I was wondering what music video to review today and this one just popped in my head out of nowhere... How I haven't reviewed this before today, I have no idea. At first, we didn't think this collaboration would totally work, but the girls and Machine Gun Kelly has knocked it out of the park, well except for the country-themed music video that doesn't exactly relate since the song is an upbeat club song that we'll be dancing to on the dancefloor some night. Watch Little Mix stroll into a bar that is filled with cowboys and a rapper who goes by the name Machine Gun Kelly, in their music video for "No More Sad Songs".
Little Mix are a four-piece girl band consisting of Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson. They won The X Factor's eighth series in 2011 and are still the only group to have ever won the UK contest show. They have gone on to receive global attention, and have had many hit singles. They've been trying to crack America, and although their albums have charted amazingly over there, they have yet to have a massive hit single in the US. This may have been why they teamed up with Machine Gun Kelly for a whole new version of this song. His real name is Richard Colson Baker, and he has had a massive hit with Camila Cabello titled "Bad Things". He can also be seen in the film Nerve. He recently released a new song with Hailee Steinfeld titled "At My Best" as he prepares to release a new album, we presume. This song was written by Emily Warren, Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, and Tash Phillips.
Directed by Marc Klasfeld, this cowboy-themed music video is definitely an attempt to appeal to the American fans. Although, my main problem is that the song is still a club song, and what makes it worse is that a rapper sings on it too. We do not have country-rap yet; or, if we do, it's not popular. They could've remixed the song to fit the music video.
The opening scene sees an old man playing "Shout Out To My Ex" on a guitar, in front of the bar. The girls go inside and have quite a bit of fun. There's country dancing (to a club song, like, seriously?), there's pool playing, there's a rodeo, and then there's getting all wet via the tap machines.
The girls and Machine Gun Kelly are super sexy throughout, with MGK looking totally hot. This was a perfect pairing, but they seem totally out of place in the country-themed music video, even if the girls are wearing cowgirl inspired clothing, including cowboy chaps and cowboy hats.
Overall, I do love the music video, but I feel that the theme doesn't go with the song. However, having said that, the song itself works with the slight narrative of the song. I'm in sorts when it comes to the rating, and I reckon without the addition of Machine Gun Kelly, this would probably be low, but he manages to break it up nicely.
In case you missed it, I reviewed Loïc Nottet's debut album for CelebMix; I suggest you either click on the link or click on the text on the right sidebar, of my website, that says "Album Review: Loïc Nottet - Million Eyes" →. I also suggest you buy the album from iTunes because it is absolutely incredible, and I would say that it knocks Ed Sheeran's "÷ (Divide)" out of the stratosphere, and that's saying something and a half! This song is the first single from "Selfocracy", his debut album, and it's incredible. to say the least, and don't even get me started on the music video. Watch Loïc Nottet emotionally sing "Million Eyes" in this music video for the song, whilst nailing a passionate sexy dance sequence that includes getting completely wet.
Loïc Nottet is a Belgian singer who rose to fame in 2014 when he came second on the third series of The Voice Belgique. He then went on to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. He came 4th in the Grand Final, with his song "Rhythm Inside"; it is Belgium's best placing since 2003. After the competition, he took part in the sixth series of the French TV show Danse avec les stars, where he went on to win the show - yes, finally he won a contest! Now he's released his debut album, and it has completely blown me away! "Selfocracy" is an album we all need in our lives. This song was released ahead of the album as the first single. It charted well in Belgium and France, unsurprisingly due to his popularity in both countries. It was written by Luuk Cox, Loïc Nottet, and Army Morrey.
The music video was directed by Zeb Daemen. It has a black and white filter and using lighting to its advantage. I don't usually like black & white filtered music videos, but it helps to get the emotion of this visual across much better; I couldn't imagine this in colour, it just wouldn't work as well.
It's a solid performance piece throughout. But what outstands us is the amazing choreography that Loïc Nottet pulls off perfectly. This song clearly means a lot to him and so he's completely passionate through his dancing, wanting to get across the meaning of this song visually, and it totally pays off.
Overall, it's dramatic, enticing, sexy, and heartfelt. Visually, it's amazing on its own, but paired with this emotional song, it's beyond brilliant. Loïc Nottet is a global superstar in the making, he deserves to become someone everyone is talking about, and his album is a complete masterpiece. I encourage you to download or stream "Selfocracy" now, and I promise you won't be disappointed.
