Critic Jonni

Boom Boom (with Daddy Yankee, French Montana & Dinah Jane) - RedOne |

There is so much going on in this music video, you have to do your best not to blink. I've been meaning to review this visual for a while now since Dinah Jane is my favourite Fifth Harmony member - although I do love each of the girls and will support all of them on their solo releases and collective releases. This song is quite the collaboration, and the song sure is fire in every way. It's a real shame that it didn't blow up internationally, as it is definitely worthy of being a global hit. Watch RedOne, Daddy Yankee, French Montana & Dinah Jane present Morocco in all it's beauty as we watch two female characters use teleporting bracelets that send them to various places in Morocco in this music video for "Boom Boom".

RedOne, real name Nadir Khayat, is probably most known for his songwriting collaborations with Lady Gaga, is there any way we can say his name without singing it the way we've heard it over the years? He has since gone into releasing his own music, this song becoming his official second single. He always manages to turn it into a massive collaboration. His debut was "Don't You Need Somebody" featuring Enrique Iglesias, R. City, Serayah, and Shaggy. This one is a collaboration with a whole ray of artists. Daddy Yankee, real name Ramón Rodríguez, is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, Puerto Rica singer-songwriter. He's had phenomenal international success and he'll always be a force to be reckoned with. His biggest single is "Gasolina" back in 2004, but he's become popular all over again with the Luis Fonsi collaboration on "Despacito". "Boom Boom" also sees French Montana and Dinah Jane on this track. The former's real name is Karim Kharbouch. He went viral with his hit single "Unforgettable" featuring Swae Lee, since then he has been releasing some great songs and killer collaborations. The latter's full name is Dinah Jane Hansen. She's one-fourth of girl group Fifth Harmony. She previously released a solo single before her days on The X Factor and in the girl group, titled "Dancing Like A White Girl". She's certainly has a massive career ahead of her. This song samples Modjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" hence some of the writing credits. "Boom Boom" was written by Nadir Khayat, Ramón Ayala, Edwin Serrano, Timothy Thomas, Theron Makiel Thomas, Jakke Erixson, Yann Destagnol, Roman Tranchert, Bernard Edwards, and Nile Rodgers.

Directed by Saïd C. Naciri, this music video is both performance and narrative based. We follow two female characters, played by Amanda Cerny and Abla Essofi, as they find two bracelets that allow them to teleport to various places in Morocco. The narrative is full-on and cleverly includes the performance piece as part of the background with intercut scenes.

It opens up with Amanda Cerny and Abla Essofi outside Red Coast University Los Angeles. They put on the bracelets and teleport themselves and the carriage to Marrakech, Morocco, where doors open to display RedOne starting the song off with a load of female companions behind him.

This is where one of the biggest name intros starts as each act calls out their name for the track, with intercut scenes of various locations in Morocco. The party is in full swing as the names are called out, and as the first verse starts, our two main characters decide to bail, using the bracelets to travel to Chefchaouen where Daddy Yankee is performing in an alleyway, they stay there for a second before they decide to ride on top of a taxi that is full of Guess product placement.

As Daddy Yankee wraps up his verse, the taxi puts the break on and the girls go flying. They use the bracelets, quickly, and instead, they land on a beach in Cabo Negro. A full-on beach party is in full swing with RedOne performing the chorus of the song. After having a great time at the beach party, they use the bracelets again, just in time for the next verse.

Amanda Cerny and Abla Essofi teleport to the streets of Tétouan where groups of horsemen are riding towards them as French Montana sings his chorus on a rooftop accompanied by RedOne and Dinah Jane - where Daddy Yankee is, who knows? Maybe he's one of the horsemen? It looks weird to have three out of the four singers on the rooftop. As French Montana's verse ends, the horses are nearly on top of our characters and they teleport themselves and the horses away from Tétouan.

The two women end up inside a car, which parks outside the Royal Mansour Marrakech hotel. They get out of the car and are greeted by a huge lion and RedOne - once again, it's totally time for the chorus. Another party ensues, RedOne sure knows how to put on a party, please invite me next time. This is a defining scene as during the chorus the dancers are all in black tie clothing, but then the dance beats kick in, they transform to sand particles and reemerge in blue dance-wear.

Our two main characters look up to find hot air balloons, and soon use the bracelets to teleport inside one. This is where Dinah Jane comes in, she's floating in her own hot air balloon, giving off some much-needed female vocals over the Moroccan Sahara. Down below, RedOne and Daddy Yankee ride beach buggies over the sand as the latter sings the rest of the verse.

The final scene of the song itself is a night beach party in Merzouga. All the artists, the dancers, and Amanda Cerny & Abla Essofi perform around a wood campfire. But, that's not the end, our two main characters arrive back outside the university, where a lecturer comes out telling them to get back to class or they will fail. He's also not impressed with the clothes they are wearing - they are the ones they wore to the Royal Mansour Marrakech hotel. The girls decide to use the bracelets again, and the video ends with the hook of the song and various snapshot videos of the various places that they visited in Morocco.

