Andy Bell has been announced for Birmingham Gay Pride 2016, as a headliner. He was the last act to be announced on 17th March... The original facebook post has been removed, and so I have posted a later post below. Andy Bell is one half of Erasure. This is their biggest hit in the UK, and I mildly prefer it more than "Give A Little Respect", which seems to be their most known song, regardless of the fact that it only charted at number four, compared to this number two hit song. Erasure gives us a full performance, lots of energetic vibes emanate from this group and it works, sometimes.
WE'RE EXCITED! We've got some more exciting artists to announce NEXT WEEK!And with record ticket sales so far - we'...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 31 March 2016
Erasure are a duo consisting of Andy Bell, who will be performing at Birmingham Gay Pride 2016, and Vince Clarke. They are well known in the UK, with Andy Bell officially identified as a gay icon. They had a string of number one albums in the UK in the 80's and their singles from the 80's, 90's and 00's managed to chart respectfully within the top 40; although no number one singles, this duo is undeniably known in the UK. It just goes to show that you don't need a number one to have longevity. This song was written by Vince Clarke & Andy Bell.
The video isn't all that interesting, the duo can definitely perform, that is very clear, and yet no matter how much energy Andy Bell gives to this song, it still fails to entertain me.
The whole thing reminds me of a Daz washing detergent commercial. How to keep your whites clean, even during torrential rain.
There seems to be a hidden eye amongst the clouds in the sky, and it's clear Andy Bell is loving singing while it's raining.
Yet that is all I can really comment on, There's hints at a narrative, but it either didn't work out, or the scenes were just meant to be exactly what they are. Overall it doesn't feel complete, and definitely doesn't keep me interested at all. But if Andy Bell has still got this amount of energy when he performs on the main stage at Birmingham Pride 2016, he will definitely get the crowd going.
Will.I.Am is officially back, with an amazing song he will no doubt perform on The Voice UK tomorrow, hopefully with a special guest... Pia Mia. The song is catchy after a few plays, I don't know what it is about will.i.am, he just ends up releasing hits after hits after hits. Will.I.Am dances in this performance-based music video for Boys & Girls, he manages to really show Pia Mia up completely. Stylish, sexy, incredible dancing and perfect performance vibes, will.i.am wins me over with this song and video.
Will.I.Am, real name William Adams, is the lead band member in The Black Eyed Peas. He is currently a coach on The Voice UK, and has been for a total of five seasons, could he make it six as the show moves channels, from the BBC to ITV? Rumours suggest he might. The feature is Pia Mia, real name Pia Mia Perez, who had an amazing debut single release called "Do It Again", but her follow-up single "Touch" failed to get as popular. Personally, I thought this was the end of Pia Mia, but it seems will.i.am has come to her rescue, and here she is on his new single... However she comes across like she can't sing all that much, totally the wrong song for her, how could her and will.i.am get this so wrong? The song was written by William Adams, Charlotte Aitchison and Jef Martensis.
Directed by Spencer Creigh, the video is a pure performance piece, just like "Scream & Shout". Will.I.Am isn't just looking fresh, he actually looks quite hot! In comparison to "Scream & Shout", will.i.am has the spotlight on himself this time, and it is totally working for him.
I would literally go and watch him in concert right now, a solid performance piece from him. He is dancing in-sync with his dancers, with the highly complex choreography, that may look simple at first glance, but I assure you it's more complicated than you think, and it totally works.
Pia Mia... When she appeared I was expecting a Britney Spears starlight on her, just like Britney in the "Scream & Shout" video, but it didn't happen. Her vocals aren't on point, and her style doesn't scream star potential. She's pretty and looks good, but next to will.i.am, she fades into the background. Could this be the end of her short-lived career in the music industry? Her vocals are much better than this.
Overall, there isn't much to this performance-based music video, but there never is when it's performance-based. Apart from Pia Mia problems, everything is perfect, the performance, the dancing, the visuals, the music, the style. Will.I.Am has got everything right in this video, that I can't fault it whatsoever. I just wish Pia Mia's vocals were much better.
Katy B is my Thursday Revisit today. This was her debut single, that charted at number five here in the UK. Debut music videos are rarely anything special, and this one follows suit, or so we all thought. Katy B shows her performance vibes as Katy is On A Mission, although what mission it is I am not so sure, apart from giving the club-goers an amazing night out.
EXCITED! Katy B stormed the main stage at Birmingham Pride in 2014 - and now she's back for our 20th year as one of...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Katy B, real name Kathleen Brien, is on the verge of releasing a whole new album, that she will more than likely sing some songs from at Birmingham Pride 2016, which she is headlining. Honey is released at the end of April, and is currently being talked about a lot. Whether it will hit number one like her previous album is something we can't possibly foresee... But her singles from the album hasn't really helped to promote it. This was her debut single and was written by Katie Brien, Beni Adejumo and Geeneus.
Directed by Johny Mourgue, the video shows Katy B and her producer for the song, Benga, performing in a London nightclub, called Matter.
A pure performance based music video, with little snippets of a potential narrative, although it could easily be clips of a behind-the-scenes of the concert.
