YouTube Recommendations have come through once again and it suggested me to watch this music video, which has an epic storyline that will keep me addicted as each new video drops, I'm sure. At 21 he entered the porn industry, thanks to a persistent Grindr member, which he revealed in his exclusive interview with Midlands Zone - which is where I've heard his name from since I read that magazine from time to time. He's coming out of porn to focus on his music career, he also has two books published as well. He's clearly got a lot going for him. Watch Mickey Taylor loved up with Gabriel Phoenix which has a twist at the end and is part of a seven-part story in this music video for "All Day" which features ØMC.
Mickey Taylor first came to my attention when he graced the cover of Midlands Zone (who I wish would employ me - a guy can dream). I didn't even link this video to the cover of the magazine until I checked out his Facebook page - I knew I'd heard the name before, but had no idea why, and now I do. He can also be seen in Jordan Gray's music video for "Platinum". He's building his career and he has quite a nice voice if this song is anything to go with. I came across this music video through YouTube Recommendations after reviewing Brandon Stansell's "Spare Change", and now I'm definitely interested in seeing where Mickey Taylor takes his musical career next, plus I need to watch the other six parts of this story. The track features ØMC, real name John Neff, who is a Chicago producer who has worked with the likes of PJ Brennan, Lana Lubany, and Ryoko Miza. This is a great song that sure is catchy, that definitely makes me interested in listening to the rest of Mickey Taylor's songs, which includes two albums and plenty of singles. "All Day" was written by ØMC.
The music video was directed by Ashton Bradley & Mickey Taylor. It was filmed in Brighton and also stars Gabriel Phoenix and Theo Ford.
There's a lot of cute things going on, mainly Mickey Taylor and Gabriel Phoenix walking along Brighton beach. We also see them do various cute things together, including a fun ice cream scene, and a full-on arcade scene that sees them play on the dance machine, the claw crane, and the air hockey machine.
The final scene sees them in a bar, and Mickey Taylor asks a guy in the bar - who is played by Theo Ford - to take a picture of him and Gabriel Phoenix on the window ledge; he then goes and grabs a drink for Theo Ford to thank him. As he returns from the bar, he's shocked when he sees Gabriel Phoenix's hand on Theo Ford's leg - this has a lot of drama going on, especially when the audience watches the swap of numbers behind Mickey Taylor's back.
Overall this narrative is well thought out, yet not as dramatic as I was hoping it would be - to be fair, considering I've been watching web series The Horizon, this music video seems completely tame in comparison. Mickey Taylor has a segmented performance piece throughout, where he really shows he has connected with the song perfectly.
Finally, J Balvin gets a top ten hit in the UK, it's just a shame it wasn't "Cola Song" which is Inna's song that he features on. Every time I read his name, I say it the way he does in that song. Anyhow, this has launched up the chart with the help of Snapchat filters, since this song was played when a certain face filter was chosen. This music video gets reviewed for my Chart Mondays' review since Dua Lipa has made it a second week at number one on the UK Chart with the awesome tune "New Rules". This is also Willy William's first global hit too! Watch J Balvin and Willy William bring it in this extremely burst of colour that pulsates throughout in this music video for "Mi Gente".
J Balvin, full name José Balvin, is a Columbian reggaeton singer who has collaborated with a whole host of big names and has been focusing on his career for many years; and, finally, he's getting the recognition he deserves all around the world. It's been the perfect time for him to capitalise on his career as Latin music is ever-so-popular right now. This track is in collaboration with Willy William, who is a French artist whose previous biggest hit was 2015's "Ego". It'll be interesting what steps he takes next and whether he can keep a hold of this international fame because we sure know J Balvin will continue to release big hits around the world. The song has topped many international charts, as well as gained top ten's in much more. The song was written by José Osorio, Willy William, Adam Ashadally, Andrés David Restrepo, and Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo.
Directed by Juan Pablo Valencia as part of 36 Grados, this music video is a pure performance piece with a burst of nonstop colour throughout. The beat kicks in straight away and it's completely addicting as we watch a reflected city and completely colourful backgrounds in front of J Balvin and Willy William and the dancers.