This music video is amazing from start to finish. They have literally showcased Morocco in every single way. It may not relate all that well with the song itself, but who cares when they've created this awesome visual? All the artists bring energetic performance vibes, with each one making their presence known in the music video, not one of them is overshadowed - although I would've liked to have seen Dinah Jane a little more, hell I would've liked her to have sung more of the song too. The dancers were incredible in every way, with the choreography lit - something I want to totally learn. This music video is just WOW!

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Échame La Culpa - Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato |

This hot new collaboration was released on the 17 November 2017, and therefore is acting as my New Release for this backdated date. It's quite the team-up, one we all can't help but love, especially since Latin music is extremely popular right now. The song is dead catchy with ex-summer vibes displayed throughout; however, it feels like they've transformed the track into a eurodance anthem and it just feels like it's trying that little bit too hard; regardless it is fire! Watch Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato come together in this fired-up dance music video which sees them perform together for the song "Échame La Culpa".

Luis Fonsi, real name Luis López-Cepero, is from Puerto Rico and is best known for his worldwide hit "Despacito" which was a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, and was later remixed with vocals from Justin Bieber. It blew up all around the world, grabbing many number ones in various countries. It has certainly launched Luis Fonsi as an international artist, one we're all keeping our eyes on. He has been in music since the late 90's which is truly remarkable and shows that perseverance really does lead to international fame. In comparison, Demi Lovato has certainly not been in music for as long, but she is one of the rising female artists in the world, one we're all aware of and constantly listening to, so this duet was definitely the perfect collab. It just feels like it's been released a little too late, Latin music always brings the summer sunshine, but it's now winter, and this doesn't have the winter-feel to it. In English "Échame La Culpa" means "Put The Blame On Me". It was written by Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Rengifo, Mauricio Rengifo, and Andrés Torres.

Directed by Carlos R. Perez, the music video has a lot of Latin vibes to it, working well with Spanglish song. Demi Lovato's clipped Spanish isn't so bad but after a few plays, you realise she's not fluent in Spanish at all - which we already knew.

This is more of a performance piece more than anything. Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato start off with intercut scenes, she's in a bedroom, lying on a bed, whilst he's in an alleyway, walking down some stairs - he looks hot in those trousers whilst she looks hot throughout the entire visual. They talk on the phone, saying "Hey", before hitting the club where they dance the night away.

Their performance pieces are on fire, and you can expect an entertaining show with both these amazing artists on stage at a gig. Luis Fonsi brings it a little more than what Demi Lovato does, and he manages to get more video time. The elevator sure is a main visual that we presume takes us to the club, although we're not sure how Demi Lovato gets there.

Overall this music video would've worked a lot better if there had been a narrative or we had at least seen how Demi Lovato went from the bedroom to the club. She seems awkward in her dancing at the venue whilst everyone else bats out brilliant choreography. She does bring it to the performance piece, though. As for Luis Fonsi, he practically saves the whole video from completely falling apart.

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Fade Into Darkness - Avicii |

Time for my Thursday Revisit and there wasn't much choice this week; so I decided on this infamous music video by Avicii, as it was one of his first ever music videos, and it is the song that pretty much helped to launch him after the court battle against Leona Lewis and her label Syco which is owned by Simon Cowell. This song is the vocal edit of what originally was known as "Penguin". It's dead catchy which is no surprise since it is an Avicii track. Watch a couple spend time together before the woman leaves and walks away; the guy follows her and she shoots him in this surprising music video for Avicii's "Fade Into Darkness".

Avicii, real name Tim Bergling who is also known as Tim Berg, was just a rising DJ when he released this song back in 2011. Originally called "Penguin", the song samples "Perpetuum Mobile" by Penguin Cafe Orchestra - that was the song that Avicii expected Leona Lewis and Syco to use for their song "Collide"; imagine his surprise when they actually used his song "Penguin" and didn't credit him. Legal action ensued and they soon came to an agreement, and music was the answer. "Collide" became a collaborative hit for both artists. This song was released beforehand; it features uncredited vocals by Andreas Moe. The song was written by Tim Bergling, Arash Pournouri, Simon Jeffes, John Martin, Michel Zitron, and Måns Wredenberg.

The music video was directed by Tobias Hansson & Karl Aulin. It's a fully narrative video that easily represents the song in every way.

A man and a woman enjoy themselves in a bedroom together, having fun, and cuddling. However, it's not all fun and games, as the woman wakes up, dons her jacket, leaves a note, and walks out. He wakes up to find her gone, comes across the letter, and goes in search of her.

As the music plays on, we watch her walk with determination, bustling into people without caring and the lights on the path all go out as she walks past - she literally is fading into darkness. There's clearly something she's not happy about, and when the guy catches up with her, she pulls out a gun and shoots him dead.