Katy B performs effortlessly, the song clearly means a lot to her and she really wants to show off on her first music video, and it really does pay off. Benga fades into the background, but since this isn't an official collaboration, it makes sense that he does. Although, Katy B swaps clothes at one point, so are we seeing two different performances put together?
The club-goers are clearly having an amazing time. there's scenes in the crowd, which gives the viewers the atmosphere the clubbers received. Other scenes include backstage at the concert; Katy B and Benga being in a car, as well as out of it; and studio time.
Overall, not too bad of a debut music video, we have definitely seen a lot worse than this before. This relates, it shows a close-to-perfect performance piece, as well as giving us a backstage pass... What more could we have asked for, apart from a narrative, yet that would've been much more difficult and would've, no doubt, cost more. A solid, performance-based music video.
As soon as DJ Fresh was announced for Birmingham Pride 2016, this song and "Hot Right Now" both popped into my head, this is an act I cannot miss at pride, even if he's just doing a DJ set, I don't care, he's on the main stage as a headliner, so this song and "Hot Right Now" has to be played, as well as many other hits he has released. DJ Fresh's music video for Louder doesn't feature Sian Evans and in fact just shows a bunch of skateboarders and rollerskaters doing their thing.
WHO'S HOT RIGHT NOW? WE ARE!We're delighted to announce that DJ Fresh will on the Main Stage at Birmingham Pride on...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
DJ Fresh, real name Daniel Stein, has been a bit of a hit and miss lately, some songs have hit the charts hard, whereas others have dwindled in the very low positions of the charts. No new number ones as of yet, although "Say You Do" came extremely close. Featuring on this track is Sian Evans, mostly known as the front woman for the band Kosheen. She hasn't done much solo work, however she has written a few songs, which also includes the Rita Ora feature on DJ Fresh's track "Hot Right Now". This song hit number one in the UK, and was DJ Fresh's first number one, which he followed up with another number one hit "Hot Right Now". This song was written by Sian Evans and Daniel Stein,
This video was directed by Ben Newman as part of the Lucozade Sport Lite campaign. It is pretty unrelated to the song, although as the song progresses the tricks become more harder as the professionals show off.
The video is purely performance based, it shows how amazing these skateboarders and rollerskaters are. These are pure professionals and they know exactly what they're doing.
There isn't a lot to this video, there is a continuity error, where a skateboarder has a different coloured/flavoured drink that he is holding, as pointed out by a YouTube commenter. There's probably a few others that aren't that noticeable. Overall it's fast-paced much like the song, but that's as far as it goes. We've seen this done plenty of times before, we need someone to bring something new to the table if they're going to record these types of music videos.
I have to admit, I thought there was more to this video than first meet the eye, but let's be honest this is crazily weird, although definitely rinsing and repeating. Riton has been confirmed for Birmingham Pride 2016. This song is currently in the charts and has become his most successful song to date. Kah-Lo is sitting completely still as this video is rinsed and repeated just like the song suggests, with amazing beats in the background thanks to Riton.
RIGHT ON! HERE'S ANOTHER ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT!We're delighted to announce that Riton will on the Main Stage at...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Riton, real name Henry Smithson, has been attempting to hit the music industry with various different names and projects, finally he has released a hit song that charted well here in the UK. Riton is French slang for Henry, hence the name. He has worked with a number of acts and DJ's some of which spawned their own project. Now he's on to a winner with this song, he just needs to follow up with a successful second single. Kah-Lo is the feature. She's probably one of the ones to watch in the coming years, she won't hit it big straight away, but a few more features and she'll blow up the charts. She'll follow in the footsteps of Becky Hill, has a good voice, gets a few hits, but doesn't quite get the solo hits she deserves. Kah-Lo needs to ride this wave, and then take control of it, otherwise she will sink in this industry. This song is catchy for reasons I don't even know why, basic lyrics, a simple upbeat tempo, yet it easily gets stuck in my head.
Directed by Dan Streit and Dillon Moore, it reminds me of exactly what happens in a club. At the start, everyone is at the bar or in the smoking area, but as more and more alcohol is consumed, people become confident and end up on the dancefloor, then the dancing becomes quite wild towards the end of the night.
This is a simple rinse and repeat situation, at first glance we are watching the same scene over and over again, only the characters become more and more wild, apart from Kah-Lo who is very still to say the least.
It's surprising to see the big change. Compare the very first scene to the last one, and you have total different people in this music video. Yet you don't really realise as it gradually builds up, one girl even gets up on the pool table at the end.
The character change shows how alcohol and amazing music can make people confident. Confident people get the things they want out of life because they go for it. But being drunk doesn't make you confident, confidence comes from within, the only reason you get confident when you're drinking is because you start to not care about perspectives.
The video is great for analysing character and people, since it is a true representation of what happens in clubs, however it fails to interest the viewers watching, and it's mainly the song that makes everyone use the replay button. Rinse & Repeat the song all you want, it won't make the music video any better. Relatable to an extent, and technically great, but this just doesn't do anything for the viewers.
