I recently heard this song in a movie trailer, the film in question is titled "Breaking In" (which just goes to show that this blog is backdated, since the trailer, which can be viewed here, was released on 11 January 2018, and this blog is backdated to 24 December 2017). It has been stuck in my head ever since, and to be fair, so has the visuals from the movie - since that film does look epic! In comparison to this music video, this visual certainly falls short. What I wasn't expecting was the military couture, Rihanna's style is on point throughout and she certainly knows how to work these outfits! Watch Rihanna commanding her troops as she brings high-fashion to the military and the desert while Jeezy raps a segment in this music video for "Hard".
Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, has definitely established herself as one of the top female artists in the music industry. She has had a number of hits although my favourite era was certainly the Good Girl Gone Bad era and I still consider "Don't Stop The Music" a total jam. Her recent releases haven't quite hit their mark single wise, and it'll be interesting to see where she goes from there. She is currently working on her ninth studio album, so expect new music from her pretty soon. The song features Jeezy, real name Jay Jenkins, who was previously known as Young Jeezy. He was in rap group Boyz n da Hood, and has gone on to have quite a few hits, his biggest solo hit to date is "Soul Survivor". The song was written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Robyn Fenty, and Jay Jenkins.
Directed by Melina Matsoukas, this music video is a pure performance piece set in the desert, drawing inspiration from high fashion and combining it with the military.
As I previously stated, Rihanna totally works all the fashion items, to the extent where she really put her own stamp on the fashion industry with her military couture. Some of the clothes aren't typical, yet she works them as if they are everyday wear. Her spiked-shoulder tight-fitting dress became an iconic look for her and this video really established that.
The theme relates greatly to the song because the song is all about being strong and fierce - hard, for lack of a better word - and Rihanna styles that out with the theme and her confidence. Jeezy doesn't add much to the visual, but his words are needed to break up the song.
Overall, this is a completely unforgettable music video - there's even a bright pink tank, which is pretty memorable. Rihanna brings it and her gladiator look is totally on-point, well until she decides to get muddy. With this female singer being strong and powerful, Jeezy kind-of falls short.
This is completely random, I literally typed Lucy into YouTube and saw Lucy Hale's name and decided to finally review one of her music videos on my blog; to be fair, I am a fan of her music, so I'm glad that I've chosen this one, with the help of YouTube. Her debut album "Road Between" is certainly worth a listen and she really managed to establish herself as a country music artist, it's just a shame she hasn't continued music, although her acting career has certainly taken off. Watch Lucy Hale perform at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee while snippets of her having fun with friends and being carefree are cut between in this music video for "Lie A Little Better".
Lucy Hale is pretty well known as an actress, she's massively known for playing Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars although she's been in a whole range of TV shows including loved but short-lived Privileged as Rose Baker and the equally loved but also short-lived refresh TV series of Bionic Woman as Becca Sommers; she also won American Juniors with five other children which made up the group of the same name. In 2014, she returned to music, releasing two singles and an album with moderate success. This was the second single and I love this track so much, I just wish it had charted better and helped her kickstart her music career. The song was written by Mike Daly, Chris DeStefano, and Melissa Peirce.
Directed by Philip Andelman, the music video must have been a dream come true as we watch Lucy Hale perform at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. She really manages to own the stage and her sense of inclusiveness to her backing band is heart-warming, to say the least.
It's nice to see Lucy Hale be herself and full on go for it on that stage. She is clearly meant to be on stages all around the world and I sure hope she comes back to music at a later point and goes on a world tour as I can just imagine the energy she gives out when she performs. Please come to the UK for a gig so I can come and see you, Lucy Hale. This video paints her in a perfect light making us all wish we could go an see her.
As for the fun-clips, they're full carefree moments with friends, something that we've all felt but wish we had more of. They're moments that you miss, but in those current moments, it's just you and your friends being yourself and doing your thing. It's cute, but unfortunately unrelatable to the song - if only this struck up a slight narrative, it would be getting the top rating from me, but these clips just make it fall short.
Usually, I hate this specific week of the whole entire year and the week after, purely because most artists don't release new music, let alone music videos. Luckily, for me, Loïc Nottet has come through (this blog post is backdated if you haven't already guessed). It is a Christmas-spirited music video and song, with it being a full-out piano ballad. This is certainly one of those songs that will grow on me, I automatically like every single Loïc Nottet song, but this just feels average compared to his previous tracks. Watch Loïc Nottet and Justine Vercleven dance together while the former sings at what looks like a piano in this music video for his song "Go To Sleep".
