This Week's UK New Single, EP & Album Releases 26/06/2020




As with every week, there have been so many new releases! Obviously, my favourite release, this week, has been INNA's new single "Nobody". I'm loving the direction she's taken with her new music recently and this deserves to be a summer hit and I certainly can't stop listening to it.

This Week's UK New Single, EP & Album Releases 19/06/2020




This week has seen so much new music, that it has not been easy to track it all. There's been some brilliant debut singles, EPs, and albums, and some releases from legendary stars. Find all the music that has been released this week including what you may have missed, below. These singles, EPs, and albums have all been released in the UK between 13 June 2020 and 19 June 2020. Some releases have previously been released a few weeks ago, in different countries, but have arrived on download and streaming services in the UK, this week (between 13/06/2020 and 19/06/2020).

New Release: Karen Harding & Digital Farm Animals - Undo My Heart


This song was released last week, but the music video was dropped today via Ultra Music's YouTube Channel and it is cuteness overload, for sure. The song is incredibly addicting and Karen Harding brings emotion easily throughout. Vocals on fire from start to finish, it's powerful and passionate with every listener feeling the lyrics in their hearts. It's one of my favourite releases from last week because of her awesome voice, the brilliant sound from Digital Farm Animals, and I just love the R&B hints that truly makes this song.

It's not easy to turn out a brilliant music video for such an awesome song, but they've done just that. Directed by Jordi Estapé with Henry Gill acting as director of photography, we watch Karen Harding spending time with her on-screen love interest and it's just so adorable. There is so many cute moments and scenes throughout and they've really captured the meaning of the song into the music video. It's refreshing to see, especially since I feel that this is how cute my long-distance partner and I look when we're spending time together, even though we haven't seen each other since the end of February due to this lockdown, and we really can't wait to be together again. This music video is full of love, heart, and passion, one I could watch again and again, on repeat. So beautiful!

R3HAB, NERVO & Ummet Ozcan - Revolution


It's Thursday, which means Thursday Revisit time, and I've decided to choose R3HAB's collaboration with NERVO and Ummet Ozcan, titled "Revolution" which charted well in Belgium, Ireland, and the UK, but did the best in Poland, peaking at number five. The video opens with a news announcement that the three artists are wanted and are somewhere in the desert, presented by a masked army guy with a robotic voice. The artists are then seen pushing a car across the desert, while an old man is eating cereal in front of a TV. A crowd comes to help them with the car as we see more of these holographic army-like people attempting to track R3HAB, NERVO, and Ummet Ozcan.

NERVO's vocals are absolutely incredible and really makes the track, whilst the backing track is awesome in itself. It's no surprise that the song managed to chart in some countries, and its accompanying music video is interesting and inspiring to a certain degree. Fierce and strong, this really stands out, and NERVO certainly has the spotlight on them during the whole visual.

Paul Rey - Talking In My Sleep


Easily one of many of my favourites from Melodifestivalen 2020, Paul Rey literally made me tear up the first time I heard this song. He performed it incredibly on the night, and this would've been a brilliant track to be sent to Eurovision to represent Sweden - to be fair, the Swedish national selection show is so incredible with plenty of amazing acts, that I'm pretty sure any of them would do well in the Eurovision Song Contest. This music video is so special, as I was given the opportunity to premiere the track on CelebMix, and interview Paul Rey, himself.

This music video is one of my favourites, I love how Paul Rey is in bed as visuals of him and his real-life wife during incredibly happy days are projected around him. We all rejoice in our happy moments and totally need to remember them when we're feeling down or away from our loved ones - more so than ever as we've been on lockdown and quarantine. It's a very weird time and true love will shine through if you let it. I do admit, I want to lye in bed all day and night and live in the dream world with the one I love until we can see each other again, and it has been so difficult - plus we're a long-distance relationship, so I feel like it's tougher and I just have to believe that we'll pull through and everything will be okay.

Although this music video is laid-back (literally with Paul Rey just lying in bed singing his song), it's cleverly done and relatable to many. I love how the projections work really well and suggest the scenes he has been dreaming about.

Sofia Carson & R3HAB - I Luv U


Ever since I saw Sofia Carson in the Disney Descendants movie, I have followed her singing career and her voice just keeps getting better and better with every song she releases. The video opens with a short statement from Sofia Carson, setting the storyline with the words, "She fell for him like a petal falls from a flower until every piece of her was his. She loved him and now nothing will ever be the same." - Anyone who has ever been in love, who has ever taken another into their hearts, and made their world theirs to share, will fully understand this, it's how I feel right now and have been feeling for the last two and a half years, although the song takes on a different meaning, there are bound to be times in any relationship where you'll understand the meaning of this song, either slightly or whole-heartedly.

The video sees Sofia Carson posing for the camera in a warehouse, clearly, she's doing a photo shoot. She looks absolutely stunning from start to finish. It's the perfect setting for something so emotional whilst being emotionless, as when posing for photos you are meant to express yourself in a different way to the way you are feeling, which is what we see during the other scenes of the video where she is off-set from the photo shoot. There are black and white visuals spaced between the narrative, showing Sofia Carson in the studio with R3HAB, recording the song, adding the much-needed emotion that allows the lyrics to connect with the listeners.

