Starting off my #FreeKesha and similar stories special this week, is Kesha, unsurprisingly. She has amassed a tonne of support on social networks around the globe after her injunction has been denied. She is obligated to record six more albums with a guy she claims sexually assaulted her, which Dr. Luke has denied. However, she wasn't looking for justice or punishment, all she asked for is to be released from her contract. We've all seen the photos of her being upset about the verdict, but Kesha is one brave woman, and she will overcome this. Kesha looks like she's having a great time in this music video, being daring and partying hard, it's her only UK solo number one, and I hope she makes a great come back in the next few years.
Ke$ha, real name Kesha Serbert, has got to be strong right now, it's upsetting to see anyone go through what she has gone through. Just looking at her success, three UK number ones, including this song, and many top ten hits. Kesha should be an international star, but with her being caught up in this legal battle, she hasn't been able to release any new music. Surprisingly, this is her biggest chart hit, whereas "TiK ToK" has sold more copies, it only peaked at number four. This song was written by Kesha Serbert, Joshua Coleman, Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), Jacob Kasher Hindlin (Ammo) and Benjamin Levin (Benny Blanco). The song is to inspire people to be themselves, Kesha hoped it would become a gay anthem.
Directed by Hype Williams, the video is self-appreciated and it's free, which is everything Kesha had hoped for after her trial. She gave us gays an anthem we can sing and shout, because We Are Who We Are, yet all we can give back to her is support through social networks and petitions. We're here for you Kesha, and you know it.
The music video plays on the fact that it's a party anthem, so Kesha attends the party, glammed up and sexy, she is ready to party like no one's watching, and that is all about being who you are, if Kesha wants to dance she can because she's free to do so, or was in this music video. She's not free of her contract, unfortunately.
Apparently famous faces appear in this, but none I can find personally and I can't find concrete references for them either.
I have to talk about the jump, this is pretty well known in this video. We all know Kesha is wacky, so maybe keep her away from the Tequila; jumping off a building isn't anything major for her, although obviously this didn't literally happen, and yet they've pulled it off well, making it look real.
Overall a great song that is empowering for the majority of LGBT+ people out there, as for the music video, it's a main performance piece, that has Kesha giving us great vibes and free emotions, it relates to the song and it looks like it'll never get old. However, I think a small narration would've helped this flow slightly better.
I have been waiting and waiting for the next Steve Grand music video and here it is, finally and I am so not disappointed. One of my favourite songs off his debut album and not only has it finally been released as a single, had a music video released too, but it has also been remixed by no other than Dave Audé. I woke up this morning thinking I was still dreaming as an alert came through on my phone announcing my future husband (I wish) has released his new music video, I literally screamed. Can Steve Grand look any more hotter? Gorgeous, sexy and totally fit, Steve Grand looksstunning in this video for his most uplifting song on his album, which has been remixed by Dave Audé who has elevated the track even more.
Steve Grand is my favourite male singer in the world, he is such an inspiration to a lot of LGBT+ people out there. He was formerly a model, the money of which he used to further his career as a singer. He has been knocked down time and time again for his looks, his choices of clothes, as well as his past. But if we were him we would have done the exact same thing, besides who doesn't flaunt themselves in one way or another? He created a kickstarter campaign to record and release his debut album. Which not only smashed his target but became the number one most-funded Kickstarter music project among musicians who have never been affiliated with a label. He had 4,905 backers who pledged a total of $326,593. Quite the achievement. Steve Grand has been working on this album for a number of years, and every single track is worthy of being an actual single. This is the fifth single from the album, and possibly the last one as it is a remix, although I really wish "Soaking Wet" would be released, imagine the music video to that song! That song will forever become a single that never was. This song was written by Steve Grand, along with the rest of his awesome album. This is the one song that shows off his amazing vocals, he totally proves that this is the career for him. I cannot wait to hear new music from him, and I think Dave Audé should remix his entire album, as he has done a great job on this one.
Directed by John Lavin, this music video is beautiful. It's one that I definitely won't be forgetting, it's artistically brilliant. Everything has come together for this music video.
First off I want to talk about Steve Grand's jacket. I first spotted it on one of his Instagram posts, he obviously was recording the music video at the time, and it was love at first sight. This jacket would go with everything I've got, I need it in my life, and yet I know I have no chance of getting it, plus the price range would be so out of my league, so is Steve Grand for that matter, yet the jacket and Steve Grand are welcome to continue to appear in my dreams tauntingly. If anyone sees an affordable red jacket just like he is wearing in this music video, please direct me to a place where I can buy it from.
The narrative is interesting. Following different people in their lives, obviously listening to this song and finding it an inspiration. This is what Steve Grand is. He uses music to inspire LGBT+ people, if I he had been releasing music when I was younger, I would've had the confidence to come out earlier, I would've looked up to him as my inspiration, if he can do it and go through everything he did with it, then coming out of the closet is no big deal. He is not only an inspiration, but a supporter, with no prejudice, he is a fighter, one we can all look up to.
The performance piece is spot on. Steve Grand looks ultra-sexy in that red jacket that I so need in my life. He looks gorgeous as he walks towards the camera in his white tee. He lets loose and he wants to show that we are free. He puts so much effort into his performance, you can tell that this song means the world to him, it's so personal in a non-relationship kind of way. This is my anthem for LGBT+ people, it's the song I use to uplift myself, I used to use the album version of the song, which is amazing, but this dance remix by Dave Audé is even better. I shall be dancing my way into work from now on, nothing will get me down when this amazing song is around. We are the night.
