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.
