Today, I let my iTunes choose a song, and as I played my music on shuffle, this one came on and I knew I had to review it's accompanying music video. It's a highly emotive song and effortlessly sung by the vocalist. It translated perfectly into a music video and definitely helps to inspire people globally. Released as a tribute to Paul Bäumer, one-half of Bingo Players, who died of cancer the year earlier; "Knock You Out" sees a girl train herself up to be stronger in the gym after she's had enough of her boyfriend beating her up.
Bingo Players is a one-man project consisting of DJ, Maarten Hoogstraten. Originally, a duo, Paul Bäumer died of cancer. The project continues because that was the latter's wishes. Unfortunately, this single didn't do quite as well as "Get Up (Rattle)" did, which was their last single as a duo. Even though this was released as a tribute to Paul Bäumer and even though this song is so catchy and emotive, it didn't get the recognition it definitely deserved. The vocalist on the song is Kim Viera; hailing from New York, she's building her own career. After singing a few cover songs, she has gone on to release them. The song was written by Maarten Hoogstraten, Magnus Beite, Mikkel Eriksen, Paul Bäumer, Sia Furler, and Tor Hermansen.
This narrative based music video shows a woman in an abusive relationship, attempting to make herself stronger so that she can leave him.
Relating to the song perfectly, it exactly translates the "My fight is won. Who needs a gun." lyrics, which is totally suggestive of where she is now compared to where she was back then.
Clips switch between the past and the present. In the past, we see her relationship turn abusive, where she gets knocked about. In the present, we watch her toughening up in the gym, as she learns how to fight and defend herself.
At the end, we see her meet up with a new guy, someone who takes her bag from her and clearly cares for her. We watch as they walk past her abusive ex-boyfriend. Her smirk suggests her confidence and proves that she knows he's missing out on her gorgeous self.
Full of uplifting confidence that will surely inspire many people in the world, both men and women. It really goes to show how a music video can make an inspirational impact on people globally. Might've been nice to see a performance piece cut between the scenes, but not at the loss of any of the visuals.
Since it's a week until I see Inna for the first time, I thought I'll review one of my favourite songs from her. I remember when this was released, and I loved the song so much. Not so keen on the sexualised music video, which we'll get to later, but the song is most definitely fire. Inna collaborated with Marian Hill for this catchy club song, with a fiery sexualised performance based music video.
Inna, real name Elena Apostoleanu, has had a long-lasting and worthy career to date, and it isn't stopping anytime soon. She may have disappeared from certain lights in certain countries, especially the UK, but that doesn't mean she isn't doing well for herself. She has a new album coming out, and I'm hoping she drops her new single before I set off to Ireland to see her on the 3 December 2016. This song features Marian Hill, a songwriting duo consisting of Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol. Upon release, they didn't help Inna promote the song; however, it wasn't an official collaboration, they just received featured credit because the song samples their song "Got It". The song was written by Ilsey Juber, Marcel Botezan, Radu Bolfea, and Sebastian Barac.
The video was directed by Michael Mircea, with intricate editing techniques which makes it quite artistic.
Inna performs with her usual vibes, she's definitely into the song and she works the camera. Her dancer, however, fails to give anything more to the music video. He feels more like a filler than anything else.
A few different outfits that certainly shows Inna's body. Yet the thing that steals the entire video is definitely the snake visual. A snake is tantalisingly dangerous, slithering over Inna.
The effects are intricate and artistic, from fire to smoke, from mirrored reflections to water illusions. This video attempted to make it more interesting, and yet fails to capture some of the audience. Considering Inna totally upped her game with her next music video: "Bop Bop", which is total fire; this one totally falls flat.
I have literally been waiting for this day to come, ever since Jordan Gray announced her debut single, and then later followed it up with a music video. I have refrained from reviewing it on my blog until today because I wanted it to be my New Release this week, and here it is. Jordan Gray looks amazing during a cis male-trans female love scene with Mickey Taylor; whilst performing "Platinum" in scenes including Billie Gold and Isabella Bliss.
Jordan Gray is known for being a contestant on the fifth series of The Voice UK. She made a name for herself as being the first trans to appear on The Voice in any series across the world. Unfortunately, none of the coaches turned for her, but one of Paloma Faith's acts dropped out and she had the ability to bring someone who didn't get any turns, she chose Jordan Gray. It didn't stop there, though, Jordan Gray progressed all the way to the semi-finals. This is her debut single and she is hoping for a good chart placement. It isn't doing so well, so help her out and buy "Platinum" on iTunes.
The music video is directed by Jak Kav. It features a short narrative with various performance pieces, which really showcases Jordan Gray as an artist.
The opening scene starts the narrative as we watch Jordan Gray in a love scene with male actor Mickey Taylor, who is obviously her love interest. It is the first time there has been a cis male-trans female love scene in a mainstream music video. They are tantalisingly sexy on the bed.
There are various short snippets of performance pieces, from Jordan Gray at the piano, as well as performing on a stage surrounded by blue lighting.
Later Isabella Bliss and Billie Gold sex up the video even more in a burlesque scene, which later transitions into a black and white car scene where Jordan Gray is in the front singing the song whilst Billie Gold and Isabella Bliss are passengers in the back.
If anything, this music video is extremely thought out, definitely showcasing Jordan Gray as an artist, all the while relating to the song in every way. This music video is confident, strong, and one that will be embedded in your mind so that you have to watch it again. Fierce and sexy, with an infectious voice, Jordan Gray is on her way to superstardom.
Before today, I haven't heard this song, let alone seen the music video, but since it's Thursday Revisit, I thought I'll choose Aly & AJ because it's unlikely they'll feature on my blog again, for a while at least. This is their debut single, that did all right. They were Disney stars, and I remember thinking they reminded me of Mary-Kate & Ashley, although Aly & AJ aren't twins. In this music video for "Rush", we watch Aly & AJ being gypsy-like, busking to earn money and then spending it on recording material for the song.