Loïc Nottet is mainly known internationally for coming fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, where he represented his home country of Belgium with the song "Rhythm Inside"; he scored 217 points. Previously, he came second in the third season of The Voice Belgique. That's not the only talent shows he has been on, after Eurovision, he went on to win the sixth series of Danse avec les stars (the French version of Dancing With The Stars / Strictly Come Dancing). He released his debut album last year, titled "Selfocracy" and I chose it as my favourite album of 2017 for CelebMix - make sure you check out what other albums made the CelebMix Top 2017 Albums, the article I wrote up. I can only hope that the release of this single suggests he's working on new music for 2018. This song was written by Loïc Nottet and Eric Chevet.
Directed by Sidney Van Wichelen, this music video is displayed almost like a vertical music video, containing the imagery into a box, reminding us of when TVs used to be square.
There is a performance piece and a narrative going on. The performance side of things see Loïc Nottet singing into a camera, we can presume he is sitting at a piano, playing the song, with the camera propped up on the piano so we just see him. It's quite a different performance piece but allows focus on the dance narrative being displayed.
Together, Loïc Nottet and Justine Vercleven work brilliantly as a dance duo. They have been in a romantic relationship for years, and their passion for each other is very clear. They perform on a bench in front of a Christmas tree. The choreography is flat out amazing and totally on point, although eagle-eyed fans did notice that it was a similar dance choreography that they performed previously in a video to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love".
Overall, this music video is completely loving and perfect for Christmas time. I like how the song isn't a typical Christmas song, and instead brings something lovely to the table. The music video is all right, but nothing as epic as what Loïc Nottet has previously released! I don't get why it's a square music video. This is nowhere near as great as "Million Eyes" or "Mud Blood", even "Doctor" is better than this; but this certainly is love-filled.
Here is Thursday Revisit, and since I didn't think I'll ever get the chance to review another Modjo music video, I thought why not choose this one? I previously reviewed "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" earlier in the week, hence why I'm reviewing this one for my Thursday Revisit. I actually have a slight memory of it, but the song wasn't to my taste so I don't think I ever watched the video all the way through; although, I have a slight recollection of the track, or maybe it's just the similar groovy vibes? Watch a bowling competition take place between two teams, while there is a disco ball head man dancing and Modjo working at the bowling alley in this music video for their song "Chillin'".
Modjo were a French DJ duo consisting of Romain Tranchart and Yann Destagnoi (also known as Yann Destal). They only released an album before parting ways. This song became their second single and had moderate success in some countries, clearly riding the "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" wave. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to their debut single and was certainly the start of their downfall. The songs certainly have similar vibes, with this one focusing much more on the fun side of things lyrically, whereas the debut single was filled with much more emotion. The song hit number three in Finland, number four in Spain, number ten in Switzerland, and number 12 in the UK; which just goes to show this didn't live up to the first song. The song was written by Romain Tranchart, Yann Destagnoi, Nile Rodgers, and Bernard Edwards. It samples Chic's "Le Freak", hence the songwriters.
Directed by Yannis Mangematin, this music video was set in a bowling alley. It opens up with a dancing man with a mirror disco ball as a head, backed up by two female dancers. This precedes the bowling competition.
This was way back when bowling was all the range and something everyone did. Nowadays, the bowling alleys are pretty empty which brings a much different atmosphere when attending. We watch as each player is knocked out, leaving the top two players; one team is wearing masks. Yet, it's the other team that wins, after being distracted by one of the female dancers.
The ending sees a party going on, and many people have spotted the young woman from the "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" music video. Not only that, Modjo also make another appearance, this time as staff of the bowling alley. The music video doesn't really go anywhere, although does create some hype and tension around the bowling competition. It feels unrelated to the song though.
I really am looking to YouTube to come up with music videos I can review quickly so I can finally catch up, since I am 25 blogs behind, at the moment - I am determined to catch up, and I will. I was planning on doing Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life", but that's already done, then I came across Lady Gaga's "Judas", but I think that music video is going to take up too much of my time, for now - I will review it at a much later date - so then I stumbled across this one, and I'm surprised I haven't reviewed it yet; although to be fair, it's one of Britney Spears' weakest music videos. Watch black-haired Britney Spears pole dance while blonde-haired Britney watches with amusement before checking out a guy in the bar, in this music video to "Gimme More".
