Cardi B's "WAP" featuring Megan Thee Stallion has gained a third week at the top of the UK charts, and I wonder if that will change come Friday, as there is currently a lot of competition inside the top 10, including this latest entry, which is currently at number nine, and it has been steadily climbing over the last two months or so. Jason Derulo has returned to the sort of hit-pop music that has seen him score top hits over the decade that he's been in the music industry, with "Take You Dancing" easily showing the progression he has had as a pop music artist. The lyrics are very metaphorical insinuating that he wants to take his lover to bed. The track's beat does remind me a lot of Charlie Puth's "Attention", which others have also mentioned, and it has the same addictiveness quality to it, so it's not a surprise this has become a successful single release - and I have no doubt it's doing the rounds on TikTok at the moment.
The music video has a performance narrative throughout - which is typical of Jason Derulo music videos. The opening scene sees a server spark electricity, and Jason Derulo gets a text on his new LG phone, from Movi3 that the internet has gone down before the song fully kicks in. Then the following scenes see Jason Derulo with his on-screen love interest, which is Analisse Rodriguez, a professional dancer and actress, who is also seen in other videos of this song alongside him (she's also appeared in various other music videos); the two showcase an on-screen relationship filled with emotion and passion, and Jason Derulo shines completely as he bats out smooth choreography as if it's easy. It's a great music video and that song is certainly stuck in my head now, but I don't quite understand the very start about the internet going down, like how does that fit in with the rest of the story? The only thing I can think of is that with the internet out they could have some fun in the bedroom instead. It's a really good music video, I just wish the narrative was more clear. The dancing is on-point throughout, I expect nothing less from Jason Derulo, and Analisse Rodriquez is fire throughout the video, she really has the spotlight at times throughout the scenes.
So, today I was thinking about what music video to cover and I was thinking about the new releases I was currently listening to (and I still am listening to, I swear there is so much music released every Friday that it's impossible to keep up with it all), and for some reason, Jenn D's "You Keep Giving Me Love" popped into my head - gosh, I loved that song (along with "Lose It") - and so I was wondering what she's been up to lately since I know she released tracks under her full name, Jennifer Davies, before joining HAARM, which (according to Twitter) I discovered in 2017 - yet, how do I not have any of their songs on my iTunes/Apple Music? I should've added their music into my library back then, I have totally been missing out during those three years! Now, I've found them again and I'm currently loving their music.
This song and its music video were released six months ago. HAARM brings it for the track, letting us know how much they believe in this song and I can definitely feel the vibes they're sending out. They're style really stands out for all the right reasons and this song, "Tell Me What You Want", would certainly grab the spotlight in any playlist. The vocals on the song is superb and they enable the lyrics to get stuck in your head.
They also dropped this music video to accompany the track, which has been directed by Daniel Fitzsimmons. There's both a narrative and a performance to this visual, with the band playing their song in a red cube box-like area which creates this moody effect that really works with the song itself. As for the narrative, that follows a blonde woman who is consistently writing the HAARM logo where the two As join together. It really allows them to put a stamp on their name and brand and later connects with the performance scenes themselves as a red box with their logo all over it suggests that the band are actually inside performing their song, which is an interesting concept, overall.
I've had this song stuck in my head today and I'm so surprised I haven't written up about the music video before. To be fair, I wasn't keen on the song when it first came out and so I probably avoided it and decided not to cover it on this blog, but as the years have gone by I've started to appreciate this absolute club banger, that I just love hearing when I'm clubbing - I so miss clubbing at the moment! Wynter Gordon is now releasing awesome music under her real name, Diana Gordon, and I'm sure I'll write up about one of her newer songs in the upcoming days/weeks. To date, this is her biggest single, and it's not surprising since it was addicting, to say the least. It's definitely going to be a club anthem that will go down in history. This is one of those hits that people, even children, used to sing out loud and are now only realising what all those words actually meant - the same can be said with a tonne of other songs including 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" featuring Olivia.
Considering the lyrics of this song, I was expecting a much more naughty music video but I am pleasantly surprised that it's just a performance visual with not much going on at all. Wynter Gordon - or should we now say, Diana Gordon? - is full of energy as she sings the song, and her fashion is on point throughout! There is a naked scene, which isn't a surprise but does remind me of the one Rihanna scene in "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z. It's a safe video considering the song itself, but also emphasises the club anthem style of the song.
New Dami Im music has been released today and I am beyond happy and I totally feel encouraged with this uplifting empowerment song, "Paper Dragon". Dami Im is one absolutely incredible singer and once again she blows me away with her amazing voice! I'm glad to see her return to a more upbeat track, continuing to show her versatility as an artist, and this song is really quite a number. Addicting from the get-go, "Paper Dragon" is about not letting anyone push you down and continuing to fight to get to where you want to be. This is highly relatable to a lot of people, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, as a lot of people have lost their jobs (me included) and other things that have happened to people has made them feel like they're not good enough (I went through a break-up and there are still some days where I just feel lost and I'm not where I want to be in my life, career, or anything else, but I'm a fighter too and I'll never stop trying). This is one incredible song, that deserves to become a hit!
Accompanying the track is a paper origami-inspired music video that has been directed by Stefano Bertelli at Seen Film Studio with Riccardo Orlandi acting as assistant director. We follow a paper caterpillar that starts life on the leaf of a flower. It soon evolves into a butterfly who goes on a journey through the desert, flying past an awesome snake and landing near a cactus. With no water, it slowly starts to die, but lightning strikes the cactus - which is storing water - and the butterfly gets a drink. I then magically evolves again, this time into a dragon, who flies across the desert powerfully. Throughout there are performance scenes of Dami Im singing the song, wearing a stunning red jumpsuit and looking gorgeous in every scene. She's displayed like a paper sticker, jumping into this awesome paper-like world. At one point the jumpsuit turns to white as she nears the end of this incredible song. With conviction, Dami Im puts her heart into this song and music video, showing how much these words mean to her. I hope that I get to see her perform live on stage one day, as I need to hear this awesome voice live!
Okay, I am shocked I haven't written about this to date, especially since I am a massive fan of INNA's and I've seen her twice, and I've written a lot about her songs, music videos, albums, and I even managed to interview her for CelebMix. So, I thought I better write up about this one today, for my Thursday Revisit since I reviewed her new music video for "Read My Lips" with Farina, this week. This song, "Cola Song", is possibly her most-recent international hit, which is crazy to think of since she has consistently released new music over the years. The song is totally a summer anthem and her voice sounds amazing on this track. It's an addicting grower of a song and has an undeniable Latin flavour to it, thanks to the feature from J Balvin.
The music video has gained over 200 million YouTube views, which is completely crazy and makes some of the scenes iconic to INNA because it has been seen by so many. However, this pure performance music video exudes sex, a visual we are used to from INNA and have seen in the likes of "Amazing", "Sun Is Up", "Déjà Vu", "Club Rocker", and "INNdiA" amongst others. There's not a lot going on, but INNA impresses me with her choreography which she totally knocks out of the park, and we totally need to see her dance more - for sure. Other scenes include her being in the water and also being topless, but most of the scenes show her in a bikini enjoying the beat of the song and enjoying the summer sun. It's definitely a track that is perfect for the summer, but the music video doesn't inspire me, and she has released better music videos both recently and further in the past.
