New Release: Years & Years Featuring Tove Lo - Desire



This is the music video everyone is talking about at the moment. A great collaboration, and Years & Years are currently one of the top acts in the UK, Olly Alexander is really paving the way for British gay singers everywhere, it makes a change seeing someone like Olly Alexander getting chart hits and being out, free and open, and although this music video isn't exactly sexually restricted he is a good role model, as in proving that dreams which you fight for can come true. Years & Years puts desire on a platter for us all to enjoy, or not to in some ways, not afraid to make an impact and get the message across, this video is an eye opener at least and Tove Lo gives the video some much needed spice.

Years & Years grabbed a number one single in 2015 with "King" as well as a number two single with "Shine", instead of releasing new music they have revisited this single, which was released before "King", suggesting that they want a higher charting position. "Desire" originally charted at number 22, but maybe with the additional vocals from Tove Lo and a controversial music video that has got everyone talking, might beat the original release, it worked for Disclosure, so it could work for Years & Years. The band consists of Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen. Olly Alexander is an established actor, having appeared in quite a few films and TV series. The band formed online, although Olly Alexander wasn't in the picture then, it wasn't until Mikey Goldsworthy heard him singing in the shower at a friend's apartment that the band fully formed. They are definitely making an impact on the UK charts, and they're one band to keep an eye on. Tove Lo, real name Ebba Nilsson, is one of those singers who will have a few amazing hits, and a few not so great. I'm in love with "Talking Body", however I'm not so keen on the chart hit "Habits (Stay High)". She's not going to get the success Zara Larsson is going to get, but if she fights like she has with her song writing, she can get there. This song was written by Olly Alexander, Michael Goldsworthy, Emre Türkmen and Kid Harpoon.

Directed by Fred Rowson. The video is reminiscent of "King", clearly Olly Alexander isn't getting enough action, it definitely makes him that little bit more sexier, it must be a jealousy thing, but it definitely works. He clearly loves other people rubbing their hands all over him. Who doesn't?

The video continues and desire is all sexual and this video shows this, I have to commemorate it for it's LGBT+ statements as well as the racial statements that the video is trying to make. Love is love, no matter what shape or form.

Tove Lo adds a magical spice to this song and music video, something extra that is needed, her vocals are amazing, and contrary to other reviews, I much prefer this version because of her vocals, it switches up the song and gives it the side we were missing.

Overall, an orgy full of desire, that really makes a statement. Something that should be toned down slightly if it were to be put on the daytime music channels, but a message that deserves to be given across regardless.
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The Saturdays - If This Is Love



Thursday Revisit starts right now, and why not choose The Saturdays' first ever single, which is just coming up to eight years old, can you believe these girls have been together for that long? The video defines pop music videos, it's colourful and exciting, this is an up and coming girl group, who look and sound amazing, we all knew that they were going to be a hit, regardless of this being The Saturdays' debut single.

The Saturdays consist of Vanessa White, Una Foden, Mollie King, Frankie Bridge and Rochelle Humes. The girls are currently on hiatus, although I'm anticipating their return this year with hopefully a new number one on their hands, as they definitely deserve more than just the one. However they are currently doing their own side projects, so whether they will be coming back soon is something we'll be waiting on. This song was their debut single, the song that first introduced me to the girl group, and the one that made me start buying their music. It charted at number eight. It was written by Joe Belmaati, Michaela Breen, Vince Clarke, Mich Hansen, Alison Moyet, John Reid, Remee and Ina Wroldsen. It samples Yazoo's song "Situation" written by Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet. The group have stated that it's one of their least favourite songs they've released.

The music video was directed by Harvey B Brown. The girls act like their celebrities and their fan base is waiting outside the shop window waiting for them to perform.

It's full of bright colours, and each girl is wearing a different coloured dress with heels that don't match. It's this style that is consistent with the following music videos, although it's not possible to identify a colour with each girl since it changes in each music video and single cover. However each group member is identifiably different nonetheless so it's not like we have to use the colours to tell them apart.

This theme continues into only a few music videos and single covers, until the group becomes much more famous. It's colourful, eye catching and full of performance vibes, these girls love to sing, they connect with ease and you can see the friendship bonds between them, this group was meant to happen and their longevity proved that. Now these girls are definitely famous, they've tried to hit America and gave it their best shot, even though they never conquered that country, they are a real successful British girl group, and I'd go as far as saying that even though they are currently on hiatus, they are the top girl group in the UK at the moment, but I think Little Mix is trying to nab that crown from The Saturdays, which they are welcome to at the moment, whilst The Saturdays have their time off, but I can see The Saturdays coming back more fierce than ever.