Aly & AJ are sister duo consisting of Alyson Michalka and Amanda Joy Michalka, they changed their name to 78violet for all of an unreleased album, before changing it back. Their biggest hit to date is "Potential Breakup Song" which became an international success. They have acted in a number of films and TV Series, mainly separately, although they have been in a few together. Their debut song hit the US Billboard Chart at number 59. It was written by Alyson Michalka, Amanda Michalka, and Carlos Tornes.
This music video is directed by Marc Webb. There is another music video out there, released by Disney, which features the sisters on stage whilst there are scenes of "Twitches" intercut throughout. I am reviewing Marc Webb's music video because it feels much more official.
We watch the girls in various scenes. Most notably Jackass Ginger, which is a local popular swimming spot near Pali Lookout, Oahu, Hawaii.
The scenes show the girls having fun with their friends, doing what they want and having a good time. To gain money, they busk, which clearly brings in a lot of money as we watch them go and buy recording equipment.
It's a simple music video, but it captures the essence of the song, and it really is quite visually interesting. On the second watch, you see things you may have missed the first time, which definitely makes this something special. Aly & AJ are currently working on a new album, so I look forward to that being released.
This is the emotional song that should've done much better in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Romania entered Voltaj and scored 35 points placing them 15th, which isn't such a bad placement. The song is so emotional, and Voltaj easily displays the love lost of the song in the music video and studio recording, however, on the night, it just didn't go so well, and they didn't display the emotion quite the way we expected. This led to the not so great score. Voltaj's "De la capăt" is about people going to earn a living in a different country and leaving their children behind; in the video we watch a child missing his family.
Voltaj, are a five piece Romanian pop rock group consisting of Călin Goia, Gabriel "Porcus" Constantin, Adrian M. Christescu, Valeriu "Prunus" Ionescu, and Oliver Sterian. They have released many singles and albums, and have been going for many of years. They won best Romanian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2005. Since this release, they went on to release an album. This song is full of emotion, although I totally agree that it's much better sung in Romanian. For some reason, Voltaj loses the emotion slightly when they change to the English version of the song towards the end. The song was written by Gabriel Constantin, Călin Gavril Goia, Adrian Christescu, Victor-Răzvan Alstani, Silviu-Marian Păduraru, Monica Stevens, and Andrei Leonte.
This music video totally relates to the song, and has a brilliant narrative backed up by a typical performance piece. The visual is so stunning.
The narrative is intense. You watch a lonely boy missing his parents as he goes through his life. He gets a parcel from his mother, who then he writes to before he goes and explores, possibly going on an adventure to which is a part of his memories from the time he spent with his family, that's my theory anyway.
The mother is currently living in Austria, clearly earning money to give her child a much better chance at life, who she's left behind in Romania. Unfortunately, the letter is sent back to him, which makes him pack his stuff up and take a boat trip out over the water. We presume he's trying to get to Austria, although that is a long way to go by boat.
The performance piece isn't anything new, it's a typical band performance. However, I love that there are some scenic scenes such as when they're on the cliff, as well as on the boat in the open water.
Overall, the music video is completely emotional. It has everything, from a narrative that is so sweet and that many children and adults will identify with in Romania, as well as other countries; to a performance piece that may be typical, but is scenic. The boy is so adorably cute, that it was great to choose him for the role. It's such a shame this song didn't do better at Eurovision 2015, but it all depends on the night and for some reason, the emotion didn't come across as well as previous performances.
After seeing "The Edge of Seventeen" today, I had to review this music video, where the title character is collaborating with one of my favourite new bands! The film is highly relatable and is definitely a must-see film! This song doesn't really relate to DNCE, who have just released their very unique debut album, hence why they merely only featured on the song. Hailee Steinfeld and her love interest go to a DNCE concert, where Joe Jonas passes her a mic to sing the song with them, whilst jealousy seeps out of the boyfriend in the music video to "Rock Bottom".
Hailee Steinfeld was the main character, Nadine, in the new film that hits UK cinemas next week called "The Edge of Seventeen". Check out the review I wrote for CelebMix. She's played various roles in films and TV shows, and has proven a few times that she's quite the triple threat; she can dance, sing, and act. This song is much sweeter than her most recently released "Starving", and it's quite surprising to see this wasn't an international hit because it's definitely catchy even if it is only mediocre. DNCE are a four-piece band consisting of Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, JinJoo Lee, and Cole Whittle. Their music is like nothing you've heard yet, their album is phenomenal and you should totally check it out and my review for Outlet Magazine. This song doesn't really go with the songs DNCE have released. "Rock Bottom" was written by Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredriksson, Julia Michaels, and Justin Tranter.
Directed by Malia James, the music video is a memory-narrative music video, with a performance piece segment halfway through. Hailee Steinfeld's love interest / boyfriend is played by model and actor John Economou.
The opening scene sees Hailee Steinfeld in the back of a taxi, singing away to the song, as memories of her time with John Economou unravel in a series of events, from loving and passionate scenes to fights and argumentative scenes. It all leads up to a concert event where they attend a DNCE concert together. This is where she takes to the stage to perform the song with DNCE.
Now this performance piece is full of emotions, she has really identified with this song and her chemistry with Joe Jonas is infectious. She is loving every minute of being on that stage. However, there's a continuity edit that does my head in, her furry red coat starts off relaxed around her arms, revealing her back. However, in some scenes, she has the coat half-on-half-off and, in others, she's wearing it over her shoulders. It's so distracting.
Her love interest ran out the door whilst she was performing with DNCE, he clearly couldn't put up with her making eyes at Joe Jonas; I totally don't blame her, though. She steps off stage to go and find him, which is why she ended up in the taxi in the first place. The ending sees them kissing in the rain in a sweet and romantic scene.