Chart Mondays: Tion Wayne, Dutchavelli & Stormzy - I Dunno


With the relaunch of my blog, I've decided to keep my Chart Mondays review, although I may have to switch up the rules for these reviews as the top-ten isn't as ever-changing as it used to be. DaBaby is number one this week with the song "Rockstar" featuring Roddy Ricch and since he previously got to number one, I'll probably write up a catch-up review on it and backdate it, so I've decided to choose Tion Wayne who has collaborated with Dutchavelli and Stormzy for this track "I Dunno".

Joy Club - In The Night


This music video was sent through my email last week and it piqued my interest purely because Blu Hydrangea stars in the visual alongside many others, and the thumbnail certainly drew me in. What I didn't expect was a catchy '80s inspired club track, with a crazy addicted beat and one brilliant dance choreography that is clearly inspired by TikTok and one I so wish I could learn how to perfect.

The club-goers of the world - me included - are missing the nightlife, the culture, the dancefloors, and the awesome club tunes that you only love if you're in a club, while we're on lockdown. Joy Club decides to bring house clubbing to your screen with this music video, although I can't ever imagine a dance choreography hitting the clubs like this one - this is totally an at-home dance sequence.

As the first verse of the song kicks in, we rewind to 10 hours earlier where we see the stars waking up and getting ready for the day ahead of them, setting up their club-at-home set and dressing themselves up. It showcases the boredom many of us have felt during the lockdown.

Such a good video that more people need to see this, and the song itself is so very catchy! What's not to love about this? Fierce, strong, and funny, Joy Club's music videos are ones to keep an eye on, for sure.

Lady A (Previously Known As Lady Antebellum) - Ocean

Lady Antebellum - Ocean | 

This song has quickly become one of my all-time favourite songs ever written, and I'm so glad that Lady A (previously known as Lady Antebellum) were the ones to record it. "Ocean" is one phenomenal song that makes me cry every single time I hear it because it means so much and can be interpreted into a number of different ways and can be related to being in love, having family relationships, and even friendships. We all have our demons, we all have walls (or should I say waves?), and we all push people away at some point in our lives - and this is even more relatable to me since I no longer have my office job and I'm worried about everything in relation to that, but I know that as long as I can stay positive, things will work out. This song is such an emotional track, that I really wish it had become an international success.

This Week's UK New Single, EP & Album Releases 12/06/2020



Every Saturday, I will be listing the new releases of the past week. For years, I have been using various sites to see what new music has been released in a certain week, but there isn't one list that has everything, and I'm always switching back and forth between different sites, and so I hope to create the best list every Saturday, with all the new releases I can find. I have also provided the links for Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, and Amazon. If any of the links don't work or if there are any new releases I've missed, please let me know in the comments below.

New Release: Ruth Lorenzo - Miedo



Ruth Lorenzo is back with an awesome rock-like ballad that is set to make you awe-struck. Clearly gaining inspiration from rock ballad classics, Ruth Lorenzo shines in every way with "Miedo" showcasing her beautifully stunning voice and her range capabilities. The X Factor and Eurovision star easily belongs in this music industry and deserves so much more success, and this brand new single proves just that. "Miedo" is the Spanish word for "Fear" and my rough Google Translate suggests the song is an open letter to Fear itself and Ruth Lorenzo is telling it that she isn't afraid anymore. It's one confident and inspiring song, that just builds and builds gaining strength towards the end.

I'm back blogging again!


Returning To My Blog - Critic Jonni


I'm back! Today, I've decided to start my blog again. 

During the past three years, I have been writing for CelebMix, and I continually publish articles on the site; and as for the past two years, I have been working in an office for a recruitment company, although that is no longer the case.

I've also been struggling with unknown medical conditions which the doctors have yet to identify. Prior to the pandemic, I had been to see several different GPs who have suggested possible ideas as to why I'm getting certain symptoms but most of the time they've shrugged and said that there's nothing they can do. I'm determined to, at least be diagnosed with something relating to these symptoms I have, and then focus on a treatment plan, if possible. I'm pretty much certain it's something in relation to my coeliac disease.

Regardless, I've wanted to start blogging again for a while now, and since I no longer have an office job, I've decided to focus more on my writing. I plan to switch up the content, condense the amount I usually write and branch out to song reviews as well as music video reviews... We'll see what happens.

I've also added Amazon affiliates and adverts to my blog alongside my iTunes affiliates and Google ads if you are interested in helping fund my blog or supporting me in any way, it'll be very much appreciated. All the money will go back into the costs of the blog, social media posts, and the efforts of the team behind this blog.

If you're feeling generous, you can also gift a virtual coffee to me - I don't drink hot drinks but I am into my fizzy drinks and I am obsessed with Sneak Energy at the moment, so you'll be helping to fund those addictions, as well as my future career. If you'd rather support me directly, you can do so through my Paypal link.

Another way you can support me, if you so wish, is to subscribe to my book series, titled The Power Of Creatures, on Channillo. It's easy to sign up, and you will receive all seven books in the series straight away for just $4.99, and if you finish all of them within the month, you can cancel the subscription or explore the other books available on the site.

I currently do not have a stable income, which does terrify me - not going to lie, but I know I'm not the only one, and anything you can gift me, anything at all, would be much appreciated. I thank you all for reading my blog and sharing it with others - by doing just that, you inspire me to do my best every day.

An image of a coffee cup next to some flowers and a pad with a red pen lying on top.