Britney Spears needs no introduction, she's one of the top female singers in the entire world who still manages to get chart hits when she needs to. She has recently finished her Vegas residency, which has certainly led the way for many singers to take on Vegas residences after her first set of shows were completely sold out. Reverse back in time, though, and Britney Spears was hitting all the headlines as she went through some personal struggles, and this song and it's subsequent album was released around that time. This was certainly a new side of Britney Spears and the music video really shows that her head wasn't into it - same goes with the other video released from the Blackout album "Piece Of Me" ("Break The Ice" doesn't count since it is an animation visual). The song still climbed high on the charts, regardless of the negative critical reception the video and song got. It managed to peak at number one in Canada; number two in Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden; and number three in Australia, Norway, the UK, and the US. The song was written by Nate Hills, James Washington, Keri Hilson, and Marcella Araica.
Directed by Jake Sarfaty, the music video is beyond basic and certainly isn't on par with what we expect from Britney Spears. Although, this song is certainly the beginning of "It's Britney, Bitch".
There's a slight narrative going on as we see blonde-haired Britney Spears enjoying a drink at a bar, whilst black-haired Britney Spears starts pole-dancing. Britney enjoys watching Britney's show before taking an interest in a guy who is also drinking within the venue.
The dancing isn't anything amazing, and to be fair I do pole dance much better than Britney Spears in this video when I go clubbing - as there is one venue with a pole on the dancefloor. She's quite methodical, clearly thinking about the steps she's taking and what she should do.
The music video was edited and re-edited, with a leak of the previous version being released in 2011. This version omitted the blonde-haired Britney scenes and included the female singer walking down the street and being in a zebra-print bed with a cat. It's clear that no matter what version was released and no matter how this was edited, it clearly couldn't have been saved. However, I much prefer this version, as it gives off a slight narrative that is relatable to the song itself; so, I guess it was a good decision to re-edit the video.
I have been obsessed with the recently released song "Boom Boom" by RedOne, Daddy Yankee, French Montana, and Dinah Jane; that is a re-work of this track. So, having already reviewed that music video, I thought I might as well review the music video to this classic track; that certainly takes me back to my childhood as it was released back in 2000 when I was seven years old. I certainly don't remember this music video though. Watch three young adults go out and have some fun and just live their life in this music video for Modjo's song "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)".
Modjo were a French duo consisting of Romain Tranchart and Yann Destagnol (also known as Yann Destal). They released one album and five singles, this one being their debut and biggest hit. Their follow-ups never quite hit the mark around the world, although "Chillin'" hit number 12 in the UK. The band members went their separate ways in 2003, focusing on their own solo careers; Romain Tranchart went down the producing and remixing path, whereas Yann Destal went on to release an album which gained moderate success in France. It really is this track that made them a total one-hit wonder. It hit number one in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland. The song samples Chic's "Soup For One". It was written by Yann Destagnol, Romain Tranchart, Bernard Edwards, and Nile Rodgers.
Directed by François Nemeta, the music video displays three young adults having a spontaneous day, where they just go with the flow and have a good time. It does make me think that this is where the idea of the Tim Berg "Seek Bromance" music video came from.
There are a few interpretations of this music video, some people seem to think that this is a polyamory relationship, whereas others think the one guy is just the third wheel. Either way, it's that shower that makes us all question what is really going on. Although, it's pretty clear that one of the guys and the girl is in a relationship with one another - that shower scene is definitely on the sexy side.
The narrative shows them purchasing a car and hitting the road to a festival where a lot of older adults are attending. Line-dancing is shown as well as a stage show, where a guy throws a bottle at one of the three main characters - which then leads to the shower scene. Then the car breaks down - was bound to happen - and the final scenes see them on top of a hill.
Overall, this music video doesn't make the concept clear and seems pretty unrelatable to the song. The one guy, who some refer to as the third wheel, feels more like our main character, which doesn't make sense compared to what the song is about; you would expect the other guy to be more of the main character. This music video displays free spirit with the young adults being carefree, which doesn't correlate to the song at all. It does get a slight kudo for Modjo appearing as backing characters, did you spot them? They were the car salesman and the mechanic. Yet, they don't add anything to save this as a whole.