Overall, it's a great complete music video. Every aspect and scene has been completely thought out and works in a loving circle visual. However, that continuity error bugs me nonstop. A great music video that relates to the song perfectly!
It's Monday, and Clean Bandit is still at the top with "Rockabye" featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie. So that opens the top ten to my Chart Mondays review. There are two reasons I've picked this music video: one, this song is set to drop out of the UK top ten next week, especially since it's been dropping week-on-week and it's currently sitting at number 10; but, also, two, I'm going to see "The Edge of Seventeen" tomorrow, as I won two free tickets to the film, which Hailee Steinfeld stars as the lead character. Considering what films I have seen her in, she's going to be perfect in the film, yet it's her music videos and songs that really impact me as they are so different from her characters. Sexy, confident and full of fire, Hailee Steinfeld dances away whilst eyeing a guy in this music video for "Starving" which is in collaboration with Grey and Zedd.
Hailee Steinfeld is a singer and actress, who is totally proving that you can do both and make it big. Her film roles have been completely incredible and as she starts on her musical career she is releasing solid songs everyone is loving. She's practically the next Hilary Duff, for sure, and yet encroaching on the brilliance of Jennifer Lopez. In the next decade or so, Hailee Steinfeld will be one of the greats, she's already halfway there and it's not going to stop now. This song is a collaboration with Grey. They are an American electronic brother duo consisting of Kyle Trewartha and Michael Trewartha. They have remixed some pretty well-known tracks, and has released two collaborative tracks, including this one, the other being "Adrenaline". Zedd features on this track, real name Anton Zaslavski. He has worked with Grey on both of the aforementioned tracks. He is definitely one of the biggest DJs in the whole world, and I am a fan. This song was written by Michael Trewartha, Kyle Trewartha, Robert McCurdy, Christopher Petrosino, and Asia Whiteacre.
Darren Craig is the director of this mainly performance-based music video, which envelopes a slight narrative. Grey make a cameo appearance in the music video, although no sign of Zedd. Hailee Steinfeld is a vision.
There are a few scenes to point out. The opening scene is emotional, really impacting the audience making them think she's serenading us. Then a shirtless dancer comes in the choreography scene, he's obviously the love interest. The scene is fire, with Hailee Steinfeld completely showing she can dance as well as sing and act; totally a triple threat!
Then there's the fading into the wallpaper scene, where her outfit matches the wall behind her, this totally messes with my head, and I find it difficult to focus. Luckily, I'm not the only one, though. It's a slight insight into the sort of characters I've seen her play in the films I've seen, although the outfit in question totally pushes that idea out the way because that outfit is sexy, sultry and completely works for her.
The video's great, although a more-developed narrative would've made this brilliant. There are a few undeveloped scenes, that I wish I could see more of; the ending scene, in particular, is gorgeous but not long enough. There's not a lot else I can say, but it's one of the good performance-based music videos I've seen!
My iTunes played one of their songs today, and it totally reminded me of the days this song was popular on the music channels. It's such a shame they never became a big success, but they've stuck with it and has a new album on its way, so hopefully they have a hit single from that. This song is their biggest hit to date, but it's one most people have forgotten about for now. Yet, it's bound to do well if the girls returned with another hit song. The performance-based video shows sisters Aly & AJ recording and posing for the camera. Pure fun from start to finish.
Aly & AJ, full names Alyson "Aly" Michalka and Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka, are sisters and were formerly known as 78violet for all of an unreleased full album before they reverted back to Aly & AJ. You may have seen them separately and together in various films and TV series. They were Disney stars, yet I never identified them as part of the group that was about during that time. Now they're no longer a part of Hollywood records, and as I previously mentioned, they have a new album coming out. This song is their biggest hit so far, having managed to hit number 22 on the UK chart. The song was written by Alyson Michalka, Amanda Michalka, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.
The music video was directed by Chris Applebaum. There is not much to this music video, and it is a pure performance piece that the girls manage to rock perfectly, and yet it's not so relatable to the song.
They reminded me of Mary-Kate and Ashley when they first came out, but I think that just came from the fact that they were sisters (not twins) with blonde hair. The connections children make.
There is a few different scenes, one where they're recording the song, another in a yellow-pink filtered room, and then there's the performance with the guitar. The latter scene allows them to go on full-on rock mode, wishing they will collaborate with Orianthi one day, wishes and hopes.
Literally, with nothing more for me to comment on, leaves a lot to the imagination. The song is about break-ups and the girls sing with passion. Their love for each other as sisters is obvious, and it's so heartwarming to see how much they get along. I can't wait to hear new music from this duo.
Everyone is talking about this music video, it definitely packs a punch. The Veronicas have been on point recently with new music, and although they haven't had much chart success in recent years, they've managed to strum up attention, and this music video has certainly done that. Watch Ruby Rose and Jessica Origliasso go through the ups and downs of being in a lesbian relationship. "On Your Side" displays a passionate relationship, totally relatable to the LGBT+ community.
The Veronicas are a sister duo consisting of Jessica Origliasso and Lisa Origliasso. They made a name for themselves when they released "4ever" which was then topped when "Untouched" was released. Internation success has been difficult for them, but they prove time and time again that acts can regain global fame, just like they did with "You Ruin Me". Now this song is set to do the exact same once again because of this incredible music video. This song was written by Lisa Origliasso, Jessica Origliasso, Wayne Hector, and Jim Eliot.
Directed by Ruby Rose, real name Ruby Rose Langenheim; this music video is completely outstanding. Relating perfectly with the lyrics, Ruby Rose stars as Jessica Origliasso's love interest. Totally enveloping themselves within this relatioship, which is completely true and real since they are girlfriend and girlfriend in real life, they easily display affection and emotion on camera.