Overall a brilliant song, that is so meaningful and utterly inspiring, everyone needs to hear this! The remix is good in it's own right, it doesn't change Steve Grand's emotions on the track one bit, yet makes it available to be played in clubs and at parties, which is exactly what I've been waiting for, thank you Dave Audé. The music video is fully relatable and it is next to perfection. I love the actors used, who are Tiaday Ball, Jay Jay German III, Jason Greene and Johnny Liner. The only problem could be the dancers, although they are diverse and are all in-sync, I felt the choreography could've been better. It was performed okay too, it wasn't stand out and it wasn't full of emotions for the song, it just didn't relate to the song and more related to the beat, it felt slightly out of place. But that is nitpicking, and I can't drop a star because of it, as this is perfect from start to end. Thank you for this video John Lavin, thank you Steve Grand for the empowering song and thank you Dave Audé for the remix! I needed this in my life, all I need now is that jacket.
As of yesterday, I realised I had screwed myself over as none of the five artists I had reviewed in the past week had a music video older than 2011. Thursdays are always my revisits, where I review a music video that is more than five years old, from one of the artists I have reviewed in the week. Therefore I had to review a music video from an artist who has been in the music industry for some time. Gwen Stefani's new song popped up "Make Me Like You", and I hadn't seen the music video yet, so I chose that one, and hence why she has become my revisit today. Gwen Stefani is stuck in a golden jail, as she tries to tempt the dog to give her the key to let her our, she turns herself into Repunzel and escapes.
Gwen Stefani, if you don't already know, is attempting a comeback in the music industry; top 10 hits used to be easy for her ten years ago, but now it's quite the struggle. She reformed with her band No Doubt in 2012 for one album, before going back on hiatus. Gwen Stefani is attempting to continue her solo career, but it looks like she is struggling, is she a singer we're all done with? Does she belong in the past? Are her new songs not current enough? They definitely aren't hit songs she's been releasing. Gwen Stefani is definitely stuck in the past, and she needs to come across a banging song some time soon, or she won't be furthering her career. This song is her biggest hit in the UK so far, it hit number two in 2007. The song was written by Gwen Stefani, Aliaune Thaim and Giorgio Tuinfort. The middle songwriter is Akon, who features on this single. He has had a string of hits and have dipped in and out of charts across the world in the last few years, he has managed to stay current, he can easily get a hit single if he needs another one.
Directed by Joseph Kahn, whose name keeps popping up again and again. It features Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls, who appeared often in her music videos and stage performances. The Harajuku Girls consist of Maya Chino, Jennifer Kita, Rino Nakasone and Mayuko Kitayama.
A lot is going on in this video, there's reference to not being able to escape from yourself, which is the jail. The penthouse suite is also another jail as she needs to be rescued by the Harajuku Girls. They meet Akon in the car park where they are pursued by two more Harajuku Girls who put her back in the golden prison.
It's a quirky narrative, a typical word used for Gwen Stefani, it's not always easy to understand what is going on and her choice of outfits usually only work for her, and no one else.
She out performs herself again and again, it's obvious she cares about this song and she does a good job of it. Let's all be honest, if we ever saw her live, we know we'll have a show and a half on our hands.
Overall, a great performance from Gwen Stefani, if a little cheesy, but we all love a bit of cheese now and again. The song is catchy, and should've got her an all important number one, especially since her most recent efforts haven't had much of a chance. The narrative of the video is relatable, and yet isn't exactly easy to follow.
Gwen Stefani is back and what a way to make an entrance, back into the music industry and charts across the globe by making the first ever music video to be created on live television. It was performed and recorded during The Grammy's, There have been many live music videos done before, and many done during one take. Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" instantly comes to mind, and this video from Gwen Stefani feels similar. The music video is good none-the-less but doesn't really relate to the song. Gwen Stefani shoots a live music video for her new song, yet was it really worth all the hassle, especially if it doesn't relate to the song?
Gwen Stefani is the front woman of band No Doubt, who are back on hiatus. They had a string of hits, but they are mostly known for their song "Don't Speak". Gwen Stefani has had a successful solo career so far, and even reformed with the band a while ago and released singles "Settle Down" and "Looking Hot" for their most recent album Push And Shove. As a solo act, she has done well in the UK, many of her songs have hit the top 10, and "Sweet Escape" came a close number two. She needs a number one single, much like Avril Lavigne does, but whether either of them will get to the top of the UK singles chart, now that's a question we can't possibly know the answer to. This song isn't one of Gwen Stefani's best, and definitely won't get her a UK number one, although it is a little bit catchy. The song was written by Gwen Stefani, Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, Mattias Larsson and Robin Fredriksson.
This music video was shown on live TV on 15th February 2016, and then later appeared on Vevo and YouTube the day after. It was directed by Sophie Muller.
I love the start, this is the old quirky Gwen Stefani we all know and love, it's very reminiscent of her early songs and music videos when she was just kick starting her solo music career.
The video continues as she walks, runs and dances her way through different sets. It's kind of scary because if anything goes wrong, then that is it, it'll be on live TV for everyone to remember. This is then intensified when she's on roller skates, and just as we think about how embarrassing it would be if she fell over, she does. Luckily it's not actually Gwen Stefani. It's a stunt-double who fake falls. Gwen Stefani did not really fall over, this is a fact.
A lot of thought definitely went into this music video, and yet it feels unrealistic, and a little bit on the cheap side, especially when Taylor Swift's music video for "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is something much much clever and actually relates to the song. This feels like they just strewn scenes together, without any thought towards the song. However Gwen Stefani has perfect performance attitude in the whole of this. She is someone who would be good on a stage, that much is undeniable.
I think I might end up starting a YouTube recommendations day, as today I have looked at YouTube's suggestions for music videos I should watch and on my first click I find this, which is an amazing song, a should-be hit, with a great music video to boot. Transviolet doesn't let a dark day destroy their mood, rather than letting the storm cloud rain over her, Sarah McTaggart controls the clouds, keeping them on a tight leash, whilst the other band members walk out of the water and through a portal, they are the new bohemia.
Transviolet are a four-piece band from America, they are the supporting act for Twenty One Pilots on their UK tour, starting in just two days time. The band consists of Sarah McTaggart, Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek and Jon Garcia. They have just released an EP and are promising an album later on in the year, they are promoting themselves at the moment, and they are doing a fine job of that, appearing on TV shows and releasing interviews. This is no ordinary female-fronted band; this is a band we all need to be watching out for, because amazing vocals attached to amazing songs is exactly what this band is giving, it won't be long until they get a global hit.