Backdated Chart Mondays again, as I focus on catching up week-on-week. I will do this, I promise. Ed Sheeran remains on top with "Perfect", and therefore allows one of the top ten from the UK Singles Chart, to be reviewed by me. This one is dropping out. It is officially Marshmello's biggest selling single to-date which certainly goes on to show that this masked DJ is on top form for 2017, but can he keep it going as the new year comes through? The same goes for Khalid who will no doubt become a big star in the next few years. This was an undeniable catchy collaboration, that totally worked in both of these artists favours, I just wish the music video was that little bit better. Watch Khalid and Marshmello perform and bring a sense of unity in this inspiring and lovely music video for their collaborative single "Silence".
Marshmello has really stepped up to the chart music world recently with some incredible collaborations, proving why he is one of the top DJs in the world. He's been a name we've all known for some time, making waves on stages, at festivals, and in the dance music world, but didn't really have an identifiable hit until this one and "Wolves" came along. Now he's a force that we are all watching, prepared to see what else he brings to charts around the world. Featuring on the track is Khalid, full name Khalid Robinson, who is certainly a rising star, managing to fully stamp his way into the international music industry. We all know that the next few years will see him dominate charts around the world, especially with the hype behind him. This song, unsurprisingly, hit charts hard around the world, peaking at number two in Norway, and number three in the UK and New Zealand. "Silence" was written by Khalid Robinson and Marshmello.
This music video is mainly a performance piece with a narrative set within. We watch Khalid leave a building and get on his bicycle before the song starts. He has a subtle stage presence as he sings whilst sitting on the bike, backed up by four other cyclists and Marshmello on his own bicycle.
Their bicycles certainly draw the audience in as they have lights wrapped around the wheels - why did we not have them as children? Such a great idea! The narrative shows a bunch of people who aren't having the best of days being cheered up by Khalid and Marshmello and the rest of their group with their neon lights.
As for the performance side of things, Marshmello comes off more as an unanimated mascot for Khalid and the song, rather than displaying what he does best - where are those DJ decks? As for Khalid, he has this relaxed style of performing that doesn't release any energy or inspiring vibes; it's certainly his voice that makes us enjoy this song because he doesn't bring anything addicting to the visual itself.
Overall, I so expected this to be a lot better. More focus on the characters within the narrative would've allowed this music video to be more gripping and engaging for the audience. Instead, we're left with Khalid and Marshmello, not really living up to their incredible artistry; maybe they were just too tired from cycling everywhere and pouring their energy into creating the track; leaving the video to not meet our expectations. The narrative saves this from being a total disaster.
I forget that Alexandra Burke has collaborated with Pitbull, mainly because, this song and music video, collectively, isn't that memorable. I remember really not liking this visual and purposely avoiding it on the music channels, way back when. I just feel this is a low-budget and annoying concept that they came up with to film a party music video. Kudos for it being different, but it's certainly not to my liking. Watch Alexandra Burke party the night away all night long with a bunch of friends as the footage is taken from 50 cameras filmed by the party-goers in this music video for "All Night Long" featuring Pitbull.
Alexandra Burke is best known for winning the fifth series of The X Factor in the UK back in 2008. She has had a number of hit singles, including this one and has gone on to have a great career. She's gearing up to release her third studio album in the next couple of months, so I'm more than excited about that. She has recently been promoting herself by taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, where she came second; and, previously, she played the lead role, Rachel Marron, in The Bodyguard UK Tour. I'm sure with some great promotion behind her, she will make an epic comeback to music, with her third studio album. Featuring on the track is Pitbull, real name Armando Pérez, who is an American rapper who everybody pretty much knows. He has established his name in the music industry and continues to collaborate with the biggest and the hottest rising stars in the industry. This song did pretty well when it comes to chart success, all around the world, but didn't bring in quite the high numbers compared to previous singles. The song is undeniably catchy, but I have to admit, I'd rather not see that music video ever again. "All Night Long" was written by Richard Butler, James Scheffer, Louis Biancaniello, and Sam Watters.
The music video was directed by Dale Resteghini. To film this video, Alexandra Burke asked her family and friends to record the actions of this all night long pool party on pocket video cameras. The video opens explaining this in a few short words.
This concept is so stupid. It totally loses the audience, in my opinion. If I'm going to watch a party music video, I want to see something I admire, a great sense of performance energy from the artist, and something totally different and unexpected. It is a unique concept and something different, but I certainly don't mean that in a good way.
There's literally nothing entertaining going on in this music video. The cameras are moving too much, so much so that the viewers find it difficult to focus, and Alexandra Burke comes off more like an empowering dominant female who everyone follows orders from.