The global sensation has hit the UK, and I've been watching this rise on the charts for a few weeks now, and finally, it has cracked the top 10. With Ed Sheeran still at number one with "Shape of You", and every other song in the top 10 UK Singles Chart already been reviewed by me - or doesn't have a music video for me to review, this was my only option this week. The song is upbeat and catchy with a dance number of a music video. Watch a group of dancers act out a story narrative of attraction through amazing choreography for this exciting music video for Martin Jensen's "Solo Dance".
Martin Jensen is a Danish DJ who has been mixing for over ten years. He became virally known for using sounds from other viral videos and turning them into tropical house mixes. He started releasing singles in 2014, starting off with "Sí", which was a viral hit due to Martin Jensen incorporating Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration at the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or. As each single was released he became more and more popular, he's recent "All I Wanna Do" charted in a few countries; but now, this single has become a global sensation, and Martin Jensen has finally got the chart success he clearly deserves, he just needs to follow up and follow through with another awesome single. This was written by Martin Jensen, Lene Dissing, Mads Hjerl-Hansen, and Peter Bjørnskov.
Directed by Nicolas Tobias Følsgaard and choreographed by Tobias Ellehammer; the music video has intricate dance sequences throughout that are beyond perfection. Martin Jensen makes an appearance at the DJ decks, playing this song. The dancers in the visual are: Dylan Mayoral, Haeni Kim, Anders Deeno Nielsen, Sandra Brünnich, Remi Black, Enej Jurečič, Žiga Jurečič, Michel Patric Sian, Lianne Lee May, and Cilia Trappaud.
We open up watching two characters have an attraction as soon as their eyes meet, but when the guy gets ready to talk to her, another dancer sweeps in. Bad luck, or so we thought. As we go to the main floor, we see that it's all going off with amazing dance techniques.
Soon enough, our main character is centre stage, with all eyes on him. In perfect time with the music, he just stops. The silence feels like it lasts longer than it actually does as we wonder if he has done enough to impress the girl. It turns out that he has, and she appears behind him as they dance together, fully bringing it.
The choreography of this music video is completely incredible. This is what I would love to be involved in one day, but I'll just marvel at how impressive it is since my professional dancing career stopped years ago. The closest I come to getting that feeling back is on the dancefloors in clubs. Now, my career involves watching awesome music videos like this one that relates to the song perfectly and giving the best ratings out to the music videos that impress me the most, such as this one. Can't wait to see what Martin Jensen will release next!
Today, I have been catching up with Vocea României Junior (because Inna is a coach), and one contestant stood out completely; Voicu Dumitraș sang this song "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera and it took my breath away. Only a few people can sing and nail that song, and he's now one of them! The original is the best version, as per usual, but I think it's one of Christina Aguilera's more underrated songs, especially considering it's chart placement in some countries, like number 11 in the UK, like seriously? Watch Christina Aguilera's circus-themed music video to "Hurt" where she grieves over the death of her father, who she had seen just that day, yet fame took her away from talking to him.
Christina Aguilera is one of the biggest female singers in the world, but just like many others, she hasn't been hitting the chart numbers globally, like she used to. Although that doesn't mean she can't make a comeback, many others have done so and knocked it out for the park. This song is filled with such emotion and hits every note; it really is a hard song to cover, and I don't think anyone could do it any more justice than Christina Aguilera. Just a shame that it didn't chart so well globally, it only hit number 19 on the US Billboard Charts. The song was written by Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson. It was inspired by Linda Perry's loss of her father.
Directed by Christina Aguilera and Floria Sigismondi. It is set in a circus, and is very different to Britney Spears' "Circus", so don't get them confused. This one is more of a period setting, with a black and white filter for the beginning to establish that. We also hear Linda Perry's voice at the start as the audience are introduced to the circus.
In colour, we see Christina Aguilera get given a telegram; on it, it says "We respect to inform you of the death of your father on the day of 02/09/1947", we then watch a flashback of the time she spent at the circus with her dad as a child, and we see where she got the inspiration to become a circus performer.
Throughout, we watch how her day went, where she saw her father in the audience and even touched his hand at the end of the show where she was being interviewed. We see a few memories, and we see her fall to the ground in front of the circus tent, fully grieving.