This video is quirky and unusual, no matter how many times I watch it, I'm not going to quite make sense of it. Directed by Ryan Andrews, the video is different and confusing; well to me it is.
Sarah McTaggart gets pulled into the water, by her band mates; as we can only suspect, as they are the ones to come out of the water as she attempts to surface, and they go through a fridge which opens a door to the same place but they're facing towards the camera and not away, and then they go and find Sarah McTaggart and follow her as she rips herself into multicolours, to which Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek and Jon Garcia also do. They look up to the stars and their eyes change. They become the new bohemia, I believe, but it doesn't make this video more understandable.
It is a performance based music video, which Transviolet pull off perfectly. This is a band who has a vibe on stage that will capture you in minutes. I'm actually jealous of the people who are going to see these perform as the support act for Twenty One Pilots.
Overall a great song that I plan to download later tonight, and a quirky music video, that leaves me with many questions, and leaves my head in quite a confused muddle. However, it's artistic, clever and slightly relatable. I wish Transviolet the best of luck for the future, not that I think they actually need it. I predict a hit from this band soon.
This song is at number one hence why I am reviewing it today, catchy and euphoric. It mixes different genres together, and even though this is a hit, and this group has done well in their home country of Denmark, I feel that their other songs will be similar, too similar and so may not chart as well as this one has. This is a similar case with Hozier, who's song "Take Me To Church" got to number one but he's other singles failed to make as much of an impact. Even though Lukas Graham is one to watch, I don't see the band making a constant global success. I just don't. Lukas Graham are showing us the beginnings of song writing, explaining and just plain singing, the video is a bit tongue-in-cheek and it works to a degree.
It's so hard to think of this group as a band, especially with a name as their band name. Anyhow, Lukas Graham consists of four members, these are Lukas Graham Forchhammer, Mark Falgren, Magnus Larsson and Kasper Daugaard. The band have been getting number ones in Denmark since 2012, and have been a total success over there. They caught the attention of Warner Bros. Records who co-signed them. This is the reason why they have become an international sensation with this song. However it begs to question whether they will have hit after hit much like in their own country. Lukas Graham Forchhammer is an amazing vocalist, possibly Denmark's answer to Adele, but whether the success will continue is the question on everybody's lips. The song reminds me of Hozier's "Take Me To Church", but whether they will follow Hozier's downfall is something we'll be keeping an eye on. The song was written by Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Ristorp and Morten Pilegaard.
The music video was directed by René Sascha Johannsen. It is in black and white, which is an instant turn off for me, unless a certain reason is established in the first few scenes, which there isn't apart from making the scene with the trees lined up look detailed and magical, which it does yet I'm sure it would've also looked just as great in colour.
It is mainly performance based, with Lukas Graham Forchhammer singing his song. I love how his story is practically told, through both the lyrics of the song and the music video, it's like he goes back in time and becomes his seven and 11 year old self in which he visits the scenes where he smoke herbs and is drinking liquor according to his lyrics, is that what happens in Denmark? Although it's probably unsurprising as you could probably find that happening anywhere in the world.
The song continues with the story of his life and his future life and so does the music video. It includes a guy much older than him, who has a slight resemblance, so we presume it's his dad, but more of an on-screen dad as his father passed away a few years ago aged 61, as the song tells us.
There's explosions, fire and a performance on stage where they have their tops off, which isn't appealing all that much, but the band has the confidence to do just that, which is exactly what we need in the world, everyone isn't perfect, slim supermodels.
Overall, a great song full of emotion; it's unsurprisingly catchy, no wonder it's at the top of the UK charts, however they will need to follow-up with an amazing song and album to keep their international success, although it seems doubtful. The music video is in painstaking black and white, although it can be considered because of his dad dying and the lyrics about his dad, although it still doesn't make complete sense. The performance seems okay, although emotions aren't displayed as well, and it doesn't encourage me to see them live. The slight narrative is all right, I got totally confused when there was two people lip syncing to the song, it just messed with my head as there is only one singer, hence why I found it slightly tongue-in-cheek. Then it ends and I feel sad, and I have no idea why. I think Lukas Graham has hypnotised us all, now it depends how long for and when we wake up, will we still like their music?
Today I planned on reviewing Viola Beach, as they have sadly passed away today in Sweden in a fatal car accident. However, a quick look on YouTube tells me that they never released a music video, so I can't review any of their music videos as they don't have any. Today, I'm having a Kiesza day, I've only just discovered her newish song "Give It To The Moment", which doesn't have a music video as of yet, although it is an amazing song. So I've chosen this one from Finding Neverland The Album, and wow she has proved herself with those perfect vocals. Unfortunately, the music video isn't up to scratch. Kiesza performs in some weird dance sequences as she puts her full emotions into singing this highly catchy power ballad of a song, no one could've sung this better, it was made for Kiesza!
Kiesza, real name Kiesa Ellestad, is a Canadian singer who has hit global success with her UK number one smash "Hideaway". Her follow-up singles failed to make such an impact and her chart positions dropped. She has recently gone off the radar. She has been writing a lot and featuring in a few songs here and there, and with "Give It To The Moment" appearing out of nowhere, I'm hoping she's getting ready to make a chart impact soon once again, with her vocal talents, I'm surprised DJs aren't snapping her up here, there and everywhere, or maybe she's too focused on her next album to feature on something big... It's a wait and see sort of game, but she has an amazing talent and she is worthy of global stardom. This song is from Finding Neverland The Album. It's a Gary Barlow found musical which first debuted in Lancaster, but has found it's place in Broadway, and next year it will be in the West End. With songs like this one, I am definitely eager to see it, hopefully in London, but if not I'll definitely go and see it when it gets a UK tour, which is inevitable because of the amazing reviews it has had so far.