As for the Pitbull segment, it's clever he appears on the TV however he doesn't save this video at all. In fact, he just brings his typical Pitbull appearance to this scene and correlates his scene with the rest of the music video, with the dodgy filming. This is something I hope I never get to see again. On the other hand, I adore the song and will continue to hear it on my iTunes.
I know! I know! I know! I'm so far behind on my blog, it seriously looks like I'm never going to catch up, but you have no idea how hard I work and I am on a focused catch-up spree for the next few weeks, so expect music video review after music video review. I only know Becky G from her collaboration with Cher Lloyd on "Oath" so it'll be interesting to see what her biggest song of her career, to date, is like. It is quite a cheesy pop number but one that is crazily addictive and definitely lovely. Watch Becky G lounge around at her house/pool party whilst sexily singing in the shower fully-clothed in this music video for her hit single "Shower".
Becky G, real name Rebbeca Gomez, has really come into her own, recently, especially since she played the Yellow Ranger, Trini, in the 2017 film, Power Rangers. This could certainly skyrocket her as an artist with her getting more attention, which she certainly deserves if this song is anything to go by. She rose to fame after one of her videos caught the attention of Dr. Luke, who quickly signed her to his record label Kesombe Records. As Kesha's lawsuit is still ongoing, who knows what the outcome will be, let alone what will happen to the artists on the label, regardless, this song went viral and charted well in the US, although it didn't do so well in the UK, although number 80 is nothing to be snubbed at since the UK Chart rules isn't exactly helping new artists hit the scene. The song was written by Rebbeca Marie Gomez, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter, Theron Thomas, and Timothy Thomas.
Directed by Tim Nackashi, this music video is pretty basic. It is totally a typical party music video, with some cool editing techniques and Becky G fully going for it with the fully-clothed shower which shows that she's prepared to try things to make the visual link with the song.
There's not a lot else to say about this music video because it really is simple, with some of the lyrics transcending right into the visual. Not only that but before the song even starts there are product placement and promotion, which definitely reminds me of an Avril Lavigne music video such as "What The Hell" or "Rock N Roll".
The pure performance music video certainly puts Becky G in a brilliant spotlight, showcasing her energy in every way. This is certainly something I can't fault her on, and she sure makes this video good; unfortunately, it's not memorable because it has been done so many times before.
Technically not a music video, but there isn't much of a choice upon this new release music video review. Besides, this is such a lovely visual for the song that it deserves to be reviewed by me. I previously reviewed the original version of "Perfect" for my Chart Mondays' review as it has climbed to the top this week, so it's incredible to see Ed Sheeran fight to stay at the top spot by releasing another version, this time with the incredible Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, in the hope of getting the Christmas number one (which he did). I'm not going to lie, I disliked this version very much when I first heard it, but I am growing to like it, slowly. I definitely like the symphony within the backing track. Watch Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli team up on an awesome rendition of this song, in the latter's house where the former marvels at everything around him in this music video for "Perfect Symphony".
Ed Sheeran is on top form this year! His album managed to be a huge success and every single song managed to chart in the UK top 20 - something no other artist has been able to do and no artist will be able to do since the rules have now been changed. He really is a dominant force in the music industry and the original of this song, titled just "Perfect" is most-likely the first dance at most wedding receptions. He already released a collaboration with Beyoncé titled "Perfect Duet", and then this one dropped with Andrea Bocelli. He is an Italian singer who has been blind since the age of 12, following a football accident. That hasn't stopped him at all, and he's gone on to have a stand-out career, one only singers can dream of. He's collaborated with top names and charted all over the world. He's best known for the song "Time To Say Goodbye" which was a collaboration with Sarah Brightman. This song was written by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli.
Directed by Tiziano Fioriti, this music video is almost a behind the scenes video of what happened when Ed Sheeran recorded "Perfect Symphony" with Andrea Bocelli. The camera captures some beautiful moments from the very start, even before the song kicks in. This is what makes the video that extra bit magical.
This little insight is so amazing to see. You can tell Ed Sheeran is awe-struck by the house and various things he notices. Then there are comical moments, like when he tries to learn the bits in Italian. But the truly interesting bits are the interactions and the moments they harmonise. It's so great to watch.
Although to take it all into consideration, it's a totally different viewpoint to the original "Perfect" video, and it's more of a making-of video than an actual music video since there's no narration and no performance side to this at all. It's interesting to watch and a great different take. We totally see Ed Sheeran's humble side and how incredible this is overall.