Tackling hard issues from the abuse LGBT+ community receives to drug abuse; it's incredible that they've managed to include eveything in this single four minute music video. How is it possible?
We've all been in a romantic relationship like this, a whirlwind romance that feels so real. Mine has never built into anything more than what it was, whereas the visual suggests there is love for everyone out there and there is always one person on your side even if you don't see it at the time.
Completely narrative throughout, we watch the meeting of Ruby Rose and Jessica Origliasso. We watch as it develops into a loving relationship. I need a guy who will drop a massive teddy on my doorstep!
Typical relationship events enfold including the meeting of Jessica Origliasso's sister, Lisa. So she does appear in a cut-scene. Which then leads onto the all important bar scene, where a guy cracks onto Jessica. Ruby Rose is not too happy about this and turns it into a fight, which doesn't go her way. It does mean Jessica Origliasso gets to care for Ruby Rose in bed. But this is where another important scene takes place.
Ruby Rose doesn't want to take the pain killers that her girlfriend offers, but she gives in what with the pain being unbearable. On first take, you would think nothing of it, yet as the scenes unfold, with Ruby Rose unable to stop taking the medication even after she's completely healed; suggests addiction, and it might be something that happened in her past too.
As expected Ruby Rose hides it from Jessica Origliasso, but she ends up finding out in the end, which leaves her walking out the door. But when she returns, she still cares for her and finds Ruby Rose on the floor after taking an overdose.
No matter how hard life gets, there is always someone on your side, even if you think you are all alone. This emotional impact really cuts deep within, no ones truly alone. People care, even if you think they don't. Life is there to be lived, even if you are struggling. Even if you don't feel it inside, you impact somebody each and every day in a good way, whether you mean to or not.
Can I just state, Ruby Rose is gorgeous throughout this, how on earth is she so pretty? I have no answers but she is beauty personified. Jessica Origliasso is just as stunning, she's a strong powerful woman in this music video as Ruby Rose shows her insecurities. They make a perfect couple, and we can see the realness behind it completely.
This music video is the complete package. It might be a pure narrative, with only one of The Veronicas taking up a prominient role, whereas Lisa Origliasso is, pretty much, unseen, but I can't deny the beauty of this music video. Not only are they tackling LGBT+ issues, but drug addiction plays a prominent role towards the end, all wrapped up in a relatable loving relationship. The Veronicas and Ruby Rose are a force to be reckoned with, and I hope to see more videos directed by Ruby Rose. You hit home, and did it beautifully and perfectly.
After getting up early today to watch this music video, and then write my article for CelebMix about it, I knew I had to review it on my blog too. To me, this music video is one of the best ones from Britney Spears, mainly because of how happy she is, she's giving amazing positive vibes in this video, and it's nice to see her like this. Britney Spears and Tinashe team up for this exciting new music video for "Slumber Party". They dance, party and have fun in a spooky mansion.
Britney Spears returned with a whole new album this year titled "Glory". Personally, it's one of Britney's best albums she has released; literally, I like every single song, which is extremely rare, for me. Now, after the dire "Make Me..." video that was a rushed release after the highly anticipated one got scrapped; she has now totally redeemed herself by releasing one of her best videos yet. Teaming up with Tinashe slightly didn't add much to the song, but the video itself is, even more, fire with them both. Tinashe, full name Tinashe Kachingwe, is one of those singers that dip in and out of the charts and although she hasn't had a global hit, her songs are still known amongst the general public. Sales aren't everything, and nor are charts; Tinashe is definitely proof of that. This was her dream, to collaborate with Britney Spears, and to get to the point in your career where you complete your dream is something to be massively proud of. This song was written by Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredriksson, Julia Michaels, and Justin Tranter.
Directed by grammy-nominated Colin Tilley, it's no surprise how amazing this video is. There's so much to this music video, that I don't even know where to start. Britney Spears' love interest in the music video is actor and model Sam Ashgari.
The opening scene is a car driving through some gates, that had opened mysteriously by themselves. Britney Spears steps out of the back and starts walking up to the mansion; she takes off her red fur coat and leaves it lying on the floor, showing off her sexy red dress.
The party is in full swing much like "If U Seek Amy"'s music video is. Only this time they have bubbles creating a haze like visual. Then she catches the eye of Sam Ashgari, and we don't blame her for checking him out.
Plenty of other scenes follow; a party scene, a luxury sitting room scene, and a killer dance scene that has Britney Spears smashing out the dance sequences like they're nothing. A true professional right there, in total sync with her backing dancers.
Tinashe soon arrives, she magically appears in the sitting room and they both start to caress each other, are they suggesting a threesome to Sam Ashgari? Wouldn't be the first time Britney Spears suggested a threesome, just listen to those lyrics in "3".
Tinashe also gets up onto the dancefloor for a one-on-one with Britney Spears. This was not a surprise, they are flawless throughout, and yet manage to make it look like they came up with the choreography there and then. The dances are easily performed and perfectly relatable to the lyrics almost a direct translation, enough where we know we'll totally be performing them when we're clubbing.
Britney Spears brings milk into the visual once again in an iconic scene. Milk previously appeared in "I Wanna Go", but this time around, it's Britney Spears who is lapping up the milk herself. It has been spilt on the table, probably when she climbed onto the table and sexily crawled her way to Sam Ashgari.
The ending sees the doors close by themselves. Quite the haunting video, it makes me wonder if they had planned for a Halloween release, but pushed it back and made it less haunting. Although why Sam Ashgari has that tattoo on his face is anyone's guess.
Overall, this is definitely one of her best videos. Relatable, fun, a killer dance scene, a brilliant collaboration, a great opening scene, a dining room table crawl scene. What more could we have asked for? Britney Spears' performance is on point throughout, and Tinashe is brilliant as a featured guest star. A little note to the dancer that has Britney Spears' head lying on his body whilst she touches his crotch, I bet not many guys can say that Britney has done that to them. This is the happiest I've seen Britney Spears in a music video for a while! Pure fire!