Katy B is one of those singers you like sometimes and then sometimes you don't; she has an amazing vocal range and she sings good songs, but none of them are great, there's just something missing... Or there was until "Turn The Music Louder (Rumble)", that made her look and sound unrecognisable, that was the Katy B I could easily become a fan of, but her other songs are just good, and that is not good enough in this music industry. She has been announced as a headlining act for Birmingham Pride 2016, however I believe other acts that have been announced are just as worthy as headlining as Katy B; if not, more so. However she could easily turn it all around with her new album on the verge of being released, is it going to be a stunner and hit the charts hard? We'll have to wait and see. Katy B attempts to flood emotion in her Crying For No Reason music video, coming off plain and trying too hard.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE OUR SATURDAY HEADLINER!After storming the Main Stage in 2014 the outstanding Katy B...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Katy B, real name Kathleen Brien, has had some hits, my favourite is "Lights On" which features Ms Dynamite (who will also be performing at Birmingham Pride 2016, so there could be a collaboration on stage, especially since "Lights On" is Katy B's biggest hit as main artist). She hasn't released a song to make me think she's a star, just yet. It does seem her feature on KDA's track "Turn The Music Louder (Rumble)" with Tinie Tempah was a one off, and although she deserves more success, she also needs the songs to get that success. This song hit number five on the UK charts and was written by Kathleen Brien, Gordon Warren and Guy Chambers.
Directed by Sophie Muller, the video is a complete performance piece. I could definitely imagine sitting in the audience watching Katy B perform this song just like that.
However, performance pieces expose artists who fail to convey emotion while they sing. I am pretty sure Katy B could do a much more solid performance of this song, but it seems that they must've chose the wrong day to film this, as it just looks like she is trying way too hard.
This song is meant to mean a lot to her, she's supposed to be crying for no reason, yet there's no tears, no sadness, just a professional singer singing the song amazingly and theatrically, but not emotionally.
Katy B shows herself as a try hard in this music video, and hell, she needs to try hard because her single releases either do exceptionally well, or chart poorly. She's a star that can't win, but try and try she must if she's going to make it in this world. Keep trying Katy B, you're voice is one we need to keep in the charts, we just need amazing songs to go with it!
Today it happened, the thing I've been waiting for... It seems that the entire top 10 of the UK singles chart is full of music videos I have already reviewed or they don't have a music video yet. Instead I'm going to list the top 10 with links to the respective blog posts. Along side a blue dot.
This blue dot signifies life. It has a spirit of it's own, it can be turned on and off (much like people can), and it can shine bright or dim. Bright people aren't always the ones who are smart or clever, they can also be the ones who dream the biggest dreams and go after what they want. If you don't shine bright, you aren't going to get anywhere.
This is my main focus in life, I always look at every day like a new day, a new start. What's the point in holding grudges? What's the point in being sad or lonely or upset? I may be hurting inside, and I might moan at my family and my best friends, but whenever I step out of the door to my house, I make sure I look good, because then I feel good. I make sure I smile at everyone I past, a simple smile can lift anyone's spirits up.
People say I don't get stressed or I never seem to have a bad day, but everyone does, I just don't let people see that because I know how my mood can affect other people. As long as my friends are happy, nothing else matters to me, because I care about them that much. If I'm happy the people I interact with start to get happy, moods run off on other people, why be dreary and dim when you can be full of life and be bright?
I may have coeliac disease, I may have sever asthma, I may have kidney problems, I may be hopelessly single, I may feel lonely constantly and I may wish I had a better life and a better job, one that focuses on my degree. But I refuse to let any of my friends feel any pain that I feel every now and then. There's others out there hurting worse than we can imagine, if you want a better life, go and find it; if you want a better job, go and get it (moto: If you don't apply, you'll definitely get denied); and if you want to be happy, go and find what makes you happy. My friends and family are what makes me happy, and that is what is most important to me.
Anne-Marie has been announced for Birmingham Pride 2016. She's one of the new stars of 2016, one of the ones we need to keep an eye on. She's going to be one of those stars that people will know her songs but not her name. She has yet to have a massive hit, regardless of the fact that many of her songs are chart-worthy. I am hoping this song is sung as it's catchy and it's a killer of a song, but without Will Heard to assist with the vocals, it seems unlikely. Rudimental are collaborating two new artists on this track, Will Heard and Anne-Marie create perfect harmonies in this fun song all set in a car.
WHO'S READY FOR ANOTHER?!We're delighted to announce the amazing Anne-Marie - best known as a vocalist for dance...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Rudimental consists of Amir Amor, Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden and Leon Rolle. They have two number ones under their belt, and with some of the biggest names collaborating with them, I'm expecting another number one soon, both albums have hit the top of the charts in the UK, this is one group who will release hit song after hit song and will be around for a very long time. Anne-Marie is a star in the making, she has a great voice that sounds amazing on the tracks she has already released, she has her own style and unique music that is slowly starting to set the charts alight. As for Will Heard, he has been trying for a while, but has had limited success. Rudimental could've chosen bigger names for this song, and yet it works perfectly with these two! The song was written by Rudimental, Uzo Emenike, Will Heard and Jess Glynne. A star-studded song writing team, all an artist in their own right.
