Well, there's a whole reason why I've not seen this music video before now, and just watching this music video proves that it's not something I'm interested in watching. It's Chart Mondays today, and with DJ Khaled at the top of the chart with "I'm The One" which features Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil Wayne; it opened the Top 10 to my music video review - this left me with two options, the other one is quoted as being the next song to rise to number one this Friday, so Jason Derulo's "Swalla" was really my only choice. Watch Jason Derulo surrounded by hot girls, along with Ty Dolla $ign, whilst Nicki Minaj acts sexily as usual, in this music video for "Swalla".
Jason Derulo, real name Jason Desrouleaux, is one of the top male artists in the world, and many of his hit songs have made their way up the chart, including grabbing some all-important number ones. Those hits were worth those chart positions, but this one just feels like it shouldn't be charting so well; yet, there's always songs out there like this that are just undeniably catchy and charts well globally, plus it's Jason Derulo, he can make hits no matter what he sings, but I don't like his new hair style. Collaborating with Ty Dolla $ign, real name Tyrone Griffin Jr., who literally only just started charting in the UK, thanks to Fifth Harmony's song "Work From Home", so it's nice to see him doing so well for himself. Then there's Nicki Minaj, real name Onika Maraj, who's just beyond amazing music wise, she's fully got to the top. She recently was paying fans' tuition fees, so kudos to her for her geniality and love of her fans. This was a killer collaboration, just a shame the song is "Swalla" - but people like it so it's okay. It was written by Jason Desrouleaux, Onika Maraj, Tyrone Griffin Jr,, Eric Frederic, Gamal Lewis, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Russell Jones, and Robert Diggs.
Directed by Gil Green, the music video is a typical sexed up video, which isn't a surprise since the song is about sex. Jason Derulo is surrounded by four girls wearing very little clothes, in one scene a woman is naked with paint all over her body - definitely art-worthy yet it looks more like an excuse to have it in the music video than anything else.
Each artist has their own segment in the music video, although Jason Derulo features the most since it is his song after all. He's visual is more focused on the dancing side, with the four girls he is with. He does impress with his dancing, and at one point he's the only one dancing. No one can deny his dance-ability and he nails it throughout, pulling off the choreography as if it was nothing.
As for Ty Dolla $ign, he doesn't add much to the track, let alone the music video. He's easily forgettable, as the focus is more on Jason Derulo during the segment. Whereas Nicki Minaj does what she does best. She shows off, grabbing the spotlight, and it fully works. If anything she's the one that stands our the most in this music video, looking sexy, stylish, and on form throughout. She brings it completely - enough to the point where both Jason Derulo and Ty Dolla $ign could be completely forgotten about. She slayed in this!
Overall, yes the video is relatable, and they switch it up by focusing heavily on the dancing aspect of the music video; but, it still feels like it's been done before. This is just another typical music video filled with girls. It's unimpressive, but at least Nicki Minaj helps this visual become better than it would've been if it was without her.
She's the superstar I have been supporting since the first series of The Voice UK, I am now happy to see that Becky Hill is finally getting all the credit she deserves and more. The video is amazing and turns her into the superstar we've always known her to be. She's fully bringing it recently, and I cannot wait to see what other surprises Becky Hill has in store for us. Watch Becky Hill in her superstar music video that is full of brilliant profile performance visuals for her song "Rude Love".
Becky Hill has fully left her stamp on music around the world, with many featured hits amongst her discography, and we're sure there will be more where they came from. Her voice perfectly suits house tracks, hence why she has teamed up with Oliver Heldens, MK, and Matoma, amongst others, on tracks "Gecko (Overdrive)", "Piece Of Me", and "False Alarm" respectively. She has also released many singles herself, and they are, certainly, treasured songs by many of her fans. Now she's promoting this song, which just had a whole new remix drop by MNEK. Talk about fully bringing it!
Directed by Andrew Morgan, the music video really puts the spotlight on Becky Hill, turning her into a fully-fledged superstar, and it's so nice to see a great performance piece from her.