There's a lot of head bopping during the opening scenes, showcasing the rhythmic grooves and the bright colours. Then the dancers come out, bringing freelance interspersed with some choreography. They're in time to the beat throughout, showcasing the song even more.
The performance piece of J Balvin and Willy William is on fire. They show their energy and what they would be like on stage. Just imagine seeing them live! They perform on a bus and in a club, and J Balvin even does some choreographed foot work. There's also a lot of fire and smoke when night draws in, with a football and a bicycle both on fire.
As the end comes closer, we watch similar visuals from the opening, but in reverse. Either there's a burst of colour, editing that removes colour, and splitting the visuals of the dancers in half - which they don't even try to make look real.
Overall the song totally makes this video, and it's that beat that has got us all addicted. The visual itself isn't anything special; although, it's good to see J Balvin and Willy William performing the track, showing exactly how they do it on stage. They're definitely people we wouldn't want to miss at a festival. The burst of colour is refreshing too and sure will brighten up the music channels.
Here's a new music video from Brandon Stansell, and I fully love it! He deserves to reach his goal on Kickstarter so that he can release his debut album because I cannot wait to see what other tracks he has in store. So if you haven't backed his project yet, I highly suggest you do so right now! The song is one of my favourites from Brandon Stansell, and I hope there are a few more tracks like this one on his new album - if it ever gets released; since the Kickstarter campaign is all-or-nothing. So support this gay country singer by backing his project. In this music video, Brandon Stansell makes a statement and a visual impact as he shows that culture plays a big part in America for this song "Spare Change".
Directed by Trent Atkinson, this music video has both a narrative and a performance piece. The latter showcases Brandon Stansell as a brilliant singer and performer, whilst the former makes a perfect cultural impact.
The opening scene sees a backpacker walking across a field, towards a city - which we presume is Los Angeles. He hops on to a metro train, where he spots a woman, who he smiles at as she dons a headscarf. When the train stops at their station, they meet up, and she takes him around Los Angeles, showing off her culture.
Throughout, the visual is segmented by a performance scene from Brandon Stansell. He releases energetic vibes that are full of emotion; it's clear this song means a lot to him whilst giving it this jovial spin that brings on a great positive meaning; effortlessly relating to the song throughout.
The ending makes a massive statement, not just in America but all over the world. Our characters come across five red posters that say "America is full go home". The male character shreds the posters up as the female character takes offence to the poster's words. We later see various people shredding the posters up before Brandon Stansell remakes the poster to say "America is home".
Overall, this music video is well thought out, makes the perfect statement, and relates to the song easily. This visual is something I'll never forget, and it's so heartwarming to watch. Culture and beliefs shouldn't separate, it should bring people closer together. Thank you, Brandon Stansell, for this music video; it deserves to be seen by a lot more people.
It's been two months since Relley C dropped her debut single "Unruly", which I wrote up for CelebMix and Outlet Magazine. Last night, she dropped the music video for this song and it is completely awesome. Again, I wrote it up for CelebMix and Outlet Magazine; and I am so happy there's a music video so I can now review it on my blog. It's high-quality, brilliantly edited and even features a mini-me in the visual. It was so worth the wait. Watch Relley C be "Unruly" reflecting back on her past and her childhood in her debut music video.
Relley C, real name Sherelle Clarke, is a home girl; she hails from my home city of Birmingham! Not only that, but she is an incredible singer/songwriter, who I have followed since her first audition on The X Factor series 10. She got as far as the Judges' Houses before being eliminated. Luckily, she returned for series 13 and I got to support her once again. This time around she made it to the live shows and placed 10th overall - although she totally deserved to get much further. "Unruly" was written by Relley C, Lei Jennings, and The 1990 Club.
Directed by Olvr G, filmed and edited by 'eyekandyvisuals', and co-shot by FF Creative, this music video is a pure performance visual set within a slight narrative. Relley C is accompanied by a child version of herself who is played by Portia.