New Release: Sam Callahan - Stitches And Scars



It's been way too long since I last blogged, but I have now returned to blogging, purely because Sam Callahan has released this awesome new music video that has definitely impassioned me. Well, it's not just the music video, it's the absolutely incredible song that is all about getting back up after feeling so low and ready to give up on everything. I've been fighting for my writing career for a number of years now, and I still haven't reached the goal and the dream I've envisioned since I was a kid, and I still feel like I'm a long way away from getting there, but I will continue to push and put in all the hard work that is needed to get me to that moment - because I will get there. That is what I take from this song and music video and that's the whole intention. Watch Sam Callahan walk the streets to the top of a car park where he lights up a purple smoke flare, while scenes of four professionals training in their chosen fields are intercut throughout.

Sam Callahan is a singer-songwriter I have been following ever since he released his debut single "Runaway Train" back in 2012. For those of you who have been reading my blog for years will know that I've reviewed pretty much all his music videos on here. He followed his debut up with "Crazy" before becoming a contestant on the tenth series of The X Factor, where he made it to the live shows and came seventh overall. After the show, he released "Bigger Things", formed a rock band (which split not long afterwards), and released a club track titled "I Love It When You". In 2017, he released the incredible song "Burns Like Fire" and followed that up earlier this year with "Say Something". Today, he has released "Stitches and Scars" and it's his most emotional track to-date whilst taking it back to his roots. The track reminds me of "Runaway Train", only with more emotion and passion - Sam Callahan is still a star in the making and deserves success in all forms, he even wrote this track all by himself. The producer of the song was Jamie Sellers.

Directed by Sam Callahan & Gareth Mangan, the music video is mainly a narrative piece with the occasional performance scene throughout. It is certainly the best music video from Sam Callahan to-date, and I completely believe that. The visual stars professional MMA Fighter, Mike ‘Pretty Boy’ Hales, professional gymnast, Sophie Brace, British MX Championship contender, Tommy Lee Morris, and, world champion minibike racer, Robbie Daly.

The slight performance piece is gentle and basic as we follow Sam Callahan who is walking along the streets with his guitar, which he occasionally plays. We also watch scenes of him performing on stages from festivals to arena concerts. He leads us to a car park, and when he arrives at the top he lets off a purple smoke flare whilst acting confident.

As for the narrative, we watch these four professionals training. Mike 'Pretty Boy' Hales is running along the shoreline before a young kid decides to join him and helps him to work out; this professional MMA fighter can also be seen training up in a gym, similarly, Sophie Brace is also training in a gym - we watch her perform floor gymnastics. As for Tommy Lee Morris and Robbie Daly, we watch them ride their bikes on a track and their preparations beforehand. The ending sees them all achieving the goal they set themselves.

What more can I say about this music video? I've already covered it on CelebMix and Fuzzable, and it is set to be published on Outlet Magazine soon. What we've only just discovered is that Sam Callahan filmed this music video using his iPhone 8+ and he also edited and produced it himself. He put his all not just into the song but into this music video, and it's not a surprise that it is absolutely incredible. This music video is one I won't be forgetting, in years to come, and it just goes to show that hard work really does pay off. This is a masterpiece, and I'm beyond proud to give Sam Callahan his first five stars for one of his music videos! I hope he releases more incredible music videos in the future.
Buy on iTunes
Stream on Spotify

Chart Mondays: Ramz - Barking


Barking - Ramz |

I've been avoiding this for one for some time as it has always ranked highly in the UK Top 10; however, it's dropping down, and since this is a backdated blog, I do know that it will drop out in a couple of weeks. At the time of this backdated blog, Drake is at number one with "God's Plan" and so that opens up the UK Top 10 to my Chart Mondays review, hence why I chose this. The song has done incredibly well, just missing out on the top position for weeks. It is a catchy song, but it's not my sort of thing, which also explains why I've been avoiding it; I am so far behind on my blog, it is now getting ridiculous, but I'm not one to give up, at all. Watch Ramz spend time with his lover around London as he sings his song after visiting a barber's shop to get his hair done in this music video for "Barking".

Ramz, real name Ramone Rochester, is an English rapper from London, who went to the University of Plymouth to study Sports Development before dropping out to focus on his music career. This track is his official debut single, and what a way to launch in the music world. He has released a few other follow-up singles that haven't managed to chart. This song clearly did go viral, it managed to chart at number two in the UK, number four in Germany, and number eight in Ireland. The main question is whether he can gain another hit, or he could just be a one-hit wonder. "Barking" was written by Ramone Rochester.

The music video starts off with a narrative but includes a prominent performance piece throughout. It was filmed predominantly in Barking, London, and features a wide range of co-stars and extras. His love interest isn't named, as far as I can tell, so if you know who the actress is, feel free to comment her name below.

There's not a lot to this music video to be fair, but it is wholly related to the song. Ramz fully brings it to the performance side of things, expressing a relaxed style whilst nailing it with his energy.

The song is titled "Barking", so of course it is set in Barking, London and this is made clear throughout the video. There's complete relation to the lyrics at times, including his teeth. The opening scene seems unrelatable since his friends peer-pressure him into having a line put into his hair.

The narration seems cute as we see him meeting up with his girl and taking her out on a date. There's nothing else to this music video though, and I can't really fault it, apart from him not really explaining the opening scene, and the narration kind of needs to be fleshed out a little bit more. The music video is now the most-watched video on GRM Daily - the YouTube Channel that the music video was released on.
Buy on iTunes

Bud Sugar - Vampire


Vampire - Bud Sugar |

I previously wrote this up for CelebMix, and I can't help but love Bud Sugar. They've just got this unique quality to them. There's no other group out in the world who are doing what they are doing and it really allows them to stamp themselves into the music industry. They have also launched their own merchandise, where they're going to print 10 t-shirts, so I highly suggest you get them while you can. They're definitely a rising group you need to keep an eye on, and I can't wait to see what the future brings them. Watch Bud Sugar show off all their energy that they'll no doubt bring to any stage whilst setting fire to a guitar in this blood-red filtered music video for "Vampire".