Directed by I Owe Youth, it's a simple visual set in a car park, with a stationary car which the two featuring artists vacate.
It's in black and white with no reason whatsoever other than to make it drab and work with the setting, yet it doesn't help the song or the video at all, I wanted colour.
There isn't much going on, a few tips and camera tricks, such as zooming in enough so that we don't see the car convert and lose the roof into the boot of the car. This happens again at the end where Will Heard appears on the back of the car next to Anne-Marie.
The dancing isn't choreographed, it's nice to see how their freestyle is. It is a clubby song, one that you would tap your foot to in the car, one you'd nod your head to at the bar, but not one you would go all out dancing on the dancefloor.
A simple tune, the video makes it seem like it's some sort of jam or acoustic set, like it randomly happened and they randomly videoed it. It fails to bring anything interesting to the viewers, although Will Heard cheekily pushes Anne-Marie off the boot of the car, and then she attempts to push him off which fails because he slides her off with him, as she does a funny little scream. Relaxed, cool and calm, this video fails to keep us interested and fails to relate to the song at all. The car is a BMW E30.
It's Mason Noise, the guy who had an argument on stage with Simon Cowell during the six chair challenge. He is the guy that threw the mic to the ground and said he was 'done', the guy who wasn't happy he had minutes of air time during his audition, and with that cocky attitude he has got, it didn't really surprise me. I liked him from the get-go when he was dancing up against Rita Ora, but his attitude behind the scenes didn't look good, he was arrogant during bootcamp. I reckon I would've disliked his audition if he was given more air time than other people. However regardless of the argument, he has a good voice, and he has a chance to get far if he takes the opportunities given to him. Mason Noise is from Birmingham, my home town, so it's fitting he'll be returning for Birmingham Pride 2016. Mason Noise doesn't perform so well in this video, which is definitely high quality and although sketchy, it's professional.
MAKE SOME NOISE FOR...The next act to be announced for the Birmingham Pride Main Stage on Sunday 29 May is Birmingham'...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Mason Noise, real name Mason Binnell, came seventh on the most recent series of The X Factor, series 12. Make some noise for Mason Noise was a clever catch phrase used during the series. Not many wowed us from this series, it was another average year from The X Factor, who comes out on top really depends on who gets the most chart hits, especially since the winner's single got the lowest chart peak in The X Factor history. Mason Noise has three singles on iTunes, and two music video, the other one is for "Blow The Doors Off". He has the voice to make it a career, but has The X Factor knocked his arrogance? There's a fine line between being confident and cocky, cocky doesn't get you anywhere, confidence is picking yourself back up, and by returning to The X Factor, Mason Noise showed he can do it. It was written by DA SETH and Mason Noise.
Directed by DA SETH, there is a lot of amazing visuals that are unbelievable. This is a high quality video, which is what I wasn't expecting from a video before The X Factor.
The camera angles and the camera shots are obvious and too clear cut. The editing is even worse and doesn't flow that well, but that's technicalities.
Attempting to be sexy, there is girls wearing very little, however what makes this completely different is the inclusions of animals, although I'm not so keen on the appearance of DA SETH. There's these gorgeous girls holding the animals, the scorpion, the snake. the horse, and then there's DA SETH with an eagle. Now, they should've included a sexy guy, holding the eagle, and DA SETH could've just appeared in Mason Noise's performance side of the video.
As for Mason Noise, he looks like a lost boy, or one who has been sent to sit on the naughty step. He looks like he is the type of person to sulk if he doesn't get his way. He has always got that face and I actually just want to slap a smile out of him, or something rather than the sulk face, because it isn't a good look. Hopefully The X Factor has taught him how to perform better than he does in this.
A High quality music video, with basic editing skills and a not so great performance. Apart from that, brilliant visuals, relatable to an extent and a not so bad song with brilliant vocals. Mason Noise could be a star, he could set Birmingham Pride 2016 stage alight, I may or may not be there to see him, but importantly, he needs to take the opportunities he's been given, stop sulking and start smiling, he's one to look out for, no doubt about it.
Struggled to choose a new release this week, so many new singles without a video. This is a common occurrence lately, and I'm not liking it, one day I won't have a new release to review for you guys as I literally won't be able to find one, hopefully that day will never come but it is inevitable. Found out about this on Twitter, although it was released two days ago, it's available to chart, even though it is unlikely to do so.
I have just found my new favourite male vocalist! Looking overly sexy and gorgeous Chris Leonard is the star in this video, long gone are 5th Base, Out Of The Blue and Stereo Kicks on The X Factor days, he's gone solo and such a great decision. Paul Morrell looks stalkerish, but moves around well.
Paul Morrell is a DJ who has been setting stages alight for many years and have collaborated with some well known stars such as Mutya Buena, Katherine Ellis, Kimberly Wyatt and Sonique. He hasn't had a chart hit yet, and although he is good enough to get one, I think he's content with the way things are going. As for Chris Leonard, he is the guy to look out for. He was previously in a band called 5th Base, who then changed their name to Out Of The Blue, he then became a part of The X Factor's supergroup Stereo Kicks who have now disbanded, like an eight male group was ever going to work properly. Now he's gone solo, and he has a sensational voice worthy to stand alone, and he is good looking as well. This song alone has made me a fan of his music, and a fan of his looks, move over girls!