An average music video, introducing us to The Saturdays. Stylish, fun and colourful, very in your face, and it works perfectly. The Saturdays just need to come back!
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The Saturdays - Disco Love



As we all await the return of The Saturdays, I have plunged myself into their autobiography The Saturdays Our Story, and it's sure is giving me an insight into their lives, they have worked so incredibly hard to get to where they are now, and it just goes to show that if you fight for what you want out of life, you will get it, or at least manage to look back on your past and be proud of all that you have achieved. This is my main thought in life, as long as I'm getting my name out there, I can say that I've done this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this; and it's available here, here, here, here and here; even if I don't get to where I want to be, I'll still be known to one person or a few, enough to put my stamp on the world and hopefully inspire and prove that you have to work to where you want to be. Nobody achieves anything by doing nothing. This is my favourite song from The Saturdays, it was an instant love I had for this song. The Saturdays take us back to 1979, as well as 1989 and 1999, with a slight narrative storyline in each year, although adding peculiar irregularities throughout.

The Saturdays are one of the most successful girl groups from the UK that is still going, although they are currently on hiatus. They have racked up an incredible 18 UK top 40 singles, but only one number one with "What About Us" which featured Sean Paul. They are reportedly planning to return in 2016, however all sources come from 2015, so no new news on them coming back any time soon. Plus Vanessa White has embarked on a slight solo career as she has released her first EP, and it seems other girls might just follow suit soon. The Saturdays consist of Vanessa White, Rochelle Humes, Frankie Bridge, Una Foden and Mollie King. This song was written by Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Ásgeir Orri Ásgeirsson, Saethór Kristjánsson and Adam Klein. Bringing a disco vibe to the song, it hit the chart at number five, and quickly became my favourite song from The Saturdays.

I love how the music video starts off with their cover of Donna Summer's "On The Radio" before they change it over to their new song. It was directed by Carly Cussen.

We are taken back through time to 1979, 1989 and 1999. We get to look closely at how the different years were unique, and I love how the group changes in each scene.

Although there is bad errors, such as in 1979, if the camper van had broken down the radio wouldn't work as well as the hair pod that Mollie uses, which also doesn't belong in this scene as they weren't around then. Yet, that is the only peculiarities I can find. The Bee Gees are given a mention in this clip with their song "Stayin' Alive".

We get transported to 1989 where they are at a roller skating rink, I would so love to go to one of these, but I guess I was born in the wrong year, it looks like they had a right good time. There's a scene that reflects back to their music video for "Higher" which featured Flo Rida, which was once again pulled off perfectly. Also, Mollie must've fought hard for that Britney lyric which gives notice to "...Baby One More Time". I so wish I was there to take part in it. Maybe roller skating is returning, it recently appeared in Gwen Stefani's music video for "Make Me Like You", as well as being in Sigala's "Sweet Loving".

Fast forward another ten years and it's 1999, two years before Rochelle Humes and Frankie Bridge came on to the scene in their group S Club Juniors (later known as S Club 8). They are at a skate park, and the dancers are performing some tricks and moves. It doesn't really go with the song, and yet it still works.

Throughout the video, Frankie Bridge doesn't get much intercutted scenes, which she asked for since she was pregnant at the time. This isn't unusual in one of The Saturdays music videos, since band members have been pregnant in previous music videos before such as in "30 Days" and "Gentleman".

Overall a great performance music video, I love it when Mollie King sings into the screwdriver, we've all done this with some sort of inanimate object wishing it was a microphone. Realistic, fun and respectfully time shifted as we return, or in many cases experience, years from the past, and although there are a couple of errors, one of which was obviously a product proposal, I'm willing to look past that, because this video is one of the best, along with the song.

What we really need is for The Saturdays to return, especially now Little Mix and Fifth Harmony are dominating the charts. Come on girls, return in 2016, and prove that The Saturdays aren't going to settle with just one number one.
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Fifth Harmony Featuring Ty Dolla $ign - Work From Home



Absolutely loving this song right now, working seems to be hot topic at the moment in the music industry, as Rihanna has just released her single "Work" featuring Drake. Now Fifth Harmony has released this song, which is just as catchy. Fifth Harmony become builders in this sexy new video, and their builder love interests are just as hot.