There are a few different scenes, most of which shows Relley C looking out across a very beautiful landscape. It's serene watching her perform outwards. She can also be spotted in a tree, and in a field - where her mini-me is in the background doing back flips.
As expected, Relley C gives it her all for the music video; she's a total natural as if this is exactly the place she's meant to be, showcasing herself as an artist in a music video. I am loving the shots and her confidence and her performance vibes. The whole visual totally excites me for the day I eventually see her live on stage.
Overall, this music video is great, I love some of the transitions between adult Relley C and young Relley C. I already love the song, but it's even better now we have a visual to go along with it. I cannot wait to see what the future brings to this soulful R&B singer/songwriter. Keep your eye on Relley C!
The haunting hungry track we have been waiting for from Fergie is finally here. Fergie dropped this track and video today, along with an instant grat single of "You Already Know" which features Nicki Minaj. As for this track, she teased it back in June 2016, and many believed it would become the third single, instead "Life Goes On" appeared out of nowhere. Watch Fergie showcase her new song "Hungry" with Rick Ross in this black and white, highly edited, music video that is completely fierce!
Fergie - who was born Stacy Ferguson but has now changed her name to Fergie Duhamel after marrying Josh Duhamel - is gearing up for the release of her second studio album, titled Double Duchess. The album has been a long-time coming and fans are completely excited. Fergie has been teasing this song for over a year, so we're all ecstatic to be able to play it in full through our speakers. Not only that, but we also love that she dropped another song from her upcoming album, titled "You Already Know" which features Nicki Minaj. I hope both songs get the success that they deserve because I can't stop listening to them! Fergie is truly back! On this song is Rick Ross, real name William Roberts II, who is one of the biggest American rappers around. His name is iconic, so it's great to see that he's collaborated with the equally iconic Fergie. This song was written by Fergie Duhamel, Lisa Gerrard, and Brendan Perry.
The music video was directed by Bruno Ilogti. It's a full out edited music video using amazing techniques that keep the audience entertained as we have no idea what is going to happen next.
There's so much imagery going on in this music video, it's hard to even catch everything; which is a good thing because, on every replay, you find something new. We love the split screen of Fergie and Rick Ross, creating an even bigger haunting effect, just like the song.
Then there's Fergie cutting her hair off, giving herself a trim; suggesting her music has transformed into something new - and I'm so excited to hear the rest of her album.
Her performance piece is complete fire. She brings it like only Fergie can; Rick Ross also measures up perfectly. This visual works with the song, creating a dark and haunting concept that literally has the chance to go in various directions. It's great promotion for her new album, and I cannot wait for that!
This was the first of many international hits from DJ Antoine so, of course, I was going to review this music video for my Thursday Revisit. There's not a lot to it, and it's a typical video to a club song, that we've seen time and again. As for the song, it's undeniably catchy and totally works in every way. I love this team-up and can truly feel what DJ Antoine has done to the song. Watch DJ Antoine and Timati live their lives to the full in this music video for this club-induced track "Welcome To St. Tropez" featuring Kalenna.
DJ Antoine, full name Antoine Konrad, is one of the top Switzerland DJs in the world. He gained international success upon the release of this song. Since then he has built his name and brand. He has plenty of number ones in his home country, and he's ready to blow up around the world. He's definitely a DJ who will have a global hit in the coming years, so be prepared to say 'I heard him first'. This track was originally a Timati track before DJ Antoine came in and switched it up. Timati, real name Timur Yunusov, is a Russian hip-hop artist who has worked with top names in the music industry. This song is his biggest hit to date. He has collaborated a few times with DJ Antoine over the years, and it's clearly a continued, blossoming friendship between them. Featured on this track is Kalenna, who doesn't appear in the music video; she also wasn't a part of the original song; instead, it featured Russian singer Blue Marine. Kalenna, full name Kalenna Harper, is probably best known for performing in the duo Dirty Money; who collaborated with Sean Coombs (known as P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Diddy, and Puffy) a few times, creating Diddy - Dirty Money. Collectively they had a range of global hits. It's not a surprise this collaboration did well.