This music video is extremely simple, and obviously low-budget. It was directed by Mario Hugo.
With not a lot going on, I haven't got much to comment on. The background and editing techniques used are clever, the use of vines and lines that are both behind her and in front of her isn't anything new, and yet it makes the audience focus on Kiesza alone.
Kiesza's dancing is definitely freestyle, unless this was actually choreographed which looks unlikely. This reminds me a lot of my own freestyle which I do when no ones watching, a few regular dance sequences she repeats which is exactly what happens in a bit of freestyle. It's raw and imaginative, and yet it isn't as powerful as a choreographed sequence might have been. Freestyle is freestyle, it's a bit of a let loose kind of freedom, it's difficult to pull off perfectly as it's what you can come up with on the spot. Kiesza does a good job nonetheless though.
Overall, an amazing song, that is one of many amazing songs that was created by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy that is on Finding Neverland The Album, which I'm currently listening to in full, and it is brilliant! I'm so glad I've bought it. However I wish the music videos of the songs was part of the musical or at least relate to it in some way. This is an okay performance piece but it doesn't do anything that interests me into watching it again, other than listening to Kiesza's amazing vocals on this track.
While we await for The Saturdays to come off their hiatus, we have the lovely Vanessa White soloing, creating her own small waves in the music industry, and what a way to start! Soulful, energetic, emotional and sexy, Vanessa White exudes confidence in this fun little song and music video that has got us all screaming for more.
Vanessa White is one fifth of girl group The Saturdays, who have established themselves as one of the most successful girl groups in the UK. At the moment they are on a break so they can all follow their own lives, with various members doing their own things, although it has been reported that they have new music to be released this year. Vanessa White is the first to go solo since the group's hiatus, and it looks like Mollie King will be following in her footsteps soon, although Una Healy released a solo EP before the band got together. Vanessa White is gearing up to release her EP next week, and this song is one of my favourites released so far. The song is so catchy and I can imagine the thoughts behind the single.
Directed by Kristian Young, the video is mostly performance based with a subtle narrative that works well with the song.
Vanessa White is looking sexy and adorably confident in this music video. She shows how great she would be live on stage, and with that gifted voice, she is an artist that you'd definitely want to see in person.
Just as I get comfortable to the music video, and reckon there isn't much more to it, whilst the guy is sitting down on the chair as she explains to him that she don't wanna be his lover, she's just looking for a friend and a bit of a fun time, the video surprises me with amazing contemporary dancing that is magical.
The dancing reminds me of Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself", it's perfect and performed to an exact point. Vanessa White proves herself here, that even though she is in one of the hottest girl groups from the UK, she is just as good all by herself. This guy is that little bit too tall for her, but the choreography has taken this into account and the dancing is just perfect. I just wish there was more of it, and I was there in person to watch this chemistry fuelled sequences performed. Vanessa White, and whoever the mystery guy is (if anyone knows his name please comment below), pulls this off amazingly. I hope to see more of Vanessa White dancing in her future music videos.
Overall Vanessa White surprises us all with an amazing song and a brilliant music video to go with it. It may be simple with very little going on, but this just proves that less is more, and it certainly is. I can't fault this video, and I can't stop watching this again and again. Great job Vanessa White, and I cannot wait for what the future will bring! I just wish this would have charted as this deserves a great charting position, at the very least.
I'm kind of cheating today... Since all day on Friday I've been looking for a New Release and it wasn't until the day after I found this one... So technically it's Saturday, but I've changed the date to Friday. Plus this music video was released on Saturday 13th February, so technically I wouldn't have been able to review this on Friday. I have had to stretch my rules for New Release, because all of the new releases this week don't have a music video, or the ones that do weren't officially released on Friday 12th February. This is the only one I can find, and I'm glad it's from someone I've heard of. Hozier attempts to show how make-up can hide the lies inside, domestic violence is very real in the world and they manage to portray perfectly how it is hidden from the world.
Hozier, real name Andrew Hozier-Byrne, is an Irish musician who had a hit single with "Take Me To Church", it was held off the top spot by Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", in the UK. He's big in Ireland, where all his singles have charted. Whereas in the UK, a few have charted but quite low. In the US, "Take Me To Church" also hit number two, but his other singles either haven't charted or are bubbling under the hot 100. His album did well around the world. This is probably the last single from his album, or it could be his first single of a new album... Since the song is a live version on the album... The song was written by Andrew Hozier-Byrne. All proceeds for the song will be donated to international domestic abuse charity organisations.
The music video is directed by Dearbhla Walsh, and features actors Saoirse Ronan and Moe Dunford. The former has played lead roles in many films and has been nominated for a number of awards in her career, As for the latter he has appeared in a few films and TV series, mainly known for his role in Vikings.
The video relates well to the song as it is all about domestic violence. Saoirse Ronan is wearing some heavy make-up to hide that black eye she has got, and although Moe Dunford looks very sad and sorry for what he has done, he is completely ashamed by it, hiding her eye behind her hair so he doesn't have to see it.
There's very little to this music video, but we don't need something massive, the pace goes well with the songs and Saoirse Ronan and Moe Dunford act extremely well, showing off their acting skills allowing us to get wrapped up in their story. This is pretty good, but it's not something that kept me entertained. For all we know Saoirse Ronan did fall over, or someone else could have gave her that black eye. We are left to presume it is her lover, and so I feel everything isn't proved and wasn't exactly thought out. I think a performance piece from Hozier included in this video would've also made it more interesting.
Almost six years old now, in the UK, and I cannot believe I haven't reviewed it until now. I have been a fan of Inna since this music video was released on the music channels and radio picked up the song. To date, this is Inna's highest charting single on the UK chart, although many of her most recent singles are worthy of that claim, however she is not promoted much, if at all, in the UK and so her music isn't widely popular here, not yet anyway. Inna looks fly and hot and sexy in this music video, with a passionate love story narrative infused.