People have suggested she's a female assassin who fell for her target - which is definitely plausible. The overall visual totally works with the song and has a great ending that people don't expect at all. To me, the song is lyrically more catchy than "Collide", I'd rather listen to this than Leona Lewis' vocal track.

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Ты Мой Огонь - Kristian Kostov |

This music video is completely awesome, and that is why I'm covering it on my blog today, even though I'm going to have to deal with this awkward title that I can't possibly type out on my English keyboard - why do I always make it difficult for myself. This track is addicting, but it's the music video that really allows this Eurovision 2017 singer to shine. It excites me, as it proves he has a bright future in every way. Watch Kristian Kostov perform, dance, and act alongside an actress as they transform his new song into a stunning visual in this music video for "Ты мой огонь".

Kristian Kostov is best known for coming second in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with his song "Beautiful Mess"; he represented Bulgaria and scored 615 points. That certainly launched him internationally, but before then he appeared on Golos. Deti (The Voice Kids Russia) where he got to the finals coming joint fourth. Not long after that, he competed in The X Factor Bulgaria, once again he got to the finals and came second overall. He's been a big hit in Bulgaria and has had a couple of hit singles. His Eurovision song sure launched him as an artist, but he has since released songs in his home language of Russian, just like this one. "Ты мой огонь" means "You Are My Fire" in English and regardless of the fact that I don't understand a word he is singing, the song is beyond catchy and shows exactly why he deserves to be an international star. The song was written by Vadim Igorevich Bulaev, and Daniel Kostov.

Directed by Vasil Stefanov, this music video has a lot of Nick Jonas and Tove Lo "Close" vibes going on, but in a more warped sense. There is a clear connection between the pair, but they don't quite get together, almost like they're playing the game, just like the lyrics suggest.

It's really clever the way they've managed to interpret the lyrics and made this addicting visual - I only know this as I used a rough Google Translation of the lyrics to understand what Kristian Kostov was singing.

The dancing is on point throughout, and it is amazing to see Kristian Kostov fully nail the routine. The choreographer was Milen Dankov and he also came up with the concept that really makes this whole thing work. We all wish we could dance like that; Milen Dankov please come to the UK and teach me!

The performance piece includes Kristian Kostov's face being projected on his real face, with some awesome smoke effects too. This really shows off his stage presence, which we also saw at Eurovision 2017. He brings the fire, just like he does during the dance sequence.

Overall, the music video has a big concept that totally relates to the lyrics in every way. This is one of those visuals that continue to impress every time you watch it. It's one I will never get tired of, and one that works perfectly with the song! Even if you haven't got a clue what the lyrics of the song are about, the characters sure gives a great representation, instead.

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Apocalypse - Marcus James & Jessica Zraly |

I had planned to review this back in April, during my Birmingham Pride Special 2017; however, it turned out I got confused with the fact that there are two Marcus James', and this one isn't the DJ who performed at Birmingham Pride 2017. This one is someone totally different, yet he proves he is just as good and on fire with this track! This has literally been sitting in drafts for ages, so I thought I might as well write up about it. Watch Marcus James & Jessica Zraly drive to an abandoned space under a bridge, where they smash up a watermelon, spray paint, and just have fun in this music video for "Apocalypse".

Marcus James, full name Marcus Jame Berelowitz, is a DJ from Vancouver, Canada. He has released a number of singles and has collaborated with Jessica Zraly a number of times. He's quickly becoming someone to watch, especially since one of his tracks, "Dancer" feat. Lord L, has had over 34,000 plays on SoundCloud. This track is available as a free download and it sure is addicting in every way. It's a collaboration with Jessica Zraly who has gone on to become an Instagram cover singer with the number of followers climbing on her profile. She's beautiful and has a killer voice, it's not surprising that she's gained traction on YouTube and now Instagram. I expect her to never give up on making singing her career and doing so will surely allow her to make her dream a reality. The song was later followed up with an official release, titled "Turn Off The Lights", which sees both artists collaborate together again.

Directed by Suave Papi, there isn't really a lot for me to comment on when it comes to this music video. We watch the artists perform the song whilst having a fun time together. It's actually nice to see Marcus James in this music video since most DJs decide not to appear in visuals.

The performance piece is on point, Jessica Zraly sure knows how to perform. Not only is she stunning in her style and presence but her vocal ability is outstanding. She really allows this track to come alive with her vocals, and she sure captures the attention of every viewer, creating vibes we're all enjoying - she'd be amazing to see live on a stage.

As for the fun scenes, we watch them smash up watermelons with hammers, spray paint the title of the song on a tunnel wall, they also shake up champagne (or it could be prosecco) until the cork pops. They clearly had a brilliant time making this video and being together for this experience. Then we have the night scenes where they let off fireworks and sparklers.

It's all pretty cute, laid-back and simple. There's a lot of fun involved and you can't help but enjoy watching. On the other hand, there's not a lot to keep the viewers entertained, nothing progressive and nothing that keeps us watching until the very end.