Bud Sugar are a five-piece British group who have found their own niche genre in music, bringing something totally new to the music industry. They consist of Dylan Elliott, Stan Hill, Live Lans, Rob da Bass, and Bacary Bax. They've been booked for a few festivals this year and I'm sure more is coming up as they start to fully establish their name. They've released two EPs so far, and no doubt another one is coming with the release of this track - which is beyond catchy. Bud Sugar are a group you need to get on board with now before they go viral. "Vampire" was written by Bud Sugar.

Directed by We Made This with additional visuals by Octovision Media, this music video is a low-budgeted performance-based music video. If there's one thing this group has, it is energetic performance vibes. They just have this power that they unleash to every single viewer, listener, and event attendee.

This music video continues to establish this vibe from them. They bring their energy completely, and then also bring their weirdness too including lighting a guitar on fire during a short instrumental ending. Bud Sugar sure know how to bring the unexpected, not just in their music, but in their videos too.

Overall, the song is catchy and the music video relates. They sing about putting their "v's up high" which becomes a concept in the music video and something I can see them getting the audience to participate in when they're on stage. On the other hand, the video quality isn't all that great, with it swapping between video sizes and the red filter is a bit on the over-the-top side; regardless, Bud Sugar's energy makes it work. The words appear throughout, making this half a lyric video, although they're not easy to follow at times.
Buy on iTunes

Mis-Teeq - Scandalous


Scandalous - Mis-Teeq |

I've had this song stuck in my head all day, so I thought it would be as good as any to review today. This song is practically embedded in UK history and will always end up being played at a party or two; there's just no escaping this song within a year, and you can so see why because this song is still addicting to this day - that's for sure. The song is their biggest hit since it went international, charting at number two in the UK and number 33 in the US. They since parted ways a year or so after the release of this song. Watch Mis-Teeq act sexy in a secret nightclub as a guy stumbles upon it as he runs away through the city streets with some on-point choreography in this music video for "Scandalous".

Mis-Teeq were a three-piece British girl group. They consisted of Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash, and Sabrina Washington; they had a number of hits as a group and released two albums, a US album, and a greatest hits album. They parted ways in 2005 due to their record label declaring bankruptcy, leaving the girls unsure of what path to go down, and so they decided to focus on their solo careers. Alesha Dixon has done the best, she's a household name from being a judge on Britain's Got Talent to winning Strictly Come Dancing; her music career went amazingly after the split, but lately, she hasn't managed to pull in the same chart numbers. Su-Elise Nash was said to be working on an album, after the group split, she provided vocals for Lethal Bizzle's "Going Out Tonight", and has made a variety of television appearances. As for Sabrina Washington, she appeared on the third series of Celebrity Scissorhands, which she won; she next appeared on the ninth series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! where she came in sixth place; as for her music career, she released a couple of singles and launched her own record label in 2012. Reunion rumours are ripe every single year, but it doesn't look like it will happen. This song was used as the theme of the film Catwoman. It was written by Su-Elise Nash, Alesha Dixon, Sabrina Washington, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Rustan Hallgeir.

Directed by Jake Nava, this music video definitely brings out the "Scandalous" side of the song, although we need more raunchiness for a song with a title such as this. They need more sass, more fire, more confidence.

It's an addicting piece of music, so I'm glad a nightclub is involved; however, the opening scenes which shows a man running through the urban streets, turning security cameras around and being chased by a dog on a leash, suggests there was a narrative to this that was stripped away.

He ends up in the club and decides to show the girls his body-popping and break dancing. It takes this song to the streets, where this sort of music originated from before it became popular and chart-worthy. In comparison, the girls' choreography is basic and repetitive, there's nothing outstanding with the sequence they pull off, and there's also no momentum to it, the girls just aren't into the dance steps as much as they should be, which makes it come off forced. The street dancing should've taken more of a spotlight.

Overall, this music video is way too basic and uninteresting. I was expecting something scandalous, maybe a bit shocking, but definitely something sexy. Although Mis-Teeq are wearing sultry clothes, there are no male counterparts to throw this into a whole scandalous affair, and the dancing just leaves a lot to be desired - the song totally made me expect a lot more from this visual.
Buy on iTunes

New Release: Francois Klark - Run


Run - Francois Klark |

Now, I was browsing through the new releases from this backdated day and I was wondering what music video to review. I had a choice between this one and another one titled "Call Ya" by Zāna; I watched this one first and as it got more in-depth I was almost completely decided to review the latter as I didn't feel this was anything amazing or interesting - well, that was until the end appeared and it just stabbed me right in the heart because I've been in a similar situation before. Sorry, Zāna, I didn't even get the chance to view your music video, but I may do one day; I may even review it, but not today. After watching it the second time, I took a key interest in the phone shot at the very beginning as I dismissed it the first time. Watch Francois Klark tell his partner that he's coming home early, only to find him kissing another guy, he then runs away as he can't deal with what he has seen in this music video for "Run".