Chris Leonard has the spotlight on him in this music video. Looking handsome and cute, his eyes are gorgeous. Definitely camera friendly for sure, he has a great style team behind him. The plain black tee and ripped skinny jeans is definitely in right now and a great contrast to the abandoned building he is performing in.
Paul Morrell just appears, he's creeping round corners and he also has a flare on hand.
Performance wise he does well, conveys the emotion needed for the song, boy does he mean every word he sings. He's extremely sultry whilst hugging the girl, this guy was meant to be in music videos.
I don't quite get the rabbit costumes, I presume this video was released in time for Easter, hence the bunnies, but the feather girls? I have no understanding of the reason why they were used.
The main focus is on Chris Leonard performing in the abandoned building, with Paul Morrell lighting a flare up. It doesn't relate to the song, apart from the girl Chris Leonard is holding close (wish I could swapped places with her). Overall a professional video, with an amazing catchy song, a good looking vocalist with an amazing voice, and a DJ who likes to creep but can definitely play the tunes. Not a bad effort in the slightest, just going to buy the single now from iTunes.
The Vengaboys are my revisit this Thursday, purely because they are one of the Birmingham Pride 2016 acts that I'm most excited to see perform live, bringing back tonnes of childhood memories! This song was their second number one single after "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" and I much prefer it. Transformed into animated characters that were common at the time, the Vengaboys fly us away on holiday to Ibiza, showing us all the places we need to come back to and visit some other time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! WE LIKE TO PARTY... and so do our latest reveal! It's none other than The vengaboys who...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
The Vengaboys have reformed, and with enough promotion I can imagine them doing well in the UK. They are the epitome of any late 90's childhood, we were all singing their songs, playing their songs, dancing to their songs. At the time of this release, the Vengaboys consisted of Kim Sasabone, Denise Post-Van Rijswijk, Roy den Burger and Robin Pors. In the reformation, Roy den Burger has been replaced by Donny Latupeirissa. I will not be missing them at Birmingham Pride 2016, not for anything or anyone. I can't wait to hear this song live. It was written by Jeff Calvert and Max West. The song was based on Typically Tropical's "Barbados".
Many artists have transformed themselves into animated stars, Britney Spears with "Break The Ice" and "Kill The Lights" is the main star that comes to mind, although there are undoubtedly many others.
The Vengaboys start their in what looks like America, they fly past several landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, the city of Toronto, The White House in Washington DC where a piano is being played, amongst others. They are also travelling by bus, that definitely doesn't look safe, but it's definitely an ode to their previous single "We Like To Party (The Vengabus)".
The most surprising thing is when they visit Switzerland and it seems Denise Post-Van Rijswijk has fallen off the wooden decking, and instead of splashing into the water, she is dancing on water!
There is a massive performance side, because this is what the Vengaboys are all about. There's massive choreography that looks easy to pull off but we'll see if the Vengaboys at Birmingham Pride 2016 will perform just like their animated versions of themselves.
Scenic, beautiful and clever, this video is on point, especially for the era it was released. It relates perfectly to the song and links in with the lyrics. There's only one thing wrong with it, and that's when Denise Post-Van Rijswijk is dancing on water in Switzerland. Everything else comes together and works out perfectly. If an artist is going to turn themselves into an animated character, they have to pull it off like the Vengaboys have in this video.
Honestly, I wasn't that interested at this announcement for Birmingham Pride 2016, until I looked at some of her songs, and then I got excited that she was the vocalist on Tim Berg's "Seek Bromance". But I doubt I'd go out of my way to watch Amanda Wilson perform, especially since I only really know "Seek Bromance", although I'm pretty sure the remixes of this song and her other hit "Watchin'" is currently doing the rounds in the clubs at the moment. Amanda Wilson performs this song to the best she can, whilst the dancers out-do her in every scene.
YET ANOTHER CONFIRMED ARTIST!We're looking forward to seeing the fantastic Amanda Wilson perform on our Birmingham...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
The Freemasons are a DJ duo consisting of Russell Small and James Wiltshire, they are also members of the group Phats & Small, which has had better chart placements, but aren't as successful. Featured on this track is Amanda Wilson who will be hitting the Birmingham Pride 2016 stage. She has released quite a few singles, although the ones with the Freemasons are her most successful, as well as "Seek Bromance" which she isn't credited for, so I'm presuming she won't be singing "Seek Bromance" at pride. The song samples Jackie Moore's "This Time Baby" and Tina Turner's "When The Heartache Is Over". It was written by Graham Stack, John Reid, Russell Small, James Wiltshire, Leroy Bell and Casey James.
The video is simple, a pure performance based video that doesn't have much going on in it.
The dancers out perform Amanda Wilson, they are the main feature of the video, they're all in-sync and are definitely professionals, pulling off the choreography amazingly. Amanda Wilson either can't dance or they didn't want to include her in the choreography, she pretty much does the same three moves over and over again, and it's totally sets her up because the dancers aren't even doing those dance steps. She looks awkward and on her own.