This is a passionate song and a brilliant coinciding music video. Christina Aguilera really shows that she's not just an amazing singer, but she's a great actress too. She fully proves herself in this, and she deserves a lot more credit for what she does. I hope that new music is on the way and I hope she releases a global hit that gets everyone talking about her again.
I recently reviewed this for Outlet Magazine, and I found it so catchy, I just had to review it for my blog, not only that but I'm definitely a fan of Dead Lavender now, and I'm excited to see what the future will bring for this duo. Shot in Los Angeles, V & Oliver of Dead Lavender bring a 90's colour grading and VCR filters for this amazing visual of a music video for debut single "Seasons Change".
Dead Lavender are a London-based production and vocalist duo consisting of V & Oliver. Deciding to focus solely on the music, they choose to remain anonymous. The electronic-chill sound of this debut single easily showcases what the duo are all about, whilst switching it up around trap, house, dance, and synth-wave. This duo is set for big things, I can feel it in their sound, and I'm so excited to see what the future will bring for Dead Lavender. The single was written by V & Oliver.
Produced by V & Oliver, the music video uses 90's colour grading and VCR filters. This gives the video quite the retro look, whilst adding current themes throughout. Although V & Oliver shy away from the camera, keeping their anonymity, they are visible (well, we presume it's them in the visual).
The male vocalist has a performance scene in this music video. He brings it with full-out energy, we know he's passionate about the song, and although we can't see his face, thanks to the tilted cap; we can see that he is quite the performer and manages to invite the audience into this emotional and honest song. If this duo were to team up with Sia, then our world would be complete, as that would be beyond perfection.
As for the woman, we see her walking through pillars, hiding from the camera and shying away. Once again, we don't see her face, but she gives a great acting performance. We presume these two main characters are V & Oliver that make up the duo Dead Lavender.
Overall, this is an exciting debut music video and single. It's effortlessly catchy, and one that I have definitely added to my iTunes. It's an interesting music video and one that goes so well with the song. It adds a bit of mysteriousness to the song, even if there isn't much going on. The audience feels included throughout. I like how the artist, possibly, included themselves in the music video whilst keeping anonymous throughout. I'm excited for their next single and music video (which will be out soon apparently).
Here she is; we all know her as Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries, now she's ready to leave the witch in her past as she now has the ability to focus on her music career; especially now that The Vampire Diaries has completely finished. Looking stylishly sexy throughout, Kat Graham brings it when it comes to dancing in this killer music video for "Sometimes"; proving that Bonnie Bennett is just a character in her past.
Kat Graham is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She has got it all and is definitely a triple threat. Following in the footsteps of many amazing stars who also have established careers in both acting and singing, we're sure Kat Graham will become the next Jennifer Lopez or Hilary Duff. Having already been in music for many years (she was an uncredited vocalist for a few will.i.am songs, including the hit "I Got It From My Mama"), she hasn't really managed to promote her music that much, although she is building upon it with a collection of singles and an album, the latter of which was released in 2015. This song was written by Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Jean-Yves "Jeeve" Ducornet, and Katerina Graham.
There are certain parts of the song that reminds me of "Grease (Is The Word)", specifically the version Jessie J sang for Grease Live. Regardless, Kat Graham's vocals are on point throughout, and even though she isn't the greatest singer in the world, the song compliments her vocal range whilst allowing for a choreographed music video.
It was directed and choreographed by Marc Cleary and Oskar Rodriguez. Shot through two takes, the music video is split mid-way through, as we watch her enter the performing room. This slightly loses the audience as we adjust to the complete change of scene. This style of music video really includes the audience allowing them to feel they are on set, just like with Sabrina Carpenter's "Thumbs", but having it split up into two parts without reason is quite off-putting.
As for the performance side of things, Kat Graham shows her dance ability, which we were already aware of from the popular film 'Honey 2', where she starred as the main character, Maria Ramirez. She nails every dance sequence, with her backing dancers, bringing energetic flair that has been waiting to be released. She also looks stunning throughout this visual.
Overall, it's a solid music video, that really includes the audience - well, right up until the split. Kat Graham is fierce throughout, making sure the spotlight is on her. Girl, you've definitely got this. She's totally an up-and-coming all-rounder of a star, and although we don't see this song charting that well, it'll remain a song we won't be able to get out of our heads for the rest of the day.
