With her new album dropping very soon, I thought this would be the perfect music video to review today, especially since I haven't seen it yet. The single didn't chart as well as everyone thought it would, but there's still time for it to climb when the album is released. I'm a little worried it will climb really high and affect my choices for Chart Mondays in the coming weeks, but I can worry about that at a later date! Lady Gaga sings about the "Perfect Illusion" in a party infused video, she's sexed up and ready as flashing lights distort the video. Lady Gaga is the illusionist we want to see.
Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, is one of the biggest female singers globally. Batting out hit after hit after hit, she is the one to watch. This is the first single from her fifth studio album titled "Joanne". It is a pure power song that leaves you wanting more. It unfortunately doesn't go anywhere because Lady Gaga brings it hard from start to finish. It was written by Lady Gaga, Kevin Parker, Mark Ronson and Michael Tucker.
The video directed by Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin. There are a few cameos in the video from Mark Ronson, Kevin Parker and Michael Tucker. It was filmed in Los Angeles and the directors also shot the single cover artwork.
There's not a lot going on in the video. Lady Gaga performs like no one is watching, she brings so much fire to the stage it's how you would imagine her being at a gig. She's completely energetic on stage, and the crowd is clearly loving her from start to finish.
We watch her get out of a car and kick the sandy ground as she keeps singing. There is also another similar scene where she is wearing different clothes and is surrounded by a band and the crowd. She gets hands-on with her band.
The lights are a complete distraction, at times they flash way too much for even me to deal with. It definitely distorts the video completely. Lady Gaga also swings the microphone, it's so addicting to swing something with rope, she's probably done it plenty of times and she pulls it off like it's nothing.
Lady Gaga has so much confidence and presence when performing, she is the perfect illusion in our dreams. Quite a different video from her, a pure performance piece with brilliant stage vibes. Bring on her album!
It's Monday, so it's Chart Mondays again! James Arthur is reigning supreme at number one on the UK Singles Chart with "Say You Won't Let Go", which opens the top 10 for my review. Luckily, Bruno Mars has jumped to number nine so I have a music video to review. Bruno Mars acts full of confidence, strutting around with his dancers in "24K Magic" music video. Classy, fun and slightly arrogant, what happened to Bruno Mars?
Bruno Mars, real name Peter Hernandez, is definitely one of the biggest male artists around at the moment. His lengthy career has really proven that he is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. He has so many hit songs behind his name, he literally has earned his spot internationally. This song is pronounced twenty-four karat magic. The song is retro, definitely bringing the incredible disco of the 80's and turning it into a 21st century song. No one can do such a thing apart from Bruno Mars, and he definitely pulls it off in the song. Perhaps not the video though. The song was written by Bruno Mars, Christopher Brody Brown and Philip Lawrence.
Directed by Bruno Mars and Cameron Duddy, it was filmed in Las Vegas at The Bellagio Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Scenes includes a Bruno Mars party as well as him riding in a black Cadillac Allanté. Whilst Bruno Mars rides on a jet ski, Britney Spears' billboard advertisement for her Las Vegas show can be seen in the background.
The entire thing is over-the-top, this is not the way we picture Bruno Mars. It's a total step in the wrong direction from "Uptown Funk", it's like an extremely arrogant sequel to that music video.
The dancing is definitely disco 80's. But, unlike the song, there is no 21st century spin on the choreography, instead it looks out of place, as if we have gone back in time. However, it is in time to to the music and everyone is in-sync.
The party is definitely hitting it off, but Bruno Mars just doesn't look like he belongs. Personally, I think it's what he is wearing, especially when everyone else fits in. He stands out like a sore thumb, definitely not in a good way. He seems extremely cocky and the video just doesn't work.
Overall, the video is relatable, it's just not something we expect from Bruno Mars. The song is upbeat with party vibes, but the choreography doesn't work and Bruno Mars just looks too arrogant for the video.
For those of you who follow me on CelebMix, you'll be aware that it's Inna's birthday. Celebrate with CelebMix by looking back at her career to date, and why not give Inna a gift and donate money to the Hospice Casa Sperantei. To celebrate her birthday on my blog, I thought I'd review another one of her music videos, I'm pretty sure I've reviewed almost all of them! Have a look back at the reviews of her music videos that I have done by clicking here. Juan Magan flips this club and house track into a latino anthem in this remix of "Be My Lover". Party out with this ultimate latino dance track!