Francois Klark, real name Francois Clark Mulder, is a South African born Canadian singer-songwriter and producer who is a Universal Music Award winner and a John Lennon Songwriting award winner too. He has been building up his career for some time with this song being his official second single, following "Spaceman". He previously was a contestant on the first season of Idols, the South African version of Pop Idol, under his real name. I look forward to seeing where his career takes him especially since this song resonates easily with me because of my past boyfriends - I now have a boyfriend who I love dearly who I trust completely and who loves me back just as much. This song was written by Francois Clark Mulder and Kibwe Thomas.

Directed by Miguel Barbosa of YEAH!films this music video is a pure narrative visual with a shot or two of Francois Klark singing along to the lyrics. It's a highly passionate song with a music video that fully accompanies it. His partner and love interest, whose character name is Ash, is played by Cianan Francis; and, the guy who was in the hallway was played by Evan Spergel.

The video opens up with Francois Klark messaging his partner that he'll be home earlier than usual. There's a close up of his wedding ring and he's waiting for the subway. On the way home, he hasn't received a reply and the camera really enforces that on to the viewers - we all know what's coming. He arrives home, shocked, drops all his things and starts to run away.

Cleverly, the camera operator doesn't show us what he saw and instead keeps it from the viewers at home. This is completely key as, if you totally skipped over who he was messaging, like I did, you wouldn't realise that this was an LGBTQ+ music video.

He runs all the way to the beach, time to clear his head. He drops his wedding ring to the sandy floor and that's that - he's done with the relationship, and good for him. The camera then reverses all we've seen and goes back to that moment he walked in on his partner kissing another guy - something that wasn't made obvious to the viewers until the very end.

Overall, this music video is completely thought out and really shows that love is love and it can hurt anyone, no matter what form it is in. It's a great way to showing people around the world that a man can love a man, and a woman can love a woman, and everything else in-between. Thank you, Francois Klark for this music video.
Buy on iTunes

Triana Park - Breathless


Breathless - Triana Park |

I had a hell of a lot of choice for my backdated Thursday Revisit but decided to choose Triana Park as I don't really know when the next time I'll have this opportunity to delve into their older songs and music videos. This is certainly a good excuse, and considering the other artists I have reviewed in the week, I believe I'll certainly get the chance to review their older music videos at some point, whereas I may not get the chance with Triana Park, so I thought that I might as well. This song was a non-album single and is one of their first music videos. Watch Triana Park host a party as they rock out, have fun, and creep us out with money in this music video for "Breathless".

Triana Park has certainly come a long way since the release of this song in terms of their music as a whole. The four-piece band, from Latvia, consists of Agnese Rakovska, Artūrs Strautiņš, Edgars Viļums, and Kristaps Ērglis. They made their name known when they represented their home country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Line"; unfortunately, they only got 21 points in their Semi-Final causing them to come 18th, and therefore not qualifying for the Grand Final - I truly believe they were underrated. Previously, they attempted to represent Latvia at Eurovision in national selection shows five times, between 2008 and 2012. This song was a non-album single, released in 2011.

The music video was filmed by Ivars Burtnieks and Sandis Vagners, and was edited by the latter. It's a pure performance visual showing the band having fun and doing what they want.

By the looks of things, they host a party where they seem to get either drunk or high. Some of their actions are beyond shocking and I'm slightly grossed out when the guitarist urinates on some cash notes and then smells them and they start acting like they're rich.

The song doesn't really relate to the track all that much and you all know how I feel about black and white music videos. This is low-budget, not-so-great, but full of high energy (pun not intended). Triana Park sure knows how to perform and this is what makes this watchable, as well as the grossed money urination.

SIDE NOTE: The album artwork below was created by Karlis Stigis and was the planned album from Triana Park, a gorgeous t-shirt design was also created to coincide with the album. Unfortunately, the band decided to go in a different direction after a bunch of singles from this album, and so this was never released - regardless, I so want that t-shirt!
Unreleased album design by Karlis Stigis
Watch Breathless on YouTube

Britney Spears - Sometimes


Sometimes - Britney Spears |

I had no idea what music video to review today, so I thought I might as well continue to review Britney Spears' music videos - one day I'll have them all on my blog, that's for sure. This is such a sweet song and music video, which followed up her massive international number one hit "...Baby One More Time"; and, although it didn't really hit the same peak positions on charts around the world, it still did amazingly with some chart numbers she hasn't really managed to hit in recent years. Watch Britney Spears be the girl next door as she watches a guy she really likes play with his dog on a beach intercut with her dancing with a troupe of backing dancers in this music video for "Sometimes".

Britney Spears is totally one of the biggest female singers in the world, she's had a lengthy career in music that's span over two decades, and she continues to bring hits and addicting songs. She recently had amazing success in Las Vegas where she had a residency that spanned four years. In 2018, she's taking that residency global with her Piece Of Me world tour. She's truly an iconic star, one everyone knows, and she's so genuine too. This song was certainly another hit for her and lead to many amazing hits that followed. It was written by Jörgen Elofsson.

Directed by Nigel Dick - who directed "...Baby One More Time" - the music video has both a narrative side and a performance side. It was shot at the Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. Her love interest is played by model and actor Chad Cole.

The music video opens with Britney Spears looking through a telescope - according to MTV the initial concept was her looking at a group of kids which leads to her having flashbacks of spending time with a former boyfriend; however, this was changed - she watches her love interest, Chad Cole, playing with his dog on the beach.