Inna, real name Elena Apostoleanu, is one of the biggest artists to come out of Romania, if not the biggest, she holds the title as the richest Romanian and Eastern European artist as of the end of 2011, I presume this still stands. This is her debut single, that shot all across the globe, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart, I remember when and where I bought this single, surprisingly. I was in Wales on a family holiday, and as soon as it was released in HMV, I begged my dad to let me go inside and buy this one CD. I still have it today in my bedroom. It was written by Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan. The title of the song is not listed in the lyrics, it was originally going to be called 'Fly', however they chose 'Hot' instead as it relates and describes a certain type of relationship.
There are actually two music videos for this song, which I only just found out today. I will be focusing on this one alone, and might review the other one in the future. This is the one I know and love, the other one is a complete mess, and I'll only ever review it if I need to.
This video is both performance and narrative. Inna is looking sexy and sultry, not giving too much away as she performs. The scenes are beautifully subtle and works well with her looks. We know she can perform better than this, however there's something simple and relaxed about this, as she floods the song with emotion.
The narrative follows a blonde girl in the backstage dressing room, getting ready. She receives a bunch of roses with a card that says in Romanian: 'Un admirator...' which means in English: 'An admirer...' We then see scenes of her doing her job as a stage dancer. We then are cut to a scene of her at home, arguing with her lover in front of her daughter. She walks out and the father comforts the child.
She receives another bouquet of roses, and the card reads, in Romanian: 'Un admirator care te adora...' which means in English: 'A fan who loves you...' A few scenes of her stage dancing and being with her friends are included and in the morning another fight ensues at home, where she inevitably packs her bags and leaves.
When she returns backstage there is another set of roses. This card says in Romania: 'In seara asta vreau sa ne cunoastem. Te astept ,dupa program ,in fatza clubului' which basically means in English: 'Tonight I want to meet you. I will wait after work', the end bit doesn't directly translate, I'm presuming it means outside the club, or round the back of the club, or somewhere specific in the club. When she goes to meet him, it turns out that the guy who we've seen clips of is actually her lover. He takes his sunglasses off and his ring (which doesn't make sense to me), and they hug and make up.
Overall a perfect video that can't be faulted, a perfect narrative that is totally related to the song. The performance piece could've been better, but Inna has released much worse performance pieces in her music videos, and yet a quick look at any of her live sessions proves that not only does she have an amazing voice, but she has a brilliant on-stage presence that is filled with performance vibes, this video slightly shows that, but the narrative is so thought out and special, it makes the video complete.
This song has been stuck in my head all day, well until I went on my break at work and watched a video that had Jennifer Paige's "Crush" in the background, and that was it, that was stuck in my head for the rest of the day, I wish I still wasn't crushing on this one guy, and when I think I've finally stopped, I realise it hasn't. But I've come to terms with it, and that is all it's going to be, a crush and nothing more. This song will take it's place again, unbelievably catchy, it's unsurprising that it reached the top spot on the UK chart. Rita Ora is so much more relaxed when she is putting on a show, exuding perfect performance vibes, she sings, dances and proves how amazing she really is.
Rita Ora is a worldwide star and she has definitely made it here in the UK. She is currently locked in a legal battle with her record company so that she can get out of her contract. Something to do with a seven year rule. Considering that she's been a part of Roc Nation for seven years now, and she has only released one album shows it all doesn't it? She should've had a few out by now, enough to guarantee more number ones in the future, which she needs if she's going to compete against Cheryl and Jess Glynne for most number ones by a British female artist. She even once held the record with Geri Halliwell, but was succeed by the former two singers. I hope that once her lawsuit is cleared up she has more number ones around the corner. This song was written by Calvin Harris, who was her boyfriend at the time.
Directed by Francesco Carrozzini, it's a pure performance piece as she tells the camera that she will never let you down.
As per usual, Rita Ora proves to us that she can dance, hitting off that choreography like it is nothing. She easily works the camera and does a great job.
Again black and white tones are used which normally frustrates me, instead this works as when it is switched to colour, it is way too much in your face, bubblegum explosion. Rita Ora has a unique style and it works well for her, but it can sometimes be too much, not that that's a bad thing, but she looks a lot more respectable in the black and white visual scenes, that it's a complete shock to find out she's wearing something much more quirky.
Overall, Rita Ora nails the performance piece. Would've liked a slight bit of narrative here and there, maybe an inclusion of a guy in the music video, just to add that slight thing that we are missing. But I'd definitely go and see her live, and this music video proves how amazing she would be up on stage.
The inspiration for writing this review about this music video, comes from my ex. He recently got back in contact with me through facebook, and after a little bit of chat, he suggested I go and listen to this song, he said I would like it. I never got the chance to until today, which is a few weeks after he suggested it. Whether he's still caught up with me, or not, I'm not sure, but it feels like a little last stab of pain he wanted to give to me. Although it totally failed since I have completely moved on, and not in the way this song suggests, even if that is what he thinks of me. I'm not running around breaking hearts, or even breaking my own. I pretty much am focusing on my career, and if a guy wants me in their life, of course I'm going to give that guy a try, because I'd rather not miss the one because I'm too caught up in my career and my future, especially if he might be right in front of me at any given moment. Whatever my ex thinks of me, I really don't care, I'm happy being who I am, and although I get lonely sometimes, much like everyone else does in the world, I am pretty content with who I am. Aside from all this... Nicole Scherzinger hits out in this slightly catchy song that shows off her incredible vocals, it's accompanying music video is unfortunately in black and white and although full of passion and heartbreak, the overall perception brings it down.
Nicole Scherzinger is currently focusing on other career aspects, since her most recent album didn't do as well as she had hoped. Although she has promised a new album this year. Hopefully it'll hit her back into the limelight. Who would've thought she has had international success as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, as well as a number one solo single "Don't Hold Your Breath". She can definitely get back on top form, but whether she puts enough effort into it, is the other question. The song was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Christopher A. Stewart and Carlos McKinney. A total power ballad, it's not something I'd go out of my way to listen repeatedly, yet full of emotion, she means every word. She's still hurting post-break-up and not only does she want him to know it, but she knows that he's been hurting too.