Inna, real name Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, turned 30 years old today. Her career has been amazing so far, having worked with greats Flo Rida, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee, Alexandra Stan and J Balvin. Have a look in more detail at all she has done in my CelebMix birthday article. This is probably the biggest house track on the Party Never Ends album, and it is so so catchy! Juan Magan has collaborated with Inna previously on track "Un Momento". He is a Spanish singer and he's real name is Juan Manuel Magán González. He has worked with many famous and well-known names. This song should've been a worldwide hit and should've done the rounds in clubs but it didn't rise up the way it should've done. It was written by Melanie Thornton, Uli Brenner, Gerd Amir Saraf and Lane McCray.
There are two videos released of this song, there's the original "Be My Lover" and then there's this remixed latino version. Not much difference between the two, although this one removes Inna's second verse and replaces it with a Juan Magan verse.
Different settings appear for this video, Inna is performing at a block party, which is totally set alight. Full with energetic vibes she totally owns the entire performance segment, as well as the few scenes on the beach. There's a desert scene which features several dancers cast in shadow due to the sun. Then there's the stunt biker scene which looks awesome. Then there's Juan Magan.
Juan Magan could've at least tried to fit in, instead it distracts from the entire video. He's recorded in front of a white plain backdrop. It's totally out of place and is definitely a downer on this music video.
Overall, it's a party song with a party music video. Inna is looking stunning throughout and she is clearly having an amazing time. This is how I imagine she is going to look and act in Dublin, Ireland when I go and see her! Juan Magan's verse is good and adds a new flavour to the song, but in the video, it fails to fit in. The original is much better.
I've just been listening to this song on my iTunes, so it's the music video I've chosen to review today. This video is quite complicated, the concept was to create a movie, not an over-the-top one but one that looked straight out of a spy movie. The thing is the short time frame of music videos rarely manages to become a movie because it's not long enough. This is why it doesn't really work, it's too complex and difficult to follow and understand. Demi Lovato is a spy in this music video for "Confident", beating up guys whilst rivalling against Michelle Rodriguez.
Demi Lovato is one of the biggest female international singers out at the moment. She made her name on the Disney Channel being in the Camp Rock films as well as Sonny With A Chance. She launched her singing career, and then later became a judge on The X Factor (US) where she had amazing banter with Simon Cowell. Her most recent singles haven't done quite so well in the UK, she has yet to have a number one, maybe she'll have one in the future, hopefully. This song was written by Demi Lovato, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Max Martin and Savan Kotecha.
The music video is directed by Robert Rodriguez. Demi Lovato is a spy in this movie music video, which also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Zane Holtz and Marko Zaror. The idea was to make it more of a film than a music video, but with a running time of three minutes 34 seconds, it just doesn't work. A fully narrative piece with a slight performance segment.
The narrative is very developed. Demi Lovato is in a maximum security prison. We watch as the U.S. Marshall gives her a pardon on the condition she brings Michelle Rodriguez. Demi Lovato gets all geared up and goes with her team to get who is wanted.
Only when Demi Lovato arrives, her team is secret agents and are on Michelle Rodriguez's side and attempt to capture Demi Lovato. She loses and is transported back to the prison, but on the way there, she overcomes her captors and launches herself in Michelle Rodriguez's car.
In a fist fight with her rival, they work out that they are being pitted against one another and they come after the U.S. Marshall instead. Better as a team, they defeat the problem and nod at the end, this is possibly not the last time we've seen these two team up.
Demi Lovato's performance piece is on point throughout. The scene isn't shown that much, but when it is, she gives fire to the song. Performance vibes leak from her, she was born to sing and perform.
Overall it's a great music video, but it has a complicated storyline and it's too compact. The fighting isn't so extraordinary, it's so basic that it's slightly believable. I think it's slightly too much and it is over the top, even if that was what they were trying not to do. They didn't use the time available effectively, and instead gave us a kind of rushed narrative and a hard to follow music video.