We see Becky Hill singing her song with all her performance energy we've seen from her to date, and then some. She is fully tuned in within the lyrics of this song and clearly wants to get the message across, which she certainly does.
I have previously written up about the single release and the music video for CelebMix, as well as additional single and video articles for Outlet Magazine, so I feel like I haven't got all that much left to say about this music video. It really does make a change to see Becky Hill centre of the music video with the spotlight on her. She is definitely future star material if she isn't already there yet.
This is such a beautiful song with a perfect music video behind it. So much so I had to include it on my blog. I may not understand Romanian, but you don't have to, to understand what the song is all about, especially with this very loving music video. This is the third collaboration between Inna and Carla's Dreams after "P.O.H.U.I." and "Fie ce-o fi". Watch this lovely music video that sees a love story grow from two children into fully fledged adults in this Lidl promoted music video for Carla's Dreams and Inna's collaboration song "Tu si eu".
Carla's Dreams is a music project from Moldova. Made up of an anonymous vocalist the project has been making enormous waves in Romania and is currently on the Global Records label, hence why he has worked with Inna, Antonia, and Delia, amongst others. The vocalist is currently a judge on the Romanian version of The X Factor. He won the last series with Olga Verbiţchi. Now he's teamed up with Lidl Romania and Inna for this awesome song and music video. Inna, real name Elena Apostoleanu, has released many many hits and is my favourite artist in the world, as you know if you keep up to date on my blog. She has previously released a song titled "Tu si eu", so I recommend not mixing that one up with this one. She was recently a coach on Vocea României Junior. Her team went on to release a song under the name The Kids, titled "Kids In Town", under Global Records. This probably won't be the last time we see Carla's Dreams and Inna team up on a song, and this has already gained a lot of attention. The song was written by Carla's Dreams and Alexandru Cotoi.
Directed by Roman Burca, this music video holds such a special story in its narrative, that that would have been enough, but they knock it out of the park because they also include performance visuals of the artists to break up the narrative. Making this music video astronomically amazing.
The performance piece isn't much, but it's great to see it added in. It shows Carla's Dreams' vocalist and Inna in some sort of lounge, sitting around and singing their song. It's clear they had a lot of fun there and that they get along well.
But the most important thing is the sense of family found in the narrative and how two kids grow up to fall in love and to then have a falling out. He goes to find her and they make it up. It's so adorably cute and the ending scene sees them bring their children over to the woman's parents.
I've already reviewed this for CelebMix so I won't talk much about it. Regardless, it links in well with the family branding of Lidl Romania, and it's so nice to give out another full rating because this music video is one of the best I've seen in a while and more than deserves it.
Paramore are back, and they have a new album on its way, titled "After Laughter". They have released this song and "Hard Times" so far, and are getting comments in their change of direction, but it's still distinctly Paramore and it just shows that a band doesn't have to stick to one genre. They've got a much more mature sound now, To me, this new album will be one of their best, and I cannot wait to hear it in full. Watch the three-piece band Paramore drive in a car and display some serious finger pointing in this music video for their new song "Told You So".
Paramore are currently a three-piece line-up consisting of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro, and Taylor York. They have had a number of line-up changes over the years. Their music has progressed and if you compare what they're releasing now to what they released at the start of their career as a band, it just shows how far they've come and they distinctly put the Paramore stamp on every track they release. This one is their second single after "Hard Times" and it is a new direction for them, yet it's one I completely love and just shows that they can change along with their fan base. The song was written by Hayley Williams and Taylor York.
Directed by Zac Farro and Aaron Joseph, the music video centres around a moment that Hayley Williams and Zac Farro had as friends in a car, where he noticed her being much more relaxed in the car after doing studio sessions. This contrast is shown throughout the music video.
We see Hayley Williams in a dark, suspense house. She acts like there's someone watching her, something she should be scared of. This part of the music video was filmed in Taylor York's house, he'll probably never look at those walls the same again, we wouldn't - although we're glad no ghosts jump out at us, just a lot of darkness.
Then there's the awesome car scene, that sees the band playing instruments whilst dressed in red clothes as well as red berets. They look like classy French people on a mission, determined to arrive at their destination, yet cruising along and having a jam in the car - as we all do.
