny the complexity of this video, nor how it relates to the song. However it's completely missing Selena Gomez!
The DJ duo that just keeps coming back and back and back, with hit after different hit after completely different hit. This is nothing like the "#Selfie" song that we experienced a few years ago. The Chainsmokers are on a roll with their most-recent songs and the way they are going, they're not going to go down. With Major Lazer still happy sitting at number one on the UK chart with the "Cold Water" track which features Justin Bieber and MØ and still no music video, it opens my Chart Mondays up to the UK Top 10. This song looks like it's going to be in the chart for some time. Bouncing up and down in a hydraulics car, The Chainsmokers are not allowed to let Daya down, so instead they become stranded in the air, whilst Daya steels the car in this weird video for "Don't Let Me Down".
The Chainsmokers consist of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. They have had various hits over the years and various not-so hits that definitely should've been. Every chart hit has been different from the rest, and they really are proving themselves as one of the hottest DJ duos around. These two definitely don't mess around, or maybe they do in the studio. Featuring on this track is Daya, real name Grace Tandon; she is the new girl on the scene. At just 17, she's already had a global hit called "Hide Away", which didn't quite make the UK chart, but got on the UK indie chart. her follow-up didn't fare so well. She released a self-titled EP. With this song blowing up worldwide, and her vocals killing it, she is definitely one to watch! This song was written by Andrew Taggart, Emily Warren and Scott Harris.
This video was directed by Marcus Kuhne, and it is definitely a low budgeted music video, that or they just spent the entire budget on a car that has awesome hydraulics.
A lot of editing clearly went into this, however the story line really isn't thought out, like why are The Chainsmokers walking into the car in the first place... If they were exiting a building or a house, fair enough, but it looks like they've just been out for a stroll and they've seen this car all by itself and decided to take it for a ride. Or they really did park there and stood around looking at the trees before hopping back in the car... Maybe, just maybe, they were playing Pokemon Go and had found a Mewtwo, we all would pull over to catch that.
Daya is just wondering through the forest with her girls. She's clearly not a dancer, but she is one hell of a performer, I mean this girl was meant to be on screen, although she seems totally out of place as the girls dance around her; it adds a bit more dramatic effect I suppose.
This entire video doesn't make sense whatsoever, apart from launching The Chainsmokers into the air so they are stranded and can't possibly let anyone down. Maybe they did let Daya down once upon a time and this is her revenge, whatever the meaning of this video is, it's something we'll probably never understand. Regardless Daya performs amazingly, whilst The Chainsmokers practise their stability in an extreme hydraulic car.
There is a lot of controversy around this music video. Mainly because the original music video got completely scrapped, you know the one filmed by David LaChapelle, and has been teased for months? Well now we have a video quite different than what was teased, and one that many aren't exactly happy with, but only because we know we're missing out on the original. If we had never known about it, then this would be a perfectly normal Britney Spears music video, that no one had a problem with. Britney Spears and her girls audition male actors, where she chooses one guy to take back to her bedroom, he will definitely Make Me Ooh!
Britney Spears is about to make a career comeback, or so we all thought. But she's lost so many potential pre-orders because of the public controversy over this music video. This song isn't the next "Work Bitch", it's not the next "Womanizer" and it's quite a simple and relaxed single that none of us really expected and doesn't defy the music industry the way we had been promised. Clearly too much hype surrounded this release, and 'Glory', her ninth studio album, might just be one of the worst releases in quite some time. Britney Spears has got to pull it all back, release something to make us go ooh! Something that puts her back on the top once again, Yet it looks completely unlikely that will happen. This song features G-Eazy, real name Gerald Gillum, who is getting around a lot, he is definitely the rapper to watch who is featuring in a lot of songs and is batting out chart hits. This is the first song, he's been in, that I really like his contribution because it goes with the beat of the track. This song was written by Britney Spears, Matthew Burns, Joe Janiak and Gerald Gillum.
Directed by Randee St. Nicholas, this video was planned to be totally different, with a different director. The David LaChapelle version will go unreleased for the foreseeable future, but some clips from the original has been kept.
Britney Spears and her girls starts off this music video, asking a 'Michael' to come along on Saturday and to bring some friends, only Michael never appears again in the video. The cackle of the girls is quite scary and unnatural and Britney Spears looks completely lost and not into it whatsoever.
We zoom forward to Saturday, and we watch them interview guys, most of which take off their shirts to let us marvel at their rippling gorgeous bodies, the winner gets to spend time with Britney Spears in bed.
Relatable and definitely sexy, this video is totally engaging as you try to work out who will win. However Britney Spears doesn't look that into it, a solo dance sequence which includes repeated steps and quite a lack-lustre performance, Britney Spears is totally missing her back-up dancers.
G-Eazy's scene is completely edited from the original video, which would've shown him having sex whilst singing his lyrics, hence the unbuttoning of his shirt. Although his verse is fire, his scene is totally out of place and unnecessary.
Overall, this video fails continuity, it fails to show variety, and we're back with Britney Spears looking a little on the lost side. This music video is easily forgettable amongst her famous releases, and she has got to do something soon to make us all want to buy her new album. She has yet to get a UK number one album, and 'Glory' doesn't look set to make it to the top of the UK charts.
Katy Perry is back with this uplifting track, that is definitely a grower. Dropped at the same time as Britney Spears' "Make Me...", this song took a prominent push back on my listening scale as I repeatedly fell in love with Britney Spears' "Make Me...", hearing this occasionally though has made me love this song too, definitely a grower. It more than describes the situation I'm in, I'm fighting for my career and I'm determined to rise, to become who I'm meant to me, regardless of what others may be saying. Katy Perry proves that you have to fight, you have to keep going, achieve your dreams because you will rise, hard work pays off.
An inspiration to us all, Katy Perry, real name Katheryn Hudson, has really made herself one of the biggest female singers in the world. This single is a non-album single and will be heavily featured during the US viewing of the 2016 Summer Olympics. It has charted worldwide and has been well received. It was written by Katy Perry, Max Martin, Ali Payami and Savan Kotecha.
Directed by Paul Gore, the video features a parachute much like Christina Milian's "Rebel", only Katy Perry adds a much better narrative and performance piece.
Accompanying the music video perfectly, Katy Perry battles with the parachute, trains herself to use it properly so in the end she will rise, rise high into the sky.
During the drama, she almost falls off a cliff, cuts herself on the parachute wires and gets caught up in a rain storm.
But in the end, as we all know she's a fighter, she flies up into the sky. She defeats all the doubts and proves that she can do this. Such an inspiration, we need more music videos like this.
However this video doesn't have much going on, and although it's showing a full story, it's quite slow and gradual and although rising in the real world is gradual, there's just something missing overall.