This video exposes Amanda Wilson as a good singer but not the best performer. I bet she is a lot better now, but this video really makes her stand out, but in a very bad way. The choreography relates to the dance track rather than the actual song, and the only good bits I can find is the verses because you can see Amanda Wilson for herself, and yet it's too simplistic and with next to no performance in it. Was her heart even in this video?
I am breaking the rules, once again, since this is not an official music video for this song, this is more of a promotional video, as Fleur East has confirmed there will be an official music video released soon, however it's been a couple of months now, and there's no sign of an official music video any time soon, it especially didn't help with this song not charting. I have broken the rules a few times before, examples includes Justin Bieber's entire promotional videos for his album, titled "Purpose: The Movement", as well as Revisit Thursday Nathan Sykes "Born To Dance". Fleur East brings the summer with this tune, and this video is some fun in the sun, which we definitely need in this cold UK weather. Everyday we love you more and more Fleur East
WHO WOULD LIKE A BIT OF SAX?We would! We love the fact that the amazing Fleur East will be one of our headliners on...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Fleur East has been confirmed for Birmingham Pride 2016, as one of the main headliners. After supporting her throughout The X Factor, I am so excited to see her perform and hear her sing "Sax" live, her dancing will be incredible, undoubtedly. She came second behind Ben Haenow, but it seems that Fleur East has won overall, because of her chart hits. This song was released with very little promotion, no official video and no release date announcement and no performances around that time. Whether they were relying on radio to pick it up, I don't know, but the radio didn't pick it up that well, and the song failed to chart. Maybe the release of the official video might push sales. The song was written by Fleur East, Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, James Abrahart and Camille Purcell.
Directed by Robin Fenlon, the video was released as a promotional video for the song. It shows Fleur East in Los Angeles, having a sun fun day, which we all love to do now and again don't we?
This could slightly work as an official video, since Fleur East is dancing and singing to the song, the performance side is subtle, but interesting, it's nice to see her relaxed and just having fun, maybe a bit of freestyle would have made this performance side a little more interesting, but I guess we all need to wind down after the full dance choreography of "Sax".
Fleur gives us fun fun fun, fun in the sun! She has fun on the beach, on the pier, in an arcade/amusements (Dance machine, oh yeah!), at a funfair, in a red convertible car, in a funky clothes shop and at a basketball court. She makes me want to go to LA on holiday, in this exact place.
Overall, as an official music video, it works slightly, but it's only a promotional video, and so it works well. The song is a grower, one that may eventually chart as it's getting more and more catchy, but it needs more and more promotion... Definitely needs a remix, which would definitely help it to chart better. Overall, fun, sun and confident.
Mike Posner is still at number one with "I Took A Pill In Ibiza", so I'm excited to choose a song in the top ten, and I'm so happy that this is in the top ten this week! Finally it has a video, although we're all completely disappointed Zara Larsson is not in it whatsoever, why tease it so much if it was apparently shot last minute? They could've included her one way or another, regardless of how busy she might've been. This totally ruined any chance of me enjoying this video, which totally makes it difficult to review. Full of grinding, twerking and confidence, this video relates to the song, but whereas the song is amazingly catchy, more thanks to Zara Larsson than Tinie Tempah, this video falls dead to the water.
Tinie Tempah, real name Patrick Okogwu, has made quite the name for himself, all of his solo songs have been hits, so it's undeniable that he will forever be in our charts. He has seven number ones under his belt, and I reckon he will be getting a lot more in the future. Featuring is new star Zara Larsson, who definitely won't be disappearing any time soon, although saying that... Not appearing in a music video with Tinie Tempah might not do her any favours. "Lush Life" is one of my favourite songs, and she has a killer voice on "Never Forget You". She shocks everyone with this, because it suits her perfectly, and yet... No sign of her in the video. The song is a hit, but maybe it would've performed better if the video had Zara Larsson in.
The video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. Filmed whilst Tinie Tempah took a long stay over there. Clearly Zara Larsson didn't have time to fly over there and film it. It's saddening to think that she wasn't featured in the music video, especially since she makes this song, although Tinie Tempah's rapping is on point.
Tinie Tempah hosts a street party, and it's all fun and games. He performs well in this, although he doesn't do much, he looks relaxed, like he's at home in Cape Town.
The dancers can dance, that's undeniable, and yet they aren't given much choreography, just a few booty shakes, a bit of twerking and grinding. These dancers can do so much more, yet there there to look sexy.
Zara Larsson's verse is done quite cheap and nastily, although I love the idea behind the bathroom scene, as girls' chatter in bathrooms; the scene isn't shown as how I would imagine. It paints a bad picture both generally and culturally. And although they have someone who looks similar to Zara Larsson in the background, I feel that this not only erases her from the song and video entirely, but having other women lip-sync to her lyrics kills her off. This reminds me a lot of Ms. D in Wiley's "Heatwave", who never appeared in that video. Difference is Zara Larsson is a chart success with her own songs, you don't just not include her and expect people, to not only not notice, but also not want answers. Where is she?