What's not to like about this music video? It's relatable to a degree and it's fun and dark, two contrasting things in one. It's a visual we can't stop thinking about and one we keep watching over and over again - there's always something new that we didn't see before.
This is my last ever music review on my Birmingham Pride 2017 Special! Since it's a Thursday, it's so nice to end this on a Thursday Revisit. This one, by Kissy Sell Out, was definitely way before its time, especially since electronic music is very in right now, and this song could do exceptionally well if it were rereleased and slightly revamped. Regardless, this tune was unique for its time, and it's no surprise that it's one of Kissy Sell Out's most viewed videos, what with the music visual having a good relatable storyline. Watch Kissy Sell Out and his electro band play this infectious song titled "This Kiss", whilst a narrative shows two guys fighting over a girl who's kiss they can't stop thinking of.
Kissy Sell Out, real name Thomas Bisdee, has stood the test of time and has really established himself as a DJ. He's definitely not one to be missed at Birmingham Pride 2017. This track was one of his first official releases, and it just shows himself off as a monumental force in electronic music. He used to have a BBC Radio 1 show, and has gone on to DJ all around the world. The song is one we wish we had heard sooner; one we'll probably listen to again and again within the next few months. It's definitely a new favourite.
Directed by Ollie Evans, we see Kissy Sell Out within a band. A pure performance visual is one of the main scenes in this music video, and Kissy Sell Out really stands out, but the vocalist totally grabs the spotlight most of the time. I would've said he was a future star, but it's clear he hasn't branched out as a known star.
The narrative sees the vocalist talking to Kissy Sell Out, chatting about this girl who he has kissed and can't stop thinking about, but she has a boyfriend. We can only presume that Kissy Sell Out is that said boyfriend, and we see each of them spending time with this woman.
During a comedic dining scene, Kissy Sell Out and the vocalist give evils to one another, whilst passing food to one another in line with the drummer. It's clever and hilarious.
The ending sees the vocalist turning away from her kiss and running away. It's a great relatable music video and really works with the song. It's one that's comedic throughout and one we won't be forgetting about anytime soon. It's no wonder it's one of his most watched music videos.
There are only 25 days until Birmingham Pride 2017 starts! Ryan Blyth will be in the dance arena tent during the weekend, and with killer tracks like this one, we know his DJ set is going to be amazing. The dance arena has totally booked some amazing DJs this year, and I definitely am impressed with who they've managed to get, considering the main tent has some prolific stars but none iconic and none I'm a massive fan of. It looks like the dance arena will be the place to be this year, and I literally cannot wait. Watch Chris Adamou surrounded by women, yet there's only one girl for him, in this sexy music video for Ryan Blyth X After 6's song "Special" featuring Luther Soul.
Ryan Blyth is definitely an inspiration to us all, not one to give up, he has followed his dreams of becoming a well-known DJ and he is definitely on his way what with a residency at Sankeys Ibiza in 2014 and 2015, as well as collaborating often with After 6. Some of his songs have been played on Radio 1 which propelled him to be signed by Danny Howard's imprint Nothing Else Matters. Now he's on an imprint under Spinnin' Records - one of the biggest well-respected labels in house and dance music. I expect to see his name cropping up all over the place in the near-future. This track is a collaboration with After 6 who has collaborated with Ryan Blyth on a number of tracks, as well as created some great hits in other collaborations. Then there's the feature from Luther Soul, who provides the stunning summer shining vocals. He was influenced by some great soulful musicians and twists up his vocals with some amazing house music, such as this one. Who said soul wouldn't fit with house music? Luther Soul proves that they belong together. This song is beyond catchy and definitely adds summer vibes to brighten up anyone's day.