The video is a typical club performance piece that showcases events that DJ Antoine and Timati perform at. The video is set in Saint-Tropez, France.
The opening scenes show a yacht on the water, and the guys driving around in a Ferrari and an Audi. Throughout we see expensive cars including Porsches, a Chevrolet, a Bugatti, an Aston Martin, and much more. Then we see snippets of these two scenes throughout the visuals, cut between a pool party, event and club performances, and celebrity parties.
The scenes continue for the rest of the music video, and it is an overdone visual; however, it continues to relate to the song since clubs is exactly where this song would've been played. Not only that but they are showing that they do have too much money, just like the song suggests; enticing us all to Saint-Tropez. If only we had the money ourselves!
I had totally forgotten all about this banger of a song until I wrote about it for CelebMix, and the original is such a tune; but, DJ Antoine & Dizkodude have given it a very current tropical house mix that just makes this track even better. The music video is engaging from the get go, and I love the various rooms that the two characters walk through. The song itself deserves to be a hit. Many old songs are being refreshed, and this is just another one that is absolutely incredible. It needs to rise up on the charts. Watch DJ Antoine chase his real-life partner Laura Zurbriggen as she teases him into various rooms before he finally catches up with her in this music video for his collaboration with Dizkodude, titled "I Love Your Smile" featuring Sibbyl.
DJ Antoine, full name Antoine Konrad, is a Swiss DJ and is probably best known for various hit songs, but mainly "Welcome To St. Tropez" which verses Timati and featured Kalenna, as well as "Ma Chérie" which featured The Beat Shakers, and "Bella Vita". He's one of the biggest DJs from Switzerland and has had many number one albums and singles in his home country. He's also grazed charts around the world with his most popular songs. He continues to prove that he's a DJ to watch. For this song, he teamed up with Dizkodude, real name Bart Vanhoyland, who is a DJ from Belgium. He has been going for many years and has continued to build up his career. This song has already become his most streamed song on Spotify, I can't wait to see what the future brings for him. Featured on this track is Sibbyl, real name Loren Geerts, who is completely new to the music scene. This is her first release and she has contributed by singing the lyrics of the song. It is quite the honour to be singing a refresh cover of Shanice's "I Love Your Smile", which was originally an international success, managing to chart within the top ten in various countries in 1991 and 1992. It's about time a DJ came along and mixed this into an unstoppable club track, and now we have one. I just wish this launched up charts around the world and would get more recognition. It was written by Jarvis La Rue Baker, Sylvester Jackson, Narada Walden, and Shanice Wilson.
The music video was directed by Haris Dubica. It stars DJ Antoine as he follows a woman around a hotel through a long line of rooms that show different scenarios. His on-screen love interest is played by actress and model Laura Zurbriggen, who is actually his real-life partner.
The opening scene sees Laura Zurbriggen smelling a rose, she then drops it on the table in front of DJ Antoine - teasing him. She climbs the stairs and he follows her up into a room. This is where the first of many scenes appear.
We watch them go through various rooms. In the first one, we see a drag queen working the camera as rose petals fall - a great link back to the rose Laura dropped in front of Antoine. Then as the drop kicks in the song, we see a raver room where we expect DJ Antoine and Dizkodude feel right at home in - I also want his denim jacket in this scene!
Next up is a masquerade ball scene, which brings a Marie Antoinette feel to it, as DJ Antoine gets down on one knee and kisses Laura Zurbriggen's hand. Then we go into a futuristic space cake decoration room - after they have left the room, we see two children reenacting the scene. Then comes the popcorn room.
The very next scene is beyond iconic. We watch DJ Antoine as a drawing, he walks into a room where Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and Bob Marley, are sitting around a table creating a song - imagine the outcome of that songwriting session. Then he walks into a room where a groom and a bride are together lovingly, but she makes a grab for DJ Antoine whilst Laura Zurbriggen fights for her man. Then comes the bowling scene, where he becomes distracted; and then there's the powerful money gang who has someone tied up. DJ Antoine then loses Laura Zurbriggen and mistakenly walks into the women's bathroom.