Now this is the Keke Palmer we're used to from her films and TV characters. I can definitely see Zayday Williams from Scream Queens in this version of Keke Palmer. However, I'm loving her new direction in music "Hands Free" is total fire! Today is revisit Thursday, and so I chose Keke Palmer since I never even knew she was a singer. I had four music videos to choose from, but I chose this one because it's the only single that has charted in the whole world... More on that later, though. Disney star, Keke Palmer, clones herself twice and they performs in an animated world, turning it into a Keke Palmer trio, plus rapper Big Meech in a stage scene in the music video for "Keep It Movin'".
Keke Palmer, real name Lauren Palmer, is an actress I'm currently seeing weekly on my TV screen. She plays Zayday Williams in Scream Queens, although she has been in plenty of other films and TV shows that you may recognise her from. As for her musical career, it hasn't really kicked off the way people, clearly, expected it would. This is the only single that has charted in the whole world, how it managed to hit number 30 on the Portuguese chart, I have no idea. The featured artist is Big Meech. Who is Big Meech? There is no information on him whatsoever. He never followed up with any more music releases, although many get him confused with another rapper with the same name. As far as I can tell, he went under the name of Meech for a while and went as far as releasing song "Thicka Than A Snicka", but nothing else since. The song was written by John Stary, Jeffrey Paul Allen, Mischke J. Butler, and Dametrice Cilek.
The music video was directed by James Larese, using a green screen to transport Keke Palmer into an animated world.
Edited amazingly, it's clear a lot of effort went into this, as well as Keke Palmer performing three times over in different outfits so that it looks like she's cloned herself. It's quite surprising to see Keke Palmer as three different people, all singing and dancing together. Definitely kudos to the editing team on this one.
But that's as far as the kudos stars go. It's just not that interesting. Her target audience was clearly children, but this is a forgettable music video, regardless of whether it was in or not. Finally, Disney waivers from your typical Disney star and we have a potentially great R'n'B Disney star that doesn't hit it off because of lack of promotion.
Keke Palmer deserved better than this; however, she kills the dance sequence, the performance piece and her acting ability clearly shines through. Big Meech, or Meech, doesn't do a single thing to help this video, he's just as forgettable as the video itself.
I'm giving it kudos for relatability, and the amazing editing team behind this. Yet, that's as far as it goes. It's not at all what I was expecting. Keke Palmer could've been this big musical pop star and, granted, the music video isn't the only reason her music career didn't go so well, but it's clear that she deserved better. Now, she's released "Hands Free", and that is FIRE! She's ready for the music industry this time around!
On to the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. This was a year I wasn't so fond of, and I only have a few favourites from this year. This is certainly not one of them, but this is my home country. I am not sure what they were thinking when they chose this song, it certainly wasn't a public decision, and we knew we wouldn't do well as soon as it was announced. The United Kingdom and Electro Velvet came 24th with five points. Electro Velvet perform in front of dancers in this jazz/dance music video that looks like it was made for the 20's, I'm totally not "Still In Love With You".
Electro Velvet were a duo consisting of Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas. None of the artists were known as soloists, although Alex Larke had been in the music industry for a short while, whilst Bianca Nicholas had appeared on The Voice UK. She never got past the coaches auditions. They were planning on releasing an album through Pledge Music, but it was cancelled. They have now parted ways. They were chosen through internal selection, but it's hard to believe this was the best song that was entered to The BBC for Eurovision 2015. This song was written by David Mindel and Adrian Bax White.
The music video is just as dire as the song. Really taking the concept of the song being a modern twist on 1920's swing music, they have made the video feel really old fashioned.
No modern twist on the video, unless you count the UV paint, which doesn't even belong in the video in the first place.
A pure performance music video, Alex Larke is in his element, he is loving this song and it's video, but he's that sort of guy who would like this music. As for Bianca Nicholas, she's trying to look like she's enjoying it just as much, but it's not really her style of music, and that is clear.
The dancing relates more to the swing side of the musical composition, and any scenes of a possible narration aren't developed enough to fully include the audience. It just doesn't work.
After writing an article about this music video for CelebMix, I just have to write a more in-depth piece for my blog. I became a fan of her music as soon as she represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. Her vocals are astonishing, especially in this club-like euro-pop track; unfortunately the song isn't doing that well on an international scale, although in Australia it's not doing too bad. I still believe she is a star in the making, and I cannot wait for a new album. In this video, Dami Im is "Fighting For Love" in a fashionable and emotional performance piece, whilst a choreography scene interprets the song into a contemporary dance segment.
Dami Im represented Australia at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. She came second with "Sound Of Silence", just being beaten by the Ukraine entrant. She previously won The X Factor Australia in 2013. In anticipation of a possible new album, this song was released as a follow-up to "Sound of Silence". It's been well-received by the media, but promotion is key in Europe, and obviously Australia, since this single isn't fairing so well in her home country, but it is doing much worse in Europe. This song shows us the sort of music she's been working on and the direction she has taken. Clearly, she has been heavily influenced by Eurovision and Europe music, and she's ready to be an international star. This song was written by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci.
The video is incredibly stylish, although reminiscent of "Sound of Silence" because of it being split between a performance piece and a dance scene. Although the former single is much more dark whereas this one is stylish and colourful.
Dami Im performs with her usual engagement vibes that capture the audience instantly. She looks completely stunning throughout in the three different outfits. The stylists have done a brilliant job on set, managing to capture Dami Im's beauty amongst the gorgeous clothes that are very current yet highly fashionable.
The dance scene interprets the song into relatable choreography that is pulled off flawlessly. The contemporary dance is lovingly emotional.