Directed by Conor Butler, the music video is an edited masterpiece. It involves actor Chris Adamou surrounded my models, who are Joánn Georgiou, Emilia Somerhalder, Andria T Ioannou, Avva Zενιου, Milena Anastasiadou, Katerina Lovinskaya, and AnaCtacia Makkydou. We watch Chris Adamou jump off a cliff and into an ocean of water. He comes up for air, but he's actually in a swimming pool of a beautiful villa. He puts on a t-shirt and a cap, then heads to the driveway, where there's a Ferrari waiting for him. There are five women sitting sexily on the car, one of which is inside the car and we can presume is his girlfriend, as he later takes romantic strolls on the beach with her as they meet up with her friends. This paradise-like music video is definitely any straight guy's dream, right? We also, later, find out that he had imagined it all, as the final scene sees him surface from the water by the cliff. Overall, it's definitely a summer-induced music video much like the song itself. It's not your typical hot women visual, although it's not that far off which is definitely something we wish there was less of. There's a slight narrative to this, but more exploration of that would've been much better.
Yes, you heard right, one of DJ's legends, Todd Terry, will be at Birmingham Pride, in the dance arena! He was the whole reason "Missing" by Everything But The Girl became an international hit in 1995; the song was initially released in 1994 with little-to-no success; a year later it was re-released with Todd Terry's club mix which made it a global sensation, peaking near the top of most worldwide charts. Now he'll be at Birmingham Pride. This song is one of his latest, released under Ministry of Sound YouTube Channel in 2015, it's a collaboration with ANT LaROCK. Watch DJs play this song in the comfort of their own homes whilst smoking and grooving to the beat of this infectious song titled "Back Around" by Todd Terry & ANT LaROCK.
Todd Terry is one iconic DJ who is still bringing out amazing hits to date. It'll sure be interesting what his DJ set brings to the Birmingham Pride's dance arena. He has released a lot of amazing music in the decades he has been DJing, and let's not even think about the awesome remixes he has released. He really is quite the legend in the DJ world and has more than proved his DJ skills. I can't believe he's been confirmed for Birmingham Pride, and I'm sure the dance arena will be packed when he's DJ set is on. This song is in collaboration with ANT LaROCK. In comparison to Todd Terry, he is a very new artist and is on Todd Terry's InHouse Records label - which totally explains the collaboration. He'd definitely one of the up-and-coming DJs around and has already remixed some prolific tracks. As a collaboration, this song is pure fire, and I hope Todd Terry includes this one in his Birmingham Pride DJ set.
Directed by Josh Cohen, this music video showcases various DJs playing this song in their own homes. It's a very relaxed music video, with some of the DJs smoking. I kind of have a thing about people smoking in their own homes, but each to their own, and there's much more pressing concerns in the world.
There are no really big major highlights; it's just interesting to see them do their thing in the comfort of their own home. They all clearly are feeling this track; well, that's if they are playing this track.
Overall, this music video is barely relatable to the song. It doesn't showcase the artists, and it's not that interesting for viewers to watch. It's disappointing since the song is fire, for sure.
If there's one act that is going to stun us all at Birmingham Pride's dance arena, it's going to be Kelli-Leigh. Her vocals are amazing and she has sung on some of the most amazing club and house songs about. I am still playing Flashrider's "So In Luv" in which she sang on too. She's always one who deserves much more recognition, she's just not getting enough, but her career is going from strength to strength; she will become someone everyone is talking about soon enough. Watch Kelli-Leigh unleash amazing performance vibes in this sunny music video for "Sun Token" in collaboration with Saila.
Saila is a new music project. This song is the project's debut single, a crossover track with Kelli-Leigh. Real name Kelli-Leigh Henry-Davila, she has been one of the biggest female vocal stars amongst dance and house music in recent years; one DJs want to collaborate with. She's provided vocals to tracks: "Cry (Just A Little)" by Bingo Players, "I Wanna Feel" by Secondcity, "I Got U", "The Giver (Reprise)" & "Be Here" by Duke Dumont, amongst many others. She's definitely one to keep your eye on as she builds and builds on her career. This song is definitely catchy. It was written by Saila and Kelli-Leigh.
Directed by Bipolar Spider, the music video is a pure performance visual, showcasing the beautiful Kelli-Leigh.
She brings her a-game to this music video, and it really works. She looks stunning in the visual and it's nice to see her take up the whole visual rather than share it with another collaborator like in Flashrider's "So In Luv".