I'm actually so surprised that I have not reviewed this music video before today; what a perfect excuse to review it for my Thursday Revisit. This song came to my attention on a compilation album; on first listen, I fell in love with this song and quickly became a Hunter Hayes fan; and the rest is history. Hunter Hayes has this amazing ability to flood a song with emotion, so much so that you can tell he means every single lyric he is singing. This song literally makes me cry everytime I hear it because all I want is someone who wants to make me feel wanted. Watch Hunter Hayes perform this song passionately at a piano whilst the song lyrics are displayed all around him, intercut with visuals of the girl he's singing about in the "Wanted" music video.
Hunter Hayes pretty much made his career off the back of this song, which was his second single, the follow-up to "Storm Warning". It hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's sad to think it never became a hit in the UK. He has since released many other singles and a couple of albums as well. He is gearing up to release brand new music sometime this year. He recently released the music video to "Yesterday's Song", the single of which was dropped in September 2016. This song was written by Hunter Hayes and Troy Verges.
Directed by BIRDmachineBIRD, who consists of Patrick Hubik and Traci Goudie; the music video is mainly a performance piece, showcasing Hunter Hayes emotion for this song.
It's clear that Hunter Hayes can fully perform this song perfectly, easily showing how much the song means to him in the visual as well as on the track itself. Not many people can perform well sitting at a piano, but Hunter Hayes is here to show us all how it is done; even if we are slightly distracted by the lyrics that are displayed all around him.
There are snippets of a potential narrative, it shows Hunter Hayes with a love interest, who he is singing this song about. The main scene we see is them riding a bike together. It's lovely, but I feel there isn't enough of these clips shown throughout the video, but then again I wouldn't want to take away any of Hunter Hayes amazing performance piece. It's a great relatable music video that works with the song perfectly.
Talk about a look-back music video... Hunter Hayes has delivered his best music video yet, and did I mention how handsome he looks in this? Hunter Hayes is fully maturing into a gorgeously sexy man that we can't stop watching. This song and it's accompanying visual is a great throwback to his previous songs and music videos, whilst heading in a new direction for his new music. I'm totally excited to find out what his new music is like. I'm sure we all are. Watch Hunter Hayes glance at his past as he finds his a whole new direction. "Yesterday's song" is a reflection on his life and career so far, and works well as a music video.
Hunter Hayes is an American country music artist who has been very busy with new music this year, that we bet he can't wait to unleash on to his fans. He's one of many country stars who have attempted to hit the UK market, but Hunter Hayes went above and beyond by changing some of his most-known songs into pop versions, so much so he released a whole new album with the intention to crack the UK music industry, and although the album did chart - at 85 - it still shows that country music doesn't do so well over here in the UK. But other artists have managed to do it, and if Hunter Hayes continues to focus on doing so then I'm sure he'll make it over here as well. All it can take is one hit song. This song is one of his latest singles. It was released in September 2016, but the music video just dropped this week at the end of March 2017. I'm ready for new music, you are all ready for new music, so Hunter Hayes get to it and release something fresh! This song was written by Hunter Hayes, Barry Dean, and Martin Johnson.
This awesome music video was directed by Ryan Hamblin. I wasn't sure what to expect when it started, especially when Hunter Hayes picks up the broken mirror ball. To be fair, I've always wanted to know what a broken mirror ball was like, so at least I know now.
After placing the mirror ball back down, he finds a much bigger one that has crashed down on the building he's in. He heads over to it in a flippant way and enters inside. We follow him and see mirrors everywhere reflecting his previous music videos from "Wanted" to "Storm Warning" to "Invisible". It's great to see how far he's come.
Inside the mirror ball, there is a woman walking in the background with a mirror ball as a head, probably a reference to the girl he's singing about in his songs, therefore suggesting that he's moved on from her now and from writing songs about that person. This is how I interpret the song's meaning. We also see a guy in a business suit, who also has a mirror ball as a head. He displays a case full of cash, Now all the gay guys are suddenly interested (jokes); personally I think it's a business deal, suggesting that he's done things he's not proud of, probably sang songs he didn't really like, in the chance to have money; maybe he's been offered deals to go down a different route but he's sticking to his direction/ He finally finds a way out of the mirror ball and follows down the path he wants to take.
The ending scene sees him running towards a mirror, to which he jumps through, ready to start his next career path. And we're totally jumping through that mirror with him as all his fans continue to support him.
This music video is beyond brilliant and easily relates to the song. It reflects on Hunter Hayes past and he takes his fans through his memories too. It's incredibly engaging and something I could watch over and over again, and that isn't because of how hot he looks in the music video; well maybe a little bit. This music video deserves awards, and it's getting a high rating from me.