Overall, Tinie Tempah does he's best to perform, but without Zara Larsson it was never going to work. The video relates well, although could've been so much more. With all the hype created about this video, it should've been a stunner, since the song is amazing. The song would get five stars from me, but since I'm purely basing the rating on the video, I have no choice but to give it this rating.
I totally screamed when this act was announced for Birmingham Pride 2016, if there's one act I will not miss, it will be the Vengaboys. They were a massive hit in the 90s, gaining two number one hits and seven top ten hits in the UK. They are the dance group of my childhood, we were all singing their songs and watching their music videos. The Vengaboys tell us they want us in their room in this boom of a track. Relatable, entertaining and surprisingly explicit, this video is well ahead of it's time with the technology idea, yet the costumes and style is stuck in the past.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! WE LIKE TO PARTY... and so do our latest reveal! It's none other than The vengaboys who...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
The Vengaboys consisted of, at the time, Kim Sasabone, Denise Post-Van Rijswijk, Roy Den Burger and Robin Pors. The group are currently back together and have released a Christmas album and a couple of singles, with Donny Latupeirissa replacing Roy Den Burger in the line-up. With Birmingham Pride 2016 coming up, I am expecting them to announce a new single, with enough touring in the UK and enough promotion, I can see this group making one of the biggest comebacks we have ever seen, their new singles should've been hits, I admit, I do like "Hot, Hot, Hot". This song hit number one in the UK in 1999, and was written by Dennis van Den Driesschen, Benny Andersson, Wessel van Diepen and Björn Ulvaeus. The first verse interpolates Abba's "Lay All Your Love On Me".
This video is both sexual and explicit, unsurprising due to the song's meaning, how this was shown on music channels in the 90's when I was young, I do not know, but I guess age ratings wasn't given to videos back then, whereas nowadays this would've been banned until curfew time.
The choreography is on point, the Vengaboys sure know how to move and it excites me to think that I'll be seeing them perform live in the next few months at Birmingham Pride, and if they perform as in sync as they do in this video, they will be more than amazing.
This is mainly a performance piece, although there is a slight narrative, it seems the Vengaboys are performing in a strip club. There is quite a lot of girl on girl action in this video suggesting that the Vegaboys have been gay idols since the moment they started. The LGBT+ group have welcomed them from the beginning.
There's not much else to comment on. Perfect vocals, catchy songs and undeniably in-sync dancing that put other artists that released music during this era to shame. I can't wait to see them at Birmingham Pride 2016, and I hope that they manage to make a big comeback in the next few years.
Karen Harding has also been announced for Birmingham Pride 2016, I have to admit I was expecting her to be a big name by now, because of how successful "Say Something" was, and yet this follow up single fails to meet expectations, it's too similar to "Say Something" and regardless of the promotion on musical.ly app, it failed to chart, unsurprisingly. Today is the first time I've heard the song and watched the music video. Karen Harding definitely has presence and can perform, which she pulls off perfectly in this music video, as there is nothing else going on. Bland, unimaginative, and unengaging, Karen Harding does the best she can with what she's been given.
AND HERE'S OUR NEXT EXCITING REVEAL...After storming the main stage last year the fantastic Karen Harding returns to...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Karen Harding has appeared on The X Factor and the UK national selection for Eurovision. She proved both of them wrong by getting a hit single with "Say Something", she just needs to follow through and prove the judges wrong by getting more hit singles and a hit album. Her vocals are to the right standard, she just needs the right songs and this one isn't one of them. This song was written by Sophie "Frances" Cooke, Josh Wilkinson and James Reynolds.
Directed by James Partridge, this video is very visual, almost art-worthy, and yet bland and unexciting, without meaning.
There's not much to comment on. There's one scene that is relatable to an extent as Karen Harding is singing and dancing in front of a pink board with a pair of eyes. However the other scenes don't make sense, the flamingoes especially.
Karen Harding exposes her natural beauty, she works the clothes she is wearing, and her hair looks amazing both curly and straight. She clearly has on-stage presence which will be perfect for when she performs at Birmingham Pride 2016, I'm just sad that I missed her last year.
Overall, the video follows "Say Something", as in that she can perform well, but she hasn't had a great music video, that I've seen, so far. I feel that she needs a good music video under her belt, one that the music channels will play again and again, one that will make people watch on repeat on YouTube, because a music video is good promotion for a song, and she has the vocal talent of a superstar, she just needs the hit songs.
What have I just watched. This literal translation of these lyrics is weirdly entertaining to say the least, and yet it doesn't entice me to watch it again. Full of contemporary dancing and visual interpretation of the song words, Nick Jonas and Tove Lo scrape forward and backwards closer and distant from each other, a battle of feelings.
Nick Jonas was originally in The Jonas Brothers and in Nick Jonas And The Administration. He has set out all on his own and has definitely made a solo career for himself. I am not so sure on this song, myself... I absolutely loved "Levels" and I have found Nick Jonas a very hit and miss kind of singer, so I was hoping for more songs like "Levels" but this one isn't as good, which probably explains why it's not doing so well on the iTunes chart today. Tove Lo has also been a hit and miss kind of singer, real name Ebba Nilsson, and yet she's doing all right for herself at the moment. This song was written by Robin Fredriksson, Mattias Larsson, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter and Tove Lo.