If anything, this music video just proves she deserves, not only the spotlight, but a stage. It's where she belongs and I'm so excited to see her return to Birmingham Pride. She's definitely one act I won't be missing this year - well depending on what time she's on.
It's Chart Mondays, and it's surprising to see Clean Bandit at the top with "Symphony" featuring Zara Larsson. I never thought that song would make it to the top, but it managed to get up there, so congratulations. However, I have already reviewed it, so it opens the top 10 of the UK singles chart for today's review, hence why I have chosen Kendrick Lamar, as this song is currently at number 10, and most likely to drop out come Friday, it certainly won't be climbing the chart. I'm surprised it's at this chart position, and I have no idea how it managed to climb to number six last week. Hip-hop is certainly making an impact on the UK charts lately, Kendrick is just one of many who have managed to chart high. Watch this art-form of a music video as Kendrick Lamar totally brings it performance wise with some unforgettable camera techniques in the visual for his single "HUMBLE.".
Kendrick Lamar, real name Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, has been going for a number of years and has fully established himself as one of the biggest hip-hop artists around, yet he hasn't had a full-out hit single, not until this one came along; although, his 2015 album did hit number one in the UK, so we are aware of who he is, but this song is going to be the one song everyone identifies with his name. This one has such a humble message behind it (pun intended). If it weren't for his collaboration with Taylor Swift on "Bad Blood" he may not have been as internationally known as he is; although he has had a range of all-right chart successes before then. Yet, it's this one that has had a major impact globally. It was written by Kendrick Duckworth and Michael Williams II.
Directed by Dave Meyer and The Little Homies, this music video is an art form as many have stated. It's a pure performance visual from Kendrick Lamar, parodying iconic scenes and giving a real take on the world from his perspective.
The first scene sees him dressed as the pope in a cope; before, totally switching it up where he can be seen lying down on dollar bills, shooting them out from a cash cannon. Other scenes including the reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, as well as using a fisheye camera for one scene, and using cross-over visuals to show the difference between photoshop and not.
There are also scenes that mimic a Grey Poupon commercial, as well as a scene where his head is on fire along with the other actors in the scene. Not only that, but rapper Jay Rock and producer Sounwave both appear in this video too.
Overall, Kendrick Lamar has, yet again, given us a brilliant video that easily accompanies the song. It relates to the song effortlessly and easily showcases him, not just as a singer, but as an artist. He goes above and beyond for this video, fully transforming his ideas and the song itself, into this incredibly thought-out video.
The dance arena for Birmingham Pride 2017 is set to go off! They have a whole host of amazing DJs in their line-up and it looks like it's going to be the place I spend most of my time. Tom Shorterz will be one of many amazing DJs set to perform this year, and he actually has a music video for one of his songs, hence why he's a part of my Birmingham Pride Special. Watch people dance to this catchy beat in profile scenes whilst crazy bubbles float around in this colourful music video for Tom Shorterz "Colours" featuring Lucy Love.
Tom Shorterz is one of the rising Birmingham DJs around at the moment. He is one of the DJs behind the leading 2:31 at the Rainbow Venues in Birmingham. It's an event I've always been meaning to go to but never had the chance to; now I might get the chance to experience his club tunes in the dance arena. He also did a killer remix of Katy B's "Crying For No Reason" which became very popular. It's no surprise he is part of the Birmingham Pride 2017 line-up. Featured on this track is Lucy Love. She is a singer/songwriter from Copenhagen, Denmark. This song is originally her song, Tom Shorterz did a remix edit, changing it into a house/club song. I much prefer this version, although Lucy Love's original is definitely interesting. This just shows how amazing Tom Shorterz is.
Directed by David Strindberg, the music video features various dancers in a very colourful setting. Their choreography is controlled and stylistic. It easily goes with the music being played.
The bubbles are an interesting addition to all that is going on, and they certainly keep the audience entertained whilst the scenes focus on the dancers and their moves.
However, there's nothing else for me to comment on for this music video. It's relatable because it's really colourful. It's intricate whilst the dancing rhythmically infuses with the song.