There's a lot of shots of Britney Spears watching Chad Cole, some may think it's stalkerish, but we've all been there looking and staring and watching someone we've fallen for... Years later, Carly Rae Jepsen does the exact same thing in the "Call Me Maybe" music video.

Throughout, there are scenes of Britney Spears performing killer dance choreography - this is what we constantly expect from Britney Spears and gosh does she nail it in every way! The choreography seems on the fast side, but it certainly goes with the track as a whole, and there are some iconic dance moves that we now identify with this incredible female singer in the chorus sequence.

Overall, Britney Spears gave us another brilliant music video back in the day. What a follow-up to "...Baby One More Time", and we can't help but love this side of her at the start of her career. It brings a bit of nostalgia too watching these older music videos, but I still love Britney Spears, especially her confidence to be sexy in her latest visuals.
Buy on iTunes

INNA - Me Gusta


Me Gusta - Inna |

We all knew this was going to arrive on my blog at some point. INNA dropped this new single on Valentine's Day, bringing us the much awaited new single and music video. I had originally written this up for CelebMix, as well as the live performance she did of the song before "Ruleta" was released. When this failed to make it on her Nirvana album, many fans wondered if it would ever turn up, so we're all so happy to see it appear - finally. Watch INNA perform her song in Barcelona, taking up the sunshine and bringing summer fashion in the middle of February whilst including her club rocker fans in this music video for "Me Gusta".

INNA, real name Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, is one of the top Romanian female artists in the world. She's had an amazing career to date and continues to make waves all over the world. She pushes herself for every single release, just take this song, for instance. "Me Gusta" is her first song in her more-than-a-decade career that is completely in Spanish. In English, the title translates to "I Like". She proves she really is an international star, and I truly believe she needs a lot more recognition. The song was written by Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, whilst the music was produced by David Ciente.

Directed by Barna Nemethi, the music video is a pure performance visual - something we're getting used to seeing from INNA lately. Most of the scenes are filmed in Barcelona, Spain although there are some studio shots intercut throughout that are from Bucharest, Romania.

The main thing to take from this music video is INNA having a good time, she's definitely one of those stars you'd love to be friends with as she's always smiling and having fun. Not only that, but she shows us summer fashion for 2018, we've had some great fashion videos from her in the past including "Bop Bop" and "Nirvana", so it's great to see something more summery.

Now, let's go into detail about the summer fashion INNA is wearing. We've got this leopard print outfit paired with rainbow-coloured pride platform shoes - something that INNA works completely. We've got the golden-shimmering half-crop top with matching over-sized shorts that are so stunning in every way, it also has oversized sleeves which you can tell INNA adores. There's also the white over-sized fronted jacket that is loose at the back paired with white cowboy boots - just wow! There's another long-length hoodie that's in red; a black bra with shoulder flared piece that's paired with ripped blue jeans and black boots; and, finally, a silver sleeveless, backless crop-top paired with beige tracksuit long-length bottoms. Most outfits are paired with her pride shoes which we all know she simply loves to wear.

INNA loves her oversized clothes, yet that has lead to media stating she's put on weight - yes, I'm talking about that mean article by David Watt for All Noise who said she had put on weight in the "Nirvana" music video; which is flat-out wrong, INNA looks stunning in that music video, and has not put on any weight whatsoever - so this music video shows off her summer body and proves that the media has nothing to body-shame her about.

She clearly loves being in front of the camera and she just has fun with the whole thing. This energy is something she completely brings to the stage, as I know from when I went to see her live in Dublin, Ireland back in December 2016 - gosh do I need to see her again. She rubs this energy off on the extras in the music video, her club rocker fans, who just relax completely in their scenes - they too are bringing summer fashion completely.

Overall, it's another fun performance-based music video from INNA. We are getting used to seeing these sorts of visuals from her. I can't help but hope that we'll get a narrative-based or a full-on choreography-based music video from her in the future - we're waiting.
Buy on iTunes

Chart Mondays: Drake - God's Plan


God's Plan - Drake |

Please remember this blog has been backdated to 19 February 2018; so imagine how happy I am to finally review this music video because Drake's "God's Plan" has been number one for a few weeks without a music video, but he finally dropped one on 16 February 2018, which subsequently makes me review it the following Monday (the backdated Monday), as it is number one on the UK Chart for this backdated date - gosh I need to catch up on my blog asap so I don't have to try to explain this every single time. This is one of the most inspiring music videos but it isn't unique as it has been done a few times before, most notably by Blink-182 for their song "The Rock Show". Watch Drake take the budget for his music video and spend that money by giving it to people in need so that they can follow their dreams and feel supported in this music video for "God's Plan".

Drake, real name Aubrey Drake Graham, is a Canadian rapper who is most definitely one of the biggest male artists in the whole world at this very moment. Every single track he releases ends up being a hit. He is currently working on his fifth studio album which he is just finishing up. This single is taken from his EP Scary Hours but I reckon it'll be included in his new album since it has been such a hit. The song has charted at number one in various countries all around the world, further allowing Drake to prove that he's one of the most popular rappers around and that he's on top form. "God's Plan" was written by Aubrey Graham, Ronald LaTour, Daveon Jackson, Matthew Samuels, and Noah Shebib.

Directed by Karena Evans, the music video sees Drake give away the music video's budget to various people and businesses. The budget was a total of $996,631.90 and the video was filmed in Miami. It has received a lot of comparisons to Blink-182's "The Rock Show" as they too did a similar thing. I believe this concept has been done a few times over, so it's nothing new.