This is currently YouTube Trending at the moment, and I just felt like it's about time Prince Royce graced my blog. Something new and something different for today's review. A bit of a latin flair, although I'm not so convinced that this was a good collaboration, especially with Shakira constantly looking at the camera in this music video. Watch Shakira dance with various guys whilst Prince Royce performs on stage before coming down and dancing with his collaborator in this music video for "Deja Vu".
Prince Royce, real name Geoffrey Royce Rojas, is one of the biggest latin pop male artists in America. He has sung with a multitude of different artists including Jennifer Lopez and Daddy Yankee. I don't think he'll ever manage to appeal to the UK market, if you all thought country is hard to sell to the UK, you should see how latin pop does, because that rarely touches the UK charts, if at all. However, Shakira has charted in the UK plenty of times, and so have some majorly influential latin pop songs. If Prince Royce were to attempt to crack the UK market, I'm sure he would be able to do so. Collaborating on this track with Shakira, full name Shakira Ripoll; their voices work well together. She's definitely one of the top female artists in the music industry, although her latin pop songs don't fare well in the UK either. To be honest, I'm not so sure of what to make of this song as a collaboration. It was written by Geoffrey Royce Rojas, Daniel Santacruz, Manny Cruz, Kevin Mauricio Jiménez Londoño, and Bryan Snaider Lezcano Chaverra.
The music video is mainly a performance piece with a subtle narrative. We see Shakira dancing with various partners before inviting the singer on stage to come down and dance with her, the singer of which is Prince Royce.
The performance pieces are very separate, with Shakira's taking place in a different room, she looks as sexy as ever and pretty much doesn't look like she ages at all. She's looking fierce throughout and giving direct eye contact with the camera. This is usually good in her own music videos, but Prince Royce comes off much better.
He gets involved in the visual, continuing to include the audience within. He looks much more professional and makes Shakira seem less so as she is constantly looking at the camera.
The ending scene should've been sexy and interesting, but as Prince Royce continues to look at Shakira giving her his full attention, her eyes are looking at us, and it just doesn't come off all that great.
Overall, the video isn't all that bad, and it kind of works, I suppose. Yet, Shakira kind of lets the video down throughout, grabbing the spotlight and keeping it on her throughout. It feels like she's trying to create a battle between them, yet Prince Royce isn't interested in fighting for the spotlight.
Finally, the chart has sorted itself out, slightly; and I can finally get back to my Chart Mondays reviews, now that Ed Sheeran isn't dominating quite so much, he's still at number one with "Shape of You", though. I'm so glad Anne-Marie has got into the top 10 with this awesome song, she's been fighting for her career, and finally, it's paying off and people are noticing her like they should. She's been on my radar for over a year now and I have supported her ever since. I'm excited to see her progress and become someone everyone is talking about. Watch Anne-Marie perform with her girls in this music video for "Ciao Adios" that has got us all copying her dance moves.
Anne-Marie, full name Anne-Marie Nicholson, has really come into her own, and that was definitely with the help of Rudimental and Clean Bandit, especially the latter where she featured on "Rockabye" which became a UK number one hit for weeks on end. She's an inspiration to us all as she really has developed her own sound and kept true to herself whilst building a career for herself. She's managed to become someone everyone's talking about, and I'm so proud to see that she's finally at that stage. She just needs to hold on to her fame, but her genuine personality and her real songs are what will allow her to continue to succeed. This song is at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, hence why I'm reviewing the music video. "Ciao Adios" was written by Anne-Marie Nicholson, Tom Meredith, Jennifer Decilveo, and Mason Levy.
The music video is a pure performance visual with Anne-Marie totally releasing performance vibes, and she definitely gets kudos for the dancing, although it's a shame it's cut up so much by the editing team; I want to learn the chorus dance moves.
Following a perfect theme from "Alarm", it's clear her debut album is going to be complete fire! We see her giving this music video her all, whilst being relaxed and trendy at the same time.
The choreography is easy for people to copy and I can so see youngsters doing the "Ciao Adios" dance; I'll be there at her concert doing it myself! As per usual, she's a trendsetter, making her mark in the music industry with iconic but different songs. She is one to watch for sure, and she performed amazingly at Birmingham Pride 2016 - I hope she returns to that stage this year.