He back tracks through all the rooms, stumbling across his mini-me in the cake room, and coming across an enticing room where three reincarnations of himself are playing cards - now that's my idea of heaven but we'd be doing something totally different than playing cards. In the final scene, DJ Antoine finds Laura Zurbriggen in the seat he once occupied, in the hotel lobby, holding the rose, smiling.
This music video has it all! It works completely with a brilliant narrative that entices the audience from start to finish. The song is beyond catchy and they've managed to capture the whole meaning of the song in the various rooms and the narrative. I can't stop watching this, and a lot of effort has certainly gone into this visual, especially since their outfits and their style completely change in each room. This will forever remain a treasure of mine and will be getting this extremely rare rating because it more than deserves it. I just wish the song would appear on charts around the world so that music channels everywhere would be able to show this visual often.
I struggled today finding a music video I wanted to review, mainly because I have had quite the down day (apart from one little surprise). I decided to review a Saara Aalto song because she inspires me. She's been attempting a career in music for many years and she has built it up and never gave up - and she was absolutely incredible at Birmingham Pride 2017. There are not many music videos from her to choose from, now that I've reviewed "Blessed With Love" and "You Had My Heart". This one is a very sweet ballad from her, that she totally nails, which I totally expected. Watch Saara Aalto pine after her lover who has gone away but she plans on finding him in this sweet music video for "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind".
Saara Aalto is a singer/songwriter from Finland. She came second on the 13th series of The X Factor and also came second, twice, in Finland's national selection to Eurovision in 2011 and 2016; the former was called Euroviisut 2011, and the latter was called Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. Not only that but in 2012 she competed in The Voice of Finland during season one, where she also came second. She will be a judge on The X Factor Suomi which returns for its second season in 2018. This song is a part of her debut album along with title track "Blessed With Love". It was written by Saara Aalto herself.
This music video was directed by Sakari Mäkelä. It's a pure performance visual with only a few scenes. Saraa Aalto works the camera even when she's not looking towards it; she's totally camera-friendly.
As per usual, Saara Aalto brings it for this sweet ballad. I love how she's missing her love while she's on the bed, holding his photo close to her. She can also be seen in a forested setting and climbing over rocks. She really gets into this character.
Unfortunately, we don't see the guy that she mentions in the song. Yet, budgeting might have been the reason behind this. The video may be low-budget, but Saara Aalto works with it, conveys the narrative along with a fully fleshed out performance visual and gives us a great video in every way.
Where did this one come from? Like, seriously? It's just crept into the top ten of the UK Singles Chart at number eight, which is its highest peak to date. This week's number one is Dua Lipa's "New Rules" which I reviewed last week, therefore opening the top ten today's Chart Mondays review. I'm actually surprised I haven't written about this video yet. My problem with this is that Bebe Rexha is only featured on the track, whereas her involvement makes it much more like a collaboration and so I feel like it should be Louis Tomlinson & Bebe Rexha, especially since they both appear in the music video as much as each other and she even starts the track off. Watch Louis Tomlinson walk around Doncaster showcasing his football skills and Doncaster Rovers Football Club's Keepmoat Stadium whilst Bebe Rexha acts as the sexy girl next door in this music video for "Back To You" featuring Digital Farm Animals.
Louis Tomlinson is best known for being one-fifth/one-fourth of One Direction, who are on hiatus as they all focus on their solo music careers. All the members have gone in completely different genres of music, yet they are all performing well when it comes to the charts. This is Louis Tomlinson's second single to date and it's done moderately well on charts around the world - it's certainly a grower of a song. He's also made his mark in the football world, having played for Doncaster on non-contract terms; he has also played in charity football matches. Featured on this track is Bebe Rexha, real name Bleta Rexha; she's an American singer who has been building up her career for a few years. She's definitely one who likes to impress and will continue to build her name and reputation. She's had quite a few hits to date in collaborations, but it's about time she had a solo hit. Also featured is Digital Farm Animals, real name Nicholas Gale, who is a British DJ. He has worked with a lot of big names so far; yet, this song is his biggest hit to date. I expect we'll be hearing more of him in the future. The song was written by Louis Tomlinson, Nicholas James Gale, Pablo Bowman, Richard Boardman, and Sarah Blanchard.