Fifth Harmony was united on The X Factor USA, where each girl originally performed as a solo singer. The band has become the biggest act from that entire show, although many artists from the show are world class, they just need to get promotion and release music. The girl group consists of Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Lauren Jauregui, Camila Cabello and Dinah Jane Hansen. This is their first single from their new album, which is expected in May. This is not an official single as of yet, and has only been released as an album track for the pre-order of the album. The song features rapper Ty Dollar $ign, real name Tyrone Griffin, Jr. who has yet to score a chart hit in the UK, surprisingly. However, he is known over here. Maybe this will be his first UK charting position, since it looks like it will hit the Top 10 this week. The song was written by Joshua Coleman, Jude Demorest, Dallas Koehlke, Tyson Griffin Jr., Alexander Izquierdo and Brian Lee. It was originally titled "Work", but soon got changed to prevent confusion with Rihanna's "Work".

Directed by Director X, the music video is another pure performance piece from this group, with an inserted narrative. I love how this director has done both this video and Rihanna's "Work", yet he's done a much better job on this one.

Different and exciting, I can't think of another video that I've seen that is set in a builder's workplace, and only Fifth Harmony can make it look dead sexy. What girl or gay guy wouldn't want to become a builder for that music video?

Ty Dollar $ign does just that, he raps as he walks around with his hammer in his hand, whilst the Fifth Harmony girls dance and twerk. The choreography is on point, we expect nothing less from this girl group, and their energy on stage is just as electric as it is in this music video, I can vouch for that.

Normani Kordei stands out in this video, girllllll she can twerk! Limelight is on her throughout, this choreography was made for her, and she pulls it off with style! The other girls are just as good, and I have no problems with this music video, it's sultry, sexy, and flirtatious. It relates slightly to the song since the girls are doing some work, as they suggest in the video, but maybe we needed a bit more of a storyline.
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Chart Mondays: Little Mix Featuring Jason Derulo - Secret Love Song



Well this music video has created quite the stir, unsurprisingly since what Little Mix wants is cut out, and instead it's what the management team thinks would work, which it clearly didn't, and failed in so many ways. The back story of this music video is so sad and disappointing, because it fails to relate to the song... But more on that later. Little Mix bring out their Spice Girls video in a landmarked London, whilst Jason Derulo dances to this slow song.

Little Mix won The X Factor back in 2011, they consist of Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. They've recently released their third album Get Weird, that has many songs on there that are worthy of singles. I'm really hoping for "Weird People" to be released as a single. However this was chosen as their third single; it's another ballad from this group, which would've been fine if it wasn't a follow-up to "Love Me Like You", which is also a ballad and didn't perform that well and took some time to climb up the charts, This song has followed suit, although it has been climbed up the chart quicker. Jade Thirlwall has mentioned that to her the song is for the LGBT+ community and the struggles they face in being in love and open about it in public. Jason Derulo, real name Jason Desrouleaux, wrote his own verse which puts a twist in the song, suggesting it's more about an affair. However, Little Mix had the perfect LGBT anthem on their hands, remixed well and it would be played in every gay club, especially during pride, but management clearly overruled. The song was written by Jez Ashurst, Emma Rohan, Rachel Furner and Jason Desrouleaux.

The music video was directed by Frank Borin. A pure performance piece, it should have been magical. There probably is a director's cut in storage somewhere, which would show the narrative that apparently got recorded, since they hired actors to play on-screen heterosexual, homosexual and interracial relationships to relate to the song, but management decided to cut it from the video altogether.

Set in London amongst landmarks, such as Tower Bridge, the video is very reminiscent of the Spice Girls' music video for "2 Become 1". Especially with it being a purely performance music video.

There's not a lot to comment on, the vocals are impeccable, if I hadn't have known who sung this, my initial guess would've been Leona Lewis. Whoever has said in the past that Little Mix aren't great at singing, this song proves them totally wrong. Their portrayal of the song in the music video is heartfelt, but not full of emotion, it's almost as if the girls have been told that the narration has been cut, this could explain why they haven't put their all in this video because their hearts aren't in it, as this is not what they wanted.

Jason Derulo's part is more awful. This is a ballad, his vocals are pretty good, some may even say surprising. Yet, he's dancing to the song, it's a freaking ballad, unless you're going to be slow dancing, then fine, but not pop and locking... just no! His emotion towards the song failed in the video and although all the steps he had been instructed to do worked, he didn't seem into it either.

Overall this video could have been amazing, this song is an LGBT+ anthem whether people like it or not, you could say that Little Mix relate to this song even more now because they wanted it to have an LGBT storyline, and yet that was taken away from them. In doing so the music video fails to relate and to connect with people. Luckily the song has performed well on the charts, via album track downloads only, and although the cover art has been released, the single has yet to appear on iTunes... Will it ever get released? Or will the original video be released with the single? I am literally praying for the real video to be unveiled.
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