The music video was directed by Tim Mattia. Visually authentic, which goes well with the song since power ballads aren't exactly in at the moment, unless you're Adele. Which probably explains why it only charted at number 90 on the UK chart.
I have said this before, and I'm going to say it again. I hate black and white music videos, and even though this might add shade to her emotions in this song the music video would definitely have come across much better in colour.
The narrative works perfectly with the song, I love how they are both drinking and how she is having a bit of a tantrum or a meltdown. She can't help the feelings she has for him and yet she doesn't want to be constantly hurt by him, even though it's what he's been doing. Is this what my ex is trying to convey to me? Does he want me back, like all my friends think he does? I'm over him anyway, we can be friends, but if he wants me, he'll have to prove how much to me to consider even taking him back. "If you think I'm coming back, don't hold your breath".
As for the performance side of things,. surprisingly, Nicole Scherzinger doesn't hold her emotion in. Instead outwardly projecting how happy she is at singing this song. She attempts to perform and yet fails in some of the scenes. This is not what I wanted to see, I wanted her to feel lonely, upset, mad, annoyed. We all know the feelings of a break-up, and happy is extremely rare, it doesn't belong in this music video.
Overall, Nicole Scherzinger failed to have a hit with this song, however her vocals are on point, to an extent. The accompanying music video is filmed in black and white, removing detail and emotion creating a possible bland visual, yet Nicole Scherzinger pulls it back with an all-right performance and a perfect acting role in the narrative. She saved this video, believe it or not.
Zayn is back from leaving One Direction last year, and his debut single has got everyone talking, no wonder he flew straight into number one and managed to become my Chart Mondays review. Sporting a totally new look, Zayn sings a sultry song that makes him look quite sexy, in my opinion, which is surprising for me as Zayn was my least favourite member of One Direction. Zayn's debut blasted him to the top of the UK chart, but does this music video do the song justice? Visualisations are played to the maximum, visually defining sexiness to an entirely new level.
Zayn Malik was one fifth of British group One Direction. He broke away from the band citing creative differences, although his first single seems to be in a similar style to One Direction's recent singles, so much so that it's no wonder that their fans are in favour of this song. He has definitely come a long way from that young boy in The X Factor who cried during bootcamp. It was written by Zayn Malik, Anthony Hannides, Michael Hannides, Levi Lennox and Joe Garrett.
The music video was directed by Bouha Kazmi, and features the wonderful Gigi Hadid, who has been popping up in various music videos, recently. I hope this isn't her last.
Sexy and sultry, Zayn is giving Nick Jonas a run for his money, however this doesn't quite match up to the powerfully gorgeousness of "Levels", although it isn't quite far off.
This is extremely artistic, enough to make me in awe. Zayn is in a dreamed visual, imagining his deepest desired mixed in with pain and blurred lines. Again, it reminds me of Windows Media Player's visualisations, this seems to be a common theme in recent videos, especially after Diplo & Sleepy Tom's "Be Right There". However Zayn's video is much more modern.
Gigi Hadid plays a much better role in this, than her previous role in Calvin Harris & Disciples' "How Deep Is Your Love", however she is definitely getting recognition all around the world from these videos, so I hope to see her appear in more music videos in the future.
Overall a great debut song, that is now stuck in my head, yet is it any wonder, Zayn had to come out with a massive hit, or leaving One Direction would have looked like a bad move. Will Zayn keep up his success? Only time will tell. The big question is whether he made the right decision. It worked for Geri Halliwell, for some time, before her music career decided it didn't want to exist any more, but with songs like this Zayn's career has only just started.
Inna dropped this music video on Friday, and I've been waiting for today to review it. She hit one billion views on YouTube on Friday, so as a thank you to her fans she released this music video. Sultry, sexy and scenic, Inna displays herself like she usually does, she loves to have fun, meet guys, look back on the past and drive. You'd always have a good time when Inna is around.
Inna, real name Elena Apostoleanu, has become the richest recording artist in Eastern Europe. She continues her success by releasing this single. Again she proves how amazing she is by infusing the French language into an English-sung song. This is her follow-up to "Yalla". Inna recently announced a new album for the summer, which I'm totally excited for. This could be her last single from her self-titled album. The song was written by Thomas Troelsen and Andreas Schuller, and in English actually means: Appointment, although Rendez Vous sounds so much sexier.
The video is directed by Michael Abt and John Perez, it is filmed in Pura Vida, Costa Rica. This is a typical Inna music video, and they all are becoming pretty similar, and yet she exudes confidence and passion for the music she is singing.
The video has amazing summer vibes, which is exactly what the song portrays. Inna always gives us the perfect summer anthems even if it is winter. However she makes me totally jealous seeing these videos whilst I'm in the wintry UK.
Inna is travelling and having fun, we've seen this in "Crazy Sexy Wild / Tu Si Eu" as well as "Un Momento", "Wow" and "More Than Friends". It seems she needs at least one of these music videos per an album, and considering her catalogue, it's hard to imagine her music videos to all be different. Although most of her music videos are performance based, with extremely little narrative structure.
The field where Inna performs is probably where the video loses the audience's interest. She looks sexy as always and yet once again is given no choreography and the camera angles just doesn't work for her. It's almost as if she doesn't know what to do in front of the camera, which frustrates me as we all know she can perform much better than this.
There's a slight narrative to her travelling. She finds a guy on a beach, relatable to the lyrics of the song, and their group of friends join together and travel to a few places together. Inna is stunning as usual, but I feel this video lacks depth and has been done a few too many times before in Inna's case.
As a fan of Cassadee Pope, it's not surprising that I would end up reviewing this music video. It is a soulful country song, and even though I am aware of Chris Young, his voice still astounds me, it's authentic, crisp and just plain gorgeous. Mix that with Cassadee Pope's amazing voice, creates a wonderful duet. Chris Young and Cassadee Pope sing about no longer being the life of the party because when they think of me they think of you, which is portrayed perfectly in this music video.