Directed by Craig Moore, this music video is a pure performance visual that doesn't add anything to the song - in my opinion. I feel that the video doesn't go anywhere and doesn't attract the audience in pressing that replay button.
Kicking the song and the video off is Bebe Rexha, she's in Doncaster with Louis Tomlinson, but they don't meet up until much later in the video. As for Louis, he's walking around the streets of Doncaster, showcasing the back alleys and the streets. He comes across a kid, they play football together and Louis kicks the ball into the goal - poor kid.
The video continues with some cute shots of these two singers together. From Keepmoat Stadium to them performing on a couch in an alley. There's also a café shot which is where Louis Tomlinson starts to sing; as well as a pool club venue, where you can see both singers with cues.
Overall, this video goes nowhere, it doesn't keep the audience interested and Bebe Rexha practically pulls Louis Tomlinson through this performance. He seems really down, which doesn't sit right considering the song is supposed to be a light-hearted track. There is down bits about the song but there's also nice bits too, and I just feel Louis Tomlinson fails to bring the emotion across for the song in the visual. It's slightly relatable though, and it showcases his love for football.
This is the party song that I love hearing when I'm in the club. My friends and I have perfected our dance moves to the chorus of this song; it's definitely extremely catchy, although we're not as good as Demi Lovato and her backing dancers in this video. This hasn't charted that well globally, and I expect it to climb up in some countries the more we hear it and fall in love with it. "Instruction" definitely goes off when we're in a club. Watch Demi Lovato show off her dancing skills and sexy looks to the camera in this music video for Jax Jones' "Instruction" as Stefflon Don raps whilst riding a horse.
Jax Jones, real name Timucin Aluo, first came on to the scene after meeting Duke Dumont and collaborating with him on "I Got U". His biggest single to date is "You Don't Know Me" which features RAYE. We expect to see a lot more music coming our way from this DJ very soon, especially since he's collaborated with this highly successful singer, Demi Lovato. She came from the Disney channel, and continues to prove she is on her game; she delivers highly catchy songs with on-point vocals throughout. She's a total star. As for Stefflon Don, real name Stephanie Allen, she's a fairly new British rapper who is definitely putting her stamp on the music industry - she totally brings it with this song and video. I expect to see more top hits from her in the future. This song was written by Uzoechi Emenike (MNEK), Stephanie Allen, Demi Lovato, and Timucin Aluo.
Directed by Ozzie Pullin, the music video was filmed in Los Angeles, California. It's a full-on dance music video - which is to be expected since that chorus contains dance move instructions, that my friend and I kill on the dance floor.
We start off with Jax Jones playing the drums linking this to its extremely tropical sound of the song. Demi Lovato is snapshotted throughout the intro, clearly making the statement that she's on this track and completely ready to bring it in every way.
The chorus has a specific set of dance moves and Demi Lovato nails these completely, along with her backing dancers. The choreography is totally lit and it's something that we all want to learn so we can pull it off in time with this video. However, the chorus does get on my nerves slightly, as Demi Lovato missteps in the song and the word "Left" sounds kind of hesitant, which annoys me a lot!
The verses bring more sexy face shots for the camera. It's not the best at profiling, but when it comes to Stefflon Don, she fully brings it whilst being on a horse - now that is talent. Still, the editing and the camera work doesn't allow the audience to fully connect with everything going on.
It's a great party song that I absolutely love, but the music video definitely falls short. We needed something amazing and this is just plain, with a great dance choreography segment for the chorus; although, it's not something we can easily learn and Demi Lovato comes off a little like she's out with her girls training in trackies, rather than performing in a music video.