Unlike Blink-182, Drake decides to actually donate the money rather than have fun and smash things up. We see him pay for strangers' groceries in a supermarket, give away a car to a teenager, present cash bundles for families who are struggling; as well as hand out a tonne of toys to kids and donate money to various institutions including the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, the Lotus Home Women's Shelter and the City of Miami Fire Department.

Releasing a teaser on Instagram, Drake stated that the video was: "The most important thing I have ever done in my career." The ending scene of the music video shows a conversation with a young man, Drake tells him: "We're nothing without our mothers. Gotta make sure you take care of your mom, too, no matter what you do. It's all we got. Trust me. That's my world." That hit me right in the heart and made me tear up a little bit.

Overall, this music video depicts Drake in a very genuine light. He's down to earth and clearly wants to give back to his fans, the community, the people, and the world. There are many celebrities that are just as kind as Drake shows himself to be. On the other hand, the concept isn't anything new, and only partly relates to the lyrics of the song.
Buy on iTunes

Girls Aloud - Long Hot Summer


Long Hot Summer - Girls Aloud |

I've had this song stuck in my head all day today, so with lack of anything else to choose from, I decided to review this music video. I kind of remember seeing this, Girls Aloud are certainly serving mechanic sexiness in every way when it comes to this music video - although to be fair, apparently it's 95 degrees in the shade, according to the song. Upon it's release in 2005, the song became the group's worst chart hit at number seven in the UK, a couple of singles later "See The Day" managed to peak even lower at number nine. Watch Girls Aloud dressed as mechanics before stripping off into something a lot more sexy as they work in a garage in this music video for "Long Hot Summer".

Girls Aloud were a five-piece girl group that were formed on Popstars: The Rivals which saw a girl group and a boy band formed by the public and then go head-to-head to hit number one on the charts. They consisted of Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, and Sarah Harding. They beat the boy band to number one (the boy band were called One True Voice), and later became one of the most successful British girl groups. They are all now pursuing solo careers, with Cheryl being the only one who has consistent success; although, Nicola Roberts has had moderate success with her debut album, and so has Nadine Coyle, the latter of which has released a new EP and is promoting her new music. This song is perhaps a bit before it's time since it easily gets stuck in my head nowadays. "Long Hot Summer" was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim "Rolf" Larcombe, Shawn Lee, Lisa Cowling, Giselle Sommerville, and Myra Boyle. The song was intended for the soundtrack to Herbie: Fully Loaded, but the plans fell through.

The music video was directed by Max & Dania. It clearly was influence by the 2005 Disney film Herbie: Fully Loaded, even though the song wasn't included in the soundtrack. It is set in a garage with all five members of the girl group acting as mechanics.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, the outfits are fine when they're acting as mechanics but they sexify it up a little too much when they remove their overalls. Regardless, Girls Aloud do look a bit on the sweaty side, allowing us to imagine how melting-hot they are - relating to the song perfectly. Cheryl looks beyond awkward lifting up that tyre.

The most disappointing aspect of the video is the collective dancing. Clearly the choreography wasn't all that good, and even though the girls do their best with what they're given, it still doesn't come off all that well. Overall the song is a shambles but the music video makes up for it to some extent, but it's just not good enough. The song is more of an addictive throwback track.
Buy on iTunes

Hunter Hayes - This Girl


This Girl - Hunter Hayes |

It's time for me to wrap up my Hunter Hayes' Pictures three-part music video film. "This Girl" is the third part of this series of music videos, which has allowed Hunter Hayes to plunge us deep into a 60's narrative; this one concludes this Pictures collective, which all spanned from the "Rescue" music video as inspiration was drawn from the canvas paintings created in that visual. This wraps up the videos but leaves quite the open ending that has got us all intrigued. Watch Hunter Hayes perform this song in front of a house with his guitar, as we watch the character Sophie get married in this music video for "This Girl".

Hunter Hayes, as you should know by now due to all my recent Hunter Hayes blog posts, is an American country singer who went viral with the release of the heart-melting song "Wanted". He's destined for success since he is beyond talented. He can play a multitude of instruments, which he has showcased throughout the years, but mainly in debut music video "Storm Warning". I adore his songs, most of which are ones that I can never get out of my head. These latest tracks don't quite hit the mark for me, although they are heartfelt, for sure. I am hoping his next album has one international hit, as he deserves to go global. This track was written by Andy Albert, Hunter Hayes, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jordan M. Schmidt.

Directed by John Edde & Matt Edde, this music video is the final part of the Pictures trilogy. It wraps up the character storylines that were previously in "You Should Be Loved" and "More". There is also a cast list, and within these music videos, you will see Olivia Evans, Sam Brooks, Wynn Reichart, Silva Riganelli, Jay Putnam, Allison Shrum, Michael Leidel, Percy Bell, Lacy Hartselle, and Sasha Asadourian.

This last visual in the trilogy follows Sophie (played by Lacy Hartselle) as she gets ready for her wedding and thinks about the past, where her fiancé hurt her and where she fell in love with another guy, who she kissed at a party in the first music video, "You Should Be Loved".

She battles with her emotions and her father comes to have a few words with her which are beyond adorable. Then, the guy, who she's fallen in love with, disrupts the wedding ceremony and she runs off with him. This is the perfect message - you should always follow your heart.