This video could've been sexy and it just isn't. Directed by Tim Erem, it's clear a lot of effort went into creating this allusion and both singers' acting and dancing skills were put to the test, however both singers look totally undesirable.
They move forward and backwards on their seats, as if there is a magnetic force repelling and attracting them, and it isn't until their clothes get removed that they're able to touch each other.
Not only is it a good literal translation of the song but there is perfect hidden meaning behind it. As much as I'm not so keen on the song and as undesirable as this music video is because Nick Jonas isn't sexy whatsoever in this video compared to "Levels" and let's not even start on Tove Lo, but she does look better in her feature with Years & Years on song "Desire" than she does in this; I have to congratulate the video on the idea of it all and pulling it off perfectly.
Such an off-putting video, one I both want to watch again and I don't want to watch again. Regardless of that fact, it is technically brilliant, perfectly relatable and an undeniable translation of the lyrics. As much as this may not be appealing, it works well and it fits the song.
Keeping to the style of my blog, regardless of the fact that we're in the middle of Birmingham Pride 2016 Special, since some of the acts have been announced. I've decided to continue to do Thursday Revisit, and so Booty Luv is my revisit today. This is THE song that made ma a fan of Booty Luv. a cover of Luther Vandross' "Shine". Booty Luv are dancing with a dance group in this video, it's clear they can't dance very well and not enough effort went into this video, although it's clear that they can stand there and look pretty whilst singing.
AND OUR NEXT REVEAL IS...The fantastic Booty Luv who return to Birmingham Pride after storming the main stage...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
Booty Luv consists of Cherise Roberts and Nadia Shepherd, they were originally in group Big Brovaz before they split. They are one of my favourite acts that got announced for Birmingham Pride 2016,. however with no new songs, I'm a little worried that I am hyping them up too much, especially since these videos I have reviewed hasn't shown them as great performers. This is a cover of Luther Vandross' "Shine", I definitely prefer the cover version, although Luther Vandross is an undeniably incredible singer, this song was meant to be played in the clubs. It was written by James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.
Once again a Booty Luv video has failed to interest me. Like seriously, what did Hed Kandi do to these girls? Hed Kandi was the record label they were assigned to. They could've put them through dance lessons, and made this video much more explosive.
That is not what we are getting, these girls have learned the routine but not how to pull it off, they do the steps and the moves without any eagerness, they've been told they can't do it fully and they stick out like a sore thumb compared to the dancers behind them.
There's not much else I can comment on, to be fair. This video could've been much much more, but I guess Hed Kandi was attempting to earn as much money rather than exposing the girls to enough promotion. Another fail of a music video for Booty Luv, even if produced perfectly it wouldn't have worked, we needed a narrative storyline, or at least a brilliant jaw-dropping performance, this just isn't it, and commonly found in dance tracks that were popular back then.
I think I've just let The Rhythm get to me and I've just lost my mind. As if I've never seen this video before now, it's amazing, and with a song that so should've charted higher than number 38, but I guess MNEK is definitely in the limelight now, what with his collaboration with Zara Larsson on the song "Never Forget You". He has been announced as one of the headline acts at Birmingham Pride 2016, I just wish Zara Larsson was appearing too. MNEK tells you that The Rhythm will lose your mind, and he is totally right with this freaky music video, it seems MNEK is the only person not to lose his mind in this supermarket.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER BIG HEADLINER...Birmingham Pride are proud to announce that Grammy-nominated British singer,...
Posted by Birmingham Pride on Thursday, 17 March 2016
MNEK, real name Uzo Emenike, has had an established career as a song writer, he has had three number ones and plenty of top ten hits. Now he's creating a career as a solo singer and he is doing a fine job of it, although he isn't exactly a strong singer, he has a perfect soul in his vocals, enough to give him his own number ones in the future. I'm excited to see what he releases next after the amazing hit single "Never Forget You". This song was written by Uzo Emenike and Kersha Bailey.
Directed by Clemens Habicht, the video is once again set in a supermarket, this seems to be a common setting in dancing music videos. I think it's because we've all been in one of them, it's part of everyday life and I think that's what makes it a good setting to put something unnatural. Other videos that have recently been set in a supermarket is Galantis' "Peanut Butter Jelly" and Skrillex & Diplo & Justin Bieber's "Where Are Ü Now".
MNEK is working at the supermarket and he changes the music to his own song The Rhythm. Once the customers hear the song they start to lose their minds just like the song suggests.
They start to dance to the track and then the dancing gets really crazy as special techniques are used that even makes the viewers lose their minds, throughout I was like: is this really happening?
Trampolines were definitely used in the video and other visual transformations. It works really well, although the supermarket would definitely be wrecked by the end of the video, however it's only slightly untidy.
Overall, a great video that relates perfectly with the song. MNEK is a star that much is obvious. I love the video, it's freaky, it's weird, it makes me lose my mind just like the customers. I was a little unexcited when MNEK was announced as one of the acts at Birmingham Pride 2016, now I'm excited to hear him live.