It has been edited well, flitting between the various scenes. But Dami Im totally shines throughout, which is to be expected since it is her music video. The dancers are a nice refresh from her performance piece.
It's Chart Mondays again, and we have a new number one! Once again, Clean Bandit remain supreme on the UK Charts. This marks their second number one after "Rather Be", and it is their sixth top ten hit. It was released a few weeks ago and had stalled at number three, before jumping to the top spot. Sean Paul racks up another number one; but, finally, Anne-Marie has scored her biggest hit, her vocals are pure fire on this track and I knew she was destined for success! Clean Bandit, now as a three-piece, perform in a bar with Anne-Marie and Sean Paul whilst the narrative shows a mother doing what she has to do to support her child in the "Rockabye" music video.
Clean Bandit are now a three-piece band consisting of Grace Chatto, Jack Patterson, and Luke Patterson. Recently Neil Amin-Smith left the band but that doesn't stop Clean Bandit releasing killer hits. They are definitely one of the biggest bands out at the moment, with everyone watching to see what is next for them. They will always be a massive influence in music, there is no stopping Clean Bandit. Featuring on this track is Sean Paul, full name Sean Paul Henriques, and Anne-Marie, full name Anne-Marie Nicholson. The former has worked with some of the biggest stars, managing to help them reach number one, most notably with The Saturdays on "What About Us"; however, he's never had a solo number one yet. He is definitely one of the biggest reggae/hip-hop artists around at the moment. Anne-Marie isn't exactly new to the music industry, having built her career up from no chart placements to hitting number one with this song, talk about never giving up; you go, girl! This song was written by Jack Patterson, Steve Mac, Ammar Malik, Ina Wroldsen, and Sean Paul Henriques.
The music video is directed by Grace Chatto and Jack Patterson. It features a number of actors and dancers as well as a pole dancer. Dancers are Siriana Mecca, Rita Maria Conte, Nife agunbiade, Alicja Blachut, and Joanne Elizz. The young boy is played by Elijah Dallen.
In the video, there is both a narrative and a performance piece. The narrative focuses on single mothers, and how they end up being someone they never thought they would be to support their child.
The woman is a pole dancer, although she makes it look effortlessly sexy, turning it more into an art-form than that of what our perspectives of pole dancing are. She is a total expert.
Anne-Marie shines throughout in the performance piece, nothing we wouldn't expect because she manages to nail it every time in every music video. She was amazing at Birmingham Pride, when I saw her perform. Sean Paul adds some comedy as the pub punters lip-sync to his lyrics in his performance piece.
There's an amazing dance scene, with Grace Chatto proving her dance ability; totally in sync with the backing girls, it's nice to see her doing something different. She also took to the stage at Wembley at the Kiss Haunted House Party 2016 and danced her way through this song to massive cheers!
There's not much else to comment on, this video is jam-packed with a flawless performance piece and a stunning narrative that is endearing to watch. There is not one problem with this music video. It's completely beautiful with high emotion that makes an intended impact.
Finally, with the help of The X Factor, Nathan Sykes might have quite the hit on his hands. He seems to be trying to find his style, especially with the varying different singles he has released in anticipation of his debut album. He performed this song on The X Factor today, and it's been raking up the iTunes charts, which makes a change. It really shows how promotion can help to make a career. At first, the music video looks like it's set in the past, but we see that Nathan Sykes and Madison Iseman are acting. He's clearly interested, but she is already involved with the director. Momentous occasions happen, but it never goes anywhere with "Famous".
Nathan Sykes is best known for being one of five members of boy band The Wanted, who had extremely massive global success before their split. Since then, Nathan Sykes has been building his solo career. This marks his fourth single from his debut album. "Famous" is another emotional ballad that has some serious pop and blues vibes flowing through. It was written by Nathan Sykes, Harmony Samuels, Major Johnson Finley, Carmen Reece, and Edgar "JV" Etienne.
Directed by Ivanna Smyrnova, this narrative video really proves Nathan Sykes' ability to act, this isn't the first time he has managed to impress us; "Over and Over Again" is just as emotional and amazing.
In the video, Nathan Sykes is looking incredibly hot throughout. He is interested in his on-set love interest played by actress Madison Iseman. Unfortunately, she's with the director, which leaves Nathan Sykes lusting after her in all the visuals.
The concept is one that is completely relatable to a lot of people. We've all been there, wanting someone we can't have, having moments with that person but not going for it. There is an obvious attraction between the two, yet it never goes anywhere.
The performance side of things is engaging to an extent, Nathan Sykes looks dashingly handsome as he sings the catchy song. Much like his performance on The X Factor, it doesn't progress; just like the narration of the video.
Visually, this video is artistic, beautiful, gorgeous (in more ways than one), and engaging. The narration is flawless and easily relatable. However, the performance side of things is slightly lacking, regardless of the fact that it's high-quality and Nathan Sykes is looking handsome.
It's Zayday Williams from Scream Queens! Yes, that's right Keke Palmer is in Scream Queens, but I never knew she could sing, Very different from the character she plays on the show, she exudes confidence; you're fire girl! She's been in many films and TV series and has been attempting a musical career for many years. Keke Palmer stuns as an Ancient Egyptian empress in this music video for "Hands Free", overly confident but with a killer dance scene, watch out for her!
Keke Palmer, real name Lauren Keyana Palmer, is an actress and singer. Trying to do both isn't easy at all, and very rarely people make it big in both industries, yet Keke Palmer is proving that she can. I came across this thanks to YouTube suggestions and being a massive fan of Scream Queens totally would've brought me here eventually. Keke Palmer is certainly a star, she is hardworking and it clearly pays off. She's like the young version of Jennifer Lopez and I literally cannot wait to see what the future brings for her. This song was written by Sean Garrett and Blair Andre Atkinson.