As for the performance side of things, Hunter Hayes looks like he's hiding behind his guitar. He doesn't unleash his full potential that we've seen in other music videos. It makes us question whether his heart was in this song, and takes us back to "You Should Be Loved" where he's hiding behind the piano. It's a good performance, it's just missing the spark that he added in the "More" music video. The ending is confusing as we return to present day and we find out that Hunter Hayes is wrapped up in this storyline - maybe one of the characters is an ancestor of his? Could this allow him to continue these connecting music videos?

Overall, this isn't as amazing as "More", it just has the same feel as "You Should Be Loved". It's still good, nonetheless, and we are interested in what Sophie is going to do as time goes on; but, you just have a feeling you know what's going to happen, and what we expected ends up playing out.
Buy on iTunes

New Release: Triana Park - Home


Home - Triana Park |

I can't believe I'm posting a Facebook music video within my blog, but the official YouTube music video has embedding disabled, hence why I've used the Facebook video. Both versions are the same, so I'm all good to go with using this. There was a hell of a lot of new releases on this backdated Friday however, most didn't have music videos, a couple released music videos after the release of the single, and one or two happened to release their song mid-week for Valentine's Day; therefore making this quite the difficult choice for me. I chose this one, because I initially wrote it up for CelebMix, and I can't help but adore this song. I truly believe Triana Park was one of the most underrated acts at Eurovision 2017. Watch the frontwoman of Triana Park, Agnese Rakovska, find life lonely as she wishes she had a home to go to in this music video for "Home".

Triana Park are a four-piece electronic pop-rock band from Latvia. They consist of Agnese Rakovska, Artūrs Strautiņš, Edgars Viļums, and Kristaps Ērglis. They are quite the name in their home country, having competed in Latvia's national selection for Eurovision a total of five times. Upon their sixth attempt (after a five-year break) in 2017, they managed to win and finally got to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Line". Unfortunately, they only managed to get 21 points in their Semi-Final placing them 18th; failing to qualify for the Grand Final. This new song is the follow-up track to the Eurovision song, proving that Triana Park are a strong act who will consistently give us addicting tracks. The song is apparently the second single from their upcoming album, which is set to be released on 18 April 2018.

Directed by Ivars Burtnieks, this music video is a narrative piece that has a slight performance throughout. Agnese Rakovska displays her lonely life that also touches upon mental health issues as she sings this song with all the heartfelt emotions that give us chills every time we hear this song.

The opening scene sees her in a convenience store, where she grabs a bunch of items and walks slowly away - is this how you buy stuff in Latvia? Because the shopkeeper barely bats an eyelid. She then steals the park ranger's car and drives off. That is until her mental health illusions appear where a double of herself can be seen laughing in the back of the truck. She ditches the car and starts to walk; she attempts to hitchhike, but no such luck. and the lights in every house she walks pass turn off.

The last part of the music video sees her looking through a window, watching a family show love to one another as they gather in the living room. Agnese Rakovska is clearly craving that in this song and the music video, so much so she bangs against the window, desperately wanting to be a part of that, before disappearing.

This music video has it all and really works with the song. It's missing the energy of Triana Park, maybe because there aren't any scenes of them performing collectively as a group; however, everything else fits perfectly well and really manages to show off the song perfectly.
Buy on iTunes

Hunter Hayes - Storm Warning


Storm Warning - Hunter Hayes |

Can you tell that I'm on a Hunter Hayes obsession? This is my backdated Thursday Revisit and I can't believe I haven't watched this before now. I'm also surprised to find out that this song was his debut single. He has to be one of the most underrated male musicians in the world, and have you seen how many instruments he plays in this music video - what a way to represent himself. Hunter Hayes is a star-in-the-making and one song, just one song, will eventually go viral and chart worldwide; it just has to. Watch Hunter Hayes show off his musical abilities whilst performing this powerful and heart-hitting song in this music video for "Storm Warning".

Hunter Hayes is a country music star from America. He's had a few hits, with "Wanted" being his most known and most popular track. He's recently been heading down a country-pop music style in the past couple of years and I'm beyond excited for new music from him - we need another album. He's destined for global success, just listen to his voice, just watch how he can confidently play a variety of musical instruments. "Wanted" should've been his global sensation, and it got pretty close, but I'm sure that he'll have one soon. This song was his debut single and didn't bring chart success all that much. "Storm Warning" was written by Hunter Hayes, Gordie Sampson, and busbee.

Directed by Brian Lazzaro, this music video is a pure performance piece and almost feels like a showcase video. Throughout, Hunter Hayes presents to the world what his capabilities are as an artist, all the while delivering an infectious song that I just simply adore - how was this not a hit?

Throughout there are filters used, emphasising colours and shadows whilst also bringing in segmented video so that more than one piece of footage could be shown at the same time. It certainly brings an interesting aspect to the viewers and gives us more than double the stage presence that Hunter Hayes unleashes. There's also a brilliant snippet where six different versions of Hunter Hayes' are playing different instruments in one frame - so clever.

What we know from this music video is that Hunter Hayes can sing, play the acoustic guitar, play the electric guitar, play the bass guitar, play the piano, play the drums, and play the bouzouki. Now, that is what I like to call a proper artist. He's developed in music completely and this is what truly allows him to shine. This music video is just a pure brilliant performance piece, it's just missing relatability to the song, a slight bit of narrative would've stolen the show - maybe even a woman walking around the set would've worked perfectly. It's just missing that slight thing.
Buy on iTunes
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)