Chris Young has been a major success in the US, hitting the country charts hard, in addition to dipping into the Canadian country charts too. As well as mild success on both billboard charts. He has received no promotion here in the UK, and even though it seemed country music was about to hit it off big in the UK, it soon dissipated, with only a few stars making it over here. However. all it can take is one hit song to push a country star into international fame, and with a voice like Chris Young's I'll be surprised if he doesn't, at least, chart in the top 200 here in the UK, at some point in his career. As for Cassadee Pope, she too is an amazing country singer, however I truly believe she has what it takes to be a global success, she's fought for her career for an extremely long time, she deserves to be an international star, she just needs to keep fighting and to never give up the dream, she can do this. The song was written by Chris Young, Corey Crowder and Josh Hoge. It is about adjusting to being single after breaking up with your lover.
Directed by David McClister, this is a perfect portrayal of the song. Both singers attend a party and yet they can't adjust to being single. It's clearly not possible, because when their friends think of them, they think of the relationship they used to be in.
At times it's an exact transition from the song, such as the shots. Cassadee Pope, is having a real go at being the life of the party, and yet you can tell her heart isn't in it. She is much more happier after the party, in that café having some coffee late at night.
Chris Young seems much more happier walking around the streets at night, than hanging at the bar totally unsure of what to do with himself. To be honest they look like they're at a club, which is definitely not the scene for Chris Young.
As for the performance side of things, they both nail it. I can easily imagine the intense vibes this duet would create on stage. So much so that I'd really love to see these two perform live, their voices are magic as soloists, but together; now that would be special.
Overall, I can't fault this video one bit, it could be considered pretty basic, and yet it's exactly what I want from this sort of music video. It relates, it has a perfect performance piece and the narrative is more than what I could imagine.
What have I just watched? I'm pretty much dumbstruck at the moment, like seriously, what is this music video? Like I don't get this at all, it's too weird for me. However, nice one Dizzee Rascal, his rap works perfectly in this song and he nails it to a tee! He stands out on this video, even if his inclusion doesn't help the video whatsoever. DJ Fresh and High Contrast come together to take us back in time, yet leaving us shocked by this uninteresting and extremely weird and dated music video, even Dizzee Rascal can't pull this video out of the water.
DJ Fresh, real name Daniel Stein, is a British DJ, and is mostly known for his number one singles "Louder" and "Hot Right Now". He is currently sporting a shockingly new look which contrasts his bleached blonde hair with his dark brown facial hair, that isn't at all appealing. His appearance isn't the only thing that's gone downhill, in my opinion. He has yet to top the UK chart since "Hot Right Now", and has only managed a few top ten singles, whereas the others have missed out on the top 40 altogether. What's happened DJ Fresh? You definitely need to pull something much better than this out of the bag, especially since you have been working on this new album for a few years now. As for High Contrast, he is a Welsh DJ, real name Lincoln Barrett. He has had quite the career over the past decade or so, but he isn't locally famous or popular, and have only had a few charting albums and singles. This could've been the single to push him into the limelight, and yet it doesn't seem to look like it will, I'm pretty sure he can make it on his own, without any help from this song or DJ Fresh. As for Dizzee Rascal, real name Dylan Mills, he has totally made it. If he wants another hit song he can get one when he wants it. He's an international superstar, with four UK number one singles behind his name, he's pretty relaxed, he didn't need this song, he probably just liked it, and to be fair his lyrics works perfect with the song. It was my favourite bit of the entire song purely because he nailed every second of it.
The music video is directed by Scott Cudmore. The idea behind the video is fusing together 80's fitness videos with 80's crime movies. This totally doesn't work, these are two polar opposites shown in the 80's, what was the whole point in fusing them together?
I get that the song is trying to bring back old school music, a lot of people have said it reminds them of Altern-8 songs as well as The Prodigy. However both these groups were not a part of the 80's era, and so I totally don't understand this video apart from taking us back in time.
The fitness side of the video reminds me a bit of Eric Prydz "Call On Me", which is not surprising, when there is people in spandex working out. The entire video is just completely weird, and why put this fitness video scene into a crime movie where the actors are confused as to what is happening? They perform in a jail, court house and police station. It just too weird for my liking.
As for Dizzee Rascal's appearance, it doesn't work either. Dizzee Rascal portrays a news reporter, and he doesn't really get into the role, he is incredibly relaxed and his scene doesn't help to make us understand this video, if anything, it makes it even more weird, is that even possible?
This entire video is a shambles, this fails to relate to the song, even if it is giving off some sort of old school vibe, the 80's fitness and crime vibe is what is present in this video. As for relating to the title of the song... Well I see nothing of substance there either. This song doesn't have much potential even though it probably will chart next Friday, considering the artists involved in the song and their many fans, however I pretty much doubt it will climb high up on the chart. The video fails to give us anything, and I'd rather never to watch it again.
It's Thursday, so it's revisit time, after much deliberating, I chose Alexandra Stan, because I could, and I also believe her debut single is definitely catchy if extremely sexualised. The video is extremely low-budget and definitely doesn't help her in any way. Alexandra Stan attempts to be sexy and sultry in this terrible music video, she pulls it off to a very slight extent, but as a whole this is best left to be forgotten.
I have been a fan of Alexandra Stan since her international debut single, "Mr. Saxobeat", was released here in the UK. I was hoping this song would get released before her album dropped, but it never did. "Get Back (ASAP)" was released after "Mr. Saxobeat" charted highly, however it didn't take off as much and it was the start of Alexandra Stan's international fame spiralling downwards. I have been hoping she would make a comeback, and although "Thanks For Leaving" was the perfect song for her, after her manager and then boyfriend beat her up, it didn't chart here in the UK. And although her album Unlocked was a much better album than her previous Saxobeats, it too didn't chart. She recently released "I Did It, Mama!", which left a lot to be desired, and yet is ultimately catchy, I'm hoping she will make a big impact soon, as she needs a lot more recognition as she definitely deserves it. This song was written by Andrei Nemirschi and Marcel Prodan, and samples Fergie's song "Fergalicious".