This Ancient Egyptian music video was directed by Rosero McCoy. Keke Palmer talks about believing in yourself during a black and white radio interview before launching into colour with an air of arrogance, that totally gets backed up when she proves her worthiness of singing and dancing. This girl can move, no wonder she's an empress in the video. Confidence overload but in a good way.
There are three scenes in this music video, the first one sees her sitting on a chair being carried around. She makes it seem like this is part of her normal life, totally proving her brilliant acting ability.
The dance scene is incredible. The choreography relates to the song and is effortlessly pulled off by Keke Palmer, who is still wearing her confidence like she's Beyoncé; yet, although it can come across as arrogance at first, she backs it up, proving that this is what she's meant to be doing. She may not have had a hit single yet, but she's not going to give up. She's in sync with her backing dancers throughout.
Her sexy shower bathing segment in the same scene is a little too over the top, it's like they tried to sex it up even more, but it just doesn't work. Luckily the video transforms into the main performance piece.
Keke Palmer belongs on stage, this totally proves it with her dancing on point as she performs to the crowd. She reminds me of P!nk, when she first launched onto the music scene. Keke Palmer has huge potential, and those of you lucky enough to see her live in concert are definitely going to be in for a treat. This video is definitely a try-hard visual yet Keke Palmer's star potential works the entire thing and prevents this from being a complete disaster.
Not the usual New Release, but feel free to look at the new releases for this week and direct me to an official music video, because as much as I want to review some of them, they just don't have videos annoyingly. And so, I turned to Twitter for help and I stumbled across this one. Indian dance pop music isn't really my thing, but my blog is a mix of everything. I'm not going to deny that this is quite catchy with it's pulsing beats and Esho's vocals. The music video for Esho's "Oye Hoye Jawaani" has a brilliant dance scene, sexy moves and a great performance piece.
Esho, also known as Divyansh Tripathi, is a singer and a producer. He composed this entire song all by himself, which is pretty impressive all by itself. This is his debut single, and infuses Indian music with EDM and dance with a pop twist. If anyone can bring Indian music to an international audience it's Esho. "Oye Hoye Jawaani" is going to be one of the unknown songs that you just want to hear again at some point. This song was written by Esho.
Directed by Rajesh Mandal, the music video has some serious pop vibes coming from it. It has a slight narrative with an all-right dance sequence that launches into an epic dance choreography performance piece.
There is only one female in this video, who is the central love interest. It's actually nice not to see girls clinging to a guy whilst his singing; this breath of fresh air totally brings some sassiness to this video. The love interest actress isn't known, but if you know her name feel free to comment below.
Throughout, Esho manages to perform with an air of confidence. He is made to be on stage. His dancing is relaxed, and the sequence in question is easy, yet flawlessly pulled off. Unfortunately he doesn't stay with the dancers, who continue on with a some brilliant choreography.
The music video doesn't have a narrative; it's slight if you count the interactions between Esho and his love interest, but nothing story-like forms. This is okay though because Esho makes up for this in his performance part of the whole video. It works well, but should be a bit more developed, and some camera shots aren't that great as well as the lighting, but as a debut music video, Esho has done well! I expect to hear more from him.
It's Thursday, and so it's revisit time. I chose this one purely because I remember it being on the music channels and being surprised that this was will.i.am's breakout single after The Black Eyed Peas went on a hiatus. Whilst Fergie was releasing awesome hits, will.i.am came out with this, which still did moderately well globally. In this music video for "I Got It From My Mama", will.i.am is surrounded by girls on a beach, totally playing up and checking them out nonstop.
will.i.am, real name William Adams, is known as one of four members of The Black Eyed Peas. He launched his solo career as the group went on their first hiatus. At the time, female singer from the group, Fergie, also launched her solo career. It's clear The Black Eyed Peas were and still are incredible because both these solo careers hit it off. Surprisingly, this song did well, but it isn't until years later that will.i.am became a chart-topping success. This song peaked at number 31 in the US, and number 39 in the UK, amongst other global charts. Eight years later PSY ended up sampling the song for "Daddy". This song was written by William Adams, Jean-Luc Drion, and Dominique Régiacorte. Uncredited female vocals come from Kat Graham (who is probably best known, now, as Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries).
Directed by Bryan Barber, the music video starts off with will.i.am flipping through a magazine. That magazine is later folded closed to reveal a beach with many girls playing on the beach, whilst will.i.am is relaxing on a sun lounger. It's quite the creepy scene, but this is a music video after all.
The song is catchy regardless, and will.i.am is the only male on the beach in Brazil. There's not an awful lot going on, apart from will.i.am totally distracted and completely checking every girl out.
This pure performance piece is styled fantastically with great editing tricks throughout. However it's not that engaging, and I actually can't believe this was shown during the daytime on UK music channels. It may be suggestive at times, but when I first saw this, it totally went over my head. It failed to interest me because I've always been gay. However it does relate to the song, so even though I'm here slating it, if it were all hot guys on the beach it would be a different story. So... Taking that into account, I can see the video for what it is. Also, will.i.am's personality really shines in this.
Finally, after this review, I've reviewed all my favourites from Eurovision 2014; next week I will be starting on Eurovision 2015, and then I'm completely caught up, maybe in time for the new year? Maybe; I doubt it. Conchita Wurst was the talk of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, and so winning wasn't quite a massive surprise since she had a killer song, brilliant vocals, a stunning dress and performance, and a tonne of support from the LGBT+ community. She represented Austria and took the contest to her country after winning with 290 points. Tom Neuwirth dressed in drag as Conchita Wurst gives a solid sexy performance of "Rise Like A Phoenix" in this music video.