I have searched and searched for a new release single that has a music video, but this is the only one that I have come up with, which is slightly frustrating since I don't like Avenged Sevenfold. However, the song is stuck inside my head at the moment, and this history lesson and political stance of a music video is definitely shocking, to say the least. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to run out of words to say about this music video. Avenged Sevenfold has released this music video for "The Stage" showing the history of the world as well as the concept of the world now politically.
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band consisting of M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates, Johnny Christ and Brooks Wackerman. They are one of a few heavy metal bands that do well in the charts globally, especially in America and the UK. If sales figures since midnight are anything to go by, this song could well be their biggest hit to date, already in the top 40 of the UK iTunes chart, they just need to maintain their sales and a push on Spotify might make it their biggest hit. It is quite catchy, so it wouldn't surprise me if it does chart well on Friday. This song was written by Brian Elwin Haner, Matthew Charles Sanders, Brooks Wackerman, Zachary James Baker and Jonathan Seward.
The video was directed by Chris Hopewell. It's quite haunting, with the intro inviting you into a circus tent. Camera and editing tricks are used to make it incredibly freaky as the music starts up. People start buying tickets in a rhythmical fashion, and they take their seats in the audience.
We watch as the curtain reveals a puppet stage booth. It says: 'Professor Batz Fantastical History Of The World'. We watch as we see history unfold.
The first scene is of the cavemen in a mountainous wintry setting. They fight and we watch as one dies. Scene two is of ancient Egyptians, where you can see people being whipped. The third scene is warriors walking up to a castle, and the guards burning the soldiers alive.
Then we are taken to ancient Rome, where we watch the ruler use the controversial thumb motion to kill off two people who are tied together. His thumb is turned down as are the audiences. A lion enters the colosseum and bites off the leg of one of the captors.
The next scene is Vikings jumping off a boat and slaughtering people who offer a gift, whilst burning the village. The sixth scene is from American history, focusing on the ancient Mayans, especially with The Pyramid of Kukulkan in the setting. We watch as the Mayan civilians are shot and killed by a cannon. Next is the Witch Trials, I presume it's supposed to be the Salem Witch Trials since that is one of the most popular, however during the Salem Witch Trials no one was burned to death. Instead, they were imprisoned. We watch as the puppets burn a potential witch.
Scene eight shows a guillotine and the killing of a perpetrator. Then the American Indians with their teepees. They shake hands with the military, but after a few camera shots of the audience laughing, the American Indians are dead with the American flag planted behind them.
Next is war and what we presume is World War I because the poppies follow. We see soldiers amongst the side panels of the stage. The poppies appear next with a cute little dove; before the poppies get crushed by another tank, symbolising World War II.
As World War II is being shown, the previous scenes appear as a memory, a flash back on the history of the world and how death surrounds us all. Smoke fills the circus tent and when it clears, we find out the audience have disappeared. Not something I was expecting.
This is not the end. The audience have been transformed into puppets; now on the stage. This is technically brilliant, but there's more... It's time to see who is controlling the puppet audience... It's five more puppets, all looking similar to the 21st-century world leaders about at the moment. From right to left we have: Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea; Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany; Hillary Clinton, American politician and the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States in the 2016 election; Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation; and Xi Jinping, the President of the People's Republic of China.
Now this is quite the twist, but it gets worst... Because who is controlling the world leaders? Well, we never find out. This person has scaly fingers, one he or she uses to press a button and everything dies... Is this the button that brings on the end of the world? We watch a bit of white noise before we are returned to the caveman scene, but there is only one now and he stands all alone.
Talk about going all out for this video. Avenged Sevenfold has really made people think, all it takes is one button and it's the destruction of everything. I love how it has been released while the big election for the President of the United States is going on. The fact that Hillary Clinton has been chosen to stand amongst the world leaders definitely suggests that they, at least, think she's going to win. Whatever the outcome, this video definitely brings up some political ideas. Vote wisely people.
In a role-reversal music video, this definitely outlines the destruction of mankind. Since when did heavy metal use their influence to seek peace on the world, but that is what they are doing. Has Avenged Sevenfold taken some ideas from Radiohead's "Burn The Witch"? Brilliant video, totally taking a stand on politics and an insight into history. This music video has it all, and I have to give it this rating because it deserves no less!