This music video is a complete disaster, on paper it probably sounded all right. And yes it is relatable in a way, but it is awful, everyone has to admit that!
We all know that Alexandra Stan can pull off sexy and sultry, I can't name the amount of times she's done it in the videos following this one, yet I believe she fails to do just that in this one because it's her debut music video, luckily for her, this only gave her recognition in Romania and wasn't shown on many international music channels. "Mr. Saxobeat" will always be her international debut song and music video, and that is the image we have of her when people mention her name; not this, definitely not this.
I don't even know what else to comment on. She just looks uncomfortable, and even the two dancers with her aren't that into this music video either. It's definitely not something I'd go out of my way to watch again, although the song is extremely catchy and is currently stuck in my head, but I'd rather forget this video ever happened.
Alexandra Stan is back! I have to admit I wasn't so keen on this song, but it easily gets stuck in my head. She seems to be releasing a new album, which I cannot wait for! Alexandra Stan proves she is much more sultry than her saxobeat days! Proclaiming she did it, mama! She found love, and she's releasing amazing music! I am hoping she becomes prominent again.
Alexandra Stan first became an international success with her song "Mr. Saxobeat", unfortunately she didn't maintain her success in the UK even though her hit song is still played on the radio today. I believe she is ready for a comeback, she just needs the right song that will become promoted around the world, but much like Inna, she doesn't get the recognition in the UK, she so clearly deserves. This song was written by Marcel Botezan, Sebastian Barac, J-Son, Eric Turner, David Ciente and Alexandra Stan.
The music video was directed by Bogdan Daragiu. It is quite provocative, very Miley Cyrus. I could definitely see Miley Cyrus in this music video, however Alexandra Stan pulls this off, whereas I believe Miley Cyrus wouldn't have been able to.
Sultry and sexy, Alexandra Stan shows off as some sort of dominatrix in this video. A far cry from what we know of her past, after being beaten up by her manager and then boyfriend. In this video she proves she is strong that she will never let a man rule her ever again.
The video is mainly a performance piece, although a narrative would've been perfect for this video. The choreography is performed well, however it's not so technical as we expected, on the other hand it's more complicated compared to her first few singles, but we've seen her perform so much better.
I cannot wait for her album to drop, I just hope we don't have to wait too long. She needs another worldwide hit, one that will give her prominence here in the UK again, one which will keep her in our charts. Although a good catchy song, the music video fails to keep some people engaged, she performs well but we've seen her do better.
I have literally had this song stuck in my head all day, along with 99 Souls' "The Girl Is Mine", inside my head this song fit perfectly with the lyrics of "The Girl Is Mine", and I think 99 Souls should mash it up to make an ultimate perfect song. It wasn't exactly this version of the song, it was Liberty X's version "Being Nobody", however I reckon I'll end up reviewing that in the future, and so I chose the original instead. Chaka Khan proves that nobody can sing this song better than her, and she doesn't even look like she is trying in this authentic performance based music video.
Rufus is the band in which Chaka Khan was the lead singer of, the band kickstarted her career. She left the band to concentrate on a solo career, however she was still contracted to the group. She returned to the band to record the final album. The band also consisted of, at the time of this release, Tony Maiden, Kevin Murphy, John "JR" Robinson, Bobby Watson and Dave "Hawk" Wolinski. The song was written by the latter.
The music video is mostly a performance based music video, where Chaka Khan proves how great of a singer she is. However she looks like her heart isn't into performing.
Surprisingly she is extremely relaxed, just going with the flow and singing as if she doesn't have a care in the world. Although she is an amazing singer, her performance fails to entertain.
The video also features a dancer, I was expecting some sort of narrative, however it never took off, and it was left with just some sultry dancing clips.
Overall this fails to entertain, it's too relaxed to keep the audience interested. This could've been so much better but there is no substance to it whatsoever. A brilliant song that is totally iconic, but a music video that doesn't impress.
Well this is the end of One Direction, FOR A YEAR or maybe a little more, but this is not the complete end. One Direction is not finished, they are just on hiatus, and we all know that their comeback will be one of the biggest things in music. They are taking a break from the group to do their own things, hell the video proves they deserve this, and what a brilliant last music video, for now, they will come back, I'm telling you that now! One Direction says their goodbyes in this video, for now, the band is not over, and they don't want their fans to be done with One Direction, and this video is a great representation of that.
One Direction are a four-piece boy band who hit global success after coming third on the seventh series of The X Factor. They are currently on hiatus, if you haven't already guessed, and apparently will come back in 2017. They consist of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. They originally had a fifth member, Zayn Malik, who pulled away from the group and has recently released his debut single. This song was written by Wayne Hector, John Ryan, Ed Drewett, Julian Bunetta, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. The song is a fair well for now to their fans, in my opinion, and they promise to reform again.
The music video is amazing, directed by Cal Aurand and Fulwell 79, it contains clips of their journey so far. They look ever so young when they were first put together on The X Factor.
They are definitely the most successful act from The X Factor, despite coming third in the competition.
The video has a lot of clips of the boys, some surprising scenes that we've not seen before, or ones that are much older. I love the friendship between them all, typical brotherly love they all clearly have.
The performance side of the video is too similar to "Drag Me Down" for my liking even though the ending is extremely sad. However the ending was apparently cut too short as they rushed back together at the end, to signify that this isn't the end of the group, but if it wasn't shown then it's suggestive that this could well be the end for One Direction.
Overall, perfect video that looks back over their career and what they have done. They have included a few clips of Zayn Malik too, even though he has been hitting out lately about the group. He has become the Geri Halliwell of One Direction. I wonder where these boys will go next.