Tom Neuwirth has tried being a successful solo singer, he even managed to become the runner-up in Austrian TV show Starmania. He then became a part of boyband Jetzt Anders! but they disbanded the same year they were put together. Conchita Wurst came about a little bit later, where she entered Die Große Chance, Conchita Wurst came sixth in 2011; then came second on Eurovision Selection show Österreich rockt den Song Contest 2012; as for 2014, she was internally selected, and what a great choice that was. It pretty much launched Conchita Wurst as one of the world's most known drag queens, she just needs to keep her limelight. This song was written by Charlie Mason, Joey Patulka, Ali Zuckowski, and Julian Maas.
The music video is a full performance piece. Conchita Wurst is looking incredibly confident and sexy. This just wouldn't work if it were Tom Neuwirth. People can say what they like about drag queens, but there's something incredible about spending all that time on makeup and clothes and wigs, and in Conchita Wurst's case, her beard; and then working it like no other.
There are a few different scenes, but the main focus is on the bath and the rose petals. It's quite sultry, definitely sexy. Her performance is fire throughout, passion for every single word Conchita Wurst really identifies with this song. Considering no record label would record this, and then it won Eurovision, and charted well globally, just proves the impact of this song and the artist.
Yet the video is lacking. This could've had a beautiful narrative, yet we're given a performance piece that doesn't quite engage. Conchita Wurst looks good throughout, but she brought more to the table during the Eurovision 2014 Grand Final than in this music video. This song will always be a favourite of mine and resonates deeply within.
Totally not sure what to make of this one, couldn't decide what video to review, but since Matoma and Becky Hill are doing well on my blog with "False Alarm", I thought I might as well do this one. I love the concept of this video and yet it doesn't quite flow as well as we hope, plus it is extremely short, this is over before we know it. The Vamps take a trip around town, "All Night", whilst swapping the camera in an eerie Cloverfield-like music video, which also includes Matoma DJing.
The Vamps are a four-piece band consisting of Connor Ball, Tristan Evans, James McVey, and Brad Simpson. They are going from strength to strength, although it's been quite the rocky road, not quite getting a noticeable hit. All it will take is a number one, their debut single "Can We Dance" hit number two, as well as third single "Last Night"; but even with the help of Shawn Mendes, Demi Lovato, and Pixie Lott on tracks "Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)", "Somebody To You", and "Wild Heart" hasn't got them to the top. As for Matoma, real name Tom Lagergren, he totally made his name with Becky Hill on track "False Alarm". He's probably going to be a name we'll end up hearing a lot from if he keeps collaborating and keeps releasing. The song was written by Justin Franks, John Mitchell, Daniel Majic, and The Vamps.
Directed by Craig Moore, this video definitely takes inspiration from the Cloverfield movie, and yet switches it up with this massive camera transferring from one person to another. However, this three and a half minutes are way too short to fully enjoy.
The start is a clear product proposal for got2be by Schwarzkopf. Hair products, makeup, and fragrances always do well for product proposals in music videos. If these stars are using them, why not us?
We watch The Vamps disappear out into the city, planning on spending all night out. They pass the camera through touch, but it's clear from the start that continuity errors will make this video completely fail. Plenty of times a camera man is filming, who we never get to see. Disregarding this as well as the fact that sometimes we are watching from the wrong camera because they touched hands with someone else; this video is incredible.
The crossover to Matoma is clever but kind of lets the video down. I wanted more from Matoma, maybe have The Vamps actually there on stage, or maybe even get the audience involved and pass the camera to them. The Vamps do it with the dancer, the drifting car driver, and the basketball player; so why not Matoma's audience too?
There are too many scenes to comment on in this video, and yet it's way too short. It's quick snapshots of a fantastic music video, that is, unfortunately, full of continuity errors and failed viewership. This was released, just under a month ago. This means they have worked hard on this, and kudos totally go out to the editing team, but more time and effort to make this a solid flowing video would've made this perfect. Love this concept, though!
It's a Monday, and Little Mix is still at number one with "Shout Out To My Ex", which is amazingly catchy. This opens the top ten to my Chart Monday review. I've chosen this one because it was at number one for many weeks without a music video, but finally it has one just as it's dropping out of the top ten. Sexual tension between The Chainsmokers' Andrew Taggart and Halsey at a party is completely visible, as flashbacks of a past night where they slept together is reminisced over.
The Chainsmokers are a duo consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. They made their name known when they released "#SELFIE" but it wasn't until a few years later, through a reinvention of their music, that they once again hit fame, but this is clearly their best-selling single. I am hoping they will reinvent themselves once again, something we aren't expecting and it'll be even bigger than this was. Featured artist is Halsey, real name Ashley Frangipane, who has made quite the name for herself in the media, but has yet to have a hit song. Then again, this one is totally her best yet. This song was written by Andrew Taggart, Ashley Frangipane, Shaun Frank, Frederic Kennett, Isaac Slade, and Joe King. Highly compared to The Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)", the latter two songwriters were added for credit.
This music video was a long time coming, but it's here now, directed by Dano Cerny, it's a great concept. An elaborate performance piece situated in quite an awkward narrative.
Sexual tension is obvious between these two singers. As they lock eyes at a party, Andrew Taggart and Halsey remember what happened between them some other night in the past. This is where things get even more steamy.
They start making out in the middle of a different party, which is then taken back to a bedroom, where both artists are in a state of undress. They both look incredibly sexy. Full of sexual chemistry, with tantalising quirks that we all wish we were doing with another person in a bed instead of watching this video, which is totally making us jealous; or just me.
The ending sees Halsey walking out of the party, not being able to deal with her ex being at the same party as her; I know exactly how she feels. Yet, this is where our similarities end because Andrew Taggart follows her outside, and it's clear there's still an attraction between them. Some sort of unfinished business.
A fully fleshed narrative that everyone can relate to, with a sexy performance piece during a gorgeous bed scene. We've waited so long for this music video, yet it was so worth it especially since they have knocked it out of the park!
